THEY DON’T STOP!
There are times in life when frustrations and trials just keep coming. You have heard the saying, “Tough times will either break us or make us;” it is a cliché but true. We can allow the trials of life to overwhelm us so that we sink into despair, or we can exercise our faith in God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” I am praying today for some people who are being bombarded with trials. I pray that they and you, will find the faith to lean on God and not allow the trials to crush them or you.  

GOD LOVES TO GIVE US WISDOM!
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.” James 1:5-8 New Living Translation
The first part is pretty straight forward. The second part is a little tougher to unpack. If you are asking God for wisdom, you have some amount of faith or you would not be asking him. Often, though, we hear what God has to say and don’t like it so much, so we go with what “they say,” or what we really want to do. Don’t do that. Do what God says, it always works best. I pray you will hear God’s voice and follow it today.

I AM EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH!
I know that is not what you are used to hearing “experienced” pastors say but let me explain. Every Thursday I have the opportunity of teaching a group of ministry students, most of whom are young, and every Thursday I am encouraged and challenged by the faith and commitment of these students. Earlier today I got to interview a young lady named Piper who with her husband lead a “Fresh Expressions” ministry in pubs. They build relationships and have spiritual conversations with people who do not identify with a church but have spiritual questions. Many of these people used to be Evangelical Christians. These young people are finding ways to share Christ in our world. Jesus taught his disciples not to be afraid to go into the world, even to the “gates of hell,” because he would go with them. Jesus said, I will build my church and the “gates of hell” will not be able to stop it. Be encouraged experienced Christian, God is working in and through young people. The Church will prevail!

“PRAY FOR JOURNALISTS!” THIS MAY BE A FIRST.

Over the years I have prayed many prayers and written many devotionals. I am ashamed to admit that I have complained about journalists far more than I have prayed for them, and I don’t believe I have ever written a devotional about the difficult task of reporting the news. This morning I was interviewed by Yffy Yossifor from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about my response to the hate aimed at the LGBTQ+ community in Watauga. Any nervousness I had was quickly relieved by Yffy. She was pleasant, thoughtful, and sincere in her desire to report correctly my thoughts and position about this situation in Watauga. (My sermon entitled “Love Others As I Love You – Jesus” describes in detail what is happening and my response. It can be found at https://northsidenaz.com/media/2vjqt8n/love-others-as-i-love-you-jesus) After the interview I asked her if there was something I could pray for her. She thought for a moment and then said, pray for all of us in media. We are criticized constantly for our reporting, but for me and my colleagues, we are trying our best to report truthfully. There are not quotation marks around her comment because I am sure I am not quoting her exactly. Please join me in praying for her and her colleagues, these are very trying days for reporters.

Follow her at yffy76 on Instagram and @yyossifor on Twitter. She takes some great pictures and has some interesting news stories.

GOD LOVES YOU THE WAY YOU ARE!

There are people reading this devotional whose childhood was heartbreaking. Their conception was not well planned and maybe even heartbreaking. Some have suffered great pain resulting from their childhood. Please know that God loves you the way you are! It is important to understand that God has delegated procreation/family planning to us humans; he doesn’t plan form every human like he did Adam and Eve. Sometimes humans procreate according to God’s plan and sometimes we don’t, either way, God loves each baby and has a plan for their lives. Some babies in the womb experience genetic mix-ups that cause deformity, disease, mental and emotional challenges. It breaks parents’ hearts when they learn their baby has a disability or significant challenge. Please know it breaks God’s heart as well. The church causes great harm when it mistakenly suggests that God plans for every baby. God loves each baby and has a plan for each baby regardless of how they are conceived or what challenges they face. Our task is to share God’s love with each baby and their families and help them discover God’s plan for their lives. We are here to help people discover God’s direction for their lives. You can listen to the entire message entitled “Who Am I?” by going Here. I pray that you will sense God’s love for you today.

LOVE GOD BACK BY LOVING OTHERS!

"Romans 5:8 says, God demonstrated his great love for us by sending Jesus Christ. God gave us his son and it cost him dearly. He continues to demonstrate his love for us by giving us mercy, forgiveness and his daily assistance. Our response to God is critical. We must receive his love and forgiveness and LOVE GOD BACK! One of the greatest ways we LOVE GOD BACK is by loving others, especially those who are hard to love. Remember you have been difficult to love as well! Love requires giving others our time, a listening ear, help when they need it and acceptance. Giving always costs us something. Giving others love is such a small cost compared to the cost God spent when he sent Jesus to die for us. Let’s LOVE GOD BACK by loving others today.