Pocket Thoughts - 2/7/25
God * is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth * will strengthen and help us * gives breath to the people of the earth and life to those who walk on it.
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In Exodus 13, a seven-day remembrance of God’s deliverance of Israel was to be punctuated by a great celebration called the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The people would reflect on God’s great rescue and educate the generations coming behind them about God’s power and what He had done for them. As a follower of Jesus, God has delivered you from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light! Every day is a day of remembrance! Take every opportunity to share the redeeming power of our great God. Make sure that the ones coming behind you hear the good news and know the love that God has for them. – TV
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Jesus performed many signs to help people see that He was God. The people wanted a king – He wanted their hearts. He knew their motives and wouldn’t allow Himself to be used for their purposes. Approach Jesus with a pure heart. Don’t fear transparency with Him. He made you. He knows you. Bring your desires to Him, resting in the fact that He’ll gladly provide what’s best for you in His perfect timing. – TV
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The Bible frequently reminds us that we’re frail, vulnerable, and dependent on God. It also reminds us that acknowledging our frailty allows us to view life with wisdom and humility. Our frailty makes us pliable in God’s hands. We relax and serve Him with the days we’re given, realizing that no matter how great we may be in the eyes of the world, we’re unable to even keep ourselves alive. The good news is that God holds eternal life in His hands, and He freely offers it to us. His Son Jesus came from heaven to walk the earth among us. He experienced temptations and suffering without giving in to sin, then willingly offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for our transgressions against God. Death and the power of sin were conquered when Jesus walked out of the tomb. The door to eternity with God stands wide open for those who humble themselves and accept what He’s done on our behalf. – TV
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John 6 contains the story of a boy with two fish and five barley loaves who brought what he had, to do what he could. A story rooted in lack and hunger ends with a lot of full tummies and twelve basketsful of leftovers! God is the God of abundance! He is rich in mercy, full of grace, lavish with His forgiveness, generous with His patience, overflowing with His love. Where you find yourself empty and longing is the exact place where you’ll find the God Who’s been waiting to fill you. And when you have the opportunity to help others, don’t focus on what you don’t have. Rather, offer what you do have. Following the pattern Jesus set forth, lift up your talents, give thanks to God, and let Him use them to meet the needs of others as He sees fit. Trust Him with every resource He’s given you. Watch Him multiply the blessings to a world hungry for Him. – TV
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“Being born again from above is a perennial, perpetual, and eternal beginning; a freshness all the time in thinking and in talking and in living, the continual surprise of the life of God.” – Oswald Chambers
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“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20
