Luke 15:7
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

God pursues us in our restlessness, receives us in our sinfulness, holds us in our brokenness. —Scotty Smith

You can take a stand against sin without being judgmental.

No matter what we pray for, thanksgiving should always go with it.
Speak words of thanksgiving, not words of complaint.

Philippians 4:6, everything we ask God for should be preceded and accompanied by thanksgiving.

But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism.

Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter

When God charges us with a task—whether to repair a relationship or share what He’s done in our lives—He gives us whatever skills and strength are necessary to continue in our effort to do what He’s asked, no matter what challenges come our way.

Lord, please equip me with Your strength to persevere and finish the tasks You’ve given me. May my labors bring You glory.

God equips us to overcome obstacles and complete the tasks He’s given us to do.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24 NIV

God wants a relationship with us — not to condemn us, but to free us.

None of the pressure you feel throughout the day is from God. In truth, you may be trying to please others or achieve your own goals more than you are trying to please God.

“The less we are manipulated by the expectations of others, the more we are open to the expectations of God.”

Ask the Lord to do a deep and thorough work in you so you can be all He wants you to be, do all He wants you to do, and have all He wants you to have. 

The pain of staying the way we are is much worse than the pain of changing.

No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it.

Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Generous giving displays courageous confidence in God’s loving and faithful provision.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Let prayer be your first response, not your last resort.

Psalm 63:1

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

While we should protect our hearts as much as possible from injury (see Proverbs 4:23), we need to leave revenge to God.

Many people have received Jesus as Savior and Lord. They will go to heaven, but never draw on the full capacity of the Holy Spirit that is available to them or experience the true success God wants them to enjoy on Earth. Simply put, many will be on their way to heaven, but they won't enjoy the trip.

Your worst day with God will be better than your best day without Him.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t resist sin (v. 17); but it does mean we should stop relying on our own strength to grow spiritually

We are called to reflect God’s kindness to others, regardless of how they choose to respond.

Jeremiah 23:24

Who can hide in secret places

so that I cannot see them?”

declares the Lord.

“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”

declares the Lord.

The warning is that we cannot hide from God. We can’t outrun or fool Him. Everything we do is visible to Him.

The encouragement is that there is no place on earth or in the heavens where we are outside the watchful care of our heavenly Father.

May the awareness of that truth encourage us to choose obedience to His Word and receive comfort—He watches over us.

Listen: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22).
Meditate: “In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling” (Psalm 27:5).
Savor: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (119:50).

Life can never be the same again when someone we love is gone. But God’s promises bring hope and comfort. —Dave Branon

Psalm 34:18.The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Our Lord never insists on having authority over us.

It is a complete and effective domination, in which I acknowledge that “You are worthy, O Lord…” (Revelation 4:11). It is simply the unworthiness within me that refuses to bow down or to submit to one who is worthy. When I meet someone who is more holy than myself, and I don’t recognize his worthiness, nor obey his instructions for me, it is a sign of my own unworthiness being revealed.

He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. 

The Son was obedient as our Redeemer, because He was the Son, not in order to become God’s Son.

True Love

If you're looking for TRUE LOVE, look at the CROSS.

What's Your Passion?

Something is always missing.

Nothing this world has to offer us—even very good things—fully satisfies us. There is a measure of enjoyment in them, but our happiness soon fades away (1 John 2:17).

“God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, there is no such thing.” - C. S. Lewis

There is a longing in every heart that only Jesus can satisfy.

Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

1 Corinthians 1
27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.

God still uses flawed characters—you and me—to fulfill His purposes.

Thank You, Lord, for blessing those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, and who hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. You are our righteousness!

Our Daily Bread Devotional for the day

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Hebrew 6:15

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7).

The Best Gift

The Spirit empowers (Romans 8:5), leads (v. 14), assures (v. 16), and assists in our prayers (vv. 26-27). The gift of the Spirit is the amazing spiritual resource that God has given to us to enable us to live for Him.

““So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:9-10, 13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile

Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

Matthew 5:39

But then, I am being rebuked:

Before I can say, “I saw the Lord,” there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God.

Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, “In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.”

Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.

He is Coming

Revelation 22

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

This verse was part of my devotion this morning.

Then I thought, I've known that from the Our Father that we usually pray, but I never really thought about it. It's like it's not yet possible to happen in the nearest future. That maybe I will no longer live to see that.

But I don't know why I felt excitement when I read that verse again today. Excited that I will see the Lord Jesus Christ coming down from the heavens. I imagine it Him standing on a cloud, clothe in pure white, light shining from his back that it's almost impossible to see his details, earth is trembling, everyone is on their knees, worshipping Him. Before, I am afraid that I am not ready to face Him. Until now, I am not ready. Until now, I am not pure. But I can't explain why I am excited to see Him. It's like seeing a long lost relative or friend.

Hallelujah!! Praise the Lord, King of Kings! God of mercy! God of all creations!
Come Lord Jesus Christ!

Glory to You Lord God! Amen! Amen! Amen!

He Knows Us

My favorite ^_^

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church

The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization.

The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively.

We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.

To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. 

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

Ephesians 4:13

An Anchor When We're Afraid

Because of God’s goodness and power, and because He sent Jesus to die for us and His Holy Spirit to guide us, our fears don’t have to rule our lives. We may well face hard things, but God has promised to be with us through it all.

Isaiah 51:12

Strangers Welcome Strangers

Romans 12:13.
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.Practice hospitality.

God promised to provide for us. And in turn, He commands us to provide for the poor and the needy.

The Spiritually Vigorous Saint

I am not here for self-realization, but to know Jesus Christ.

The Spiritually Lazy Saint

To live a distant, withdrawn, and secluded life is diametrically opposed to spirituality as Jesus Christ taught it.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Jesus Christ never encourages the idea of retirement

God of the Depths

We have the present to explore the ocean. We’ll have eternity to explore the wonders of our magnificent, mysterious, playful God. —Tim Gustafson

Job 41:12-34

Will You Examine Yourself?

It really is true to say, “I cannot live a holy life,” but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy. “You cannot serve the Lord…”— but you can place yourself in the proper position where God’s almighty power will flow through you. Is your relationship with God sufficient for you to expect Him to exhibit His wonderful life in you?

Contentment is found in Christ alone

Life’s circumstances change and sometimes we are humbled. Yet we can be hopeful and content knowing that there is One who has promised to never leave or forsake us. We can trust Him fully.

Psalm 131

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
    I am like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
    both now and forevermore.