DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 4.1.22

 A Lesson from Idolatrous Handiwork “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes havethey, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.” (Psalm115:4-7) The overriding lesson in this Scripture passage is the solemn admonition that we shouldn’t worship anything, including the works of our own hands, above the living God, our Creator Jesus Christ. The modern equivalent of this idolatry is the mental constructof a mystical imaginary process of nature selecting and crafting creatures—otherwise known as Darwinian evolution. This fake agent put in the place of an omnipotent Creator God is not only idolatrous but also devoid of solid scientific evidence both currentlyand in the fossil record. But there’s more to glean from this text. One of humans’ unique features is their ability to purposefully engineer and craft elaborate things. This is one aspect of being created in God’s image (Genesis1:27) as compared to other living creatures. In these verses, the Lord uses this fundamental and inherently understood principle to highlight idolatry in a contrastive scenario, human engineering vs. God’s engineering. In the modern world of bioengineering,research scientists across the world use this same perception of design to imitate the elaborate systems created by God that are found in living creatures, whether they want to acknowledge it or not. Thus, humans inherently perceive design. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made…so that they are without excuse” (Romans1:20). JPT --------------------- Acquiring Great Faith Hebrews 11:17-19 I’ve had people tell me, “I wish that I had great faith.” While most of us would like God to just drop that kind of confidence into our laps, it’s not the way He operates. Faith increases as a result of our obedience in little things. We all marvel at Abraham’swillingness to offer up Isaac at the Lord’s command. But have you ever stopped to consider all of his smaller steps of submission that prepared the way for this enormous test? Throughout his lifetime, Abraham obeyed God. At the Lord’s command, he left his country (Gen 12:1-4),was circumcised (17:10, 26), conceived Isaac in his old age (21:1-3), and sent his son Ishmael away (21:9-14). By the time he was asked to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, he already knew that his God would always be faithful to His promises. His previous experienceshad taught Him to trust the Lord. In the same way, each small step of obedience solidifies our confidence in God. Then, when He challenges us with a more difficult assignment, a firm foundation of assurance enables us to trust and obey Him. Great acts of faith flow from our past interactionswith the Lord. By neglecting His simple commands, we miss priceless opportunities to witness His faithfulness. Having trouble trusting God for something big? Maybe it’s because you’ve ignored those “small” and “insignificant” promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Lord considers each of His commands important and promises to reward every act of obedience, regardless of size. Great faith begins with little steps. --------------------- TheLord Our God Is One “I and my Father are one.” (John10:30) In this short but profound verse, Jesus claims deity and oneness with God the Father. The Jews who had encircled Him in the temple had said to Him, “If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly” (John10:24). Instead, Jesus gave a discourse on who the true followers (sheep) of Christ were, claiming unity in the work of salvation with the Father. He said, “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (v. 28), and “no man is able to pluck them outof my Father’s hand” (v. 29). This is followed with “I and my Father are one,” which prompted the crowd to try and stone Him. Their heated response was rooted in the writings of Moses, specifically Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD.” A more literal rendering of the Hebrew is “hear, Israel [imperative command]: Yahweh our Elohim [is] Yahweh—One.” Yahweh is the unique name of God, and Elohim is the grammatical plural of God (El), giving veiled reference to the Trinity toward which Jesus is now making a startling revelation. When Jesus claims unity with the Father, we have the added bonus of its specificity being written in Greek, in which the word for “one” is hen, which is neuter as opposed to the masculine form heis. This distinction preserves the trinitarian aspect that is one in purpose and will with the distinction of its individuals. And of God’s Son, John tells us in his gospel that Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the Light of the World, the True Vine, the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, and that all things were made by Him, our Creator. JPT ----------------------- What Does It Mean to Be Saved Psalms 25:12 What makes a person acceptable to God? The path to redemption begins not with the decision to live a better life or to stop doing something wrong, but with the realization that we cannot correct our sinful nature. To find favor with the Lord, we must graspthat it's impossible to make ourselves righteous; instead, we need to depend on the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. When we trust in Christ as our Savior, God the Father applies the benefit of Jesus' atoning sacrifice to our sin debt, thereby making us "saved," or acceptable in His eyes. Your good works and righteous acts are of absolutely no value in the mind of God. Compared to others' actions, your generosity and good works might seem like enough to bring favor with the Lord, but Jesus said, "Not as a result of works, so that no one mayboast" (Eph. 2:9). When you stand before God, the only way you can be forgiven of your sins is through Jesus Christ and His sacrificial,substitutionary atoning death at Calvary. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Jesus' public crucifixion was a demonstration of God's hatred for sin and immense love for mankind. He who was blameless bore the penalty for all in order that wicked, corrupt people could be made righteous. No matter what you've done, you can be cleansed of the stain left by sin. Confess any known transgressions and turn from them; then Jesus will forgive you and write your name in the Lamb's Book of Life (1 John 1:9; Rev. 21:27). By trusting in Him, you are assured of eternity in His presence. ----------------------------- Godof All Grace “The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffereda while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Peter 5:10-11) This passage lists another name for God in the New Testament—the God of all grace. Peter ends with amen, indicating that this is a prayer in which Peter is calling upon the God of all grace to “perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle” the suffering believers. Not only do we desperately need God’s grace in the trials of life, but our faith journey also began in grace. Indeed, Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the terrible and hopeless state of Paul’s readers before their salvation. As unregenerate sinners, they were not only spiritually dead in their sin but enslaved to the ways of Satan according to the sinful desires of the fleshand the mind, being ultimately destined for God’s wrath. Then God’s grace-alone remedy is given in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” And this amazing grace is not just for our original deliverance and the sustaining work of salvation, butfor all eternity. “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians2:7). Thanks be to the God of all grace, “for thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee,” and “thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm86:5, 15). JPT ----------------------------- God’sGrace Is Sufficient “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2Corinthians 12:9a) How many times have we been in dire situations and then looked back later and realized that we miraculously got through only by God’s grace? Leading up to this Scripture, Paul spoke of some unspecified continuing affliction God was allowing him to endure tohumble him. Paul requested three times to have the affliction removed and then gave this direct message from the Lord Jesus in response to his repeated requests. To the Greek reader of this passage, the thing that would have immediately jumped out from this section of the epistle is the contrast in verbal tenses. Paul’s request was recorded in the simple past tense (aorist), indicating an action that is completed ratherthan ongoing. In contrast, Christ’s message that starts with “he said” is derived from the Greek verb ereo in the perfect tense, which indicates an initial action with continuing application and ongoing effect. Another important point in this ongoing application is that the verbs for “is sufficient” (arkeo) and “made perfect” (teleioo) are in what is known by grammarians as timeless or durative present tenses. In other words, Christ’s grace and strengthare a present and active truth in every moment of the believer’s life! Thus, Paul could then say, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: forwhen I am weak, then am I strong” (2Corinthians 12:9b-11). JPT -------------------------- Knowing the Heart of God 1 Corinthians 13:11-13 Most people long to be understood. We may have many acquaintances, but we all have a deep need to feel truly known by those we love most. This is because we were created in God's image--He also desires to be intimately understood and loved by us. Just as you don't want to be known for only the superficial details of who you appear to be, it's not enough to know about the Lord. He wants us to learn how He thinks and feels, what's important to Him, and what His purposes are. Of course, it's impossible for man to completely know the mind of the Creator of the universe.In Isaiah 55:9, He tells us, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." The depth and breadth of His mind is so great we will never be able to fully grasp it in this lifetime. However, we can better understand God's heart and character by seeking Him and learning day by day from His Word. If we genuinely desire to walk in His ways, we must first genuinely know Him. We come to know our friends better by sharing more experiencestogether. Similarly, we will also understand God better the longer we walk with Him and meditate on what He has revealed about Himself in the Bible. God wants you to seek Him with all your heart, and He promises that when you do, you will find Him (Jer. 29:13). So, the next timeyou're feeling a need to be better understood, turn to the One who understands you perfectly. Even more importantly, ask Him to help you know Him better. ---------------------------- TheNew Heavens and New Earth “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come intomind.” (Isaiah65:17) There is a glorious future awaiting the redeemed. Although God’s primeval creation of the heavens and the earth is eternal (note Psalm 148:6, etc.), these are now groaning in pain under the effects of sin and the curse. When the Lord returns, they will be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into...glorious liberty” (Romans8:21), and God will make them all new again, with all the scars of sin and death burned away by His refining fires (2Peter 3:10). There are four explicit references in the Bible to these “renewed” heavens and Earth. In addition to our text, which assures us that they will be so wonderful that this present earth and its heavens will soon be forgotten, there is the great promise of Isaiah 66:22: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.” Thus, that heavens and Earth will remain eternally, and so will all who dwell there, with theirtrue spiritual children. Note also that both God’s “creation” and “making” powers will be applied to the new heavens and new earth, just as they were to the first (Genesis2:3). The third and fourth references are in the New Testament. “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2Peter 3:13). Not only will no sin be present there, neither will the results of sin and the curse. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;...And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation21:1, 4). HMM --------------------- True Spiritual Growth James 1:17-27 If you want to genuinely grow in spiritual maturity, it is not enough to simply be instructed by the Word of God. You may love going to church or listening to Christian radio programs. You might talk about everything you hear and assume you're growing becauseyour knowledge is increasing. However, if you don't actually grow closer to God by allowing His Word to change you from the inside out, your head will merely continue to fill with information. You might even sound like a godly person who is admired for theability to quote chapter and verse. But if you don't take the next step and allow God to touch others' lives through you, you're missing the point. Spiritual growth is the result of practicing the truth you receive from God. He wants you to give away what He gives you--that is, by loving and serving others and sharing the truth of the gospel. Our example is Jesus, who said that He did not come to beserved, but to serve even the lowest outcasts in His society (Matt. 20:28). He could have exalted Himself and spent all His time preachingand teaching. Instead, Jesus did only the Father's will, which was to reveal His heart of love to a broken world. The Lord sacrificially involved Himself in people's lives, and He calls us to follow in His footsteps. God's plan is to reach the world through you. If that weren't the case, He would have taken you to heaven as soon as you were saved. But you are here for a purpose--to live out Christ's life alongside hurting people who desperately need to experience Hislove. ---------------------- God'sSon in the Old Testament “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” (Psalm2:7) There are many today (especially Muslims, Jews, and Christian “liberals”) who are monotheists, believing in one supreme God but rejecting the deity of Christ. They argue that the doctrine that Jesus was the unique Son of God was invented by the early Christiansand that the God of the Old Testament had no Son. Orthodox Jews in particular emphasize Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” The fact is, however, that there are a number of Old Testament verses that do speak of God’s only begotten Son. Note the following brief summary. First, there is God’s great promise to David: “I will set up thy seed after thee,...I will be his father, and he shall be my son....thy throne shall be established for ever” (2Samuel 7:12, 14, 16). Consider also the rhetorical questions of Agur. “Who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” (Proverbs30:4). Then there are the two famous prophecies of Isaiah, quoted so frequently at Christmastime. “Behold, a [literally ‘the’] virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [meaning ‘God with us’]” (Isaiah7:14). “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah9:6). Perhaps the most explicit verse in this connection is our text. “The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son” (Psalm2:7). Then this marvelous Messianic psalm concludes with this exhortation: “Kiss the Son,...Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm2:12). HMM --------------------- Don�t Take God�s Glory - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can everboast in the presence of God. �1 Corinthians 1:28�29 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/dont-take-gods-glory/- Listen A while back I spoke with someone who works in hospice care. She was talking with a patient who was close to entering into eternity and decided to begin reading my bookJesus Revolution to him. She said it impacted him to the point that he became a Christian. What a wonderful thing. This woman is in a position to reach people for Jesus Christ whom I could never reach. You, too, are in a position to reach people that no one elsecan reach. God wants to use you. And when He does, make sure that you give Him the glory. When the apostle Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, a man there who had been unable to walk from birth was listening to Paul preach. Paul could see that this manhad the faith to be healed. So Paul said to him, �Stand up straight on your feet!� (Acts 14:10 NKJV). And right there, this man who never had walked before jumped to his feet and began walking and leaping. This astonished the people who were watching, and they exclaimed, �The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!� (verse 11 NKJV). The Bible goes on to say they were planning to bring sacrifices to them. But Paul and Barnabas, tore their clothes and cried out, �Men, why are you doing these things? Wealso are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God� (verse 15 NKJV). In other words, �Don�t give us the credit! Don�t give us the glory! We are here to tell you to turn away from putting your faith in people, idols, or anything else.� Do you want to be used by God? If you will dare to pray this prayer, you�ll find that God will answer it. Simply say, �Lord, use me today.� He just may answer sooner thanyou expect. ----------------------- A Commendation from Jesus - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. �Jeremiah 29:13 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-commendation-from-jesus/- Listen It�s a pretty big deal when Jesus calls someone out in a positive way and says, �Great is your faith.� After all, He was an expert on the subject of faith. In Matthew 15, we read of Jesus specifically commenting on the faith of someone who didn�t have the privilege of walking and talking with Him, hearing His great teaching,or seeing His powerful miracles. More to the point, she was a Canaanite, and she had a demon-possessed daughter. She was the mother who wouldn�t give up, because nothing would stop her from getting to Jesus. However, she didn�t come to Him with demands but instead begged for mercy(see Matthew 15:21 NLT). Jesus knew that she had amazing faith, and He wanted to draw her faith out. So, He put up a hurdle, if you will. He said, �I was sent only to help God�s lost sheep�the peopleof Israel� (verse 24 NLT). But she wouldn�t take no for an answer. Again, she asked Him for help, and He told her, �It isn�t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs� (verse 26NLT). In the original language Jesus used a word for �dogs� that we could translate �puppies.� She could have been offended, but I think she knew exactly what was going on. She replied, �That�s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneaththeir masters� table� (verse 27 NLT). She easily cleared the hurdle, and Jesus told her, �Dear woman, your faith is great. Your request is granted� (verse 28 NLT). The door was shut in her face, but this woman kept on knocking. She wouldn�t give up. She wasn�t going home without an answer. Her story serves as a reminder that no matter what, we need to bring our problems to Jesus. ----------------------- The Definition of Faith - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. �Hebrews 11:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-definition-of-faith/- Listen Everyone has a measure of faith. Now, their faith may not be in God, but they do have faith in something. They might have faith in themselves, which will be disappointing.Or maybe they have faith in a political system, which will be even more disappointing. What, then, is faith, and how does it work? Hebrews 11:1 gives us an excellent definition of faith: �Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen� (NKJV). Faith isn�t just believingsomething; it�s acting on what you believe in. You can give mere intellectual assent to something and say, �I believe this is true.� Yet the Bible says, �Even the demons believe�and tremble!� (James 2:19 NKJV). Real faith in God is belief plus action. Faith does things. If you have real faith, you will do something with it. Hebrews 11 talks about what various people did with theirfaith. For example, Abel offered a sacrifice, Noah prepared an ark, and Abraham obeyed. Faith with no works is a faith that doesn�t work. Everything in our lives revolves around faith. We are saved by faith. Ephesians 2 tells us, �For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast� (verses 8�9 NKJV). Not only are we saved by faith, but we live by faith and not by feelings. The Bible says, �The just shall live by faith� (Romans 1:17 NKJV). If we build our Christian liveson our emotions, then we�ll be riding a roller coaster, if you will, because sometimes we�re up emotionally and sometimes we�re down. Faith, on the other hand, is steady, because we believe the Word of God regardless of our emotions. And there is no safer place to put our faith than in God. ------------------------ On the Right Path - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. �Proverbs 22:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/on-the-right-path/ Listen A father and his son were hiking up a mountain when they came to a difficult place on the trail. While the father was contemplating which way he should go, he heard hisson say, �Choose the right path, Dad. I�m coming right behind you.� As parents, we have a direct influence on our children. Our children are watching us. They listen to what we say, but more importantly, they watch what we do. Let�s say, for instance, that you drink in front of your children. Then one day your children have a problem with alcohol, and you wonder why. Or perhaps you fight withyour spouse in front of your children and maybe even ask them to take sides in the argument (which is always a horrible idea). Then you�re shocked when your adult children have the same issues in their marriages. When the Bible talks about the sins of the parents being visited on the children, it isn�t describing a mystical curse that is passed on from generation to generation. Rather,it�s simply talking about the repeated behavior of sin that can be passed on. For example, if parents are divorced, chances are far greater that their children will end up divorced. However, if both parents attend church regularly, chances are fargreater that their children will attend regularly as well. So, not only can we pass sins on to our children, but we can pass blessings on to them as well. And it�s a lot easier to build a child than to repair an adult. Be the godlyexample. Be the godly leader. Read the Bible to your children before they go to bed at night. Pray with them. As you do that, you�re modeling what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Live a life with Christ that will make your children desire the same relationship with Him. ------------------------- Why the Wait? - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. �Psalm139:23�24 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/why-the-wait/- Listen The most difficult response to accept is no response at all. When we pray for something repeatedly, it�s hard to understand why God doesn�t answer us in the affirmative. One possibility is there may be something going on behind thescenes. There may be a spiritual battle raging that we know nothing about. We find an interesting story in Daniel 10 where an angel appeared to Daniel and said he had been dispatched from Heaven with an answer to Daniel�s prayer, but he was delayedfor 21 days by �the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia� (verse 13 NLT). As a result, God sent Michael the archangel to come to his rescue. Another reason God may not answer our prayer in the affirmative is that we have unconfessed sin in our lives. The psalmist wrote, �If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,the Lord would not have listened� (Psalm 66:18 NLT). Isaiah 59:1�2 tells us, �Listen! The Lord�s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It�s your sins that have cut you off from God. Becauseof your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore� (NLT). It�s a good idea to pray what the psalmist prayed: �Search me, O God, and know my heart; . . . point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlastinglife� (Psalm 139:23�24 NLT). God cannot forgive the sin we will not confess. We should regularly pause before the Lord in prayer and say, �Lord, if there�s anything in my life that is displeasing toYou, if I�m engaged in any pursuit that is outside of Your will, would You show that to me?� I believe that�s a prayer God will hear and answer in the affirmative. --------------------- The Believer's Journey to the Cross John 12:23-27 We all know that Jesus walked the road to Calvary, but did you know that believers also journey to the cross? We've all been positionally crucified with Christ, but those who hunger for Him participate in a deeper experience of this reality. Jesus lovinglytakes their hand and leads them to the cross. Even though this is the last place anyone wants to go, it's the only way to partake of God's best for our lives. The trip to the cross is not one you take with family and friends. It's a lonely journey with just you and Jesus. He strips away everyone and everything you've depended on so that you'll learn to rely only on Him. While we're at the cross, He uncovers layerafter layer of self-deception until we begin to see ourselves as He does. Soon our self-centeredness, inadequacy, and failures are laid bare. The cross is a place of brokenness, but it's necessary because there's no other way we'll ever bear fruit. If we hang onto our lives and refuse to take this journey, we'll be like a grain of wheat that is never planted and never grows. But those who willinglydie to themselves will produce an abundance of spiritual fruit. The only way Christ can live His life through us is if we've allowed ourselves to be crucified. God doesn't want you to be content with just your salvation. There's so much more He desires to give you and accomplish through you. Are you willing to take the road to the cross with Him? Yes, it's painful, but the rewards in this life and in eternity far outweigh any suffering you will experience. --------------------------- God of Peace �Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.� (Romans15:33) This short verse gives yet another New Testament name for God�the God of peace. The conclusion of this verse with amen tells us that what Paul said isn�t just a wish but a brief prayer. Paul uses this title again in another short prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: �And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.� And in Hebrews 13:20-21: �Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasingin his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.� This God title is also mentioned in Philippians 4:8-9 regarding the battleground of the mind: �Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.� And let us remember that the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, told us, �Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid� (John14:27). JPT ---------------------- Win Your Battle with Worry - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So don�t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today�s trouble is enough for today. �Matthew 6:34 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/win-your-battle-with-worry/- Listen The apostle Paul faced an uncertain future. He was arrested for preaching the gospel, but as a Roman citizen, he had the right to appeal to Caesar. As a result, Paul wasliving under house arrest, awaiting an appearance before the leader of Rome. Paul didn�t know whether his appeal would bring about his acquittal or his beheading. But instead of worrying and complaining, he was rejoicing and living in great peace. Writing to the believers in Philippi, he said, �Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! . . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (4:4, 6�7 NKJV). Rejoicing is a scriptural command, not a suggestion. To fail to rejoice is actual disobedience to God. But notice that Paul said, �Rejoice in the Lord,� not rejoice in yourcircumstances. Some Christians think that whatever happens, they should rejoice in it. No, we should rejoice in the fact that God is still on the throne and still loves us. We should rejoicein the fact that, according to Romans 8:28, �God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them� (NLT). When we worry, it�s a failure on our part to trust God. Jesus said, �So don�t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today�s trouble is enough fortoday� (Matthew 6:34 NLT). The word worry comes from a term that means �to choke.� And that�s what worry does. It creates mental and emotional strangulation in your life. Worry actually makes thingsworse, because when you worry about the future, you cripple yourself in the present. ------------------------------- Godof Love �Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be withyou.� (2 Corinthians 13:11) The title the �God of love� declared by Paul near the close of his second epistle to the Corinthians is another one of the New Testament�s descriptive names for God. But this title is especially unique because the apostle John tells us that �he that lovethnot knoweth not God; for God is love� (1 John 4:8). And again in verse 16, �we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and hethat dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.� When John says �God is love,� he isn�t making an ontological declaration about what God is in essence but rather saying that God is loving in all His activity, and love is His essential quality and nature. In fact, the use of the Greek noun agap� (love) is without an article in this statement, indicating a nonsymmetrical relationship. In other words, the relationship between God and love is not equational, and thus it isn�t reversible to claim �love is God.� In 1 John 4:9-11, John clarifies God�s incredible love toward us as revealed in the redemption provided through Jesus Christ: �In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live throughhim. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.� And the practical personal application in our lives is made clear: �Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.� JPT ----------------------