Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Encouragement
Today I'm needing to write a word of encouragement, for my own sake. I'm needing the reminder of who God is. There are times in life when circumstances seem to overwhelm or drown out the voice of Jesus. We are caught in the waves life's storm and feel like Jesus is asleep. We need to wake Jesus in our hearts. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to calm the storm within and make things happen. Some descriptors of our Lord...
He is... faithful, hope, love, compassion, truth, just, honorable, eternal, holy, redeemer, Lord, triune, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, creator, light, way, life, victor, provider, worthy, sacrifice, perfect, almighty, peace, joy, patience, kindness, good, gentle, Father, transformational, grace, living, true, caring, salvation, forgiveness.
Such a great list, not an exhaustive one, but a great one. I needed these words today, to remind me of who God is to me and for me. May I rest in Him today amidst the storm.
He is... faithful, hope, love, compassion, truth, just, honorable, eternal, holy, redeemer, Lord, triune, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, creator, light, way, life, victor, provider, worthy, sacrifice, perfect, almighty, peace, joy, patience, kindness, good, gentle, Father, transformational, grace, living, true, caring, salvation, forgiveness.
Such a great list, not an exhaustive one, but a great one. I needed these words today, to remind me of who God is to me and for me. May I rest in Him today amidst the storm.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Providence and Timing
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I don't personally experience much anxiety, but when I do, I have found that just spending time with God is the quickest way to find rest for my spirit. I take time to sit and focus on Him breathing the name Yahweh. I lay those troubles at the foot of the throne and ask God to give me His peace and comfort. I don't do well with petitioning God for the things I want, but I am getting better at understanding what to request. I've found over the last year that my requests have become about time with God and not so much about the earthly things I need. I still have earthly needs, but God gives me assurance of His providence and his timing in ALL things. It's a journey.
Friday, July 6, 2018
Justice and Love
Luke 1:68 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.
I am reminded weekly, as I read through different scripture passages, that our salvation is from God. He never seems to let me look past His incredible justice that called for death due to our sinfulness and His amazing love that kept Jesus on the cross in my place. This is our focus. This is where our minds and hearts have to live to remain humble and to grow in the grace which we have been given. For we know that to live is Christ, but we tend to want to live in ourselves and claim Christ when it's convenient. God calls us to live Christ all day, every day. We have to focus our minds on Him and set our hearts on Him in order to do this, and the Scripture leads us back every time. We are redeemed because of our Lord. We have no power except through Him. He leads us on. He is our victor. He is our lifeblood. We are His and He loves us unconditionally. Jesus paid the price so we can have union with God. I am thrilled to be reminded so often of God's justice and love. Lest we forget!
I am reminded weekly, as I read through different scripture passages, that our salvation is from God. He never seems to let me look past His incredible justice that called for death due to our sinfulness and His amazing love that kept Jesus on the cross in my place. This is our focus. This is where our minds and hearts have to live to remain humble and to grow in the grace which we have been given. For we know that to live is Christ, but we tend to want to live in ourselves and claim Christ when it's convenient. God calls us to live Christ all day, every day. We have to focus our minds on Him and set our hearts on Him in order to do this, and the Scripture leads us back every time. We are redeemed because of our Lord. We have no power except through Him. He leads us on. He is our victor. He is our lifeblood. We are His and He loves us unconditionally. Jesus paid the price so we can have union with God. I am thrilled to be reminded so often of God's justice and love. Lest we forget!
Thursday, July 5, 2018
A Little Rebuke
Job 42:2-3 "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."
Hey, I am all for praying a frustrated psalm to the Lord, but today, this is where God took me. He reminded me that He is God and I am not. I do not have a full grasp on the work God is doing in my life. I know some of what's going on, but there is so much more that has little to do with me that He is working into place for my benefit. I needed God's harsh words today, the reminder that I do not and cannot possible know all things. Heck, I don't want to know all things! I'm glad I serve a God I cannot fully grasp on any level! This doesn't mean that I was in a happy go lucky mood after my encounter. I was still frustrated with my situation and just wanted some relief. It did, however, remind me of the sovereignty and faithfulness of my Lord. He has a plan. He is working on it. He will do it. I only need to trust and have faith in Him, Jesus.
Hey, I am all for praying a frustrated psalm to the Lord, but today, this is where God took me. He reminded me that He is God and I am not. I do not have a full grasp on the work God is doing in my life. I know some of what's going on, but there is so much more that has little to do with me that He is working into place for my benefit. I needed God's harsh words today, the reminder that I do not and cannot possible know all things. Heck, I don't want to know all things! I'm glad I serve a God I cannot fully grasp on any level! This doesn't mean that I was in a happy go lucky mood after my encounter. I was still frustrated with my situation and just wanted some relief. It did, however, remind me of the sovereignty and faithfulness of my Lord. He has a plan. He is working on it. He will do it. I only need to trust and have faith in Him, Jesus.
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Answered Prayer
1 Samuel 1:16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.
Eli thought Hannah was drunk as she prayed to God for a child. But Hannah assured him it was simply that she was downhearted because God had not given her that for which she had prayed so fervently. Following the above statement, Eli tells her to go and says, "may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." God does. This is one of those moments in the Bible where I think, now why did God grant her what she asked for? Did Hannah say something fancy? Did she pray so long and ask so often that God just gave in? I don't have an answer as to why God responded to her prayer with a son, Samuel. Our prayer life can be so difficult sometimes. We seek God and ask for what we think would be the proper way, but God doesn't always do what we ask. Often, it seems He does something so completely opposite of our hopes. Yet we still come to Him with our prayers and our requests. So, I have to ask, what is petitioning all about? Why does God want me to come to Him with my prayer requests? I think it is simply this; I believe God wants us to be in His Presence, even if, for a while, it means we are only asking for things. Once we get past the initial requests, God can move and speak in ways that our hearts can understand. We can understand His answers when they are completely beyond what we meant or hoped. Spending time in prayer is about spending time with God. Hannah was given Samuel and in return, she gave Samuel to God. What a thank offering for an answered prayer!
Eli thought Hannah was drunk as she prayed to God for a child. But Hannah assured him it was simply that she was downhearted because God had not given her that for which she had prayed so fervently. Following the above statement, Eli tells her to go and says, "may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." God does. This is one of those moments in the Bible where I think, now why did God grant her what she asked for? Did Hannah say something fancy? Did she pray so long and ask so often that God just gave in? I don't have an answer as to why God responded to her prayer with a son, Samuel. Our prayer life can be so difficult sometimes. We seek God and ask for what we think would be the proper way, but God doesn't always do what we ask. Often, it seems He does something so completely opposite of our hopes. Yet we still come to Him with our prayers and our requests. So, I have to ask, what is petitioning all about? Why does God want me to come to Him with my prayer requests? I think it is simply this; I believe God wants us to be in His Presence, even if, for a while, it means we are only asking for things. Once we get past the initial requests, God can move and speak in ways that our hearts can understand. We can understand His answers when they are completely beyond what we meant or hoped. Spending time in prayer is about spending time with God. Hannah was given Samuel and in return, she gave Samuel to God. What a thank offering for an answered prayer!
Monday, July 2, 2018
Who's Got Control?
Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, My Rock and my Redeemer.
The psalmist already knew that the Lord looks not only at our actions but at the heart. Jesus came to show us that the thoughts we have are part of our sin. We cannot possibly control every aspect of our being, even if we are disciplined enough to control our outward action. Our inner thoughts get the best of us. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can our hearts be transformed so that our minds can be renewed in the holiness of our Father. For me, the hardest part is stepping back and letting God have every bit of who I am. This may mean that there may be times when I have to admit I've been wrong in order to move to a new journey. God does the refining, as long as I will allow Him at my heart. It's not easy, but if I want my words and my meditations to be pleasing to God, then I have to let Him do the refining.
The psalmist already knew that the Lord looks not only at our actions but at the heart. Jesus came to show us that the thoughts we have are part of our sin. We cannot possibly control every aspect of our being, even if we are disciplined enough to control our outward action. Our inner thoughts get the best of us. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can our hearts be transformed so that our minds can be renewed in the holiness of our Father. For me, the hardest part is stepping back and letting God have every bit of who I am. This may mean that there may be times when I have to admit I've been wrong in order to move to a new journey. God does the refining, as long as I will allow Him at my heart. It's not easy, but if I want my words and my meditations to be pleasing to God, then I have to let Him do the refining.
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