Love Life: 1 Peter 3:10

10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 3:10-11 (NIV)

To love life during hard times and trials requires a deliberate attitude of faith, trusting that the Lord is in control. These verses in 1 Peter are quotes from David’s Psalm 34:12-14.

12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:12-14 (NIV)

In these verses, David and Peter are encouraging us to have a positive attitude; to realize that God is with us always. Our job is to keep our tongues away from evil and our lips away from deceitful speech. Turning away from evil and doing good while pursuing peace causes the Lord to look on us with approval and be attentive to our prayers.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
1 Peter 3:12 (NIV)

It is up to us to make the most of our time on earth, take time to love life, have a thankful heart, embrace good and turn away from evil. ⁘

During difficult times, struggles, and weariness, do you remember to thank God for His blessings, embrace His peace, to love life?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for watching over us and listening to our prayers. Help us grow in faith, hope, and righteousness, taking time to love life. Teach us to turn away from evil and do good. Like the pansies’ “faces” and bright colors bring smiles, let our smiling faces spread joy, happiness, and peace. In Jesus’ holy and loving name. Amen.

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My Hope: Psalm 62:5-6

5Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
6Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6 (NIV)

Psalm 62 is a psalm of David. It is a psalm of confidence, of trust in God. David has bitter enemies, but he has confidence God could and would deliver him. When our souls find rest in God, we give up our worldly concerns and trust God.
Where does our hope come from; our hope comes from God. He is our rock, our salvation. Meditation and prayer strengthen faith and build a strong foundation in the Lord. Like David, we can learn not to be overcome by worries but to stand strong in faith unshaken.

When worldly issues are overwhelming, is God your rock and your hope?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, You are our rock, salvation, and our hope. Thanks for being our strong foundation and our shelter during life storms. Teach us to let go of our worldly concerns and put our trust in You. Like the full rose blossoms make a lovely garden, let us be full of hope and reflect Your love. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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I pray for the Ukrainian people, I pray for peace, and I pray for the end of war.

Rest: Matthew 11:28

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT)

An invitation of hope and comfort from Jesus to all; “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” He is offering you comfort and rest for your soul. He calls for all to believe in Him, to come to Him. He can heal your broken heart, give you rest and peace, and set you free from the burden of sin. He offers spiritual rest, tranquility to the weary, and hope to the lost. Come to Jesus; He is humble and gentle of heart. In Him, you will find rest for your soul. Through Jesus, we can receive comfort, happiness, peace, salvation, and rest.

Jesus came into the world to give hope, comfort, and rest to His believers. Are you holding on to your heavy burdens or giving them to Jesus; and finding peace and rest?

Prayer; We thank you, Jesus, for Your open invitation to come to you. Teach us to reach out to you; call upon your name, and give you our burdens. Jesus, you are humble and kind; let us accept your gentle yoke and find rest for our souls. Like the open outer flowers, surround the small inner flowers in the Lacecap Hydrangea; surround us in Your love and help us find rest and inner peace. Amen

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Faithful Love: Psalm 147:10-11

10 He doesn’t take pleasure in the strength of horses.
He doesn’t take delight in the strong legs of warriors.
¹¹The Lord takes delight in those who have respect for him.
They put their hope in his faithful love.
Psalm 147: 10-11 (NIRV)

The Lord takes pleasure in strength and perseverance in faith; rather than in strength in physical ability. He delights in worship, prayer, and obedience rather than the strength of warriors.
Many versions of verse 11 state, “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” The Lord delights in those who fear Him or, perhaps better stated as those in awe of Him who acknowledge, His power, justice, and wisdom. Who respect Him, follow His Word, place hope in Him, accepting His promise of faithful, unfailing love. God is good; His steadfast love endures forever.

Where do you find hope and strength during stressful times? Is your hope found in God’s faithful love?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for your faithful love and abundant mercy. Teach us to listen for Your direction, respect Your laws, follow Your ways, and spread Your love. Help us to grow in faith and to put our hope in You. Like delightful oriental lilies brighten our days, let us delight in Your Word and brighten the world with Your light. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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The Lord will Guide You: Isaiah 58:11

The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Isaiah 58:11 (NLV)

The Lord will guide you always through His Word, Spirit, and His counsel. He will bless you with His love. His fountain of water will flow within, bringing peace and joy, satisfying Your soul, and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, growing, flourishing, and producing fruit. His ever-flowing spring of salvation will not dry up. His compassion will never fail; His blessings will spring forth.

Yahweh will always guide you where to go and what to do.
    He will fill you with refreshment
    even when you are in a dry, difficult place.
    He will continually restore strength to you,
    so you will flourish like a well-watered garden
    and like an ever-flowing, trustworthy spring of blessing.
Isaiah 58:11 (The Passion Translation)

Are you willing to let the Lord guide you? Will you seek Him, follow His way, let His ever-flowing spring, satisfy your soul, and restore your strength?

Prayer; Our Lord, our hope and future, we thank You for Your forgiveness and guidance. When we are in a dry-difficult place, Lord, continue to guide us, refresh us with your ever-flowing stream of love and blessing. Teach us to flourish in faith, to be restored and fruitful, a well-watered garden. Like a fountain’s water, nourishes and reflects the plants, let us be nourished by Your ever-flowing stream and reflect Your love to others. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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Do Not Be Afraid: Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

This verse has always been a go-to verse for me. This encouraging verse calms me when I am overwhelmed, gives me hope when I am discouraged, and strengthens when I am afraid. For God is encouraging us not to fear, instead to trust in Him, for He is with us, He is powerful, and no situation is greater than He is. God will support, comfort, and strengthen us. He is our ever-present help during trouble; He can be relied upon. Yes, God will uphold us with His pure, faithful, and righteous right hand.

God says, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” When you are overwhelmed, weak, or afraid, do you reach out to God?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for being our shelter during life’s storms. You are our hope when we are discouraged and our strength when we are afraid. Teach us to bring You our fears and not be afraid. Help us to rely on You, strengthen our faith, and guide us in Your truth. Like the petals of the peony flowers are gathered together reaching upward, let us gather our fears and reach upward in prayer to You. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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My God will hear me: Micah 7:7

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7 (NIV)

Micah was upset and saddened by the ungodly activities and sinful ways of the people and rulers Israel and Judea. We all have a choice to follow worldly pursuits or to move forward and trust in God. To move forward in faith, embrace truth, and let go of sinful ways. The remedy for a sinful world is to turn to God for help. For our God of mercy, power, and truth, our Savior; can and will help. As Micah says, my God will hear me. He will listen; He will receive my prayers.

Micah’s lament is as timely now as it was around 700BC. Our hope and future is God; we need to move forward in hope, faith, and prayer; God will hear us. Do you watch in hope for the Lord?

Our loving Heavenly Father, we thank You for your patience, forgiveness, and being open to our prayers hearing us. Guide us on Your path of righteousness. Teach us to embrace Your truth and direction. We wait in faith and watch in hope for You, Lord. Like the obedient plants, purple blossoms glow with sunlight, let us glow with Your light, and open our hearts to Your Word. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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Founded on Rock: Matthew 7:25

The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock.
Matthew 7:25 (NET)

In life, rain pours down, floods drench and devastate, and storm winds buffet against our houses and lives. A house founded on rock stands firm, and; a life founded on The Rock, Christ stands strong. A life dedicated to God, obedient to the Word, and guided by Christ’s teaching is not undermined or destroyed. In times of trial, faith lets us weather the storm, knowing God is with us.

Are you founded on Christ, “the Rock”? Does your faith help you weather life’s storms?

Prayer; Dear Lord, help us to grow in faith and follow Your ways. Like a house founded on rock survives the storm, a life founded on Christ can weather life’s storms. Like the rocks, shelter the red rose blossoms, let us learn to find shelter in Jesus, our rock and redeemer. Amen.

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Merciful and Gracious: Psalm 145:8

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 145: 8 (ESV)

Our Lord is merciful; He pardons our sins and forgives our transgressions, great is His mercy. He is gracious; His works are full of grace, goodness, kindness, and compassion. The Lord’s compassions never fail. Throughout the Bible, God showed patience; He was slow to anger, even when He was ignored and rejected. God’s steadfast love abounds; it endures forever!

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 106:1 (ESV)

Prayer; Our loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for your mercy and grace for us sinners. Teach us to be merciful and gracious to one another. Thank you for your patience and forgiveness. Like the tender blossoms of the flowering almond, Your tender abounding love and compassion bless us. May we share Your love and compassion with others. In Jesus’ loving name. Amen

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Faith: Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

God’s abundant goodness, His miraculous works, and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, for our salvation give us the confidence to put our trust in Him. We trust God’s Word with faith, we believe in His promises, and we are confident of His love. Faith is a process of growth, following, and relying on God. Faith changes us; it changes our hearts and thoughts; it gives us hope and a future. When we embrace faith, we become confident of the future and have assurance about what we do not see.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible. Corrie Ten Boom

Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right. Max Lucado

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Corrie ten Boom

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Matthew 17:20 (NLT)

What is faith to you?

Prayer: Our Lord, our Heavenly Father, help us to grow in hope, trust, and faith. Teach us not to be afraid of an unknown future, but to trust in You. Lord, help us grow in faith, rely on You, and know anything is possible with You. Like the simple, natural beauty of the white orchid blossoms, let us simply and naturally grow in faith and assurance. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen