A New Path

09/01/2026

Prayer: “Father, open my eyes to see the glory of Your Son. Forgive me for continually asking for lesser bread when You have given me Christ. By Your Spirit, overcome my unbelief and deepen my faith. Make Jesus more precious to me than anything He could place in my hands. Give me a hunger that only the Bread of Life can satisfy. Amen.”

08/31/2026

Stop Trying to Earn What God Gives

Scripture: “Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'" — John 6:28–29
Thought: Their question sounds spiritual, "What must we do?” But buried inside that question is the instinct of every fallen human heart: “Give me something to do.”
Give me the list. Give me the rules. Give me something I can accomplish so I can stand before God and say, "Look what I did..."
Religion loves "What must we do?” The gospel destroys it.
Jesus doesn't hand them a checklist. He points them to a Person: "Believe in him whom he has sent” [v29]. This is the great dividing line between Christianity and every system of self-salvation. The natural man wants to do. The gospel tells us Christ has done.
We want achievement. God requires faith. We want to bring our righteousness to God. The gospel tells us we don't have any.
Justification by faith alone [being made right with God] is central to our faith. Luther called justification "the article upon which the church stands or falls.” Why? Because if one ounce of our acceptance before God depends upon our performance, we're cooked.
Our best days are stained by sin. Our motives are mixed. Our obedience is incomplete. Our righteousness cannot survive the holiness of God. So God provides another righteousness, a foreign righteousness, Jesus’ righteousness.
Jesus obeyed where we disobeyed. He fulfilled the Law we broke. He died the death we deserved. He rose victorious over death. And through faith, His righteousness is counted as ours. J.C. Ryle describes it as such... "The white robe which Jesus offers, and faith puts on, must be our only righteousness.”
Even the faith, by which we put on Christ, is not something we manufacture to impress God. Faith is an empty hand. It contributes nothing. It receives everything.
Brother andsisters, stop trying to impress a God who already knows everything about you. You don't need a résumé. You need a Redeemer.
The Christian life is a life where we fight the urge to ask, "What must I do to make God accept me?” and continually rest in what Christ has already done.
Reflection: Are you resting in Christ's righteousness, or are you still quietly trying to prove to God that you're worthy of His acceptance?
Right Next Step: Pay attention today to where performance sneaks into your relationship with God. When you feel the need to prove yourself, preach this to yourself: “Christ's work, not mine, is the ground of my acceptance. All my boast is in Jesus...”

Prayer: “Father, forgive me for trying to earn what You freely give in Christ. I have no righteousness of my own that can stand before You. Thank You for Jesus’ perfect obedience, substitutionary death, and righteousness. Teach me to rest in Christ alone and then obey You, not to earn Your love, but because I already have it in Your Son. Amen.”

08/30/2026

God Guides Our Life

Have you ever faced something unexpected? Maybe it was a surprise that brought you joy, or a tragedy that greatly affected your life. All of us experience moments in life that we don’t anticipate.
Even though unexpected things will happen, we still plan and dream for how our lives will go. We may have plans for our future education, or plans for specific relationships in our lives. But we can't fully plan for the unexpected—since we cannot know the future. We don’t even know what might happen in the next few minutes.
We learn in Scripture that God is all-knowing, which means He knows everything that will happen everywhere in the world. He has complete knowledge of every event and action that happens. More than that, He is also sovereign, which means He has ultimate control over everything that happens in the world.
That means that even though we make our plans, God is ultimately the one who directs our steps. He has the power to change the direction of our lives, as well to as guide us into what’s best for us.
Take some time to think about the dreams and plans that you have for your life. Have you ever submitted those plans to God in prayer? This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make plans for your life, but rather, whatever you plan should not come before God’s plans for your life.
Take a moment to ask God to direct your steps. Ask Him to reveal any desires or plans that are not from Him. Submit your plans to God so that you’ll be open to follow Him wherever He leads you. Thank Him for His goodness and grace in guiding your life.

08/29/2026

The Power of Words

Words have power.
We use thousands of them every day to communicate. They help us share joy and sadness. They help us learn and grow. We use them to build each other up—or to tear each other down. And yet, we often underestimate the impact of our words.
Are you giving thought to the words you speak over yourself or about others daily? Are they words rooted in doubt, fear, and insecurity, or do they come from the truth, goodness, and security in God’s promises?
In Psalm 46:1, the Psalmist makes a powerful declaration of God's truth and promise: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
And this declaration leads to action in the next verse: “Therefore we will not fear” (verse 2).
Our declarations have the power to guide our actions. So what is it that you are declaring? Maybe today, you need the reminder to speak the truth of the words that come from God—your refuge, strength, and ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
As God's child, you have been given freedom in Christ to choose and use words wisely (Colossians 4:6, Ephesians 4:29).
So today, as you remember that God is your refuse and strength, choose words of life. May your tongue be an instrument of blessing, as you declare what is true, pure, admirable, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

08/29/2026

Prayer is just having a honest cover conversation with god.
Sometimes you have a lot to say. At other times, you may need to just sit in silence. 🙏 God is good. 🥰

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

Look Up

It’s normal, as well as understandable, to spend our time, energy, and attention focusing on the here and now. We’re busy, after all. Sometimes we're preoccupied. And when we stop to really think about it, it’s difficult to perceive something beyond our five senses.
But in his letter to the Colossians, Paul encourages his fellow believers to look up:
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
As you think about Paul’s words and the realities of heaven, here are four things to consider:
- First, heaven isn’t some vague, dream-like state. It’s a real place, with real people, where God is the true King.
- Second, there will come a day when we will all meet God face to face. We will no longer need faith or hope, because that which we’ve hoped for will finally be revealed.
- Third, our troubles and our heartbreaks (and even death itself) are temporary! Scripture tells us that, eventually, God will do away with pain and death and sickness and suffering—forever.
- Lastly (and most importantly), God is still on His throne, with Jesus beside Him in the place of honor. No matter how crazy, senseless, or heartbreaking the world can seem, we can have confidence knowing that nothing is outside of God’s sovereign plan.
So when you’re tempted to look around at others or look inward at yourself, look up instead. Heaven is wherever God is, and that’s the truest reality of all.

08/25/2026

Creating a Heart of Gratitude

One of the most powerful emotions is gratitude. If we can find ways to be thankful and grateful throughout our life, we will find the power and emotional strength to walk through some of life’s hardest seasons.
It's not always easy to find ways to be thankful and grateful. But, one of the things Scripture teaches us throughout the Psalms is that there is always something to be grateful for.
The Psalms teach us various songs and poems for every season of our life. But more than that, they also teach us how to cultivate a heart of gratitude and worship towards God.
We belong to a God who loves us and cares deeply for us. God’s love and goodness will never end. Psalm 100:5 praises God for these things:
"For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Through Psalms like this, we can begin to build a habit of gratitude towards God and all that He has done. We can thank God for what He has done in our lives, what He is currently doing, and what He will do in the future as we follow after Him.
Because God is always good, loving, and faithful, there is always something we can be grateful for—even in the midst of difficult seasons of life.
Take a few moments today to strengthen the habit of gratitude in your life.
- First, begin by thanking God for who He is: that He is good, faithful, and loving towards you.
- Next, thank God for all that He has done. Thank Him for the good things in your life, and that He has walked with you through the hard times.
- Lastly, thank God for all He will continue to do in the days and years to come. He is trustworthy!