Morning Mercies
Each morning, when the sun pours over the horizon, you have an opportunity.
David—who held many titles throughout his lifetime: shepherd, warrior, giant-slayer, King of Israel, and a man after God’s own heart—said it like this when he was talking to God:
“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”
Psalms 143:8 NLT
David recognized that each day was an opportunity …
To hear of God’s unfailing love. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and His love endures forever (Psalm 118:2). But sometimes, we forget. Most times, we need to be reminded. Just as winter can’t be stopped from blooming into spring, we can’t stop the mercies of a brand new day.
To trust Him again. God is good, constant, faithful, merciful, honest, loving, unlimited, all-powerful, and the source of everything that exists. In fact, He can’t not be those things! No matter what we’re facing, we can know that He’s trustworthy. We can trust His character and we can trust His heart.
To watch, listen, and discern His leading. We can fix our eyes on the God who fixes His loving gaze onto us. Let us echo David’s words: “Show us where to walk…” Let us recognize His promptings, pay attention to His guidance, and listen for His “voice.”
To surrender our lives to Him. We can cling to our plans, dismiss His warnings, and fight for self-sufficiency, or, we can give ourselves to Him—fully. When we rely on ourselves, we will never be enough. But when we die to ourselves, we are choosing to live for Him.
No matter how dark the night, the sun rises again. And when that morning light pours over the horizon, you have a fresh opportunity to draw near to the One who loves you.
Every Good Thing We Share
In Philemon 1:6, Paul says, “I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.”
When Paul writes this to Philemon, he’s not just sending a theological essay. He’s writing a personal letter to a close friend and fellow believer.
Paul is encouraging Philemon not only to embrace the truth of the gospel but to live it out in community. Their “partnership” wasn’t just a casual friendship, it was a mutual commitment to living for Christ, growing in understanding, and making the love of Jesus visible in the way they treated others. In this case, Paul is urging Philemon to welcome back his former servant Onesimus—not as a servant, but as a brother and co-laborer in Christ.
Today, we still need partnerships like this. Following Jesus was never meant to be a solo journey. We grow deeper in our understanding of the gospel when we engage in authentic ...