GOD’S GOODNESS AND KINDNESS

Genesis 50:21 AMP So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and support you and your little ones.” So he comforted them [giving them encouragement and hope] and spoke [with kindness] to their hearts.

When Jacob had died Joseph’s brothers were now worried that Joseph would take his revenge on them for treating him so badly all those years before. We can see how their minds worked and it’s probably what they themselves would have done!

So they once again asked him to forgive them and to be merciful. Joseph’s response reminded me of God’s goodness to us and how great His loving kindness and mercy is towards us.

Joseph goes on and says that what the brothers had meant for harm, God had meant for good, which encourages us to know that whatever has happened to us in the past, God will turn it round for our good eventually.😊

As you take the time to read our verse again, can you hear the Father's heart as He says to each one of us, “So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and support you...” God is still speaking kindly to our hearts today when we turn to Him, and whatever is troubling us He wants to reassure and encourage our faith, and give us hope. 

1 Peter 5:7 NLT Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Our God has mercy for every mistake, and grace for every circumstance, so we don’t need to be afraid. Our God is for us, His love is forever and He invites us into His very throne room to fellowship with Him and receive all His goodness, His kindness and His mercy, because of His love. Doesn’t that make your heart grateful and glad today? I pray it does.😊 Amen.

Photo: Mark Harpur on Unsplash

GOD IS ON MY SIDE

Psalm 56:9 My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!

I wonder if you wake up as fresh as a daisy, or do you sometimes wake up and find yourself saying what the world says which tends to be a bit grumpy and negative? Or do we choose to speak life and say something positive and uplifting and allow the Holy Spirit to start our day off right by being thankful?😊  

Yesterday was one of those bleary-eyed wake up mornings for me and I had this choice to make! So as I got out of bed, I grabbed myself by the ear metaphorically and said to myself,  “Thank You Lord for a new day. I am the head and not the tail, I am above only and not beneath, I am an overcomer, the Lord is helping me, and the devil is beneath my feet.”  The more I confessed those and other truths of scripture over my own life, the more uplifted I became. I was still bleary eyed but my feelings were beginning to follow my thinking and my confession!😊

Can I encourage us all, however we feel at the minute, instead of muttering our complaints, let’s start talking faith to ourselves, saying what God says about us, how He approves and accepts us because of Jesus, how He goes ahead of us into your day, that healing is coming, and how blessed we really are.😊 

I know things don’t change in an instant but if our thinking is right, then our emotions will follow. When we think the thoughts of God, then He can direct our paths and the way our day goes. 

We know that God is for us and the NLT says, “God is on my side” which is so reassuring as we go about our day. It means no matter whatever else happens in the next 24 hours, we know God is rooting for us and has made us to be overcomers through Jesus.

So let’s go out into our day with that mindset - ‘God is on my side, the Holy Spirit is helping and upholding me, Jesus is interceding for me and I’m safe in His hands because my Heavenly Father loves me.’ 

Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo: Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash