Category Archives: Bible

April 23 -Who Influences You?

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I Chronicles 1-2

Be honest. Did you read every name listed in the two chapters for today? It’s a list ancestry.com can’t even offer. Can God speak to us in passages such as these? I mean, what does Shallum becoming the father of Jekamiah have to do with me in the 21st century?

Whenever I read the genealogy sections of the Bible I try not to skip over any name. All Scripture is God-breathed, so evidently old Segub must be important. Did you know Segub’s dad was over 60 when Segub was born? Achar was described as “the troubler of Israel.” Ouch. Sheshan had only daughters.

I have a pretty strong German heritage. And I believe my sisters and I were raised, in part,  with the influence of that culture. But I don’t consider myself a German. I’m an American. Born and raised.

God seems to be asking me today where are my greatest influences? Is it the patriarchal make-up of my ancestors? Is it the influence of being raised during post-WWII? Would I say my teachers and/or professors have been my greatest influence? Literature? Friends? Movie or rock stars?

Or is my greatest influence my adopted Father? My spiritual family? God’s Word?

I have no say as to what family I was born into. But I have been influenced by them, by teachers and friends. I am who I am today largely because of them. And I can’t change that. I’m actually blessed because of them.

I can, however, choose to place God above anyone and anything. I can choose to be like Jesus from this day on. I can devour God’s Word, pay attention to sound teaching, love like Jesus loved. I can learn from older saints, and mentor younger ones.

Yes, these chapters in I Chronicles are important to me in 2016. It made me stop and think about who I am, and what is really important. I want my legacy to be that I was a godly woman, one who was influenced by God Himself, and lived her life to please Him.

 

April 22 – It’s A Great Day

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Psalms 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21

Reading these psalms this morning has my heart praising God for my salvation. Even when there is no good in me He loves me. He forgives even my secret sins. He has written His love letter to me, my owner’s manual, my guidebook.

He walks with me. He defeats my enemies, those things which would come between my God and me.

I rejoice in my salvation. How majestic is God in all the earth.

“Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power.” (21:13)

“You will make known to me the path of life; in Your Presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (16:11)

It’s a great day to walk with my Savior!

April 21 – After God’s Own Heart

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2 Samuel 1-4

I think I see what Scripture means when it says David was a man after God’s own heart. In these chapters we see that David mourned the death of Saul. Yes, Saul. Saul who had spent years trying to kill David. That Saul. Yet David never thought, “Well good. It’s about time he got what he deserved. Karma, baby.”

In fact, David went so far as to say, in the song he wrote for Saul, “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life…” Beloved? Pleasant? Saul? That’s what David sang.

David’s example as a man after God’s own heart, helps me understand that God does not take joy in the death of any of the people who reject Him. Jesus died for them. He took their sins upon Himself on the cross. The vilest offender, the most depraved, the most hateful terrorist is a soul whose salvation is bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus. It’s their’s for the taking up to the last breath they breathe. And somehow, I believe God mourns the death of anyone who dies without accepting Him, even more than David mourned Saul’s death.

So, dear one. If you have a secret desire that someone who’s wronged you will get what you think they deserve, stop it! That attitude cannot please God.

If we who are His children want to be people after God’s own heart (and I hope that is the desire of us all) we need to confess that desire for bad things to happen to someone, as sin. We need to pray for the person we hold a grudge against.

And we must never rejoice in the suffering of anyone, including our “enemy.”

If David can do it, so can I with the help of my Savior who loves that person to death.

April 20 – Ain’t No Mountain

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Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130

Several of these psalms speak about mountains. For one thing, a mountain isn’t going anywhere. During the days these psalms were written, living close to a mountain provided protection from invading enemies. And if you lived surrounded by mountains you were extra safe.

Very often in Scripture mountains are used to represent problems, something to be conquered, or to get over. These psalms had me looking at mountains today in a different light.

God is asking me today where I go for protection from my enemy Satan. Do I turn on Dr. Phil, read a self-help book, talk to a friend, take a pill or have a drink? How is that working for me?

Psalm 121 reminds me God made heaven and earth, that He won’t let my foot slip, that He’ll protect me and keep my soul. Psalm 124: “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 125 tells me if I trust in the Lord I can be as immovable as Mt. Zion. It also says God surrounds me like the mountains around Jerusalem.

Today, I want to seek shelter in God who is more sturdy than any mountain He created. I want to live in the shadow of the mountain that is God Himself. He is my shield and safety. He is my protection and strength. None of my problems are too big for Him.

And He’s not going anywhere. He is as immovable as a mountain. And if I go to Him by reading His Word and praying, He is there.

You see, there “ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough” to keep God from me. That’s where I get my help. That’s where I get my strength. That’s where I want to be.

 

 

April 19 – When God Is Silent

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I Samuel 28-31, Psalm 18

I am having one of those mornings where God seems to be silent as I read His Word. My mind wanders. My eyes fill with tears.

So I will pray back to God His own words from the eighteenth psalm. It’s all I have to offer today.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength.” You are my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer. My God, my rock in whom I take refuge. You are my shield, my salvation, and my stronghold. I call upon You, Lord, because You are worthy to be praised. I am saved from Satan’s hold on me, I am protected from his arrows. You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me. Your gentleness makes me great.

The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation. (from psalm 18:1-3, 35, 4)

April 18 – Out of the Darkness

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Psalms 17, 35, 54, 63

When you read these psalms you can almost hear the sadness in David’s voice. Life is not being fair. He is in despair. His enemies are real and fighting hard to destroy him. For no reason.

But you can also get a sense of the trust David has in God. David is not without hope. You can read about his torment. But listen to his words of faith:

17:15 As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I wake.

35:28 And my tongue shall declare Your righteousness and Your praises all day long.

35:54 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. 

And here is the key to what I believe is David’s ability to completely trust God during the worst time of his life, during his darkest hours:

63:1  O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

If you don’t read anything else today, I hope you’ll read Psalm 63. If you are beaten down by the cares of this world, if you are being treated unfairly, if it seems like Satan is winning the war, turn your eyes toward Jesus.

The more you dwell on the problems in your life, the more power they have over you.

Does your soul thirst for God, or for something else? Does your flesh yearn for God? David tells us God’s lovingkindness is better than life itself. Do you believe that?

Allow yourself to rest in the shadow of His wing. Cling to God because His right hand can hold you up through these dark days. You’ll begin to see the light because Jesus tells us HE is the Light of the World. He’s the light of YOUR world.

When you take your eyes off the problem, when you spend time in God’s Word and allow Him to carry you, the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of the Savior’s glory and grace.

My Dear Comforter, I pray for hurting people today. I thank You that You inspired David to write these beautiful psalms that express what many of us are going through thousands of years later. And I thank You that David reminds us that You are able. You are righteous. You have our backs. And when we cling to You, You are able to give us exactly what we need to face today. May hurting people spend time in Your Word today. May they talk to You, the One who loves them to death. And may they allow You to bring them out of the darkness of the situation, into the light of Your Presence. Comfort them. Strengthen them. May we all look to Jesus only today.

April 17 – Forgiven and Blessed

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I Samuel 25-27

Abigail asked David for forgiveness. Yes, it was her husband Nabal who had refused to help David. But 25:28 tells us Abigail, after falling on her face at David’s feet said, “Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant.”

In verse 35 we see David granted her request. And later, after Nabal’s death, David brought Abigail into his home and made her his wife. She became the king’s bride.

As I read this today I saw a picture of my relationship with God. When I fell on my face before Him and asked Him to forgive me – he did! Then He lifted me up and took me for Himself. I am His. He is mine.

The Bible calls believers the Bride of Christ. That’s me. And all because I humbled myself and asked Jesus to forgive me. How blessed I am.

I pray you can say the same.

April 16 – Tears In A Bottle

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Psalms 56, 120, 140-141

Have you ever felt the need to shut the door to your room and just cry? (And men, I’m talking to you, too.) You can put up a brave face for only so long, and you realize you have arrived at your breaking point. You are alone. Not even your loved ones understand. You need to be by yourself and let it all out.

But you are never alone. There is Someone right there with you who loves you beyond what you know. And it’s at our lowest points that God wants to hold us, comfort and strengthen us.

I love what David said in Psalm 56:8:

You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in your book?

There isn’t a tear that falls from your eyes that God does not see or consider important. And he doesn’t forget a one of them.

David’s circumstances did not change. Saul still wanted him dead. The Philistines held him captive. But listen to David’s words in the midst of his pain:

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You, in God whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

If you are sad, or alone, or fearful, or all of the above, get alone with your Savior. Read the psalms. Let God gather your tears and replace them with Himself.

He loves you so much.

Hebrews 12:3-11, Consider…

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I hope you’ll take some time to read this thought-provoking post. It’s a re-post from a man whose ministry has spoken to me often. Parents, Grandparents, voters, teachers, there is something in there for all of us. And may God speak to your heart as He did to mine.

vonhonnauldt's avatarnightlightblogdotcom

[3]For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  [4]You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.  [5]And you  have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons:  ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; [6]for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’
[7]If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?  [8]But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.  [9]Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect.  Shall we not much more readily be in subjection…

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April 15 – When Life Gets Tough

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Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

There is so much gold contained in the psalms. In the five we read today, you get a feeling for David’s pain, his confusion. He is being pursued by Saul, and betrayed by Doeg. David is hiding in a cave while he writes these words.

In these psalms David also gives us a glimpse of Jesus. Look for verses that refer to our Savior as you read. It’s pretty awesome.

But what stood out to me today as I read these psalms was David’s unwavering faith and trust in God. Yes he was running for his life. Yes, he was being treated unfairly. But no matter what, David rested in God alone.

52: 8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving kindness of God forever and ever.

34:1  I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth.

34:4  I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

34:8  O taste and see that the Lord is good.

31:14&15  But as for me, I trust in you, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands…

27:1  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?

7:1  O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge…

I hope you’ll read these psalms as the prayer of your own heart. Substitute David’s enemy with whatever it is you are facing. I pray you’ll be able to face whatever would destroy you, with the same confidence David expresses in these beautiful psalms.

When life gets tough, the only place I want to be is clinging to God who loves me and shelters me and holds me close. There, and only there, I have no fear.