Rejoice In Everything

Have Mercy

Lord, you hear our cries for mercy and you know why each one of us needs it. Reveal your mercy to us today. Open our eyes to see your mercy in our lives. 

Look Where You're Going

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

Colossians 3:1-2

Where I live, for many drivers who I share the road with, it seems that turn signals have become optional. Or, for some, activating the turn signal only means they are turning, not necessarily in the direction their turn signal is indicating. What seems to be a much more reliable indicator of which way someone is turning is the direction they are looking. If I can see that the driver is looking right, even though their turn signal points left, they are probably turning right. 

Now, I'm not saying all that just to complain about the way some people drive. What I want to point out is that, for the most part, you go where you look. Naturally, when you turn your head your body follows. Try walking straight while looking ninety degrees to the right or left. Your body naturally starts to go where you are looking. 

Applying that to these wonderful verses in Colossians we understand that if we focus on Christ, on knowing him and loving others like he loved us, we will live as he wants us to live and enjoy the fruit of living in the Spirit. It's not really complicated. But, what about work? Listen, my job isn't studying the Bible. I'm an educator. Later in the chapter Paul tells the Colossians, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col. 3:17) What I do today, I will do as a servant of Christ, serving other teachers and students. My desire is to be Christlike. What I do may not be "spiritual" but I look to the Lord to give me the strength, wisdom and skill I need to my job to the best of my ability. So, do what you do in the strength of the Lord and then thank him for whatever he does in and through you. Set your mind on things above...

Fear, a Good Thing

Not all fear is a good thing, just the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is actually is actually a foundational part of our faith. Truly knowing who God is and who we are before him should be the fear of the Lord. Living rightly before God allows you to be open to and see the blessing of the Lord he bestows on us every day. The fear of the Lord is a good thing.

No Other

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 5:6-7 

Sometimes in the simplicity is the profoundness. The Lord is our God and he is to be the only God in our lives. It is important to remember that God is the one who sent his One and only Son to die for us, to save us from our sins, to redeem us, justify us and will one day take us all home to be with him in heaven. 

Reality is not just the way that God, the God of the Bible, sees it to be. Reality is the way that God created it to be, the way that it is. Matter, space and time were all created by God. Scientists, theoretical physicists, and philosophers may conjure up fine sounding arguments, theories and explanations for the world and universe, but, the Lord is God, and there is no other. 

Father, you are the only true God. We praise you and acknowledge you as the LORD, our God who brought us out of sin and into life in Christ Jesus. Praise be to you in us today!

The Lord is God.

Father, we acknowledge that not only are You the only true God, but that You are our God. May You be lifted up and glorified in Your people today. Shine Your light through us into the darkness of this world.

God is Your Help

Thank you, Father, for being our help. Thank you that we can call upon your Name!