How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, you are still with me.  Psalm 139:17,18 NLT

How freeing it is to actually be living in the love of God that is given through his grace in Jesus the Christ.  Living in his love, not just having thoughts about it frees us from our old nature of irritations, anxiety and all the emotions of coveting.  Here gratefulness is alive in our emotions and thoughts, which become actions and words of encouragement to all around us.  When we actually believe - "precious are your thoughts about me, O God,” we will find ourselves in a place where smiling and joy have become our nature.  Today let this scripture not just be some kind of statement, but a description of who you are.  If that is the case, this day along with those that will come, will be overwhelmed with life, goodness and grace. Please allow yourself the freedom to enjoy!

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to your from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.   1 Peter 1:18-20

It is amazing what we as individual put value on, all of which impact the direction of our lives.  It does seem that perishable things such as silver or gold are somehow on most people’s minds and if we can acquire a significant amount of these things we think we will personally feel we have more value.  Yet we all these things acquired all over the earth we still are full of violence, immorality and brokenness.  What possibly then could have more value than these things?  Well, to the Lord we are more valuable than these things and we have been redeemed, refreshed and renewed with that, which is imperishable, the precious blood of Christ, God’s gift of grace.  Today may you know that you have been redeemed by the grace of Jesus the Christ.  Redeemed by the blood of Christ is the declaration that you are loved now and for all eternity.  This is a good day to finally rest in what God has said he has done in you through Jesus the Christ.  Enjoy!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.  Ephesians 3:16-18

Here in God’s breath we have a prayer given so that we might have the power to enjoy our relationship with the Lord. We will then find out that our worship is much more beautiful than something we just do on Sunday.  In worship prayer can be described as the oxygen of the soul.  Worship is from the inside out and we find that it is founded in love and faith; therefore it has no condemnation or regret at all.  When we recognize the love of God in the depth of our being, we begin to enjoy and live in his grace.  Growing in grace can be defined as the decreasing frequency of sin because of the power of Christ’s love and therefore there is no sorrow in it.  Today may you find your heart established in his love by faith.  Your expressions, your voice and your opinions in this place will delight you and everything about your journey will become uplifting for anyone who meets you.  Allow those around you to grasp the love of Christ because of 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

One of the beautiful benefits of God’s grace in our lives is the freedom we have in letting.  His grace not only gives life but the power to let.  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 power of his grace gives the freedom to “let” this new life be seen and heard in the midst of all our opportunities.  Then men and women will see as well as hear, through us the refreshment of the life of Christ.  This refreshes families, neighborhoods and communities. Oh, it also blesses us and lets us enjoy the wonders of his grace.  Today may you find that what you are “letting” (your life) is like a light shining on a hilltop and everyone around you, including you will be blessed.  Enjoy!

Don't fool yourselves.  Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people - none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  Some of you were once like that.  But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.   1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT.

The nature of sin will produce by-products that at best are filthy.  There has never been a family, a community, a state or a nation that has become refreshed and renewed when these things are the habits of its people.  Grace comes in right at this point to remove sin's power and give us a new nature that will bring thanksgiving and delight.  Grace is the power of God's love in Jesus the Christ to release us from habits that are hurtful by nature. Grace produces new habits that have their foundation in God's love, where there will never be any regret or shame.  Today may you allow the strength of his grace to set you free from habits that do not bless you or anyone else.  In his grace you have the right as sons and daughters to praise, bless and encourage others through your actions and words.  This freedom is now and forever yours because of his grace given to you in Jesus Christ.  Enjoy!

Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?  Absolutely not!  If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.  But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.  Galatians 3:21, 22 NLT

What is so amazing about God’s grace is that it gives something to us that we cannot ever accomplish by ourselves.  It is called freedom or known as a new life.  This new life is given through what God promised his love through grace would do in Jesus the Christ.  Sin can never love; it can only lust because it is always self-seeking.  Now here is the kicker, the freedom of God’s grace lets us choose how we will respond to our opportunities. We can now see clearly the difference between new life and being a prisoner.  Bless those who curse you or curse those who curse you.  Which one lives in the freedom of a new life?  Today let your heart relax and be refreshed in who you are because of the promise in Jesus Christ.  His grace lets you choose what direction your thoughts and emotions will go.  One will give you a sweet relief and one will strap you to the ground.  We now know why we sing – “Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me.” Enjoy!

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him. Psalm 92:12-15 What an interesting journey life is. We can hardly wait to grow up and become an adult. But along our life we seem to have developed some emotions that are less than stellar about what we look like and who we are. It is in this condition that grace can renew, refresh and give great freedom. For in the freedom of grace we will find a joy and strength that comes from the very life of God, it is called eternal. No matter what our age is, grace can and will make our life new every morning with the joy of thanksgiving. Today may you be refreshed by the promise of grace in your life. You are meant to be the expressions, the voice and the attitude of God's love to everyone around you. What you say and do in the grace of our Lord can bring a beautiful delight to everyone you meet and at the same time make your day brand new. Enjoy!

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 One of the beautiful moments along our journey through life is when we feel something and we describe it as feeling it with all our heart. This is not an academic statement; it is something that touches the very fiber of our being. The beauty of God's grace is that it takes our belief in the Lord from the academic into a relationship with him that reaches the very soul of who we are. God’s grace impacts our heart like nothing else can and in grace our desires along with our emotions become free to express love, kindness and encouragement without the feeling of being strained. Here our marriage, our children and our relationships are refreshed in ways that cause us to rejoice and give thanks to the Lord. Today let yourself enjoy this freedom of his grace. Let your heart be refreshed along your journey and may he then give to you the desires of your heart as you delight yourself in him. In this place you will find no regret or sorrow. Enjoy!

The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Psalm 116:5, 6 There is a true relaxing joy in us when what we believe and say about God becomes who we are in the depth of our soul. It does not mean troubles and opportunities all leave the scene, but seeing them with the attitude of grace brings the blessings of real emotions and thoughts that are renewing and relaxing. When we allow the freedom of his grace to touch our emotions we will discover what the Psalmist meant when he said – “when I was in great need, he saved me.” Today, take a good deep breath from his Word and let your heart along with your mouth express compassion and thanksgiving for his grace and love for you. Your nature is on a great journey of renewal and the freedoms you were created for are about to blow your hair back. Enjoy!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Romans 15:13

The words here - hope, joy, peace and overflow are words of WOW!  Here we see that our Lord desires for us on our individual journeys, to not just believe in him but to trust him with all the details in our thinking and emotions. His grace is given so that we may experience that life called eternal, and find ourselves in an optimistic mood, a mood of hope, a mood of joy and a mood of peace.  His gift is given to us with the strength of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.  In this place we find ourselves overflowing with emotions of thankfulness, which impacts people in a very good way that live and work around us.  Today, may you lay aside anxiety, worry and stress and enjoy trusting in him.  It is refreshing to live a life that can be called overflowing with hope, joy and peace.  Enjoy!