You’ve probably heard it said, You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Proverbs 3:3,4 is a bit of a follow-on to that expression saying, “Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart, If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment” From TLB version.

The NIV Bible version text uses the virtues of “Love and Faithfulness,” and the RSV version uses “Loyalty and Faithfulness.”

Regardless of the Bible version; Loyalty, Kindness, Love, and Faithfulness, are virtues we need to work on to truly be the Christian brothers and sisters God wants us to be.

Dear Lord, we thank you that you first showed us Love, Loyalty, Kindness and Faithfulness. Help us keep these virtues in the front of our minds throughout our days and use them with those we encounter. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Often times, we wait until we have tried everything else to deal with a problem or difficult situation before we pray about it. Unfortunately, it is the last resort for many people even after they have given up hope of a successful outcome.

God wants us to interact with him all the time, like he is a part of our lives every moment. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.” When we have that mindset, we start our problem solving with prayer; Asking God, who has the power to make anything right, and solve any problem we might have, first.

James 5:16 writes, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Prayer is not a long shot, “it can’t hurt,” last resort. It is a powerful demonstration of our faith in and relationship with God. We need to believe that it will produce results, and it will.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the ability to come to you with our cares and concerns. Help us to keep you in our thoughts throughout our day and bring our needs to you, believing that you will give us what we ask or something better. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

How often do you face difficult situations where you cannot imagine a solution that will make things work out favorably for you? For example, you have a large bill due and no idea how to pay it, a big school project due and not enough time to get it done, or a big project at work at the same time as an important family activity.

Why don’t we ask for God to solve it for us? Often we think we have to know how the problem can be solved so we can explain to God how to solve it. Actually we don’t. In Matthew 17:27 Jesus and Peter were in a situation where they were required to pay a tax. Jesus said to Peter, “….go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Do you think Peter had any idea that Jesus would resolve the problem this way?

God can always find a way, even when we don’t see a way. We need to remember to just ask.

Dear Lord, help us remember to go to You when we are in need, and trust You to show us a solution. In your name we pray. Amen.

You have likely heard of “pass interference” in American football, when one player physically interferes with an opposing player’s ability to catch a pass.

A close reading of the parable of the spreading of the seed in Luke 8:4-15 tells us that the Devil tries to interfere with people’s acceptance of God’s word. You may recall the parable, the farmer spreads seed, some falls on the hard footpath, some on rocky ground, some in the thorns, and some on good soil.

In verse 12 Jesus begins to explain the parable and he says “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”

The Devil is out there trying to interfere with our hearing and accepting God’s word. We need to realize this, and defend ourselves with the tools God has given us; The Shield of Faith, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and fight back with the Sword of the Spirit that is the word of God, as described in Ephesians 6.

Dear Lord, as we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from evil,” Help us rely on you to defend against the Devil’s schemes. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

One of the complexities of Christianity is addressing sinful behavior. Some people make it a high priority to point out the sinful behavior of others, and that pushes people away. On the other side, some people don’t want to “judge” others, so are reluctant to address other’s sinful behavior.

In Ephesians 4, Paul is explaining how great it will be when the people of the church grow in their faith and knowledge and become “mature in the Lord.” What he writes in Ephesians 4:15 struck me as the way we should handle difficult conversations as Christians, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

“Speak the truth in Love.” If only we could have this discipline to hold fast to right and wrong, the truth, but share and communicate with love and grace.

Dear Lord, you show us how to speak the truth in love through Your life in the Bible. Help us learn from the lessons, and show love to all, but never compromise our conviction and faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.