Your Daily Crossroad
He Knows
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. (Psalm 139:4)
It’s comforting to know that God loves us with a deep familiarity. David wrote, “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether” (Ps. 139:4). Imagine having a quiet conversation with Jesus where you’re telling Him the deepest matters of your heart. Just when you’re struggling to get the words out, He gives you a knowing smile and expresses exactly what you couldn’t quite say. How good it is to know that we don’t have to get our words just right to talk to God! He loves us and knows us well enough to understand.
You know all about me, Lord, and You love me. Thank You for understanding me completely! Please help me to love You and follow You today. Amen.
When I read this it made me think of the many times I’ve struggled to express what I wanted to say to The Lord but what truth I was reminded of today, He loves me so much and knows me so well, He understands even when I can’t quite get the words out. God hears every unspoken word. What peace!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 139:1-12
Who Sharpens You?
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17)
When you are stuck in sin, what are you compelled to do? Are you compelled to engage other believers and prayerfully work through sin’s power in your life? Hopefully, that is the case. Unfortunately, many believers urge themselves to withdraw, retract, and disengage from those who would walk through our sin with us because it can be embarrassing admitting we have messed up. However, this is the last thing we should do!
Let us remember, as Christians, we are called to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). This is not an irrational rule meant to shame us into compliance. Contrarily, it is intended for our benefit and building one another up in love and grace. What we seem to forget is that what we struggle with, others have or do as well. Our Christian brother or sister has already been through what we are experiencing and can be there to help us through it. Don’t let pride keep you in sin!!
We may be grieved by our sin but continue to live in it because we aren’t confessing it and being sharpened in our fight against it. Repentance is much more than feeling sorry about our sin; it is literally turning around and going in the opposite direction. Rather than living in the dark and returning to sin, confess your sin to a brother or sister and stay accountable to him or her. When this happens, you will find you both become sharper, more useful tools for the Lord.
Who sharpens you?
This blessed me when I read it and I felt it needed to be shared. Just remember it’s not a free pass to gossip but to genuinely find that one person in your life who sharpens you, won’t judge you, get mad at you but love you and pray with you and for you and who will be honest in love and in return you do the same for them. You may be thinking, I don’t have anyone in my life I can go to and that’s the furthest thing from the truth, go to God, talk to Him and He will bring someone into your life who sharpens you. Believe Him for that person in your life and you go out and be that someone for someone else. Allow God to use you to be that person that someone is looking for to sharpen them. It could be your spouse, your child, your co-worker or even your friend. I needed to be reminded of this today. Here I am Lord, use me.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 27:1-17
Kindling
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them. (Isaiah 1:31)
I recently read. Humankind is possessed of a self-destructive bent. We consistently over-indulge in lifestyles and behaviors that will ultimately bring about our demise (i.e. addiction to drugs, alcohol, smoking, deviant sexual activity).
When we live life outside of God’s will and companionship, many of us follow our sinful tendency of utter selfishness. We live and work for ourselves, and essentially pursue first and foremost that which will bring us pleasure.
In a sense, what Isaiah was so eloquently speaking of here is that when we live worshipping ourselves or idols, we become kindling, and everything we put our hand to acts like a spark. This epitomizes the destructive nature of sin, that we would labor toward the very thing that will destroy us! It’s like a full gas can and playing with matches.
Be weary then, for though sinful living can be immediately gratifying, our adversary the devil “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Living in habitual sin and disregard of the Lord will bring about our ultimate judgment, and there will be no one “to quench” the agony of eternal separation from God.
Do you live selfishly in service of only your pleasure?
To some this may seem harsh but it’s truth and we as followers of Christ must speak the truth in love and urgency, God is returning soon, we must be ready and in return seek to live a life that leads others to Christ not into eternal separation from God.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Matthew 22:37
You Are Worthy
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Most days I feel unworthy. I don’t feel like I deserve anything good to happen in my life. I don’t feel worthy of love or friendship. I plain just don’t feel worthy of any kind of blessing or goodness or kindness showed to me.
Now, if I let these feelings overtake me, I can fall into a deep pit of despair and depression that becomes overwhelming, and you know Satan loves to just kick you when you are down. I’m not sure if you realize this, but your enemy doesn’t fight fair. You are not in a boxing match, for that has rules; you are in a street fight with the devil and there are no rules in a street fight. He will bludgeon you when you are down and he won’t let up.
Finally, when I come to my senses, I can hear that still, small voice say to me, “My body was broken for you and you are mine.”
Do you not realize you were worthy of His dying for you? You may not feel worthy, but you are worth-ful. No man dies for anything that doesn’t have worth. He died because you have worth to Him. He died so that you could have everlasting life with Him, an abundant life full of His blessings and goodness.
It doesn’t matter how you feel; it only matters what He says. You are His. Trust in this today, in Jesus’ name! Amen.
When I read this it made me wonder how many folks there are in this moment feeling so inadequate, so unworthy, so defeated. I pray you are encouraged and uplifted by this today, knowing that you are loved and when the enemy tries to beat you when your down just remember to look up, call out to Jesus, just a whisper of His name and He will be there with an outstretched hand to help you up. I’ve been there personally and in that moment all I could utter was Jesus and I instantly felt His presence surrounding me and I knew in that moment that everything was going to be okay. He’s just as real as the breath you breathe. He’s waiting for you to call out to Him today. You are His! He loves you!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 53:4-5