James 5:11

We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

Our theme of compassion continues, albeit with a bit of a lapse. But that’s okay because it’s a lesson itself that we can take days off simply to make room for us to have compassion on ourselves—because if God Himself gives us that kind of love—room then certainly we can go ahead and give it to ourselves.

In today’s lesson, our friend James is reminding a bunch of friends from the past who are going through a tough time that when we continue on in patience, with strength in our hearts, knowing that we can get through the tough stuff in life; that when we can take our eyes off of ourselves and look at others without complaining, we’re gonna make it. In fact, James here is that annoyingly always hopeful friend that’s always reminding us…psst it ain’t so tough, remember others have gone through worse. 😅

God bless, love you, friends!

Luke 7:13

When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her and said to her, “do not go on weeping. “

In today’s understanding of the word compassion, we get to experience it through the heart of Jesus and what he felt when he came across someone in deep sorrow and pain. Jesus didn’t always just perform miracles, simply for the sake of astounding everyone.

He felt something that led to the miracle. In this case, he felt a sense of affection for a suffering person all the way to the pit of His gut so much so that he brought the dead back to life.

This is the God that came to us in the form of a body of a man named Jesus. And he still feels the same when he sees our tears and pain and sorrow, he is still moved to the point that he would give his life so that you might have life eternal. He did this so that we would not have to stay in our sorrow, or stay in our grief. Receive today this new life, receive the compassion of Jesus.

Psalm 40:11

You, Lord, will not withhold

Your compassion from me;

Your mercy and your truth

will continually watch over

me.

In Hebrew, the word for compassion is: raham. 30 times it’s used for the word Mercy but four times like in this psalm it’s used for the word compassion and then another four times it’s used in the Bible for the word “womb.”

What’s the difference between mercy and compassion? Compassion is that kind of Mercy that actually moves you to action. It requires that we make a choice beyond ourselves when we see someone else suffering, and decide to join them in that suffering. It’s what Christ did for us on the cross and yet we sometimes don’t even have that same kindness for our own hearts, let alone that kindness when we see someone else suffering.

In this case, the psalmist is referring to his own wretchedness ; The things that have kept him, and should keep him, far away from God. But he recognizes how sweet and loving and caring God is — he knows God has compassion for him and he stands confident in that. May you too be confident that the Lord has compassion over you and so we should have that same compassion over others, today.

Psalm 20:5

We will sing for joy over your victory,

And in the name of our God we will set up our banners.

May the LORD fulfill all your desires.

Flags waving are usually associated with a form of communication. Depending on colors, symbols, intensity of the wave and direction of the wind, waving a flag lets someone else know something. Today’s devotion calls for us to take out our flag of victory and joy—for God!

If flags were emojis you’d want a row of the ones with the big teeth, rosy cheeks and heart eyes. You’d want to shout out to God just how grateful you are for His love; how He keeps all His promises and how He somehow wants to celebrate US!

Yes, drink that in, that no matter how much we shout, no matter how much we give thanks, He somehow is the one who wants to wave the biggest flag over you! That, my friend is a Joy that cannot be contained. To be loved in that way calls for every 10-foot tall wavy flag man at the car dealership. 😁😊😍

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with your joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

The writer, David knows that turning to God when he’s seeking comfort, when he’s seeking a sense of safety, or care provides a particular sense of joy that he cannot have through anything else in this life. However, the writer knows, that no other substance, whether contained in a bottle, pill, habit, experience or even in another person can produce the kind of protection, care, or comfort, that we hope to bring us a true sweet and safe kind of joy.

David talks about a “path of life” that is discovered when he continually keeps his eyes on the Lord. He also talks about eternal pleasures, joys that actually last. And not that they last for a day a week or even within the context of our lives— he’s describing a joy that does not run out.

When we are centered in the presence of God—the source of all joy— we get to experience that deep sense of safety, care, protection, love that cannot be found anywhere else.

Receive of that joy today, friends. How? Just turned to him seek God’s presence call out his name! You can simply say the words that David says at the beginning of the psalm “keep me safe , my God, for you in you I take refuge.”

3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

I pray that today’s words encourage you whether you are a parent or a believer, who is taking the time to pour your faith into someone else. That could be as simple as taking a child or inviting a friend to church with you.

It could mean, sharing a story about how God did something amazing in your life. Sharing your God stories are a way of pouring your faith into someone else. It could be sharing a verse like in today’s devotional. We learn how it gave the apostle John great joy to hear that his spiritual children were demonstrating hospitality by opening up their home to receive someone else.

Opening up our hearts to welcome someone into our faith and to share that with them — that’s a type of hospitality that brings our Heavenly Father a great, great joy.

Psalm 51:12

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation”

King David, the man famous for his adultery in Psalm 51 puts it all out there in a song for all the world to hear. I guess he was a typical musician after all.

Psalm 51 is a song of confession and in it one of the lines he writes is his pleading that God would give him back something he lost.

Something so precious that he’s willing that everyone knows what he did wrong in order to get it back— and that’s the joy of his salvation!

There is a unique and indescribable joy that comes with confessing to God, something that you know would take away His joy.

Have you ever thought about that? That when we sin we take away God’s joy. Awful stinky of us, huh?

AND YET, God is so good and so gracious to restore to us that very same joy of getting to be into relationship with our Heavenly Father again— and all thanks to Jesus for making a way.

So don’t let anything hold you back, friends. If you need to belt out a song of confession and plead to God for that joy back. I know a good tune you can sing… it’s called Psalm 51.

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Nehemiah 8:10

“…Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Sometimes we can sit and look at destruction before us. We see all that was lost all that used to be beautiful and so it makes us cry. We grieve. We remember how it used to be how lovely it was how sweet and joyful we were in that time, and in that place. And so we grieve that loss.

But in today’s verse, we are reminded to be strong, to be renewed and hope. We are reminded to renew our strength in the hope of God. And how do you do that? How do you renew your strength when you’re grieving, when you’re sad for the things you’ve lost? There’s a joy in the hope of rebuilding.

We can cry, yes but we can also embrace Joy when you remember that you stand in Freedom. If you put your trust in Jesus and trust Him to help you rebuild in your life, then he’s the one who will give you the strength to get you through the tough parts… oh and yeah, listen to the podcast because apparently there’s also food and sweet drinks?!

Psalm 25:3

Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be as ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Sometimes healing can feel like arm wrestling, kicking, and screaming— but here’s the thing you should know about arm wrestling with God. The day you decide to reach out and grab hold of His hand, is the day He will— from that point on —never let you go.

Even if, there comes a time when you will feel like letting go but HE won’t. And I promise you will have “Even if” days. Especially those days when you think: “I’m so ashamed” , “I’m so embarrassed,” or “ I can’t believe I did that!”

Especially those days, God points, the finger back to the ones who deserve it those who put that shame on you “those who have dealt treacherously without caused.”

He won’t let us carry something. He said he would remove the day. His Son bled on the cross.

So if you’re wondering, yes, you can pull a seat up to the table, put your elbow down, kick and scream, and hold out your hand to him… tell him you need to win! He will give it.

And that, my friends, is healing.

I AM Jehovah Rapha — the God who Heals

Exodus 15:26

“He said, ‘If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord, your God and do what is right in a sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrease then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians for I AM the Lord, who heals you.’”

At this point in the history of the Israelites, they don’t really know what kind of a God this is that is leading them out out of the only home that they’ve known —the only life that they’ve lived for the last 430 years. Even though they just experienced the coolest escape plan by crossing the Red Sea, they still don’t know God. Which means they still don’t trust him.

We cannot trust whom we don’t know well, but God is introducing himself with a new name, Jehovah Rapha. He’s revealing a new side of his character, which is his willingness to heal us. It’s no coincidence that in general, we trust doctors, nurses people and positions to heal us simply their commitment and oath to bring healing, automatically builds trust. For people who are lost and thirsty, frightened, and have years of trauma God knows exactly how and what they need in that moment. We can trust a God who wants to heal us. May trust in your Jehovah Rocco today.