John Shirk

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Eternal.

This word in the Bible means, “lasting or existing forever.” An infinite line is meant to convey the idea of something that never ends. Yet, it is truly hard to comprehend eternity.

Jesus came to the world as God’s greatest gift to offer us eternal life. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Our bodies on this earth have an expiration date. The average lifespan of a person is around 79 years. Psalm 90, verse 10 says, “Our days may come to seventy years or eighty, if our strength endures.”  What happens after our bodies wear out? If our hope is in Jesus, we will graduate into the presence of God. Jesus said to one of His followers, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

Find encouragement in the eternal life that Jesus promises to those who love Him in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Comfort.

One way of defining comfort is the “easing of a person’s feelings of grief or distress.”

God’s grace consoles us in our distress. We are encouraged by His abounding love for us. The Apostle Paul was encouraged in times of hardship to the degree that he saw himself as more than a conqueror in Christ. As a result, he worshiped God, and was a support to other Christians in their times of distress.

In Second Corinthians 1:3 and 4, he wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

One of the ways that God can work through our troubles is by giving us a voice to comfort and console those in similar situations.

Find encouragement in the comfort of God’s grace in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Morning.

The beginning of a new day represents how we can have a fresh start with the Lord. The failures of the past are behind us. The opportunities of the day are before us. And we can invite God to be with us each step of the way.

Lamentations 3:22 says, “Because of the LORD’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

And in Psalm 90, verse 14, Moses prayed, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Starting each day with reminders of God’s love can set the tone for a brighter perspective throughout the day.

Find encouragement with the sunrise of every morning in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to trust in the LORD completely.

There is a comfort in knowing that our lives are in the hands of a loving and powerful God. That does not mean we have immunity from trials and tragedies, but it does mean that the LORD is with us through those times of turbulence. He is a firm foundation for our faith when the storms of life rage at our doorstep. His grace is a calming presence, and His truth is a guiding presence to help us.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.”

Take the daily challenge to trust the LORD completely and experience His perfect peace on the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to put our ultimate hope in the Lord.

Strength comes to our faith when Jesus is the focus of our hope.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Hope is needed in uncertain times, and keeps us moving forward, upward, and outward in the way we express our faith.

Hope moves us forward, because we have incentive to get up each day. We anticipate the opportunities that God has for us for that day.

Hope moves us upward in prayer and worship, because we believe that God is responsive to the prayers of His people and inhabits the praises of His people.

And hope moves us outward to share with others the hope that we have in Christ.

Take the daily challenge to put our ultimate hope in the Lord and find strength for the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4lgOs8tcmcQ2ulFLNpszgd?si=63edc70efd654912

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to rely on God’s love.

First John 4:16 says, “we know and rely on the love God has for us.”

To rely on God’s love is to lean on Him with all our weight. We trust His grace to be sufficient for us and to save us from our sins.

What are some reasons that we have to rely on God’s love? Here are a few ways that His love is described in the Bible. In First John chapter 3, God’s love is described as great.Jesus implied His love was the greatest, and that it would find ultimate expression at the cross when He laid down His life for us.  Psalm 136 describes God’s love as enduring forever. It never ends. And Psalm 86 describes God’s love as abounding. It overflows from His heart into the world.

Look into the ways that God’s love is described in the Bible and find encouragement by the nature of His love.

Take the daily challenge to fully rely on God’s love on the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to remember God’s Promises.

This focus point helps to build our faith in the Lord as we reflect on fulfilled prophecies and the fulfillment of His love for us. In the days of Moses, the LORD promised that He would rescue the Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Many years passed before this promise became reality, but when it did, the writer of Joshua 21:45 noted, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

This is an example of God’s faithfulness to His people. Second Corinthians 1:20 says, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.”  The cross and empty grave were also fulfilled promises of God, which demonstrated His love for us.

Take the Daily Challenge to remember God’s Promises on the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK -In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to rejoice in the Lord.

It was Nehemiah who said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Having joy does not mean that we are always happy about our circumstances. But the joy of the Lord does lead us to a place of serving God with a willing heart and worshipping God with a grateful heart.

First Chronicles 16:10 says, “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”

The salvation of God gives us a glad heart. His promise of a new life, abundant life, and eternal life in Christ brings joy to our soul. We are encouraged by God’s faithful love for us, and rejoice in His goodness, greatness, and graciousness toward us.

Take the Daily Challenge to rejoice in the Lord with a heart of worship on the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0kcaAQR0mMQkcKy5nXr4nw?si=685c744c1c7f4429