Where are you going? Do you know the way? Why are you not there? Have you been distracted along the way? “The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!” Ecclesiastes 10:15-17 We are all sojourners traveling through this life but there are many who do not know where they have come from or where they are going. Do you know that God loves you? Do you know that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins? This world entices us to become satisfied with the wares it offers. Do not be foolish and believe that this world is all that there is. We are all equally in need of God’s saving grace and we all must come to a point where we place our full trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Have you trusted in God’s saving grace. Continue Reading…
Cease striving and collapse into the loving arms of God: Ecclesiastes 9 and 10
Is God enough for you to find complete rest: Psalm 131
Is God enough? Do we find rest in God? We often look upon our lives and think that we need just one more ‘thing’ to make ourselves complete. Why do we long for more? We let ourselves get in our way: we let the pride within us dictate our needs and wants, we let our eyes lust upon the items our pride desires, and we tout how our great intellect helps us. How can we believe that God is enough when we assume requirements from God upon our lives and we think that if we work hard enough we will meet the requirements. Is our busyness an attempt to win God’s favor? Why do we feel compelled to work for our salvation which was completely finished and granted at the cross of Calvary. Continue Reading…
Joyful gladness manifested in our lives: Psalm 100
Is your life marked by a joyful spirit and attitude? As a follower of God we are to find our delight in serving Him. The relationship that we have with God manifests itself in our lives by a joyful gladness in all things. Why are we impacted in such a way by our relationship with God? “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3 We know that all we have in life is from God and an amazing peace permeates our lives because of this truth. We can encounter troubles, trials and tribulation joyfully because we know that it is God at work in us and not ourselves. This correct perspective of God as the Almighty Creator enables us to rest and find our joy in Him.
The best self help book focuses on God and not you: Psalm 62
“I see your having a rough time. I heard about this book that will solve your problem in 10 easy steps that take 30 minutes a day. You should check it out.” Has anyone ever said something like that to you? It is amazing how easily people will acknowledge the problems of your life and suggests ‘proven’ ways for solving them. There are over one-hundred-thousand book results for ‘self help books’ on the Amazon store. There are many voices in the world proclaiming solutions to problems but they will all fall short of the mark. Whenever a solution to the tribulation of the world is sought apart from God failure will be quickly reaped. Continue Reading…
Will you indeed take refuge in God: Psalm 60
Words are a mighty way to proclaim who you are to the people around you. You can claim to be a great lover of books but you never read books. You can say that you are an expert photographer but you only use a camera once a year. Do you tell of your renowned cooking but you takeout food more often than you make it. We claim many things by our words but we cannot let our words be the only proof of who we are. Our actions will truly speak of who we are because by doing we show what our heart desires. What does your words proclaim about God? Do your actions affirm the words of your mouth?
Do you ever look upon your situation in life and think that everything is stacked against you? In those moments what are you looking to for hope? The hope you need in every situation in life is found in believing that every situation in life is ordained and allowed by God. You are in your present situation because God has a purpose for you being there. In Psalm 60 David knew that everything that happened to himself and Israel was because of God alone. He was pleading for God to be faithful and bring deliverance in the difficult moments of life. There was no other hope for David other than looking to God alone. “O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.” Psalm 60:11,12
The watershed of hope is found as you rest in the refuge of God. Trust God to carry you through the difficult moments and you will find a torrent of hope flooding through your life. When you let God, the creator of heaven and earth, carry your burdens of life you will have a renewed outlook. If your words tell of how God is your refuge and help in moments of trouble, will your actions in life show that you cling to God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength? Take time to rest in God consistently and when the troubles of life rise to overtake you a hope and peace will be secured because of your steadfast faith in God’s sovereign provision.
Grace is the help and hope we desire: Psalm 17
Why do we fear the evil of this world that sows destruction throughout the world? How often do we incorrectly grant power and authority to Satan as we think of his effect on mankind? We are deceived into thinking that power rests with Satan but in truth all power resides in, through and from God alone. Satan has no authority unless it is granted by God. How can we not be in awe of the power of God when we realize the sheer might that He can wield. Continue Reading…
Hope rises as the heart transforms and renews: 2 Chronicles 33 and 34
The reading today in 2 Chronicles 33 and 34 makes me ask wonder how the faith that we hold to with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength can be instilled into the lives of our posterity. In chapter 35 Manasseh succeeds as king of Judah after Hezekiah’s death. How did Manasseh stray so far from God? Why did he choose to undo the good and true things of his father that glorified God? The Temple of the Lord was defiled by Manasseh of which God had said, “In this House and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses.” 2 Chronicles 33:7,8 The people of Judah were led by Manasseh to set their hearts towards Great evil. What can help in moments when we are so far from our first love of God? Continue Reading…
Cling to the Lord your God, not to this world: Joshua 23 and 24
What do you cling to? In the midst of the joyful, abundant, and peaceful times of your life what do you cling to? When you are faced with tribulation, trials, and death what do you cling to? The end of Joshua’s life has come and he is imparting final words of encouragement to the people of Israel. These words are centered on the the simple question of what will you cling to in the years to come. What will they choose to cling to?
As I read Joshua 23 I am filled with amazement at the last words of this leader of Israel. At the age of one hundred and ten Joshua knows that it is time for him to impart his closing words exhorting the sons of Israel just as Moses did throughout Deuteronomy. What can you tell a nation so that they will not fall away from the God that has brought them peace and prosperity? Continue Reading…
The latest and greatest, a humorous look at amputation
So i just found out that I am going to be having surgery on this upcoming Monday the 30th. I really hope it is a morning surgery because I hate being told I can’t have breakfast or lunch… that is cruel and unusual punishment. So I suppose you may wonder why I am having surgery and what is happening. Well I have ‘interesting’ feet that have been getting fixed over the last few years. Well I ended up with a sore and infection in one of my toes on my right foot so the best course of action is to amputate the toes. Continue Reading…
