At present,

we do not yet see

everything in subjection

                   to Him.

But we see Him...

           Hebrews 2. 9

(I cannot understand everything,

but I can trust Him,

love Him,

respond to Him,

even in what I don't comprehend.

"Follow Me in this.")

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

(No matter what.

Worry tries to control

           the what if's of the unknown.

Hope stakes it life on what is known:

                  God Almighty.

His faithfulness comes

with the sunrise every morning.

His steadfast love covers it all

               and never ceases.

You are not alone,

     God whispers in the darkness

and sings in the breaking of the day.)

I will walk with integrity of heart

          within my house;

I will not set before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

                Psalm 101. 2-3

(Intentionally turning away

from anything that distracts

     or gets a death grip on you

engraves patterns of faithfulness.

It is not a matter of setting up

                         fire walls,

but not opening the door

          in the first place.)

And let our people learn

to devote themselves

           to good works,

so as to help cases

      of urgent need,

and not be unfruitful.

               Titus 3. 14

(Excuse me,

but your gospel is showing.

Faithfulness to Christ

enlarges our vision

             past ourselves.

Fruitfulness in Christ

 is the planting of His Word

 and living out

   the long ripening of His Spirit.

Faithfulness

         always impacts others.)

It is He who made the earth

                by His power,

who established the world

                by His wisdom,

and by His understanding

   stretched out the heavens...

The LORD of hosts

                 is His name.

                    Jeremiah 51. 15, 19

(No wonder I feel like

 I am not in control,

                   because He is.

His evidence and His Presence

    are seamlessly woven

into all that is both visible

                    and invisible.

Just because I cannot comprehend

doesn't mean He is not there.)

   

Their Redeemer is strong;

the LORD of hosts is His name.

                   Jeremiah 50. 34

(Trusting the LORD is

part of His redeeming.

By trusting God

with what you do not know

--even in what you do know--

               He changes you,

even if the circumstances don't.

And that may be His purpose in it:

             to know Him more.

The LORD is stronger yet.

"Trust Me in this,

      trust Me through this.")

           

Preach the Word;

be ready in season

         and out of season.

              2 Timothy 4. 2

(In obvious places of need

and in

      totally unexpected situations,

and even among those

           we would least suspect.

Every word,

every deed,

nothing random in any circumstance,

but a divinely appointed opportunity

                 for the gospel.

Be ready.  Seek it out.

Even here.

Even now.

Bring the name of Jesus there.)

And do you seek

     great things for yourself?

Seek them not ...

             Jeremiah 45. 5

(Only for His glory.

Even in this.

For who or what 

    I do something,

    always changes me

    ... and the outcome.)

Let the favor of the Lord our God

             be upon us,

and establish

  the work of our hands upon us;

yes,

   establish the work of our hands.

                    Psalm 90. 17

(A daily prayer before I begin my day,

before I begin the work

      He has set before me.

Whatever the task,

           may He be glorified.

Even in this.

No work done for His glory

       is ever menial,

nothing stands outside His bounds.

Not "Take God to work" day,

   but walk with Him into it.)

          

...for God gave us a spirit

        not of fear

but of power

and love

and self-control.

             2 Timothy 1. 7

(A radically different response

brings about

a radically different outcome.)

...washed the feet

        of the saints...

         1 Timothy 5. 10

(In whatever way

   that honor appears.)

So also good works

      are conspicuous,

and even those that are not

cannot remain hidden.

                1 Timothy 5. 25

(Good works,

kindness,

compassion,

unexpected grace

         reverberate.

God always bears fruit

and alters the landscape.)

Train yourself for godliness,

for while bodily training

    is of some value,

godliness is of value

               in every way,

as it holds promise

        for the present life

and also for the life to come.

              1 Timothy 4. 7-8

(Quite literally Cross-fit.

As my friend Chris Davis

always says,

"The proof of desire

  is in the pursuit.)

Ah, Lord GOD!

It is You who have

   made the earth

   by Your great power

and by Your outstretched arm!

Nothing

      is too hard for You!

                 Jeremiah 32. 17

(The word "nothing"

in the original Hebrew means

          "absolutely nothing."

Still does.

This particular dilemma or problem

is not beyond His power

                   or redeeming.)

Keep your voice from weeping,

and your eyes from tears,

              declares the LORD,

and they shall come back

from the land of the enemy.

There is hope for your future,

                declares the LORD...

              Jeremiah 31. 16-17

(God is using you

in deep and mighty ways

     His sacred purposes.

Hope is in the LORD,

not in prevailing circumstances.

Press on.

All eyes on Him

   as the LORD

   navigates us through.)

For I know the plans

   I have for you,

          declares the LORD,

plans for welfare

                 and not for evil,

to give you a future

                 and a hope.

Then you will call upon Me

and come and pray to Me,

      and I will hear you.

You will seek Me

and find Me

when you seek Me

     with all your heart.

 

               Jeremiah 29. 11-13

(Seek God in this,

       not just an answer.

Faithfulness to God

  always produces fruitfulness

                    beyond measure,

in His perfect timing

and in His unexpected

    and incredible ways.)

...do not hold back a word.

It may be they will listen,

and every one turn

        his evil way....

            Jeremiah 26. 2-3

(You never know,

never even suspect,

who is watching,

who is listening,

who will respond to God,

God has placed you there

     to bring His love, grace

     and His name.)

In the latter days

you will understand it

         completely.

            Jeremiah 23. 20

(God redeems

         even the hard stuff.

Just because 

        I don't understand 

doesn't mean 

His profound purposes

          aren't deeply woven.

Nothing random,

        just deeper than

        my myopic vision.

Someday we shall all say,

"Oh, so that's why....")

...that they may know

       that You alone,

whose name is the LORD,

are the Most High

    over all the earth.

                  Psalm 83. 18

(Bottom line

    in every endeavor

that He is known.

Above all things,

          intimacy with Him,

no deeper thing to seek

         or pray for others.)

If I say,

"I will not mention Him,

or speak any more

               in His name,"

there is in my heart

as it were a burning fire

shut up in my bones,

and I am weary

      with holding it in,

and I cannot.

              Jeremiah 20. 9

(God has placed you there

to bring the name of Jesus.)

Blessed is the man

    who trusts in the LORD,

    whose trust is the LORD.

He is like a tree

           planted by water,

that sends out its roots

                 by the stream,

and does not fear

         when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious

            in the year of drought,

for it does not cease

                    to bear fruit.

                 Jeremiah 17. 7-8

(Trusting God

       changes everything

even in this.)

...that when you received

       the Word of God,

which you heard from us,

you accepted it

not as the word of men and women,

but as what it really is,

        the Word of God,

which is at work

              in you believers.

              1 Thessalonians 2. 13

(The Word of God

        is at work in us.

God's Word

  changes us immeasurably.)

Yet You, O LORD,

are in the midst of us,

and we

        are called by Your name.

                Jeremiah 14. 9

(His Presence

             changes everything.

How I see God

changes how I see myself,

how I see others,

how I see,

       even in the really hard stuff,

His hand,

His strength,

His glory.

"Walk with Me through this.")

Do not say,

"I will do to him

as he has done to me;

I will pay the man back

   for what he has done."

                Proverbs 24. 29

(That mindset never ever ends well.

Break the cycle,

not with a better attitude,

           but a new heart.

Bringing grace to the equation

    always changes the outcome.)

Thus says the LORD:

"Let not the wise man

      boast in his wisdom,

let not the mighty man

      boast in his might,

let not the rich man

      boast in his riches,

but let him who boasts

                 boast in this:

that he understands

    and knows Me,

that I am the LORD

who practices steadfast love,

justice and righteousness

                     in the earth.

For in these things

      I delight,

            declares the LORD."

                        Jeremiah 9. 23-24

(What anyone knows of me,

by what I am known,

Who I know,

              Whose I am.)

Your way was

through the sea,

Your path 

through the great waters,

yet

Your footprints were unseen.

                  Psalm 77. 19

(God brings us through 

      our impossible places.)

...that in everything

     He might be preeminent.

                  Colossians 1. 18

(Not a priority

      or even prominent,

but preeminent in everything.

The Latin root for preeminent

means "to stand out,"

surpassing anything else.

Not that someone can

      tell you are a Christ-follower,

but others see Christ in you.)

...walk in a manner

       worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing to Him,

bearing fruit

       in every good work

and increasing in the

       knowledge of God.

                 Colossians 1. 10

(Every day,

 every situation,

 even in this,

       make the choice

       to live like that.)

But the LORD said to me,

"Do not say 'I am only a youth,'

for to all whom I send you,

           you shall go,

and whatever I command you,

           you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you

     to deliver you,"

            declares the LORD.

                  Jeremiah 1. 7-8

(We have just to be faithful

    and bring the name of Jesus there.)

But one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward

     to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal

for the prize

  of the upward call of God

                in Christ Jesus.

               Philippians 3. 13

(One thing to do today.

Leaving the baggage behind --

that's what forgiveness does.

Pressing on --

  that is what God's redeeming

  is all about.

Be found in Him,

  the one thing that matters,

  that which impacts everything.)

...Who led them through

                the depths?

                 Isaiah 63. 13

(Even in this.

God leads us

      through our miry bogs.

What is Your way in this,

                       O LORD?

When we seek Him through,

   He does not just bring us

              to the other side of it,

   but to a deeper intimacy

                         with Him.)