God's Grace

The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. Then will all your people be righteous, and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

Isaiah 60:19-21

This wonderful picture of God's promise of eternal life, depicts two things that we see every day but oftentimes take for granted: the sun and moon. If either of those things were truly absent, the lives of everyone, believers and nonbelievers alike, would be thrown into complete and utter chaos. All we would know is darkness. The night we now know would be darker still if the moon were no longer there to lead us on our journey. God is reminding us that there are people all around us today who are in darkness right now; those who have not yet accepted the saving knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is patiently giving us this opportunity to share His love with others. His Spirit is going before us, making us righteous, and giving us the chance to share with others what we know to be the Truth. The day is coming, and will soon come, when our "sorrow will end." And I guarantee you, what is yet to come, is better than anything you can imagine.

God bless you,

JH

God's Protection

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God.

Psalm 34:1-3

In this chapter, God says that despite the people's spiritual failure, he will show them mercy, bring them back from captivity, and restore them. He would give them an outpouring of love, not wrath. Then the world would know that God alone had done this. God created Israel and made it special to him. God redeemed Israel and summoned them by name to be those who belong to him. God protected Israel in times of trouble. We are important to God as well, and he also summons us by name and gives us his name. When we bear God's wonderful name, we must be careful never do anything that would bring shame to it. Going through rivers of difficulty will either cause you to drown or force you to grow stronger. If you go in your own strength, you are more likely to drown. If you invite the Lord to go with you, he will protect you throughout your journey, day by day.

God Bless you,

JH

The Lord's Favor

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn . . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the garment of praise, instead of the spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

Jesus quoted these words in Luke chapter 4. As he read to the people in the synagogue, he stopped in the middle of 61:2 after the words, "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Rolling up the scroll, he said, "Today this scriptures is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:21). The next phrase in 61:2, "and the day of vengeance of our God," will come true when Jesus returns to earth again. We are now under God's favor. His wrath is yet to come. A sobering message indeed. Are you ready?

God bless you,

JH

Taste and See

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:7-8

"Taste and see" does not mean, "Check out God's credentials." Instead, it is a warm invitation: "Try this; I know you'll like it." When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we cannot help discovering that He is good and kind. When we begin walking in the Christian life, our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete. As we trust Him daily, we experience how good He truly is.

God Bless you,

JH

The Fullness of God's Love

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

God's love is total. It reaches every corner of our experience. It is wide - it covers the breadth of our experience, and it reaches out to the whole world. God's love is long - it continues the length of our lives. It is high - it rises to the heights of our celebration and elation. His love is deep - it reaches to the depths of discouragement, despair, and even death. When you feel shut out or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God's love. "The fullness of God" is fully expressed only in Christ. In union with Christ, and through his empowering Spirit, we are complete. We have all the fullness of God available to us. But we must appropriate that fullness through faith and through prayer, as we daily live for him. Paul's prayer for the Ephesians is also for you. You can ask the Holy Spirit to fill every aspect of your life to the fullest.

God bless you,

JH

Wisdom and Knowledge and Praise

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings, and he deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

Daniel 2:20-22

After Daniel asked God to reveal Nebuchadnezzar's dream to him, he saw a vision of the dream. Daniel's prayer was answered. Before rushing to Arioch with the news, Daniel took time to give God credit for all wisdom and power, thanking God for answering his request. How do you feel when your prayers are answered? Excited, surprised, relieved? There are times when we seek God in prayer, and after having been answered, dash off in our excitement, forgetting to give God credit for the answer. Match your persistence in prayer with gratitude when your requests are answered. If you ever think that you have much to learn in life, and if you ever wish that you knew more about how to handle people, then look to God for wisdom. While educational institutions provide diplomas at great expense, God gives wisdom freely to all who ask.

God Bless you,

JH

The Great Protector

I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalm 121:1-3

This song expresses assurance and hope in God's protection day and night. God not only made the hills, but heaven and earth as well. We should never trust a lesser power than God himself. But not only is he all-powerful, he also watches over us. Nothing diverts or deters him. We are safe. We never outgrow our need for God's untiring watch over our lives.

God bless you,

JH