Count Your Blessings and Stop Stressing (eBook)

JANUARY 1

The Goodness of God

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.

JAMES 1:17

Familiarity certainly breeds contempt. When we become accustomed to something, we tend to take it for granted. Nobody appreciates the “gift” of lungs until they struggle to breathe. We don’t truly appreciate eyesight until we start losing it. We don’t recognize the blessing of having enough food until we suffer from hunger. We take for granted the blueness of the sky, the sound of the birds in the morning, the cool breeze, the warm sun, the wonderful taste of food, and the joy of love and laughter. We rarely stop and smell the roses or thank the one whose hand created them. We take for granted the clouds that carry the rain that waters the earth and gives us life. The old hymn carries such a wonderful truth: “Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God hath done.”

Every good gift comes from the hand of our benevolent Creator, who graciously gave us life. Having such an attitude of appreciation will produce joy in our hearts—even in the middle of our daily trials. We can count our blessings because God will always lead us into that which is good and never into evil. And knowledge of his blessings will keep us from stressing.

Father, today I will stop and count my blessings and name them one by one.

JANUARY 2

Prepare His Way

“Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.”

MATTHEW 3:3 ESV

John’s message was for sinners to prepare the way of the Lord. He told them to make the Lord’s paths straight. Perhaps the greatest gift God has given to humanity is the gift of free will. We can choose to sin, or we can choose to serve. We can stay in the pigsty, or we can return to the Father like the Prodigal Son and ask to be made a hired servant. Nothing is impossible for God. He could prepare the way for himself and make his own path straight. But he’s left that up to you and me.

Today we have a choice. It can be a day when God has access to our thoughts and the choices we make. We can allow him to have his way in our lives by doing that which is pleasing in his sight. This will be much easier for us if we have already obeyed the admonition of Scripture: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1–2 KJV).

Father, today I affirm that I am no longer my own. I have removed every hinderance. I am yours.

JANUARY 3

We Are Never Alone

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness…”

MATTHEW 3:3 ESV

Sometimes we can feel as though we’re a mere voice crying in the wilderness when we share the gospel. We are nobody special, and nobody is listening; we are just a voice crying out to this world—wanting every man and woman to know that God is deadly serious about sin and that he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness. We sow in tears and complain with Isaiah, “Who has believed our report?” (Isaiah 53:1). However, even though Scripture calls John the Baptist a voice in the wilderness, his labor wasn’t in vain. His voice was certainly heard. The crowds came to the wilderness: “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him” (Matthew 3:5 ESV).

Never believe the lie that you are ever alone. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ, you have his promise that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Ever. We truly have a friend in Jesus, and that friendship will be as rich as we make it. Enrich your prayer life with gratitude, appreciation, thankfulness, praise, worship, and love, and this will flow if you never lose sight of the cross. It will keep your joy full and your cup running over—into this world.

Father, thank you for always being with me as I share the good news with others.

JANUARY 4

Who Has Warned You?

“You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

MATTHEW 3:7 ESV

John the Baptist and Jesus both aimed messages at the religious leaders because of the leaders’ hypocrisy. The leaders couldn’t be trusted. Never trust a viper. Don’t even get close to it because it has a deadly bite. Jesus told the disciples to leave the Pharisees alone because they were the blind leading the blind. There is something wonderful about the scathing words of God against religious hypocrisy. It is such a stumbling block for so many. The hypocrisy of professed Christians emboldens some to sin. And how grievous it is to see robed men and women professing to speak to God and perverting the Scriptures and deceiving the hearts of the simple.

John also asked who warned them to flee from the wrath to come. But although we may also have a history of hypocrisy, if we are trusting in Jesus, we don’t need to fear that wrath and can take comfort in the Scriptures. This is why we should regularly pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24 KJV).

Father, thank you for seeing the depth of my sin yet still forgiving me through Jesus and leading me to eternity by your side.

JANUARY 5

Worthy of Repentance

“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”

MATTHEW 3:8 ESV

John the Baptist told his listeners to mean business with God. He told them that they should have evidence that they had truly repented. The evidence that we have an apple tree in our garden is the apples. If the tree does not bear fruit, we will likely cut down the tree. And if we profess faith in Jesus—if we have truly repented of our sins—there should be evidence. This evidence was clearly seen in the repentance of Zacchaeus: “Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:8–9 KJV).

If we are saved, we, too, should bear the fruit of repentance—along with fruit in keeping with righteousness, praise, thanksgiving, and the Spirit. This is the biblical way to examine ourselves and see if we are in the faith. Part of that fruit is to have the peace of God, which passes all understanding, and that peace guards our minds in the midst of daily stress (see Philippians 4:7).

Father, may I be a fruit-bearing Christian, and with my life, may I bring glory to your name.

JANUARY 6

Unquenchable Fire

“The chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

MATTHEW 3:12 ESV

John the Baptist was not afraid to talk about hell. Neither was Jesus. Neither should we be. However, we live in a day and age when it’s not politically correct to say anything that would offend. But I would far rather that someone be offended by hearing about hell than feel its flames. If pastors and preachers spoke of the reality of hell with tears in their eyes rather than a holier-than-thou finger in the face of sinners, more people would come to the Savior.

God is the judge of the universe, and he has set aside a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness. If we are true and faithful witnesses, we will not hesitate to warn every man about the reality of that terrible and most terrifying place. Hell makes no sense when we do not precede the sharing of the gospel with the law to show sin to be exceedingly wicked. There is a hidden blessing here. The more we see our sin, the more we will see God’s mercy, and that increases the joy of our salvation and our love for God. He who is forgiven much, the same loves much (see Luke 7:47).

Father, never let me compromise the gospel because I fear man.

JANUARY 7

Pleasing the Father

“This is my beloved Son,

with whom I am well pleased.”

MATTHEW 3:17 ESV

What son isn’t moved to tears by the commendation of his father? It’s also common to see a grown man tear up when he talks about how his father never praised him when he was a child. But here we have the ultimate commendation. God himself says that Jesus is his beloved Son, and in him, God was well pleased. Jesus, in thought, word, and deed, caused the heart of his Father to rejoice.

But once a sinner is born again, God says, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” Not because of the sinner’s own righteousness but because of the righteousness of God in Christ. What a wonderful consolation it is to think of the Prodigal Son coming back to his joyful father. There is a type of God’s love for us—when we come to him with a contrite heart. We think of the prodigal’s father calling for a robe to clothe his son and a ring for his finger and commanding a great celebration because his son was once dead but was made alive. What...