Manna for Your Morning

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” — 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT) … we are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18b AMP)  The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. (Proverbs 4:18 NASB) In God, the best is yet to come. Don't give up. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. — Isaiah 64:4 (NASB)

The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.  — Psalm 121:5 (NLT) When calamity comes, people have a tendency to ask, “Where was God?” He is where He always is, right by your side. His eye constantly watches over you. He is there to catch every tear that rolls down your cheek. When someone does you wrong and you are devastated, all the broken pieces of your heart fall in His hand. He is there to bring healing and restoration. He carries you when you don't have the strength to walk. Our heavenly Father turns your sorrow into joy. Every tear that was sown reaps a harvest of joy. Those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing (Psalm 125:6, The Message).

“Why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?” — Luke 6:41 (GW) Why is it so easy to see someone else's “stuff” and not our own? We conveniently make excuses for ourselves when we say something that should have been left unspoken. And we are able to justify and minimize our attitudes, when they are not right. However, the second greatest commandment is for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). So let us always look to see the good in the other person. Maybe they are just having a “bad” day. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. — Philippians 3:13-14 (The Message) As we begin to put closure on this year, let us forget those things which are behind us and press on. Where we are going is much more important than where we have been. May we move onward and upward, to Jesus and the call that God has on our lives. Don't turn back. Keep your eye on the goal!

But the leaders of the Jews were under God’s watchful eye. They couldn’t be stopped until Darius received a report and sent a reply to it. — Ezra 5:5 (GW) Just as God's eye was upon the Jews, He continues to watch over His people today. Since He formed you in the womb of your mother, our Heavenly Father has had His eye on you. He sees your struggles and He is there to give you the strength to endure and persevere. His eye is on your going out and your coming in, and He goes before you to smooth out the rough places. How blessed are we to be under God's watchful eye!