Tag: bible

Habits of Faith: Does God Expect Us to Believe in Ourselves? Exodus 4:10

Exodus 4:10-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been [a]eloquent, neither [b]recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am [c]slow of speech and [d]slow of tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” 13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now [e]send the message by whomever You will.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Perhaps we have heard of Roger Bannister.

For years, experts said that it was impossible for a human to run a mile in less than four minutes.

And they appeared to be right, that is until 1954, when a young medical student proved them all wrong.

They had told him his heart would explode, but young Roger didn’t believe that.

He believed he could, and even had a special pair of lightweight leather shoes made to help him run.

When the shoemaker asked him how long he would need them, he responded “not very long…less than 4 minutes!”

That’s the power of believing in yourself!

You won’t always hear it from the pulpit, you wont always hear or have it taught in any bible study but I deeply believe that God expects each of us to develop a healthy measure of self assurance, self-confidence, self esteem, of self worth.

When God spoke miraculously from a burning bush and called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, listen to how the aged Moses first responded:

Exodus 4:10 New American Standard Bible 1995

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been [a]eloquent, neither [b]recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am [c]slow of speech and [d]slow of tongue.”

Exodus 4:13 New American Standard Bible 1995

13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now [a]send the message by whomever You will.”

We might think God would be impressed by those humble responses; that Moses was showing himself to be truly humble. But we would be wrong!

The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.

Exodus 4:14 New American Standard Bible 1995

Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece

14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that [a]he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

Why was that? Because he didn’t believe in himself, even when God clearly did.

Exodus 4:11-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

11 The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”

God expected Moses to have faith that God is all he needed to succeed; and God likewise in these modern times expects us to respond in faith and belief as well.

When we don’t believe in ourselves, we are diminishing and questioning the quality of God’s handiwork.

Psalm 139:14-18 New American Standard Bible 1995

14 I will give thanks to You, for [a]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My [b]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

It’s not a sin to believe in yourself; it’s an expectation of the Creator God who formed you in His own image and likeness, filled you with His Holy Spirit, and has perfectly equipped you to perform every good work created for you to walk in. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:1.)

In truth, we ought to believe it is a sin to not believe in yourself!

There are many Christians who think they are being humble, but they are simply listening to the voice of the adversary.

They are deceived about their identity in Christ, thinking they are just inadequate, insignificant, and therefore unable to succeed.

And because they see a predominance of failure in their future, such a measure of failure they don’t, wont even try to do the things God has called them to do.

In order to develop the faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6), we should first look into God’s mirror at ourselves and hear His voice on the matter:

James 1:22-25 New American Standard Bible 1995

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [a]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [b]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [c]an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in [d]what he does.

When you read and meditate on God’s Word, you will learn to hear the voice of God speaking to you, giving you a true picture of who you really are in Christ:

1. Understand That We Are All Originals and Unique

Ephesians 2:8-10 New American Standard Bible 1995

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10 New Living Translation

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

What is a masterpiece?

The very best work of an artist!

It also describes a piece of art that earns recognition; a work of genius, one of a kind.

In other words, you are not an accident or an experiment, you are a work of genius that deserves recognition.

Anything that is a duplicate does not have the same value as an original, and does not qualify as a masterpiece.

What’s the point?

In order for you to truly believe in yourself, you need to celebrate your God created uniqueness as His masterpiece!

Allow your significance and originality to define you, not confine you.

Discover your uncommon message born from your unique purpose and begin to increase the significance of that message.

Since you are God’s creation and not an accident, your very existence on this planet is proof that the world needs that special something that God gave to you – so celebrate it, as God does – and never compare yourself with anyone else.

When you compare yourself against others, your self perception will become skewed; you will either get an unrealistic sense of inferiority, or an equally unrealistic idea of superiority – neither of these circumstances is ever true.

Your measure of success is not how you are doing compared to someone else, it’s how you are doing compared to what God intends for you to accomplish!

2. Understand That You Are Priceless

Many people think that the value of a work of art is determined by what others will pay for it.

There is some measure of truth in that, but I think the better understanding is that the true value of a thing is determined by what the master artist is willing to sell it for!

If someone is offered millions, even billions, for the purchase of a particular piece of art, say the Mona Lisa, and yet says, Sorry, not for sale, never for sale, then that item is actually absolutely priceless to them.

And here is the truth about us – when sin entered the world, Satan’s deception stole us away from our Father, the Master.

But there is even more deeper truth we can witness to from Peter who lost all of his confidence in himself when he refused to publicly acknowledge being with Jesus in the courtyard three times, looked into Jesus’ eyes and so betrayed Him. (Matthew 26:69-75)

Then Peter got his confidence back as he shared some very intimate time with the resurrected Jesus by the seashore. (The Love Motivation – John 21:15-17)

Peter admonished the followers to “Prepare your minds for action, be sober in spirit and fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, to not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, … but like the Holy One … be holy yourselves also in all your behaviors …” because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

God does not lack any confidence in Himself and neither did Jesus, His Son.

Peter recognized that self confidence which Jesus publicly exhibited as he wrote to the Jewish followers the ultimate ransom required for our return would be our testimony, the testimony of the priceless blood of the Son of God himself:

1 Peter 1:13-19 New American Standard Bible 1995

13 Therefore, [a]prepare your minds for action, [b]keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace [c]to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As [d]obedient children, do not [e]be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but [f]like the Holy One who called you, [g]be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not [h]redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

In other words, God said to the enemy… we are all priceless and not for sale! 

Yes, we are all a 100% priceless, original creation.

When we start seeing ourselves as such, we will too start believing in ourselves!

3. Understand We Are Each Bursting with Potential

Potential is a dormant ability, reserved power, untapped strength, unused success, hidden talents, and uncapped capability -it’s all you could ever be, including what you have yet to become and the things you have not yet done.

It’s the length of your reach, before you have begun to stretch; it’s how far you can go, before you’ve even started to pack for the trip, topped off the gas tank!

Potential is unexposed ability and latent power, and you are overflowing with it.

Moreover, you are all full of max potential the Kingdom of God is desperately waiting to experience.

John 14:10-14 New American Standard Bible 1995

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

How can we begin to understand and access our potential?

Realize the potential of a thing is related to its source.

We know that a tree can never be more than a tree, because it comes from a tree; a dog can never be more than a dog, because it comes from a dog, etc.

In other words, the potential of a thing is directly related to its source.

In fact, it is the source of a thing which ultimately determines the capacity of its potential.

Fortunately, the book of Genesis tells us who our source is:

Genesis 1:26-28 New American Standard Bible 1995

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [a]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [b]sky and over every living thing that [c]moves on the earth.”

Knowing this then, that the potential of a thing is related to its source, and that our source is God, we know that our potential is actually unlimited because our source is unlimited!

To access your potential, you must stay connected to your Source!

A grape vine is an interesting plant.

The vine, which is the thick wooden part running from the ground up the pole, is the only part of the plant that contains life ability.

None of the life of the plant is found in the branches, or those little green tendrils on the side with the grapes hanging from them.

If you were to break one of those green branches off and plant it in the ground, it would wither and die because there is no life ability in it.

Each small branch depends on life flowing up from the vine, to survive.  

And as Jesus said:

John 15:5-7New American Standard Bible 1995

5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he  bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

In order for us to realize our full potential, we must stay connected to our Source – God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit – otherwise yes, we will all fall short.

But if we stay connected, we can indeed accomplish much.

That’s who we are.

As odd as it may seem to the natural mind, the fact is we are a child of Almighty God, and we have each been created with the potential to do powerful things.

When we are connected to the Source, we have our Heavenly Father’s ability on the inside of us to do every good work He has destined for each one of us to do.

4. Understand What God Sees Is Completely True

God doesn’t see like man sees.

God sees the diamond in the rough, the potential amidst the problem, the prize at the bottom of the cracker jack box.

It is not what you or anyone else sees that actually matters, but what God sees.

He sees the end from the beginning of our lives, knows our potential even when we’re not acting like it, are faithless, are off track, or have no track record at all!

When we focus on these temporary things, we have a hard time believing in ourselves and in also accepting that we are what God sees and says we are.

But the fact is – God knows better! He knows exactly who He created us to be.

And that’s the message we will get when we look into the mirror of God’s Word.

God always believes in us, and therefore, we must also believe in ourselves.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.

A [a]Mikhtam of David.

16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”
3 As for the [d]saints who are in the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The [f]sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.

5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my [h]mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol;
Nor will You [j]allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Habits of Faith: Our Commitment to Prayer! Daniel 6:10

Daniel 6:10 The Message

10 When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted, he continued to pray just as he had always done. His house had windows in the upstairs that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising his God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Habits of Faith

Spiritual disciplines can be an important part of our finding God through the fog of our lives.

That’s what helped sustain Daniel in his faith.

A spiritual discipline is a habit that people develop to deepen their relationship with God.

Personal devotions may combine one or more disciplines into a daily routine: praise, worship, prayer, Bible reading, and perhaps meditation or journaling.

Other spiritual disciplines may include joining together for worship or studying the Bible in a small group.

The discipline of fasting can help us rediscover what really feeds us, and the discipline of tithing our share can help us all recall who really pays our bills.

Spiritual disciplines help us to practice finding God during times when the fog has cleared.

It’s hard to find God in a moment of panic, but it’s much easier if we’ve already developed a daily pattern of centering ourselves in Him.

It’s easier to release our worries to God at the end of a tough day if we have learned to release every other day to him in an evening prayer.

And it’s a lot less difficult to remain steadfast to God’s call when you have been serving Him in a deliberate and intentional way for months or even for years.

When you encounter a sudden fog bank in life, it can be almost impossible to figure out how to find God in the midst of it all.

Spiritual disciplines help us to reorient us so we can find God’s strength and peace, even in the thickest fog.

What Does Daniel 6:10 Teach Us?

What does Daniel 6 10 teach us?

One of the things it teaches us is that Daniel was committed to serve God even if he was going to suffer for it.

For Daniel, a daily habit of his humbling himself, giving thanks to God was not something that was dispensable.

Daniel is committed to give God thanks even if it was going to cost him his life.

He considered it the single greatest commitment, the single greatest discipline to serve His great God.

Habit of Faith: A Commitment to Prayer

Daniel 6:10 Amplified Bible

10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he went into his house (now in his roof chamber his windows were open toward Jerusalem); he continued to get down on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.

Making that short-termed commitment is not too hard.

It is moving that short termed commitment into that disciplined consistency that comes harder to us—yet it is an essential key to mature spiritual growth.

The often sporadic nature of our commitment is seen in short-lived exercise programs, Bible memorization, reading plans, and New Year’s resolutions.

How many of us start something well, only to later abandon it!

But equally, you and I have probably encountered people who are incredibly consistent and disciplined.

They arrive at work, they walk their dog at the exact same time every day or collect their mail with such precise timing that you could set your watch by it; and when they set themselves to undertake a task or learn a new skill, they do so with a diligence that leaves you in no doubt that they will surely complete it.

“he continued to get down on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.” Daniel was a man who had exhibited such disciplined consistency when it came to his prayer life.

His life was not marked by bursts of enthusiasm followed by chronic inertia.

He clearly prayed whether he felt like it or not.

There were probably times when he got up from his knees feeling really blessed and other times when he left feeling really flat, but in spite of it all, he kept on.

He prayed and he prayed and he prayed, no matter the circumstances.

That’s discipline!

When a crisis hit, it didn’t create Daniel’s disciplined lifestyle; it revealed it.

After King Darius issued an edict that made it illegal to pray to any god or man other than him for thirty days (Daniel 6:7), Daniel could have rationalized his obedience to the king rather than to the Lord.

He could have reasoned that because he’d stored up such phenomenal credit on the strength of all his years of prayer, he could be let off for a month.

Apparently, though, such a thought never even crossed his mind.

Instead, he continued in prayer just “as he had done previously.”

Surely there was a definite and direct and indelible link between Daniel’s life of prayer and the bravery he showed in obeying the God of Israel rather than the “do it now or die” commands of the most powerful king in the known world.

Our Lord told us, too, that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

Luke 18:1 Amplified Bible

Parables on Prayer

18 Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart,

We are not to close prayer down for a while if we don’t feel like it or have little spare time for a season.

If we want to live for Jesus, minister in His name, participate in His Kingdom work even when we are under pressure, our prayer lives must be consistent.

We must come to regard prayer as a fundamental element of our faith, not merely a nice supplement.

The door is wide open for you to demonstrate the same kind of consistent commitment to prayer as Daniel did.

Through regular discipline, prayer can become your natural reaction to every situation in your life.

Be it still resolved, do you still need to set aside a time each day when you will pray and give thanks to your God, come what may?

Wherever God takes us, whatever we do, however His plan unfolds, may our prayers be unceasing.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God of truth, sometimes I not sure if I’m actually hearing your voice, or if it’s just my own thoughts or even another spirit. Sharpen my spiritual hearing, Lord, so I can recognize your words when you are speaking to me. Help me know it’s really you, with no doubt or second-guessing. When I’m asking for your guidance in important decisions, give me your peace that surpasses understanding with your answer. Help me remember that your words to me will never go against your written word in the Bible. Give me a clear mind and push out all my confusion. God, help us to practice finding you, help us to discipline our life, may our day begin and end with you. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Our Question for Today: How DO We Know Our God Is Good? Mark 10:18

Mark 10:17-19 New King James Version

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Jesus’ reply to the rich man here is full of surprises.

First, in response to being called “Good teacher,” Jesus says, “only God is good.”

Was Jesus saying that he is not God?

No, Jesus answered this way because the rich man saw him as just a man—a good man, but still just a man.

As the rich man stood before Jesus, he was also confronted with the fact that he himself was just a man and not as good as he had thought.

Ultimately, only God is good. (And, of course, Jesus himself is good because he too is God, but he is not drawing attention to himself here.)

In our everyday lives, we use the word good to describe all kinds of things.

We say, “Good morning.” We appreciated a good breakfast. Seeing that the weather is good, we go out to work or to play or meet with our good friends.

The Bible, however, mainly uses the word good to refer to what is pure and holy.

The point Jesus is making is that only the perfect and holy God is truly good.

And yet, as we each find forgiveness through Jesus and we are restored to a right relationship with God, we gain the ability to do good and to be good.

All who are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and act for his glory will one day hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (see Matthew 25:21, 23).

Question for Today: How We Know That God Is Good?

Mark 10:17-18 Amplified Bible

The Rich Young Ruler

17 As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?” 18 Jesus said to him, “[a]Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.” Mark 10:18

God is good in so many ways–the way He provides for us, He guides us, and He watches over us–but it goes even deeper than that.

God’s goodness is who he is, and we are created in his image, so, therefore, we share his goodness.

God’s goodness shows up in our lives every single day.

Although we often think of His goodness when something big happens, His goodness abounds all the time–in every hour, minute, and second of the day, in the smallest of things around us – but how do we recognize this goodness?

Here are five examples of God’s goodness in our everyday lives.

1. Waking Us Up

Psalm 5:1-3 New King James Version

A Prayer for Guidance

To the Chief Musician. With [a]flutes. A Psalm of David.

5 Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my [b]meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

Every day that God wakes us up is an example of his goodness.

This means we are still working towards the purpose and gifts He has given us.

It shows us that He isn’t finished with us yet and that we still have a mission to fulfill.

We shall not grumble and complain about getting out of bed and going to work.

We should be happy that we are still breathing and living for him.

Many are worse off than us who need to see our light shining in the world every day.

2. Pouring His Favor on Us

Psalm 5:11-12 New King James Version

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You [a]defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

On the days when we are surrounded by the smallest and most significant of blessings, we know that God is pouring his favor on us.

This can be anything from your coworker bringing you your favorite coffee to your boss calling you in their office to discuss a project or raise or promotion.

We need to pay attention to all the little things in our day, both big and small, that are a blessing to us. A lot of times, it’s the little things that mean so much.

3. Protecting Us

Psalm 121 English Standard Version

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Every continent on earth has mountains.

Some are cold, rugged, and difficult to climb. Others are favorite vacation spots.

Still others are sources of water, timber, and other natural resources.

Those who live within view of a mountain range are reminded daily of God’s greatness and our smallness.

Psalm 121 asks us to consider that same contrast.

Setting out for their trip to Jerusalem for a festival, pilgrims often sang this song to remind each other of the dangers of the journey ahead and of the assurances of God’s protection.

God is greater than any so-called god of the hills or mountains—the Lord God is earth’s Creator.

God is more powerful than any force of the sun or moon—the Lord created them too.

The false gods of other ­nations might have had to take vacations, but not the Lord God Almighty, who never slumbers or sleeps.

When we set off on a journey—whether it is a trip of hundreds of miles or only a few steps—we can remind ourselves, as those pilgrims did, we travel with God.

We need not fear the dangers of the road or threats from others; every step of our way is seen by God, who watches over us.

Our God, the Creator of earth’s highest mountains and deepest valleys—and everything in between—is also the protector of our small lives.

4. Speaking to Us through Prayer

Psalm 66:16-20 English Standard Version

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on[a] my tongue.[b]
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!

Prayer is our most powerful connection to God.

It is how we express our thanks and gratitude, make our petitions known, and intercede for others.

Sometimes we get an answer of “yes,” sometimes, “no” and sometimes, “wait.”

Sometimes, He gives us specific instructions and, sometimes, He is silent.

Other times, He speaks to us and provides us with an answer in the most surprising of ways.

No matter what, He always answers, and we need to look for those answers every day.

In issues big and small, He will often nudge our hearts and draw our attention in the right direction.

5. Guiding Us

Psalm 31:1-4 English Standard Version

Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

31 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    in your righteousness deliver me!
2 Incline your ear to me;
    rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
    a strong fortress to save me!

3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
    and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
    for you are my refuge.

We make a thousand little decisions a day, everything from deciding whether we will do our tasks well or whether or not to take on a ministry or a mission.

Sometimes, in our decision making we have to slow down, determine whether an opportunity is right or wrong for us and if we should follow a particular path.

In these moments, God is guiding us.

We need to stop, take a breath and pay attention.

How do we feel in our hearts?

How do we feel in our gut?  

We need to be still and listen to that small voice we know so well.

Listen to him whispering to our hearts about what choices are right for us.

Pay attention to the signs He sends us.

This is his way of guiding us and nudging us to our best selves, so that we may live in the gifts and graces we have been given and the purpose He has for us.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 English Standard Version

The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]
3     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
    for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[c]
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely[d] goodness and mercy[e] shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell[f] in the house of the Lord
    forever.[g]

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Recognition of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Day; As His Message, as God’s Message, Is Now Committed Unto All Of Us. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 Easy-to-Read Version

16 From this time on we don’t think of anyone as the world thinks of people. It is true that in the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks. But we don’t think that way now. 17 When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world.[a] The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Dr. Martin Luther King and the Kingdom Of God

In the United States today we commemorate the life and work of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK).

As well we should.

Dr. King stood before the thousands who had gathered – said he had a dream …

A significant God-sized dream …

Dr. King dreamed about the kingdom of God—where the children of former slaves and the children of former slaveowners would see each other as family, and the message; where everyone would share equally in freedom and justice.

Dr. King also did what he could to influence people to refocus their mindsets into God, so to make that kingdom dream real, even at the cost of his own life.

Even today, we are challenged mightily to be true unto that same dream to see all people not by the color of their skin as Christ saw people, but God’s children.

In a word, reconcile the world to God.

As if God Himself is communicating to His Creation … through His Son and through his messengers like Dr. Martin Luther King … His desired message …

Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian followers that the word of reconciliation has been committed to us by God and that God makes His appeal through us.

He is in us.

Emmanuel, God with Us …

Emmanuel, God within us …

John 14:15-17 Easy-to-Read Version

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, you will do what I command. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper[a] to be with you forever. 17 The Helper is the Spirit of truth.[b] The people of the world cannot accept him, because they don’t see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you.

And He’s doing it, and that is what saves us from fear and from uncertainty and stumbling from mistakes in the work of witnessing.

Our reasoned logic, our wisest arguments, and so on are of no effect whatsoever in this topic, except as they be the living expression of the Holy Spirit within us.

He will do his work; all we need to be is to be bold enough, courageous enough, ready enough to respond to the situation, depending on Jesus to do His work.

This relieves one of the greatest fears that keep people from witnessing.

It should help us tremendously to realize that we do not have to pump up our courage, “to gird our own loins” and tackle a situation in which we hardly know what we are coming into at all – because we know that God is already on the job.

We may be talking to somebody that is a stranger to us.

We do not know what their background is, what their ability is, what their mental acumen is, or anything of the sort.

We do not need to know.

All we need to know about or do is just carry on a normal conversation about ordinary things.

If we can but look to the Lord to find an opening to insert just a word that will switch the conversation over toward the things of Christ, that may lead the time towards deeper conversation about the deeper things, more meaningful things.

If this is a prepared heart, that person will respond.

If it is not one that the Holy Spirit has prepared, then they just won’t respond.

Therefore, the work of testifying and witnessing to God’s message is impossible until the Holy Spirit has made the person ready to receive God’s message alone.

We do not practice this work of witnessing without realizing that sometimes the initial response is sometimes different than what we would hope, expect.

One may discover that the person is often belligerent at first, but has a hungry heart underneath.

One learns to be quick at perceiving that and paying no attention to what he says, but instead speaking to what he is displaying in their own inner hunger.

But any kind of response is a good response, an open door opportunity as long as it is an open door by which you could pursue the subject deeper and further.

We do not need to pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts.

He is already preparing them.

He has them prepared all around us.

Jesus said, Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest (John 4:35).

These prepared, hungry hearts, hearts yearning for answers, are all around us.

Our ministry and mission is simply to be so available to the Lord, that as we have the kingdom opportunity to make contact from day to day, we can be used of Him to find who they are, learn about them, and carry this witness forward.

As children of God, we represent the family of God, whether we are aware of it or not.

The world will judge our Father based on our words, behaviors, and attitudes.

Jesus challenges his followers to let their light shine into the world’s spiritual darkness.

Our deeds, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, will reflect an image of the Father that others will see.

If we are a Christian, we each, without exception, bear the name of Christ.

We represent Jesus quite literally wherever we go.

The Bible goes as far as to call us “Christ’s ambassadors” to the world.

Christ made His appeal to the world through Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King.

In 2024 and beyond, Christ is now making His appeal to the world through us.

He sends us forward to share his transforming love with our neighbors, friends, relatives, coworkers—through every single one we encounter on any given day.

We carry the family name of Jesus Christ wherever we go, in whatever we do.

On this Martin Luther King Day 2024, How well do we carry the name of Jesus?

Walk through today expecting the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to share the truths of Jesus and be an ambassador of reconciliation.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Here is a prayer of Dr. King’s prayers from a collection titled, “Thou, Dear God”: Prayers That Open Hearts and Spirits (edited by Lewis V. Baldwin):

1)  Prayer to forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be

O Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being, we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive. We love our friends and hate our enemies. We go the first mile but dare not travel the second. We forgive but dare not forget. And so as we look within ourselves, we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against you. But thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will. Give us the devotion to love thy will. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen. (p. 7)

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Sit Down, Be Still, Pay Attention, Be Ready, Be Alert and Be Seen By Jesus. Matthew 5:1-2

Matthew 5:1-2 New Living Translation

The Sermon on the Mount

5 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

One day as He saw the crowds gathering …

As many times as I have read this passage, I realize that somehow I have always read past, glossed over, those very first words … One day as HE SAW the crowds.

Now I have to confess I don’t really appreciate the way I learned the Beatitudes.

I’m in my early 60’s now and I think I’m only starting to observe, understand, what’s really happening in this passage at the beginning of The Sermon on the Mount, courtesy of a recently fantastic sermon and sweet, wonderful context.

I’ve been able to by rote rattle off “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek” and most of the rest of them for quite a while.

Because I was given that passage to memorize during my early adult studies.

And it sounded deep, and beautiful, but also a little empty and off.

I’d learned that Matthew 5:2-12 was a passage known as The Beatitudes, and that the word “blessed” being repeated some nine times here meant “happy.”

Okay – that is pretty much all I have ever heard preached or taught about it, it is all any Bible teacher or preacher I have ever had ever really focused – “blessed.”

Except now, as I sit here, as I sat there in that Church pew, sitting still, listening and paying attention and recalling a moving wonderfully preached sermon on the Matthew 25 Christian, I am observing things differently about this passage.

I sat down, I sat still, and I paid attention and I listened to the message as if I was being preached to by Jesus Himself – as if Jesus were looking directly at me.

Now, as I read the Beatitudes passage again, the first words I observe are the one’s which communicate – “that one day, Jesus saw the crowds gathering.”

I sit here writing this devotional with that first verse in my mind and I have to wonder to myself – “If Jesus saw the crowds gathering, how many saw Jesus?”

How many in the gathered crowd were observant enough to see Jesus coming?

How many people in the crowd were observing Jesus as He was observing them?

How many in the crowd knew who Jesus was?

How many actually paid attention to His arrival?

How many sat down versus remained standing giving Jesus their full attention?

I see a new teaching coming to this crowd and I wonder about their attitudes?

I see the people that Jesus saw, I begin to wonder about them as if I was there.

I observe that the people listed here at first didn’t sound very happy to me.

More than that, knowing these words came from Jesus, it sounded as if Jesus was commanding his followers to be mourners and peacemakers, merciful and persecuted – they had heard similar messages from more hypocritical mouths.

I can see their eyes rolling, hear them saying one of those examples of upside-down living in the Kingdom of God we know now were part of Christ’s teaching.

But something entirely different happened here – the people sat down, they sat still, they paid attention to the teacher, they listened, they were seen by Jesus.

Think about where this passage appears.

These are the FIRST WORDS of The Sermon on the Mount.

The very beginning.

The first thing Jesus has to say, what and who He observes, what He did, how he did it, after he “saw the crowds” from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan referenced at the end of Matthew Chapter 4.

He’d been teaching and healing and proclaiming the good news, and many are gathering.

And what kind of people are in this crowd?

I think we know.

We know because this is the introduction to the largest uninterrupted session of teaching we have recorded from Jesus.

And in an introduction, it’s common to address your audience directly.

Its common to want to draw the attention of your audience to your message.

It is common for the writer to want future readers to draw their attention to the moment, into the moment, to get them to sit down, sit still, and to observe the whole scene, to listen, pay attention to message. ultimately, to be seen by Jesus.

Jesus we are told, sees the crowds.

He goes to a higher place from which to see them, then sits down and rests among them.

I can imagine a lot of eye contact and a few deep breaths before Jesus, who sees into their souls and knows every cell of their bodies, speaks right to their hearts and directly into the exact issues of their life that have brought them to his feet.

He gestures to a group gathered nearby and says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

An attention grabber par excellence! What a strange way to start a sermon.

Unless it’s actually the most beautiful way to speak to someone there could possibly be.

Who are the “poor in spirit,” after all?

I never really knew, until I heard a sermon about this Sermon during a time I am being treated for my post open heart surgery anxiety and depression .

For the first time in my life, I certainly related to being “poor in spirit.”

And Jesus continues his way around the crowd, next finding those who are mourning.

His heart breaks for them, too.

Maybe sees someone meek shyly lurking near the edge.

He knows some are there because they have a deep longing for truth and righteousness.

He finds some rich in mercy who may be downtrodden or taken advantage of in life.

He sees the pure and the peacemakers, and know the loneliness these types can experience, but tells them they will see God and be called children – part of his family.

And finally, the persecuted, the cast-out, the misfits, who dare to seek him out anyway.

He sees and addresses them all, all these types who are drawn to want to know God.

HE SEES THEM.

HE SEES THEM ALL

He sees you!

He sees me!

Before Jesus has anything else to say, He sees you.

And what’s more, He knows what you’re going through.

He knows whether you are pure in heart or poor in spirit, that very condition has brought you to him in a way thirsting for self or needing nothing could never do.

And He wants you to know: not only do I see you, not only has your character or your current life situation brought you to me, but I have a nugget for each and every one of you, a warm blanket to your chill, a silver lining to your dark cloud.

You, poor in spirit, you feel ill at ease in this world.

Jesus sees you, and wants you to know, yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.

A time is coming when you’ll know peace and a deep, rich purpose.

There is reason to hold fast in faith.

You, mourner, you feel abandoned and lost.

But Jesus sees you and wants you to know: lean into those who will pamper you, cry with you, feed you and comfort you.

That’s got to be a good, good feeling, and one you’ll certainly be able to hang onto and want deeply, authentically, to reciprocate to others in turn.

You, feeling meek, mild, powerless. Jesus sees you.

He knows things aren’t easy, but he wants you to know you have an inheritance!

The meek in the world are given nothing. Jesus says he plans to give them everything.

Talk about a silver lining.

You, the merciful, Jesus sees you.

He knows your forgiving heart, and he knows maybe this causes you to feel walked over at times.

He also knows you will be shown mercy for having treated others as you would want to be treated.

It goes on and on through the list.

Before Jesus teaches anything, he lets you know he sees you there ready to learn from him, that he appreciates how this very thing has brought you to him, and that there is good news on the flip side of your coin.

What a difference!

Be still, sit still, take a rest on this hillside now and go through The Beatitudes again only this time calmly, quietly, with wisdom and insight, considering what it was that first brought you to the feet of Jesus because: He SAW YOU FIRST!

And observe exactly how that very condition has caused you to be called blessed.

Ask others to observe you – communicate exactly how and what and why they see and observe how that condition has caused you to be called, to feel, blessed.

Happy.

Amen.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 The Message

121 1-2 I look up to the mountains;
    does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

3-4 He won’t let you stumble,
    your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
    Guardian will never doze or sleep.

5-6 God’s your Guardian,
    right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
    sheltering you from moonstroke.

7-8 God guards you from every evil,
    he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
    he guards you now, he guards you always.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Our Heart Versus Our Awesome God! God’s Hammer Will Soften Our Heart. Jeremiah 23:29

Jeremiah 23:28-29 The Message

28-29 “You prophets who do nothing but dream—
    go ahead and tell your silly dreams.
But you prophets who have a message from me—
    tell it truly and faithfully.
What does straw have in common with wheat?
    Nothing else is like God’s Decree.
Isn’t my Message like fire?” God’s Decree.
    “Isn’t it like a sledgehammer busting a rock?

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

In this ancient text, the Prophet Jeremiah uses two startling images to describe the Word of God.

It is like a fire and it is like a sledge hammer.

Both are images of power -almost of danger.

The point is that this Word of God, the Message of God is not to be treated lightly, or indifferently, but handled with extreme care.

In the context Jeremiah is preaching against false prophets.

And the warning in v28 is serious news for all preachers: “Let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.”

The analogy used here by Jeremiah of God’s Word being “like a hammer which shatters a rock” likely has the sense of the power of God’s Word in shattering and breaking up the hardness of our hearts.

John Gill, a Puritan writer commented on this passage,

“to which the heart of man may be compared, being hardened by sin, confirmed in it; destitute of spiritual life; stupid and senseless; stubborn and inflexible; on which no impressions are made, and is impenitent and inflexible; see (Zechariah 7:12); now the word of the Lord, in the hand of the Spirit, is a means of breaking such hard hearts.”

In a word, God’s Word breaks the rock of “SELF” into pieces, so God can shape, break apart, break down and then work His purposes out in our life, making it possible for us to be sculpted into usefulness for His own kingdom purposes.

I am sure we have all dealt with a hard heart and so need the hammer of God’s Word to do a major softening work in breaking down the hardness of our heart.

God’s Hammer Softens Our Hearts

Jeremiah 23:28-29 Amplified Bible

28 The prophet who has a dream may tell his dream; but he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat [for nourishment]?” says the Lord. 29 “Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]?” says the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks the [most stubborn] rock [in pieces]?

Have you heard of God’s indestructible hammer as described in Jeremiah 23:29?

If not, you may never have thought or been taught or preached to of God’s Word being like a powerful hammer.

The Old Testament often describes how at times, the Israelites hearts had hardened towards God. 

Zechariah 7:12 explains, “They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.”

To have an adamant or hard heart describes a person who simply refuses to be persuaded, who is steadfast and unmovable or unshakeable in their thinking.

In Scripture, it refers to the spiritual condition of a person who is rebellious towards God’s law and His words.

By describing their heart condition as hard as flint, the hardest of stones and used to cut other rocks, meant their hearts were hardened to the point where they were too hard to receive God’s law, to be carved or to receive His words.

Yet God’s hammer, His Word, is able to judge the hardest of heart. It’s able to infiltrate into the deepest part of man’s heart and bring to light true motives, thoughts, and attitudes.

Can we imagine such a hammer, His hammer is able to break the unbreakable kind of rock, to utterly shatter man’s stubbornness and arrogance against God.

As Hebrews 4:12 describes, “For the word of God is alive 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.”

R.C. Sproul writes, “God’s hammer smashes not just the icons of the world around us; it also smashes the idols of my heart. It is hard, heavy, even painful, precisely because of the love of the One who wields it. He has promised to forgive me for my hard heart but has also promised to soften it.”

Ezekiel 36:26 reveals God’s desire towards men, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and you a heart of flesh.”

Like a physical hammer shatters when hard swung, God’s hammer demolishes spiritual strongholds as 2 Corinthians 10:4 explains “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

With God’s hammer, as 2 Corinthians 10:5 describes, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

God’s Word in Our Heart Comes Alive in Our Lives

There is power in the Word of God.

It is empowered with His living energy.

In the pages of Scripture, we read the story of life… life as God created it… life as God sustains it… life as God will forever reign over it.

All Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). 

Its origin is divine… originating in the mind of the all-wise and omniscient One.

It is Truth in its purest form.

The Holy Spirit gave God’s true and holy words to the authors of Scripture.

God’s Word has been cherished by believers throughout history.

We, too, are to treasure it as the very words of God for us personally.

By it we learn to grow in His love and grace.

“’Is not My word like fire?’ says the Lord, ‘And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’” – Jeremiah 23:29

How is God’s Word like fire?

Fire burns away the brush, the chaff in our lives.

All wrong thinking, beliefs, ideas, motives are set ablaze as we read God’s Word.

False doctrine is reduced to ashes as as we are correctly taught the truth, as we learn how to live the Truth (1 Corinthians 3:13).

Fire melts away the dross, the sin in our lives (Zechariah 13:9). 

When silver is melted and the impurities burned away, it gleams and reflects light.

As we become more pure, more Christlike by applying God’s Word to our lives, we better reflect our Savior.

Fire gives light to open our eyes to our own unrighteousness (Romans 3:23). 

We see how desperately we need a Savior.

God’s Word shows us how we are to live.

It enlightens our spiritual path (Psalm 119:105). 

Through it, God reveals His will for our lives.

Fire radiates the warmth of God’s love for us.

In God’s Word we discover His undying love and faithfulness.

In its richness, we find His comfort and encouragement (Zephaniah 3:17).

Our faith is strengthened.

Fire sets a flame in our hearts for God.

Through His Word our spiritual zeal is ignited (Jeremiah 20:9). 

We desire to share all that God has done for us. We long to tell the Good News of salvation in Christ to the lost.

How is God’s Word like a hammer?

A hammer breaks up the hardened, unhumble heart… a heart hardened by sin.

The Truth of God’s Word reveals our need for repentance.

Our hearts of stone crumble in the presence of our Redeemer (Ezekiel 36:26).

A hammer shatters all pride and stubbornness.

In God’s Word, we see how far we fall short of His holiness and perfection.

We read of our humble, loving Savior who was bruised and broken for us.

With broken and contrite hearts (Psalm 51:17), we seek to emulate Him.

A hammer smashes the worldliness in our lives.

God’s Word shows us how kingdom values contrast with worldly values.

It crushes our earthly, temporal desires.

We come to live life with God’s perspective… storing up heavenly, eternal treasures (Matthew 6:20).

A hammer destroys the evil in our lives.

God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit we use to resist the evil one (Ephesians 6:17). 

The power of His Word demolishes the strongholds of the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Nothing can stand against His mighty Word.

“My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” – Isaiah 55:11

God reveals Himself to us through His Word.

His revelations give our finite minds a glimpse into all that is infinite… holy… eternal – we gain not just head knowledge but Spirit wisdom.

Anyone can read the Bible and gain information.

Yet only the divine inspiration and revelation of the Holy Spirit can take this information and cause transformation in our lives.

We begin to transform into the likeness of Christ from the inside out.

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.” – Luke 11:28

In His Word, God not only gives us the guidelines for a life in His favor, protection and blessing.

He also promises to come alongside us personally through His Spirit, giving us the power and courage to live out His guidelines in our daily walk.

For when God’s mighty Word lives in our hearts, it comes alive in our lives.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Living Word, Lord of wisdom, I sometimes, well, actually most times, I am finding understanding the Bible to be difficult. I know you want me to apply your word to my life. I thank you for giving me your word so I can grow in my relationship with you. Holy Spirit, Help me grasp what you want me to know as I read your revealed word. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Be my teacher, so I can learn to apply them, live and obey your word. Thank you for your wise advice. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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As We Have Accepted Christ Into Our Lives: Freedom From Worldly Rules. Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 2:6-7 New Living Translation

Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Parents quickly understand the necessity of rules in order to keep children safe.

Six years ago, when I ventured into pre-school teaching for four and five year old’s, I learned for toddlers, the rules are very simple but often life or death!

Rules like listen to your mom and dad, listen to your teachers, sit up straight, don’t run out into the street; don’t touch a hot stove; don’t run into a burning campfire; don’t jump into the water without a life jacket before you can swim …don’t get lost.

When they reach school age, the rules include manners- respecting their teachers and other adults in their lives; and honesty, reading, and studying hard for tests instead of their peering over onto another classmate’s paper.

As they grow older, and they observe people, the rules become a more tangled mess of life, morality we, ourselves, struggle alongside our kin to maintain.

At any age, rules more often allow us to frame how we become the best version of ourselves rather than always inhibiting us from experiencing life to the full. 

A rule, as a noun, is defined as a principle or regulation governing conduct, an action, procedure, arrangement, etc.

As a verb, to rule means to control or direct; to exercise domination power, to have authority, or influence over; to govern.

I found it interesting that the heading before today’s verses, in the NLT translation of the Bible, reads: “Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ.” 

Jesus didn’t come to abolish the necessary growth we obtain through following rules; He came so we would have freedom, “to be free indeed,” to benefit from complete obedience, though we cannot obtain perfection this side of heaven.

Christ Jesus makes up for our lack.

Freedom From Rules?

Matthew 5:17-18 The Message

Completing God’s Law

17-18 “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.

Two spiritual poisons are deadly to the soul: legalism and lawlessness.

Legalism implies that God loves and accepts us because of our performance.

We ingest this toxin when we look favorably at our own brief history of good behavior and think and then (gasp) come to believe that’s why God loves us.

Lawlessness says we are free to live however we wish because God’s love is not based on our good works.

We ingest this toxin anytime we brush aside the importance of obedience to God or we self reason and self rationalize then (gasp) minimize some sin in our life.

Jesus warns against both.

To those who insist that God’s law is unimportant, Jesus says he has come to obey God’s law perfectly.

Obedience to God matters so absolutely much that Jesus had to keep God’s commandments perfectly (fulfilling the law) so that we might have salvation.

At the same time, also Jesus warns that if we try to gain God’s approval based on our moral and ethical performance, our goodness must then surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law – “be the wisest above everyone’s eyes.”

They were high and mighty religious authorities and experts famous for their “obedience to the law” but still so far from perfect, as Jesus often pointed out.

The Gospel is that although we cannot obey God’s law, Jesus fulfilled it for us.

Then he was punished for our sake as a law-breaker so that God might view us as law-keepers!

As the gospel truly lives in us, may we live a life of obedience to God that flows from deep gratitude to Jesus, who frees us from both legalism and lawlessness.

Freedom from rules, through Christ, releases the pressure of a burden we can never hope live up to. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, willing to walk out the will of His Father to free us from the burden of our own sin …and lack of obedience.

Though our hearts are often in the right place as we wake each day to follow Jesus, we carry with us a hopeless entanglement of sin that trips into our daily lives and then, prayerfully rolls over into our confession of them in the next.

Grace-filled and unfailing in love for us, God made a way for us to be forgiven and a chance to repent …to change. 

From the Parable of the Sower, we know that seedling planted in the ground slowly makes its way up through the soil and breaks through to see the sun.

Our lives are a continual process of blooming where we are planted.

Paul uses the illustration of our “being rooted in Christ,” the Life Application Bible explains, “Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through their roots, we draw our life-giving strength from Christ.

Colossians 2:6-7 The Message

From the Shadows to the Substance

6-7 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

The more we raise up, draw our strength from him, the less we will be fooled or entangled by those who falsely claim to have life’s answers apart from Christ.”

Our Life Now On God’s Terms, New Life In Christ.

Romans 8:1-2 The Message

The Solution Is Life on God’s Terms

8 1-2 With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

Today’s verses from Paul’s letter to the Colossians I pray encourage us to keep raising up, a life straining for the light and to let our roots grow down into Him.

Perennials are those plants that return year after year and spread out each time they come back to life in the Spring.

I like to plant things that tend to grow and spread out without my obvious lack of a green thumb to hindering their life cycle.

What begins as a spacious garden soon overflows with fresh wildflowers.

I love giving nature a space to take over in my yard and plodding out to pick fresh blooms each day as more and more cut through to the light of the sun. 

Our lives are new every day, just as God’s mercy is new every day.

He is faithful to complete His promise of our new life in Christ.

We are a new creation in Him, and it doesn’t happen overnight!

A bulk of the change occurs progressively over time, season after season, and year after year.

“New life in Christ starts and continues when we acknowledge Him as leader over all we are and do,” just as the Life Application Study Bible explains;

“Then we must accept his leadership daily by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in the faith.” 

Intersecting Faith and Life

Ephesians 2:16-22 The Message

16-18 Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.

19-22 That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.

Today’s verses talk of freedom in Savior Christ overflowing with thankfulness as a result of the truth we are being taught.

Gratitude is a natural by-product of knowing God.

It’s impossible to know Him and not be able to grasp gratitude, even in the worst and hardest of times.

Today’s beautiful verses, written by the apostle Paul, I pray remind us all of the amazing gift of freedom we have as we embrace life within the love of Christ.

If ever we find ourselves feeling burdened by rules, we can be assured the guilt is not rooted in Him!

But freedom is.

We are free to admit our weaknesses, run to Him in our lack, and know without a doubt He sacrifices His perfect life so we could live ours to the full.

He is with us, always.

Let’s release the pressure, follow Jesus, allow our roots to grow down in Him, and our lives be built on Him.

Let’s proclaim freedom, embrace the promise Paul penned: Then our faith will grow strong in the truth we are taught, and we will overflow with thankfulness.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,  

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 The Message

16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
    I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
    Without you, nothing makes sense.

3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
    what splendid friends they make!

4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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The One Invitation of All Invitations: ‘O Come On, My Soul, Let’s Listen to God, Come, Let Us Rest in God Alone. Psalm 62

Psalm 62 New King James Version

A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God

To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

62 Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my [a]defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.[b]

3 How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
4 They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah

5 My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my [c]expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be [d]moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

9 Surely men of low degree are [e]a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
10 Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

11 God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
12 Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You [f]render to each one according to his work.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Matthew 11:28 New King James Version

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Whenever you receive invitations, you probably find yourself asking the same sorts of questions: Who is it from? Who is it for? Why does it matter?

This verse presents one of the loveliest invitations in the whole of the New Testament—but to understand it best, we must ask those same questions.

First, this is a personal invitation.

It is not an invitation to a program, nor is it an invitation to a religion or to a philosophy to be included alongside Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, New Age-ism, humanism, or any other “ism” found among today’s worldviews.

It is an invitation from Jesus Himself – He is bidding each of us, “Come to me.”

The significance of the invitation lies in who is issuing it.

In the Gospels, Jesus declares who He is: the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Son of God (see John 4:25-26; 1 John 4:14).

By virtue of this identity, Jesus should anticipate, should expect, even could command an instant response—but instead, here – He extends an invitation.

And who does He invite to come? “All who labor and are heavy laden.”

This invitation is all-inclusive.

It doesn’t single out a certain group among a larger group based on arbitrary standards invented by academia and culture, but it describes all of humanity.

Each of us absolutely need to hear these words over again, because there’s not one person who isn’t figuratively pushing around a wheelbarrow filled with all the cares, responsibilities, fears, and failures that surely make up his or her life.

Why does all this matter? Jesus invites us to find “rest for your souls.”

He’s speaking in eternal terms of a rest that never fails.

He’s beckoning us towards a banquet, He doesn’t even ask us to provide clothes.

We show up for the banquet just the way we are.

God takes all our “Here are my fears, doubts” and “Here are my good deeds” clothes so many of us like to dress up in, calls them rags, and tosses them aside.

He takes all the self deprecating self debasing “I’m so bad and messed up that there’s no hope” clothes and unceremoniously tosses all of them aside too.

In their place, He covers us over with “the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10), which is provided by Jesus Christ Himself.

When we find our doubts weighing us down like a millstone, we can rest from our striving to make something of ourselves or to earn heaven for ourselves when we come to Jesus, receive all we need, all we could ever need, from Him.

This is the invitation of all invitations that our doubts do not want any part of.

O’ Come On, My Soul, Let’s Listen, Let’s Rest In God!

Psalm 62 Easy-to-Read Version

To the director, Jeduthun.[a] A song of David.

62 I must calm down and turn to God;
    only he can rescue me.
2 He is my Rock, the only one who can save me.
    He is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me.

3 How long will you people attack me?
    Do you all want to kill me?
I am like a leaning wall,
    like a fence ready to fall.
4 You want only to destroy me,
    to bring me down from my important position.
It makes you happy to tell lies about me.
    In public, you say nice things,
    but in private, you curse me. Selah

5 I must calm down and turn to God;
    he is my only hope.
6 He is my Rock, the only one who can save me.
    He is my high place of safety, where no army can defeat me.
7 My victory and honor come from God.
    He is the mighty Rock, where I am safe.
8 People, always put your trust in God!
    Tell him all your problems.
    God is our place of safety. Selah

9 People cannot really help.
    You cannot depend on them.
Compared to God, they are nothing—
    no more than a gentle puff of air!
10 Don’t trust in your power to take things by force.
    Don’t think you will gain anything by stealing.
And if you become wealthy,
    don’t put your trust in riches.
11 God says there is one thing you can really depend on, and I believe it:
    “Strength comes from God!”

12 My Lord, your love is real.
    You reward all people for what they do.

Psalm 62 is a window into David’s heart and reminds us to trust in God alone.

Like many of the psalms he wrote, David starts with praise and God’s Truth before he navigates into his struggles and emotions.

Even in 2024, it is an intelligent strategy that is abundantly helpful to all of us.

Spending time daily in God’s Word helps us view life through His perspective. 

The psalmist states that because God is his rock, salvation, and stronghold, he won’t be shaken (verses 1-2).

As the Psalmist reflects further upon trouble, his doubts and the enemy, David prays, counsels his own heart to entrust all fear and frustration into God’s care.

As if to go heart to heart with his innermost self to plead, “O’ Come on, my soul, let’s listen to what God says about this,” he remembers what he has learned:

Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah Psalm 62:5-8

The Psalms remind us that God created us with feelings and emotions that help us respond to life’s experiences.

They are beautiful because God created them.

Doubts cause us to question who, what and why standing in front of us.

Sadness helps us respond to grief.

Fear helps us flee danger.

Anger helps us respond to injustice.

Best of all, love leads us to express care and affection.

However, the fall of man has tainted emotions like these with sin, and we often automatically default to our human nature, which can absolutely keep us from experiencing the purity and peace we can have in our Lord and Savior Christ.

Here, we get stuck in feelings like fearfulness, hopelessness, and unforgiveness instead of freedom.

Feelings can begin to define, box us in rather than help us process and emote.

Yet, praise the Lord because of the finished work of Jesus at Calvary; we can live free rather than stuck or enslaved to sin. (John 19:28-30)  

As we read throughout the Psalms, over a lifetime David learned God’s Truth.

Amid the struggle, he listens to God’s Truth.

Beautifully, he then leads others to rely on God’s Truth.

As it says in Psalm 62:8, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah”  

Learn!

Listen!

Invite!

Lead others!

By the power of the Holy Spirit, this is the beautiful pattern of writing God’s Word on our hearts, weaving His wisdom into our souls, so that we have it to anchor and encourage ourselves and can then share the good news with others. 

Life absolutely, abundantly challenges us for the rest of our days here on earth.

It’s okay to feel, but by the transformative power of the Word of God, but as a child of God, we don’t have to live stuck in a downward spiral or a stagnant pit.

Whether we have a friend nearby to sit with us as we process our emotions or whether you sit alone today, cling to what God says about your circumstances.

Think about the words you might tell a friend going through the same thing.

We are too hard on ourselves, and perhaps today, you need to give yourself the grace and pep talk anchored in God’s Truth that you would give a friend today.

“O’ Come on, my soul, let’s listen to God! O’ Come, Let Us Rest in God Alone!”

Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee—
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.[1]

1 Charlotte Elliot, “Just As I Am, Without One Plea” (1835).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 100 Easy-to-Read Version

A song of thanks.

100 Earth, sing to the Lord!
2 Be happy as you serve the Lord!
    Come before him with happy songs!
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    He made us, and we belong to him.
    We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.
4 Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him.
    Enter his courtyards with songs of praise.
    Honor him and bless his name.
5 The Lord is good!
    There is no end to his faithful love.
    We can trust him forever and ever!

Father God, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who counsels me and ministers to my heart and my soul daily. Friends are a gift and a blessing, but none can fill the perfect friendship of Your Son, Our Savior Jesus Christ. Help my soul to always listen to your Truth. Settle my soul, Help me speak kind words and thoughts to myself that are gentle, encouraging—just as I would walk with, talk to, a friend in need today. 

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Togetherness in Christ: ‘Deliverance When We Doubt’ — Isaiah 43:18-19

Isaiah 43:16-21 New Living Translation

16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
    making a dry path through the sea.
17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
    with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
    their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

18 “But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
19 For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
    the jackals and owls, too,
    for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
    so my chosen people can be refreshed.
21 I have made Israel for myself,
    and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

I don’t know where we find ourselves emotionally today.

But I do know that, being human, we are finding ourselves locked into some emotional state that we cannot seem to shake as easily as we would like to do.

Life seems to guarantee that we will face significant times when we feel alone, abandoned, under attack, forgotten, targeted, under siege, and overwhelmed.

In such difficult times, I like to remind myself of three biblical truths:

Jesus felt abandoned on the cross (Matthew 27:46) even though He knew God would never abandon Him (John 16:32). 

We need to acknowledge that our feelings are real and sometimes raw, even too raw, but they are not always correct.

Jesus’ “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” expressed how He felt.

But reading the rest of Psalm 22 it goes on to describe the horrors of the cross that the Lord knew were coming on Him, yet finishes with the truth of what God was going to accomplish through His death on the cross and His resurrection.

We do not have to believe our feelings and doubts.

We can express them to God and remind ourselves of God’s promises.

When we have difficulty believing, we can cry out like the father who desperately wanted to believe that Jesus could heal His son and said,

“I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

We can look back on God’s history of work with His people and see how God repeatedly delivered His people through harsh times — Israel from Egypt through the plagues and the Red Sea are but one of many examples.

Even John the Baptizer’s ministry that led to the coming of Jesus seems to be foreshadowed in today’s passage. (Mark 1:1-8)

And, as Mark’s narrative reminds us as God’s people in His Gospel word, despite all the worst, there is room for our publicly declaring over the very worst of personal doubts; “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 

We have the God Who is “about to do something new” to deliver His people!

Isaiah 43:18-19 New Living Translation

18 “But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
19 For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

We have the promise of God’s permanent presence in us and with us made clear by Jesus (John 14:15-17) the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 13:5-6), from Apostle Paul. (Romans 8:32-39)

Those promises are forever sealed by Jesus’ loving sacrifice for us to deliver us from sin, death, and hell.

John 19:28-30 New Living Translation

The Death of Jesus

28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”[a] 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

And, as Paul reminds us, that if God would allow the gift of His Son to save us, will not He also give us all the things we need to get us home to Him, as well? (Romans 8:31-34)

Romans 8:31-34 New Living Translation

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Dear brother or sister in Jesus, don’t let the devil’s deceiving words, personal doubts, or the voices of cynics, skeptics, and haters rob you of your confidence.

Your Father in heaven is the God of new things – after all, He Created them all!

John 1:1-5 New Living Translation

Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word

1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]
    and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness can never extinguish it.[b]

When the doubts assail, take heart my friends, take refuge in the heart of God.

Nothing in this life is so stuck the Lord will not provide us a new way forward!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Father, I do believe, but help my unbelief. I want to trust in Your deliverance in my current circumstances as I read about those great acts of salvation. You performed to deliver Your people in the past. I need the Holy Spirit to help me sense Your presence and infuse me with the power to endure as I place my faith in You, not listen to my doubts, circumstances, and enemies. I pray all this in the authoritative name of Jesus.

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When God Is Doing Something New, and We’re Still Stuck in the Old Stuff. Isaiah 43:18-19

Isaiah 43:16-21 The Message

16-21 This is what God says,
    the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
    who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
    they lie down and then can’t get up;
    they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
    don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
    It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,
    rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’
    —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
    rivers through the sunbaked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
    the people I made especially for myself,
    a people custom-made to praise me.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Sometimes… truthfully, more often than we I believe actually realize, God is wanting to do, reveal, something “new” and yet we’re still stuck in the “old.”

It’s hard at times.

To let go.

It is not so hard at times … refuse to give up any control over what we value, even if what we have valued so highly has pretty much all of lost its shelf life.

Of what’s familiar, and what we know, of what has always worked best for us.

It seems easier to stay “comfortable,” to stay in control, or give the illusion of staying in control, to just keep going with the flow, so not to mess anything up.

But then “new” happens, and it often sends us spiraling, on one big, long loop.

For those adrenaline junkies who 100% love change – “new” is mostly exciting.

For those who don’t like change and 100% resist it- “new” is mostly stressful.

Your home, your family, or workplace if you’re like most, or anyone who thinks and believes far more differently than you is probably a mix of those two traits.

But here’s what I love about God.

Isaiah 55:8-11 The Message

8-11 “I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

He always thinks and always works far outside our own finite box of thinking.

He doesn’t always work in the ways that we would have chosen for our “new.”

If we had to have a “new.”

He always sees the big picture.

He always knows what He’s doing.

He always works behind the scenes of life that unfold our every day, in the unexpected places where we can’t always see or understand all the “why’s.”

1 Corinthians 2:9-13The Message

6-10 We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That’s why we have this Scripture text:

No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
What God has arranged for those who love him.

But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.

10-13 The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.

So we can trust…that He has our best in mind.

That He’s got our back.

He’s with us right now.

And He’s secured our future too.

Sometimes our “new” comes out of great blessing, new opportunities.

And sometimes it comes through great pain, huge loss.

People move, life happens, decisions are made, many change jobs, kids grow up, and there are times we might go through some really tough struggles.

We may even start to feel cheated.

Like life is unfair.

But it still breathes this truth: God is not finished with our lives yet.

We are still here.

And on a never ending basis, He has great purpose in all that we walk through, even in every life change and season.

Whether we recognize it or not, we’re rubbing shoulders everyday with people that we needed to meet in our “new,” however hard that new thing might be.

We can rest in His care for us.

He knows.

He sees.

He works in ways we do not always “get,” but there’s a special place of peace in our knowing, in our acknowledgment that we don’t have to try to control it all.

By these ancient yet still relevant words from Isaiah 43:18-19 God says we can let go – of the need to figure it all out, and the striving to make things happen.

We can trust Him.

Our future awaits, and there’s still good around the bend. God has more in store.

Intersecting Faith and Life – The Joy of Forgetting

Isaiah 43:18-19 Easy-to-Read Version

18 So don’t remember what happened in earlier times. Don’t think about what happened a long time ago, 19 because I am doing something new! Now you will grow like a new plant. Surely you know this is true. I will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow through that dry land.

Do you like new stuff?

Many of us do.

Part of the excitement for kids as they open presents at Christmas or on their birthday is that they’re getting something new and hopefully more exciting.

Older family members may get excited about new clothing, a new vehicle, or new tools for the workshop, even the fresh smell of new carpet in their home.

Yes, we like new things.

But, and it bears to be repeated that it’s also possible to get stuck in the past.

Some of us may have a nostalgic hope that we can recover the “good old days,” and others of us may be locked face to face with a past we simply can’t ­escape.

Maybe we feel stuck by the circumstances of a broken home, made bad financial choices, stuck on sins we now regret, or of an injustice that has been done to us.

Though Christians do not and should not ­ever ignore the hardcore lessons of their past, Isaiah 43:18-19, faith in Christ always challenges us to look forward.

Our goal is not and should not be exclusively “change for the sake of change,” as if instantly new things by themselves could give us 1% hope and fulfillment.

But these ancient yet always relevant words from Isaiah 43:18-19 reminds us of the only One who brings lasting change: “I am doing a new thing!” God says.

Take a photograph of the old stuff and frame it because we can each find joy in forgetting our past only when our future rests on the change Christ works in us.

Philippians 3:13-14 The Message

Focused on the Goal

12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

The years are gone, finished, past.

We cannot reclaim them nor can we undo them.

We cannot, should not rest on the great distance those years have brought us.

If and when tomorrow dawns, and we exercise our lungs to breathe, it will be another day, a new opportunity, and the time to show our faith in Jesus as Lord.

It is God’s gift of a new day Let’s journey forward, knowing our God already inhabits the future, promises to provide us refreshment on our journey there.

Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we can experience the joy of forgetting our sinful past (Philippians 3:13-14) pressing on as new people in Jesus Christ.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 40 The Message

40 1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God.
    At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
    pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
    to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
    a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
    they enter the mystery,
    abandoning themselves to God.

4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
    turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”
    ignore what the world worships;
The world’s a huge stockpile
    of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
    compares to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
    and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
    account for you.

6 Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
    that’s not what you’re after.
Being religious, acting pious—
    that’s not what you’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears
    so I can listen.

7-8 So I answered, “I’m coming.
    I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
    you’re throwing for me.”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
    became part of my very being.

9-10 I’ve preached you to the whole congregation,
    I’ve kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn’t keep the news of your ways
    a secret, didn’t keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
    I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
    let the congregation know the whole story.

11-12 Now God, don’t hold out on me,
    don’t hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
    are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
    a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
    I couldn’t see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
    so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

13-15 Soften up, God, and intervene;
    hurry and get me some help,
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
    will be embarrassed and lose face,
So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
    will be heckled and disgraced,
So those who pray for my ruin
    will be booed and jeered without mercy.

16-17 But all who are hunting for you—
    oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you’re all about
    tell the world you’re great and not quitting.
And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing:
    make something of me.
You can do it; you’ve got what it takes—
    but God, don’t put it off.

God of all Creation, God of new beginnings, thank you for a fresh start in Christ. Help us to leave behind our sin and to live joyfully for him. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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