IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Most of us are familiar with the hymn, "It Is Well with My Soul."  I love it, not only for its beautiful message but because of the history behind it.  It was written by Horatio Gates Spafford. Horatio and his wife lived in Chicago with their five children. He always maintained his faith despite financial success.  He was a businessman who lost almost all of his sizable investments in the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871.  At about that same time,  his four years old son died of scarlet fever.

Two years later, in 1873, after he had lost his business, Spafford was advised by his doctor to take a rest.  And then to make things worse, a little while after that, his wife had health problems due to the loss of their son.  He planned a trip for her to help her emotionally. He was going to take his family to England, but due to unexpected, last-minute business, he had to remain in Chicago and sent his wife and their four daughters ahead of him.  His family sailed on a French steamer without him.  The ship sank in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when it was struck by the Loch Earn, an iron sailing vessel.  He lost his four daughters, all of his family except for his wife, Anna Spafford.  What a tragedy!

It is believed that he wrote a poem shortly after that as an expression of his faith in God.  The poem began with the following words.

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll; 

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 

It is well, with my soul."

Three years later, in 1876, Spafford gave the poem to Ira David Sankey.

The song, "It Is Well with My Soul" is a beautiful and moving song that gives us hope amid life's fiery trials and reminds us also that God will redeem our souls from the power of the grave and receive us into His heavenly portals.  Let us consider the hope that we have as an anchor of our soul.  An anchor that reassures us of our hope and that helps us to say with confidence,

“It Is Well with My Soul.”

I.   THE PEACE OF GOD AMID OUR FIERY TRIALS:  

"When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul."

The first stanza of the poem describes the peace that God extends to us like a river amid our fiery trials (Isa. 66:12).  Those who trust in God can have the peace that keeps their souls when sorrows and anxiety come our way.  God does not want us to be anxious about anything.  He wants us to make known our needs by supplication and prayer to Him with thanksgiving.  He has promised to give us His peace and to guard our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:6-7).   We must believe that His peace is available to us when sorrows cause us anxiety and despair!   We must learn to be content whatever our lot, knowing that God is with us all the way.  He has promised not to leave us nor forsake us.  We can assuredly say,

"The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"  (Heb. 13:5-6).

II.   THE ASSURANCE OF REDEMPTION IN OUR TRIALS: 

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul."

The second stanza gives us the assurance of redemption in our time of trials.  Although Satan might buffet us through the fiery trials of life, God's faithful children, those whose hearts are right with Him, can rest assured that God cares and is aware of what is happening to us.  As faithful Christians, we must rejoice and be glad, for we are sharing in Christ's sufferings (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Thus, "we can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water"  (Hebrews 10:22).  Our full assurance is based on Christ's own blood that was shed for us.

"For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28).

III.   FORGIVENESS OF SINS IN CHRIST:  

"My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to His (or the) cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"

The third stanza describes the forgiveness of sins through Christ's blood.  Since we all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, we need the blood of Jesus to redeem us (Romans 3:23).  Jesus, our Lord, bore our sins when He gave His body on the tree as a sacrifice for us that through Him we might be forgiven of our sins and rise up in newness of life to righteousness.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

Thus, through His precious blood, we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 1:7).


IV.   WE HAVE LIFE IN CHRIST:  

"For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pain (or pang) shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul."

The fourth stanza (not in HFWR) declares that we have life in Christ, and He lives in us.  Since we have been crucified with Christ in the waters of baptism, we must cease the practice of sin, for He lives in us.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me"  (Gal. 2:20).

In our stanza, "Jordan" symbolizes the time of death (Heb. 9:27).  As those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, we must magnify, honor the Lord both in life and death (Phil. 1:20).


V.   WE MUST PRESS ON TOWARD OUR GOAL:  

"But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul."

The fifth stanza (also not in HFWR) tells us that we have a goal to press on toward and that we must patiently wait for the Lord's coming (1 Thess. 1:9-10).  This promise should motivate us to keep ourselves pressing on toward our goal, our prize.

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14).

Thus, we must look forward to hearing His voice (John 5:28-29).


VI.  OUR EXPECTATION OF CHRIST'S COMING:  

"And Lord haste the day, when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul."

The sixth stanza speaks of our expectation that Christ will come as He has promised.  We don't know, and we are not told when that day will be, but we do know that someday the trumpet will sound.  Then the Lord, as He has promised, will descend in the same way as He went to heaven (Acts 1:11).

"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-52).

 "And said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:11).

Thus we must live faithfully and live with this expectation, eagerly waiting for His coming.

 "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

CONCLUSION:

Maybe, you and I have not lost our children, but some have. Tragedies like this often rob us of our peace. It may be debilitating health, death, significant financial losses, rebellious children, unbearable conflicts in our marriage, brethren or many other things that are  thrown our way to rob us of our peace.  The list may be extensive, but we must remember to turn our hearts toward the Lord, as Horatio did, to find true peace.  Divine peace that surpasses our terrible circumstances in life, and that so often passes our own understanding!

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"  (Philippians 4:7).  

Divine peace can only be found in God.  He has told us how to think.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you"  (Philippians 4:8-9).  

Jesus, our Lord, puts tranquility in our hearts, no matter our circumstances, no matter the severe storms in our lives that rage furiously all around us.  Trusting in Him will not only lead us to perfect, divine peace, but also to an abundant thankfulness.  It will help us to learn more about the greatness of our Lord God Almighty.

This beautiful song expresses in the chorus the well being of the soul who trusts in the Lord.

It is well (it is well),

With my soul (with my soul),

It is well,

It is well with my soul.

This song gives us hope in heaven.  We have an anchor of hope, that reassures us, and that will help us to say with confidence,

“It Is Well with My Soul.”

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek"  (Hebrews 6:13-20).

Whether difficult or not, may our circumstances not rob us or keep us from holding fast and drawing nearer to our Father in heaven.  He is our everlasting hope.  In Him, we have that peace like a river that attendeth our way!


Luci

AMBITION FOR A QUIET LIFE

"And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you."

I Thessalonians 4:11

In our modern culture, living a simple and quiet life has become obsolete and a forgotten virtue. Living this kind of life used to be accepted as a spiritual discipline, which was wise for one to pursue.  Let us consider that quiet life that the Lord has in mind for us.

We seem to have forgotten that quiet living leads to peace and peace to Christ.  One who lives a quiet life has more time to abide in Christ.  What that means is one would have more time to worship Him while doing the simple daily tasks of life.  It is the quiet heart that can perform the necessary tasks as unto God.  God knows well who is living a quiet life and who has the time to get to know Him well for Him to abide in him and he in Him.


I.  THE QUIET HEART:

We find quiet in our soul, mind, and heart.  There is no other way to find it.  Quiet is found in the heart who finds rest at the feet of God.  It is the heart that finds rest in Him while it is going about the daily work(tasks) of life.

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve" (Colossians 3:23-24).

The heart learns that when we clutter up life with too many things that are not from God, it will keep the heart from being quiet and still. The heart must acknowledge that whatever is not from God causes anxiety and fatigue.  God asks us to live a quiet life.  God in His wisdom knows that anxiety, fatigue, and chaos are merely the end results and physical symptoms of spiritual sickness, lack of peace, lack of time with God.  God gives us simple tasks to complete in our daily life.  He is a good and kind God who does not fill our plate with unnecessary extras.  All He asks is that we find joy, delight, and peace with the simple tasks He bestows upon us.

As we learn to obey God in our simple and quiet work daily, we start to see and know Him better. We start walking with Him more and He with us.  He starts guiding us and pouring His peace on us. We start bearing more fruit and stop being idle and lazy.  It is then that we begin to do the work that He has given us.

Today most of us are cluttered.  We seem to be drowning with activities, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, all kinds of social media, entertainment, and pop culture.  We want more and more earthly pleasures without reservations.  The bombardment is constant!  There is no time for living a simple and refreshed life in God's peace.  These are all distractions that clutter us and cover us with layer upon layer of carnal things that can not give us satisfaction.  It is a spirit that lives at a fast and frantic pace! 

We forget that God has designed us to find rest in Him only.  This must be the longing of our souls. When we don't live a life that is simple and quiet, we start to feel all sorts of sickness and anxieties. Lest we forget, our real home is heaven.  It is that permanent place of rest in God.  When we do not live a quiet life, we begin to feel unhealthy, depressed, chaotic, and sick because of all the wrong things we seek to fill up our lives.  Why not think how sweet heaven will be when our final journey is ended?  How sweet that final rest will be after all our toils, suffering, and fatigue!


CONCLUSION:

When we live a quiet life, we are going to be the light of the world for Christ, a life of doing the work He has given us to do.  It is a life of taking advantage of all of our abilities as tools to evangelize, bringing the Gospel of Christ to a world of darkness.  It is a life of offering God a sweet aroma.  It is in living a life as His simple, quiet and faithful servants that He will be pleased.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"  (Matthew 5:8).

May our Lord show us His Truth in a quiet life.  May He lead us along His paths of righteousness.  May He show us His ways to peace.  May He guard our heart, soul, and mind against clutter that will seek to lead us astray.  May we have a heart of discernment whose ambitions are His only.

"To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you"  (I Peter 1:4).

Luci

CLOTHED IN CHRIST

 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."'

Revelation 7:9-10

As Christ makes His abode in us and we in Him through the Spirit, we come to know God more and are changing more into His likeness, His image. We awaken and become aware that He is clothing us in His likeness: His meekness, His steadfastness, His lovingkindness, and His righteousness. We become more conscious of His Son's sacrifice, that cruel death on the cross.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."   2 Corinthians 3:18

I.   OUR INNER CLOTHING:  

As our hearts and minds are being changed into newness of life, they are renewed and transformed. We are regenerated in heart and soul as we walk in Jesus' steps. Our newness of life must reflect our "inner clothing" on the outside. When we clothe ourselves with Christ, meekness, righteousness, and holiness, start to show. We begin to reflect the one who has given us new life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

"But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."  Ephesians 4:20-24

Our Lord Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount:  

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."   Matthew 5:5

We live in a world where gentleness, meekness, simpleness, modesty, humility, longsuffering, and submissiveness are not taught and cultivated.  Notice that among those qualities that Jesus spoke of in His Sermon on the Mount, “meekness” (gentleness) is found.  Jesus portrayed meekness for us when He walked among us.  

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."   Matthew 11:29

"You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  I Peter 5:5

Our Lord and Savior is the best role model of meekness. Moses is another excellent example of someone who modeled meekness.

"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  Philippians 2:8

"Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth."  Numbers 12:3

So the question at stake is:  Don't you think that showing off, being prideful and pretentious, is exhausting?  Do we really want to be something or someone that we are not?  Do we want to look like someone full of insecurities, with an outward image that we are not?  Such an outward image does not give rest to the heart and soul.  Only when we are clothed in Christ do we find true rest for our weary soul, rest in His Father's love, sitting at His Son's feet, and harnessed with His yoke on our shoulders.  Our Father has adopted us as His family through His Son's sacrifice. We are sanctified, washed, and justified through His precious blood, baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. 

So, to whom do we have to prove ourselves as worthy, to man or God the Father?  Why worry so much about the outward man?  Why not worry more about the inward man, who must be renewed in His glory and likeness?  

"Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."   I Corinthians 6:11

"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."  John 17:17

 "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."   2 Corinthians 4:16

As we clothe ourselves in Christ inwardly, we imitate Him in His likeness.  It starts to show outwardly. Likewise, when we focus on clothing ourselves outwardly, in fleshly ways, we will show the fruits of the flesh, not the ones of the Spirit.  We will tend to be rebellious,  ungodly, unrighteous, vain, conceited, selfish, and arrogant.  Lest we forget, we must not be absorbed in self; instead, we must die to self.  Lest we forget, we must courageously die to the “voyage of self.”

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."  Romans 13:13

 "But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."   2 Peter 1:6

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."   Galatians 5:16-17

As those who profess godliness, we must clothe ourselves with the right attitude of heart, righteousness, holiness, love, and gentleness.  This means that we must clothe our inner man and be renewed and transformed daily.  In clothing the inner man with the Spirit of Christ, we shine our light to a world of darkness.  We reflect the beauty of Christ in us by the washing, sanctifying, justifying, and renewing of our souls. It is the only way to glorify our Father in heaven. This can only be accomplished by surrendering to our Savior.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

Consider the following questions of how we ought to walk before men:  

1. Are we reflecting Christ in our lives by the way we live?  
2. Do we look more like the world on the outside by the way we conduct ourselves with others? 
3. Do we show others an inner man who is changed and renewed in the likeness of God?
4. Do we inspire and encourage others to come to Christ by our godly example?  
5. Or instead, are we stumbling blocks by our bad example?  
6. Do we focus more on Christ by living a life that is worthy of Him?  
7. Do we show gratitude to Him Who made Himself a sacrifice and died that cruel death?  We can only show gratitude by living an upright and blameless life.
8. Does His beauty shine in us outwardly?  Remember, this dark world will not likely see His beauty if they do not see it reflected in us.

We do not want to be like the Pharisees, focused on outward appearances.  They were ostentatious, self-righteous, and completely empty and unclean because of their lawless deeds.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness."  Matthew 23:27

Jesus did not carry Himself as someone showing off, although He was God.  He humbled Himself!  He surrendered to His Father's will.  He knew His reward was in heaven.  Meekness is the opposite of the prevailing human, empty, and vain wisdom.  God's wisdom is the opposite of fleshly wisdom.  His wisdom is contrary to the world's.

"Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.  He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.  A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth."  Isaiah 42:1-3

CONCLUSION:

When Christ clothes our hearts walking in His Spirit, we are no longer slaves of lawlessness but righteousness. When we clothe ourselves with Christ, we reflect His excellencies.  We are clothed in His love, righteousness, and humility.  We adorn ourselves in His holiness, sanctification, righteousness, and mercy.  We adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect (Titus 2:10). Our souls find that peace that surpasses all human understanding.  

"And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness... For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification."   Romans 6:18-19

"But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity."  Psalm 37:11

May the Lord teach and show us His ways and thoughts.  May our inner man be renewed and regenerated day by day.  May He give us wisdom to reject the vanity of the outward man that decays day by day.  May we strive to be more like Him and not be caught up in the pride and vanity of the world.  May we reflect Him, being clothed with His grace and righteousness.  May we die to ourselves so that we can show His beauty.

"The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."  Isaiah 29:19

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."  Galatians 3:26-27

"The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."   I John 2:6

Luci

I'd like to leave you with this beautiful sacred Hymn:

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, and blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When every earthly prop gives way,

He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found,

Clothed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne!

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

IS GOD'S VISION OF LIFE ENOUGH FOR US?

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  

Micah 6:8 

We often feel that our current life is not enough as we look out the window and gaze at things beyond our usual experiences. Our hearts yearn for an idealized version of life, thinking it should be different from what it is. It's as if we believe we should live a different life to find true happiness and satisfaction. This dissatisfaction leaves our hearts feeling discontent and yearning for perfection, which seems unattainable. Instead of longing for the unattainable, we should ask ourselves if this is truly what God wants for us. Will this idealized life bring greater fulfillment as Christians, whose main desire should be to do God's will?


I.   GOD HAS FILLED US FULL!

We live in a world where everyone is striving to attain something. We always strive for something more, as if what we have is not sufficient. We want a better car, a better house, a better spouse, a better church, better brethren, better neighbors, a better job, a better salary, a better way of entertainment or a better way to spend our leisure time, a better (you fill in the blank). Yet we miss all the riches our Father in heaven has placed right before us. We ignore those riches that are the apple of our eyes and hearts. Yes, the people in front of us! They were not given to us by our Father in heaven to take for granted! They were not placed in our lives by accident or because we tried so hard to attain them. These blessings are not our earthly promotions or bonus money. They are gifts from our God in heaven! They have been administered to us to love, care for, and protect.

Nevertheless, we treasure them not at all and act as if they are not enough. We are absolutely ungrateful! Don't forget that God sees and is unhappy with how we administer His riches. When we behave this way, we tell Him, "You are not enough for me."

We often spend our time chasing after an idealized life that exists only in our minds instead of finding contentment in the presence of God, who created the universe and breathed life into us. We must stop and listen to His voice through His Word, which is meant to fill our souls with His riches. We fail to recognize that we dwell in God's presence, where we can be filled with His overflowing grace. Have you considered that this is what God expects of us?

• What Does God Expect of Us?

"When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek'" (Psalm 27:8).

God desires that his children spend time with Him daily and seek Him diligently with all their hearts, souls, and minds. However, this won't happen instantly, especially if we mistakenly believe that we already give abundantly to God daily. We must surrender our intentions and align them with God's will. Our time should be devoted to Him first, and all our desires and needs should be laid at the feet of our Lord. Our primary purpose should be to continually seek God and treasure His Word. This requires time and effort, which means setting aside anything that hinders us from serving the Lord. We must immerse ourselves in God’s presence daily, loving Him and the people He has placed in our lives. We should open our hearts to recognize and appreciate God's blessings, pausing to acknowledge them and examining our hearts. Doing this will make us realize that the Lord has fulfilled us in every way. When we focus on the past instead of looking forward, we risk missing or taking what is right in front of us for granted.

God has His own dreams and purposes for us. How sad to miss out on them! So, my question is, do we really want to miss out on the life that God has purposed for us? A life designed to bless and prosper us and those He has placed in our lives. Do we want to miss that life because we are too busy dreaming those dreams we have made up for ourselves? Think about that!

1. To love those whom God has placed in front of us is enough!  
2. It is enough to live a simpler life not complicated by the webs of this world's wants that entangle and choke us!  
3. It is enough to spend time alone with our God each day of our walk here on earth, listening to and obeying His voice.  
4. God requires us to purposely choose a different life, a godly life different from those around us, and that should be enough!  
5. We must believe in our hearts that the life that our God has given us is to love and live for others, and this must be enough for us!  

We must not keep adding more and more to our plates. We must not let Satan deceive us into thinking that our lives are boring, simple, meaningless, and hopeless! We must change our way of thinking. We are fooling ourselves if we believe we must do something else to find contentment and joy. This will only add more chaos and deception, making us believe a lie - that our current life has no purpose and is not enough. We must not let Satan and our flesh or the world determine what we do! Instead, we should do God's will and fulfill what He requires.

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  

Micah 6:8 

CONCLUSION:

As we journey through life, it's important to remember that we don't need to justify our decisions to anyone but God. Our focus must be on walking with Him and seeking His will. God is all we need to navigate this life, and His guidance is enough. Instead of adding unnecessary burdens to our lives, let's align our dreams and intentions with God's purpose rather than worldly desires or pursuits.

God is simple and direct with us. He requires that we act righteously, show mercy, and walk humbly with Him daily. Therefore, we must focus on doing God's will wherever He has placed us. That is enough!

May this way of thinking sink deeply into our hearts. May we commit our lives to the Lord, trusting Him with our hearts and minds. May we, with joyful hearts, do all that He requires of us, which is to do good, do righteousness, love kindness or mercy, and walk humbly with Him all the days of our lives here on earth. Finally, may we humbly allow Him to transform us and teach us all His righteous ways so that we may bear abundant fruit to His glory.

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day... Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way"  (Psalm 25:5-9).

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday"  (Psalm 37:5-6).

Luci