There is No God Like Jehovah!

 And the Lord said [to Moses]: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.’” ~ Exodus 3:7-8, NKJV

Long before Israel cried out to the Lord because of their bondage, the Lord had been preparing their deliverer. When they did cry out, however, He visited Moses in the wilderness as a fire burning in the midst of bush that was not consumed. Exodus 3:2 specifically states that it was “the Angel of the Lord,” who appeared and spoke. The Angel of the Lord is always Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity. He is clearly distinct from angels (lowercase L) as He receives worship and honor due only to God, and as Scripture continuously identifies His words as God's words (even calling Him God). So here we have Jesus Himself coming down from heaven to answer the cry of His people. Israel was so important to Him that when He heard their sorrows, He was unwilling to entrust their deliverance to anyone other than Himself. He came to deliver them. He sent Moses. He brought the plagues. He was the Angel of death. He was the cloud that guided and protected the Israelites after they fled Egypt. He was the pillar of fire that also guided them and warmed them. He was with His people throughout the exodus and through all the years in the wilderness, even when they rebelled against Him. The fact that God Himself came down speaks to at least two things. First, it demonstrates the power of prayer - Israel cried out, and the Maker and Sovereign of the universe acted in response. Secondly, it speaks to the extent of the love of God. As He would later do on the cross, Jesus humbled Himself and came down to meet His people. He is the Great I AM WHO I AM, the Becoming One, who becomes the answer to our every need. Paul writes, “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"' (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, '"Who will descend into the abyss?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach)..." (Romans 10:6-8) We didn't have to go to great lengths or climb to great heights to meet our Savior. He came to meet us, where we were, in our hour of need, as He did for the Israelites in Egypt, and He continues this practice to this day. (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, as it says in Hebrews 13:8.) He is near to all those who call upon Him! He is our I AM, the one who supplies all our needs, who sees our sorrows, who hears us when we call, and who always acts on our behalf. There is no God like Jehovah!

By Rebecca

Taking “Me” Out of the Equation...

 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”  17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”—Matthew 17:14-21

I have often wondered (apparently along with the disciples) 😀why they could not cast out this demon.  Putting “me” in their place, it was probably because they, like me, had yet to be dissuaded of their own importance. Their confidence was divided. 

I can so relate!  It is so hard for me to take “me”...my talents, my importance...out of the equation.  Beloved...without God, we can do nothing good! Our sufficiency for all we face is from Him.  To walk in those works that He prepared beforehand for us takes a heart completely surrendered to Him. 

It is difficult for me to know what that looks like practically, but what I said earlier about removing myself from the equation has helped.  Kudos to my husband for that advice. 

What I want in a given situation is not important...what God wants is.  Whatever God-given talents I may or may not possess are likewise not important. God can do anything.  His arm, as the Scriptures tell us, is not short.  There is nothing impossible for God. 

Removing me from the picture leaves only Jesus and what He wants for my life in that moment.  The equation is thus simplified. The cacophony of my clamoring flesh is silenced. I am at peace.  The needs of others and the will of my God are now obvious. My heart is His, and He can then work in me and through me for HIS good pleasure.  This song by Michael Smith comes to mind...

Lord I give You my heart

I give You my soul

I live for You alone

Every breath that I take

Every moment I'm awake

Lord have Your way in me

This is my desire, to honour You

Lord with all my heart I worship You

all I have within me

I give You praise

all that I adore is in You.

How utterly freeing it is to know that this life is not about you and it is not about me.  It is about Him!  Lord...I give You my heart...Have Your way in me today and every day. 

Keeping Your Heart...

Keep your heart with all diligence, 

For out of it spring the issues of life.—Proverbs 4:23

For out of the heart, Jesus tells us in Matthew 15, “proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man. Jeremiah the prophet tells us that our heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?  Jesus also tells us in Matthew 6 that where our treasure is...what we value...there our heart will be also. 

John MacArthur defines the heart this way....

“The “heart” commonly refers to the mind as the center of thinking and reason but also includes the emotions, the will, and thus, the whole inner being.  The heart is the depository of all wisdom and the source of whatever affects speech, sight, and conduct.”

In other words, what we allow into our heart through our senses can and will affect our actions.  Beloved, our actions WILL follow what our heart believes. 

An example from my own life.  Over the past several months, I have spent an increasing amount of time reading the news.  I did not reduce the amount of time that I spent in the Word, but, nevertheless, my mind darkened.  My outlook changed.  Why?  Because my mind was focused on the cares and concerns of this world.  As I read, I began to think more and more like a citizen of earth, rather than a citizen of heaven. Very subtly, my hope in Christ was being muted by the evil and hopelessness evident in the world around me.  My thoughts became anxious and my sleep no longer as restful.

What was the antidote? Obviously limiting my time in the news was a good place to start, but saturating myself in the word of God was what was truly needful. I noticed a difference on the very first day.  

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

22 For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.—Proverbs 4:20-22

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.—Colossians 3:16

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.—Hebrews 4:12

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.—1 Corinthians 15:57

My "Go-To" Psalm...Psalm 13

 

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

Enlighten my eyes,

Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

"I have prevailed against him";

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.—Psalm 13

Psalm 13 is one of my favorites. It is and has been a “go-to” for me when my heart gets overwhelmed with the cares and concerns of this world. 

I like it because it is a beautiful picture of prayer and the ability it has to change us.  I like it because, for me, it is a testimony that God waits for us to come to Him, and, when we do, He hears our cry and sustains us with His grace.  I like it because I can relate.  

In six short verses, David goes from feeling hopeless and forgotten in verse 1 to rejoicing in verses 5 and 6.  I so get this!  There is ongoing long term sorrow in my life that only God can fix and that only God can sustain me through.  So often over the course of the past 10 plus years I have run to Him with a heart filled with grief and sorrow, and I have come away rejoicing. Like David, God is my strong habitation to which I continually resort.  His love never fails.  His mercy toward me is great, and I am always helped.

In verse 1 and 2 we find David in a prolonged trial where God seems hidden from him. He is troubled and despondent.  In verses 3 and 4  David shares his heart with God and expresses his desires.  In Verses 5-6 David’s heart does a complete and utter about face. It is no longer how long O Lord, will You forget me forever.  It is now but I have trusted in Your mercy...my heart will rejoice in Your salvation...I will sing because He has dealt bountifully with me!  

Here is the caveat...the blessing is in the doing.  So often I talk about praying and crying out to Him in my distress, but what I do instead is put it off by doing other things.  I avoid my distress and try to carry on in my own strength instead of going up to my room to spend time with the Lord and His word — which is, you know, what I truly need.  My own pride and maybe fear of losing control in my grief keeps me from Him and His blessings!  I might also add here that me spending time with my God when I need to helps everyone in my household. 😀

Our whole attitude can be changed just by crying out to Him in faith...that is how we access His grace.  That is when we obtain mercy and help in our time of need.  It is in the crying out...It is in the dependence on Him and Him alone.  I don't even need to go up in my room...He is always with me.  

The trials in our life are our opportunities to trust Him and as such are wonderful gifts from God because they drive us to our knees and draw us to Him in ways that nothing else can.  As we draw near and spend time with Him, we leave His presence radiant...having been given that gift that no one can take away. 

Beloved, it really is that simple.  No matter how overwhelming the feeling or the situation, we as believers can pull away for a moment and pray, and our Lord will meet us there. Today, talk to Him, question Him, pray Scripture...lay it all out before Him. You will come away changed.

Single Mind...

 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

“Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’—Genesis 45:3-11

Joseph here reminds me of my Jesus who, while he walked this earth, had a single mind devoted to doing the will of His Father in Heaven. 

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.—John 6:38

Jesus submitted Himself to His Father’s will even unto death of the cross.  Read Philippians 2:1-11.  

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.—Philippians 2:1-11

Joseph had this kind of mind.  He trusted God to use all that happened to him to further His sovereign plans. 

Oh Father!  Let THIS mind be in me!  I want this kind of single hearted devotion to You, my God.  Help me to trust Your providential rule over each and every circumstance in my life.  May all I do and say here on this earth be done according to Your perfect will and plan for me.  Help me to be more like Jesus, who did nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit but humbly submitted Himself to Your will and lived (and died) for others.  Use my circumstances to further your perfect plan both in the microcosm of my life and in the macrocosm of Your kingdom. 

The LORD lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.—Psalm 18:46

Blessed be the LORD forevermore!

Amen and Amen.—Psalm 89:52

In the LORD I Put My Trust....

 In the LORD I put my trust;—Psalm 11:1a

My mind, as I read, stopped here at the very first part of the first verse of Psalm 11.  Why?  Because it reminded me of the first part of a small section of Scripture I have been meditating on as I fall asleep each night. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall [a]direct your paths.—Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart...in the Lord I put my trust.  Literally, I take refuge in the Lord.  Do I really do that?  I think I do to an extent, but nowhere near as much as I would like.  I challenge you who are reading to take these verses to heart and ask the Lord to show you where you fall short and where you are double-minded. If nothing else, meditating on these verses and who the LORD is brings our doubting, fearful hearts to Him, and THAT is ALWAYS a good thing and ALWAYS what is needed.  

Beloved, hold fast to Him and be still.  If God is for us, who can be against us? He is our very present help...our sovereign, good and loving God who does all things well. He will preserve us through trouble. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me. 

Oh, Father, give me a fixed, steadfast heart that — even in the midst of dangers, trials, and trouble — sings and gives you praise.  Unite my heart, O God, to fear Your name.  

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.—Psalm 36:7-10

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11

EVERLASTING Consolation....

Good Morning! How beautifully unifying are these verses from Philippians! So grateful to our God who has provided us with EVERLASTING CONSOLATION in Him. As an aside, according to John MacArthur, the Greek word translated “comfort” portrays the Lord coming close and whispering words of gentle cheer or tender counsel in a believer’s ear.

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.—Philippians 2:1-4

On Reaching Genesis 37...

 I have reached Genesis 37 in my daily Bible readings.  For the next 13 chapters Joseph will be front and center.  I love this section of Scripture probably more than any other. I think we can all agree that it makes for a really great story...one of the very best in Scripture. But what I love most about Joseph’s story is that in it, I see Jesus in Joseph and in it  I see God’s hand in his life ruling and overruling all for His perfect purposes. Joseph’s story reminds me that God is also intimately involved in my own life working all together for my ultimate good and His glory.  It also reminds me that my God is completing that good work He began in me at salvation. All that comes my way, He uses to conform me into His image...to make me more like Him.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:18

Beloved...Our God keeps His promises.  Like Joseph, you are God’s beloved.  The Lord your God is with you.  Trust Him. Be obedient...walk in His grace. Depend on Him to meet your every need and bring you safely home.  

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;

I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.—Psalm 17:15

For this is God,

Our God forever and ever;

He will be our guide

Even to death.—Psalm 48:14

https://istwenty63.blogspot.com/2011/09/now-israel-loved-joseph-more-than-all.html

https://istwenty63.blogspot.com/2011/09/and-he-returned-to-his-brothers-and.html

https://istwenty63.blogspot.com/2011/09/joseph-type-of-christ.html

The Terror of God...

And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.—Genesis 35:5

Aaah...the terror of God upon those who do not seek our good.  I like that...a lot. John MacArthur describes it as 

A supernaturally induced fear of Israel that rendered the surrounding city-states unwilling and powerless to intervene and made Jacob’s fear of their retaliation rather inconsequential

Beloved...I don’t know about you, but I needed this reminder today.  He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. Our God is a protector and a preserver of all who place their trust in Him. He goes before us.  He hedges us behind and before and lays His hand upon us. This said, same terror that went before Israel as they journeyed to Canaan, goes before each of us as we walk in His will and depend on Him to meet all our needs.  As someone (I don’t know who) has said, “if we fear God, we need not fear anything else”.   

Fear and dread will fall on them;

By the greatness of Your arm

They will be as still as a stone,

Till Your people pass over, O LORD,

Till the people pass over

Whom You have purchased.—Exodus 15:16

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.—Psalm 121

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,

A refuge in times of trouble.

10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;

For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.—Psalm 9:9-10

Love Never Fails...

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?”  And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.--Luke 6:1-11

Beloved Believer...

Jesus gets to the heart of the issue in this verse.

Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

What is the heart of the issue.  The heart is that it is NEVER okay to put laws, traditions and regulations ahead of human need.  The law of love is the key here. Romans 13:8 says this:

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 

If we are owing no one God has placed in our lives anything but love, then we are fulfilling the law.  Romans 13 continues:


For the commandments, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER," "YOU SHALL NOT STEAL," "YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS," "YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 


Did you get that last part?  Love does no harm to a neighbor...if you are loving the people in your life with the love that God has shed abroad in your heart then you will always be fulfilling the law.  Love is the perfect bond of perfection.  Love is an adhesive!  It is the bond of unity.  Love encompasses all of God's commands concerning human relationships.  If we truly love our neighbor...and our neighbor is the person whom God has placed in our line of sight at the moment...we will consider his needs as we consider our own. We will care for him as we care for ourselves and we will only do what is in his best interests. Do you see the enormity of what God requires...none of us can fulfill the law...we can't even come close to loving others this way unless the Spirit of God does the work. 

Examine your own life through this lens...remember love in each and every situation and circumstance. Truly,  love never fails.  

Jacobs prayer...❤️ Genesis 32

Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. 12 For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”—Genesis 32:9-12

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.—Hebrews 4:16

I love this prayer of Jacob.  

I love that it occurred when he was weak in faith.  

I love that it came from a heart desperate for deliverance.  

I love that Jacob prayed God’s promises to him.  

I love that Jacob confessed his own anxiety and fear...

I love that he knew he was not worthy of the least of God’s mercies.

I love ESPECIALLY that Jacob knew what God had promised but, LIKE ME, his heart had not quite caught up with what his mind understood and believed. 

Lord, Help my unbelief!  Unite my heart to fear Your name! 

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”—Matthew 11:28-30

On Being Kind...

And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”—Matthew 10:42

❤️Jesus sees acts of kindness done to his followers as having been done to him.❤️

37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'—Matthew 25:37-40

For God [is] not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, [in that] you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.—Hebrews 6:10

[Be] kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;—Romans 12:10

Father...

Give me eyes ALWAYS to see Your Son, Jesus, in everyone I meet. Give me a sincere heart that loves and serves the people You have lovingly placed in my life as if I was serving You!  May I do all I do here on this earth as unto You and not unto man.  Thank you, Father, that I can freely give without concern for me, because You CARE for me...Your steadfast love and kindness toward me never ceases.  Thank you that You see all that I do and will not forget the work and labor of love that I have shown toward Your name. No good thing done for Your glory will go unrewarded.  Oh how blessed is the man who places his trust in You. 

Teach me Your way, O LORD;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your name.—Psalm 86:11