Jesus’ sheep hear His voice. They understand Him because they know Him. Not only do believers know Jesus, but He also knows them. To be known by Jesus is to be held securely not by our own power, but by the mighty power of God’s grace. No one can snatch believers from Jesus’ hand or from the Father’s hand as they are one. They are both divine, acting with power and purpose that human forces cannot emulate or overcome. It is God’s power that saves His sheep and it will be God’s power that will keep His sheep. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Do I truly know that I am one of His sheep? Why or why not?

2. To what can I refer to help me answer question #1?


​Challenge: Take some time to reflect on the time when you truly put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone to save you. If you have not done that, what is stopping you from doing it today?

In Ephesians 2:1-3, we see that mankind was dead, disobedient, demonic, and destined for destruction. That’s the bad news. However, the good news is that God had a plan. Verse 4 utters some of the most important words in this chapter: “But God.” We were dead, but God made us alive in Christ. We were not merely in need of a helping hand; we were not sinking swimmers in need of a raft; we were stone cold dead - spiritually lifeless. If God could do the saving through making us alive in Christ through faith, He is most certainly powerful enough to keep us saved through His mighty power. We must only repent and believe as He provides for us the power to do so. It is settled and sure!! What an awesome God we serve!


Questions for further thought:
1. How often have I thought that somehow my salvation depended on me? Why do you think that is?

​2. In what ways today could I thank the God of the universe for His saving grace? 


​Challenge: There is nothing we can do to earn this salvation. We are saved by the grace (unmerited favor) of Christ through faith alone. Take time to reflect on the words “But God.”

As John’s letter comes to a close, he clearly announces his purpose for writing; to clearly communicate to those that genuinely believe the full assurance they have in the eternal life given through faith in Jesus Christ. Some people hope that they will receive eternal life, but John says we can know we have it. Our certainty is not based on some passing fancy or feeling that can change in the moment, but on the settled promises of God revealed through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. This is true whether you feel far away from God or close to Him. Eternal life is not based on feelings, but on facts. You can know you have eternal life if you believe God’s truth. Now that is a God who is worth trusting!


Questions for further thought:
1. If you were to die today, do you have assurance that you would enter Heaven?

2. What is your defense for your answer to question #1?  


​Challenge:  If you aren’t sure that you are a Christian ask yourself “Have I honestly committed myself to Jesus as my Savior and Lord”? Trust that He will show you.

If your desire is to have the qualities listed in 5:22-23, then you know that the Holy Spirit is leading you. At the same time, be careful not to confuse your subjective feelings with the Spirit’s leading. Being led by the Holy Spirit involves the desire to hear, the readiness to obey God’s Word, and the sensitivity to discern between your feelings and His promptings. Live each day controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit. Then the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.


Questions for further thought:
1. When my feelings amp up and they cause me to react, what do I use as a barometer to see if I am responding correctly?

2. Do I see my actions primarily controlled by feelings? Why or why not?


​Challenge:  Take time to look at your human relationships and your relationship with the Lord and discern whether they are governed by feelings or by God’s truth.

What does it mean to be in "relationship with God"? It means not only to submit to His authority, to desire to please Him in everything we do, but also to recognize that He is for us, He delights in us. He wants us to be happy and content. It also means that we realize that we will, at times, fail to please Him. We have and will continue to sin, despite our best intentions. The beauty of this relationship is that through Jesus, we have a Savior who took those sins upon Himself and became the one and only sacrifice to atone for us.


Questions for further thought:
1. Have you accepted the gift of salvation Jesus provided on the cross?

2. If not, what is holding you back? 


​Challenge:  Our God is a God of love. He does punish sin but wants you to repent and turn from sin. He desires no one to be banished to Hell for eternity. If you haven't accepted Christ, do it today. He delights in you and loves you.

The greatest labor of love that ever happened was made possible because Jesus pursued the greatest imaginably joy, the joy of being exalted to God's right hand in the assembly of redeemed people. Jesus is the original example, along with the saints referred to in Hebrews 11, of those who are so eager for and confident in the joy God offers that they reject the "fleeting pleasure of sin" (Hebrews 11:25), and chose ill treatment in order to be aligned with God's will. His joy is in our redemption. We share the joy with Jesus and God gets the glory.  


Questions for further thought:
1. Have you ever rejected the "pleasure of sin" and chose obedience instead?

2. How did that feel? 


​Challenge: What an honor to be named in Hebrews 11 as one who is faithful and overcomes sin due to great faith. God has you in mind right along with those great names. Persevere to overcome sin and thank God for His salvation plan.

Do you believe that God desires you to live a rich, full and abundant life? Does He really want you to enjoy life? What does it mean to live the abundant life Jesus talks about? Jesus tells us that we are created to love God and to love others. He desires us to take care of each other's needs. He desires us to be generous with our possessions and finances. If we hoard these things for ourselves, they become idols and rob us of the joy God intends for us. If you want to experience a more abundant life, be generous with what God has given you.


Questions for further thought:
1. Is generosity a value for you?

2. Who/what can benefit from your generosity? 


​Challenge: We can find joy in giving (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). God delights in blessing us, so we should delight in blessing others with those gifts from God. Who can you bless today?

Choosing to be joyful is a decision. At times, choosing joy can be a sacrifice. Choosing joy goes much deeper than just having a happy day because things are going well. Choosing joy and contentment is deeply rooted in our faith, hope and trust in God. The entire book of Philippians is Paul's testimony of how to experience joy in Christ.


Questions for further thought:
1. Is it a struggle for you to be joyful.

2. How can you change that?  


​Challenge:  We often focus on troubles in life, those people or situations  that make us uncomfortable or sad. We spend lots of time trying to work through these things. As in yesterday's challenge, continue to seek out those people, activities and experiences that give you joy.

We sometimes imagine God as a task master, a long-faced cosmic dictator judge pointing out faults and doling out judgment and punishment. That is a very false and unbiblical picture of God. When we study scripture and begin to understand God's character, we realize that God is the one who restores us and gives us true joy. Jesus was not joyless. Rather, those who persecuted Him were concerned that He exhibited too much joy.


Questions for further thought:
1. Do you view God as a fun-hater?

2. Do you enjoy God's blessings with a thankful heart?


​Challenge:  Take time to inventory all the people, possessions or anything else that brings you joy. Consider if these things are pleasing to God, and if so, enjoy and give thanks for them.

In my opinion, Unanswered Prayers is one of Garth’s truly great songs…and a pretty good theological statement. A second reason our prayers don’t appear to be answered is our incomplete knowledge. God’s ways are not our ways. God sees the bigger picture. His timeline is eternal. God sometimes doesn’t act as we want because to do so would cause more harm than good. And our prayers are answered according to His timing, which is much different than ours. If your intentions are good, keep asking God to act…and don’t lose track of all the times He has worked on your behalf. 


Questions for further thought:
1. Looking back, can you see times when God’s timing was much better than yours would have been? 

2. How does an appreciation of God’s perspective impact our prayer life?


​Challenge: Commit to becoming a more trusting and thankful person – trusting that God knows what’s best for your life and thankful for the blessings He provides and His promise to walk with us through whatever life brings our way.