1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Today's Thought: Do not stop thanking God for least and seemingly bad things happening to you.

Corrie ten Boom was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. These camps were filthy and there were thousands of fleas everywhere. Corrie's sister always reminded Corrie of 1 Thessalonians 5:18: In everything give thanks. But when Corrie realized that the guards did not get near their cells because of the fleas and they could continue to praise and worship the Lord, she realized that, indeed, in everything give thanks.

Sometimes, there are fleas in your life you want out. While they are not big problems and difficulties, but they sure annoy you at most. These little trials are designed by the Lord that we may be able to learn spiritual lessons and help us through when big waves come by.

When we are tempted and tried, let us not complain, but let us learn to give thanks and continue on. It is only through during happy days and beautiful sunrises we give God the glory He deserves, but we also give Him the glory during winter times when everything is gloomy and cold.

Psalm 92:1-2
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:

To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

Today's Thought: If you want to praise God when the sun goes down, start praising at each morn.

John Stott was a British preacher who would start his morning with this prayer: "Good morning, heavenly Father. Good morning, Lord Jesus. Good morning, Holy Spirit...Father, I pray that I may live this day in Your presence and please You more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow You. Holy Spirit, I pray that this day You will fill me with Yourself and cause Your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three Persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen."

The psalmist declares the need for us to praise God every morning for the lovingkindness that He has shown us. Whatever may happen throughout our day, we will remember that all things are working according to the loving plan of the Lord. With this thought, we will sleep at night knowing that our God is a faithful God who mercies are new every morning.

Our day will only be as good as our prayer. Without prayer, our day becomes miserable and without the leading of the Holy Spirit. Let us learn to start the day with praise unto God and end it with worship to Him.

Ephesians 4:17

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Today's Thought: We need to understand the meaning of what we do based on the standards of the Lord.

An advertisement in London's Tube to lure city workers to get a vacations says: "Your work is meaningless. And you’ll die having achieved comparatively little. You need a holiday." Many people are truly sick and tired of what they are doing - they need a holiday. A vacation off what they are doing for them to look at these things in an objective manner and see the meaning out of it.

There are so many things that we can do here on earth, but the Lord is asking us to walk and testify His goodness to others. The vanity around us is spiralling and it could easily overwhelm us and make us forget the greatness of the Lord. As we work, let us have the motivation that we are here on this world not to be rich but to share. Our work will become useful and fulfilling only when it enables us to help and give to others

Only when we realize the primacy of God and that our work is God-given that we realize the meaning out of it. That we get out from the tired and sick thinking into the level of thought wherein the Lord reigns supreme.

Luke 21:12-13

But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

Today's Thought: The Lord can use anything and anyone to tell the good news of salvation.

During the reign of Bloody Mary, two of her famous victims were Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. These two men preached the word of God even under the persecution of Mary. They were regarded as heretics and we burned at the stake. Several more died when Mary came to throne of England in her desire to bring back Catholicism in the country.

At the death of Ridley, as a crowd was watching and his body had been burning slowly to prolong the suffering, Latimer called out to cheer up Ridley: Be of good comfort, Mr. Ridley, and play the man! We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace, in England, as I trust never shall be put out.

Trials present us an opportunity to let others know Jesus Christ. It is an opportunity to show what our faith really means. We must understand that our faith is not just meant for home or church, but it is meant for the community, the hospital, the workplace, and whereever we are. Let it may that whatever trials and persecutions we are going to face, we will be found faithful.

Psalm 112:1

Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

Today's Thought: The true greatness of a man is in the fear of the Lord.

Alexander III of Macedon was called as Alexander the Great for creating one of the largest empires of the ancient world at the age of 30 spanning from Greece to India. He was considered one of the best military generals of all time. Is that all that made him "Great"?

Psalm 112 declares the blessed man as the person who has the favor and approval of the Lord. He is a man who fears the Lord. He also finds delight in the commandments and Word of the Lord. He is also compassionate and gracious. He is also a generous man. He also trusts continually in the will of God. And he is always secure in the presence of the Lord. These are the things that make a man great.

Let us pray that we may all live in accordance to the will and approval of God. It is only through godliness that our true greatness is revealed. When we do, others will see and they will praise the Lord.

Luke 22:24-26

And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

Today's Thought: Pride is the root of all conflict within and without the church.

Benjamin Franklin said: There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility. At the root of every conflict and every chaos is the desire to have preeminence and have their own way. It is hard to fight against pride because it appeals to us.

On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus had to deal with the pride of the disciples. They were arguing on which of them should have the preeminent role in Heaven. While Jesus was talking about Heaven and the sacrifice He was going to make for the world, they were all filled with price and conflcit erupted. We must be reminded on how easy pride could creep in even when Jesus is around.

Pride is something we are too proud to accept. We must learn to humble ourselves to the will of God and for us to learn how to behave with others. When our focus is Jesus, we become humble and our minds are conformed to Him, but if we focus on ourselves and others, we find it easy to fall into the trap of pride.

Jeremiah 18:4

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Today's Thought: Surrender your will to God and you will have peace.

Adelaide Pollard was a missionary going to Africa, but she was not able to go because she did not have enough financial support. In a prayer meeting that night, while she was sad because of the situation, an old woman prayed: "It is all right, Lord. Just have your own way with us." This reminded Adelaide to surrender her will to God.

That night as she read Jeremiah 18, she was reminded of the Lord being the Potter who knows what's best to be done. She wrote a poem that night: hou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still. In the Lord's timing, Adelaide was allowed to go to Africa and minister there.

We don't know what's best for us, only the Lord does. Let us learn to say "have your own way, Lord." Let us yield our lives to the Potter for He knows how to mold us the way He wants to use us for His honor and glory. In surrender, there is peace and joy as we wait for the will of God to unfold in our lives.

John 1:10–13

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Gauis Octavius Thurinus was born into a wealthy Roman family, but his father died when he was only four years old. Octavius showed leadership ability when he guided shipwreck survivors out of enemy territory to the Roman army where his great uncle Julius Caesar was commander. When Julius Caesar became leader of the Romans, he was adopted. Octavius later became Caesar Augustus through the adoption of his uncle.

Each person who entered into this world is born of sin. Jesus spoke clearly when he said: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

When Jesus was born, He was not just born in the manger, but the rescue mission of the Lord came into fruition. Since the beginning the rescue plan of the Lord was laid out and the birth of Jesus made the plan a reality. It was not because the world deserves rescuing and a soul deserves heaven, but because of the outstanding grace of God beyond compare.

Luke 22:35-36

And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

A young woman brought her fiancee to meet her parents. After dinner, her father asked the young man into his study for a chat. “So, what are your plans?” he began. “I’m a theology scholar,” the young man replied. “Admirable!” the father said, “But what will you do to provide a nice home for my daughter?” “I will study and God will provide,” he explained. “And how will you afford to raise children?” “God will provide.” The men left the study and the mother asked her husband, “How did it go?” “He has no money or employment plans,” the father said. “But on the other hand, he thinks I’m God.”

What the father failed to acknowledge is that the Lord of the young man is a God of provision. When Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, he took him to Mount Moriah without any complaint. Abraham did not hesitate to obey God in his circumstance. He knew that the Lord is a God who provides for whatever need there was.

We are not like the atheist who does not have any means of support. When we trust God, we are not being foolish, but we are being faithful with our side of the agreement. He has promised it and we accepted the promise. We must be faithful to our obligation of trusting the Lord and the Lord, for sure, is faithful to fulfill His promise of provision. It is not our job to provide, but it is the Lord's. Our responsibility is to believe.

Psalm 118:23

This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

Today's Thought: There is no single flaw in the plan of the Lord for our lives.

On November 17, 1558, Queen Mary died and Princess Elizabeth became the queen. Upon learning the news of her accession at Hatfield House, while under the old oak tree, the famous response of the now Queen Elizabeth I was "A Domino factum est illud et est mirabile in oculis nostris." This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

Faith is believing in the will of God in our lives and trusting in the goodness of His heart. If we have trusted the Lord our soul, why can't we trust Him with our dear life? If He has given us His Son Jesus Christ for our salvation, will He not be good of His plan for us? Paul says no. But what we need to do is wait for the unfolding of the Lord's perfect will in our lives.

We must not be weary in well-doing for our Lord knows our labor. It is better for us to surrender our will to the Lord and let Him captain our ship before we sink into the miry clay of sin and despair. It is about time we truly surrender everything to the Lord, even our lives - and not just our souls.

Luke 22:10-12

And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

Today's Thought: The Lord is trustworthy in every situation we may be in.

Dr. John Rice had an amazing story of his decision to go to Bible college. After praying for the Lord to meet the need, Dr. Rice went to a local bank to ask for a loan for the semester as he would be getting a part time job to pay it back. The banker did not ask for anything but immediately approved the loan to the consternation of a man standing by. The banker said John had helped in before and he was returning the favor.

We should be reminded that even before you ask of the Lord, He already knows what you need. He is a God who knows everything, lest you forget. We may not understand the plan He has in store for the future, but we know that God is able to see every detail of the purpose He wants to accomplish in our lives.

God is always good and He always provides. David acknowledges this in Psalm 9:10 "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." There is nothing impossible and hard for the Lord to do.

Jeremiah 29:5-7

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Today's Thought: Let us be productive today for we know we shall be in heaven soon.

Paul was a citizen of the Roman Empire but he always remember that his "conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." We must give utmost attention to matters of eternity than the present we have. We are children of God and that should be our priority.

However, we also live in this world. God told Jeremiah to send instructions to the Israelites living in captivity in Babylon that while they were there, they should build homes and plant gardens. Babylon was not God’s ultimate plan for His people. One day He would touch the heart of Cyrus to send the captives back to Israel. But that was in the future, and in the meantime, God wanted them to be good and productive people who made the place where they were living better by being there.

The same principle applies for us. The fact that we are God’s people should not just change how we live on Sundays, but every day. We need to be shining lights and examples of God’s goodness. George Washington wrote, “We are persuaded that good Christians will always be good citizens, and that where righteousness prevails among individuals, the Nation will be great and happy.”

Luke 22:27

For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

Today's Thought: To be like Christ, we must be willing to serve others and their needs in humility and all sincerity of the heart.

When London was under siege and invasion of Germany was imminent, the British military asked mine workers to support the war effort. Prime Minister Winston Churchill met with mine leaders for them to work diligently to meet the needed coal requirement to run the navy and other factories. Churchill described the parade at the Piccadilly Circus after the war. After the soldiers and the airmen, mine workers would follow. If asked what they had done during the war, all they need to answer was: We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.

The service to the Lord is not about glory and honor. It is about the majesty and praise of the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is the Lord who sees the faithfulness of each person under his Royal Banner. Our service to the Lord should be done with all humility of the heart and sincerity of the spirit for we know that our Lord does not forget our labor of love.

The example of Christ in the Upper Room when He washed the feet of the disciples should always remind us on what kind of service we must do. Too many Christians are not willing to do the dirty work for the Christian cause to set aflame. But if we have the mindset of mine workers, with our faces on dirt, we must press on for we are going to win the war.

Psalm 27:4

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

Today's Thought: The kind of worship you have determines the kind of person you are.

Going to church on Sunday is not a popular one. Why bother to take your much needed rest and spend three hours listening to the Word of God in the morning and at night? It would have been better to lounge around talking with the family or have dinner with friends. Instead of resting, going to church is a big trouble. This is what others would say about going to church.

But we should be reminded that we all need worship because we are human beings created by the Lord. We are not created for work, but we are create to worship the Lord, to develop communion and relationship with Him.

William Temple is often quoted by Ravi Zacharias on how he described worship. He said that worship quickened the conscience by the holiness of God, the mind is fed by the truth of God, the imagination is purged by the beauty of God, the heart is opened to the love of God, and the will of devoted to the purpose of God. This is what happens when we decide to go to Church and lift our hearts to the Lord.

Matthew 1:23

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Today's Thought: Jesus is the only solution to the loneliness and brokenness of man.

Ruth Graham, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, recalled her bouts against loneliness, depression and the feeling of broken heart in the book In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart. It was an honest reflection on what had happened to her life, the sense of being lost in the fast flow of life having been married young, divorced, becoming a grandmother as her teenage daughter got pregnant, and all.

While we desire to become a blessing to others who are lonely, we should remember that we can't be with them all the time. We can't even fully realize the pain they are going through. We will never be enough to fill the large vacuum of pain in their hearts. More than that, we also have our pain within us that makes us reserved in feeling theirs. Only God can meet their needs during these lonely days.

One day Dr. G. Campbell Morgan visited an old woman who lived alone. Before he left, he read: I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Dr. Morgan commented that it was a great promise. But the old lady said: No, it is not a promise. It's reality.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Today's Thought: We should not give up in the middle of struggles for we know the reward is at the end of it.

Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when Hitler mounted his attack during World War II. Churchill spoke to Londoners and encouraged them: Never give up! Never, never, never give up!

John White writes: It is the man or woman who gets up and fights again that is the true warrior . . . . Strengthen yourself with a powerful draught of the wine of Romans 8:1-4. Then get back into the fight before your muscles get stiff!

Endurance is importance in the task of obedience amidst ups and downs, losses and victories. It is trying again to fight sin. It is trying again to stand up. It is trying again to do something for the Lord. We must fight and try, fight again and try again. Let us not give up for we know God is working in us to accomplish His purpose.

Psalm 199:27

 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.

Today's Thought: We read in the Bible all God wants us to follow, observe and do.

Solomon instructed in Ecclesiastes regarding the making of books without end. When one goes to the United States Library of Congress, one will be overwhelmed with 2.8 million volumes of books. But unlike other books, the Bible is different. It is given by inspiration of God and is the complete revelation of God to man. From its pages sprung the gift of salvation; it is a complete precept for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.

There are so many things to learn about the Bible. There are numerology sets to learn; statistics that could immerse us into the scholarly knowledge of the Bible. Several people spent hours and days inspecting and reviewing the Bible.

But let us not forget that the Bible is a book to study. It is a book to know the will of God in our lives. It is not enough to study it, but we must meditate on it that we discover the perfect will of God in our lives. This is the best way to learn the knowledge and wisdom the Bible can give.

Colossians 2:7

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Today's Thought: We must be thankful for everything and anything God has given us.

Of all choices made in life, the option of being grateful or a grumbler makes the most impact in our lives. There are so many things in life that we should be grumbling and complaining about. But we do so, we will only see few blessings in our lives. But we start to be thankful, we will find treasures of blessings God has given us.

Paul reminds us that thankfulness is the result of being grounded and rooted in faith. It is impossible for Christians are not rooted to be grateful in everything and anything that comes their way. We are expected to walk by faith and not by sight for us to be thankful.

Our choice of grumbling makes us discontent. We will not be happy of the blessings God has given us for we will only think of what we don't have. Let us consider to thank God for we have and have faith in His provision for what we don't have.

Psalm 119:149

Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment.

Today's Thought: Listening is an expression of love.

There was a young pastor who had spent listening to the problems of church members throughout the day. One when we came home and asked his wife how was the day, she told her about the problem with the car, the repair of the appliance, and the earache of their son. The pastor immediately began to solve the problem, but her wife looked at her and said: I have done all of those things and you don't need to solve any problem, I just want you to be interested to listen.

We should be reminded that the Lord who loves us so much is a Lord who listens. He wants to take part in our everyday affair by listening to us. He wants to know the struggles we have with sin by listening to us. He wants to help us solve the difficulties we are in by listening to us. He is a God who loves and listening is part of His expression of love.

Listening helps to encourage other people. We can't solve their problems, but when we listen to what they say, we help them. But our God listens and solves problem. He is the greatest Comforter. Isn't it necessary and vital to unload everything to our God who loves and listens to us?

2 Corinthians 5:8

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Today's Thought: We have a better alternative from what we are now - to be in heaven with the Lord.


There was a question raise on whether what is better to endure the pain of this world or to enter the eternal joys of heaven. Some would rather to endure the pain of this world than to be in heaven.

We should be thankful for the blessings and the provisions of the Lord, His matchless grace, and all the meaningful relationships He has given us. But let us not think that entering heaven is less desirable and wonderful than enduring this world. We must be eager and anticipate the joy of being with our Lord.

Someday there will be no more death, nor sorry nor crying. It is the most blessed alternative to the pain and struggles that we have here on earth. Let us not make less wonderful than this cursed world of ours.

Revelation 5:8

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Today's Thought: A heart that worships the Lord is full of songs and prayers.

In the Old Testament days, the harp has been part of worship. Harps accompanied choirs and congregations. These instruments sent an aroma of praise pleasing to the Lord. In the ritual, the rising smoke brings the prayers of the saints up to the Lord.

We should be reminded that singing and praying are important part of Christian worship. We may not have the voice of the four tenors or may sing off-key, but we must express our adoration and reverence to the Lord through prayer and song.

In our private worship let us keep a heart full of song for the Lord. Let us also fill our public worship with songs of praise and supplication unto the Lord. Let us meet the Lord early in the morning and lift our hearts in praise and worship of Him at end of the day.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Today's Thought: God will test our faith for us to learn how faithful He is.

There was a man who survived a shipwrecked and reached a small, uninhabited island. He prayed to God for rescue, but help did not come. He just settled with a hut out of driftwood. One day as he was looking for food, he found his hut in flames. He was so angry at what God did. He slept without anything to cover him from elements. The next morning when he woke up, he saw rescuers coming down to him. "How did you know I am here?" he asked. "We saw smoke from in here," they said.

Sometimes, we question the wisdom of the Lord in our lives as if we know more than Him. Sometimes, we think that His love is hatred because of the trials we are facing. We failed to understand that our God is always thinking for our good.

The next time you lose hope and faith in God for Him to be there when you need Him, remember that He will always remain true to what He promised: He will never leave us nor forsake us. Just keep on believing that all things work together for good to them who love Him.

Matthew 21:26

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

Today's Thought: Christ is the foundation to build upon if we want security of our lives.

Kansai International Airport in Osaka was built on an artificial island. Engineers knew that in the next fifty years, the airport would settle. To mitigate the problem, they had hydraulic jacks into the structures. However, after six years, the airport has reached its 50-year sinking projection.

Most of us are not going to build an airport, but we are building a life. It is a crucial foundation on what to do with the foundation upon which we build. The Lord uses the example of the building on sand and on rock. There are those who build upon sand and they soon found out that their house is collapsing. Only few would really build their house upon rock to secure everything for the future.

Jesus is the rock. If we want to build anything strong and sturdy, we must build upon Him. We must make Christ the foundation of everything and anything in our lives. He is the completeness of our being and He must remain such in our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Today's Thought: Even in times of despair, the Lord gives us a new direction.

Hangar 61 in Colorado at the Stapleton Airport was slowly transformed to become a church. A rusty ship in Philadelphia was emerging to be a hotel or a marine museum. Hotels in their old age were renovated to become apartments. The purpose of these changes is to make a structure useful again when its usefulness already expired.

The Lord is giving people in the Bible new direction for them to reach a certain destination. Moses talked with the burning bush and was driven out of shepherding. Jacob had to wrestle with the angel of the Lord for him to become Israel. Of course, there was Paul who had to be blind to find a meaning and direction of his life. The Lord intervened in the lives of these people for them to have a new direction.

When we are in circumstances that would change our lives, our decisions, and our future, let us remember that our God gives us these circumstances for us to arrive at His expected end. Let us hold on to the promises of God and be ready to live the purpose of our lives.

Acts 2:14

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

It is often said that we could have minor setbacks, but we could have a major comeback. One of the best example of a major comeback was that of the Ford Motor Company.During and after World War II, Ford Motor almost collapsed due to the reluctance of the management to modernize the company. When Henry Ford II was released from his military duties, he overhauled the company and led the comeback of the motor vehicle behemoth.

Truth be told, we had failed and will all fail. But amidst of all these failures, we should correct wrong decisions and directions. Peter is the perfect example of a man who wrote a better story out of his failure. He almost drowned because of a waving faith. He was called satan by the Lord Jesus Christ. He denied Christ three times. But Peter made a comeback. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached and 3,000 people got to know the Lord.

What we need to understand is that the Lord is always the one who holds our hand and let us stand when we fail. Failure is not the end of our Christian service. We need to have the courage to correct our mistakes and make the best comeback for the Lord.

Judges 6:12

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Today's Thought: A rightly positioned faith diminishes the power of fear over our lives.


There was a story often told by a preacher. A mother asked her 5-year old son to get tomato soap from the kitchen. But the child objected because it was too dark. The mother told the son that it will fine as Jesus is in the kitchen. The little boy went to the kitchen, opened the door and shouted: Jesus can you hand me the tomato soup?

In the text that we have, the Lord proclaims Gideon to be a man of valor. But Gideon could not fathom what the Lord is speaking of. He told the Lord that their clan is the weakest in all of Manasseh and he is the least of his father's house. Gideon was afraid of the Midianites and he asked for signs to be sure of God's power.

We all have fears in our lives, but the Lord plans great things for us if we will just believe, trust and obey Him in our lives. He is the same God who had done great things in the past, in the lives of other men. With the Lord's help, we will surely arrive at what the Lord thinks of us.

Luke 24:21-23

But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

Today's Thought: The promises of the Lord Jesus Christ are the foundations of our faith.

When Satan tempted Jesus Christ, he promised Jesus what the Lord had actually said. There are promises written in the Bible, but they should be read according to the will of God. These promises are not guarantees that we will have what we want, but we can trust the Lord on what we need. We can trust Him to be with us to continue comforting and encouraging us.

Many times we struggle because we are expecting God to work in ways which He has not promised. Our society is filled with people proclaiming what they say are God's promises concerning health and wealth and the things of this world—but often what they confidently declare is not actually what God said. Faith that is based on anything other than God’s Word will lead to trouble.

The two disciples Jesus talked to following His resurrection revealed that they had been looking for Jesus to overthrow the Romans and make Israel an independent nation again. But that is not what Jesus had been teaching them. They did believe God, but they believed the wrong goal because they did not understand what He was intending to do in their lives and in the world.

Luke 24:36-37

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

Today's Thought: The Lord has given us peace that the world cannot give.

When Jesus died His disciples were in terror, they were afraid what would happen to them now that their Master was already executed. They did no believe Him on His promise of ressurection. The angels told them about it, the women at the tomb recalled to them what happened and the disciples from Emmaus had narrated the same.

D.L. Moody said:
They say that a man cannot make a will now that lawyers cannot break. I will challenge them to break Christ’s will. Let them try it. No judge or jury can set that aside. Christ rose to execute His own will. He left His peace and His joy for every true believer, and no power on earth can take it from him who trusts.

If we don't believe in the promises of the Lord, then we are going to forfeit the blessing of peace in our lives. It is only through believing in the goodness of God and the promises He has made that we can live in peace and not in terror.

Hebrews 11:24-26

By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Today's Thought:Do not  exchange the Lord for the world; the blessing for a curse. 

Moses could have enjoyed his position in the Pharaoh's family, but he chose to renounce his privilege and be with God's people. In making the decision, Moses knew the cost, loss and suffering therein, but that decision shaped his life as he esteemed the Lord than the world. Moses understood that he was more blessed to stand with the Lord, even though rejected and despised.

Jesus died for us. He was despised and rejected by men, and He did all these for us to be called the Sons of God. The Bible says that Moses counted the cost of choosing the Lord, but he still did. The question is how willing are to suffer for the Christ. If we are faced with the same question in our lives, are we going to chose the Lord over the world? 

We need to stay with the people of God, even it means sharing their reproach. As much as we know that the Lord is going to strengthen us and give us our portion, let us also push to suffer with Him in eager anticipation of His kingdom.