“Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.”
– Psalm 37:16-17

We’re living in times when the wicked sure seem to prosper, often outrageously so. Arguably, it feels like the more wicked a person is, the more prosperous he or she grows. It can feel like those who try to do things right, quietly living in obedience to Jesus are just getting cut out, cut down, and left behind. This will not last!!!

God knows who each person is. He knows how they got to the situation they are in, whether they have much or little. And God will administer perfect justice that will last forever. It may not be during anyone’s earthly lifetime but it will certainly be eternal in nature. God upholds the righteous and will continue to do so. The rewards for seeking to live by Christ’s words, commands, and character will never end. And the punishment for the wicked will also never end.

If you’re doing right by God but falling behind in the world, fear not! Rejoice instead, for your costly faithfulness will one day be rewarded. If you’re doing wrong, getting ahead in un-Christlike ways, be afraid for what’s coming for you! #FollowJesus

“Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!”
– Psalm 112:1

Do you want to be blessed??? Get to know the Lord in His awesome majesty, power, glory, and splendor! Cultivate a deep sense of awe and respect for the Almighty Creator of the universe. Humble yourself before the all-knowing, all-wise, all-good, all-powerful, ever-present King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Meditate on how vast He is and how small you are. Seriously reflect on His absolute, awesome, overwhelming holiness. Embrace the truth that His ways aren’t your ways and His thoughts aren’t your thoughts. That’s what it means to fear the Lord. Fear the Lord!

And be blessed! Delight in God’s commandments. Delight in His Scriptures, knowing that they were given for His glory and your blessing. Study the God’s Word, work to understand it, and meditate on how to obey it. Read about Jesus and delight in your Savior. Find strength in the faithfulness of God. Delight in the mercy of God. The grace of God. The patience of God. The love of God. The justice of God. The judgment of God. The goodness of God. The wrath of God.

Praise the Lord! Fear the Lord! Delight in His commandments! #FollowJesus

“Then King David rose to his feet and said: ‘Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building. But God said to me, “You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.”‘” – 1 Chronicles 28:2-3

Sometimes you can have exciting plans with the best of intentions and it still isn’t God’s will. Your plan can be 100% focused on glorifying God and still not be God’s will. This can be difficult to understand and we don’t always handle the news in the best way. Fortunately, King David experienced this firsthand and the way he handled his disappointment is helpful for the rest of us who love the Lord.

God had done extraordinary things for David, raising him from being a shepherd to the being king of Israel. He’d used David to conquer Israel’s enemies and establish the kingdom in strength. David loved God and God loved David. So, David naturally wanted to do something wonderful for God. He planned to build a beautiful temple in Jerusalem that would be dedicated to the Lord. God hadn’t asked for it, but it was a magnificent idea with the best of intentions.

But it wasn’t God’s will. God said, “No”. God said, “Not now.” And God said, “Not you.” That can be very difficult to handle! When God tell us “No”, “Not now”, or “Not you”, we’re often tempted to just plow forward anyway. That’s a very bad idea which reveals those plans weren’t really about God at all. They were actually about us and what we wanted.

Thankfully, David didn’t plow forward. He accepted God’s answer and did what would best serve God and bless others. He prepared the way for someone else (his son, Solomon) to build the temple. He collected materials. He organized resources. He brought in experts. He blessed the person to whom God said, “Yes”. In that way, David’s plan eventually came to fruition. But not then and not by him.

How well do you handle God’s “No”? His “Not now”? His “Not you”? Are you able to quickly stop charging forward and instead look for ways to bless those to whom God says “Yes”? #FollowJesus

“On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.”
– Psalm 138:3

As we grow and mature in Christ, we gradually realize just how precious and perfect this particular answer to prayers is. We call on the Lord and He answers by strengthening our soul. Strengthening our soul to walk with Him through the valley of the shadow of death. Strengthening our soul to serve Him amidst sorrow and suffering. Strengthening our soul by giving us peace amidst chaos and comfort despite pain. Strengthening our soul by reminding us that He is in us and with us. Strengthening our soul by reminding us that Jesus is our Suffering Savior, Who loves and walks with us, never leaving or forsaking us. Strengthening our soul with His peace and presence.

When we first become aware of the privilege of prayer, we can treat it like a visit to a department store Santa. We make a wish list send it up to God. We then judge God and define our relationship with Him based on whether He does or doesn’t give us the things on our wish list. We can fail to understand that what’s best for our soul isn’t getting everything we ask for, it’s getting a deeper portion of the Lord.

When have you called on the Lord and He strengthened YOUR soul? Give thanks for His answer to your prayers! Do you need to call on God to strengthen your soul today? If so, don’t wait. Call on the Lord. He will increase the strength of your soul. #FollowJesus