Tag: Lord

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Job 38-39 God’s ways are unknowable to men

Praising God

After 37 chapters in which Job has sought to defend himself against all the cries of his friends that he is a sinner, Job finally has his audience with the Lord God Almighty. God challenges Job to rethink his assessment of his questions and instead, God presents the case for Him as creator of all that lives and moves about the earth. These chapters remind us of the words of Isaiah: “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds,” says the Lord, “for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.” [Is 55:8-9] 

When we think we want an audience with the Lord, it would be wise to consider that God is Creator, He is Master, He is LORD! He knows the ways of men and He alone is offering Himself to each one that they might consider who they are in the realm of all that is and will be. Look about the world as you see it and experience it through His eyes and stop and praise Him for He is great and greatly to be praised. 

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God Protects

Psalm 98 God protects His faithful followers

Do you have a busy day ahead? Do you face timelines and people with tempers flaring? Does the news set you on edge? The psalm 98 is a perfect psalm for you to start the day.

You who love the Lord, hate evil!He protects the lives of his faithful followers; he delivers them from the power of the wicked.

Over and over through the centuries we see the proof of these words. Yes, there are times when God allows evil to triumph, but it is short lived and the evil doers do meet their doom. The story of Esther is proof that God protects His own and takes down the Haman’s of this world. 

Further the psalmist wrote: You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord. Give thanks to his holy name. 

What a wonderful psalm to start the day as we move from place to place in traffic. 

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The Eye of God

Habakkuk 1-3 Habakkuk has been given a bird’s eye view of the world and God’s judgment. He doesn’t understand why God would choose the evil empire of Babylon to judge his people, but then God reveals why through the use of illustrations beginning with “woe.”

God pronounces three woes. Woe to him who covets evil gain. Sounds like today. Men covet money, and they are never satisfied. Woe to him, who builds a town with bloodshed. How many towns were built on that premise both then and even now as we watch Putin desire all of Ukraine? Woe to him who says to wood, Awake! To the silent stone, Arise.!The stupidity of men who covet, kill and give credit to man-made idols.

O Lord, keep our eyes fastened upon you. May we echo the prayer of Habakkuk: O Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid. O Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years. Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vine, Yet…I will rejoice in the Lord.

Today, may this be my prayer as I watch this nation surrender to covetousness, greed, power-hungry men, and idol worship of men rather than God.

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Will you go?

                                

Jonah 1-4    Jonah is not only a Hebrew but also a Hebrew who worships the Lord, the God of heaven. Yet, Jonah is a picture of the selfish racial condemnation of others. God said in Isaiah, who will go for us and Isaiah said, “send me.” Yet, Jonah hearing that same call turns a blind eye and says, “send another, not me.” Does this sound familiar? Do we have excuses why we do not say “send me?” Look within and see why we take a ship to Tarshish and sleep away the opportunities God has placed before us. We are the Jonahs of today with our plethora of excuses.

Yet as the Psalmist said, “The Lord is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate.” [Ps 116:5] He will not relent when He has a plan to send men/women to the lost fields of Nineveh to bring them hope and the message of salvation. He may send a fish or a neighbor, or another believer to accost us in our tracks and redirect us to the lost. God is the antithesis of Jonah, and we are to be His messengers of hope as He is the God of hope.

Where is God directing you this day? To whom will you bring the message of God’s love and hope?

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The Lord is our Shield

Ps 3: But you, Lord, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me
How comforting to know that the Lord is our shield as part of our spiritual armor. It isn’t just a metal shield but the shield of faith that we must carry into battle. [Eph 6:16] It can deflect the enemy as he seeks to find the right weak point in our armor. The psalmist knows that when he goes into battle, he must not just have the entire armor covering his body but also that shield to carry. It can be lifted and placed in front of us to block the enemy’s advance seeking to disarm and defeat us. The enemy can see the advancing army but can’t see the individuals carrying the shield.

Without it, we are vulnerable. With it, we can deflect the enemy’s arrows.

Today, do as the Roman soldiers, dip your shield in the living water to extinguish the enemy’s arrows. Then lift your shield of faith as you encounter the enemy and his advancement.

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Moving and a Quiet Time

1Kings 8 to 10  Recently a friend moved and it was a chore—especially with little children who don’t really understand why they are moving from a familiar place to one that is unfamiliar! Can you relate? In these chapters, King Solomon is moving the Ark from its place in the countryside to the brand new Temple. It took many many people to make this move a success and to bring the precious cargo to its new home. But it didn’t just happen, there had to be advanced preparation, just like my friend, because Solomon as King had invited all of Israel’s elders, the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families! They would be coming to witness the transfer from Zion to Jerusalem. It only took place after Solomon had planned for many months to bring this about.

My friend had spent countless hours packing, repacking and gathering documents to move his family just like Solomon. It was after all of that Solomon stood before the altar and spread out his hands to the Lord in prayer. His prayer was long and God was pleased. In fact, God was so pleased that He appeared to Solomon and blessed him with these words “I have answered your prayer.” Imagine God doing that for each of us as we plan, prepare and then take time to talk to Him.

1kings 8 to 10 moving quiet time2a

It is our prayer that as you start your day you spend it in advance preparation for what you are going to read and meditate upon so that you will hear the same response as Solomon. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way. Also, we are open to suggestions from you our audience!

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How Well Do You Know Your A,B, C’s?

It seems that between Acts and Psalms we are being reminded daily of our need to praise God. Listen to the psalmist: 21:13 “We will sing and praise your power!” 22:3 “you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.” And now the command is given by the earthly king  to and for the heavenly king: 22:23 “You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him!” 22:26 “Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!”

PrPsalm 21 and 22 praise dreamstimeaising the Lord is a reminder that God alone is sovereign and in control of our very being. Nothing comes across our path but what has been ordained by God and filtered through his fingertips. He desires that we stop and praise Him for what He has done and what He will do. For He is the Lord God ALMIGHTY, the BOUNTIFUL AND BLESSED Savior, He is CREATOR and we are created. He is the COURAGEOUS CHRIST who died for our sin and in doing so became our DELIVERER who is ETERNAL. He is FAITHFUL, He is GOD, He is HOLY, He is IMMUTABLE. Do you see the ABC pattern? Continue on starting with “J until you reach Z.” Let these words flow forth as you praise Him.

Stop and Praise Him for His goodness to you this day.

Photo Credit: dreamstime.com

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Are You Sure of Your Destiny?

luke 23 destiny2a“people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,”[Heb 9]. Our question is: are you prepared for your entry into eternity? In Luke 23, we are presented with three candidates for us to observe and determine ours.

First on our list is Barabbas, an insurrectionist and a murderer. He is incarcerated in a prison awaiting his sure sentence of death. As he sat waiting could he hear the crowd led by the religious leaders calling for his release? Did he know that his life would soon take an abrupt turn? Did he know that the religious leaders and the crowd offered an innocent man named Jesus to face the cross that was slated for him? We wonder and only in eternity will we know his thoughts, his actions before and after. Only God knows his destiny.

Second, are the two criminals who were also led with Jesus to the Golgotha hill and there nails would pierce their bones. They both heard Jesus cry out “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Yet only one would enter eternity forgiven for he cried out remember me when  you enter your kingdom. Jesus heard and promised that would be true. His forgiveness for his sins was washed away on that day.  The other would enter a Christ-less eternity. He neither feared God or man.

Your destiny is assured—either heaven or hell. If you are like Barabbas, bow the knee now for life is uncertain. If you are like the thief on the cross who railed on Jesus, think what lays ahead for you. If you are like the thief that sought forgiveness you can be assured of this promise: you will be with Christ in heaven/paradise. What is your destiny?

 

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Lord Save Me!

matt 14 j+ save meThis  is  the  second  time  the  disciples  have  witnessed  first-hand  the  power  of  the  Christ  in  a  storm.  In  Matt  8  the  disciples  unsuccessfully  battle  a  storm  and  Jesus  sleeps  through  it  all.  Being  awakened  he  commands  the  wind  and  the  sea  to  cease  and  it  does.  Then  the  disciples  ask  “What  sort  of  person  is  this?”    Now  as  they  once  again  are  unsuccessful  in  another  storm  Jesus  comes  walking  to  them  on  the  water.  This  time  after  the  wind  ceases  they  worship  him  and  say  “Truly  you  are  the  Son  of  God.”

As  they  ponder  what  has  just  transpired  the  disciples  hear  Jesus  ask  Peter  ‘why  did  you  doubt?’    Perhaps  James  remembers  the  disciples  recounting  this  story  and  the  truth  principle  derived  from  it:    “the  one  who  doubts  is  like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  blown  and  tossed  around  by  the  wind.”    Unlike  Jonah  who  knew  what  God  could  and  would  do in Nineveh,  the  disciples  needed  a  faith  lesson.  Jonah  did  not  call  out  to  the  Lord  until  he  was  “IN”  the  midst  of  the  fish’s  belly.  Peter called out  to  Jesus  “ON”  the  water.  How many storms does Jesus have to bring into our lives before we stop and worship him? When  we  face  a  storm  that  God  has  pre-arranged  do  we  wait until we are in the midst of the storm, do we doubt  or  do  we  have  faith  that  the  Son  of  God  will  immediately  save  us?  Jesus save us should be our cry.

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1Thess 4 “Practical Holiness”

1thess 4 holy living3a“Indeed, the more sanctified the person is, the more conformed he is to the image of his Savior, the more he must recoil against every lack of conformity to the holiness of God.” [Jn Murry]. We can recoil but how do we stay on top of this desire for holiness and then live it out practically? Even though Paul received word that the new babes in Christ were standing firm he knew that the wiles of the devil would not fade away for he is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Therefore, we need some practical ammunition to withstand his work and Paul outlines it in three simple steps which if applied will help us to be “more persistent [in our] yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus…”

First step is to recognize that this step towards is holiness is attainable because we have been anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, we can live it as we minister to the brethren by living a quiet life, minding our own business because the unbelievers are watching and taking note of the change within us. Thirdly there is no reason to fret about the Lord’s return for even Jesus while in his humanity told the disciples it was not for them nor him to know but only the Father. When the catching away happens we will be suddenly without warning be caught up to be with Jesus and our loved ones in the clouds. From that point on we will assuredly be with the Lord forevermore.

Beloved, “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…” [Mt 24]

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Scripture from: https://lumina.bible.org

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