When a person injuries a part of his body, the entire body suffers from the pain. Even so, the Bible says that when one member of Christ’s body suffers, that ache affects all the other members (1 Corinthians 12:26). When a Christian hurts, others should rally around him to bring comfort and healing. We should weep with those who weep, just as we rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). What happens to one believer affects us all.

It’s easy to focus on ourselves and not notice others around us who are going through difficult times. Our lives become busy and cluttered with day-to-day activities that cause us to lose sight of the needs of others. We must ask the Lord to give us His eyes of compassion and His heart of mercy to see the hurts and to feel the pain of those around us.

When we encourage each other, our heavenly Father is delighted. Just like an earthly parent, He loves to see His children minister to one another in authentic love. When we help others, we emulate Jesus. We become His extended hands of mercy.

Pray for someone in need today. Make a phone call or visit. Send a kind note. There are people who need the love that only you can give. Do not let them suffer alone.

The Lord is Our Strength. The psalmist said, “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation (Psalm 118:14).”

He knew that the Lord’s will would only be realized through His Spirit’s power (Zechariah 4:6). Like Paul, he could “do all things” through Christ who strengthened him (Philippians 4:13).

The Lord is Our Song. The Lord not only empowered the psalmist, but also filled his life with joy and celebration. Because of the Lord’s bountiful grace and blessings, the psalmist celebrated with joyful singing and praise. Likewise, the Lord Jesus will become the melody of our heart and “keep (us) singing as we go.”

The Lord is Our Salvation. The Lord was the source of the psalmist’s strength and song because He had granted him eternal salvation. Even so, Jesus Christ has become our salvation. “Jesus” means “Jehovah is salvation.” We are saved when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ alone to forgive and cleanse us.

If you belong to Jesus, He is the same to you as God the Father (Jehovah) was to the psalmist. Make your good confession today. Say it loud, long, and confidently for all to hear: “Jesus is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation!”

But after the discipline, He promised hope for their future, a fresh start. He said in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new; now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

We Must Put the Past Behind Us. When the Jewish people sinned, God disciplined them. But afterwards they did not have to dwell on the “former things.” Neither do we! God will discipline us if we sin (Proverbs 3:11-12), but if we genuinely repent, He will forgive us and wipe away the “former things” into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). He doesn’t make us drag the ball and chain of our past forever.

We Must Trust God’s Path Before Us. God promised Judah that He would create a new path and provide for them in the future, even in the wilderness. That is what He desires to do for us as well. He will make our paths straight and prosperous in the midst of seemingly barren circumstances. We can trust God’s new path. He walks before us as our shield.

Have you sinned? Come home to Jesus. Repent humbly and honestly, accepting His divine discipline. Then give your past to Him and embark on His new path. Your new beginning is only a prayer of repentance away. Press forward today in Jesus’ name.

I think we could all agree that God’s will is not being done on earth today. But there is coming a day (Revelation 5:1-10) when the Lion of the tribe of Judah—that’s Jesus—will be given the title deed to earth. Then, as the King of Kings, He will return to earth to set up His kingdom.

Jesus is Our King. The prophets predicted that the Messiah would be a reigning king (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:13-14). When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, He said, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born (John 18:37).

Jesus Has a Kingdom. When Jesus stood before Pilate, He also said, “My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:37). Jesus’ kingdom is spiritual and eternal; flesh and blood cannot inherit it (1 Corinthians 15:50). To enter His kingdom, you must be born again.

Jesus’ Kingdom Will Come. When we pray God’s kingdom to come, we are asking for His spiritual kingdom to expand on earth until Christ returns and establishes His Millennial Kingdom. God’s kingdom expands as people receive salvation. When Jesus returns, He will reign powerfully and peacefully on earth for 1,000 years. Then the kingdom will be destroyed by fire and we will live in New Jerusalem.

Like Bill Gaither’s song says, “Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name.” His name is Jesus, and He is the King of Kings! Are you part of His forever kingdom? If not, trust Him today. Then, pray for His kingdom to come until that glorious day when we see King Jesus face to face!

Knowing and doing God’s will is a lot like that. Sometimes the Lord only reveals a portion of His will to us. Our spiritual vision is limited to only a small portion of the path before us. Psalm 119:105 compares the Bible to a lamp and a light. Through reading the Bible, our way is enlightened and God shows us just enough to enable us to move forward. As we advance along the path of life, He faithfully increases our visibility.

We make slow, steady progress as we seek God through His Word and stand on the promises we find there. Eventually, the fog of the unknown is lifted and He reveals His complete will for that portion of our journey.

Perhaps you’re traveling through a dark and hazy time of life. Don’t be alarmed. God’s Word is the lamp to light your path. Take time to read your Bible today. A Christian who neglects His Bible gropes in darkness. But you and I don’t have to travel in the dark! Reach down and turn on His light.

The Pattern for Marriage. Genesis 2:20-24 describes how God gave Adam, the first man, a helper, Eve. God said that a man should leave his father and his mother and be joined (or cleave) to his wife and they shall become “one flesh.” God’s pattern for marriage is two people: a man and a woman.

The Purpose of Marriage. One reason God ordained marriage is for companionship. Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Men and women complement each other. They work together as a team. Having children is also one of the most sacred purposes of marriage. Then, marriage is for sanctification. God wants us to surrender our marriages to Him so that He can make each of us more like Jesus.

The Priority of Marriage. A newly wedded couple is beginning their own home and their own family. They are to “leave” their families and “cleave” to each other. Their relationship should come before all others.

The Pleasure of Marriage. God is the one who ordained sex, not man. Sacred sex is a gift from God, and it’s the only “safe sex” and truly satisfying sex. Since the Bible defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, sacred sex, therefore, is possible only within a heterosexual marriage.

The Purity of Marriage. Genesis 2:25 says, “The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.” They had nothing to be ashamed of because they were doing it God’s way.

The Permanence of Marriage. Our wedding vows are serious, and they remind us that the commitment we make to our spouses can only be broken honorably in the sight of God by means of death. We should do everything we can do to make our marriages work.

The Progeny of Marriage. The Bible says children are gifts, rewards from the Lord. It also describes children as arrows, and that’s how we penetrate society. Our mark on this earth, primarily, is through our children and our children’s children.

When Allison became engaged, my mother gave her the ring that she wore for 54 years. Allison took the diamond out of my mother’s ring and had it set in her engagement ring. I have a picture of my mother’s hands and Alli’s hands wearing the ring. When I look at that picture of my mother’s hands and my daughter’s hands, I’m reminded that marriage really is important to God. Generations will be impacted by the legacy of a godly marriage.

Sheep Tend to Stray. First Peter 2:25 says that before we come to Christ, we continually stray like sheep naturally do without a shepherd to guide them. Until God changes us through a relationship with His Son Jesus, we live selfish, sinful lives. We have a natural inclination to go astray spiritually and turn to our own way (Isaiah 53:6a).

Sheep Can Return. According to 1 Peter 2:25, we can return to the Shepherd. When the Lord convicts a person of his sin, he can then repent and return to God in salvation (Acts 3:19). Unless a person repents of sin, he cannot be saved (Luke 13:3,5). We must first repent and then believe in Christ alone to save us (Mark 1:14-15). Repentance precedes regeneration.

The Shepherd Receives Sinners. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, never refuses to receive a repentant sinner into His flock (John 6:37). Regardless of how sinful and rebellious you’ve been, come to Christ and He will forgive you. He wants to be the Shepherd and Guardian of your eternal soul (1 Peter 2:25)!

An old hymn says, “I’ve wandered far away from God; now I’m coming home! The paths of sin too long I’ve trod; Lord, I’m coming home!” Have you strayed from God? Repent and come home. He longs to take you in as one of His precious sheep.

That’s the type of worship described in Nehemiah 8:6. Ezra blessed the Lord and all the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” while lifting up their hands. Then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

We should worship God verbally. The people expressed their praise with words. As a Christian, my praise to God should be continually “in my mouth,” according to Psalm 34:1. The redeemed of the Lord should “say so,” according to Psalm 107:2. God desires to hear our worship.

We should worship God physically. While the people worshiped, they lifted up their hands. Afterwards, they bowed low. We, too, can worship the Lord with physical activity. We can “lift up holy hands” (1 Timothy 2:8), clap our hands (Psalm 47:1), and bow and kneel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6).

We should worship God reverently. The worshipers in Nehemiah 8 were reverent in their demeanor. They respectfully stood when the Scriptures were read, and afterwards they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Enthusiasm in worship does not have to degenerate into fanatical emotionalism.

We should worship God both privately (Matthew 6:6) and publicly (Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24-25). Worshiping the living God through His Son Jesus is the greatest privilege we have on earth. Enter His presence and give praise to God today!

One day I arrived at the Atlanta airport coming from Tel Aviv via Zurich. I thought I had plenty of time to make my connecting flight to Dallas. But to my surprise, because of Daylight Savings Time I only had 35 minutes. By the time I went through customs and rechecked my bags, the flight to Dallas had left. No other flight was available. I had been awake for 24 hours.

I decided to rent a car and drive to Birmingham, but due to the Masters Golf Tournament, no cars were available. Now I was upset. I prayed, “Lord, I’m out of options. Show me what to do.”

I looked up and noticed an angry lady who had lost her luggage. She was scheduled to make an important presentation the next day, and she had no clothes for the meeting. I introduced myself and found out that her name was Angela. I told her I was a Baptist preacher and asked if I could pray for her. She said, “Please.” When I said, “Amen,” she was smiling through her tears. She thanked me, and I thanked the Lord for reminding me that I was not the only one with problems.

Philippians 2:3-4 encourages us to regard other people as more important than ourselves. It says, “Do not look out merely for your own personal interests, but also for the interests for others.”

Guess what else happened? I went back to the counter and was able to rent a car! I drove home and spent the night in my own bed. The next morning I caught a plane to Dallas and made my meeting. Everything turned out fine when I stopped thinking about my problems and started thinking of others.

How many “Angelas” out there could use your support today? Look around. Someone is hurting more than you. Will you help them?

Lord, You tell us in Your Word not to despise the day of small beginnings. The beginning of our nation was small, but today America has become a mighty nation because You’ve blessed it. Over these last 234 years we have not always been what we should have been nor have we done what we should have done, but we thank You that by Your grace and mercy, You have corrected us and brought us back to Yourself.
Our country has tremendous enemies, not only from without, but from within. People are challenging our Christian heritage and trying to corrupt the moral fiber of this nation. Sometimes we don’t know what to do, but we’re like Jehoshaphat of old. He prayed to You and said, “Lord, we don’t know what to do against these invading armies, but our eyes are on You. Today, we, too, confess that our eyes are on You.

Lord, we pray that our leaders will walk in righteousness and be led by Your Spirit. Help them to make wise decisions. Thank You for our brothers and sisters in the military. As they defend our freedoms, we ask You to put a hedge of protection around them and their families from whom they are separated.

Lord, bless Your Church in the United States of America. I pray that we who are Your people and who are called by Your name will humble ourselves, pray, and seek Your face. I pray that we will turn from our wicked ways and that You will hear from heaven and heal our land. How we need a fresh revival among Your people! Bring us back to You, Lord, that we might be one nation under God.