Tag Archives: blessings

June 16

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I miss my Dad. It’s been nine months since he died so this is my first Father’s Day I don’t get to celebrate with him. Dad didn’t like getting gifts so we quit that years ago. But I always sent him a card. And he always opened it and pretended to look for money inside. And I always laughed.

Dads are so important to their children no matter how old their children are. Men, you have such an influence on those precious ones you have in your home – for better, or for worse.

Children need to see godly men.

Whether or not you have children of your own you can be that man in the lives of nieces and nephews, grandchildren, family friends, or neighbors. You can be that godly influence as a mailman, a mechanic, a doctor, a coach.

And if you are a godly father, a godly man I celebrate you today. The psalmist encourages you to trust God. He’s your help and your shield. God will bless those who fear him – small or great alike.

Then in Psalm 115:14&15 the psalmist pens what I pray for you today:

May The Lord make you increase,
both you and your children.
May you be blessed by The Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Happy Father’s Day, men of God.

March 21

Deuteronomy 27, 28

I’ve been a Christian for decades. But I haven’t always had a close relationship with God. There have been times, years really, that although I professed to be a Christian I held on to sin or neglected my walk by not reading the Bible, praying, or going to church. On the outside I might have looked like a good girl, inside God was fighting for a position in my heart.

Moses told the Israelites if they obeyed God they would be so blessed. But if they disobeyed they would experience the list of horrible consequences. Deuteronomy 28:55&56 says:

Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life.

That was my experience when I began to walk away from the Lord. And the farther I got from Him, the more it was true.

I am burdened for all of us today. God doesn’t want us to live like that. If we are feeling anxious, despair, dread or longing maybe it’s God saying, “Come back to me”.

Father, thank you that you are the giver of good things, that you long for us to walk with you and enjoy our journey. Thank you for those uncomfortable feelings that can remind us to put you first in our lives. And may you find us willing to do that today.

January 13

Job 30-32

Job is still trying to make sense of what has happened. He examines his life closely and still feels he has lived a righteous life. I didn’t take time to count the “if”‘s in these verses but there are many. Job says, in the condensed version… if I was unfair, stingy, judgmental, if I was unfaithful to my wife or put my trust in gold I would have disobeyed God and could understand my suffering.

But Job stands firm in his belief that he did his best to be a godly man. And he was.

God is telling us through Job’s story that health and wealth are not connected to obedience. There are no guarantees that if you live a good life only good things will happen to you. If that were so people would go to God for the wrong reason… for what’s in it for them instead of going to God because of who He is.

So what is the incentive for godly living if I can’t be assured life will be easy? And what’s to prevent me from enjoying the lusts of the world if it rains on both good and bad people anyway?

I can say first hand that the benefits of godly living include a clear conscience, a blessed assurance, peace, hope, satisfaction, strength, and the knowledge that I am loved and forgiven. You just can’t buy those things no matter how wealthy you are.

God, thank you for blessing us with your Presence, more precious than gold. And thank you that, whether good times or bad, you are right there. Help us to realize everything that happens in this lifetime happens to draw us to you and to show you to a lost world who needs you. May you find us faithful because we love you.