Commit to the Lord - Psalm 37:5

Psalm 37:5 -- "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you."

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God seeks a personal relationship with every individual He has created. He wants to know us, love us, guide us and guard us. However, often we do not let Him, we stand in the way of our own peace and joy.

We tend to reach out to God when things don't go our way. However, as soon as we sense He's going to tell us something we don't like, we turn around with the attitude "I'll find a better way." This attitude is fruitless and will only cause more suffering. There is no better way than God's perfect vision for our lives.

To see the Lord more in our lives, we have to commit everything to Him. Not just what seems pleasant or when we are desperate, but everything in every moment of every day. That is a hard thing to do. However, it begins with one choice, one act of obedience, and then another. God is patient and He will guard and guide you through your path.

Commit everything to the Lord today. Take one step closer to God in obedience and He will begin to show you the life you can have through Him.

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1, 2, & 3 John (Bible in 90 Days)

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John was the last remaining apostle to survive persecution from the Jews and the Roman government. Though he didn't escape persecution, he lived to be an old man who began to encourage the next generation of believers in their faith and confidence in God.

In the years following the life, death and Resurrection of Christ, many argued over the identity of this mysterious man named Jesus. Even many Christians began to doubt the divinity of Christ, putting into question God's love and grace. John wrote these letters to present a clear picture of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to assure believers in their faith.

1 John 5:13 -- "I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life."

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John described God as light, love and life. He presented simply and practically what it meant to have a fellowship with God.

1 John 1:7 -- "But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."

By knowing and walking in His love, we have the ability to confidently walk through our life knowing that God gives us eternal life with Him. We can come to know peace and joy even in this fallen world and share that love with others.

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Truth and love are great ideals, but are seldom practiced in our power hungry world. Christ, however, embodied both truth and love. By associating ourselves with Jesus Christ and calling ourselves Christian we are to uphold ourselves to God's standards, making truth and love a vital part of Christian life.

2 John 1:6 -- "Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning."

How we treat others reflects our true values. We have to evaluate ourselves and determine whether we will live and love as Christ did or conform to the selfishness of the world.

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3 John 1:11 -- "Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God."

Jesus Christ lived a life of truth and love and sacrificed himself to save us. He is the light of the world and provides us life. It is our choice what to do with our life, but God wants us to live for Him. Not conforming to the world is hard, but God gives us rewards for our faith and a life full of purpose and love. John knew that love, since he spent his whole life in God's presence. He wants us to know that is not only possible to walk with and fellowship intimately with Christ, but that it is worth it.

  

Jesus Wept - John 11:35

John 11:35 -- "Jesus Wept."

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This verse is found just before Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus had been dead for four days and everyone was still grieving his death. When Jesus reached Bethany he met Martha and Mary, Lazaraus’ sisters. At Lazarus’ grave, many others were weeping as well. In that moment Jesus wept.

John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible and in my opinion one of the most powerful.

In our quest to be “like Christ” and good Christians, it is easy to feel like we have to lock the emotions up. Emotions are unpredictable, powerful and dangerous. However, instead of locking up our emotions we can harness them and truly walk with God.

Jesus often expressed deep emotion. Within this story (John 11:17-37), Jesus expresses several very powerful emotions: compassion, indignation, sorrow and even frustration.

I can barely even imagine the emotional upheaval in this scene. Lazarus was Jesus’ friend, a man he loved and saw as a brother. Mary and Martha sent Jesus a message that Lazarus was sick and yet he died. Jesus finally made it to Bethany and sees his friends in distress. He has an outpouring of compassion for their suffering.

When we see others suffering, we don’t have to hid our emotion. Jesus had great emotion for those He loved. It is possible to let emotion get away from you though. If your emotions, whatever you “feel” like that moment dictates what you do instead of the Almighty Jesus Christ, then it is time to refocus. However, having emotion can be encouraging and uplifting to others who are experiencing suffering.

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My Light and My Salvation - Psalm 27:1

Psalm 27:1 -- "The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?"

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Christ will guide and guard us through anything that comes our way.

Sometimes we stray off the way that follow God's will. However, we can see His light beaming beyond the rocks before we crash into sin and destruction in the world. He can guide us back to His path as you realign yourself with His will.

God loves us despite our flaws. He still knows us, we are only missing knowing Him. We are only hurting ourselves by following the world instead of the One who created it.

Our Almighty God is Comforter and Protector. He will guard us from danger, even unseen danger. Sometimes, we grumble at inconveniences, but at those times, I believe God is often keeping us safe from worse things that were in our previously in our path.

Our struggles and our triumphs can seem very different when seen from a different perspective. Our whole outlook on life can change when we look at things from God's perspective.

No matter what you are doing or have done. No matter how easy or difficult of a journey you are walking. No matter what the situation is. God is your light and your fortress, always guiding and guarding you.

Why then should you ever be afraid?

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Do What is Right - Proverbs 21:3

Proverbs 21:3 -- "The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices."

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God holds obedience above everything else. God does not want us only to react to His discipline; He wants us to act on His Word.

We live in a world full of casual Christians. People who tend to do what they want and then say, "sorry God, please forgive me." Now don't get me wrong, it is important to ask forgiveness because we will inevitably sin. However, there is a difference in getting tripped up by the world and the devil's schemes and willingly participating in the world and knowingly taking part in the devil's schemes.

Part of repenting is turning away from sin, working towards overcoming that stronghold. It is not receiving forgiveness and going back to knowingly doing the the same sins again and again.

God wants us to make the choice to go the right way, which is God's way. He wants us to live in truth and love. God is truth and love. God wants us to live in Him, to trust Him, that He will care for you as you walk on the right path, even though it may not (probably won't) be the smoothest path.

God would rather have our obedience, have our hearts right with Him, than have us sacrifice, seek forgiveness, while walking on the path leading away from Him.

God loves us and knows the best way for us, we just have to trust Him and make the choice again and again to walk in obedience. It is only then that we will find joy and peace offered to us only by God.

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