Month: January 2025

Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23

How do you know when it’s time to make your next move? Noah had been in the ark for more than 150 days. He saw that the rain stopped so he sent out a raven and a dove to “test” if it was time to leave the ark. Days and weeks passed and he tried to “discern” when to leave the ark.

Noah opened up the window and removed the covering of the ark in an attempt to see if it was okay to get out of the boat. With all of his “testing”, “discerning”, and “looking”, Noah did not leave the ark until one significant thing happened: God told him to. After all, who was the One who told Noah to enter the ark in the first place? It was God! So, shouldn’t God have the right to tell Noah when it’s time to get off of it?

Noah could have saved himself a lot of time and energy if he had just trusted that the same God who led him to enter the ark would also tell him when to exit. Often we try to help God out because we think maybe He forgot about us in all of His busyness. As we make our feeble efforts to help God, it only adds to our frustrations. I suspect Noah thought things like: “When can I get off this ark?” “The dove didn’t come back surely I can go now.” “I can see that the land is almost dry it has to be time to leave.”

When we give our lives to God and truly trust Him to lead us and guide us, we have to even remain at peace when it feels like we are staying in the ark too long. If we get ahead of God, it can cause real troubles for us. Trying to help God out usually complicates things. Let’s practice trusting God’s leading today. Just sit back and enjoy the experience until God says it’s time to make the next move. This will alleviate your frustration and cause you great peace because God knows when we should make our next move.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 11:1-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28

Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19

What does it mean to be favored by God? Noah and his family lived in perilous times. There was immorality and blatant defiance against the will of God. People had become so accustomed to sin that “everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” Now that’s a sad state of affairs. It was so bad that the Bible says that God was “sorry He had ever made them.” (Genesis 6:5-6)

In the middle of this evil living, God took notice of Noah and his family. God evaluated Noah and his family and saw they had something different than the rest. “Noah found favor with the Lord.” Favor can be defined as supernatural advantage. Favor (or Grace) occurs when doors open for you and not for others. Scripture never says that Noah was perfect. But, he did have a covenant with God. When God could not count on others to live for Him, God could count on Noah.

Can God trust you to be faithful when others are faithless? Can God trust you to share His love with those who do not know him? Can God trust you to live for Him even when it’s not popular? Can God trust you to place Him first in your life? If so, then you should expect supernatural advantage to follow you wherever you go. That favor will provide for you. It will protect you. It will preserve your purpose. It will accelerate the answers to your prayers. That’s why David said, “I cried out to the Lord and he answered me from His holy mountain.” (Psalm 3:4)

You don’t have to wonder IF God will favor you. Time and time again He proves that favor is given to those who will obey Him. Let this year be one of accelerated favor because God sees your consistent obedience. His favor will cause you to rise to the top when others are sinking.

Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23

Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:7-9

Sin can have devastating effects on our lives. Sin is anything that displeases God. Where we end up after sin is always worse than when we began. All sin begins with a temptation! We are tempted to listen to someone else’s voice above God’s voice. We are tempted to follow a path different from the path God has laid out for us. We are tempted to think that we know more than God.

The good news today is that sin will not have the final word! Even though Adam and Eve sinned against God, their sin was not the end of the story. God put in place a plan to bring all of us back to Him. Jesus is the way back to God! If you are struggling with sin in an area of your life, you do not have to fight it alone. You have Jesus who is willing to help you get out of it.

Ask for Jesus’ help!  Surrender your life to Him. Receive His forgiveness and strength to keep moving forward. Jesus knows how to lead you out of sin! You may have to do it moment by moment or day by day. It’s okay. Because as long as you are pursuing a relationship with Jesus, you will move further and further away from sin until you are free. “So, if the Son sets you free, you are truly free!” (John 8:36) This is true wisdom. Act on it today and receive God’s amazing grace!

Tomorrow’s Reading:  Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19

Genesis 1-2:25; Matthew 1:1-2:12; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 1:1-6

Today is all about beginnings. While beginnings are new to us, they are not new to God. Look at the precision with which He constructs the world. Each day, He accomplished another aspect of His creation. Can you hear Him speaking, “Let there be Light?” He started His creation with intentionality. The same is even true with our lives. Would God put so much care into designing the world without putting the same amount of care into our lives? Of course not!

As you start out in this New Year, be as intentional as God. Let your words create the reality that you want to see. Design your life day by day. Review each day with a sense of how the next one can be better. And, when tomorrow comes, make it better by accomplishing exactly what God tells you. He knows how to make all things good!

Each day you enjoy on earth is a good day because God created it. Prepare to be amazed by God’s goodness and overwhelmed by His love. He gave you this new year to give you an opportunity to experience more of Him.

Tomorrow’s Reading:  Genesis 3:1-4:26; Matthew 2:13-3:6; Psalm 2:1-12; Proverbs 1:7-9