We Need Encouragement Now
When we glanced at 2020 in our rear view mirror, we were thrilled to speed down the road into the new year. But we were jolted with a sad and terrifying scene at our Capitol.
It made me realize that life isn’t dictated by our calendar. We live in a fallen world, with sickness and sin reminding us of our need for a Savior.
If you know Jesus, he is your hope. I was reminded today when reading Revelation 1 that Jesus is “the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” (v. 5 NIV) Despite what we see around us, Jesus is Lord over death and he is the King of kings. Period. That’s why we can have hope.
Even more, John proclaims in that same verse, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” That, my friend, is the greatest reason for hope in these times.
Our senses are flooded with the world’s perspective. We watch the news, read a blog, absorb social media posts, scan our favorite source for information or listen to a podcast. And you know what? Everyone is telling us how we should think.
Let’s toss those sources aside and go straight to the Word of God. Our way of thinking must line up with it. But we must know his Word first.
A good friend of mine is a walking Bible. He knows so many verses by heart and picks them out of the air whenever he needs them. His mind is shaped by the Word of God. Not by the world. I need to follow his example and ingest the Word more seriously. Memorize what God says. Meditate on it. Speak it to myself and others.
“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.” (Ps. 1:1-3 ESV)
How refreshing! Not only should I read the Word, meditate on it and speak it, but I should delight in it. That’s the key. When I delight in it, I’m wrapped up in it. It dictates my thinking. I am satisfied by it.
I need a good stream of clean water right now, don’t you? We find it in God’s Word. Fruit and thriving leaves are the result.
Today, let’s absorb the Word of God and find our way of thinking in it.
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