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

Most of us have a favorite fruit that is pleasing to our tastebuds, whether they are oranges, apples, or strawberries.

There are different kinds of character qualities that make our faith more fruitful, such as love, joy, and peace. These qualities are found in the fruit of the Spirit.

When we live by God’s Spirit, He builds godly character qualities on our foundation of faith. This is what enables us to be an effective witness to the world of God’s saving grace. Jesus said in John 15:8, “This is to my Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Through the faithful witness of believers, the words of Colossians 1:6 are still true today. “The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world.”

Find encouragement in the fruitfulness of walking in step with God’s Spirit in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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

The future is the time yet to come.  Corrie Ten Boom, who was placed in a concentration camp for helping the Jews escape from the Nazis, once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

We don’t know specifically what will happen tomorrow, but with God in our lives, we can anticipate the future with hope rather than dread. God has a perspective on the future. He inspired the prophecies in the Bible. He has revealed certain events that have yet to take place.

The LORD said in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Find encouragement in the hopeful future that God has prepared for those who seek Him in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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

A tower is a tall structure that symbolizes strength, security, and greatness.

There was a time in history when the world came together to build the Tower of Babel. The people of that time wanted to make a great name for themselves.

But God frustrated their plans by confusing their language. Humans are not able to accomplish what only God can do for the world. We cannot save ourselves, but God can save us through faith in Jesus Christ. He is our source of salvation, strength, and security. And His name is very great-the name above all names.

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe.”

Find encouragement in the security of God’s strong tower in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to stop comparing ourselves with others.

This can lead to division among ourselves. Comparison invites jealousy into our relationships if we don’t think we measure up, or self-righteousness if we think we are better than others.

First Corinthians chapter 12 talks about the church being one body, and warns against division through comparison.

Verse 15 says, “If the foot should say, ‘because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.” In this case, the foot feels excluded from the body because it senses that the hand is more important.

Verse 21 says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’” If the eye did say that, it would not be clearly seeing the value of the hand to the work of the church.

There is a better focus point for our faith-keep our eyes on Jesus, and His plan for our lives.

Take the daily challenge to stop comparing ourselves with each other and start seeing our value to God 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 heart into worshipping God.

A chapter in Judah’s history captured this kind of worship in Second Chronicles chapter 30 under the reign of King Hezekiah.

Verse 21 records that “The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the LORD every day, accompanied by the LORD’s instruments of praise. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD.”

This was a moment of joy and celebration from the heart of God’s worshippers. They were not just putting in time or going through the motions. The assembly was so moved by praising the LORD that they agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days.  Worshipping God from the heart leaves us with the joy of the Lord and a longing in our soul to love Him more.

Take the daily challenge to worship God from the heart on the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

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