Monday, July 17, 2023

Monday, July 17, 2023
Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones

In the perfect paradise of Eden, God created human beings to enjoy life, and to be enjoyed by Him. Joy, peace, love and contentedness are what we were created to feel and express to one another, and though painful emotions have been grafted into Creation by sin, it doesn’t disqualify the good ones. Every good and perfect thing comes from the Lord, and the blessings He’s given you should be enjoyed, because they’re a gift. Even hard things can be faced with a smile, knowing that God never changes, and that the suffering you experience here is not even worth comparing to the joy that awaits in Heaven. The final destination for anyone who is in Christ is everlasting joy and the infinite love of God; how can we not smile?

Friday, July 14, 2023

Friday, July 14, 2023
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Every single person is sinful and broken, and their eternal destiny is separation from God. But in His grace, God sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life and joy. It’s the greatest news anyone could ever hear, and it’s the greatest gift you could ever receive. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed by the gospel you believe in, or the Savior who cancelled your debt, or the God you now serve. The good news is real, realer than anything this world is selling, and the last command that Jesus gave was to spread the good news to the lost. So, stand up for Christ in a world that hates Him more and more every day, because the gospel isn’t just a colorful Sunday school story: it’s hope for the hopeless, and salvation for the sinner.

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Thursday, July 13, 2023
1 Corinthians 13:7
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love can take many forms and be expressed different ways. The love you’d show to a neighbor or friend is different from the love you’d show a spouse. But at the core, love is caring for someone over yourself, putting your own cares aside and making someone else your first priority. Jesus spent His days on earth showing love to the unlovable, going out of His way to comfort, heal, and lift up the lowly. Someone who shows Christlike love doesn’t care about circumstance or fairness or what they get in return; steadfast love bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things.

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

God is loyal, steadfast, faithful, and unchanging. He cares for those who draw close to Him, and He blesses those who follow His commandments. He has seen the birth and death of tens of billions of people through countless generations, and He has loved every single one of them. He hears the prayers of those who cry out to Him, and He weaves purpose into the life of even the most unworthy person. Whatever life throws at you, and no matter how hopeless you might one day feel, remember God’s character. The Lord your God is good, just, faithful, and above all else unchanging: then, now, and forever.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

The Lord is loyal to His children, and you and I should be loyal to Him too. If you’ve repented of your mistakes and asked Christ into your heart, you’ve been given a hope like no other: eternity in paradise with God is right around the corner! That’s His promise, and He meant it. In a society that’s drifting further and further from God, people will inevitably dislike you for your beliefs, and it will be tempting to hide them. After all, why make a big deal about it? But as Jesus said, if anyone will confess Him before men, He will confess them before the Father.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Monday, July 10, 2023
Proverbs 3:3
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Love, more than an emotion, is the choice to be selfless and treat someone else the way you’d want to be treated. But steadfast love is unceasingly loyal, weathering storms and surviving hardships that would otherwise destroy relationships. People are people, and because of human nature, we will inevitably let each other down at some point. But a person with the steadfast love that Proverbs talks about doesn’t stop hanging on! Write that kind of love on your heart and wear it around your neck, says the Word. Be the one who always forgives, always hopes, and always loves, not because the person deserves it, but because Christ loved you first.