JOY IN LOVE

1 Peter 1:8
You love him even though you have never seen him.
Though you do not see him, you trust him;
and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy.



Peter acknowledged the incredible otherworldly joy for those who’ve made Jesus their Savior despite their not physically seeing Him as the disciples did. This is what Jesus said to Thomas in John 20:29, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believed anyway." The word blessed means “happy”. You will be happy or joyful when you fall in love with Jesus. It’s just unexplainable. Say "Yes" to Him to experience that unexplainable joy.

HOUSE RULES

Exodus 24:12
And the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain.
Stay there while I give you the tablets of stone that
I have inscribed with my instructions and commands.
Then you will teach the people from them."



Every home should have house rules and every family member should be expected to follow the rules made by the head of the household. These rules shouldn’t be meant for control, but for the safety and success of every member of the family. The Ten Commandments were given not to a nation, but to the family of Abraham to whom God said would be the father of many nations that would be blessed. Before the Lord gave the blessings and the Promised Land, God gave His commandments. These were like the house rules for his children. That’s why obedience to God is so important because it’s only in obedience where the promises of God are realized. Children, obey God's house rules and your parents in the Lord, for this is right and will lead to a peaceful life.

SING

Isaiah 42:10
Sing a new song to the LORD!
Sing his praises from the ends of the earth!
Sing, all you who sail the seas,
all you who live in distant coastlands.



God loves music because music is a portrayal of His character. Music has rhythm and timing, just like God. Everything He created has rhythm and timing - just like the planets as they revolve around the sun, just like the steady heartbeat of a person, just like the balanced ecosystem of life, nothing is ever offbeat and that's why everything He created is beautiful. We were created by God in perfect rhythm and timing until we fell out of tune because of sin. Because of that sin, our God of perfect rhythm and timing came to earth to get us back on beat and back on key. Before we we're born, He already knew we'd need His help.

FILLED WITH KNOWLEDGE

John 14:26
But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative – and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.



How awesome would it be to “know everything?” This wouldn’t mean that you’d be like God and know what would happen tomorrow. This would mean that things that you don’t know about the will of God would be told (or taught) to you by the Holy Spirit. Military history tells us that Napoleon’s conqueror, the Duke of Wellington, was marching his victorious army home across the Peninsula, but that he stopped because news had been brought to him that the troops would be passing through holds of Spanish wine. How did Wellington respond to this news? He sent artillery troops to gun down every barrel to pieces before they marched through. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.” This is the secret of the Duke’s victory and the key to having the Holy Spirit fill you with knowledge.

DON’T BE FOOLISH

Luke 24:25
“Then Jesus said to them, 

‘You are such foolish people! 

You find it so hard to believe all 

that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.’”

I recently read a comment left by a person that didn’t believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. I wish I could say that this was a brand new challenge for me, but the reality is that even some of Jesus’ family and disciples doubted Him, too. Those doubts, however, don’t change the Truth. After the resurrection, Jesus showed Himself to some of the disciples, but Thomas still said that he wouldn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he could see Jesus with his own eyes and touch Christ's wounds with his own hands. In John 20:27-29 it says, “Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!' Thomas could only respond with, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who haven't seen Me and believe anyway.'" If you don’t believe in Jesus as your Savior, you wouldn’t be the first person to do that. Whatever your reasons are, however, don’t be foolish about this because Jesus said, "Blessed are those who haven’t seen Me and believe anyway."

OPEN MY EYES

Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes to see the 

wonderful truths in your law.

The Word of God can only be understood with the help of it's Author. The writers only wrote as they were inspired to write, according to 2 Peter 1:21: “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” In 1 Corinthians 2:11 it tells us that, “No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.” And 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.” This is the reason why people find themselves saying, “I don’t understand the Bible.” I encourage you to know that God wants to reveal Himself to you. Just ask the Lord to open your eyes.

FOREVER FRESH

Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will guide you continually,

watering your life when you are dry

and keeping you healthy, too.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like an ever-flowing spring.

When my family and I visited the 1,000+ acres of Longwood Gardens, I read that Pierre Samuel duPont, chairman of the Dupont Company and the General Motors Corporation, had purchased the rolling property in 1906. When duPont died in 1954 he left the Gardens, “For the sole use of the public for the purposes of exhibition, instruction, education and enjoyment.” Longwood is still funded to this day by duPont's endowment and it was a beautiful experience for me because I had an opportunity to see the gorgeous year-round flowers and plants that were cared for and kept fresh even during the coldest parts of winter. God promised us a caring that's even better than this. He promised us a life like an everflowing spring that will forever be fresh. Through all the ups and downs, changing of the seasons and the journey through the daily grind of life, when God is truly living in your heart, your life becomes an everflowing and continual spring of joy.

FOREVER YOURS

Isaiah 46:4
I will be your God throughout your lifetime —
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.



This is a heart melting love letter from God to us. How do you think a woman might feel if a suitor whispered the same promises with truthfulness and honesty? She’d probably feel like her soulmate had been found. I once read that during the early days of Walt Disney's studio, there was a young lady working for him that never cashed her paychecks. Walt had begun worrying about the situation because if she cashed all of her checks at the same time, the company might bounce a few checks. Disney decided to talk to her and he said, “It would be nice, since you seem to not need money, if you’d just tear up those checks.” Well guess what - that woman tore up the checks! In an ironic twist, Disney ended up marrying that young lady, and when she took him as her husband, she became espoused to everything that Disney had built. In a similar yet greater way, God said He would be your God throughout your entire lifetime. You can tear up your past and forget about it all because everything's been paid for by the blood of Christ. He is forever yours and you're an heir to His Kingdom.

STAY ALERT

Ephesians 6:18

Pray at all times and on every occasion
in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Stay alert and be persistent in
your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

The Duke of Wellington asked a slouching young officer, “Why are you standing in such an improper position?” The young soldier who was in uniform replied sheepishly, “I’m off duty, sir.” The Duke chided the soldier saying, “A British officer is never off duty. Resume your military position.” We are to do likewise as we are commanded in 1 Peter 5:8 to, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.” Stay alert. Maintain a strong position. Do not be caught off guard. Be prayerful.

MIGHTY POWER

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord
and in his mighty power.

The amount of work that a computer can complete in just a few seconds can really surprise you at times, yet it’s been found that to match the computing capabilities of the human brain, a computer would have to be the size of the Empire State Building. The Bible tells us that as, “a man thinks, so is he.” This Biblical truth teaches us that discouragement or negative thinking is one of man's biggest enemies. The architect of the Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland drafted and submitted sixty plans, one after another, all of which were rejected. Just as he was about to give up, his wife told him, “Create a sixty-first one, John.” It was the sixty-first plan that was accepted and built. Keep on keeping on because the Word of God says in Romans 8:37, “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” The mighty power is ours, don’t let anybody tell you differently.

WHEN GOD IS REFUSED

Romans 1:28
When they refused to acknowledge God,
he abandoned them to their evil minds and
let them do things that should never be done.

According to Romans 1:29-32, when people didn't acknowledge God, “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.” If you find that you fall any of the categories listed, humble yourself before God and acknowledge Him as your Savior. Don’t refuse God, the result isn’t ever worth it.

STOP THE BRIBERY

Job 15:34
For the company of the godless will be barren,
and fire will consume the tents
of those who love bribes.

During World War II, French industrial multi-millionaire Joseph Joanovici helped the invading German Nazis by selling precious metals to Hitler's forces. When the Nazis occupied Paris, Joanovici used his wealth and influence to bribe several German officers for his personal safety, which resulted in him later being implicated in the deaths of many French resistors. Eventually, the law caught up with Joanovici and bribery was the root cause of his downfall. So what’s the moral of this story? Well, it's simply that one can disregard the principles of the Bible, but you can’t disregard the aftermath of that decision. Face it, you can't buy, bribe or excuse your way out of the trials of your path. Give yourself over to Lord and you'll find your barren life filled with joy.

I WILL SPIT YOU OUT

Revelations 3:16
But since you are like lukewarm water,
I will spit you out of my mouth!

Author Andrew Carnegie once said that, "The average person puts only 25 percent of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50 percent of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100 percent.” The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” And in 1 Corinthians 7:23, “God purchased you at a high price. Don't be enslaved by the world.” It would only be proper for us to give 100 percent to the One who owns us, anything less really ought to be unacceptable to Him. Serve God with hotness and He won’t reject and spit you out.

DETERMINATION

Jeremiah 14:21
For the sake of your own name,
LORD, do not abandon us.
Do not disgrace yourself and the throne of your glory.
Do not break your covenant with us. Please don't forget us!

Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever.” (Luke 21:33) All of His promises are true because they’re all anchored upon His name. Dwight L. Moody, an American evangelist and publisher, had a favorite verse which he always called upon during emergencies which says “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph.” (Isaiah 50:7) And triumph he did. If you set your face like stone, and you display the determination to do his will you’ll triumph, too.

ETERNAL KING, FOREVER GOD

1 Timothy 1:17
Glory and honor to God forever and ever.
He is the eternal King, the unseen one
who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Let’s wake up to the reality that God is real, and He will remain our Eternal King forever. According to psychiatrist and author, Dr. Leonard Zunin, mankind’s biggest problem is loneliness. It believed that King Charles II of Spain could not sleep unless a priest and two monks were in his bedroom. God made us to be social beings created to be in fellowship with Him. From the beginning, our allegiance was to Him and Him alone until Satan cheated man into believing the lie that we could be like gods and stand independent - which is exactly how people live today. What we need to do is return allegiance to the Eternal King and gain eternal life. Give glory and honor to Him and you’ll have eternal glory with God in Heaven forever.

CONQUERED BY CHRIST

1 Corinthians 15:28
Then, when he has conquered all things,
the Son will present himself to God, so that God,
who gave his Son authority over all things,
will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

Ephesians 4:8 tells us why Jesus came to earth: “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." Also, Jesus came to conquer death, the greatest enemy of man, because as declared by Paul in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Alexander the Great ruled over Macedonia at the age of sixteen, became a victorious general at eighteen, and ascended to become king at twenty, but ultimately he died a drunkard before he was thirty-three. He had conquered the known world of his time, but was captured by the world’s vices. When you surrender to Jesus, you’re surrendering to the Conqueror that has set you free from death.

PROSPERITY

Psalm 1:1-3
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers.
But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants;
day and night they think about his law.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season without fail.
Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.

Patrick Henry once said, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and I had not given them a single shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them the entire world, they would be poor indeed." The promise of prosperity is there for everybody. The only challenge is to obey the will of the Word of God. If you're obedient in all that you do, it is certain that you will find prosperity.

WARN THEM

1 Thessalonians 5:14

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those
who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid.
Take tender care of those who are weak.
Be patient with everyone.

As Christians we tend to get comfortable with the blessings of God and with His promises. We forget that we are soldiers for Christ with marching orders to advance His kingdom. Paul reminded Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18, “Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they give you the confidence to fight well in the Lord's battles.” In giving his testimony to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7, he wrote, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” Be warned – while success is at hand – you don’t want to adopt a nature of laziness or timidity.

THE LORD IS BY YOUR SIDE

Psalm 16:8-9
I know the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
No wonder my heart is filled with joy,
and my mouth shouts his praises!
My body rests in safety.

A student once asked a teacher, “Instead of giving the Israelites manna everyday, why didn’t the Lord provide a years worth of manna to His people all at one time?” The wise teacher responded, “I’ll answer you with a parable. Once there was a king who had a son to whom he gave a yearly allowance, paying him the entire sum on a fixed date. It soon happened that the day on which the allowance was due was the only day in the year when the son would take time to see his father. So the king changed the plan and began issuing a daily allowance that was sufficient for that entire day. After that, the prince visited his father every morning. He didn’t just receive the daily allowance; he received his father’s much needed unbroken love, companionship, wisdom and giving! Thus God dealt with Israel and deals with us.” This is likely to be the reason why Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. He knew that our hearts would be filled with Joy when we are in His presence. The Lord doesn’t want to see us once a year or every so often, He wants us to be by His side everyday.

FEARLESS

Psalm 34:4
I prayed to the LORD,
and he answered me,
freeing me from all my fears.

Fear is what paralyzes a person. Faith and fear are proportionally correlative meaning, when your fear is high, your faith is low. The way to decrease fear, however, isn't to increase your faith, but rather to increase love. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” I remember once seeing an illustration about mothers where suddenly a snake appeared and everybody ran off except for the mothers, who instead of showing fear stayed put because of love to make sure the babies were safe. Their love for their children outweighed their fear of a deadly snake. The love in our hearts for God increases our faith in Him and makes us fearless to do seemingly impossible things.

INCREDIBLE WEALTH

Ephesians 2:7
And so God can always point to us as examples
of the incredible wealth of his favor and
kindness toward us, as shown in all he has
done for us through Christ Jesus.

During the reign of King Henry VIII, it was customary for each of the bishops to bring gifts to the monarch on New Year’s Day. Bishop Latimer went with the rest of his brethren to make the usual offering, but instead of a purse of gold he presented King Henry with a New Testament Bible. The greatest gift that we could ever give someone is the knowledge of Jesus because in Him is abundant life and incredible wealth. John 1:1-3 and 14 tells us all about Jesus: “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make.” If the Creator of everything is sincerely in your heart, you can be certain that you're an heir to his vast kingdom and incredible wealth.

MEEKNESS IS THE KEY

Psalm 37:11
Those who are gentle and lowly will
possess the land; they will
live in prosperous security.

Psalm 37:11 is true not only for Old Testament times, but also for the modern generations. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5), Jesus says, “God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them.” You also may have heard of the saying, "The horse that wins the race is the meekest on the track.” The meekest horse is the one with the most control; the horse that responds most quickly and obediently to the jockey’s guidance and command. Conversely, the self-willed horse might run faster than many others at the beginning of a race, but often will not finish the race and lose. Meekness is the proper recognition of who we are and who is in control. God is the Potter and we are the clay. We are clay.

GOOD WORK WILL BE REWARDED

Psalm 18:20
The LORD rewarded me for doing right;
he compensated me because of my innocence.

Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:9, “So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” In 1971, boxers Joe Frazier and Muhammed Ali each received $2.5 million to fight each other – irregardless of anyone actually watching the match or not. As Life magazine had parlayed, it was “the most money ever paid to any man for a maximum 45 minutes work.” That statement, however, was inaccurate because both boxers worked hard throughout their careers to prepare for those forty five minutes. Work hard towards your goals because the rewards for your good work will be waiting for you.

FACING THE WORST

1 Peter 4:7
The end of the world is coming soon.
Therefore, be earnest and
disciplined in your prayers.

The end of the world is something that is surely coming. As for when the end will occur – no man knows that information. The end is described in the book of Matthew 24:21-22 with, “For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.” When disaster would strike a ship of the British Navy, a bugler would play “The Still” to alert the men on board to stop, collect their senses and prepare for emergency action. That said, our bugle call has been sounded in the Word and we need to be disciplined in our prayers to God because an emergency is upon us and the worst is yet to come.

CHOOSE YOUR CIRCLE

2 Corinthians 6:17
Therefore, come out from them and separate
yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don't touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.

As a child of God you are commanded by Him to separate yourself from people that make a practice of doing the wrong things. Matthew 7:21-23 says, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” What does this mean? It means that not all people what say they are Christian actually are Christians, so choose your circle of friends with great care. A poor decision could cost you.

BITTER VENGEANCE

Romans 12:17
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
Do things in such a way that
everyone can see you are honorable.

A philosopher once said, “He who injured you was either stronger or weaker. If he was weaker, spare him; if he was stronger, spare yourself.” There is an even better way to handle this kind of situation from the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:39: “Don't resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too.” This doesn’t mean that you will allow yourself to be mistreated, but rather you get to show the world what kind of character you have. God’s part in this is clearly stated in Romans 12:19, “Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord.” Let the Lord take vengeance for you. He does a better job than us at that, too.

PEACE

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be thankful.

I once saw a painting where the artist depicted perfect peace as a bird's nest overhanging through a raging waterfall with the winds whipping about. That bird sat peacefully over her unhatched eggs, safe from predatory enemies, shielded and protected by the roaring falls. Peace doesn't mean that there's an absence of problems, but rather it means that you feel safe in the midst of those very problems. Find your peace today in the arms of God, through Christ the Savior and the in encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

TIMELESS GOD

Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were created,
before you made the earth and the world,
you are God, without beginning or end.

God is omnipresent. He is in the eternity past and in the eternity future. He was there when you were born and is even now in the future on the day of your physical death waiting to start an eternal life with you. Herbert Fisher said in A History of Europe that, “Men wiser and more learned than I have discovered in history a plot, a rhythm, a predetermined pattern. But these harmonies are concealed from me. I can see only one emergency following another, as wave follows upon wave – there can be no generalization. There is only one safe rule for the historian – that he should recognize in the development of human destiny the play of the contingent and the unforeseen.” We are limited, but our timeless God knows the paths that we’ll take. Let Him hold your hand and make His Word a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. You can start it off simply by making Him your Lord and Savior.

BEYOND CONTROL

John 14:1
Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Are there situations in life that are beyond your control? I have been through so many of those situations and today as I write this I’m in one of those situations again. As I started this day with the Word of God, the first words that He showed me were, “Let not you heart be troubled.” Even before I made a decision for myself, He already gave comfort to my heart and reminded me that He is in control. An extraordinary nurse that served patients for more than twenty years, but wasn’t well compensated, was asked by one of the doctors she worked with, “Why don’t you make them pay you more?" He added, "You ought to have at least a little more. God knows you’re worth it.” There was a short pause and the nurse smiled and responded, “Doctor, if God knows I’m worth it, that’s all that matters!” The Bible says promotion comes from the Lord. Just be patient, because some situations are beyond your control. God knows what you are going through. Remember, He is a just God.

ALL ACCESS PASS

Romans 5:2
Through whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand. And we
rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Grace is the undeserved blessing of God. He has given us an all access pass to enjoy this grace, even though we’re unworthy, because of our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s believed that when John Newton, composer of the hymn Amazing Grace, was asked his opinion regarding grace he said, “When I was young I was sure of many things; there are only two things of which I am sure now: one is, that I am a miserable sinner; and the second is that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior.” You might know all the right people and you might even have access to high places, but only Jesus can give you that all access pass to the amazing grace that leads to the heavenly places.