Christine is a happily married teacher, homemaker, pastor's wife, Sunday school teacher, mother, sister, friend. Having built a retirement cottage in the country, enjoying "porch time" with God. Reading devotionals, reflecting on God's Word, making applications, pausing to reflect on His truths, writing from the heart.
It’s a foggy morning outside. I’m feeling a little foggy, as well. My allergies are flaring up. Itchy, watery eyes, etc… When the weather isn’t the best, when our physical ailments overtake us, what do we do? Where do we turn? Sitting, staring out at the fog, waiting for it to lift, waiting for the allergy medication to do its thing, I read about David’s triumph. When the Lord rescued him from his enemies. We all need rescuing, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Let us allow the fog of self be lifted by the power of God. When we do, there is a clarity that only God can fill. Just as the sun “burns off” the fog, the medication alleviates the symptoms, so does God’s word restore us, fill us, remind us that He has won the victory. When we do, we can say, like David, in Psalm 18:1-3:
“I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”
Luke 10:20b “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
If you are from a small town, a small school or work for a small company, you are known by name. On the flip side, large cities, large schools, large companies know you by a number. I have experienced both and as I age, it is comforting and welcoming to be called by name.
Praise God, He knows our name. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;” Psalm 139:13-14a
I can come to God, humbly bowing in His presence, worshipping my God and Savior, confessing my sin, asking for forgiveness, giving praise and thanks for His Son, Jesus. God reveals Himself to us through His word. Praise the Lord we can know Him, too. So, as I sit and meditate on His words, I am allowing them to dwell within me, filling me with wisdom, love, peace, and knowledge. Pursuing God is a day by day decision, a commitment to wanting to know Him more, that I may be intentional in my seeking to be in His presence each morning in the quiet study of His word.
I pray, that as you wonder, “Am I a name or a number,” you would listen to the Voice calling you by name. Say yes to the One who created you, for He desires a relationship with you and wants you to call him, Lord, Savior.
Romans 10:10 “For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
An observation made by an insider who used to be an outsider described our family’s air drying of dishes to that of the game Tetras. My sons and I do get a kick out of building a standing tower of drying dishes so we can walk away and let them air dry. We will put them away later. Procrastination 101.
What about our Christian life? Are people observing our lives and wondering what we believe? Are we putting other things first and we will get to worshipping, praying, reading, testifying later, after we have filled our free time with “me” things? The apostle Paul says, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11
Let us put God first. Stop building your life on things that fade, decay and are inconsequential. Stop your procrastination tendencies. Open your bible. Go to church. Phone a friend and fellowship with a fellow believer. Re-establish your faith in God. He is calling out to you today.
Psalm 9:1-2 “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”
John MacArthur says these 4 “I wills” are David’s dedication to exuberant worship. The meaning of exuberant, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary is ” characterized by a lively energy and excitement” and from the latin word “uber,” meaning “fruitful.”
When David approaches God here is Psalm 9, he displays a “lively energy and excitement” as he praises God! He praises the Lord with “uber’ worship. David is telling God what he will do as he praises God, as he gives thanks to God, as he worships God. He says, “I will praise You with all my heart. I will tell of all the marvelous things You have done. I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name.
Is our worship filled with this same lively energy? Is our worship just singing? Are we repeating God’s words and promises back to Him in our worship time? Are we filled with joy because of Him and Him alone and not on our circumstances? Are we worshipping Him out of a sense of duty, checking a weekly box of “to-do’s” or are we coming into His presence with our whole heart, blocking out anything that would interrupt our time alone with God?
As I read these verses in Psalm 9, I am reminded of what worship is, what it looks like. So let us worship as God wants us to: with our whole heart, testifying of Him, gladly and joyfully, singing songs of praise back to Him because He is the Most High God.
dwell: to live in a place or in a particular way. (dictionary.cambridge.org)
We dwell in houses, apartments, mobile homes, RV’s, tents. That is our physical reality. We dwell with God when He is whom we seek to be with every day, regardless of where we lay our head.
I don’t choose to participate in New Year’s resolutions, mostly because I am weak and forgetful. I will occasionally, however, choose a word to focus on for the year. This year, God brought “dwell” to my mind. Probably because my daily thoughts and actions have not included Him like they should, as a professed Christian. Of course, like He always does God has brought the word “dwell” across my path almost daily. Praise God. I want my focus to be on Him. To dwell in His presence as I pray, read, study, journal and am alone with my thoughts.
In my Exodus study, as God is instructing Moses on building the tabernacle, He will “dwell” with them. I came across the words transcendence and immanence. Of course, I had to look those words up. As I researched, I found these definitions that made sense to me. The immanence of God: the creator of the universe has made Himself knowable to humanity. He is knowable, perceivable, graspable.* The immanence of God means “God’s dwelling place would be with the Israelites. He would dwell or tabernacle with them. ” (John MacArthur) Exodus 29:45 “I will live among the people of Israel and be their God,” The transcendence of God: He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. The originator of life and every good gift. He is bigger and greater than anything they will ever have the ability to comprehend.* The transcendence of God, “whose dwelling place was in the heaven of heavens.” (John MacArthur). Isaiah 55:8-9 ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” God redeemed Israel from bondage in Egypt so He could dwell with them. Exodus 29:46 “…I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.”
Great. Good thoughts. But what does that mean for us today? As a Christian, the Holy Spirit took up residence inside you the moment you believed. Your body is the temple. The Holy Spirit is dwelling within you. As such, we are to honor God with our bodies, our lips, our thoughts, our words, our actions. I pray you take time daily to “dwell” in the presence of God, allowing Him to fill you with His words, His ways; less of you, decluttering your thoughts, purging your selfish ways.
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Psalm 7:14-16 “The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.”
How many of us know or have encountered scheming people. Their mind is continually churning, planning, devising, orchestrating. How exhausting that must be. And lonely. And pointless. They only “think” they are in charge. When things fall apart, the pointing of the finger goes outward. We see it on the news, as well. Evil plots failed. Truth uncovered. Shame observed.
As Christians, we are warned to stay away from such people. To not be drawn in by their deceiving tentacles. When we feel weak, afraid, alone… pray! Pray for strength. Pray persistently. Pray fervently. Put on all of God’s armor so you will be able to stand firm. Resisting the enemy in times of evil.
Ephesians 6:14-17 “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
2 Peter 3:3 “in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.”
Self-absorbed: thinking about self; plans, goals, ideas; all about self. My way. My will. My plan. My purpose. That’s a lot of my’s!
Official definition: pre-occupied with one’s own feelings, interests, or situation. (dictionary.com) It is human nature to be occupied with your life. Relationships, work, health, goals, all need your attention. However, when those thoughts, feelings, situations take over and you think only about yourself, you may need to step back and pause.
What if we looked to God for our purpose, plan and direction for our life. What if we started serving others and tending to their needs. What if we filled our mind on the words of God. We all have the ability to be consumed by life. But God tells us to seek Him first, above all else and to love our neighbor as ourself. ” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39
Let’s move the dial. Emptying of self and filling up with God. Become God-absorbed.
God does not choose people because of their ability, but because of their availability.” Brother Andrew
You need quiet. You are sleeping in. We all know about the “Do Not Disturb” sign in hotels that we can hang on our door so housekeeping will let us sleep. Older siblings hang a “Private: Keep Out!” sign on their door to escape younger siblings. At work, a co-worker may lock a door, find a quiet area to be alone. Some people like to go for a walk or a drive to be alone.
What about in your Christian walk? Have you hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign so as to not have to pray, read, serve, devote time in God’s word? Are you unavailable in your service to God? Maybe you feel inadequate when it comes to serving God. Join the club. But when God calls us, when He puts an idea to serve in your mind, don’t pass the idea on to someone else. God has chosen you! Instead of worrying if you have the right gifts, be available. Be willing. Take that step of faith. Let God use you in His service, for your good and His glory.
Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now may the God of peace…may He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.”
“How I praise God for the most glorious invasion of privacy that ever graced human life.” Beth Moore
Bah Humbug! Scrooge. The Grinch. They all have something in common. They don’t like this Christmas season. The love. The joy. The merriment. The presents. See it as a waste of time, a waste of resources.
Luke 2:10-14:
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
But, if the fullness of time had come and God sent His Son into the world to redeem every man from sin, shouldn’t that Good News invade our homes, our hearts, our worship? Where is your heart today? Overwhelmed, lonely, tired, anxious? Jesus came to earth without great earthly fanfare. However, the heavens and angels proclaimed, blew trumpets and declared the birth of Jesus. Let these verses seep down into your heart. Reflect on the magnitude of that first advent. Surrender to the most wonderful invasion, accepting Jesus and allow this good news take hold of your tired, lonely, anxious, overwhelmed heart.
A downed power line. A hole dug in the ground. There are very real dangers in our world. It is nice to be alerted to a danger in our path, but that is not always the case. Sometimes danger is lurking around the corner and we are caught unaware. God tells us to be aware, to …”Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ” 1 Peter 5:8
Paul tells us in 2 Timothy to stay away from specific people. “For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” 2 Timothy 3:2-5
Then, in vs. 14, Paul tells Timothy to “continue in the things you have learned… from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:14-15)
Christian, stop listening to the world, to culture. Turn off the lies. Fill your mind instead with things of God. Whether you have been a Christian for a week, a month, a year, 10 years, listen to the words of God. They are truth. They are life. They will lead you in your walk. Do your best to remove danger from your life. Stay alert. Be equipped, be ready. Live in the light of God’s truths.
