Let me proclaim who you are: The Bible says you are an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ. You have a crown that will last forever. You were chosen before the creation of the world. You are God’s child.

“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

“If only…” Maybe you’ve used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring. Turn to Jesus’ words of grace.

I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment, but I’m still stunned by his grace. God’s judgment has never been a problem for me. But God’s grace?

God is for you. Not may be, not has been, not was, but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you read this, he is with you. God is for you.

“And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

God will always be the same. What he says, he will do. What he promises, he will make come true.

People came to Jesus. There’s not a hint of one person who was afraid to draw near him. There were those who mocked him, were envious of him, who misunderstood him. There was not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected.

God has proven himself as a faithful father. Let him fill the void others have left. You are his child, and he’ll give you the blessing he promised!

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2).

Study your children while you can. The greatest gift you can give your children is not your riches, but revealing to them their own.

Romans 3:28 says, “A person is made right with God through faith.” Not through good works, suffering, or doctrine. They may be the result of salvation, but they’re not the cause of it. It’s not what you do; it’s what he did.

“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope” (Romans 15:4).

If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe, God would not diminish its beauty one degree. Because he did it all for you.

Mercy is the deepest gesture of kindness.

Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. He chose remote Nazareth over center-stage Jerusalem, his dad’s carpentry shop over a marble-columned palace, and three decades of anonymity over a life of popularity.

We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one? James was not speaking just to the young when he said, “Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away” (James 4:14).

You probably believe Jesus is acquainted with sorrow and has wrestled with fear. Most people accept that. But can God relate to the hassles and headaches of my life? Of your life?

What if Christians were known not for what divides us, but instead known for what unites us—our common Father.

God doesn’t give laws for our pleasure. He gives them for our protection. He knows what we need.