Are You Ready for the Week?

This devotional is a week’s devotionals in one post. I wanted to prepare the week’s devotionals in advance because I will be traveling next week to celebrate a wonderful occasion… my sister’s college graduation. I am so proud of her determination to go back to school after taking 8 years off. Even so, I didn’t want to neglect having a devotional posted for everyone for an entire week because we all need to take time to be with the Lord.

It is important that we put on the Armor of God daily. There is no doubt that trials and tribulations will come up in our lives but we don’t have to be afraid because God has provided us with the protection we need to persevere. God has given each of us hope and the courage we need to make it through any trial because He has armed us with the perfect combination of tools to strike the enemy down.

Ephesians 6:13-17: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Monday, May 23 – Belt of Truth

A life with Jesus is the only truth we need. He is our Savior. In His death, we are forgiven and in His resurrection we are saved. We have nothing to fear because Jesus has broken the chains that bind us to death. Death has no stronghold over us; we have escaped death in Christ Jesus. We need to put on the Belt of Truth every day.

John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”

Tuesday, May 24 – Breastplate of Righteousness

God has commanded us to live righteous lives because it protects us. When we are faced with making a decision, we know that we have to side with the answer that is right and just. We have a clear method of weighing our options by asking the Lord for guidance and direction. God will direct us to the correct answer, the answer that pleases Him. We can protect our hearts from wrongdoing by living in righteousness. We need to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness every day.

John 3:21: “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Wednesday, May 25 – Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Peace keeps us grounded and stable. When life starts to get complicated and messy, we can turn to the Bible to remind ourselves that God has already done the heavy lifting for us. He has forgiven us of our past, present, and future sins and He has given us life everlasting. We have been given the gift of peace but sometimes we forget that we have it. It is in the gospel that we can regain our confidence in Jesus. We need to put on the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace every day.

John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Thursday, May 26 – Shield of Faith

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that the shield protects us from “all the flaming darts of the evil one”. The enemy tries to wear us down with trial after trial. He wants our faith to be shaken. He wants us to feel unstable and weak. But, when we pick up the Shield of Faith, we are able to protect ourselves from doubting the strength we have in the Lord. We may not be strong enough to defeat the enemy but God is. We need to put on the Shield of Faith every day.

James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Friday, May 27 – Helmet of Salvation

In battle, it is important to keep a clear head and to focus on defeating the enemy. It is for this very reason that the enemy seeks to confuse us but, if we put on the Helmet of Salvation, the enemy isn’t able to penetrate our minds with distractions and doubt. When we keep our focus on God, His power and might are evident. God is worthy of our love and praise. There should never be a question in our minds of God’s undying love for us because He has given us all the gift of salvation. We are forgiven and we are His. We need to put on the Helmet of Salvation every day.

Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Saturday, May 28 – Sword of the Spirit

God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to reside within us, to be our beacon of hope and to be our encouragement. The Holy Spirit is our guide in our daily walk with God and helps us to make the right choices. The enemy, on the other hand, wants us to make poor decisions so our righteousness and connection to God is weakened. The Sword of the Spirit helps us to defend ourselves. We are able to see through the temptation and lies to regain our foundation in the Lord. We want the Holy Spirit to be our guide through life. We need to put on the Sword of the Spirit every day.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

We are able to withstand any attack that the enemy may throw at us because we have confidence in the Lord to protect His precious children. We know that God will never leave us and allow us to be defeated by the enemy. God has provided us with everything we need to triumph over darkness so that our shining light will be evident to anyone we meet. If we put on the Armor of God every day, we can overcome any trial because we have prepared our hearts, our souls, and our minds for battle.

2 Timothy 3:13-17: “While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Thank you, Lord, for giving us the tools to withstand the enemy’s attacks. Thank you for Your love and protection. Thank you for forgiving our sins so that we can live all eternity with You. Thank you for the Holy Spirit to direct us to living righteous lives always. Thank you for the Bible so that we can be reminded daily that You are a wonderful Father who has provided us with absolutely everything we need to withstand life’s trials. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Do You Dream?

From time to time, we wake up in the morning and we realize that we were dreaming. Quite often the dreams we have are full of scenarios and people that are too fantastic to happen in real life. We may think to ourselves that there is no possible way that a dream that exciting could possibly be true and, in most cases, that is true but can’t we say the same of real life though? If you were to travel back in time to 10 years ago, would you be able to convince your past self what kind of life you are leading now? The best thing about the future is the mystery. Even though we think we would want to know the future, it is much more exciting to experience the growth and progress one day at a time because then we can see God’s helping hand in our lives. God can take a tiny seed and grow it into an enormous tree. Much the same, God can take the life of one person and grow it into greatness.

Ephesians 3:20: “Now glory be to God, by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of — infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” 

We need to sort out which dreams are too fantastic and which dreams are possible with God’s help. The Bible says that we can tell a mountain to move and God will move it. We shouldn’t be so concerned with HOW God will make things happen because, if something is meant to happen, our faith will put it into action. Just remember that God’s definition of time isn’t the same as ours. Whereas we may feel like our answers, our happy endings, aren’t coming quickly enough, we can have faith knowing that God is putting things into action behind the scenes and He will reveal the finished product at exactly right time. God can do wonders in our lives. God has the power to transform us into a new creation. God can throw away the binds that hold us back and break the chains that keep us where we are comfortable but not working to our full potential. We have to have the courage to believe that God can make dreams a reality because anything is possible with God.

I found a wonderful quote from Robert H Schuller that perfectly sums up how God wants us to view our future. God wants us to be excited to make our dreams a reality. God wants us to throw away the fear that clouds our judgement and embrace the possibilities.

Are you disappointed, discouraged and discontented with your present level of success? Are you secretly dissatisfied with your present status? Do you want to become a better and more beautiful person than you are today? Would you like to be able to really learn how to be proud of yourself and still not lose genuine humility? Then start dreaming! It’s possible! You can become the person you have always wanted to be!

Thank you, God, for helping us to pursue our dreams. We pray that you will help to take away the fear and doubt that keep us from achieving our dreams. Thank you for having a plan for our lives. Thank you for always wanting the best for us. Thank you for giving us the patience to allow You to work in our lives at Your perfect pace. Thank you for Your perfect timing. Thank you for working so hard to help us find our happy ending, whatever and wherever it may be. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Why Are You Listening to Liars?

“You aren’t smart enough.” “Your standards are too high.” “Your dreams aren’t reasonable.” “You need to lose some weight.” If we spent all of our time listening to the negative opinions of others, we would never get anything accomplished. People are always feeling the need to throw out their opinion. Try as we might to block out the negativity, sometimes the words burrow into our subconscious and we run the risk of become self-conscious about an aspect of our appearance or personality, or our lives in general. It is important to remember that, even though it may be hard, we need to remember that God loves us for who we are at our very core, and His opinion is the only opinion that matters in the long run. While people, friends or family or even complete strangers, may only be trying to give constructive criticism, sometimes their words can leave a lasting impression on how we view ourselves.

Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.”

We are all precious in His eyes. God created each of us as individuals, with unique personalities and physical attributes. God gave us each a different fingerprint because we are each a one-of-a-kind creation. We have been chosen to follow a mighty God who loves us and protects us. We are blessed. The words of others can hurt but we can find comfort and healing knowing that, with God, we can do anything. Although the world may put as down and try to convince us that we aren’t special and we can’t have everything we want, God says to simply ask and He will provide because He loves us.

Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

God is our provider and our encouragement. When we put all of our energy into pleasing God, He restores in us His peace, a peace that passes all understanding, a peace that can only be of God. We need only to see ourselves through God’s eyes to realize that we should be proud of who we are and in turn make Him proud by how we lead our lives and how we treat other people. When we allow ourselves to shine like a beacon of light despite the darkness that surrounds us, we are able to ward off the darkness and fill the room, and our own souls, with more light.

Love is contagious; love others and love yourself.

Thank you, God, for helping us to ourselves through Your eyes. Thank you for helping us to realize that we don’t have to be like everyone else to be special. Thank you for showing us how much You love us with the many blessings You shower over us. Thank you for seeing our potential, even when others can’t. We pray that we will remember to seek You when hurtful comments or negative perceptions about us start to get us down.Thank you for being our source of daily encouragement. Thank you for helping our light to shine bright for You. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Did You Drink the Water?

Water is a commonly utilized resource in our lives and our bodies require water for survival. Studies show that the benefits of staying hydrated are substantial because water allows our bodies to work properly. Without water, our bodies would be dehydrated, overheated, our organs would be overworked, and the nutrients and oxygen that we desperately need throughout our body wouldn’t have a vehicle to travel on. A life without water would be miserable. Our need for Living Water is much the same. Our quality of life is also increased by drinking in the Living Water, a gift from God. Just as God provides all of our physical needs, God also provides for our spiritual needs.

John 4:14: “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

God has provided the Living Water we require so that we won’t be at risk of spiritual dehydration. God provides us with everything we need to survive and, as long as we keep our faith strong and our eyes on Him, we will never thirst. It is only when we lose our faith and take our eyes off the Lord as our priority that we begin to thirst. There are times when we as Christians feel like we are “not being fed” and we feel like our spiritual needs are not being met. We have lost our drive and passion for ministry and furthering our spiritual education. While these feelings are bound to come up in our lives at some point, we have to quickly identify the issue and refocus on the Lord before we get lost in the wilderness.

Psalm 63:1: “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

If we allow ourselves to focus on things of this world instead of God, it can be easy to wander off and, before we know it, we don’t know where we are or where we are headed. The blessing is that, once we return home, we are able to reclaim an even deeper relationship with God and He refills the Living Water within us until we are practically overflowing. Rest assured that, if we do get lost in the wilderness, we will eventually make our way back to the Lord with an even greater love and appreciate for God and a restored faith in His power and protection. God will always satisfy our thirst because He provides for His children.

Thank you, Lord, for providing us with everything we need to survive. Thank you for quenching our thirst. Thank you for the gift of Your grace so we have eternal life. Thank you forgiving us when we get selfish. Thank you for seeking us out when we get lost in the wilderness. Thank you for Your forgiveness. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Did You Learn Your Lesson?

We want to trust people. We want to believe that people are good at heart and that they will choose to do the right thing. And then we meet someone who proves us wrong. It can be very upsetting to realize that someone who we trusted wasn’t worthy of our trust but, while we have no control over other people and their actions, we do have control of ourselves and how we will react when we have been wronged.

Romans 12:17-21: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The world would encourage us to get revenge or teach the person a lesson but scripture teaches us that we have to live honorably and leave the retribution to Him. God takes the negative emotions we experience away from us so we aren’t consumed by the evil that tries to corrupt our hearts. Our job is to forgive and learn from the experience while God shows the other person the error of their ways. God wants us to come to terms with how we were wronged without clouding our judgement with negative emotions. Forgiveness is not something easily given, especially depending on what pain was inflicted on the other person, but we have to submit to God and allowing Him to work in our lives to forgive.

Matthew 18:21: “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.'”

God wants to us to forgive people because no one is perfect. At some point, we will all need forgiveness from others. No one is immune to sin. God expects us to forgive because forgiveness is how we survive in a world full of sin. By forgiving other people, we are submitting to the will of God and showing Him our obedience and faith that He will teach them the error of their ways. While God says that we should forgive people who have wronged us, He doesn’t tell us to allow people to take advantage of us. The saying is “forgive and forget” but the truth is “forgive and learn.” Everything that happens in our lives helps us to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others to gain wisdom when history inevitably repeats itself. God is constantly teaching us lessons so we will be prepared when the enemy tries to tempt us.

Proverbs 4:20-23: “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Our heart is our source of life and love. If we guard our hearts, God will protect us from evil. He will supply all of the tools we need to withstand evil and overcome trials so that we may show love to both our friends AND our enemies. It is only by God’s power that we are able to forgive others and He is faithful to provide the strength to forgive.

Thank you, Lord, for helping us to find the strength to forgive people who have hurt us. Thank you for the many lessons You have taught us and will continue to teach us. Thank you for being a wonderful Father who allows us to learn from both Your Holy Word and through our life experiences so that we can face any trial by Your side and be prepared to withstand anything the enemy may throw at us. Just as Jesus was able to withstand the Devil’s temptation in the desert, we pray that You will continue to teach us about You and Your Word so we too can be victorious over evil. Thank you for taking away our anger and pain so our minds are not clouded by the negative in life but rather the beauty and joy that life holds for us. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Is It Time to Ask for Help?

Life is full of big decisions to make and tough problems to solve. Does that mean you are are on your own? Independence is great but a relationship with God means you always have someone in your corner. When life gets difficult and we don’t know what to do, we can find comfort knowing that we don’t have to figure it out on our own. Faith is knowing that God already has the solution figured out. If your baggage is weighing you down, bring it to God and He will help lighten our load. God is always there. He wants us to come to Him for guidance. He desperately wants us to entrust all of our big decisions with Him. Even if it seems like God is taking us down the wrong road, we will always come out ahead. We need to have faith that God knows what He is doing. He does.

Psalm 121:1-8:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

We have to let God lead because He knows what’s best. Relinquishing control to God is about quitting. It’s all about complete and total faith. We have to fight our tendencies to be in control and keeping God in the backseat. God should always be our designated driver. The more we learn God’s plan for our lives, the more wisdom we glean from Him. The choices become easier to make because we have a clear view of what God has planned for our lives. God gives us the discernment to navigate through life, while all the time walking with us through it all. When we faithfully pray, listen, and follow His instructions, we get to watch the Lord turn our conflicts and obstacles into wonderful opportunities to share more of Him with the world.

We need to remember that the best decision we can make is one that inspired by God. They say, “When you have lemons, make lemonade,” but, when God is in charge, God can take one single lemon seed and turn it into a beautiful field of lemon trees, stretching as far as the eye can see. God sees the big picture even though we can’t. The possibilities are endless when we relinquish our control and give our problems to Him.

Thank you, Lord, for showing us that we can trust You with the big decisions. Thank you for being reliable and a great decision maker on whom we can fully rely. Thank you for  leading us and for opening many doors for us to succeed in life.We love you, Father. Sometimes we may not show it but we are grateful for Your love and, above all, Your grace. Thank you. Amen. – Katie Ann 

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Did You Thank Mom Today?

To celebrate this joyous holiday, Mother’s Day, let first talk about love. We can all be in agreement that, when we love someone, it is no easy task at times. Love takes a lot of effort to ensure that the admiration, respect, and appreciation that we have for the people we love, especially our mothers, doesn’t get skewed or twisted by emotions and opinions. The connection that exists between a mother and her child is one of love and comfort. A mother’s love is precious. There is nothing like mom’s soothing words and healing touch to make the tough times seem less stressful and upsetting. When we were younger, mom was the one who cleaned the boo-boos and wiped the tears. Mom was our everything and, if we continue to work at the relationship, our mothers will continue to be our confidant and, better yet, a friend.

Proverbs 31:28: “Her children arise and call her blessed…”

Most of us have mothers who have seen us through thick and thin, and supported us through it all but, no matter how amazing a mother is, she isn’t perfect. Mothers are only human and they inevitably make mistakes. When we get older, we come to realize that our mothers may seem like super heroes because they have done so much for us and they made it all look so easy but, the simple truth is, mothers do the best they can and, with God’s help, things work out the way they were meant to be. A mother has to realize that they can’t control everything and protect their child from everything that could potentially hurt them. Just as a mother has to have faith that she raised her child right, a mother also has to have faith that God will protect her child when she isn’t able.

Joshua 24:15: “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Mothers deserve our many thanks and respect. On this day, we take an entire day to show mom that we appreciate all she has done for us. God expects us to honor our father and mother but He also expects that, just as mom took care of us when we were young, we will take care of her in her old age. When Jesus hung on the cross dying, He saw His mother and remembered the importance that she was taken care of in His absence. We should all follow Jesus’ wonderful example and care for our mothers so they can see how much they are loved. A big thank you to all of the mothers. Thank you for your love, your lessons, your sacrifices, and for the Lord in our lives. We love you!

Thank you, Lord, for mom. Thank you for sending us the mother that we were went to have. We pray that we do our best to show her that we love her and that she is appreciated. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Are You Brave Enough?

Life throws us curve balls and we have to figure out within ourselves if we are brave enough to persevere. We have to be brave in order to withstand the trials we encounter. By believing in the God’s power and having faith, we can fully embrace the trials and see that God gives us the strength and wisdom to make it through anything. We are not victims. We are champions because God is our champion. Even if we begin to feel defeated, the Lord reassures us. Our bravery is found in the Lord.

Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

God commands us to be strong and courageous. We have nothing to fear because we have God walking with us, side by side, through everything. Being brave is a choice. God takes every opportunity to show us that He will always take care of us. We have nothing to fear and yet doubt creeps into our minds because the enemy tries to confuse us and test our faith. Our relationship with God allows us to have the confidence to stand up against doubt, to look at the face of adversity, and boldly say with conviction that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Where we fall short, He makes up for our shortcomings. We have nothing to fear because God is our strength.

2 Corinthians 3:5: “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.”

We find peace knowing that we do not have to face this world alone. We don’t have to solve every problem and answer every question for ourselves. God provides us with everything we need and, when we feel unprepared, we are able to pray to the Lord and ask Him for help, and He always provides. Our confidence is not found in our own abilities but in His abilities. Whatever we may lack, He makes complete. Be brave and trust the Lord.

Thank you, Lord, for showing us to be brave. Thank you for being by our side through thick and thin, and seeing us through the trials we encounter. Thank you for helping us through the difficult times. Thank you for showing us that we can persevere as long as we seek You. Thank you for helping us to realize that we aren’t alone in this life and that we don’t have to figure out everything for ourselves. We are never alone because we have You. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Is Guilt Controlling You?

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins. (Psalm 25:17-18)

Guilt sneaks into our subconscious and it is difficult to concentrate on anything else. The most common time that guilt rears its ugly head is when we are the happiest. While God wants us to be aware of our mistakes, He does not want us to be tormented by them. God tells us to ask for forgiveness, not because He wants us to beg Him to forgive us so He can assert His authority over us but rather so we can accept the mistake and give it to the Lord. Jesus took all of our sins at the cross but, when we ask for forgiveness, the guilt is removed because we have learned from our poor choices. If we aren’t able to forgive ourselves, we may think that God won’t be able to forgive us either.

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We know God’s power. We have seen it first-hand in our lives, and yet we question His power because we have a hard time comprehending the sheer magnitude of His power. The beauty is that we don’t have to understand it; we simply need to have faith that, although we are only one person and our contribution to His ministry may seem small and insignificant, we are an important part of a much bigger picture. Like the many tiny wheels and springs inside a watch, we are all integral in the watch continuing to run. When we are plagued with guilt, our concentration is no longer on the Lord. The enemy wants to see us distracted because then he can sneak up and try to snatch us away from God. By giving our guilt to God, the distraction leaves our minds and God can heal our hearts. We can have faith that God will take away our sins because His love has no bounds.

Micah 7:19: “He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Thank you, Lord, for forgiving us. Thank you for taking our sins, our mistakes, our bad decisions far, far away from us so we can regain our focus on doing Your will and living our lives for You. We pray that, as we learn more and more about You, that we will find encouragement in Your Holy Word to become better versions of ourselves. You are worthy of our love and admiration. Thank you for protecting us from the enemy. Satan has no foothold on us because we follow the One True God always. Amen. – Katie Ann

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Are You A Sheep?

By today’s standards, being a sheep means you are a mindless follower who is easy to control. No one would want to be compared to a sheep with that unflattering definition but the Bible, however, has a very different definition of what it means to be a sheep. The Bible makes several references to God being the shepherd and we as the sheep. As God’s sheep, we have freedom to act on our own and we know that, if we need anything, we can come to the Shepherd and He will provide. We follow the Shepherd because we know that He is our source of care, love, and protection. Our faith has shown us that we can completely trust God and He will not allow any harm to come our way.

John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

There is no greater love than the love we have received from our Heavenly Father, the gift of His unconditional love and grace. God truly is our Shepherd. He leads us and protects us from harm. He always looks out for our best interest. Just as a Shepherd gives the flock room to roam and discover the land, God allows us to make our own choices and sometimes we make mistakes. Even though He would prefer to shield us from all pain and sadness, God knows that hard times test our faith and, if we turn to Him in our time of need, our faith will only grow stronger and stronger. He is overjoyed when we return to the safety of His arms.

Luke 15:4-6: “’What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’”

A wandering sheep is never truly lost if we have God as Our Shepherd. God does not rest until all of His sheep have come home. We know that Jesus has not come back down to Earth because the Bible tells us that He is waiting for more of the flock to return home to be with Him (2 Peter 3:9). God wants to be sure that everyone who believes, or will believe, in Jesus as their Savior has an opportunity to repent and be saved. God cares about each and every one of us and He can’t stand to see anyone have to spend eternity separated from Him. God is a loving God who doesn’t want any harm to come to any of us.

Psalm 100:3: “Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Thank you, Lord, for being Our Shepherd. Thank you for leading us and taking such good care of us. We pray that many more people will come to know You. Thank you for caring so deeply for all of us, the sheep of Your pasture, and for coming to look for us when we get lost. Thank you for Your love. Amen. – Katie Ann

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