New Every Morning

The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, 

For His compassions never fail. 

They are new every morning; 

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB

God created us to live in time.  We are made to work, sleep and wake again each morning.  God created us to be awed by His amazing love and grace every moment.  We cannot experience tomorrow now, neither can we "redo" yesterday.  We can only wake up each morning, rely on His compassion and lovingkindness (grace), which never fails.  As our eyes are fixed on Jesus Christ, each morning we will see those mercies as "new".  Our relationship with the Lord is always fresh and filled with life, because HE is the source of life.  And He is always faithful.

God is for us...

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 

Romans 8:31 NASB

Please read the verse above again.  Feel free to read it a few more times.  It can take years to undo the bad programming that we have received from our flesh and the world.  Bad ideas slip in, totally unchallenged.  Believers, saved by grace, still think that God is working against them.  Some think that God is holding grudges from past sins, others that God is on the other side of a chess board (Thinking "If I do this, He will do that").  Romans 8:31 blows all of those lies out of the water.  If you are in a relationship with Jesus Christ, God is FOR you!  Not just as a fan, or as a cheerleader.  He is going to see that you succeed spiritually - that is, be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.  Neither the Devil, nor his minions, neither the world system, nor it's authorities, neither your own quivering flesh, nor your own failing will can stand between God and His goal in your life.  God IS for you.  God NEVER fails.

Information Overload

Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth! 

Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Our society has no shortage of information.  Television, radio, internet and movies provide moment by moment updates on anything and everything that happens.  Furthermore, between phone calls, emails and text messages we are rarely out of reach by anyone and everyone.  It has been said that there is more information in one Sunday edition of the New York Times than people of previous generations would receive in their entire lives.  It is easy to be overcome by the information that comes charging into our lives through every available outlet. More than ever believers need to take time to be still.  Disconnect from the stream of information and know the character of the God who saved us and loves us.  

Facts about Babies

...like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 

1 Peter 2:2 NASB

On Sunday, January 29th Atticus Jeffrey was born.  April and I were quickly reminded of one important fact:  Babies cry.  When a Atticus is hungry he begins crying and shrieking, whining and hollering until his need is met.  Even though every parent could imagine a life with a little less crying the reality is that crying is something a healthy baby does when he is hungry.  The thing that strikes me is the intensity of a baby's cries.  That is exactly the intensity that Peter was talking about when he encourages believers to "long" for the pure milk of the word.  We need to take in the word; in our private devotions, and in our corporate times together!  Every time you hear a baby cry I hope you examine that baby and long to imitate his or her desire for the pure milk of the word of God!