Do you get a little nervous going through security at the airport, when you receive a letter from the IRS, or when you see a highway patrol vehicle parked and monitoring traffic speeds on the road? I think it is a rather natural reaction to the significant power these people and organizations have to affect our lives.

God has the most power to affect our lives and he is always watching us. When we think about the significance of that, we can start to feel very guilty and at risk of God’s anger. However, Paul tells us in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

Like strolling through security with no concern, or waiving at the patrol car knowing we are not speeding, we can have peace that God has no reason to punish us, because we have faith in Jesus Christ, who already took the punishment for us.

Dear Lord, What peace and joy we have through our faith in Jesus. Help us live our lives in with this peace on display, so that others can see the beauty of life that you bring to those who have faith and trust in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16-17, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.”

And he says in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control.”

It would be reasonable then to believe that the opposite of these characteristics “fruit” would go something like this: “The fruit of our sinful nature is hate, gloom, stress, worry, fear, impatience, meanness, dishonesty, harshness, and lack of self-control.”

So when we see characteristics from this second list in ourselves or others, it is not from God.

Dear Lord, Help us model our lives on the example Jesus gave us. The perfect example of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I think most people have used a microscope at one point in life or another, high school science class, or maybe a birthday present as a child. One thing I remember about using a microscope was how important it was to have light on the specimen; a bright light pointing right on it. Without the light, you could not see any of the detail through the microscope.

In a similar way, Jesus says in John 3:19-21, “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Jesus came into the world as the light of the world. Like the microscope, Jesus’ light exposes our sins, and shows us our need for forgiveness. The beautiful part is Jesus also forgives us of our sins when we repent, so that we can live our lives with the peace of knowing we will not face punishment for our sins. Jesus paid that price.

Dear Lord Jesus, expose our sins to us so that we might recognize and repent of them and become right with you. In your name we pray. Amen.

Surrender: Definition – to give oneself up into the power of another.

The picture we usually have in our minds when we think of the word surrender is the white flag of one side in a battle, surrendering to the other, with the likelihood of unpleasant consequences like imprisonment, or execution.

However, I believe surrendering is what God is really asking of us. He is asking for us to give ourselves up to his power, but different from surrendering to our enemy, we are giving ourselves up to someone who loves us and wants what is best for us.

Psalm 37:7 God’s Word translation writes, “Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”

Dear Lord, You are the ultimate power and love. Surrendering ourselves to you gives us great comfort and strength. Help us keep that in our minds so we will have the strength to do your will and the comfort of knowing that you have us in your care. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

A video I watched that you may also have seen, included a quote that stuck with me. “Love builds a bridge over which truth can pass.”

This is a good message for us to remember when we feel the inclination to criticize or others and explain why their behavior or beliefs are wrong.

I have heard it said another way, “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:25-26, “Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap.”

Dear Lord, It was your love for us that built a bridge for us to be saved. Help us look with love on others first before gently providing instruction, thereby building the bridge for your truth to find acceptance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.