David’s All in All…

 

1 O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

6 When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

7 Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword;

They shall be a portion for jackals.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God;

Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;

But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.—Psalm 63

God was David’s all in all. He was what David “drank” in to satisfy his parched soul.  He was what David “ate” to nourish his “hungry” heart. The “shadow of His wing” was where David made his home. He was who David followed. He was to whom David clung. 

Beloved…we were made to know God.  We were made to love Him, to worship Him, to serve Him, to enjoy Him and live with Him forever. 

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.—Jeremiah 9:23, 24

Verse 3 tells us that God’s steadfast love…God’s faithful, loyal love and lovingkindness toward those that belong to Him…was for David better than life itself.  The strength of David’s life was God’s faithful, sacrificial love.  David understood with heart knowledge that God would never give up on him.  God would love him the end.  He would love him to perfection. Beloved…All we need to do to know and prove what David knew by faith and divine inspiration is to look to the cross of Christ. 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

36 As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 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: 31-39(emphasis mine)

Have You in My Heart…

 

1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.—Philippians 1:1-11

In reading Philippians 1:1-11 last night two things stayed with me.   The first was that despite writing to the Philippians from a Roman prison, Paul was joyful.  His chains were not in Rome, but in Christ.  All was to further God’s plan, not Paul’s. Paul had a single mind focused on doing the will of God. I don’t know about you, but this really convicted me.  Seeing God use my circumstances for His purposes especially when I am suffering is not usually in the forefront of my mind.  On the peripheral edges maybe...but not the forefront. 

Praying today, that I can see past me and my discomfort and desire for relief, and see the trials I face not only as opportunities for faith but for joy as well.  Why?  Because He is working His will and purposes not only in me but also in the lives of those around me...and that is always a good thing.

The second thought that stayed with me was that Paul LOVED those God had placed in His care. He longed for them. He had them in his mind, on his heart and he prayed for them. He thanked His God upon every remembrance of them and made requests for them with joy.  His attitude reminded me of some of my favorite verses from Colossians.

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 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. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.—Colossians 3:12-17

Love is the bond that brings unity. The love of God was poured out in Paul’s heart and he was clearly filled with the fruits of righteousness which are only by Jesus Christ.  For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I so want to be like Paul here but sadly, I am not.  My mind is on me and my problems most of the time.  I think that perhaps the secret to Paul’s joy was that his mind was not on Paul but on Christ.  Maybe the JOY acronym that we hear batted about was derived originally from Paul’s attitude as he wrote to the Philippians believers.  JOY=Jesus, others, you. Paul was miles from the Philippians believers but his fellowship with them remained unbroken. In fact, he furthered it not only by writing to them but by praying for them.  Like Jesus, Paul had the Philippians believers on his mind, on his heart and in his prayers. ❤️

May each of us be that kind of person to each other...

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.—Galatians 6:2

You Follow Me…

 

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."—John 21:20-22

This small section of Scripture oddly enough brings me back to my grammar school days when the teacher would reprimand us by saying, “Eyes front!”  Jesus’ words, “You follow Me." are like those of my grade school teachers, in that, they remind me to place my focus in the right place.  

It is so easy for me to get side-tracked by people and focused on what they are doing or saying or accomplishing rather than what should have my attention. My flesh doesn’t want to miss anything...it doesn’t want to be left behind...it wants to be in the know and it wants to be included!   My attention, therefore, gets diverted and as a result my heart gets divided.  A divided heart is not a good thing.  It feeds double-mindedness and causes us to waste precious time and energy on things that do not matter.  I don’t know about you, but for me focusing on others and paying close attention to what they are doing or saying can be exhausting.  Life on earth is difficult enough without taking on additional concerns or worries that are not yours to take.  

Truly, Jesus’ admonishment here to Peter is a gift to my heart.  My Jesus WANTS all my attention. Jesus doesn’t want me to concern myself with what everybody else is saying or doing.  I can focus instead, on Him, the One who rules and overrules all for my good and His glory.  I can trust Him to bring me forward or back.  I can trust that He has my best interest at heart.  No good thing will He withhold from me as walk in obedience before Him.  He is good and will do good.  My God is my sun and my shield, my strength and my song...my portion forever.  

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.—Philippians 3:12-16

In My Distress I Called Upon the Lord…

 

Beloved…

Some days of the year are harder than others. If your heart today is in the darkness of grief, be comforted…the Lord Jesus was there as well. He is a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The Father’s Well-Beloved Son has gone ahead of you into your darkness. He knows and understands your sorrow. The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. In the time of trouble, He shall hide you in  His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle, He shall hide you…

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.—Psalm 62:8

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears (Ps. 18:6). God numbers our wanderings. He puts our tears in His bottle (Ps. 56:8) 

―Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:14–16).

Seek the Lord in your grief and sorrow. Trust Him and He will sustain you. He whose left hand is under your head and whose right hand embraces you, will bring you up out of the wilderness as you lean on Him.  May the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Photo credit “e” ❤️

Trust in the Lord With All Your Heart…

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

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

This verse is pretty foundational to the Christian walk. We are to trust the Lord fully…with all our heart or with everything we have.  The word translated “trust” in verse 5 means “to lie helpless, facedown.” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general. 

At first glance that seems like a tough row to hoe. We are to trust Him no matter what comes our way…through “good” times, “bad” times, “anxious” times and “everyday” times. We are to trust Him in joy, in sorrow, in loneliness, in pain, in suffering and in despairing.   No equivocation. No double-mindedness. 

The alternative…leaning on your own understanding….though it might seem more “natural”…is much tougher and fraught with trouble because we are then walking not by faith but by sight.  More importantly, the Bible warns us against it in many places.  

There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.—Proverbs 14:12

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.—Proverbs 3:7-8

As finite human beings with fallen natures we not only can’t see ahead into the next moment, but even what we can see is distorted by sin.  Beloved…Our God knows all things.  (Ps 147:5; Psalm 139; 1 John 3:20) He is our faithful Creator. He is the One who is for us.  He is the One who rules and overrules all in our lives for His glory and our good. He is the One who sent His precious Son into this world to die so that in believing we could obtain eternal life. 

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?—Romans 8:32

He has also given us His word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. His ways, the Bible tells us are higher than our ways.  

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.—Isaiah 55:8-9

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!—Romans 11:33

I don’t know about you, but I spend way too much time leaning on my own understanding or looking at life and all that is occurring through the lens of my own perspective…my own insight. The only thing this has ever produced in my life is anxiety.  Instead, I need to see all through the lens of His word which tells me that as His beloved daughter He works all in my life together for my good and His glory.  His ways may be incomprehensible to me, but they are trustworthy. And trusting God brings His peace to my heart. 

Think of  Joseph. 

Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, "Behold, we are your servants."

Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.—Genesis 50:18-21

Or Job:

Then Job answered the LORD and said:

"I know that You can do everything,

And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

You asked, Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?'

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Listen, please, and let me speak;

You said, I will question you, and you shall answer Me.'

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,

But now my eye sees You.

Therefore I abhor myself,

And repent in dust and ashes."

And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days.

Beloved…learn God’s truth. Obey His precepts. As you do this you will not only grow His grace, His favor and the knowledge of His will, but you will also find that He smooths out the rough places and upholds your footsteps in His right paths. When we lean on our own understanding we become wise in our own eyes and miss His will for us. As we obey Him we receive all that He has lovingly planned for us from before the foundation of the world. Trust God.  He will make your path straight. He has promised and He will do it.

Thus says the LORD:

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Let not the mighty man glory in his might,

Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

But let him who glories glory in this,

That he understands and knows Me,

That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.—Jeremiah 9:23-24

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"—Romans 9:20

The goodness of God endures continually—Psalm 52:1b

Photo Credit to “e”❤️

Living A Life That Leads Others Away From Sin…

 

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.—Philippians 1:9-11

Lately, I have taken to reading Scripture on long car rides because it helps me keep my focus on things above.  As our car hurtles down the highways with thousands of other vehicles concentrating on the word of God helps me to remember that I am sheltered and safe in His sovereign and merciful arms. 

I read the above verses first in the NKJV and then after a few readings I switched over to the Amplified version. 

And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]; filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].—Philippians 1:9-11 AMPL. 

The second half of verse 10 drew my attention and spoke to my heart…

and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin];

Blameless -Without offense - living a life that leads others away from sin

Strong’s defines it this way:

having nothing to strike against, not causing to stumble of a smooth road metaph. of not leading others to sin by one's mode of life

I really liked that…

When we live a life that is blameless or without offense, we live a life that leads others away from sin. Logically speaking then, if we are leading them by our mode of living away from sin, we are pointing them to Jesus.  

That really hit home and made me think.  Beloved…Our sin doesn’t just defile us. It defiles those around us as well. How much more then would the light of Jesus shining in our hearts, give the knowledge of the glory of God to those around us. 

Oh, Father..by Your Spirit do this work in my own heart…may my words and actions not cause any to stumble in sin but would instead, lead them away from sin and into the waiting arms of their Savior.  

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.—2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.—1 Peter 2:11-12

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."—1 Peter 1:15-16

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.—Ephesians 5:1

And Whatever You Do…

 

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, GIVING THANKS to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

GIVING THANKS to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Colossians 1:12)

GIVING THANKS always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…(Ephesians 5:20)

We are to give thanks always FOR all things and IN all things. No loop holes. This is true not because we are supposed to be grateful for tragedy or pain or loss, but because no matter what is happening we are children of the Most High God.

Unbelief, doubt, and a complaining spirit are EASY, especially in the world we live in today so focused on self and secularism. It’s a piece of cake to be bitter or cynical. The challenge is to deny our natural inclinations and BE something different.

There are a billion reasons to worry and fret, and only one reason not to: God. And that one reason outweighs by far all the other billion combined. Being thankful is simply recognizing that fact.

Thankful that He is relentlessly loving.

Thankful that He sent His Son to die for our sins.

Thankful that this world is not our home and this life is only the barest sliver of the life to come.

Thankful that He has prepared a place for us to dwell with Him in peace and security and blessing forever.

It takes courage to believe and be thankful.

We can’t do this alone. We need His Spirit and each other, but it starts with a decision… a decision to live out our lives, not according to this world nor our flesh, but according to the Holy Spirit within us.

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20).

By Bill…