From: November 17, 2024
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV).
After Jerusalem fell to Babylon, God gave the prophet Ezekiel an encouraging word for the Jewish exiles. They had been unfaithful to God, but He was going to one day restore them for His own name’s sake. Not because they deserved it, but because of His own holy name. God promised that one day He would give them a new heart and a new spirit, so that His laws would be written on their hearts.
God promised to give His people a spiritual heart transplant. This has been fulfilled in Christ. God’s laws are no longer merely written on stone tablets, but they are written on the hearts of believers. Not only that, but God’s Holy Spirit has been given to abide in us and to strengthen us to do His will. This is the prophecy of the New Covenant, which is ours in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER: Father, You have given us a new heart and made us a new creation. You have given us Your Holy Spirit. We are thankful. Now continue to sanctify us, making us more like Your Son in every way, that we might do Your will in all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 17, 2023
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT).
It seems self-evident that the one who lacks wisdom would ask the all-knowing God for help. Yet, asking God is often the last choice, rather than the first. Prayer is often only considered after every other human resource is exhausted.
But why not ask God first? Perhaps it’s because of pride. We think we already have wisdom on a matter when we don’t. Perhaps it’s ignorance. We don’t know what we don’t know. Or perhaps it’s lack of patience. We don’t want to ask anyone, much less God, because we want it now. We don’t want to wait, so we leap before looking. Whatever the reason, why not learn to ask God for wisdom?
For God is willing and able to answer. He is the God who knows and the God who speaks. When we learn to continually ask God for wisdom, we walk by faith and in humility. And we save ourselves a lifetime of self-inflicted hurts and disappointments. For God gives wisdom to the one who asks.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we desire Your wisdom today. Help us make wise choices this day. Renew our minds and transform our thinking, so that we have the mind of Christ on all things. Lead, guide and direct our steps. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 17, 2022
MOVING TRIALS FROM THE SAD COLUMN TO THE GLAD COLUMN
James described the spiritual mindset that the Christian should have when facing trials. What is this mindset? “Great joy.” Not happiness, which is based on external happenings, but “great joy,” which comes from within and is the fruit of the Spirit for the believer that abides in Christ. And not partial joy, but “all” joy. Pure and whole joy that comes from the knowledge that God is sovereign and that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28).
This mindset is a decision of the will that is empowered by the Spirit. The Greek verb here is in the imperative middle voice, meaning that one is to command oneself to choose joy. Like an accounting term, one can choose to move their emotional response to trials from the sad column to the glad column.
Rather than seeing trials as a reason to be discouraged, we can count them as a reason to trust God all the more. We can count it all joy because of Christ Jesus in us.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are under Your care, therefore we trust that whatever comes, You are with us and never leave us. We are able to consider it all joy no matter what comes our way because we know that You are making us more like Jesus. We are more than conquerors in Christ’s love. We love You, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 17, 2015
James describes the spiritual mindset that the Christian should have when facing trials. What is this mindset? “All joy.” Not happiness, which is based on external happenings, but joy, which comes from within and is the fruit of the Spirit for the believer that abides in Christ. And not partial joy, but “all” joy. Pure and whole joy that comes from the knowledge that God is sovereign and that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28). This mindset is a choice of the will, one that can be “counted.” The Greek verb here is in the imperative middle voice, meaning that one is to command oneself to choose joy. Like an accounting term, one can choose to move their emotional response to trials from the sad column to the glad column. Rather than seeing trials as a reason to be discouraged, count them as a reason to trust God all the more.
From: November 17, 2014
This proverb encourages us to be responsible stewards of all that God has given us. This begins with knowing the state of your “flocks.” What are your “flocks?” Another way to ask this question would be to say, “What has God entrusted to you to manage?” Do you know the state of your finances? Do you have a budget and do you know how much you spend monthly? Are you saving for emergencies, retirement, college…? What is the state of your marriage? What is the state of your children? If you are a pastor, the state of your flock is relevant. If you are in business, do you know the condition of your store and its bottom line? Many of us go through life with a blind eye towards our “flocks.” But God would have us open our eyes and “know the state” of that which He has entrusted to us.
From: November 17, 2013
Do you need wisdom or understanding? Ask God. Open your eyes to the Lord and His Word. He is a God who freely gives. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He will give wisdom and more… He will give Himself. In most situations that’s the wisdom we most need– that God is with us.