“Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.” Psalm 143:10
God has a plan for our world and our lives; He doesn’t do things by accident; He is willful and intentional. Unfortunately for us, we cannot always understand the will of God. Although we can’t fully comprehend His will, we should always trust the will of God. As today unfolds, seek God’s will and obey His Word. When we entrust our lives to Him without reservation, He will give us the courage to meet any challenge, the strength to endure any trial, and the wisdom to live in His righteousness and in His peace. “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver me in a day of trouble.” Psalm 41:1
You resemble God’s character when you show love and mercy to someone who is in need. God takes note each time you allow Him to shine through you. Though it’s easier to pass them by, though it’s often inconvenient and uncomfortable to relate to people you don’t associate with or agree with, still, that’s when you are doing His work. Remember that you harvest what you plant. So make it your goal to show mercy wherever you go, being sure that you’ll find it when you’re in need. “Your righteousness is everlasting and Your law is true. Trouble and distress have come upon me, but Your commands are my delight.” Psalm 119:142-143
The trials of life often force us to turn to someone or something for help. The psalmist knew it was best to turn to God for wisdom and discernment. He asked of God, “Give me understanding that I may live.” He knew God’s plan for his life would preserve him from wrongful actions and would destroy the path of the foolish! Therefore he chose to delight himself in God and to uphold His statutes. God promises to grant us wisdom if we seek Him for it (James 1:5). As we pray to God for discernment and wisdom in our struggle He will teach us what we need to know so we can apply His wisdom to our situations! In His Love, Do All You Can, While You Can, As Long As You Can, To All You Can….Have a Beautifully Blessed Day! “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Galatians 5:16
Many of us desire to have a meaningful prayer life; to set aside more time for God and grow in our relationship with Him, time and again we fail. To triumph over Satan’s attempts to distract us in our prayer time isn’t easy. Yet Jesus promised the help of the Holy Spirit to those of us who embrace Him as our Lord! Let’s open ourselves up to the influence of the Holy Spirit, be obedient to His guidance and we will find our prayer life will change dramatically, for the better! In His Love, Do All You Can, While You Can, As Long As You Can, To All You Can….Have a Beautifully Blessed Day! “You, Lord God, have done many wonderful things and you have planned marvelous things for us. No one is like you. I would never be able to tell all you have done.” Psalm 40:5
Many people who have achieved all their goals find that their success wasn’t as satisfying as they thought it would be. Yet there are those who’ve forgotten their own plans in order to pursue God. As David testified in Psalm 40, he discovers a life full of purpose and love, abundant in hope and wonder. You can imagine great things, but God’s plans for you are infinitely better than all of them. He’ll grant your heart’s deepest desires and never disappoint you. “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Godly love doesn’t hold on to every bad memory of people who have transgressed against it. Yet often, some people don’t want to forget their hatred and revengeful thoughts. This process poisons their souls and drives the love of Christ from their hearts. If we keep a record of the wrongs committed against us, we are inclined to miss the noble, good and beautiful things in life through Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. In His Love, Do All You Can, While You Can, As Long As You Can, To All You Can….Have a Beautifully Blessed Day! “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
In life it is important to protect ourselves from selfishness, foolish pride, unkind thoughts and other negative traits. The way to overcome an attitude is to approach life with an attitude of Christ Jesus! Let’s not condemn others or ourselves, instead have understanding and sympathy with other around us and even ourselves! A compassionate attitude allows the Spirit of God to work through us and bring us to the realization, only by being a Blessing to our fellow man can we receive the Love and Blessing of God the Father. In His Love, Do All You Can, While You Can, As Long As You Can, To All You Can….Have a Beautifully Blessed Day! “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Romans 8:35
Paul asks a penetrating question here. He implies nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. He even mentions things could attempt to do so: trouble or hardship persecution, famine or nakedness, danger or sword. He comes to the conclusion nothing will be able to separate us “from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). God loves us! This truth gives us comfort, strength and encouragement. It is a fact God’s love surrounds us, but many people do not experience it because they erect barriers against it. Break down those barriers so we may experience God’s love in our life daily! In His Love, Do All You Can, While You Can, As Long As You Can, To All You Can….Have a Beautifully Blessed Day! “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” Psalm 34:18
Like most people, you may not seek God’s presence when you’re feeling low. Beat down, undermined or simply exhausted, you may question your worth and judge yourself completely useless to Him. God knows this is precisely when you need Him the most, and He’s there to comfort you. God is near when you’re crushed and brokenhearted. It’s when you’re most vulnerable and powerless that He can be strong for you and others can see Him working through you. “Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.” Romans 6:4
God’s Word is clear; when we welcome Christ into our hearts, an old life ends and a new way of living, along with a completely new way of viewing the world, begins. Each morning offers a fresh opportunity to invite Christ to rule over our hearts and days. Each morning presents another opportunity to take up His cross and follow in His footsteps. Today rejoice in the new life that is ours through Christ, and follow Him, step by step on the path that He first walked. |
Pastor Derrick RichardsonPastor of Community Abundant Life Church Archives
April 2024
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