Day of Praise

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Day of Praise

Tu, 03/17/15, "Day of Praise" plus, St. Patrick's Day

Short word from me, then one of my favorite St. Patrick prayers.

"I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope." - Psalm 130:5

What are you waiting for?

Some wait for weekends. Some wait for holidays. Some wait on somebody else.

In today's verse, God calls us to wait on Him, to wait on the LORD.

In case you don't know, when the LORD wants us to wait on the LORD, it's not the same as a lord wanting us to wait on a lord.

The LORD is The One Who Is Over All Things. A lord is over some little thing.

So when the word of the LORD tells me He's going to make something right, then I'll throw my whole being into waiting however long it takes. Why should I care how long? He's the LORD! He's Over All Things. So I can calm down and wait.

Now I don't have this waiting on the LORD thing perfected. Guess you don't either. But he's teaching us. So we can be patient. By his grace we'll learn to wait and hope in his word.

Praise God! And be blessed by this beautiful prayer of St. Patrick.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

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Day of Praise Daily Encouragement · 1601 Southcrest Trail · Hoover, AL 35244 · USA

Monday, March 16, 2015

Day of Praise

Mo, 03/16/15, "Day of Praise"

"Praise God in His sanctuary... with stringed instruments and horns." - Psalm 150:1+

Just when you think you've seen it all. More signs of intelligent life in the universe.

I'm driving through the neighborhood of my church. It's a neighborhood...not an interstate.

So I'm driving the speed limit, and a guy behind me is clearly annoyed. What else could I think? He's practically in my back seat.

But then he gets really annoyed because I come to a STOP sign and...(Drum roll)...stop! What a novel idea.

Not to my bud in my back seat.

He lays on the horn.

Oh wait! My bad. Today's verse says "Praise Him with stringed instruments and horns." That's what my new friend was doing! He was praising God with his horn.

My bad, Buddy. Next time, I'll honk back. :-) After all, I too want to Praise God!

Keep a sense of humor out there, friends. It's a horn-honking-world.

Praise God!

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Day of Praise

Sa, 03/14/15, "Day of Praise"

"Praise God according to the abundance of his greatness." - Psalm 150:2

Sweet greeting card. Picture of Noah's ark. Day 39 of all those critters being cooped up. Lot o' rabbits! Cow says, "I thought it was 2!"

Made me wonder about God's abundance.

Ever counted seeds on a strawberry? Abundance!

Seeds in a melon? Abundance!

Stars in the sky? God's abundance is everywhere.

But look again at our verse. "Praise him according to the abundance of his greatness." It's easy to look to God for the abundance of stuff. But God teaches us to look to him and praise him for his greatness! That's where abundant life is, in the pure essence of God, knowing him for who he is. Praising him purely for his greatness.

Try it. Top of each hour, deep breath, eyes closed, look to God in faith, from your inmost being say, "God, I praise you for your abundant greatness!"

God says you'll have an abundantly great day.

Praise God!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Day of Praise

Fr, 03/13/15, "Day of Praise"

"Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection." - Hebrews 11:35

God's not only worthy of our praise, for God is almighty and abounding in faithful love, but God's also given us people who inspire us to stay the course and to trust God no matter what.

Today's verse speaks of people both who trusted God and saw miracles and also who trusted God and tasted death.

Their inspiration was the "better resurrection" that God promised in Jesus. The "lesser" is what we get when we turn from Jesus so we can have what the world offers. The "better" is what we get when we turn from the world so we can have what God offers.

Hebrews 11 lists how people lived for the "better". They inspire us.

Who lives for the better and inspires you? Praise God for them!

Praise God!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Day of Praise

Th, 03/12/15, "Day of Praise"

"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him." - John 12:37

How do you explain it? People see miracles with their own eyes, and then they still don't believe in the one who did the miracles. How do you explain it?

We could make an educated guess at how some still don't believe even after seeing the provision, work, and wonder of God. The following is my guess:

First, yes, people see the miracles of Jesus turn something bad into good.

Second, that means the "bad thing" was conquered.

Third, like a living tree that's just been cut down and obviously still has some lingering signs of life (like the green wood and leaves), when a bad thing is conquered or cut down then it too may have some lingering signs of life in the immediate time period that follows.

Fourth, though the bad thing indeed has lingering signs of life, because it's defeated, its lingering signs of life will also pass with time.

Fifth, unbelief happens because people don't focus on the one who cut down and conquered the bad thing, but they focus instead on the signs of life that linger from the bad thing.

Sixth, but, in spite of their focus on the lingering bad thing, that bad thing is indeed cut down or conquered, and its lingering signs of life will pass with time.

Seventh, we are blessed by people who turn our focus from the lingering bad, who turn our focus from the pokes of a defeated devil, from the frustrations of difficulties that seem to keep hanging around and who instead turn our focus onto God and His Word, who cut down the Evil One and conquered all his minions, cronies, servile followers, and subordinates.

Eighth, so let's be a blessing today to the many people who are discouraged from believing both in God's presence and also in the miracles he has and will work for us through Jesus. They get discouraged because signs of evil linger all around us, which is the reason that any of us get discouraged.

But Jesus conquered and cut down the source of all evil. And Jesus has defeated all sources of temptation and evil.

So let's boldly encourage the discouraged not to dwell on the lingering evil, and encourage them to look to the One who is victorious and joined us to his victory through our faith in him. Indeed, as God's own word tells us, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

God reigns! Look to him, and trust him, and we will indeed see that this is true!!!

Praise God!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Day of Praise

We, 03/11/15, "Day of Praise"

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." -

Mark 10:23-27

I have a question for all of you. Really. Why do you think the disciples were amazed at Jesus' words when he said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"?

Now, letting a few people that I heard talking recently represent all of you, I'll answer your question. What does Jesus mean when he says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God"?

Well, in Jesus' day, cities were built with walls around them in order to better protect them from attack. Obviously, you needed a gate for citizens to get through the wall and into the city. However, the broader the gate was then the weaker the wall was. So they made the gate as narrow as possible. It was like "the eye of a needle."

The problem with a narrow gate (a needle eye), however, was the trouble that it created for the merchants, who brought their goods mostly by camel. The goods weren't piled high on the camel; instead the goods were strapped on the sides of the camel. Thus, the loaded camel was wider than "the eye of the needle."

In order to bring their goods into the city, the merchant had to go to the time-consuming and very annoying trouble of unloading the camel, walking the camel through the gate, bringing in the goods, and then reloading the camel to get the goods to the right place within the city.

The whole unloading/loading ordeal at the gate was further complicated by the fact that beggars knew that the gate was the best place to beg. The beggars knew that even the most hard-hearted merchant had a hard time not giving to the beggars when they could plainly see the quantities and values of their goods stacked on the ground right next to fellow human beings who had nothing. The merchant would always lose something during the unloading/loading ordeal--either a portion of their goods by virtue of giving something to the beggars or a portion of their soul by virtue of not giving something to the beggars. You can imagine all sorts of scenarios with that.

Bottom line: it was easier for that unloaded camel to get through the eye of that needle-narrow gate than it was for the merchant to get through with all his goods.

The lesson here can be stated in a couple ways.

One, let go! You just flat-out can't let your heart get attached at all to your stuff because you ain't gonna be carrying a lick of it through the eye of the needle that is the gate to the kingdom of heaven.

And two, examine your relationships! Do they match God's Word? Here's the Biblical matches in our relationships--trust God; love your neighbor; and manage your stuff.

Any shift from the Biblical matching is absolutely disastrous, such as, manage God; trust your neighbor; and love your stuff.

Only the Biblical matches make it possible for any of us to pass through the eye of the needle. We must trust God (not our stuff) to bring us to heaven. We must love our neighbor (not our stuff) to see the value of the people in front of us, begging for a little mercy, affirmation, and conversation. And we must manage our stuff so that God is glorified and people are blessed.

Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." -

Mark 10:23-27

Praise God!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Day of Praise

Tu, 03/10/15, "Day of Praise"

When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. - John 18:6

In today's verse, the soldiers, and others armed with weapons, came to arrest unarmed Jesus, and they fell to the ground when he spoke because they inherently knew the might that was before them in Jesus. It was almighty might.

And still is today.

As believers, we know that, though God in Jesus Christ does indeed have power that is rightly honored and worshiped and revered, God has shown us in Jesus that he chooses to use all His might for you. To overcome our sin. To overcome our fears. To overcome our infirmities. To overcome our doubts. To overcome all that would steal, kill, and destroy our heart (John 10:10).

Friends, almighty Jesus, Son of God, is here, and he's for you!

Thus the saying, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). And "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn" (Isaiah 54:17).

God is for you. And we know this in Jesus Christ!

So get out there, and have a great day with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. For he to whom all will bow down, yes, he has shown in his being and his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead and his desire to live in you by the Holy Spirit, this Jesus, Son of God, is totally for you!

Honor and praise and trust him, and you'll see!

Praise God!!

Monday, March 9, 2015

Day of Praise

Mo, 03/09/15, "Day of Praise"

"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" - Mark 2:17

When I was a kid, I liked going to the doctor and the dentist. Dr. White and Dr. Montgomery apparently were great at their trades. All I knew was they were nice. They never made me feel bad when something needed healing or fixing, even if it was my fault for its condition. But the bottom line was that they made sure I knew if something was out of whack, and they took care of it.

Jesus does the same thing. Tell your unbelieving friends that there's no need to run from Jesus. Jesus doesn't make us feel bad when something needs healing or fixing, even if it is our fault for its condition. He makes sure we know if something is out of whack, and he takes care of it.

In sum, there's no need to act like we've got it all together, when we don't. God (in Romans 3:10) makes it clear, "There is no one righteous, not even one." We all need a doctor, the Great Physician.

I know from experience, and I hope you do too, that Jesus can make things a whole lot better. So bring him your messes, your wounds, your mistakes, your broken hearts. The Doctor is here for you!

Praise God!

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Day of Praise

Sa, 03/07/15, "Day of Praise"

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. - John 11:43-44

It has been said that it's a good thing that Jesus said Lazarus' name when he shouted "Come out!" into the tomb or else every single dead person would've been raised up and walked out of that tomb.

Such is the power of God's Word. God says it, and it's done.

Friends, when you were baptized, you were called by name out of death into new life. God's word says, "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4)"

So many Christians live defeated lives, like a 6-ton (12,000 pound) male Asian, circus elephant that is kept in place by a small stake because it's been beaten down in it's training as a youth. It believes it has no power to break free from that stake when, in actuality, the stake is no match for the beast.

So too, many Christians, not knowing or believing in the power of God's Word that's available to them, are kept in place by the small stake of circumstance because you've been beaten down by the world. You believe you have no power to break free from that stake when, in actuality, the stake is no match against God's Word in your life.

Friends, Jesus is the Lord of all creation. Through him all things were made (John 1:3). When you were baptized, he called you by name from death into new life.

So live today victoriously.

Believe! Believe that Christ has more than a tomb prepared for your life. Come out of the tomb of despair and glumness. Believe that when Christ called your name in Baptism, he called you to share in his joy and victory.

And boldly speak the same to others that they too might have a new life.

A great big, go-get-em hug to you all! Mmmmm mmm! Jesus is alive. And you are loved with a powerful and everlasting love.

Praise God!

Friday, March 6, 2015

Day of Praise

Fr, 03/06/15, "Day of Praise"

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. - Matthew 17:7-8

I love life.

And the older I get, the more I understand why Jesus says the greatest command is to love God with all ya got and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). God and your neighbor. They're what makes life lovable. And they're the only loves that will definitely be in heaven. There might be baseball, doughnuts, pets, and ice cream, but the Bible says that there will definitely be God and people in heaven.

For whatever else we might believe or think or hope is in the everlasting heaven, we can be sure that there will be two things: God and, by God's grace, people.

Yep, God and people. They're what makes life lovable.

I so love my wife and three kids. My parents. My three siblings and their families. My church family. My Day of Praise friendships. My neighborhood friends. The people I meet along life's path.

So blessed.

From time to time, I'll stop and check my blood pressure in that little machine they have in pharmacies. Usually my blood pressure's a little higher than I want when I first check it. So then I take a breath, close my eyes, and imagine the faces of a few very specific people. Different people each day. It's amazing how their faces calm me. And my blood pressure.

But God, through today's Bible verses, invites us to recognize that, as great and calming as all those people can be, God has sent us His only Son, Jesus. And Jesus comes to us and touches us and, if we need it, picks us up and speaks to us, saying, "Don't be afraid."

And it's so divine and heavenly and spirit-filled that we, like the disciples long ago, are given to look up and see no one except Jesus.

So I close my eyes again, and I picture Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I can see that he's led me and the other sheep to a sloping green pasture with woods far to the right. The green pasture slopes down into a lake of still waters, so still, in fact, that the moon makes a glassy smooth runway of light that only stops at the shoreline at the exact spot from which the Good Shepherd is watching us. He has a strong and yet gentle smile on his face. I can see it, even with his back to the light, because there's an aura around him. Not from the moon behind him. But from the love within him.

So he glows.

And my blood pressure drops to what, for me, are ridiculously low (read, "calm") numbers.

And I know the other sheep are there. And I love the other sheep. They're my wife. My three kids. My parents. My three siblings and their families. My church family. My Day of Praise friendships. My neighborhood friends. People I meet along life's path. And I even sense some enemies with whom the Shepherd has brought reconciliation.

But it's like we're all in a trance. A mesmerized bliss. We just can't take our eyes off of Jesus.

It's like heaven.

It probably is.

But it's now. Before we die.

For us all.

Together.

Because, in His presence, we all love life.

And the older we get, the more we understand why Jesus says the greatest command is to love God with all ya got and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).

God and your neighbor.

They're what makes life lovable.

And because of Jesus we can see both of them, God and people, in a lot more clear and calming way.

Close your eyes. And see.

Praise God!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Day of Praise

Th, 03/05/15, "Day of Praise"

[Jesus said,] "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is a more than 2,000 year old celebration of the victory of the Jews over Antiochus Epiphanes, a madman who thought he was a god. Jesus, who truly is God, chose the Festival of Lights to reveal that he himself is the Light of the World.

On the festive occasion of Hanukkah, Jesus invited people into a relationship with Him that would free them from sin and from death and for a new life in his wisdom, power, and grace.

Let's think about it.

The Hanukkah candles are traditionally lit by a special candle called the shammash. Shammash is Hebrew for "servant." In the shammash candle, there is a symbol of Jesus Christ because Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)

The shammash serves the other candles by bringing light to them, which is why Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Just as the shammash gives light to the other candles, Jesus came to give His light to the world.

Hanukkah includes the celebration of two miracles – the defeat of an enemy army and a day's allotment of temple oil that lasted for eight days. These two miracles show how God keeps His light burning in the hearts of His people, even when they face what seem to be impossible odds or situations. With God, all things are possible.

In Jesus Christ, we are assured that God's light cannot fail, or go out.

Friends, you regularly reply to me and share how you face what seem to be impossible odds or situations. Today is another real day, so odds are that the day ahead will probably bring what seem to be impossible odds or situations to many of us again.

But please don't forget, and please remind one another, that God keeps His light burning in the hearts of His people, even when they face what seem to be impossible odds or situations. With God, all things truly are possible. In Jesus Christ, we are assured that God's light cannot fail, or go out.

For Jesus is the ultimate shammash candle who, by the power of the light and fire of the Holy Spirit serves the other candles (us) by bringing light to the wick of our soul, which is why Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Praise God!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Day of Praise

We, 03/04/15, "Day of Praise"

The woman came and knelt before [Jesus]. "Lord, help me!" she said.
He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. --
Matthew 15:25-28

I'm sure you've heard the one about the insomniac, agnostic, dyslexic. He stayed up all night wondering if there was a dog.

That's a joke. You're at least supposed to groan.

But make no mistake, Jesus is not joking in today's Bible verses when he replied to the Canaanite woman, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

Jesus' reply is tied to what's called the "Scandal of Particularity." In other words, Jesus is the Jewish Messiah who was sent by the Jewish God (who is the only God) to fulfill the Jewish prophecies SO THAT salvation could come to the whole world, including non-Jews, who are otherwise called Gentiles.

Salvation will come through the Jewish Messiah by way of the cross, to which Jesus will be sent by the Jewish (not Gentile) leaders. Pontius Pilate, remember, did not want to crucify Jesus. He merely caved in to the pressure from the Jewish leaders who kept stirring up the Jewish crowd. And being rejected by his own people, Jesus would then be crucified for the sin of the whole world.

I'm not patronizing when I say that I know this is all a hard concept to grasp because it seems like sweet baby Jesus is being mean to a nice old lady who just wants her sweet little daughter healed.

But Jesus is not being mean. He's being focused. On his mission. So that whether we understand all the ins and outs of it all, we can be saved through faith in him, which is exactly what the Canaanite woman shows us and Jesus affirms.

She doesn't understand all the "theological necessity". She just knows that her daughter is sick, and Jesus has the power to heal her daughter.

So she persists. Like the parable of the widow going to the judge. Or the Greek who tells Philip he wants to see Jesus.

And faith in God's goodness and power is what drives persistence. My goodness, faith in God's goodness and power is what drives contentment as the woman doesn't ask for the whole enchilada. She just asks for a crumb from the table. It's kind of like the woman who says, "If I can just touch the hem of his cloak, then my bleeding will be healed."

Friends, it's important that you pursue a deeper understanding of the faith for all sorts of valid reasons. But today's Bible verses are a call for you to simply believe in the goodness and power of God through Jesus and, therefore, a call for you to persist in coming to the Lord and saying out of deep and strong belief, "Lord, just a crumb from you today is better than anything of any size that the world has to offer."

And, as you do believe and persist, the Lord will feed and fill your soul today, as he did for an old, single woman and her daughter long ago.

And THAT, my Friends, is no joke!

Praise God!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Day of Praise

Tu, 03/03/15, "Day of Praise"

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" - Matthew 9:35-38

Here's what Jesus makes plain in today's verses--HELP IS NEEDED!

As Christians, we celebrate God giving us freedom FROM sin and freedom FOR acts of love by God's grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone. And God chooses to work through the means of real people to spread the news of His grace in Christ.

God chooses to need and work through teachers and preachers of the good news, people who are prayer warriors for and healers of disease and sickness, those who are compassionate for both those who are harassed by chronic illness and also those who are helpless in the face of Perfect Storms.

So whether you give gracefully in response to God's grace to help millions whose lives are torn apart by literal or figurative storms, or you volunteer to lead prayer or teach choirs to sing of God's grace, or you coordinate a grace ministry for parents or the elderly or the homeless or the imprisoned, or you've discovered God has given you a gift of healing that you use in a prayer ministry, or you pray with people after worship, or you visit people in nursing homes, or you help to build homes here or abroad to help keep families together, or you set out to encourage at least one person intentionally everyday, or you sponsor a child through an agency like Compassion, or you care for children or the elderly, or whatever you may do with faith in Jesus and love for your fellow human beings, YOU ARE NEEDED!!!

God chooses to need and work through teachers and preachers of the good news, people who are prayer warriors for and healers of disease and sickness, those who are compassionate toward those who are helpless and vulnerable or harassed by chronic illness or helpless in the face of Perfect Storms.

Please offer yourself in faithful service as a thanks to God for His grace to us in Jesus Christ.

"Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" - Matthew 9:38

Praise God!

Monday, March 2, 2015

Day of Praise

Mo, 03/02/15, "Day of Praise"

"Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, 'My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.'" - Mark 5:22-23

"When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.'" - Mark 5:27-28

The long sequence of the Bible which includes the two little sections above is often subtitled by translators as "The Dead Girl and The Sick Woman" because that's who needs the healing that Jesus will give. It reminds us that God values young and old alike and will bring healing to both when it's in the bounds of his will.

However, I myself prefer another subtitle for the sequence that includes "The Dead Girl and The Sick Woman." I prefer "The Rich Man and The Poor Woman." My reason is that Saturday, in our Day of Praise devotional, we celebrated how God is the giver of faith. Today we are given to celebrate that God, in addition to giving faith, works to lead us as to where we should place the faith that God gives us.

I know a guy who was so down on God that he told me that it was just as useful to place my faith in "that doorknob over there as it is to place it in 'some god.'"

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing when that guy said that, it was another time that "Jesus wept."

Friends, whether you're rich or poor, we are constantly being assaulted in this world as to where we place our faith. A good barometer for where you've placed your faith is to think about what changes your mood.

The movements of the stock market change some people's mood.

The outcome of a game changes others.

The result of an academic test changes the mood of some homes.

Some moods are affected by weather.

The size of the stack of Christmas gifts changes some moods.

The list could go on forever because the list for objects of misplaced faith is endless.

But Friends, God works to lead us as to where we place the faith that God gives us. And God would lead us, as "The Rich Man and The Poor Woman" in Bible days, to place our whole faith in God's Living Word, who is His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. For, come what may, in Christ alone is there peace for the present moment and hope for the moments to come.

God gives faith. And God leads us to place that faith in Jesus.

Praise God!