Read: Colossians 3:1-4
“But
blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him”. -
Jeremiah 17:7
God is the awesome Creator of the universe, who paints a new day for us with each bright sunrise (Psalm 113:3). He brushes in more of His blessings as the day progresses – the beauty of a flower, familiar shapes in the clouds, a bird’s song, a slight breeze to cool a brow, a smile, a hug, an encouraging word or compliment, a deep breath, soothing waves on the beach, an unusual seashell, a rainbow and unexpected savings at the retail store. All of these gifts, and so many more, are signs from God that I am still the apple of His eye and He is hiding me under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8).
Nothing can separate us from
the love of God, as He escorts us toward His plans and purpose for each and
every day of our lives (Romans 8: 38-39). Still, we often take God’s gifts for granted. How many people do not
have the advantages we have because they are poor, blind, deaf or imprisoned?
God even gives advantages to the disadvantaged, however.
He shows no partiality and
He gives beyond what our mind can conceive to those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the
hungry, He sets prisoners free, He gives sight to the blind, He lifts up those
who are bowed down, He loves the righteous and He watches over the alien and
sustains the fatherless and the widow (Psalm 146:7-9).
God is unchanging (Hebrews
13:8). No sin separates us from Him once
it is repented (1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:12). No person or event can ever negate His calling on our lives. We walk
with Him in the unity of His Holy Spirit, and we live our lives in service to
His will (Ephesians 4:3). Even
in negative circumstances, He calls us to trust in His goodness and to
confidently receive His provision for all of our needs (Romans
11:22; Philippians 4:19).
God
raised us with Christ and calls us to take our eyes off earthly issues and to
set our affections only on matters affecting His eternal purpose (Colossians
3:1-2). He
instructs us to keep our focus on Christ, who is seated at the right hand of
our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:2). In Jesus, we have died, and our life is now united
with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3,Galatians 2:20). When Christ, who is our
life, appears in clouds of glory, then we also will have the privilege of
appearing with Him and worshiping Him throughout eternity (Revelation
1:7; Colossians 3:4).
Even before the foundation
of the world, God had everything in His control (Ephesians 1:4). Nothing takes Him by surprise. Therefore we do not
need to worry about anything (1 Peter 5:7).
Daily, He showers us all with an abundant supply of everything we need as He
unfolds our life to us one moment at a time (Philippians 4:19). God carefully orchestrates every issue in our life
for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).
Take a deep breath of God’s peace; relax the tension in your shoulders; look up
into God’s face and smile; then breathe out all of the toxic, negative emotions
pent up in your heart, and put your trust in His faithfulness (Psalm
36:5).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to live our life for You, regardless of our sorrows
and disappointments. Hide us under the shadow of Your wings, and nurture our
soul as You strengthen our spirit. Give us Your peace, wisdom and joy to face
each new day. Help us to finish our race victoriously, as You did Yours.
Thought for the Day:
Our day flourishes when we seek the face of God before we ever see a
human face – even our own face in the mirror!Thank you, Jessica Greek, for the use of your photo.
