O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  

Psalm 63:1, 3 NIV

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. There may be moments in our life when we can be in a great throng of people and yet feel drained and alone.  It is as if we are in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  There in that place we discover emotions that never give any life, they only seem to exhaust whatever we thought we had.  We name them as hopelessness, despair, sadness and depression.  But right in that moment our God offers his grace which is water for our soul.  It is his love that quenches all our thirsts and brings hope, joy, refreshment and an abundance of kindness. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. That is why his grace is called amazing and overwhelming.  This would be a great way to start a new day!  So allow yourself to desire the life of his love and grace.  Let your lips glorify Him and you will experience thanksgiving and rejoicing in the depth of your soul.  Enjoy!

Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.  But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.  If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.  Psalm 50:22, 23 NLT

Our sin absolutely has no desire for God or his will; it lives only for self, there is no thanksgiving within it.  If left to itself, it will tear apart the individual, the family, the church, the community and a nation.  Yet, in this place God’s grace can be found. Repent, all of you who forget me… Here in his grace an invitation is given without limit or condemnation. What does this repentance look like? But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.  His grace makes us new which changes everything, giving a life that is actually thankful to the Lord and esteems others as more important than ourselves.  Living in the grace of Jesus the Christ renews us, our family, our church, our community and even our nation.  It is a life, a salvation of no regret. Today may you actually desire to give thanks to our Lord as you consider your ways.  Let yourself find many varied ways in giving thanks for the life you have. There is no remorse, no brokenness or tearing apart in the grace of our Lord.  Enjoy!

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, jusrt as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1,2 NIV

Have you ever wondered what God really thinks or feels about you?  As dearly loved children, live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.  That is an eternal definition of God’s thoughts and what he feels about you.  Therefore, the  blessing is given -  Be imitators of God.  God's grace gives us this blessing and lets us clothe ourselves  with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NLT. We then become the images of God through his grace and with these new clothes, our thoughts, our desires, our hopes and of all things our emotions will be a fragrant offering and blessing to us and everyone around us. In fact, Being imitators of God will bless us with a graceful kindness that will be defined as making allowance for each other's faults and forgiving anyone who offends us. Colossians 3:13 NLT. WOW!!! What is wonderful about  being an imitator of God, being clothed in grace is that we become living expressions of the nature of God.  Today enjoy what the Lord has provided for you to be and wear through his grace – tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility gentleness and patience.  These are wonderful emotions that will clothe your heart and you will find that what he has given you to  be and wear is a perfect fit. Enjoy!

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.  John 7:37, 38 NIV

There was a time in my life when I know I became thirsty. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  It was after I had grown up into a young man, finished my time in the Marine Corp and had come back from Viet Nam. The thought came to me – “what is life for, what is its goal?”  I had no problem believing in God because it says – “In God We Trust” on our money.  So I asked this God on our money to please do something with my life and he began to do something in me that would change and renew me forever. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  By his grace he renewed my faith to trust again in Jesus the Christ and I have never been the same.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from with him. This living water flowed, which I discovered was the Holy Spirit producing a new character within me, which looked like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and of all things self-control, Galatians 5:22,23.  Today enjoy being thirsty for our Lord and his grace. The life that is eternal will be yours even through your opportunities.  As the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow naturally from within and through you.  This will give you a life that will bless you and bring inspiration to those around you.  Enjoy!

You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.  Matthew 5:14, 16 NLT

God’s grace in Jesus Christ really changes things.  You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  Wow, now that is a change.  In Jesus the Christ a new life is given to us which produces wonderful results. Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. The illustration of the life of grace here is seen as light, light that can be seen in all directions like a city on a hill.  But this light is also now our character which is the character of grace.  The life of his grace produces a new nature in us to “let” this new life be lived and seen in the midst of all our opportunities. Let your good deeds shine, they will refresh families, neighborhoods, churches and communities. Today may you find that what you are “letting” is like a light shining on a hilltop, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Enjoy!