Day: August 30, 2026

John 3:17

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

Sometimes we picture Jesus as the loving Son trying to convince an angry Father to forgive us. But this verse gives us a different picture. God did not reluctantly agree to save us. Salvation first began in God’s heart. 

Jesus did not come to make the Father love us. Jesus was sent because the Father already loved us and could not stay in heaven while His children stumbled in the dark.

Picture a parent who runs toward a burning house, not away from it. That is your God. He did not dispatch Jesus with a clipboard and a verdict. He sent Him with an open heart.

God is not standing far away, waiting for us to become worthy. He moved toward us first. The cross did not create God’s love. The cross revealed God’s love!.

Suggested Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me first and sending Jesus to bring me back to You.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking. 

Our focus today is Lamentations 3. Verses 20 and 21.

“I well remember these things, and my soul despairs within me. Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.”

We all carry memories that weigh on us. A harsh word spoken, a chance we let slip by, a mistake we cannot undo. These thoughts have a way of settling into our soul and pulling us downward, and left unchecked, they can turn into despair and depression. Maybe you just call it frequent sadness. 

But notice the turn in verse 21. The writer does not deny the pain, he simply chooses what to remember next. In the context of this verse, he calls to his memory God’s faithfulness. When he does and we do, our hope rises. Joy is not found by ignoring our failures, but by placing beside them a bigger memory, a memory of God’s mercy that has carried us before and will carry us again.

Prayer: Lord, when memories weigh me down, remind me of Your faithful love and care.

My name is Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.