Pocket Thoughts - 3/7/25

God * will lead the blind along unfamiliar paths, turning the darkness into light before them and making the rough places smooth * formed each one of us in the womb * has swept away our offenses like a cloud, our sins like the morning mist.

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One of the directives given to Moses from God after their meeting at the burning bush was to tell the Israelites all that he had seen and heard. One of the best ways to share your faith is to simply tell others what God has done in your life, the lives of others, and the lives of the people whose stories are recorded in the Bible. Tell your story often and with great joy as you relive what God has done for you! God will use your story to impact lives. - TV

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In the days of Jesus, the best wine was brought out at the end of the wedding celebration. In similar fashion, God saves the best for last in the lives of His children. People spend their lifetimes searching everywhere for satisfaction, peace, and fulfillment, but those things are only truly found in Christ. Why waste your life trying to force counterfeits to fill genuine needs? God wants to be your All-in-All for all time and eternity. No surprise here – you’re guaranteed to experience hardships and struggles in this life. But what lies ahead is far, far better for those who patiently endure until the end. Be encouraged – the best is yet to come! – TV

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John was sent to a prisoners’ island as punishment for refusing to stop speaking about Jesus and sharing the gospel. As he worshiped, he received a vision of Jesus so glorious and brilliant that he “fell at His feet as though dead.” And what did Jesus do? What we would expect from the Son of Man – He touched John and reassured him with these words: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” This is to be John’s encouragement as Jesus then gives him the task of recording what is about to be revealed to him. When you walk through trials, be encouraged by Jesus. He wants to remind you that the Son of Man is with you. All that He is, is available to you as follow the path of obedience that He calls you to. – TV

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Father, today I’m convicted by the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-13). In my own life, I catch myself playing the comparison game – like the Pharisee. My smug, judgmental, self-righteous heart is just as black as the most depraved sinner. And yet I hide behind my morality and think myself good. I conveniently forget that Jesus mercifully died for that black heart of mine. Remind me loud and often, Lord, of the high cost of my freedom from sin. Give me the clarity to vividly remember who I was before Jesus saved me – a fraud cloaked in a false sense of “goodness” laced with self-sufficiency and pride. Humble me with that memory – not to shame me but to stir my heart to gratitude for Your grace and to break my heart with compassion for those still stumbling in the blindness of their morality. You are holy, God. The blazing fire of Your purity illuminates and consumes any pretense of my worthiness apart from Jesus. My only hope is Your mercy – supplied by Jesus and His blood that covers my darkest self. Compel me, Lord, to seek out the blind and to offer that same mercy, ever mindful that I was once blind, too. Your supply is endless, and Your generous heart is anxious and willing to pour it out on repentant souls. All praise to You, my holy, good God. In the beautiful Name of Jesus, amen.

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“To forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night, ‘Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse is to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions, and God means what He says.” – C.S. Lewis

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“To some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself with be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’” – Luke 18:9-13