so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  - Isaiah 55:11

I don’t know how many times I have heard or read this verse and always thought of it the same way – that God’s Word would bring those to faith who were meant to believe.  But today I read it and linked it to another part of the Bible and the Holy Spirit helped me to understand it in a new way.  No, probably not a new idea, just new for me.  The other verse is from John 1.  You know it, where John tells us that Jesus is the very Word of God.

Then it hit me…Jesus (God’s Word) did not return to Him (the Father) until after He had accomplished all that the Father had purposed for Him.  He became man, lived a perfect life, suffered and died in our place, rose from the dead to defeat sin, death, and the devil.  Only with all of this accomplished did He return to the Father.  He ascended and sat at the right hand of God the Father. 

This is really powerful.  Jesus, God’s Word, accomplished all that was purposed for Him.  All that was necessary to save you, me, and every person who ever lived.  Talk about a powerful Word.

We pray – Dearest Jesus, thank you for “going out” from the mouth of the Father to accomplish all that was purposed for You, our very salvation and life eternal.  Amen.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  - Romans 3:23-24

Yesterday was hard for me.  I lead adult Bible Study yesterday morning and, after Bible Study was over, I felt like a complete failure.  For some reason I just wasn’t able to communicate what was in my head.  I felt I had let everyone down and worst of all, I felt I had let God down.  

You wouldn’t think that a verse like this, that tells you that you are bound to fail, would be comforting - but it is for me.  Mainly because, when I mess up like yesterday, I feel like I am the only one in the world who makes mistakes.  It seems misery loves company, and it is somehow reassuring to know that everyone makes mistakes.  

No one can please God, or even do one good thing, without the help of the Holy Spirit.  And this is the other great comfort of this passage.  For verse 24 reminds us that we don’t have to do just the right things to make God happy.  Jesus already did it.  Our redemption is through Christ – and that is awesome - because days like yesterday make me glad He’s got me and my salvation does not depend on anything I do!

We pray – Thank You dearest Lord that You did not base our salvation on what we do, for we all fall short.  Thank You for coming to save us in Your grace and mercy. – Amen.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV

This particular verse has often caused me pause.  For, no matter how much I give to God, through His Church or otherwise, I always wonder, “Did I do it cheerfully?”  All too often the answer has been, “no.”  I have resented time spent on projects, thought what other things I could do with money placed in collection plates, or even resisted sharing things I hold dear.

For us sinners, giving is often the modern version of a sacrifice.  We think of it as giving up the things we don’t really want to because that is how we can show our gratitude to God.  We think of it as giving something to God.

But, you see, God doesn’t need what you have.  He has everything.  He even owns everything that you think is yours – He has simply lent it to you.  So, it is important to remember that we are not giving God anything.  But what we are doing is showing our gratitude – gratitude for the very real sacrifice He made for us on the cross.

I recently gave a sermon where I pointed out that what God desires is paying it forward.  We can’t repay God for what He has done for us, but we can, “Feed His sheep.”  We can take care of His creation; especially our Church, our Pastor, the less fortunate, our families, and the others He has given us to care for - all in gratitude for what Christ has done for us.  That gratitude is the cheerful heart.  That gratitude takes it from compulsion, from an obligation, to a joy!

We pray – Dearest Jesus, thank You for all You gave up to save us from ourselves.  Help us to be cheerful as we respond in gratitude by caring for those You have given us to care for.  We ask this in Your Holy Name. – Amen.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation, and my God. – Psalm 42:5

Like many people I am a little susceptible to anxiety and low moods.  For no apparent reason I sometimes plod about the house like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. 

But this verse asks a very pertinent question – why?  Why are you cast down?  And why do you let anxiety cause turmoil within you?  It is an excellent question.  We have the God of the universe on our side.  We have the God who, with four simple words created light!  We have the God who created all things.  As Colossians tells us He created all things, preserves all things, and is in all things.  That means He is in us!  He tells us at the very end of Matthew that He will be with us always!  This is the same God who loved us so much that He set aside His crown and came down to be a poor human being.  To die on a cross to pay for all of our sins.  Now THAT is LOVE!!!!!

So, why are we cast down.  Well, the answer is simple – sin.  We get cast down because we forget to look to Him.  We get cast down because our eyes are off of the prize.  We are cast down because we are not looking to God our Savior.  Separating ourselves from God is a sin.  And separation from God is the consequence of our sin.

So let us look always to God.  Let us always hope in God, praise God, and remember He is our salvation and our God!  Then we shall be more like Tigger than Eeyore – joyful!

Let us pray – Dearest Lord, help us always to keep our eyes on You that we may not fall into sadness and anxiety.  Help us to ever remember the incredible love You showed when You died on the cross for us.  In Your Holy Name we pray. – Amen.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. – Psalm 62:5. ESV

As you are all probably aware by now, having read many of these, I love the verses that tell you to be still.  But this one is just slightly different.  It is a person speaking to their own soul telling it to wait in silence on God alone.    As I read this verse it dawned on me that faith is silent.

Faith is not disturbed by stress or anxiety.  Faith is not cast about by the winds of the day.  Faith is not shaken by what the world thinks.  Faith is silent.  Unshaken.  Still.

Faith is peace in the storm.  When the disciples woke Jesus during the storm on the Sea of Galilee Jesus rebuked them for not having faith.  Jesus was sleeping because He had faith.  He KNEW He would be fine.  The disciples should have KNOWN that they would be fine too.  For God was with them.

It is in God, in Jesus and all that He accomplished for us, that our hope lies.  A hope founded on the very faith He gave us.  A faith that gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding.

So, like the Psalmist, when you feel under attack or like a wall is about to fall on you, remind your soul to be silent – to be faithful.  God is right there, with you, as He always is.

We pray – Dearest Lord, help us to always remember that You are with us always.  Help our souls to be silent in the storm.  In Jesus’ name we pray. – Amen.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God – Psalm 146:5, ESV

Have you ever noticed the difference in your life between when you ARE trusting God and when you ARE NOT?  I know I have.  I often find myself stressed, anxious, irritable…then I realize, I am not trusting God.  Suddenly, a peace comes over me.  “A peace that surpasses all understanding.”  Amazing how the Bible is true😊

But sometimes it isn’t that easy.  The stress and the anxiety, they persist.  They stubbornly refuse to trust God.  Let’s face it, trusting God is not necessarily an easy thing to do.  We are sort of programmed as Americans to be self-reliant.  We are taught we have to get ahead.  Strive for the almighty dollar.  Keep up with the Jones’.

But what we really need to strive for is the Almighty God.  Well, in point of fact, there is no striving there.  It is sort of the opposite of striving.  What we REALLY need to do is be humble, submissive, quiet.  That is not easy, but it is worth it.

God tells us that He will provide for our needs just as he cares for the sparrows.  Ever notice that the sparrows don’t eat steak every day?  Well, God will give you what you need, not necessarily what we want.  And that is often the problem, isn’t it.  We confuse our needs for our want.

God has you in the palm of His hand.  He has promised.  Hold Him to it!  Pray to Him that you expect and trust that He will keep his promises.  A wise man we all know (Pastor May) is fond of telling us, “God loves it when we remind Him of His promises.”

We pray – Dearest Lord, You have promised to give us all that we need.  Help us to be patient and trusting in waiting on Your promises - humble and content with what You have seen fit to give us.  In Your Holy Name we pray. – Amen.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” - John 14:15, ESV

I don’t know how many times I have heard that different things are OK because Jesus has fulfilled the Law and the Old Testament Commandments don’t count anymore.  People think that the commandments went away just like the old civil law and ceremonial law when Jesus came.  Well, sorry, here John records Jesus’ own words that makes it clear. They still count.  He still wants you to keep them.  The world changed, that’s why the ceremonial and civil laws are no longer in place.  But the moral law is about God and He doesn’t change.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  I don’t know if Jesus could have made it more clear.  We should keep His commandments not because we earn anything for doing so but for one single reason – because we love Him.

Think about other people you love.  Do you intentionally make them mad or do you try your best to make them happy?  I pray you try to make them happy so you can have a positive relationship!  That is what Jesus wants with us – a positive relationship.

Therefore, we live in God’s will in order to show our love for Him – to live in a positive relationship with Him.  And the extra bonus is, our relationships here on earth will be better too!

We pray – Dearest Jesus, help us to love you rightly by keeping Your commandments and living in Your will.  In Your Holy Name we pray. – Amen.