Ps. 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
It seems like lately there have been many times when I am waiting in silence for God, because I am speechless, afraid and have nowhere else to turn but Him. I want to say something, but can't. I guess that is a great place to be, since He is the only One who is truly my refuge, but I desire to have the right words to say, I desire to be strong in The Lord, and in the power of His Might, but in my flesh I am weak. I can only rest and wait on Him.
I love the word pictures that are fostered with, "rock", "fortress" and "refuge". He is all of those places that as a little child we would run and take comfort in knowing we are in a safe place; like the tree house. He is our grown up fort, where we can spend the time getting away from the cares of this world and just meditate and dwell on Who He is, with no distractions. It is in those times when I can start to pour out my heart to Him and He answers in the sweetest ways. I don't hear audible words, but He brings Scripture, His Word, to my mind as I am talking with Him. Sometimes an hour or 2 later the answer will come in some form of encouragement that He is certainly orchestrating.
I really have no answers of my own anymore, though it would be arrogant to think that I had any previously, He has just been able to change my heart and show me I didn't have any in the first place. It is so comforting to know we can run to the Rock that is higher than we are and He loves us to stay there with Him. He comforts in so many ways.
Lord, may You hide me in Your holiness, protect me from the sin that so easily besets me, change me to be unshaken it situations that I am normally shakeable, take me in Your arms and cover me from the rains that beat so hard around me, that I may have joy in the trials, not just endure them, that You would show Your glory to the world around me as I walk with, and trust in, You, and that they may know for sure that it is You that I find my joy, comfort, rest and confidence. I am weak and tired, the world around me is dark and terrifying, and the only place I want to be is right next to You. Keep me close to Your side and keep me desiring to be near You. Don't let me be satisfied with lesser loves and lesser joys. Make me to look only to You and be focused on Your face. You can do this in me and You delight in Your servant's praising you when You have done it. Thank You for the changes You have brought in me and for the will to want to change.
Work Your mighty hand in our lives. Plow deep that our hearts might be fertile to Your teaching. Convict us of our sin and bring us to the joy of our salvation once again. Make Your Word fresh to us and in so doing may we be refreshing to the dieing world around us. Guide us, direct us, show us the path You have for us to take, close the doors tight You don't want us to go through, and open wide those that You have for us, that we make no mistakes. Be our Light and our Encouragement. As we walk through this valley of the shadow of death, we desire to fear no evil, but we are weak. Comfort us with the rod of discipline, as it is then we know that you love us, and your staff which brings us back to Your side. You are Our God and there is NONE like You. Thanks for Your great and precious promises.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
How Sure Are You?
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter is telling us exactly what we need to make sure our calling, to salvation and Christ. He gives us a list of things we should practice, though we will not get them perfected until we reach Heaven.
We need to look at our lives and evaluate these marks. Pray that God would allow you to see your heart for where it is, as our hearts are deceitful.
Peter is telling us exactly what we need to make sure our calling, to salvation and Christ. He gives us a list of things we should practice, though we will not get them perfected until we reach Heaven.
We need to look at our lives and evaluate these marks. Pray that God would allow you to see your heart for where it is, as our hearts are deceitful.
Please Help me understand.
Ps. 52:6 The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
7"See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!"
I am having a hard time with vs.6. I don't want to make myself out to be overly compassionate, as I have a long way to go in this area, but it does seem a little rude, or in poor form, to be laughing at someone who has not been shown grace. There are many times that David is praying for the destruction of his enemies and I am wondering if this is what God desired for him. I really don't know the answer to this.
Matt. 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
How do we reconcile this with many of the Psalms of David? In my flesh it would be easy for me to pray harm toward my enemies, but I don't think this is what God wants for me.
Please give me some of your understanding.
and shall laugh at him, saying,
7"See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!"
I am having a hard time with vs.6. I don't want to make myself out to be overly compassionate, as I have a long way to go in this area, but it does seem a little rude, or in poor form, to be laughing at someone who has not been shown grace. There are many times that David is praying for the destruction of his enemies and I am wondering if this is what God desired for him. I really don't know the answer to this.
Matt. 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
How do we reconcile this with many of the Psalms of David? In my flesh it would be easy for me to pray harm toward my enemies, but I don't think this is what God wants for me.
Please give me some of your understanding.
A Broken and Contrite Spirit
Ps. 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
How is it that God is pleased with us when we are broken? The world would want us strong, like the leader the Jewish people were waiting for as Messiah. They would want us full of pride and self worth. They would want us to have a high self-esteem.
But God's values are much different than man's values. His ways are not our ways. He loves us to come to Him broken and contrite- bruised or mourning over our sin. What does He gain from this? When we see our sin for what it truly is, an affront to Our Christ, then we can finally understand our desperate need of Our Savior and this will in turn make our praise and thanksgiving all the more glorious in His ears.
He wants to be praised for all His wondrous works, Ps. 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!"
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
How is it that God is pleased with us when we are broken? The world would want us strong, like the leader the Jewish people were waiting for as Messiah. They would want us full of pride and self worth. They would want us to have a high self-esteem.
But God's values are much different than man's values. His ways are not our ways. He loves us to come to Him broken and contrite- bruised or mourning over our sin. What does He gain from this? When we see our sin for what it truly is, an affront to Our Christ, then we can finally understand our desperate need of Our Savior and this will in turn make our praise and thanksgiving all the more glorious in His ears.
He wants to be praised for all His wondrous works, Ps. 50:23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!"
Who Shall Seperate Us From the Love Of Christ?
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I never thought I would write this in America.
We have some students that go to our school whose family is Hindu. The father's greatest concern, when he enrolled the kids in school, was that they would be converted to Christianity. The 2 younger siblings repented from their sins previous to the snow retreat, and the staff and friends of the senior daughter have been praying fervently for her repentance, towards true joy in salvation, for a long time.
Well at the S/R the older sister repented for the first time. She was broken and got up and told everyone of her decision. What a glorious day to speak of the Gospel of Christ.
Well apparently, since the other 2 kids were already saved, the older sister thought that they should tell their parents of their decisions. The father told them that if they didn't recant that they would either have to go to the public school or they were going to be sent back to India.
My heart breaks for the kids, but I know that God has an amazing plan in all this.
Please, please pray for the kids!
Pray that they would have courage. They want to honor their father and their family and this has to be very difficult. The son is in 8th grade and the other daughter is in 9th.
Pray that God would give them boldness to share their faith with their father. Pray that God would break his heart and bring him to repentance.
Pray that the students of GA would rally in prayer to Our Great God, and that their lives would be greatly impacted by this.
Pray for the leaders of the school that they would have wisdom.
Pray that God would work mightily in all of our lives as we live out our own faith in front of a sick and dark world, right here in America.
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I never thought I would write this in America.
We have some students that go to our school whose family is Hindu. The father's greatest concern, when he enrolled the kids in school, was that they would be converted to Christianity. The 2 younger siblings repented from their sins previous to the snow retreat, and the staff and friends of the senior daughter have been praying fervently for her repentance, towards true joy in salvation, for a long time.
Well at the S/R the older sister repented for the first time. She was broken and got up and told everyone of her decision. What a glorious day to speak of the Gospel of Christ.
Well apparently, since the other 2 kids were already saved, the older sister thought that they should tell their parents of their decisions. The father told them that if they didn't recant that they would either have to go to the public school or they were going to be sent back to India.
My heart breaks for the kids, but I know that God has an amazing plan in all this.
Please, please pray for the kids!
Pray that they would have courage. They want to honor their father and their family and this has to be very difficult. The son is in 8th grade and the other daughter is in 9th.
Pray that God would give them boldness to share their faith with their father. Pray that God would break his heart and bring him to repentance.
Pray that the students of GA would rally in prayer to Our Great God, and that their lives would be greatly impacted by this.
Pray for the leaders of the school that they would have wisdom.
Pray that God would work mightily in all of our lives as we live out our own faith in front of a sick and dark world, right here in America.
Oh Lord, Don't Delay
Ps. 40:16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, "Great is the LORD!"
17As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
Coming off of the snow retreat there are many who have made decisions concerning repentance, either for the first time or with renewed fervor. Please pray that those who are seeking Him would rejoice in Him. He is the One who brings the increase, He is the One who can take our loves and turn them toward Him and He is the One who enables us to love salvation in Him. Please grant that to us Lord. We want to be glad in all that You are. We desire to have Your song of salvation on our lips and in our hearts, but You must put it there.
In one of the messages from the S/R SKH said "All we have is need". I love this truth and v17 is a great reminder of that. Not that in my flesh I love being poor and needy, but in my heart I know that I have no good of my own. I have a hard time believing that God can be my help, because helping me would insinuate that I bring something for Him to add to. I don't have any wisdom or strength, on my own, so how can He help me, He has to do it all. I once heard it said, "God is not my crutch, He is my stretcher". How true that is.
But I love that David follows "poor and needy" with "The Lord takes thought for me". Why would He do that, except that He loves me? There is no part of me that is deserving of this love, or thought. There is nothing I have that He hasn't given to me, so why would He love me? The only thing He gets from this relationship is a poor and needy beggar, and yet He thinks of me. WOW.
He is my Strong Deliver, an every present Help in trouble, the Rock I cling to, the Shelter in the time of storm, the living fountain that doesn't run dry, my Shepherd and Pasture, Teacher, Wisdom Giver, Life, Health and greatest, truest Joy. He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last and yet He takes thought for me.
Lord, that I would see and rejoice in your salvation, that I would forsake all other "joys" for the true joy that is only in You. Encourage me where I need to be encouraged and discipline me where I need repentance. Don't let me dwell long in my sin and luke-warmness. Give me the desire to be zealous for You. You can do all this in me, don't delay. Work on my heart today that I might see Your hand in all of this and sing "Great is the Lord" because of what You have done in my heart. I will not desire any of this on my own, so change my loves, change my passions, change my desires to all be You and only You. Thank you for the work that You have started and for not being a quitter. You promise to complete the work You start, so continue to mold and shape me to what ever it is that You want me to be.
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, "Great is the LORD!"
17As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
Coming off of the snow retreat there are many who have made decisions concerning repentance, either for the first time or with renewed fervor. Please pray that those who are seeking Him would rejoice in Him. He is the One who brings the increase, He is the One who can take our loves and turn them toward Him and He is the One who enables us to love salvation in Him. Please grant that to us Lord. We want to be glad in all that You are. We desire to have Your song of salvation on our lips and in our hearts, but You must put it there.
In one of the messages from the S/R SKH said "All we have is need". I love this truth and v17 is a great reminder of that. Not that in my flesh I love being poor and needy, but in my heart I know that I have no good of my own. I have a hard time believing that God can be my help, because helping me would insinuate that I bring something for Him to add to. I don't have any wisdom or strength, on my own, so how can He help me, He has to do it all. I once heard it said, "God is not my crutch, He is my stretcher". How true that is.
But I love that David follows "poor and needy" with "The Lord takes thought for me". Why would He do that, except that He loves me? There is no part of me that is deserving of this love, or thought. There is nothing I have that He hasn't given to me, so why would He love me? The only thing He gets from this relationship is a poor and needy beggar, and yet He thinks of me. WOW.
He is my Strong Deliver, an every present Help in trouble, the Rock I cling to, the Shelter in the time of storm, the living fountain that doesn't run dry, my Shepherd and Pasture, Teacher, Wisdom Giver, Life, Health and greatest, truest Joy. He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last and yet He takes thought for me.
Lord, that I would see and rejoice in your salvation, that I would forsake all other "joys" for the true joy that is only in You. Encourage me where I need to be encouraged and discipline me where I need repentance. Don't let me dwell long in my sin and luke-warmness. Give me the desire to be zealous for You. You can do all this in me, don't delay. Work on my heart today that I might see Your hand in all of this and sing "Great is the Lord" because of what You have done in my heart. I will not desire any of this on my own, so change my loves, change my passions, change my desires to all be You and only You. Thank you for the work that You have started and for not being a quitter. You promise to complete the work You start, so continue to mold and shape me to what ever it is that You want me to be.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Where are your Loves?
Psalm 16
1Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."
3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
11You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
How do I know if I love Christ? What are the marks of someone who is other worldly? If we are in the world but not of the world what does that look like?
In the past I have said "I love my job" many times. I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately and have come to the conclusion that God is changing me in this area. On my own I probably would always be one who was very focused on work, even when not at work. I believe we are to work hard and be good stewards of our responsibilities, but where does that become an idol? If we are to be the best dominion takers and desire God above everything where is the balance?
If I think about work all the time, how I can make something better, "how we can be more efficient?", "how we can be more profitable and how we can take better care of our clients?", none of this is bad, UNLESS there is no time remaining for the One who has given me the resources and abilities to actually do all these things. If my time with The Lord is replaced with thinking about work, or whatever else is your idol, then I have taken God off of the throne of my heart and replaced Him with something of much lesser value. Some examples of this might be children, homes, relaxation, clothes, cars, video games and you can add to this.
Balance is always a challenge, as I have to spend a good deal of time doing my work, but where does my heart long to be? Is it my greatest joy to be thinking about work, or am I communing with God while I work, and seeking His wisdom and direction in all my decisions as I work? Is the pull on my heart toward God, or toward the other things?
As a man, I can't speak to the ladies on this, it is easy to think that I should fix this thing and just go at it w/o looking to Christ for He understanding of the situation. What I am trying to say, so inarticulately, is that when we live with Christ at the center and are seeking His will, in every situation, every minute of every day, then we will start to draw near to the Throne Room with confidence and He will strengthen our faith, give us endurance in trials, a love for others, boldness because we have watched Him work mightily through us, change our loves from fading to lasting and use us in some way to effect the lives of others around us.
I am convicted that I have loved earthly things too much, but God is really starting to change that in me. I honestly don't know how He is doing that, except that He is giving me a love for Him and His Word that I have never had before, and made it so I can't ignore the hole in my heart that can only be filled with all that He is. This is certainly not of my doing, except that He has given me a desire to pray that He would change me.
I want to encourage others to ask Him for wisdom and to change you into His image. You might not desire it right now, but pray for it anyway. He will change you, because He wants us all to come to true repentance, and to love Him above all. Pray that He would give you other worldly loves and wisdom to balance those with your responsibilities here. Pray that, even if you don't have it now, He would give you a love for His Word, prayer and others. If He can change me, He can certainly change you. The greatest part in all this is that this is what He wants to do in us and through us. Pray and believe He will do it.
1Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."
3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
11You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
How do I know if I love Christ? What are the marks of someone who is other worldly? If we are in the world but not of the world what does that look like?
In the past I have said "I love my job" many times. I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately and have come to the conclusion that God is changing me in this area. On my own I probably would always be one who was very focused on work, even when not at work. I believe we are to work hard and be good stewards of our responsibilities, but where does that become an idol? If we are to be the best dominion takers and desire God above everything where is the balance?
If I think about work all the time, how I can make something better, "how we can be more efficient?", "how we can be more profitable and how we can take better care of our clients?", none of this is bad, UNLESS there is no time remaining for the One who has given me the resources and abilities to actually do all these things. If my time with The Lord is replaced with thinking about work, or whatever else is your idol, then I have taken God off of the throne of my heart and replaced Him with something of much lesser value. Some examples of this might be children, homes, relaxation, clothes, cars, video games and you can add to this.
Balance is always a challenge, as I have to spend a good deal of time doing my work, but where does my heart long to be? Is it my greatest joy to be thinking about work, or am I communing with God while I work, and seeking His wisdom and direction in all my decisions as I work? Is the pull on my heart toward God, or toward the other things?
As a man, I can't speak to the ladies on this, it is easy to think that I should fix this thing and just go at it w/o looking to Christ for He understanding of the situation. What I am trying to say, so inarticulately, is that when we live with Christ at the center and are seeking His will, in every situation, every minute of every day, then we will start to draw near to the Throne Room with confidence and He will strengthen our faith, give us endurance in trials, a love for others, boldness because we have watched Him work mightily through us, change our loves from fading to lasting and use us in some way to effect the lives of others around us.
I am convicted that I have loved earthly things too much, but God is really starting to change that in me. I honestly don't know how He is doing that, except that He is giving me a love for Him and His Word that I have never had before, and made it so I can't ignore the hole in my heart that can only be filled with all that He is. This is certainly not of my doing, except that He has given me a desire to pray that He would change me.
I want to encourage others to ask Him for wisdom and to change you into His image. You might not desire it right now, but pray for it anyway. He will change you, because He wants us all to come to true repentance, and to love Him above all. Pray that He would give you other worldly loves and wisdom to balance those with your responsibilities here. Pray that, even if you don't have it now, He would give you a love for His Word, prayer and others. If He can change me, He can certainly change you. The greatest part in all this is that this is what He wants to do in us and through us. Pray and believe He will do it.
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