Can you think of a time when you were chosen to be part of a special group, team, or organization? Accepted by that university, fraternity, sorority you hoped for, hired by the great employer, for a select few, chosen to be a pro athlete, or astronaut. Wonderful feeling of acceptance, pride and validation of our skills, talent and hard work.

As good as those things have been for us, they pale in comparison to the significance Peter outlines in 1 Peter 2:9-10. ..for you have been chosen by God Himself- you are priests of the King, holy and pure, you are God’s very own-all this so that you may show others how God called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were less than nothing; now you are God’s very own. Once you knew very little of God’s kindness, now your very lives have been changed by it. TLB

Let us be grateful for being chosen. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be someone who brings another person to a place he or she could be chosen by God as well.

Dear Lord, thank You for choosing us to be part of your team, from being less than nothing, doomed to the darkness to which sin pulls us. Now we are with you. Empower us to share the joy this brings. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I have this thought, occasionally, which creates a bit of anxiety. Maybe you do too, “I trust God and his plans, but what if his plans include bad things that I fear, even though those bad things may have a purpose I cannot understand.”

To overcome this fear, I try to remember that God loves me, and all of His children, so much more than we can imagine.

John writes in 1 John 4:16-18, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” and in verse 18, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

And Paul writes in Ephesians 3:16-18, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Without a doubt we will experience difficulty, sorrow and uncertainty, but we can always return to the knowledge that God loves us and we can expel our fear with this knowledge.

Dear Lord, what peace it provides to know that you love us beyond our understanding. Help us overcome our fear with this peace and realize the fullness of life and power that you promise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you have ever been fishing you know that sometimes you can throw any bait in the water and the fish bite, but other times you need just the right fishing hole, and just the right bait in order to catch a fish. Fly fisherman study the types of bugs that fish are eating and create lures (bait) to look similar and attract the fish. Even with that, the smart fish will come and take a look, but move on if the bait doesn’t look right.

In a similar way, the Devil fishes for people with temptations to catch their attention and draw them into sin and disobedience to God. Some are easy to catch, others more difficult. He will search for the just the right bait to tempt each of us; pride, greed, envy, immorality, dishonesty, fear, worry, or one of many others. It may seem like we don’t stand a chance against the power of the Devil, but God promises that He will always provide a way out of the temptation.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” We cannot avoid being tempted, but we can ignore the bait and not act on the temptation.

When we do successfully overcome, it makes us more capable to overcome the next time temptation arises.

Dear Lord, We know that we will be tempted, when we are, help us remember that you will provide a way out and help us overcome. As difficult as it may be to resist, we know as Paul says in Philippians 4:13, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Isaiah was a prophet in the Old Testament, God would speak to him, and he was responsible for bringing God’s message to the Israelites. The people of Israel had stopped their faithful following of God’s commands, so God gave Isaiah a message for them.

Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.

One of the keys to this message is that keeping the Sabbath is not just about going to church, it is about honoring God, by obeying his commands. He says if they follow God’s commands, things will go well for them.

Dear Lord, Here and in other places in the bible, you tell us to keep the Sabbath holy. In our modern terms, that means, go to church. We should do this to give you honor and respect out of our love and obedience. Help us remember that you tell us when we honor you, you will be there for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Most of the time when we have a moral dilemma, or decision to make regarding right and wrong, we can sense the right decision, but we are tempted to make the wrong decision.

For example. The cashier made a mistake on your bill in our favor, what do you do? Co-workers are gossiping at work about someone we don’t particularly like…do you join in or not? You are out late Saturday night and the alarm goes off to get up for church on Sunday….

There are many examples of this situation. Some are much more dangerous, like those who are tempted to commit adultery, or suicide, or drinking for an alcoholic…we can overcome these temptations when we rely on God’s help.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “…God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted He will also provide a way out so you can endure it.” We must believe this and we will be able to overcome.

Dear Lord, when we face trials that seem unbearable, remind us that with you we can overcome any temptation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.