The Lord gave us bodies to last, but not forever in this life. As time goes on, they break down, and eventually, death comes. But that is not the end of the story!

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
- Romans 8:23

As we age, we groan inwardly and outwardly because of bodily affliction and weariness. We anticipate the new body our Lord has promised for us that will last forever. When we believed in Jesus for salvation, our souls were saved immediately, but our salvation is not complete. Remnants of these bodies must be redeemed and remade in glorious form, like our Savior’s. A wonderful and glorious upgrade is coming for God’s people!

It is a blessing to have intelligence, strength, and abilities. But perhaps more importantly, we need to have an excellent spirit like Daniel.

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. - Daniel 6:3

The aforementioned qualities are all good, but one of the most important things that we bring to life is our attitude. Daniel was despised by many for his faith in God, and he was a minority in a strange land. He certainly did not have many friends, yet he had an excellent spirit or attitude. We too can have an excellent spirit in the midst of adverse circumstances when we walk in close fellowship with God through prayer, worship, and His Word. He will give us purpose, joy, and strength for our journey.

The belief that all roads lead to God is false. It is a device of the devil to deceive people who do not know the Scriptures.

I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. - Isaiah 43:11

This truth is absolute and exclusive, showing us that God the Father and God the Son are not two separate gods, but one God existing in three Persons. That is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We may not be able to understand all of what that means, but we must believe it, for the Scripture says it is so. In the New Testament, Jesus is called the Savior. But here is a reference to the LORD, whom we refer to as God the Father as our Savior. Indeed, there is only one Savior, and none besides Him. He is the One we must proclaim to a lost world.

The trials and troubles of life that seem to be intent on destroying us are actually working for us. They are not in control. Our God is!

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
- Romans 5:3-5

We can glory in our tribulations because God says they are working to produce patience in us. Patience is cheerful endurance to remain constant in a difficult situation. Patience brings about experience, which is a reference to our character. Hope is a confident expectation of what God has in store for us in the future. All this comes from the hand of a God who loves us more than we love ourselves. Even when we cannot see how tribulation works, we know it does, because God says so.

Every person lives in bondage to sin from which we cannot escape. But the Lord can surely deliver us!

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
- Acts 12:7-8

Peter was in prison for his faith and was condemned to die, but the Lord sent an angel to set him free. This is a wonderful illustration of what Christ does for every sinner who believes in him. First, we see the light of the gospel. Then it smites us with conviction of our condemned state before God. And when we believe it, our chains fall off! But we cannot stay in the same place. We must rise up and follow Christ who forgave us and set us free. This dynamic deliverance is the testimony of every believer.

The troubles of life that we face are sometimes compared to being in a boat on a stormy sea at night. And that can be terrifying.

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
- Matthew 14:24-25

But when the Lord‘s people are in a storm, He is on the way to them. He came to the disciples walking on the water, which is humanly impossible. He was demonstrating to them and to us that what threatens to be over our heads (water), is always under His feet! Our Lord is in control even in the storms of life. He will either conquer the storm around us, or He will conquer the storm within us, or both. We must never cease to trust in the Lord, even in the most severe storms of life.

It is sad that some who have believed in Christ for salvation have been ashamed to let it be known to others. But it should never stay that way.

And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
- John 19:38

This man Joseph was for a while a secret disciple of Christ. But after our Lord was crucified, he went into action. He sought the body of Jesus and gave Him a proper burial. No doubt others saw him, and word would spread to his friends and associates that he had done this. But his love and devotion to his Lord would not let him stand by and do nothing. And he did not even know that Christ would rise again. Let there be no secret disciples among us who believe in Christ. Rather, let us boldly stand up for Him and identify gladly with Him who laid down His life for us.

God’s Word is powerful and life-changing, but if we reject it or neglect it, we will not receive the needed benefits that it provides.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:13

We should be diligent and intentional to receive the Word of God in faith. It is the only source of objective truth in the world. The words of men are sometimes helpful, but they fade and falter as time goes by. God‘s Word works in us effectually. That means it energizes us. Let us take heed to hear God‘s Word in faith each day, and to live it out in the power of the Holy Spirit.

There are many battles that we face in this life, but the battle against Satan, sin, and death we could never win. Our Lord has graciously won it for us!

O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
- Psalm 98:1

Sin was our master whom we could not conquer and from whom we could not escape. The devil, as a roaring lion, has defeated us over and over again. Christ came to live a sinless life, then die as the substitute for our sins, and then to rise again and triumph over sin, death, and the devil. He won the victory all by Himself, and we can add nothing to it. What we can do is come to Him in faith, trusting Him alone for salvation. By this we enter into the victory that He has won. And for this we praise Him!

Sometimes in the midst of hardship, it is difficult to see our blessings. But even then, we must learn to look for them and be thankful to the Lord.

And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. - Acts 28:15

The apostle Paul had been through a storm, shipwreck, poisonous snake bite, and he was still in chains. Yet he paused to give thanks to the Lord. In the midst of our difficulty, we must be thankful to the Lord for any people that He sends our way to aid us and encourage us in the struggle. We must also learn to give thanks for every blessing great or small that He gives us, even before the trial is over. And let us take courage every day, knowing that our God is in control of all things.

We discover early that there are many inequities in life. Some are rich in material goods, health, friends, and opportunities. At the same time, some are poor in these and other ways. Where do they meet together?

The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
- Proverbs 22:2

All people meet together in birth and in death. Every person comes into this world essentially the same way, and all must die. There is another place where we must meet together, and that is at the cross. The rich and the poor both need forgiveness for their sins, and Christ is the Savior for all who will come to Him in faith. Though all have varying degrees of riches and poverty in this life, the Son of God gives eternal life in heaven, where there will be none who are poor. Rather, we shall enjoy the riches of His goodness and grace forever.

As we grow in grace, we must continue to strive for consistency in our walk with the Lord. But there will be times when we are weaker than others, and we will find ourselves slipping in some way.

When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
- Psalm 94:18

When the psalmist was slipping, he did not try to pretend that he wasn’t. He spoke about it, likely crying out to God for help. That is what we must do also. Trying harder in those times is not the answer. We need to call upon the Lord in prayer, stay anchored in His Word, and stay close to His people who are strong and vibrant. God‘s mercy will hold us up, so that we need never fall. And later on, the Lord will use us to help others also.

Our bodies are likened to containers or vessels, and we come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. We should earnestly desire to be vessels that God can use for His glory.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
- 2 Timothy 2:20-21

God doesn’t need big vessels, pretty vessels, smart vessels, or shiny ones. He is looking for clean vessels, just as we do when we want to drink of water, or put food on our plates. And He is looking for vessels that are available to Him for His use. Those are the ones who are vessels of honor. When we seek to be vessels of honor unto the Lord, then we ourselves are also honored by Him, and we are most fulfilled.

We tend to expect instant results for everything. We desire instant answers to prayer, instant deliverance from difficulty, and even instant results in work and ministry. But that is not usually the way God works.

And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. - Luke 8:14-15

In this parable, the seed of the Word brings forth fruit in good soil, which refers to the human heart. But it does so with patience. Patience is cheerful endurance in the face of difficulty. That is how God works, and that is how we must learn to live and work. Like a farmer, we must faithfully sow the seeds of our responsibility every day, but leave the results to God. We can plant and water, but only God can give the increase. And the whole process develops patience in us.

Our God owns everything, and He has an abundance of everything that we need. No matter what our material needs are,
our spiritual needs are greater.

Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
- Psalm 86:6, 8

He is plenteous in mercy! And that mercy is not just for the forgiveness of our sins, but it is the word that is used for His loving-kindness towards His people. It includes grace, mercy, love, kindness, and more. One important way through which we receive these blessings is through prayer. Lift up your soul to the Lord and call upon Him, for He is good and He delights in showering His goodness upon His children.

As we grow in our walk with the Lord, He will continue to shape our character and develop our integrity. This integrity will be a helpful guide in making life‘s decisions.

The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. - Proverbs 11:3

Integrity comes from the Holy Spirit and the Word of God transforming our hearts and minds. When we live by integrity, many decisions will make themselves. There are certain things that we know that we must do and other things that we know we must never do. Like Daniel of old, we must purpose in our hearts ahead of time so that in the moment of temptation we will be ready. And when we fail, we must get back right with God quickly. And know that we have the Holy Spirit who will guide and empower us as we walk in dependence upon Him.

The Lord will send or allow some difficult circumstances to come into our lives that we don’t understand. Even while we are questioning to ourselves why this is happening, we must continue to trust in Him.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
- Matthew 11:6

The word offended does not refer to having hurt feelings, but rather to stumbling spiritually. John the Baptist was in prison for preaching the truth, but Jesus did not get him out. He began to doubt if Jesus was really the Messiah and was at the point of stumbling. Like John, we must trust the Lord when we are going through the worst of times and not stumble in our faith, knowing that He has a perfect plan and that He will always do what is best. We will receive a blessing for believing instead of stumbling.

It is a wonderful truth that God is the model Father, and we are fashioned after him, rather than it being the other way around.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? - Matthew 7:9-11

Even though we are fathers and mothers who have been corrupted by sin, we still delight in giving to our children and providing for their needs. How much more shall our heavenly Father, who owns everything and who is perfectly righteous, delight in giving His children what they need! And like our children, sometimes we ask for things that are not good for us or that will harm us. Our Father knows best. Keep on asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer, for you will receive what is best.

It is important for us to know that the Lord has some special things for us to do that no one else could do exactly like us.

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. - Acts 9:11-12

The Lord gave Ananias a difficult task, just as He does for each of us. Ananias did not want to go, but the Lord would not let him get out of it. Neither will He do so for us. Our calling from the Lord to our families, communities, churches, and to the world is unique, and what God has called each of us to do, we ought to do with faith that He will see us through. Do not shrink back, but go forward in His mighty name to speak, to serve, or whatever He has called you to do.

Stormy circumstances will come to every life, and some more severe than others. How we respond to them is most important.

And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
- Matthew 8:24-26

Christ was asleep on the boat with the disciples, but He sleeps no more! Even though he was present, they panicked, just as we sometimes do. His question is very revealing. “Why are you fearful?“ Fear cancels out faith, and faith cancels out fear. We must keep on believing God in the storms of life, no matter how severe they may be. He will surely see us through to the other side of the storm. Keep on praying and keep on trusting.

It is often easy to show love and concern for those whom we consider to be important. But our Lord gives us a much higher standard.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. - Matthew 25:40

The Lord says that when we show love to those who are the least of these, we are showing it unto Him. This means we’re not merely to love those who are lovely, those who have something to offer us, or those who will always show appreciation. We are to love those whom the world views as important. This is especially true when it comes to other believers in Christ. We must not pick and choose whom to love; we must love those who are considered the least, as well as those who are considered the greatest. And so doing, we are showing our true love for Christ.

There is a lot of talk today about justice, and various forms of it. God is the ultimate Judge, and He is always just. The world cannot understand this, but believers surely can.

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
- Proverbs 28:5

As we seek the Lord, we gain more wisdom and understanding day by day. In so doing, we will understand everything that we can know and ought to know. We understand who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. We understand sin and righteousness, and why sin must be punished. We understand that the suffering, pain, and struggles of life are only temporary for believers in Christ. And those things that we cannot fully comprehend, we know that our God will do what is best.

We all desire the blessing of God on our lives, but the pathway to blessing is not to seek what we want, but to seek the Lord first and what He wants.

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. - Acts 13:22

One vital aspect of being a man or a woman after God‘s own heart is being committed to do God‘s will with all of your heart. It is not trying to get God to do your agenda, but being surrendered to do His. David was an imperfect man as every man is, but he became Israel’s greatest king and one of the most notable people in all the Bible, because of his love and commitment to God. This is the secret of joy, fulfillment, and victory in life. And it certainly pleased the Lord, for He even gave testimony about it.

There will be times when we need to confront others in love, or to restore those who have fallen. But what we must do in those times is judge ourselves first.

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
- Luke 6:42

Even after we are saved, we have the ability to detect faults in others easily, often while excusing our own. But just as clearly as we can see wrong in others, they can see it in us. So before we can remove a splinter out of someone else’s eye, we must get the log out of our own eye. Our Lord is clearly using humor here, but He is telling us to judge ourselves first. This means to examine our own behaviors, attitudes, and motives before approaching someone else to admonish or to restore them. And we should certainly pray before doing so.