And God looked over everything he had made and saw that it was very good! Genesis 1:31

I am having the opportunity to experience the amazing beauty of creation along the Lake Michigan shoreline on a warm and calm summer day. It is amazing how pleasant the combinations of sounds, smells, sights, and sensations all come together on the beach on a day like this. It is such a clear indication of God’s intent to make a beautiful habitat for us on earth. Look around the rest of our solar system, the planets are nothing like earth, solid rocks and balls of gasses.

It is hard to dispute that the beauty and complexity of the universe, our solar system, and earth were created on purpose. Psalm 19:1-4 says “The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world.”

Thank you Lord for the beautiful creation you have made for us. Help us share with others our beliefs that this beautiful creation was made by you for our use and to your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a concept in Mathematics called a Proof. A Proof is a step by step demonstration that a formula is actually true. A teacher or professor would ask a student something like, “Prove that the area of a rectangle is its length multiplied by its height,” and the student would explain the steps that show this formula is true.

In Matthew 3:8 John the Baptist tells the Pharasees, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

If he asked us, could we “prove,” by our behavior, that we have repented, turned from our sinfulness and worked at doing God’s will?

Dear Lord, You know our every thought and action, and know whether we are truly repentant. Give us the strength and will to turn from, and resist, our sinful desires and actions, so that our lives “prove” our repentance. in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Repent…..John the Baptist preached it “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”

What does Repent really mean? In Matthew 3:8 John said “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” Repenting is our recognition of our sins, and our sincere apology that we cannot consistently obey God and overcome our sins and temptation to sin. We need to continuously remember this, and at the same time rejoice and be grateful for the Grace of Jesus who took the entire blame and punishment for our sins.

The acknowledgment of repenting makes the blessing of forgiveness so much more personal and powerful.

It is like pleading guilty, being sentenced to life in prison without parole then immediately being pardoned and celebrating freedom.

This is the Joy of Salvation!

Dear Lord Jesus our Savior we repent of our sins and our sinful nature. Thank you for saving us from the misery we deserve and giving us the peace of forgiveness and Salvation. Amen.

You probably know some people who always have a critique or fault to find with everyone, and everything. How we react to people like this is one of the challenges of life.

There isn’t much we can do to change people’s criticism, so we should just work on handling it well.

Proverbs 17:10 says, “A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.”

As difficult as it may be to listen to criticism (rebuke) we can work on trying to learn and improve from the critic’s input. I am always incredibly impressed by people who can take criticism, whether it is fair or not, and are not defensive, but acknowledge the critique, and use it to make themselves better.

We know that God routinely disciplines and refines us, and sometimes this may come through critiques from other people. It would be great if we could work on overcoming our defensiveness, and find the lesson in the critique.

Dear Lord, it is always difficult to be criticized or rebuked, but this may be one way you are working on us to make us better. Help us have the confidence in your support, to avoid our defensive reaction and be the discerning person who learns from our critics. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

How often we get frustrated and beaten down by the challenges of life; whether we are trying to get ahead by working and going to school, a stay at home parent trying to keep children on track, house organized, spouse happy, and personal sanity, a single parent trying to provide for and raise children at the same time, one challenged by trama, addictions, or personal tragedies, an executive or professional with a hectic schedule competing with family priorities.

I think what Jesus was telling the crowd, and is trying to tell us, is to look to Him and place our confidence and faith in Him; He will help us have peace amidst life’s challenges.

Dear Lord, help us remember that You love us, like a caring parent with outstretched arms waiting for us to come and find comfort and security. In Your name we pray. Amen.