Pocket Thoughts - 1/9/26
God * has achieved salvation and righteousness for His people by the strength of His own arm * gives joy to those who enter His house of prayer * rejects empty piety.
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There are sowers, and there are reapers. Be prepared to be used by God in both roles - to plant seeds that mature into a hunger and thirst for Jesus and also to share the gospel with souls ripe for harvest – ready to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Some plant, some reap. Both roles are necessary for the harvest. There are few joys so great as seeing new believers become members of the family of God and knowing He’s given you the privilege of playing a small part in bringing new life to once-dead hearts! – TV
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Nehemiah was a Jew who had been born and raised in Babylon, but he loved the homeland of his people. In talking with men who came from Judah, Nehemiah received a disturbing report about the remnant of God’s people who had returned to Judah and the condition of Jerusalem. The people were in “great trouble and disgrace.” Lack of leadership had led them into apathy and disobedience toward God. The walls of Jerusalem remained broken down, leaving the city and its occupants vulnerable to enemy attack. In addition to the physical danger the unwalled city faced, Nehemiah was also distressed by the spiritual implications. The condition of a city’s walls represented to outsiders the strength of the gods of its residents. In its current state, the God of the Hebrews was a source of “disgrace” in the eyes of neighboring people groups. Nehemiah was grieved for the Lord’s reputation. He rightly concluded that the people’s complacency in repairing the broken city walls was a clear indication of their complacency toward God and their own spiritual condition. Israel had once been a thriving nation with its own language, monarchy, military, and strong reputation. Now it was a weak nation with no direction. From his place in Babylon, Nehemiah’s heart was burdened for the people of his homeland and the honor of his God. He took his concerns to the Lord with mourning, fasting, and prayer in anticipation of the opportunity to go to Jerusalem and do something about the heartbreaking situation of the nation and people he loved. In this age of instant and constant access to distressing stories, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and grow calloused to the brokenness in the world just because of the sheer volume of bad news. But God calls His people to care and to act. Like Nehemiah, we do what we can to push back the darkness, and it starts with mourning the state of the world and seeking God’s help to make a difference. All the emotion in the world is useless if we don’t pray for suffering people and then step up to care for others wherever God has placed us. As Christ’s ambassadors, we’re called to uphold His reputation as a God Who bows low to serve out of a heart of love. We can’t allow despair to paralyze us. God will empower us to bring His light into the darkness as we pray and act in obedience. – TV
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In Psalm 31, David found both spiritual and physical safety in God. God was his source of protection and deliverance. He entrusted his reputation to God and expressed confidence that God would hear his cries for help. He claimed God as his “rock” and “fortress.” He looked to the Lord for guidance, especially as he navigated potentially treacherous pathways. Ultimately, he entrusted himself completely – mind, body, and spirit - to God’s faithful care. David claimed God as his refuge, and he was encouraged and emboldened in that. What hope we find in knowing our God never changes! The same God described by David pursues us and opens wide His arms to share all of Who He is with those who turn to Him. He is worthy of our complete and first allegiance. His righteousness, rescue, strength, honor, discernment, and faithfulness are waiting to be discovered, believed in, and acted on as our trust in Him grows. Like David (and Jesus and Stephen after Him), may we be able to confidently, daily, and at the end of our lives say, “Into Your hands I commit my spirit.” – TV
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Father, like most people, I find comfort in knowing what my role is. I want to be able to nail down exactly who I am in Your kingdom. I want the security of being able to identify my spiritual gifts and park within those parameters. But You, gracious Father, know me only as “Mine.” While I’m trying to hem myself in with labels and titles, You’re tearing down walls and throwing open doors, inviting me to taste the freedom that trusting You brings. There absolutely are absolutes in my identity as Your child, but please, Lord, keep me from limiting who I am and what I’m capable of with my own definitions. Under the umbrella of “Mine,” whatever You will in and through me will come to pass – regardless of what I or others say or think. Your will is bigger than any box of labels I may be collecting for myself. Thank You for a lifetime of learning to trust in who You say I am. In the beautiful Name of Jesus, amen.
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“When your identity is in Christ, your identity is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Criticism can’t change it. Failing can’t shake it. Lists can’t determine it. When your identity is in the Rock, your identity is rock-solid.” – Ann Voskamp
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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, Who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
