For my devotions today I read Zephaniah chapter 3. Verse 17 jumped out at me. It says…

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT – For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

This was originally written to the people of Israel, but we see five great things about our God.

1. The Lord is living among you
2. He is mighty Saviour
3. He takes delight in us with gladness
4. He calms all of our fears with His love
5. He rejoices over us with joyful songs

This would have been very encouraging to it’s original audience. And we can be encouraged by it today too because our God never changes!

Psalm 92:12-15 NLT – But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. [13] For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. [14] Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. [15] They will declare, “The LORD is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”

In my job as a Companion Carer I work with a lot of elderly people. Every day I interact with people who have lost some of the abilities they had when they were younger. For some of them it is physical abilities. For others it is memory related.

In today’s verses it lists five things that the people of God or godly people have as they age.

1. The godly will flourish and grow strong
2. We are transplanted in to God’s house
3. Even in old age we will still produce fruit
4. They remain vital and green like a healthy tree
5. The Lord is our rock

These things can give us comfort as we age. We ARE transplanted in to God’s house and we WILL flourish, be strong, remain vital and produce fruit. God says it in His Word. Let us not forget these things.

Yes we may not be able to do some of the things we did in our youth or remember everything that we have done. But we will still be vital, we still will be fruitful and we still have the Lord as our rock.

We may not be able to work all day in physical work, but we can come alongside someone and encourage them. We may not be able to remember every Bible verse that we once did, but we can still pray for people.

Let us purpose in our hearts to continue to be the people of God right until God calls us home.

Be blessed today!

Romans 7:6 NLT – But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

This verse reminds us of two great truths.

1. As Christians we are released from the law because in Christ we are dead to it.
2. Now we are free to serve God by living by the Spirit and following His promptings.

Some people try to earn their way to God by keeping a set of rules. Things like trying to obey the Ten Commandments, attending church each week, or trying to do good deeds in their own strength. However, all they earn for their “good deeds” is frustration and discouragement because they can never do any of those things perfectly.

The Bible tells us that Christ’s sacrifice has opened the way to God. We become his children simply by putting our faith and trust in Him and what He has done for us. We no longer have to try to reach God by keeping rules through our own efforts.

When we let the Holy Spirit turn our eyes away from our own efforts and toward Jesus, we are free to serve him out of love and gratitude. This is “living in the Spirit” in our every day lives.

Let us purpose in our hearts today to not live by a set of rules, but let the Spirit guide and lead us in to the things He wants us to do today.

Prayer

Dear God, please help me not to live in the power of the flesh, but in the power of the Holy Spirit. I don’t want to do things in my own strength and wisdom, but in the strength and wisdom from the Spirit. Help me to serve Jesus in love and gratitude today. In Jesus name, Amen.

In Acts chapter 17 the Apostle Paul preaches to the people in Athens. He was trying to explain the “unknown God” to the educated people there.

In verses 23 and 24 he talks about the world and how it came into being. It says…

[24] “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, [25] and human hands can’t serve his needs-for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.

In this passage we see five keys things about God and His creation.

1. God made the world and everything in it.
2. He is the Lord of heaven and earth.
3. We can’t serve Him personally as He has no needs.
4. He gave life to everything.
5. He satisfies every need.

These are five key things about how we got here and why we are alive. Paul then goes on to tell us why God did what He did. Verse 27 says…

[27] “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him-though he is not far from any one of us.

Paul told the people of Athens that God created the world and His purpose was for us to come to know Him. God’s goal has always been a personal relationship with us all.

This is why He created the world. Why He created humans. Why He sent prophets in the Old Testament. Why Jesus came to live amongst us. And why the Holy Spirit is active in the world today.

God loves you and I and He wants to be a part of our lives. He is always reaching out to us. Will you reach out to Him today?