Count Your Blessings

September 14

The continually worsening events of daily news can undermine our peace and devastate our hope of a better day.

But, the reality is that Jesus Christ is triumphant and He is glorious—and nothing that happens in our world can rob us of our peace if our peace is rooted in our Savior and if we allow His joy to be our strength as Nehemiah 8:10 assures us that it is.

Toward the end of holding fast to our hope and abiding in our joy, may we consider the following blessings that are new to us each morning:

1. Jesus is alive, Revelation 1:18.
2. Jesus is alive in my heart and life, John 6:56, John 15:4.
3. Jesus invites me to share His life with all who will partake, Mark 16:15.
4. Because He lives, no one who believes in Him will ever die, John 11:25, 26.
5. Because He overcame death, hell, and the grave, we can overcome all our trials, Philippians 4:13. 6. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, Hebrews 13:8.
7. Jesus healed all who came to Him, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 12:22.
8. Jesus promised that when He went to the Father He would send the Holy Spirit to us, John 14:16.
9. Jesus said that through the Holy Spirit we would do greater things than He had done, John 14:12-14.
10. We can claim His promises and see His power at work in our lives, Romans 4:21.

These promises are from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
11.God has ordained that there be a season for everything and all things will be good if we allow them to happen in His time.
12. There is a time to be born and there is a time to die.
13. There is a time to weep and a time to laugh.
14. There is a time to gain and a time to lose.
15. There is a time to keep silence and a time to speak.

These blessings are from Isaiah 53:1-5. The entire chapter is a prophesy of Christ's sacrifice for us:
16. Who has believed our report? I BELIEVE!
17. To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? I HAVE SEEN THE WORK OF HIS ARM REVEALED!
18. Though the world has not seen HIS beauty, HE HAS REVEALED HIS BEAUTY TO ME!
19. HE HAS BORNE MY GRIEFS AND CARRIED MY SORROWS!
20. HE WAS BRUISED FOR ME AND BY HIS STRIPES I AM HEALED!

These blessings are found in Isaiah 54:
21. I will break forth on the right and on the left and my children shall inherit greatness and be taught of the Lord and dwell in peace.
22. I shall never be ashamed or confounded for my reproach is behind me.
23. The Lord has called me as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and He has gathered me in with great mercy.
24. He will lay the foundations of my life and build my house with precious stones.
25. I shall not fear, for terror shall never come near me; any who gather against me shall fall; no weapon formed against me shall prosper; every tongue that speaks against me shall be condemned ...for I am the Lord's.

These blessings are found in Psalm 23:
26. The Lord is my Shepherd. I will follow where He leads me, for He knows the path I should take.
27. The Lord is my Provider. I shall know no lack of any good thing He desires me to have. 28. The Lord understands my frustrations, my foibles, my failures, and when I fall, HE RESTORES ME TO HIMSELF.
29. The Lord is my Comforter; He wraps me in His arms and holds me securely to Himself, so I need fear nothing--not even death.
30. The Lords' goodness and mercy shall abide with me in time and He will allow me to dwell with Him for eternity.

These blessings are taken from Philippians 3:6-11:
31. Jesus made Himself nothing for me so I may have everything He has provided in the salvation package.

32. Jesus was obedient unto death so that I may have the opportunity to be obedient unto life.

33, Jesus has been given the name that is above every other name—and I may call upon that name in times of need, in times of worship, in times of praise.

34. At the name of Jesus, EVERY knee shall bow—in heaven, in earth, and under the earth—and I have the privilege to bow before Him now so I may have the joy of looking forward to bowing before Him in Heaven.

35. Every tongue shall acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, and I have the privilege of proclaiming His “unspeakable gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) and His matchless glory to all the earth, according to His great commission, in Matthew 28:16-20, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”