Trust His Love

 

See now that I myself am he!
    There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
    I have wounded and I will heal,
    and no one can deliver out of my hand.

Deuteronomy 32:39 NIV

Release Tomorrow

 

Never Give Up

 

Exposed and Illuminated

 

We hesitate to fully abide in the Lord because we want to hide the fact of our sin. We work to make ourselves right ahead of coming to Him. Since we are incapable of removing sin Jesus died to cleanse, this self-defeating behavior cripples our spiritual lives.  

It is frightening but freeing to come to the Lord just as we are. The humility of exposure brings shamed tears, His unconditional love cleanses sin, and love for Him pours forth in praise as a response to His great love. 

Praise is hard work when we try to conjure it ourselves through a sense of duty.  When we finally give up and step fully into His light, we are confronted by a love so powerful that praise and adoration are the natural response.  

Exposed by the Lord's light and forgiven by His sacrificial love, we become bearers of God's light.  That which is exposed to the light, becomes light.  

 

Remember His Benefits

 

Never too Late!

 

Something Beautiful

 

Get Us Through, Lord

 

Labor in the Lord

 

Hope Through Loving and Being Loved

 

God's Perfect Timing

 

Transformed

 

One way to avoid conforming to this world is to focus upon what God says in any given situation, rather than in the results of a Google search or what we can find at WebMD.  The Lord can use these tools to help us also, but seek Him first.  If God tells us everything's going to be ok, we can bank on this, regardless of how circumstances may appear.  

The enemy attempts to rob us of hope while sowing seeds of fear.  Fear works against hope. 

Prayer: Lord, we look to You. We confess that we love and trust You.  Love is stronger than fear, and hope in You is never unfounded.  We place our trust in the power of Your unfailing love.  Amen.  

The Sweetness of His Comfort

 

Love and Obey

 

Grant Us Strength

 

Looking to Jesus

 ...we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

Dear Lord, we place our trust fully in the hope we have in You.  Amen!  

Press On

 

Every Good Gift

 

Everything about us ebbs and flows.  Our faithfulness, obedience, prayers, and strength are not steady, necessitating repeated prayers for forgiveness and renewed resolutions to do better.  

How comforting then to remember the steadfastness of our Lord.  We can rely upon, rest in, and trust in God's faithfulness.  

In times of trouble, we often withhold badly needed support from one another. We may be preoccupied with our own issues or turn a blind eye because we don't want to extend ourselves. Often we just don't notice when someone is drowning, and apart from the labor of intercession, our inability to feel one another's pain may cause us to act as though it is in poor taste of them to need us to take action on their behalf. 

When our hearts are aching and we badly need help, we must remember the Lord does not withhold anything from us at all.  Healing and enabling strength are ours through Jesus, and God hears our prayers.  

Lord in our time of need, don't let us fall or fail.  Protect us by the power of Your Name.  Thank You.  Blessed be Your Name.  

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There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

    who rides across the heavens to help you

    and on the clouds in his majesty.

 The eternal God is your refuge,

    and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He will drive out your enemies before you,

    saying, ‘Destroy them!’

 So Israel will live in safety;

    Jacob will dwell[f] secure

in a land of grain and new wine,

    where the heavens drop dew.

 Blessed are you, Israel!

    Who is like you,

    a people saved by the Lord?

He is your shield and helper

    and your glorious sword.

Your enemies will cower before you,

    and you will tread on their heights.

Deuteronomy 33:26-29 NIV

Unique Ways of Navigating, but Only One Path

Freedom to Obey

 

Delight in the Lord

 

Self-denial

We confuse self-denial with self-discipline.  Self-discipline is a resolution to control ourselves so that we can achieve a self-assigned goal.  Self-denial for the sake of the life of Christ within us is a different calling, in some ways, nearly the opposite of self-discipline: it is a falling back rather than a pushing forward.  In releasing our own desires into His hands, we fall back into His will and then--only then--in Jesus' Name we press on (see Philippians 3:14).

When Jesus calls us to deny ourselves there is a dual challenge; we are also to take up our crosses and follow Him.  Denying ourselves some desired escape or pleasure is worthless apart from the commitment to follow Jesus.  It is an exchange; my thoughts for His thoughts, my way for His way, my plans for His.  As we seek to honor Christ in thought, word, and deed, the pleasure of abiding more closely to Him becomes more gratifying than any earthly pleasure.  

 

Working Harder Vs. Trusting More

 

We try to make ourselves right ahead of coming to the Lord rather than coming to the Lord. 

This is an effort bound to failure.  If we were able to make ourselves right, Jesus would not have had to rescue us.  

Today, Lord, help us to give up working hard to make ourselves right in our own strength. Help us to fall back into Your arms, recognizing our helplessness and sin, accepting Your forgiveness, recognizing we are not our own, we've been bought with a price.  We trust You, we say, without fear but in faith, without resignation but with hope, "Thy will be done."  

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Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

He Provides Rest

 

Sharing God's Perspective

 

It is our tendency to cry out to the Lord when we are in trouble, and then, during better times, to withdraw into an insular existence with both God and our fellow human beings kept at safe distance.  Past suffering can provide excuse for present self-comfort; we feel entitled because of all we've been through. For the sake of our own mental health (we tell ourselves), we grant ourselves permission to withdraw from the discomforts of the sufferings of others.  In so doing we choose our own modes of comfort ahead of the solace of the Holy Spirit, who would have us remain engaged with other people even when they are suffering: especially when they are suffering.  

Bearing one another's burdens requires being present for one another.  Abiding in the Lord requires we expend the energy to be vigilant for the sake of His life in us, and on behalf of the precious souls He places in our path.  Is it comfortable? No! But only through a willingness to be uncomfortable for His sake do we move into the circle of the precious and unequaled comfort of abiding in Him.  

Father, keep us present in the lives of those who need us, because You have been present for us.  Thank You for the peace that passes understanding that surrounds us as we trust in You to be our defender and our strength.  Thank You for Your mercy and grace that surround us.  Amen.  

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God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.  

J.H. Jowett

We Are Under Grace

 Don't you love that quote by Andrew Murray (in the meme above)?  

We are under grace, "with its blessed Believe what Christ will do for you."  

Alleluia!  

Take Time to Listen

 

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 25:4-5 ESV

Loving the Lord

When we are stressed or afraid, focusing on loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength isn't the course of action that automatically comes to mind.  And yet it is in knowing of His love and abiding in Him that we find our strength and peace.  

Lord, please grant us peace and strength as we focus on Your love.  

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Trust in him at all times, you people;

    pour out your hearts to him,

    for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:8

Nothing binds me to my Lord like 

a strong belief in His changeless love.  

Charles H. Spurgeon

His Love

 

Wait On the Lord

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Everyone seems to have a "word of the year" nowadays.  I am aware of the trend, and have even selected a word for myself the past few  years, but I can't tell you now what those words were, or what I learned from them.  

This year, it appears the Lord has chosen for me.  

The word, "wait," has come to me in a number of ways: via Scripture, thoughts in response to prayer, and instruction when I seek the Lord's guidance.  There was a brief attempt on my part to joke with the Lord (was that "weight," or "wait?") but I finally decided to look up some Scripture references that are about waiting.  I thought to find a half dozen at most.  

At this writing, I have recorded about 100 Scripture references that have to do with waiting, and I'm sure there are more.  

We would prefer every stressful situation in our lives to resolve quickly but I think the Lord wants us to know that there are blessings in learning to wait on Him.  He's with us in the in-between places.  

Lord, please help us to honor You as we trust you in the waiting.  

Here's a link to an older song by Selah entitled "Hold On."  

 

Abide

 

Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14