Pocket Thoughts - 6/13/25

God * has made us – He will carry us through to the end * tells us of hidden things unknown to us * will answer us in the time of His favor and will help us in the day of salvation.

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Rather than marvel at a paralyzed man being healed after 38 years of being lame, the Jewish leaders mentioned in John 5 focused on a broken, man-made rule. They missed the miracle that was right before their eyes – the life of a flesh and blood man being transformed by only a word from Jesus! Don’t lose sight of the fact that people are involved in every situation. Jesus tempered the full truth with deepest grace. Study and imitate His ways. - TV

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To the believer, an honest life acknowledges that God’s ways are the best ways. Honesty also requires that we acknowledge our inability to follow His ways perfectly. Integrity goes hand in hand with honesty. While our walk with the Lord is imperfect, we consistently go toward Jesus, trusting God’s forgiveness, grace, and mercy to point us back to Him when we stumble. In humility, ask God to examine and test your heart, and don’t be afraid of how you think He’ll respond. God desires to lead you to holiness and purity. He’s gentle and tender when holding a person’s heart who is committed to serving and loving Him more. – TV

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After 400 years of slavery and God’s miraculous rescue, Israel was packed up and ready to leave Egypt. God had promised them a new home, but they were clueless as to how to get there. Now God their Rescuer would reveal Himself as God their Guide. He manifested Himself in a pillar of cloud to lead them by day and a pillar of fire to lead them by night. As long as the pillar stayed, the people camped. When the pillar moved, they set out. They were on a journey to a place God had prepared for them, and He would lead them there. God’s people today still worship God our Guide, but long gone are the cloud and fire. Far better, we enjoy the indwelling of His Holy Spirit and the revelation of His perfect plan in His Word the Bible – the road map to glory. Together, they remind us of God’s truth, train us in righteousness, and reassure us of His presence. We, too, are on a journey to a place God has prepared for us, and as with Israel, He’s leading us there. – TV

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Father, thank You for the days when I feel like I’ve just ruined everything. Those are the days when I can barely lift my eyes to look to heaven – so heavy is the shame. Those are the days when a faint song of hope swells to drown out the hiss of the enemy’s accusations. Those are the days when grace bends low to wash away my pain. Those are the days when a mercy undeserved wraps around my brokenness. Those are the days when a strength not my own picks me up and sets me back on paths of righteousness. Lord God, You waste nothing. In my failures and mistakes, You are there. Those days when I’m at my lowest, You reveal to me Your greatness. When I’m at my weakest, You reveal to me Your might and power. When I’m at my worst, You reveal to me Your holiness and purity. On my hardest days, thank You for revelation of all that You are. In the beautiful Name of Jesus, amen.

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“To have faith in Christ means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” – C.S. Lewis

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“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being said. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.’ Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because now they understood the words that had been made known to them.” – Nehemiah 8:8-12