New Mercies

Your eyes opened this morning. The sun has risen again. Your heart is still beating. Your lungs are inhaling fresh oxygen. You are here, you are alive, and your life has intrinsic value.

It’s true.

But this fractured world tries to beat us down, which can feel all-consuming at times. Our relationships are far from perfect, our desires are bent toward selfishness, and sometimes the everyday grind can feel like too much.

The author of Lamentations, traditionally identified as Jeremiah (though His name isn’t stated explicitly), is known as the “weeping prophet”—constantly undone because of the heartbreaking sin of his people and their open disregard for their Creator. The book is full of grief, distress, and lament. But still, he confidently writes:

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:21-23‬ ‭ESV

Even though God’s people had rebelled, even though the strength of Israel was gone and they were facing the consequences of their idolatry, even though their unfaithfulness was making their lives fall apart…

God still poured out His steadfast love. God still showed off His endless mercy. God still lavished His people with His constant faithfulness. 

That is why they were not consumed. And that is why we still have hope. 

If you’ve run from God, ignored His good design, disregarded His warnings, purposely rebelled against Him, or simply chose to forget His existence all together, it’s not too late to turn back. 

God doesn’t ignore those who come to Him. He doesn’t dismiss those with a humble and repentant heart. He is patiently and faithfully waiting for those who will return to Him.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT
[22] The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. [23] Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

https://bible.com/bible/116/lam.3.22-23.NLT

He Will Lead the Way

Moses led the people of Israel for forty years. He led them out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, delivered the Ten Commandments from his time with God on Mount Sinai, and walked with them through the wilderness until they reached the edge of Canaan. 

But as he neared the end of his life, God showed Moses that it was time to hand off leadership to another. In a final address to the people of Israel, he shares these final words with his successor, Joshua:

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

This is the last record we have of Moses talking to Joshua. Notice he didn’t say, “Good luck, these people are exhausting,” or, “Here’s a situation going on, I would handle it this way.” Moses wasn’t telling Joshua about how to do something, but instead, how to see everything.

Moses drew Joshua’s attention to the most important part of the story: God. Moses had been a crucial leader, but it was only because of God that Israel could move forward. It was only because of God that they made it this far. And because God is the author of the story, His provision would continue after Moses is gone. 

Because God was with Israel, Joshua didn’t need to fear anything. And when God is with you, there is nothing to fear. He will lead the way.

Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT
[8] Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

https://bible.com/bible/116/deu.31.8.NLT

Let There Be Light

The word “light” appears hundreds of times in the Bible. It first appears just three verses into the first book, Genesis, during the creation story:

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”
Genesis 1:3-4 NIV
 
Later, when the prophet Isaiah foretold Jesus’ coming, he framed the Messiah as a “great light” that would dawn on those who were “walking in darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in John 8:12 when He declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Darkness cannot exist where there is light. Genesis 1 says that God separated the light from the darkness that covered a formless, empty earth—because the two things cannot coexist. And the same is true of sin and perfection. The world fell into darkness when sin entered it. 

But the world wasn’t completely consumed by darkness—we were only separated from God. That’s why He sent Jesus, the Great Light, to guide us back to Him.

Just as a flame burns brightly, its fire also spreads. When He returned to Heaven, Jesus gave us His Spirit, so that we might also be light to others! The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” 

As a child of light, you can be a light in our dark world by the way you live, speak, and act. Ask yourself: How will I continue to walk in step with Jesus as my guiding light? What will I do to be a light in my world? Who will I share His light with today?

Genesis 1:3 NLT
[3] Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

https://bible.com/bible/116/gen.1.3.NLT

Galatians 6:2 NLT
[2] Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.6.2.NLT

Psalms 30:5 NLT
[5] For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.30.5.NLT

Here’s What Humility Looks Like…

When you think of humility, what comes to mind? 

In our world, humility is often seen as a self-degrading concept that reveals our insecurities and keeps us from becoming our best selves. 

But true humility never leads to insecurity, because insecurity is a form of pride. Pride either puffs us up or tears us down. Pride is self-sufficient, but also self-destructive. If we’re doing great, pride makes our confidence soar. But if we’re going through a rough season, pride makes us sensitive to our failures. Pride links our worth to our accomplishments, and it prevents us from seeing who we truly are. 

Pride makes us think that if we try hard enough, we can become good enough. Humility helps us realize that we are not enough—but God is enough for us. 

Humility will often ask us to risk something. It might mean laying down our social standing, our reputation, our financial security, our sense of authority, or our expertise. 

But surrendering our self-sufficiency lets us embrace God’s authority. And our God did miracles through Moses, established David as king of Israel, worked through Isaiah in the midst of chaos, publicly honored Mary, abundantly provided for Peter, and glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead. 

When we surrender ourselves to God, we allow Him to be glorified through us. Humility might cost us something—but it leads to abundant life. 

So today, how can you humble yourself before God? Take a few moments and process what you need to lay down in order to draw closer to God within the upcoming weeks.

1 Peter 5:6 NLT
[6] So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.

https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.5.6.NLT

The Truth of God

What is truth? Various generations have had different ways of answering that question. It's a popular belief in today’s culture that truth can be whatever you want it to be. This is the idea that truth is relative and unique to every individual person.

But if everyone lives their own truth, then nobody can truly know which one is right. And if one person’s truth contradicts another person’s truth, one of them must be wrong.

Scripture tells us that there is an objective truth available; a truth that we can live by. Rather than truth being grounded in the individual, it is grounded in something much bigger than ourselves.

Truth is sourced from God.

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and everything that exists, and the one from whom truth and beauty come. God’s Word contains the truths that He has spoken to us—so that we might live according to His truth and His ways.

Jesus says that His teachings are true because they come from God. He goes on to say that anyone who knows the truth of God will be set free in their life.

When we know the truth, we are no longer living according to a lie. God’s Word tells us the truth and leads us to life. This is why Jesus says that the truth will set us free. That's when we become truly free to live according to how God designed us to live.

An important part of learning what's true and what isn’t is reading God’s Word. He has spoken to us through His Word, and all that He has spoken is true. When we read and memorize God’s Word, we learn more and more about God.

Take some time today to thank God for revealing Himself to us through His Word, and for illuminating our lives with His truth.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
[22] But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.5.22-23.NLT