Daily Devotional for Tuesday December 20, 2016

A Word of Encouragement

(John 16:33)

***DAILY PERSONAL PRAYER FOR YOU: Dear Lord, help me to always be prepared to serve you in any way that I can. My life belongs to you. I am ready, willing, and able to answer your call as I go through my life each day. Use me for your glory. I am yours! In the name of Jesus I pray...AMEN!

In the midst of all that is going on in our world today, with everything that is happening in our country including the mid-term elections in a few days that will affect millions of lives, in addition to whatever you are facing in your personal life, the Holy Spirit moved on my heart today to bring you a word of encouragement. Each day I am dealing with the very real issues that confront our world in the context of God's Word, or the challenges we all face during our journey through this life, but today I want to simply take this time to love you and to encourage you.

Everyone reading this today shares the common bond of this journey through life each day. I don't care if you are in the United States, England, Africa, Asia, if you are black, white, yellow, or brown, if you are young or old, male or female, if you are very rich or very poor, if you are a successful businessman, working at a fast food restaurant, or serving in the military, if you are still in school or retired, the fact is we are all on this journey through life and facing the same issues and challenges.

Throughout life, we all have to deal with financial matters, health issues, relationship problems, school and then employment challenges, weaknesses in our life that can often lead to certain bondages to things like alcohol drugs, smoking, gambling, sex, food, and anything else that enslaves us, the death of people we love, our own mortality, in addition to the spiritual side of our lives and what we choose to believe. These are the things common to all of us who God gives life to as we make our way through these few short years here on earth.

It is in the midst of dealing with our lives each day that we can get overwhelmed, overburdened, frustrated, even hopeless. NOBODY IS IMMUNE FROM LIFE'S PROBLEMS! WHILE SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS YOU DO, YOU DON'T HAVE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THEY DO. Whatever the specific battles you are facing today may be, know that you are not alone. Whether you realize it or not, whether you acknowledge Him or not, God is there with you each step of the way. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

The key to dealing with the trials and tribulations life throws our way, the problems and challenges we all have to face each day regardless who we are, is to be able to live each day in God's strength and not our own, and to maintain joy and peace even in the midst of daily struggles. Living in God's strength comes from our daily relationship with Him, and maintaining peace and joy in the face of life's challenges comes from knowing that God is in control at all times. No matter what, He will see us through even the darkest hours.

Of course, to be able to live each day in God's strength and to know His peace and joy throughout life, you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The unique common bond ALL men share is that they were created by God to have eternal fellowship with their Creator. That eternal fellowship was broken by Adam's sin which has been passed on to all men. Thus, our relationship with God is broken and can only be fixed by putting our faith in Jesus who God sent as the one-time perfect sacrifice for our sins and the sins of all mankind.

It becomes the ultimate responsibility of each man and women who lives to decide in their life to accept or reject Christ as their Savior. Many try to remain neutral, but that doesn't work since doing nothing is no different than rejecting Christ's love. I want to encourage you today that if you have never made the decision to accept Christ into your heart and life by faith, the Bible says that today is the day of salvation. It is God's desire that none be lost, that ALL come to repentance.

If you are at a place in your life today where you want to start living in God's strength, want to know God's peace and joy despite the problems you are facing, you can have that strength and know that peace and joy by asking Jesus into your heart and life by faith. You don't have to keep living in pain, dreading each day, going thorough life without any hope. Please take a moment right now and watch this short video clip. Pray and ask God to open your heart to His voice as you watch it. God is speaking to you today!!! http://www.liveprayer.com/altarcall.cfm

I love you and care about you so much. Even though I tell you that each day, I MEAN IT! What I do each day is because I really do love you and care about you. All men who live face the same challenges during this journey through life. We all have the same basic needs during our life. The greatest need of all is to fix that broken relationship with our Creator, and that is only possible through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I want to challenge you today that if you don't know Jesus as your Savior, then please open your heart to His love for you today and make that decision for Christ right now. Don't put it off. The Bible teaches us that tomorrow is promised to NONE of us. If you do know Christ as your Savior, I want to encourage you today that you don't have to face life's problems alone or in your own strength, and nothing you face can take your peace and joy away. That strength comes from your walk with Christ and that peace and joy comes from knowing HE loves you and is in control of all things, even those trials and tribulation we all face along the way.

I will be praying for you today. Let me leave you with these powerful words our Lord spoke to His disciples just hours before going to the cross. He told them that in this life they would face trials and tribulations, but to "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Amen!!!

In His love and service,

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller