Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Never get the idea that God is just waiting for us to mess up so that He can strike us down. It is just the opposite. He is looking out for our best. The Lord wants each of us to experience the ultimate fulfillment in life.
To bring this about, He walks with us, guiding us each day – showing us compassion and faithfulness. Let’s face it, if it were God’s goal to judge us, He would not have to wait long for us to make a mistake. Each one of us has a personal history such that if He wanted to, the Lord could lock us in Hell and throw away the key.
The fact is, God has proven His intent through the death and resurrection of Christ. He loved us enough to go to the cross. He wouldn’t have done that if He was intent on condemning us.
Come to God today in a spirit of expectancy. Be ready to hear and obey His plans for your life. Wait on Him in the stillness of trust and dependancy. Spend some time just listening for that still, small voice inside you. It will be well worth your time.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, God's faithfulness, God's love, Holy Spirit, holy worship, presence of the lord, trust, wrath
Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
They seem so powerful, so enduring. Their immense size and lofty construction give us the idea that they will last forever. Yet a viewing of the pictures of the Mount St. Helens tragedy illustrates how even a mountain can crumble at any time.
We, as human beings, tend to be impressed very easily. We are quick to use labels such as “always”, “never”, and “forever.” We seem to apply these to the most inappropriate parts of life – governments, economies, relationships, and so many other man-made institutions. The events of September eleventh proved the foolishness of that kind of thinking.
Don’t fall into the trap of assigning eternal value to temporary things. In spite of all this, there is a stable place in the world. Even though the seemingly unshakable can topple, God’s love, His covenant, and His compassion will never fail. They are established, eternal, and unshakable.
Meditate on the Lord’s faithfulness today. Give Him praise for His unchanging and unwavering love – that love which reaches down to us at our point of need. Spend time in the presence of the Eternal One today. Receive from Him what you need to be established in your way.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, established, eternal, faith, God's faithfulness, mountain, presence of the lord, temporary, unshakable
Proverbs 2:20
Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.
(NIV)
Righteousness is a word we don’t like to use too often. It’s real religious sounding. All it really means is to be right from God’s perspective. Unfortunately, the religious definition is not always in line with the Scripture.
Having grown up in church, I sometimes got the impression that I was righteous as long as I followed a set of rules. If I was “being good” then I was righteous.
At this point I have come to the conclusion that righteousness is all about trusting God enough to live my life on His terms instead of mine. It is a path I have to walk. The reality is that when we walk, every step is a choice. Even a slight change in our stride can send us off into a totally different direction.
Each day I have a choice. I can walk the way of the world, or trust the Lord that He will bring about His plan in my life. By watching the lives of godly men and women in the pages of the Bible, or in the history of the church, I can see where this path is leading me.
Make the best choice today. Follow the advise of wisdom. “Walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.”
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, disciple, God's will, good, path, religious, right, righteous, righteousness, rules, walk
Proverbs 31:18
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
(NIV)
This verse really emphasizes the true purpose of a lamp. If the sun is shining brightly, and your house has a lot of windows, there is no need for a lamp. Turning a lamp on at that point is a waste of energy, and you probably wouldn’t even notice that it was on.
The time that a lamp is needed is after the sun goes down. When you light a lamp in a dark room, there is no hiding it. As a matter of fact, even a small light can have that effect. I have been in a hotel room where the tiny red light on the smoke detector has kept me awake for hours!
The darker it gets, the more the light is needed. That is true in the spirit as well. We live in a dark society – spiritually speaking. And it seems to be getting darker and darker with each passing day. That tells me that there is a reason God has us here in this place, at this time in history.
So many people spend their lifetimes trying to find purpose. That should be no problem at all for the Christian. We are to shine the light of Christ wherever we are. That is our destiny. To light up the darkness of this world.
Therefore, I need to spend quality time in the presence of the Source of that light. If I am to adequately reflect Christ, then I need to abide in Him. Spend time with the Lord today. Let His joy, strength, and purpose flood your soul. Then allow His light to spill out to all those around you who need to come into His light.
Tags: Bible, bright, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, darkness, devotion, glory, Jesus Christ, lamp, light, presence of the lord, reflect, testimony, world
Exodus 27:20
“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning.”
(NIV)
Hopefully, all believers want to be a light for Christ in this dark world. What trips us up is the fact that it doesn’t just happen. Left to myself I would do nothing worthy of the Lord’s glory.
It follows the same principle as in the verse above. If Israel wanted the lamps in the tabernacle to continue to burn brightly, they had to be tended to. It was not just a once a week task. Olives had to be picked and crushed for their oil. The oil had to be filtered for clarity. The wicks had to be changed when they had burned down. The oil level in the lamps needed to be monitored frequently.
In the same way, hearing a sermon and singing some songs once a week is not enough to keep us burning bright for the Lord. It is a daily task to tend to the needs of our spirits. We need the solid food of the Word of God. We need the living water of the presence of God. We need to be meditating on His Word throughout the day. These are the things that keep the lamp going.
As I said in my post yesterday, it is not my light that is shining. But that doesn’t mean I have no part to play. Unless the lamp is prepared, there will be no place in me for the light of Christ to ignite. Keep your lamp in good condition. Give the fire of the Lord a ready home to light up your world.
Tags: Bible, burning, Christian, Christian witness, darkness, devotion, glory, Jesus Christ, lamp, light, oil, prepare, presence of the lord, testimony, world
Psalm 18:28
You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
(NIV)
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”
Sometimes children’s songs are the most profound. Notice how the song says I’m gonna let it shine, not I’m gonna make it shine. Simply put, I can’t be a light apart from Christ. He is the light of the world.
David said that it is the Lord that kept his lamp burning. It was God who turned his darkness into light. I am only a light as I reflect the light of Christ. As soon as I think it is my goodness lighting up the world around me, I plunge back into darkness.
I need to see myself as the moon. A great source of light and beauty at night. Yet none of it comes from its own glory. The moon only reflects the glory of the sun. In the same way we reflect Christ to the world.
When we take our eyes off of the Lord and begin to think we are so great, it is like a lunar eclipse. Our flesh starts to cast a shadow over the light. Depend upon God for your light today. Then you can be the lamp God intended you to be.
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, glory, Jesus Christ, light, presence of the lord, reflect, testimony
What is church all about? Why is it important to attend meetings?
Titus 1:4
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
(NIV)
Many believers have a misconception of what the church is. They see it in a very self-centered way.
“I go to church because I like the praise and worship.”
“They have a great youth ministry.”
“I get a lot out of the preaching.”
While these are all good things to say about a church, ultimately, they are not the main reason for going. It is not all about what I get out of it that makes the church important to me. There is a higher purpose.
The Apostle Paul gives us some insight in his words to Titus. He calls Titus his son in their common faith. That speaks volumes to me. Son. The church is not just a collection of individuals who happen to meet together to sing some songs and hear a speech. Because of the blood of Christ imparted to us, we are now a family. The church is, in fact, a family get-together.
We must see the church as a family unit. A place where the bonds are more important than the individuals. Paul calls it their common faith. It is the family heritage. Have you ever heard someone say something like, “Everyone in my family has a temper.” Or maybe, “My family are all very giving people.” There is a common trait to some families. To those of us in Christ, it should be our common faith in the Lord.
The church is that place where we pick up and strengthen our family traits. We start to resemble the Lord as we meet together with His family. Don’t miss out on the family reunion. Be a part of the church God has called you to. Let our common faith be what the world sees in us.
Tags: Bible, Christian, church, common faith, devotion, faith, family, fellowship, unity
Luke 9:57-58
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He had no corporate office. He had no house in the big city. He traveled almost the whole time during His ministry.
In some ways it is very difficult to live your life “on the road.” Jesus did it for three years. He understood the stress of always having to be on the move.
Spiritually speaking, if we serve the Lord, we can expect to be just like Him – to be constantly on the go. He does not want us to stagnate, but to press on toward the prize. To do that we must be always willing to change and to try new things as the Lord continues to call us forward.
This kind of life is forever bringing new challenges across our path. Each step of the way we are being drawn to deeper commitment, greater devotion, and higher callings. With each new opportunity for obedience comes a choice – to be satisfied with the old or to move on in Christ to the new. It is exciting following Jesus – but you have to keep moving.
Take the time today in your prayers to let the Lord know your willingness to move on with Him. If there is an area of your life where you have been resisting His change, then repent and commit to move on in obedience.
Tags: Bible, change, Christ, Christian, deeper, devotion, God's will, higher, Jesus Christ, moving forward, on the road
Psalm 18:31-33
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
There is nothing like the feeling you get when you stand on a high summit overlooking all of creation. It is like you are king (or queen) over all you survey.
It is God’s desire for us to be victorious in life. He wants us to stand on the mountaintop events of our lives and know the thrill of the moment. Realize that the Lord rejoices over our accomplishments.
But during those “peak” experiences – whether an actual mountain or some other achievement – we need to acknowledge the Lord as our source of strength. We must follow the example of the Psalmist. It is obvious that he knows the joys of victory. But he also knows where that victory came from. He gives credit and honor to God as the One who enables him to do these exploits.
Today – look back on your journey and praise God for His hand at work in you. It is He who gives you the strength and guidance that you need to make it to the tops of your personal “mountains.” Show Him your gratefulness for all He has done in your life. In that way you will be prepared for the victories yet to come.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, God's faithfulness, gratefulness, mountain, mountaintop, overcoming, trust, victory
Do you feel like a victim, like you’re the target practice for the world? That’s not God’s plan for you.
1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(NIV)
This verse gives us some insight into the strategy of our spiritual enemy. He hunts like a “roaring lion”. Lions are interesting hunters. Normally they are absolutely silent. You don’t see them until they are literally on top of you. A roaring lion is one who has gotten too old for that kind of hunting. He has lost some of his teeth. Younger lions move out in front of the prey, while the old toothless lion roars, and scares the prey so that they run right into the trap set by the younger ones.
This older lion then lets the young ones rip the prey apart, then eats the carved up pieces. That word devour, literally means to gulp down in one bite. The roaring lion is not looking for a fight. He doesn’t want to go one on one with the prey. All he wants to do is scare it into a trap.
This should speak volumes to us. Are you an easy prey for the devil? Do you run at the first sign of his attack? He is looking for someone with a victim mentality. The last person the devil wants to deal with is a Christian fully armed and standing on God’s Word.
Don’t just roll over and play dead. You are not the world’s doormat. You are meant to be victorious in Christ. Be strong in the Lord. Let the power of the Holy Spirit work in you. Stay in prayer and in the Word so that you are spiritually self-controlled and alert. Then you will not become the devil’s punching bag. Instead you can go on the offensive and free the oppressed from their bondage to sin. Be that champion God has called you to be!
Tags: armor of God, Bible, Christian, devotion, enemies, overcoming, problems, roaring lion, spiritual attack, spiritual battle, victory
The Spirit and the Word 