Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and thereby put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. Malachi 3.10 (The LORD will utterly, entirely, completely change your life)

And He
who sat upon the throne said,
"Behold,
    I make all things new."

             Revelation 21. 5

(New year,
       new heart,
           new vision,
His indwelling
   changes me
   from the inside out.)

Open your mouth for the dumb,

for the rights of all

   who are left desolate.

Open your mouth,

judge righteously,

maintain the rights

    of the poor and needy.

           Proverbs 31. 8-9

(One of the most distinctive marks

of the early Christians was their

radical love and care for the vulnerable.

Who has God placed on my heart today?)

Praise the LORD!

For it is good

  to sing praises to our God,

for He is gracious,

and a song of praise

                   is fitting.

(Praising God

         changes me)

 

...and pressing anger

       produces strife.

               Proverbs 30.33

(Anger is a byproduct 

         of selfishness.

It is not just

   the other guy's problem.

Seek not just when

              to stand back,

but how to defuse,

how to bring 

            grace to it.)

...for we have heard

    that God is with you.

            Zechariah 8. 23

(the evidence 

     of the indwelling Spirit,

the impact on everyone around you)

For unto us

   a child is born,

to us a son is given...

             Isaiah 9.6

(And that changes everything)

Joy to the World

    The Lord has come...

Merry Christmas, my friend!

Thus says the LORD of hosts,

Render true judgments,

show kindness and mercy

    each to his brother,

do not oppress the widow,

the fatherless,

the sojourner,

or the poor,

and let none of you

devise evil against his brother

            in his heart.

             Zechariah 7. 9-10

(God calls us to be radical

     in loving one another,

a different mindset,

a transformed heart.

God changes us

     by His grace.)

Not by might,

     nor by power,

          but by My Spirit,

says the LORD of hosts.

            Zechariah 4.6

(God meets you 

      in your deepest need.

He delivers from our fears

    and releases 

       from what enslaves us.

Follow Him through

   your impossible situation.)

For lo,

I will come

      and dwell in your midst,

says the LORD.

            Zechariah 2.10

(His abiding changes everything.

This is not a difficult situation,

    but an opportunity

              to practice grace.

Bring a new heart to it.)

Thus says the LORD of hosts:

Return to Me,

         says the LORD of hosts,

and I will return to you,

says the LORD of hosts.

               Zechariah 1.3

(God always has the porch light on.

The front door is always unlocked.

He runs to meet you

                 with great delight.)

Then Haggai,

the messenger of the LORD,

spoke to the people

with the LORD's message,

    "I am with you,

        says the LORD."

                  Haggai 1.13

(If I fully grasped that reality,

     how should I then live?

The most fruitful place on earth

     is the center of His will.

No matter what.)

On the day I called,

       You answered me,

my strength of soul

   You did increase.

                   Psalm 138. 3

(The most miraculous 

is not that God plucks us out

of our situation,

     but how He redeems it.)

But as for me,

I will look to the LORD,

I will wait

  for the God of my salvation;

my God will hear me.

                    Micah 7.7

(Wait. Be still. Listen.

God will reveal Himself to you

      in this situation,

even that which makes no sense

                              YET.)

Do not My words do good

   to him who walks uprightly?

                      Micah 2.7

(Every time I read God's Word,

it changes me

and impacts everyone around me.

God changes my heart

     and transforms the landscape.)

Then Jonah prayed

     to the LORD his God

from the belly of the fish, saying,

"I called to the LORD,

              out of my distress,

and He answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

      and You heard my voice."

                     Jonah 2. 1-2

(Then Jonah prayed...

   and his story radically changes.)

...cast their crowns 

     before the throne,

singing,

"Worthy are You,

         our Lord and God,

to receive 

glory and honor and power,

for You created all things,

and by Your will

they existed and were created."

                Revelation 4. 10-11

(How can I give Him glory today?

What form will that take?

Singing His song,

           not mine.)

I do not occupy myself

with things

too great 

and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed 

     and quieted my soul,

like a child quieted

     at its mother's breast,

like a child quieted

                  is my soul.

              Psalm 131. 1-2

(Let God embrace me in this.

I am not in control,

but choose to dwell

  in the arms of the Almighty.)

But let justice

   roll down like waters,

and righteousness

   like an ever flowing stream.

                Amos 5.24

(Justice and righteousness 

        are not social causes,

but a personal call

  for doing what is 

  good and right 

       and full of grace.)

Do you see a man

   hasty in his words?

There is more hope 

    for a fool

        than for him.

              Proverbs 29.20

(Slow to speak,

    quick to listen.

Choose carefully.

Words are 

     not returnable.)

I will restore to you

the years

that the swarming locust

        has eaten...

                  Joel 2.25

(God will redeem your past,

God will redeem your life.)

...the Holy One
      in your midst...

                  Hosea 11.9

(That reality
   changes everything.)

No greater joy

  can I have than this,

to hear that my children

       follow the truth.

          3 John 1. 4

(God does not call us

     to be successful,

but to be faithful.)

As the mountains

  are round about Jerusalem 

so the LORD

  is round about His people,

from this time forth

      and forevermore.

            Psalm 125.2

(Everything is different

because you know Him.

Even here.

Even in this situation.

The safest place on earth

  is the center of His will .)

Our help is 

  in the name of the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

                  Psalm 124.8

(Not just in the time of crisis.

Nothing is too big for Him,

no detail too small.) 

To You I lift up my eyes,

O You who are enthroned

         in the heavens!

                  Psalm 123.1

(Not time to panic,

     but time to listen.

What do I need to do?

How can I handle this?

Wait, be still, listen.

First response,

    not last resort.)

...but the people 

      who know their God

shall stand firm

           and take action.

               Daniel 11.32

(Going forth 

      on His strength alone.

He will reveal 

       what you are to do.

Eyes open,

hearts responsive,

    sneakers tied.)

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From whence does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

      who made heaven and earth.

                    Psalm 121. 1-2

(It doesn't get 

       any better than that!

Keep my eyes on Him,

no matter what 

     is swirling around me.)

In my distress

     I cry to the LORD,

that He may answer me.

             Psalm 120.1

(Pray expectantly.

Not "will He answer?"

     but how?)

Great peace have those

    who love Your law;

nothing 

   can make them stumble.

             Psalm 119.165

(Move freely in the midst

of turmoil

   with peace and grace.

God's Word makes

      a visible difference

  and changes me.)

Practice hospitality

     ungrudgingly

to one another.

          1 Peter 4.9

(Striving to be

    not the perfect hostess,

but a gracious one.

What am I serving up today?

What am I bringing to the table?)

...a tender heart

      and a humble mind.

           1 Peter 3.8

(What am I bringing to the table?

Approach situations

        and relationships

with gentleness,

compassion

and grace.)

...the sanctuary of the LORD

       in the midst of it.

           Ezekiel 48.10

(An intentional effort

     in all I do today,

my words,

my attitudes,

my choices.

His Presence

    changes everything.)

...that you may declare

the wonderful deeds of Him

who called you out of darkness

  into His marvelous light.

Once you were no people

  but now you are God's people;

once you had not received mercy

  but now

      you have received mercy.

                 1 Peter 2. 9-10

(May that difference be evident

in everything about you.

It's who you are,

      forgiven and redeemed.

Nothing can ever be the same.

Live that way.)

...I am their inheritance

   ...I am their possession.

           Ezekiel 44.28

(Live like an heir,

evident in my focus,

my vision,

in every kindness,

  the mark of His Presence.)

...the garments

in which they minister...

          Ezekiel 42.14

(An intentional mindset,

a transforming vision,

wherever we go today,

whatever we do.

God changes me.

"A long obedience

in the same direction."

    -- Eugene Peterson)

Its vestibule faced

    the outer court,

and it had palm trees

    on its jambs,

one on either side,

and its stairway

    had eight steps.

         Ezekiel 40.37

(Even the smallest details,

    the smallest kindnesses,

are profound in God's eyes.

What am I thinking that

       "doesn't matter?"

It all does,

redeemed in a thousand ways.)

Son of man,

    look with your eyes,

and hear with your ears,

and set your mind

   upon all that I shall show you,

for you were brought here

in order that 

   I might show it to you.

               Ezekiel 40.4

(Watch and listen

expectantly for God.

Don't miss what He is doing

           in your midst.

Don't miss why He has

   divinely placed you here.)

And He said to me,

"Son of man,

     can these bones live?"

And I answered,

     "O Lord GOD, you know."

Again He said to me,

"Prophesy to these bones,

and say to them,

   O dry bones, 

   hear the word of the LORD.

Thus says the Lord GOD

to these bones:

   Behold, I will cause breath

   to enter you,

       and you shall live.

           Ezekiel 37. 3-5

(Does it make a difference

if I read God's Word every day?

You will never be the same.

God's Word changes you completely,

    a visible redeeming.)

And they will say,
"This land that was desolate
has become like
        the garden of Eden,
and the waste and desolate
            and ruined cities
are now inhabited and fortified."
Then the nations
  that are left round about you
shall know that I, the LORD,
have rebuilt the ruined places,
and replanted that which was desolate;
I, the LORD, have spoken,
       and I will do it.

                  Ezekiel 36. 35-36

(A new heart,
     a visible difference,
that which changes you,
that which impacts
  everyone around you.
God At Work.)

I will make with them

   a covenant of peace

and banish wild beasts

           from the land,

so that

they may dwells securely

   in the wilderness

and sleep in the woods.

           Ezekiel 34.25

(Live in the reality 

     of His Presence.)

Therefore lift your drooping hands

   and strengthen your weak knees,

and make straight paths

                 for your feet,

so that

  what is lame 

      may not be put out of joint

but rather be healed.

         Hebrews 12. 12-13

(Be encouraged.

God is strengthening,

healing,

and using you mightily.

All of which 

    increase in increments.)

Therefore,

since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us also lay aside

every weight and sin

     which clings so closely,

and let us run with perseverance

     the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus...

                 Hebrews 12.1-2

(The course that is set

    before me today,

surrounded by those who are watching

    to see if God is real)

Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.

               Proverbs 27.17

(Seek out friendships
which strengthen you)

Rule in the midst of your foes!

                   Psalm 110.2

(Bring grace to the table,

no matter the turmoil.)

With my mouth

I will give great thanks

    to the LORD;

I will praise Him

  in the midst of the throng.

          Psalm 109.30

(Live out His grace

          and love,

in word and deed,

every which way you can)

With God 

  we shall do valiantly;

it is He 

  who will tread down

                   our foes.

           Psalm 108.13

(Trust Him with the outcome.

Our foes are anything we fear,

both real

       and imagined.)

He turns a desert

     into pools of water,

a parched land

     into springs of water.

                Psalm 107. 35

(With God, we can see

    everything differently,

everything with great purpose.

Even this.

The change happens when we stop

       asking "why,"

and start asking God "what.")

...that we may give thanks

        to Your holy name

and glory in Your praise.

              Psalm 106.47

(Giving thanks

      and giving Him glory

changes everything

about me

and about my day.)

From the bed

where it was planted,

He transplanted it

to good soil

   by abundant waters,

that it might

bring forth branches,

and bear fruit,

and become a noble vine.

        Ezekiel 17. 7-8

(Wherever He leads,

wherever we are,

God brings forth fruit

and plants big trees.

We have only

to follow Him into it.)

Yet He saved them

      for His name's sake,

that He might make known

      His mighty power.

He rebuked the Red Sea,

and it became dry,

and He led them 

       through the deep

       as through a desert.

So He saved them 

   from the hand of the foe,

and delivered them

   from the power 

          of the enemy.

                Psalm 106. 8-10

(See where you are

        differently,

not a place to flee

but faithfully follow Him

into His deeper purposes.

God will redeem

even what I don't understand.)

     

He opened the rock,

and water gushed forth;

it flowed through the desert

             like a river.

                 Psalm 105.41

(When we fully seek Him,

He guides and provides

through the most

       impossible situations.

Even in what appears

   to be wilderness,

God redeems

   His deep purposes.)

...yet

     I have been a sanctuary

     to them.

                  Ezekiel 11.16

(Seek His Presence

    right in the midst

of your impossible situation.

No matter what is going on,

the LORD is your strength,

       your refuge,

       your shield,

             and your song.

You are never alone.)

Seek the LORD and His strength,

seek His presence 

                   continually.

                      Psalm 105.4

(Seeking Him

 becomes my intentional default

               in all things,

          on all days

          both great and small,

that which will change

     the course of my life)

Let us then with confidence

  draw near to the throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help

             in time of need.

             Hebrews 4.16

(That time of need

may not be my own,

but drawing near

to impart grace

    in desperate situations

    and the desperate hearts

    of those all around us.)

And you shall speak

     My words to them,

whether they hear

           or refuse to hear,

for they are a rebellious house.

                    Ezekiel 2.7

(We are called to be faithful

and leave the results in God's hands.

Even when it appears

      no one is listening,

    you never know who is.)

The LORD is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love.

                      Psalm 103.8

(How should I respond?

This is it,

the mark of His indwelling

     in impossible situations.)

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

(Never forget this.

No matter what you face.

No matter what.

May these words course through

    your mind and heart.)

...because the hearts of the saints
have been refreshed through you.

             Philemon 1.7

(We are all surrounded
by people starved
     for encouragement
in word and deed.
Nothing done in love
is insignificant.)

Serve the LORD with gladness.

Come into His presence with singing.

                      Psalm 100.2

(Not just a good attitude,

      but a happy heart.

It will change your day.

Guaranteed.)

Show yourself in all respects
a model of good deeds...

              Titus 2.7

(This is how to do it,
    the living out of His grace,
in the smallest detail,
in the most impossible places.)

Their Redeemer is strong,

the LORD of hosts

      is His name.

           Jeremiah 50.34

(No one beyond His redeeming,

nothing beyond His strength)

...preach the Word,

be urgent in season

     and out of season...

           2 Timothy 4. 2

(by how you live)

All scripture is inspired by God

and profitable for teaching,

for reproof,

for correction,

and for training in righteousness ,

that the man of God

           may be complete,

equipped for

   every good work.

             2 Timothy 3. 16-17

(God's Word changes us.

Different eyes,

    different heart.)

...that the LORD your God

   may show us

         the way should go,

and the thing that we should do.

              Jeremiah 42.3

(Wait. Be still. Listen.

God will reveal Himself.

My heart is open

    to Your leading, O LORD.

No detail too small.)

Because you have made

    the LORD your refuge,

the Most High 

          your habitation,

no evil shall befall you,

no scourge come near 

               your tent.

For He will give His angels

    charge of you

         in all your ways.

                 Psalm 91. 9-11

(Dwell in His Presence.

Seek Him out,

       even in this.

God will bring you through.

He will protect you

     even in its midst.)

A man without self control

is like a city broken into

   and left without walls.

           Proverbs 25.28

(A shield around,

  scaffolding and strength within.)

So also good deeds are conspicuous,

  and even when they are not,

they cannot remain hidden.

            1 Timothy 5.25

(God is using you for His glory

    even in the smallest kindness.)

Thus says the LORD who made the earth,

the LORD who formed it to establish it

      --the LORD is His name:

Call to Me

     and I will answer you,

and will tell you great and hidden things

      which you have not known.

                   Jeremiah 33.3

(When Christ is at the center of your life,

you do not just have another worldview,

                 but corrected vision.

God opens up new dimensions to you.

You see everything differently.)

For I will satisfy the weary soul,

and every languishing soul

    I will replenish.

           Jeremiah 31.25

(My strength is not my own,

    but only in Him.)

...found grace in the wilderness.

           Jeremiah 31.2

(No matter what,

    no matter where,

God will redeem the hard places

  when we follow Him into it.)

But seek the welfare

of the city where 

I have sent you into exile,

and pray to the LORD

  on its behalf,

for in its welfare

  you will find

           your welfare.

        Jeremiah 29.7

(Wherever God sends you today,

His divine appointments

        His strategic placement)

Now may the Lord of peace
   Himself give you peace
at all times
              in all ways.
The Lord be with you all.

              2 Thessalonians 3.16

(Even in the most impossible situations.
God makes the strategic difference.
Mind set,
heart set,
eyes set on Him.)

A word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold

    in a setting of silver.

          Proverbs 25.11

(Give me Your vocabulary today,

         O LORD,

that my words may be 

        gracious and kind,

extending Your hope

      and compassion

even in dark places.

        "Use His words."

...always seek to do good

  to one another and to all.

Rejoice always,

pray constantly,

give thanks

  in all circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5. 15-18

(And God will take care

      of the rest.

See differently.

Think Christianly

        about all things.)

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

(Take root downward,

      bear fruit upward,

no matter the circumstances)

...the Word of God,
which is at work
               in you.. 

1 Thessalonians 2.13

(Yes, it makes a deep 
     and powerful difference,
  in your heart,
  in your day,
  in everything 
     around you.)

And behold,

the waist cloth was spoiled,

it was good for nothing.

            Jeremiah 13.7

(Even in what

   looks ruined to us,

           God redeems.

God is working

   His greater purposes,

   His deeper plans.)

Whatever your task,
       work heartily,
as serving the Lord
and not men...

             Colossians 3.24

(What has God placed
before me today?
There is nothing small
in His eyes,
nothing He will not use
in mighty ways.)

Thus says the LORD:
"Let not the wise man
        glory in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man
        glory in his might,
let not the rich man
        glory in his riches,
but let him who glories
        glory in this,
that he understands 
                and knows Me,
that I am the LORD
who practice steadfast love,
   justice and righteousness
   in the earth,
for in these things I delight,
                 says the LORD."

Jeremiah 9. 23-24

(When it comes down to it,
what is my bottom line?)