Month: March 2022

Psalms 40:1-2

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

I vote we skip verse one today. Ok! Ok! I know we can’t do that. But you have to admit it would be a lot easier if we just concentrated on the part about God lifting us out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. I am all for him setting my feet on a rock and giving me a firm place to stand. The fact of waiting patiently on Him is not exactly exciting.

You know when I read verse one it reminds me of when my kids were little. If they started throwing a fit, they got ignored by me and did not get what they wanted. If they waited patiently I would turn and help them out. Is that what God is doing in this verse. If we stomp, snort, and scream does God cross his arms and ask, “Are you done yet?” I feel that way sometimes and must say, I deserve it.

The thing is when we wait patiently, we are giving up our pride, arrogance, and all about me attitude. We are giving up our worries and putting our trust in God. We are taking a deep breath and know God is in control and He is working things out for my good.

Patience is not easy but it is a necessity of life. We can’t go around throwing tantrums. Remember, God will turn and hear your cry!

Lord, thank you for hearing my cry and lifting me out of my slimy pits. ~amen

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Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

If Jesus was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain, why do you think we will escape any of it? People often blame God as soon as things start to rock their worlds. If they don’t blame Him for the actual problem, they blame Him for not getting them out right away. Take a look at what Jesus went through in life and at His death, are we any more important or better than Him.

I am not saying God won’t be there with you and help you in times of trouble. I am not even saying that He won’t or hasn’t stepped in before troubles came your way. I am saying we should not be surprised when troubles come knocking at our doors. We should follow Jesus’ example when they were pounding on His!

Another way to look at this verse is You Are Not Alone! Jesus has been there and done that. He not only sympathizes with you, but He also empathizes with you! He feels the exact same pain. We have a God who doesn’t sit in a white temple looking down, paying us lip service. We have a God who goes through every pain with you.

Troubles are troubles. We are not exempt from them. But that is OK because Jesus has been down this path already and is ready to lead you through.

Lord, I am so grateful that you empathize with me. You feel all of my pain and walk me through it. ~amen

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Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I hope I have some comforting news for you today. Renewing your mind is not a one-and-done thing. Transformation is never a quick and easy process. Just ask the butterfly.

Why would I find this comforting you may ask? As a matter of fact, wouldn’t it be easier if it was just a Cinderella Godmother ‘poof’ and you are changed kind of moment? Perhaps, by the world’s standards that would be much easier. I challenge you to come up with anything in your life that was really worth anything that just poofed into your life. I know it isn’t easy to admit, but come on, your parents were right. Anything in life that is worth anything is worth working for.

I also find the thought comforting because it doesn’t mean I am a total screw-up. I stumble. I fall. I skin my knee. I throw fits. I want to give up. That is Ok. It is all part of the process. God knows it. He sends me people to go through life with. I am not alone. He offers grace. He picks me back up, dusts me off, and sets me on my way again.

By the way, it is also OK, when the world is laughing at you and not believing in you. We all experience that too. Just ask the caterpillar!

Lord, thank you for believing in me and helping me learn to fly. ~amen

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1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

I am so glad I was not born an Egyptian, Roman, or Greek in ancient times. I am very sure I would never be able to keep up with all the gods, goddesses, and demi-gods. Seriously, we can’t people to serve one God, can you imagine multiple. One place on the internet said there were 12 main Roman gods, but with all the demi and local gods, it could actually be up to 57. That makes my head spin.

Have you ever had to report to more than one person? Maybe you had different bosses or at least different levels of bosses. Do they always agree? I have been in a couple of situations where I could certainly say, “NO!” I had to remember which one I was talking to so I would know how to address situations.

Yep, I am very happy that we serve One God and Jesus stands between us to mediate. We know what the plan was and is at all times. We know all of the expectations. We can have a relationship with our one God and not spend time making sure we are sucking up to the right god at the right time in order to survive. I am also glad that because of Jesus, our God offers us grace and helps us grow, and is never waiting to say gotcha. All in all, I am just glad to be a Christian.

Lord, I so appreciate everything you do for me. I love that we can have a relationship and you are not just some far away being here interferes with my life when he feels like it. ~amen

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1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Humiliate is to reduce (someone) to a lower position in one’s own eyes or others’ eyes: to make (someone) ashamed or embarrassed.

Humility or humble is to have or show a modest or low estimate of one’s importance.

To humiliate means we are lowering someone else. In humility, we are lowering ourselves. We show our human side. We show our faults. We confess our faults. We work on improving upon our faults. We show we are no better than anyone else.

The only we can come to God is through humility and not because He wants to humiliate us. He wants us to realize we need Him. He wants us to confess our sins. It takes a lot of humility to be able to admit we did something wrong. However, when we do admit them, He is faithful and just and will forgive them. He won’t hold them against us. He will not rub them in, laugh at them, or tell them to everyone else. Nope! He forgives them all.

We are all human and come with baggage and faults. God doesn’t care, He still loves us anyway. He just wants us to recognize the fact that we are human. When we do, we will start recognizing, loving, and forgiving the other humans around us.

Lord, I want to come to you and admit I am human. I am not perfect. I have my faults. With Your love and help, I hope to improve upon them. ~amen

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Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having,” (C.S. Lewes, “Mere Christianity”, 1952).

Your life is full of choices, every single second of it. Even in today’s verses, you can see two very distinct items to choose from wages or a gift. Wages are something you earn. Something you have to work for and is given to you according to your ability to perform. A gift is given to you just because. No ties, no reasons it is yours because someone wants to show you kindness. Looking from this point of view, most people would gladly choose a gift instead of having to work for something. So, why do we find it so hard to accept God’s free gift to us?

Sin takes a lot of work. It creates a cycle of hurt and pain. Yes, sin often feels good in the middle of it, but it quickly loses its luster. Often it even requires even more to get that same feeling again. With each added sin, added pain follows. Your wages start adding up and you have nothing but pain to show for them.

On the other hand, God sits and waits to hand you love, hope, faith, strength, and peace. He waits to hand you salvation. It is like winning the lottery! Actually, it is even better because the more you use His gifts the more He gives.
The choice is yours, but I think this one is a no brainer. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lord, I choose You because You chose me first! ~amen

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James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Persevere is a verb that means “to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.” (Oxford English Dictionary). Anyone else find that a little depressing? OK, maybe I am just being pessimistic here by concentrating on the two phrases “In the face of difficulty” and “no prospect of success.” You have to admit, both of those sound very painful.

On the other hand, there is nothing more awesome than the feeling of pride you get when persevering and reaching the goal. Let’s get real here. Life is one trial and test after the other. Being born, learning to walk and talk, memorizing multiplication facts, puberty, and middle school are just a few that happen before you even get out of your teens!

Christians are no different than anyone else when it comes to trials and tests. We don’t get a pass when we give our lives over to Christ. On the contrary, in some ways, we add some different ones brought on by the world. However, we have a new strength that we can tap into to help us persevere. We have a hope and a promise. Our lives have a purpose and we will be rewarded for going through the test as well as in the end. We will survive because of our Savior!

Lord because of You, I will survive! I can persevere! ~amen

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Ephesians 6:10-11
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

You wouldn’t go to the grocery store naked. Can you imagine walking down the street in a blizzard in a bathing suit? Or how about going to the Bahamas in a parka? I didn’t think so. We all try to dress appropriately for the weather. So why are you walking through your day not fully clothed?

Did you know that no matter what the weather is, the health department suggests wearing sunscreen? Think of the armor of God as your spiritual sunscreen. Not to protect you from the sun, but to surround you with the Son! You have no idea when your feet hit that ground in the morning what weather pattern Satan is going to unleash on you but I can guarantee you will be prepared to face it with the full armor of God.

So the helmet of salvation will protect your thoughts. The breast place of righteousness with guard your heart. The belt of truth will keep you from tripping up. Your shield of faith can keep you safe from anything flung at you. Your feet shod with peace will quiet all those mouths around you. Prepare to fight back when necessary by grabbing your sward.

We may not be able to control the weather,
but we can certainly be prepared for it!

Lord, thank You for providing Son-screen against any of Satan’s weather. ~amen

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Jeremiah 17:7
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.

Rock bottom! I have hit that numerous times or at least felt like I have. That place where you feel like there is just no hope of anything ever being good in your life again. That really dark place where the tears won’t even come anymore. The screams are gone. You can’t even say a single word, but cause not a single word comes to mind. The world around you just seems to stop and whirl past you all at the same time. You are not even sure where your next breath is going to come from or if it will even come. All you can do is look up.

Up is exactly where you need to look. You don’t feel it right now, but you are blessed. You are not OK right now, but you don’t have to be today. You are blessed. You know where your trust is placed. You know where the last of your confidence lies. It lies where it belongs. Throw your last reserved bit of energy even if you need to dig very deep take that next breath in God.

When we find ourselves in any situation, no matter how dark, we have something in which we can hold. We can trust in the Lord. We can have this confidence that we aren’t Ok today and may not be tomorrow, and we don’t have to be. God is holding us and he will continue to do so until we are OK again. Because of Him, we will be OK again, someday.

Lord, I have walked in the valley of the shadow of death. You have walked beside me. I place my trust in You whenever I stray to that path, You will be there with me just like always. ~Amen

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Psalms 23:1-3
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

Are you the type of person that just goes, goes, goes? Your schedule just seems so full, over full actually. You never find enough hours in the day to complete your ever-growing to-do lists. Don’t worry, I am 100% sure you are not the only one.

All of those same thoughts came to me as I read three little words in today’s verses, “He makes me”. I know it also mentions leading, refreshing, and guiding. However, it says makes me first. I think there is a good reason for that in today’s never stop running society. He has to make you stop so you can enjoy the quiet waters and refresh your soul. Then and only then are you ready to listen to and fight out the right path you need to travel.

We tend to run around on empty and instead up stopping to fill our tanks, we just add more and more places to go and things to do. I am not saying what you are doing isn’t important, but maybe you can take a moment to prioritize and let God in first.

Go ahead and take a deep breath. Sit down in those green pastures. Listen to the quiet water flowing. Let God restore your soul. Then have a chat with Him and see just what paths you need to take. Take a break before you break!

Lord, thank you for making me lie down and take breaks!
~amen

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