“He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him–not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.” Not only does the Lord restore our souls, (our life) but He leads us in paths of righteousness. As we receive new strength from Him, the refreshing of our soul is handled. That kind of new strength as if we were never weary, comes upon us backed by the power of the God head which is in you because of Jesus (Colossians 2:9-10). The joy of the Lord is our strength, and those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). We could never of ourselves earn the right standing with God that Jesus provided on the cross at calvary. Our own righteousness would have never gotten us into heaven, yet alone in God’s good graces here on planet earth. Right standing with God means we have died to our own willfulness and leadership, letting Jesus be Lord and Savior. Folks are mostly ok with Jesus being Savior but to have someone else telling us what to do is on a whole other level in today’s world. Submission goes along with growth, and right standing with God. Lose the pride and gain the blessings of righteousness, and allow the Lord to give you strength and refresh your life.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.” The God of all comfort and the Prince of peace keep our security in check. Looking at your problems from outside the box, gives a better perspective of seeing the hand of God in us. When we are in the heat of a fiery trial, it could be hard to maneuver through the smoke. Having that deep down realization of the God of comfort and the Prince of peace in our lives puts us not only mentally but physically in the right position for victory. He is our Father and wants nothing less for us than an abundant life. In that abundant life, there’s unnecessary drama, stress, or worry. We can experience the peace of God that passes all understanding as we accept the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the source of our greatest comfort in life.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]” Only the Lord can ease and relieve and refresh our souls. When we get weary from carrying heavy burdens the God of creation will give you rest. We must come to Him when we don’t think there’s anything that can be done. The Lord is our shepherd and we don’t lack anything as long as He’s in the mix. The only way He’s in the mix is if you’ve put Him in it. That’s done by acknowledging Him in all your ways so He can direct your path (Proverbs 3:6). We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. But sometimes we need to pull away from it all. Our existence in this world is not without troubles. Storms of life, and crisis are here to stay as long as the earth remains as it is. Just like seed, time, and harvest won’t cease to exist until the last day. Until then the Lord is our strength and our shield, let your heart trust in Him, and you’ll be blessed (Psalm 28:7). He’s telling you in His word, come to me and I’ll help you and comfort you until you’ve regained your wit, and supernatural stamina. With God everything is supernatural because He is. Having supernatural help on a regular basis is attainable for the diligent seeker of God. For now, chill with Him, He’s waiting on you.

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” We are God’s masterpiece, His handiwork of creation recreated in Christ Jesus. Along with God’s overall plan for mankind to walk in His predestined paths, which were created for us to walk in, there is an awareness of His peace. On that pathway is the good life prearranged and made ready for us to live. These predestined paths for us to walk in are designed for those who are willing to follow the teachings and precepts of the Lord. Living a cleaner life before God, which positions us for God’s best. We get God’s best on purpose by fighting the good fight of faith and remaining stable in Him. Since we as christians are involved with a God who knows and wrote the future of our lives, how can we go wrong. Because God gave us free will, we must choose His way of living on planet earth. He won’t force on us that which He knows will make our lives better. The question is, will you do the work, and accept the sacrifice it costs. Our flesh has a mind of its own, and most haven’t learned how to keep it under control. And there in lies the problem for most people. Do the work, and live the abundant life the Lord promised us.

“As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].” It is our obedience that says we revere the Lord. Obeying God’s commandments is His proof of our love for Him (John 14:23). We are compassionate with our children and the Lord even more so with His. Since we are made in God’s image and likeness, there are qualities we naturally follow when it comes to our children and family. Similar to how the animal kingdom instinctively knows what to do concerning their offspring, it’s built in us as well. Showing continued pity and compassion when our children are acting up isn’t always easy. When we act up as adults in God’s eyes He continues to pity us and show compassion. Life throws us many curves of confusion and temptations. Depending upon how we react to them demonstrates our level of continued compassion towards our kids when they are disobedient. Raising children can be the most challenging in trying to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. First off you must have a basic understanding of God’s ways and how He deals with His family. Following His pattern of life established in His kingdom. If you truly love the Lord no matter what comes your way in life, you are positioned for His unusual intervention in helping you. Love your children, but love the Lord more.

“And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].” There are different perspectives on how this verse can be understood. We will go with the darkness is the evil in those world, and the light being good. More specifically, the devil represents darkness and Jesus represents the light. Darkness is anything that robs our eyes of the understanding of light, which is good. While in a very dark room, where you can’t see your hands in front of your face, if you lit a tiny match, it would dispel the darkness. Even a small amount of God’s light in us can get rid of the darkness in our life. Jesus is the light that lights every man and woman (1John 1:9). As we allow our light to shine bright, the darkness also being in those who haven’t accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, cannot understand it without our testimony of the gospel. Jesus overcame this world at calvary, because He has defeated the darkness in hell which certifies our reinstatement of the original authority God gave us over the earth. If you don’t understand this and don’t believe it, you’re still operating under the fallen state of the (temporary) rule of Satan. Understanding the light and understanding the darkness is a direct result of mankind’s disobedience of God’s command to Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Today we can understand but not have to be in bondage to the evil, the darkness.

“Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].” The message today is directing our attention to how to handle the troubles that go along with life. All we need is faith in God. Trusting our Lord with everything is a learned lifestyle based on trial and error of our faith battles. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Prayer opens the door of God’s provisions for His people. Faith is the hand that takes from God, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). So pray in faith believing when you are afflicted. If you are in a season without a battle in your life, no major trouble at this time, then you should sing songs of praise to the Lord in appreciation of your sabbatical from trouble, because the fight will eventually continue and we need to be ready for it when it does. As christians we should always have things in place for God’s leadings to be carried out. Our sensitivity to His voice will give us the edge in many unwanted situations. Those that are led by the spirit of God are the Sons of God (Romans 8:14). Our quality time with the Lord is how we become more sensitive to His voice. His word you read in the bible should always be in agreement with His voice. So if what you’re hearing doesn’t line up with God’s word, don’t do it. You must have a knowledge of God’s word to know when He’s speaking to you by His voice. Praying, and singing to the Lord is a part of the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God.

“Do not forget or neglect to do kindness and good, to be generous and distribute and contribute to the needy [of the church as embodiment and proof of fellowship], for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” The pleasing sacrifice to God is His children being generous in showing kindness and generosity to others. In so doing, we demonstrate the stability of God’s love working in us. We should not be so overwhelmed with our own issues and problems that we can’t be nice to people. As christians we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), and are expected to go through our own troubles with heads held high, and not having the form of our visage down cast with a bad attitude that goes with it. Jesus prayed that we would live above the evil in this world (John 17:15). We have spiritual rights and privileges to help us stay right with God and man. The kindness of christians is in us, but it must be cultivated by successfully going through trails from storms or crises in our lives. You can’t give kindness if your kindness meter is low. Doing good and sharing with those in need will always keep us in God’s good graces. Lending to the poor is lending to God, and He will repay you for your good deeds (Proverbs 19:17). When you have the opportunity, do good and share with those in need. This is a sacrificial offering to the Lord that will not be in vain and not go unnoticed by Him.

“For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” This verse helps us go toe to toe with getting rid of the thoughts we want out of our heads. While we confess this scripture out loud over and over again, the bad thoughts eventually leave. Two things must be intact, first we must believe the words of God will come to pass when coming out of the faith filled believing mouth. Second, we should remove ourselves from the people or situations that induce those bad thoughts. We are constantly being inundated with controlling forces of agitating spirits and mortal conflicts. Once you’ve chosen a side, meaning giving your whole self to the Lord, because with Him it’s mostly all or nothing at all. If you are lukewarm He will spit you out (Revelation 3:16). There’s no in between, you’re gonna serve something or someone, you just don’t think you are because you’ve been in it for so long, we were created to serve, govern and rule. The issue can be, some people want to use you in this way. And we wonder why we pick up unnecessary bad thoughts which is self inflicted because of your affiliations. If you can find them, but they’re out there, try being affiliated with people that are true, noble, are in right standing with God, are of a pure way about themselves, lovely, and admirable. The struggle is real, but Jesus overcame the struggles of our lives long ago.

“BEHOLD, HOW good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity. It’s almost like, a great church service where everyone you speak to is having a great day in their attitudes and their demeanor, so polite. Although Monday morning at work they are acting like the devil. The Peace of God plays a major part in our ability to live in unity together. The Prince of Peace abides in our hearts. We have the opportunity to allow that fruit of peace in our human spirits, to grow and produce a harvest that will enable us to dwell together in unity. Peace in our lives is the main ingredient for living in unity. It is the glue if you will, to connect our hearts and minds to each other in love. When we come together in unity it’s iron sharpening iron with the revelation knowledge, and life experiences of our walk with God, which helps us mature. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together is a verse of command for us to follow (Hebrews 10:25). We need each other to grow in Christ. The harmony of us coming together and living in unity is the way of the Kingdom of God, and as we continue our earth walk with the Lord, we are developing a spiritual muscle memory of unity mindedness for our life after death with Jesus. If it is possible in this present life, if it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).