Encouragement in Every Season

Psalm 62:5-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

6 

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

7 

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge, is in God.

8 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

New King James Version (NKJV) www.biblegateway.com

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

   Maybe there's not enough money in the bank to cover that bill. Or a loved one died. Or your family is facing hard times. In difficult or painful circumstances many believers turn to the Bible in search of comfort and guidance. Within its pages, we find assurance that encourages us through every season of life: "The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for HIs compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

   God truly is faithful. In other words, we can count on Him to be and do exactly what He says. For instance, the Bible assures us that the Lord is trustworthy, loving, and incapable of failure ( Psalm 37:5; Romans 5:8; Joshua 1:5). Out of deep love for us, He'll use any aspect of His multifaceted nature to provide exactly what He knows we need. He's our Savior, Comforter, and Discipliner, who safely guides us through life's changes and challenges.

   No matter what hardships we face, we can trust God because He knows all things. He's aware of the duration and intensity of our current season and uses his knowledge to offer us the best possible help and support. What's more, the Lord is all-powerful, which means He is more than adequate to meet needs and change circumstances according to His plan. And our Father is everywhere, including right beside us in whatever we face. He promises, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

   Difficulties may cause us to question God's dependability. But if we'll place our trust in our omniscient, omnipotent Father, we can begin each morning with a fresh sense of His faithfulness, which will carry us through the day.

Stanley, Charles F. "Encouragement in Every Season." In Touch: Daily Readings for Devoted Living. February 2018. Atlanta. page 18.

How God Reveals Himself

" had to coe

Romans 1:18-21

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.   NIV Bible Gateway.com      

Look at the delicate veins of an oak leaf, and you experience the beauty of God. Observe the storm-whipped surf beating against a beach, and you witness His power. The Lord's sense of order is revealed in the march of the seasons and the precise tilt and turning of the earth. People need to look no farther than nature to understand that God is real.
   Romans tells us that the revelation of the Lord in nature is sufficient to render inexcusable those who would deny His existence (Romans 1:20). There's no reasonable explanation for the creation of the material universe other than an omnipotent God putting it all together. The matter and fuel for a "big bang" had to come from Someone.
   But nature can't give us a full revelation - creation does not show the Lord's holiness or eternity. That is why He gave us His Word. The Bible reveals God's character, records His laws, and explains His expectations for the faithful. In its pages, we can learn about our Father and the kind of life He wants us to lead. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16).
   Scripture teaches about the living Word - Jesus Christ - who is the full revelation of God. The heavenly Father wanted to ensure that humanity could know Him intimately, so to make Himself known, He sent His Son clothed in flesh. Jesus said, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." (John 14:7). Spend time in Bible study and prayer to know your Father better.
Stanley, Charles F. "How God Reveals Himself." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living September 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 23.

The Savior's Missions

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  NIV Bible Gateway.com

   Many believers know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but we should also understand His mission, how He fulfilled it, and what that means to each of us. Christ had a twofold goal in coming to earth: to provide us with a tangible image of who God is, and to die in our place to pay our penalty for sin.   What an incredible plan! The omnipotent, omniscient Lord had existed since eternity past (John 1:1; 8:58). Yet for a time, He set aside power and strength that were rightfully His, so that He could become like us. Because God-in-human-flesh lived His life before men, we can better understand our heavenly Father (Col. 1:15).
   Through Christ's sacrifice, we are invited into an eternal relationship with God. You see, Scripture teaches that every descendant of  Adam is guilty of sin (Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23), and the punishment is death ( Rom.6:23). The penalt must be paid by the shedding of blood (Lev.17:11). Yet the Father can accept nothing less than a perfect sacrifice (Deut. 17:1). The Savior - who was fully God, fully man, and 100 percent innocent - died a humiliating, excruciating death to pay the debt we couldn't afford. He is the only one who could lay down His life to save us and bridge the gap between each person and the Father.
   There is no possible way for us to earn our salvation. It is an awesome gift that the Father freely offers to each one of us. The only requirement is that we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and follow Him. Have you chosen to accept this amazing blessing fro the Fathers hand? 
Stanley, Charles F. "The Savior's Mission." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living August 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 29.