Week Forty-Seven, 2023
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31
It may just be me, but the world seems to have lost its way. And too many of us in our personal lives seem more affected than ever by all that is going on around us. But God through Isaiah reminds us— “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.”
Sin still lingers, evil rears its head, and grows as darkness surrounds us. Personal lives and families continue to struggle. Illness unexpectedly hits, and heart-wrenching losses leave us empty. Families climb financial mountains unable to meet expenses as prices soar. But again, God says through His prophet Isaiah— “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.”
People continue to make decisions detrimental to their lives, to lives entrusted to them, and to the lives of others who follow their example. And God promises to help and guide them as He says again through Isaiah— “I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Through all that’s going on within us and around us, God is still there. God is good. Still worthy. Faithful. Still lifting. Caring. Embracing each one of us in His strong and everlasting arms. God is still there. Hope reigns. God’s amazing grace is there. In the midst of whatever God’s unfailing love remains.
My friends in the midst of whatever—God remains. God is still there. In the midst of whatever, God is above all. And He promises through Isaiah that “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles…”
In the midst of whatever—God. Hope. Amazing grace. Unfailing love.
For you. For me. Forever.
Scott Whitaker
SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Whatever you may be dealing with. Whatever is going on in your world. Whatever is stealing your thoughts, your moments, your joy…
Be Reminded.
Be reminded from where your help comes.
Be reminded of the one whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.
Be reminded of the one who gives you joy and peace and comfort.
Believe me, I know it’s hard. I know things sometimes are more than we can handle. But in those moments… In those times when the weight is bearing down and the walls seem to be closing in, be reminded of the one who broke the chains of sin.
Be reminded of the one who defeated death, died upon the cross, and resurrected three days later. Be reminded that you are not alone. Be reminded that there is nothing that you may be facing that Jesus, himself, has not already faced. Nothing that He cannot overcome.
Be reminded of His strength in our weakness. His hope in our hopelessness. His forgiveness in our failure. His love even when we cannot seem to love ourselves.
Jesus Loves You. This I Know. For The Bible Tells Me So.
Be reminded of His grace. His mercy. His hope. His love.
Be Reminded!! Marty Stubblefield
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A leaked Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) training video instructs staff to confirm that men can get pregnant and encourages them to refer to a pre-born baby as an “embryo” or “fetus,” to a “fetal heartbeat” as “embryonic or fetal cardiac activity,” and to a “mother” as a “veteran” or “person.”
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Wisdom from Pastor Edgar Aponte:
• Sin is not only external, but internal as well.
• Jesus is the center and goal of the Scriptures, and the lens through which we rightly understand it.
• Followers of Jesus must follow Jesus’ conviction about the Bible.
Honor and obey the whole Bible!
• Do not test the boundaries of sin but align your heart to God’s heart. Pursue merciful and humble obedience!
QUOTES YOU CAN USE
You don’t need to join a group to help a neighbor in need. You don’t need the elders’ permission to visit the sick. Take food to shut-ins or contribute to a worthy cause. You don’t have to wait for your small group at church to meet and mow the yard of an elderly member, or wash the dishes, or clean the house. You don’t need any colleges degrees, fancy titles, or special training to do good. Preacher Man
The two most important days in your life are the day you’re born and the day you find out why. Mark Twain
Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. Ruyard Kipling
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. Helen Keller
The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work. Robert Frost
If men could regard the events of their own lives with more open minds, they would frequently discover that they did not really desire the things they failed to obtain. Andre Maurois
As long as I know the Lord is standing with me, I can face the trials of tomorrow and the uncertainties of the future. Dan Shock
Paul’s L’s: Listen, learn, and love.
Suggested prayer: Father, I praise and thank You by grace we can be saved through faith. Show our neighbors salvation is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
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