Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Giving Late Bloomers a Chance"

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD … He will be like a tree planted by the water. Jeremiah 17:7-8
   

In the fall of the year, when most of the yard flowers have bloomed out, we notice the chrysanthemums coming into their own. Called mums for short, their name in Greek means “golden flowers.” During the summer no one pays much attention to the uninteresting plants. The other eye-catching flowers disappear and the multi-colored, full-blossomed chrysanthemums brighten the scene. It is their nature to bloom in late summer and fall.

The Bible compares people to flowers and teaches us lessons. One truth we can learn from flowers is that they have their proper seasons, and so it is with human beings. People do not grow and mature at the same rate. Some are like early spring beauties, while others, like the chrysanthemums, are late bloomers. The psalm compares the righteous person to a plant “which yields its fruit in season” (Psalm 1:3).

There is for each Christian a proper season for blossoming out, maturing, and bearing fruit. It is a wise parent who knows what to expect from children at the time proper for them. Those are wise teachers who can discern the right growth and fruit-bearing season of their pupils. Those are wise spiritual leaders who can recognize the “chrysanthemums” in their congregations – people who come into their own when their time has come: retired persons, senior citizens, and many others who have individual talents and their own built-in schedules, calendars, and clocks of personal development.

Jesus, our Lord, found many late bloomers, that is, persons who came to Him relatively late in life, believed in Him, and served Him. He gladly accepted the ministrations of Peter’s mother-in-law, whom He had healed. He welcomed a late bloomer in Jericho: Zacchaeus the tax collector, who became a follower of Jesus. He promised heaven to so late a comer as the penitent thief on the cross.

Are you like a chrysanthemum, like a fall flower? For you, too, Christ died and He wants you in His flower garden.

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"God’s Word – Our Great Heritage"

"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11
   

Motion picture actor Gregory Peck declared after he had recorded the New Testament on 16 cassettes, “I’ve always been a reader of the Bible.” The traditional King James Version is, he said, “the most majestic and beautiful of the translations.” He stressed the content -- “the teachings and doctrines” – not only the great literacy and poetic value.

The Holy Scriptures are our great heritage. They are available to us in the beautiful language of the King James Version as well as in the updated language of more recent translations. The words are not an end in themselves; if they were, we would still have to use the original Hebrew and Greek words. What is important is God’s message that these words convey. In all translations that are faithful to the original text the message is the same.

What is the message God conveys in this unique, divinely inspired book? It goes far beyond offering golden rules for morally upright living, although it does have moral guidance. It is not human philosophy, or essentially ethical wisdom, or aesthetic expression of great thoughts, or only a road map for life’s journey. What good the Bible conveys in these areas comes as a result or fruit of something far greater, that is, of God’s message of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Redeemer. Through this message of the Gospel the Holy Spirit brings people to Christ, to the one who for our sakes died on a cross and was raised.

God makes Himself perfectly clear in the Bible’s message written by inspired authors. The message is good news. It can be discoursed upon at great length, or it can be briefly stated in "bumper sticker” length statements, such as: “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). Again: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Or in Jesus’ own words: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” This is God’s message in the Bible.

How blessed we are to have God’s Word as our great heritage!

[Soldier4Christ]

"The Value of Quiet Time"

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!'" Luke 15:17
   

The prodigal son at long last came to his senses. It happened after the tumult and shouting of his riotous life. He had come to his senses, with quiet moments to commune with himself and with his God. Watching the swine in the field, he evaluated his life.

Out of his reflection grew this resolve, “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you” (Luke 15:18). God used this resolve, although painful to carry out, to change the young man’s life. A former prodigal son was now a penitent son. His merciful father forgave him and joyfully reinstated him as his son.

There is a time for action and a time for quiet meditation. The poet Goethe has said (in translation), “Talent is shaped in quietness, but character in the world’s stream.” Character is not formed in a vacuum but, given moral guidance and training, in the give and take of life. Talent, on the other hand, is largely perfected in silence and solitude.

Quiet time is valuable for other reasons. We need uninterrupted moments with ourselves, with those near and dear to us, with our God. “Be still, and know that I am God,” the Lord tells us through Psalm 46:10. We can come very close to God in hours spent alone on the seashore or on peaceful mountaintops. There is opportunity in the presence of God to sort things out, to rethink our lives, to resolve to amend what has been amiss. The still, small voice calls us to return to our heavenly Father and to rededicate ourselves to Him. Then we turn to God’s written Word, which speaks more explicitly to us.

God speaks to us most explicitly through His Son, who is the personal Word. Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost, to give His life as a ransom, to invite all sinners to a joyful homecoming to His Father’s house. We can hear the strains of the song, “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling.” He is calling to all of us.

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"Four Important ‘Re’ Words"

He [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. Colossians 1:13
   

Our Christian faith rests largely on truths expressed in “re” words. The syllable “re” means back to the original, retracing one’s steps, doing something again. Sin led the human race away from God, who in His Word of the Gospel bids sinners to return to Him.

The return to life with God was made possible by the atoning work of Jesus Christ called re-demption. By this act our Savior brought us back, yes, brought us back with a price. “In Him [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7).

The sinner’s restored relationship with God is presented in Holy Scripture from many points of view but the truth on which it focuses is always this: re-storation to God. Human enmity, which separated mankind from God, is ended, and so is the wrath of God ended, thanks to Jesus’ mediation. This is expressed in the “re” term re-conciliation. Through Christ we are made friends with God. “God … reconciled us to Himself through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

The validity of Christ’s redeeming, reconciling work is established by another “re” word: re-surrection. His deity is thereby attested. Jesus “was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). What is more, His atoning work bears the seal that suffices for our salvation. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

To have the benefit of Christ’s obedient life, redeeming death, and verifying resurrection, it is necessary to believe. Saint Paul tells the jailer at Philippi: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The coming to faith and the ensuing new life in Christ are covered by another “re” word: re-generation. It is the act of the Holy Spirit though the Gospel to make us a new creation in Christ. “[God] saved us … through the washing of rebirth (regeneration) and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

What other “re” words do you find in the Bible as pertaining to your salvation?

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"Seeking Safety in Our Work"

July 8, 2005

I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 2 Corinthians 11:27
   

A highway patrolman was wounded and his partner was killed by a motorist they had stopped to question. He was asked how he felt about going back to work. He replied: “I’m a Christian. I know if something happens to me, I’ll see my wife and family again – in heaven.”

Some occupations are more dangerous than others. Yet they need to be filled. We need officers of the law who, at great risk to themselves, protect us.

Some might consider the Christian ministry a very safe profession. But it also is beset by perils, both physical and spiritual. This is especially true of missionaries who go into pagan lands and into countries where an anti-Christian philosophy prevails in government and society. It was true of the apostle Paul, who in the performance of his calling was beaten, stoned, involved in shipwrecks, and endangered by bandits. In the end he suffered a martyr’s death in Rome. He said that Christ had loved him and had given His life for him. In gratitude he gave his life for Christ.

When it comes to work that needs to be done, and we are especially qualified to do it, the threat of danger need not deter us. All due caution should, of course, be exercised. And training should be sought to increase one’s competence to cope with hazards. Christian workers deem trust in God as especially important. They implore the presence and protection of His guardian angels. Each day, as they go to work, they can commit themselves into God’s hands.

What the highway patrolman said – about his belief in heaven – is of the greatest importance to Christians. It expresses belief in the life to come. Death comes to all of us sooner or later. While we live, we have the assurance of reunion with our loved ones in heaven. This assurance removes fear about the risks of our everyday work. Life is safe for those who are at peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

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"The Easy Yoke"

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart." Matthew 11:29
   

Ordinarily the yoke stands for subjugation (from the Latin subjugere, to bring under the yoke) and bondage. Oxen on whose necks the yoke was laid were subjugated, that is, placed under the yoke, so that they could be controlled as heavy draft animals.

In the Bible the term “yoke” is sometimes used figuratively, representing a person’s oppression under sin. Jeremiah declares, “My sins have been bound into a yoke … They have come upon my neck” (Lamentations 1:14). In a messianic prophecy Isaiah envisions the coming of the Deliverer to free God’s people from “the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors” (Isaiah 9:4).

Jesus Christ has broken the yoke of sin and has freed us from every burden of guilt and punishment that the Law threatened. Saint Paul writes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Obviously it is another kind of yoke that Jesus has in mind when He tells us, “Take My yoke upon you." He emphasizes that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Christ’s yoke is not forced on anyone, it is willingly and gladly assumed. It is the yoke of service to Him and to those who need our love. It is the yoke that links us to our Savior, who is “gentle and humble in heart.” In His presence we find rest for our souls. It is a yoke that unites us with our family and our church to get adventuresome things done.

A pious legend has it that Joseph and Jesus in Nazareth had a woodworking shop in which they made yokes for oxen. They supposedly made their products so well that they did not chafe the necks of the oxen. If true, we could well understand why Jesus would later speak of the yoke of discipleship under Him as easy. Try it, and you will find it so.

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"Eternal Life – by Grace"

"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'" Matthew 25:34
   

Our Lord’s self-identification with the needy as “the least of these brothers of Mine” (Matthew 25:40), is readily understood and deeply appreciated. Jesus calls for good works in a most appealing way. Some have sought to find support here for their belief that acceptance with God rests not only on faith but also on good works. They claim that Jesus made no mention here about salvation by faith in His redeeming merits, but that He posits it on a person’s own merits – on what he has done in the area of Christian service.

It is good to remember that the Bible doesn’t say everything that needs to be said in one verse or in one group of verses. In other connections Jesus said often enough: “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 7:50). The Gospel reading for today has to be understood in light of Jesus’ clear words in John 3:16: “Whoever believes in Him [the Son of God] shall … have eternal life.”

While it is true that faith alone saves, it is equally true that the saving faith is never alone. The living faith is always accompanied by works of love – also words and thoughts of love, prayers, and the like. A faith without works is dead, Saint James declares. Jesus points to good works as the evidence of the saving faith.

Eternal life comes by God’s grace, not as a reward for deeds. This is emphasized when Jesus says, “Take your inheritance.” An inheritance is a gift, not wages for services performed. Because salvation is God’s free gift, we have all the more reason to thank and praise Him by doing works of love. Are these works a burden? Not at all.

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"Privilege and Responsibility"

We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the Law. Romans 3:28
   

Liberty, freedom, civil rights, and other issues can be compared to a two-wheeled cart. The two wheels are privilege and responsibility. Both are necessary.

It is the same with Christian freedom. First, what a privilege it is! Saint Paul writes: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Christians in the New Testament have been set free from ceremonial laws demanding circumcision, the observance of Sabbath rules, and the distinction between foods. What is more, they are free from the curse and penalty of the moral law. For Jesus observed it perfectly for them and in their stead endured the punishment for their disobedience. By faith in this Savior we are at peace with God, reconciled, set free from the vain effort of meriting God’s grace by our good works. Good works are to be done, not in order to be saved but because we are saved.

With the wonderful privilege of being set free by Christ goes responsibility. Christian freedom can be abused, and this often happens because we forget about the second wheel: responsibility. Christian freedom entails not only a privilege but also the responsibility to act in Christian love in all situations of life, as Saint Peter declares, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil” (1 Peter 2:16).

Saint Paul cites an instance of how Christians will at times suspend their freedom because they want to act in love toward those who are weak in faith. He says that no distinction needs to be made as to food. Christians have freedom. But they will gladly refrain from exercising this right if it offends another, that is, causes him to sin. He writes: “Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died” (Romans 14:15).

As we stand firm in the privilege of Christian freedom, so we are mindful of its responsibility. Then our freedom is like a two-wheeled cart.

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"Righteous Rulers, Righteous Citizens"

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Proverbs 14:34
   

When shifting through the oratory of political campaigns one occasionally comes across a worthwhile statement - like finding a kernel of truth in a bushel of chaff. One candidate for the United States presidency said, "The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life - the children; those who are in the twilight of life - the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life - the sick, the needy, and the handicapped." One wishes the speaker had referred also to the government's concern for human beings in the pre-dawn of life - the unborn infants.

Generally speaking, the moral tone of government reflects that of the citizens. If in private life people don't care about one another, they need not be surprised if the government is likewise indifferent. The men and women who represent us in government are an image of ourselves.

It has been said, "A rising tide raises all boats," not only the yachts of the rich but also the crafts of the poor. The proper place for righteousness to become a rising tide is where the people live, move, and have their being - in their homes and local communities. Righteousness exalts a nation when its people want good local schools, improved opportunities of honest work, and an atmosphere in which legitimate business can flourish. Also exalted will be the righteousness of government at all levels, in keeping with the God-given role of rulers: to be "God's servant to do you good," as Saint Paul writes in Romans 13:4.

Jesus looked for righteousness in a country's citizens when He said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" (Matthew 22:21). This refers not only to paying taxes but to fulfilling all of one's civic duties.

Christians are rightly motivated to be a righteous people. The love of God is at work in them - the love that came to its highest expression when God's own dear Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, gave His life for the salvation of us all.

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"The Gospel - God's Liberty Bell"

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
   

The metallic medium used on July 4, 1776, to announce the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia was the Liberty Bell. It was cracked several times and now serves as a patriotic symbol.

The medium God uses to declare our independence from sin, Satan, and servitude to the fear of death is the Gospel. Whenever it is preached it proclaims spiritual liberty "throughout the land to all its inhabitants." Although it has done this for so many centuries, it has not cracked or broken; it is still in use and its message is circulating wider than ever before.

How precious and powerful is the Gospel! Saint Paul said he was not ashamed of it "because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). Jesus tells us what the Gospel is. Briefly, it is the good news that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). The Gospel is the good news that through Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection we are set free to serve the living God, the heavenly Father, whom we love and who loves us.

The thirteen colonies had to fight to gain and retain their freedom. Christians must do the same to keep the liberating Gospel of Christ. Saint Paul writes to the Galatians: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery," that is, the slavery of trying to establish one's salvation by doing the works of the Law. Freedom is best preserved when it is used - when the freeing Gospel is believed, lived, and proclaimed.

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"Our 'Project Trinity'"

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14
   

At Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was exploded, ushering in the nuclear age. The venture was knows as Project Trinity. The physical power released was beyond belief. Later the atomic bomb was used for real. The pilot of the U.S. plane, on seeing the mushroom cloud level a Japanese city, exclaimed, "My God, what have we done!"

Project Trinity is a term we can apply to the peace mission of the Gospel - the mission intended to give spiritual life to people living in the darkness of sin and death. Jesus Himself gave His disciples for all time this mission when He said: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).

Through the centuries Christ's church has engaged in Project Trinity. It did this at Christ's command and also because of His promise of salvation to all who believe in Him as the Lamb of God slain for their sins and raised again to secure their eternal life. Project Trinity brings into play the power of the Gospel to do what no physical power can do: convert sinners and make of them the sons and daughters of the heavenly Father. It brings into our lives, in Saint Paul's words, "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit."

Project Trinity is at work in you as a Christian. The Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - has participated in your salvation, for the Father thought it (He planned and ordained it), the Son wrought it when He redeemed you, and the Holy Spirit brought it to you through the Gospel.

As Christians we pass on what we have received. That's why we all participate in Project Trinity - in Christian missions.

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"Three Steps in Discipleship"

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" John 1:35-36
   

Our Lord's first two disciples were Andrew and John. From their example we note several stages in the process of becoming a more understanding and committed disciple.

First, Andrew and John were discoverers. With the hope of their former teacher, John the Baptist, they became aware of Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). On the basis of John's testimony, and their personal association with Jesus, they became convinced that they had discovered the promised Redeemer of whom the Scriptures speak. They exclaimed, "We have found the Messiah" (John 1:41).

Andrew and John proceeded to step two in their discipleship: They became followers of Jesus. They stayed in His company to share the experiences of His life and ministry, to learn from Him, to grow in faith through the Word He proclaimed, and to serve Him. Those who have come to know Jesus as the Christ can't help but make the proper response. From being discoverers they go on to become followers.

Third, Jesus' first two recruits, Andrew and John, proceeded to fulfill another important aspect of their discipleship: They in turn became recruiters - and among persons right in their own midst. Both had brothers with whom they started: Andrew with Peter and John with James. They told them: "We have found the Messiah!" As recruiters we follow in the footsteps of Christ's first disciples when we tell people near and dear to us: "Come with us to Christ; He will do you good."

Discovering Christ (that is, being found by Him), doing what He says, and sharing His Word with people near and dear to us - these are three important stages in discipleship.

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"Then Where Is He?"

Then He said to His disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them.” Luke 17:22-23
   

Where is Jesus? Years ago, when the family was still young, we went to the Minnesota State Fair. Although I have forgotten many of the details of that day, one remains in my memory. As we were driving we came across a small country church that was having a revival. We didn’t stop, but I remember thinking, “They’ve really pulled out the stops for this celebration.”

In anticipation of a crowd, they had set up a great, colorful tent—filled with folding chairs. The thing I remember most was the large rented sign the church had put out front. You know the kind of sign I mean: bright yellow, with spaces to hold interlocking black letters. The sign read, "Repent, Jesus is coming soon!!!" Yes, there were three exclamation marks at the end of the sentence. My wife Pam, who often sees things from a better and clearer perspective than I, silently took it all in. About five minutes, and five miles later, she asked, “I wonder for just how long they’ve rented that sign?"

Jesus is coming. No question about it. I know that's so because, in the inerrant, inspired Word of God, He says so. But when? When is Jesus coming? When will He return? Although I run the risk of disappointing you, I have to confess, “I don't know.” Nobody does. Yes, I know there have been all kinds of authorities who have gotten out their calculators and tried to predict when Jesus is going to return. I also know some brilliant people, who are trying to decipher hidden messages in Scripture that will give them a date. The bottom line is: They're guessing. They don't know.

I do know that Jesus is coming. He may come back in a general way to judge the entire world. He may come in a private way for you when you die. The idea of Jesus’ return should not, in any way, be frightening. Death holds no terror for those who have faith in the Savior, who know that Jesus is their heaven-sent Redeemer. With such faith, we are able to join St. Paul who says, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” Rather than being fearful, Christians can say: “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). God grant you be prepared.

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"Thanksgiving and Victory"

"Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54
   

On August 27, 1775, only 25 days after the last delegate had signed the Declaration of Independence, General George Washington’s army found itself trapped near Brooklyn’s East River. The British had 20,000 seasoned soldiers ready to attack 8,000 inexperienced colonials. The end would have been imminent, but for some reason, the British forces hesitated.

If the British hesitated, Washington didn’t. Using small boats, carrying a few at a time, Washington led his men in retreat. The night passed and the approach of dawn should have made the ferrying boats target practice for the skilled artillerymen of the British. That is the way history should have recorded the end of Washington and his men. But it didn’t happen that way. Just as the sun came up an unusually heavy fog rolled in and hung on until the last Colonial boat, the boat with Washington on board, launched off from shore. When the fog lifted the British trained their guns upon the place where Washington’s soldiers should have been. They were gone. The best the British could do was to lob some shells at Washington’s skiff, which was out of range.

Sitting as you are in your warm house, far removed from that time, it is easy for many to think of these events in terms of coincidence. Most sophisticated people think it foolish to believe that God sent the fog. Of course, almost every American soldier who recorded the events of that night in their diaries gave credit for these "coincidental happenings" to divine direction.

I guess I’m with the soldiers and not the sophisticates. It’s easier for me to believe that the Lord has His hands in the affairs of humankind than to believe in coincidence. I am not ready to believe that Jesus’ virgin birth in Bethlehem was an accident. I cannot grasp the idea that His fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies, including His death and resurrection, were flukes of fate. I believe, and I invite you to join me in the belief, that God loved the world enough that He sent His Son to save us so that whoever believes on Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. I invite you to join me in believing God loves the world, and each of us.

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"Bearable and Beautiful"

"Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54
   

Someone sent an e-mail telling about a young boy who had had a bad day. First, he went to sleep with gum in his mouth and woke up with gum in his hair—his mother had to use peanut butter to get it out, then she had to wash his hair to get the peanut butter out. He hated that. He tripped over his football and ended up really smacking his funny bone. He hated that. He forgot the dessert for his lunch and had to go to art class—he always got paint or the media of the day on his clothes. He hated that.

When he got home, his sister had eaten his cookie for her snack. He hated that—big time. Then Mom made a casserole for supper and he hated it when one kind of food touched another on his plate. He watched TV and his folks told him to change the channel because the language was bad. He did and then they told him to turn it to another channel. He hated that. Finally, Mom and Dad said, “Turn off the TV, it’s time to get ready for bed.” And although he hated going to bed, he did so without complaint.

He prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep …” Then all on his own he added, “Lord, thank You for this day, but please don’t give me another one like it, because I’m pretty sure I can’t take much more. I might crack and wind up moving to Japan.”

I imagine that almost all of us have had days when everything went wrong, when we felt like starting over. I encourage you to look to the Savior for assistance. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Redeemer of our souls, has upon Calvary’s cross conquered death for us. He has defeated our archenemies—sin, death, and Satan. And He promises to help you through the difficulties of each day. Saint Peter knew that, which is why he wrote: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Now, I don’t know what kind of day you’ve had, but I do know that with Jesus by your side, this day can be both bearable and beautiful.