1 Peter 2:9   But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Your identity and mine, if we live our lives for Jesus, is greater than we think.  So often we believe we have no value, but God says that we are His own special possession, a people that He Himself has chosen.  Right here in the divided states of America, we are God's holy nation, set apart, and ready to do His will.  Thank you Lord, for choosing us!

Psalm 34:8   Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Have you experienced the goodness of God?  Have you tasted the sweetness of His word?  You are blessed when you place your full trust in Him!

2 Corinthians 4:6-7   For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

God has given us "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God".  So that we don't think we had anything to do with it, we live our lives in these frail bodies.  So let's look up, and praise the God who gives us all that we are and all that we have.  After all, He has the power.  We don't.

Isaiah 26:3-4  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

The peace mentioned here is the Hebrew word shalom, meaning complete peace, wholeness and well-being.  It is peace of mind and peace in your soul.  It is what gives you restful sleep when the world is crashing down around you.

How can you gain shalom?  By giving your life to Jesus, letting Him take control of your worry, your pain, and every part of your life.  That is called grace.  When Christ is the One you live for, you experience His perfect peace.  Trust in the Lord.  After all, He is an everlasting rock!

Romans 1:19-20   For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 

Watching the amazing hummingbirds outside my window, I can't help but think about the creativity of God.  He is the artist behind every rainbow, and the engineer of our entire ecosystem.  How can we not praise Him?!

Philippians 2:9-11    Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

There will come a day when everyone will confess that Jesus is Lord.  Past sinners and saints, and even you and me.  Everyone will have to admit who Jesus is.  The difference is that some will celebrate that statement, and others will mourn because they didn't really trust Him for everything.

When that day comes, I want to say, "Jesus, you are MY Lord!"   How about you?

Psalm 55:22   Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Someone shared this week that they had a dream they were living their life in a Zoom box.  Someone one else had a nightmare that they were fighting the coronavirus.  It took the form of a vicious dog, and they had it by the leash, swinging it around above their head.

We all have dreams, and we all have nightmares.  Sometimes even when we sleep.  I don't know what you are dealing with today, but I do know one thing:  David was right.  Cast your burden on the Lord, and He WILL sustain you.  He is by your side, lifting you up in whatever you are facing.  Run to Him today!

John 17:20-21   ​“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me,"

Jesus prayed for His disciples of all time (including us), that we would be one with each other and with Him just as He is one with the Father.  What a gift!  To be one with Jesus and with the Father!  How could we ever take that for granted?!

Deuteronomy 33:27   The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Isn't that good to know in this time of uncertainty?  He will be our shelter.  He will hold us up.  Who else could but our God?!

Revelation 7:17   For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

In the midst of a pandemic you realize how much you miss being together with other believers.  One day we will be together, and that day will never end.  There will be no more sickness or death, and no more sin.

​Jesus Himself will lead us to springs of living water.  What a day that will be!