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Jesus, I don't want to lose what matters most by focusing on momentary things. so please help me. When I am tires, please strengthen me. When living a comfortable life seems more appealing than following You unconditionally, please convict and correct me. Give me the strength to trust in You. I know that You are worth living and dying for, but please help me to live like it. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE READING 2 CHRONICLES 25-27 JOHN 16 AMAZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH AMAZIAH'S VICTORIES AMAZIAH'S IDOLATRY ISRAEL DEFEATS AMAZIAH UZZIAH REIGNS IN JUDAH UZZIAH'S PRIDE AND PUNISHMENT JOTHAN REIGNS IN JUDAH THE HATRED OF THE LORD “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT now I am going to him who sent me, sorrow has filled your heart. I tell you the truth I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: they do not believe in me, because the ruler of this world is judged. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. YOUR SORROW WILL TURN INTO JOY again a little while, and you will see me. you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father. you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

EXODUS 3:1-4, 7-10 THE BURNING BUSH Moses was keeping the flock of his father. the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." God said to Moses, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction, they will listen to your voice, I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty.You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” INSIGHT “God to the rescue!” is a major biblical/theological theme in Scripture and history. Because of His person and His promises, He’s mindful of the plight of His people throughout the ages. He’s loving, merciful, and compassionate; therefore, He sees the dilemmas and hears the groans of His people (see Exodus 2:23). And because He’s a promise keeper (v. 24), He acts for the well-being of those who belong to Him. We see this same dynamic in God’s ultimate rescue plan through Jesus (Galatians 4:4-5). Mary sang about such things in Luke 1:54-55: “[God] has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” And God was with Mary and Abraham as they experienced pain in life, just as He’s with us in our pain. By: Arthur Jackson

NO WASTED PAIN She looked into my eyes and said, “Don’t waste your pain.” My mind immediately returned to the time years prior when I’d led the memorial service for her young adult son whose life was taken in a car accident. She knew what she was talking about. She knew pain. But she also knew how God could use it to honor Him and help others—something this friend had done so very well. And as I heard her words, they comforted and encouraged me as I faced a serious cancer diagnosis. She was reminding me that God heard my cries and lament, and that He was with me in my pain and might use it to help others in a new way. Moses also learned that God was with His people in their pain. “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt,” God said. “I have heard them crying out . . . and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7). The Israelites, like us at times, must have felt alone in their pain. But God assured them He had a plan to “rescue them” and that “the cry” of their hearts was heard (vv. 8-9). He would ultimately use their pain to grow their faith, defeat their enemies, and bring Him honor. In Psalm 90, the only psalm attributed to Moses, he declared that even though our “best years are filled with pain” (v. 10 nlt), God’s “unfailing love” is with us “to the end of our lives” (v. 14 nlt). He lovingly won’t waste our pain—and neither should we. By: Tom Felten

REFLECT AND PRAY What does it mean for you to know God hears your cries? How is God using your pain to help others?

Loving God, thank You for hearing my cries and using my pain to help others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DO NOT WORRY Worry is where we mull over, ponder, and think of a negative outcome until it causes stress, anxiety, dread and fear. We usually see things turning out very badly, and imagine the worst case scenario. We can’t see that anything will get any better, only worse. What we know about the soul is that whatever we continue to think affects our emotions. And so anxiety, stress and fear begin to take over and dominate us. From this point we start to make decisions based on all this negative thinking because this is how we feel. We can tend to withdraw, avoid, shrink back, or try to work things out in our own strength. But Jesus says “do not worry?” The reason Jesus said for us not to worry is because of who our Father is. He is the Creator of everything, He created everything by His word, He created us, and He is all love, all power, all knowing. So if we are believers, then we are also sons and daughters of God. We have access to all his help, wisdom, power, which actually dwells in us right now. If he is already in your heart then everything you need is on the inside of you by the Holy Spirit. So then, the battle is in our minds, our imaginations, and this is where worry begins. What are we allowing in our minds? What are we allowing our imaginations to see? We have got to be intentional on what we think on. This is why Jesus in his sermon on the mount says “don’t be like those who don’t know God”. Don’t go down the wrong path to get things in your own strength, stressing and worrying. But seek God, seek his kingdom ways, seek his promises, seek His word in your situation. Think on these things, look at these things in your thoughts and imaginations. Where you are looking is key. Whatever you put your attention on is the direction you will head in. Faith in God and His Word, and always looking at His words, your eyes on Him. We know when we are worrying and anxious , we have taken our attention to God and His Kingdom ways and put them back on our ability and strength. But 2 Peter 1 says - we have already been given all we need for life and godliness through the promises of God. This is not easy as there are plenty of things going to tell you it’s not true. So what kingdom are you operating in today? Where are you looking today? The kingdom of God – operates by faith / trust in God's ways, God's word. All of the other kingdoms of the world operate in - stress, fear, worry, anxiety. Jesus came to deliver us from all that by showing us a different way in his kingdom.