The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.  I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.  Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends!  His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.  Lamentations 3:19-23 NLT

No matter who we are, no matter how much money, education or talent we have, we all have moments of sorrow and suffering.  These storms may be for a day, they may be for a week and sometimes they last for a season.  In this place, many of us grieve over our loss.  But right here in the midst of the storm the fragrance of hope comes and begins to renew us, not because of the storm, but because of the one who loves us without embarrassing us or ridicule.  The mercies of our Lord that begin afresh each morning are word, tones and actions of grace.  Here hope, tenderness and compassion are found and we begin to be renewed.  On this new morning may your hope in the beauty and grace of our Lord allow you the joy that has no regret.  No matter where you have been, for whatever season, know you are loved and his grace and mercy are yours today.  His blessings are yours now and forever.  Enjoy!

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Let all that I am praise the LORD. Psalm 104:33-35 NLT

 Something happens to us when the Lord is not just a thought or some kind of belief system. When his grace touches our lives we begin a relational journey with him that impacts our goals, our desires, our thinking and our emotions. His grace brings our soul to life just as yeast would impact dough. Once the yeast has been put into the dough, the dough will never be the same. So is the grace that is given in and through Jesus the Christ. Grace begins the journey of enjoying the Lord and its by-products impact our family. Grace changes our focus and gives us the freedom of giving encouragement, blessings and praise. In this place there are no irritations. Today allow his grace to express his life through your actions, your words, your goals and your money. Your enjoyment of the Lord will bring praise and rejoicing to him and be of a great delight to you and those who know you best. So go ahead and express yourself in the blessings of his grace. Enjoy!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  Romans 8:28, 29

Grace in Jesus Christ brings a freedom and a joy that is contagious through our life’s journey.  Grace does not just forgive and save us from our sins, it saves us from ourselves.  If salvation in Jesus the Christ means anything, it must work where sin begins, not merely where it ends.  It changes us at our very foundation so that we are no longer suspicious, hateful, jealous, stingy or moody.  God's grace does not just deal with a record book; it refreshes, renews and gives freedom to the foundation of our character.  Today may you  feel the freedom of grace in every detail of your life.  May you notice the joy in your tone of voice and the expression of your face are gifts of grace.   Your hope and encouragement are the results of delighting in the freedom of letting his grace conform you to the character and attitudes of Christ.  Go ahead, enjoy!

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.  The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes."  Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put beautiful garments on you.  Zechariah 3:3, 4

Here we see a beautiful picture of God's grace towards us.  Grace removes our filthy garments which is our own activities in sin, not someone else's.  His grace cleanses, refreshes and renews our soul, our mind and our body without any ridicule, condemnation or shame.  What our Lord does in and through Jesus Christ brings a delightful blessing to us as well as those around us.  In this place our life becomes new again and we find our thoughts and emotions rediscovering the beauty of life one more time. Today may you be blessed with this beautiful garment of grace that is yours.  Living in his grace has no regret or sorrow at all.  In fact words, actions and tones of grace will renew and refresh your life as well as those you meet.  Here, life is awakened and a new journey begins.  Enjoy!

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  For God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:6,8

  Sometimes there just seems to be so many emotional storms through life. We often feel our lives would be different if we were just a little older, if I was just a little younger, if I was just a little thinner, if I just was a little heavier, if I just was married, if I just felt important.  These are moments where condemnation arises and can begin to direct the course of our lives in ways that are less than wonderful.  In the midst of all the details of our lives God demonstrates his love for us right where we are, not right where we want to be.  If in your life you have ever felt powerless, or ungodly, know in this place Jesus the Christ gives you his grace, which is his love without any condemnation or peer pressure of any kind.  Today let your heart be filled with his love, his kindness, his delight and his blessing.  You are either a man or woman of God because of the grace in Jesus Christ.  You are no longer powerless, you are no longer ungodly.  In fact you are now the demonstration of the blessing of God to your family, your friends and your neighbors. This is the right time to enjoy!

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15

There is something wonderful that happens within us when we know we are at our best.  Well, the beauty of God’s grace that is given through Jesus the Christ frees us up so that we may know at any given moment we are at our best.  Grace is powerful and relaxing at the same time.  It is eternal life without any form of condemnation about ourselves and a freedom to give this grace away to everyone we meet along our journey.  Grace gives a rebirth to our character which obviously affects our emotions and thinking.  Grace makes life beautiful and therefore husbands and wives that are full of grace make really good marriages and families.  Today enjoy who you are because of the grace of God.  Believe what our Lord says about you, that he enjoys you and loves you.  Smile right down to the depth of your soul and your life will be the voice, the knowledge and the character of the word of truth. Enjoy

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  For God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6,8

Sometimes there just seems to be so many emotional storms through life.  If I was just a little older, if I was just a little younger, if I was just a little thinner, if I just was a little heavier, if I just was married, if I just felt important.  These are moments where condemnation and what we know as peer pressure arise and many times begin to direct the course of our lives in ways that are less than wonderful.  But in the midst of all the details of our lives God demonstrates his love for us, right where we are, usually not right where we want to be.  If in your life you have ever felt powerless, ungodly or what can be known as a sinner, know in this place Jesus the Christ gives you his grace, which is his love without any condemnation or peer pressure of any kind.  Today let your heart be filled with his love, his kindness, his delight and his blessing.  You are either a man or woman of God because of the grace in Jesus Christ.  You are no longer powerless, you are no longer ungodly.  In fact you are now the demonstration of the blessing of God to your family, your friends and your neighbors. This is the right time to enjoy!

He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Sometimes through our journey in this life we find ourselves thinking life is much more complicated than it was intended to be.  Let’s just suppose the grace of God in Jesus the Christ is real and is not that complicated.  Here in his grace there is no condemnation of any kind, no bitterness of any kind, no resentment of any kind and no mistrust of any kind.  His grace gives a beautiful voice to mercy and faith so we may begin to live life in a freedom that can be called joyful.  Today that has been given to you as a gift, relax in the beauty of his grace and mercy.  Let your thinking and emotions enjoy your life in him without fear or anxiety.  There is a natural fragrance that will be yours in the grace and mercy of our Lord, it is called thanksgiving.  Everyone around you will be blessed because you are now the expression of his kindness and mercy.  Enjoy!

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work.  Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.  For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? Ecclesiastes 2:24,25

He gives us taste buds to enjoy and delight in eating and drinking.  He gives us vision and hearing to enjoy and delight in his creation.  He gives us his grace so that we may enjoy and delight in a relationship with him and others without feelings of insecurity.  What happens in the noise and busyness of our time is that we have a tendency to forget that his grace is relational and refreshing.  In those moments we forget who he is and who we are in him.  Today may you find yourself choosing to enjoy what is around you with a heart of thanksgiving to the Lord.  Go ahead and bless everyone that you come in contact with and your life will be a beautiful fragrance that brings delight to you and those around you.  Enjoy

God saved you by his grace through faith.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8,9 NLT

Whatever may be true about sin and whatever has happened to all of us because of it, God has done infinitely greater by his grace through Jesus Christ.  Where sin increased with all its forms of condemnation, right there grace overwhelmed with joy and freedom.  Grace is the power of God’s love given to us all in and through Jesus the Christ.  It is only grace that could make sin yield.  The result of grace upon our life is faith and therefore faith becomes the first result of the new life bestowed.  Here the healing from all our condemnation begins.  This really is a gift worth opening; it will refresh your life forever.  Today know that you are free to enjoy being loved, valued and honored because of God’s grace.  Here your heartaches have a place to be made whole; your past will no longer be the ruin of today.  You might just find yourself smiling right down to the depth of your soul.  God’s freedom of grace is yours.  Enjoy!