I remember teaching my children how to swim. Once they could keep their head above the water, “doggy paddling,” we would put them a little further away from the side of the pool each time, and they would paddle to the pool’s edge. Occasionally they would run out of energy and not be able to make it to the side of the pool without a bit of help, but my wife or I were right there waiting to keep them from going under.

In a way, this is how God trains us. He will help us develop our trust in him, and perseverance, by letting us experience something we may not think we were capable of handling, but as we progress and stay in faith, when we think we cannot make it, God will be right there to give us enough help to complete the task.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

God will not fail you. When you feel you cannot take any more, or cannot go any further, put your trust in God, he will be there to give you the support you need.

Dear Lord, you tell us many places in the Bible that you will not fail or abandon us. Help us remember this, and live with the confidence that if we are experiencing difficult times, they are there to strengthen us not to destroy us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Question for you. Are you righteous or are you a sinner?

In Matthew 9:13, Jesus says, “For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

It is not comfortable to say, “I am a sinner,” but it is only by saying that in our hearts that we can say, “I am saved.”

Dear Lord, what great joy it is to know that even though we are sinners, and precisely because we are sinners, we can accept your gift of salvation and be saved. Thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I read a good quote today that went, “I asked God for strength, and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.”

James 1:2-4 tell us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

It would be nice if the right way were the easy way, but usually it is not. It is the challenges in life that allow us to build up our ability to choose what is right, when it is the difficult choice.

Dear Lord, help us always to choose the right way, and when it is the difficult choice, give us the strength and discipline we need to persevere. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Starting our day with the right mindset and perspective is incredibly important to how the day and thereby the week, month and years go. One of the reasons I started writing these daily devotions and sending them out early each morning is to help myself and others start our days well.

There is no perfect routine for the morning, but we cannot go wrong having some routine to start our day that includes prayer and scripture.

David wrote in Psalms 143:8, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

Some people think their lives are too busy to block five or ten minutes for a daily startup routine. The question is; If you don’t have ten minutes to start your day right, do you really have a life?

Dear Lord, help us start our days with the “word of your unfailing love,” and entrust our lives to you. When we do we can know the peace that only you can provide. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is the essence of Faith, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5.

Whether it is our fear of the future, deciding whether to tithe, or facing a crisis, as Christians, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.”

Dear Lord, It is frightening to let go of those earthly things in which we put our trust, our intelligence, our money, technology. Help us and show us that we can put our trust in you, and find the comfort it brings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.