the Eyes of My Heart

"So Long...."

2012-01-31T07:45:00.000-06:00

Ex 32:1 "when the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain...."

Moses took longer than the people wanted... they grew impatient.. began to "suppose"... to let their minds wander here and there right into a golden calf and idolatry.

Don't I do the same? God takes "so long"... too long for me... I want Him to act, but nothing (actually He very likely is acting, but not in the manner I expect or want.. so I see it as inactivity). My mind then starts to have a hey day of what ifs and I decide to help move things along.. I usually am able to even convince myself that this is what God wanted all along.. my help.

I may not create a golden calf as the Israelites did, but I create my own idol... the idol of self.. I set myself, my thoughts, my ideas, my abilities etc. up as "god".. I idolize me!

And in doing this I find that I am like Peter... my eyes were on Jesus, but then I got distracted by the water and waves (life) and now I am sinking in the water even if I don't realize it. I must FIX my eyes on Jesus.. FIX, not glance His way.

I looked Fix up in the dictionary and found these definitions... to make firm, stable or stationary... affix... attach.. to hold or direct steadily... to capture the attention of.. establish.. to make an accurate determination of... to get ready.. focus.. decide.. settle.. fasten

I want to do all of that! To make my focus Jesus... to have a firm grasp on Him.. to be stable and stationary in where I place my trust... to affix myself, attach me to Him.. to hold steadily to His Word.. to capture His attention.. to make an accurate determination by seeing HIM (Imperishable Truth) and not my circumstances (which are fleeting).. to get ready for whatever comes my way by fastening my eyes on Jesus!

Lord, may You be my vision today... the focus on my eyes and my life!

Testings

2012-01-14T07:30:00.015-06:00

I have always loved Genesis 22 -- God's call to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. What obedience! What Faith!

I am using The Daily Walk Bible to read through the Scripture this year and each day has a short devotional thought with it. The one for this particular passage caused me to ponder this passage in light of my own life.

Verse 1 of Chapter 22 says "Sometime later God tested Abraham"... the comments are made in the devo that Abraham had already been through a lot of faith-stretching circumstances which were evidently preparing him for this, his biggest test.

And then these questions are asked... "Are you learning lessons today that will help you handle the tests God has for you tomorrow? Think of one faith-stretching situation you are facing today. How might God use it to prepare you for tomorrow? Ask Him to make you teachable in today's tests so you'll be prepared for the bigger ones tomorrow."

Great questions to ponder... great way to apply this to our own lives.

Flee!

2012-01-13T07:30:00.016-06:00

In reading through Genesis, I recently looked at the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the angel tells Lot what is about to happen, he tells him to Flee for your lives! Don't look back and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee for the mountains or you will be swept away. (Gen. 19:17)

In the New Testament we are also told to Flee... what do we flee from? Evil. (see 1 Tim. 1:11 & 2 Tim 2:22) and in Phil. 3:13 Paul says "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..." Similar to the angel telling Lot not to look back but move forward.

Paul is pressing on toward the goal. The angel urges Lot to do the same. "Do not stop --- flee to the mountains."

But Lot does stop -- he settles for less than what God wants to give him -- less than a full relationship with God -- less than the abundant life He offers. Instead, Lot decides it is too much work .. it requires too much of himself.. so he asks to settle in the town of Zoar not going all the way to the mountains.

I wonder.. do I do this? Do I settle for a small town when God wants me to press on towards the mountain? Do I not want to work at my spiritual journey -- not give of myself? and if so, what will be the result?

The angel told Lot "Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away" .. certainly Lot survived that day, but in the end he had grandchildren from incest who became 2 of the most corrupt nations ever -- enemies of God's chosen people who were ultimately destroyed by God (Amos 2:1-3, Eze. 25:1-11).

Consequences -- Legacy -- what we do or don't do today effects others now and in the future. We must Flee the temptations of the world and head for the mountains .. for God.. we want to develop that intimate relationship with Him that He wants with us.. to stand firm on the Promises in His Word.. to be salt and light in this dark world.. and yes, it will require something of us.. more and more as time goes on, I believe. And we may grow tired and weary... or just be lazy... or just be willing to settle for a little God (like being a Sunday morning Christian warming the pew). We might do ok just getting by, but we will miss out on the blessings God has in store for us and our actions will effect others. So forget what lies behind... flee the trappings of the world... and press on towards the prize!

Lord, May I obey fully and seek Your face -- pursue an intimate relationship with you and the abundant life you have for me. Help me not to grow weary or lazy -- not to stop short or settle for less -- put to press on toward the prize for which "You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Desires....

2012-01-12T07:35:00.001-06:00

I have several devotional books I am reading in this year... I am not legalistic, in that I don't read every book every day. One is Daily Light on the Daily Path. There are morning and evening readings taken straight from Scripture... wonderful book! I have this on my Kindle and it uses a different Bible version than ones I normally read. It uses God's Word Version. I have never read this version and confess I am watching carefully for any red flags. I love reading different translations / transliterations, but seek to discern those that take the truth and twist it. So far, this one has been sound.

I was recently intrigued by the wording used for a specific passage of Scripture... Phil 2:12-13.

The NIV says: "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."

In the Devotional, God's Word Version, it says : "My dear friends, you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I’m absent. In the same way continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please Him."

The part that stopped me was the last line.. "It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please Him."

There is something about the thought of God producing the desires and actions in me that makes me stop and think. Certainly that is only when I am fully yielded to Him, because I know there are desires and actions in me at times which in no way please Him and are not from Him. They are my sinful flesh's produce -- rotten fruit as it were -- where as the Lord wants to produce good fruit in me through His Holy Spirit.

Lord, help me to be fully and completely yielded to You today. I choose that -- less of me, more of You! May I produce good fruit that pleases You -- benefits me -- blesses others -- brings You and You alone glory. Amen!

He's Coming!

2012-01-11T07:17:00.000-06:00

For the Lord Himself

will come down from heaven

with a loud command,

with the voice of the archangel

and with the trumpet call of God,

and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thess. 4:16

Scripture Memory

2012-01-10T07:35:00.000-06:00

Most folks run at the mention of memorizing Scripture... that is, after all, something for kids in Sunday School, right? No.. not at all! We are never too young or too old to learn Scripture. Yes, as we age it might take us longer to learn a verse or passage, but we are still able to learn. One of the things I have come to realize through memorizing Scriptures is that the process of learning the verse is as beneficial as the learning of it. By reading the verse over and over... taking it apart... I find myself meditating on it.. thinking about the words and what they mean to my life. I often don't just memorize the verse, God writes it on my heart.

I recently started reading a wonderful book by Robert J. Morgan (one of my favorite authors). 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart. I am posting the verses on the side bar here as I learn them. (The other Scripture memory there are the verses our church learns together each week.) Some are old favorites / standards, so it is more review than learn. I admit that I purchased the book mainly out of curiosity. I wondered what verses he thought were important to know. And while I did find his list, I found much more. The first half of the book talks about Scripture Memorization.. the benefits, how-to etc. And for each of the verses, he provides a bit of study, something to help glue the verse to your brain and heart. Again, going for something other than rote memorization. I highly recommend this book. I feel certain I will share things from it in the weeks ahead.

In the meantime, dive in and start learning Scripture... Ps. 119:11 says "Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I might now sin against Thee." Want to sin less and live the holy life has called you to live? Learn Scripture! It is also how we are ready in and out of season... how we consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.. where we find the words to say to a hurting friend... and so much more. Think of it this way.. Jesus is THE WORD.. so when you spend time learning the Word, you are learning about (and with) Jesus. And when you hide the Word in your heart, you are in a way putting Jesus there. Yes, as a believer the Holy Spirit already indwells you being, but this is progressive sanctification... becoming more like Jesus every day.

Be Ready!

2012-01-02T10:50:00.000-06:00

You also must be ready,

because the Son of Man

will come at an hour

when you do not expect Him.

Luke 12:40

In the Beginning...

2012-01-01T22:50:00.000-06:00

Our church has been encouraged to read the Bible through in a year together. I have done this some in the past, but it has been a while. So I decided to participate this year. One downfall for me personally when doing this is I often end up reading just to check off on my to-do list that I have read and not really getting anything from it.. reading to read, not to learn.. to grow closer to God.. to grow etc. So I am praying this year to NOT read just to read. We read Genesis chapters 1 & 2 today and I was once again reminded of the awesomeness of our God... His power... His Sovereignty... in chapter 2 man is not a living creature until God breaths life into Him. Oh that I would ask God to breath into my future, my hopes and dreams, my ministry, my work, my family, my marriage, my ______... then and only then will their be life there! He is the life-giver.. the only one who holds the key to life... it is in His actual breath!

And I love that chapter 2 verse 24 is a picture of marriage.. given before the Fall of man.. Marriage.. which we know is a picture of Christ and the Church... and God has it planned from the beginning. Salvation was always part of the plan because He knew we would fall. Earlier in chapter 2 He says to Adam and Eve, WHEN you eat of it you will surely die.. not IF but WHEN. Our Omnipotent God knew sin was crouching at the door and about to slip right in and change everything.. and He already had the solution ready.

Grace did not just show up in a manger.. it was there all along!

Passion...

2011-11-05T07:23:00.000-05:00

"The Passion of Christianity is that I deliberately sign away my own rights and become a bond-slave of Jesus Christ." -- Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest)

More & More - part 2

2011-11-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

Verse 2:

To know You as my Healer... "... by His wounds we are healed" (Isa. 53:5 & 1 Peter 2:24)

To know You as my Love.... "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us" (1 John 3:1)... "For God so loved the world.." (John 3:16)... "This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us." (1 John 3:16).... "God is Love" (1 John 4:16)

To know You as my Advocate to Heaven's Throne above... "He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to interceded for them." (Heb. 7:25).... "... Jesus has entered on our behalf." (Heb. 6:20).... "Christ... is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us." (Rom. 8:34).... "Jesus.. endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2)

To know You as my Savior .... "we have put out hope in the living God who is the Savior of all men." (1 Tim. 4:10)... "You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Savior" (Ps. 89:26)

To know You as my Lord .... "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one" (Deut. 4:6)... "How awesome is the Lord Most High." (Ps. 47:2)... "Delight yourself in the Lord." (Ps. 37:4)

To know You as the coming King who reigns forevermore.... "If I go.. I will come back." (john 14:3)... "This same Jesus, who has been taken away,... will come back." (Acts. 1:11).... "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Rev. 4:8)... "Behold, I am coming soon.) (Rev. 22:7 & 12).... "The Lord reigns forever!" (Ps. 9:7)

"O, I want to know You. Deeper than before. And O, I want to know You more and more... more and more... more and more...."

More & More Part 3 (Final)

2011-11-04T07:17:00.008-05:00

To know You as Forgiver.... "When you were dead in your sings... God made you alive in Christ and forgave us all our sins." Col. 2:13 ... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

To know You as my Friend.... "Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends i you do what I command. I no longer call you servants.... I have called you friends." John 15:13-15

To know You as my Comforter when all is crashing in.... "... the Lord comforts His people...." Isa. 49:13... "I, even I am He who comforts you." Isa. 51:12... "... the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles." 2 Cor. 1:4... "God comforts the downcast" 2 Cor. 7:6... "And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever" John 14:16 KJV... "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost..." John 14:26 KJV

"O, I want to know You... Deeper than before.. and O, I want to know You, More and More.. More and More.. More and More.. More and More..."

More & More part 1...

2011-11-03T07:43:00.001-05:00

There is a wonderful song we sing in church called More and More. In my personal; worship time with God recently, this song came to mind and I started looking at the words and pull out Scripture that came to mind as I sang.

Here is verse 1... and the verses it brought to mind...

To know You as my Father....... "Our Father which art in Heaven..." (Matt. 6:9)

To know You as my King ..... "God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." (1 Tim. 6:15)

To know You in Your resurrection power and suffering.... "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings." (Phil. 3:10)

To know You as my Teacher .... "You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am." (John 13:13)

To know You as my Light .... "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

To know You as a Lamp unto my feet through all the night.... "Your Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light for my path." (Ps. 119:105)

Chorus: O, I want to know You, Deeper than before, and O, I want to know You more and more.. more and more.. more and more...

May that be the prayer for My heart.. and of yours!

Flesh

2011-11-02T07:52:00.001-05:00

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." John 1:14

This is scandalous!

Mind blowing!

Overwhelming!

And most of all TRUE!

Praise You, Lord! Praise You, Jesus!

Obedience or Independence

2011-11-02T07:43:00.000-05:00

Today's Read from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers is just too good not to pass on! (You can read this wonderful devotional book daily at http://utmost.org/.. there is even an app to download it to your phone).

Obedience or Independence?

Nov

2011

If you love Me, keep My commandments —John 14:15

Our Lord never insists on obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an “If,” meaning, “You do not need to do this unless you desire to do so.” “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .” (Luke 9:23). In other words, “To be My disciple, let him give up his right to himself to Me.” Our Lord is not talking about our eternal position, but about our being of value to Him in this life here and now. That is why He sounds so stern (see Luke 14:26). Never try to make sense from these words by separating them from the One who spoke them.

The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself. Jesus Christ will not force me to obey Him, but I must. And as soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny. My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God. Then, when I stand face to face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed. When God’s redemption brings a human soul to the point of obedience, it always produces. If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God.

Good

2011-10-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

Psalm 119:68

You are good and do good NASB

You are good and kind and do good AMP

You are good and the source of good MSG

You are good and do only good NLT

You are good and what you do is good NIV

You are good and do what is good HCSB

Fundamental Truth to hang on to no matter how things appear... God is Good and God does Good.. Always!

Persistant Prayer

2011-10-24T09:06:00.000-05:00

"When we determine to pray with passionate persistence -- with a refusal to quit despite discouragement, despite how things look to us -- God will reward those prayers with His just and timely response." -- Janet Holm McHenry (from the book Prayer Walk)

In All Things... Always..

2011-10-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:18 NIV

AMP: Thank God in everything (no matter what the circumstances may be be thankful and give thanks) for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus (the Revealer and Mediator of that will).

Eph. 5:20 Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph. 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are our of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Heb. 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise -- the fruit of lips that confess His name.

Pray Continually

2011-10-22T08:59:00.001-05:00

Pray Continually 1 Thess. 5:17 NIV

NASB: Pray without Ceasing

NLT: Never Stop Praying

AMP: Be unceasing in prayer - pray perseveringly

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told this parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up

Deut. 4:7b The Lord our God is near us whenever we pray for Him

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work." -- Oswald Chambers

Be joyful....

2011-10-21T08:56:00.002-05:00

Be joyful always. 1 Thess. 5:16 NIV

Amplified Version: Be happy in your faith and rejoice and be gladhearted continually (always).

Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord Always

Ps. 97:12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous and praise His holy name.

Hab. 3:18 Yet (no matter what is happening) I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in my God my Savior.

Neh. 8:10b The Joy of the Lord is your strength

Always.... Continually.... "Yet" .... do this and find Strength!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

2011-10-20T08:54:00.000-05:00

Be joyful always

Prayer continually

Give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thess 5:16-18

Wherever....

2011-10-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

"Wherever God has dumped you down in circumstances pray." -- Oswald Chambers

Rest of Faith

2011-10-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

"Rest is uniting the Word with faith and living in it at that very moment. It's the action of faith for today -- for this monent, this situation." -- Kay Arthur

Know Him.... Seek Him...

2011-10-12T11:23:00.000-05:00

I was reading in the book The Perfect Love by Ruth Myers some things about Knowing God today that just really spoke to my heart...

"... to know God is not just to accumulate facts about Him, but also to experience who He is in our daily living."

"E.M.Bounds wrote that God does not reveal Himself to the 'hasty comer and goer.' If we settle for a casual relationship we won't experience His love deeply. It's not that anything about His love changes when we neglect Him. His love is still just as full and flowing, just as wonderful and powerful. But we're blocking it out when we don't pursue a deeper, more constant relationship with Him."

When I read this, I immediately thought of Jeremiah 29:13... I cannot tell you how many times this verse has come before my eyes in the last week and a half.. and from vastly different sources! The NIV says: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I recently saw it in the NLT and love how it is worded: If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

I love that word... WHOLEHEARTEDLY

Brought me to a couple more verses this morning..

Deut 4:29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

From there.. from where ever I am at that MOMENT... whatever my situation and circumstance.. I am to seek Him with ALL my heart!

And Ps. 86:11b... which is a wonderful verse to pray for yourself and those you love... Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Finally --if you know me personally, then you have heard me say over and over say Be In The Word... it is a soapbox I proudly stand on and shout from and once again I am there urging anyone reading this to be in the Word. My family has had a huge upset this week.. great turmoil that will be with us for a while... I would never lie and say we have had total peace... no anger.. no hurt.. no worry... please, we are human! BUT in the midst of it all God has used His Word.. either from others who text a verse or devotional emails that come in my inbox... or most importantly and most often through the Holy Spirit who reminds me what HE has shown me in His Word... John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. He teaches and He will remind us at just the right time.. but we MUST be in the Word learning to have something for Him to remind us!

We must seek to have a FULL relationship with the Lord.. not just a casual one. He should be you absolute most intimate friend. Seek Him with ALL your heart today!

Exodus 33 reading...

2011-10-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

Exodus 33:11 "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend."

God still does that today. Maybe not physically face to face, but He communes with us -- is with us -- His Spirit in me! All the time!

Moses said to God in verse 13.. "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." This is my prayer today.

Phil. 3:8 & 10 "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things .... I want to know Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection."

Know.... not just head knowledge... heart knowledge that brings change in my life and is walked out day by day.

"Then the Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.'" (v. 14)

God's presence is always with me as the Holy Spirit resides in me. So there is no reason for me not to have rest -- His rest -- peace.

And in verse 16 Moses replied at the thought of God not going with them... "what else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

Jesus in my life is what distinguishes me from the world... nothing else... He is the difference.

What if?

2011-10-11T08:52:00.001-05:00

What is you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked the Lord for today?

Read that online... a stop and ponder thought for sure!

My Utmost....

2011-10-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite devotionals is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Here are some things I have read over the past few weeks:

"God will never reveal more truth about Himself until you have obeyed what you know already."

"Sin is a fundamental relationship it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God."

"We slander God by our very eagerness to work for Him without knowing Him."

"The one who says 'Yes, Lord, but...' is the one who is fiercely ready, but never goes."

Everlasting....

2011-09-27T08:37:00.000-05:00

Read this today in The Perfect Love by Ruth Myers and just had to share! (Please Note: None of this is my original writing.. this is all quoted from Myers' book.)

"The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him" (Ps. 103:17 RSV). From everlasting to everlasting.

From everlasting, way back before I ever existed, God loved me. Long before I was born He looked ahead and fastened His affection upon me. His love for me began in His foreknowledge of me. That means He didn't love me because I earned it, for when He decided to love me I did not yet even exist. His love is not mine because I merit it, for He fastened His love upon me before I ever did one thing good or bad, before I merited anything.

Therefore in the midst of my failure and struggles when I feel so undeserving, I never have to think, Oh dear, does He still love me? He never started loving me in the first place because I deserve it. He just loves me. His love for each of us is never rooted in our worthiness, but rather in His own nature.

God is saying to us, "Its not because you earned it or worked so hard for it that I have loved you. I don't continue loving you because you manage to maintain a high enough standard in my eyes. No, I simply made a permanent choice to love you."

That choice will never change. He loved me from everlasting and will love me to everlasting. His love for me -- and for you -- will never end.

God has always known all things. Before we were born He already knew the worst about us and nothing that happens now can surprise or disillusion Him. He has never had any illusions about anyone or anything. He doesn't suddenly discover some truth about one of us and think, "Oh, why did I ever choose to love him or her?"

Choose the better thing....

2011-08-25T07:46:00.000-05:00

This morning I was reading in Acts 6. I didn't get far before the Lord stopped me. The beginning of this chapter deals with setting up church leadership... but there is a phrase in verse 4 that jumped out at me and applies even not only to church leadership, but also to our day to day lives.

"give attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word."

Isn't this what the Lord wants each of us to do? To give attention... make time... priority time... to pray and be in the Word and pour the Word into others?

I am busy... as most everyone of you are too... and if I am not careful, the busyness of my life takes over and causes me to either not give attention to prayer and the Word or to do so rapidly as if to get it done and off my to-do list for the day... a task, not a delight. As I pondered this phrase, I was taken back to a familiar story in Luke 10. Jesus has come to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Martha is rushing about making sure everything is done... not bad things.. things that need to be dealt with, but that don't have to take priority right then.... they will still be there to do once Jesus has left the house. Mary, on the other hand, has stopped all her activity and is sitting at the feet of Jesus taking in all He says (Luke 10:39). Martha continues to work and work and get more frazzled as she has a pity party in her mind about all she is doing and all Mary is not. She decides to make Jesus aware of the injustice of the situation, but is, no doubt, taken back by His reply:

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42)

Today, I want to choose what is better... I want to give attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word. I pray to have ears that hear and a heart that responds to whatever the Lord calls me to. I want to be a sheep that knows the Shepherd's voice and responds when He calls.

What will you choose today?

To Know God's Love...

2011-08-24T12:29:00.000-05:00

I love the book of Ephesians... and the prayer found in chapter 3 is one of my favorite Biblical prayers. As I was reading The Perfect Love by Ruth Myers this morning I read that lovely prayer from The Living Bible (TLB). Remember The Living Bible? My mother had one. It was shaped like a hardback dictionary, but covered with a dark green padded leathery material on the outside. She loved that Bible and read it daily.

TLB is a transliteration... like The Message. Both are fine to read, but should not be your main Bible. Those who wrote these versions took the main thoughts in the Bible and put them down in common day language. I love to compare verses in various Bibles and The Message is one I look at often, but again.. not as my main source. You need a solid translation and there are many to choose from.... my personal favorites are the New American Standard Bible and the English Standard Version. I read the New Internation Version also as it is what my church uses.

Back to this morning's reading... as I said, I love this prayer and I really love the way it reads in TLB. I hope you like it too and will pray this for yourselves and others.

Eph. 3:17-21 TLB

"May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is, and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God Himself. Now glory be to God who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of -- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes."

Powerless!

2011-07-29T08:09:00.000-05:00

Reading in Hebrews this morning....

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebrews 2:14 NASB

RENDERED POWERLESS! Jesus has rendered the devil powerless in my life.. in YOUR life (if you are a child of God). How amazing and ... well, powerful, is that!?

And then it really hit me... when the enemy has power in my life.... it is not because he has the authority to do so but because I am letting him! WHOA! So the next time I feel him taking power (me giving him that authority), I must remember this verse and say "No way, satan! JESUS rendered you powerless through His death and that means you have no power in my life. I am choosing to walk in the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit that is in me!"

How 'bout you? Which power are you going to plug into today?

Persevere!

2011-07-22T07:35:00.000-05:00

"But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." Luke 8:15

I love the parable of the sower, so as I am reading through the book of Luke I was thrilled to be at chapter 8 this morning. Every time I read this parable, I pray to be the good soil... to hear the Word, retain it and produce a crop. But there is one part I feel I overlook... in fact, I think most of us overlook it... "by persevering."

Once again I am reminded that the life lived in Christ is not an easy one. From Genesis to Revelation we are called to persevere. Be courageous... Trust in the Lord... Stand Firm.... these and similar exhortations say the same thing.. PERSEVERE!

It is key to living a life in Christ.

"Therefore... let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Heb. 12:1

Almighty

2011-07-08T12:03:00.000-05:00

The Lord.... Almighty

"I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless" Gen. 17:1b

"And God said to him (Abraham), 'I am God Almighty.'" Gen. 35:11a

"The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Ps. 91:1

"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory." Isa. 6:3

Downcast

2011-07-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

I was rather glum yesterday -- the weight of the world on my shoulders. At some point I heard in my spirit... "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" I knew that came from a Psalm and the point was with God there is no need to be downcast. I let the day go on and never stopped to look up the actual Psalm. But this morning I did...

Ps. 42:5 & 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

and then I read on to verse 6...

My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember You....

There is the key to not being downcast...

remember WHO God is... WHAT He has done... WHAT He promises

That is the cure! Remember... Focus..... on God.

And it is a choice... we CHOOSE to Focus on Him and not our circumstances.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Heb. 12:2a

Let us -- again, a choice. Something we are told to do (Let us) but not made to do... it is our choice. So when I am downcast, it is my choice to stay there! Whoa!

My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare. Ps. 25:15

Where are your eyes today?

What the Bible says about itself?

2011-04-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

I have started a study on Psalm 119... Sweeter than Chocolate by Pam Gillaspie. I have only done the first few pages and am already loving it and being challenged by it.

The first thing we are looking at are the claims the Bible makes about itself. The author of the study wrote:

"If God's Word really is what it claims to be; if it really does what it claims to do, and if you choose to align your life with its claims, it could change your life forever. ... The questions that at the end of the day will make all the difference are these: Is the Bible actually what it claims to be Does the Bible actually do what it claims to do? If the answers are yes, we are fools if we don't align ourselves according with its truths. If the answers are no, we are fools if we bother."

She then asks what I, the seeker, know about the claims the Bible makes about itself? So I did a quick concordance search and found verses that talk about the Word and made a quick list of some of the things the Bible claims about itself.

Here is what I found...

Deut 8:3b Man does not live by bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

God's Word is as necessary for me to live as food

Deut 31:26 The Word of Law (specifically the Torah) is a witness against Israel and really against us also. It is a mirror of how we should live that shows our shortcomings and unrighteousness. (Which sounds awful but hang on there is more!)

Joshua 1:8 (one of my favorite verses) Do not let this book of the Law (again at this point the Torah) depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Word = Instructions for me on living

Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

2 Sam. 22:31 -- The Word of the Lord is FLAWLESS

Ps 19:7-8 .. the Word is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant. It revives my soul, makes me wise, give joy to my heart and gives light to my eyes.

v. 9 says it is Sure and altogether righteous.

v. 10 -- it is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey

Ps 119:9 to keep my way pure, I must lie according to the Word

v 11 It keeps me from sinning WHEN it is a part of me

v 105 -- it guides, illuminates

Prov. 30:5 Every word of God is FLAWLESS

Isa 55:11 -- The Word will not come back void.. it will accomplish what God desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it.

John 1:1 -- the Word has always been and according to v. 14 it became flesh - Jesus!

Luke 21:33 Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away.

Eph 6:17 -- Sword of the Spirit (our only offensive weapon in the armor of God) is the Word of God.

Phil 2:16 -- It is the Word of Life

Col 3:16 -- It should dwell richly in me. Col. 3:16 starts with the word LET so it is a choice I make to let it dwell richly in me. How? bu choosing to be in the Word and to have the Word in me!

2 Tim 3:16 - 17 ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. SO that the man (woman) of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Heb. 4:12 For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword. It penetrates even to diving soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I believe every one of those claims.. but I have to ask myself if I live like I believe them? Do I live like I believe God and what He says?

Do you?

I would encourage you to take a bit of time and look up what the Bible says about itself. And then stop and think of each point you find and decide 1) Do you believe it and 2) Do you live like you do

Barb

Emmanuel at Easter

2011-03-30T14:37:00.000-05:00

I am reading through Walter Wangerin's Lenten devotional book, Revive the Passion. (I recommend it highly, along with his Advent devotional, Preparing for Jesus.) A recent day's reading started with Mark 14:53-65. In this powerful passage of Scripture, we see Jesus at the home of the high priest. "They all condemned Him as deserving death. And some began to spit on Him and to cover His face and to strike Him, saying to Him, 'Prophesy!' And the guards received Him with blows." It is gruesome and should be overwhelming as we read how our Lord was treated because of our sin.

As I finished reading these verses, a song started playing in my mind... It is a Christmas song on Casting Crowns' "Peace on Earth" CD. It was my favorite song this past Christmas season. The part resonating in my mind goes "Love is raining down on the world tonight, there's a presence here I can tell. God is with us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel. He's the Savior we have been waiting for. In our humble hearts, He will dwell. God is with us. God is for us. God is with us, Emmanuel."

It seems odd to be singing a Christmas song as Easter is approaching... as the focus is on the Cross not the Manger.. and yet...

At Christmas those words are wrapped up like swaddling clothes around a tiny baby in a manger -- hope personified -- all pretty and sweet and real.

As I look towards Easter.. towards Calvary and the Crucifixion of that sweet babe grown to manhood, those words are still true. They are now nailed to a cross with a battered and bleeding Savior. In fact, in some ways I believe they fit at Easter more than at Christmas.

As Jesus hung on the cross, God's wrath rained down on Him and yet love... true love... God's love.. rained down on the world. On me... on you... on all who ever has been and ever will be...No doubt the presence of God was there.. No doubt He was still Emmanuel on that Cross... "God with us" was crucified -- willingly for our sins. That is a gut wrenching thought for me.. and it should be for you.

He was at that moment beaten and bare.. bruised... abused... dying and yet still the Savior the world was waiting for... He is still that Savior today. THE Only Savior and many in the world continue to wait for Him... some who don't realize He has come and those of us who await His final triumphant return. God does now dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit -- Emmanuel is real today -- He is God with us and He lives in those who choose to Believe!

Word of the Year: Choice

2011-03-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

I am woefully behind on this blog! I realized that I haven't even posted my word for the year. I started this tradition with myself in 2008. My word then was Gratitude. 2009: Peace. 2010: Change (I was not thrilled about that one, but it was perfect for that year!) My 2011 word did not come quickly as the others had. In fact, I really wondered if I would have a word. I kept trying to make words fit instead of waiting on the Lord to show me. I am a bit surprised my word isn't patience! But He did show me late in January... Choice.

Life really is all about Choices.

I choose to sleep a bit longer or get up and have time with God

I choose to respond to someone in love or anger

I choose to exercise or sit on the couch

I choose to eat healthy or not

I choose what goes into my mind, my mouth, my heart etc.

I choose ow I spend my time, where I spend it, who I spend it with etc.

I choose to obey or disobey the Lord

I choose to take Him at His Word -- BELIEVE Him... have FAITH in Him... or not to

I choose to Walk in Faith or stumble around on my own

I choose to wait patiently on His timing or to try to make something happen on my own or to grumble as I wait

The list goes on and on and on and on.. and almost daily He shows me how CHOICE affects my life.

I pray that I will be like Mary and choose the Better thing!

Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Great Verse...

2011-01-14T09:40:00.000-06:00

Our church is once again memorizing a verse a week together for the year. And as always I am starting out determined to learn them all ... I pray I stay determined and finish knowing all 52 verses! It is so easy to slip away around March or April.

This week's is a verse I am not familiar with.. although I am certain I have read it. It just wows me when I think about it,

"You alone are the Lord. you made the heaven, even the highest heavens, and their starry hosts. The earth and all that is on it. The seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything and the multitudes of heaven worship you." Nehemiah 9:6

WOW! Not one thing in that verse was unknown to me before reading it, but having it all put together and said so straight forward and clear.. wow. What an awesome verse.. especially when I realize that the One spoken of loves me and has adopted me as His child. This is my Father Nehemiah is talking about!

Kids often brag on their dad.. how big he is.. how tough.. just think, as a child of God I have the best bragging rights! My dad created the heavens, the earth, the seas .. everything on and in them.. and gives life to EVERYTHING... not some things.. not a few things.. not a lot of things.. EVERYTHING! WOW!

And again... He loves me and chose me to be His child! That is Scandalous! And the cool thing.. He loves you too and if you are not His child, you can be. It is a very simple task that leads to the most glorious life with Him forever! If you want to know more about becoming a child of God, contact me through this blog or check out this site: Steps

Obedience... yet again...

2011-01-11T08:58:00.000-06:00

I pick a word of the year each year and have yet to decide on one for 2011. I am beginning to wonder if Obedience will be it. Oh my! Definitely need to pray about that!

On to what I wanted to share.... I read a devotional the other day by Robert J. Morgan (wrote The Red Sea Rules). He was talking about Noah and he said "So in an age in which people knew nothing of rain, God told Noah to build an enormous ship, and Noah obeyed completely, down to the last nail."

I am always wowed by Noah's obedience.. his immediate and unquestioning obedience... I like to question God a lot!

Morgan then offered this.... which truly does give me (and maybe you) cause to stop and ponder....

"To measure your faith, pull out the dipstick of obedience. Does God tell us to build up others with our words? To be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another? To do the work of an evangelist? To avoid sexual immorality? To keep our eyes from vanity? To meditate on Scripture?"

Ouch... my toes hurt! We talk of taking God at His Word.. and we should.. we can walk confidently in every single promise we find in the Bible BUT we also need to take Him at His Word when it comes to His commands and do what He says.

I Believe Therefore I Speak.. and Think...

2011-01-05T08:51:00.000-06:00

As I read my Daily Devotional this morning, the author talked about how "God wants His people whole -- spirit, soul and body" -- and how "words have power and our bodies will try to fulfill the word we speak."

Several scriptures came to mind as I read that. 2 Cor. 4:13 says we believe therefore we speak. This verse reminds me to Believe God's Word and to Speak It with assurance and boldness. I learned some time ago the need to speak God's truth out-loud -- there is power in the Spoken Word!

I also thought how our minds "speak" to us -- no one else hears our thoughts, but we do and they effect us. Romans 12:2 talks of our need to renew our mind. Phil. 4:8 lists the things which should occupy our mind. Things that are pure, righteous, excellent, praiseworthy, lovely, admirable, noble and true. We should think on these things.

Eph. 4:29 tells us to speak only that which is useful for building up. We usually consider this verse in light of what we say to others and well we should, but we also can apply it to the words we speak to ourselves whether spoken aloud or thought. We need only to build up not tear down. We must speak the Truth even to ourselves!

Imagine how different our world would be if we spoke only Truth and held to the Phil. 4:8 plumb line in our thought life?

This is not about having a positive attitude, although it is good to be positive instead of negative. It is about walking in the Word... in the truth of our Lord ... with confidence and assurance.

This is how we are able to live life as more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:37)

Binding those Emotions!

2011-01-03T15:21:00.000-06:00

I am using a devotional this year called 365 Days to a Prayer-Filled Life. I have to admit that the title does nothing for me.. in fact, I tend to avoid anything that says X number of days until.... but the author is Germaine Copeland. I have several of her books and love them. They are full of Scripture based prayers and so is this devotional.

I read a line in today's prayer that just seemed to stop my world... "In Your name I bind my emotions to the control of the Holy Spirit and go forth with confidence."

Wow! I just love that thought... the picture in my head of my emotions, which can run wild, being bound to the Holy Spirit's control. Why do I even try to keep them in check? They are often the flesh at work in me. How completely right to let the Holy Spirit control them.

This does not mean there will be no emotions. Not at all! God created emotions and He made us emotional beings. What is does mean is appropriate emotions at appropriate times. And I am not talking about observing social graces or putting on a good face.

My hope is that this will keep me from yelling in the car that the driver that cuts me off or drives wayyyy tooo slow... that it will keep me from loosing my patience as I stand in line at the store while the person ahead of me tries to figure out how to use the self-checkout or the cashier feels the need to have a 20 minute gabfest with another customer... that it keep me from going into self-pity mode when I don't get my way -- things like that.

I pray this act of binding will enable me to bear fruit -- the fruit of the Spirit! -- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control,

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven."

Matt. 18:18a

Obedience... can't get away from it!

2011-01-01T10:59:00.000-06:00

I have decided to read through the Bible this year. I have done this before. In fact, I did it several years in a row and found that after a while I was just reading to check off a box, so I stopped... using a plan, that is, I still read the Bible. It is time to read through again. There are many, many plans out there to fit everyone's lifestyle and preferences. Plans to read the entire Bible in a year or just one of the Testaments or just certain passages. I encourage you to look around and find one that fits your lifestyle and dive in!

I am using this plan: http://thepracticaldisciple.com/2010/12/one-year-bible-reading-plan.html

My reading for today was the Gospel of Mark, chapters 1 - 3. I am using the New International Version of the Bible for my reading. It is so easy for someone who has been reared in church and/or is familiar with the Bible to read and not really learn. Familiarity gets in the way of insight. I pray before I read, most days, and ask God to reveal something new to me as I get into His Word.. or to remind me of a truth I need to be reminded of. I think I got a bit of both today. What hit me as I read is a truth I know, but had never noticed in this passage.

In Mark 1 Jesus heals a man with leprosy and then "Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 'See that you don't tell this to anyone.'" (v. 43-44) He further instructs the man to do as the law requires and go show himself to the priest.

I've always found it odd that Jesus said don't tell anyone. Why not? Why not let the man tell and praise Jesus for doing this and bring glory to God the Father for miracles that still happen. What is the harm?

Other than the fact that the word tells us that God can do whatever He pleases... and He certainly does not have to tell us why (in fact, in Habakkuk He says basically if I told you why, you wouldn't understand)... other than all that, we see as we read on what happens.

Verse 45 tells that the man did go and tell others and as a result "Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places."

As a parent, my instructions to my children likely didn't always make sense to them, but I had my reasons and they were to obey without question. It is the same with God and His children. He says do or don't do and we are to do or don't do... no questions... no second guessing... no trying to reason with Him to do things our way... just simple, straightforward obedience... immediate obedience.

Father, Help me to obey You immediately and completely... stop me when I start to question or second guess You. Remind me that Your ways are not my ways and that You are in control, not me! I know Your ways are always best no matter how it may look to my eyes. Teach me to do as the old hymn says... to "trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

How are the people (you and I) to prepare?

2010-12-07T13:53:00.002-06:00

We know we are to wait on the Lord... the Bible tells us that numerous times. We are even told that we will be blessed for waiting (Isa. 30:18)... but what are we to do in the meantime?

Matthew 25:1-13 is the Parable of the ten virgins. These virgins are attendants to the bride. In the Jewish culture, the attendants "served the bride by helping her prepare, watching for the return of the bridegroom and sharing the joy of the wedding feast." When you read the parable, you will see that 5 have oil for their lamps and their wicks are trimmed.. they are ready for the bridegroom. The other 5 are not ready and when the bridegroom calls they have to run to find oil and end up missing the bridegroom.

The lesson, obviously, is that we are to be ready for the bridegroom's return. The key is to actually have a relationship with the bridegroom, Jesus. If you do not know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then you are not going to be glad for His return. I would urge everyone reading to make sure they have that personal relationship with Jesus. Here is a great way to know that... http://web.mac.com/cwbc/Country_Woods/FAITH_.html

If you do have a relationship with Jesus, then you are to prepare for His return. The parable in Matthew 25 shows that "Christ assigns us personal responsibility to help prepare the bride for His coming."

So again the question is how do we prepare? By being about our Father's business.

From Genesis to Revelation, God has written us a guide book of love letters. We are to spend time daily in the Word and in prayer developing our relationship with Christ and as we do this, we will learn all we are to be doing. Things like...

Watch and Pray (Matt. 26:41)

Walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5)

Be my witnesses (Acts 1:8)

Go and make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20)

Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart (Prov. 3:5)

and so much more. But lest you feel overwhelmed, we are never told to do any of this on our own and in our own strength. In fact, God promises:

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:13

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3

Get in the Word... Seek Him (He promises to be found see Jer. 29:13-14)... Ask God to show you what He has for you to do (Eph. 2:10) and to give you all you need to do it... and then walk in Faith trusting Him to do just that!

"Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." Isa. 26:8

Lord, that You that we aren't to just sit here and wait. You have things for us to do.. good works.. kingdom work.. purpose. Draw each of us into Your Word and into a state of listening to hear what You have for us to do and then give us the courage to do it! Thank You for not sending us out in our own strength and abilities, for we would surely fail. Thank you for giving us all we need. We praise You Lord for your first arrival on earth and look with excitement towards Your return. Haste the day, Lord, haste the day! Amen.

When Will He Get Here?

2010-12-06T08:25:00.000-06:00

Throughout the Old Testament there are Scriptures which ask When Oh Lord.. How Long Oh Lord... the Israelites were anxious for their king to arrive with His might and power to rule and reign. I find it interesting that God tells them through prophecy where He will arrive and even details of how, but He never says when.

Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Isa. 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

We know Jesus did come... born of a virgin in the City of David, Bethlehem. And we know He is coming back. That is our Advent. And like the first coming, God tells us some of the details, but not when... at least not exactly,

You can read the books of Revelation and passages likes Matthew 24 and learn a great deal about the Second Coming of our Lord, but no time stamp is given. We know He will not return until the Time of the Gentiles is fulfilled (Luke 21:24)... Jesus made it clear that He did not know the time, that the angels do not know.. only God the Father knows...

Matt. 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

But we do know one thing about the time.. it is SOON.. Jesus says so in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible.. in fact, the last words in red.. the last recorded spoken words of Jesus... say He is coming back soon.

Rev. 22:7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

Rev. 22:12 "Look, I am coming soon!"

Rev. 22:20 "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'"

Now that soon is translated quickly in some versions of the Bible and there are those who think it indicates that when Jesus comes it will be quick. After studying the book of Revelation and other end time prophecy, I would agree with that. But I also think Soon fits. I believe that from Gods perspective the time is short.. Jesus will return soon.. no matter how long it might be to us. Keep in mind that "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8) God's perspective on time is grander than ours. He sees ALL of eternity... we see a small finite piece.

No matter how you view it, we are to be watching and waiting and to be ready! (We will talk about that more tomorrow.)

Lord, Ready our hearts... give us eternal eyes to see that the time is short... may we focus on You and live in the expectation of Your return. Even now, Lord, with all the hustle and bustle in our lives... with all we "have" to do... may our hearts be draw more and more to you so that we can say with all our hearts, not just our lips, "Amen, Lord Jesus, Come!"

Who Awaits Him?

2010-12-03T21:44:00.002-06:00

We know that Advent is a time of anticipating an arrival. We talked yesterday about who is coming... Jesus. Today we look at Who Awaits Him?

In the Old Testament days it was the Israelites, God's chosen people. They were waiting for their King to come and avenge them and take control of the World. A strong and mighty ruler. Throughout the Psalms you can read the cries of God's chosen people... "How long, Lord, how long!?" The thing is He did come.. but not in a way they expected or, honestly, wanted. He came as a baby and grew to be a servant.

Today there are still Jews waiting for their King to come.. for the first time. And He is coming, we saw that yesterday. And this time He will be that ruler King they have been looking for... and the Bible tells us there will be Jews who survive to the end and receive the promised inheritance from God. After all, He always keeps His promises .... the New Covenant.. did not do away with the Old Covenant.

There are others awaiting Jesus too.... or there should be.... the Church. We know Jesus is coming again and we need to be waiting.. watching... anticipating... making ourselves ready for His return. This is the final Advent... the time of expectancy that will lead up to His final victorious return!

"so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." Heb. 9:28

So the question I have for myself is "Am I awaiting Him?" I mean, I know He is returning, but do I live like I know that? Am I expecting it... anticipating it.. excited about it.. longing for it? And if the answer to any of those is not really... then why not! It is so easy to become "use" to this world... our norm... to forget that this is not all there is, this is NOT our real home. We need to turn our hearts and our focus to Jesus.... to watch for Him... pray for His return... make the Bride ready for her Bridegroom. He IS coming... SOON!

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Ps. 27:14

Lord, Stir within the heart of every Child of yours a desire for Jesus' return... a desire to be with you. Help us be about Your work... making ready the Bride of Christ. Let us not be like the virgins in the parable who have no oil... may our lamp be full with the overflowing of the Holy Spirit within us. And may we point others to You during this time. May our excitement and anticipation be contagious! Amen.

Phil Wickham is a wonderful Christian singer. He was a song called "Your Arrival". If you search YouTube, you can listen to one of several live recordings. It is also available through iTunes.

The lyrics, to me, are powerful and should be the heart cry of every Believer:

Here in the final hour
Hope lifts the tired eyes
Here now we are waiting
For You to arrive

Great things are set in motion
The sky breaks with a trumpet's sound
You call all Your children
To meet You in the clouds

Chorus:
We are waiting
Anticipating
Your arrival, Your arrival
Voices raising
Celebrating
Your arrival, Your arrival

We'll keep the candle burning
We'll watch for every sign
Here now we are waiting
For You to arrive

Great things about to happen
Lord let your kingdom come
And call us home to Heaven
The city of our God

Haste the day!

We are waiting
Anticipating
Your arrival, Your arrival

Voices raising
Celebrating
Your arrival, Your arrival

This is our song
Wherever You are
Is where we belong, oh Lord

We wanna be with You!

We are waiting
Anticipating
Your arrival, Your arrival

Voices raising
Celebrating
Your arrival, Your arrival

Who is Coming?

2010-12-02T06:19:00.002-06:00

The first question from yesterday's thoughts on Advent is "Who is coming?" Jesus, right?

But WHO is Jesus? The Son of God... Messiah... Christ... Prince of Peace... Wonderful Counselor... and so much more.

Do you ever stop and meditate on WHO Jesus is or do you, like me, often take it for granted? I was blessed to be born into a Christian family... reared in church... saved at a fairly young age... I often say that I cannot remember a time that I did not know God loved me and Jesus died for me. That is great... but sadly it can lead to a familiarity that breeds apathy... complacency. It helps to step back and really look at WHO Jesus is.

One of my favorite names for Jesus is Emmanuel which means God with us. Do you realize that Jesus was not.. is not.. just a person. Yes, he was a real living breathing human being who walked this earth... but he was and is also God... full deity... full humanity... in 1. How can that be? I have no idea and do not try to figure it out. God is God and I am not.. His ways are not my ways.. they are higher and greater (Isa. 55:8-9). But I do know it is true.

Phil. 2:6-7 "Who (Jesus), being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."

WOW! Can you even imagine! Here Jesus was in heaven... God... creator of all... and yet He willingly came to earth to be human... and not just any human... a baby born in a manger... not a king in a palace. He was born of low estate... insignificant, as far as the world was concerned... the son of a carpenter and his teenage bride.

And not only that... Phil. 2:8-9 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!"

He willingly came to earth knowing He would die a horrible death... the worst of all deaths... so that we would have the chance to live with God forever. He took on our sins.. all the sins that ever were and ever will be ... He became them... paying the sin debt for all humanity for all time.

That is who Israel as waiting for 2000+ years ago... and that is who we wait for today. Oh he came that first time... in Bethlehem.. in a manger... and He died and rose again and then ascended to heaven, but He is coming back... most assuredly.. without a doubt!

John 14:2-3 "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

Rev. 22:20 "He (Jesus) who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'"

I don't know about you, but knowing that I say with John... "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Jesus... it is so easy to become complacent about You and who You are. Bring new revelation... new excitement... new anticipation... for You and Your return. We know that You do not tarry to make us wait... to draw it out... the Father wants everyone to come to a saving knowledge of You and so He continues to provide the time for that to happen. May those who do not know You, be drawn to You during this Christmas season. May the Holy Spirit do His work and tender hearts ... prepare them... to hear about You and may we, who know You, do our part and speak with boldness and love sharing the Good News of the Season to all we meet. Yes, Lord, You are coming again.. and coming soon... may we be about Your business... Amen, Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Advent

2010-12-01T12:52:00.000-06:00

The time leading up to Christmas is called Advent in the church. The 2010 Advent season began this past Sunday, November 28. Some have Advent wreaths and candles. They will light 1 candle each week (some even do so daily) and read an Advent devotion and/or scripture. In fact, many churches have Advent services.

So what is Advent? Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus which means the approach or the arrival. The verb form is Adveno which means I arrive, I come or I am coming.

Advent is a time of awaiting an arrival... a time of expectancy.

In his book, Preparing for Jesus, Walter Wangerin, Jr. asks 4 questions as we enter into this season of Advent.

"Who is coming?

"Who awaits him?"

"When will he get here?"

"How shall the people prepare?"

The answers seem obvious... Jesus is the one coming, the Church awaits him, no one but God the Father knows when He will get here, and until He does we are to live our lives in obedience to His Word glorifying Him.

Pretty simple and straightforward, right? Well.. it is.. and it isn't. There is just so much more to it all. It is worth our time to dig in and really see WHO is coming.. who Jesus is... to see who is really awaiting Him, are you? am I? Can we know when He will get here? and what is it we are to do... specifically... to prepare for His arrival.

As we begin this season of Advent.. of waiting.. of expectancy.. I thought we could look a bit at those questions and see what the Word tells us. Over the next few days we will ponder each question and let the Spirit show us the answers.

In the meantime... let us pray for a sense of anticipation... of expectancy... of excitement to build within each of us concerning the coming of Christ.

Lord, The Christmas season has begun here. People are shopping and decorating and cooking and making ready for friends and family and fun. All of those are good. But there is a great event on the horizon. We live in a season of Advent awaiting the coming of Christ as Victorious King. May we be filled with wonder and awe and anxious expectation at that truth. As we sing about and read about the birth of Christ may our hearts be stirred at the awesomeness of that babe in a manger who came to save us and the knowledge that He is going to return.. soon! May we say with the Psalmist "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for the morning, more than the watchmen wait for the morning." (Ps. 130:5-6)

"God is coming! God is coming! All the element we swim in, this existence, echoes ahead the advent. God is coming! Can't you feel it?" -- Walter Wangerin, Jr.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

2010-10-22T16:53:00.000-05:00

Recently I read an idea where you are challenged to read the same passage of Scripture each day for a week. I like to change things up in my Daily Time with the Lord every now and then, so I thought I would do this and see how it goes.

After praying, I felt led to settle this week on a familiar passage... Jeremiah 29:11-14

Here are some of the things I learned along the way this week....

10/18/10
The first line of this passage starts out "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord."

I like to know "the plan." It is a real hang-up with me and yet I rarely do know God's plan! But I realized as I read this that it is Okay. I may not know the plan He has for me, but He does and I am to trust Him fully knowing that His plans are always perfect and always the best thing for us.

10/19/10
This passage was written to Israel and God tells them He sent them into exile -- into captivity with Babylon because they had lost sight of Him. And He promises in verse 14 that He "will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

God carried them there -- He did not send them alone. He went with them -- carried them.

I am reminded of when a child is small and is sent to his/her room or the corner of some such place to sit because they are misbehaving and cannot be allowed to play until they settle down. Often I had to physically pick my child up and take him/her to the place of "exile" and even though it might have seemed like I wasn't with them, I was. I did not leave the hour or leave them all alone. Often I was in the room waiting for him/her to settle down. It may have seemed mean to them, but I placed them their for their own good -- to teach them proper behavior-- to protect them from my "wrath" -- to give them a safe place and time to right themselves -- to refocus and get calm.

I think this is what God does. He carries me into exile - a spiritual time out - where I might feel dry and alone, but He is right there with me - teaching me -- giving me an opportunity to avoid His "wrath" -- letting me refocus and quiet myself and when I do I will seek Him with all my heart and He will be found by me. (v. 13)

10/20/10

Back to the beginning words.. "I know the plans I have for you" (v. 11) -- "for YOU" That's the thing that hit me this day.. He has plans for me. It isn't about me figuring out what to do or making a plan, it's about me surrendering to His plan for me.

There is a verse in the Psalms which essentially says Man makes plans but God directs His steps.

Throughout the Word we see that we are not here by accident -- God picked this time and place and He has a plan for us and for our lives. (See Eph 2:10. Ps. 139, Acts 17:26)

It's time to turn loose of my plans and seek after His!

10/21/10

Not sure I learned anything new this day... it was a bit more like being a lab and testing what I had learned! I am living in the midst of a trial... not that unusual for a Believer. Things escalated on this day. I felt the enemy pressing down... doing His best to pull me into despair, dread and doubt. As I was dealing with this.. struggling... I thought of the words of this passage -- again reminded that if I am in exile, God carried me there and is with me and He promises He will bring me back from captivity, BUT it is conditional. He will do this when I seek Hum with all my heart. I chose that day to stand with shaky legs on the promise that He Knows the plan and it is a plan for me and it will give me a Hope and a Future!

10/22/10

"You will see me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (v. 13)

All means ALL -- total -- complete -- Every bit of my heart!

Ps. 86:11 "Teach me Your way, Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name."

Eze. 11:19 "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them, I will remove from them their heart of stone and give the a heart of flesh."

If I want to find God - to truly know Him - I have to set my heart fully - squarely -- on Him and seek after Him with ALL my heart - an undivided Heart... and I get that heart from Him!

So He equips me to have all I need to seek after Him with all my heart because He wants to be found by me!

I enjoyed focusing on one passage a bit each day. Plan on continuing this type of meditation for a bit.

The LORD is there

2010-09-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

As I was reading and praying this morning, I was struck by the truth of this...

Ezekiel 48:15 is talking about the City of God.. the new Jerusalem and the last line says that the city will be called Jehovah-Shammah ... The LORD is there.

Now I know God is everywhere... but still.. as I was praying I was able to claim this truth... Lord, be with my friend who is having medical tests.. you are right there with her... help her to feel your presence... guide the medical team.... Lord, be with my son during his test today.. you will be there with him... give him peace and focus... Lord, be with my daughter at work today... you will be there... give her strength.. help her be the Light you want her to be in her workplace.. and on and on...

BUT we are told in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word is sharper then any double-edged sword... while it is so wonderful to know the LORD is there.. wherever our there is He is there! ... it is also convicting.. He is There when I sin.. when I gossip... when I roll my eyes (haughty eyes!) at my husband... when I drive over the speed limit...

That THERE is every THERE that ever has been... is right now.. and ever will be!

Where can I go from your Spirit?
       Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you.

Lord, help me... help us... to live today fully aware that You are Jehovah-Shammah... the LORD is there!

Calling....

2010-09-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

Call to me and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable things
you do not know.
Jer. 33:3
(God's Phone Number)
I have a very close relationship with my mother.. always have. I think a lot of it is because I am an only daughter, so no sister to rival for Mom's attention... and while I am not actually an only child, I lived that life. My brother is 9 1/2 years older than me, so by the time I was 9 he was in college and then got married before he finished school... so he was gone and it was just me and the folks.
While I have had disagreements with my mom over the years, I never went through that "I hate my mother" stage some girls do.... the guilt of even thinking that would kill me!
So it is no surprise that I talk to my mom regularly. Growing up she owned a business and I had the number there and could call her for any reason at any time.. and I did. I called her almost daily in college. After being married a few years my husband and I left my hometown to move 2 hours away. I called a lot! 16 years ago she and my dad moved here.. 9/10s of a mile from our home.. and still I call! LOL! It is just a habit to call and check on Mom each day.. even if I have seen her in person.
That is why it was so weird last night when I came in from mid-week services at church and went to grab the phone and call Mother. I could call.. she would not answer. Mother has flown with my brother and his family to CA to a Marine base to see my nephew graduate from Basic Training. I am glad she went.. she will love seeing the Pacific Ocean... she will love seeing my nephew even more and there will be other grandkids and even a couple of great-grands that she rarely sees, so it will be a great trip for her. But it really was strange not to be able to talk with her.
As I thought about the strangeness of this, I thought of verses through out the Bible that talk of Calling on the Lord. The cool thing is He is always there to answer! He never goes out of town.. turns off His phone.. falls asleep and doesn't hear it.. nope, He is always there and He always hears us when we call.. and He wants us to call.
the LORD will hear when I call to him Ps. 4:3
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me Os. 17:6
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him Ps. 34:6
Over the next few days when I feel the urge to call my Mom, I think I will call my Father instead!

Delight!

2010-08-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Ps. 37:4

I have always believed that to Delight ourselves in the Lord means to enjoy spending time with Him.. find pleasure and joy in fellowship with Him.. and that is true.. but today I decided to dig a bit and while it is true the Hebrew word for Delight means have delight in.. the root word it is from means to be soft or pliable. Wow!

To me that means we are to be pliable and let Him mold us into who He wants us to be..which is the imagine of Christ.. and all the while we are to delight in it. Now surely you know that molding and is not always pleasant.. so it will take a choice to delight in the midst of it.

And as for the desires of our heart.. I have heard folks take this verse to mean if we want it and ask for it, God will give it to us. Not really... He is not a genie in a bottle.. but in a way it is true IF we do the first part of the verse. If we are delighting in Him while He molds us into the person we are supposed to be, which is the imagine of Christ, then our desires will line up with His will and so He will give them to us.

He Makes All Things New

2010-08-25T15:47:00.000-05:00

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

My daughter is a very artistic young woman who loves to take old things and repurpose them or bring them back to life... essentially, she takes something old and gives it new life.

Recently she did this with a table for our Women's Ministry to use...

Before:

After:

What a difference! Isn't that what God does for us? He strips away the bad.... cleans us up... and then adorns us with His love and grace making us into a new beautiful creation in Christ.

Motives

2010-08-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

I am reading the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan. If you are unfamiliar with it, the focus is on the Holy Spirit.... very good and solid book.

So he is talking this morning about asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit.. and we are to do that.. but then he asks WHY do you want to be filled? Seems like a dumb question in a way, but it isn't. The pat answer would be "because" God tells us to.. and that is not a bad reason.. but his point was are we wanting an infilling because we love the Lord and the church and we want to serve and minister through His power OR are we looking forward to His doing something through us and then folks saying "Wow.. look at what she did"... that would be the wrong heart motive.. and based on James 4:3 ("When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motive") we won't get the infilling if we have that as our motive.

So this made me think of other things I have prayed for and am praying for.. especially where I am not seeing answers yet. NOW I have to quickly say that just because God hasn't answered your prayer does NOT mean you motive was/is wrong. Remember that He does what is best for you... for the person or situation for which you are praying.. and ultimately for His Kingdom.

But still.. it is an interesting exercise to walk through prayer requests and really truly honestly look at WHY you are asking. I mean I have asked for healing in the past.. earthly healing.. but if that person is a Christian, is that really the best for them? Doesn't the word say To live is Christ, to die is gain? NOT that I am saying we need to pray for folks to die! When it comes to healing prayers, I tend to pour out my heart and tell God what I want and why, but then I also add (and I pray for it to be a genuine desire) that no matter what HIS will is done and He is glorified even if that means the healing is to be a heavenly one (for believers).

It is easy to see wrong motives behind some prayers.. especially those for material things.. money.. or things we know we should not have. Again! I am not saying don't pray for money or material things, but look at your motive. 11 or 12 years ago I prayed for a mini-van... I had 2 kids and they had friends... my mom travelled with us.. it just made sense ... at the time I had a 4 door Honda Accord.. not the best for hauling folks. But thankfully the Spirit gave me the right words and attitude about the prayer.. Lord, I think I need a van and here is why... IF you want me to have this then Lord please provide the van and the means to pay for it so we do not add debt to our lives. A month or so later we had that van and had the funds to buy it out right. So no doubt God does care about the material things in life. I still have that van and it would be so easy to pray for something new... something smaller and more economical.. more fun and cute to drive... but there is no way my motive would be right, because I can assure you that the only reason I would be asking is because I want it.. not because there is a need. Another example... let's say I pray for a raise for my husband or a job that pays more money... or to get out of debt... and my thought is how much easier life will be.... we can finally afford this and that and the other... Wait! Is that a right motive? I am thinking no. I am praying for our family to get out of debt.. we have been working on it for some time (takes lots longer to pay it off than run it up!) so I looked a lot at this one today and the thing that hit me is I need to be out of debt because God tells us not to owe another... because it is a hindrance to me at times, a burden that causes me to sin (mostly worry).. and because we would then be able to do MORE financially for the kingdom of God NOT so we could then buy and do more stuff for us.

It isn't so much that you can or cannot ask for this or that.. it is all about the Motives behind the asking. And it is VERY easy to convince ourselves that our motives are right when the thing we ask for is a good thing, but that may not always be true.

SO as you are praying.. for yourself and others.. ask God to show you your motives AND to forgive you when they are wrong and to give you right motives and the right things to pray,

Romans 11:33-36

2010-07-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

I am reading through Romans right now in my Quiet Time. This morning I read Romans 10 & 11. The verses at the end of 11 really stirred my heart and I wanted to share them with y'all. I read in the NIV and then later looked them up in the Message. Both are sooo good, so I am sharing both!

Romans 11:33-36

NIV:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
      How unsearchable His judgments,
      and His paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
      Or who has been His counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
      that God should repay him?"
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
      To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

the MSG:

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out.

   Is there anyone around who can explain God?
   Anyone smart enough to tell Him what to do?
   Anyone who has done Him such a huge favor
      that God has to ask his advice?

   Everything comes from Him;
   Everything happens through Him;
   Everything ends up in Him.
   Always glory! Always praise!
      Yes. Yes. Yes.

My Sin, oh the bliss...

2010-07-20T14:49:00.000-05:00

I continue to work my way through James MacDonald's Bible Study, Downpour. Last week the focus was on sin. I had to read it in small bites and then let it settle in... it was rather overwhelming at times. It is so easy to think we don't have a lot of sin in our lives. I mean I don't murder.. commit adultery.. steal etc. But there are sooo many things that constitute sin.. and I find we often dance around calling them what they are. "I'm just that way... just my personality... can't help it... my momma was the same way and so was her momma... just a quirk... I don't really mean it..." and on and on. But the bottom line is they are sin... pure and simple.. sin.

One thing that really hit me hard was James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." I have read and studied James numerous times, so this verse isn't new to me. But it really slammed me this past week, especially when MacDonald was kind enough to give examples like you tell someone you will pray for them and don't follow through... you know you are to spend time with the Lord daily, but you don't... ouch! I have a consistent quiet time 5 days a week. Then the weekend comes. Saturday I sleep in a bit and once I am up it is time to fix breakfast and get the day started. Then Sunday.... well that is a busy morning! Gotta get up and going for church and besides, I will get my God fix there. Wrong! God asks for one on one time with me not just corporate worship... and as great as church and family are, they are not to come before God. So when I ignore His call on the weekend, I am not just slacking off a bit... I am sinning.

Like I said.. this has all been a bit overwhelming at times to me. Then today rolls around and the task was to list my sins and next to them list the consequences. (I had already IDed my sins last week). It was a great exercise... very eye opening. There are consequences that can be rectified.. others I have to accept.. ALL can be prayed about. But I noticed today that while it still saddened me that I had this sin in my life, I wasn't as overwhelmed. I wondered a bit why. I was expecting to be burden... broken... sad.. something. But I wasn't. And then I heard it... playing softly in my mind...

"My sin, oh the bliss, of this wondrous thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole. Was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Oh my soul!"

You see... last week when I went through the task of evaluating myself in prayer and letting the Spirit show me my sins, I followed up with a time of confession and repentance. 1 John 1:9 assures us that "if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." There was no need for me to feel burdened by those sins anymore. I had confessed and I had been forgiven. And while the consequences remain, the burden has been lifted... ALL of it.. nailed to that cross 2000+ years ago.

Does that mean I forget all those sins and go about my life? No, I don't think so. For me, I want to remember them... to keep them before me, so that I remember the things that easily trap me. I will continue to pray about them. I will have a close friend (or 2) pray also. And I will strive to not repeat them.

And sadly, when I do repeat some of them, God will be right there ready to listen to me confess once more... and He will once more cleanse me and set me free from that burden.

He will do the same for you! It is a wonderful, marvelous feeling. Then and only then, can you truly say "It is well with my soul!"

Your Grace Still Amazes Me

2010-07-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

Do you ever take time to think... really think... meditate on God's Grace? All of it... the grace that saves someone... and the grace He pours out every day.. that allows us to come back to Him over and over again after we have messed up for the zillionth time. It truly is Amazing!

Praying for our Nation

2010-05-06T10:42:00.000-05:00

Today is a called National Day of Prayer for our nation... but truly every day is a day of prayer! I encourage you to pray for the US and our leaders today. If you church or area has a special service try your best to attend.
My church is open today for folks to come and pray. While I was there earlier, God really convicted me about a sin in my life.... not praying for our leaders... He calls us to do that in His Word... 1 Timothy 2:1-4 says : I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
I have been seeing bumper stickers for the past few days that say FIRE PELOSI... while praying God brought those to mind and then as quickly as I saw it, He said "It should say PRAY for PELOSI" WOW! We are quick to pop a bumper sticker on our car... to make a comment about our leaders and the "dumb" things they do... but do we pray for them? While I do not have personal knowledge of Nancy Pelosi's heart, I feel safe saying she is probably not a believer. That should burden me for her. I should fall on my face daily interceding for her and her salvation because whether or not I like her personality... disagree with her on most (if not all) issues... etc. God created her... God has a PLAN for her... God loves her... God wants her to come to be saved and as a Christ-Follower it is my duty... my responsibility to seek HIS WILL and to pray for it.

This is true not only of Nancy Pelosi but of other leaders on all levels... we cannot blame the lost for the shape of this world... 2 Chr. 7:14 lays it at our feet If MY people will HUMBLE themselves and Pray and TURN from THEIR wicked ways... When we pray for our leaders instead of making jokes and snide remarks, we are humbling ourselves before God and His authority and trusting Him because HE place them in those positions.

I, for one, am seeking to pray more and complain less when it comes to our nation...

Marshall Your Troops

2010-04-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

God led me to an interesting verse recently... "Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us." Micah 5:1

Do you ever read a verse and think "Now where did that come from and what does it have to do with me and my life?" But knowing that all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking and correcting.. I knew this one had as much value as all the rest and I was certain God led me there.

So I read it again... Marshal your troops really popped out at me and has stuck with me ... other translations say Muster yourself.. gather... prepare... so I did a bit of digging and found that the Hebrew word used here for Marshal is gadad and it means to penetrate, cut, attack, invade.. it can be to cut into OR to cut oneself, to prune... PRUNE! That immediately took me to John 15:1-2 where Jesus says "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

For me, I feel God is saying "There is a battle raging and you need to get it together! Get rid of all that excess dead stuff in your life that doesn't serve a purpose or glorify me. Surrender and let me shape you into the person I have planned for you to be as you walk through this battlefield."

I also like the definition included the word Prepare. We need to be prepared for battle everyday. The Word tells us we are in a battle and we also know we have weapons to aid us in the fight:

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 2 Cor. 10:3-4

We need to be in the Word daily... sharpening our swords... making ourselves ready.

Praying your troops are marshaled and you are prepared for the battle... you are in it whether you want to be or not and whether you acknowledge it or not... BUT remember that the victory has been won!

Battles...

2010-04-13T17:05:00.001-05:00

I was thinking about a friend earlier today... she is traveling to Houston to MD Anderson, recently diagnosed with an aggressive and advanced cancer... I was praying... and God brought several verses to mind, especially some from 2 Chr. 20.. which is one of the most amazing passages of Scripture! God used it in a huge way in my life years ago and still brings it to mind regularly. So here are the things He reminded me of this morning concerning my friend and this "vast army" she faces and the battle ahead...

from v 15 - 17 "This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. ...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' "

Awesome promises, right!? But then as I was meditating on those verses.. while putting on makeup and getting ready to go off into the real world... it hit me, yes.. those promises are for my friend.. but they are for all of us today.. and for the many battles we face every day...I have friends struggling with rebellious children, financial difficulties, unemployment, chronic illness, elderly parents, marital difficulties and so much more ... whatever you are dealing with right now, that is the army you face and the battle you see coming or are in the midst of, but here is the great news.. It is not your battle! It is the Lord's. He asks that you stand firm and let Him be God. That doesn't mean sit back and do nothing.. unless He tells you to. My friend is going to Houston for Medical Treatment because God has called her to do so... we will all do what needs to be done as He shows us... but we don't need to live in fear and try to be God in this... give it to Him.. whatever it is.. no matter how big or small it seems.. and then do whatever you feel He is telling you to do, all the while knowing that HE is God and the battle is His. He will deliver you.. maybe not in the way you want or plan or in your timing, but He promises to always deliver His children.

Time....

2010-04-07T11:23:00.001-05:00

Stumbled across this today in an article I was reading on prayer and thought it was good... something to we all need to consider....

The question deals with finding time to pray...

Q. How do you find the time?

A. Time isn't found. It's chosen. We all get the same 24 hours a day. No one is too busy. They just busy themselves with different things by their choice. That's the tough news. From the Gospel accounts, Jesus appears to have regularly withdrawn for whole evenings of prayers. Do you think that you are busier than Jesus? I doubt it, so if He had the time, then you should be able to have the time. (from http://thepracticaldisciple.com/ )

Ouch? Yep.. Ouch! Like it or not we make time for the things we want to do and that we deem important. I am praying God moves in our hearts so that we see what is truly the most important.. that we will be like Mary and choose the better thing.. that we will seek first the Kingdom.

God's Unfailing Love....

2010-04-05T16:22:00.002-05:00

Leads us: In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. Ex. 15:13a

Saves us: Turn, O Lord, and deliver me, save me because of Your unfailing love. Ps. 6:4 Let Your face shine on Your servant; save me in Your unfailing love. Ps. 31:16

Keeps us from Being Shaken: For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. Ps. 21:7

And It cannot be Shaken: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken not my covenant of peace be removed says the Lord who has compassion on you. Isa. 54:10

Surrounds Us: Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trust in Him. Ps. 32:10

Our hope is in it: The eyes of the lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. Ps. 33:18 The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. Ps. 147:11

Rest upon Us: May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put out hope in You. Ps. 33:22

Is Priceless: How priceless is Your unfailing love. Ps. 36:7a

Redeems Us: Rise up and help us; redeem us because of Your unfailing love. Ps. 44:26

Is to be Meditated on: Within Your temple, O God, we meditate on Your unfailing love. Ps. 48:9

Brings Mercy: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love. Ps. 51:1

We trust in it: I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever. Ps. 52:8

God Shows it to Us: Show us You unfailing love, O Lord, and grand us Your salvation. Ps. 85:7

Satisfies Us: Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Ps. 90:14

Give Thanks for It: Let them give thanks tot he Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Ps. 107:8, 15, 21, 31 (He repeats this 4 times in this Psalm... God is serious about our giving thanks for His unfailing love!)

Comes to Us: May Your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise. Ps. 119:41

Comforts Us: May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant. Ps. 119:76

Is with the Lord: Oh, Israel, put your hope in the Lord for with the Lord is unfailing love. Ps. 130:7

Silences our enemies, destroys our foes: In Your unfailing love, silence my enemies, destroy all my foes, for I am Your servant. Ps. 143:12

We desire it: What a man desires is unfailing love. Prov. 19:22

Is Great: Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. Lam. 3:32

Bears Fruit: Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up you unplowed ground for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

God is still in charge...

2010-03-22T08:17:00.002-05:00

The national health care bill has passed and many are up in arms... grieved over the thought of Government funded abortion. Not to mention the doors this opens for other radical health care changes such as care being withheld from the elderly. I have no idea where this decision will lead us, but I do know this... it did nothing to change the fact that GOD is Sovereign... nor did it thwart His plans.

He is allowing this for a reason... one we probably could not understand even if He told us.

Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. Habakkuk 1:5

We must realize that God sets up authorities... which means He placed all the various leaders that are "in charge" in their places:

He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Daniel 2:21

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1

And they aren't quite as "in charge" as they think they are...

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases. Proverbs 21:1

So what are we to do? What the Lord tells us to in 1 Timothy 2:1-2:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

God is still God.... His plan continues to move forward unto completion.. we are to pray and be about His work... sharing the good news and glorifying Him in every thing we do!

A Season of Trials

2010-01-11T15:37:00.003-06:00

Life, lately, has been a series of somewhat rough times. Health issues... financial woes... home repair emergency... things like that... all starting back shortly before Christmas. Even with lots of prayer and time in the Word, my life circumstances haven't changed a bit ... in fact, it seems more and more keeps piling on... but last night God brought to mind the verse where Job says "Though you slay me yet I will praise You." I am choosing to do that as best I can. This life was never meant to be easy. I prayed a couple of months ago and asked God earnestly to make me more like Jesus and I believe that is part of all this. He is growing my faith.. bit by bit. I am a stubborn tough root that needs a lot of pruning and hoeing and work!

So here are a couple of scriptures that have really spoken to my heart today:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5:1-5

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

It is really comforting, to me, to know that we don't go through trials and suffering for no reason. God uses everything in our life.. even what we perceive to be bad. And often it turns out that bad is actually a path to better... God's better!

Narrow or Broad... which do you choose?

2010-01-05T08:18:00.002-06:00

We are reading through the New Testament in 40 days as a church, so we are in Matthew right now. Read lots of familiar stuff today, but this one small part really popped out at me:

Matthew 7:13 & 14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

That is a very sobering thought and also one that applies to life choices other than salvation (the most important choice). We so often view this as a passage for the lost, but I think there is a great message for Believers here also. It is easy to go along with the crowd on the broad road... to do the thing accepted by the world... but it is much more difficult to walk through that narrow gate and do what Jesus would have you do. To stand firm and be set apart.

While the easy (broad) way seems easy at the time, it does lead to destruction.. even if you are saved and your eternity is secure, the enemy can use that broad way to destroy your witness and your testimony and steal that abundant life Christ offers. That narrow road choice may be tough, but it brings life.. abundant life... now and eternally!

2010's Word of the Year

2010-01-01T12:03:00.003-06:00

Shortly before Jan. 1, 2008, I read an article and in it the author talked about picking a word for the year. The word was to sum up what they hoped or expected for the coming year. I liked the idea. So I asked the Lord to show me a word for 2008... sort of a theme for me. 2008's word was Gratitude and I strove to develop an attitude of Gratitude.. thanking the Lord for all He provided and did. 2009's word was peace. I really wasn't sure why God lead me to that word, but I knew that I peace is something I seek often. Interestingly, there have been a lot of times and situations over this past year where peace would not be the norm. And yet, I have found peace in the midst of those times through the Prince of Peace.

Now it is 2010 and I have again been searching for a word. God spoke it to me a couple of days ago, but I don't like it. So I've tried to find another one, but He keeps speaking the same word... CHANGE.

I know that 2010 will be a year of change. My older child graduates college and then moves out of state to pursue her Master's. She has lived at home for 22 years, so this will be a big change. My younger child graduates from high school and while he is going to live at home during college (we have an awesome Christian University here), it will still be different. He will be pretty much here to sleep, eat and grab laundry! My mother is 78 and while still active, I am starting to see changes in her... changes that remind me how short our time is here and changes that require me to do a bit more for and with her. We continue to adapt to having 2 young dogs (still puppies) in our home... to getting older ourselves... to new opportunities like leading Bible study and being involved with a new ministry at church... my husband's secure job with the government may not be so secure after the legislative session... financial crunch is affecting us like everyone else and with 2 in college that it seems tighter than ever... so yes, we are feeling change and see more coming.

Certainly there are changes in our country and world. From health care reform that really helps no one... to more divorce... same sex-marriage being legalized in more states... more people choosing to live together and have children without ever getting married... and more and more folks who dislike Christians and our faith and feel free to show their feelings.

So no, CHANGE is not the word I would have chosen. But then 2 things hit me. One, I want to change this year in one specific way. I want to be more like Jesus each day than I was the previous day. That is my constant prayer. I know it is God's desire to make me more and more like His precious baby boy and that only happens through change. And two, while things are changing all around me I can count on one thing not to change.. Malachi 3:6 says "I the Lord do not change." That is a promise!

In the midst of change, I can hold on to the fact that God is still God.... He is still my Father, Rock, Redeemer, Deliverer, Strong Tower, Provider, Friend, Lover of my Soul, Savior... He is still with me.. He still never slumbers... He still watches over and guides me... it is still impossible for me to be separated from His love... and so much more!

CHANGE might not be fun, even when necessary, we can make it through by keeping our focus on the One who does not Change... GOD!

Delight!

2009-11-04T09:04:00.002-06:00

I am studying Psalm 1 this week and this morning I was especially drawn to verse 2 where it says "But his delight is on the law of the Lord"... now the but means instead of what verse 1 talks about.. instead of walking in the counsel of wicked, standing in the way of sinners or sitting in the seat of mockers, the blessed man delights in the law of the Lord.

The Hebrew the word for Law refers to the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament.. the Torah.. but we can also look at the Law as the entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.

So the question is... do you delight in it?

Jer. 15:16 says "When your words came, I ate them and they were my joy and my heart's delight for I bear your name O Lord God Almighty." Do you feel that way when you read His word.. when a verse pops to mind at just the right time?

Over and over we read about delighting in the Law or in His Word... here are just a FEW verses..

Ps. 112:1 Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands.

All of these are from Ps. 119 --

v. 16 I delight in Your decrees
v. 24 Your statues are my delight; they are my counsel
v. 35 Direct me in the path of Your commands for there I find delight
v. 47 I delight in Your commands because I love them
v. 70 ... O delight in Your law.
v. 77 ... Your law is my delight
v. 92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my afflictions

Romans 7:22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law

Don't you want that? to delight in His Word. The key is to spend time in it AND to ask God to make it the delight of your heart. He will do it!

So why should we delight in His Word? Ps. 19:7-11 gives us a few reasons..

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Add to that the fact that Jesus is the Word made flesh and that the Word endures forever... and the question becomes why NOT delight in it? What better could you delight in?

Oh Father, how I praise You for Your precious Word. You did not leave us to fend for ourselves. You left all we need in the 66 love letters You wrote for us. I pray that our hearts will be drawn to You and to Your Word and that it will be the delight of our hearts. That we cannot get enough of it! Give us a hunger for the things of You, Lord. In Jesus' precious powerful name I pray, Amen.

Change...

2009-10-27T08:03:00.003-05:00

We live in a world where change is a constant. The Stock Market and Dow go up and down... companies thriving one day and closed the next.... people loose jobs or receive tragic diagnosis at the drop of a hat... and don't even get me started on all the fads that come and go and celebs that rise and fall in popularity... change is everywhere... and it makes for a shaky existence.

BUT...

"I the LORD do not change" Malachi 3:6

God tells us without one bit of hesitation that He does not change. Not one bit! How awesome is that to know in light of the world in which we live?!

When we read about God in His Word, we can know that everything there is still true today. He is still our Rock, our Redeemer, the Lifter of our head... He still parts seas and goes before us... He still heals the sick.... He still loves us... He still wants to be in relationship with us... His grace is still sufficient... NONE of that has changed!

It is important that we have a foundation on which to stand. If you build it on the world, then it will change over and over... shifting like the yazoo clay here in central Mississippi and causing your foundation to crack and crumble. But, if you choose to build on the Word of God, your foundation will be strong and secure. "God's solid foundation stands firm" 2 Timothy 2:19

I know the world around me is changing.. I know my circumstances can change.. but Praise God He never changes and I (and you!) can stand firm with feet solidly planted on that truth!

How much light do you want?

2009-08-03T15:50:00.004-05:00

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Ps. 119:105

I heard a neat analogy in Bible study recently.... if you learn 1 verse a Scripture, it is like having a little penlight to guide you along your path of life. If you have 10 verses memorized, you have a flashlight's worth of light. 100 verses... headlights.... 1000 verses... football stadium lights!

Now the point isn't that you need to learn 1000 verses (although that would be wonderful!), the point is that each verse you read and learn and take with you provides light on your path. So the more verses you have in you, the brighter the light and the clearer the path.

As I was thinking about this a few days later, God brought to mind the fact that Jesus is the Light of the World... He is also the Word made flesh... so the more verses means the more light means more Jesus! How could you not want more of Him in your life? Just imagine how bright your path can be!

I'm Not Satisfied....

2009-06-29T07:32:00.004-05:00

We sang Hillsong's "Believe" in church yesterday.. a powerful song.. I went to bed and woke up with it playing in my head... especially the line "I'm not satisfied...." I'm not, you know. I live life like I am, but deep inside I want more.... more love... more compassion... more passion.... more desire for the Word... to be more burdened for the lost... more of HIM! And today, I am praying for just that... MORE!

I wonder if you are Satisfied with our life as it is... to sit where you are... to stay in your nice comfortable spot and live the status quo? If you want more, there is One and Only One who can give it to you... Jesus! I'm not talking about giving you Stuff... who needs more of that! I am talking about giving you more of Him so that you can live that abundant life He has for you (John 10:10).

If you feel satisfied, pray for God to stir your heart and show you areas in your life where you should want more... where you need more... to make you unsatisfied! If you are already there, praise Him and then share where you are not satisfied and thank Him for the work He is going to do in those areas.

How Much Does H Have of You?

2009-06-15T08:37:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful morning we are having here.... definitely summertime in the South with the heat and humidity. I have been doing my quiet time outside several mornings a week and oh the blessings! To hear the birds singing (I imagine they are praising the one who created them and who cares for them)... to hear the quiet sounds of a morning as it wakes up... to see the green grass and the trees full and lush.... the vibrancy of the flowers blooming... to catch wafts of the fragrance of various plants... and the breeze... we rarely how much of a breeze in the summer here but it seems each time I sit outside God sends me breezes... sometimes very soft subtle ones and at other times ones strong enough to make the leaves in the trees shiver. At church yesterday we had a guest speaker and he was talking about God breathing on us and our breathing in God.... as I was thinking about that earlier, the weather outside went from the stillness of a summer morning to a strong breeze that blew on my face and made me feel as if the Lord was blowing life into my nostrils as He did Adam. It was a lovely time!

Our speaker yesterday posed an interesting thought.... If you are a believer... a Christ-follower... then you have the Holy Spirit in you... all of Him... He doesn't hold back this part from some folks and that part from others.. you get 100% of the Spirit.. but here comes the question.. How much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have? God doesn't snatch ... He doesn't force us to surrender... to yield... He gives us a choice. So today, how much of the You does He have? I can tell you that He doesn't have all of me... I say I surrender all... but my heart sends out tentacles that wrap around certain things and hang on for dear life. It is tough letting go! The key... I think.. is not looking beyond today. Don't think of having to let go forever. Just take it one day at a time... maybe even one hour at a time... one minute! And as much as you can be specific... say "Lord, I surrender me to you... my kids... my husband... our finances... this person's health... this child's rebellion... his salvation... her deliverance... etc." and also ask Him to show you what you are holding on to.. what you need to let go of and surrender to Him. And then be ready to hear His reply and act on it!

From the Inside Out

2009-06-14T15:15:00.003-05:00

From the Inside Out

Joel Houston

A thousand times I've failed

Still your mercy remains

And If I stumble again

I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting,

Your light will shine

When all else fails

Neverending,

your glory goes

Beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul

I give You control

Consume me from the inside out Lord

Let justice and praise

Become my embrace

To love You from the inside out

Everlasting,

Your light will shine

When all else fails

Neverending,

Your glory goes

Beyond all fame

And the cry of my heart

Is to bring You praise

From the inside out

Lord my soul cries out

Your will above all else

My purpose remains

The art of losing myself

In bringing You praise

Everlasting,

Your light will shine

When all else fails

Neverending,

your glory goes

Beyond all fame

Week.... Weak...

2009-06-08T07:47:00.002-05:00

A friend recently shared that she saw a sign that said something like "One week without God makes one weak." Cute play on words and very true statement. We need God... we need to meet with Him.. daily.. sometimes hourly, depending on our current circumstance. We need to meet with other believers for fellowship, encouragement, support, and accountability. We need to be in the Word daily and be putting it in us for those moments when we don't have Bible readily available (which is often when the enemy strikes).

If you have been away from God whether for a week or many, many weeks, the great news is He is right there ready to welcome you back with open arms. He wants to spend time with you... all it takes is your willingness to give up some personal time (computer, television, reading, sports, gaming, etc.) to spend with Him. It might be tough at first, but each day it gets easier and easier. I encourage you to spend time in the Word and in Prayer daily... meeting with God. And I encourage you to be connected to and involved with a local church for fellowship. I spent some time away from church. I did not realize how much I was missing until I allowed God to draw me back into a fellowship. We need that....Believers are not meant to fly solo!

Give God your weakness and your week! He will do amazing things with them!

Fruit

2009-05-29T08:46:00.002-05:00

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Gal. 5:22-25

Several years ago my kids and I studied the Fruit of the Spirit together... we took 1 virtue at a time and found verses on it and studied it... it was a great time. One thing God really wrote on my heart is how we will say "I have no patience with whatever"... that is a lie. I have patience if I have the Holy Spirit in me... I am just not choosing to let Him bear fruit in me. When we feel unkind or unloving or whatever we don't have to... the fruit is there, we just have to surrender and let the Spirit do His work in us.

Thirsty?

2009-05-26T06:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in my time with the Lord I read John 4:1-26... one of my favorite favorite favorite passages in the Bible.. the Woman at the Well...don't you just love that story! I love how personal Jesus is... I love the definition of true worshippers found in verse 24... but this time I felt drawn to focus on what Jesus offered her... and what He offers us... Living Water.

I drink lots and lots of water.. in fact, I rarely drink anything else. I will occasionally get a Sprite when I am eating out and it tastes good, but I find myself needing more of it to quench my thirst. It just can't satisfy like good cold ice water. Isn't that how it is with the things of this world? We find all sorts of things to quench our thirst... other people... stuff... stimulants... busyness... hobbies.... television... computer... they can be fun and even rewarding at times... we may even feel they are doing the trick... quenching our thirst.. satisfying us... but then we need more and more and we find they just don't do it... they don't satisfy whatever is inside us. The only thing that will do that... that will fill our need to be loved.. accepted... give us hope... is Jesus... the Living Water.

It really is that simple. He is all we need. And when we have tasted that Living Water, we will want more of it... and we can have more... Jesus tells us that blessed is He who hungers and thirsts for righteousness sake, for he shall be filled (Matt. 5:6) ... He also calls for us to open wide our mouths and He will fill them (Ps. 81:10).

This week I am striving to drink from the well of Living Water He offers and not fill up on other stuff... care to join me? Barb

Life Verses

2009-05-07T15:41:00.003-05:00

I often hear folks share a special Bible verse and say "That's my life verse". Then today as I was doing some Bible study, the author of the book I am working through suggested that I write out my life verse and memorize it.. and she added if I didn't have a life verse I should pray for God to show me one. I had to laugh a bit at that. If I didn't have one? No, I didn't have one.. I have many!

I don't know if I could sum up my spiritual journey.. past, present or future.. with just 1 verse or even a passage of scripture. About 12 years ago God walked with me through the darkest periods of my life... one I pray to never repeat... trial upon trial hit me over the course of several years... I truly felt I was going to be completely destroyed. I survived and, honestly, came out better in many ways. I don't love that I went through all that.... and some of it was of my own making and left scars not only on me but on people I love... but it truly was like silver being refined. I hit a point where His Word was my life... not just a life verse, but a life line! I spent hours going through the Bible.. searching for promises.. praying and begging Him to lift the darkness... He eventually did.. but not until I came to fully understand the Power of the Word... I know without a shadow of a doubt the reality of Hebrews 4:12...

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Maybe that is my life verse! God's Word is living and active in me... it is what sustains me... I honestly do not know how anyone survives without it.

As I thought this morning about the task at hand.... to write out my Life Verse and memorize it.. I realized I had already done that. During those dark periods I would write out verses.. promises I could pray and claim. I didn't set out to memorize them, but when you live off the Word like I did at that time He writes it on your heart never to be erased. I have continued the practice of making verse cards and carrying them with me. Some I set out to memorize.. others are with me to remind me of something He has promised. Over time I will learn them.

So here are a few... a very few... of my life verses...

Ps. 34:4 I sought the Lord and He answered me, He delivered me from all my fears.

If I honestly had to choose a verse that summed up that dark time this would be it. I remember vividly the moment my eyes were opened to this verse and I memorized it within seconds! I said it so many times over those years. It is a part of my marrow. I am a walking testament to the fact that this verse is true... it is as if I wrote it myself instead of the Psalmist.

Phil. 4:13 I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

This is a popular verse... you hear it a lot when someone is asked "What's your favorite Bible verse?" It is one of the few verses I remember memorizing when I was a teen. God took this verse and taught me to personalize it and eventually it became a verb in my life. My family is quite use to hearing me say "We are going to Phil. 4:13 this." That means it might seem un-doable, but we are going to do it with Christ. I share it often with friends... Sue can hold her tongue when she wants to snap back because Christ gives her the strength to do so... Margaret can have peace while waiting on the tests results because Christ, the Prince of Peace, enables her to do so. It is a great ACTIVE verse!

Eph. 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us

I am immeasurably more... my parents were told no more children... 1 in a million chance... and my mother mourned that she would never have a daughter. A year later I came along... God taught them a great lesson. And He has taught me many with this verse. When I try to limit Him, He immediately brings this verse to mind. I have seen the immeasurably more... I have seem more than I can ask or imagine... the God I love and trust in is the Eph. 3:20 God!

Zeph. 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. And He will rejoice over you with singing.

I have heard this verse for years, but then my kids gave me the CD Glory Revealed. All the songs are Scripture and this is the first one on the CD. I sing this verse more than I say it. The picture it paints in my mind is precious to me. My big strong Daddy God wraps me in His protective arms and with a smile brighter and wider than anything I can imagine He gently strokes my hair and sings to me with a love that is purer and truer than anything I know. When I feel worn out.... useless... ignored... unappreciated... I sing this verse to myself knowing that He is singing to my soul... I just have to listen.

Those are but a few of my life verses. I could go on for days! I challenge you to start digging in the Word and finding your life verses. They are there... you just have to open the book!

Good Friday

2009-04-10T09:26:00.002-05:00

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!" All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Matt. 27:24 & 25

The last part of verse 25 always gets to me. The people were saying "We will take the responsibility... the blame..." but what they didn't realize is their cry is actually what we need to be praying... that the blood of Jesus be on all people... on our children... for their is no other way for salvation.

So often Good Friday is just another day.... I imagine as I get busy with laundry and such it will become that for me today... I am praying that it doesn't. Take the time to read about the Crucifixion in the Bible (Matt 27 is one account)... and really meditate and ponder on what Jesus did... look at Phil. 2 also... He is GOD and He stepped out of His deity to become a human and to willing allow Himself not only to die on a cross, which is a horrible and shameful death, but to be spat upon... mocked... beaten.... ridiculed... and all because He loved each one of us! Personalize it and realize that this happened because of you and for you. And weep with sadness and joy that His blood in on you... you are to blame... I am to blame... we all are... BUT if Jesus is your Savior then His blood is on you and has washed you white as snow! How can you do anything but shout Hallelujah at that.

And while there does need to be a bit of humble sadness today as we realize what our Savior did... we need to remember that the story does not end today... oh no! There is a "rest of the story" that comes on Sunday... Weeping may last for a night, but Joy comes in the morning!

Stilling the Busyness

2009-04-08T09:35:00.002-05:00

I am re-reading the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. I read it back in 2002 and loved it! A couple of things really stood out to me this morning and I thought I would share them with y'all...

Weaver is talking about the "one thing" Mary chose...

"The 'one thing' is not found in doing more. It's found by sitting at His feet. Mary sat at His feet... she listened.. she didn't come up with clever responses or a doctrinal thesis. Her gift was availability." "The only requirement for a deeper friendship with God is showing up with a heart open and ready to receive."

How true all that is! And I fall short so often. I am in a hurry... or I am trying to hard to make Scripture speak to me. I have got to learn to sit and listen.... to still my mind... to give Him my attention and soak in all He has to show me. Kari Jobe sings an awesome song called The More I Seek You and in it she sings "I want to sit at Your feet, drink from the cup in Your hand, lean back against You and breathe" That line just grabs my heart every time I hear it and I find myself singing it in prayer to the Lord often these days. (If you want to hear this awesome song go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3GijrnfStk )

The question was posed... which woman do you relate to most... Mary or Martha? I have always felt I was a Mary and I think at one time... during a season of my life... I was. But while I am not a perfectionist or a super homemaker or anything like that, I find that I am constantly busy.. even when I am still my brain is running through a list of things I need to do.. so I am definitely relating more with Martha these days. Busyness sees to invade my everything... even my time with God. I just don't seem to be able to let go and really relax... sit at His feet... listen.. BE STILL AND KNOW... the comment was made in this chapter that we will fore go (or postpone) time with God to do the urgent things... we live in a constant state of urgency. But what is more urgent.. more important than time with God? Surely there are times when something needs our immediate attention... like a crying baby or sick child... but often our urgent things aren't really urgent in the grand scheme of things.

Luke 10:40 says "But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made..." I personalized this verse.. But Barbara is distracted by all she has to do.. and the thing I realize is I impose the HAS not God.. I decide what HAS to be done. The thing is I know that if I spend time with Him and let go of my have-to-do list, He will make time and a way for me to get done the things that truly do need to be done. I have seen Him do that, but for some reason I seem to have forgotten that He can!

One more thing.. at the end of v. 42 is says "Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." First... it's a choice whether I spend time with Jesus or not. 2nd.. what intrigues me is the phrase "it will not be taken away"... surely no time spent with Jesus is a waste... no time in the Word or in Prayer is trivial or of no use... but what I wonder is this.... is the reverse true? If Mary's choice will not be taken away from her, will Martha's? Does all the energy and effort of serving come to no true fruition? Surely not all service, but when we serve instead of worshipping... when we choose work over grace.... when we serve because we feel we have to or that no one else will instead of letting some things go and just sitting at His feet and soaking in the time we have with our Savior. I think that time of service ends up being lost to us... we can never get back that moment.. that opportunity to be with Jesus. BUT PTL we are given more chances.. we can stop at any moment and say Lord, Speak to me... and He will. We just have to be available and have an open and expectant heart!

Awesome Passage

2009-04-06T22:50:00.002-05:00

Read this in my quiet time this morning... what an awesome passage of Scripture... a great one to pray back as a praise to the Father....

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 NIV

Our Constant in a Changing World

2009-02-04T12:19:00.003-06:00

I work with an afterschool ministry program at my church for K - 6th grade. I work with the older kids (4th-6th), an age group I have never worked with before and one I am enjoying much more than I thought I would. How I got into this is a long story, but needless to say it was all God.

So each week I share a bit of Bible study with the kids and also play a game with them. They love hangman.... so we do Bible verse hangman. It is a great way to get them in the Word and get the Word in them. I am amazed at how much they remember from such a simple game.

I was looking for some verses last week and I stumbled across Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever." What a simple straight forward truth! And how powerful and empowering it is for us.

That verse has stuck with me all week and as I was meditating on it recently, God brought to mind Malachi 3:6... "I the Lord do not change." I love finding Scriptures that reinforce each other and I especially love finding those types of Scriptures in both the Old and New Testament. The fact that God and Jesus do not change ... have never changed... will never change is not something new that occurred after Jesus came to earth in the form of a man, but it is an eternal truth that always has been and always will be.

Isn't it amazing to realize that the God we serve.. the God we love... the God who loves us.. the God in whom we trust.. never changes. He is the same as He was yesterday... as He is today... as He will be tomorrow. He will not be stronger one day and weaker the next... He isn't moody or wishy-washy... He loves us continually... cares for us... provides for us... pours out His mercy and grace on us... and so much more each and every day.

Times change.. no doubt the world we live in is different in many ways from the world our grandparents and great-grandparents inhabitted and it is different from the one our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will live in should the Lord tarry that long. Our world is in a constant state of change, but the One who created it... the One sovereign over all.. He is the same... yesterday... today... and fever!

Something to hold onto today....

2009-01-13T08:36:00.002-06:00

I read this verse in my quiet time this morning. I was reading through the classic devotional Daily Light (you can read it here online: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/daily.light/ ) and this was one of the verses they included for today. My devotion is a rewrite and uses the NIV. I got an ESV for Christmas, so I looked the verse up in it and I love the way it reads....

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." Isa. 12:2 ESV

How awesome is that!? God is our salvation... we have no reason to be afraid of anything! Hold on to that promise today... and tomorrow... and the day after.... etc. As long as you need it. I would even encourage you to hide it in your heart so it is there whenever you need it!

Selah.... be still and know....

2009-01-12T20:44:00.003-06:00

One of the lovely things about the Bible are the "old friends" you find there. Psalm 46 is one of those passages for me. It's promises are like a balm to my weary soul. I hope it will be a balm for you also. When you see the word Selah take a moment... pause... meditate on the words you have read and the truth found in them.

Psalm 46 (English Standard Version)

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

He Never Let's Go

2009-01-06T08:43:00.004-06:00

As I was worshipping in song this morning, Matt Redman's "You Never Let Go" came began to play and I was reminded of the wonderful promises in God's Word concerning that truth... He NEVER let's go of us... He is always with us... and because of that we have nothing to fear.

I will fear no evil, for You are with me Ps. 23:4 ESV

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 27:1 ESV

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. John 10:28-29 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 ESV

Shalom... Peace in 2009

2009-01-01T11:47:00.006-06:00

Last year I was reading something on journalling and the author talked about picking a word for the year. I thought that was neat, so I thought a bit... prayed a bit... and decided my word would be Gratitude. I did pretty well holding on to the word for the first bit, but as with many "neat" ideas, I let it slide. Every so often something would pop up and remind me that I was to have an attitude of gratitude this year... but I often fell short. Still, I am glad I picked a word and glad God used various means to remind me of that throughout the year. It often served as an attitude adjustor.

So what will this year's word be? One heard a lot... one that really isn't unique, but one we all seek ... Peace. I spent a season of life in bondage to fear and anxiety and peace was all I craved. I begged for it... covetted it... longed for it... would have died for it... and the thing is I had it all along, I just didn't let it rule my heart. It is a harsh reality, but often we keep ourselves in bondage when freedom is ours for the asking.

Over the past few days I have heard folks talk about 2008... the economic turmoil.. continuing unrest in Middle East... how they hope 2009 will be better... how so many in our nation are worried, upset, frightened... and I realized I am not. Am I like an ostrich with my head in the sand unaware of what is happening around me? No... I am fully aware. I have dear friends whose husbands are out of work... friends with sons and husbands in the Middle East... I also have friends who are battling cancer or watch a love one in that battle... friends who struggle with addiction... friends who are grieving the loss of their precious child or their spouse... I am well aware of the woes of this world... and yet, I am not frightened... I am at peace. Why?

Because I know to whom I belong and the cool thing is HE is in control. I know so many think of that as a trite answer, but trite or not it is true! God is very much in control. NONE of this surprises Him. And like it or not our true security... our true provision... our true healing... real peace... lie not in money, jobs, doctors, medicine, programs, bailouts, government... but in HIM.

So this year I am choosing to live in that reality... that I am His... that HE is in control.. that HE is returning soon... that He has work for me to do... and He has work for you too!

I pray that you know Him... that you know the peace He brings because I can tell you from personal experience it is a peace that truely does pass all understanding. It is the best high you will ever experience! You cannot beat it.

If you are looking for peace, first you need to find the Peace Giver... Jehovah-Shalom and His precious son, the Prince of Peace. I can tell you all about them and how to know them... just post a comment here with your email address. If you already know Him.. HALLELUJAH!... grab your Bible or get online at one of the many Bible resources and start looking for Peace verses. there are many! You can also look at Do Not Fear verses (there are 365 of those.. 1 for each day of the year). When you choose not to fear, you are choosing peace.

Here are some peace verses to get you started...

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Col 3:15

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isa. 26:3

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

My prayer for you... "the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Num. 6:26

Shalom! Barb

Psalm 65 - 67

2008-11-25T06:37:00.002-06:00

written Nov. 21, 2008

Psalm 65 & 66 are Psalms of praise... each talk of the greatness of God and tell of things He has done.

65:3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions

65:5 You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas

Verses 6 -11 of Psalm 65 paint a picture of Creator God and show how He is still seen in His creation.

65:6 formed the mountains by Your power

65:8 when morning darns and evening fades, You call forth songs of joy

65:11 You crown the year with Your bounty

66:1-2 Shout with joy to God all the earth, sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious!

66:4 All the earth bows down to You, they sing praise to you, they sing praise to Your name

66:6 He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the water on foot

66:7 He rules forever by His power

66:9 He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping

66:12 we went through the fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance

Psalm 66 ends with an important truth:

v. 18-20 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayers or withheld His love from me!

Sin get in the way.. it is like a wall between us and God.. it hinders our prayers and, therefore, our relationship with Him. We must confess our sins and repent... not cherish our sins and hold on to them... live in them. God hears our prayers of repentance and He forgive.. He wants to keep sin from straining our relationship with Him.

Psalm 67 begins with a blessing for us and goes into our blessing God and then returns to God blessing us. It is a short, but powerful Psalm... a great one to pray.

Psalm 60 - 64

2008-11-19T14:12:00.003-06:00

When I started reading Psalm 60, I thought here is another whiny Psalm where the author feels God has rejected him… and in a way that is true… but then I saw how timely and pertinent this Psalm is.

So many feel God rejected our nation with election of Barak Obama. They fail to acknowledge that God establishes authority (Rom. 13:1) or that he has a plan in all this (Hab. 1)

This Psalm sounds like the “cries” I’ve heard recently.

Verses 1- 3 “You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; You have been angry – now restore us! You have shaken the land and torn it open… you have shown your people desperate times…”

Certainly we are seeing desperate times and our land has been shaken and I personally feel more is to come.

Verse 4 proclaims hope and truth “But for those who fear You, You have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.”

Jesus is our banner – our faith in Him – we must cling to Him … walk in faith no matter our circumstances.

God is at work. We need to seek Him and trust Him always… for “the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory.” (v. 11 & 12)

Psalm 61 follows as a prayer crying out to God in time of need.

“… lead me the rock that is higher than I . For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” (v. 2 & 3)

Jesus is the Rock and He is most definitely higher.

Psalm 62 is a familiar friend.

“My sould finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (v. 1 & 2)

What verses to pray and promises to stand on!

And the Psalmist reminds us again of who God is…

“Find rest, O my soul,. In God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” (v. 5-8)

Psalm 63 is another familiar friend... one of the most wonderful Psalms David wrote.

“I God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my body longs for You in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (v. 1)

How I want to always long for and seek God in this way.

“Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.” (v. 3-5)

This should be my heart… my life… each day… to praise God because He is good.. He is better than life!

And for David it is 24 / 7… in Verse 1, earnestly can also be translated early… so early will I seek you.

Then in verse 6 He says “on my bed I remember You; I think of You throughout the watches of the night.”

For David, seeking God … praising Him… worshipping… was all day and night… every moment.

Psalm 64 again finds the Psalmist crying out to God, but not in a whiny way… it is more of an “OK, God, here are the problem in my life.. take care of them.” In a way the Psalmist is doing what Ps. 55:22 says to do. “Cast your cares on the Lord…” and he knows God will take care of Him. Verse 10 “Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him.”

Psalm 56 - 59

2008-11-19T14:11:00.000-06:00

Written November 18, 2008

In all four of these Psalms, the Psalmist is crying out to God for or about something.

In Psalm 56 he is under attack and seeks God’s mercy and deliverance. I love the choice laid out in verse 3 & 4… “When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

In Psalm 57 once again the Psalmist seeks mercy n the face of his enemies’ pursuits. He cries out to “God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.” (v. 2)

I love this reminder in the midst of turmoil that God is God Most High and that he has a plan… a purpose for each of us. Verse 2 here reminds me of Phil. 1:6 “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 58 is yet again crying out to the Lord… it has, to me, an angry tone at times and while I know all scripture is God-breathed and useful, this passage seems, to me, to have little value. I think, for me, it is God showing where to take our anger… to Him instead of pouring it out on others.

Psalm 59 once again finds the Psalmist seeking God’s deliverance. In verse 12 he says of his enemies “For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride.”

This actually is a verse worth praying for ourselves and our children. Pride is so deep rooted and leads to a multitude of sins. I pray God would let me be caught in it, so that I might recognize it and repent … I pray the same for my family… for my children. No doubt the process isn’t pleasant, but the result is a heart more like His.

Psalm 55

2008-11-19T14:10:00.000-06:00

Written November 17, 2008

Psalm 55 has a good bit of despair in it, but there is also hope.

Verse 2 says, “my thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy.”

Isn’t that where satan hits hardest – in our thoughts? Satan is the father of lies and he whispers them constantly to us. He knows all the right buttons to push.

This verse reminds me of the Casting Crowns’ song “Voice of Truth” which talks abouot these lies and the dear they bring. They can paralyze us if we choose to listen to them. But 2 Tim. 1:7 tells us that” God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind” and we are to make the choice to listen to the voice of truth – God’s voice – and not these lies the enemy bombards us with. We must take these lies captive and give them to Jesus (2 Cor. 10:15) and renew our mind (Rom. 12:2) by being in the Word. If we keep our minds filled with truth, there will be no room for lies and the battle will be tougher for satan.

Despite the despair found in this Psalm, the Psalmist knows where to find help….

v. 16 “But I call to God and the Lord saves me”

v. 18 “He ransoms me unharmed”

It is a choice …. To wallow in lies or to believe and trust God.

v. 22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”

v. 23b “But as for me, I trust in You (Lord).”

Psalms 50 - 54

2008-11-19T14:08:00.002-06:00

Written November 3, 2008

Psalm 50 explodes with the power of God – His might – His majesty.

Verse 1 goes great with Psalm 113:3 (a favorite of mine)…

Ps. 50:1 “The Mighty One, god, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it set.” Ps. 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”

We see in Psalm 50 that God is perfect in beauty and shines forth (v. 2)… He will not be silent (v. 3)….fire devours before Him and around Him tempest rages (v. 3)… He summons the earth (v.4)… the heavens proclaim His righteousness (v. 6)… He is judge (v. 6)… He is our God (v. 7)… every animal of the forest is His (v. 10)… the cattle on 1000 hills belongs to Him (v. 10)… He knows every bird in the mountains and every creature of the field is His (v. 11)…. The world is His and Hall that is in it (v. 12)… He is the Most High (v. 14)… He hears our cries and delivers us (v. 15)… He is nothing like us (v. 21)…. He is our salvation (v. 23)

We see the might of God in Psalm 50 and then in Psalm 51 we see David bow before this mighty, all powerful God.

Psalm 51 us a well known Psalm – it is David’s plea to God after Nathan confronts him with his sin concerning Bathsheba.

All of us sin (Rom. 3:23)... even believers continue to sin in their lives. Ps, 51 is a great place to go when there is unconfessed sin in your life… pray it… earnestly… back to God. He will honor your prayer and you will be forgiven (1 John (9:10).

I love that David asks for more than just forgiveness – he asks to be washed clean (v. 7) and to be restored in his relationship with God (v. 12).

Sin hinders our relationship with God. It is what blocks us from God before we are saved and even after we become believers, sin can slip in and strains our relationship with God. As believers, our salvation is secure – we are headed to heaven (2 Cor. 1:21), but we cannot live the abundant life Christ has for us (John 10:10) if there is unconfessed sin in our life.

Ps. 50:16-17 “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite hear, O God, You will not despise.”

Psalm 52 is a comparison of the evil man to the righteous man. David describes the evil man as one who boasts all day and is a disgrace in the eyes of God (v. 1)… his tongue plots destruction… he practices deceit (v. 2)… loves evil... loves falsehood (v. 3)… loves harmful words (v. 4)… and David warns that God will “snatch” him up … uproot him from the land of the living (v. 5)… in contrast the righteous man has God as his stronghold (v. 7)… flourishes (v. 8)… trusts in God’s unfailing love (v. 8)… praises God (v. 9)… places hope in God (v. 9)

Psalm 53 begins with averse I’ve heard many time… “The fools says in his heart, ‘there is no God.’”

I honestly don’t see how anyone can look at nature… at the human body… stars… newborn babies… and think there is no God. To me, that person is surrounded by a wall of deceit that will lead to destruction if not removed.

Verse 3 is a very convincing verse: “Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good.”

Is that what God sees today? I fear it is.

But Ps. 53 ends with the promise of restoration for Israel… a promise which still stands today.

Psalm 54 is a cry for help… there are a number of Psalms which are cries for help. I believe God is telling us there will be difficult times and we need to cry out to Him for deliverance.

Verses 1 & 2 “Save me, O God, by Your name; vindicate me by Your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.”

Verse 4 “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”

Verse 7 “For He has delivered me from all my troubles.”

Amen!

Psalm 49

2008-11-19T14:06:00.000-06:00

Written October 30, 2008

Psalm 49 seems to be written for today. Much of it deals with earthly blessings versus heavenly ones. Verses 16-19 are powerful and sobering….

Do not be over awed when a man grows rich,

When the splendor of his house increases;

For he will take nothing with him when he dies,

His splendor will not descend with him.

Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—

And men praise you when you prosper –

He will join the generation of his fathers who will never see the light of life.

A strong reminder of where our true treasure lies.

It reminds me of Mark 8:6 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”

Psalm 44 - 48

2008-11-19T14:04:00.001-06:00

Written October 28, 2008

Psalm 44 is interesting. The Psalmist starts out talking of knowing all God has don in the past for his forefathers. And he talks of trusting in the Lord and even of boasting in God… v. 8 “In God we make our boast all day long.”

This reminds me of 1 Cor. 1:31 “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” And Gal. 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.”

But this loving tone changes in verse 9. The Psalmist is in distress and he feels God has let all this come upon them for no valid reason. He ends the Psalm with a cry for help… v. 26 “Rise up and help us; redeem us because of Your unfailing love.”

Now I know God had a plan during that part of the Psalmist’s life… just as I know He has a plan for all of my life. He does not desert us, but there are times we feel that way and times we feel unjustly treated. This Psalm shows us those times will come and it reminds us where to go when they do.

My Bible notes say that Psalm 45 is a wedding song. It is most definitely a song which praises a king… I assume the groom.

Psalm 46 is wonderful!

Verse 1 “God is our refuge and strength on ever present help in trouble.”

What a promise!

Verse 2 follows with “therefore we will not fear though….”

That is, for me, a full in the blank verse. I can remind myself that God is my refuge and strength – He is my ever-present help in times of trouble and I will not fear even though ___________..... even though the diagnosis is grim.. even though the money is tight… even though the task is hard…. Etc. This verse covers it all!

And we are reminded in verse 7 “the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Ps. 46:10 is a well known verse, but one we seldom put into practice – “Be still and know that I am God.”

I think it ties in beautifully with verses 1 & 2… God, You are my refuge and strength… You are my ever-present help in times of trouble! I will not fear even though __________, but instead I choose to be still and know You are God.

I found a song lyric in Psalm 47 in verses 1 & 2 “Clap your hands all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High.”

Psalm 48 is a psalm of praise. Verse 1 “Great s the Lord and most worthy of praise” and it ends with a wonderful promise… verse 14 “For this God is our God forever and ever, he will be our guide even to the end.”

"I am God..."

2008-11-19T14:03:00.002-06:00

Written October 27, 2008

As I prayed for a word, God led me to read Isaiah 46 this morning….

Verse 4 is a wonderful promise to all of us, especially to the elderly who might feel forgotten…

“Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

What God emphasized for me is from verse 9 “I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me.”

I was drawn back to chapter 45 and saw this point made there several times…

v. 3 “… so that you know that I am the Lord.”

v. 5 “I am the Lord and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.”

v. 6 “… I am the Lord and there is no other.”

v. 8 “… I am the Lord and there is no other.”

v. 21 “… there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.”

v. 22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God and there is no other.”

Now this is a Truth – really the Truth… and it is one I know. So I wondered a bit as to why God led me here – what He is teaching me. I think part of it is to remind me that He is God and I need to be careful not to make things in my life my god… to keep Him in the right place in my life.

I will be curious to see how this week plays out and how this verse (these verses actually) is a part of it.

One more passage from Chapter 46 that seems relevant to me … verses 9-13 “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand and I will do what I please.’ … What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. Listen to me you stubborn-hearted, you who are far from righteousness, I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.”

WOW! What a promise!

Psalm 41, 42, & 43

2008-11-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

Written October 24, 2008

In Psalm 41 David is surrounded by enemies – everyone, it seems, is against him, but he chooses to trust in the Lord…

v. 10 – 12 “But You, O Lord, have mercy on me, rouse me up …. My enemy does not triumph over me. In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever.”

To be in His presence forever – WOW! – what more could we want or need!

Psalm 42 begins with familiar verses often quoted and even found in songs. I pray that I could say these words and mean them with all my heart…

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (v.1)

I want to long for God… for time with Him… that way.

The remainder of Ps. 2 and even Ps. 43 basically show that the Psalmist is going through a time of difficulty and he reminds himself over and over to put his hope in the Lord and to praise Him.

Ps. 42:5-6 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember You from the lands of Jordan, the heights of Hermon – from Mt. Mizar.”

Isn’t that what we need to do when our soul is downcast? We need to remember God…. focus on who He is and what He has done (and is doing)… take our eyes off our circumstances and put them on Him.

Ps. 42:11 and Ps. 43:5 repeat this encouragement…this reminder to hope in the Lord.

“Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalms 38, 39 & 40

2008-10-23T16:13:00.003-05:00

Written Oct. 20, 2008

Psalm 38 is a powerful Psalm and one I fear most of us cannot relate to. David is in anguish over the sin in his life…

v. 3-5 “Because of Your wrath there is no health in my body my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.”

Have you ever felt that way over the sin in your life? I can’t say it causes me anguish and certainly I don’t “go around” all day “mourning: (v. 6)

So should we? I think we should see our sin for what it is and be broken by it. 2 Cor. 7:10 says “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret but worldly sorrow brings death.”

We don’t want worldly sorrow … which is mainly upset for being “caught”… we want Godly sorrow.

I don’t believe we have to mourn all day as David did. We have Jesus and through Him the forgiveness of our sins.

1 John 1:9 promises that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sings and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

What an awesome promise!

Psalm 39 starts with David trying to do the impossible…

v. 1 “I said, ‘I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sinning; I will put a muzzle over my mouth.’”

James 3 makes it clear that no one can tame their tongue. Just try and you will quickly see how difficult and impossible this task is in your own strength. Only through God can this happen/

Verses 4 & 5 have come to my mind a number of times lately and I’ve realized what a powerful prayer they are…

Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before You. Each man’s life is but a breath.

How differently would I live my life if I truly understood how short my time is here on earth?

Yesterday, my pastor told of a man given a terminal diagnosis and how he lived life differently and then he reminded us that we all are terminal and in light of the Kingdom calendar, we will all die soon. We need to live life with that mindset… I need to live life today with that mindset… and every day I have left where I have two days or 40 years.

V. 6 is a picture of the world today…

Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro; he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth not knowing who will get it.

What a sobering and powerful verse!

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My Hope is in You!” (v. 7)

The result of that hope is seen in Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

David continues in Psalm 40 to talk of the blessings of trusting in the Lord. How different his tone here than in Psalm 38. Ps. 40 is a man who has been forgiven and is back on the right path.

V. 8 is one we should all learn and pray daily “I desire to do Your will, O my God, Your law is within my heart.”

That is key… get in the Word and get the Word in you.. then you will sing a new song like David.

Psalms 36 & 37

2008-10-23T16:11:00.001-05:00

Written Oct. 16, 2008

I immediately start singing when I think of Psalm 36. Verses 5 & 6 are part of a Third Day song I love….

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.”

I love when I find a song in scripture! I love that writers do that… use scripture in songs. What better words to sing then those written by our Lord!

Psalm 37 has a number of verses in it that God has used in my life over the years.

V. 4 is one that a dear sweet elderly lady in my life shares a great deal… “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

That does mean… Love God, enjoy Him and you will get everything you want. To delight in the Lord, we spend time with Him in His Word and through prayer. The desires of our heart will line up with His will and will be of more importance than things.

Right now some of the desires of my heart are to know Him more… to be filled with His love to overflowing… to be acutely aware of sin in my life so that I can confess it quickly.. to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and might.

I also have desires for my husband and children .. the main on being that they love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and might. (That is the best thing to pray for anyone!)

God has shown me (and continues to show me) the really important desires… the ones that last.

Ps. 37:5 is the verse God gave me when I first decided to Homeschool and was unsure of my ability to do so… “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.”

Now the “this” in verse 5 refers to verse 6 which says “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

But I believe when God led me to verse 5 as I prayed “How can I do this Lord.” He was answering me and I’ve seen Him do just what He promised.

Verse 7 is something God often calls me (all of us) to do and it isn’t easy not fun… “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

When I’ve felt envious of others wealth and stuff, v. 16 he reminded me.. “Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked.”

This is not to say all wealthy folks are wicked. It reminds me I have riches greater than the wealth here on earth.

Psalm 35

2008-10-23T14:27:00.002-05:00

I have lived Psalm 35... I think most of us have. Obviously David is under attack and he starts off calmly crying out to God for help. He basically says, "When you do this, then I will rejoice." (v. 9) But apparently God isn't working the way David wants. I get the impression His time line is different than that of David's and David feels his prayers are going unanswered.. that God is not responding. "... when my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning." (v. 13-14)

He continues to cry out, but now with a bit of panic... excitement... in his words. Again, it is as if God's not there. "Don not be far from me, Lord. Aware and arise to my defense." (v. 22-23)

So why include a Psalm like this in the Bible? Because we all have times where we can't see or feel God at work. It may be a time of testing... of growth.. it could be of our own doing - unconfessed sin puts up a wall between us and God... no matter the reason, it isn't a fun place to be.

If you are there, ask God to show you if there is unconfessed sin in our life... truly seek to know this and deal with whatever He shows you.

If it isn't there, accept that God is at work in your life, just not in the way you want. Choose to trust Him. Follow David's example to cry out to Him.... tell Him how you feel...He can take it. And know that He is there at work and He has your best interest at heart.

Psalm 34

2008-10-23T12:56:00.003-05:00

written Oct. 12, 2008

This Psalm contains one of my favorite Bible verses... "I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears." (v. 4)

God used this verse during one of the most difficult trials of my life. I still remember the exact moment He led me to it and He has continued to use it in my life.

Occasionally there is a verse that God shows me and writes on my heart without my having to work at learning it ... Ps. 34:4 is one of those verses.

This Psalm of David has many wonderful verses...

v. 1 -3 David talks of always praising God and encourages us to do the same.... and it seems to me the next several verses of this Psalm explains why we should praise Him.

v. 4 deliverance

v. 5 no shame

v. 6 saved

v. 7 Angel of the Lord surrounds us

v. 8 blessed

v. 9 lack nothing

v. 10 those who seek the Lord lack no good thing

David then teaches a bit about how we are to live...

1. 13 keep tongue from evil, no lies

v. 14 turn from evil, do good, seek peace

And once again he tells of all the Lord does for us....

v. 17-19 "The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close tot he brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all."

Psalm 33

2008-10-23T12:24:00.003-05:00

written Oct. 11, 2008

What a wonderful song of hope! The Psalmist starts off in verse 1 & 2 telling us to "sing joyfully to the Lord"... "praise the Lord" ... and the rest of this Psalm tells us why we are to do this. This Psalm is a picture of who God is and what He has done, is doing and will do. Really just a glimpse of all that for who can really grasp all God is and does!?

v. 4 "The Word of the Lord is right and true" Amen! How wonderful to know that we can stand on the promises knowing they are right and true!

v. 4 "He is faithful in ALL He does"

v. 5 "... the earth is full of His unfailing love"

v. 6-9 is a quick look at creation. I love being reminded that "by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry hosts by the breath of His mouth .... For He spoke and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm."

Wow! I am always awed by the truth that God spoke the World into existence... I pray He speaks over me! Zeph. 3:17 tells me that He rejoices over me with singing.. how powerful that is in light of this reminder about the power in His Words.

v. 11 "The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purpose of His heart through all generations"

God is not fickle or wishy-washy. He has had a plan from the beginning and He will see it through to the end.

v. 18 "The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love."

May I be one whose hope is in His unfailing love!

Psalm 32

2008-10-22T09:49:00.002-05:00

written October 7, 2008

The first five verses of Psalm 32 deal with confessing our sins. David reminds us that we are blessed because our sins are forgiven, they don't count against us (v. 1-2). Then verses 3 & 4 paint a picture of one who "hides" their sin, refuses to confess it... acknowledge it before the Lord... "my bones wasted away"... "groaning all day long"... "my strength was sapped." Surely unconfessed sin creates a wall between us and God -- it effects us spiritually, mentally, emotionally and this Psalm makes it clear that it effects us physically too. No doubt God allows this because He wants us to acknowledge our sin so we can have the blessing of forgiveness.

Verse 5 shows how quickly and easily we can have that blessing... "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' and You forgave the guilt of my sin." It really is that simple! 1 John 1:9m says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Psalm 32:5 is a picture of that promise in action.

Verse 7 is one of my favorites:

You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

I love how God goes beyond for us. We see this over and over in the Word and verse 7 is a going beyond verse. God hides us when there is trouble and He protects us -- that in and of itself is more than we deserve but then we see that He "surrounds us with songs of deliverance." God confronts us by singing over us like a parent comforts a small child. I love the picture this verse creates in my mind of me being tucked up under God's wings -- safe, secure, close to Him and He is quietly singing words of peace and comfort to keep be calm and feeling secure.

Today, if you are feeling boxed in... pressed on all sides... stressed... worried... any and all of these worldly woes, follow Col. 3:2's exhortation and Look up! Set your mind on things above and You will experience Psalm 32:7 first hand. Keep your ears open and listen to the Father's perfect voice as He sings over you.

Psalm 31

2008-10-13T12:12:00.002-05:00

written Oct. 6, 2008

Ps 31 is a cry for help... but a calm one... not a panicked prayer. I believe it is an example of what we are to do when we are in distress and feeling attacked. Throughout the Psalm David proclaims his trust in the Lord. He very confidently states what God has done and will do in his life. He does list his trouble,m but again there is no sense of panic here, but one of calm resolve and confidence in his Lord. In a way it is like he is reminding himself where his hope and confidence lie. I've done that too ... said the words even when my circumstances cause me to feel differently. Sometimes that is what it takes - a choice -- a determination to trust in WHO God is and WHAT He does no matter how we feel or what we see happening around us.

v. 1 In You, O Lord, I take my refuge

v. 3 You are my Rock and my Fortress

v. 5 Into Your hands I commit my spirit redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

v. 14 I trust in You, O Lord.

v. 15 My times are in Your hands.

v. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 30

2008-10-13T12:07:00.002-05:00

written September 30, 2008

As I was reading Psalm 30 today, it hit me that this is a Psalm of testimony. David is testifying to what God has done in his life:

He lifted me out of the depths (v. 1)
He healed me (v. 2)
He spared me (v. 3)
He favored me (v. 7)
He turned my wailing into dancing (v. 11)
He clothed me with joy (v. 11)

Do I need to be lifted out of the depths... healed... spared... favored... to dance... to have joy? I need only exalt my Lord (v. 10) and cry out to Him (v. 8) for He is my help (v. 10) and I am assured that no matter my circumstances "weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning!" (v. 5) and so I will not remain silent, but instead my heart will sing to You, O Lord! (v. 12).

Psalms 28 & 29

2008-10-13T11:52:00.004-05:00

written September 29, 2008

In Psalm 28, David cries out to His Lord who is his Rock (v. 10), his Strength and Shield (v. 7), the Strength of His people and a Fortress of Salvation (v. 8), and their Shepherd (v. 9). He is all that today and more! Jesus is our Lord ... our Rock... our Strength... our Shield... our Fortress of Salvation... our Shepherd. He hears our cries for mercy (v. 6) ... He saves His people and blesses His inheritance (v. 9).... He carries us forever (v. 9)... so our hearts can trust in Him and be filled with joy as we thank Him (v. 7).

The description of those who do evil on verse 3 is very poignant to me .. "Who speak cordially with their neighbors, but harbor malice in their hearts." Have I done this? Do I do this?

It reminds me of the verse in James about blessing and cursing coming from the same mouth. It is, to me, the picture of a liar... someone who is two-faced. This isn't to say that is you feel malice or have hard feelings toward someone, you should be rude to them.... in fact, your mouth isn't the problem... you heart is. If you feel these things about someone, you need to get before the throne and pour it all out to the Lord. He can take it... He already knows what you are feeling. There is no place for malice in the heart of a Believer and only God can remove it.... and it must be removed!

If we have malice in our heart, then we cannot love the Lord our God with all our heart and we certainly cannot love our neighbor as ourselves. If malice is there, quickly... immediately... go to the Lord and confess it all to Him.

If malice is not there, don't feel superior or safe... any of us can fall prey to our flesh. Guard your heart... stay in fellowship with Jesus... and take any wrong feeling, emotion, attitude etc. to Him. Even those small irritations can grow into something large and damaging.

*****

I love Psalm 29 -- it is a wonderful Psalm of Praise and so powerful!

Verse 1 & 2 tells us to "Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength... the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness." WOW! Do I do that? Do I truly do that?

We need to keep Him before us... to remind ourselves daily of WHO God is and WHAT He has done. Verses 3- 11 of this Psalm paint an amazing picture of our Lord...

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders,the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

I encourage you to take time daily to sit and listen for the voice of the Lord and to look for all the signs of His might and power in the world around us.