I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? (Psalm 56:4 NLT) What has God promised for your life? Peace in the midst of turmoil? Hope in the midst of fear? Provision in the midst of lack? All of these and more! We cannot underestimate the promises of God or argue that God doesn't really provide what he promises. The promises of God are without reversal - once they were given, they remained in effect! Do we fully trust God to do as he has promised? Do we recount his promises when doubt, frustration, or turmoil come our way? If we are honest here, we might just have some pretty weak faith when it comes to trusting God to do EXACTLY as he said. We think he 'might' come through, 'might' see fit, 'might' find it within his power. That is some weak trust right there! Sometimes we add, "God, if it is your will...", to one of God's promised actions, but we are showing we don't fully trust him. For example, Go...
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1 NLT) Remember him - this whole chapter is riddled with those two words. Before our eyes fail, our legs become wobbly, or our hair fades to grey - remember him. While there is yet time, remember him. We might need that reminder this morning - to take time out of the busy day we have ahead and just remember his goodness, grace, and love. That should spark a note of gratitude from deep within our souls, bringing praise to our lips and worship from our spirit. The excitement of youth might just be the things that come into our days, filling them to capacity and sometimes beyond it. We make plans, set out to execute them, taken on more plans, and set things in motion to see those through. All the while, we forgot to take time to execute the most important plan of our day - remembering him. In this moment, if that is you, ...