Author: astherainandsnow

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’  Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.  We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud  and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing…

“They called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’  He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see…’

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’  Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’  He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.” John 9:1-7,24-25,35-38

Jesus made clear to the many that the high purpose of the blind man’s handicap was that the works of God might be displayed. As the miracle and its rustling aftermath unfolded, those who believed Jesus was who He claimed He was were born into new sight and understanding of what God does. The Lord had come as the light that illumines the life-changing power of God. To the healed man, God’s grand display shone both physically and spiritually.

The Lord enters our wrangling over blame, castigation, and pontificating opinions about whys and if onlys to suggest another perspective. Instead of meddling in these insignificances, would we have eyes to look for His glory unfolding? Would we quit the horizontal peskiness and look up?

What current situations loom or pester that have taken up way too much of our attention in self-pity, blame, criticism, even fear? Where are we sludging in the horizontal, nit-picking here, accusing there? Whose business takes up our focus and energy more than God’s business?

If we stopped that conversation altogether and considered only what is true, how might our outlook change? If we began to think in the vertical, might we see anew something greater at work, more to learn, more of God’s character and love and power being revealed? The next time we get snarled in the why, would we choose to consider Who is at the helm and what He’s showing us?

When we recognize the Lord’s work on our behalf, or parallel to us but on obvious, splendid display, how readily do we praise Him? Do we take the time to take the knee in humble adoration of His incredible worth?

Lord, in all that transpires keep clear my vision to see Your glorious grace and hand, and worship You.

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ… 

“Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.”

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 1:2-8,12; 3:18

Through the knowledge of God and the Savior Jesus came salvation, and multiplied grace and peace. Through the knowledge of Him came the power that grants all things pertaining to life and godliness, along with the call to His glory and excellence. Knowledge of the Lord is foremost in helping His children grasp His precious and very great promises and partake of His divine nature. And continually adding to knowledge is paramount for continuing responsibilities. Owning truth is vital, and remaining established in it is key to a virtuous, fruitful life.

We want knowledge, we hunger for it, search and explore and ingest it. As Christians, by faith we receive God’s knowledge as life-giving truth that saves and transforms. But we’re never meant to stagnate in a state of standing. Knowledge is never meant to increase for its own sake. Rather, God bids us to keep partaking and making every effort to grow, put it to use, increase in Christ-like qualities, and so effectively spend our days.

Have we limited our knowledge of the Lord, dismissing deep study because we’ve done our church or class duty in the past? What are we regularly and practically doing to increase our knowledge of God through His word and experiential practice? Who recognizes growing Christlikeness in us? With whom do we share His life-changing truth?

“Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of your tone.
As you have sought, so let me seek
Your erring children, lost and lone.

Oh, lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wand’ring and the wav’ring feet.
Oh, feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Your hungry ones with manna sweet.

Oh, teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious truths which you impart.
And wing my words that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

Oh, fill me with your fullness, Lord,
Until my very hearts o’erflows
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Your love to tell, your praise to show.

Oh, use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as you will, and when, and where
Until your blessed face I see,
Your rest, your joy, your glory share.” ~Frances Havergal (1872)

Amen!

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God… God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:7-11

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17

What manner of love is this? God sent His only Son into the world, the world they had created together side by side, to save their people gone astray. This only Son, begotten of the Father, condescended from glory to give His life for the sake of their lost children. His only Son came to procure many sons (and daughters) for the family of God. (Genesis 1:1,26-27; Proverbs 8:24-31; John 1:1-3,9-13)

What a picture of love! God’s heavenly, divine love manifest in flesh! God come down as man, atoning for my sin! This kind of love should astound and humble us- who are we to be so loved? Is our proper response to God not worship for such selfless, priceless love that is His nature and passion? This kind of love should also inspire us. We love in pale compared to God, yet drawing from His pure and selfless life-giving love for us, we can learn to love in return and with abandon. Are we so determined? (Psalm 8:3-5; Isaiah 43:1-4)

When have we experienced a kindness, service, or particular care from an individual that caused us to feel loved by the Lord? What examples of Christlike love can we emulate by beginning to put them into practice within our homes, among friends, communities, church? Contemplating the exquisite gift of an only son, what of great value might the Lord be calling me to sacrifice for the eternal sake of another? What of my time, my resources, my very heart and care am I eager to expend? How willing am I to step out in faith to do so, and thereby experience God’s unmatchable blessing? (Genesis 22:1-14; 1 Thessalonians 2:8)

“What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, O my soul!
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.” ~Anonymous

Lord, in the indescribable light of Your love for me, may I in faith and reciprocal love lay down my life for You and others, to the praise of Your glory.

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” “Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Luke 9:51; 13:33-35

“He left Judea and departed again for Galilee.  And he had to pass through Samaria.” John 4:3-4

“Look… to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

At His parting from heaven’s glory, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. At His birth in a manger in Bethlehem, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. When His parents moved Him to Egypt, then Nazareth, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. And throughout His earthly ministry, from village to village, town to town, temple to temple with no place to lay His head, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. Each morning, each decision, each step, each encounter, Jesus was Jerusalem bound. He knew why He’d come to earth and every second here was ministry with sound purpose on His way to Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:13-14; 8:20; Luke 2:34-35; John 1:9-14)

The Lord also has a purpose for each of us, to His glorious ends. We have not His omniscience, but we can have Him as priority each day and trust His guidance. We can seek His face and favor as we determine to keep divine appointments and honor Him along these days and miles He alone knows. (Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6)

How sound is our journey, how aligned with Christ’s ways and eternal fruit-bearing? Are we purposeful or playful? Keeping focused on the Lord’s ultimate ends affords grace in suffering, and hope in rejoicing for the glory ahead. (1 Peter 4:7-14)

“Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and His shelter was a stable,
and His cradle was a stall:
with the poor, and meek, and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

All through childhood and His ministry,
He would honor and obey,
to the cross He died there for us,
pierced and wrapped in grave He lay;
then He rose before dawn’s light
victory won o’er death, sin, and night.*

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
through His own redeeming love;
for that Child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav’n above,
and He leads His children on
to the place where He is gone.” ~Cecil Frances Alexander (1848) *PEB (2023)

Lord, keep me faithful and divinely aligned step by step en route to You, for the praise of Your glory.

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith…

“I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains..— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire…

“Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion…

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.., ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 3,5-7,11,17-25

It is always good among believers to unite around our common salvation, but in doing so, it is necessary to be vigilant about the dangers of slipping away. The love and mercy that Jude extends is imbued with his concern for their faithfulness and continued growth in the holy faith. What they knew fully that led them to believe in the first place was important to keep remembering to buttress their commitment.

Once we embark on any new venture, it is natural to get drawn in by new ideas and experiences, and away from original motivation. The world’s many enticements would veer us from steadfast growth in the knowledge and love of Christ. Even good things- service, productivity, family, plans- can become ultimate things, idols that detract us from pure devotion to Him.

Have we relaxed spiritual imperatives that guard our hearts and minds? Have we grown too casual in daily habits, choices of entertainment, attitudes toward others, or language, that we dishonor the Lord’s value of every person and all that is lofty? What idols have become shrines in our affections and allegiance? All that we’ve known well as we set out on our spiritual walk with Christ is a sure foundation going forward and must not be forgotten. (Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:6-8)

What are we actively doing to build up ourselves and others in the holy faith? How are we remembering and reminding each other of God‘s holy attributes of love, justice, purity? How will we today encourage others in God’s ability to keep us from falling? Will we trust and praise Him together?

Father, may I always remember Your grace to me, and uphold Your holiness as my highest joy.

“Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.  And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast… And the Levites took up the ark,.. the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent…  And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel… were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.  Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread out their wings over the ark… There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.  And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests had consecrated themselves,.. and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

‘For he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever,’

the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud,  so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:2-8,10-14

King Solomon had completed everything for the house of the Lord. He constructed and arranged it not just for orderly worship and sacrifice, but for the preeminence of the presence of the Lord. The beauty, and joy in song of the leaders, welled together in magnificent praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. And the God of grace responded to this blessing and honor and praise offered Him with the favor of His glory manifest to the people.

When we abide in Christ and use what He’s entrusted to us for His purposes and reflection, or completed a specific assignment He’s anointed, the Lord fills the temple of our lives with His Spirit of wisdom and wonder. In turn, we cannot help but respond with gratitude and blessing turned back to him and toward others. The rhythm of a yielded and grateful life spins out continual glory to God. (2 Chronicles 6:1–4)

Does this describe us? Are we living for ourselves, or spending our efforts, love, and resources to raise high the name of the Lord? What aspects of our mindset, desires, attitudes need the filling of His presence today? Would we ask for Him to bless our service in such a way that a disarming, indescribable, magnificent glory from God blazes from all we do and say?

Lord Jesus, so fill my life with your Spirit and power that only Your praise is sung, Your love is expressed, and Your glory is seen.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.  You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.  No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous… The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.  No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John 3:1-7,8b-11

Looking at Jesus reveals what kind of love He embodies and exhibits, and how we are to live as His children. God gave Christ in amazing love to the end that we become and behave like His children. What we see in the generosity of the Father He expects to see in us.

But we have a pesky adversary who wants none of this kind of love to be recognized, received, or expressed. The father of lies and deception wants to convince us we are stuck in old habits and sin impulses, unable to have victory over greed, jealousy, callous attitudes, and snippy remarks. The promise of God comes with good news: we no longer belong to the devil but are God’s children, born of and kept by Him, free to love and work righteousness. (John 8:44)

Where will we choose to look? To whose message will we listen? How determined are we, as God’s children with a deposit of His character, to purify ourselves and practice love and all that is good? (John 8:36; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14

“Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heav’n to earth come down,
fix in us Thy humble dwelling;
all Thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love Thou art;
visit us with Thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit,
let us find the promised rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.” ~Charles Wesley (1747)

Lord, help me behold the kind of love You are and extend, and go and do likewise in Your honor.

“O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
    and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
    in the midst of the years make it known;
    in wrath remember mercy.
God came from Teman... 
His splendor covered the heavens,
    and the earth was full of his praise.
His brightness was like the light;
    rays flashed from his hand;
    and there he veiled his power.
Before him went pestilence,
    and plague followed at his heels.
He stood and measured the earth;
    he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
    the everlasting hills sank low.
    His were the everlasting ways…

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:2-6,17-18

“When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions… And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden that he could not explain to her… She said.., ‘The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.'” 2 Chronicles 9:1-2,5-6

True reports about God Almighty have an effect on people. For unbelievers, they can incite fear or curiosity, and draw with irresistible, magnetic attraction. For those in Christ, they can humble, awaken hunger and exploration, bring to awe, and drive to risky faith. The power of who God is and what He does is never static, and His word never returns void. (Joshua 2:8-11; Isaiah 55:11)

What about the reports we read from His word and learn through experience? What difference are they making in mindset and motivation? How do we practically respond? How familiar am I with God’s revelation of Himself as written in the Scriptures, and what am I doing to seek out, understand, digest, and apply His truth more? What wonder, appropriate fear, adoration, or bold faith has knowledge of Him and His bountiful deeds inspired?

What report about God’s greatness, bounty, care, and love do I proclaim? Am I quick and grateful to tell what He has taught and done for me, and to impart encouragement to others from deepening spiritual wisdom and intimacy? How is my way of living among family, neighbors, colleagues, and coworkers a visible and verbal report of God’s character, ways, and work? Does the truth I convey attract others to Christ, or distract or repel them?

“The shepherds feared and trembled
when lo, above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Savior’s birth.

Down in a lowly manger
the humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn.

Go tell it on the mountain,
over the hills, and ev’rywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.” ~John Work (1872-1925)

Father, keep me collecting reports of You, and making them known with joy and clarity, to Your glory.

“You were taught in [Christ], as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:21-24

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth… 

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry… Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator…

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love… And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Colossians 3:1-2,5,8-10,12-16

A child is born and we nurture growth through healthy feeding and instruction. A tumor is discovered and we work to shrink or remove it. Life is full of opportunities and compulsion both to increase and to decrease in many facets. In the Christian life, sanctification is a process of growing in some areas and shrinking in others until we perfectly size up to the measure of Christ. Often increase is facilitated by elimination that makes it room.

A day has only so much time, and the human heart a finite capacity. There are certain proclivities and practices that necessarily take the place of others. It is healthy to assess where our minds are daily set, and what actions issue from that focus. If we keep hold of the old self and the shape of the world, and fail to go out in the renewed mind and redeemed dress of Christ, we will never learn His ways. Naming and putting away sinful habits frees us to begin to exercise love, humility, integrity, and kindness that flows from our status as Christ’s beloved children. How richly does God’s word, and how naturally does His Spirit, dwell in and influence us? (Romans 12:2)

What can we do to prepare room in our hearts for more of Jesus? How can we daily nurture qualities God commands and foster continued growth of all that is good? Are there bad attitudes and selfish rights taking time, attention, and affection space that must be confessed and eliminated? What malignancies in habit and practice will we put off in order to put on what is wholesome, holy, and God-honoring?

Father, Perfecter of all measure, decrease and eliminate anything in me that is earthly and old, and so increase in me that You are the One seen and desired. (John 3:30)

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

“To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ..:

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while,.. you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:1-9

Exile: The condition or period of being forced to live away from one’s native country or home, especially as a punishment; one who lives away from one’s native country, whether because of expulsion or voluntary absence.

Elect: To pick out; select; to decide, especially by preference.

Elect exile. Is Peter’s description an oxymoron? What God would choose His beloveds only to have them live in exile? Or would choose those deserving of punishment as His own, guaranteeing an imperishable inheritance? A God of grace! He sets His affection on renegades and choses them to know Him and receive a better life, a heavenly communion, glory! As Jesus condescended to open the way for us to be assured of heaven, we are put here on earth to become acquainted with Him and be fit for that everlasting home. He never intended that we feel completely at ease in the temporary here below because we were made for eternity with Him. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

In this season of tension as elect exiles, He imparts grace and peace. He spreads us abroad to dwell in different places and testify to His goodness across His world. He trains us through obedience, granting fulfillment and blessing as we’re continually being sanctified. He tries our faith through trials, and works in us compassion for the suffering and servanthood and friendship through shared difficulties and sorrows.

When we’re riddled with cares, do we recall who cares for us? When overrun by physical or emotional breakdown, how are we remembering and holding to the Redeemer’s promises? When tested by troubles, and God’s purpose is invisible, how strong is our faith to see His steadfast love and goodness? (1 Peter 5:7)

Have we grown too at home in the world, conforming to its passions and habits? How might the Lord be training us to wean ourselves from its props to hope in the sure future He’s preparing? (John 14:1-3; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:1-4)

Lord, by Your grace may I never forget, rather constantly rejoice, that You have chosen me for a better home, eternal heavenly communion, the fruition of my hope. (Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 11:15-16)