Psalm 86:15

"But you, O Lord,
   are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
   and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness."

 

These aspects of God's essential character are often repeated throughout Scripture. Merciful, gracious, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love and faithfulness. As you come to God today, take some time to meditate on these qualities. Thank and praise him for them. Merciful: not giving you what you deserve. Gracious: giving what you don't deserve. Slow to get angry: patient with you, even when you fail him repeatedly. Full of unfailing love and faithfulness: knowing you through and through and still loving you unfailingly. What a wonderful God!

Matthew 6:19-24

"'Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.'

  'Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!'

  'No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.'"

It's only possible to have one focus in life. To think otherwise is to be deluded. The focus will be either God's way, storing up eternal treasures, or the way of the world, living only for now and what this world can give. The latter is both temporary and subject to decay, corruption, and theft. Where is your focus, as evidenced by what you spend your time and energy doing? Your quality of life—here and in eternity—depends on your answer. Ask God for an eternal perspective on all you do, and let that perspective inform all you do

2 Thessalonians 3:2-5

"Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ."

 

There are evil people in the world, who will thwart and opposes the gospel. We are not to fret about them nor be naïve about their existence. We're to pray, to continue to express love whenever we can, to ask for strength and deliverance, and to trust God fully. And remember this: the love and patient endurance comes from Christ, not from you. You don't have to drum it up on your own. You need to accept it from Jesus in faith. It's his patient endurance that he shares with us.