“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

Meditating on a verse like this will pull you out of regret for the past and dread of the future, and it’ll make you aware that the future God has planned for you is a future with hope. If you read the beginning of Jeremiah 29, you’ll see that Jeremiah is prophesying in order to get four things across to the exiled Israelites stuck in Babylon. He is telling them to build, multiply, ignore the false prophets, and keep hope alive.

This strong exhortation communicates that even though the Israelites had some grim circumstances, God always works for the well-being of His people. Paul reiterated this recurring theme of God’s faithfulness when he wrote as a captive in a Roman prison: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). God is calling us to learn how to abase and abound (Philippians 4:12) and live as Kingdom people who are clear-headed, victorious, and full of love, independent of our circumstances.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18

Don’t let anything other than the Bible define who God is in your world. The problems come when our meditation shifts from the Word (Psalm 1:1-3) and we listen to the bad report or to false prophets. Take Jeremiah 29:11 into your spirit and let it stir your heart with courage and dispel the dismal outlook that has tried to settle on you. Just like His plans for Israel, God’s plans for you are good plans. Keep building. Keep multiplying. Don’t listen to false prophets. Keep hope alive!

God has good things ahead,
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

God loves you! When you know you’re loved, you are free to spend life loving and valuing others. If you catch yourself being bitter, you have probably been giving until your tank is empty and trying to operate out of your own strength instead of relying on God. Take some time to meditate on God’s love for you and watch your attitude turn around!

During the holiday season, most of us get extra opportunities to take “pop quizzes” on the love walk! The best way to pass these quizzes is not to imitate your idea of a nice person, but to imitate God. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2). Learn from God and then do it.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

If you’re feeling pressure this Christmas, apply these ten rules for getting rid of the blues: Do something for someone else — then repeat it nine times! Every person has a fundamental need for a Savior, and the best way to introduce people to Jesus is by showing love. It’s the most important thing we can do with our lives. “Kindness has converted more sinners than either zeal, or eloquence, or learning” (Frederick W. Faber).

God bless you and Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2009 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

On that day, when evening came, He [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:35-39

This journey to the “other side” paints a picture of our lives. Between the initiation and the conclusion of life’s journey, there is this thing called the daily grind, and sometimes we find ourselves in the middle of some stormy weather.

 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:39

When we encounter storms, it’s easy to freak out like the disciples and say to Jesus, “Do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). That’s pretty insulting when you realize that Jesus’ entire mission was to save the world from perishing. We need the same attitude as David when he encountered Goliath: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).

Remember: When God initiates something, He sustains it and brings it to completion. Jesus is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). If He tells you to go to the other side of your situation, you can be certain that He’ll get you there and He’ll be with you every step of the way.

They came to the other side of the sea. Mark 5:1a

 God is with you, and you will make it to the other side!

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

 
Copyright © 2009 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.