Fear Equals Reverence And Respect

Proverbs 9: 9-11 - Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life

 

Solomon uses the word fear in these verses to help us understand the reverence and respect we must have in our heart for God.  To truly know God…is to develop a fear of losing the guidance and protection he provides for us once we believe.  We respect him as our father…and stand in awe of the gift he gave in his precious son…..who died on a horrible cross to save us all from our sins.

 

The chapter paints a picture of the two choices we have in life…to follow the harder path of wisdom….or be swayed away to the easy path the world tempts us to follow.   The one who holds a true love of God in their heart…will love God as much as he loved us…and cling to the faith that God will hold our hand while we take that harder path.  The longer we allow God to lead us on that harder path…the wiser we will become.

 

I will admit that God has been very patient with me while I tried to walk on both paths.  It is amazing to me that he loves me in spite of my attempts to have my cake and eat it too…so to speak.  I needed the reminder this morning that the world just can’t offer me the same guarantee of life forever that God gave me when I gave my life to him.  I need to be more loyal to his way…and listen a little closer to his directions of how to stay on the path he wants me to be on.

 

Father…I find myself saying I am sorry a lot lately…for straying from your will…and chasing those worldly rabbits that only lead to empty holes.  Thank you for reminding me that you are a patient…loving God…and never leaving me to fall so deeply in one of those holes that I can’t reach your hand and climb out. Help me to open my eyes to see your path more clearly….and open my ears to hear your voice above all the worldly sirens that try to call me so close they can trap me in their spell. Amen.

God Made The World Interdependent

Proverbs 8:22-23 and 27-28 - "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;  I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.

I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

 

Solomon must have penned these beautiful words of reflection and truth in a moment of thanks for the wisdom he had been granted. In his moments of thankfulness to God…he realized just how precious the gift was that he had been given.

 

Even Solomon….who was given the most wisdom of any man….ever….knew the source of his wisdom was God. It was his wisdom that allowed the vast and complex world we live in.  Wisdom existed in his mind first…and he used it to create all that we see …from the tips of the sky….to the depths of the sea. It was his wisdom that knew to make everything interdependent on the things around them…all working together.

 

What comfort it gives me to know that God used the same wisdom he gave Solomon…to create the world. He is in control…and even the winds obey his voice.  I don’t have to understand every scientific principal that makes it work…just trust that the great wisdom of God put it together. Everything he made has a purpose….everything is part of a great cycle that renews the world for future generations.

 

I am reminded that we had better care for it a little better than we have been. Pollution from our factories and huge businesses… the stripping of forests and trees to build our ornate houses….. the dumping of waste in our water systems….will all catch up to someday.  God will only allow our foolishness and greed to go unchecked for a time.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you created our world in its pure form to take care of us without our help. Forgive me for taking for granted that it will always be here for me…and not respecting its great wealth. Help me to use your wisdom to care for my edge of the world in a more careful way. Amen.

Pray For Confidence....And Stay Focused On God's Purpose

Proverbs 7:6-9 -   At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice.  I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment.  He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in.

 

Solomon continues his wise advice by reminding us that being too simple-minded allows our heart to be tempted.   He tells the story of a young lad who walks too near the corner of an adulteress….eventually swayed to fall to her seductive nature.

 

The simple person he speaks of here is really anyone who lacks judgment…..the one who has no purpose…and just wanders day to day. When approached with any immoral situation …the pretty speech of another…the tiredness of our spirit….wears away the good we are trying to cling to.  We fall so quickly to the temptations…never even stopping to ask God to help us see through the trick satan has placed before us.

 

I admit….I find myself searching for purpose more than I am confident of what I am here to do.  I know in my heart in revolves around telling others about God.  And I know that he will use all of the mess ups and tragedies he has walked me through to help others in some way. I needed this reminder today to stay focused on  him…and keep searching for what he needs me to do…so satan can’t trick me into straying from the path God has set for me with something else.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are up there guiding  me ….even when I don’t ask you too.  Forgive me for wondering where you are sometimes….and help me focus completely on your voice so I can hear you about the temptress in this story of Solomon.  Take my simple mind …and build in it the common sense and judgment I need to listen to only you….and run quickly from anything that tries to take me away from your purpose for putting me here.  Give me the confidence I need to trust in only you. Amen.

Let Humility Keep Pride From Taking Root In Your heart

Proverbs 6:16-19 -  There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,  a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

 

Solomon tackles a variety of foolish actions in this chapter of Proverbs. Telling us to swallow our pride when we realize we have bit off more than we can chew….to respect the things our parents try to teach us about his ways as we age…and another warning about adultery. He ends this chapter with a list of 7 things that make God the angriest.

 

Haughty eyes appear when we think we know more that those around us…and pride tricks us into looking on others with scorn.  Using lies… producing a false witness for someone else…or stirring up trouble between people…has its roots in pride as well. It always seems easier to lie than to swallow pride and admit the truth. Murder….the heart that devises wicked schemes…and those that quickly rush into evil …well those take simple pride and elevate it to another level. 

 

Thank God there is a simple way to avoid all of these things he hates…..we have to let humility rule our hearts at all times…and quickly swallow our pride and repent…so God can wash the seed that satan plants in our heart completely away…before it takes root and gets worse.

 

I will admit that it is not an easy thing to do…I slipped up several times this last few weeks….telling my share of what most call white lies. They have eaten me up inside ever since…God’s love trying to show me how important it is to cleanse my conscious.  I will have to find a way to swallow my own pride and let God’s love and power give me the strength I need to correct my embellishments.  God has to be in charge…not me.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to be more aware of the pride that tries to slip into my heart. Forgive me for trying to making myself look better by stretching the truth. Help me to rely more on you than I do my own understanding of how things work. Show me how to fix my mistakes…and give me the strength to accept the outcome when I do. Amen.

Earthly Pleasure Can Overtake Our Will To Do The Right Thing

Proverbs 5:21-23 -  For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths.  The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.  He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.

 

Solomon devotes a whole chapter to the age old practice of prostitution.  It was a huge problem in the world he lived…tempting men…ensnaring them with the strong desires of the human to be intimate….to satisfy the strong urges of our body to seek pleasure and release.  He tells the young men to who he writes….to run far from this practice.

 

My mind wants to expand Solomon’s warning to these young men…to all people who are tempted by any kind of adultery….and other practices driven by sexual desires.  These things degrade all parties involved.  They destroy families.  They make a mockery of the institution of marriage…and have been the cause of millions of divorces over the course of history.  Our society has even relaxed its stance on many practices that were once considered taboo….the internet increasing access to millions of images…..easily accessible to anyone…anywhere.

 

My Life Application Bible commentary expanded this thought even further in my mind.  It suggested that the word prostitution was used loosely…as a symbol for anything that deters our search for truth and wisdom.  The desires we allow to take root in our heart for anything that gives us earthly pleasure overtakes our will to do the right thing….like Paul says in Romans 7:18… “ I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to guard my heart for anything that seeks to replace my need for time with you.  Forgive me for the times I have allowed the world’s pleasures to keep me from doing what is right.  Help me to focus my heart completely on you….and give me wisdom to recognize the things that satan throws in my path to trick and confuse me. I pray this morning not just for me…but for the world.  Somehow….shine your light brightly in the minds of all that are involved in some form of sexual sin today.  Help them to realize that it is destroying their relationship with you and all the people around them.  Save the marriages that are affected…and repair and reinstate the ones that have been destroyed by divorce. Amen. 

Guard Your Heart...Look Straight Ahead

Proverbs 4:23-27 -  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.  Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.  Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.  Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

 

Solomon ends this great chapter of Proverbs with a reminder to guard our hearts…the wellspring of life.  It is protected by keeping our talk positive and encouraging…and keeping our eyes focused on God.  Our feet will be able to walk directly where God leads us…without taking any side trips or stops along the way. 

 

Looking straight ahead to God …helps to put boundaries on our earthly desires.  We look forward to God’s plan he has given us ….and are less apt to stray when satan waves those temptations in front of our face.  Focusing on God helps us have the attitude of Paul in Philippians 3:14…. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

 

I admit that I have been distracted from my goal many times…but God keeps letting me try again. I have been the rabbit from the old children’s story….The Tortoise and The Hare. I ran and ran and got tired and laid right down to take a long nap…missing the blessing God had waiting at the end.  But God is teaching me how to be the turtle…..and stay focused and patient with the plan he has set for me.

 

Father...thank you for this reminder that I am only my best when I am focused completely on you.  Forgive me for the times that I have run ahead of your plan…or gotten completely off the path on some side mission of my own. Help me to stay focused on you…and press forward to win the prize for which you have called me.  Amen.

Give Your 'Fristfruits' To God

Proverbs 3:-10  -   Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;  then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

 

Solomon reminds us here how important it is to give a tithe of everything he blesses us with.  He says that we need to give God the ‘firstfruits’ of all our labors here on Earth. He reminds us that thinking of God first will result in even more blessings.

 

It’s a simple concept…to tithe a tenth of all our income….whether it be money…or crop…or livestock….then decide how we would give that to God.  My father taught me this concept.  I watched as he wrote a check to the church each Sunday…and encouraged me to place my dollar in the envelope with my name. 

 

I remember processing the concept in my own mind as I began to earn my own income…battling in my mind whether to tithe on the gross or the net income.  Most of my life I tithed on my net income…but this passage makes it clear that we are to tithe on the ‘firstfruits’….before the government of the country we live in takes their  share.

 

I am not sure when I began tithing on my gross income…but I will testify that since I began to practice this in my tithing…I have never wanted for anything.  Blessing after blessing seem to fall in my lap. I want to think that God is smiling at me…like Jesus smiled at the poor old women in Luke 21:1-4. That sweet women didn’t even stop at a 10 percent tithe…she gave every penny she had to live on for the next year!

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that my attitude toward giving is more important than the amount I give. Forgive me for the many years that my giving was calculated to just follow a rule.  Help me to continue to transform my thoughts about giving into the attitude of that sweet old lady…who gave all she had.  Show me where to pay forward the blessings you have given me to help the most people…and model the great love that will help them see the truth of your gospel.  Amen.

Let Wisdom Enter Your Heart

Proverbs 2:9-12 -  Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse…..

 

Solomon reminds us in these verses that wisdom helps us understand which choices we need to make to please God.   Choosing the ‘good path’….as Solomon calls it helps us to see the truth…so it can become a part of our heart…not just be knowledge in the head. 

 

Solomon says that making the right choices brings a permanent joy to our heart…that pleasant feeling that we have when we have finished  a job…and stop to think about the fact that we did it well. He tells us that this joy powers our heart to make more good choices as we grow in the knowledge of what is right and wrong.

 

Wisdom comes from a constant process of growth.  We develop…Trust…Honor…belief in the Bible….a sense of right and wrong.  It helps us know when we have strayed away from the truth…and convicts us when to repent…and learn from our mistakes.  Real wisdom is a gift from God…a reward for energetic Bible study and prayer.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to keep growing in your word…and actively search its words for the truth of every decision I make.  Forgive me for the times that I have fudged on my time with you…thinking that a quick read of one chapter will power all the decisions I need to make to stay in the path you need me to be on.  Show me how to increase my time with you when I need to make any choice…and search your word for the answers I need to make the right one.  Amen.

Never Too Old....Or ......Too Smart Too Learn

Proverbs 1:5-7 -  let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance--  for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

 

I am so glad that Solomon did not keep the gift of wisdom to himself.  He took the time to write down some of the great wisdom that God gave him when he asked for it. He admitted his inadequacy to rule a great nation…and humbly ask God for the wisdom he needed to be a strong leader for his people.  He followed his own advice and feared God so he could let him teach him more than he ever imagined about life.

 

Once we admit that we don’t know it all…God can begin to expand what we do know into a deeper understanding of how he wants us to use the knowledge we do have.  He helps us grow and develop new understanding till the day we cross over into his glory in Heaven.  If we listen…if we study his word…it comes alive in our own lives and becomes a model for others.

 

Solomon made sure to warn us to guard against the pride that tries to convince us that we know all we need to know about any part of God’s creation.  We only know what God has revealed to us…we must keep an open mind and heart…so he can pour more and more of his wisdom into our heart. Only then will the knowledge we have managed to store in our brain  make sense.

 

Father…thank you for the gift of wisdom that you gave to Solomon…and thank you for helping him to write some of those great truths down for me to read.  Forgive me for the times that I have been prideful…and thought I knew more than I did.   Help me to always consider the deeper insight that you might allow me to see if I take the time to really study...and dig deep down in the Bible you gave us to live by.  Amen.

Praise God With All Kinds Of Music

Psalm 150:1-6 -  Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.  Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.  Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,  praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,  praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.  Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD

 

One more anonymous writer….tells us one more time to praise God.  He tells us to praise him in the sanctuary…voices lifted up to penetrate the vast heavens. He tells us to praise him for his power… mighty works…and unequaled greatness.  He tells us to praise him with…our voices and every instrument we can use to make music.

 

The need to stop and praise God…with all our soul and mind….is evidence that we love the Lord with all our being.  What better proof can we show to the world…than our voices….and every instrument available joining together to worship and tell God how very thankful we are for all he has done.

 

He is talking about the integral part that music plays in preparing our hearts and minds to worship. It helps to focus our busy minds on God….the music soothing the worries that we brought into the sanctuary….the words bringing comfort and healing to any pain we have not turned completely over to God and left with him.

 

God created us in a way that we grow and change our tastes of music over the years.  Teenagers bounce and dance to louder music than I care for …some of us more aged individuals clinging to the hymns of old and the routines of the church they grew up with.  There is a place for both. I enjoy a mixture of music….turning off only the most harsh tunes that seem to loud for my old ears…or the ones that I just don’t comprehend the words.

 

God says let every creature praise the Lord…so if that means I need to be flexible and let the teenagers he has placed in my life sing praise a little louder …with a drum and electric guitar…I can try to listen and join in for a time. Perhaps my patience will give them a need to try and develop a new appreciation for the older music of yesteryear that I love so much.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that all music is loved by you.  You created instrument’s to play music…and gave some of the people you created beautiful voices to sing praise to you. Forgive me for the times that I have not tried to be flexible and listen to the melodies that others use to praise you.  Help me to be more tolerant of different kinds of music…and model for others how to love everything you have allowed men to create. Amen.

Not Just On Easter

Psalm 149:1-5 -  Praise ye the LORD.   Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.    Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:  let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.    Let them praise his name in the dance:  let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.   For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people:  he will beautify the meek with salvation.    Let the saints be joyful in glory:  let them sing aloud upon their beds.  

 

This anonymous Psalm tells us once again to praise the Lord….sing to him…gather together to worship him…dance….play instruments…even sing aloud as we lay down to close our eyes after a day of work or play.  We need to thank God for loving us…be joyful for the gift of salvation his son gave to us all.

 

How awesome that God gave this unknown Hebrew the very words to give all of us hope…thousands of years ago. He beautifies the meek still to this day….and even those that don’t come together in corporate worship on a regular basis flock to churches around the world on this day. They know in their hearts that they should be more thankful than they have been for the salvation that Jesus provided.

 

I can’t think of any better day than Easter to celebrate the gift he gave us all.  I just can’t fathom the love he must have held in his perfect heart that gave him the strength to die such a gruesome death….suffer the full horror of hell for every person that was or ever will be.  I want to think that Jesus smiled gently at satan when he conquered death….with no words of boastful pride.

 

It is a reminder to me to celebrate his wonderful gift every day…no t just on the calendar days that mark the dates for our minds.  I need to sing his song every morning…thank him as many times a day as I can...and even close my eyes at night with his wonderful love in my thoughts. I need to be careful not to let this wonderful day turn into a show of what new things I can wear to church…or how big a basket I can put together for my kids…supposedly from the Easter Bunny.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that the gift your son Jesus gave us should be celebrated every day…not just this weekend that marks the calendar days it may have happened.  Forgive me for the times I get caught up in the material things the world tries to use to use to pull me away from your perfect love.  Help me to be the same every day….waking to sing a thankful song…and retiring at night with the same praise.  Amen.

Praise God With Your Whole Being....Times Infinity!

Psalm 148:1-6 -  Praise ye the LORD.   Praise ye the LORD from the heavens:  praise him in the heights.    Praise ye him, all his angels:  praise ye him, all his hosts.    Praise ye him, sun and moon:  praise him, all ye stars of light.    Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.    Let them praise the name of the LORD:  for he commanded, and they were created.   He hath also stablished them for ever and ever:  he hath made a decree which shall not pass. 

 

This anonymous Psalm tells everyone…rich poor….woman ….man…..sky…water….creatures small and creatures large to praise the God.  What a wonderful reminder to give credit to the one who orchestrated a way for all of us to live together and understand our individual roles in keeping this world he created the best it can be.

 

It reminded me this morning of a favorite routine during Sunday worship at the church where I grew up.  We would sing a simple doxology…every Sunday as the full offering plates were being brought to the front of the church. The simple words….Praise God from whom all blessings flow….praise him all creatures here below….praise him above all heavenly hosts…praise father son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

Sometimes…we just need to praise God for being God.  Sometimes we just need to let him know we love him and are thankful for everything he has done …good…or bad…throughout our lives.   Sometimes…we just need to give credit to the God that put this whole world we live in together.

 

It reminds me to that I am just a small part …one individual ….one piece of the great design that makes the world go round.  If I fail to do my part…if I fail to discover what God placed me here to do….something will be missing for someone else. Perhaps the blessing God had planned for me …will go to someone else that he urges to take over my job. 

 

It also reminds me to remember what praise truly is…a warm expression of approval…an admiration of a God that is so amazing that no one will ever truly know the depth of his love for us.  The deepest praise exalts God above all other creatures.  The deepest praise puts God first…before anything else.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder this morning that I need to consider the level of praise I give you each day.  Forgive me for the times that I fail to give you credit for the things you have done. Help me to deepen my understanding of who you truly are…and thank you for orchestrating this wonderful world you have allowed me to be a part of for the last 55 years.  Amen.

Use Everything You Have For His Purposes

Psalm 147:7-11 - Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.  He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.  He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.  His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;  the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

 

This anonymous writer reminds us to praise God…to make music to him …thanking him for the wonderful world he orchestrated around us to live in.  God takes great pleasure in providing everything we need…and everything his other creations need to survive and prosper. It is hard for me to wrap my brain around the complexity of this wonderful world he allows me to live each day.

 

We are also reminded that God does not take pleasure in those that see their survival is somehow brought about by their own doing.   His greatest pleasure comes when respect him …..love him…revere him enough to realize that he is in charge…and everything we have is because he gave it to us to use for his glory. His smile is broad and his heart overflows with satisfaction when we get this deep truth …and we fall to our knees in thanks… realizing that he is everything…and we are nothing.

 

I admit that did not always understand this…it took a few hard lessons in life for God to get through to  my thick…selfish skull.  And I will also admit that I sometimes get so caught up in the great things he blesses me with that I need a reminder like this often…to ground me…to remind me what he has already taught me. The biggest truth that God keeps showing me is that no skill he gave me is worth anything …if it is not used for his purposes.  And what skill I do finally realize he gave me…must constantly be refined and perfected by his love and grace.

 

Father…my simple thank you seems so weak an offering for all you have done for me in the last 55 years.  I am so humbled that you accept my simple thank you…and keep shining grace upon mercy into my sinful soul.  I needed the reminder that everything I have been through has begun to help me realize just how much more I need to love you….and I thank you with my heart…and my soul…for loving me and chasing me …even when I take another detour form your plan. Keep chasing…and teaching me how to refine my love for you …so it shows to everyone around me. Amen.

Praise The Lord....And Put Your Trust In God!

Psalm 146:1-6 -  Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.  I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

 

This anonymous psalm tells us three important things that will help us be more content than we have ever dreamed we could be. We need to praise God with all our soul…as much as possible till we take our last breath. We need to be careful how much of our confidence we put in any man.  We need to trust God alone to be our help…and put all our hope in his plan for our lives.

 

I admit that this is not always the easiest…OR…the most popular thing to do…especially when life is full and blessings are abundant.  I admit that I have been distracted by the fullness of life…and forgotten to praise God for a time. I have also been guilty of placing my trust in someone here on Earth…and experienced firsthand the truth the psalmist speaks of here.

 

I admit too…that when I look back on the times that I was most content in life…it was a period when I was trying hard to love God as much as I could.  I was trying to trust in the promise he gave me in Jeremiah 29:11-13… “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” It is the best reminder I know that all God has allowed is for my good…and if I praise him for everything…with all my heart…he will always be there when I need him.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to praise you more often. I need to seek you first above any friend….and trust that you have a plan that will prosper me and give me hope for every future day you will allow me to live. Forgive me for all the times that I have thought about myself…or been too wrapped up in this materially oriented world to give you the time and love that I should.  Help me to spend more time with you than ever before…so you can prepare me for the future. Amen.

God Is Great.....Too Great To Completely Understand

Psalm 145:1-3 -  I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise you and extol your for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

 

David was always writing Psalms that started with praise to God. He wisely reminds us to bless God’s name…to exalt him above all others….because he is truly the only one that deserves it.  He vows to do this EVERY DAY…forever and ever.

 

Then he says something truly wise…he reminds us that no one will ever completely understand just how wonderful and vast his deep love for us is. God’s greatness is just too great to fathom.  It is deeper than the deepest sea….wider than the widest river…taller than the tallest mountain…and reaches farther that the strongest telescope has ever seen into the heavens.

 

Since we can’t ever completely figure God out…we should just accept the fact that he is there…and loves us more than we could ever love anyone. As the child’s prayer says… “God is great…God is good….let us thank him…”  The prayer goes on to thank God for food….but we could expand that simple prayer to be a mantra of thanks for the hand that provides everything that we see and touch every day.

 

Even Jesus knew this simple truth…and was quick to tell the rich young ruler who called him ‘good’ teacher in Mark 10:18…. “Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.” It reminds me to always remember that I am a sinner…saved only by the grace that God provides because I believe in his son Jesus Christ. He lifted this broken sinner to do things that she never dreamed possible...his comfort and love have given me the strength to keep believing…even when it was hard…even when I did not understand his choices for my life.

 

Father…thank you for being so great and vast that no one has ever completely figured you out.  I thank you for being in control of my life…and pray this morning that you always help me remember who is in charge.  Thank you for all you have done for me…and for all the blessings I know you have planned for my future. I thank your son Jesus for dying for me…so I can someday visit forever with both of you face to face. Amen.

God Loves His Creation

Psalm 144:1-4 -  Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.  He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.  O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

 

David wrote this Psalm that rejoices in the care that God provides to us….in good times…or in bad. He reflects for one moment on the greatness of God…the rock….fortress…shield…and refuge for all problems.  Then he realizes just how amazing it is that this great God would ever have given one thought to care for him.

 

David must have forgotten for a moment that God created us….to care for and use the great creation of Earth. He made us in his image…and loved us from the moment he breathed life into Adam. He had a purpose in creating man and woman from the start…it was the free will he gave us that messed up his perfect plan.

 

John 3:16 says that he loved us so very much that he sent his son to die for us on a cross meant for those that sin. Our acceptance of his love is what makes the short life we are given meaningful and rich with the love he gives us to share with others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to stop and thank you more often for loving me so very much.  Thank you for sending your son to pay for my many sins…and help me to use the short time you grant me on Earth to share that truth with all you let cross my path. Amen.

Pray For God's Will To Be Done

Psalm 143:8-10 - Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.  Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

 

David wrote this Psalm that teaches us that no matter how bad it gets….dawn brings a new day…and God will always be there to restore us. He wanted God to know that he had put his trust in him…and prayed for the strength to do God’s will…not act of his own accord.

 

David’s prayer did not leave out his vent of despair…he expressed his feelings openly and honestly.  But he paired the cries of pain with the promise of God…that he would always be with his people.  His prayer let God know that he remembered the mighty miracle of old…and looked forward to the new miracle he would do for him.

 

It reminds me that we should always take time to share our own stories of the great miracles God has done through the years. The stories of healings….safety in spite of horrible wrecks…blessing s of bills paid…or school tuition covered in ways that could only be of God…they give those that are hurting a reason to hope for their own miracles. They give those who have resisted God a reason to start believing.

 

I admit that I am not as strong as David…my mind acts more like the father in Mark 9.  He wanted a healing for his son who suffered from an evil spirit.  He had such hope that Jesus could heal his son that he traveled to see him one day.  He asked Jesus to heal him… “if he could.” And when Jesus told him everything was possible if you believe….he uttered the words … “I believe….help thou my unbelief.”

 

I try not to be too hard on myself… Jesus was the only other one I know for sure that prayed that way….all of the time.  He believed in his father so fully that he was able to complete the most amazing miracle of all time. He gave his life in a most amazing show of love…and  conquered death to raise back to life.

 

Oh father…help my unbelief.  I know you are able….so help me overcome my human flesh that tells me sometimes that I don’t deserve the miracle.  Thank you for the reminder that one of the reasons I am weak is I let my flesh win out over your will sometimes. Show me like you did David and Jesus how to pray for your will…putting what I want completely out of the picture. Amen.

When On Empty....Fill Up With God

Psalm 142:3-5 -  When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me.  Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul.  I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, "You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.

 

David wrote this Psalm that reminds us that no matter what our troubles…no matter how unloved we feel…God is there supplying the strength to get through that dark period of our lives.  David knew that if he just prayed to God…he would comfort him as long as he had to wait in those caves.  He knew God was there…even if every other human left his side.

 

I am not sure I have ever had to experience the emptiness that David is talking about here.  I came close when I walked the harsh roads of divorce…my first husband leaving me for someone else.  I came closer when the second husband God gave me died suddenly.  I am sure that God gave me the strength and comfort I needed when Life was tough….and even gave my life new purpose and meaning …using those painful times to build me into someone he could use to spread his word…in simple language…in daily devotionals.

 

Here’s an amazing thing. David didn’t complain…he just asked for God’s help. David thanked God for his comfort and love.  He clung to it and let it help him survive a time of darkness and uncertainty.  David…like Paul and Silas… sang a psalm of praise and thanks to the one he knew was going to usher him into a new season of life….even if he didn’t know what it would be…or when it would come.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to come to you when I feel lonely and sad.  Forgive me for the times that I have complained and whined…instead of offering you a thank you for the comfort you gave me.  Thank you for showing me how important it is to read your word…and giving me the opportunity to write and share the deepest thoughts you reveal each morning.  Use me more and more to spread the truth about your great love….so that more people can come to know you personally.  Amen.

Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say....And Think

Psalm 141:3-5 - Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.  Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.  Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.

 

David wrote this wonderful Psalm that reminds us to control strictly the words that come from our mouths.  He also reminds us to guard our hearts from the lustful thoughts that sometimes sneak into our mind.  Then he reminds us to count it a kindness when a Christian brother or sister rebukes us if we fall.

 

The mouth is a powerful tool of God…if it constantly speaks kindness and encouraging words to the ones God has placed around us.  Jesus spoke life into the people around him.  Any criticism he ever had of the Sadducees …Pharisees….and money changers…was paired with the words of God from the scriptures.  They were timed perfectly ….and I am sure he bathed the decisions to speak with prayer.

 

Satan can turn the positive power pf prayer into poisonous darts of hate.  He uses the unkind words we pour from our heart and mouth to tear down and destroy what God meant to be built up and encouraged.  We are warned of this again in James 3:5-6…. “ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

 

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 26:62-64 that there is also a time to be completely silent.  Jesus was completely silent to the charges against him…until he was placed under oath to tell whether he was the son of God.  He only spoke what was required.  I am sure that his cries of forgiveness on the cross started as silent whispers in his heart as he bore the stripes on his back.  Perhaps that is what gave him such supernatural strength to complete the task that gave all of us an opportunity to know eternal life.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder to be very careful what words and thoughts I allow in mind. Guard my thoughts of lustful things…and help me to be open to those you send to rebuke me of my wrongs.  Help me to be so positive in my thoughts that my actions become positive as well. Help me spend more time with you in prayer…especially when I am tempted to rant and vent about something that bothered me. Amen.

Leave Justice In God's Hands

Psalm 140:1-4 -  Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence,  who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day.  They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. "Selah"  Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from men of violence who plan to trip my feet.

 

David wrote this wonderful Psalm that models for us how to handle the evil and injustice we are tempted to handle ourselves. He prayed to God to help him…to rescue him…to deliver him from the ones that meant to hurt him with their words and actions. David prayed that the evil that was plotted against him would boomerang right back to those that sent it.

 

It is so hard to look upon the horrible evil day to day that exists in our world.  The news is full of crime….murder trials…and stories of trafficking humans for ill gain.  The words and actions of people around the world …hurt people intensely with the hate that powers these violent and evil things. It makes it so much harder to imagine that one day the world will be free of such crazy and evil things.

 

David’s prayer shows us how to maintain an inner peace in the midst of just atrocities.  If we completely turn the justice over to God…then we free our mind and hands to love the hate out of a few more of the ones that God brings across our own paths. There is nothing wrong with praying for justice…we just have to be ready to let God’s timing rule over our desire to fix everything that is wrong on our own.

 

Father...thank you for the reminder that God knows what is happening on this earth he created…and has a plan to right every wrong that I perceive with my ears….and eyes…and heart.  Help me resist the temptation to interfere with his plan…and wait on him to create the perfect punishment for those that break his rules.  Help me remember that I am a sinner too….and my sin will be judged as well. Amen.

How Much Time Do You Spend With God?

Psalm 139:1-5 -  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.  You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

 

David wrote this wonderful psalm that explains the omnipresence of God. David knew that God could see into the deepest part of his heart…and knew everything there was to know about him. He precedes and follows us everywhere we CHOOSE to go….even when those choices were not the ones God wanted us to make.

 

We can never get away from God. He is always near…so we always have a store of his strength to draw from.  God is so close….he hears the slightest whisper of his name.  He stands ready to help us at any time.

 

One statement jumped out at my heart from my Life Application Bible commentary.  It said, “God thinks of us…more than we think of him.” My heart did one of those flip flops that tells you that you just learned something really important …and I was immediately convicted because of the meager time I seek him out.

 

Father...thank you for the reminder that I need to spend more time with you.  Forgive me for ever thinking that my time with you is enough.  Help me to cling to the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 17 and pray without ceasing…for prayer is the one way to spend time with you. Help me to find extra times to worship who you are….and not feel I am limited by the three services I attend in corporate worship. Thank you for loving me more than I could ever love you…and helping me to strive to love others the same way you love me. Amen.

God's Right Hand Saves Us...And Saves Us...And Saves Us

Psalm 138:3 and 7-8  -  In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.  The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

 

David wrote this wonderful Psalm.  It begins with a cry of thanksgiving …thanking God for the strength and boldness to endure hardship until God perfected the plan he had for David.  It ends with a gentle plea to remember he was still in pain…even though God already knew it.

 

Thanksgiving to God should be a huge percent of our time….especially the answered prayers we have already received.  I admit that I sure am convicted in this moment that I do not lift my voice in thanks enough for all God has done for me. And I am thinking that I have even gotten some answers to prayer that I have ignored on purpose because I did not like his answer.

 

But what is really cool about God…is that he just keeps on loving me anyway.  He stretches out his hand and blesses me in spite of the things I have ignored or taken for granted. He keeps on welding that big plan he has for me….backing up to fix the messes I have made when I did not take time to listen to him the first time. He won’t be satisfied until I listen close enough for him to finish his masterpiece.

 

Father…thank you for the promise that you are never going to stop working on fixing the things that sin has corrupted in my heart.  Thank you for the reminder that I can help you focus my heart and soul even faster if I take the time to praise you and thank you more often for the many things you have done for  me. Thank you for the strength and boldness that has helped me move forward from my struggles in life. You do endure forever…and I look forward to the masterpiece you will create in me when you are finished.  Amen.