Some time ago a friend asked if she could borrow a purse. The next day when she returned it, I noticed the price tag dangling from it neither of us had noticed. I thought of the old show Hee-Haw and Minnie Pearl who wore hats with price tags dangling from them. If only my thoughts had stayed there. Instead, they turned to sin dangling from my life. Me, walking around with sin that is perhaps unnoticed by others, but that God sees. Rather than focus on a dangling price tag on a purse, my Heavenly Father directed me to be concerned about sin dangling from my life. What about you? Is dangling sin a problem in your life? Hebrews 12:1 tells us, “lay aside the sin that entangles.” Learn how to do that in my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.

Are you familiar with the Rolling Stones’ 1965 song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”?  Keith Richards and Mick Jagger’s lyrics, “can’t get no satisfaction” resonated with people in the 1960’s and also today. But do you know who has found satisfaction? God. First John 2:2 says, “He (Jesus) Himself is the PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”  The word propitiation means satisfaction. This verse tells us that Jesus satisfied God’s righteous requirement that sin be dealt with rather than ignored. How did Jesus do that? He substituted His life for ours. How incredible! If we haven’t thanked Jesus lately for satisfying God’s righteous requirements of the law, now would be a good time to do that. 

Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life and being the propitiation for our sins. We love you so! 

“Abby shakes her head all the time,” I commented to my husband about a dog we used to have. Hi. I’m Debbie Taylor Williams with UpLIFT. Keith and I spent several days discussing how Abby was shaking her head. Then, someone mentioned she might have an ear infection.  We immediately took her to the vet who confirmed she did. We felt horrible that we had missed Abby’s sign to us. Signs are important and there is someone else who has given us signs that we don’t want to miss: Jesus. Matthew 24 records the disciples asking Him, “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered them. The signs are recorded in the Bible. Do we know them? Are we paying attention? Are we ready for Christ’s return? If you’re not sure, here are resources to prepare you for Christ’s return. 

Have you ever promised something and then didn’t fulfill your promise? If you have, you know what a horrible feeling it is. Maybe we promised, “I’ll never say that again.” Then we did. Or, maybe we said to God, “I promise if you get me out of this mess, I’ll do better next time.” Then we failed to do as we said. Or, maybe we don’t trust people because they’ve made promises to us they didn’t keep. When it comes to God, however, Romans 4:21 assures us “that what God PROMISED, He was able also to perform.” In other words, other people, or we, may be well-intentioned, but fail. Not God, though. What He promises, He will do. What a blessing to know that God keeps His promises.  In the midst of failed promises and lies, it’s a great time for us to read God’s promises in the Bible.  We can smile as we read them because we know they are true. Which of God’s promises are your favorites? Please let me know in the “Comment” section below. I’d love to hear from you.

Heavenly Father, in a world that is filled with lies, failed promises, we praise You for being a faithful promise keeper.  

Have you ever thought of God as being a Life Preserver? Psalm 116:6 describes Him that way. “The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.”  The word preserve means to save a life.  No doubt, Jesus fits the description. He rescues the person who is drowning in sin and calls to Jesus for salvation.  We understand the need for someone to save us from drowning in raging waters.  Do we understand the need for Jesus to save us from drowning in raging sin? We understand the need to be saved from physical death. Do we understand the need to be saved from spiritual death?

Jesus, You are the only One who can rescue us from sin and preserve our soul for eternity. We call to You. 

Are you familiar with the legal term “double jeopardy”? It means that a person can’t be tried for the same crime two times. In God’s system, it means the same which is an incredible blessing. Jesus was tried for all the sins we’ve ever committed and will commit. God has promised to not try us for our sins that Jesus has already been convicted of and paid the debt. As if that’s not enough of a huge eternal blessing, there’s more! Hebrews 2:17 explains that after Jesus died for our sins, He entered into God’s presence and became our High Priest. The resurrected Christ is seated at God’s right hand praying for us. Go to Him in gratitude. Live for Him in joy.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, our Lord and high PRIEST!  Thank You for taking our place at the judgment seat and dying for our sins.  How can we serve You?

“Therefore, He (Jesus) had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high PRIEST in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”  Hebrews 2:17

It’s messy. It’s hands-on. It’s a commitment. It’s time-consuming. It’s up close and personal. What is messy, hands-on, time consuming, and up close and personal? Being a potter, which is how God is described in Isaiah 64:8. “O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You are our POTTER, And all of us are the work of Your hand.” If you feel like your life is spinning out of control, remember that you’re in the divine Potter’s hands. He’s not going to let you fly off His Potter’s wheel. Rather, just the opposite. He’s molding and shaping you into a vessel of honor and glory. Rest in the divine glory of His hands. 

Heavenly Father, we praise You that You are our Potter. Thank You for intimately shaping us into a divine vessel.

Ha! If you know me, you know I’m not giving advice about how to be perfect because I’m anything but that. If you’ve ever hung your head in shame because of sin, I can relate. If you ever feel horrible about something you did or said, I’m with you.  It’s easy to get discouraged when we know the right thing to do and don’t do it. In those times it helps to remember God’s words to us in 1 Peter 5:10. “…the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, confirm, strengthen, and establish YOU.”  Whew! God will PERFECT us. We can’t become perfect through our human effort.  Are we responsible for cooperating with God? Yes.  We’re to renew our minds according to the Bible.  We’re to learn how to prayerfully walk by Christ’s Spirit. The next time we sin, rather than simply walk around with our head hanging low, let’s take hold of the Bible and put our minds to it. Let’s ask God to perfect our walk with Him and others.

Lord, thank You for not only calling us to Your eternal glory but for also taking it upon Yourself to PERFECT us. We love You and give You praise!  

“…the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself PERFECT, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”  1 Peter 5:10

Do you ever get perturbed when someone tells you “Chin up! Everything will get better.”  I get it. People may be well-intentioned, but the fact is, things may not get better. We may not be able to keep our marriage together. Our child may have special needs for the rest of their life. Our job may be tough. A person may refuse to forgive us. That’s why 2 Thessalonians 3:16  tells us to find our peace in Jesus, the Lord of peace. Is it easy? No. But, it’s real. I experienced it when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I experienced it when my parents were dying. In John 14:27, Jesus describes His peace as “out of this world.” In other words, it comes from heaven into our hearts so we can go through our day with inner peace. Changing the position of our chin doesn’t change anything. Opening our hearts to the Prince of Peace changes everything. 

Thank You, Prince of PEACE, that You supersede circumstances. Fill us with Your peace that is not of this world.

“Now may the LORD of PEACE Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.”                    2 Thessalonians 3:16