#103025

God, thank You for the perfect peace that comes from being Your child. It's through nothing that I've done, but by faith in You alone. I love that I can talk to You at anytime and You embrace me as Your own-despite my mess and mistakes. Thank You for this undeserved gift! In Jesus' name, Amen.

1 CHRONICLES 16:11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

God is able to support us when we're weak, and strengthen us when we feel weary. Spend a few moments focusing on how strong and powerful He is. and give Him whatever praise comes to mind.

PHILIPPIANS 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Nothing in your life is wasted. As you bring your requests to God, keep this is mind. God is at work.

God, I admit that sometimes loving others can be draining. Fill me with hope to press on and not give up. Thank You for the complete victory I already have in You. Open my eyes to someone specific who needs Your love today. Strengthen my love and the way I live for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God, I am thankful that You are always by my side. I ask that You open my understanding of Your Word. Bring me brothers and sisters in Christ that I can learn from. Lead me to love the Bible and embrace the truth it offers. Build my trust in You as I fill my life with Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God, Thank You for inviting me to come to You with all my doubts, fears, and questions. Instead of relying on my own strength, may I see You and Your truth in all things. Help me set aside my pride and approach You with humble heart. Transform my fears into courage, just as You did for Nicodemus. Guide me toward your Truth and Your light. In Jesus' name, Amen.

MATTHEW 6:31-32 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Spend a few moments thanking God for how He's provided for you. Even though He knows what you need. He still loves to hear from you- so spend a few moments talking to Him about what's on your mind. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE READING: JEREMIAH 20-21 1 TIMOTHY 4 JEREMIAH PERSECUTED BY PASHHUR JERUSALEM WILL FALL TO NEBUCHADNEZZAR MESSAGE TO THE HOUSE OF DAVID “‘Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds.’” I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds, declares the Lord; I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all that is around her.” SOME WILL DEPART FROM THE FAITH by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. A GOOD SERVANT OF CHRIST JESUS put these things before the brothers, being trained in the words of the faith and good doctrine you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. 12Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

GENESIS 45:12-15, 21-27 JOSEPH PROVIDES FOR HIS BROTHERS AND FAMILY And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. 16When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. 23To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.” 25So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. 27But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. INSIGHT Genesis 45 describes a beautiful experience of forgiveness and reconciliation. Joseph had risen from being a slave in Egypt to someone with incredible power as Pharaoh’s second in command (41:43). Joseph could have chosen to exact revenge on his brothers for selling him into slavery. Instead, he offered grace: “Do not be angry with yourselves” (45:5). The reason Joseph gives is that God had still brought about good even through their wrongdoing—saving the lives of His people (v. 7). His story is a reminder that even when people fail, God is still at work for good. Because Jesus has extended grace to us, we can offer grace to others.

By: Monica La Rose

REPURPOSED BY GOD In the early 1930s, Cleo McVicker came up with a product that could be used as wallpaper cleaner. Back then, most homes were heated by coal, and walls became covered in soot. Cleo’s invention could be rolled over wallpaper and would pick up the grime. Well, the wallpaper cleaner never became popular, but decades later, a teacher used Cleo’s product in her classes to create Christmas ornaments. From that was born a new company—Rainbow Crafts—and the wallpaper cleaner was repurposed as a children’s toy: “Play-Doh.”

On a far greater scale, God has a way of repurposing people. We remember the biblical story of Joseph and his “coat of many colors.” As a young man, he was a lowly shepherd and was sold into slavery by his brothers. But God led Joseph through great difficulties and into the top ranks of government. Eventually Joseph became “repurposed” as “the ruler of all Egypt” (Genesis 45:26). Yet Joseph’s calling was not about power but about grace—something he extended to his brothers as he forgave them (v. 15).

In a sense, all of us are “failed products.” It’s through “the grace of a Son,” Jesus, that we are repurposed into greater things. As you do life today, think of your higher purpose and remember to extend grace to others, just as Christ does for us.

By: Kenneth Petersen

REFLECT AND PRAY How has God repurposed you in your life journey? What might you learn from the example of Joseph’s life?

Dear God, if I’ve forgotten the grace You’ve called me to, please remind me and help me extend it to others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

PRAY BY THE BOOK: PSALMS PRAY FOR PERSONAL BREAKTHROUGH AND HEALING BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SINS ARE FORGIVEN Some of us may be having a hard time going through the new normal as we face our own short-comings, sinful tendencies, and sorrows brought about by our situation. These things weigh us down, causing our vitality to dampen and our spirit to be deterred (v 3-4). But as we confess these things to the Lord (v 5) and seek Him in prayer (v 6), God will surely forgive and grant us mercy (v 1-2).

Not only does the Lord absolve us of our faults, but He also lovingly redirects us with His instruction and counsel (v 7-8). The truly blessed person is surrounded by God’s loving-kindness and deliverance, brought out of trouble, and brought into the joy of the Lord (v 9-11).

REFLECT: IN WHAT WAYS CAN I BE RENEWED BY THE LORD? Many do not realize how the spiritual and physical worlds affect each other. Before Jesus healed the paralytic in Mark 2, He first forgave the sick man—teaching us that true healing encompasses both physical and spiritual aspects.

Our text clearly says that spiritual disease (sin) causes the body to waste away. This does not mean, however, that all sicknesses have spiritual roots. Some are genetic, others are psychosomatic, and the rest due to lifestyle (improper diet, lack of exercise, or work-related stress).

Whatever the cause, God can heal all these sicknesses through various means–internal body mechanisms, medical prescriptions and procedures, and miracles. The point is simply to trust God to do what is best for us at any particular time. This may not necessarily mean physical healing, but whatever God does will surely be for our best.

AS WE PRAY… Are you facing any discouragement, anxiety, conviction of sin, guilt, or fear that gets in the way of your relationship with God? Take the time to confess these things to God and ask for forgiveness and restoration.

Ask the Lord for a personal breakthrough in seeking God’s wisdom and counsel for our lives; let the Lord provide a spiritual revival for you, with renewed strength and zeal to follow Him.

Prayer for healing: Appeal to the Lord for His mercy and present your condition before Him. Ask for His will to be done in your life – whether through healing the ailment immediately and supernaturally, or allowing the healing gradually and naturally through medical procedures under doctors’ supervision, or ultimately entrusting the outcome to the Lord in His sovereign purposes. It is on the basis of God’s grace that we ask for healing, sustenance, and restoration so that we may witness not just the Lord’s renewing power but also His compassionate heart in being close to those who are affected by illness.

Prayer for spiritual revival: Ask the Lord for a personal breakthrough in seeking God’s wisdom and counsel for our lives; let the Holy Spirit renew your strength and empower you to follow the Lord in a greater measure starting today.