How often do you take the time to worship God? How often do you give thanks to the LORD and give God praise?

There is never a bad time to give thanks and to worship to God? We cannot give thanks to God too much. We cannot over do praising God. There is never a bad time to give thanks to God and to praise his name.

Concerning when to give praise to God, the Psalmist writes, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!” (Psalm 113:3, ESV).

How does God care for his people? To what extent does God show us his compassion?

God cares for his people as a loving father cares for his children. God shows compassion towards his children who revere him, as a father shows his loving compassion to his own beloved children.

The Psalmist writes, “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13, ESV).

Is it easier to remember the bad things or the good things in life? What takes up most of your thinking and attention, the good or the bad, or what you have or what you do not have?

We can remember the deficits in life or we can remember the blessings. We can remember what we have lost or we can remember what we have been given.

The Psalmist writes, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2, ESV).

Have you ever been out of your mind? Have you ever been in your right mind? Have you ever experienced the mind of God?

We all have a mind and are called to be of sound mind. As followers of Jesus we are called to have the mind of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Philippi, encouraging them to have the mind of Jesus, saying, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5, ESV).

Where do you look for salvation? Where do you place your trust? How do you summon courage in the face of fear? Where do you get your strength?

There are many times when we need salvation in this broken and sin-filled world. We need the trustworthiness of God in the face of our uncertainty and the unreliability of a broken and sinful world. We need courage in the face of our fears. We need God and his strength and salvation.

The Prophet Isaiah prophesied of his trust in God, saying, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2, ESV).

How can we celebrate and honor our fathers? What do you do to celebrate and to remember your father on Father’s Day? How do you celebrate and remember your father throughout the year?

The fifth commandment tells us to, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, ESV).

We can obey God and celebrate and honor our earthly fathers, whether they are with us or not, and whether they merit it or not, by living righteous and wisdom filled lives.

Do you know that you are a work of art? Did you know that you were crafted in Christ Jesus to do his handiwork?

You are God’s workmanship. You are God’s work of art—created by God to do God’s good work in the world. Your are God’s artwork, created to be God’s artist.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Ephesus, encouraging them to understand their creative identity and their creative purpose in Jesus. Paul said, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).

Do you believe that God is good? Do you believe that God loves you?

Not only is God good, but God’s goodness and love for us is steady and enduring.

The Chronicler wrote, encouraging the people of God, saying, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34, ESV).

What are the limits to how much you are willing to love and honor others? If showing affection were a competition, would you be winning, or would someone be outdoing you?

When it comes to loving one another, we are to outdo one another in expressing our love and in showing honor.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul encouraged the church to, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV).

When you are overwhelmed beyond measure, what is it that you need? When the turbulent and troubled waters of life swell and threaten to overwhelm you in their torrent, who protects you? When the fiery trials threaten to consume, who is your rescuer?

God is our protector. God is with us when we are overwhelmed. God is with us in our troubles and hardships. God is our rescuer.

God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah, saying, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2, ESV).

What does it mean to humble yourself? Have you ever humbled yourself, been humbled, or been brought low? How low can you go? How low do you want to go?

Pride is a pandemic. Humility is rare. However, humility is the high calling for the follower of Jesus. If we want to submit to the high call of God, we must get low in Godly humility.

In his first letter, the Apostle Peter encouraged suffering believers, saying, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6, ESV).

What is the condition of your heart toward God and others? Is your heart hard and calloused or soft and receptive?

God desires for us to have a receptive heart and spirit. God wants to give us a new heart to love him and to be receptive to his will.

God spoke through the Prophet Ezekiel saying, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV).

Have you ever tried to use appliances without plugging them in? What is it like to not have power when you need power? What is it like when the power is on?

Just like mechanical appliances require power to function properly, followers of Jesus also need the power of the Holy Spirit to properly function as God’s witnesses in the world.

When God gives us his Holy Spirit, the power of God is on in our lives. We have God’s power to do God’s work in the world.

In Luke’s work, the book of Acts, Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

How should you love your neighbor? How do you expect your neighbor to show love to you? Why is it important for us to love our neighbor?

Jesus calls us to love God and to love our neighbor. It is essential that we express the love we have for God to ourselves and to our neighbor. Love fulfills all of God’s law.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14, ESV).

What is your mind set upon? What are you often thinking of? Is your mind focused on the Spirit, on life and peace? Is your mind set upon eternity?

We can set our minds on material things or on the our fleshly desires, or we can set our minds on eternity and the things of the Spirit.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Rome instructing them on where they should focus their minds, saying, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6, ESV).

Have you ever experienced someone being merciless? Have you ever been shown mercy? Have you ever given someone the mercy you wished you had been shown?

It has been said that grace is getting what we do not deserve, and mercy is not getting what we do deserve.

God has shown us such great mercy.

When is your conscience at its clearest and your pathway most blameless? What guards you as you go through life? How is your way clear and secure?

Our righteousness is our guard against sin and the accusation of the enemy. The sin and brokenness that inflicts us will eventually undo and overthrow the wicked who impose their sin upon us. Righteousness will win the day and will bring about the blameless way.

The wisdom of the Proverbs promises us, “Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked.” (Proverbs 13:6, ESV).

Does what you wear communicate something about you? What are you saying about yourself or about God by what you put on display for others to see?

We communicate through what we put on display—by what we wear, by what we say, by what we do, by how we live in the world, and through the decisions we make. How we present ourselves matters because it communicates.

The Apostle Paul instructed the Colossian church, saying, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12, ESV).

Do you feel blessed when you are at your lowest? Are you thinking of another kingdom or way of life when you have a broken spirit?

In this broken and sin-filled world, it is easy to be impoverished in our spirit. We can feel weighed down by the cares, the traumas, and the brokenness in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus promised, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3, ESV).

What does true love, dedication, and commitment look like? How do we love others well? What is the greatest expression of love?

Love is dedicated and sacrifices for the benefit of others. Love is a commitment to give of yourself for another.

In John’s gospel account, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.“ (John 15:13, ESV).