GOD WILL NEVER TURN HIS BACK ON YOU

By Joseph Prince- Posted March 21, 2017

Hebrew 13:5

…He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

For six whole hours, the Son of God was suspended between heaven and earth. And at the height of His suffering on the cross, He cried out in the deep darkness, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45–46)

For the first time, Jesus addressed His Father as “God”. The Father had forsaken the Son. As Judge of the universe, God had to turn His back on His Son, who was carrying the filth of the world’s sins, for His eyes are too pure to behold evil. (Habakkuk 1:13)

If the Father had not turned His back on His Son, He would have to turn His back on you today when you call out to Him in your hour of need. But because Jesus has taken your place, today, you take His place, and you have God’s face smiling on you always!

Right now, God’s face is smiling on you. His countenance is shining on you. I can stand before you and declare, “The Lord make His face shine upon you.” (Numbers 6:25–26) And it is all because Jesus has paid the price for God to never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

As Judge, God turned His back on His Son. But as Father, He cried. His heart was broken because Christ was never more pleasing to Him than when He was on the cross. Christ’s suffering was a sweet-smelling aroma to the Father. (Ephesians 5:2)

Do you remember what Jesus said? “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.” (John 10:17) If you are a parent, you love each one of your children equally. But when one of them does something special for you out of love, it touches your heart, and you just want to run to him and hug him.

That was what happened at the cross, except that the Father could not embrace His Son. Instead, He had to turn His back on His Son because our sins had to be punished in His Son’s body.

Beloved, when you cry out to the Father for help today, know that He hears you and will surely help you. Because of Jesus, He will never turn His back on you!

Thought For The Day

Because Jesus has taken your place at the cross, God’s face is always smiling on you!

Get Your Joy Back!

By Joel Osteen – Posted March 21, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

TODAY'S WORD:

Did you know that it's God’s will for you to be joyful always? God wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your circumstances look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, it’s the evidence that you have faith and trust that God is going to bring you through. 

God’s supernatural joy is strength. When you have His joy, you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You might say, “Joel, I’m just not a real jovial person. I’m more serious. I never laugh much.” I realize God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh more. I read where the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What happened? We’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and responsibilities to steal our joy. 

Make the decision today to get your joy back. Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems and look to God to see you through. Ask Him every day to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy so that you can live in His strength and victory all the days of your life!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, I humbly receive Your Word today. I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy and strength. Thank You for showing me Your goodness and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grateful and Aware of God’s Love

By Joyce Meyer - Posted March 21, 2017

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
- Psalm 106:1

God is always good to us, always faithful to us, always working so diligently in our lives. He is always doing something for us and acting in our best interest, so we need to respond by letting Him know we appreciate His abundant goodness.

For example, “Lord, thank You for a good night’s sleep,” or “God, I thank You that my visit to the dentist didn’t hurt as much as I thought it might,” or “Father, thank You for helping me make good decisions today,” or “Lord, thank You for keeping me encouraged.”

We can thank God silently in our hearts, and we can also voice our thankfulness aloud because that helps us stay conscious and aware of God’s love, which He demonstrates through His goodness to us.

Prayer of Thanks I thank You, Father, that You are always faithful to me. Even when I can’t see it, You are working on my behalf because You love me and You have a great plan for my life. Thank You for all the ways You demonstrate that love on a daily basis.

When Not to Rejoice

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted March 21, 2017

[Love] does not rejoice in iniquity.
1 Corinthians 13:6a

Recommended Reading: Romans 12:9-16

Throughout the 2016 presidential election, the press often spoke of a possible “October surprise” that would sink a candidate’s chance of election. October did not disappoint. There were federal investigations and accusations being reported almost daily. The sad part is that each candidate’s camp of supporters rejoiced at the revelation of their opponent’s bad behavior.

When we rejoice in the iniquity, sin, failure, or misfortune of another person, we have ceased to love as God loves. The apostle Paul wrote that true love “does not rejoice in iniquity.” Why? Two reasons: First, sin is a grievous thing whenever it is committed or revealed. Sin should produce compassion and empathy on our part. We should hope that sin will be overcome and that the person will discover God’s grace and forgiveness. Second, true love always seeks and wants the best for other people. We should “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). But we should never rejoice over someone’s failure or sin.

When you learn of someone’s failure, do what you can to love and encourage that person toward the forgiveness and grace of God.

Christianity is all about relationships with God and with others. 
David Watson

 Read-Thru-the-Bible: Ruth 1 – 4