The Tree Church Daily

Colossians 2:6-8 (NIrV)

You received Christ Jesus as Lord. So keep on living your lives in him. Have your roots in him. Build yourselves up in him. Grow strong in what you believe, just as you were taught. Be more thankful than ever before.

Make sure no one controls you. They will try to control you by using false reasoning that has no meaning. Their ideas depend on human teachings. They also depend on the basic spiritual powers of this world. They don’t depend on Christ.

Explanation:

I feel like in our world right now, we are constantly bombarded by people’s opinions. Everyone has an opinion on everything, and they feel they must voice it. Take a scroll on social media for 10 seconds and you will see what I mean. Spend some time reading news stories or attend a kid’s sporting event, and you will witness how opinionated our culture has become. I was at my daughter’s soccer game, and this man kept screaming at the referee (who was a 13-year-old boy) that he didn’t know anything about soccer and he shouldn’t be on the field. I felt like I was in a movie, it was so unreal to me. This went on the whole game. He wasn’t embarrassed one bit, and thought his actions were completely okay.

Paul is kindly warning us to pay no attention to the opinions of this world, BUT to have our roots in God. His words make me think of these two gigantic trees that line my road. They are gorgeous! These trees have been there for many, many years and have very strong and large roots. The more we practice rooting ourselves in God, the more we will become like those trees. We must make it a habit in our lives to keep going to Him and Him alone for what is true. We must go to Him when we are confused, when we are doubting, when we are frustrated, when we are feeling pulled into the world’s lies. I love when Paul writes, “Their ideas depend on human teachings. They don’t depend on Christ.” What a powerful statement that we can hold on to when we start to fall into something we know is not from God. God calls us to depend on Him. Dependence on God is a good thing. Let that sink in. God doesn’t want us to do this on our own; He wants us to partner with Him and depend on Him every single day.

Application:

1. What do you think it means to have your roots in Him? What are some practical things you can start doing today to keep your roots in Him?

2. I believe that gratitude is powerful for our minds and hearts. Paul says to “be more thankful than ever before.” Take some time thanking God today for all He has blessed you with. Be specific.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for wanting to be in a relationship with us. Thank You for creating us to depend on You. I pray that we would be rooted in You this week, and that we would have thankful hearts. Please help us to love those around us well, even the ones who are hard to love. Amen.

John 18:37-38 (ESV)

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

Application:

Nothing is as flimsy as “your own truth.” We’ve had it marketed very cleverly in our culture, as though we all can have our own version, but it is shifty. Have you ever watched a crime documentary, and your “own truth” selected the villain before the real truth cleared his name? Have you ever gone into a conversation with one opinion and the presented facts changed your mind?

Truth matters. The truth you build a life on has to be unchangeable and pure, and there is only one source.

Jesus.

Pilate first focuses on a word he understands: king.

Jesus gave him back his words. Pilate lowered Jesus to King, but Jesus was much more than a King.

His realm was total, pure truth.

“I have come into the world to bear witness to THE truth.”

Jesus could not answer Pilate’s question untruthfully. But Jesus went on to indicate that His claims, while true, would not be accepted by those who were not “of the truth.” Those who were “of the truth” would hear His voice and receive Him as their King.

In our oversaturated world of search engine information and 24-hour TV, you surely have had a Pilate moment and wondered exactly who is telling you the truth. One of the tethers of real, secure, fulfilled life is knowing the honest facts regarding the things that affect your life. Nothing is quite as unsettling as having a suspicion.

Shadows, deceit, and half-facts rattle your security.

Skip and I are champion coupon flunkies. The promised privilege is always front and center in large print. We consistently miss the fine print buried in them and lose the privileges the coupon promised. It’s not a good feeling to be “punked” by a business. Why don’t they help us be able to read:

“If you dine at our restaurant on the last Tuesday of the month,

in the months starting with J,

between 3:00-3:30,

you can purchase one entree ½ off.”

Jesus will never punk you!

That is why He is referred to as the rock! Building our life on Him means:

✔️ We are not going to get our foundation washed away in a storm.

✔️ We will have true direction for decisions and illumination for our purpose.

✔️ We will live in the truth, free of shadows, tricks, and deceit.

✔️ We will know Him…He is knowable!

Application:

1. You won’t live in the truth of God as long as you turn to the world as your satisfaction and security.

2. To live in God's truth means you have to learn His truth by absorbing the Bible and replacing your thoughts with His thoughts…one verse at a time. Not only that, but when we put on His mind as described in Romans 12:1-2, we have soundness of decisions, results, vision, clarity, and wisdom.

Prayer:

Precious Holy Spirit…deliver me from combo living, where I mix a little of my truth with the truth of God. Set me free to have the wisdom to know that it is the truth of God that will free me to flow and grow. Cleanse me and mold me into a person “of the truth” under the Kingship of Jesus.

Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

There is a way that appears to be right,

but in the end it leads to death.

Explanation:

Proverbs was written as a guide to help the young with discernment, make the wise even wiser, and steer us away from the line of fire. It speaks to everyone of all ages. Most are two-line couplets, and almost all illustrate a contrast regarding a broad range of difficult situations. Reliance on God as the true path to happiness is the cornerstone of each. The Bible is full of instructions for how to live this life. Proverbs reminds us to lean into God, or we risk unhappiness and negative consequences.

There is no sugar coating here. There is a right way to life, and a wrong way to death. You can believe you are right, and maybe you are, but you can also be dead right. Just because the light has turned green doesn’t mean you can go ahead and ignore the traffic around you. We must take a second and third look before we proceed through the intersection. We may have the right of way, but we must discern and lean into the Holy Spirit before we put our foot on the gas and make choices that lead to terrible consequences.

Each Sunday, the kids’ ministry team reminds the children of the importance of having a positive attitude. They call out in unison, “Attitude matters!” This is what God does for us in the book of Proverbs. He tells us to have a good attitude because He loves us. He reminds us that He has promised to return, and He left us with guidance so we can actively wait in a fulfilling way. A way that glorifies Him and advances His kingdom.

God hasn’t left us. He isn’t far away on some billowy cloud. He’s right here. He is His word. He has a glorious plan for us, and He has presented us with the blueprints for success, with the Holy Spirit to guide us. The path toward truth and life is not promised to come without pain or suffering, but God has told us what to do, so we may lean into Him and come through hard times.

Application:

1. Journal some areas in which you may need God’s guidance right now or in the near future.

2. Research Bible verses, specifically verses from Proverbs, and look for God’s blueprint for your situation.

3. Put God’s word into action, and build on His blueprint.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, wrap Your arms around us as we walk through, and often stumble through life. Help us to let go of foolish pride and the sinful world around us, and just lean into You. Be with us as we search Your word for discernment to apply to our lives. Open our eyes to even small signs that You are with us, so we may be encouraged through hardships. Help us feel Your presence during trials, and remind us to seek You first. Remind us it’s really that simple. It always has and always will be You.

For Further Study:

Read and study Proverbs 1:7, James 1:12, Jeremiah 29:11, John 1:1, and John 14:26.

John 14:1-6 (NLT)

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Explanation:

This passage is part of the “Upper Room Discourse” (John 13-17), five chapters that capture the last moments Jesus spent with His disciples before He was crucified. These chapters provide some of the deepest and most profound truths in the Bible as Jesus assures them their loyalty to Him is not in vain. The disciples are having difficulty understanding where Jesus is going, so He made it easy for them to understand. I can relate to His explanation.

My sister lives in Palm Springs, California, and I would love to visit her sometime and do some sightseeing. Having never been there, I would need some help with what to see and how to get there. My sister could, I suppose, give me some addresses of places to visit and tell me to use Google maps. Or she could describe in great detail how to get to where I want to go. But she loves me, so I’m sure she would say, “I know how the way, so just stick with me and you’ll get there.”

That’s what Jesus is telling His followers—if they know Him, they know the Father. Therefore, they know the way to where He is going. Jesus is the only way to eternal life, and however thankful I am that He saved me, I’m just as thankful that in the midst of some difficult theology, He makes salvation easy for us to understand.

Application:

1. We see in the book of Acts that people started referring to Christianity as the Way, based on Jesus’s words in today’s passage (Acts 9:2, 19:9, 22:4). Do you know the Way?

2. If you don’t, search your heart now and be honest about what is standing between you and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us enough to make even one way for us to spend eternity with You. I pray You open my eyes to every opportunity You give me to tell others about the way, the truth, and the life we have through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT)

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Explanation:

Paul, the author of this scripture, is praying for people to realize how much God loves them. Paul persecuted Christians at the beginning of his life. He was on his way to arrest Christians when he met Jesus, but God loved Paul and pursued him. Paul was radically saved and started following God and telling others about Him. He realized how much God loved him, and everything that he gained and earned didn’t mean anything unless Christ was involved (Philippians 3:8-10).

God doesn’t want us to do life without Him. He knows it is impossible. When you feel all the pain of this world, you might have a friend to help you, but nothing comes close to the way He would help and love you. We can’t fathom how much God loves us. I have a little boy and I love him so much. When he hurts, I hurt. I want to fix his problems and help him. In the same way, a loving God looks at us and wants to be involved in everything we go through.

During Children’s Church, the 2-4 years olds at our church sing part of this scripture in a worship song. The beginning of the song says: “I don’t really understand everything that is in Your plan, but if there is one thing you should know is the way He loves us so… HOW WIDE, HOW LONG, HOW HIGH AND HOW DEEP Your love really is.” When I listen to the kids sing this song, they shout it, and it chokes me up every time. The confidence the children have in the truth that “God truly loves them” is inspiring.

The same is true for you! “God truly loves YOU!” Trust today that He wants to be a part of everything in your life. It is so much better doing life with Him.

Application:

1. Do you have confidence that God knows what is best in your life?

2. What areas are you struggling with understanding that you need to give to God?

3. Ask God today to show you how much He loves you.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

Help me today to realize that You love me, created me, and want to be in relationship with me. You know what is going on in my life, and You aren’t surprised by it. Help me to trust You when You want to be in the middle of it. I need You today.

I love You, Father!

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18 (NIV)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Explanation:

It seems like every day my body’s “check engine” light comes on for a different ache or pain du jour. If I sleep in the wrong position, my neck hurts. Stretch my leg in the middle of the night? Charley horse. Pick up something that’s too heavy? Back ache. You get it. Our bodies are not made to live forever. Physically, we are wasting away each moment that we are here on earth. It’s an unfortunate fact that our flesh doesn’t like to deal with.

Paul lived in the same type of physical body that we do, and he realized that his own body was failing. He isn’t saying that the body is worthless, but he wanted us to understand it’s value. We are a container, a vessel like the jars of clay of Paul’s time, that carries the word of Jesus to share with others. We aren’t worthy of this valuable gift, yet God trusts us to carry this on His behalf.

Think about this illustration for a moment: jars of clay were very common in Paul’s time. They weren’t very durable and were often broken. Once they were broken, they were useless. Essentially, they were cheap and held little value. So here we are… jars of clay. Bodies with very little value that God chose to put His light and glory in. God went with the breakable, everyday dishes that we are to do His work.

Think about it for a moment… broken, everyday vessels bring glory to God. He is continually refining us so that we can be more like Jesus! This is our hope and our promise. Each day, as my body’s check engine light identifies more and more things going wrong with my physical person, I have the promise that God is renewing my heart! My flesh may be destroyed, but my soul is strong!

Application:

1. Is there something that you’re battling with in the flesh that could use a renewed perspective? Take a moment and reflect on Paul’s words that our affliction is light because it is only for a moment. Allow God to carry your suffering today, and ask Him to renew your spirit.

2. Paul talks about the weight of glory. Picture a scale. On one side there are 3 bricks, and on the other there are 3 pebbles. Which one weighs more? The bricks, of course. Imagine that those bricks are God’s glory—the glory that’s awaiting us in Heaven. Now imagine that the pebbles are your earthly problems. That’s the “light affliction” that Paul speaks of. What amazing hope that gives us as we walk this earth!

Prayer:

God, my problems seem so big here on earth. I know that You are bigger, but there are days that it’s a struggle. Please help me to see that You have a greater promise for my life, even in these hard times. Give me the strength for the earthly battle that will help me endure until I receive Your glory. In the meantime, help me to grow closer to You as You refine me. Let my broken vessel bring You glory. Thank You for being my God and for Your promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Romans 8:14-18 (ESV)

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Explanation:

Being a parent is hard. Probably the most difficult of any job. I think back to the first few days of being a new parent and the constant desire to do everything to please my newborn son. He would cry out in hunger in the middle of the night, and I was there to fill his belly. When he soiled a diaper and wanted immediate attention, I was there to clean and pat dry. At times he just wanted to be rocked and soothed, and I dropped everything to do just that. And then, he turned two. He began to test his independent desires against my steadfast guidance. Naps weren’t his desire anymore, even though I knew it was what was best for him. He longed to put his index finger into any hole in the wall, as I panicked in fear of his electrocution. Suddenly, he didn’t like green food, even though I stressed how strong it made Popeye. If you ask my son about his childhood sufferings of independence, he will tell you the story of the time he held a grape in his mouth for ten minutes, refusing to chew and swallow. I knew fruit was good for him, but he thought otherwise.

In this passage, Paul writes if you are led by the Spirit, then you are a child of God. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD! An heir to a glorious kingdom, and the promise of Him being present in your life. What more could any child ask for? Our lives should be perfect, being born in a world where the perfect love of God surrounds us!

… Yet, our lives are not perfect. As humans, we are broken and sinful. But God is there. He is there to say, “You know what, I don’t agree with that choice, but I will offer you grace if you ask for forgiveness.” He is there when we experience pain and loss with the promise of peace and comfort. God is there. Always listening to our hearts. Embracing us with love and desire for the best life.

Application:

1. Reflect on a time when you were told “no” by a parent. How differently do you feel now, knowing even God has to sometimes say “no”?

2. Imagine a world where everyone drops their surname and added “Child Of God” in its place. How different would the world be? How differently would you treat your brothers and sisters? Would you feel powerful in the hope of everlasting life?

Prayer:

Dear God,

I rejoice in knowing I am a child of God. I know I make mistakes and test my independence, yet You remain steadfast in Your promise of an eternal life with me. It is such an honor to carry Your name and be heir to the glorious kingdom in which You live. Help me to receive the guidance from the Spirit to do Your will. Amen.

Acts 2:29-33 (NLT)

“Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.

“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.

Explanation:

Earlier in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descended and filled the house where the believers gathered at Pentecost, and they were filled with the power Jesus had promised to them (Luke 24: 49). In this passage, the apostle Peter could not help but to pour out all that God was pouring in.

The concept of being filled up is consistent with the character of God, who is generous and never does anything halfway. Jesus doesn’t partially save anyone, nor does He forgive only some of our sins. With salvation comes a full transformation that fills us with the Holy Spirit. Psalm 23:5 exemplifies God’s generosity when the psalmist declares, “My cup overflows with blessings”.

When a vessel overflows, it spills out what’s inside. If we try to keep for ourselves the blessings we receive, our relationship with God will become stagnant and lifeless like the Dead Sea, which receives water from the Jordan River but has no outlet to pour into. Think of the Christian life as a distribution center—always receiving blessings and always sending them out.

As Christ followers we are to be filled with the fruits of righteousness (Philippians 1: 11) and filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3: 19). The only way to remain full is to spend time daily with God, the Source of all our provisions. When we do, out of our hearts will flow rivers of living water to bless everyone around us.

Application:

1. We pour out to others what we are filled up with. We are filled up with what we are passionate about. What are you pouring out to others?

2. How would you explain to an unbeliever what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

3. Does your life bear witness to that explanation?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to live within me and guide me with every decision I make. Help me to see every opportunity You give me to pour out Your love, comfort, and encouragement to everyone I meet. Amen.

John 16:12-15 (NLT)

“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

Explanation:

My personal theme for 2022 is embracing curiosity over certainty.

It’s very easy to become brittle or dogmatic in beliefs and not stay moldable. It’s the boomerang of many years lived that I don’t want to grab.

We visited Woodstock, New York, and by happenstance arrived on the 50th Anniversary of the famous Woodstock concert. We found a gathering of 75-ish-old hippies sporting peace signs, the combover of shoulder length hair, long gray braids, tie dye clothes, wearing stability shoes, and using walkers and canes. It seemed charming and humorous at first, then kind of sad. They had peaked and frozen. Apparently they hadn’t taken to heart Bob Dylan’s admission, “If you’re not busy being born, you’re busy dying.”

It was a great object lesson for me.

I want to stay curious about people, technology, leadership, fashion, mentoring, gardening, hospitality, culture shifts, and current events. I keep exposing my mind to new thoughts and additional information. I want to keep growing instead of narrowing my world in such a way that I simmer it down to a stock of certainty that makes my world small, predictable, routine, or worse yet, habitual.

But no area of curiosity makes my heart pound faster than spiritual curiosity.

The Holy Spirit was sent specifically to LEAD us into all truth. He is futuristic in His leading!

There is something new He wants to teach us every day of our lives about Jesus! His revelations are always fresh and life changing. It’s the most beautiful adventure of growing deeper and deeper in love with Jesus as the Holy Spirit peels layers and layers of revelation back for us!

He illuminates the TRUTH of who Jesus is: not our mom's version, our neighbor’s version or our boss’s version. The Father gave us Jesus to reveal the Father. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus.

The Holy Spirit will tell us the whole truth of who Jesus is.

I have been wrong or wracked with doubt regarding so many things about Christianity that it has added an underlying soberness and desire to know what God really wants me to know. I want to shed anything in my life that was put there by the denomination, home, or tradition I was raised in. I want truth.

It’s a process, not a moment, and it is your inalienable right as a Christ follower to be led into ALL truth regarding Jesus. Take hold of what is yours!

Application:

1. Why is a God-curious life an attractional life?

2. You choose:

✔️Malaise or Love

✔️Dormant or Growing

✔️Same or New

✔️Monotonous or Engaging

✔️Stale or Fresh

✔️Packaged or Authentic

✔️Past or Future

✔️Self or Holy Spirit

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, I want!

I want fresh revelation. I want power to overcome. I want closeness. I want boldness. I want insight. I want wisdom. I want to be enlarged in compassion and love. You are my Guide and Friend. Lead me where Jesus wants me. Amen.

For Further Study:

I lean heavily on Pastor Chris’ knowledge of the languages, cultural impact, and context comprehension of the Bible when I am wrestling through something spiritual. He is such a good resource as I ask the Holy Spirit to lead me. He has never flinched when I’ve handed him doubt, and he has always been one gracious email away: [email protected]

John 15:26 - 16:11 (ESV)

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Explanation:

I can’t think of a worse or more disappointing situation than when Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be leaving them. Their Savior, their Messiah, their teacher, their encourager, their comforter, was going to be leaving them. They must have felt overwhelmed, upset, and hopeless. And then to add to the confusion, we see in this passage that Jesus tells them it will be to their advantage that He goes away, and He is sending the Helper who will be the Spirit of Truth. I’m guessing that was a little bit of an encouragement, but I imagine it was still puzzling to them. With access to the Bible, we can understand that Jesus was talking about being crucified, resurrected, and then ascending into Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God. He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of those of us who have recognized Jesus as our Savior. While it must have been extremely sad for the disciples to physically lose the presence of Jesus in their lives, they also had the life changing experience of having the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, to live inside of them!

We too have that same opportunity to have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, guiding us in all truth, comforting us, encouraging us, convicting us, giving us wisdom, and sustaining us. The Holy Spirit is a GIFT to us!

I am in a season of life where I must rely on the Holy Spirit completely. My mom has been dealing with Alzheimer’s for about 8 years, and is at a stage where she needs complete care. My dad lovingly and devotedly is caring for all of her needs, but it is getting more and more difficult. My four siblings and our spouses are doing our best to help in any way that we can. All of us, however, including my dad, are navigating a situation we have never been in before while trying to process the sadness of watching my mom go through this terrible disease. I am daily asking the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom on what is the best way to care for my mom, comfort as we deal with the reality of her being able to function less and less, encouragement as we feel sad at watching her face this disease and the reality that she isn’t who she once was. The Holy Spirit has been and will continue to be faithful to give me (and us) everything we need. Unless God does a miracle (and I believe that He can!), my mom isn’t getting better this side of Heaven. BUT I know that the Holy Spirit will sustain us and be with us as we walk through this situation, and will do things in our hearts that we can’t imagine.

Application:

1. What area in your life do you need the Holy Spirit’s presence most right now (conviction of truth, w