Time For Him
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
I know Someone who thinks you are important. You are the apple of His eye. His mind is always on you. He is continually aware of your wants, needs and desires. He watches over you when you are hurting, suffering and in trouble. He plans for your success. His thoughts towards you are immeasurable and unfathomable.
So with that in mind, how IMPORTANT is He to you? Are you planning your day around Him or trying to plan Him into your day? Are you hanging out with another during the time you set aside for Him?
It hurts Jesus when He is cast aside. He longs to commune with you. He longs to just sit and chat, invite Him into your day. He is waiting to spend some time with just you.
To hear the whisper of God you must turn down the volume of the world. Find time to disconnect from everything around you and be still in His presence today. He is waiting for you to draw near. Amen.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Peter 5:7-11
Fountain of Life and Light
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalm 36:7-9)
Such a luxurious description of Heaven is laid out for us in Psalm 36. Safety for those who have been hunted, provided under the steadfast powerful wings of the Almighty. An unending feasting at the table of the Lord for those who have known famine. Eternally satisfying drink for those spirits who have thirsted for their Savior. A fountain of life and the light of the Son purifying and illuminating all.
I can’t tell you how appealing this sounds to me. I am very weary this week. A fountain of life to dance in? Yes please. Light that doesn’t make my tired eyes squint and wish for a dim bedroom, but instead opens my eyes with new life to the beauty around me? Sure thing. A feast I don’t have to cook and an endless cheese board that I can eat without fear of calories? That’s definitely heavenly. And eternal safety in the sure protection of my Lord? Knowing I never again will worry or fear? This more than anything makes me want to shout “Come, Jesus. Come.”
Today’s Reading is Psalm 36
Living in Expectation
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
Trouble is everywhere. In this world of chaos filled with disappointments, where can one find comfort? Have you ever REALLY read and meditated on Revelations 21:4. This verse brings comfort to all who believe and brings my attention to:
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Understanding and living in expectation of what God has in store makes even the biggest disappointments more bearable. Paul said it best in Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
I encourage you to live each day in the Expectation of God. Amen!!
For years now my daily motto as been, Great Expectations, and for that this resounded in my ears when I read it this morning. My prayer is that someone find strength and encouragement in those words and truly live each day in the Expectation of God. What a game changer.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Revelation 21:4
The Greatest Exchange Artist
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God;to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:2-3)
The Lord is the greatest exchange artist. I know people that will trade you something good in exchange for something good. I even know people that will give you something for nothing in return. But I have never met anyone on this Earth that will give you all their beauty in exchange for your filthy ashes. Nope, not one. They might give you something beautiful but say, “Just keep your ashes please, I don’t want those. Those things are nasty.”
However, I know Someone not of this earth who says – give it to Me. Give Me all your filth, all your nastiness, all your heaviness and mourning, give me all that weighs you down! I will take it. Jesus exchanges your mourning and gives you dancing. He removes your sackcloth and gives you a garment of gladness.
Does this appeal to you? What are you waiting for? The Great Exchanger is waiting for you to bring your ashes to Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Exchange your sickness. Exchange your depression and sorrow. Drop them at His feet and receive beauty and joy and praise!
Ask Jesus today to remind you of what he has taken from you and created in you! Amen!
When I read this I thought it was beautifully written. What has He taken from you and created in you? He never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it. Amen! I pray this blesses you today as it did me.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 61:2-3
Ingratitude with Honesty
In Luke 17:11, ten lepers dare to approach Jesus. They are unclean. They are contagious, at least in close quarters. Jesus sends them to the priest, and on the way their disease is healed. No more disfigurement. No more pain. They can return to their jobs and families. Imagine their joy as they danced into the temple, showing the priest their restored fingers and skin as new as a babe.
One, a Samaritan (foreigners whom Jews considered total outcasts), returns to thank Jesus.
Only one.
There is no doubt the other nine are just as elated, but only one is grateful enough to return and thank Jesus. Nine people are healed on the exterior, but there’s some inner work that still needs to be done.
Sometimes our greatest heart work takes place when we acknowledge where we are the least thankful.
It’s easy to get distracted by life, day in and day out. Whatever your daily distractions are, What if we stepped into our ingratitude with honesty?
Dear Lord, today I saw the mess and heard the noise but failed to be grateful. Let me pause for a moment and point out all the reasons I’m thankful.
Perhaps you’ve been busy at work.
Oh Lord, I gripe about my workload, when just a year ago I was praying for a job. Have I stopped to thank You for provision?
I just celebrated another birthday. When I look in the mirror, I see those years adding up.
Father, I see wrinkles and years gaining, but I failed to thank You for another day. I’d like to change that.
When we step honestly into areas of ingratitude, it has the power to change us. We run back to Jesus, aware of the immense gifts we’ve been given.
Today, let’s listen to our words. Let’s look for the miracles and write them on our hearts.
Father, sometimes I take my miracles for granted, or I think You already know that I’m grateful. For whatever reason, I haven’t expressed that, and I want to do it today. I’m falling to my knees to say how grateful I am. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When I read this it challenged me to stop and be honest with myself about the areas of ingratitude in my own life that I fail to give God thanks for because I assume He already knows I’m grateful and that’s not okay. I am choosing to fall on my knees today to say how grateful I am, it is so easy and yet so vital that we stop, take a moment, run to Jesus and just say Thank You. Lets make time today to praise Him.
Today’s Reading is 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Stir Up The Power!
Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Peter 1:4, 6-7)
I recently read, There are times when you know what God has called you to do, but you just don’t feel you have the inner resources you need to do it. Somehow you’ve simply run dry. You know the Word says that “out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). But, during those times, you can’t even find the creek bank, much less the river.
The Word of God tells us how to handle those situations through a clear command: “Stir up the gift inside you.”
You stir yourself up! Everything you need is already in you. Jesus put it there. Everything you’ll ever need to accomplish what God has called you to do has been placed inside you by God Almighty.
Faith is in there. Power is in there. Love is in there. Believe that. Speak it out. Say it to yourself now, right out loud:
“In the Name of Jesus, I stir up the gift that’s within me by faith. I’m stirring up my faith. I’m not going to wait until I feel stirred up. I’m stepping out by faith and expecting my feelings to follow!
“I’m stirring up the love of God that’s in me. I’m stirring up the power. I’m stirring up myself and running the devil out of my affairs. I’m stirring myself up in the Spirit of the living God! I am stirred up!” Amen!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Timothy 1:1-8
Thankfulness
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Tomorrow, we will spend the day eating good things and hopefully, thanking the Lord for each morsel. As Christians, a day like Thanksgiving with its elaborate feasting is a merely a feeble preview of the feast that we will enjoy for eternity in Heaven. It’s a physical picture of the spiritual bounty that awaits us. At some point tomorrow, most of us will declare ourselves ‘stuffed!’ And while we Americans are familiar with physical fullness, there is always a hunger and thirst within us for spiritual fulfillment. We each have a deep desire for our hearts to feel fully valued, loved and loaded with holy purpose. That thirst will at long last be finally and forever satisfied in the person and presence of Jesus Christ.
For Christians, we have that purpose, value and love now, but struggle to fully feel and remember it while still living in this broken world. Our imperfect bodies, struggles with sin, and the suffering of this world drain our souls and send us into a battle to remember who we are and Whose we are. I was struggling to remember this the other day. I was driving along pondering the seemingly endless struggle over my physical insecurities and looked out my window at a gorgeous pink sunset the Lord had laid before me. His voice spoke to my heart and reminded me that I am more beautiful and more wonderfully made than that sunset. And for the moment, the eternal perspective won. But the battle began anew the next morning when I got up to get dressed. Our life here will be full of these small battles between acknowledging our brokenness and remembering our redemption. In heaven, the brokenness will be forever gone and all that will remain is to be filled to the brim with the glory of the Lord.
Don’t let your gratitude tomorrow be short-lived or superficial. Let it be a spiritual reset, putting your heart into a grateful posture so that your actions come out of thankfulness for what the Lord has done in you instead of focused on what remains to be sanctified. When we operate from a grateful heart, our perspective and battle posture will be much improved. If we thank the Lord for all the battles won in the past and for the war that He has already won, we are better prepared to fight discontentment and selfishness. Eat and fellowship tomorrow thanking the Lord for the good things He has laid before you now and the even better things that He has laid in store for you in eternity. He has indeed given us good things and He’s not through yet.
This brought tears to my eyes as I read it this morning. I felt I had to share every bit of it. My prayer today, going into tomorrow and every day after will be, don’t let my gratitude be short lived or superficial. Let it be a spiritual reset, putting my heart into a grateful posture so that my actions come out of thankfulness for what the Lord has done in me instead of focusing on what remains to be sanctified. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Amen. (Psalm 136:1)
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 107
Fame and Humility
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)
Many of us are obsessed with fame—either with being famous ourselves or with following every detail of famous people’s lives. International book or film tours. Late-night show appearances. Millions of followers on Twitter.
In a recent study in the US, researchers ranked the names of famous individuals using a specially developed algorithm that scoured the Internet. Jesus topped the list as the most famous person in history.
Yet Jesus was never concerned about obtaining celebrity status. When He was here on earth, He never sought fame (Matt. 9:30; John 6:15)—although fame found Him all the same as news about Him quickly traveled throughout the region of Galilee (Mark 1:28; Luke 4:37).
Wherever Jesus went, crowds soon gathered. The miracles He performed drew people to Him. But when they tried to make Him a king by force, He slipped away by Himself (John 6:15). United in purpose with His Father, He repeatedly deferred to the Father’s will and timing (4:34; 8:29; 12:23). “He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
Fame was never Jesus’s goal. His purpose was simple. As the Son of God, He humbly, obediently, and voluntarily offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins.
Today’s Reading is Philippians 2:1-11
Be Still
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
I recently read, we are being instructed in this verse to let go, to be quiet, and to be physically & mentally still. For most of us stillness, silence, and serenity are difficult to find. Even when we are able to find it externally, it can still be difficult to cultivate stillness internally. Life is busy and so are our minds!
It is not only tough to make the time to be still; it’s tough to create stillness in our mind and body. The idea of being still goes against what we naturally, and culturally, do. Our inclination is to step on the gas and go full speed ahead, believing that doing more, and having more, makes us more complete. Instead, God is telling us here to hit the brakes and be still. If we are busy being busy, God’s voice can be nearly impossible to hear, but the problem is that many times we view being still with God as inactivity. It is critical to our faith to realize that the more we are deliberately still:
* the better we recognize God’s activity,
* the smaller our issues seem,
* the bigger God appears,
When was the last time you released the pressing issues in your life to God? When was the last time you relaxed in the presence of God? Can you set aside just a few minutes today to “be still” before God, and to listen for His voice?
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 3:5-6
Speak No Guile
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. (1 Peter 3:10)
I recently read, In the apostle Peter’s first letter, he told the followers of Jesus, “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called. . . . For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it” (1 Peter 3:9–11).
The psalmist David wrote, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips” (Ps. 141:3). That’s a great prayer for the beginning of each day and in every situation when we want to strike back with words.
Lord, guard our words today so we may not harm others by what we say. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Amen.
May we start each day with this on our lips that we may live by example and lead others to Christ. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (Provers 18:21). Be mindful of what you say, you have the power to build up or tear down, what will you choose today.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 Peter 3:8-12