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

He left nothing outside his control.
Hebrews 2:8, PHILLIPS

 Recommended Reading: Hebrews 2:8-12

June DePriest, a Bible teacher in Jackson, Mississippi, faced a protracted burden over her husband’s health. On one occasion there were frustrating delays as they awaited word on a heart procedure. “All I could do, and yet the best thing to do, was spend time in God’s Presence,” June wrote. “I lingered there longer and longer. No answer. Heaven was silent. It is easy to fall prey to the darkness of doubt. What do we do when heaven is silent? Stay in His Word and cling tightly to the Father. Saturate your heart with His promises. Go back to Scriptures that have spoken to you in the past. We are to be confident that God is working behind the scenes on our behalf.”

The Old Testament heroes of Joseph, Ruth, Moses, and Elijah found themselves in places they didn’t understand. So did the twelve disciples, Paul, Silas, and a host more. God puts us all in places we don’t understand, but we can trust His sovereignty.

Be encouraged! He has left nothing outside His control.

Lingering in God’s presence will through prayer increase your faith in Him, provide a place for you to unload your burdens, remind you that God is always near, and help you not to panic.
Elizabeth George

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

he king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Proverbs 21:1

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 2

Magnus Carlsen, 32, of Norway is one of history’s greatest chess players. He earned the title of grandmaster when only thirteen and became World Chess Champion in his early twenties. His good looks have led to a modeling career on the side. Carlsen claims he can see fifteen moves ahead and sometimes twenty. If so, he must be a genius, for that many moves involves a lot of possible variations.

The Lord can see a trillion moves ahead—really, an infinite number. He knows what will happen down the chain of events every time a president is elected, a king is crowned, a leader is assassinated, or a war is started. Every single event—large and small—is simply moving this world closer to His preordained prophetic conclusion.

Sometimes we can’t imagine why God has placed someone in a position of power, but He uses unlikely people to accomplish His will. Just look at the biblical characters of Nebuchadnezzar, Ahasuerus, and Herod. They were chess pieces in the hands of the Master of history. Don’t panic with the times. Rather, stand amazed at God’s providential omnipotence.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run.
Isaac Watts

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man…. For the Lord will be your confidence…. In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence.
Psalm 118:8; Proverbs 3:26; 14:26

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 118:5-9

A psychologist in Melbourne, Australia, told ABC Everyday that “keeping promises ‘is an incredibly important aspect’ of maintaining a healthy and secure relationship—and ‘that applies to all forms of relationships whether it be romantic, intimate, professional, or parental.’” Broken promises “can lead to trust rupturing, which can very quickly fracture a relationship.”[1]

If you’re suffering the pain of ruptured trust, here’s a comforting fact: God keeps His promises to His people! Even when we don’t know how He can do it, we can trust Him because of the fidelity of His nature. He Himself is our confidence. He “is not slack concerning His promise” (2 Peter 3:9).

Remember, it’s important to read the Bible carefully, taking every promise in its context. We shouldn’t twist God’s words to mean whatever we want. But when we have accurately understood one of His promises, we can stand on it and rejoice with confidence!

God does not change, nor do the glories of His person and the salvation He engineered for us. God’s promises are as dependable as He is.
Sheila Walsh

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 61:1-3

During World War I, peasants would sometimes inspect recent battlefields, looking for shell casings, spent bullets, and bomb fragments. They would assemble them into items for their home. One woman in Washington state has a large collection of these decorative and practical items. Her curio cabinet displays items like salt and pepper shakers, candlesticks, and vases made from leftover fragments of war.[1]

For most of us, our life contains broken pieces. Life is a battlefield. Paul told Timothy to “wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18). None of us escape without incurring some wounds. But God can use these to bring glory to Himself. He takes the fragments of pain, the scraps of sadness, the chunks of disappointment. In His hands, these can become the means by which we learn to trust Him and to comfort others.

Give the broken pieces of your life to the Lord, and let Him create some trench art. He does all things well, and He makes everything beautiful in His time.

Even though you might look at parts of your life as ugly or shameful, God can make all things work together for your good and His glory…The God of hope is making all things beautiful in His time.
Karen Whiting

–

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

I was despondent. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it!
Psalm 57:6

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 57

In his book, A Spiritual Clinic, J. Oswald Sanders devotes a chapter to despondency among Christians. “Who among us has not experienced that nameless feeling of misery and hopelessness?” he wrote. Sanders points out that such biblical heroes as Moses and Elijah had moments of great discouragement. For Moses, God prescribed the help of seventy elders; for Elijah, a time of withdrawal in a solitary place where the Lord met him.

“God prescribes individually for each of His patients. God delights to restore each depressed soul to a sphere of increased usefulness,” said Sanders.[1]

When we face daunting challenges, we can remember that God is always with us. He will give us wisdom and courage. He will deal with us individually, prescribing what is best. Take a moment to ask the Lord to show you the next immediate step you should take toward restoration and increased usefulness. He doesn’t want you to live in chronic despondency when His joy can be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

It is not without its comfort that the two men who conversed with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration both broke under the strain of their ministry and prayed that they might die.
J. Oswald Sanders

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And she arose and served them.
Matthew 8:15

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 8:14-17

Perhaps you have established patterns of daily prayer and Bible study, and you’re part of a good church. Yet you feel there’s something missing from your Christian experience. During the weekends of March, let’s spring forward with four additional opportunities, beginning with servanthood.

Kentucky pastor Jerrell White, who pastored for more than sixty years, passed away at age eighty, one month after preaching his last sermon and baptizing four new believers. His granddaughter said, “He modeled servanthood. I went with him many times to nursing homes or to visit people in the church. I saw the ways he and my grandma intentionally gave and visited and served and loved. He was always so encouraging. He modeled to us what a genuine Christian looked like. He studied God’s Word and he lived it out.”

This March, ask yourself if you model servanthood. How can you better live out God’s Word? Developing the servanthood habit may be as simple as letting a traveler exit the plane before you or picking up a piece of litter thrown onto a neighbor’s lawn. Often it’s the small things that enable us to spring forward.

Any good thing…that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now.
Henry Drummond

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Psalm 139:16

 Recommended Reading: Acts 16:6-10

The longest and most detailed illustration of a confused soul in the Bible is the story of Job. At the beginning of his story all was well. Then everything fell apart in his life—he lost it all. Then he spent 37 chapters dialoguing with friends about what had happened. Then at the end of his story he listened to the wisdom of God, and his eyes were opened (and his life restored). Two things made a difference: time and listening to God.

Who among us does not encounter and experience things we don’t understand? It happens often—sometimes daily. Waiting (time) doesn’t mean passivity; it means active faith in God’s purposes and plans. It means walking by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The active part of waiting is seeking God for wisdom and understanding.

God knows our future even before we take the steps that lead us there. Indeed, “the Lord directs [our] steps” (Proverbs 16:9). If you experience confusion, patiently seek the Lord and trust that He is working out His plans for you.

God’s purposes always have God’s provision.
John Blanchard

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

 Recommended Reading: Esther 2:1-18

The ability to see, with both eyes, an object clearly from twenty feet away is referred to as 20/20 vision. (In Europe, it is called 6/6 since they use a distance of six meters instead of twenty feet.) While not everyone has 20/20 vision, it is often said that hindsight is always 20/20. That is, we may not be able to see everything clearly as it happens, but after the fact we can see things much more clearly.

While hindsight is not always perfect, from a biblical perspective it means that we sometimes have to wait to see what God’s purpose was in allowing something to happen. There are certainly enough biblical examples to prove that premise. Job, Joseph, David, Daniel, Esther, Paul, and others were puzzled at what God allowed to happen in their lives—but soon came to see God’s hand at work. Especially Esther who saved the Jewish people from genocide in Persia.

When God allows circumstances in your life, the purpose of which is not clear, remember the examples and promises of Scripture: “All things work together for good.”

Contentment is an embracing of the providence of God.
George Seevers

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
1 Corinthians 12:18

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 139:13-14

Although the phrase is ancient and, therefore, the origin uncertain, one of the earliest uses of “green with envy” came from the pen of William Shakespeare. In Othello, Iago warns Othello, “Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”

Why do we envy others? Why does jealousy sneak in like a silent fog, clouding our vision of God’s blessings? It is because we fail to appreciate that God has blessed each person with unique gifts and abilities to be discovered and enjoyed by each one. The psalmist David wrote that God created each of us “fearfully and wonderfully,” in a “marvelous” way (Psalm 139:14). Therefore, our gifts and blessings are unique to us, as are those blessings God has given others. Paul wrote about gifts another way, likening us to the individual parts of the human body (1 Corinthians 12:14-26). Each part is unique and important and should be honored as such.

Whenever you feel a twinge of envy or jealousy, let it remind you to thank God for how He has made and blessed you. Then put your blessings to use for Him and others!

Hem your blessings with praise, lest they unravel.
Unknown

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:14

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 103:11-14

Most believers live with a sense of sanctified dissatisfaction. We want to emulate the emotions, attitudes, reactions, and habits of Christ. We long to perfectly please Him. But we’re not perfect, nor will we be until we get to heaven. This holy dissatisfaction should evermore prompt us toward greater personal holiness. But we must also realize God knows all about our imperfections, and He isn’t surprised when we fail.

The great hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” by Henry Lyte has a wonderful phrase to encourage us. The second stanza says: “Praise Him for His grace and favor to our fathers in distress! Praise Him still the same for ever, slow to chide, and swift to bless!”

Whenever you stumble or fall, confess your sin quickly and ask for God’s help in the future. We should keep growing. But don’t keep beating yourself up over forgiven sin. Remember—He knows our frame, that we are dust. But in His wondrous grace, He is slow to chide and swift to bless.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us; well our feeble frame He knows. In His hands He gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes.
Henry Lyte

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

 Recommended Reading: John 21:15-19

On the television broadcast of an international tennis tournament, one commentator asked his partner, “How would you rate [name’s] serve on a scale of one to ten?” The other commentator answered, “8.5. And, by the way, I don’t believe in a perfect 10.”

And that certainly applies to the Christian life. If we were perfect and never sinned, there would be no need for the grace of God. But all who are honest will admit to seeking forgiveness from God for a failure that has been confessed before. At some point, we wonder how much forgiveness God is willing to give us. How many times is God willing to pardon our imperfections? How many second chances do we get? Thankfully, there is no limit to the grace of God: “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20). When Jonah, one of God’s prophets, disobeyed God, “the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time” (Jonah 3:1). Jonah got a second chance.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Our past, present, and future are covered by God’s grace.

Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin.
Haldor Lillenas

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

 Recommended Reading: Genesis 50:19-21

The oldest Baptist congregation in America, founded in 1638, still meets today in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence was founded by a Puritan theologian named Roger Williams, who, after advocating for the separation of church and state, was exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. The new community he founded was named Providence to recognize God’s gracious direction in leading them there.

Providence is not a biblical word but has evolved into an idea that refers to God’s rule over the affairs of His creation. It is akin to the biblical idea of God’s sovereignty—God’s righteous rule over the affairs of men. For example, God “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:21). And, in Christ, “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17, NASB). Such an idea motivated Paul to write Romans 8:28, giving us confidence that God uses everything in our life for good.

Because God is good and sovereign, we can trust Him to work out His divine plans and purposes for creation—including for us personally.

Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.
Augustine

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:6

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 126

Beneil Dariush is an Iranian-born MMA fighter. Last year he won an important match, and during the post-fight interview he addressed his countrymen in Iran. “I need to dedicate this fight to my people in Iran,” he said. “I know you’re struggling. I know you’re fighting for freedom. I know it’s a tough struggle. I want you guys to know we’re praying for you, and we love you.”

Then he said, “Let me tell you one more thing…. There is true freedom, a freedom that no one can take from you in the name of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Don’t ever forget that.”[1]

We never know when we’ll have an opportunity to say a word for the Lord or to present the Gospel. When God leads you to share Christ with someone, obey immediately. He will give you the words you need. God can help you plant a seed in someone’s heart, even if you don’t immediately see the results. Let’s not miss any opportunities!

Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.
Bill Bright

https://www.davidjeremiah.org