Reassurance

Reassurance

"You can be sure of this: The LORD set apart the godly for himself. The LORD will answer when I call to him." Psalm 4:3

When I'm troubled over something, this is one of the verses that gives me comfort. Because I believe Jesus' death and resurrection was for me--a sinner--I qualify as "godly." If you believe in Jesus, you qualify as godly, too. God has set us apart for himself. Can we comprehend that blessing?

In another Psalm, David says God knows everything about him--everything he thinks, everything he does. And he blesses the godly. David's God-inspired words are meant for us, too.

"You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!" Psalm 139:5-6

When I'm still before God and he speaks his words of love to me, I'm overwhelmed. I agree with David, such knowledge is too great for me to understand.

His thoughts toward you and me are so precious and so many they can't be counted. When we're awake or asleep, he's thinking of us.

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!"
Psalm 139:17-18

He thinks about us all the time. He's not thinking about how to discipline us. He thinks about how to bless us.

"For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

He considers us today and plans for our future.

It's thought David wrote the 3rd and 4th Psalms when he was running from Absalom's treacherous attempt to take over the kingdom. In the midst of this trial, he comforted himself with the knowledge he belonged to God and had been set apart by him for something good.

Can you look at your life and see how God has set you apart for his plans? Can you see him working out the circumstances of your life? That they are better than you had planned? That the outcome of your trials and testings bring him glory?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus--that by his sacrificial death and resurrection we are transformed from sinner into godly--and you set apart the godly for yourself. You set us apart from the world so you may use us for your purposes. You loved the world so much you sent your one and only Son to give us the opportunity to become a "whosoever"...
whosoever believes in him will have eternal life, (John 3:16)
whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father... (Matthew 10:32)
whosoever drinks of the water I give shall never thirst (John 4:14)
whosoever believes on me shall not live in darkness (John 12:46)
whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21)
whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed (Romans 10:11)
whosoever confesses Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him (1 John 4:15) 
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17
As you have set us apart for your good pleasure, may we fill the skies with our praise and thanksgiving to our Holy God, our Abba Father.

by Marilyn Allison

Love that Saves

Love That Saves

"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Our Saviour was beaten, broken, scarred, close to death. He was stumbled, falling--until someone had to carry His cross--then he was nailed to it. Arms opened wide in surrender. A crown of thorns drew blood from his brow. King of the Jews signified his crime. 

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Darkness fell and our sins held Him until He cried, “It is finished!.” Droplets of blood fell from His body onto the ground.

Mankind beaten, broken, scarred, close to death. Stumbling--falling under a burden too heavy to carry--struggling forward. sin darkening our hearts. We fall, arms opened wide in surrender. “God... Jesus, please take my life, my will, my way, my sin. Forgive me. I didn’t know.”

With each word, the sin that nailed us is pulled from our hearts. Chains and shackles of pride and compromise fall away. We lay face down, barely breathing. The Risen Saviour touches our tear stained faces with His nail scarred hands. He lifts our burden and, looking into the eyes of His beloved child, says “It is finished; your sins are washed away by my blood.”

I can’t help but see the parallel of a body beaten and broken for us and lives that are beaten and broken in need of a Saviour. Let the light of Jesus shine into your life. Read the Bible, ask questions and find out how to be delivered from the burden of your sins into the hands of Jesus. 

If you think that God is a harsh judge and is punishing you--nothing is further from the truth.

"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:17

Jesus died a horrific death so that He could demonstrate the extent of His love for us. No condemnation, no pointing fingers, and no reminders of your sins. His love saved my life – let Jesus save yours as well.

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

by Eve Montano

Shield and Glory

Shield and Glory

"But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the LORD, and He answered me from His holy mountain." Psalm 3:3-4

Sometimes I cry out to God and I don't hear an answer. Nothing. Absolute. Silence.

It lasts long enough for me to question, why am I not hearing from God?

Am I praying for the outcome I want--what I think is right?

"There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death."
Proverbs 14:12, 16:25

Jesus taught us to pray...

"May Your Kingdom come soon May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

Beside that, His way is better than mine.

"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." Isaiah 55:8-9

Am I praying with the right motive?

"People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives." Proverbs 16:2

Am I holding sin in my heart? That's a real impediment to God even hearing my prayers.

"Listen! The LORD's arm is not too weak to save you, nor is His ear too deaf to hear you call. It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore." Isaiah 59:1-2

David wasn't a perfect man. When he wrote Psalm 3 he was running for his life from his son. Absalom had turned enough people against his father and thought he had the power and influence to replace him as king. In the beginning verses, David's eyes were on his circumstances.

"O LORD, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. So many are saying, 'God will never rescue him!" Psalm 3:1-2

Though David sinned, he was quick to repent. God called him "a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do." (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) He remembered God is the answer. As in most instances in life, his circumstances didn't change for some time. Yet, David was able to sleep, knowing God was watching over him (verse 5).

Whenever we are in a position similar to David's--hounded by the enemy of our circumstances (health issues, threat to security, emotional wound from someone close)--the beginning of the answer is remembering God and who we are to Him. Because Jesus bought and paid for us with His blood, each of us is God's precious child. He doesn't go to sleep on guard duty.

"My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps." Psalm 121:2-4

Yes, it is God, our shield, watching over us and, in His time, He will reveal the answer to us.

"The LORD Himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever." Psalm 121:5-8

We just need to wait until He is ready to speak.

"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me." Psalm 62:5-7

The answer, the victory, comes from Him.

"Victory comes from You, O LORD. May You bless Your people." Psalm 3:8

by Marilyn Allison

Don't Cry, Mom

Don't Cry, Mom

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house..." 1 Peter 2:5a

I know you and Dad saw a piece of our early childhood bruised and lonely. The subsequent owners neglected it like a stray cat. Its ribs were poking out, its rosy complexion, pale and lifeless. Your nostalgic ‘drive by’ led you to the ugliest house on the block. The cushy grass you often trampled to scoop us after a fall, is now crunchy and brown. The sidewalk where Dad chased close behind while I learned to ride my bike, is cracked and uneven. Not a trace of the tender attention you poured into it is reflected in life's rear-view mirror.

Don’t be sad.

That house wasn’t built to last. The present space--where your grandchildren gather to giggle and bake--won’t last either. The olive tree in the front that every neighborhood kid triumphantly climbed, has already passed away. The gaping hole where it once reached to the sky reminds me, life is a breath.

Houses of wood, stone and brick crumble. The branches of epic climbing trees rot away.

I want you and Dad to know one thing...

You’ve built a house for me more gorgeous than any Zillow listing...
A house built on Christ, the solid rock.

When you prayed over dinner, over sickness or at the foot of my bed as I drifted off…
A strong foundation was poured.

Prayer wasn’t only for hard times.
Prayer was for all times.
Prayer was for everything in my life.

When you brought us to spend long afternoons piecing together puzzles with widows like ‘Grandma Myrtle’, I didn’t understand…
A thoughtful frame was being pieced together.

Love is patient & kind.
Everyone is worthy.
I was worthy.

When you’d order bags of extra hamburgers at Burger King to hand out to the homeless man after church, I was unsure of the filthy, life-worn hands grabbing at the food…
Strong walls were being raised in my life-

God sees everyone.
God loves everyone.
God sees and loves me.

When I woke up exhausted the morning of my baptism--burdened with bad dreams--you helped me get dressed. You rolled down my ruffled sock whispering, ‘There’s an enemy. He doesn’t want you to get baptized. You cannot let him win"...
The roof of my spiritual house was secured.

I would experience fierce battles in my life.
My God was stronger and fiercer.
God made me strong and fierce.

Now that I’m a Mommy, I want my precious kiddos to dwell in a solid spiritual house like the one you created for me.  I thought of this as I baptized my children, your grandchildren, in the very backyard pool you’ve generously opened to friends and neighbors for the past thirty-two years. I felt God beaming with pride as Aaron and I dipped their precious heads back into the water.

The Great Commission starts in the home. I learned this from you. I’m aware God will equip us to build a spiritual house with a unique rhythm and calling.

But it’s not a new house.

We’re expanding the construction you’ve started--just as you added a fresh wing to what your parents crafted for you.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock”. Matthew 7:24-25

Mom and Dad, the rain has fallen, the floods have come, winds have blown and beaten on the house, but it has not fallen. It never will.

One day, we'll dwell in the house of the Lord together, forever.  The grass will never turn a dusty brown and paint will never peel. There will be more than one olive tree for your grandchildren, and their great grandchildren, to climb.

I imagine we'd have tears of joy...if tears were allowed. But they're not.
So don't cry Mom.

by Jenna Masters

Encouragement

Encouragement

"Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against His anointed one. 'Let us break their chains,' they cry, 'and free ourselves from slavery to God." Psalm 2:1-3

This verse sounds like today, doesn't it? Actually, David wrote this psalm during one of the many rebellions he experienced against his rule as king. Rebellion against God is as old as, well...Satan's rebellion in heaven,

"How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High." Isaiah 14:12-14

Thrown out of his place in heaven, Satan set out to destroy God's creation in the Garden of Eden by corrupting the creature who was created in God's image--Adam and his helpmate, Eve. First, he provoked Eve to question God's word, then he tempted her in the way he always tempts mankind. 

"The. woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her." Genesis 3:6a

There it is. The three ways that generate all rebellion against God's order--the lust of the eyes (tree was beautiful), the lust of the flesh (fruit looked delicious), and the pride of life (wanted wisdom equal to or better than God). Eve chose to disobey God's command and believe Satan's lie, awakening in her a desire for the fruit of the tree. Temptation is ready to nail us when we choose to believe a lie. It takes choosing faith in Jesus to free us from the hold of sin and its consequences--to make us righteous.

God, the Creator of the universe, is sovereign. Every war from the beginning of time is a rebellion against His order. Consider the current state of the world. Threats of war abound across our planet, although the media of today spotlights only a few. Does the nightly news cause your stomach to churn? To fear? Be anxious? Fill you with discouragement?

We must remember Satan was put under a curse.

"Then the LORD God said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:14-15

In this first prophecy about Jesus, God said Satan would wound Messiah's heel (the cross and resurrection), but Jesus would ultimately deliver a mortal blow to the enemy of God's holy purpose. 

Psalm 2 contains another messianic prophecy. Its initial intent was for David, but it also refers to the Son of David, who is the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the purpose of His coming at the end of days.

"...I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots." Psalm 2:8-9

Prophecy is encouragement to those of us looking for the blessed hope of Jesus'return. We must resist the temptation to fret when we hear reports of wars and rumors of wars. We must put our faith in God's promises and believe. We must fight against discouragement when we see certain nations lining up with the intent to eradicate Israel. God is not surprised, nor disheartened. He identified them long before in Ezekiel 38. And, when we witness the descent of our country from the place of moral influence and world power it once held, we should remember we are not mentioned in the prophecies of the end of days. Only God will stand with Israel and He will deliver them. 

What should we do? 

"Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalm 2:6

Serve the LORD.  What does that look like?

First and foremost, I believe, we are to exalt Him in worship, respectfully recognizing He is Holy...Almighty God...Creator of the universe...Father of Love.

And, we ought to pray.

Pray and love God with our whole hearts, minds and souls.
Pray and love others as we love ourselves.
Pray and humbly submit to His will in our lives.
Pray and stand firm in our faith in Jesus.
Pray and speak/share the truth in love.
Pray and shine the light of Jesus to all mankind.
Pray non-stop and constantly rejoice in Jesus and His finished work.
Pray and patiently endure ________(whatever God has called each of us to).
Pray and receive the comfort of the LORD.
Pray and comfort others with the comfort we've received--the hope that is in us.

Perhaps there has been no other time in our lives when prayer has become as vital as it is today. Jesus is coming again...soon. May He find us, His bride, expectantly waiting with abundant oil of the Holy Spirit in our lamps, spreading an incandescent message of forgiveness and hope.

"Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." Psalm 2:12b

by Marilyn Allison