VERSE: Philippians 4:8–Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. TRUTH: What kinds of thoughts fill our minds on a regular basis? Would our thoughts fit in with this list? Do we discipline our mind to only dwell on these qualities, or do we allow our mind to roam to other things that are not as praiseworthy? We must guard our mind, for only by actually monitoring our thoughts will we be able to ensure that we are dwelling on the…

VERSE: Philippians 3:20–For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. TRUTH: It’s important to remember that we hold dual citizenship. We are citizens of a particular country or countries on earth. But even more important than that, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are citizens of heaven. In the United States right now, there is much talk about the upcoming election for President and as a citizen of this country, I have a responsibility to be informed and vote. As citizens of heaven, do we spend as much energy talking about the upcoming…

VERSE: Philippians 2:14–Do all things without grumbling or disputing TRUTH: At first thought, this may not sound so difficult. Then I start thinking about how many times we complain about something during the day. We grumble to people about the weather, about traffic, about our job responsibilities, about our home responsibilities. It becomes so easy to grudgingly agree to be obedient to what God asks us to do that we fool ourselves into thinking that being obedient is the only thing that matters. Our attitude is of great importance as well, and we are to do all the things we do without grumbling or complaining to others about them. RESPONSE:…

VERSE: Philippians 1:6–For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. TRUTH: We are all works in progress. Every day we are made more and more like Christ as we allow Him to have more and more control of out lives. We can know that God does not do His work only part way. God will perfect us and make us whole and complete in Him. RESPONSE: Father, I look forward to the day when I will be fully perfected, but I wait, knowing that the things I go through now are intended to chip…

VERSE: Job 42:10–The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold. TRUTH: After all that Job had been through, God allowed him to see his house restored. But first, Job had to help restor his friends to a right relationship with God. Imagine if Job had held a grudge and told his friends, “No, I won’t pray for you, you made me mad and hurt me while I was already down. I can’t forgive you and you deserve to stay in God’s anger.” Not only would his friends not receive God’s blessings, but Job would have missed…

VERSE: Job 41:11–“Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.”TRUTH: Sometimes we get the mistaken idea that God owes us. We look at things we’ve done and start to feel entitled to God providing us happiness and contentment. Nothing could be further from the truth. God owns all things and He is indebted to no one. He does not owe us anything. We owe Him everything. We must keep things in the right perspective and worship God for who He is. RESPONSE: Lord, forgive me when I start to think that You owe me. I will praise You and thank…

VERSE: Job 40:4–“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.” TRUTH: God came to see Job and revealed Himself. As a result Job immediately saw the contrast between who God is and who he is. The God of the universe did not answer Job’s questions, but after seeing God, Job found that his questions really didn’t matter anymore. Job became silent as he waited to hear more from God. Do we see ourselves as God sees us? Do we recognize the great love He has for us, along with His great power and holiness? RESPONSE: Lord, compared to You, I am nothing.…

VERSE: Job 39:1–“Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer?” TRUTH: God is a God of details. It can be easy to think that God only concerns Himself with the big or important things that occur. Yet, God is deeply concerned about the details of His creation. He asks Job throughout this chapter about the little things of creation. Through this we can see God’s deep and profound love for His creations and His level of planning and care for them. We are part of that creation and He loves us, too. We can trust that He really does have…

VERSE: Job 38:4–“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” TRUTH: Many Bibles label this section “God Answers Job” and yet it would be more accurate to say that “God Questions Job.” Job has been asking God why He’s allowed these things to happen. God answers by asking Job questions that Job cannot possibly know the answers to. Why? Sometimes we need reminded that we do not know everything and we do not have all the answers. God is over all things, He is in control of all things, and He knows all things that we don’t. RESPONSE: Father, I wasn’t…

VERSE: Job 37:14-15–Listen to this, O Job, stand and consider this wisdom of God. Do you know how God establishes them, and makes the lightning of His cloud to shine? TRUTH: As Elihu concludes his speech to Job, he asks him to think about all the amazing wonders of God. He asks if Job can explain how God does them? God does so many amazing and wonderful and awesome creations, yet we can not explain how He does them, nor why. We must trust that God knows what He is doing and has a plan for all things. RESPONSE: Lord, I look at my life right now and I don’t…