Category: Faithfulness

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Love So Amazing

Wondering what word of encouragement I could give you this morning; what would support those going through tough times and what will bring hope and refreshing. Well, here it is – God’s love is more than enough!

“Praise the Lord, because he is good! His faithful love will last forever! 2 Everyone the Lord has saved should repeat that word of thanks. Praise him, all who have been rescued from the enemy. 3 He gathered his people together from many different countries. He brought them from east and west, north and south. 4 Some of them wandered in the dry desert. They were looking for a place to live, but they could not find a city. 5 They were hungry and thirsty and growing weak. 6 Then they called to the Lord for help, and he saved them from their troubles. 7 He led them straight to the city where they would live.

8 Thank the Lord for his faithful love and for the amazing things he does for people. 9 He satisfies those who are thirsty. He fills those who are hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:1-9 ERV

He is faithful, loving, kind and always attentative when we call! God’s love is amazing!

“My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name! 2 My soul, praise the Lord and never forget how kind he is! 3 He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses. 4 He saves us from the grave, and he gives us love and compassion. 5 He gives us plenty of good things. He makes us young again, like an eagle that grows new feathers.

6 The Lord does what is fair. He brings justice to all who have been hurt by others. 7 He taught his laws to Moses. He let Israel see the powerful things he can do. 8 The Lord is kind and merciful. He is patient and full of love. 9 He does not always criticize. He does not stay angry with us forever. 10 We sinned against him, but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved. 11 His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:1-12 ERV

Love so amazing, so divine!

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Music in the Silence

I sit quietly. The only sounds to be heard is the low drone of the air conditioner and the cycle of the coffee maker.

And then I open my Bible and begin to read. From my reading my mind and my spirit are filled with music.

“Shout praises to the Lord! Praise God in his temple. Praise him in heaven, his mighty fortress. 2 Praise our God! His deeds are wonderful, too marvelous to describe.3 Praise God with trumpets and all kinds of harps. 4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing, with stringed instruments and woodwinds. 5 Praise God with cymbals, with clashing cymbals.
6 Let every living creature praise the Lord.  Shout praises to the Lord!” Psalm 150 CEV

There is a symphony of praise in the heavens – the orchestra is finely tuned. There are no squeaks or squawks like I made learning to play the clarinet. There is only praise – praise to the Lord God Almighty.

“Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, 3  as they shouted, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord All-Powerful! The earth is filled with your glory.’” Isaiah 6:2-3 CEV

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:11-13 KJV

We are part of a marvelous concert – a concert of praise. Psalms tells us that the Lord inhabits, dwells in, the praise of His people. Come into the Lord’s presence – enter His courts with praise!

Let the music of heaven fill the silence and praise His holy name!

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Always With You

I have some words of encouragement, hope, comfort and strength. Not my words, but the words of Jesus.

I had been reading the last chapter of Mark where the women went to the tomb on resurrection morning. They were distraught, confused and grieving. When they reached the tomb Jesus wasn’t there. Excitedly they left and found the disciples; they relayed what the angel had said but they doubted the women. Only Peter and John went to the tomb to see for themselves.

They felt abandoned.

Have you ever felt alone, heartsick with no guidance, deserted?

The first thing you need to understand is this: God never lies. What He promises comes to pass. If He ever broke a promise He has made, He would no longer be God because God cannot sin and lying is a sin.

So, let’s look at His promises of never leaving us.

“The Lord says, ‘As for me, this is the agreement that I will make with these people. I promise my Spirit that I put on you and my words that I put in your mouth will never leave you. They will be with you and your children and your children’s children, for now and forever.’” Isaiah 59:21 ERV

“But I am always with you. You hold my hand. 24 You lead me and give me good advice, and later you will lead me to glory” Psalm 73:23-24 ERV

“Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23:6 CEV

“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20 CEV

” for He has said, ‘I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!’ 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, ‘The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5b-6 AMP

Sitting in the living room, in a doctor’s office or hospital, in a jail cell, or on the streets we are not alone!

The end of the world has not come, God has not lied – He is with us now and forever!

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Can’t Stop the Waves!

Two years ago, Dave and I were in Greece, our vacation was just about over. It was an amazing time; one of the things I enjoyed most was going to sleep each night and waking again each morning to the sound of the waves rushing to the shore.

Nothing could stop the waves! Our God reigns…the waves keep rushing to the shore and our God reigns. He was, He is and He will always be!

“The Lord is King.
    The Lord wears majesty and strength like clothes.
He is ready, so the whole world is safe.
    It will not be shaken.
2 Your kingdom has continued forever.
    You have lived forever!
3 Lord, the ocean roars.
    The mighty ocean sounds like thunder
    as the waves crash on the shore.
4 The crashing waves of the sea are loud and powerful,
    but the Lord above is even more powerful.
5 Lord, your laws will continue forever.
    Your holy Temple will stand for a long time.” Psalm 93 ERV

“Praise the Lord because he is good!
    His faithful love will last forever!” Psalm 118:1 ERV

The waves can’t be stopped and for me, they are a constant reminder that the Love of God washes over me each day.

“ We give honor and thanks to the King Who lives forever. He is the One Who never dies and Who is never seen. He is the One Who knows all things. He is the only God. Let it be so.” I Timothy 1:17 NLV

He is the eternal God who was, who is and who is to come – the waves of His love are unstoppable!

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Time To Come Home

I’m a big western movie fan. First it was John Wayne, followed by Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott. Thought I should explain that first thing, since you may be wondering about this morning’s picture.

In the movie Conagher, a lonely widow and a cowboy fall in love. It takes the cowboy the whole movie to find his way back to his lady love. She finds him in a saloon after a bar fight and says to him “Mr Conagher, it’s time for you to come home now”. That’s the scene that played through my mind this morning.

When I got up this morning there was a big prompting on my heart.

This is for those who believe they have wandered too far from God. For whatever reason you have been living life your own way. You have completely forgotten about God and may have even wondered if God is truly out there.

Now in the midst of trouble and difficult times you want to pray, you want to reach out, you want to ask God if He is really there for you but you’re afraid.

Afraid that He won’t answer. Afraid that He will reject you. Afraid that He doesn’t really care!

That’s a lie! God is there for you – be honest. He knows your heart before you call. He knows your doubts and your fears. He knows your weaknesses and your failings. He knows everything there is to know about you and He LOVES you!

“We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that 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.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.” II Corinthians 5:16-20 CEV

The reason God sent Christ to this earth was to make a way for us to be reconciled to God. Reconciliation is to make right, to put in balance. In Christ we are put in balance with the Father.

God, the Father, is waiting for us to come to him and when we do He rewards us with His love and grace.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6 CEV

God isn’t mad at you. He’s not holding your past against you but instead He is waiting for you with open arms. He’s here to welcome you home!

“20 The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.

21 The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.’

22 But his father said to the servants, ‘Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.’ And they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:20-24 CEV

If you’ve been wandering, It’s Time to Come Home! The Father’s waiting…

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Tell The Next Generation

I know I’ve told you this before, but Dave and I have three young grandchildren who live within an hour from us.

It’s great living this close and being with them as often as we can, in fact, they are going for a “sleep over” next weekend. Something they, and us, are very excited about. Yesterday, we spent the day with our grandson. He celebrated is 10th birthday just last week.

We went to the large aquarium in our area and then out to lunch. He said it was a best birthday and that’s what we’d hoped it would be. Making memories and sharing love is the legacy we want to leave with all our grandchildren, grown and littles.

I was reading one of my favorite Psalms, one that I share the second half with all you on a regular basis, but this morning it’s the first half of the Psalm that I’d like to share.

“I will praise you, my God and King, and always honor your name. 2 I will praise you each day and always honor your name. 3 You are wonderful, Lord, and you deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can understand.

4 Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and powerful deeds. 5 I will keep thinking about your marvelous glory and your mighty miracles. 6 Everyone will talk about your fearsome deeds, and I will tell all nations how great you are. 7 They will celebrate and sing about your matchless mercy and your power to save.

8 You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. 9 You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. 10 All creation will thank you, and your loyal people will praise you. 11 They will tell about your marvelous kingdom and your power. 12 Then everyone will know about the mighty things you do and your glorious kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will never end, and you will rule forever.” Psalm 145:1-13 CEV

If we tell our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren about our favorite things – fishing, camping, trips, ice cream, sports and vacations, we should most definitely tell them about our wonderful Lord and heavenly Father.

We tell them about Jesus, not in a condemning way, but we tell them of His wonderful love, mercy and grace. We tell them stories of what God has done in our lives so that they will know they can depend on Him in every situation. We tell them that God never wants them to be afraid, and He will never leave them alone.

Make it a point to tell the next generation of the Goodness of God!

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A Life Worth Living

Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Ever heard that before? Did you think it was Shakespeare or some other poetic author?

It comes from Isaiah and was then quoted by Paul. People have been living with this idea of self gratification for a long time. I remember years back when Frank Sinatra’s song, I Did It My Way, and Peggy Lee’s hit in the late 60’s, Is That All There Is, echoed the sentiment above.

Paul the Apostle was writing to the Christians in Corinth about resurrection from the dead and the promise we have in Christ. He was writing to encourage them that there is so much more to life than living for a few days of gratification here.

This morning’s thoughts come from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth. It’s his instruction on a life worth living from I Corinthians 15.

People will try to influence us away from what we know is right and good. It’s called peer pressure, and I quoted verse 33 to my kids on numerous occasions as they were growing up.

“ I face death every day. That is true, brothers and sisters, just as it is true that I am proud of what you are because of Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 I fought wild animals in Ephesus. If I did that only for human reasons, then I have gained nothing. If we are not raised from death, ‘Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we die.’

33Don’t be fooled: ‘Bad friends will ruin good habits.’ 34 Come back to your right way of thinking and stop sinning. Some of you don’t know God. I say this to shame you.” I Corinthians 15: 31-34 ERV

If our only hope is getting all we can out of this life and not looking at eternity, we should eat, drink and be merry.

But we have more than that. We have this life and life eternal with Christ. Our hope is in Christ and the power of His resurrection. Living physically, there will be a physical death, but it is not something to be feared. For when we die physically, we will live on spiritually.

“It will be the same when those who have died are raised to life. The body that is “planted” in the grave will ruin and decay, but it will be raised to a life that cannot be destroyed. 43 When the body is “planted,” it is without honor. But when it is raised, it will be great and glorious. When the body is “planted,” it is weak. But when it is raised, it will be full of power. 44 The body that is “planted” is a physical body. When it is raised, it will be a spiritual body.” verses 42-44 ERV

We need to be mindful of the joy of living for the Lord.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” verse 58 ERV

“ So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do it for the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31 ERV

Our life’s work here on earth is to show the world that hope, joy and peace that a relationship with Jesus gives. We truly have a life worth living!

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Recovering What’s Been Stolen

For about the last week or so I’ve been dwelling on a heartbreaking event in King David’s life. Actually, this event occurred before he had been crowned king.

King Saul was ruthlessly pursuing David and trying to kill him and his men. David found favor with the king of the Philistines. (Remember, David had killed Goliath just a few years earlier, so this was quite amazing.) David and his men and their families lived in the town of Ziklag.

Achish, the Philistine king, was going to battle against King Saul. David and his 600 men volunteered to fight with them but the commanders of Achish’s army refused to fight with David, so Achish told David to take his men and go home.

In the 3 days it took for David and his men to return to Ziklag, his town had been attacked, burned to the ground and all the livestock plus the women and children had been stolen by the Amalekites. When David and his men saw what had happened to their families they were devastated, overcome with grief, immobilized by sorrow.

“Then David and the people with him cried out in a loud voice until they had no more strength to cry…6 And David was very troubled because the people talked about killing him with stones. For all the people were very angry in their sorrow for their sons and daughters. But David got his strength from the Lord his God.” I Samuel 30:4-6 NLV

Everything was lost. They were dejected, angry and ready to lash out. BUT, David drew on God’s strength and wisdom.

” 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after this army? Should I meet them in battle?” The Lord said to him, “Go after them, for you will catch them for sure. And you will be sure to save all the people.” I Samuel 30:8 NLV

David and 400 of his men went in pursuit of the Amalekites, 200 men were too weary to fight so they stayed behind. With God’s help, the Amalekites were killed and David “recovered all” that had been stolen.

“ David took back all that the Amalekites had taken, and saved his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, small or large, sons or daughters, food or anything that had been taken. David returned with all of it. 20 And he took all the sheep and cattle. The people drove those animals in front of him, and said, “This is what belongs to David.” verses 18-20 NLV

Jesus said this about a thief, about the devil.

“The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

And the Apostle Paul said this.

“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 NLV

I was thinking about things that have been stolen – peace of mind, hope, security, joy, relationships, health, finances… Like David, we seek the Lord and He will fight for us. He will make the thief repay and He will bless us with a great full life!

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Don’t Compromise

Don’t ever, ever, ever compromise on the Word of God!

It is the only thing that is infallible, faithful and true – it will never change and the only time it seems to be void of power is when we fail to believe it but even then, it does not change. God’s word is a firm foundation for all who will stand on it.

When I was thinking about this topic I did a search of “don’t compromise your faith”. The following list came up first thing.

To avoid compromising your faith:

  1. Be solidly committed to God’s ways.
  2. Actively grow in your relationship with Him.
  3. Learn His truths.
  4. Rely on His power to help you walk without compromise.
  5. Trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him in all your ways.

Good advice for any time or generation. These line up perfectly with Scripture.

“My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. 21 Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. 22 These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. 23 Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life.

24 Don’t bend the truth or say things that you know are not right. 25 Keep your eyes on the path, and look straight ahead. 26 Make sure you are going the right way, and nothing will make you fall. 27 Don’t go to the right or to the left, and you will stay away from evil.” Proverbs 4:20-27 ERV

“God is not a man;  he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERV

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 KJV

and one final word of encouragement

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

God’s word is trustworthy – all the time. No matter the circumstances or situations God and His word do not change. Trust Him and don’t compromise!

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Important – Take Notice

The Psalm I read this morning is one I have read the middle verses from probably a hundred times but this morning when I read it from the beginning it took on a deeper significance.

It was the Lord saying, “I notice you. You are important to me. Even when you think the things you do are mundane and insignificant, I notice. I see you”.

I don’t know how old David was when he penned this Psalm, but he was keenly aware of the Lord’s involvement in his life. I want to live each day with this same awareness of the Lord’s presence.

“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.

7 Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight?8 If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead
you would also be there. 9 Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. 10 Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. 11 Or suppose I said, “I’ll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over.” 12 But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.

13 You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, 14 and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.

15 Nothing about me  is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together out of human sight,
16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything about me.

17 Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine.
18 I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.” Psalms 139:1-18 CEV

I pray those words touched you to your very core! “3 You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.“

The Lord takes notice of us. There’s an old hymn and the words say “My heavenly Father watches over me”. He does! He notices! We are important to Him.

I’m not as old as some but I am older than most and these thoughts that David penned bring such great joy and peace to my heart. I am important enough to my heavenly Father that He takes notice of everything I do and He listens to every word I speak.

“…Since the day you were born, I have carried you along. 4 I will still be the same
when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe” Isaiah 46:3-4 CEV

On those days when you wonder does anyone even notice, does anyone even care – take heart. The Father does!

You are noticeably important to Him!

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