"Christ always cleans the fish that He catches." Joe Kirby "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1: 5-11 The blood of our Savior has cleansed us from our sins. So do we stop there? No! Peter tells us that we should add to our faith. Peter lists these important additions: virtue, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and finally love. If we don't have these things then we have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our old sins. If we don't want to stumble, if we want to be fruitful, then with diligence, we must pursue these things. We should see a steady progression in our Christian walk towards what 2 Corinthians 7:1 says is "perfecting holiness in the fear of God". We don't just come to Christ and say we're done. No, our walk with God should be one where we can see our virtue increasing. What is virtue? It is not just a person of good moral character but someone who seeks to be the person God wants him to be in every situation. That will be the work of a lifetime. We can't accomplish this on our own. It will be God who will be working in us. In Philippians 4: 8 Paul lists virtues: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." What is knowledge? In this case we aren't talking about worldly knowledge but knowledge of God and His word. "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You." Psalm 119:11 What is self control? Do we do what we want to do or what Christ wants us to do? Are we impulsive? Do we speak or act before we think? "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." James 3: 9-10 What is perseverance? Perseverance means being persistent despite difficulties or delays. Do we give up easily? When things are hard do we lean on God or on ourselves? "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 What is godliness? It is a devotion to God that is a call to action. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ," Titus 2: 11-13 What is kindness? Kindness is an attribute of God. On Earth Christians should display this tenderhearted forgiveness to others. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4: 32 What is love? In the Bible love is sacrificial. It is a love that gives all and expects nothing in return. "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." I John 3:18 Thanks be to God that He cleanses us from our sin through the blood of His son, Jesus. As a fish is cleaned and prepared to be food for us, my prayer is that God will contiue to clean and prepare me for the work that He would have me do and that I don't stumble! In Jude 24-25 Jude prays this: "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."

God is omniscient, all knowing. It is a humbling thought to realize that God knows everything we have done and everything we will do, both good and bad. In Psalms, David tells us this about God, "You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways." Psalm 139: 2-3 God is acquainted with, he knows, ALL our ways. He understands our thoughts. He knows when we get up in the morning. He understands our path, the way we are headed each and every day. David also says in Psalm 44: 20-21 that God knows when we have turned away from Him. He knows when our hearts are turned against Him. He knows when we put other gods ahead of Him. "If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart." Even before we are born our Lord has known us. The prophet Jeremiah is told by God in Jeremiah 1: 5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah was ordained a prophet by God not just to Israel, but to the nations! God sanctified Jeremiah before his birth. Which means that he was set apart for God's special purpose. What purpose has God ordained for you and I? Are we fulfilling that purpose? God is our Judge for He alone sees all of our deeds and knows their motivation. We can lie to ourselves about our motivations but we cannot lie to God. “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17: 10 (NIV) and "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord." Proverbs 16:2 (NIV) We all have needs; food, shelter, clothing, and all of these needs are known by our Father. Just as a child trusts their parents to feed, clothe and shelter them, so we should also trust that our Father, who knows our needs even before we ask, will do the same and much more. Our anxiety comes from a lack of faith that God will be faithful to us. “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things." Luke 12: 29-30 God even knows exactly, to the day, how long we will live. Job tells us this in Job14: 5 (NIV), "A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." God knows us so completely, so thoroughly that, "... the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matthew 10: 30 I often laugh when I read this verse. Our Father has to keep up with many fewer hairs on my head now than He used to! The return of our Savior is known only to the Father, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Matthew 24: 36 In Ephesians 1: 4-6 we learn that God has known from before the foundation of the world those whom He would call sons and daughters by adoption through Christ Jesus. "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." We can't hide from God. He knows everything about us. He knows the real me. He sees us when we try to hide our sin from the world and sees us when we do good things in secret out of love for Him. He knows our needs and provides for them. He knows, even now, the day we will draw our final breath on this earth and come face to face with Him in glory. He knows the plans He has for us, the paths He wants us to walk. He cares for us, as only the all loving Father that He is could. Praise be to God! Dear Lord, I do not know what will happen to me today — I only know that nothing will happen that was not foreseen by you and directed to my greater good from all eternity. I adore your holy and unfathomable plans, and submit to them with all my heart for love of you. In your Son's name, Amen For more Bible verses on this topic click here.

I am constantly amazed at the way God works in my life. The Lord definitely sees the bigger picture. When I was 17 I felt like God was calling me to be a missionary to China. The big problem was that China did not allow missionaries to come to China. Fast forward to college. I just happened to be a history major with a deep interest in Asian history. I had an absolutely wonderful Chinese history teacher and took many classes in Chinese history. He encouraged me to go on to get a Master's in Chinese history but at the time it was impossible. No way I could move to a state that offered it. He also encouraged me to learn Mandarin. I quite literally laughed at him thinking that I would most certainly never use the language. Fast forward a few decades and now my husband and I, after having two children, were considering adopting a child. Through a lengthy process of decision making we finally settled on Chinese adoption. We found a 3 year old child who seemed to fit our family perfectly. Our adoption advocate told us the competition was fierce to adopt this beautiful little girl. She thought our chances were slim. God however had other plans. My knowledge of Chinese history and of a mild medical condition that she had tipped the scale and we were chosen to be her new parents. When my mother and I went to China to bring her home it became clear to me that the knowledge of Mandarin that my old history professor had encouraged would have definitely been a plus. Communicating with her was mainly by pointing and play. I remember trying to say the word 'arm' in Mandarin. She giggled uncontrollably every time I tried to say it. (I still wonder what I was actually saying!) She soon realized we could not understand or speak her language and I never heard another word of Chinese from her. (Fast forward to today and she is minoring in Business Chinese in college.) One day in the hotel in Nanning our interpreter came very near me and whispered, "Are you Christian?" I whispered back, yes, definitely. In tears he told us he had prayed that she would have a Christian home. He told us he had been converted several years ago and how important his faith was to him. I was crying. (We had to whisper because it was well known that the rooms were bugged by the government.) Do you see where my story is going? My prayer to become a missionary to China in some ways became a reality. I would be a missionary to this child. I would be able to show her Jesus, something that would have most likely never happened if she had stayed in China. We never know the road that God has prepared for us. God's plans are greater! We can't imagine how wonderful the blessings may be. All of my children are great blessings. My two biological children were not supposed to be able to happen according to doctors, but God had other plans. Who could have imagined that my love of Chinese history would one day help to enable us to adopt a child from there. Never limit God. Never give up hope. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." I Corinthians 2: 9 https://www.holtinternational.org/adoption/china/

It is so uplifting to be around someone who encourages us. And the reverse is also true, how depressing it can be to be around someone who always wants to bring us down. Which one are you? Are you an encourager? The Bible has much to say about being an encourager. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10: 25 Exhort is a word that means encourage. We need to be stirred up, encouraged to do good works, to love others and, as the writer tells us, this needs to be done even more as we "see the Day approaching". What 'Day' is he referring to? The return of the Lord, Judgement Day. At this time encouragement will be needed even more because sin will abound and Christians will see persecution increase. An example of an encourager was Barnabas. In Acts 4: 36 we read that the apostles changed his name from Joseph to Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement". Barnabas brought Paul to the apostles after Paul's conversion and recommended Paul to them. Knowing Paul's reputation as someone who hunted down Christians, it is doubtful that they would have accepted Paul without Barnabas's recommendation. Barnabas helped support the early church financially. Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch (modern day Antakya, Turkey) to help establish the first church outside of Jerusalem. Barnabas went with Paul on his first missionary journey and mentored his cousin, John Mark, who would go on to help Timothy. Barnabas was a faithful encourager. Ephesians 4: 29 has this to say about encouraging each other, "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." (NLT) No one is encouraged by being told that they are stupid or bad at what they are doing. Be positive about what others are doing well and encourage them to do even better. Does your friend in Christ read a few verses of Scripture at church once a week? Be positive about this. Commend them and encourage them to dig deeper. I have a dear friend who is such an encourager. It is her gift I believe. She always tries to bring out the best in me. What a blessing it is to have someone like this in your life. There are plenty of people who tell you that you can't accomplish a goal because it's too hard, plenty of people who will criticize every move you make, either to your face or behind your back. But what a blessing to have someone who lifts you up and who believes in you. Hebrews 3:13 tells us to "exhort one another daily" . Why should we do this? So we do not lose faith like the Israelites did as they wandered in the desert in Exodus. Their lack of trust in God led to their lack of faith and ultimately to discipline from God. So to not lose our faith, encouragement is needed daily. We have a responsibility to our Christian brothers and sisters to encourage them to walk uprightly in their faith. What does this encouragement look like? It can be a simple reminder to others of what God has done for them in the past. Or it can be a story about what God has done for you in a similar circumstance that you share with your friends. It can be sharing a favorite Bible verse. It can be a hug, a listening ear or simply assuring them that you love them as God does. In Paul's letter to the Thessalonians he writes this, "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." I Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT) It would have been difficult for the early church to survive if, instead of people who encouraged each other, they had been surrounded by naysayers who constantly talked about the impossibility of reaching others for Christ. Ultimately, God is our greatest encourager. When we study His word we realize that He is there for us ALWAYS. He will not abandon us. He seeks our good. He cares and loves us. In Isaiah 41: 10 God says, " Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’" This is the blessing of encouragement. It strengthens us to do the will of our Lord. Father, Thank you for those who encourage me. Help me to be an encourager to those around me. Thank you Father for Your encouragement that strengthens me. Thank you Father for upholding me with Your righteous hand when I cannot go on. In Jesus's blessed name, Amen Enjoy this beautiful hymn, "You Are Mine" sung by David Hass.

If you went to the doctor because you thought you had cancer but he refused to actually tell you that you had it because he wanted to be "loving" and not hurt your feelings, what would you think about such a doctor? I think you would tell me that he didn't really care about you and that he was not loving at all. So are we as Christians when we refuse to let people around us know that they have a disease, as do we all, called SIN. We happen to know a doctor, a great physician, who is willing and able to cure them of their disease. Are we loving when we never tell our friends there is a cure for a disease that will end in their lives being meaningless, without God and heading for destruction? When we go to church do we want to learn how to be healed? Are we going to a hospital for sinners or a hospice for those who can't (or won't) be healed and just want to numb themselves until they die? Do we want to hear a word that can change us? Or do we prefer to be placated and treated, oh so carefully, so our feelings won't be hurt? Our nation needs a doctor too. It is we who need to seek God and pray for forgiveness for the healing of our land. God specifically requires this of Christians, not the lost. It is we, as Christians, who need to humble ourselves and see our sins and confess them. The Lord blesses the humble. He will bless this nation once again if we seek His face with humility and a true "fear of the Lord". Our hope for our journey is God alone. DISCUSSION QUESTION: What is the best way that a normal person, not clergy, can share the gospel? How do we listen to God to know who to share it with?

Could there be anything wrong with doing what you think is right? The book of Judges ends with an interesting statement: "…every man did that which was right in his own eyes." It might be from way back in the Old Testament but I still hear it a lot in our day. A man at Starbucks named Alberto said he believes he is one of the "good guys" that will be welcomed into heaven one day. Why? "Well I do make mistakes, but God knows my heart and He knows I try to do what I think is right" he told me. What could be wrong with trying to do what we think is right? The problem is that all too often what we think is right is very different from what God thinks is right. Alberto thinks he is one of the "good guys" because he is judging himself by his own standard. And when it comes to setting standards, none of us comes close to the standard of holiness God requires. We're good at making excuses, having good intentions, and calling our sins "mistakes". But we are only fooling ourselves with a false sense of security when we replace God's standards with our own. Jesus said "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Why would people take a road that leads to destruction? Because they would rather take the route that looks right in their own eyes than look at God's word, His road map for salvation. There was a reason the Israelite's did what seemed right to them - the first half of the verse reads "In those days there was no king in Israel…" People who have no king do what they want. When God is not the king of our lives we do what we want rather than carefully consult His word and commandments. If we do, we will soon find that God's standard is beyond our reach. In fact, we've already broken it. We find out our need to turn from our sin in repentance, which makes us truly aware of our sin and our need for a Savior. We are not the "good guys" we think we are. We need to get off that highway, because it only leads to destruction. We need to get on the King's road, the narrow road of repentance and faith that leads to eternal life. __________________________________________________________________________ Thank you to my guest contributor - Jeff Reiman. Jeff has a YouTube channel that can be found here. My heart examined by God's own eyes, He sees my soul and sees my lies, He knows that I'm in need of Him To pardon me of all my sin. So though it seems a way that's right, I know that God has shown a light, To show me that my path is wrong And teach my soul a brand new song A hymn of love unto my King, My life, my path to Him I bring The narrow road that leads to Thee My path, my life I offer Thee. -- Carol Plafcan

-- Our guest post today comes from a friend and former student, Brooke Brazzell. She is married and mother of a son, Josiah. She has such wisdom in these words I wanted to share them with everyone. She is someone who knows our God of Hope! "Around 2:30 I realized I hadn’t eaten today. I’ve been trying to take better care of myself after some serious postpartum self-neglect. Nothing at home sounded good, so I decided to bite the bullet, load us up, and go to Zaxby’s. It’s just a 5 minute drive. Screams that nightmares are made of emerged from my back seat. My sweet, precious, innocent baby who nursed not long ago is suddenly hungry- a need that only I, his mama, can fill. So now, here we are, nursing in the Zaxby’s parking lot. He is eating, I am not. Don’t be confused, I’m not complaining. The journey he and I are on together is a beautiful one. But it’s also really hard and messy sometimes. My hunger didn’t suddenly leave because my son needed me. But it absolutely doesn’t matter to me right now because my child is hungry. The Lord sees me. He sees you too, mama. Right in the middle of your messy and your hard. He sees the sacrifices that you make everyday for your kids. He honors them. And He’s reminding me today just how much He loves me. My own needs and desires are totally eclipsed by the love I have for my child…and that’s exactly the way He loves me. I’m leaning into Him as my baby leans into me…and there’s nothing sweeter. You are loved. You are seen. You are known. You MATTER to God. I absolutely would not make it without Him. If you aren’t familiar with what I’m talking about or don’t know where to start…message me. All he wants is to love you." --- Two scriptures I would like to add to follow up on what Brooke had to say, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." Psalm 127:3 and II Corinthians 6:18, "And I will be a Father to you. And you shall be sons and daughters to me." Thanks be to God!