Many of us have had occasions in life where things looked so bad we had no idea how they could ever work out well. Then as time progressed, things changed and worked out. I like the expression, “even when we can’t see a way God can make a way.”

In Mark 10:27, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

We need to remember that no matter how bad things may seem to us, “all things are possible with God.”

Dear Lord, help us to remember that you can always make a way for things to work out for us. Help us put our trust in you and believe that with you all things are possible. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2 Timothy is a letter Paul wrote to Timothy while being imprisoned by the Roman Emperor Nero. He was quite sure he was not ever going to be free again, and was giving Timothy guidance on continuing his mission.

In 2 Timothy 4:3,4, he tells Timothy, “For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. They won’t listen to what the Bible says, but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.”

I think if you look around at events in our present day, Paul’s words could easily apply to modern times.

In verse 5 he tells Timothy what to do. “But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.”

This guidance applies to us as well as it did to Timothy. We need to stand steady and not be afraid of suffering for the Lord. For us, that suffering is not imprisonment or torture, it is likely to only be the “embarrassment” of believing in Biblical teaching, Christian values, and living them.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the words of Paul, encouraging us to hold to your values and beliefs. Help us stand steady, fearless in our faithful Christian lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is often a perception that “good” people, who live moral, ethical, and honorable lives are not tempted like those who say they don’t have the will power to resist the temptation to do immoral, unethical, and dishonorable things.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

The difference with people who do not “give in” to temptation is that they find the way to avoid or evade the temptation, and they trust in God’s help to resist.

Dear Lord, we are sorry that we often fail and “give in” to temptation. Forgive us, and give us the strength and desire to avoid, evade and resist temptations to do wrong in the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The disciples and early Christians in the Bible often greeted each other with the words “Peace be with you.” What is the significance of them wishing each other “peace?”

Peace is contentment, tranquility; The absence of fear, worry, want, anger, and frustration. Jesus is described as the Prince of Peace, and He tells his disciples in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart!”

We can have the peace he offers if we keep our focus on him and not our problems and the things that take away our peace.

Isaiah writes in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Dear Lord, help us keep our thoughts and trust on you so that we may have your perfect peace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Imagine you are hiking in the mountains. Your objective is to reach the top of a peak you can see several miles away. Between you and the objective are a few smaller hills and ridge lines. As you set out on your hike, you can easily see the objective as you go, but as you get closer to the smaller hills and ridges they block out your view of the peak, your objective. However, as you climb up the smaller hills, just as you are reaching the top, you again get sight of the objective.

This illustration parallels our lives on earth, as well as our Christian lives. When we get started, we can see our objective, though far off in the future, we see where we are going, but as we encounter the struggles and obstacles of life, they can block out our view of our real objective. We must keep moving forward even though, temporarily, we cannot see our objective, we know it is on the other side of the obstacle. Just as we are overcoming the obstacle, we remember our objective and see it again a little closer than before.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Dear Lord, we know our ultimate objective is eternity with you. Help us remember to keep our focus on this objective as we overcome the troubles we see day to day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.