Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
Psalm 143:10

 Recommended Reading: Proverbs 16:9

Life coaches often employ a tool called life mapping—drawing on paper from left to right a chronology of your life so far: high points, low points, major events, and so on. Recording the past is easy; recording the future is more challenging. We may not be certain of the future, but God is. And He can provide the direction we need.

The Bible is filled with verses and examples related to God providing directions for our life—directions based on God’s goodness and His love for us. Jesus even compared the goodness of earthly fathers to the goodness of God in providing what we need (Luke 11:11-13). God provides guidance and direction in a variety of ways. First is through Scripture, which is the basic roadmap for every Christian’s life. Then there are prayer, counsel from wise associates, discernment to evaluate circumstances, and the peace that comes when decisions are made in faith (Philippians 4:6-7). Because of who God is—good, loving, and faithful—we can rest knowing that His guidance will be best.

Do you need God’s direction today? Seek Him by faith and trust in the guidance He provides (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Men give advice; God gives guidance.
Leonard Ravenhill

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Psalm 86:15

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 18:21-22

Being a parent is perhaps the world’s best laboratory for learning patience. In fact, the younger the children, the greater the need for parental patience. Young children make the same bad choices over and over. Sometimes they forget; sometimes they willfully make the wrong choice; sometimes they are so young that they haven’t had time to learn. Whatever the reason(s) for the wrong choice, parents need lots of patience.

Compare that situation to our relationship with God. We are His children, all of us at varying levels of maturity (Romans 8:14). Sometimes we forget what our Father God desires; sometimes we choose to disobey; sometimes we haven’t learned what the Father’s will is. Whatever the reason(s) for our wrong choice, God has to exercise great patience with us as we grow spiritually. More often than not, patience requires forgiveness. Because Jesus told Peter not to count instances of forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22), we can assume God doesn’t count either.

Depend on God’s patience and forgiveness when you make a wrong choice (1 John 1:9). His fatherly love is manifested by His patience.

There is no divine attribute more wonderful than the patience of God.
John Benton

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27

 Recommended Reading: Colossians 1:24-28

Nothing is as useless as a pair of gloves without hands. They may be made for either high fashion or hard work. But they are limp and idle without a pair of hands. Their very existence is pointless. But once fingers fill the fabric and a hand stuffs itself into the material, the glove can do anything that a hand can do. It can swing hammers, grip railings, open doors, and point out dangers or delights.

We are the gloves of God in this world, but we’re useless unless we are filled with Him. We don’t even have the strength to lift ourselves up. But when we are pervaded and permeated with His Spirit, we operate in His power, not our own.

When we try to serve the Lord in our own strength, we struggle and end up failing. We must yield ourselves to Him, surrender to His total occupancy of our personalities, and let His power sustain and strengthen us as we serve Him. Rely on your all-powerful God to empower your Christian life and labor. His love fits into your soul like hands in a glove.

Blessed Lord, teach us to surrender ourselves unreservedly to the Holy Spirit…. So we are in You, and You work through us.
Andrew Murray

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26

 Recommended Reading: Ephesians 1:18-22

You serve a God who can speak a syllable and bring stars into being. He can touch a leper and make his skin like a baby’s. With a word, He can calm a sea or summon a legion of angels. He can send fire from the sky, food from heaven, water from a rock, and frogs into Egypt. He can part the seas, stop the sun in the sky, make ax heads float, make a virgin conceive, and raise dead men to life. He can put coins in the mouths of fish and cast demons into the bodies of swine.

Our Lord gave us a Book filled with His miraculous power, and that same power is undiminished today. There’s nothing that He cannot do, nothing that is too hard for Him. When a situation seems impossible, remember God’s power—He can do the impossible.

Ask Him for the miracle you need, and trust Him to work in His own way and timing to bring about what He knows is best for you and yours.

[God] puts people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display his greatness.
David Platt

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:18

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 135:1-7

Most people go on reality TV shows to find love or win money. But twin sisters Emily and Molly, who recently competed on The Amazing Race, had another reason for being on the show. Born in South Korea and separated at birth, the sisters were both adopted by families in the United States. Thanks to DNA testing, they found each other at the age of 36. One year later, they were traveling the world together on The Amazing Race. As Molly said in an interview, “It was a really nice way to get to know each other in a very unconventional setting. We would have never gotten this close had we not been able to spend time without phones or away from family, just one-on-one together.”[1]

We might know about God, just as the sisters eventually knew about each other, but we should seek to know Him on a far deeper level. As we run the Christian race, are we looking to get to know God more, or are we distracted by our phones and the busyness of life? Take some time today to step away from the distractions of everyday life and spend time getting to know your Heavenly Father more.

We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it.
J. I. Packer

[1] Abigail Adams, “Identical Twin Sisters Who Met at Age 36 open Up About Fast-Paced Bonding on “The Amazing Race,'” People, September 28,2022.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.
Psalm 27:4

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 27:1-5

It often happens over a holiday meal or at a birthday party. Family members begin reminiscing, and before you know it, children are hearing stories about their parents and grandparents that they’ve never heard before. Or adult children begin sharing some of the exploits from their childhood, and their parents learn what the kids “got away with” while they weren’t looking.

It seems as though no matter how well we know someone, even our own family members, there’s always more to learn about them. The same is true for our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Some of us have been learning about God since before we can remember. But there’s always more for us to learn about Him. Like David, we should desire to know our Father more, to become closer to Him. Begin studying a specific attribute of God or spend time slowly reading through the Gospels—seek to know Him better each day.

The longer you know Christ, and the nearer you come to him, still the more do you see of his glory.
John Flavel

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
Deuteronomy 10:17

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 44:6

The title “king of kings” goes back to the thirteenth-century B.C. Assyrian Empire. When city-states, ruled by kings, were conquered, the conquering king would become known as the “king of [all the other] kings.” It became a superlative phrase referring to preeminence—the most powerful king (Daniel 2:37).

The phrase became common throughout Mesopotamian and Middle Eastern cultures to describe the best of the best—as in the biblical book titled “Song of Songs.” It is even used to describe the God of Israel in various forms: “God of gods” and “Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 136:2-3), the “Lord of kings” (Daniel 2:47), and Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16). When referring to our God, what does this ancient phrase mean for us today? It means God is ruler over all; He is in charge; He is King of the present and the future.

In a day when it is easy to wonder if anyone is in control, remember that there is only one “God of gods.” His will will be done on earth as well as in heaven.

How divinely supreme is our Lord above all others! 
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient…. Being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.
Titus 3:3-5, NIV

 Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:14-16

Christians are sometimes accused of hatred for their refusal to yield on biblical truth. We must never be what others accuse us of being. Though we must not compromise biblical truth, we can offer God’s Word as the only medicine for a sick world. If others refuse to believe, we can grieve over them, pray for them, share Christ with them, be kind to them, differ with them, ask God for patience with them, and when appropriate, avoid them.

But hatred?

The world can shout “hatred” all it wants, but we cannot let one red strand of a hateful attitude embroider its way into our personalities. Don’t let bitterness become rooted in your heart. It’s tempting to feel hatred for those who don’t agree with us, but there’s no room for that. “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44).

Leave the rest to Jesus.

The followers of Jesus are children of God, and they should manifest the family likeness by doing good to all, even to those who deserve the opposite.
F. F. Bruce

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies.
Matthew 5:43-44

 Recommended Reading: Romans 12:14-21

A majority of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) concerns correcting false teaching that had crept into Jewish religious practice. For example, in Matthew 5, Jesus said, “You have heard. . . . But I say to you” (verses 21-22, 27-28, 31-32, 33-34, 38-39, 43-44). One of these six corrections concerned how to respond to enemies—those who persecute you.

In Leviticus 19:18, Moses wrote that the Jews were to love their neighbor. But the Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ day added “and hate your enemy” (Matthew 5:43). Jesus corrected that false tradition by telling His audience that they should love their neighbor and their enemy. Why? Because God extends His grace—the blessings of nature—to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. And He said that there is no reward in loving only those who love you. Yes, loving one’s enemy is harder than loving those who love you. But we are to imitate God by loving those He loves (Matthew 5:48).

Thank God today that, even when we were His enemies, He sent His Son that we might be reconciled to Him (Romans 5:10).

Worst of all my foes, I fear the enemy within. 
John Wesley

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land became Jews, because fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Esther 8:17

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 9:25-31

Scholars of missionary activity and evangelism use a term to describe how the Gospel spread in the Early Church: “gossiping the Gospel.” That means the Gospel message about Jesus spread from person to person based on eyewitness accounts from those who had received the Gospel and its benefits.

While many forms of evangelism can be effective, there is nothing like hearing from a “satisfied customer.” In Persia, where the efforts of Queen Esther saved the Jewish people from genocide, many non-Jews converted to Esther’s faith. Why? Because they saw how Esther’s God had moved the king to protect the Jews. This meant that Esther’s God was more powerful than the Persian king! As word of this spread, conversions followed. The same thing happened during and after Jesus’ ministry. Word of His miracles and teachings spread from person to person.

If you are looking for ways to influence unsaved friends for Christ, be open and bold about the way God’s power has been at work in your own life.

Witnessing is not something we do; it is something we are. 
Unknown

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For with God nothing will be impossible.
Luke 1:37

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 8:1-4

Imagine trying to explain to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams how instead of all the Constitutional Convention delegates traveling to Philadelphia for deliberations in 1787 they could connect by video chat over computers, tablets, or smartphones. “Why, that’s impossible!” they likely would have said. It’s amazing how many ways time has turned “impossible” into “possible.”

As many “miracles” as mankind has accomplished, not all things are possible where man is concerned. But where God is concerned, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). That’s what the angel Gabriel told Mary about the possibility of a virgin giving birth to a child: “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Notice the future orientation of those words: “will be.” Every time we think of something that is impossible, it’s a future event—and God knows the future.

If you are looking at a future event that seems impossible today, tell God your need. What looks impossible to man looks possible to God. His combination of love and power means nothing is impossible for Him where His children are concerned.

It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent. 
Jeremy Taylor

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.”
Esther 7:3

 Recommended Reading: Nehemiah 2:1-6

In the battle for civil rights for African American citizens in America, three names stand out: Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. Each, in their own way, stood out against racial prejudice and helped change the course of American history.

A young Jewish girl named Esther changed the world when she was made queen of Persia. A courtier of the king hatched a plan to kill all the Jews in Persia, and Esther risked her life by exposing the plan to the king, saving her people from certain genocide. She realized God had given her a voice, and she spoke up (Esther 4:14). Another example was Nehemiah who approached the Persian king (after the events of Esther) for permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city—another risky request, which was granted.

One person can change the course of history in a day. God has given you a place and a voice to stand for Him (2 Timothy 1:7). 

The man who kneels to God can stand up to anything. 
Louis H. Evans

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
Genesis 18:25

 Recommended Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10

The patient was only 53 years old. He died at 6:50 p.m. of a massive stroke after suffering a series of seizures. His cerebral arteries were so calcified that when tapped with tweezers they sounded like stone. What caused his stroke? The man had no history of high blood pressure.

His name was Vladimir Lenin. He died in 1924, but in 2012 a group of brilliant doctors gathered to determine his cause of death. Some determined he was slowly poisoned by Stalin. One doctor believed the culprit was high cholesterol. The case was unsolved. Had he lived another 25 years, imagine the damage Lenin could have wrought.[1]

We serve a just God. He will punish evil even if we don’t see His justice on display right away. While we love to sing of God’s love and mercy, we also need His holiness, justice, and wrath. Unrestrained evil must be dealt with, and unjust suffering must be answered.

When Jesus comes again, He will give rest to His people and in flaming fire take vengeance on those who oppose His good and righteous ways. Don’t be discouraged. Evil will not last forever—but the Lord and His redeemed will!

In a moral universe God must of necessity oppose evil. 
Robert Mounce

[1] Gina Kolata, “Lenin’s Stroke: Doctor Has a Theory (and a Suspect),” The New York Times, May 7, 2012.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:20

 Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Ambassadors must leave the comfort zone of their own nations to settle for a while in a country not their own. To spring forward to renewed usefulness, we need to leave the comfort of complacency and represent Christ to a world that’s foreign to Him.

Thom Rainer recalls his high school coach, Joe Hendrickson: “To the best of my recollection,” Thom writes, “he called me into his small office one day after practice. I had no idea what he wanted. I feared I had messed up a play. But Coach Joe didn’t want to talk football; he wanted to talk about Jesus. I’m sure there was a bit of small talk, but I don’t remember that part. I just remember that he clearly presented the gospel…. Later that night, I repented of my sins and by faith accepted what God had done for me through Jesus Christ.”[1]

You can share Christ too—with the authority of an ambassador.

Let’s try not to complicate evangelism. At its core, it’s very simple. Evangelism is sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ.
Thom Rainer

[1] Thom Rainer, Sharing the Gospel with Ease (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Publishing, 2022), 4.

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Genesis 50:20

 Recommended Reading: Genesis 45:4-8

In September 1928, Scottish doctor Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory after a holiday. Before leaving, he had prepared some culture plates and set them aside. Upon returning, he discovered a fungus had grown on one plate that had killed off the organisms surrounding it. He accidentally discovered what became penicillin.

Sometimes unplanned events in our life become a blessing not only for us but for many others besides. That happened when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and was taken to Egypt. He became the second-most powerful person in the nation because of God’s blessing. When God revealed to him a famine was coming, he created a strategy to save Egypt. But his plan also saved his brothers and their families who migrated from Canaan to Egypt for food. What the brothers meant for evil against Joseph, God used to save their lives.

When unforeseen events occur, stop and ask God to show you His plan and purpose. Ask Him to let it be a blessing for you and for others.

Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans, but God is not helpless among the ruins.
Eric Liddell

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.
Proverbs 3:34

 Recommended Reading: James 4:6-7

British science historian, James Burke, created one of the most popular documentary series in BBC history called Connections. In this series, he explained and demonstrated the interconnectedness between scientific discoveries—how to have the whole picture one must connect the parts.

The same could be said of the biblical trait of humility. Aside from it being a noble virtue, there is another reason God honors it and opposes pride, its opposite—because Satan was full of pride, lacking humility (1 Timothy 3:6). Satan wanted to be like God; he was not content with his assigned role from the Creator (Isaiah 14:12-15). When God says in James 4:6 that He “resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” it is not just so we will have a more pleasing character. It is so we won’t be like the devil: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Unlike Satan, humble people submit to God. When Satan sees our submission to God, he flees from us.

Instead of being proud like Satan, be humble like Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:6-8). Better to be humble than to be humbled (Luke 14:7-11).

The surest mark of true conversion is humility.
J. C. Ryle

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.
Psalm 27:14

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 27:11-14

For biblical heroes, God’s will often unfolded slowly. Think of Abraham and Sarah waiting decades for a child; David waiting to ascend to the throne; Joseph spending his twenties in an Egyptian jail; Paul being imprisoned five years in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome. Think of the man in John 5 who suffered an infirmity 38 years before Jesus healed him.

When God shows us the way forward, we shouldn’t hesitate a moment before proceeding. But when we don’t have the opportunity or inner peace to move forward, we trust in God’s timing. We wait while He works. Waiting time is not wasted time.

The Lord is working in our circumstances to align all the details to His will. He is working on us to develop patience, perseverance, character, and optimism.

God works as we’re waiting, so trust Him in times of little observable progress. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.”

In due time, He will give the victory!

Time is one of God’s most effective tools for teaching us to rely on Him.
Charles Stanley

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:28

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6

The grip of fear reaches out for each of us. We’re living in a dangerous world, filled with medical emergencies, family crises, global instability, and threatening situations. Unless Jesus comes again, we’ll face a moment of death. All this causes us feelings that range from unease to terror.

The grip of grace also reaches out for each of us, and we find safety in the protecting, guiding, providing hands of Jesus, still scarred from the wounding nails. Psalm 18:35 says, “Your right hand has held me up.” Isaiah said, “In the shadow of His hand He has hidden me” (Isaiah 49:2). Even Jesus, in a moment of incredible pain, prayed, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit’” (Luke 23:46).

When you face times of fear, remember you’re in the hands of Him who stilled the storms. God will give you the strength to be courageous and persevere. And though you may sometimes fall, you will not “be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds [you] with His [powerful] hand” (Psalm 37:24).

Put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the water. Put your hand in the hand of the Man who calmed the sea.
Gene MacLellan

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
Job 34:29

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 131

One day in 1947, when Elisabeth Elliott was a student at Wheaton College, she was sitting near a friend at the piano in one of the campus buildings. Elisabeth had written a short poem, and her friend composed a melody on the spot. Over time the melody was lost, but years later Elisabeth included the words in her book Keep a Quiet Heart.

Lord, give to me a quiet heart

That does not ask to understand,

But confident steps forward in

The darkness guided by Thy hand.[1]

We understand so little! God’s thoughts are as far above ours as heaven is above the earth. But He knows the plans He has for us, and they are important. Sometimes we feel as though our life is insignificant, but all of us are part of God’s sovereign design. Your life is important, and you can step confidently forward knowing Your Lord is already there.

We are created to glorify Him as long as we live on this planet, and to enjoy Him for the rest of eternity. Our task is simply to trust and obey.
Elisabeth Elliott

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 2:2

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 71:17-18

Nothing will help you spring forward in your Christian faith more than mentoring. Maybe that word intimidates you, but it’s simply doing what Paul wanted Timothy to do. Perhaps there’s a lonely young person who would welcome a kind word. Or a class of children to teach. Or a child or grandchild who would memorize a Bible verse if encouraged to do so.

Is there a kid’s team that needs a coach? A local school needing a volunteer? A college class that would enjoy some snacks, giving you an opportunity to mingle with them?

Every church needs workers, and every worker can find a way to disciple someone else. Fill yourself with Scripture, grow in wisdom and confidence, and develop good insights. Then ask God to use you to encourage someone else in their spiritual formation. Adopt this biblical prayer today: “O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come” (Psalm 71:18).

Even the scars of past abuse and injury can be the means of bringing healing to another. What wonderful opportunities to make disciples!
Charles Swindoll

https://www.davidjeremiah.org