September 19 – More Than Enough

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”  Psalm 124:8 (NASB)

Today, we are considering two of the many reasons these words from the Bible have great meaning for us.  First of all is the fact that our God is the Creator of the universe which convinces us of His great power.  Even to create the earth on which we live would require immense power.  Add to that what it would take to make the planets and the stars and all the celestial bodies that exist.  All this would take power beyond comprehension.  That is why we can trust His ability to help us no matter what our situation.  Secondly, it is remarkable when we realize that such a great God would even think of helping us, who are so very small in comparison and whose problems are dwarfed in the light of God's power.  What a loving compassionate God He is, and He promises us that our help is in His name.  Let's be open, honest and thankful for this promise when we call on him for that help today.  Whatever our challenges are, none are too great for God to help us face them and have victory over them.  

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September 26 – Victory!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)

This chapter which has our verse is a great chapter that focuses on the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and our promised resurrection in the future. God has promised this to all those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Savior. It is true that it will be a great day of victory when we are all together with our Lord in heaven and we expect to praise our God together throughout eternity. We are reminded in today's verse that victory is available for us now while we are still living on earth. We face problems and we face opposition and even persecution and hate from those who hate God. So, our verse promises us that our God is continually giving us victory in face of these challenging times. It is all through our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. 

August 6 – The Great Courage Giver

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

This daily blog was first a telephone ministry years ago. Its purpose and hope was to bring encouragement in the lives of  all who heard and now read these daily contributions. We recognized that it must be God Himself who does the encouraging. He is the great courage giver for our Christian lives. His encouragement is eternal. It is for all and for always in every situation. Our God is aware when we are tempted to lose courage and to give up. He knows when the challenges of our lives might cause us to lose hope.  He is always with us, let's keep looking to Him and we'll experience His encouragement.

July 7 – Strength and Peace

“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11 (NIV)

The Bible contains many promises and the reason is that we have many different needs. Our verse tells us of two promises we often need to remember. The first promise is for strength. Challenges come our way in various ways and facing them can be difficult. It is not uncommon for us to often face times when we need added strength. Our Lord is watching over us and He knows when we need His help. As we trust Him He comes to our aid and enables us to do what we should. The second promise is for peace in our hearts. God knows when things disturb our lives and upset us. He knows when we face uncertainty about various aspects of our lives. He knows when we are tempted to let our burdens create fear and anxiety. But as we trust the Lord He quiets our hearts and our minds. He give us peace which is a blessing from Him. Let's remember today these promises – of strength and of peace – from God.  

September 9

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10 (NIV)

This was a challenge from God to His people to depend more upon Him. It is a challenge to His people today, too, and an invitation with a wonderful promise. When God says open wide your mouth He is encouraging us to expect great things from Him. And when He says He will fill the opens mouths, He reminds us that He will fulfill our expectations. What He means is that the more we expect, the more we will receive. God does respond to our faith. He is an infinite God – unlimited in His power to help. The limits are on our side. Let us not limit God’s working in our lives. Take advantage of the challenge.