Revelation 3:19 ” Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”

House Rules…if you have children, you probably maintained order under your roof with these.   With House Rules in place, you could admonish, educate, and guide your children in the right way…not as a tyrant, but as a loving parent wanting only the best for your kids.  Our Heavenly Father wants only the very best for us…and sometimes He needs to use the same tactics.  But if we sincerely and seriously undergo a moral reorientation of our soul ,acknowledging  the error of our ways…and turn to God – those House Rules will suddenly make total sense.

II Thessalonians 3:16 ” Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

Romans 2:4 says that He is the “God of peace.”  Do you need peace in your life today?  Have the worries, anxieties, and troubles of the world crowded into your mind and caused unrest and turmoil?   Why deny yourself of God’s kindness and mercy…why deny yourself of His peace?

Luke 5:16 ” But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

It’s not that Jesus was anti-social or hated the crowds that pressed in all the time around Him…for He loved people.  But He did require Father-Son time, and searching out solitary places to pray was essential for His wellbeing.  When we’re alone by our self in the silence –  we shut out the noise of the world…we  gain God’s perspective…we  hear clearly from the Holy Spirit.  It was essential for Jesus…it’s no different for you.

Psalm 42:8 ” By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”

God oversees His kindness and mercy  towards us daily.  At night when the worries of the day keep us awake, remember that a  hymn or prayer of praise and thankfulness to the Lord will comfort  and give you rest.  In that way, love flows to and from us continually.

Jeremiah 31:3 ” The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’ “

Someone you know may be far from God.  Maybe you’ve been praying for them  for a long time and haven’t seen anything positive.  Don’t give up!  The Lord is still at work – drawing that person with cords of kindness and ties of love…ever wooing them towards salvation. For God takes great delight in them…calling them beloved of Him.  Keep praying!

Psalm 35:13 “…and humbled myself with fasting.”

Sometimes when we want the Lord to get serious with us…we need to get serious with Him.  A day spent in prayer and fasting not only allows us to focus on the request, but the physical exercise of denying ourselves brings about clarity and direction from God as we humble ourselves before Him.

Deuteronomy 32:4 ” He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God Who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”

He is the foundation you can build your life on.  He is fair and impartial with all His dealings.  Everything He  does is complete and flawless from beginning to end.  He will never be anything but totally honest with you.  Could you then put your trust in such a God?  I urge you today to give Him a chance …you will not be sorry.

Isaiah 63:7 ” I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us – yes, the many good things He has done for the house of Israel, according to His compassion and many kindnesses.”

When was the last time you told someone what the Lord was doing in your life?  We forget to share with each other the small miracles…the blessings…the small but good stuff.  We’re really good about complaining…how about praising instead.

Psalm 46:10 ” Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Though the Lord is too great to be fully understood, knowing Him to the very best of our ability is key in our relationship with Him.  For like any loving, intimate relationship…we should do less talking, and more listening.

II Chronicles 5:14 ” Then the Temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the Temple of God.”

The Levitical Priests were the Ministers of Worship in the Temple.  When the empty Temple was filled with the presence of God, the glory cloud was so thick with His majesty, they couldn’t see.  Oh, to have that kind of glory cloud descend into every Church…God’s presence filling every available space…His glory breaking forth in a magnificent display.