Jesus

November 12th – John 15:11

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John 15:11

How often do we catch ourselves saying, “If only”? If only we had more money, a bigger house, a better job, fewer problems, or a life that looked a little more like someone else’s.

We convince ourselves that once those things happen, then we’ll finally be happy. But the trouble with living in the land of “if only” is that there’s always something else we’ll want or think we need before we allow ourselves to be joyful.

John 15:11 reminds us that Jesus wants His joy to be in us and for our joy to be complete. And that joy isn’t something we have to wait for until life gets better. It isn’t found in a bank account, a clothing size, or having everything go our way. It’s found in a relationship with Jesus.

The kind of joy He gives isn’t dependent on our circumstances, and it doesn’t disappear when life gets difficult. I’m reminding myself that I don’t want to spend so much time wishing for a different life that I miss the blessings in the one God has given me.

We can have joy right now, right where we are, because we have Jesus. So let’s stop putting our happiness on hold until our “if only” becomes a reality. Let’s learn to recognize the goodness of God in the life we’re living today and remember that the greatest source of joy is already ours.

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November 11th – John 15:13

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John 15:13

As we observe Veterans Day, I can’t help but think about the men and women who have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our freedom. Some have left their families and homes. Others have endured hardships we’ll never fully understand, and some have given their lives in service to our country.

Their willingness to put others before themselves is a sacrifice we should never take lightly. Freedom is a gift, but it has never been free. Today, I am especially thankful for those who have served. And for those who continue to serve, and the families who have stood beside them through it all.

We may never be able to repay what they’ve given, but we can make sure their sacrifices are never forgotten. As Christians, we’re called to love others sacrificially, and the courage and selflessness of our veterans remind us of the depth of that kind of love.

So today, let’s take a moment to say thank you, offer a prayer for those who have served, and remember the blessings of freedom we too often take for granted. May God bless our veterans, comfort those carrying unseen wounds, and bless the United States of America.

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November 10th – Psalm 51:10

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Psalm 51:10

Every day we stumble, fall short, and do things that disappoint God. Maybe we let our tempers get the best of us. Or our words get ahead of our hearts and our old ways creep back into our lives.

But aren’t you thankful that God doesn’t wash His hands of us when we fail Him? He doesn’t turn His back on us or hold our confessed sins over our heads. Instead, He welcomes us to come to Him, repent, and begin again.

God knows we’re a work in progress, and He lovingly gives us His Holy Spirit to help change us from the inside out. Little by little, He chips away at our old sinful nature. And He teaches us to think differently, respond with grace, and become more like Jesus. But we have to be willing to let Him do that work.

God isn’t looking for perfection. He’s looking for a heart that’s willing to surrender, be corrected, and be transformed. So let’s invite Him into every corner of our hearts and allow Him to make us new, one day and one step at a time.

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November 8th – Psalm 90:14

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Psalm 90:14

Psalm 90:14 reminds us to ask God to satisfy us each morning with His unfailing love so that we can rejoice and be glad all our days. I love that! Because it’s easy to wake up thinking about everything we need to do, everything we’re worried about, or all of the things we wish were different.

We can spend so much time looking for happiness in our circumstances, in what we have, or in what we hope to accomplish, that we forget the greatest source of joy has already been given to us. And that’s God’s love.

Nothing this world offers can compare to the security and peace found in knowing we are loved by our heavenly Father. His love doesn’t change when our circumstances do, and it doesn’t disappear on the days when we’re struggling or falling short.

A grateful heart begins when we stop looking for something more to make us happy, and start recognizing the incredible gift of God’s love right where we are. That doesn’t mean every day will be easy or that we won’t have disappointments. But it does mean we have a reason to rejoice even in the middle of them.

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November 5th – Colossians 3:15

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Colossians 3:15

Colossians 3:15 reminds us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. I love that word rule because it means we have a choice about what we allow to lead us.

It’s so easy to let worry, frustration, fear, or the opinions of others take over our thoughts and steal our peace. We can spend so much time worrying about what might happen tomorrow or replaying what happened yesterday, that we forget to enjoy the day God has placed right in front of us.

But Jesus offers us a peace that isn’t dependent on everything going right or life going according to our plans. It’s a peace that comes from knowing who He is and trusting Him with what we can’t control. That doesn’t mean we won’t have difficult days, face uncertainty, or have moments when our hearts feel unsettled. It means we have somewhere to turn when those moments come.

Instead of allowing our circumstances to rule our hearts, we can bring our worries to Jesus and let His truth steady us. I’m learning that peace doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from trusting the One who holds it all.

So today, let’s be careful about what we allow to take up space in our hearts. Let’s make room for Christ’s peace, let gratitude shape our attitudes, and remember that we don’t have to carry tomorrow’s worries while we’re living through today.

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November 4th – James 1:17

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James 1:17

Have you ever stopped to think about how many blessings we overlook simply because we’ve gotten used to them? We can get so caught up wishing for what we don’t have, that we forget to thank God for what we do.

The roof over our heads, food on the table, people who love us, a beautiful sunrise, or even the strength to get through another day. They’re all gifts worth recognizing. And James reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from above.

Now, not every good thing in our lives comes wrapped in a pretty package, and not every season is easy. But even when life changes, God doesn’t. His goodness isn’t here one day and gone the next. He is the same faithful Father through our happiest moments and our hardest days.

I know I don’t always stop long enough to appreciate all He’s given me, and I suspect I’m not alone in that. So today, let’s look around with fresh eyes and remember where our blessings come from. We have so much more to be thankful for than we sometimes realize.

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November 3rd – Psalm 103:2

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Psalm 103:12

My security camera has a motion detector that lets people know they’re being recorded whenever they come into view. And if I ever need to, I can go back and watch the recordings to see exactly what happened. It got me thinking… Aren’t we thankful God doesn’t keep a record of our sins like that?

God isn’t storing away recordings of every wrong thing we’ve ever done, waiting to pull them up again when we stumble. And He doesn’t keep a file of our failures to remind us of how badly we’ve messed up. When we come to Him with repentant hearts and receive forgiveness through Jesus, our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west.

Think about that for a minute! There’s no limit to how far east you can travel before you start heading west, and that’s the beautiful picture David gives us of God’s forgiveness. Now, that doesn’t mean our choices don’t have consequences or that we won’t remember things we’ve done and wish we could change. But it does mean that God doesn’t hold our forgiven sins over our heads.

Sometimes we’re much harder on ourselves than God is, replaying old mistakes and allowing guilt to rob us of the joy of His grace. And sometimes people are more than willing to remind us of our past, too. But when God forgives, He doesn’t keep score! What a wonderful thing to be thankful for. We serve a God whose mercy is greater than our mistakes, whose grace reaches farther than our failures, and whose love never runs out.

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November 1st – Psalm 107:1

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Psalm 107:1

It’s easy to thank God when life is going well. When our prayers are being answered, and everything seems to fall into place. But what about those days when we’re worried, disappointed, or wondering what God is doing?

I’ve learned that having a grateful heart doesn’t mean life is perfect or that we never struggle. It means choosing to remember that even when our circumstances change, God’s goodness and love never do.

Sometimes we’re so busy looking for the big blessings that we overlook the little ones right in front of us. Maybe it’s a beautiful sunrise, a kind word, a loved one’s laughter, or the quiet reassurance that we’re never walking alone. God’s goodness isn’t measured by how easy our lives are, but by who He is. And His love endures through every season.

So today, let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond what we wish were different and notice the blessings God has already placed in our lives. We may not have everything we want, and we may still be waiting on some prayers, but we always have a reason to thank Him.

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October 31st – Matthew 5:16

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Matthew 5:16

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus calls us to let our light shine before others so they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. While our good works can never earn us salvation, they are a natural outpouring of the salvation we’ve received through Christ. For as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:10, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

In other words, we aren’t saved by the good things we do, we’re saved so that our lives can reflect the goodness of the One who saved us. (Ephesians 2:10). And in a world filled with anger, division, and so much darkness, the way we treat others matters.

A kind word, a helping hand, a little patience, or showing grace when it would be easier to criticize, can all reflect the heart of Jesus. We don’t have to do big, extraordinary things to make a difference. Sometimes, the smallest acts of love speak the loudest.

Today, let’s take a moment to reflect on our good works. Do they shine brightly for the glory of God? Do they draw others toward our Heavenly Father like a moth to a flame? After all, we’re not called to be the light of the world in our own strength, but to reflect the One who is. May His light shine through us today!

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October 29th – Psalm 126:5

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Psalm 126:5

When the Israelites finally returned to Jerusalem after years of exile, their hearts overflowed with joy and laughter. After all the sorrow, hardship, and longing they had endured, they were finally home. No wonder they celebrated the goodness of a God who had brought them through. What a beautiful reminder that our tears never go unnoticed by the Lord!

Each of us will have seasons of weeping. Times when our hearts are broken, and our prayers seem unanswered. We wonder how much longer we can hold on. And although we might not understand why God allows certain seasons or how He will bring us through them, we can trust that He is with us in every tear we shed.

And while we may not see our circumstances change as quickly as we would like, sorrow doesn’t get the final word for those who belong to Jesus. There is a day coming when every tear will be wiped away, every hurt will be healed, and the sorrow of this life will give way to everlasting joy in His presence.

But until then, keep planting those seeds of faith, even through your tears. Keep praying, keep trusting, and keep holding on to His promises. Because the same God who carries us through our weeping is the One who will one day fill our hearts with a joy beyond anything we can imagine!

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