Brag on God’s Goodness

Brag on God’s Goodness TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Then I told them about how the gracious hand of God had been on me...” (Nehemiah 2:18, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria In scripture, Nehemiah had a dream to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He didn’t have the money, the supplies or the manpower. What he had was incredible opposition. The city leaders were not for him. The critics tried to talk him out of it. He could have gotten discouraged and thought, “These obstacles are too big. I’ll never overcome these enemies.” No, right in the middle of that difficulty he said, “I can do this because the gracious hand of God is on my life.” He was saying, “The favor of God is making a way.” Again and again, he made this same statement, “The gracious hand of God will help me overcome.” He was constantly bragging on God’s goodness. In the end, he not only rebuilt the wall, but he did it in record time. It should have taken a year or two, but he did it in just 52 days. When you’re always talking about God’s goodness, that’s when you’ll see His favor, His goodness, His protection in new ways. You may be in a tough time, but don’t magnify your problem. Magnify your God. The bigger you make God, the smaller your problems will become. Brag on God’s goodness and move forward in His victory! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, thank You for Your gracious hand of favor on my life. I choose to believe that with You, all things are possible. I know that You are making a way where there seems to be no way. So I will brag on Your goodness all the days of my life in Jesus’ name! Amen. Are You Stuck in Spiritual Neutral?                           by Rick Warren "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT) A while back, a man came into my office and said, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t feel like I’m going anywhere in my spiritual growth. I’m kind of stuck in neutral.” I said, “What do you think the problem is?” He said, “I think my problem is I just don't love God enough.” I said, “That's not your problem. Your problem is not that you don't love God enough. Your problem is that you don't understand how much he loves you.” Love is always a response to love. The Bible says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV). When you say, “I don't love God,” it's because you don't understand just how much he really loves you. To understand your life’s purpose and calling, you have to begin with God’s nature. God is love. Love is the essence of his nature. The only reason there is love in the universe is because of God. Ants and snails do not love, but you were made in God’s image, so you can love. The reason you are alive is because God wanted to love you. The first purpose of your life is to be loved by God! Yes, it is important to serve him, obey, and trust him, but your first purpose is to love him. Let this sink in: Your first duty is not to do anything but just be loved by God. Talk It Over What is your response to the truth that your first calling is to enjoy a relationship with God? Think about your current relationship with God. Has it become more about rules, regulations, and rituals than about love? If so, why? Why do you think it’s so hard sometimes to not do something but just rest in God’s love? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AQL8Zk2sOk