David’s Song of Praise, recorded in 1 Chronicles, is a moment when he purposefully paused to remember who God is, and express his gratitude for Him. We, too, can have a heart like David’s, full of purposeful praise which fosters a grateful heart, if we purposefully pause to notice Him in our everyday lives.

Thankfulness, possibly the polar opposite of worry, frees our minds and hearts from the burden of all things which could go wrong every day of our lives. The Bible contains a ton of encouragement, but rather than share happy sentiments, God’s Word equips us for battle against the worries of this world which plague many of us.

God’s miracles are all around us. His wonders are prevalent. And He works on behalf of His people. Today, we have the opportunity to look to God through our Savior Jesus, and feel the warmth of His love beaming down on us from heaven.

The way of the world is to quarrel and compare. Not so in God’s church, this passage reads. We often get so caught up in denominational differences, we fail to see how all of our different pieces fit together.

Control is tricky. Self-control is vital to life. But too much control in human hands in any regard is dangerous. Godly self-control is continually submitting our behavior over to the Lord and following His wisdom.

If we run after every temptation like my doodle wants to chase after every rodent and fellow dog which passes by our line of sight, we needlessly exhaust ourselves. She never catches any of those animals. The chase is in vain. But ours doesn’t have to be.

Scripture is clear, Jesus will not return until every ear has had a chance to hear the Gospel message. Missionaries are at work every day, dedicating their lives to Jesus’ directive to “Go.”

Gratitude lists aren’t a new concept, but so often we list out what God has done, and the things we are grateful for. In order to truly shift the countenance of our hearts, lets pray about who God is, and be grateful for Him. Let’s vow to remember what He has already done in our lives, as we plead for His help in the present.

Like my dad, God is faithful to applaud what He has given us naturally to do. But He doesn’t let us stay there. Like my dad continued to encourage me to keep trying to dive, God never lets us sit idle. Just as soon as we accomplish one impossible feat, He is on to amaze us with something else we never thought we could do.

God is faithful to patch the potholes and put the wheels back on our everyday lives, so we can continue to drive along the road He has mapped out for us. He goes before us, sealing the potholes so we don’t get swallowed whole by them again.

We are promised to go through difficulty, especially as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus. But the gift of heavenly peace remains as we travel rocky roads. We don’t have to search for it, because nothing we endure here on this earth can strip it from us.

I’ve never met someone completely capable of falling into the unfailing category. But I do have a friend who surpasses all of those expectations. His name is Jesus. Fully man, fully God, He is the only one incredible enough to fit the remarkable bill of an unfailing friend.

The eagle’s presence in the pages of Scripture is as purposefully placed as the Lord created every feather of its being. Each element of God’s creation is purposeful. When we see an eagle soar over us in the sky, we can be reminded of God’s faithfulness to see, care for, and strengthen us.

Faith is enhanced and intensified when we witness the power of God for ourselves. “A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders,” Luke wrote. “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had” (Acts 2:43-44).