The greatest gift you can give

**Joyce Meyer

It is the most outrageous thing. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am. It gives blessings that are undeserved and withholds punishment when it is deserved. It is absolutely the greatest gift you can give someone.

This gift is called mercy. See, Jesus came to earth and gave us mercy, so we need to learn to give mercy to others.

By Christ's example, we are taught to love and pray for our enemies. We are taught to be friendly to those who do not treat us as we would like to be treated. We are told to give to and care for the poor and helpless who will never be able to pay us back.

We can give to people who will give us gifts in return. But we are more blessed when we choose to give to those who cannot pay us back, that is giving mercy.

The greatest gift you can give is to become more like Jesus. You can do that by treating others the way He treated you. Give those around you the greatest gift they could ever receive from you: mercy.

Prayer starter: God, I thank You for the mercy that You selflessly give me every day. I choose now to give the mercy to others. Every chance I get, I will show them the mercy that You have shown me.

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, just as you Father is merciful.

Think about what you are thinking about

**Joyce Meyer

If you are a believer, you probably think some Scripture-based thoughts throughout  each day, but think about this: Are you mixing them with negative thoughts or just any random thoughts that come into your mind?

For most of my life, I simply thought whatever fell into my head. Much of what was in my head was either lies Satan was telling me or just plain nonsense.

Read Mark 4:24. It tells us the more time we spend thinking about the Word, the more power and ability we will have to walk in it. It also says the more we read and listen to the Word, the more revelation we will receive to understand it.

In the flesh we are lazy and want to receive from God without any effort on your own part, But that is not the way it works. You will only get out of the Word what you are willing to put into it.

I encourage you to make a decision to meditate on God's Word every day because every moment you spend absorbing it, the more virtue and knowledge you will receive from God.

Prayer starter: Lord, I make a decision to spend more time in Your Word every day. I know that when I do, I will get more out of it and receive more powerful revelation from You.

Mark 4:24

"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you and even more.

Stop keeping score

**Joyce Meyer

If someone has hurt you, do not spend the next ten years of your life hurting yourself by hanging on to that offense. Most likely, the other person is not even thinking about you, while you dwell on the incident for years. That only hurt one person, you.

When we walk in unforgiveness, we try to "keep score," viewing ourselves as better than the other person.

Back in the early days of our marriage, when Dave and I were fussing and fuming at each other, I would bring up stuff that happened years before and Dave would say, "Where do you keep all that stuff?" Well, I had a place, and it was all in there eating at me. And every new thing Dave did wrong would get added to this list, and it kept growing until it became a bitter giant in my heart.

When we walk in God's love, we find freedom by keeping "no account" of wrongs done to us. If you are hurting from the pain of unforgiveness today, ask God to help you stop keeping score. You can let go of your bitterness today.

Prayer starter: God, I do not want to keep score anymore and let my unforgiveness hurt me. I release it to You and ask You to help me walk in Your love, which keeps "no account of the evil done to it."

1 Corinthians 13:5

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

It is OK to enjoy your life

**Joyce Meyer

Enjoyment is the fuel we need to reach the finish line of an endeavor with a good attitude. We may drive ourselves to finish, but somewhere along the way we will probably become bitter and get a ship on our shoulder if we do not lighten up and take time to celebrate the journey.

Too many people work constantly and stress themselves out, feeling guilty about enjoying and celebrating life when God has clearly ordained and commanded both labor and enjoyment. Ecclesiastes 2:24 says that it is good for us to relax and and enjoy ourselves in the midst of hard work.

Our thinking has been warped in this area. Satan has managed to deceive us, and by doing so he succeeds in keeping people weary and worn-out, feeling resentful and taken advantage of because of excessive work and responsibility.

We need times of refreshment and recreation as well as work and accomplishment. You should be diligent in whatever task God has placed in front of you, but make sure that you find a balance by learning to reward yourself and enjoy life. God thinks you are worth of it!

Prayer starter: God, I realize now that You want me to enjoy my life and reward myself. Instead of feeling guilty and never stopping for a break, I choose today to experience the joy that You planned for me.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.

Why you need to read the Bible?

**Joyce Meyer

The Bible is not ordinary book. The words within its pages are like medicine to your soul. It has the power to change your life because there is life in the Word!

When you discover the power and truth of God's Word, you will begin to see changes in your life that only this truth can bring. You will also learn how to recognize the lies that the enemy tries to bring against you.

If you are just starting to study the Bible or feel intimidated by it, do not think you have to read it all at once or understand everything right away. Be patient with yourself. The important thing is that you start somewhere and stay determined to stick with it. Because every time you study the Bible and pay attention to what you are reading, you are learning something.

Proverbs 4:20 says, "My son attend to my words.," This is important to understand because attending is more than just reading - it means to meditate on the Scripture or roll it around over and over in your mind.

As we spend time reading and meditating on the Word of God and learn to agree with it above all else, we will be filled with the life and healing power of God.

Prayer starter: God, thank You so much for the life-giving power of Your Word! As I read and study it, teach me what You want me to know and bring Your healing power into my life.

Proverbs 4:21-22

Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.

Why does a good God let bad things happen?

**Joyce Meyer

When we experience terrible tragedy, being angry with God is quite common. People frequently ask, "If god is good, all-powerful, and full of love for us, why didn't He stop the thing that caused the pain?"

This is where Satan seeks to build a wall between God and the hurting person. He seizes the opportunity to say, "God isn't good, and He can't be trusted." However, we know according to the Word of God, the truth is not in Satan, he is a liar and the father of lies.

Read James 1:17. Everything good comes from God. God is good, and He cannot be anything else. Furthermore, He is not one way one time and another way another time. He does not change. He is good, and that is the way He is.

It is obvious that God does not always stop tragedy, and we honestly do not always know why bad things happen. First Corinthians 13:12 says, "...Now I know in part (imperfectly)..." We have to remember that faith will always require us to accept unanswered questions, and we must come to the place where we are satisfied to know the One who knows and place our trust in Him.

Prayer starter: God, I may not always understand why bad things happen, but I know that You are good. When I do not understand why, I will find my comfort in You.

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gifts is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Sacrifice in marriage

**Joyce Meyer

Early in our marriage, God had to teach me that truly loving Dave meant that sometimes I would have to make sacrifices. Up until that point, I only wanted my way and was very much like the noisy gong mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is the greatest form of maturity. It often requires a sacrificial gift. If love does not require some sort of sacrifice on our part, we probably do not really love the other person at all. If there is no sacrifice in our actions, we are most likely reacting to something nice they did for us, or simply pretending to be kind to gain some control over them.

It is important to understand that true love gives of itself. So our decisions should always have our spouse's interests at heart. When you do, you are giving of yourself.

God's desire is for husbands and wives to love each other sacrificially and unconditionally. This means you do not get your way all of the time. But the good news is, when a husband and wife sacrifice their selfish desires, they will have a triumphant marriage!

Prayer starter: God, I want to walk in true love in my marriage. I make a decision today to not always push for my own way, but to be willing to sacrifice for my spouse.

1 Corinthians 13:1

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.