Here’s today’s verse, one of my all-time favorites:

In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.
(Romans 8:28)

God works for good in ALL things. Not some things. Not most things. ALL THINGS.

So, no matter what’s going on in your life, you can rest assured that God is working in that situation for your good. Did you just lose your job?  God’s working for good. Did a loved one just pass away?  God’s working for good.

It’s all a matter of perspective. Check out the world through God’s eyes. No matter how bleak things may appear, remember that He is always in control and always, always, always working for the good of those who love Him. That’s a promise from the creator of the universe. You can trust him 100%.

GOD’S WORKING FOR GOOD

Ever get tongue-tied when it comes to sharing the Gospel? Fear no more.

Here’s a handy road map to salvation courtesy of the Apostle Paul. Share it with the world.

There is no one righteous,
not even one.
(3:10)

For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.
(3:23)

Just as sin entered the world through one man,
and death through sin,
in this way death came to all men,
because all sinned.
(5:12)

For the wages of sin
is death.
(6:23a)

But the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(6:23b)

If you confess with your mouth,
“Jesus is Lord,”
and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
(10:9)

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.
(10:13)

Reading Romans has been a turning point for many Christians. It helped Martin Luther realize that we’re justified by grace through faith alone, sparking the Reformation. John Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed” when he read Luther’s comments on Romans, which triggered another revival. Modern theologians continue to be amazed by the book. N.T. Wright called it the Apostle Paul’s “masterpiece” and “a work of massive substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge, while offering a breathtaking theological and spiritual vision.”

Here are just a few of Martin Luther’s famous comments about Romans . . .

It would be quite proper for a Christian, not only to know it by heart word for word, but also to study it daily . . . it can never be read or meditated too much or too well. The more thoroughly it is treated, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.

Below is our first taste of this great book. Ask God to warm your heart and illuminate each precious word. And then thank Him for His awesome, astounding, amazing grace!

But now a righteousness from God,
apart from the law,
has been made known,
to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God
comes through faith in Jesus Christ
to all who believe.
There is no difference,
for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
(3:1-24)

Since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
into this grace in which we now stand.
(5:1-2a)

As an added bonus, here’s a selection from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, echoing this theme:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –
and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God –
not by works, so that no one can boast.
(2:8-9)

To read all of Martin Luther’s commentary on Romans, click here.

Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28)

REST WITH JESUS TODAY

Are you going through a spiritual drought? Feeling down? Depressed? Devastated? Then today’s Psalm — suggested by one of our loyal visitors — is for you.

It begins with a cry for help in the desert . . .

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
(Psalm 42:1-3)

. . . cascades into a prayer . . .

Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me –
a prayer to the God of my life.
(Psalm 42:7-8)

. . . and then overflows with hope and praise . . .

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
(Psalm 42:11)

Cry out to God. Only He can quench your thirst. As Jesus said:

If anyone is thirsty,
let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me,
as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water
will flow from within him.
(John 7:37b-38)

Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you to overflowing with His love, joy and peace. And then go pour it out into this dry and dreary world.

GET INTO THE FLOW!

Today’s selection was suggested by one of our loyal visitors. Pray through it with all your heart, soul and mind. Then watch the video below and let the words wash over you once again.

O LORD,
you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in — behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Psalm 139:1-8, 13-14, 16b-17, 23-24)

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
(Psalm 119:105)

The world can be a very dark place. Let God light the way.

Spend some quality time with your Bible today. Quiet your heart so the Holy Spirit can speak to you. Flip to a Psalm and pray through it. Use your imagination. Interact with the text. Memorize it. Meditate on it. Marinate in it.

Then get out of your chair and go live it. The world needs God’s light now more than ever.

Got a favorite Psalm you’d like to share with the world? I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an e-mail at getupwithgod1@yahoo.com. Thanks!

I waited patiently for the Lord,
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me up out of the slimy pit,
out of the muck and mire;
he set my feet upon a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.
(Psalm 40:1-3)

I love this Psalm. Each line reminds of what I should focus on daily.

WAIT patiently for God. I need to walk with Him, not run ahead on my own.

He HEARS our cries. What an amazing thing that the creator of the universe listens to us.

He LIFTS us up out of our slime pits of sin and misery.

He sets our feet on a ROCK. He’s our firm foundation.

He gives us a new SONG of joy in our hearts.

How could anyone who sees God’s awesome transforming power at work in our lives not “fear and put their trust in the Lord“?

For a most excellent musical interpretation of this Psalm, I suggest you check out U2′s “40″ from the album Under a Blood Red Sky. Lifts me up every time I hear it.

Got a favorite Psalm? I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an e-mail at getupwithgod1@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Unplug. Unwind. Un-whatever-it-is-you’re-doing.

If you’re at all like me, you don’t spend nearly enough time resting in God. Take a deeeeeeeeeeeep breath and spend the next few moments with our Heavenly Father pondering what is perhaps the world’s most beloved psalm. Let each word seep deep into your soul, fill your mind and quiet your heart.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Psalm 23)

Got a favorite Psalm? I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an e-mail at getupwithgod1@yahoo.com. Thanks!

It’s PSALM-O-RAMA here on GUWG where for the rest of the week we’ll be taking a deep dive into the Book of Psalms.

Let’s start right at the beginning. Here’s a selection from Psalm 1. Memorize it. Marinate in it. Meditate on it.

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord
and on his law he meditates day and night.
(Psalm 1:1-2)

Got a favorite Psalm you’d like to share with the world? I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an e-mail at getupwithgod1@yahoo.com. Thanks!