Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith, we understand the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 1:1-3 Do you remember how you felt when you were very young and your birthday approached? You were excited and anxious. You knew you would certainly receive gifts and other special treats. But some things would be a surprise. Birthdays combined assurance and anticipation, and so does faith. Faith is the conviction based on past experience that God's new and fresh surprises will surely be ours. Two words describe that faith: sure and certain. These two qualities need a secure beginning and ending point. The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character - He is who He says He is. The end point is believing in God's promises - He will do what He says He will do. When we believe that God will fulfill his promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate to true faith. May the Lord renew your faith today. God Bless you, J.H.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you are sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32 We can grieve the Holy Spirit by the way we live. Paul warns us against unwholesome language, bitterness, improper use of anger, brawling, slander, and bad attitudes toward others. Instead of acting that way, we should be forgiving, just as God has forgiven us. This is Christ's law of forgiveness that is taught in the Gospels. We also see it in the Lord's prayer - "Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors." God does not forgive us because we forgive others, but solely because of his great and awesome mercy. As we come to understand His mercy, however, we want to be like Him. Having received forgiveness, we should natually pass it onto others. Those who are unwilling to forgive have not become one with Christ, who was willing to forgive even those who crucified him. Forgiveness, like love, is a choice. We need to make a conscious choice to forgive and we must stick to that choice. We forgive others for two very basic and very important reasons: 1) because God demands it of us 2) because it frees us. We don't forgive in order to free the other person. The other person who injured you in some what has most likely forgotten all about the incident, all the while you are still seething with anger, unwilling to forgive. And who are you hurting? YOURSELF! We forgive in order to free ourselves of that burden, and get on with our lives, and renew and strengthen our walk with the Lord. And trust me, in this case, talking the talk and walking the walk are two totally different things. Pray hard for the courage and strength to forgive. Then forgive. Then let it go. For good. God Bless you, J.H.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in a way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 The writer begins his psalm extolling the joys of obeying God and refusing to listen to those who discredit or ridicule him. Our friends and associates can have a profound influence on us, often in very subtle ways. If we insist on friendships with those who mock what God considers important, we might sin by becoming indifferent to God's will. This attitude is the same as mocking. Do your friends build up your faith, or do they tear it down? True friends should help, not hinder, you to draw closer to God. When Scripture says, "whatever he does prospers," it does not mean immunity from failure or difficulties. Nor is it a guarantee of health, wealth, and happiness. What the Bible means by prosperity, is this: when we apply God's wisdom, the fruit we bear will be good and receive God's approval. Just as a tree soaks up water and bears luscious fruit, we also are to soak up God's Word, producing actions and attitudes that honor God. To achieve anything worth while, we must have God's Word in our hearts. Spend time with God today and let Him fill you. God Bless you, J.H.

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Proverbs 4:6-7 If you want wisdom, you must decide to go after it. It takes resolve - a determination not to abandon the search once you begin, no matter how difficult the road may become. This is not a once-in-a-lifetime step, but a daily process of choosing between two paths - the wicked and the righteous. Nothing else is more important or more valuable. King David taught his son Solomon as a young boy that seeking God's wisdom was the most important choice he could make. Solomon learned that lesson well. When God appeared to the new king to fulfill any request, Solomon chose wisdom above all else. We should also make God's wisdom our first choice. And thanks to Jesus' work on the cross, we don't have to wait for God to appear to us. We can boldly ask him for wisdom today, through prayer. James 1:5 and assures us that God will grant our request. God Bless you, J.H.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:37-38 The first line of this passage may be one of the most mis-quoted verses in the Bible. And it is usually misquoted by people who are attempting to deflect attention from their sinful lifestyle. "Do not judge, lest ye be judged," is one of the first thing to come out of their mouth. A judgment is a statement; a verdict given by someone in authority over the other. "If you do this, this is well happen to you." And that is not our job as Christians. We have not been given the authority to tell people what will happen to them if they continue down a particular path in life. We do not know what God may have in store for them. All we must do is humble ourselves and pray. A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God's forgiveness. Jesus uses the picture of measuring grain in a basket to ensure the full amount. If we are critical, rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. We are to love others, and not judge them. We can, however, speak the truth in love and present God's truth as it is presented to us in the Bible. God Bless you, J.H.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 In this age of information, knowledge is plentiful, but wisdom is scarce. Wisdom means far more than simply knowing a lot. It is a basic attitude that affects every aspect of life. The foundation of knowledge is to fear the Lord - to honor and respect God, to live in awe of his power and to obey his Word. Faith in God should be the controlling principle for your understanding of the world, your attitudes, and your actions. Trust in God - He will make you truly wise. One of the most annoying types of people is a know-it-all, a person who has a dogmatic opinion about everything, is closed to anything new, resents discipline, and refuses to learn. Solomon calls this kind of person a fool. Don't be a know-it-all. Instead, be open to the advice of others, especially those who know you well and can give you valuable insight. Learn how to learn from others. Remember, only God knows it all. Seek Him. Many kids and even adults today wear a bracelet emboldened with the letters: W.W.J.D. - which stands for "What Would Jesus Do?" That is a wonderful question to ask. We need to be sure to ask it often, and most importantly, to wait for an answer. God Bless you, J.H.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in who we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14 Paul lists five benefits God gives all believers through Christ: 1. He made us qualified to share his inheritance 2. He rescued us from Satan's dominion of darkness and made us his children 3. He brought us into his eternal kingdom 4. He redeemed us - bought our freedom from sin and judgment 5. He forgave all our sins Thank God for what you have received in Christ. And not only that, you need to understand, deep in your heart, that these benefits are not contingent upon what you do. You have already been qualified, rescued, redeemed, forgiven and brought into his eternal kingdom. These are not that things are going to happen one day, but these are things that have already happened. Your spiritual growth is dependent on your belief in these things. If you believe these things to be true, then you will start to see fruit in your life, such as endurance, patience, and joy. You see, God has already done it. The work has been completed. It is finished. All that remains is for you to believe. Knowledge and faith are two vastly different things. Knowledge of God is very important and useful, but many people have knowledge they do not use. Faith is what God is looking for. Faith that will move mountains. God bless you, J.H.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45 The kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything else we can have, and a person must be willing to give up everything to obtain it. The man who discovered the treasure in the field stumbled upon it by accident but knew its value when he found it. The merchant was earnestly searching for the pearl of great value, and, when he found it, he sold everything he had to purchase it. This is a lesson in majoring in main things. Put all that you have and all that you are in the one thing that really counts. In this life, and especially at this time of year, we are pulled many different ways with many different priorities. But always remember, there is only one that truly matters. Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season, God bless you, J.H.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13 Most of us have learned how to pretend to love others - how to speak kindly, avoid hurting their feelings, and appear to take an interest in them. We may even be skilled in pretending to feel moved with compassion, when we hear of others' needs, or to become indignant when we learn of injustice. But God calls us to real and sincere love that goes far beyond pretense and politeness. Sincere love requires concentration and effort. It means helping others become better people. It demands our time, money, and personal involvement. No individual has the capacity to express love to a whole community, but the body of Christ does. Look for people who need your love, and look for ways you and your fellow believers can love your community for Christ. We can honor others in one of two ways. One involves ulterior motives. We honor our bosses so they will reward of us, our employees so they will work harder, the wealthy so they will contribute to our cause, the powerful so they will use their power for us and not against us. God's other way involves love. As Christians we honor people because they have been created in God's image, because they are our brothers and our sisters in Christ, and because they have a unique contribution to make to Christ's Church. Does God's way of honoring others sound too difficult for your competitive nature? Why not try to outdo one another in showing honor? But others first! God Bless you, J.H.

"But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 To "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your example, and to serve and obey Him in everything; not just what you choose, but in everything. You have to really think about and honestly answer the question: what is really important to you? People, objects, goals, and other desires all compete for priority in your life. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don't actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life. Actively choosing means that each and every day you must realign your goals with God's. It doesn't take long for the routine and busyness of one day to mess us up and allow us to once again focus on our problems and all the work that must be done, rather than relying on God and His purpose. "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34 Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today. God bless you, J.H.