I imagine David, hiding in the back of a cave, writing by candlelight. He’s thinking about days gone by. He remembers times when he was worshipping with God’s people. He’s longing for the house of God. He is remembering the blessing of experiencing the presence and power of God, and he comes to a revelation: the love of God is better than life itself.

Main Points:

1. Today, people value a lot of different things. Some value pleasure and happiness. Others value experiences and possessions. Many value home, family, and comfort. For David, he had come to realize that what he valued more than anything else was the love of God.

2. How amazing it is to be loved by God. Let this truth fill your soul today. You are loved by God. Not just loved but loved deeply. You are on the heart and mind of God today.

3. You can reach out to a God who loves you very much. Turn your heart towards God in worship, regardless of your circumstances. Anyone can worship God when life is good, but can you worship Him when life is hard? As you worship, I believe His presence will fill your soul. Reflect on the love of God. Rest in His love for you.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 63:1-4 - “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live”

Romans 5:8 - “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

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Imagine the impact on your life if you began to make this verse your daily prayer. What if we began every morning by letting God know our desire is that the words of our mouth and the thoughts in our minds be pleasing to Him?

Main Points:

1. Our choices, decisions, actions, and ultimately our lifestyle are determined by our thoughts and our words. This makes self-control so vital for us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we must control our words and thoughts.

2. All of us have said, “I shouldn’t have thought that, and I wish I hadn’t said that.” I believe with this prayer, David is telling us that our thoughts and words don’t have to be impetuous. You and I are not without control. The Holy Spirit resides within us to give us power for daily living.

3. As we learn to pay attention to our thoughts, we ask the question, “Does this thought please God? Does it honor the Lord? As we ask this all-important question, we can immediately take action. We can entertain the thought if it does please God, but if it doesn’t, we can cast it out. We can reject the thought. We can refuse to think about things that don’t please the Lord.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 19:14 - “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 - “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

James 3:8 - “…no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

James 1:19 - “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

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Who is this? “Who is Jesus?” Is he just a historical figure, a religious leader, a philosopher, or a teacher? Was he a revolutionary and a political rebel? Is he an imaginary person and a myth? Or is Jesus the Messiah, the King of the Jews, a Savior, and God in the flesh?

Main Points:

1. This is the most important question you will ever be asked. It’s a personal question, with eternal implications… “Who is Jesus?”

2. This is so important because to be almost right about Jesus is to be totally wrong. Why? Because we cannot be saved by good opinions about Jesus. We are not saved because we like Jesus and have good feelings about him. We are not saved because we like his moral teaching about loving one another. That is not enough.

3. This is the most important question you will ever be asked. A good man? A great teacher? A revolutionary leader? Or is he the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Who was he? Who is he? Your eternal destiny hangs on your answer. May God open your eyes to see Jesus as the Son of God. May you have the courage today to put your faith in him and trust him as the savior of your soul.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Mark 4:41 - “They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Matthew 16:13-16 - “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

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The fear of the Lord is deep respect, awe, and reverence for God. We give God the glory, honor, reverence, gratitude, and praise that he deserves. God holds this preeminent position in our hearts and lives. We regard his desires over and above our own.

Main Points:

1. The Bible repeatedly tells us not to fear. It’s been said that the Bible gives us this command 365 times, one for each day of the year. This instruction is referring to destructive fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 - “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” But there is another kind of fear that is good for us. In fact, it’s mentioned over 200 times in the Bible. It’s the fear of the Lord. What does it mean to fear the Lord?

2. Fearing the Lord is about deep reverence and respect. We should fear or respect the Lord as one who has authority over us. It is a recognition that we are accountable to Him.

3. Wisdom begins and ends with the fear of the Lord. It isn’t a fear of being struck by lightning or fear of being struck dead, but it’s a deep, abiding, holy reverence and respect for the Lord and for His Word.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Listen to what Proverbs says about the fear of the Lord…

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge” (14:26)

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death” (14:27)

“Better a little with the fear of the Lord, than great wealth with turmoil” (15:16).

“Through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil” (16:6b).

“Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth, honor and life” (22:4).

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Have you ever felt the temptation to take revenge? Your work colleague takes the credit for a project you have worked so hard on. Your so-called friend betrays your confidence and spreads lies about you. Your spouse has been unfaithful. Someone has attacked you, mistreated you, ignored you, or socially rejected you.

Main Points:

1. Revenge is the desire or urge to get even with somebody. To punish or cause harm as an act of retaliation.

2. The idea of revenge is only an illusion. You can never “get even” with anyone. It is impossible to balance the scales of hurt. The only possible way to come out on top is to respond to hurt with a godly attitude and trust that God will settle the account.

3. The people of God do not retaliate. The people of God do not seek vengeance. We do not take revenge into our own hands.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 5:44 – “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Romans 12:19-21 - “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

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In the night hours, when you can’t sleep, instead of dwelling on problems, uncertainties, and anxieties, turn your mind back to a song. It can be a song of worship and a song of praise.

Main Points:

1. It’s at night, in the quiet, that our fears often increase their volume. Our minds ask, “What if this happens? What if the medical test turns out positive? What if I don’t have enough money? What if my kids make wrong decisions? What if my elderly parents can’t take care of themselves? There seems to be no end to the what-if questions.

2. But a song in the night moves us from uncertainty to certainty. We are uncertain about many things in this life, but we are absolutely certain about God. We are certain that nothing will separate us from His love. We are certain he has been faithful in our past and will be faithful in our future. We are certain that He will never leave us or forsake us.

3. Choose your song. Pick a song that exalts Jesus and reminds you of His faithfulness. When all is dark, let it be your song in the night.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 42;8 - "By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”

Psalm 77:6 - “I remembered my songs in the night.”

Acts 16:25 - “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

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Every Christian needs two people in their lives. We need someone we are learn from and someone we are discipling. We need someone in our lives that is helping us grow spiritually, and someone we are helping grow.

Main Points:

1. There is much emphasis today on our “personal relationship with Christ.” But sometimes because it’s personal, we forget our responsibility to share it with others.

2. The Scripture informs us that the older women should teach the younger women. The older men should teach the younger men. This may not always refer to age because we know that just because a person is older it does not mean they are mature in the faith. I believe Paul is instructing us to find someone who is new in the faith so we can teach them how to follow Christ. This is discipleship.

3. In discipleship, we model and teach toward a deeper love for and obedience to Christ. The goal of all discipleship is that we would be like Christ in our actions and character.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 28:19-20 - “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you…”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Hebrews 10:24 - “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works…”

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I believe God calls Christians to be generous because generosity is a key component of our spiritual growth. It’s our normal human instinct to be stingy, to think of our own needs, and to be concerned with our own comfort and happiness. Yet, when we break out of that mold and be generous, we are becoming like Christ. One of the greatest characteristics of Jesus is that He was and is generous. If you want to be like Jesus, become a generous person.

Main Points:

1. Why does our level of giving matter to God? Because it reveals our heart. Generosity is an outward demonstration of what we love and what we hold most dear.

2. So, what is it that keeps us from becoming more generous? It’s a great question because most people I know truly want to become more generous. So, why aren’t we. Often times, it comes down to fear. We are afraid that if we are generous, we won’t have enough to meet our own needs.

3. Generosity is a key to spiritual growth because it is a selfless characteristic. As we grow spiritually the things that matter to God become increasingly more important to us.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Proverbs 11:25 - “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

2 Corinthians 8:7 - “See that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

Matthew 6:21 - “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

2 Corinthians 9:6 - “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

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