Jesus is Enough…

 On accepting the will of the Lord…

"It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him."—1 Samuel 3:18

On being consoled by remembering God’s mighty deeds

I cried out to God with my voice—

To God with my voice;

And He gave ear to me.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;

My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;

My soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered God, and was troubled;

I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

Selah

You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I have considered the days of old,

The years of ancient times.

I call to remembrance my song in the night;

I meditate within my heart,

And my spirit makes diligent search.

Will the Lord cast off forever?

And will He be favorable no more?

Has His mercy ceased forever?

Has His promise failed forevermore?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

Selah

And I said, "This is my anguish;

But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High."

I will remember the works of the LORD;

Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

I will also meditate on all Your work,

And talk of Your deeds.

Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;

Who is so great a God as our God?

You are the God who does wonders;

You have declared Your strength among the peoples.

You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,

The sons of Jacob and Joseph.

Selah

The waters saw You, O God;

The waters saw You, they were afraid;

The depths also trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

The skies sent out a sound;

Your arrows also flashed about.

The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;

The lightnings lit up the world;

The earth trembled and shook.

Your way was in the sea,

Your path in the great waters,

And Your footsteps were not known.

You led Your people like a flock

By the hand of Moses and Aaron.—Psalm 77

On being content…

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:11-13

Beloved…Paul learned the “secret” of being content in any circumstance.  The word contentment in our Bible carries the meaning of being sufficient. Paul uses the same Greek root in Philippians 4 as he does in 2 Corinthians 12:9a, “... My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Paul secret was simply that he learned (and practice IS required) to depend on the Lord’s grace for help. 

Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God's gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].—Hebrews 4:16 AMP

Admitting weakness and humbly seeking help from God doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t know about you, but my flesh is strong and my pride doesn’t like to surrender.  Each time we do, however, our spirit gets stronger and our flesh weaker.  And THAT is such a good thing because when we are weak then He is strong. Outside there are conflicts, inside are fears, BUT NEVERTHELESS GOD…

Jesus was enough whether Paul was well fed or hungry. The AMPLIFIED puts it this way…

I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]—Philippians 4:13

My new mantra when I am tempted to give way to faithlessness and fear is simply this.

JESUS IS ENOUGH…

Whatever I face, whatever happens…even if all my worse fears are realized…

JESUS IS ENOUGH

He will see me through all.  His grace is sufficient.  I will remember His mighty deeds in MY life. I will remember His comforting and consoling kindnesses in all my afflictions. Like Eli, in 1 Samuel, I will remember that it is the Lord…let Him do as seems good to Him. 

Radiant Joy for Sorrow…

And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day."

And all the people who were at the gate, and the elders, said, "We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel; and may you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. May your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring which the LORD will give you from this young woman."—Ruth 4:9-12

Today’s reading in the book of Ruth reminded me that God brings beauty from ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. 

Ephrathah is another name for Bethlehem.  Micah, the prophet, predicted Bethlehem would be where the Messiah would be born.

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting."—Micah 5:2

The union between Ruth and Boaz would bring forth not only David, Israel’s greatest earthly king, but also Jesus Christ, the Eternal King and Savior of the world. 

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.—Matthew 1:1-16

Naomi (Ruth’s mother-in-law) went out from Israel “full” with a husband and two sons.  She returned 10 years later “bitter and empty” with only her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, for comfort and provision. (Her husband and two sons died during their sojourn in Moab). Both Ruth and Naomi’s futures from a human perspective appeared bleak.

Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?"

But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"—Ruth 1:19-21

BUT GOD knew the plans He had for them both.  Plans for good and not for evil….to give them (and the whole world) a future and a hope.

Ruth, the Moabite, became the great grandmother of both King David and Jesus Christ.  Through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz, God provided not only Naomi with a kinsman redeemer but us as well. Jesus Christ became mankind’s Kinsman-Redeemer.   Jesus is He who makes things right before God the Father for those who trust in Him.

Beloved…God used the instruments of sorrow and hardship in these precious women’s lives to bring both radiant joy for sorrow and everlasting blessing for emptiness. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will do similarly in our lives as well. Trust Him. 

You visit the earth and water it,

You greatly enrich it;

The river of God is full of water;

You provide their grain,

For so You have prepared it.

You water its ridges abundantly,

You settle its furrows;

You make it soft with showers,

You bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your goodness,

And Your paths drip with abundance.

They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,

And the little hills rejoice on every side.

The pastures are clothed with flocks;

The valleys also are covered with grain;

They shout for joy, they also sing.—Psalm 65:9-13

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61:1-3 

Security is a Thumb and a Blanket

1 LORD, my heart is not haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me.

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time forth and forever.—Psalm 131

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.—2 Corinthians 1:3-5

As a child I can remember quieting and comforting myself by sucking my thumb.  As long as I had my thumb, I didnt cry or fret.  At that moment, all was right in my world, and I truly understood Charles Schulz’s famous character, Linus’ sentiment:

“Security is a thumb and a blanket.”

As a grown woman, I have put away childish securities and comforts.  Today my consolation as a child of God is my Jesus who gave me His very heart when He gave me His Spirit.  I am never alone...His consoling Spirit is with me always...guiding, directing and comforting.  I can go boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help whenever I need it.  My security is in Christ.  He is my hope.  He is my guide even unto death.  

Today, I will surrender and abide.  Today, my soul will wait silently for Him.  I will trust that He knows the way I take, and that He will get me where I need to go.

Beloved, as you read the verses below, allow the Lord to minister to your heart as the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to bring you comfort and direct your path. 

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry entered His ears.

14 "The LORD thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice.

17 "He sent from above, He took me,

He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me;

For they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

20 He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

29 "For You are my lamp, O LORD;

The LORD shall enlighten my darkness.

30 For by You I can run against a troop;

By my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the LORD is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 "For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

33 God is my strength and power,

And He makes my way perfect.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

36 "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You enlarged my path under me;

So my feet did not slip.

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

47 “The LORD lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let God be exalted,

The Rock of my salvation!—Psalm 18:14; 17-20; 29-34; 36-37; 40; 47

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38-39

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The LORD preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the LORD

In the land of the living.—Psalm 116

What Gets Me Up in the Morning…

 Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

Selah

For You, O God, have heard my vows;

You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.

You will prolong the king's life,

His years as many generations.

He shall abide before God forever.

Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!

So I will sing praise to Your name forever,

That I may daily perform my vows.—Psalm 61

As I read Psalm 61, my soul knitted with David’s.  Every word of it could have been mine this morning. 

I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more thankful I am for my God and the hope that is mine in Him. Before I even open my eyes, I am speaking as Moses spoke to God in Exodus 33:15:

Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

I so need the promise of His presence with me to even get out of bed in the morning.  I truly don’t want to do any part of my day without Him. When I get downstairs and sit with my coffee and my Bible, I am often overwhelmed by my weakness and His strength.  What a gift His everlasting favor is to my heart in this fallen world!  His grace is always sufficient, always available and always reminds me that my hope, my strength…my very life is in Him and from Him. He is my shield and my exceedingly great reward. What gets me out of bed in the morning?  Only the presence of Jesus in my heart and in my life. 

When my heart becomes overwhelmed I remember that

I am His. 

He hears my cry

He leads me, shelters me and protects me 

He is my strong tower

I abide in Him who provides me with strength for each day

I belong to the One who delights in mercy and whose compassions fail not

I trust in the shelter of the One who died to protect me from the hopelessness horror of everlasting torment. 

He will complete the good work He began in me

I dwell with the One that perfects what concerns me and performs all things for me

Beloved…the Lord gives grace and glory.  No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Therefore, I will sing to the Lord and praise Him who has dealt bountifully with me!

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,

And every tongue which rises against you in judgment

You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,

And their righteousness is from Me,"

Says the LORD.—Isaiah 54:17

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23

A Way that Seems Right to Man…

 The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.—Judges 17:5-6

As I read about Micah I can’t help but think back to when my sister and I were young and would make pretend set ups down our basement.  Sometimes it was a schoolroom, sometimes an office, maybe even once or twice a church or a Catholic confessional. 😀My girls, when they were young, would play similarly with Playmobiles  It is like Micah here is playing “church” and is collecting all the outward trappings needed and setting it all up to his own liking and subject to his control. He has his own private place of worship...His own priest and His own “way” to worship.

Know this Peter warns:

no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.—2 Peter 2:20-21

Jesus said this in response to the woman at the well…

The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Beloved…Truly, there is a way that seems right to man but its end is the way of death. We are to worship the God of the Bible…the true and living God and not a God of our own imagination. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.—2 Timothy 3:14-17

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.—2 Timothy 4:1-5