Category Archives: Struggle

“Save Me, O God” from Psalm 3 (#dailyPSALMSchallenge)

3But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4I cried aloud to the LORD, and He answered me from His holy hill. Selah

Psalm 3:3-4

Psalm 3 is written after one of the most terrible moments of King David’s life — when he was on the run from his son Absalom, who was trying to remove him from power. This is a psalm of lament (letting out one’s feelings of grief or sadness) to be sure, but it is also a psalm of trust and hope in the Lord, offering us an example of turning to God in the midst of overwhelming circumstances.

The Crisis of Many

David begins by describing his specific circumstances: his enemies are many, their accusations are relentless, and their mockery sharp, saying that “There is no salvation for [David] in God” (v. 2). To say that David would not find salvation in his God strikes at David’s identity as God’s anointed king, but their mocking did not change the truth. David’s response to them reminds us that turning to the truth of God’s promises is the only place to go when doubt and despair set in.

The Confidence in God

David shifts his focus from his circumstances by declaring to the Lord that He is “a shield about [him], [his] glory, and the lifter of [his] head” (v. 3). His confidence is built on God’s steadfast character and strength rather than what is going on around him. He trusts that his Lord not only hears his cry but that He will answer him from His holy hill (v. 4).

The Calm in the Chaos

It would be understandable for David to be distraught, but we see God providing him with peace. How many of us find it difficult to sleep when we are in the midst of trials and tribulations? Because of his faith in God, David could say, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustain me” (v. 5). This highlights his faith and teaches us that God watches over His people, especially in times of turmoil and insurmountable circumstances.

The Cry for Deliverance

We see David cry out to the Lord for help and relief: “Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!” (v. 7). This echoes the cries of God’s people past and future, asking God to intervene against a powerful foe. David trusts that God will deal justly with the wicked — even if that means Absalom, while affirming that “salvation belongs to the Lord” and asks that His blessing be on His people” (v. 8).

Seeing Jesus in Psalm 3

David’s experience crying out to the Lord in the midst of trial and finding help points forward to the ultimate son of David, Jesus. He faced all that David did and worse — rejection, betrayal, mockery, brutal torture, execution. Jesus bore the full weight of our sin and death on the cross and cried out to His Father. Though surrounded by enemies and taunts like we have never seen, Jesus rested in His Father’s will and the confident assurance in His prophesied resurrection. Jesus’s victory over sin and death ensures that all of us who trust in Him can truly echo David’s cry that “Salvation belongs to the Lord”.

Reflection

Psalm 3 teaches us to bring our fears and burdens to God, recognizing that He can shield us from trouble and sustain us through trials. Jesus is not a distant, detached King; He knows our struggles because He experienced them. He has already overcome them (John 16:33). Whatever troubles you face today, cry out to Him and rest in the assurance that salvation belongs to Him.

The #dailyPSALMSchallenge gives us the opportunity to start 2025 in God’s Word by digging into a psalm a day. Each day will identify a key passage for us to meditate on as well as seeking to help us see Jesus in the psalm and reflect on what we have read.

Won’t you take the challenge?

Songs for Sunday, December 8, 2024 @ Christ Community Church

Sunday’s coming, and I’m ready. I need it.

I usually start off with “Sunday’s coming, and I’m excited”, but I’m not always excited. I don’t want to be disingenuous or depressing. The reality of that phrase “Sunday’s coming” is rooted in Jesus’s resurrection and His return. The reality of this fallen world is that there is sorrow and terror and unspeakable things; so I look to the hope that comes from Jesus’s resurrection, the expectation of peace that comes with His return, and echo my earlier sentiment: I’m ready. I need it.

This week’s Advent theme is peace.

If there was ever a week that I longed for peace, it has been this one. It seems that there are more pieces and shambles than peace. My heart has cried out, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20), more in the past few days than in some time. I have prayed and pleaded with Him, seeking to intercede for folks I love, asking Him to pick up the broken pieces and mend mournful and sorrowful hearts giving His indescribable peace numerous times (1 Timothy 2:1, Psalm 147:3, Isaiah 61:1, Philippians 4:7, John 14:27). I pray it even now.

Peace is in short supply here on Earth, but it is in overflowing abundance in heaven where Christ is!

Look at the way Colossians 1:19-20 describes the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ:

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

Read that last part again: “making peace by the blood of His cross”.

Isaiah gave us a picture of this centuries before Jesus’s life, His crucifixion:

But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Read the part about peace again: “upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace”.

Jesus makes peace. Jesus bears the sin, shame, and sorrows that we have a brings peace instead. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and gives peace to His people (Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 2:14).

This is the reason I have been pleading with Him on behalf of hurting people (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Philippians 4:6-7). This is the reason I come to Him in prayer. Peace is His (John 14:27). It is in short supply in our broken, sinful, fallen world — in this world of death and destruction (Romans 8:22), but in Jesus is Light (John 8:12), in Jesus is Love (1 John 4:9-10), in Jesus is Salvation (Acts 4:12, John 14:6), in Jesus there is peace (John 16:33). He manufactures it. He holds the trademark and copyright. Peace belongs to Him. Peace comes from Him. Peace is part of who He is (Ephesians 2:14, Isaiah 9:6).

When I think about how people desire peace in the world today, I am reminded of the reason that comic books were so great a draw for me as a kid. There was nothing like seeing someone in their most desperate moment have the hero swoop down in between them and danger. Superman was always my favorite. You could have a train bearing down on you, and he could fly down, take the impact of the train, and never even slide toward you. He could catch bullets with his hands. He could do, well, whatever danger and come out unscathed and unhurt. But Superman isn’t real. Comic book rescues are make believe, barely a genre away from fairy tales and nursery stories.

There is danger in this world. There is destruction. There is death. There is no caped crusader swooping in to save the day, and even if there was, he or she can only save some. They are limited. Regardless, the fact that they are fictional limits them altogether.

Jesus, however, is real. He did not swoop in and come out unscathed. He came and lived the life we couldn’t live — remaining sinless through it all (Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21). God put on flesh and lived here on the earth with us (John 1:14) and then bore our sin and shame on the cross (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5-6), taking the full brunt of God’s wrath due our sin, and paying the ultimate price for the wages of our sin (Romans 3:23-25, 6:23). We deserve death, and Jesus did that for us (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18).

In comic books, like in soap operas, death is just a momentary hindrance. A few strokes of the pen can come up with some cavalier and clever explanation for why the hero wasn’t really dead. Not Jesus, though. He really died (John 19:30, 34; Mark 15:37). He was buried (Mark 15:46). But, praise be to God, He rose from the dead (Matthew 28:5-6, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)! We have looked at passages above that show how He made our peace and brings us peace by His chastisement and cross (Isaiah 53:5, Colossians 1:19-20, Romans 5:1), but He keeps that peace because He is alive (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, Revelation 1:18).

One of the coolest, most awe-inspiring hero scenes in a movie comes at the end of The Passion of the Christ. This is just a movie’s representation, but it points to the awesome reality and real life event of Jesus’s resurrection. Check it out here:

Whatever troubles and sorrows plague you now have an expiration date. Jesus is alive. Jesus is coming. Jesus has made a way for us to have peace in Him and is the only One who can give it.

Won’t you look to Him in your time of need?

That’s why we are singing about how we are in awe of Him tomorrow. We don’t sing to and praise Him out of some religious obligation; no, we have just never seen anything like Him. We have never experienced anything like Him. This world has troubles and tribulations, but He has already overcome this world (John 16:33).

So, tomorrow, we at Christ Community invite you to come and seek the Prince of Peace with us. We invite you to come and read from His Word. We invite you to come and hear His Word sung — and to lift your own voice to sing as well. We invite you to sit under the preaching of His Word. We invite you, more than anything, to come to Him. His is worthy. He is willing to save. And what’s better news than that?

Here are our Scriptures and songs:

  • Advent Reading | Peace —

As the second candle of peace shines, consider the profound peace brought by Jesus, the Prince of Peace, mentioned in Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke 2:14. His birth signifies reconciliation between God and humanity, offering a deep, lasting peace found only in a personal relationship with Christ. His teachings guide us towards peace with God, ourselves, and others. Let this candle inspire a desire for reconciliation and peacemaking in a divided world.

This portion of Advent also draws attention to Bethlehem. Reflecting on Bethlehem’s seemingly insignificant setting reminds us of God’s penchant for using ordinary places for extraordinary purposes. In this portion of Advent, amidst feelings of insignificance, remember that God loves you dearly. Take a moment to pause, acknowledging how God specializes in using the small and insignificant for His glory. Pray that God uses you for His purpose—to bring peace and reconciliation to those around you, to bring people to Him.

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1 I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.

Join us in our Good News of Great Joy advent readings:

Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)
  2. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of PEACE (Advent 2025)
  3. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE (Advent 2025)
  4. Thankful: Learning to Number Our Days (Refresh & Restore)
  5. "Strengthen What Remains: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Sardis" (The KING is Coming)

I’m Thankful for the Father of Mercies and the God of All Comfort — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 20

I’m thankful for the Father of Mercies and the God of All Comfort!

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul invited the church at Corinth (and us today) to praise God for who He is — the source of mercy and comfort. God, in His great love, shows compassion to us in our pain and suffering. He doesn’t stand far off or push us away but instead draws near, meeting us in our affliction with His presence, peace, and sustaining grace. Whether we face sorrow or loss, trials or tribulations, we can cling to the promise that the “God of all comfort” is with us, strengthening and reminding us that we are never alone.

But God’s comfort doesn’t end with only Him comforting us. Paul emphasized here that as we receive mercy and comfort from the Lord, we are called to extend it to others. God often works through His people, the Church, to show His love and care to those in need. When we have experienced God’s mercy, we are uniquely equipped to share it with others and minister to them. Our struggles and the comfort we received become tools in His hands, allowing us to walk alongside those who are hurting, offering hope and encouragement.

As His Church, we are His hands and feet, bringing His comfort and gospel to a broken and lost world. This is a beautiful picture of God’s redemption, even in the midst of our suffering. He uses the suffering and trials we experience to shape us, sanctify us, draw us closer to Him, and equip us to serve others for His glory.

Today, I am thankful for the mercy and comfort God has shown me, and I’m challenged to share that same mercy and comfort with those around me.

How can you reflect the heart of the “Father of Mercies” in someone’s life today? Consider those around you who are hurting and mourning as we enter the holiday season. Not everyone is ready or willing to be holly and jolly because or real hurts and hangups in their lives. Think of how Jesus has brought you through your own hurts and hangups and extend His love to others in the midst of theirs.

Lord, I thank you for being the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. Thank You for never leaving me alone when all the world has and adopting me into your family. There is nothing like the comfort of a loving Father, and I thank You for allowing your people to reflect that love and comfort to others. Help us to notice those who need to be comforted by You. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for Weakness — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 16

I’m thankful for weakness.

There’s no way I can think of saying this that doesn’t make this sound as if I have some strength or worthiness. I am weak and cannot save myself, nor do I have the strength or fortitude to walk with Christ under my own power.

Paul’s words to the church at Corinth are enough to clarify why I am thankful — and why I am learning to be content with my weaknesses.

Lord, thank You for being strong. Thank You for reminding me that my weakness does not inhibit or hinder You — that You did not choose me because I am worthy, strong, capable, or talented by, rather, You saved me because I was lost and You love me. That’s enough for me. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful to God for Being VERY Present Help in Trouble — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 15

I’m thankful to God for being VERY present help in trouble!

Years ago, I learned a valuable lesson about helping people while being ministered to by one of the first pastors I served under, Bro. Travis Gray.

It was April 1, 2005 and one of the hardest days of my life. I had been serving the Lord and ministering at Duck Hill Baptist since the previous November and was at my office on Friday, my only day off from college at that time. Bro. Travis was in his office that morning, too. We happened to be conversing when the phone rang. He answered, and there was a noticeable change in his voice, made more noticeable by the way he kept glancing up at me with a sudden seriousness in his eyes.

While he was hanging up the phone, he told me that had been my mom on the phone and that my cousin had just been in a terrible car accident and was being taken to the emergency room. He relayed Mama’s pleading that I drive carefully and resist the urge to speed in the hazardous road conditions, reminding me that one tragedy was bad but two would be worse. He said all of this in a pastoral calmness that was more felt than heard, and he concluded with: “I know you want to rush up there, but before you do, I’m going to pray for you and your family.”

I can feel the emotions from that conversation even as I sit here and type today even though it’s been nineteen years. As he prayed, I felt lost and confused and afraid and angry and sad — and scared in a way that I had never before.

I, of course, did the opposite of what my mom and Bro. Travis had warned, speeding the whole way to the hospital, as if there was something that could be solved by my haste. I knew as soon as I walked into the ER that Chris had passed. It was written on all of the faces. Mama and Daddy walked over and hugged me as I barely held back my emotions. I remember being allowed back to see my aunt and uncle who were with my cousin. My uncle wanted us to see and understand — still one of my most vivid memories.

Walking out of that room, I was in a daze. Sounds were like distant echoes, ringing out eyes, perceived yet not heard. There were embraces with every family member present. We were all crying, myself no longer able to hold back. As I allowed the tears to begin to flow, all of the feelings, all of the anguish and sadness flooded over me. I remember hitting my knees, devastated, when a hand was on my shoulder.

Bro. Travis had come on to the hospital right behind me and was there to comfort me. He didn’t say anything. He was just there. He didn’t try to find words because there were none. He just showed up and was present, reminding me of the God we serve and His Word, reminding me that there was help and grace and love when I was ready for it. He was present and strong when I was at my lowest and weakest.

That pastoral moment impressed upon me the beauty of God’s presence in our trouble. The difference is God’s presence is continual. The tears in the night — and the tears on this couch right now as I write this — were faced alone from human perspective, but I was not and am not left alone by my God because He is Emmanuel — God with us, God with me, God residing in me and closer than anyone else (Matthew 1:23, John 14:16-17).

More than that, God is not just with us, He is our refuge — a fortress we can come to and hide within (Psalm 91:1-2). He is a hiding place that can protect from everything natural and supernatural (Psalm 32:7).

God is also our strength. It does not matter that we are weak because our strength is inferior any way (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). He provides the strength the same as He does His presence and refuge (Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:13). He lifts us up when we are weak, weary, and without hope in the world (Isaiah 40:29-31, Ephesians 2:12-13).

All those years ago, a pastoral hand on my shoulder taught me this and made it real — helped me recognize that there is a more mighty hand in the midst of trouble (1 Peter 5:6-7). Nothing I have ever faced has been alone, God has been present — VERY present (Deuteronomy 31:8). Nothing I will ever face will be alone because my God will always be VERY present (Joshua 1:9). From the womb to the tomb and when I enter into God’s presence, I will have always been in His presence (Psalm 139:7-10, Revelation 21:3).

That’s good news, and a needed reminder.

Lord, thank You for always being there. I know that too often I take this for granted and act like I can do this on my own. You know I can’t and take care of me despite my foolishness. You are there in my trouble even when I am the cause of it.

Lord, thank You for Bro. Travis and the other pastors I have served with and serve with now. Thank You for being present with us and for us when we get to be present with the flocks You have allowed us to shepherd. Thank You for the strength of Your greater and more mighty hand while we lay our weak hands on hurting people we get to love.

Lord, thank You for being VERY present and allowing us to hide and be held by You.

Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful to Have Hope in Christ — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 9

I’m thankful to have hope in Christ!

I don’t know what I would do if I did not have assurance that Jesus loves me and has prepared a place for me. It is too easy to get distracted by all of the trouble in this world — to get burdened and downcast — to get focused on myself and difficulties, faults, and failures. But God has made a way for me.

I think about the men and women Peter wrote 1 Peter to; he called them “elect exiles in the Dispersion”, writing to Jewish Christians who had been dispersed for various reasons, including persecution, all around the NT world (1 Peter 1:1-2). Here in 1 Peter 3:15, we see Peter encouraging them to be ready (prepared) to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”. Read that again. Peter wrote to people experiencing trials and tribulations and persecution and difficulties of all sorts — people who were a long way from home in foreign lands — people who had reason to be downcast and distressed and told them to be ready when people asked them why they had hope. This means that, despite their difficulties, they would not only have hope but that Jesus, their “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3), would have such an impact on their lives and their outlook that people would take notice and ask.

That’s good news!

As we saw yesterday, the hope that “has been poured out into our hearts” stems from God’s love and “does not put us to shame” (Romans 5:3-5)! That hope is in spite of our circumstances and proven through God’s faithfulness amid our circumstances.

So, tonight, whatever is bothering you or beating you down, whatever difficulties you are in the midst of (even if those difficulties won’t end today, tomorrow, or soon), know this, beloved Sojourner: this world is not our home, the troubles that plague us have an expiration date, and Christ the Lord gives us a hope that will carry us through and bring us home to Him. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take Jesus’s.

In John 16:33, Jesus was talking to His disciples on the night He was arrested, tortured, and mocked before being crucified the next day. He told them about how He would send them a Helper, His Holy Spirit, and gave them hope by telling them that He would prepare a place for them in His Father’s house and praying for them. John 16:33 falls kind of toward the middle of that conversation.

Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

Those words give me hope. Peter was there that night, and the hope Jesus offered clearly impacted him as he wrote all those years later to dispersed believers dealing with trouble. I hope they help you as well. I hope you find hope in the fact that He has already overcome the world, your troubles, and made a way for those He loves.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful God Gives Hope in the Midst of Suffering — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 8

I’m thankful to God for giving hope in the midst of suffering.

Sometimes, we can be fooled into thinking that being thankful is all about happy things, but the joy we have in Jesus is not because we have no sorrow and trials but despite our sorrow and trials.

The way Paul talks about this in Romans 5 bridges the hope we have in Jesus to Him being “justified by faith” in Him (Romans 5:1). There is a peace that comes through Him saving us — a peace that settles eternal matters and gives a necessary eternal perspective on troubling temporal (and sometimes temporary) matters (Romans 5:2).

That does not make the temporal or temporary suffering easy, though. It just reminds us Whose hands we are in, Who has taken care of our future, and how He will carry us through to the end. The progression in Romans 5:3-5 illustrates this.

For those who are in Christ, suffering produces endurance because He will carry us through; His strength is enough to endure whatever we need to get through. Enduring through His strength produces godly character because more time spent with Him and being carried by Him makes us reliant on Him and grow more like Him. Becoming more like Him gives us hope because we are used to looking to Him — now not just in trouble but in everything. And looking to Him in everything is not shameful because that is how we are designed; we were never meant to be self-reliant but Christ-reliant!

So, today, has plenty of trouble. Our lives here on earth are full of troubles and suffering. The longer we live, the more those can multiply. But the longer we walk with Christ, the more we realize that He carries us through. In that good news, there is hope in the midst of sorrow and trouble!

Lord, thank You for taking care of me and mine. You know that I let trials and sufferings hijack my mind too often, but even in the midst of my forgetfulness and stupidity, you are still holding me together and carrying me through. Thank you for holding me together until I can remember who You are and that I belong to You, and I look forward to the day that my forgetfulness is overwhelmed by the memory and character You are producing in me. You know I have friends and loved ones overwhelmed in temporal and temporary trials and suffering. Please help them remember you carry them, too. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for Never Ending Mercies — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 2

I’m thankful for God’s never ending mercies.

I’m thankful that His steadfast love will never run out.

Every day brings new hardships and trials. It seems sometimes that the difficulties of life are insurmountable. Too often, the idea of merely giving up is more appealing than it should be. But just as the trouble is at its peak — when the waves seem to be flowing over our heads, God brings fresh mercy.

God has more mercy than we will ever have troubles. His love is infinitely flowing and infinitely better than the worst this world has to offer. Every day brings with it trouble, but every morning brings new mercy from the LORD. His faithfulness is great. He will take care of His people.

That’s good news!

What’s more is that trouble has an expiration date. It’s shelf life will run out when our LORD and King returns. Trouble will be over, but God’s mercies and steadfast love will still be infinite!

Lord, thank you for fresh mercy every morning and an infinite supply of Your steadfast love. Thank you for being a God who is bigger than our trouble — bigger and more magnificent than everything, yet still being willing to remember your lowly people. Help us to remember your unfailing steadfast love and mercy when the waves are crashing against us so that we can hold fast to You.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 29

This proverb struck me as a poignant example of the perspective God gives us through His wisdom that counters the anti-wisdom of this world. 

Whatever you revere or fear drives you, or at least steers you. Think about it. If there are certain holidays or people that you revere, you will act a certain way around them. Your life and behavior change in their presence or on those days. It works the same with fear. If you are afraid of someone or something, your body does its own thing in their presence. Your heart rate will elevate; your skin may grow clammy and/or sweaty; and your fight-or-flight response kicks in. 

We live in a day and age when the powers-that-be use fear to motivate. This can be in the political arena as we have seen recently in many political ads and politically-driven social media posts. The news is always doom and gloom – and changes depending on the political leanings of one channel to the next. We have become accustomed to making decisions based on fear, and per the wisdom we see here, that sort of fear is a snare.

A snare is a device meant to catch something, and often carries with it the purpose of restraining something in order to kill it. If a hunter puts out a snare to catch an animal, it is often so that the animal can be caught, killed, and eaten.  This reminds me of the description of Satan in 1 Peter 5:8 as one prowling “around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. Satan likes snares because they catch people unaware using camouflage and trickery. 2 Corinthians 4:4 describes this work as him blinding “the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” He has no glory of his own and nothing of worth for people to follow, so he tricks and hoodwinks people, trying to keep them from seeing the Light.

God doesn’t work like that. Everything is out in the open with Him – out in the light. We have seen throughout the #DailyWisdomChallenge that following God is often referenced as the “fear of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:24, 10:12, 31:12-13; 1 Samuel 12:24; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 28:28; Psalm 19:9, 34:11; Proverbs 1:7, 8:13, 9:10, 14:27; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Isaiah 11:2-3, 33:6; Luke 1:50; Acts 9:31; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:28-29), but this is not the kind of fear that Satan uses. As we said above, what you fear or reverence drives and motivates you. The Lord is not an adversary who uses fear to drive you to a snare but one who is worthy of our reverence, respect, and worship – One worth following. We can trust Him because He, like He teaches His people refuses “to practice cunning or to tamper with [His] Word, but by the open statement of the truth [commends Himself and us] to everyone’s conscience” (2 Corinthians 4:2). We can trust Him because He deals in truth; in fact, He is the Truth (John 14:6). 

While Satan is on the prowl seeking to devour and destroy, God offers His mighty hand to lift us up and offers the opportunity to cast “all [our] anxieties on Him, because He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:6-7). You can trust the Lord and be safe (Psalm 62:8). There is a big difference between prowling around like a lion and being the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5)! Jesus is the genuine article and came to seek and save the lost instead of seeking destruction (Luke 19:10, John 3:17)!

Your fear of what man can do to you lays a snare. But trusting in God brings safety – from the snare, from destruction, from being devoured.

That’s good news to those who trust in the Lord! How about you? Will you be driven by your fear of man or your trust in God?

For the month of October (and November for slowpokes like me), we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?

Daily Wisdom Challenge — Proverbs 27

I have seen this proverb on t-shirts, coffee mugs, and many social media posts. But the place I see it most these days is in my life.

As we have seen throughout the #DailyWisdomChallenge, God’s wisdom is better — and often contrary — to the world’s wisdom. Worldly wisdom teaches men that they are to be self-sufficient, tough, stoic, and unbreakable. If I have learned anything in my decades of life and decades of being an adult man, men are breakable and definitely not entirely sufficient, at least that hasn’t been the case for me. I spent years trying to prove how strong and sufficient I am. Too many of those years were devoid of the kind of friendships that this proverb — that God’s wisdom — prescribes.

The good news is that God’s wisdom can repair the seemingly wasted years.

In the past decade or so, God began bringing Christ-like men into my life who hold me accountable when I go astray, lift me up when I fall down, and come alongside me to support me when I struggle. More than that, they celebrate with me in joyous times and have provided more laughter than I thought possible. I also get to provide the same to them, although not as well as they do for me.

I am better — sharper — because of the friendship of these men. This was God’s intention, hence Proverbs 27:17. God intended saved men to lift each other up and to sharpen each other’s lives and characters. This is contrary to the fickle relationships that pass for some friendships where people are enablers and anchors to negative behaviors or toxic, long-lasting adolescence. No, God provided us brothers who point us to Him and are willing to knock our rough edges off if we need it or help us cut through trouble if that’s what the occasion calls for.

Thank you, Lord, for the brothers you have sent me.

For the month of October (and November for slowpokes like me), we are answering the challenge John Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church in Grenada, MS, laid out — the #DailyWisdomChallenge. Each day, we are going to read through a chapter of Proverbs corresponding to the day of the month.

This fits with what we have studied in Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1-2, namely that we should seek “the things that are above, where Christ is” and set our minds like a thermostat “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Imagine what a month meditating on God’s Word daily can do for us.

Won’t you join us on this #DailyWisdomChallenge and set your minds on Christ?