Category: Psalms

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A Morning Accident

This morning started differently than I had planned. I had stood up to open the blinds and on my way back to my chair I kicked my coffee cup, spilling it on the rug.

Whatever!

Did you catch that? I was able to get the coffee blotted up and do it with a good attitude. To be perfectly honest, my thought was “Lord, what does Your word say about a spill?”

I didn’t want frustration to spoil the beauty of the morning. Let me share with you what I found.

“Jesus said: Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you. 38 If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.” Luke 6:37-38 CEV

I like that! When I treat others with respect, kindness, forgiveness and understanding, I will receive back what I’ve given – SPILLING over into my lap. Wow, what a way to start the day.

Then I was reminded of another verse about spilling over.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need…You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies. You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over. 6 Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life, and I will live in the Lord’s house a long, long time.” Psalm 23:1, 5-6 ERV

My cup is full and spilling over with the goodness and mercy of God for my entire life. Spilling over is a good thing when it comes from God.

If your morning didn’t start the way you had hoped, stop and look at how God’s love is working on your behalf. You may find that what you thought was a mess becomes a message.

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Whatever…

In modern communication that one word garners an attitude of disrespect and rudeness. However, I would like to redirect our thinking.

“Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men. 24 Remember that you will get your reward from the Lord. He will give you what you should receive. You are working for the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 NLV

Whatever is all inclusive; nothing is left outside of its scope. When we follow Christ, we need to embrace the whatever. He is our example and we are called to be like Him.

“You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving…Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.” Psalm 145:8,17-18 CEV

In whatever we do we should be kind and loving. Oh my! I’m preaching to myself this morning.

There are times when I’m tired, frustrated and downright cranky. There are times when I want to issue a “whatever” in a sarcastic manner and it’s in those moments that I hear the voice of God in my heart reminding me that whatever I chose to do, I need to represent Him.

One word, the same word, can be spoken with kindness or with selfishness.

“And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us. 16 We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in this way. 17 Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.” II Corinthians 5:15-18 CEV

It’s our assignment to show God’s love and His desire to bring peace to those we encounter each day. Whatever we do will be a service to Him who gave us new life.

I’m talking to myself now. I don’t have this mastered, yet!

“Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 CEV

I encourage you to make “whatever” your word of the day. Whatever is kind and loving, whatever is friendly and true. Whatever we do, do all to God’s glory!

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What About Hardship?

Everyone that is alive has faced struggles; some are physical while others are emotional or financial or relational. That is part of living in a fallen world and it is also in part to the spiritual enemies we face.

I think we would all like a lot less hardship and more ease but frankly, that’s unrealistic.

Before you stop reading and think that this morning’s words are too depressing to read, read this.

“We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. 9 We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed…16 That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. 18 So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.” II Corinthians 4:8-18 ERV

These words were written by the Apostle Paul. Other than Christ, I don’t think there was anyone in the Bible who experienced more hardship than him. He was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead. He was maligned in nearly every town he preached in. And he calls all of that “small troubles”.

How can that be? His answer: God does not leave us, we look at the eternal, ever present Spirit of God who will never leave us our abandon us.

“But the Lord said, ‘My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.‘ So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me. 10 Yes, I am glad to have weaknesses if they are for Christ. I am glad to be insulted and have hard times. I am glad when I am persecuted and have problems, because it is when I am weak that I am really strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-11 ERV

When Daniel faced the lions, his strength was no match for theirs. David faced a Goliath of a giant, he was outmatched. The Hebrew children should have been toast in the fiery furnace. Joseph, who was accused of rape and spent years in an Egyptian prison, rose to be second in command.

Not one of them was abandoned or deserted by God. They were aware of the unseen power of God and they trusted Him.

“The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.  He is loyal in all that he does. 14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen. He helps those who are in trouble.” Psalm 145:13-14 ERV

So, when we face hardship, and we will, we can trust God to give us the strength we need. He will be our deliverer.

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Each Morning

Thank you for joining me each morning. It is my heartfelt prayer that the Word of God speaks to you in a personal way through the words of this blog.

This morning, I have been spending time with one verse. Just one verse has the power to change our day, our entire lives.

“Each morning let me learn
more about your love
    because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
    asking for your guidance.” Psalm 143:8 CEV

Each morning let me learn more about your love!

Dwell on that.

Stop and recall those experiences you’ve had in the past where God showed you His amazing love in a personal way. Make a list of them and put them in your phone’s “notes”. Write them in your journal – special times of just you and the Lord, heart-to-heart communication.

We will never explore the depths of God’s love, it’s unfathomable, but we can experience more of His love today than we did yesterday. He offers that to us freely and without hesitation.

“ God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

Now, I will end these thoughts for today by asking you to do this one thing. Take the verse above and do what it says. Pray for guidance, open your heart to what the Lord is leading you to do. He will show you His love. He can be trusted!

“Each morning let me learn
more about your love
    because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
    asking for your guidance.” Psalm 143:8

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My Whole Portion

I’m going to share a couple of things with you this morning that I know I have shared in times past, but they bear repeating.

My dad loved life. The things he did, he did with his whole heart. And he loved to eat my mom’s cooking. Everyone like eating at my house – Mom was a great cook. Anyway, daddy had a saying that there was only one way to ruin pie and that was to cut it. His meaning was clear, he didn’t want to share but he wanted to eat the whole thing. That pie was his “portion”.

That analogy has stuck with me for years. And when I found this verse in Psalm 119, the verse took on a greater meaning.

“Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.” Psalm 119:57 KJV

“The Lord is my share. I have promised to obey Your Word.” Psalm 119:57 NLV

King David saw the Lord as his portion. He didn’t just want part of God and His word, he wanted to consume all that God was and did. Another verse in Acts makes this testimony of David.

“ When God took Saul as king from them, He made David to be their king. He said, ‘David, Jesse’s son, will please My heart. He will do all I want done.’” Acts 13:22 NLV

Not only had David chosen God as his portion but the Lord found in David a man he could trust to do the right thing – to seek Him and follow his leading.

Was David perfect? No! but he was quick to repent. So now I need to ask you and myself as well, is the Lord my portion or do I have other things that would distract and steal my affection?

About 45 years ago there was a song in Christian circles by an artist Twilla Parris. It was entitled, “Secret Place”. The words of this song still minister to me today. It asks, will you let Him in your secret place?

What’s the thing that is keeping us from making the Lord our portion, that little sliver that we hold back? We need to let it go and let the Lord fill that secret place with Himself.

Following the Lord doesn’t mean that we won’t face obstacles, battles or persecution but it does mean that the Lord will walk with us through the storms, give us strength and peace and bring us out to a place of victory.

“I am your servant, Lord, and you have kept your promise to treat me with kindness. 66 Give me wisdom and good sense. I trust your commands.67 Once you corrected me for not obeying you, but now I do obey. 68 You are kindhearted, and you do good things, so teach me your laws. 69 My reputation is being ruined by conceited liars, but with all my heart I follow your teachings. 70 Those liars have no sense, but I find happiness in your Law. 71 When you corrected me, it did me good because it taught me to study your laws.72 I would rather obey you than to have a thousand pieces of silver and gold.” Psalm 119:65-72 ERV

Lord, I want You to be my portion – my whole portion. Reveal to me any “secret” places that I have kept back from You and give me the courage to let You shine the light of Your love into that darkness and bring me out into the warmth of Your healing. Amen!

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Just Call

How many times each day do we wonder about something? We try to figure out the best way of doing things. We need answers and although friends and colleagues may try to help their assistance is often limited.

That’s why my morning quiet times are so important to me. I talk to the Father about things I know will occur throughout the day, plans I am making for the future and the daily unseen events that interrupt and cause me to make course corrections.

When I’m needing answers to some questions that are past my knowledge I don’t want to be held back because of my ignorance. I get up seeking the Father and His wisdom.

One thing that has been proven over the years, not just in my lifetime but of time itself, is God is faithful and His word is true. He tells us to ask for wisdom and He will give it liberally. When He says ask and it will be given, seek and we will find, knock and the door will open, we can be confident that He will be true to His word!

When we call – He answers!

“Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard, saying, 2 Thus says the Lord Who made [the earth], the Lord Who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name: 3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).’” Jeremiah 33:1-3 AMP

When it seems like we are in prison, the prison of our circumstances or the one caused by our limited knowledge or even an actual physical prison, He reminds us of who He is, His power and His willingness to help.

Call on Me and I WILL answer and I will show you the things that were hidden, the things that you don’t recognize or understand. CALL!

And after we call “Be still and know that I am God.”

“Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.’ 11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10-11 CEV

The wonderful work of the Holy Spirit is to teach us.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:26-27 NKJV

The by-product of God’s wisdom is peace. The Old Testament tells us that we should be led by peace. If we ask for wisdom and it appears we get an answer, but it comes with turmoil and worry that isn’t an answer from God.

“Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do…17 But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:13,17-18 CEV

You have walked with me as I have asked for wisdom this morning but now, I must take my leave and be still and listen. I encourage you to call – He will answer!

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Smoky Glass

One of the things I have done over the past couple of days is clean the mirrors and windows. There was a light coating of construction dust on everything.

It wasn’t a priority the first couple of days, but it really began to annoy me. I could even write my name in the dust on the mirrors surface. Time for a cleaning!

This morning, I was reminded of a collection of vintage oil lamps I used to have. I loved using them; the ambiance of the flickering flame was so soothing; they gave good light but the glass chimneys had to be cleaned on a regular basis or the light they put off was diminished.

Just like life, isn’t it?

We are called to let our light shine so those around us can see the Father and His promises but sometimes our chimneys get smoke covered and our true image is distorted by the dust.

“The Lord’s instruction is right; it makes our hearts glad. His commands shine brightly, and they give us light.” Psalm 19:8 CEV

We start out excited about God’s word. It makes a powerful impact in our lives and then we get busy, we forget God’s promises, worry puts a sooty film on things and we need to be cleaned.

” No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a clay pot. A lamp is put on a lampstand, so everyone who comes into the house can see the light. 34 Your eyes are the lamp for your body. When your eyes are good, you have all the light you need. But when your eyes are bad, everything is dark. 35 So be sure your light isn’t darkness. 36 If you have light, and nothing is dark, then light will be everywhere, as when a lamp shines brightly on you.” Luke 11:33-36 CEV

God’s word is the lamp that lights our path.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” Psalm 119:105 CEV

The light doesn’t change. God’s word doesn’t change; it’s our perspective that often times get clouded by our circumstances and opinions around us.

“The Scriptures say, ‘God commanded light to shine in the dark.’ Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. 7 We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

May I encourage you to do a “white glove” test on the chimney of your life. Is it cloudy, does it have a little dust? Maybe it’s gotten covered with soot and it’s time for a cleaning.

“You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light 9 and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful” Ephesians 5:8-9 CEV

“Christ did this so He could set the church apart for Himself. He made it clean by the washing of water with the Word.” Ephesians 5:26 NLV

Let God do some good old fashioned cleaning so that our lights shine brightly in this world.

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Faithfulness & Hope

I hope you found yourself praising God yesterday with boldness – lifting your hands and feeling Him lifting your spirits and your joy.

If you listened while you were singing you may have heard another voice joining in.

“The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.” Zephaniah 3:17 CEV

Before I read those words this morning my heart was already singing. “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside”. Those are words from a wonderful old hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness, but more of that in a minute.

King David a psalm that is often quoted because it talks about the miracle of intra womb development. “You formed me in my mother’s womb”. That’s where I normally go when I read this Psalm but this morning I stopped after having read only the first few verses.

“You have looked deep into my heart, Lord, and you know all about me. 2 You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. 4 Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say,
5 and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. 6 I can’t understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.” Psalm 139:1-6 CEV

Our heavenly Father knows all about us! Everything we say, everywhere we go, and He loves us! His thoughts toward us are innumerable.

“I will never give up hope or stop praising you. 15 All day long I will tell the wonderful things you do to save your people. But you have done much more than I could possibly know.” Psalm 71:14-15 CEV

God’s faithfulness toward us hard to imagine. He never leaves us alone or abandons us!

“ I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.” Romans 15:13 CEV

Now back to the song. Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas Chisolm

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!…

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain]”

Every morning the Lord blesses us with new mercy – we have been pardoned from our sins, His peace fills our hearts and gives us strength. Yes, His faithfulness gives us hope!

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Don’t Be Shy

I knew the moment I opened my eyes this was going to be a day of praise! You may ask, how did you know?

The lyrics of a song we were singing Sunday were energizing my soul!

“I’ve got one response
I’ve got just one move
With my arms stretched wide
I will worship You

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing
Hallelujah, hallelujah

So come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Oh, come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord
Come on my soul, oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song, ’cause you’ve got a lion
Inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord” Gratitude by Brandon Lake

I can remember one of the first times I was in a worship service when people around me were lifting their hands in worship. I was so uncomfortable; we didn’t do things like that in the church I was raised in. If the message was exceptional, you might hear one or two Amens but that was it.

But then one day when I was home with our toddlers, I started singing an old hymn and our oldest came in and lifted up her hands to me. She wanted to be picked up. As I lifted her up, with tears in my eyes, I realized why those people were lifting their hands in praise.

They weren’t shy about their gratitude and their lifted hands was a way of being picked up by the Father and embracing His presence!

With the song above on my heart, I raised my hands all by myself in my quiet living room and praised God for his faithfulness and love. “I’ll praise You again and again with a hallelujah”.

“Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to the God of heaven.” Lamentations 3:41 ERV

Don’t be shy! When we lift up our hands to the Father, He bends down and lifts us up to where we are close to His heart.

“Lord, I praise you with all my heart. I sing songs of praise to you before the gods. 2 I bow down toward your holy Temple, and I praise your name for your love and loyalty. You are famous, and doing what you promised will make you even more famous! 3 When I called to you for help, you answered me and gave me strength.” Psalm 138:1-3 CEV

“Everyone who serves the Lord, come and offer praises. Everyone who has gathered in his temple tonight, 2 lift your hands in prayer toward his holy place and praise the Lord.” Psalm 134:1-2 CEV

It might seem a bit strange at first but don’t be shy; lift up your hands and praise the Lord!

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Love Without End!

This morning, I couldn’t lay in bed any longer. I had to get up and move around; I am sore and ache all over. It’s the result of 4 days of moving and there are still several more in front of me.

Have you ever noticed that when we hurt emotionally or physically, we have a tendency to whine? Ok, so maybe you never do but I’m guilty. I came out to the couch and began taking inventory of all the different joints and muscles that were hurting. Then I stopped to pray…

Whining is not a good form of prayer.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Philippians 4:6-7 CEV

Don’t worry (complain), be thankful. Thank you, Lord, for our new home, thank you for a strong body, thank you for energizing me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Remember at the beginning of the year I told you that we can find God’s love on every page of the Bible? The Bible was written to express the Father’s love so it was no surprise when I opened to the next chapter I was to read in the Psalms and read this:

“Praise the Lord because he is good.
    His faithful love will last forever.
2 Praise the God of gods!
    His faithful love will last forever.
3 Praise the Lord of lords!
    His faithful love will last forever.
4 Praise him who alone does wonderful miracles!
    His faithful love will last forever.
5 Praise the one who used wisdom to make the skies!
    His faithful love will last forever.
6 He spread the land over the sea.
    His faithful love will last forever.
7 He made the great lights.
    His faithful love will last forever.
8 He made the sun to rule the day.
    His faithful love will last forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule the night.
    His faithful love will last forever.” Psalm 136:1-9 ERV

His faithful love will last forever! It goes on forever, it’s a love without end! Yes, Lord, I get the message. Your faithful love TO ME lasts forever!

When I began to focus on His love and power my achy muscles and joints faded. I was energized by His love, it changed the way I feel.

“I will tell of your greatness, my God and King.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise!
    No one can fully understand his greatness!…The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.
    He is loyal in all that he does.
14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen.
    He helps those who are in trouble.” Psalm 145:1-3, 14 ERV

God’s love and our praise of Him are two things that should last forever. Maybe you don’t feel like praising the Lord this morning, maybe you don’t feel you deserve His love. None of us deserve it – that’s why it’s called unconditional love! God is love and His love never ends.

To quote a George Strait song, Love Without End, Amen:

“They said, “Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love
A secret that my daddy said was just between us
You see, daddies don’t just love their children
Every now and then It’s a love without end, amen
It’s a love without end, amen”

God’s love not only comforts us, it strengthens us. It’s a love without end, amen!

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