Evening Scripture Reading - Jeremiah 20:13

Jeremiah 20:13 New King James Version (NKJV)

13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For He has delivered the life of the poor
From the hand of evildoers.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 34:4-7

Psalm 34:4-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The [a]angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 34:7 Or Angel

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 16:7

Proverbs 16:7 New King James Version (NKJV)

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Morning Scripture Reading - Romans 6:20-23

Romans 6:20-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit [a]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the [b]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 6:22 unto sanctification
2. Romans 6:23 free gift

Evening Scripture Reading - Luke 1:46-56

Luke 1:46-56 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Song of Mary

46 And Mary said:

“My soul [a]magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 1:46 Declares the greatness of

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 34:1-3

Psalm 34:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God

A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

3 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 16:6

Proverbs 16:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 John 2:15-17

1 John 2:15-17 New King James Version (NKJV)

Do Not Love the World

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Evening Scripture Reading - Isaiah 8:17

Isaiah 8:17 New King James Version (NKJV)

17 And I will wait on the Lord,
Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 33:20-22

Psalm 33:20-22 New King James Version (NKJV)

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Don’t Ever Give Up

With everything that is going on around us daily and with the uncertainty that we face, it is so very easy to become discouraged and want to just give up. We, like a beaten foe, want to run up a white flag and surrender. But, we shouldn’t feel or be that way.

As children of God Almighty, we have victory every day of our lives. Because of God’s gift of eternal life, we have nothing to fear in this old, sinful world. Our victory comes from the Lord through His son, Christ Jesus. When we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, we put our faith in him and received the gift of life everlasting. Nothing can take that away from us. 

Paul, in chapter eight of his epistle to the Christians in Rome, writes, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Although nothing can take us away from God, we sometimes find ourselves wandering away from our Heavenly Father. When that happens, we soon find ourselves in deep trouble. The enemy surrounds us like an army laying siege to a small town. Our options are limited and we have nowhere to go or no one to run to. We are trapped and it would be so easy to lie down and just give up. 

We have all been in that very situation. Because of whatever reason, we choose our path and leave God. Sometimes, it doesn’t take much for us to leave. Show us something shiny and we are off to follow it. But, as we get closer to whatever it is, we soon find that “all that glitters is not gold.” We have been chasing after a mirage and now are facing the full force of Satan and his demons in our lives. 

What are we to do? Some would say that we should just give in and all will be fine. Others would just give up and fall into the clutches of their own desires. But, all is not lost. Our Heavenly Father is always there for us. Remember, we are His children and we can look to Him for help, strength and courage. We truly have nothing to fear. 

Isaiah, in chapter forty-one of his book, records words of God’s promise to us, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

These are not the words of Isaiah or even my own. They are the words of God Most High. He has promised you that He will be there in your times of trouble and when you need Him most. You should never be discouraged or feel that He has forsaken you.

Just today, God reminded me of that promise while I was having breakfast at my favorite restaurant. I ran into Brother Mike and he shared his testimony with me. As we were about to part, he gave me his business card. On the back of it was a Bible verse that we should all keep in our hearts as we face situations that could push us to our limits and beyond.

David, in Psalm eighteen, writes, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”

Even when we have strayed away, we can still call upon our Father to rescue us. He is truly our shield, fortress and our rock. We have nothing to fear or to be discouraged about. So, don’t believe the words of the enemy or let him lure you farther away from your Heavenly Father. Stand firm in your faith and know that God the Father loves you.

Paul, in chapter four of his second epistle to the Corinthians, writes, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

 Never lose sight of God’s love or His promise to you. Fix your eyes upon Him and those things that cannot be seen. Focus completely on those things that are greater, nobler and higher and not on the things of this world.

If you shift your focus to things of this world, you will be disappointed, discouraged and  disillusioned. You will soon find yourself caught in a trap and the only way out is to reach out and up to your Heavenly Father. The problems that you face in this world are just that. They are part of this world and it, like the problems, will soon fade away. What doesn’t fade away is the love of our Heavenly Father and the victory that He has given us over this world.

When you face the onslaught of whatever comes your way, don’t surrender or give up. Stand firm and know that the Lord is with you and your spirit will be renewed every day. You will be strengthened. Even if you have strayed a bit, always remember that your Heavenly Father loves you as His child and will never leave you or forsake you. When you focus on Him and fix your sight on those things that are greater, nobler and higher, you will be able to stand firm in His grace.     

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 16:5

Proverbs 16:5 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join [a]forces, none will go unpunished.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand

Morning Scripture Reading - 2 Corinthians 13:11

2 Corinthians 13:11 New King James Version (NKJV)

Greetings and Benediction

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Evening Scripture Reading - Romans 3:27-31

Romans 3:27-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

Boasting Excluded

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is [a]justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 3:28 declared righteous

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 33:18-19

Psalm 33:18-19 New King James Version (NKJV)

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
19 To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 16:4

Proverbs 16:4 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of [a]doom.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil

Morning Scripture Reading - Exodus 9:16

Exodus 9:16 New King James Version (NKJV)

16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.

Evening Scripture Reading - Philippians 4:4-7

Philippians 4:4-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your [a]gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 4:5 graciousness or forbearance

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 33:16-17

Psalm 33:16-17 New King James Version (NKJV)

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a [a]vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 33:17 false

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 16:3

Proverbs 16:3 New King James Version (NKJV)

3 Commit[a] your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll

Morning Scripture Reading - 1 Chronicles 29:10-12

1 Chronicles 29:10-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

David’s Praise to God

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
12 Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.