Ps. 40:8 I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart.
Do you take joy in doing God's will for your life? Do you see what God has given you to do as a blessing or a curse? Does living in Christ thrill your soul like it used to? Are you enjoying your journey of faith? Do you really enjoy serving others?
The Lord wants us to enjoy our life in Him. He wants us to look forward to each new day of life and what it holds for us. He wants us to know the delight of living in close fellowship with Him. He wants us to live in Him out of love and not out of duty.
The only way we will ever be joyful in our walk with the Lord is to stay in His Word. We need to know the Word well. We need to let the Spirit brand deeply on our hearts God's Word. The better we know the Word, the more we know of God's love and faithfulness. We discover just how great our God is and how He is able to help us in our journey of life. God's Word hidden in our hearts remind us that whatever we may be experiencing in life, there is a home in heaven that awaits us. It reminds us of God's plan of redemption, not only for us, but for the whole world. It reminds us that we are never alone, that God is always with us to enable us to live with confidence life in Christ.
Having the Word in our hearts enables us to not sin against God. It gives us the authority of heaven to resist Satan when we are tempted. It gives us purpose and direction for life. It gives us understanding of why we need Jesus as we live in this world.
If the joy has gone out of your faith walk, get back into the Word. Let it saturate your soul. Hide it in your heart and soon you will once again delight yourself in the Lord.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Turn from evil and do good.
Ps. 37:27-28a Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. For the LORD loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly.
Want to know the secret to a long life? Here it is. Turn away from sin and do what is good in God's eyes. The promise is that if we do this, we will live forever. But here is the catch; in order for us to do this, we muct confess our sins to Christ and turn them over to Him. We sin against Christ so we must ask Him to forgive us. Turning from sin also means we change our attitude towards sin. We purposely try not to sin and purposely try to do what is good in God's eyes. If we don't turn from evil and do good, evil will consume us and God will not be with us.
Doing what is good in God's eyes is what He desires and demands of His children. God declares those who do are just in His eyes. It is the counterpart of evil. It is bringing into the darkness of the world the light of righteousness. The Lord loves it when righteousness prevails. It is His desire that all would be made right with Him.
The promise of God is that He will never abandon the godly. Never means never. God is always with the godly. He is with them in the good and in the bad times of life. He is with them when they are on the go and when they stay put. He is with them all day and all night. God never lets His children fend for themselves. He is always with them to help them in whatever they may need.
God is with His children always, which also means that He knows what we are doing and what we say at all times. There are no hidden secrets with God. He cannot be fooled by who we appear to be. He even knows the thoughts behind our words. Let us live like we know that He is with us at all times and knows what we say, do and think.
Want to know the secret to a long life? Here it is. Turn away from sin and do what is good in God's eyes. The promise is that if we do this, we will live forever. But here is the catch; in order for us to do this, we muct confess our sins to Christ and turn them over to Him. We sin against Christ so we must ask Him to forgive us. Turning from sin also means we change our attitude towards sin. We purposely try not to sin and purposely try to do what is good in God's eyes. If we don't turn from evil and do good, evil will consume us and God will not be with us.
Doing what is good in God's eyes is what He desires and demands of His children. God declares those who do are just in His eyes. It is the counterpart of evil. It is bringing into the darkness of the world the light of righteousness. The Lord loves it when righteousness prevails. It is His desire that all would be made right with Him.
The promise of God is that He will never abandon the godly. Never means never. God is always with the godly. He is with them in the good and in the bad times of life. He is with them when they are on the go and when they stay put. He is with them all day and all night. God never lets His children fend for themselves. He is always with them to help them in whatever they may need.
God is with His children always, which also means that He knows what we are doing and what we say at all times. There are no hidden secrets with God. He cannot be fooled by who we appear to be. He even knows the thoughts behind our words. Let us live like we know that He is with us at all times and knows what we say, do and think.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord.
Ps. 37:23 The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.
The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. The Lord does not watch over those who are not His own. They do not escape His notice, but they are not taken care of by the Lord. God lets His children know the way they should go. He helps them to stay on course. He is there with them to protect them. He is there to lead them to where they need to go. The Lord goes with His children and teaches them how to travel through life. The godly can relax and enjoy the journey because God is in control. He is always with His children and never abandons them, no matter how confusing or difficult life may be.
The Lord delights in every detail of the life of the godly. It gives God great pleasure when His children live godly lives. He delights in them because He knows that godliness is the only thing that will give His children joy and peace. He knows that it is the godly who love Him as they should. He knows that the godly are less likely to fall into sin. It is the godly who are moved to be light and salt in the world. It is the godly who have a real compassion for others. It is the godly who best serve as ambassadors to the world. It is the godly who are the movers and shakers in the church. It is the godly who are students of the Word and prayer warriors. It is the godly who are humbled before Him and confess their sins when they mess up. It is the godly who have a song to sing and are not afraid to sing it.
Who are the godly? It is those who not only know Jesus as their Savior, they know Him as their Lord as well. It is those who are committed to living life God's way. It is those who give the Lord the best of their love and do not waver in their devotion to Him. It is those who will not compromise or neglect their salvation. It is those who welcome God's influence on thier lives and embrace it. It is those who seek to be a holy people, a people after God's own heart. It is those who will be in heaven with the Lord when they die.
The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. The Lord does not watch over those who are not His own. They do not escape His notice, but they are not taken care of by the Lord. God lets His children know the way they should go. He helps them to stay on course. He is there with them to protect them. He is there to lead them to where they need to go. The Lord goes with His children and teaches them how to travel through life. The godly can relax and enjoy the journey because God is in control. He is always with His children and never abandons them, no matter how confusing or difficult life may be.
The Lord delights in every detail of the life of the godly. It gives God great pleasure when His children live godly lives. He delights in them because He knows that godliness is the only thing that will give His children joy and peace. He knows that it is the godly who love Him as they should. He knows that the godly are less likely to fall into sin. It is the godly who are moved to be light and salt in the world. It is the godly who have a real compassion for others. It is the godly who best serve as ambassadors to the world. It is the godly who are the movers and shakers in the church. It is the godly who are students of the Word and prayer warriors. It is the godly who are humbled before Him and confess their sins when they mess up. It is the godly who have a song to sing and are not afraid to sing it.
Who are the godly? It is those who not only know Jesus as their Savior, they know Him as their Lord as well. It is those who are committed to living life God's way. It is those who give the Lord the best of their love and do not waver in their devotion to Him. It is those who will not compromise or neglect their salvation. It is those who welcome God's influence on thier lives and embrace it. It is those who seek to be a holy people, a people after God's own heart. It is those who will be in heaven with the Lord when they die.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Stop your anger!
Ps. 37:8 Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others--it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.
Let it go. Whoever or whatever you are angry at, stop it! Letting anger control you does nothing but hurt you. The more you lash out, the more damage it does to your soul. Anger that is not self-controlled can only damage or destroy. Righteous anger moves us to act to right the wrong. Any other anger moves us to do wrong.
Watch out so that you don't envy others. The world is full of people different than you. Many people are better at what you do, have different gifts than you do, are more successful than you are, look different than you do, have better jobs, have it easier than you do; the list goes on and on. It makes no difference at all as to how we differ. Everyone is on equal footing at the Cross. Everyone stands before God equally to account for their living. God treats all people the same. Everyone will be judged on the righteousness of their heart and how they have lived. The only one you will ever hurt by envying others is yourself.
If you are carrying around a spirit of anger or envy today, do something about it before they destroy your spirit. Confess them to the Lord. If you need to, let your emotions drive you in your confession. It's okay, He can handle it. Get it out on the table so that God can help you. Ask Him to help you gain control over your emotions (after all, self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit) so that you don't let anger or envy control you. It is sin to not do it. Don't put it off, do it now.
Let it go. Whoever or whatever you are angry at, stop it! Letting anger control you does nothing but hurt you. The more you lash out, the more damage it does to your soul. Anger that is not self-controlled can only damage or destroy. Righteous anger moves us to act to right the wrong. Any other anger moves us to do wrong.
Watch out so that you don't envy others. The world is full of people different than you. Many people are better at what you do, have different gifts than you do, are more successful than you are, look different than you do, have better jobs, have it easier than you do; the list goes on and on. It makes no difference at all as to how we differ. Everyone is on equal footing at the Cross. Everyone stands before God equally to account for their living. God treats all people the same. Everyone will be judged on the righteousness of their heart and how they have lived. The only one you will ever hurt by envying others is yourself.
If you are carrying around a spirit of anger or envy today, do something about it before they destroy your spirit. Confess them to the Lord. If you need to, let your emotions drive you in your confession. It's okay, He can handle it. Get it out on the table so that God can help you. Ask Him to help you gain control over your emotions (after all, self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit) so that you don't let anger or envy control you. It is sin to not do it. Don't put it off, do it now.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Being Still Before God
Ps. 37:7 Be still in the presence of the LORD and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
Be still in the presence of the Lord. For some of us, this may seem nearly impossible to do. We cram our lives so full of stuff that we don't have time to be still. We are on the go all the time and the Lord gets shoved off to the side. Some of us are simply wired in such a way that stillness just doesn't fit well with our make-up. For some, there is a sense of guilt associated with being still. Yet, we are told to be still.
Stillness before God is absolutely necessary if we are going to benefit at all from being in His presence. Stillness quiets the soul so we can hear the heartbeat of God. It changes our focus from ourselves and busyness to the Lord. It enables us to appreciate who our Father is and our relationship to Him. It enables us to worship the Lord instead of using Him. It enables us to appreciate what really matters in life. It makes the concerns of our lives pale in light of His glory and grace.
Wait patiently for Him to act. If you struggle with this, ask the Lord to help you. We have to learn that God doesn't live within our time constraints. He is in no hurry. He acts when it is the right time to act and He will not be pressured to act any sooner.
When we spend quality unhurried time with the Lord, we are not as likely to worry about those who don't share our faith. We understand that whatever they may do or say doesn't really matter. The Lord gives us the strength to overcome. He helps us to keep things in perspective and to realize that when all is well with Him, that is all that we need in life. Whatever happens on earth pales in light of what is going to happen for those who are still in the presence of God and wat patiently for Him to act.
Be still in the presence of the Lord. For some of us, this may seem nearly impossible to do. We cram our lives so full of stuff that we don't have time to be still. We are on the go all the time and the Lord gets shoved off to the side. Some of us are simply wired in such a way that stillness just doesn't fit well with our make-up. For some, there is a sense of guilt associated with being still. Yet, we are told to be still.
Stillness before God is absolutely necessary if we are going to benefit at all from being in His presence. Stillness quiets the soul so we can hear the heartbeat of God. It changes our focus from ourselves and busyness to the Lord. It enables us to appreciate who our Father is and our relationship to Him. It enables us to worship the Lord instead of using Him. It enables us to appreciate what really matters in life. It makes the concerns of our lives pale in light of His glory and grace.
Wait patiently for Him to act. If you struggle with this, ask the Lord to help you. We have to learn that God doesn't live within our time constraints. He is in no hurry. He acts when it is the right time to act and He will not be pressured to act any sooner.
When we spend quality unhurried time with the Lord, we are not as likely to worry about those who don't share our faith. We understand that whatever they may do or say doesn't really matter. The Lord gives us the strength to overcome. He helps us to keep things in perspective and to realize that when all is well with Him, that is all that we need in life. Whatever happens on earth pales in light of what is going to happen for those who are still in the presence of God and wat patiently for Him to act.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Commit everything to the Lord?
Ps. 37:5-6 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
It's hard, isn't it, to commit everything to the Lord? When was the last time you committed everything in your day to the Lord? And if you actually do it, how much of what you commit to Him actually honors Him? Is He pleased with your work ethic, the way you treat your family, the way you treat others, what you do for entertainment, what you eat and drink, the amount of time you waste on trivial things, what you spend your money on?
Why bother to commit what we do to the Lord if we don't actually try to honor and please Him in it? Yet, at the very heart of a workable relationship with the Lord is this very thing. Until we start doing a better job of representing well our Lord in all we do, we will continue to struggle and have a negative impact for Him in our lives.
We cannot compartmentalize our faith. Every part of our lives is affected by Christ's presence. We will either honor Him or dishonor Him. We can't please God by honoring Christ in our lives without His help. We need to put our trust in Him. When we do, God will affirm our innocence before Him. The more we are engaged in Christ, the more it will be evident to all who see and know us.
If others cannot see that you are honoring Christ, you need to get alone with Him, wait before Him, and let Him fix whatever needs to be fixed so that they can.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Ps. 37:3-4 Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desire.
If you are really trusting in the Lord, what you are doing will be good. You cannot be right with the Lord and not do good. Don't doubt the good that you are doing. Whether you recognize it or not, goodness is a natural by-product of the life that lives in trust in the Lord. The Lord promises safety for those who trust in Him. Satan cannot snatch anyone away from God who are trusting in Him.
The key to the Lord giving you what your heart desires is to delight yourself in Him. It sounds easy enough, but is it? If it is, then why then do so many desires go unfulfilled? Could it be that we aren't actually delighting in Him? What does it mean to delight ourselves in the Lord?
A simple answer would be that we align ourselves up with the heart of God and desire what He desires for us. It is agreeing with Him that what comes our way is, including the bad times of life, good and that our Father knows best in all things. We cannot delight in the Lord until we first understand and accept the fact that it is not about us or our comfort, it's all about the Lord and His will for our lives.
We cannot know how to delight in the Lord unless we are regularly spending time in the Word of God and in our prayer closets. Only as we linger in the Lord's presence do we understand God's heart and will for us.
When we delight in the Lord, we will want what He gives to us and take pleasure in it. We will not waste our desires on that which the Lord withholds from us. When we find ourselves longing for something that is bad for our souls, we will turn to the Lord and let Him change our desires. We will make the Lord the priority of our lives.
If you are really trusting in the Lord, what you are doing will be good. You cannot be right with the Lord and not do good. Don't doubt the good that you are doing. Whether you recognize it or not, goodness is a natural by-product of the life that lives in trust in the Lord. The Lord promises safety for those who trust in Him. Satan cannot snatch anyone away from God who are trusting in Him.
The key to the Lord giving you what your heart desires is to delight yourself in Him. It sounds easy enough, but is it? If it is, then why then do so many desires go unfulfilled? Could it be that we aren't actually delighting in Him? What does it mean to delight ourselves in the Lord?
A simple answer would be that we align ourselves up with the heart of God and desire what He desires for us. It is agreeing with Him that what comes our way is, including the bad times of life, good and that our Father knows best in all things. We cannot delight in the Lord until we first understand and accept the fact that it is not about us or our comfort, it's all about the Lord and His will for our lives.
We cannot know how to delight in the Lord unless we are regularly spending time in the Word of God and in our prayer closets. Only as we linger in the Lord's presence do we understand God's heart and will for us.
When we delight in the Lord, we will want what He gives to us and take pleasure in it. We will not waste our desires on that which the Lord withholds from us. When we find ourselves longing for something that is bad for our souls, we will turn to the Lord and let Him change our desires. We will make the Lord the priority of our lives.
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