The past few weeks have been challenging for me.  Lots of challenges and adapting to change.  I have just been cloudy headed, for lack of a better way to describe it, but this morning God gave me a little jolt.  He reminded me that circumstances are temporary and inaction is not acceptable.  Through a devotional by Oswald Chambers, I was reminded to be ready in season and out of season to preach the Word.

As I paused and reflected on things, I opened my Bible to 2 Timothy and read Chapter 4.  I reflected on the past few weeks and the things that were bothering me.  The things that made it hard for me to study and pray and to write.  I soaked up the verses in 2 Timothy, and I stopped at verse 18.

2 Timothy 4:18

As I read that verse, I was reminded how powerful and mighty my God is.  I thought about the challenges and remembered that there is nothing that God cannot bring me through.

2 Timothy 4:18 (ESV) ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord will rescue me, as He has done SO many times.  The list is too long to share, and frankly, I am thankful, but what God brought me through He also took from me.  These things shaped my character, but they are no longer who I am.  I am a new man in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

I started thinking about the new man and the fact that the adversary would prefer I hold on to him instead of Jesus, but the thing is he is dead.  I thought about that, and I did some searches paraphrasing verses that I knew, but could not recall.  That took me to 2 Corinthians 5:16-18.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 (ESV) ¹⁶ From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

Yes, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come,” and with that, I was changed and no longer am I to worry about my circumstances, but trust in Him who saved me.  I went from 2 Corinthians to Romans 6.

Romans 6:6-11

Paul reminds me there again that I am not the man I was.  I am a new creation; my old self was crucified with Jesus.

Romans 6:6-11 (ESV) ⁶ We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷ For one who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

What a powerful reminder this is to me.  I am not who I once was, and as such, I should not respond to my circumstances in the same way as I did in the past with worry and frustration.  Instead, I must turn to God.  I turned to Ephesians 6.

Ephesians 6:17-20

Ephesians 6:17-20 (ESV) ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

I read this passage, and my first thought is not my circumstances, but my strength in Jesus Christ.  The next thought is to pray, and not just for my circumstances but for all who believe including our preachers and church leaders that they may stay true to God’s Word and “declare it boldly.”

Closing

I am so blessed.  Even when I waiver in my trials and want to slip into self-pity my Lord Jesus is there.  When I just do not feel like I can do, he shows me that I can, IF I will pray without ceasing and trust in His provision.  He is faithful and true.  He holds me up when I stumble and comforts me when I am shaken.  All this he does in His Word.  I am reminded of the quote from Oswald Chambers that started this.

“This verse says, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season.” In other words, we should “be ready” whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything.” ‘Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers April 25^th devotional.

Now some may say that passage is intended for preachers.  But I disagree.  We must all tell the go

od news.  We must all find our strength in the people and circumstances we find ourselves in.  Sometimes it is a passage from a devotional.  Sometimes a kind word from a brother or sister in Christ and sometimes in bad experiences.  But all things He is with us and His Word is our comfort.

Prayer 

Father forgive me for those moments when I drift from you and slip into self-pity.  I know that is not a part of me anymore for I am a new man in Jesus.

Help me that I can withstand the attacks of the adversary and cling to Your Word and my sword and armor.

Thank you, Lord, for your gift of grace and the path of prayer.  Thank you for the answers even the ones I do not understand at first.  To you be the glory Lord.  In Jesus name, I pray! Amen!!

 

I started reading 1 Peter yesterday.  I just did not have the energy to post.  Sometimes if things are too crazy I just run out of steam.  So this morning I retraced my steps and traveled a bit further down that path I had started on yesterday.  The part that stuck out to me is the act of striving to be Holy and set apart.

Yesterday I started out in chapter 2 beginning with the 18th verse.  The heading of that passage in my ESV translation is ‘Submission to Authority’.  I began with the 18th verse

1 Peter 2:18-25

I read verse 18 and was reminded of my career.  I started working mowing lawns.  My first tax paying job was 1972 and I thought about all the people I had worked for and some of them I thought were great and some…  some just were jerks.  I know Peter uses the example of the servant, maybe because it was the most challenging role of his time.  But what I saw was a need to submit to authority and in this passage, he gave us both the promise and the example.

¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Peter speaks simply of our response to mistreatment.  Sure if you do something inappropriate you may be treated unfairly, but that happens.  The part that stands out to me is the was the instruction not to retaliate, but follow Jesus example.  I get a cold chill when I read verses 21-24 and verse 25 reminds me of how the Holy Spirit, through discipline and encouragement, helped me overcome my past.

1 Peter 1:3-9

Like always, when the Word touches me like that I have to go back to where it started so I went to chapter one and read 3-9.

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

As I read that passage I am thankful for God’s plan and the hope that is in Jesus Christ.  I am thankful that when I was lost God called me and revealed all that He has through His Holy Word.  There is no greater love than the Love of God.  He called us to be holy like He is Holy.

1 Peter 1:13-25 (ESV) Called to Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you

These words that Peter shares from God are so powerful.  This is serious business.  We were bought at a price and that price was the blood of Christ Jesus.  I love all of this passage, but verse 22-25 humbles me and I ache when I consider this gift that Jesus bought with His blood.  I am so thankful.  That brought be back to chapter 2.  This chapter started with “So”.  So God did all this for me now what is my part.

1 Peter 2:1-12 ‘A Living Stone and a Holy People’

Peter is clear about my part in this.  He reminds me in no uncertain terms.

¹ So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 1 Peter 2:1-8 (ESV)

But Peter reminds us that we that believe are different.

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)

Why would I want to do anything but live an honorable life pleasing to the Lord. ?I stand on His Word.  Not the heads of those that disagree with me.  I leave the judgement to God and stand on His Wisdom and strive to follow the example of Christ Jesus.

Closing

And all that brings me back to Chapter 2 verse 13 where I started.  As I reflect on these verses I realize that this world and its darkness are my current circumstances and as difficult as they may be they do not compare to the joy of my future.  I am to live honorably and speak the truth of Jesus Christ who died, was buried and rose again.  He overcame death for me; dying for my sins.  I must honor Him and bring Him glory.

Prayer

Father, help me today and every day put your glory ahead of my pride.  Help me that I might live an honorable life.  Help me hold fast to the example of Jesus and the council of your living and Holy Word.

In Jesus name I pray, AMEN!

 

 

 

Yesterday was a tough day. Doctor’s appointments in afternoon wear me out.  I was struggling with my study this morning.  Then I was reminded of 2 Peter 1.  This passage is one of those that just tugs at my heart and reminds me of the truth and love of God’s Word.

I am humbled by the Word of God and the message…  it is just so powerful.  The promises and the guidance just set me on my knees.  I just want to go through this and share how it touches me this morning.

2Peter1:3-4

The first two verses just remind me of the gifts we have received through Christ Jesus.  There are not words for me to describe how powerful that is.  Just thinking about it as I meditate on them.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Christ Jesus, through His divine power, has granted to me all things that pertain to life and godliness.  How did he do it?  By revealing Himself to me, and I am thankful that I finally heard Him.  Sometimes it is easy for me to wonder how many times I missed His call, but today what matters is that I finally listened, and it has changed my life.

Through Him, I have escaped the chains of sin.  I have escaped the corruption of this world.  I still struggle with temptation at times, and I do mess sometimes.  But now God has given me the gift of the Holy Spirit to remind me when I do and to offer me a path to repentance through grace, and I am thankful.  I see why Peter goes on the rant that he does in verses 5-7

2Peter1:5-7

These verses were the first to attract me to this passage.  I love the wisdom that Peter shares here.

 ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Each step builds on the last.  Each one is a piece to the heart of my faith.  Each is a trait of my example, Jesus.  All are traits that I desire.  They are gifts from God to build on.  I love how Peter explains it in the next piece of the passage.

2Peter1:8-9

He is clear.  He does not hold back.  These are our qualities, and they SHOULD be increasing, and they keep us from being ineffective.

 ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

They are so important that if I lack them, I am not only nearsighted but blind and have forgotten, in my mind, most everything I have learned from the Word.  Then Peter gives me an assignment and a promise.

2Peter1: 10-11

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As I read that passage, I am filled with this desire to not forget the teachings of God’s Word and to cling to not only 2Peter but every truth from Genesis to Revelation.

I am amazed by this next passage by Peter because he makes it clear that his time on earth is short and he chooses to preach on these words with passion.

2Peter1: 12-15

¹² Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. ¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

This passage; a confirmation of my election and calling, is to Peter the thing that Jesus has told him to focus on in his last days.  As I read that all I can think is shouldn’t I be doing the same.  Following those building blocks and encouraging others to do the same.

Reflections

As I meditate on these verses, it is clear to me that I can do none of these on my own nor can I expect anyone else to do it either.  We need each other and the strength that comes from unity of purpose and brotherly love for each other.  I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Isn’t that what Peter is saying in this passage.  I do not think the writer in Ecclesiastes is simply speaking of the physical, but also of the spiritual.  We need spiritual encouragement, in my mind, more than the physical, and that lead me to the why in closing verses of chapter 1.

2Peter1:16-18

I look at verses 16-18 and see the why of it all.  We are not counting on man’s word, but we count on God’s Word through the testimony of men that walked with Him and heard God proclaim who Jesus was.

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

God knew that man would, with the help of the adversary, would try to turn the truth into just a story.  These Apostles were witnesses and our conformation does not simply come from them but from the Word of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to help us discern the truth. And Peter does not hold back in verses 19-21.

2Peter1:19-21

Peter lays it out as to the source of his understanding and offers us a warning that we would do well to listen.

¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. ²¹ For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing that I can say that describes the urgency of this passage and it’s authority.  I just keep mulling it over and give thanks to God for the help of the Holy Spirit to walk me through it.  All I can do is give thanks to the Lord!

Closing

This chapter in 2 Peter gives me strength and purpose.  I know that as a member of the body of Christ I depend on every member and they depend on me.  We can do all things through Christ Jesus, but the first is to love.  I am reminded of John 13:34-35.

 

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What a gift we have in this commandment.

Prayer

Father, thank you for these Words that you speak to me daily.  Thank you for the love you share and the guidance Your Holy Word provide.

Father let me be constant encouragement to those whom you place around me and never lose sight of your precious Word.  Let it be engraved on my heart!  In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!!

 

Yesterday I read and studied but did not write.  Things just did not seem to come together.  I read much in Isaiah from chapter 40 thru 46, and I got hung up in Chapter 42.  The title in my translation for chapter  42 is “The Lords Chosen Servant.”

In that passage, I see Jesus foretold by the Lord through Isaiah.  There are so many places where that is true.  As I read God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation, I see the Book like the path of the sun.

In the Morning as the sun rises in the east the shadows are cast toward the cross.  Virtually every Scripture speaks of Jesus.  When Jesus is here on the earth, the shadows grow shorter as He approaches the Cross.  When He gives His life on the cross, there is no shadow.  The sun is directly above the Son.  From the resurrection forward is afternoon and the shadows are cast back toward the cross.

Isaiah 42:1-4

As I read 42:1-4 I saw Jesus and the task that God had planned for my salvation.  I saw a quiet man.  I think of the power of God in the body of Jesus and think of the self-control and obedience of Jesus to the Father.

The Lord’s Chosen Servant

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law. Isaiah 42:1-4 (ESV)

What an amazing example is Jesus.  What Joy there is in seeing Him in His Word and just soaking it up.

I love this passage, but I am taken with verse 4.

“He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.”

As I think of all that he endured and all He was capable of I am brought to my knees.  No one killed Jesus.  No one put Him on the Cross… He did it all.

Reflection

As I pondered this all yesterday, I just got stuck.  I could not move forward.  I thought of one of my favorite passages in Matthew.  It is found in Chapter 11:25-30.  I tried to copy that passage out of my digital Bible to paste it into my writing and I could not.  Instead, every time I tried, I got Matthew 10:16 – 11:30 and I was done…  I got frustrated, but then I took some time to read the passage God clearly wanted me to cover, but I was still stuck.  So, I prayed and reflected on it all day yesterday into this morning.

Matthew 10:16 – 11:30

I read this passage through again, and I saw something in it that I had not seen before.  We all know the Great commission that God gave as his last command before he ascended. It is in the last chapter of Matthew.

Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV) ¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As I read 10:16-11:30 I saw that passage and in more detail.  Jesus was sending out the Twelve Apostles, and with the assignment, He gave them warning and encouragement.

Persecution Will Come

He warns them about how men will persecute them, and the trials will be very difficult.  They will be flogged and beaten, but he tells them not to be anxious.

¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰ For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

I know that passage strikes a nerve for me.  For so long I was reluctant to witness to people or speak to people about Jesus.  But this passage is reassurance that I need not be anxious.  I must trust in God to give me the right words to say.  What He did for the Apostles He will do for me.

Have No Fear

Jesus warns the Apostles not to fear what they might face.  Do not fear men who can only kill the body.  He warns that there are far more serious things at risk.

²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

That is a sobering warning, but I never cease to be amazed that with a warning so often comes encouragement.

³² So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, ³³ but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

What more can be said than trust in God’s promise?  Hold fast to Him, and He will Hold fast to us.

Further Guidance

Jesus continues His instruction in the remainder of chapter 10, and the chapter closes with the Rewards.

⁴⁰ “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ⁴¹ The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Christ Jesus goes through that then Chapter 11 opens with John the Baptist.

Chapter 11

John is in prison, and he asks disciples to inquire of Jesus to see if He is the one and I love Christ’s reply

 ⁴ “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

He answers them with the Word of God.  He quotes Isaiah 35:5-6.  How amazing that is.  He does not expect these men to accept Him on His own.  He points out the prophecy of Isaiah and closes with a blessing to those who are not offended by Him. I am reminded of Paul’s teaching in Philippians 2

Philippians 2:5-8 (ESV) ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

How amazing is He?  King of Kings and obedient even to death on a cross.

Closing

I read the rest of this chapter through my favorite part in verses 25-30 and the promise Jesus gives there, and I am overwhelmed at the guidance that He wanted me to see.  He warns me that the task of testifying to the truth of the Gospel will not always be easy.  But He will always be there with me.  Nothing I face, will I face alone.  This world is harsh, but God is with me.

Psalms 23:4 (ESV)
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

If He is with me who can stand against me.

Prayer

Father thank you for your Holy Word.  Thank you for your patience with me.  I love you and praise you, and I thank you for your faithfulness and trust in me.

Thank you, Father, for the patient pruning and tilling of my heart as You teach me more about you.  Help me never to become complacent but always be hungry for Your Word and knowing that You will never leave me.  In Jesus name, I pray.  Amen!

 

 

It is so easy for me to get out ahead of the Lord.  I can be very impatient.  It is easy to get an inkling of something and be ready to go when what I should be doing is waiting on the Lord.  This morning is one of those mornings.  I was working on a Bible study I am participating in and got this excitement from this passage and thought I knew what I wanted to share but God put something in front of me to slow my roll…   that I might wait on Him.

I read some passages in response to questions in this study; Psalm 119:97-104, Psalm 131:1-3, Psalm 130:3-6 and Isaiah 55:6-11, and I had figured out what I needed to share this morning.  But I was wrong.

I have a schedule to print a test page with my photo printer, and it came up today.  Normally I would postpone it until I am finished with my studies, but today I did not, and that was just enough to slow down and rethink things, and adjust my focus.

Psalm 131

I had all my scriptures laid out in the order I wanted to discuss them, but Psalm 131, which was lower in the list, kept pulling at me and I reread the short Psalm, and that is when I got a little realignment.

1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore

I read this three verse Psalm over and over.  All I could see was God asking me to slow down and trust in Him.  Pride will go after all of us if we are not careful.  I need not go after that which God has not chosen to share with me.  I kept thinking of this passage by Paul in Philippians.

Philippians 4:11-12 (ESV) ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 

I had always considered this something that spoke of physical needs.  This morning I just kept thinking that this passage is so much more.  It speaks not only to my physical needs but my Spiritual needs as well.

Mountains, Valleys, and Planes

You know I have the mountain tops when I feel so close to God.  He gives me some insight that overwhelms me.  Baptizing my Daughter and Son-in-law was a mountaintop moment, and I am so thankful for that moment.  But I have also had my valleys.

The valleys can be hard, but in them, God is sharpening me and building my faith.  He is teaching me endurance.  He is showing me His presence, and in many ways when I am in the valleys He draws me even tighter IF I will listen and seek His face in the Word and prayer.

The planes are the most challenging place.  That is the everyday flat travel.  Things are going ok, and I am not facing a lot of struggles. Those are the times when I must be patient, and I must be diligent in seeking the Lord.  I want the mountaintop moment, but I must be content with my circumstances.  Psalm 131 affected me there.

In the flat land, if I am not careful, I can become like a nagging child wanting more mountain top moments.  That is the time when I must be patient and trust in the Lord.    That is the time when I need to remind myself, “I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.”

Psalm 119

In the flat lands of life I need God’s Word as much as In the Peaks and Valleys; sometimes more.  I need it more because when things are going well, it is easy to wander off from God’s side.  Like a child learning to walk and climb we tend to get into mischief, and we are easily distracted by the shiny things in this world.

The study brought me to Psalm 119:101-104

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.

As I read these words, I realized that I must cling to the teachings of my heavenly father regardless of my circumstances.  Through His teaching I am kept  from “every false way” and His words and precepts are not bitter rules but, “sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

His Word brings me Joy and Contentment in little or abundance.

Psalm 130

Looking back on Psalm 131 I found myself reading Psalm 130.  Reading this Psalm further convicted me that I must wait on the Lord.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

I read 5 and 6 over and over, and there was this peace that came to me in these words.  I realized that my contentment is not found in getting ahead of the Lord seeking after what He knows I am not ready for, but in these two verses.

If I am watching and waiting like a watchman waiting on the morning, I will see it when He chooses to reveal it to me.  That lifted a load off my shoulders this morning and put me in mind of Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55

I kept thinking of verses 8 and 9 as I contemplated everything this morning.  These verses are humbling.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

There is such truth in these words but so many times my impatience will get the best of me, and I will strike out ahead of God instead of waiting on Him and trusting that whatever plan I may have, His is better, regardless of how I am feeling at the moment.

Closing Thoughts

I give thanks to God for his wisdom and patience with me.  I am thankful for His Word and promise.  As I was finishing up this post, I was drawn to read a bit further in Isaiah 55.  I read on through verse 10-11, and I was filled with thanksgiving.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

I am so thankful for His Word.   I am thankful for His plan for my salvation.  I am thankful for Jesus and His willing sacrifice and the guidance and encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Father, thank you for all you do.  Thank you for the promise of your Word and the assurance that it will not come back empty.

Thank you, Father, for the healing water of life that I find in Your Word.  Help me, Lord, to be patient and trusting in you always

Let me not get out ahead of You but wait for the understanding you offer when I am ready for it.

This I pray in Jesus name, Amen!

 

Every morning I pray.  Sometimes long prayers sometimes shorter, but always I ask for wisdom and understanding before I read God’s Word.  I did not always do this.  I was pretty much task oriented.  I read the Word of God to complete the task of reading it.  But that approach changed for me when I participated in a small group study of a book by John MacArthur called, ‘WHY BELIEVE THE BIBLE?‘.

In this book, MacArthur discusses the importance of praying for understanding before reading God’s Word.  He goes so far to say it is almost blasphemy to do otherwise.  That was one of those things that had a lasting impact on me and changed the way I studied.  That prayer and trust that comes from it have opened my mind to God’s Word in ways that I do not think would be possible without prayer.

My Start

Most mornings I struggle to know where to start in my study or what to read.  My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will guide me through the Word and show me the path for the day one step at a time.  I do not have a plan.  I just start.  Most mornings It is with the K-Love verse.  Then my Oswald Chambers devotional or Tozer.

This morning was no different in how I started.  I read K-Love and Utmost for His Highest.  The verses and teachings led me into different passages, and I was convicted once again of surrendering to God and following His Guiding Spirit as I study.

Proverbs 16:21

I read this K-Love verse and read the proceeding verse as well.

20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. Proverbs 16:20-21 (ESV)

As I read these verses, I felt the need to know God through His Word and the need to allow God to share Himself with me through His Word by asking Him to open my heart and mind to His teachings.  As I meditated on these things my heart filled with joy and understanding that refreshed me.

There was this reoccurring thought. Listen and Learn.  I went from the K-Love verse to ‘Utmost for His Highest.'.  The title for today was “Why We Can Lack Understanding”

Why I Can Lack Understanding

The devotional in “Utmost for His Highest” today, April 7, had a pretty harsh title.  As I read it, a sinking feeling came over me.  It forced me to do a bit of self-examination; not to see if I lacked understanding, but if I was humbling myself before the Lord when I studied and surrendered myself to His will for me this morning.

I read the devotional, and I went to each passage referenced in the text and read them in context.  First was Mark 9:9.

Mark 9:9

Jesus and asked the disciples, Peter, James and John were coming down from experiencing Jesus’ transfiguration.  Jesus gave them very specific instructions as they walked back to join the others.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  

Chambers references Mark 9:9 and suggest that we should do the same; we should wait until Jesus is in our heart.  Until our hearts and minds are truly opened to understand His teaching.

Growth

Chambers talks about the need to being filled with the Spirit and allowing Him to guide us through God’s Word.  I like this sentence from the devotional.

“When you grow and develop the right condition inwardly, the words Jesus spoke become so clear that you are amazed you did not grasp them before. In fact, you were not able to understand them before because you had not yet developed the proper spiritual condition to deal with them.”

He goes on from there to reference John 16:12

John 16

I read John 16:12-15

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16:12-15 (ESV)

Jesus tells them of the Helper that will come after He is gone and all that He will reveal to us if we listen, and I was overwhelmed by His presence in my heart and the need to ask in prayer and listen for His answers in the Word.

Tozer

As I was meditating on all this and writing my opening thoughts, I got this nagging feeling that I needed to read Tozer’s devotional for today.  The book “Tozer on Christian Leadership.”  I opened it to April 7th.  The referenced verse was Psalm 1:2.  I read it, and I needed a bit more to get the context, so I read verse 1 as well.

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:1-2 (ESV)

Tozer goes on from there to discuss the very thing that I had been convicted of this morning.  He reminded me to meditate on the Word and wait for my faith to grow and for the Holy Spirit to bring me an understanding of God’s Word.

As I read it, I got cold chills…  For this moment I thought, “How can this be.”  I start my study with this one thought that I must begin in prayer asking for the Spirit to guide me and every passage I read reminds me of my first thought.

Repetition

I prayed and just asked for understanding, and all I could think of is the word repetition.  I realized that I was given this first thought this morning and the Holy Spirit did not want me to forget how important it was for me to practice it.  He did that by reminding me that in everything I read I need to seek His guidance and He will reveal to me what I need for that day.

Closing

I know that prayer is an essential part of studying God’s Word.  But God reminded me this morning that knowing it is not enough.  It is too easy for the knowledge to become practice and the practice to become routine, and in routine, we can become complacent, and there is no place for that in our search to grow closer to Him.

He reminded me this morning that there is nothing routine about God, and there must be nothing routine in the way that  I seek Him.  Each moment must be fresh and new.  I cannot do that on my own.  I must earnestly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  It must be the whole desire of my heart.

Prayer

Heavenly Father forgive me for taking my time with you for granted.  Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that there is nothing routine about you and there must be nothing routine in how I come to you for guidance.

Father, you are my Hope and Strength.  Let me always remember these Word from the Psalm.

 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2 ESV)

Father to you be all the glory.

In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!  Thank you, Father!!!