We're taking a trip chronologically through the Bible this year.
Each day we are walking with God.
And he is taking us somewhere. We don’t know where….we’re following.
He has a plan for every believer.
A purpose.
There’s a reason – many reasons – why we are still here on this earth.
We have an assignment to fulfill.
And, so…..we walk each day with God.
Listening.
Learning.
Obeying.
We’re following him until our mission on earth is fulfilled.
Then we will walk into eternity next to our loving Father…..
forever.
We love you, Abba Father.
Such a great word – flourish!
It means to develop in a healthy way as a result of a particularly favorable environment.
This is a great goal for us – to flourish.
So what’s our next step?
How about finding a particularly favorable environment to put ourselves in? A healthy environment where we are supported and surrounded by people who also want to flourish.
I don’t know of any place better to find an environment like this than participating in a Bible-based, healthy church family.
“Who is wise?” God asks us in Hosea 14. “Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.”
Are we walking or stumbling?
In the same passage, God promises to help us flourish. He promises to help us blossom.
The Creator of the Universe always keeps his promises.
It’s clear which particularly favorable environment we need to be participating in so we can flourish.
That’s our next step.
Thank you, Abba Father.
Our car doesn’t start.
The electricity goes out.
Our debit card suddenly doesn’t work at the grocery store.
The majority of the things we really count on in our lives will let us down at one time or another.
A job we thought we would have for a long time ends.
People who we trusted disappoint us.
There is only one thing that we can always count on – our Father God will never let us down.
He is trustworthy, faithful and perfect.
He can’t mess up.
We might think he made a mistake when he does something we don’t understand.
But it’s impossible for him to do anything wrong.
We can always count on him.
We read in 1 Kings the account of the widow who made a loaf of bread with her last handful of flour and gave that bread to Elijah.
Then she discovered that she had enough flour and oil to make another loaf for herself and her son.
And she continued to have enough to make bread through the long drought that was going on where she lived.
God provided for her and he will provide for us.
It may seem like there is not going to be enough but God’s supplies never run dry.
His love and grace and provision for us never run out.
He is watching over us today…right now.
We can count on it.
Thank you, Abba Father.
Have you noticed how hard it is to start a new good habit but how easy it is to start a new bad one?
We have this inherent desire to do our own thing. Go our own way. Do what we want to do – even when it’s not good for us.
It’s called rebellion.
It’s called sin.
In 2 Chronicles, Azariah tells King Asa, “The Lord is with you when you are with him.”
The same is true for us. When our relationship with God is good, he is able to be close to us. He is able to wrap his arms around us to hold us and love us. When we are right beside him, he can give us peace.
When we are far from God, it means that we have wandered. God doesn’t go anywhere. By focusing on our plans and doing what we want to do, we can end up very far from God.
So how can we stop wandering?
What can we do to stop getting lost in our own desires?
What would our lives look like if we pursued God as diligently as he pursues us?
What would happen if we loved him as much as he loves us?
The reality is that it’s not possible for us to love him as much as he loves us. His love is perfect – the perfect amount at the perfect time in a perfect way.
This all makes him a very good Father who is worth pursuing. It’s worth every effort we can make to stay close to him.
Every day.
For as long as we remain on this earth.
Thank you, Abba Father.
There are mountains of lies building up around us.
As information flies around the planet faster and faster, it is becoming increasingly less accurate.
Many of the things we watch on TV and videos are not entirely true.
Things we read on the internet have been embellished and edited.
Most of what people tell us are not completely true – everyone has a different perspective. And – let’s face it – we all love a good story.
It’s just not always true.
Actually, the better the story, the less likely that its all true.
We need wisdom today regarding what we’re going to believe.
We need discernment so we can separate fact from fiction.
Proverbs 14:15 is a great verse for us. “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.”
We need to be careful about what we believe and give real thought to our next steps. Where we are going. What we’re basing our decisions on.
All real wisdom comes from God.
It is not cynical.
It is not hopelessly optomistic.
God gives us wisdom that is realistic with a good dose of positivity mixed in because of how supernaturally awesome our Father God is.
Giving thought to our steps means not just reacting to whatever is happening to us. It means regularly consulting with God. It means making a plan for our lives based on God’s truth and what he is telling us when we spend time with him.
What truth has God revealed to you lately?
Please open our eyes, Abba Father.
I am extremely grateful to our Father God for a very special gift he lent to us for 34
years.
God is doing an awesome thing as he helps us memorize Romans 8! This is a long and difficult chapter to memorize but God is blessing our efforts as we repeat his words over and over and over.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because, through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin sacrifice. And so he condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law be fully met in us who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s laws nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are 
controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit when the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.”
Thank you, God! Here is the next verse:
“And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies, through his Spirit who lives in you.”
When we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, his Spirit lives in us. He gives us an eternal, personal relationship with God. When we let him transform us, he gives us a new nature filled with grace and faith.
Thank you, Abba Father.
Wisdom.
W e can use all the wisdom we can get.
So many decisions to be made.
So many options available.
Things are moving and changing so quickly…and its all just going to get faster.
We need wisdom.
Solomon asked God for a ‘discerning heart’ and he got wisdom. God made him the wisest man who has ever lived.
God tells us in the book of James that he will give us a generous amount of wisdom if we ask for it.
So let’s ask:
Dear Father. Thank you for giving your Word to us. Thank you for guiding our steps through your truth. We are asking for your wisdom, God, so we will do things and say things that honor you. Please help us know and understand your truth so that your wisdom can grow inside of us. Change us, dear Father. Transform us. We are your children and we are asking for wisdom for today. And more wisdom for tomorrow. Please help us grow wise, Abba Father. In the awesome name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
All of the earth shouts because you bring us so much joy, LORD!
We worship you with smiles on our faces!
We sing praises to you because of the joy you give us!
We know you are God. You made us. We are yours.
We are your people. We belong to you.
We are so grateful that we have the privilege of having a personal relationship with you, God!
When we come together in your house, we are filled with praise!
Thank you, Father!
You are so good to us! Your love will never end.
We praise you for your faithfulness to us and to our parents and our grandparents and everyone that has lived before us.
And we praise you for your faithfulness to our children and our grandchildren and all of those who are yet to come.
We know we can always count on your faithfulness, dear God.
Thank you, Abba Father.
Just look around!
Creation shouts out how awesome our God is!
Look up in the sky!
This was all created by God.
Every morning as the sun rises, it proclaims the faithfulness of God.
Night after night, the moon and stars reveal God’s protection over us.
They have no words – yet their voice goes out over all of the earth.
The sun appears each day at God’s command and crosses the sky to give warmth to all of God’s creation.
God’s law is perfect – it gives us peace and joy.
God’s word can be trusted to make us wise.
God’s directions are perfect for us.
God’s commands light our way.
When we respect and obey God, our lives are lined up with him.
God’s directions are always correct and they never change. They are more precious to us than anything else.
When we obey, there is great reward.
Forgive us for our disobedience, dear Father. Sin that we know about and those we are unaware of. Help us stay away from sinful desires and actions so that loving you can be the most important desire we have in our lives.
May our words and thoughts please you, Lord.
Our Rock and Redeemer.
Come with me on a Journey through the Bible 