Our Awesome God

  A Fresh Start with Purpose Scripture Reading (NLT) Psalm 5:3 "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Psalm 143:8 "Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." Lamentations 3:22-23 "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." A Fresh Start with Purpose Every single morning brings a profound spiritual reset. Before the noise of the world floods your day, Psalm 5:3 invites you to speak directly to God. What a wonderful privilege it is to tell the Most High God all your joys and sorrows, your needs and ...

  Rest for the Weary Soul Scripture Reading “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:29-30 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others...” — 1 Peter 4:7-10 Devotional Reflection Life often feels like a constant balancing act between urgent demands and deep exhaustion. In 1 Peter, we are given a wake-up call: be alert, be sober-minded, pray, serve, and love deeply. The words carry weight and responsibility. If we try to live out this calling in our own strength, burnout is almost guaranteed. That is why Peter’s words must be read alongside Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11. Jesus never asked us to carry th...

  An Expectant Obedience “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” — Psalm 5:3 “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” — Hebrews 5:9 How we begin our day matters. Before the noise of the world rushes in, before burdens begin pressing against our hearts, there is an invitation to meet with God in quiet surrender.  In Psalm 5, David begins his morning by laying his heart before the Lord. He does not simply throw words into the air hoping someone hears. He prays with expectation. This expectation is rooted in trust. It is the quiet confidence that the Creator of the universe hears our voice before the world ever hears our words. “I lay my requests before You…” The Hebrew word used here is arak (עָרַךְ), which means “to arrange,” “to set in order,” or even “to prepare like a sacrifice upon an altar.” David approaches prayer intentionally. He carefully places his thou...

 Matthew 5:48 “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” 1 Peter 1:15–16 “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” Philippians 2:5 “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” Romans 12:10 “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” The Pursuit of Holiness: Becoming Christlike When we read Jesus’ words, “Be perfect,” it can feel overwhelming. In our modern understanding, perfection sounds like flawlessness — never failing, never struggling, never making mistakes. If that is the standard, we all fall painfully short. But the Greek word Jesus used in Matthew 5:48 is Teleios (τέλειος). Teleios does not mean flawless performance. It means mature, complete, fully developed, or growing into the purpose for which something was created. Jesus is not demanding instant perfection. He is inviting us into lifelong...

  The Ultimate Sacrifice: A Memorial Day Devotion Scripture Readings John 15:13 (NLT) “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Romans 13:7 (NLT) “Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.” Psalms 34:18 (NLT) “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” John 14:27 (NLT) “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Joshua 1:9 (NLT) “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Romans 5:8 (NLT) “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” The Ultimate Sacrifice The Call to Courage Memorial Day calls us to pause and remember the immense bravery required to step onto a ...

  Held Fast Through Every Storm Nehemiah 1:8–9 “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to Me and obey My commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for My Name to dwell.” Acts 1:3 “After His suffering, He presented Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive.” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Anchored in God There are seasons in life when everything feels unstable. Dreams crack. Plans collapse. Relationships strain and sometimes fall apart. Bodies grow weary. Hearts carry silent burdens. We smile for others while inwardly asking, “Lord, how am I going to make it through this?”  I find that between praying, Bible readings, writing these devotions and helping others in my community, my mind no longer hyper focuses on things I cannot change. Amen. The ancient Hebrews understood th...

  The Call to Ultimate Courage Joshua 1:9 "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Isaiah 41:13 "For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’" Romans 8:26 "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." 2 Corinthians 1:4 "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." Hebrews 11:37 "Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated." When God calls us forward, He rarely promises an easy road. Instead, He promise...

 Held by Grace, Guarded by Peace Scripture “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” — Isaiah 41:13 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” — Ephesians 2:8-9 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” — 2 Chronicles 16:9 “And he will be our peace.” — Micah 5:5 Life often feels like walking a tightrope in a storm. We scramble to fix our own problems, carry the crushing weight of tomorrow’s worries, and look for strength within ourselves. But Scripture reveals a beautiful truth: God does not expect you to hold everything together. He is already holding you. In Isaiah 41:13, God promises to take hold of your right hand. The Hebrew word used here for “help” is ‘azar (עָ...

Entering the Cloud on the Holy Mountain Scripture Readings (NLT) “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the Lord our God is holy!” — Psalm 99:9 “Even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them. Then a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.’” — Luke 9:34–35 Reflection: The God Who Is “Other” In Psalm 99, the writer paints a picture of a God who is breathtakingly majestic, sovereign, and just. Three separate times in this short psalm, a cosmic refrain echoes: “He is holy” (Psalm 99:3, 5, 9). In the original language, the Hebrew word used here is Kadosh (קָדוֹשׁ). While we often equate holiness with moral perfection, the root meaning of kadosh is even deeper: to be set apart, completely unique, utterly “other.” God is unlike anything in creation. He is beyond comparison in purity, wisdom, power, and glory. The Psalmist commands humanity to respond to this majest...