Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
14 Bless those who persecute,[a] bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Think the same thing toward one another; do not think arrogantly[b], but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own sight[c]. 17 Pay back no one evil for evil. Take thought for what is good in the sight of all people. 18 If it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people. 19 Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is so written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,”[d] says the Lord.
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.
It goes without saying that conflict is 100% an inevitable part of our lives, but as followers of Christ we are called to pursue peace and reconciliation.
In the midst of conflict, the Holy Scriptures do not hesitate to admonish us; we will always and forever posses the opportunity to be the first to set that conflict aside and so demonstrate God’s love and bring healing to broken relationships.
Psalm 139:23-24 Authorized (King James) Version
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
When facing conflict, we should always begin by praying to God; examining our own hearts, weeding out our mess, seeking humility. We strive to understand the perspectives of others, to respond with kindness, empathy, and forgiveness. Our goal is not to win arguments but to build bridges and restore relationships.
The process of reconciliation requires patience, grace, and bring an authentic willingness to listen. We invite God to work in us and through us, enabling us to extend forgiveness and to seek restoration. As we yield to the Lord’s guidance, he empowers us to respond with love and wisdom.
In dealing with conflict, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our words and actions. We pray for the courage and the strength to lay down our pride, extend forgiveness, and pursue peace. Through our peacemaking efforts, we reflect the character of Christ and become agents of his reconciliation in a broken world.
As Romans 12:18 writes, whenever and wherever possible we’re called by God to live at peace with everyone. This includes those you get along with and like, and with those you don’t. Does it mean that we endure abuse or abusive situations?
Absolutely not. But it does mean that we, first and foremost go unto the Lord in prayer and pursue professional help for these issues when they arise. You can still love your family from a distance and will still honor the Lord in doing so.
John 16:25-33 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Peace for the Disciples
25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, 27 for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.[a]28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.”
29 His disciples said, “Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have said this to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!”
There is nothing to be ashamed of for acknowledging what you’re experiencing and seeking help. In fact, it’s exactly what the Lord would want us to do! And it’s a wonderful demonstration of the peace of God He asks us all to develop.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Psalm 42 The Message
42 1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep drafts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?”
4 These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life. I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving— celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.
6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar. Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer.
9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, “Why did you let me down? Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?” They’re out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities, Taunting day after day, “Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my 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.
To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
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.
When I visualize a deer, I rather quickly picture the white-tail deer which is commonplace in most of North America.
That default picture in my head could be misleading because in the Bible the word “deer” could mean any one of number of creatures such as an ibex, a gazelle, a mountain goat, and other species in the deer family.
Israel was allowed to eat deer (Deut. 15:22), and, even though it is considered a “clean” (edible) animal, it is nowhere stated to be a sacrificial animal.
They are pictured as beautiful and graceful (Prov. 5:19) and creatures known for their speed, agility, and slender legs.
In Psalm 42, the Psalmist begins with a vivid image:
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Ps. 42:1–2).
This comparison between a deer’s thirst for water and the soul’s thirst for God beautifully captures the essence of our spiritual hunger.
The deer more likely here is in search of water during a season of prolonged drought than one who is frantically trying to escape when it is being hunted.
On a hot day, nothing cools and revives us like water. Whether we drink it, splash our faces with it, or plunge into it—those streams of water refreshes.
Our eyes can thirst for the sight of it and our ears long for the sound of it.
A spectacular waterfall can take our breath away.
There is nothing else in creation like water; it is essential to life.
Our psalmist shares our appreciation.
Stranded far away from God’s temple, which symbolized God’s presence among his people, the psalmist desperately ached to be nearer to God, yearned to be with God in the traditional, non-traditional places of worship. Yet the writer of this Psalm reminded himself that God could always be found close at hand too.
The Psalmist’s expression of deep spiritual longing for God reflects a profound personal awareness of his significant need for divine presence and intimacy.
Deprived of the fresh stream of water that is God, sometimes we try to refill our souls with our tears, but they can’t satisfy our thirst.
Reminding ourselves of what God has done for us in the past can be a refreshing drink; remembering God’s promises can soak us in waves of hope.
When others share stories with us of how God alone has quenched their thirst, they push us into the pool of God’s grace.
These psalms assure us there is plenty of living water to satisfy all our thirst.
Even more, Jesus stands ready at his well of living water, offering us the life-giving Spirit of God as a spring that wells up within us to eternal life (John 4:14).
The Psalmists use of “my soul” in verse 1 instead of just “I” extends the metaphor of thirsting not only for physical water but also for spiritual needs.
Just as water is essential for a deer’s survival, so too is God’s presence essential for our spiritual well-being. The Psalmist’s soul mightily thirsts for the living God, emphasizing that nothing else can ever satisfy this inner spiritual craving.
Have you been refreshed by the water of life?
Go Deeper
Have you ever experienced spiritual dryness and periods of longing?
Do you feel that way today?
Our soul’s thirst for God is a reminder of our dependence on Him and our need to seek His presence continually.
What can you do today to satisfy that need?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Pray with Us …
Psalm 63
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. 9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. 10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. 11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
Lord, we recognize our deep dependence on You. With the Psalmist, we cry out to You: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:2). Satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst, we pray, with the living water of Your Word!
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.
116 I love that Adonai heard my voice when I prayed; 2 because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death were all around me, Sh’ol’s constrictions held me fast; I was finding only distress and anguish. 4 But I called on the name of Adonai: “Please, Adonai! Save me!”
5 Adonai is merciful and righteous; yes, our God is compassionate. 6 Adonai preserves the thoughtless; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 My soul, return to your rest! For Adonai has been generous toward you. 8 Yes, you have rescued me from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling. 9 I will go on walking in the presence of Adonai in the lands of the living. 10 I will keep on trusting even when I say, “I am utterly miserable,” 11 even when, in my panic, I declare, “Everything human is deceptive.”
12 How can I repay Adonai for all his generous dealings with me? 13 I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of Adonai. 14 I will pay my vows to Adonai in the presence of all his people.
15 From Adonai’s point of view, the death of those faithful to him is costly. 16 Oh, Adonai! I am your slave; I am your slave, the son of your slave-girl; you have removed my fetters. 17 I will offer a sacrifice of thanks to you and will call on the name of Adonai. 18 I will pay my vows to Adonai in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courtyards of Adonai’s house, there in your very heart, Yerushalayim.
Halleluyah!
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.
Believing, Even When We Are Afflicted
Psalm 116:5-11 New American Standard Bible
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord watches over the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7 Return to your rest, my soul, For the Lord has dealt generously with you. 8 For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from stumbling. 9 I shall walk before the Lord In the [a]land of the living. 10 I believed when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 I said in my alarm, “All people are liars.”
We long for tranquil lives. We often pray for health, prosperity, and success.
And yet it is often times of physical or spiritual affliction, struggle and difficulty are those which quiet us, push us, bring us, plant us, root us, that much closer to God, along with a significantly greater desire to connect with Him, to humble ourselves to serve Him. That’s a lesson the psalmist brings out in this section.
Afflictions can all too easily result in bitterness, robbing us of joy. As we have already read in Psalm 116, the psalmist has experienced far more than his fair share hardcore trials at the hands of his enemies. Instead of tumbling into the black hole of bitterness, however, the writer gives thanks to God for two things.
First, he has developed a trusting dependence on God. Despite his trials, the psalmist confesses to God: “You are good, and what you do is gracious; I trust you to always be there to watch over me during my times of weaknesses.”
Second, the experience of affliction has driven the psalmist closer to God and more deeply into God’s Word. I long to be obedient, he says. And his search for knowledge and good judgment leads him to affirm the priceless value of God’s Word, saying it is more precious “than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”
How well do we handle our hardest afflictions? We all experience them, and no, they are not easy. In difficult situations—whatever they may be—we can grow closer to God when we search his Word for the comfort and guidance we need.
God’s ear is turned toward us.
Just as my ears heard right away the screams arising from inside my soul, I too knew the sound of my own cries and almost immediately went towards God.
You and I will certainly face devastating trials and afflictions year after year.
Maybe you are in a season right now where it is all about one affliction after another which always seem to be piling up. It would be easy to avoid God during these times or even be angry with God. What if we, instead, we ran to God?
Over the last twenty five years I have learned that running to God is actually the best thing I can do. Why? Because I know, I will trust that God’s ear is always turned toward us. Just as my ears heard right away the scream from my insides , I knew the sound of my cries and prayed they immediately went towards him.
The next verses in Psalm 116 details how much the psalmist suffered in body, mind, and spirit, even facing imminent death, but trusted God was his helper.
I love verse ten because it seems to be the pinnacle of the psalm. He says, “I believed, even when I said, ‘I am severely afflicted.’”
What the psalmist is saying is that he did not shy away from telling God all about his afflictions. The worst pain did not keep him from crying out to God.
And the heartache didn’t keep him from believing in God either. There are many critical truths here, that the psalmist hung onto, even when he was afflicted.
The truths here are things like God’s grace, righteousness, and compassion. (Psalm 116:5)
Where do we those characteristics of God come out in our lives today? Jesus!
Jesus was afflicted, He suffered far more than is imaginable or describable!
Jesus was God’s righteousness for us.
He lived a perfect sinless life because we could not. He allowed His life to take our place so that when God sees you and me, He sees Jesus’ righteousness.
Jesus is also God’s grace to us.
Ephesians 2:8-9 say, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.”
Jesus brought grace because He died on the cross, taking all of our places and punishment for us.
Now, we are saved and brought into God’s family through grace once we accept Him as Savior.
God’s compassion is also evident in Jesus’ life.
Jesus healed the sick, cured the lame, and even rose people from the dead.
It says in Matthew 20:34, “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him.”
Even today, Jesus sits on the throne beside God interceding for us.
Romans 8:34 says, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.”
What unknowable, unsearchable depths’ of compassion for us to think that Christ is always praying and speaking to God the Father about you and me!?
The troubles and hardships we all face, can sometimes cause us to doubt these truths about God.
Does He love me?
Does He care?
Is He really in control?
Those questions can lead us to look to the Bible.
This psalm is a great comfort to us because it does not deny that hard things happen.
Psalm 116 points us to the truth that God is loving, righteous, compassionate, and full of grace. In prayer, we can all come to God and remember these things.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Romans 15:1-13New American Standard Bible
Self-denial in behalf of Others
15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor [a]for his good, to his edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The taunts of those who taunt You have fallen on Me.” 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God [b]who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one purpose and one [c]voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore, [d]accept one another, just as Christ also accepted [e]us, for the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision in behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written:
“Therefore I will [f]give praise to You among the Gentiles, And I will sing praises to Your name.”
10 Again he says,
“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with His people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.”
12 Again Isaiah says,
“There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
After reading Psalm 116, and some verses about Jesus, and from Romans 15 how does this give you any hardcore confidence, go to God with your cries for help?
Knowing God listens to you and hears your prayers, does this cause you to pray more or less? trust more or less? Hope more or less? more fervently or timidly?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the music director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks, So my soul [c]pants for You, God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and [d]appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember these things and pour out my soul within me. For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God, With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.
5 Why are you [e]in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will [f]again praise [g]Him For the [h]help of His [i]presence, my God. 6 My soul is [j]in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the [k]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me. 8 The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go about mourning [l]because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you [m]in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise [n]Him For the [o]help of His presence, my 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.
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,[a] do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”
“Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”
“Shepherd my sheep,” he told him.
17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow 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.
Stuck in the Concrete of Guilt, Restored to Discipleship
On the fateful night Jesus was arrested, Peter had surrendered his discipleship.
Under sudden and overwhelming (perceived) threat, in the High Priest’s courtyard he had hardcore denied three times that he was a follower of Jesus.
Then came the piercing eye to eye contact with His Messiah. When he realized the gravity of what he had just publicly done, Peter went out and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:69-75). He was severely overwhelmed by his shame and guilt.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Lord asked Peter a question. But the question wasn’t “Why did you abandon me when I needed you?” or “Why didn’t you have the guts to stick up for me?” It was simply “Peter, Do you love me?”
Jesus had died on the cross for Peter’s sins.
What he wanted to know, three times now, was whether Peter, looking up from the bottomless pit of his shame and guilt, still loved him. Jesus is saying to him; that Peter’s sins were in the past; Peter’s restored love would shape his future.
When Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus, the conqueror of sin and death, the Lord of life, Restorer of spirits, graciously invited him to once again “gird up his loins” take up his discipleship and follow him into His future.
Psalm 103:11-13 Christian Standard Bible
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
If we were the one’s on the receiving end of this priceless exchange, Jesus doing the same with us, I pray that we recognize that Jesus is astonishingly gracious.
He doesn’t try to bury us, bringing up our past sins, betrayals, or infidelities. He simply wants for us to know “if we love him.” For that makes all the difference.
Anyone ever tried to measure exactly how far distant is the east from the west?
Anyone ever tried measuring exactly how far apart is the north from the south?
Anyone ever measure the exact length, width, height, depths of God’s Creation?
Do I Give Myself Away … So God may, in THEIR fullness, use me?
Isaiah 61:6-7 Christian Standard Bible
6 But you will be called the Lord’s priests; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches. 7 In place of your shame, you will have a double portion; in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. So they will possess double in their land, and eternal joy will be theirs.
Against the backdrop of John 21:15-19, how close do we resemble Peter?
How closely do we identify with the depths, the whole of Peter’s experience?
Are we even .01% ready to sit with Jesus, remaining with him, eating with him, not returning to our catastrophically poor impulse control – but humbling self?
Are we ready to surrender to God 1% the darkest depths of our shame, our guilt?
Are we ready to be confronted by the reality of the disaster we’ve made of self?
Are we prepared to receive the magnitude of change Jesus is offering to Peter?
Do we 1% seek His Restoration with 110% of our hearts, minds, soul, strength?
Are we authentically seeking Jesus?
Do we authentically love him?
Do we 110% realize that He still invites us to go out and serve him today?
Forgiving, Gracious, compassionate, merciful, 100% ready to cast with the very heaviest millstone, our guilt and shame into the deepest depths of the great sea of forgetfulness? Never be seen nor heard from or be remembered ever again?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 Complete Jewish Bible
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams, God, I long for you. 3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God! When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night, while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?” 5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me, how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God, with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for the salvation that comes from his presence. 7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast, I remind myself of you from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. 8 (7) Deep is calling to deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your surging rapids and waves are sweeping over me. 9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace, and at night his song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life. 10 (9) I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy? 11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel as if my bones were crushed, as they ask me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and 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.
16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.[b]
4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
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.
People make all kinds of choices – great, neutral, simple, easy, safe, complex, life and death, tasty (Psalm 34:8) distasteful but necessary, 100% catastrophic.
David says, in the midst of his words about choosing to follow and come under the protection, care, benevolence of God, that many people will inexplicably choose otherwise. They worship, take another god or gods: little gods, or idols.
David observes how they singe mindedly pursue idolatry and how that lifestyle never seems to take long before it reaps a multiplication of big sorrows in lives.
Sorrow is defined as:
A feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.
In the midst of ten other uplifting verses, verse 4 of Psalm 16 is the one sad one.
It does not seem to be a specific rebuke or a call to repentance for the people of God who’ll one day go or they have already gone wayward and become spiritual adulteresses, but a “just saying”, matter-of-fact, or it-is-what-it-is, truthful assessment of the sinful human race that the people of God are surrounded by.
I have not wanted to write on this verse, because it is ugly. It is not good news.
The fact that people “choose otherwise” and “wed themselves” to another god, is greatly distasteful and repulsive to me. It is discouraging and mind-blowing.
But, I get it, that we all need salvation and deliverance. I was not born saved. I was 41 years old and had to be broken (left hip) down and saved and so set free.
I was deceived by my own thoughts and beliefs and my own hatred of God and in bondage to all those lustful things which draw a young man into true misery.
Jesus saved and delivered me. The thought of not serving him is distasteful, but I understand and have compassion for those who are deceived and in bondage.
Humans were designed for relationship with God, the one and only true God.
That relationship involves bowing and kneeling down to and coming under the reign and sovereignty of God, and receiving 24 hours a day 7 day care from God.
From the beginning, we were created in the Image of God to worship, serve God.
We obey God and live our lives before God with one another.
God is good and God is love, by the way.
God does not force people to come into relationship with him.
He relentlessly loves people who have not chosen him and is kind to them.
Yet, many people will still choose to wed themselves otherwise. We are designed to be worshipers and serve God and to be 100% cared for by God.
The idea is we have, of our own free will chosen to be in a covenant relationship with God where we are giving fidelity to God, and we are taken care of by God.
Folks who say, “thanks but no thanks”, to God, then and now, are choosing to make themselves vulnerable to idolatry. By choosing not to follow God, they are open to following someone else. And who, whom you follow is your “god”.
David had to have observed the pagan religions of his geographic area, who did “drink offerings of blood”, and “spoke the names”.
This was the popular pagan idolatry that surrounded Israel.
David, in line with the OT commands, says, “I will not do that”.
Remember the first of the 10 commandments is, “No other gods”, and the second is, “No graven images (carved idol or representation of a god used in worship)”.
Something we observe, is that if a person does not choose God, that they often choose “gods”.
It is easy to see this with people in other religions, especially ones that involve prayer and/or have statues (idols).
Sometimes, people who say they have ‘no religion’ are also choosing another god or gods.
That god or those gods are things like their self, humanism, or libertine-ism, for example. Narcissism is a very popular religion today. Money also gets a lot of worship time. And money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is.
What David is saying in this side-note in Psalm 16, verse 4; is that these other paths that people choose, are paths of deep sorrow, sadness, and grief.
There is no happiness outside of the God of the Bible, the One God, The Creator, and His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Those outside, who have chosen others, can really only distract themselves, get “mood altered”, be in more of a distracted state of mind, and be more and more deceived, then living and becoming deceivers to others who have yet to choose.
Death, destruction, and massive heartache seems to be their only assured and chosen inheritance.
Challenging Situations Where Christians Must Run to God.
Psalm 16:4-6 The Message
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!
In our greatest needs and facing our most difficult obstacles, we desperately need God. It’s urgent we run to Him and not the failing philosophies of man.
Every need we have is answered in who God is.
Here are some (far from all) of the times we need to run to our Father God.
1. Run to God When You Need Wisdom
We aren’t God, and His thoughts and ways are way beyond us (Isaiah 55:8-9).
But that does not mean we shouldn’t run to Him when we get confused, or when we desperately need His perspective for decisions or to deal with tough circumstances.
The writer of Proverbs(3:5-8) we should not lean on our own understanding — our own wisdom — but rather we submit to God and allow Him to direct us.
The wisest place to begin that submission is in the living Scriptures, which offer every manner of guidance for many areas of Christian living (2 Timothy 3:16).
God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3 ).
Paul said we should come to God with all our requests (Philippians 4:6).
That certainly would include a plea for wisdom. James specifically encouraged believers to pray for wisdom or discernment concerning their trials (James 1:5).
James 1:5-8 The Message
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.
When nothing makes sense, or when you struggle to understand, turn to the matchless wisdom of God.
2. Run to God When Fears Assault You
Rather than run in fear or pull inward, Christians are encouraged to press forward with God who reaches out His hand and says, “Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13).
When fears assault, we need courage that comes from His presence.
When afraid, we can run to and trust in Him (Psalm 56:3-4).
God is our refuge, our strength, and our hiding place until the storms of life pass by(Psalm 27:1; 46:1-3; 57:1).
The Son of God advised His disciples concerning fear.
He told them He would supply His own supernatural peace, and then He urged, “do not be afraid” (John 14:27, 16:33).
Even when we must face horrendous circumstances, threaten to swamp us or drown, it is God’s presence and peace that carries us through. (Mark 4:35-41)
When fears mount up and threaten to overcome you, remember the Overcomer, Jesus, who came to bring you salvation and peace.
3. Run to God When Life Seems to Fall Apart(Psalm 42)
How truthful or fake do you believe this statement is:
“It’s easier (harder) to accept God’s providence — His caring provision for us based in His sovereign control — when we’re unchallenged by struggles or loss. But when so many things seem to fall apart at the seams and we instantly, innately, fail to see something positive happen, it’s too close to impossible to see any flicker of light.”
Joni Eareckson Tada has suffered greatly as a quadriplegic and with cancer.
In Is God Really in Control?she wrote about the times we wonder what God is up to when life seems to fall apart.
“Real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives,” but in our own efforts at understanding His character, in trusting His promises, and in leaning on Him and resting in Him for everything as the Sovereign who reigns over us, who always knows exactly what He is doing and always does all things well.”
When we experience pain in life that, from a human standpoint, makes us feel everything is falling apart, it’s wise to turn to, lean on, and rest in Father God.
Nothing takes God by surprise, and nothing is outside the span of His control.
All the details of our story — even those things we cannot understand this side of Heaven — are designed with His holy purposes for us and His glory in mind.
He is sovereign, loving, and good. If you are a follower of Christ, one of the Father’s purposes is to make you more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29), and He can use anything to accomplish that, even things that confuse us or bring us pain.
Keeping always in the forefront of our minds that God alone is in complete control will help us face your greatest troubles.
When life seems to crumble, put on sneakers, run to and take comfort in Him.
God, Our first and best choice for our closest friend
Proverbs 17:17 The Message
One Who Knows Much Says Little
17 Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
One of God’s greatest gifts to humanity is relationships. We are created for relationships; we are all designed by God to be in community with others.
We will meet many people over our lifetime.
With some, we will have no more than brief interactions in passing by, and with others we will have friendly acquaintances.
Still others will become friends, even close friends, and others will become best friends forever companions for life.
With some friends our relationships can feel as close as family, like a brother or sister, and we may love them just like family members.
These are friends who will be there in both good times and bad, triumphs and tragedies, times of joy and times of sorrow.
Did you know that, in Jesus, God is actually our closest friend?
He isn’t a passerby who merely sizes us up, or an acquaintance who enters our life from time to time. Jesus is our brother, our closest friend, who gave up his own life so that we can become the adopted children of God, members of God’s everlasting family, and coheirs in his eternal inheritance (see Romans 8:14-17).
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 The Message
42 1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep drafts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?”
4 These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life. I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving— celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.
6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar. Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer.
9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, “Why did you let me down? Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?” They’re out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities, Taunting day after day, “Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my 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.
14 So he sent horses, chariots and a large army there; they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 The servant of the man of God got up early in the morning; on going outside, he saw an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. His servant said to him, “Oh, my master, this is terrible! What are we going to do?” 16 He answered, “Don’t be afraid — those who are with us outnumber those who are with them!” 17 Elisha prayed, “Adonai, I ask you to open his eyes, so that he can see.” Then Adonai opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw: there before him, all around Elisha, the mountain was covered with horses and fiery chariots. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Adonai, “Please strike these people blind”; and he struck them blind, as Elisha had asked. 19 Next, Elisha told them, “You’ve lost your way, and this isn’t even the right city. Follow me, and I’ll take you to the man you’re looking for.” Then he led them to Shomron. 20 On their arrival in Shomron, Elisha said, “Adonai, open the eyes of these men, so that they can see.” Adonai opened their eyes, and they saw: there they were, in the middle of Shomron.
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.
Prophet Elisha’s servant was looking but not seeing. He saw only hopelessness. He saw the army of Aram surrounding their town, but he did not see the host of the angel Army protecting God’s people. He was walking in spiritual blindness.
We can be the same way.
We might see only disappointments, or discouragements, or hopelessness, our spiritual enemies descending with all their might, all around us, our dark souls.
We might fear the stranger, complain about the lazy, and point fingers at those who disagree. We might fear that the world is lost to the devil, and we are the ones who suffer. We might be baited, shackled to the idea of putting God aside so we all can earn our fortune and have fun, only to experience everlasting loss.
Elisha’s prayer is a great way to address our blindness to God’s sovereignty. We can pray, “Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see.” When our eyes are opened, we see our sin as the chief of sins and the lust of the flesh as rebellion against God.
And we finally see that Jesus has already won the victory. Christ already rules in heaven. This world is all in his hands. Have no fear, for we know that God wins.
When the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, “he looked up and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” All these angelic heavenly hosts were surrounding and protecting them. The servant’s fear melted away. If there is an Elisha warrior praying for us, God is on our side, who can stand against us?
Ephesians 1:15-21 Amplified Bible
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; 17 [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. 18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He [c]produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.
In order to go deeper in God, we must allow him to open the eyes of our hearts to see him as he truly is.
So often we settle in our relationship with him for that which can only be seen with our physical eyes.
We settle for community apart from unity in the Spirit, God’s word apart from revelation from the Spirit, and look to “open” or “closed” doors as our guide rather than making space to ask for the Holy Spirit’s leadership.
It’s time for us as the body of Christ to truly live in the fullness of relationship afforded to us by his sacrifice.
It’s for this reason, in Ephesians 1:16-19, Paul told the Church in Ephesus,
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.
We need the “eyes of our hearts” to be enlightened today.
We need the Holy Spirit to come and do a mighty work that we might no longer live only for that which is seen, but by faith pursue the unseen.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
God longs for us to pursue the deeper things of him in faith. He longs for us to grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit and learn to live life with his presence, leadership, voice, and love as the foundation for everything we do.
To live only by the things we can physically see is to live only for that which is temporal and fleeting.
Psalm 101:3 says, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.”
God has worthwhile work in store for us. He has a plan to bring heaven to earth through our lives every day. But in order to make an impact on eternity we must be able to see, know the heart of God. We must become, as Elisha, increasingly aware of exactly how God feels and what he wants to do moment-by-moment.
Growing in our relationship with the Holy Spirit is the foundation of seeking the deeper things of God.
Learning to live by and with him is the only way to advance his kingdom.
Take time in guided prayer today to ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart. Ask him to lead, guide and direct you into a deeper, far more connected relationship with him. And choose Elisha’s prayer today, to pursue a life marked by deep connection with your heavenly Father and powerful works of his Spirit.
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, please, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servants eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
Guided Prayer:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart. Meditate on Scripture and take time to rest in his presence.
“Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18
“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:17
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” Proverbs 20:12
2. Where have you been doing life apart from connectivity to the Spirit? Where have you been living temporally instead of for eternity?
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live connected to him today.
“Be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”1 Corinthians 12:13
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own” 1 Corinthians 6:19
Jesus promised us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
When we authentically seek all the blessings which God has to give such as being loved, being known, being provided for, and being filled with the Spirit, we can know that we will find what we seek.
The door to going deeper in God will always be opened whenever we come to it and knock.
God will never withhold himself from us when we purely desire more of him.
Have faith today in the perfect goodness of your heavenly Father and deeply pursue the deeper things of him that you might live in greater union with him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Sprit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 Complete Jewish Bible
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams, God, I long for you. 3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God! When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night, while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?” 5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me, how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God, with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for the salvation that comes from his presence. 7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast, I remind myself of you from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. 8 (7) Deep is calling to deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your surging rapids and waves are sweeping over me. 9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace, and at night his song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life. 10 (9) I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy? 11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel as if my bones were crushed, as they ask me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and 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.
(1) How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven, those whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away because of my groaning all day long; 4 day and night your hand was heavy on me; the sap in me dried up as in a summer drought. (Selah)
5 When I acknowledged my sin to you, when I stopped concealing my guilt, and said, “I will confess my offenses to Adonai”; then you, you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Selah)
6 This is what everyone faithful should pray at a time when you can be found. Then, when the floodwaters are raging, they will not reach to him.
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.
Sin, Guilt and Your Health – A Health Devotional.
This morning, during my quiet time with God, I was reading Psalm 32 and was reminded of the connection between sin, guilt and health. In this Psalm, David writes when he tried to hide his adultery, sending Uriah to his death, refused to confess his sin that he felt weak and miserable and that he groaned all day long. He also writes that his strength evaporated like water in the dry summer heat.
After reading two other Psalm 32 devotionals, I knew that I wanted to write on this topic of sin, guilt and our health and the interrelationship between them.
Sin, Guilt and Health – What the Bible Says
Psalm 32:1-6 Amplified Bible
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, favored by God] is he whose transgression is forgiven, And whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute wickedness, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand [of displeasure] was heavy upon me; My [b]energy (vitality, strength) was drained away as with the burning heat of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And I did not hide my wickedness; I said, “I will confess [all] my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. 6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found; Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.
Those who work in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and social services are often confronted with a strong correlation between what is happening in a person’s heart and mind and what is being displayed in that person’s body.
God’s word speaks into this connection and then goes deeper, for it tells us that there is a connection between the state of our body and the state of our soul.
In Psalm 32, David speaks very personally to God, acknowledging the heaviness he experienced when he hid in the shadows and refused to confess his sin against Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah (see 2 Samuel 11).
And through David, the Spirit teaches us that there is a link between a tortured conscience and lack of repentance, and our physical wellbeing.
Those who were in David’s immediate company may not have been aware of what was going on inside him spiritually, but they could not have avoided the rather obvious manifestations of what was happening to him physically.
The description he provides adds to the account he gives elsewhere: “My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off” (Psalm 38:10-11). It’s a quite devastating picture.
David recognized his condition for what it was: a punishment.
The Bible makes it clear that there is a natural outcome to lust, excess, and a disregard for the commands of God (see Romans 1:24-25)—all of which David was guilty of. Mood swings, frailty, weight loss, sleeplessness, a deepening sense of rejection, melancholy, anxiety, and despair often haunt individuals who are seeking to hide their “secret” sin from God and deny it to themselves.
What restored David was not a health kick or getting to bed earlier but rather dealing with the root cause—his sin: “I acknowledged my sin to you … and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
God kept His hand heavy upon David until Nathan showed up and told him a story which convicted him.
Then David left his throne, placed his sin into God’s hands and asked Him to help him deal with it. It is a blessing to us when God does not allow us to forget our sin—when we feel physical heaviness because of our spiritual sickness.
It is His means of bringing us to do what we most need: to confess it and ask for forgiveness for it.
Fortunately we have a God who loves us incredibly and because of this, he freely reveals his mercy, he forgives us of our sins when we confess our wrongdoings.
Because of the magnitude of his mercy and his forgiveness of our sins, believers should be able to freely surrender over any guilt or shame that they feel.
God does not want us to experience the heaviness associated with chronic guilt.
His desire is that we live in peace and joy which is available to us when we confess our wrongdoings and believe that God gives us mercy, forgives us.
Peace and joy are health-promoting compared to chronic guilt which can be damaging to our health in more ways than anyone dares to acknowledge.
Are we harboring sin?
Do not cloak it; confess it. David experienced liberating relief from his pain and distress when he sought God’s forgiveness.
You too can know that joy, for the promise of God’s word is that
“if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
A Few Questions to Reflect On:
Are you holding on to guilt and shame because of some past or current sin in your life?
Are you perhaps weak and miserable or plagued with a chronic health related condition – Headaches, High Blood Pressure, tiredness, fatigue, heart ailments that could be caused by the physical strains of coping with long-term guilt?
As soon as possible, to rule out any potentially serious disorder, go see your Primary Care Medical Team for proper assessment, evaluation and treatment
How about issues of anxiety, mood disorders, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, mood swings, irritability, shorter than usual temper control etcetera.
As soon as possible, seek out Licensed Professional Mental Health providers for a proper clinical assessment, evaluation, and therapeutic treatment modalities.
Relieving The Burden of our Guilt and God’s Grace
Psalm 32:6 Amplified Bible
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found; Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.
Psalm 32 reminds me that a moral compass is embedded within everyone’s heart. When we do not chart our lives by that compass, we feel genuine guilt.
David spoke to that reality in Psalm 32. He had made a total mess of his life. His moral failures included adultery, conspiracy and murder. David acknowledged that when we mess up, we are eaten up inside if we keep quiet until a someone tells us a story, we convict ourselves. David had an inner urge to confess his sin.
Once confronted by Nathan, thus came his release. David confessed his sin to the Lord. Yes, there were people in his life with whom David needed to come clean. But only God could grant the full pardon his soul craved. When we mess up, our guilt is first of all toward our Creator, whose law we have violated.
How do you find real forgiveness?
If you have not confessed sins which you feel guilty of, I urge you to prayerfully make that confession to God so you and those around you or those you will soon meet, can return to feeling peaceful and joyful, which is God’s will for your life.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 Complete Jewish Bible
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams, God, I long for you. 3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God! When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night, while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?” 5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me, how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God, with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for the salvation that comes from his presence. 7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast, I remind myself of you from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. 8 (7) Deep is calling to deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your surging rapids and waves are sweeping over me. 9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace, and at night his song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life. 10 (9) I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy? 11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel as if my bones were crushed, as they ask me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and 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.
5 As Jesus went into Capernaum, a [a]centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help], 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, with intense and terrible, tormenting pain.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied to Him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man subject to authority [of a higher rank], with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel. 11 I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior], 12 while the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah] will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place [which is farthest removed from the kingdom] there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger].” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was restored to health at that very hour.
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.
But I Have Promises to Make … (and to Break?)
5 As Jesus went into Capernaum, a [a]centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help], 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, with intense and terrible, tormenting pain.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied to Him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man subject to authority [of a higher rank], with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost 1922
When the poet Robert Frost wrote “But I have promises to keep”; he means that
(a) He has to make promises to make his and other lives successful (b) He has a certain authority, duties, which he must discharge (c) He has to make promises, follow what he has said to his friends (d) Promises: He has to make certain people happy and others sad.
The purpose of the passage is simple: Jesus has just taught with great authority; God then uses a Roman centurion to give the insight that the authority comes from God Himself. We learn from this exchange not to overestimate our own place in eternity, not to underestimate the promise of Jesus’ place in eternity.
We’ve all seen great scenes where the little guy confronts the big bad guys, and because he brought some support, the bad guys don’t mess with him.
Seriously—is anyone truly going to mess with the little kid with the giant dog?
Of course not!
If you mess with one, you mess with the other.
While you can probably overcome the little child without too much trouble … but overcoming a big dog – say a German Shepherd or a Doberman, Pitbull, is another matter entirely – you most certainly risk painful significant injuries.
We have seen the movies. It’s a great movie trope (a funny variation of it is the “scared of what’s behind you” trope), and it has great real-world application.
How do you confront a bully? With a bunch of friends at your back, that’s how!
Preferably really big and tough friends.
Here’s where I’m going.
The Roman Centurion in this week’s passage understood how that worked.
When he said something, he had an entire army to back him up. If anyone had messed with him, his authority, they messed with the authority 0f Rome itself.
Likewise, he realized that when Jesus spoke, He had the authority, backing, of God almighty. [Then you can make the application: “Shouldn’t that be the kind of support we have from our church family? If something happens to one of our class members, by God’s authority, will the rest step in to defend or support?”]
“My Word Is My Bond.”
There’s another way you can go with this if you want to—talk about promises.
The Centurion understood that when Jesus spoke, things happened. Literally.
When Jesus gave His word, it was done.
What kind of reputation do we have? Are we known for having good intentions to get a thing done, for promising more than we can deliver, for being people of our word, or not? With Jesus, His word is always good. The Centurion got that!
The centurion met Jesus.
Our prayers to God can be modeled after the way this man approached Jesus.
First, he asked for help simply by stating a fact: “Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
This Roman-army commander didn’t make an official request or ask politely for anything from Jesus. He just cried out to Jesus in his need. When our prayers are no more than a heartfelt deep cry of pain, Jesus hears those prayers too.
Second, the centurion trusted in the sure promise of Jesus’ power to respond.
Even though Jesus offered to come in person and heal the servant, the centurion surprisingly, humbly replied, “Just say the word, my servant will be healed.”
The centurion knew that Jesus was so powerful that he could heal people, even Romans, even Romans with sharp swords, even if he was not physically present.
We too can publicly exhibit that kind of trust that Jesus will answer our prayers.
Sometimes Jesus heals us physically, and other times Jesus heals us emotionally or spiritually. Sometimes Jesus promises us future healing and asks us to wait until the right time. No matter what, Jesus’ words are powerful enough to heal.
Jesus was amazed at the faith of the Roman, healed the centurion’s servant and praised the faith of the centurion. We are invited to trust in Jesus, just as this man did. Jesus does listen to our prayers with love, answer prayers with power.
Seeking, Discovering Finding Hope in God’s Promises
Psalm 42:5-11 Amplified Bible
5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me [the burden more than I can bear]; Therefore I will [fervently] remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of [Mount] Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the [thundering] sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 Yet the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song will be with me, A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a crushing of my bones [with a sword], my adversaries taunt me, While they say continually to me, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? Why have you become restless and disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, The [a]help of my countenance and my God.
Like the Centurion, in our lives we can often face times of discouragement.
Our spirits can feel overwhelmingly heavy and our hearts heavily burdened.
When that happens, and God’s promise is that it will happen. however, we can turn to God and lean on him, finding hope in his promises and unfailing love.
Discouragement can come from various sources—economic disappointments, the wide assortment of personal failures, prolonged healthcare challenges too.
Yet even in the midst of such trials we can choose to put our hope in God. He is our refuge and strength, the one who always sustains us through every season.
When such great measures of discouragement threatens to overwhelm us, we can find solace in God’s Word. His mighty acts and daily provisions remind us of his faithfulness, and his promises give us hope for the future. God is always present to help in times of trouble, and his love and grace are sufficient for us (Psalm 46:1-11; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Hebrews 6:17-20 Amplified Bible
17 In the same way God, in His desire to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable nature of His purpose, intervened and guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us. 19 This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells], 20 where Jesus has entered [in advance] as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of [a]Melchizedek.
As we read and study and pray the Word of God, we anchor our hope in God, our perspective subtly shifts into His wisdom. We begin to see beyond our present circumstances, and we focus on the unchanging nature of our heavenly Father.
He is the source of true joy and peace, and in him we find strength to persevere.
Today, if you find yourself discouraged, turn to God in prayer. Pour out your heart before him and listen for his promising voice. Trust in his perfect timing and purposes, knowing that he is working all things together for your good.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 The Message
42 1-3 A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep drafts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it— arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears— tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?”
4 These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life. I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving— celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!
5 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.
6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar. Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer.
9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, “Why did you let me down? Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?” They’re out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities, Taunting day after day, “Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my 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.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks, So my soul [c]pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and [d]appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you [f]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [g]Hope in God, for I shall [h]again praise [i]Him For the [j]help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is [k]in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the [l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning [m]because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you [n]in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? [o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The [p]help of my countenance and my 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.
In our lives we can often face times of discouragement.
Our spirits can feel heavy and our hearts burdened.
When that happens, however, we can either turn it against ourselves or we can turn it to God and lean on him, finding hope in his promises and unfailing love.
Disappointment, discouragement and its consequences can come from various sources—poor decisions, poor choices, failures all sizes, prolonged challenges.
Yet even in the midst of such trials we can choose to put our hope in God. He is our surest refuge and strength, the one who sustains us through every season.
Yesterday my devotional message was that when discouragement threatens to overwhelm us, we can decisively and will definitely find solace in God’s Word.
His mighty acts and daily provisions remind us of his faithfulness, and his promises give us hope for the future.
God is always present to help in times of trouble, and his love and grace are sufficient for us (Psalm 46:1-11; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
As we anchor (Hebrews 6:17-20) our hope in God, our perspective shifts.
17 [a]In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, [b]interposed with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have [c]taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 [d]This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters [e]within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
As we anchor ourselves in God’s promises, we begin to see beyond our present circumstances, and we focus on the unchanging nature of our heavenly Father.
He is the source of true joy and peace, and in him we find strength to persevere.
Today, if you find yourself discouraged, turn to God in prayer.
Pour out your whole heart before him and listen for his still comforting voice.
Trust in his perfect timing and purposes, knowing that he is working all things together for your good.
Anchoring Your Soul and Keeping a Grateful Heart
Colossians 3:15-17 The Message
15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Having a grateful heart seems to be rare these days and at a premium to find.
Social media is full and overflowing with discontented hearts–hearts that are angry, disappointed, hurt, grieving, and more. Still, God calls us to be thankful.
So where and how do we gain gratefulness in such an ungrateful world?
Many individuals are living with an outlook of lack, seeing all things they don’t have because it’s much easier to look at our glasses half-empty than half-full.
Seeing our lives as lacking leads us to believe if we only have more—more of the things we believe we need to be happy— our lives our attitudes would be utterly different.
But it’s not even close to being minimally true.
Matthew 6:25-34 The Message
25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Grateful hearts don’t come from comparing ourselves to those front covers on magazines or to owning things, holding positions, or having everyone love us.
In an ever-changing world, there is no guarantee of hanging onto earthly possessions, especially in the shadow of natural disasters, wars, and more.
It’s Up to Us to Choose
Whether we believe it or not, especially as Christians, it’s up to us to choose to where or how we gain our self-esteem, we focus on what God has so graciously given us rather than what the sinful world gives and takes away on a daily basis.
Godly gratefulness is not dependent on what we own; yet, God has given us so much to be thankful for in life.
Colossians 3:15-17 New American Standard Bible 1995
15 Let the peace of Christ [a]rule in your hearts, to which [b]indeed you were called in one body; and [c]be thankful. 16 Let the word of [d]Christ richly dwell within you, [e]with all wisdom teaching and admonishing [f]one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing [g]with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Even if we have nothing to our names, we have incredibly valid reasons to thank Him daily.
Things, positions, locations, and more don’t bring authentic happiness; rather, true gratitude comes from deep within us.
Gratefulness as a Sacrifice
Sadly, life sometimes brings tragic losses of loved ones, homes, jobs, and more, but still God calls us to be thankful.
He knows our weaknesses and understands how it can be difficult for us to do so when we’re disappointed, discouraged, suffering, or grieving.
Although 1 Thessalonians 5:18 instructs us to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” it doesn’t mean we thank God for the sad situations, but thank Him in the midst of them.
Some believers are confused by this verse, thinking God expects us to thank Him for the sad and tragic situations and losses that bring us disappointment, discouragement, suffering, and grief.
But He’s not.
God’s given us so many spiritual blessings, which are not dependent on our circumstances, we can praise Him and give Him thanks no matter our situation.
He is compassionate, recognizes this kind of gratitude as a sweet sacrifice to Him.
Psalm 116:17 encourages our sacrificial thankfulness. “I will sacrifice a thank offering to You and call on the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 116:12-19 New American Standard Bible 1995
12 What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits [a]toward me? 13 I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the Lord. 14 I shall pay my vows to the Lord, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones. 16 O Lord, [b]surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds. 17 To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the Lord. 18 I shall pay my vows to the Lord, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people, 19 In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. [c]Praise [d]the Lord!
When we do, God responds, as recorded in Psalm 50:23. “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor Me, and to the blameless I will show My salvation.”
In uncertain times, God calls us to focus on Him and His faithfulness instead of our situations, to remind ourselves of His promise to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and to trust Him to help us through everything we face in life.
O God, when disappointed and discouraged, in our failures, may we turn around to find hope, peace, strength in you. Fill our hearts with praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Works and the Word of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4 Their [a]line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. 6 Its rising is from [b]one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the [c]other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is [d]perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. 13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be [e]blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
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.
8 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. 9 The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. 11 Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, 14 “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
15 When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” 16 They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. 20 The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
It’s better to give than to receive, as the saying goes.
This Christmas season, however, I must definitely admit that I find both giving and receiving quite difficult.
Some people – my wife. for example – seem to have no problem buying gifts, giving gifts and receiving gifts all with the very same wide smile on her face.
I, however, am pretty much the polar opposite, I prefer being self-sufficient.
That feels safer somehow.
It does not seem to matter what the gift is: someone’s time, money, or material possessions, there are definite moments when I genuinely fear that one feeling of being incredibly burdensome or way over the top indebted to the gift-giver.
On the other side of the equation, I want to have a generous heart in giving, but worry that whatever my gifts to someone else will be, they will be insufficient.
Truth is this … Buying, Giving and Receiving all require personal vulnerability.
They are foundational expressions of love, and love requires vulnerability.
Deep within our hearts, this need to express our love as buying, giving and receiving is essential at all times of the year, but the Christmas holidays can be a very great reminder to recommit to practices that have fallen by the wayside.
As I reflect on God’s generous love and faithfulness to me this past year, I am compelled to not only pass that generous love along to others, but to try to allow them to pass it back on to me in the spirit I originally passed it to them.
Faithful to this call to love, I must surrender my fears and insecurities to God.
In receiving God’s gift of love – His Son, to me, I have to be able to acknowledge that God often chooses to express that same measured love through His people.
It may come in the form of a kind word, an investment of time, an act of service, or a material gift – it may come some other more quieter way – this devotional.
But, it all requires a very definite, decisive and intentional act of vulnerability!
And that very definite, decisive and intentional act causes great internal chaos.
Right Gift – Right Intentions – Right Time?
Right Gift – Right Intentions – Wrong Time?
Right -Gift – Right Intentions – Insensitive to the Moment Wrong Time!
Right Gift – Wrong Intentions – Insensitive to the Moment Wrong Time!
Wrong Gift – Wrong Intentions – Insensitive to the Moment Wrong Time!
Wrong Gift – Heartless Intentions – Deliberate Infliction of Great Distress!
How can we know the true nature of our hearts when that moment arrives?
How prepared are we to receive that moment, under what and whose mindset?
Much Fear and Trembling, Stressed Out and uncertain degrees of Uncertainty?
With “Joy to the World” “Ear to Ear Smiles” Tidings of Good News, Great Joy?
I mean who wants Christmas to be that time of the year when friendship is lost?
Who wants Christmas to be that one time of the year when God’s greatest gift of the very tiniest of miracles goes, unrevealed, unnoticed, untried, unembraced?
Luke 2:8-14New English Translation
The Shepherds’ Visit
8 Now[a] there were shepherds[b] nearby[c] living out in the field, keeping guard [d] over their flock at night. 9 An[e] angel of the Lord[f] appeared to[g] them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.[h]10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully,[i] for I proclaim to you good news[j] that brings great joy to all the people: 11 Today[k] your Savior is born in the city[l] of David.[m] He is Christ[n] the Lord. 12 This[o] will be a sign[p] for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”[q]13 Suddenly[r] a vast, heavenly army[s] appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory[t] to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people[u] with whom he is pleased!”[v]
The shepherds were going about their every day business of being a shepherd.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord took over their senses and shone around them and they were absolutely terrified!
Friend to Friend
How many of us take some medication for stress-related causes each week.
During the holiday season, how many millions of people battle what experts refer to as the holiday blues?
Being a retired Psychiatric Nurse I am very familiar with anxiety, depression and the amount of pain it holds, must constantly battle to stay out of that pit.
Now, what can we do to turn it around – maybe bring out the Joy of the Season?
To correctly address anxieties and depression and other mental health issues, we must first come to a place of total surrender to God and His plan of healing, even if, in our current mental states we cannot see or understand that plan.
Remember that the bottom line of God’s heart is always toward His children is always about a safe, secure connection, relationship restoration and healing.
Always seek out professional help from Licensed Mental Health Professionals.
I thoroughly believe in my God’s power of bringing restoration and Shalom. I can say that I have been healed and can reflect upon many “mini-miracles!”
However, I also deeply believe that we also need the presence of Mental Health Professionals to help us sort out what is real from what is not, to talk things out with another human being and if we need Medication, then it can be prescribed.
We are each given by God certain spiritual gifts which God expects us to use to compassionately give support, build up and edify the Children of His Kingdom.
Over time, God brings together those whom He uniquely gifts with patience and love and brings together those who have been uniquely gifted with the ability to sit still and listen with those who find themselves in highest need of those gifts.
Our own benevolent and charitable God gave some the gift of compassion which they deeply, and desperately want nothing more than to give it away to another.
God has a definite plan for healing and restoration, we just need to give Him the time, season, the circumstance upon which we finally experience His Presence!
But will we on this day, this season, receive the gift in the spirit in which it was first given – will we even consider allowing ourselves to be healed of ourselves?
Luke 2:15-20New English Translation
15 When[a] the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord[b] has made known to us.” 16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger.[c]17 When[d] they saw him,[e] they related what they had been told[f] about this child, 18 and all who heard it were astonished[g] at what the shepherds said. 19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean.[h]20 So[i] the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising[j] God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.[k]
My own experience ….
While I am not a big fan of television, perusing all of the myriad channels of this programmatic offering or that, I do enjoy watching home improvement shows.
On a recent program, an interior decorator and homeowner were discussing a list of great big changes that needed to be made in order to update their home.
“First, foremost, we have to do something about those windows,” the decorator announced. I was surprised that she listed this task first – until I saw the house.
The existing glass was not only a seriously ugly shade of gold, but it was thick and chunky as well.
The windows let in no light and made it virtually impossible to see in or out.
The result was a dark isolated home.
The distressed homeowner protested, “But I like my privacy.
And if I thought anyone could see in, I feel totally exposed, and vulnerable.”
When it comes to dealing with mental health, many people feel the same way.
Sometimes without even trying, sometimes quite purposely, we will construct walls over which no one would climb because the cost of friendship is too high.
We fill the windows of our soul with emotional excuses in order to avoid dealing with pain.
The result is darkness, loneliness, and missed opportunities for restoration.
We do not always want to understand our mental health when things trail off, depression or find the treasures of that darkness; we simply want to be rid of it.
Many people will only try to cope, understand and deal with their mental health issues on a superficial level – just refusing to confront head on, to face painful experiences, difficult relationships, and the broken places where darkness lives.
We have this tendency to only look for the nearest, quickest exit, hoping to ease by, to subtly bypass transparency because the price is just far too high to pay.
Emotional integrity is an essential step to dealing with mental health issues.
Embracing the critical importance of taking care of our mental health issues.
Embracing God with the same fervor and Joy as God is Embracing Joyfully Us.
Luke 2:15New English Translation
15 When[a] the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord[b] has made known to us.”
As God revealed His Glory to the Shepherds,
God is revealing His Glory to us even today ….
At least He is trying to reveal it to us ….
God showed the Shepherds where to look ….
God even told the Shepherds what and who to look for ….
God told them and showed them exactly where their mini-miracle was,
God is always trying impossibly, indescribably hard to get our attention!
We must be real with God as God is being real with us
We must be real before God we can be right with ourselves.
We must be willing to raise ourselves up and go and see this “mini-miracle!”
Leave the places where we are used to being both comfortable, uncomfortable.
Actively, with great and greater and greatest intention, seek our miracle of joy.
Until we are willing to risk everything with being 100% transparent with God, we can neither be transparent with ourselves, understand nor effectively deal with our mental health issues during the holidays or any other time of the year.
The holiday season always seem to tug harder and harder at the masks we carefully hold in place, push the emotional buttons we desperately try to hide.
The arrival of certain family members can resurrect uncomfortable and painful issues that have just kind of wallowed in our souls, never really been resolved.
Financial pressure to “get up and go” travel, try to buy all of those “right gifts” opens up like a widening sinkhole, waiting to steal our joy, destroy our peace.
Personal schedules, meeting all our demands, demands of family, of friends demand every ounce of energy, false expectations leave us empty and hollow.
The dark and ever widening and deepening pit waits for us to stumble, fall in.
We can choose to make this Christmas different.
We can choose to embrace God as God embraces us ….
We can choose to embrace baby Immanuel as baby Immanuel longs for and desperately needs and requires the embrace of His mother and his father.
Immanuel, God with us ….
Immanuel, God within us ….
Immanuel, God within us …. the miracle of life soon to be revealed in us ….
We can choose to embrace His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
We can choose to embrace God the Holy Spirit as we are embraced, prayed for.
We can choose to give God praise.
We can choose to give Jesus our presence ….
We can choose to give the Holy Spirit our prayers ….
Choose to focus on the victories and joys we have experienced during the year, and then intentionally find new ways to share that victory and joy with others.
This season of Christmas can be a miracle of true celebration of fresh starts and new beginnings if we choose to focus on the miracle of a tiny little baby born in a manger, who came with a miraculous message, to save us and give us true life.
The darkness can be effectively addressed if we will deliberately, intentionally raise up from our places and go, choose to face and deal with whatever it holds.
Now It’s Our Turn to Get Up and Raise up ….
Read Luke 2:1-20.
Invite that infant into your life ….
Sit down next to that infant, Immanuel ….
Sit with Mary and Joseph ….
Sit in the coldness and the darkness of night which they did ….
Together, answer these questions after reading with them the Christmas story.
What was the attitude of Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem?
How did the shepherds react to the news of Jesus’ birth? What did they do?
How would you describe the emotions and thoughts of Mary, of Joseph, of You?
How can your choice to “ponder” the miracles of Jesus’ birth change theirs and your personal perspective of the holiday season?
Get to know the true God and His Son, Immanuel through the Holy Scriptures.
Write a letter of commitment to that infant Jesus, asking Him to empower the choices you have made.
Make a plan or a list of “dos” and “don’ts” that will help you experience the best holiday season of your life.
Include this “first family”, and your family in making this plan, and make the prayerful commitment to covenant with God, to hold each other accountable.
Right now, choose the attitude of those shepherds, choose an attitude of joy by focusing your mind on the tiny things of heaven – not earth, and by fixing your heart on baby Jesus Christ -our Christmas chaos will turn into Christmas joy!
This year be determined to give gifts generously and to receive them graciously, because God was highly determined to give us the very best gift possible. I know both the acts of giving and receiving reflect God’s generous love unto the world.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
42 As a deer[c] longs[d] for streams of water, so I long[e] for you, O God! 2 I thirst[f] for God, for the living God. I say,[g] “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?”[h] 3 I cannot eat; I weep day and night.[i] All day long they say to me,[j] “Where is your God?” 4 I will remember and weep.[k] For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God, shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.[l] 5 Why are you depressed,[m] O my soul?[n] Why are you upset?[o] Wait[p] for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.[q] 6 I am depressed,[r] so I will pray to you while in the region of the upper Jordan,[s] from Hermon,[t] from Mount Mizar.[u] 7 One deep stream calls out to another[v] at the sound of your waterfalls;[w] all your billows and waves overwhelm me.[x] 8 By day the Lord decrees his loyal love,[y] and by night he gives me a song,[z] a prayer[aa] to the God of my life. 9 I will pray[ab] to God, my high ridge:[ac] “Why do you ignore[ad] me? Why must I walk around mourning[ae] because my enemies oppress me?” 10 My enemies’ taunts cut me to the bone,[af] as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”[ag] 11 Why are you depressed,[ah] O my soul?[ai] Why are you upset?[aj] Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.[ak]
Father, I want this holiday season to be filled with light instead of darkness. Please help me discard my emotional masks and be real before You as well as my family and friends. Father, help me make this holiday season an offering of praise to You.
In Immanuel’s most blessed and precious Name, Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 