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Titus 3:3-7
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

“There but for the grace of God, go I.” No one is 100% sure who actually said that phrase first. Many believe it was a man by the name of John Bradford. The story goes he uttered it as he watched a criminal being apprehended, tried, and executed. It really doesn’t matter who said it. We all know what it means and it truly represents today’s verses in Titus.

We are once again reminded that we are all sinners. We all have a past and still deal with things in the present. We did not do anything to deserve the grace Jesus died for, to give us. We do not and will never deserve that grace. That is what makes it grace. Grace is something given out of love and not earned.

I am sure today, someone will do something to make you angry or upset. Before you react take a moment. Remember there but for the grace of God, go you. Maybe it is time to extend some grace and move on today. Life is too short to hold grudges. Thank goodness, God doesn’t.

Lord, help me today to extend Your grace as You have so generously done for me. ~amen

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John 7:38
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

Truth time. Today has been one of those dark days for me. Anxiety and depression hit me out of nowhere. Honestly, I hurt all over and just wanted to curl up in my bed and cry all day. As I am writing this tonight, it really isn’t much better. I have talked myself into eating something and I am actually curled up on the couch and yes, I quit crying. I still thought I would not be able to write tonight, but then I picked up my phone and this was a verse of the day on one of my widgets. Perfect timing once again Lord.

John reminded me that I may feel dried up and dead inside today, but it isn’t true. I may be ready to curl up and cry because my depression and anxiety physically hurts today. It will be OK again. There is still living water flowing within me. Today, it may only feel like a dripping faucet, but it is going to run once again like a raging river. God has not left me to dry up in this desert. Soon the living water will flow from within me again.

Lord, thank You for not leaving me in my desert of anxiety and depression. Thank You for reminding me there is still a river of living water flowing inside of me. ~amen

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Matthew 2:1-2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

The Magi were the first recorded gentiles to search and find Jesus. By profession, they were devoted to astrology, divination, the interpretation of dreams, and fortune-tellers. They recognized something in the sky that just wasn’t right. As a matter of fact, according to the Archeological Bible Study, “The ‘star’ was probably not an ordinary star, planet or comet, though some interpreters have identified it with the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn or with some other astronomical phenomenon.” They knew the truth. This astronomical occurrence was announcing the birth of the long-awaited Messiah, King of the Jews. They just had to find him.

What phenomenon brought you to Christ? It may not have been a sign in the sky, like a shining star, but I bet it was something. God has a way of getting people’s attention. When you follow your sign, you will always find Jesus. At this time of year, you often see the message, “Wisemen still seek Him”. Seek Him every day, I promise He will be there.

Lord, I thank You for all the little signs you leave in my life every single day. I will always seek to find You because I know You will always be there! ~amen

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1 Timothy 1:15-16
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

NEWSFLASH: Jesus died for sinners and that means you! Oh and don’t forget me. I am a sinner! As Christians, we are not perfect, just saved by grace. Never think you are so far gone that God can’t forgive you. I hope and pray you never feel unwelcome at church. I know my church is filled with imperfect people that are just saved by grace. No church member has the right to judge and look down at you. As a matter of fact, no one has the right to look down on anyone, ever.

Jesus came into the world to save all of us sinners. For that very reason, we show mercy. We do this so Christ can show His immense patience as an example for those who believe in Him and can receive eternal life. In other words, if God can show His mercy for all of your faults, shouldn’t you do that for others. Remember, we are all a bunch of sinners. As Christians, we have just found grace, so pass it on to others.

Lord, thank You for grace. Help me pass it on to others. ~amen

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Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

The first part of verse 4 jumped out at me today, “But when the set time had fully come”. It is no secret that patience is not one of my finer virtues. God is still working on me in that area. I, like a lot of others, want things in my timing. However, God’s timing is perfect.

He sees all of the pieces in the puzzle and knows exactly how they fit. What we often see as random, unrelated circumstances are actually parts of a well-laid-out plan. Often, we see the goal and figure out all the shortcuts. What we don’t understand is if we take the shortcut, we miss out on many blessings.

So, quit trying to rush the process. Remember, A butterfly will never fly if it doesn’t first strengthen its wings by struggling to break free of its cocoon. If God spent time developing this small detail for a caterpillar to change into a butterfly, what more is He doing for your metamorphosis? When the set time fully comes, you will fly!

Thank You, Lord, for teaching me to fly! ~amen

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John 1:14-16
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

In Jesus’ time, an older person was given respect and regarded as greater than a younger one. So, everyone would have ranked Jesus lower in terms of respect than John, because he was older. As a matter of fact, there was lots of grumbling among John’s followers. John the Baptist, however, explained Jesus existed long before John was born on Earth. Jesus was the man, John had been prophesying about during his ministry. Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, and King. He deserved all of the respect.

Jesus still deserves all of our respect all of the time. Christmas is a wonderful time, but Jesus shouldn’t get packed away with the decorations in January. He was born, lived, died, resurrected, and then ascended back into Heaven, so we could live with grace and someday be with Him in Heaven forever. Yes, spend Christmas celebrating His birth, but spend the rest of the year celebrating His love for you all year round, every year!

Lord, I want to always show You the respect that You deserve. ~amen

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James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

I use to teach middle school students with social-emotional and behavioral disabilities. These are the kiddos that could not always control their emotions. Some would even see them as the ‘bad’ kids because they would often say black just because you said white. I adored these kids!

I learned very quickly, the best way to help them was to make definite expectations and consequences and stick to them. They would love to try my boundaries to see if I would budge. I didn’t. They always had choices and each choice came with rewards or consequences and they knew that I would always provide both and not shift like shadows. It made them feel safe. They always knew what would happen. Because of this, I saw a lot less frustration and anger issues out of them that led to better behavior.

One of God’s perfect gifts to us is His also gives us choices and we know the rewards and consequences. He does not waver or change. His other perfect gift is grace. Just like my kiddos, we know God will still be there even when we mess up and make the wrong choice. He will love us and help pick us up, dust us off and send us to try again. God is good all the time!

Thank you, Lord, for boundaries and rules. Thank you for grace when I stumble. ~amen

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So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7

Continue to live your lives. That can be really hard to do when you have lost a loved one, a job, or your health. You often ask, how am I supposed to go on living. Everything around you seems dark and takes your will to live away. Even if you have a will to live, you don’t see how you possibly can get through life.

Living your life in Jesus doesn’t mean everything will always be beautiful and wonderful, and you will never face pain. No, it means you will walk through the darkness, troubles, and pain. You just will never walk alone. You will be strengthened through your faith. You will know that today may not be OK and tomorrow may not look so good either, but someday you will be better. Until then, God has you in His hands. He knows what you are going through, and feels your pain. The Holy Spirit is providing you the strength and even the peace you need to keep on keeping on today.

Eventually, you will feel the overflowing of thankfulness in your spirit again, but today just continue to live your life through Christ, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught.

Lord, thank you for the strength to just keep on keeping on when the days look bleak. ~amen

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And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Have you ever had to do something that you really didn’t want to do, but you knew it was in your best interest. I mean mammograms, colonoscopies, and prostate exams are not usually on anyone’s fun things to do list. However, you know they need to be done. Not everything good is made up of rainbows, unicorns, and butterflies.

I would be the last one to tell you that your child dying, or your cancer diagnosis was good for you. I can tell you God is still working for you. He is still there. No, He did not stop these things from happening, but He didn’t cause them either. I can promise you this, He loves you and is walking with you through them. God is working for your good by loving you, holding you, and staying by your side even when you are hating Him.

God has big shoulders. Be angry! Let Him know how much you are hurting. It is so OK to not be OK. When you have exhausted yourself from crying and hating, God will still be there. When you are ready, He will dust you off and help you see the sun shining again. I promise God is working His good for you.

Lord, thank you for always being by my side. I know You are working for my good. My tests today will be my testimony someday. ~amen

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Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound.
Psalms 4:6-7

Lord, I pray prosperity in love, faith, peace, and wisdom, and that joy abounds throughout the year for all that read this. ~amen

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