We all have been gifted God’s mercy and grace. God’s Word is full of all of the things that our Father promises to us.  What is even more amazing is that The Lord gives us mercy and kindness that is far beyond anything that we could ever work for or even deserve! He gives it to us because he wholeheartedly loves us, plain and simple. Our only job is to fully accept what the Lord so freely makes available to us.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, (Ephesians 4:2)

The words mercy and grace have powerful meanings in the Christian faith.  Mercy can be defined as having compassion or showing forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. While grace is defined as the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. The overall message of the gospel is love, mercy, and grace.  Jesus died to save us and to give us life abundantly!

he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)

God’s grace comes through Jesus and is received by faith. It’s a gift for us all, and no one is excluded! Grace is truly God’s power to change. Counting our blessings and then giving praise to God for them is how we can show our appreciation!

Bible Verses To Further Study Mercy and Grace: 

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people” (Titus 2:11)

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16)

“God saved you by his grace when you believed.” (Ephesians 2:8)

Prayer Starter:

“Father God, I appreciate your mercy, love, and grace. Keep the eyes of my heart open, so that I will always acknowledge Your hand in my life, appreciating Your goodness forever.” 

 

It’s comforting to know that God knows us completely and totally … we can hide nothing from Him! God’s all-knowing presence always meets us where we are, just as we are. When He meets us, He provides whatever it is that we need. We don’t have to have things all together and all fixed up before we come to God.

It doesn’t matter where we go, how we feel, what we become, and what we do.  God’s love is pure and ever-lasting! It isn’t like human love, which often proves to be conditional and sometimes inconsistent.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame. ( Psalm 34:4-5)

It’s always safe to let your guard down with God. When we meet with Him, we always leave that time better than we were before. In turn, the relationship we have with Jesus enables us to then have loving relationships with other people. Through constant fellowship with the Lord we have access to everything that God has! It’s a never-ending river of life, grace, hope, peace, and abundance and much more. The Father wants to give to all of His children.

God’s grace is always available to us. I once read that God’s grace gives us the ability to do whatever we have to do with a good attitude. One key to keeping a good and positive attitude is having a deeply-rooted and unshakable assurance that absolutely everything will work out for good.

Feeling angry, frustrated, confused, sad, alone, lonely?  Spend quality time with the Lord and allow Him to fill your heart with truth. God’s Truth is what will sustain you, no matter where you are today.

Bible Verses To Further Study An All-Knowing God Who Meets Us Where We Are:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

Prayer Starter:

“Lord, Your Word says that You will always meet me wherever I am. Time with You sustains me, prepares me for the day ahead, and guides me as I make daily decisions in life. Thank you for being faithful to me!” 

Wishing you all a great week!

 

God’s Word is alive and active! We are surrounded by God’s truth and light. Jesus brought the truth of love, salvation, peace, and worship.  When we need guidance or need to find answers, we seek God and what He has to say.

Just think: light helps us to see things better, because it exposes things. God’s Word exposes the truth and provides light in our lives.  So when we are confused, weary, and uncertain we gain more peace as we turn to the Word of God for exposure. God always has the answers we need!

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. (Ephesians 5;13)

We were all created on purpose by God and with His specific purpose in mind. Jesus sacrificed so much for us to live freely while carrying out that purpose on our lives. Make it a daily habit to keep God’s Word fresh in your heart and on your mind. Doing this will allow you to see and hear the Lord more clearly, as He guides you step by step, illuminating the way. We can always count on the Creator to reveal truth and to light the way for us!

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)

When we allow God’s Word to fully get into our hearts, our minds, it affects our actions. We begin living fully; living in truth and on purpose. Living by God’s light always brings lasting joy!

Additional Verses to Further Study:

“But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” ( John 3:21)

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” (1 John 1:6)

Prayer Starter:

“Father thanks for blessing me abundantly! Your Word is truth and light. I seek You daily, so that I will walk by your truth as You shine Your light on every part of my life.”

Wishing you all a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today is Father’s Day! God cares about the relationship between fathers and their kids.  Just like Mother’s Day, it’s such a special day to show all of the dad’s out there just how much they are needed, appreciated, and loved. We’ve all been given an earthly father and a Heavenly Father: God. Earthly fathers have been given the responsibility to lead and love his family in the same way that God the Father leads, which is from His heart.

God works through every dad to impact their children and families. We are accepted, appreciated, protected, and most of all loved in God’s arms. Earthly fathers strive to demonstrate the exact character when caring for and leading their families. Fathers set the tone for their household, so dad’s should always keep Christ at the center of the household and seek Godly wisdom while leading their families.

Dads out there certainly have a big job to do! Below I’m sharing just a few inspirational bible verses to share with the dads in your life today. My prayer is that these verses serve as a blessing to empower, encourage, and inspire all of the fathers out there to keep up the good work.

Inspirational Bible Verses For Father’s Day!

Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” (Deuteronomy 1:29-31)

My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22)

The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. (Proverbs 23:24)

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. (Colossians 3:21)

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? (Hebrews 12:7)

Wishing you all a great week!

 

 

 

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair. (Isaiah 61:3-4)

The power of God transforms! God can completely change our hearts, our minds, our will, and the circumstances of our lives. God has changed me, and every Christian has a testimony to share. One thing that every believer’s testimony has in common is that God changed them in some way! Some people may even look, behave, and sound like a completely different person than they were before. So much that it may even be difficult to fathom them being any other way in the past. This is the beautiful and miraculous transformative power of Jesus! When we commit our lives to Jesus, He makes everything beautiful.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Seeing such transformation in someone else’s life will often bring hope to another person’s life. Our Father promises to bring beauty out of every situation in our lives, even the things that he lovingly asks us to give up. As we learn to trust Him more, surrendering becomes easier and we experience His beauty. We can stand firm in the promise that God will make beauty out of the messes we have made in our lives, no matter how big or small those messes are. He will always meet us where we are with loving arms that are willing to clean up the mess.

When God gently nudges us to let go of certain things in our lives, He will always give us better than what we were holding on to! The things that we sacrifice out of love for Jesus can never compare to the magnitude, joy, and beauty of what He will replace those things with in our lives with. What a great exchange!

If we don’t give up the ashes – all of the wounded parts of our lives, we cannot experience His beauty. Surrender today! God wants to use everything for his glory!

Additional Verses To Further Study Beauty For Ashes:

Prayer Starter:

“Oh, Lord You are great! Thank you for another day in your presence. I commit my life to serving You and I freely hand over all of the wounded places in my heart to You. You are the only one who can make beauty from those things. Your love completely transforms, renews, and revives!”

Wishing you all a great week!