“I am the light of the world.” John 8:12
The theme of light is found all throughout John’s Gospel starting from the very beginning (John 1:4-5). And even John 3:16, arguably the most famous passage, contains a strong illustration of dark and light. And here Jesus claims he is the light of life that whoever believes in Him will enjoy the light that comes from God’s presence and produces life.”
This light metaphor was common through the Israelites history. They associate light with God’s presence. Throughout the Old Testament God reveals himself to the Jews with light. From creation to the burning bush and in many of the celebrations, light symbolized God’s presence.
~ rethinking.org
Whenever you’re feeling down, the Psalms are an excellent source of comfort and encouragement. In today’s passage, the psalmist shares how God offers comfort to you, His child, in hard times. To receive it, you should …
Look within. Before you can deal with despair, you need to know what is causing it. If you’re not sure, ask the Lord to help you figure out what’s going on.
Look up. The next step is to lift your eyes to the Lord and place your hope in Him. Remember, discouragement comes to everybody at one time or another, but it should not be permanent.
Look back. Despair has a way of making you forget all the good things God has done over the years. Recalling His past care and provision helps to overpower discouragement.
Look ahead. Knowing that the Lord’s plans are good, you can look forward to what He is going to do in the future. His lovingkindness will support you by day and bring comfort by night.
To overcome discouragement, fixing your focus on the Lord is key. His Word promises that He walks with you through the valley. Remember, even if you feel disheartened, you are never alone.
~ Charles Stanley - In Touch
Discernment is the ability to make sound judgments by perceiving what is not readily obvious, and it is critical to our life in God. For example, what should you do when you want to follow the Lord but have multiple choices that appear promising and good? How can you know if you’re hearing from God or simply listening to your own desires?
All we have to do is ask. Proverbs 2 says, “If you cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding … then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (vv. 3-6). Those verses are a clear promise from God that when we ask for insight, He will answer.
~ Charles Stanley Devotional, In Touch
“Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
To trust is to believe in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of something. So, when it comes to trusting God, that means believing in His reliability, His Word, His ability and His strength. The Bible says that God cannot lie. That He always keeps His promises. That He loves you and has good in store for you. Trusting in Him means believing what He says about Himself, about the world and about you is true.
Trusting God is more than a feeling; it’s a choice to have faith in what He says even when your feelings or circumstances would have you believe something different. Your feelings and circumstances matter and are very much worth paying attention to. God cares about them both. But those things alone are not reliable enough to base your life on. They can change at any moment, even in an instant. God, on the other hand, does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and therefore is worthy of your trust.
Trusting God is not about ignoring your feelings or reality. It is not pretending that everything is OK when it isn’t. Trusting God is living a life of belief in and obedience to God even when it’s difficult.
~ cru.org
The God who created the universe, the most powerful being ever, loves you personally. Try to wrap your mind around that. He loves you — not just people in general, but you as a person. He cares about your life and wants to be part of it.
Even if you’ve spent your whole life running from God or done things you regret, He still loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.
God’s love is unconditional and infinite — far, far beyond what even the best of people are capable of. God commands those who follow Him to love one another. Among sincere believers whose hearts God has changed, you can see an imperfect picture of His love.
But even the best at loving others will fall short, and they'll tell you to go to the source.
The Bible is a compilation of the words God gave people so we could know more about Him. The Bible says God loves you whatever state your life is in.
Jesus referred to the importance of having a healthy perspective. In the famous Sermon on the Mount He challenged His listeners’ understanding, giving them a new way of looking at many aspects of life. He then said, “The eye is the light of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.” Jesus was teaching that the way you see things isn’t just important, it is critical.
Our perspective will affect how we perceive and respond to the world around us; it will influence our attitudes to relationships, work, money, and life itself. But our perspective is not necessarily fixed. It can be influenced by what we experience, whether through our upbringing, education, work or life events. These can all impact, negatively or positively, on our understanding of who we are, how we live, and how we respond to our circumstances. Depending on how they see themselves and their world, different people can react very differently to the same situation.
But how can we know if our perspective is healthy, as Jesus said? If our perspective can be influenced by individual circumstances, how may we know if the way we see things is correct? King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, spoke of God’s Word as that which gives direction and clarity of vision in our lives: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105), “the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” and “the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:7b,8b).
As we read the Bible, believing it to be the inspired word of God, our perspective will be shaped by God’s truth. Then we can interpret our circumstances and experiences through the lens of God’s unchanging wisdom.
~Understanding the Gospel
At first glance, today’s passage on wisdom doesn’t seem related to trials, but James is actually continuing His thoughts from the previous three verses. We need wisdom to know how to respond to suffering. This means we should see trials from God’s viewpoint and understand His purposes in allowing them in our life. If you want to profit from struggles, be sustained in them, and come through with joy, you must believe:
The Lord is in control. Your trial won’t go beyond the boundaries He has set.
He has a specific purpose for your suffering.
This hardship will prove to be profitable if you submit to God and trust Him through it.
Trying situations are opportunities for faith to prove genuine and grow stronger.
When you endure suffering with unexplainable peace and joy, God will demonstrate His sustaining power to others.
The Father uses trials to produce Christlike character.
God will walk with you through all difficulties.
If you believe these principles, they will shape how you respond to painful challenges. This perspective eliminates the negative reactions normally elicited by trials and makes supernatural responses possible. Instead of feeling miserable and hopeless, you’ll experience amazing peace and joy.
~Charles Stanley Devotional - In Touch
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:14-16 ESV)
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you,because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)
“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NLT)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 ESV)
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT)
“I will not fail you or abandon you. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5, 9NLT)
“This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” (Psalm 91:2 NLT)
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9 NLT)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 ESV)
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)
This is not an endless list of the promises of God, no, in fact, there are over 3,000 promises in scripture. I encourage to take hold of the promises listed, but as well, continue to search the Word of God – meditating, memorizing and praying into existence all the promises that are tucked away and available to you as a believer. As you do, you will watch God respond to your faith by fulfilling his promises in your life.
~ James River church.com
What do you want more than anything else in life? Is it a relationship? An opportunity? Most of the things we wish for involve someone else. We all want to be loved. But even our closest relationships can leave us feeling disappointed or lonely at times, despite our best efforts.
Consider our relationship with the Lord. He says he loves us “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3), but it can be difficult to know what true intimacy with Him looks or feels like. In Psalm 63, David compares his soul’s great hunger for God to feeling thirst “in a dry and exhausted land where there is no water” (v. 1) Have you ever felt that kind of longing for God’s company? It’s exactly the kind of closeness He wants for us.
Perhaps you struggle to feel near to the Lord. It could be pride that’s preventing you from admitting your need for Him. Maybe you feel life’s too hectic to sit in His presence. Or it’s possible you’re afraid to be transparent. That’s understandable, especially if you’ve been betrayed in the past. But remember, God will never fall short the way humans do. Whatever the case, simply start spending a few minutes with Him each day, and you’ll notice you have a bit more margin than you thought.
~ Charles Stanley Devotional - Intouch
