God * shows deep compassion for the hurting * is a refuge from the storms of life * is God over all the kingdoms of the world.

*****

Just as a farmer must wait patiently to see the fruit of his labor at harvest, so we must be patient with the Lord for His promised return and justice. We must be thankful instead of complaining; busy working for His kingdom instead of being idle and self-indulgent; standing for His truth instead of bowing to the whims of culture. Use the time you’re given to cultivate a loving attitude, a heart of hope, and longsuffering. Persevere with a glad heart, knowing each day brings Christ’s return closer. - TV

*****

The new heavens and the new earth are coming! Jerusalem will be a delight – her people a joy. Weeping and mourning will be no more. Tragedies won’t exist. There will be peace, plenty, and purpose. God will hear and answer before we even call to Him. Harm and destruction will melt away, and natural enemies will exist in the harmony intended from the beginning. The world will be as we’ve never seen but always longed for in the deepest recesses of our thirsty souls. God will satisfy in ways we can’t even imagine! – TV

*****

Lord, no matter what I say, my true life goals are made apparent by what I do. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that Your people are to reflect Your glory. If the “mirror” of my soul is smudged with the dullness of my worldly pursuits, what a sad image I must present. To be a holy reflection of a holy God, I must be vigilant in maintaining a purity and clarity of thought, word, and deed. Time is my currency. Help me to constantly evaluate how that valuable resource is spent. May my highest priority be to rest in Your presence. Only there will I encounter the Holy Spirit – waiting, ready, and able to transform me. Help me to drive a stake in the ground where I’ll stand committed to protecting and partaking of time alone with You. Help me to recognize the slow drift of being lured away by pretty but lesser things. Help me to safeguard the slow, leisurely company of the Lover of my soul. May my “mirror” be rendered clear and fit to “reflect Your glory.” May the fervency with which I protect “the place of beholding” (Oswald Chambers) and my desire to embrace the changes that occur there honor and bless You. Surrendered in the beautiful Name of Jesus, amen.

*****

When Moses realized the voice from the burning bush was the voice of the Lord, he was afraid. God told him to remove his sandals for the ground on which he stood was holy ground. Moses did as the Lord instructed him, and he hid his face from God. He was patently aware of his unworthiness to stand before a holy God. Do you approach God with the reverence and respect He deserves? Remember that you enter His presence as an invited guest of the King, and adjust your attitude accordingly. – TV

*****

“All your life an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond all hope, that you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you have lost it forever.” – C.S. Lewis

*****

“But thanks be to God, Who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-16