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Jesus, I want to be in Your presence at all times. Thank You for promising to remain in me as I remain in You. I want to be as close to You as possible-to hear how Your heart beats for those who love You. As I stay connected to You, please use me for Your purposes-to serve and love those around me each day. in Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE READING: GENESIS 23-24 MATTHEW 7 THE BURIAL OF SARAH A WIFE FOR ISAAC DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you." EFFECTIVE PRAYER how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. THE GOLDEN RULE “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. THE NARROW GATE the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. THE TREE AND ITS FRUIT “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves." You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. identify people by their actions. TRUE DISCIPLES Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. BUILDING ON A SOLID FOUNDATION Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.

ISAIAH 43:16-21 THE LORD'S PROMISE OF VICTORY I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. 20The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world. INSIGHT God exiled Judah to Babylon because of her sins (Isaiah 39:6-7). Hundreds of years earlier, He’d mightily rescued them from the Egyptians (43:16-17), but they weren’t to “dwell on the past” (v. 18) because their miraculous journey in the first exodus would pale in comparison with the “new thing” God would do for them (v. 19). He’d bring them back from exile (vv. 5-7) and give them a glorious future (vv. 20-21). More importantly, He’d blot out their sins (v. 25). This forgiveness wasn’t because they were deserving—for they’d failed to honor Him as their God (vv. 22-24)—but because of who God is (v. 25).

God forgives our sins because He’s “a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Nehemiah 9:17). We can look forward to the future rather than dwell on our past sins because of the “new thing” God did through Jesus.

By: K.T. Sim

THE FUTURE GOD'S PREPARING We live in a world where the internet forgets nothing—every photo, post, and blog entry is seemingly stored forever. One major search engine, however, introduced a privacy feature allowing users to request the removal of personal data like phone numbers, home addresses, and more. While this doesn’t erase the data from the internet entirely, it significantly reduces its visibility, giving people a sense of control over their digital footprints.

This idea of “scrubbing” the past echoes the prophet’s words in Isaiah 43:18-19. God said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.” These verses were spoken to Israel during their exile in Babylon—a period of deep despair and longing for restoration. God commanded His people to not fixate on their past failures or the pain of captivity but to look forward to the new work He was about to do—a new and more significant exodus—their deliverance from Babylon and return to their homeland. He wasn’t just erasing the past but “making a way” (v. 19) to a future filled with hope and purpose.

Instead of dwelling on failures or regrets, let’s trust that God has “scrubbed” our past sins, regrets, and shame and—through Jesus’ sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10)—“remembers [our] sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). God propels us toward the future He’s preparing.

By: Marvin Williams

REFLECT AND PRAY Why is it so difficult to let go of the past? How might you deepen your trust in God for new beginnings?

Dear God, please help me say goodbye to my past and look forward to the future. in Jesus' name, Amen.

GOD CARES ABOUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH In his book Spiritual Depression, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks a powerful question: “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?”

Throughout Psalm 42, the speaker is wrestling with feeling forgotten and forsaken. Although at one time he felt loved and protected by God, now he’s fighting against the feeling that he may be all alone in this world.

But in today’s verse, Psalm 42:11, the speaker turns and talks to his own soul: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Notice first of all that he does not pretend like his feelings are different. Many people have the idea that the Bible wants us to pretend like our lives are easier than they actually are. But Psalm 42 models the practice of purposefully acknowledging how we’re really feeling to God.

And yet the speaker doesn’t stop there. Instead of allowing these dark thoughts to drift through his mind unchecked—and only listening to himself—he decides to talk to himself. He reminds himself of what he knows to be true, regardless of how he is feeling in that particular moment.

Following the example of Psalm 42, and reminding ourselves of what we know to be true about God even when it doesn’t feel true, can make all the difference in our lives.