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DEVOTIONALS
PSALM 46:10
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
The Israelites faced an arduous and uncertain journey through the desert. Whenever I travel through the desert on my ATV or on foot, I am reminded of their journey. The desert is barren and is hot during the day and cold at night. I love to take pictures of nature. In the desert I want to take pictures of every rock formation, over every cliff, and from every view point. I don't know when to stop. In the heat of the day I find a cool overhanging rock where I can break for a cool drink in the shade. The desert can be a difficult and lonely place if you are alone. The silence is soothing at first. But if you are alone after many days it is easy to start thinking about and longing for civilization again.
God led Israel through the desert. He showed them a real manifestation that His presence was with them. Yet there was much uncertainty in their heart. He promised them a new land but they needed assurance that God would deliver what He promised.
God is everywhere we are, have been, and ever will be. We can ignore His presence or rebel against it, which will leave
us in a spiritual wasteland.
During our busy day we often turn our thoughts to anything but Him. When we do, we suffer. In moments of stillness you can hear Him and perceive His presence. But you must take the time and quiet your soul long enough to hear. Are you tired, lonely, afraid? He is there. Listen for His voice. He has a very comforting voice, it speaks of His love and care and concern. He is the giver of all good things. How long will you ignore that? He has so much to give to anyone who asks. He is waiting to give you what you need. You may not be aware of how much you need. He will always give you everything you need. He has not promised to give us every comfort and pleasure. He will give you what you need for today. Tomorrow He will provide what you need for that day. In whatever condition you find yourself, turn to God. He is the lover of your soul. He is your best friend in time of need. He is the comforter and guide through all that life will bring. You can't do life without Him. Has it been too long since you talked to Him? He is always ready when you are.
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God led Israel through the desert. He showed them a real manifestation that His presence was with them. Yet there was much uncertainty in their heart. He promised them a new land but they needed assurance that God would deliver what He promised.
God is everywhere we are, have been, and ever will be. We can ignore His presence or rebel against it, which will leave
us in a spiritual wasteland.
During our busy day we often turn our thoughts to anything but Him. When we do, we suffer. In moments of stillness you can hear Him and perceive His presence. But you must take the time and quiet your soul long enough to hear. Are you tired, lonely, afraid? He is there. Listen for His voice. He has a very comforting voice, it speaks of His love and care and concern. He is the giver of all good things. How long will you ignore that? He has so much to give to anyone who asks. He is waiting to give you what you need. You may not be aware of how much you need. He will always give you everything you need. He has not promised to give us every comfort and pleasure. He will give you what you need for today. Tomorrow He will provide what you need for that day. In whatever condition you find yourself, turn to God. He is the lover of your soul. He is your best friend in time of need. He is the comforter and guide through all that life will bring. You can't do life without Him. Has it been too long since you talked to Him? He is always ready when you are.
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Photography by Marilyn McCudy
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The Living Water of the Holy Spirit
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church
This wonderful meditation on the Holy Spirit as living water, so called by Jesus in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, is used in the Roman Liturgy’s office of Readings for Monday of the 7th week of Easter, as a reflection to prepare us for the great Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is taken from a catechetical instruction by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, (Cat. 16 De Spiritu Sancto 1, 11-12, 16: PG 33, 931-935, 939-942). St Cyril was bishop of Jerusalem around the year 360 AD.
The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life. This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.
In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvelous. The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good. The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.
As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, thing hitherto undreamed of.
The Living Water of the Holy Spirit
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church
This wonderful meditation on the Holy Spirit as living water, so called by Jesus in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, is used in the Roman Liturgy’s office of Readings for Monday of the 7th week of Easter, as a reflection to prepare us for the great Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is taken from a catechetical instruction by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, (Cat. 16 De Spiritu Sancto 1, 11-12, 16: PG 33, 931-935, 939-942). St Cyril was bishop of Jerusalem around the year 360 AD.
The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of living water, welling up into eternal life. This is a new kind of water, a living, leaping water, welling up for those who are worthy. But why did Christ call the grace of the Spirit water? Because all things are dependent on water; plants and animals have their origin in water. Water comes down from heaven as rain, and although it is always the same in itself, it produces many different effects, one in the palm tree, another in the vine, and so on throughout the whole of creation. It does not come down, now as one thing, now as another, but while remaining essentially the same, it adapts itself to the needs of every creature that receives it.
In the same way the Holy Spirit, whose nature is always the same, simple and indivisible, apportions grace to each man as he wills. Like a dry tree which puts forth shoots when watered, the soul bears the fruit of holiness when repentance has made it worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit never changes, the effects of his action, by the will of God and in the name of Christ, are both many and marvelous. The Spirit makes one man a teacher of divine truth, inspires another to prophesy, gives another the power of casting out devils, enables another to interpret holy Scripture. The Spirit strengthens one man’s self-control, shows another how to help the poor, teaches another to fast and lead a life of asceticism, makes another oblivious to the needs of the body, trains another for martyrdom. His action is different in different people, but the Spirit himself is always the same. In each person, Scripture says, the Spirit reveals his presence in a particular way for the common good. The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well.
As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, thing hitherto undreamed of.
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SPEND SOME QUIET TIME BEFORE THE LORD YOUR G-D
(the Jews usually spell G-d with a dash in the middle so that the name cannot be pronounced and therefore it is giving reverence to Him by not mispronouncing it.)
TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES
and LOOK UP THE SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. SOME VERSES OF SCRIPTURE BELOW ARE READY FOR YOU TO CLICK ON AND BE TAKEN TO AN ONLINE BIBLE RESOURCE, OTHERS ARE NOT BUT YOU CAN USE THE SEARCH TOOL TO LOOK IT UP FOR YOURSELF. THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND IN LOOKING UP VERSES IN THE BIBLE THE MORE TIME YOU ARE SPENDING IN GETTING CLOSER TO GOD'S WORD, AND CLOSER TO GOD. DO NOT LOOK AT IT AS A WASTE OF TIME. IT IS AN INVESTMENT THAT IS ETERNAL.
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The Sword of the Spirit
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
—Ephesians 6:17
Have you ever noticed that when you plan to spend some time reading your Bible, all kinds of crazy things start happening? You can get up in the morning and read the newspaper, every section of it, and everything is fine. There are no phone calls, no disturbances. Nothing is going on. But when you say, "I'm going to read my Bible," the phone starts ringing. Kids start screaming. You remember that you forgot to pick up the dry cleaning or return a phone call. They are not necessarily evil things that are keeping you from God's Word—they are just things. They are distractions. The devil doesn't want you to read your Bible. Did you know that? He wants to distract you because the Bible is a crucial weapon for spiritual battle.
Ephesians 6:17 refers to God's Word as "the sword of the Spirit." It is the only piece of offensive weaponry listed with the armor of God in Ephesians 6. The breastplate and helmet are for protection. The shoes help a soldier gain ground and provide sure footing. The shield is something to stand behind when the flaming arrows are flying . But the sword is for attacking and inflicting damage. Yes we are in a battle. We are to meet the enemy and not to run away as a coward. God is with us and provides what we need to face our enemy.
So we want to sharpen our sword. We want to study Scripture and know the weight of it. We want to know how it works. And most importantly, we want to know how we are going to use it.
What shape is your sword in? Is it polished from daily use? Has it been sharpened on the anvil of experience as you have applied and obeyed its truth in your life? Or, is your sword dulled from disobedience? Is it rusty from lack of preparation?
It has been said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
—Ephesians 6:17
Have you ever noticed that when you plan to spend some time reading your Bible, all kinds of crazy things start happening? You can get up in the morning and read the newspaper, every section of it, and everything is fine. There are no phone calls, no disturbances. Nothing is going on. But when you say, "I'm going to read my Bible," the phone starts ringing. Kids start screaming. You remember that you forgot to pick up the dry cleaning or return a phone call. They are not necessarily evil things that are keeping you from God's Word—they are just things. They are distractions. The devil doesn't want you to read your Bible. Did you know that? He wants to distract you because the Bible is a crucial weapon for spiritual battle.
Ephesians 6:17 refers to God's Word as "the sword of the Spirit." It is the only piece of offensive weaponry listed with the armor of God in Ephesians 6. The breastplate and helmet are for protection. The shoes help a soldier gain ground and provide sure footing. The shield is something to stand behind when the flaming arrows are flying . But the sword is for attacking and inflicting damage. Yes we are in a battle. We are to meet the enemy and not to run away as a coward. God is with us and provides what we need to face our enemy.
So we want to sharpen our sword. We want to study Scripture and know the weight of it. We want to know how it works. And most importantly, we want to know how we are going to use it.
What shape is your sword in? Is it polished from daily use? Has it been sharpened on the anvil of experience as you have applied and obeyed its truth in your life? Or, is your sword dulled from disobedience? Is it rusty from lack of preparation?
It has been said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't.
Photography by Marilyn McCurdy
Obedience Applied
Today's Scripture: Luke 8:21
"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Read it online at the Bible Gateway: (NIV) (NASB) (KJV) (The Message)
Bringing ourselves under the transforming influence of the Word of God means much more than just acquiring knowledge about the contents of Scripture. In fact, the mere acquisition of Bible facts or doctrinal truth without application to one's life can lead to spiritual pride. As Paul said, "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1, NIV). By contrast Paul also spoke of "the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness" (Titus 1:1, NIV).
What is the difference between these two concepts of Bible knowledge? In the first instance the Corinthians were using their knowledge in a selfish and prideful way. They were "looking down their noses" at people with different convictions from theirs. On the other hand, the knowledge leading to godliness is knowledge of the Scriptures that is being applied to one's life and results in godly behavior.
One of the banes of present-day evangelical Christianity is the way we sit every week under the teaching of God's Word, or even have private devotions and perhaps participate in a Bible study group, without a serious intent to obey the truth we learn. The indictment of the Jewish people God made to Ezekiel could well be said of us today: "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice" (Ezekiel 33:31, NIV).
Our tendency seems to be to equate knowledge of the truth, and even agreement with it, with obedience to it. James said when we do this we deceive ourselves (James 1:22). This is especially true when we focus on the more scandalous sins "out there" in society to the neglect of the more "refined" sins we commit.
The text for this devotional comes from the award-winning NavPress devotional book Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges. For more information or to order a copy, visit the NavPress website.
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Today's Scripture: Luke 8:21
"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Read it online at the Bible Gateway: (NIV) (NASB) (KJV) (The Message)
Bringing ourselves under the transforming influence of the Word of God means much more than just acquiring knowledge about the contents of Scripture. In fact, the mere acquisition of Bible facts or doctrinal truth without application to one's life can lead to spiritual pride. As Paul said, "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1, NIV). By contrast Paul also spoke of "the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness" (Titus 1:1, NIV).
What is the difference between these two concepts of Bible knowledge? In the first instance the Corinthians were using their knowledge in a selfish and prideful way. They were "looking down their noses" at people with different convictions from theirs. On the other hand, the knowledge leading to godliness is knowledge of the Scriptures that is being applied to one's life and results in godly behavior.
One of the banes of present-day evangelical Christianity is the way we sit every week under the teaching of God's Word, or even have private devotions and perhaps participate in a Bible study group, without a serious intent to obey the truth we learn. The indictment of the Jewish people God made to Ezekiel could well be said of us today: "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice" (Ezekiel 33:31, NIV).
Our tendency seems to be to equate knowledge of the truth, and even agreement with it, with obedience to it. James said when we do this we deceive ourselves (James 1:22). This is especially true when we focus on the more scandalous sins "out there" in society to the neglect of the more "refined" sins we commit.
The text for this devotional comes from the award-winning NavPress devotional book Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges. For more information or to order a copy, visit the NavPress website.
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Photography by Marilyn McCurdy
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THE LORD WATCHES OVER YOU
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The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
The LORD bless you and protect you; Num 6:24 HCSB
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For You, LORD, bless the righteous one;
You surround him with favor like a shield. Psalm 5:12 HCSB
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1 I raise my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.
5 The LORD protects you;
the LORD is a shelter right by your side.
6 The sun will not strike you by day,
or the moon by night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all harm;
He will protect your life.
8 The LORD will protect your coming and going
both now and forever. Psalm 121 HCSB
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The LORD's Vineyard
2 On that day sing about a desirable vineyard:
3 I, the LORD, watch over it;
I water it regularly. I guard it night and day
so that no one disturbs it.
4 I am not angry,
but if it produces thorns and briers for Me,
I will fight against it, trample it,
and burn it to the ground. Isaiah 27:2-4
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Glory to God Alone
1 Not to us, LORD, not to us,
but to Your name give glory
because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth.
2 Why should the nations say,
"Where is their God?"
3 Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot make a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
9 Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield.
12 The LORD remembers us and will bless [us].
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron; 1
3 He will bless those who fear the LORD—
small and great alike. 1
4 May the LORD add to [your numbers],
both yours and your children's.
15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the LORD's,
but the earth He has given to the human race.
17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,
nor any of those descending into the silence [of death].
18 But we will praise the LORD,
both now and forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 115 HCSB
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He preserveth the way of his saints.
so that He may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of His loyal followers. Prov 2:8
Don't be terrified or afraid of them! 30 The LORD your God who goes before you will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in Egypt. 31 And you saw in the wilderness how the LORD your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place. 32 But in spite of this you did not trust the LORD your God, 33 who went before you on the journey to seek out a place for you to camp. He went in the fire by night and in the cloud by day to guide you on the road you were to travel.
Duet 1:30-33 HCSB
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The Lord Stood With Me
9 Make every effort to come to me soon, 10 for Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. 15 Watch out for him yourself, because he strongly opposed our words. 16 At my first defense, no one came to my assistance, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the proclamation might be fully made through me, and all the Gentiles might hear. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen. 2 Tim 4:9-18 HCSB
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The Believer's Triumph
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?
33 Who can bring an accusation against God's elect? God is the One who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! Romans 8:31-39 HCSB
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17 The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with gladness.
He will bring [you] quietness with His love.
He will delight in you with shouts of joy."
Zeph. 3:17
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We have the Lord our God to help us.
6 He set military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying, 7 "Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria or before all the multitude with him, for there are more with us than with him. 8 He has only human strength, but we have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." So the people relied on the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.
2 Chronicles 32:6-8
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Provided by Christ Notes Bible Search
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Life is full of surprises and bends and twists in the road; our life’s journey is valley low and mountain high. At times life makes no sense to us and we feel everything is out of control. The truth of the matter is we were never in control of our life. We only thought so because our life was manageable and was flowing along smoothly.
When we come to realize that life is and has always been in God’s control, we will be able to trust Him with whatever life brings. It may seem that God is too far away to be concerned with us, but just the opposite is true. He loves and watches over every part of His creation. His mysterious plan has always been running on its preset course, totally in His control. He is still the authority and has control over everything. There is nothing that He didn’t create, and He oversees and holds together His creation. Nothing happens without His knowledge and nothing happens without Him allowing it to happen.
We could never understand His plan or His methods. He created the world and the heavens above and He created them for a period of time. Someday He will do away with this world, time, and space and create something new. All He has to do is to say it and it will be done exactly as He wants it to be. When the time is right He will create a new heaven and a new earth. He has not forgotten about humanity though. We are His very special and desired treasure and He wants us to live with Him forever. He will create the new earth to our liking and to accommodate whatever we would need to be sustained for the time we will live there, forever.
We grow here physically but to grow spiritually is not automatic. It is the uncertainty of the future that strengthens our faith. We must trust in and rely upon God for everything as we will in the new earth. That goes against our human nature. We want to be in control of our own life. Think about that for awhile. Would you really want to be completely in control of your own life? Without God our lives would be very different and not for the better. If you knew that every choice you made would have a great impact on your future you would probably stress over the choices you made on a daily basis. No one can see into the future to know what the consequences of that choice will eventually lead to. I believe we would live in stress and fear continually. God gives us freedom to choose a lot of things in life. He has created a world full of wonder and beauty. Life is filled with tools and toys to keep us busy and entertained. He also knows the things that will harm us. He watches over us with protective eyes. He is in control of everything around us and He goes before us. He knows the future as He knows the past. His fingerprints are all over our lives.
You can’t sow a fleshly seed and reap a spiritual plant. We need God to be able to grow us and to mature us to a ripened state. That is impossible if we are not attached to the vine. The vine is considered to be the lifeline to God. It provides the nourishment that we need to grow and produce fruit. It is time to give God the credit for what He has done for you. Allow Him more access to your life to do His work in your life. He is still the creator and He is still creating. He creates new desires in your heart if you allow Him to. That is the key. You have to be willing to allow Him to because He will never force your hand. He directs, guides, and leads but He never pushes.
Trust, obedience and surrender are the key elements to allowing God access into your heart. Do it all with love for Him because He loves you. As much as you don’t like it, the trials and difficulties of your life have been designed by Him. He knows when it is time to bring them into your life and how long to leave them there. If you don’t respond the way you should He has a plan to bring another lesson back into your life. Whatever He chooses is the best thing that could happen to you. God does not bring anything into your life just to be mean or make your miserable. Everything that God does has a very important purpose to it. You might not ever know why but you can know that He knew it was the best thing for you at the time. He must allow you to have the experiences to learn what He is teaching you. He has told you through His Word, but you can’t really understand until you have experienced it for yourself. You can refuse to learn the lesson and just get angry and blame others or blame God for the problems, but you will not learn that way. God wants to change your heart, to change you on the inside. If we don’t allow Him to do that our heart will never belong to Him and we will never be faithful to Him. Our relationship with Him will never become what He intended it to become. We will hold on to our will and become stubborn enough to think that we can continue to live without His intervention. God loves us and wants us to grow our love for Him. His love for us is already perfect. Our love for Him can never be what He would like it to be. Yet He chooses to love us unconditionally and promises His love will never be withheld. He is love and so He could not withhold love. The more we seek to keep control of certain areas of our life the less love we will have for God and the less honor and glory our lives give to Him. Think about that. Whenever you disregard what God desires for you it causes Him much heartache and He does not receive any glory. Your life may look glorious to others because of some talent or ability you have, but it will never give God glory unless you allow Him to work through you. He gives special gifts that are meant to be used to bring Him glory. No matter how good you are at something, if it is not done with God as the center, then in the end it will not make one bit of difference in your life. It will all go up in smoke on the day when He judges all our works. It will have a temporary purpose but will not matter in the long run. It will have no impact on eternity except a negative one, that it took away from what could have been.
God disciplines those whom He loves. Discipline is not punishment but rather is a teaching. Parents discipline their children so that they will learn what is dangerous, what is wrong, what is right, what …. God does the same for us. He trains each one of us up individually. He knows how He made you. Our weaknesses and frail characteristics are replaced with His power and strength when we make ourselves open to receive what He has to give us. The more we let go and give in to His work of creating in our inner being, the more we will become like Him. He wants to give us His strength and power for the events we will face in life. When we get to the point of complete surrender to God we are on our way to becoming a vessel of use for Him. We can be used for great achievements with His power at work through us. We will be able to do what God wants to do through us and we won’t be limited by our own frailty. Whatever He wants to achieve will be accomplished through us.
When we no longer struggle with what God is doing in our life we will be able to rest in Him. We will be content in all things. In good times and in bad we will be allowing God’s perfect will to achieve its goal. We will no longer worry or stress out when problems and trials arrive. When we place everything into God’s hands we can know He wants what is best for us. Even when evil comes against us we can know that He protects us and gives us the amount of grace we need for that trial. His grace is always sufficient. It is only as much as we need for the task at hand. Right now you would not be ready to face major hardships but when the hardship arrives you instantly have all that you need to get through it. And God promises never to leave us to face it alone. When we are willing to let Him have His way then we must also trust that He will carry out His will in whatever comes our way. No one can stay His hand or change His course of action. He will accomplish what He has set out to do. Most of the time we can’t see Him in action and we don’t feel as confident about what He will do. It doesn’t mean that everything will turn out just the way we want and we will live happily ever after. Life is full of heartache and heartbreak, sorrow and pain. But it is better to have God on your side as you face it. Whether you allow God into your heart or not you will face sorrow and pain. We all will face death some day. The ones we love will die and God knows the time and how they will die. God is merciful and just and He is trustworthy to never deviate from His Word. We can trust Him in all things even when they don’t make sense to us.
Having a relationship with God is great. His love is incomprehensible. His love for us is perfect and He knows we could never love Him the same way in return. Yet He gives everything He has to the relationship. What could we give God? He wants us to give ourself to Him. To surrender to Him. He asks for your hear and, your hand. He wants to walk with you through this life and to comfort you as you go. He wants you to have peace and to have an abundant life. That does not mean that your life will always be happy and carefree. Life’s trials are meant to get us to look to Him and walk with Him. Walking with God daily is a goal we should all strive for. The more we learn to commit ourselves to Him the closer our relationship and walk will be. Moses spoke to God face to face as to a friend. He does not speak to others that way. But if we accept His authority over our lives and the love He has to give we will truly be blessed. He will only walk as close as we allow Him to.
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Life is full of surprises and bends and twists in the road; our life’s journey is valley low and mountain high. At times life makes no sense to us and we feel everything is out of control. The truth of the matter is we were never in control of our life. We only thought so because our life was manageable and was flowing along smoothly.
When we come to realize that life is and has always been in God’s control, we will be able to trust Him with whatever life brings. It may seem that God is too far away to be concerned with us, but just the opposite is true. He loves and watches over every part of His creation. His mysterious plan has always been running on its preset course, totally in His control. He is still the authority and has control over everything. There is nothing that He didn’t create, and He oversees and holds together His creation. Nothing happens without His knowledge and nothing happens without Him allowing it to happen.
We could never understand His plan or His methods. He created the world and the heavens above and He created them for a period of time. Someday He will do away with this world, time, and space and create something new. All He has to do is to say it and it will be done exactly as He wants it to be. When the time is right He will create a new heaven and a new earth. He has not forgotten about humanity though. We are His very special and desired treasure and He wants us to live with Him forever. He will create the new earth to our liking and to accommodate whatever we would need to be sustained for the time we will live there, forever.
We grow here physically but to grow spiritually is not automatic. It is the uncertainty of the future that strengthens our faith. We must trust in and rely upon God for everything as we will in the new earth. That goes against our human nature. We want to be in control of our own life. Think about that for awhile. Would you really want to be completely in control of your own life? Without God our lives would be very different and not for the better. If you knew that every choice you made would have a great impact on your future you would probably stress over the choices you made on a daily basis. No one can see into the future to know what the consequences of that choice will eventually lead to. I believe we would live in stress and fear continually. God gives us freedom to choose a lot of things in life. He has created a world full of wonder and beauty. Life is filled with tools and toys to keep us busy and entertained. He also knows the things that will harm us. He watches over us with protective eyes. He is in control of everything around us and He goes before us. He knows the future as He knows the past. His fingerprints are all over our lives.
You can’t sow a fleshly seed and reap a spiritual plant. We need God to be able to grow us and to mature us to a ripened state. That is impossible if we are not attached to the vine. The vine is considered to be the lifeline to God. It provides the nourishment that we need to grow and produce fruit. It is time to give God the credit for what He has done for you. Allow Him more access to your life to do His work in your life. He is still the creator and He is still creating. He creates new desires in your heart if you allow Him to. That is the key. You have to be willing to allow Him to because He will never force your hand. He directs, guides, and leads but He never pushes.
Trust, obedience and surrender are the key elements to allowing God access into your heart. Do it all with love for Him because He loves you. As much as you don’t like it, the trials and difficulties of your life have been designed by Him. He knows when it is time to bring them into your life and how long to leave them there. If you don’t respond the way you should He has a plan to bring another lesson back into your life. Whatever He chooses is the best thing that could happen to you. God does not bring anything into your life just to be mean or make your miserable. Everything that God does has a very important purpose to it. You might not ever know why but you can know that He knew it was the best thing for you at the time. He must allow you to have the experiences to learn what He is teaching you. He has told you through His Word, but you can’t really understand until you have experienced it for yourself. You can refuse to learn the lesson and just get angry and blame others or blame God for the problems, but you will not learn that way. God wants to change your heart, to change you on the inside. If we don’t allow Him to do that our heart will never belong to Him and we will never be faithful to Him. Our relationship with Him will never become what He intended it to become. We will hold on to our will and become stubborn enough to think that we can continue to live without His intervention. God loves us and wants us to grow our love for Him. His love for us is already perfect. Our love for Him can never be what He would like it to be. Yet He chooses to love us unconditionally and promises His love will never be withheld. He is love and so He could not withhold love. The more we seek to keep control of certain areas of our life the less love we will have for God and the less honor and glory our lives give to Him. Think about that. Whenever you disregard what God desires for you it causes Him much heartache and He does not receive any glory. Your life may look glorious to others because of some talent or ability you have, but it will never give God glory unless you allow Him to work through you. He gives special gifts that are meant to be used to bring Him glory. No matter how good you are at something, if it is not done with God as the center, then in the end it will not make one bit of difference in your life. It will all go up in smoke on the day when He judges all our works. It will have a temporary purpose but will not matter in the long run. It will have no impact on eternity except a negative one, that it took away from what could have been.
God disciplines those whom He loves. Discipline is not punishment but rather is a teaching. Parents discipline their children so that they will learn what is dangerous, what is wrong, what is right, what …. God does the same for us. He trains each one of us up individually. He knows how He made you. Our weaknesses and frail characteristics are replaced with His power and strength when we make ourselves open to receive what He has to give us. The more we let go and give in to His work of creating in our inner being, the more we will become like Him. He wants to give us His strength and power for the events we will face in life. When we get to the point of complete surrender to God we are on our way to becoming a vessel of use for Him. We can be used for great achievements with His power at work through us. We will be able to do what God wants to do through us and we won’t be limited by our own frailty. Whatever He wants to achieve will be accomplished through us.
When we no longer struggle with what God is doing in our life we will be able to rest in Him. We will be content in all things. In good times and in bad we will be allowing God’s perfect will to achieve its goal. We will no longer worry or stress out when problems and trials arrive. When we place everything into God’s hands we can know He wants what is best for us. Even when evil comes against us we can know that He protects us and gives us the amount of grace we need for that trial. His grace is always sufficient. It is only as much as we need for the task at hand. Right now you would not be ready to face major hardships but when the hardship arrives you instantly have all that you need to get through it. And God promises never to leave us to face it alone. When we are willing to let Him have His way then we must also trust that He will carry out His will in whatever comes our way. No one can stay His hand or change His course of action. He will accomplish what He has set out to do. Most of the time we can’t see Him in action and we don’t feel as confident about what He will do. It doesn’t mean that everything will turn out just the way we want and we will live happily ever after. Life is full of heartache and heartbreak, sorrow and pain. But it is better to have God on your side as you face it. Whether you allow God into your heart or not you will face sorrow and pain. We all will face death some day. The ones we love will die and God knows the time and how they will die. God is merciful and just and He is trustworthy to never deviate from His Word. We can trust Him in all things even when they don’t make sense to us.
Having a relationship with God is great. His love is incomprehensible. His love for us is perfect and He knows we could never love Him the same way in return. Yet He gives everything He has to the relationship. What could we give God? He wants us to give ourself to Him. To surrender to Him. He asks for your hear and, your hand. He wants to walk with you through this life and to comfort you as you go. He wants you to have peace and to have an abundant life. That does not mean that your life will always be happy and carefree. Life’s trials are meant to get us to look to Him and walk with Him. Walking with God daily is a goal we should all strive for. The more we learn to commit ourselves to Him the closer our relationship and walk will be. Moses spoke to God face to face as to a friend. He does not speak to others that way. But if we accept His authority over our lives and the love He has to give we will truly be blessed. He will only walk as close as we allow Him to.
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Photography by Marilyn McCurdy
THE STUBBORN ARE HEADED FOR SERIOUS TROUBLE!
PROVERBS 28:14
A stubborn heart has stood in the way of many people from becoming a believer. Their heart refuses to listen to the truth. Pray earnestly for these people. They may never know the redeeming love of our Lord and Savior.
A stubborn heart has stood in the way of many people from becoming a believer. Their heart refuses to listen to the truth. Pray earnestly for these people. They may never know the redeeming love of our Lord and Savior.
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STRONGHOLDS OF THE MIND
2 Corinthians 10:5
We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ The nature of the battle for your mind is clearly presented in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." The first thing you need to know about the battle for your mind is that it is not fought on the plane of human ingenuity or ability. You can't outsmart or outmuscle the flesh or the devil on your own. Your weapons must be "divinely powerful" if you are going to win a spiritual conflict. The main targets which must be destroyed are the "fortresses" in the mind. The King James Version uses the word strongholds . Strongholds are negative patterns of thought which are burned into our minds either through repetition over time or through one-time traumatic experiences. Thoughts determine behavior, and thought patterns determine temperaments. Strongholds are revealed in un-Christlike temperaments and behavior patterns. A mind-set impregnated with hopelessness causes us to accept as unchangeable something known to be contrary to God. How are these destructive strongholds established in our minds? Usually they are the result of a number of subtle steps which lead us away from God's plan for us and mire us in Plan B behavior. We will look at these steps and how we should respond to them over the next several days.
Prayer: Lord, I determine to prepare my mind for action today and avoid passivity in my thinking, because Satan loves passivity.
STRONGHOLDS OF THE MIND
2 Corinthians 10:5
We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ The nature of the battle for your mind is clearly presented in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ." The first thing you need to know about the battle for your mind is that it is not fought on the plane of human ingenuity or ability. You can't outsmart or outmuscle the flesh or the devil on your own. Your weapons must be "divinely powerful" if you are going to win a spiritual conflict. The main targets which must be destroyed are the "fortresses" in the mind. The King James Version uses the word strongholds . Strongholds are negative patterns of thought which are burned into our minds either through repetition over time or through one-time traumatic experiences. Thoughts determine behavior, and thought patterns determine temperaments. Strongholds are revealed in un-Christlike temperaments and behavior patterns. A mind-set impregnated with hopelessness causes us to accept as unchangeable something known to be contrary to God. How are these destructive strongholds established in our minds? Usually they are the result of a number of subtle steps which lead us away from God's plan for us and mire us in Plan B behavior. We will look at these steps and how we should respond to them over the next several days.
Prayer: Lord, I determine to prepare my mind for action today and avoid passivity in my thinking, because Satan loves passivity.
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Hezekiah's Illness and Pride
24 In those days Hezekiah became sick to the point of death, so he prayed to the LORD, and He spoke to him and gave him a miraculous sign.
25 However, because his heart was proud, Hezekiah didn't respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath upon him, upon Judah, and upon Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart—he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—so the LORD's wrath didn't come on them during Hezekiah's lifetime.
Hezekiah's Illness and Pride
24 In those days Hezekiah became sick to the point of death, so he prayed to the LORD, and He spoke to him and gave him a miraculous sign.
25 However, because his heart was proud, Hezekiah didn't respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath upon him, upon Judah, and upon Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart—he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—so the LORD's wrath didn't come on them during Hezekiah's lifetime.
Photography by Marilyn McCurdy
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WE ARE WORTHLESS
God can use people from all walks of life. God does not use the brightest or best looking people for His work. Surrendering our will to Him first is imperative. God uses willing, and ready vessels for His purposes. That includes a willingness to receive what God wants to give us. He wants to give us the power and strength we need for every task. We need the Holy Spirit. Unless we are born again, of the Holy Spirit, we are worthless. We can't do anything for God in our own power. Unless the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us, we have no power. God uses spiritual power to accomplish His plans and purposes. If we think that we can do good things for God, we have taken our eyes off of His will. We are worthless to Him. Focus on God, seek and surrender to His guidance. We should be about our Father's business. It is all about His desire, His purpose, His plan, His way, in His timing, and for His glory. Surrender requires that we accept God's plan no matter what the outcome. That too is in God's plan. He is responsible for the outcome.
We can take comfort in knowing that when God delays or redirects He has a good reason. Ask God to confirm if you are headed in the right direction. In Psalm 37:33 , the Word says, "If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm." We can be accomplishing something that has great worth, when we have the Holy Spirit power operating in the circumstances. We can respond with willing and surrendered hearts. A surrendered heart has peace.
His work is eternal and a holy work. God does not care about any other work we do. We can't ask Him to join us in what we are planning to do, and be guaranteed that He will bless it with His power and for a worthwhile purpose. Seek Him first and He will tell you if what you are planning is worth anything.
Better to seek Him and discover what He is already doing and join Him in that work. Don't waste your time on nice activities. The Holy Spirit will not change any lives through it. Be about your Father's business, bringing eternal rewards. If we are about our own plans, we may be seeking our own glory. It is easy to be filled with pride when we are the ones who accomplished something big and wonderful. That will be our only reward, receiving praise from men. God does not reward us for taking the glory away from Him. God's Word says that at the judgement, all our works will be tested by fire. The ones that were according to His will and purpose will survive the fire, while the ones that were not according to His will and purpose will just burn up and count as nothing.We may plan some nice activities that do things to help out those in need. We may use our talent to entertain and bless people with our abilities. We have no reason to be filled with pride. What ever God gives us to do, He gives us the talent or ability, resource or funding, to do it. God's grace is given as the need arises. If you say, I can't do that, then ask God that He give you what you need to get it done. Maybe your part is just so oversee others who can do it, or to gather together a group who is willing to do it. The Holy Spirit can bring the right people, to the right place, at the right time, to achieve the right goal, for the right purpose, with a right motive, and with hearts of compassion, and with the glory going to God. It is always to be about what God desires to accomplish; when, where, why, what, and how.
That is all that matters. Anything else is just us convincing ourselves that we are doing something good; to ease our conscious. Don't forget to check with God first Let the Holy Spirit inspire and lead you into what God is doing. His is a holy work with eternal rewards.
WE ARE WORTHLESS WITHOUT HIM.
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We can take comfort in knowing that when God delays or redirects He has a good reason. Ask God to confirm if you are headed in the right direction. In Psalm 37:33 , the Word says, "If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm." We can be accomplishing something that has great worth, when we have the Holy Spirit power operating in the circumstances. We can respond with willing and surrendered hearts. A surrendered heart has peace.
His work is eternal and a holy work. God does not care about any other work we do. We can't ask Him to join us in what we are planning to do, and be guaranteed that He will bless it with His power and for a worthwhile purpose. Seek Him first and He will tell you if what you are planning is worth anything.
Better to seek Him and discover what He is already doing and join Him in that work. Don't waste your time on nice activities. The Holy Spirit will not change any lives through it. Be about your Father's business, bringing eternal rewards. If we are about our own plans, we may be seeking our own glory. It is easy to be filled with pride when we are the ones who accomplished something big and wonderful. That will be our only reward, receiving praise from men. God does not reward us for taking the glory away from Him. God's Word says that at the judgement, all our works will be tested by fire. The ones that were according to His will and purpose will survive the fire, while the ones that were not according to His will and purpose will just burn up and count as nothing.We may plan some nice activities that do things to help out those in need. We may use our talent to entertain and bless people with our abilities. We have no reason to be filled with pride. What ever God gives us to do, He gives us the talent or ability, resource or funding, to do it. God's grace is given as the need arises. If you say, I can't do that, then ask God that He give you what you need to get it done. Maybe your part is just so oversee others who can do it, or to gather together a group who is willing to do it. The Holy Spirit can bring the right people, to the right place, at the right time, to achieve the right goal, for the right purpose, with a right motive, and with hearts of compassion, and with the glory going to God. It is always to be about what God desires to accomplish; when, where, why, what, and how.
That is all that matters. Anything else is just us convincing ourselves that we are doing something good; to ease our conscious. Don't forget to check with God first Let the Holy Spirit inspire and lead you into what God is doing. His is a holy work with eternal rewards.
WE ARE WORTHLESS WITHOUT HIM.
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At times God almost seems mean spirited to us. We have the opportunity to discover whether we have based our faith on who God is or what He does for us. God's ways are higher than our ways. We don't run the entire universe and the heavens. We can't comprehend what He is doing at times. It makes absolutely no sense, and that nothing good could come out of it. We doubt His intent and purpose. When we are able to sift through what He does and realize that it really is meant to bring about His purpose, not our own, we can view God in a better light. If we base our faith on what He can do to make us happy, we are going to stumble someday. It is crucial to our spiritual health to keep God's position and authority in the right place in our lives. Every time God has a new day of dawning in your life, He requires a new level of reverence and trust. He has new places to take you,, new heights that you cannot begin to imagine. He wants you to see what He does.
We can endure something so horrific that we can convince ourself that life is over for us. We can conclude that all joy is behind us and only pain awaits in our future.But if we are willing to take one day at a time, one layer at a time, God begins to bring healing and restoration. Perhaps best of all comes a new revelation. Understanding may never really come. But we can see little slivers of light turn into late dawns, and finally noon day sun. God teaches us through the tears and the heartbreak, the pain and the sorrow. When the love of God calls forth in a heart of brokenness, it spells forth in a way no happy heart can gush.
I can remember the exact moment I realized I was going to survive a season of loss and grave defeat. With the pain still present in my heart, but stumbling through some praises, I felt oddly more alive than I ever have before. There were still scars on my heart and soul but there was a difference now. My soul no longer ached but reached out for God's love. There was no longer a desire to wallow in pity, but to reach for what God was showing me. It was higher than I have ever reached before. The praises were barely audible, but they were there. God was there too.
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We can endure something so horrific that we can convince ourself that life is over for us. We can conclude that all joy is behind us and only pain awaits in our future.But if we are willing to take one day at a time, one layer at a time, God begins to bring healing and restoration. Perhaps best of all comes a new revelation. Understanding may never really come. But we can see little slivers of light turn into late dawns, and finally noon day sun. God teaches us through the tears and the heartbreak, the pain and the sorrow. When the love of God calls forth in a heart of brokenness, it spells forth in a way no happy heart can gush.
I can remember the exact moment I realized I was going to survive a season of loss and grave defeat. With the pain still present in my heart, but stumbling through some praises, I felt oddly more alive than I ever have before. There were still scars on my heart and soul but there was a difference now. My soul no longer ached but reached out for God's love. There was no longer a desire to wallow in pity, but to reach for what God was showing me. It was higher than I have ever reached before. The praises were barely audible, but they were there. God was there too.
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Rebelling against God
"… no one does good, not even one."
-- Romans 3:12
As humans, we have a built-in desire to disobey God. You and I got it from our parents and they got it from their parents, and we all inherited this desire from Adam. This is why sins don't make us sinners. We sin because we are sinners!
Now, you might say, "Are you sure about that, pastor? I know good people." Yes, I do, too. Some aren't even believers. In fact, some unbelievers act better than some who claim to believe!
But this verse isn't talking about human goodness. The standard for goodness is not a human standard. It's the righteousness of God. That's what Romans 3:10 says, "None is righteous, no, not one...." Jesus said only one is good and that is God. He is clear on this, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
Are you trusting in your own goodness? If you are, then you are doomed to fail. Human goodness cannot meet the standards of a holy God. Oswald Chambers, the great devotional writer, said, "Sin is not weakness, it is red-handed rebellion against God."
So, if you doubt the exceeding wickedness of your sin, look at Jesus bleeding and dying on the cross. Only at Calvary can you grasp the true consequences of your sinful nature.
HUMAN GOODNESS CANNOT MEET THE STANDARDS OF A HOLY GOD.
Rebelling against God
"… no one does good, not even one."
-- Romans 3:12
As humans, we have a built-in desire to disobey God. You and I got it from our parents and they got it from their parents, and we all inherited this desire from Adam. This is why sins don't make us sinners. We sin because we are sinners!
Now, you might say, "Are you sure about that, pastor? I know good people." Yes, I do, too. Some aren't even believers. In fact, some unbelievers act better than some who claim to believe!
But this verse isn't talking about human goodness. The standard for goodness is not a human standard. It's the righteousness of God. That's what Romans 3:10 says, "None is righteous, no, not one...." Jesus said only one is good and that is God. He is clear on this, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
Are you trusting in your own goodness? If you are, then you are doomed to fail. Human goodness cannot meet the standards of a holy God. Oswald Chambers, the great devotional writer, said, "Sin is not weakness, it is red-handed rebellion against God."
So, if you doubt the exceeding wickedness of your sin, look at Jesus bleeding and dying on the cross. Only at Calvary can you grasp the true consequences of your sinful nature.
HUMAN GOODNESS CANNOT MEET THE STANDARDS OF A HOLY GOD.
Who is God?
What is He like?
Where is God?
When will I be good enough for God to love me?
How do I relate to Him?
Why do I need to obey God?
Is God so mysterious that we could never get the answers to the questions above? The good news here is that God reveals Himself to us in ways that we can understand. He reveals to us a little about who He is and what He expects in ways that He knows we can grasp. Along our spiritual journey He reveals more about Himself. There is only one resource and God Himself wrote it. The Bible, the Holy Scriptures is where we find the answers.
Israel’s history is full of stories and intrigues, but in them we learn about God. We learn about His character and His dealings with mankind. It is important to read the Word with that mindset. The Bible is not just a history book, no , in the Holy Scripture we have record of some of God’s very words. We can know the heart of God and what He expects of us. We can hear a heart that beats with love and mercy through His dealings with Israel. God explores the human heart and exposes it for what it is. It is God’s intention to show us how desperately we need Him. God gives direction, dignity and purpose to our lives. He gives us significance to our choices and provides a meaningful way in which we can have a relationship with Him and then give Him praise and honor in worship.
Many people do not want to worship God, and they don’t want Him as Lord over their life. But when we read the Bible we see that God reveals that He has a plan for this world and for our lives. He gets involved in our lifestyle, our manners, and customs. He cares about our relationships, our jobs, our goals, and wants to help us to live in a way that both honors Him and brings joy, peace, and meaning to us. God wants us to realize that we are not here to be left alone to do our own thing. He shows in history how bad it can go when we don’t ask God to take control of circumstances in which we find ourselves, and in every day decisions. When we know the God of the Bible we can know that our life serves a very important purpose in the eternal realm. With that goal we will not feel useless or that life has no purpose. Our life and how we live has a great impact on all of eternity. Everything matters and serves an important purpose for all of mankind, for ages to come, and into eternity. This is not a fairy tale that has an evil plot but is one that ends up happily ever after. But we are facing an enemy who tries to stop us from doing what God intended our life to be. And the story does have a happily ever after, an eternal ending to it. We have a choice what path we will follow, and the end result is very different depending on which way we go. God has not kept things hidden from us. He wants us to know which path to chose. He wants us to understand the consequences and to know the choices that we have. He has provided a path to His throne in heaven.
This spiritual journey is one of intrigue. God is always involved in our life and our daily living and watches over all we do. He does not step in to make us do something, but He is always there when we need a really, really good hint that what we are doing is not good. He does not remove the trauma, chaos, pain, suffering, struggles, and sorrow in our life. But He does show us that there is a reason for it, and that He is in control of it. He designs the events and circumstances in our life to teach us. He does not just leave us to fend for ourselves or try to figure everything out for ourselves. He wants us to have the information we need to make wise choices, and He is there to direct us if we will let Him. All of life is a process of growth through experience. It is the same for spiritual growth. We learn how to trust God not by reading about it in the Bible, but when we face a difficulty where we need to trust Him. We learn how much He loves us as we face our difficulty and He shows us in some way, maybe through another person or an event, that He does care about us. When we experience God in our life we will grow in our dependence on Him for living life.
When trauma or hostility comes He is ready with an answer if we will just ask. He will not intervene in every decision you make, but He will bring some things to alert you, whether it be a feeling about something or that things are just not happening the way they should. God wants to show us and He warns us about a danger or a bad choice, but often we are not in tune enough to recognize it. He knows how to meet our every need, and often we ignore what He is trying to do in our life. He is right by our side, and He is protecting us from the evil one, but He does allow us to make some bad choices. He knows how bad the consequences will be, but He is also right there with you as you face them. He always has your back. You may have to face some difficult consequences but He always protects your soul. Once you are His the enemy cannot steal you away. We can go forward with that confidence and trust in Him. He is King over every king. He is Lord over all. He is the supreme authority.
With God you are 100% secure. There is nothing that can intrude into His kingdom. There is nothing that can change His mind. There is no other authority that can remove Him from His throne. Anything God wants to do He is able to. Nothing is able to stop Him. God is ubiquitous; He is everywhere, omnipresent. God is everywhere all the time. Nothing escapes His notice and nothing takes Him by surprise. Why would you want to try to do something your own way when you can know that God’s way is the best way possible?
We have a lot of rebellion going on inside of us. We must talk to ourselves about our behavior and our desires. Satan is always trying to fill our mind with things to distract us from God or with some material things that bring comfort or enjoyment that would take God’s place. Sometimes we need something of substance, and God seems too far away and He is not a tangible presence. Yet we must not underestimate God. He knows the core of our deepest need and He knows what will satisfy it. If we need something of substance He can give it to us. What we seek ends up being harmful, but God knows what will really satisfy. What looks good, sounds good, and feels good, is not always what we need. If we need someone to hold us or listen to us, God can bring the right person into our lives. This will not be someone who will cheat us or lead us astray. We must have patience, for God’s timing is not ours. It seems He comes later rather than sooner. Other times He comes immediately and we don’t recognize it until later. God works in mysterious ways but He does not want to be mysterious. He wants you to know Him, love Him, and have a relationship with Him.
I picked a story from the Old Testament at random for an illustration.
In Judges 9 and 10
22 Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. 23 Then God brought bad blood between Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who now worked treacherously behind his back. 24 Violence boomeranged: The murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who had supported the violence. 25 To undermine Abimelech, Shechem's leaders put men in ambush on the mountain passes who robbed travelers on those roads. And Abimelech was told. 26 At that time Gaal son of Ebed arrived with his relatives and moved into Shechem. The leaders of Shechem trusted him. 27 One day they went out into the fields, gathered grapes in the vineyards, and trod them in the winepress. Then they held a celebration in their god's temple, a feast, eating and drinking. And then they started putting down Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is this Abimelech? And who are we Shechemites to take orders from him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-Baal, and isn't this his henchman Zebul? We belong to the race of Hamor and bear the noble name of Shechem. Why should we be toadies of Abimelech? 29 If I were in charge of this people, the first thing I'd do is get rid of Abimelech! I'd say, 'Show me your stuff, Abimelech—let's see who's boss here!' " 30 Zebul, governor of the city, heard what Gaal son of Ebed was saying and got angry. 31 Secretly he sent messengers to Abimelech with the message, "Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem and are stirring up trouble against you. 32 Here's what you do: Tonight bring your troops and wait in ambush in the field. 33 In the morning, as soon as the sun breaks, get moving and charge the city. Gaal and his troops will come out to you, and you'll know what to do next." 34 Abimelech and his troops, four companies of them, went up that night and waited in ambush approaching Shechem. 35 Gaal son of Ebed had gotten up and was standing in the city gate. Abimelech and his troops left their cover. 36 When Gaal saw them he said to Zebul, "Look at that, people coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul said, "That's nothing but mountain shadows; they just look like men." Gaal kept chattering away. 37 Then he said again, "Look at the troops coming down off Tabbur-erez (the Navel of the World)—and one company coming straight from the Oracle Oak." 38 Zebul said, "Where is that big mouth of yours now? You who said, 'And who is Abimelech that we should take orders from him?' Well, there he is with the troops you ridiculed. Here's your chance. Fight away!" 39 Gaal went out, backed by the leaders of Shechem, and did battle with Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal turned tail and ran. Many fell wounded, right up to the city gate. 41 Abimelech set up his field headquarters at Arumah while Zebul kept Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.
42 The next day the people went out to the fields. This was reported to Abimelech. 43 He took his troops, divided them into three companies, and placed them in ambush in the fields. When he saw that the people were well out in the open, he sprang up and attacked them. 44 Abimelech and the company with him charged ahead and took control of the entrance to the city gate; the other two companies chased down those who were in the open fields and killed them. 45 Abimelech fought at the city all that day. He captured the city and massacred everyone in it. He leveled the city to the ground, then sowed it with salt. 46 When the leaders connected with Shechem's Tower heard this, they went into the fortified God-of-the-Covenant temple. 47 This was reported to Abimelech that the Shechem's Tower bunch were gathered together. 48 He and his troops climbed Mount Zalmon (Dark Mountain). Abimelech took his ax and chopped a bundle of firewood, picked it up, and put it on his shoulder. He said to his troops, "Do what you've seen me do, and quickly." 49 So each of his men cut his own bundle. They followed Abimelech, piled their bundles against the Tower fortifications, and set the whole structure on fire. Everyone in Shechem's Tower died, about a thousand men and women. 50 Abimelech went on to Thebez. He camped at Thebez and captured it. 51 The Tower-of-Strength stood in the middle of the city; all the men and women of the city along with the city's leaders had fled there and locked themselves in. They were up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelech got as far as the tower and assaulted it. He came up to the tower door to set it on fire. 53 Just then some woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and crushed his skull. 54 He called urgently to his young armor-bearer and said, "Draw your sword and kill me so they can't say of me, 'A woman killed him.' " His armor bearer drove in his sword, and Abimelech died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
56 God avenged the evil Abimelech had done to his father, murdering his seventy brothers. 57 And God brought down on the heads of the men of Shechem all the evil that they had done, the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal. Judges 9:22-57 (MSG)
1 Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, was next after Abimelech. He rose to the occasion to save Israel. He was a man of Issachar. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel for twenty-three years and then died and was buried at Shamir. 3 After him, Jair the Gileadite stepped into leadership. He judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and had thirty towns in Gilead. The towns are still called Jair's Villages. 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
6 And then the People of Israel went back to doing evil in God's sight. They worshiped the Baal gods and Ashtoreth goddesses: gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab; gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They just walked off and left God, quit worshiping him. 7 And God exploded in hot anger at Israel and sold them off to the Philistines and Ammonites, who, 8 beginning that year, bullied and battered the People of Israel mercilessly. For eighteen years they had them under their thumb, all the People of Israel who lived east of the Jordan in the Amorite country of Gilead. 9 Then the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to go to war also against Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was in a bad way! 10 The People of Israel cried out to God for help: "We've sinned against you! We left our God and worshiped the Baal gods!" 11 God answered the People of Israel: "When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, Sidonians 12 —even Amalek and Midian!—oppressed you and you cried out to me for help, I saved you from them. 13 And now you've gone off and betrayed me, worshiping other gods. I'm not saving you anymore. 14 Go ahead! Cry out for help to the gods you've chosen—let them get you out of the mess you're in!" 15 The People of Israel said to God: "We've sinned. Do to us whatever you think best, but please, get us out of this!" 16 Then they cleaned house of the foreign gods and worshiped only God. And God took Israel's troubles to heart.
Judges 10:1-16 (MSG)
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What is He like?
Where is God?
When will I be good enough for God to love me?
How do I relate to Him?
Why do I need to obey God?
Is God so mysterious that we could never get the answers to the questions above? The good news here is that God reveals Himself to us in ways that we can understand. He reveals to us a little about who He is and what He expects in ways that He knows we can grasp. Along our spiritual journey He reveals more about Himself. There is only one resource and God Himself wrote it. The Bible, the Holy Scriptures is where we find the answers.
Israel’s history is full of stories and intrigues, but in them we learn about God. We learn about His character and His dealings with mankind. It is important to read the Word with that mindset. The Bible is not just a history book, no , in the Holy Scripture we have record of some of God’s very words. We can know the heart of God and what He expects of us. We can hear a heart that beats with love and mercy through His dealings with Israel. God explores the human heart and exposes it for what it is. It is God’s intention to show us how desperately we need Him. God gives direction, dignity and purpose to our lives. He gives us significance to our choices and provides a meaningful way in which we can have a relationship with Him and then give Him praise and honor in worship.
Many people do not want to worship God, and they don’t want Him as Lord over their life. But when we read the Bible we see that God reveals that He has a plan for this world and for our lives. He gets involved in our lifestyle, our manners, and customs. He cares about our relationships, our jobs, our goals, and wants to help us to live in a way that both honors Him and brings joy, peace, and meaning to us. God wants us to realize that we are not here to be left alone to do our own thing. He shows in history how bad it can go when we don’t ask God to take control of circumstances in which we find ourselves, and in every day decisions. When we know the God of the Bible we can know that our life serves a very important purpose in the eternal realm. With that goal we will not feel useless or that life has no purpose. Our life and how we live has a great impact on all of eternity. Everything matters and serves an important purpose for all of mankind, for ages to come, and into eternity. This is not a fairy tale that has an evil plot but is one that ends up happily ever after. But we are facing an enemy who tries to stop us from doing what God intended our life to be. And the story does have a happily ever after, an eternal ending to it. We have a choice what path we will follow, and the end result is very different depending on which way we go. God has not kept things hidden from us. He wants us to know which path to chose. He wants us to understand the consequences and to know the choices that we have. He has provided a path to His throne in heaven.
This spiritual journey is one of intrigue. God is always involved in our life and our daily living and watches over all we do. He does not step in to make us do something, but He is always there when we need a really, really good hint that what we are doing is not good. He does not remove the trauma, chaos, pain, suffering, struggles, and sorrow in our life. But He does show us that there is a reason for it, and that He is in control of it. He designs the events and circumstances in our life to teach us. He does not just leave us to fend for ourselves or try to figure everything out for ourselves. He wants us to have the information we need to make wise choices, and He is there to direct us if we will let Him. All of life is a process of growth through experience. It is the same for spiritual growth. We learn how to trust God not by reading about it in the Bible, but when we face a difficulty where we need to trust Him. We learn how much He loves us as we face our difficulty and He shows us in some way, maybe through another person or an event, that He does care about us. When we experience God in our life we will grow in our dependence on Him for living life.
When trauma or hostility comes He is ready with an answer if we will just ask. He will not intervene in every decision you make, but He will bring some things to alert you, whether it be a feeling about something or that things are just not happening the way they should. God wants to show us and He warns us about a danger or a bad choice, but often we are not in tune enough to recognize it. He knows how to meet our every need, and often we ignore what He is trying to do in our life. He is right by our side, and He is protecting us from the evil one, but He does allow us to make some bad choices. He knows how bad the consequences will be, but He is also right there with you as you face them. He always has your back. You may have to face some difficult consequences but He always protects your soul. Once you are His the enemy cannot steal you away. We can go forward with that confidence and trust in Him. He is King over every king. He is Lord over all. He is the supreme authority.
With God you are 100% secure. There is nothing that can intrude into His kingdom. There is nothing that can change His mind. There is no other authority that can remove Him from His throne. Anything God wants to do He is able to. Nothing is able to stop Him. God is ubiquitous; He is everywhere, omnipresent. God is everywhere all the time. Nothing escapes His notice and nothing takes Him by surprise. Why would you want to try to do something your own way when you can know that God’s way is the best way possible?
We have a lot of rebellion going on inside of us. We must talk to ourselves about our behavior and our desires. Satan is always trying to fill our mind with things to distract us from God or with some material things that bring comfort or enjoyment that would take God’s place. Sometimes we need something of substance, and God seems too far away and He is not a tangible presence. Yet we must not underestimate God. He knows the core of our deepest need and He knows what will satisfy it. If we need something of substance He can give it to us. What we seek ends up being harmful, but God knows what will really satisfy. What looks good, sounds good, and feels good, is not always what we need. If we need someone to hold us or listen to us, God can bring the right person into our lives. This will not be someone who will cheat us or lead us astray. We must have patience, for God’s timing is not ours. It seems He comes later rather than sooner. Other times He comes immediately and we don’t recognize it until later. God works in mysterious ways but He does not want to be mysterious. He wants you to know Him, love Him, and have a relationship with Him.
I picked a story from the Old Testament at random for an illustration.
In Judges 9 and 10
22 Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. 23 Then God brought bad blood between Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who now worked treacherously behind his back. 24 Violence boomeranged: The murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who had supported the violence. 25 To undermine Abimelech, Shechem's leaders put men in ambush on the mountain passes who robbed travelers on those roads. And Abimelech was told. 26 At that time Gaal son of Ebed arrived with his relatives and moved into Shechem. The leaders of Shechem trusted him. 27 One day they went out into the fields, gathered grapes in the vineyards, and trod them in the winepress. Then they held a celebration in their god's temple, a feast, eating and drinking. And then they started putting down Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is this Abimelech? And who are we Shechemites to take orders from him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-Baal, and isn't this his henchman Zebul? We belong to the race of Hamor and bear the noble name of Shechem. Why should we be toadies of Abimelech? 29 If I were in charge of this people, the first thing I'd do is get rid of Abimelech! I'd say, 'Show me your stuff, Abimelech—let's see who's boss here!' " 30 Zebul, governor of the city, heard what Gaal son of Ebed was saying and got angry. 31 Secretly he sent messengers to Abimelech with the message, "Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem and are stirring up trouble against you. 32 Here's what you do: Tonight bring your troops and wait in ambush in the field. 33 In the morning, as soon as the sun breaks, get moving and charge the city. Gaal and his troops will come out to you, and you'll know what to do next." 34 Abimelech and his troops, four companies of them, went up that night and waited in ambush approaching Shechem. 35 Gaal son of Ebed had gotten up and was standing in the city gate. Abimelech and his troops left their cover. 36 When Gaal saw them he said to Zebul, "Look at that, people coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul said, "That's nothing but mountain shadows; they just look like men." Gaal kept chattering away. 37 Then he said again, "Look at the troops coming down off Tabbur-erez (the Navel of the World)—and one company coming straight from the Oracle Oak." 38 Zebul said, "Where is that big mouth of yours now? You who said, 'And who is Abimelech that we should take orders from him?' Well, there he is with the troops you ridiculed. Here's your chance. Fight away!" 39 Gaal went out, backed by the leaders of Shechem, and did battle with Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal turned tail and ran. Many fell wounded, right up to the city gate. 41 Abimelech set up his field headquarters at Arumah while Zebul kept Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.
42 The next day the people went out to the fields. This was reported to Abimelech. 43 He took his troops, divided them into three companies, and placed them in ambush in the fields. When he saw that the people were well out in the open, he sprang up and attacked them. 44 Abimelech and the company with him charged ahead and took control of the entrance to the city gate; the other two companies chased down those who were in the open fields and killed them. 45 Abimelech fought at the city all that day. He captured the city and massacred everyone in it. He leveled the city to the ground, then sowed it with salt. 46 When the leaders connected with Shechem's Tower heard this, they went into the fortified God-of-the-Covenant temple. 47 This was reported to Abimelech that the Shechem's Tower bunch were gathered together. 48 He and his troops climbed Mount Zalmon (Dark Mountain). Abimelech took his ax and chopped a bundle of firewood, picked it up, and put it on his shoulder. He said to his troops, "Do what you've seen me do, and quickly." 49 So each of his men cut his own bundle. They followed Abimelech, piled their bundles against the Tower fortifications, and set the whole structure on fire. Everyone in Shechem's Tower died, about a thousand men and women. 50 Abimelech went on to Thebez. He camped at Thebez and captured it. 51 The Tower-of-Strength stood in the middle of the city; all the men and women of the city along with the city's leaders had fled there and locked themselves in. They were up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelech got as far as the tower and assaulted it. He came up to the tower door to set it on fire. 53 Just then some woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and crushed his skull. 54 He called urgently to his young armor-bearer and said, "Draw your sword and kill me so they can't say of me, 'A woman killed him.' " His armor bearer drove in his sword, and Abimelech died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
56 God avenged the evil Abimelech had done to his father, murdering his seventy brothers. 57 And God brought down on the heads of the men of Shechem all the evil that they had done, the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal. Judges 9:22-57 (MSG)
1 Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, was next after Abimelech. He rose to the occasion to save Israel. He was a man of Issachar. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel for twenty-three years and then died and was buried at Shamir. 3 After him, Jair the Gileadite stepped into leadership. He judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and had thirty towns in Gilead. The towns are still called Jair's Villages. 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
6 And then the People of Israel went back to doing evil in God's sight. They worshiped the Baal gods and Ashtoreth goddesses: gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab; gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They just walked off and left God, quit worshiping him. 7 And God exploded in hot anger at Israel and sold them off to the Philistines and Ammonites, who, 8 beginning that year, bullied and battered the People of Israel mercilessly. For eighteen years they had them under their thumb, all the People of Israel who lived east of the Jordan in the Amorite country of Gilead. 9 Then the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to go to war also against Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was in a bad way! 10 The People of Israel cried out to God for help: "We've sinned against you! We left our God and worshiped the Baal gods!" 11 God answered the People of Israel: "When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, Sidonians 12 —even Amalek and Midian!—oppressed you and you cried out to me for help, I saved you from them. 13 And now you've gone off and betrayed me, worshiping other gods. I'm not saving you anymore. 14 Go ahead! Cry out for help to the gods you've chosen—let them get you out of the mess you're in!" 15 The People of Israel said to God: "We've sinned. Do to us whatever you think best, but please, get us out of this!" 16 Then they cleaned house of the foreign gods and worshiped only God. And God took Israel's troubles to heart.
Judges 10:1-16 (MSG)
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The Priority of Prayer
Mark 1:35-37
Our Father does not consider prayer an optional part of the Christian life. The Bible tells us that two-way communication with God is essential.
The discipline of prayer includes . . .
• An expectant attitude. We must believe that God has something important to say to us. It could be a strengthening reminder of His love, insight into our situation, or the answer to a petition. With such an outlook, we'll be listening more than we are speaking.
• A focus on our heavenly Father. When we praise the Lord, our minds will let go of worldly things and center on Him. Thinking of His perfect character and sacrifice at the cross readies us to hear from Him and obey.
• A willingness to see ourselves the way that God does. The Holy Spirit works in us to produce Christlikeness. That means uncovering what is unholy and replacing it with righteousness. It also includes recognizing when we demonstrate godly character (Gal. 5:22-23).
• A surrender to His leadership. When we submit to Him as Lord, our petitions will be more in line with His will.
• A regular "appointment." Developing a strong faith-life takes commitment. Daily activities will crowd out time with the Lord unless we set a time and place to pray.
Everywhere Jesus traveled, the multitudes approached Him with their needs. Even though there were many people to help, our Savior regularly took time to pray. He'd step away from the demands of the crowd to interact with His Father (Mark 6:45-46). Won't you give prayer that same priority?
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
The Priority of Prayer
Mark 1:35-37
Our Father does not consider prayer an optional part of the Christian life. The Bible tells us that two-way communication with God is essential.
The discipline of prayer includes . . .
• An expectant attitude. We must believe that God has something important to say to us. It could be a strengthening reminder of His love, insight into our situation, or the answer to a petition. With such an outlook, we'll be listening more than we are speaking.
• A focus on our heavenly Father. When we praise the Lord, our minds will let go of worldly things and center on Him. Thinking of His perfect character and sacrifice at the cross readies us to hear from Him and obey.
• A willingness to see ourselves the way that God does. The Holy Spirit works in us to produce Christlikeness. That means uncovering what is unholy and replacing it with righteousness. It also includes recognizing when we demonstrate godly character (Gal. 5:22-23).
• A surrender to His leadership. When we submit to Him as Lord, our petitions will be more in line with His will.
• A regular "appointment." Developing a strong faith-life takes commitment. Daily activities will crowd out time with the Lord unless we set a time and place to pray.
Everywhere Jesus traveled, the multitudes approached Him with their needs. Even though there were many people to help, our Savior regularly took time to pray. He'd step away from the demands of the crowd to interact with His Father (Mark 6:45-46). Won't you give prayer that same priority?
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
Marilyn McCurdy is in this photograph.
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Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.
Today's Reading: Joshua 16-18; Luke 2:1-24
Today's Thoughts: The Promised Land
But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?
Joshua 18:2-3
Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He led them in battles against the existing nations in the land God promised them. The Lord continued to bless the Israelites in victories as they continued to take more territory, just as He had promised. In the beginning, their faith was strong. But as years passed, there was still the need to drive out the other inhabitants from their own allotted territories. Seven tribes hesitated to go forth and take their inheritance. The gift lay before them, so why the delay? Why did Joshua have to force them to go forward and take their gift?
Maybe they were afraid of being on their own for the first time. Maybe they were afraid of the unknown. Maybe they just did not know what to do with their own land. What about us? How many times do we neglect to receive the gift that God is giving us? We pray and pray for something and then one day, God answers our prayer. But the answer involves stepping out in some way, maybe having to do it alone. We can see the answer clearly before us, but we hesitate to go forth. Maybe we are afraid, just as the Israelites were. Maybe we are more comfortable just praying for something instead of actually receiving it. Are we always ready for the change that can come when we pray for things?
I pray that I don't miss out on what God has for me. I pray for more faith when those fears creep into my thinking. I could easily miss what God has planned as the purpose for my existence. If I get distracted from His goal for my life and go about my daily business, I will seek to please myself and those around me. I pray for wisdom to know how to pray for help with those things that will involve changes in my life. It is hard to get past the comfort zone, the normal life and to step out to an unknown. God shows us one step at a time; we don't get to see the whole plan and have a step by step manual to follow. We respond to Him moment by moment, and He leads us moment by moment. I know that I am weak and that I need more faith. Think about these verses today and how they apply to your life. Is there something you are neglecting to possess? Perhaps trust, peace, strength, power, joy, rest, faithfulness, kindness, love to name a few. God has a life of 'promised lands' for each one of us. Don't let fear or hesitation keep you out. He wants to lead you there. He wants you to experience life in communion with Him as you serve to fulfill His will and plan for your life. He is so excited about it. He has a great plan and purpose for you to fulfill. It is a plan that will impact all of eternity. He wants to use you to bring forth His eternal kingdom. Now that is a great job. He also provides all that you need to accomplish this goal. He is there to ensure that it brings success. And you get to have God right by your side as you do this. It will bring the two of you closer. You will come to know Him in ways you have only read or heard about it. You will experience it first hand. He provides on the job training and He walks you through it. He already knows where you will fail and He has got it covered. Don't be afraid because He knows you very well and won't leave you hanging. He will be faithful to watch over it so that it will be successful. This will be a great blessing to others and will also bless you, and will glorify God. This is life with God.
Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.
Today's Reading: Joshua 16-18; Luke 2:1-24
Today's Thoughts: The Promised Land
But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: "How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?
Joshua 18:2-3
Joshua led the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He led them in battles against the existing nations in the land God promised them. The Lord continued to bless the Israelites in victories as they continued to take more territory, just as He had promised. In the beginning, their faith was strong. But as years passed, there was still the need to drive out the other inhabitants from their own allotted territories. Seven tribes hesitated to go forth and take their inheritance. The gift lay before them, so why the delay? Why did Joshua have to force them to go forward and take their gift?
Maybe they were afraid of being on their own for the first time. Maybe they were afraid of the unknown. Maybe they just did not know what to do with their own land. What about us? How many times do we neglect to receive the gift that God is giving us? We pray and pray for something and then one day, God answers our prayer. But the answer involves stepping out in some way, maybe having to do it alone. We can see the answer clearly before us, but we hesitate to go forth. Maybe we are afraid, just as the Israelites were. Maybe we are more comfortable just praying for something instead of actually receiving it. Are we always ready for the change that can come when we pray for things?
I pray that I don't miss out on what God has for me. I pray for more faith when those fears creep into my thinking. I could easily miss what God has planned as the purpose for my existence. If I get distracted from His goal for my life and go about my daily business, I will seek to please myself and those around me. I pray for wisdom to know how to pray for help with those things that will involve changes in my life. It is hard to get past the comfort zone, the normal life and to step out to an unknown. God shows us one step at a time; we don't get to see the whole plan and have a step by step manual to follow. We respond to Him moment by moment, and He leads us moment by moment. I know that I am weak and that I need more faith. Think about these verses today and how they apply to your life. Is there something you are neglecting to possess? Perhaps trust, peace, strength, power, joy, rest, faithfulness, kindness, love to name a few. God has a life of 'promised lands' for each one of us. Don't let fear or hesitation keep you out. He wants to lead you there. He wants you to experience life in communion with Him as you serve to fulfill His will and plan for your life. He is so excited about it. He has a great plan and purpose for you to fulfill. It is a plan that will impact all of eternity. He wants to use you to bring forth His eternal kingdom. Now that is a great job. He also provides all that you need to accomplish this goal. He is there to ensure that it brings success. And you get to have God right by your side as you do this. It will bring the two of you closer. You will come to know Him in ways you have only read or heard about it. You will experience it first hand. He provides on the job training and He walks you through it. He already knows where you will fail and He has got it covered. Don't be afraid because He knows you very well and won't leave you hanging. He will be faithful to watch over it so that it will be successful. This will be a great blessing to others and will also bless you, and will glorify God. This is life with God.
Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
A Hedge of Clichés
by Katherine Britton, News & Culture Editor
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverb 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
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by Katherine Britton, News & Culture Editor
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." - Matthew 6:7
A Bible study friend recently encouraged me to rewrite the famous passage on Proverbs 31 woman in my own words, with application to my own life. I took her up on the challenge, thinking the task wouldn't be too hard for someone who writes for a career.
Crafting a modern application took an hour—much longer than I figured. Getting away from verbatim repetition to explore specific application required much more of my time and energy than I would typically spend journaling on a passage. Stepping back from the verse-by-verse analysis, though, I thought I saw the Proverb 31 woman's characteristics a bit more clearly. Rewriting the passage didn't destroy the original language for me—on the contrary. The "words, words, words" seemed fresh and clear from my new vantage point.
Unfortunately, reading and "hiding Scripture in our hearts" quickly slips into rote recitation for me. It's like Tim Hawkin's hedge of protection comedy sketch; the words have power, but we start spouting them off without much thought. Pretty soon, I'm sitting in church and halfway through a hymn before I realize that I'm singing. My heart gets left behind too when my mind is disengaged. Pretty soon, I'm praying a "hedge of protection" for somebody, partially because the phrase sounds good without making me think too carefully about their specific needs.
The Pharisee Jesus described in Luke 18:9-13 had mastered the art of hiding insincerity behind the right phrases. He knew the turn of phrase that would convey holy devotion, regardless of the filth in his heart. "Words, words, words" became meaningless, as Hamlet saw them in the dead books - they became a socially acceptable key to avoid the real attitudes.
Contrast this to the tax collector. He understood that social niceties wouldn't veil his sins before God, and he didn't continue with a recitation the way the Pharisee did. His simple prayer was, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That was it. He knew the impact of his simple phrase far better than the Pharisee did. He didn't need to "babble" to impress God or those around him; he simply spoke his heart, knowing that ability to pray is itself a mercy.
The beautiful language of Scripture is best adorned with sincerity of heart, not how many words we can string together in holy sentences. After all, consider how simple the Lord's Prayer is written - and how difficult and miraculous it is to proclaim "Your will be done."
Intersecting Faith and Life: There's not a "holy attitude" that we put on at "holy times" - we are called to be holy all the time, in our joking with friends as well as our prayers. We need to speak simply, truly, and to God's glory all the time. This week, practice this by eliminating Christian catch phrases from your prayers, instead journaling your prayers to bring a fresh application.
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Nostalgic Musings
by Charles R. Swindoll
Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11; Matthew 24:6-7, 11
For over an hour the other day I strolled down Nostalgia Lane with a September 4, 1939, copy of Time magazine. What a journey! Pickups sold for $465 and best-selling books cost $2. Big news in the music world was Bing Crosby, whose records sold for 35 cents a platter. What was most intriguing, however, was the international scene, as presented by the staff writers. The threat of war was a slumbering giant, and Adolf Hitler's name appeared on almost every page of the Foreign News section. President Franklin Roosevelt was busy calming the troubled waters of our nation's fear of war, speaking openly of his "lovely hope for peace." In spite of the Nazi war machine that had already consumed Italy, Sicily, Albania, and was primed to pounce on Poland, Hungary, Belgium, and France, the talk in America was amazingly casual---a smug, business-as-usual attitude.
How naive we were! Little did we know that within months the insane fuehrer would unleash a hellish nightmare from which we could not escape. Before his screams were silenced, acres of soil would be covered with small white crosses, and thousands of American homes would have their tranquil plans for peace invaded by the brutal enemy of grief.
Every so often when we enter such a relatively calm era, it is easy to forget the prophet's warning to beware of those who superficially heal the brokenness of a nation by announcing "peace, peace" when "there is no peace" (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). And if we feel sufficiently comfortable and relaxed, it's mighty easy to block from our minds the Savior's prediction of "wars and rumors of wars" and His warning that "many false prophets will arise and mislead many" (Matt. 24:6-7, 11).
Who knows? Fifty years from now another preacher could be leafing through a Time magazine yellow with age, feeling a nostalgic twinge and smiling at what we consider modern times. He will no doubt notice the business-as-usual look on our faces, only to be seized with the realization that we had no idea what a ragged edge we were living on in our relaxed American culture.
If indeed there is an America fifty years from now.
We need to be alert. Sometimes the best of times may be a breeding ground for the worst of times.
by Charles R. Swindoll
Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11; Matthew 24:6-7, 11
For over an hour the other day I strolled down Nostalgia Lane with a September 4, 1939, copy of Time magazine. What a journey! Pickups sold for $465 and best-selling books cost $2. Big news in the music world was Bing Crosby, whose records sold for 35 cents a platter. What was most intriguing, however, was the international scene, as presented by the staff writers. The threat of war was a slumbering giant, and Adolf Hitler's name appeared on almost every page of the Foreign News section. President Franklin Roosevelt was busy calming the troubled waters of our nation's fear of war, speaking openly of his "lovely hope for peace." In spite of the Nazi war machine that had already consumed Italy, Sicily, Albania, and was primed to pounce on Poland, Hungary, Belgium, and France, the talk in America was amazingly casual---a smug, business-as-usual attitude.
How naive we were! Little did we know that within months the insane fuehrer would unleash a hellish nightmare from which we could not escape. Before his screams were silenced, acres of soil would be covered with small white crosses, and thousands of American homes would have their tranquil plans for peace invaded by the brutal enemy of grief.
Every so often when we enter such a relatively calm era, it is easy to forget the prophet's warning to beware of those who superficially heal the brokenness of a nation by announcing "peace, peace" when "there is no peace" (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). And if we feel sufficiently comfortable and relaxed, it's mighty easy to block from our minds the Savior's prediction of "wars and rumors of wars" and His warning that "many false prophets will arise and mislead many" (Matt. 24:6-7, 11).
Who knows? Fifty years from now another preacher could be leafing through a Time magazine yellow with age, feeling a nostalgic twinge and smiling at what we consider modern times. He will no doubt notice the business-as-usual look on our faces, only to be seized with the realization that we had no idea what a ragged edge we were living on in our relaxed American culture.
If indeed there is an America fifty years from now.
We need to be alert. Sometimes the best of times may be a breeding ground for the worst of times.
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In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit." Luke 10:21The Saviour was "a man of sorrows," but every thoughtful mind has discovered the fact that down deep in His innermost soul He carried an inexhaustible treasury of refined and heavenly joy. Of all the human race, there was never a man who had a deeper, purer, or more abiding peace than our Lord Jesus Christ. "He was anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows." His vast benevolence must, from the very nature of things, have afforded Him the deepest possible delight, for benevolence is joy. There were a few remarkable seasons when this joy manifested itself. "At that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." Christ had His songs, though it was night with Him; though His face was marred, and His countenance had lost the lustre of earthly happiness, yet sometimes it was lit up with a matchless splendour of unparalleled satisfaction, as He thought upon the recompense of the reward, and in the midst of the congregation sang His praise unto God. In this, the Lord Jesus is a blessed picture of His church on earth. At this hour the church expects to walk in sympathy with her Lord along a thorny road; through much tribulation she is forcing her way to the crown. To bear the cross is her office, and to be scorned and counted an alien by her mother's children is her lot; and yet the church has a deep well of joy, of which none can drink but her own children. There are stores of wine, and oil, and corn, hidden in the midst of our Jerusalem, upon which the saints of God are evermore sustained and nurtured; and sometimes, as in our Saviour's case, we have our seasons of intense delight, for "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of our God." Exiles though we be, we rejoice in our King; yea, in Him we exceedingly rejoice, while in His name we set up our banners.
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A Present Reality
Today's Scripture: Romans 6:8
"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him."
Read it online at the Bible Gateway: (NIV) (NASB) (KJV) (The Message)
Unfortunately, many believers do not live as if justification is a permanent state. They've divorced their hope of eternal life from their relationship with God today. They expect to "put on" Christ's robe of righteousness only at death. Meanwhile, in this life they draw their sense of God's acceptance from their most recent performance of Christian duties or their avoidance of certain sins. Their "robe of righteousness" for daily living isn't from Christ, but one they've stitched together by their own performance.
By contrast, the apostle Paul lived in a continuous state of conscious justification. In Galatians 2:20 he wrote, "The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." In the context, Paul was speaking of his faith in Christ for justification. But this was not simply a past event. Rather, he was speaking of his present daily experience of living in a state of justification. As George Smeaton wrote, "obviously, this is not the language of faith for attaining justification, but the language of a man already justified, and glorying in a sense of acceptance and the experience of grace."
For Paul, justification was not only a point-in-time event that occurred in the past, but a present reality in which he rejoiced every day. Paul did what we should do. He renounced any confidence in his own performance or, for that matter, any dismay over his lack of performance. Instead, by faith he looked to Jesus Christ and his righteousness for his sense of being in right standing with God today, tomorrow, and throughout eternity. (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)
The text for this devotional comes from the award-winning NavPress devotional book Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges. For more information or to order a copy, visit the NavPress website.
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Today's Scripture: Romans 6:8
"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him."
Read it online at the Bible Gateway: (NIV) (NASB) (KJV) (The Message)
Unfortunately, many believers do not live as if justification is a permanent state. They've divorced their hope of eternal life from their relationship with God today. They expect to "put on" Christ's robe of righteousness only at death. Meanwhile, in this life they draw their sense of God's acceptance from their most recent performance of Christian duties or their avoidance of certain sins. Their "robe of righteousness" for daily living isn't from Christ, but one they've stitched together by their own performance.
By contrast, the apostle Paul lived in a continuous state of conscious justification. In Galatians 2:20 he wrote, "The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." In the context, Paul was speaking of his faith in Christ for justification. But this was not simply a past event. Rather, he was speaking of his present daily experience of living in a state of justification. As George Smeaton wrote, "obviously, this is not the language of faith for attaining justification, but the language of a man already justified, and glorying in a sense of acceptance and the experience of grace."
For Paul, justification was not only a point-in-time event that occurred in the past, but a present reality in which he rejoiced every day. Paul did what we should do. He renounced any confidence in his own performance or, for that matter, any dismay over his lack of performance. Instead, by faith he looked to Jesus Christ and his righteousness for his sense of being in right standing with God today, tomorrow, and throughout eternity. (Excerpt taken from The Gospel for Real Life)
The text for this devotional comes from the award-winning NavPress devotional book Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges. For more information or to order a copy, visit the NavPress website.
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Can thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" Job 38:31
If inclined to boast of our abilities, the grandeur of nature may soon show us how puny we are. We cannot move the least of all the twinkling stars, or quench so much as one of the beams of the morning. We speak of power, but the heavens laugh us to scorn. When the Pleiades shine forth in spring with vernal joy we cannot restrain their influences, and when Orion reigns aloft, and the year is bound in winter's fetters, we cannot relax the icy bands. The seasons revolve according to the divine appointment, neither can the whole race of men effect a change therein. Lord, what is man?
In the spiritual, as in the natural world, man's power is limited on all hands. When the Holy Spirit sheds abroad His delights in the soul, none can disturb; all the cunning and malice of men are ineffectual to stay the genial quickening power of the Comforter. When He deigns to visit a church and revive it, the most inveterate enemies cannot resist the good work; they may ridicule it, but they can no more restrain it than they can push back the spring when the Pleiades rule the hour. God wills it, and so it must be. On the other hand, if the Lord in sovereignty, or in justice, bind up a man so that he is in soul bondage, who can give him liberty? He alone can remove the winter of spiritual death from an individual or a people. He looses the bands of Orion, and none but He. What a blessing it is that He can do it. O that He would perform the wonder to-night. Lord, end my winter, and let my spring begin. I cannot with all my longings raise my soul out of her death and dulness, but all things are possible with Thee. I need celestial influences, the clear shinings of Thy love, the beams of Thy grace, the light of Thy countenance, these are the Pleiades to me. I suffer much from sin and temptation, these are my wintry signs, my terrible Orion.
Lord, work wonders in me, and for me. Amen.
If inclined to boast of our abilities, the grandeur of nature may soon show us how puny we are. We cannot move the least of all the twinkling stars, or quench so much as one of the beams of the morning. We speak of power, but the heavens laugh us to scorn. When the Pleiades shine forth in spring with vernal joy we cannot restrain their influences, and when Orion reigns aloft, and the year is bound in winter's fetters, we cannot relax the icy bands. The seasons revolve according to the divine appointment, neither can the whole race of men effect a change therein. Lord, what is man?
In the spiritual, as in the natural world, man's power is limited on all hands. When the Holy Spirit sheds abroad His delights in the soul, none can disturb; all the cunning and malice of men are ineffectual to stay the genial quickening power of the Comforter. When He deigns to visit a church and revive it, the most inveterate enemies cannot resist the good work; they may ridicule it, but they can no more restrain it than they can push back the spring when the Pleiades rule the hour. God wills it, and so it must be. On the other hand, if the Lord in sovereignty, or in justice, bind up a man so that he is in soul bondage, who can give him liberty? He alone can remove the winter of spiritual death from an individual or a people. He looses the bands of Orion, and none but He. What a blessing it is that He can do it. O that He would perform the wonder to-night. Lord, end my winter, and let my spring begin. I cannot with all my longings raise my soul out of her death and dulness, but all things are possible with Thee. I need celestial influences, the clear shinings of Thy love, the beams of Thy grace, the light of Thy countenance, these are the Pleiades to me. I suffer much from sin and temptation, these are my wintry signs, my terrible Orion.
Lord, work wonders in me, and for me. Amen.
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Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) was the author of the famous Civil War song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was very active in the abolition of the slavery movement. In 1861 she traveled to Washington D.C., and saw the city teeming with military. Sleeping unsoundly that night, she wrote the words to her poem. It was published in February, 1862, in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine, she received $5 for the poem.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lighting of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel;
Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat;
Oh, be swift my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea;
with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on!
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) was the author of the famous Civil War song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. She was very active in the abolition of the slavery movement. In 1861 she traveled to Washington D.C., and saw the city teeming with military. Sleeping unsoundly that night, she wrote the words to her poem. It was published in February, 1862, in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine, she received $5 for the poem.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He has loosed the fateful lighting of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel;
Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat;
Oh, be swift my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea;
with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on!