"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters." Psalm 23:1-2
Psalm 23 is one of the most familiar and loved Psalms. It is a Psalm which you and I probably memorized as a young child. One wonders sometimes if we have become so familiar with the words of the Psalm, however, that we do not fully delight in the implications of the Psalm's truths and promises.
Psalm 23:1 says,"The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not be in want." Sheep are unintelligent, dirty, and defenseless. They are in need of a shepherd for protection. The Lord says that we are like sheep, but He is willing to be our Shepherd of protection. He is willing to lead us through this life and to eternity! "The Lord is MY Shepherd!" As a child of God He is your Shepherd also!
In Biblical times the sheep were lead not driven. They listened for the shepherd's voice, and they followed him. So you and I must follow the Great Shepherd's voice in His Holy Word. The Lord must be most important in our lives, and we must follow Him. He must be our Shepherd in every area and activity of our lives. All of our lives must be under His direction and control. If we allow Him to control our lives, Psalm 23:1 tells us that we "shall not be in want." He will provide for all of our needs, if we trust Him.
Psalm 23:2 says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures." When you or I get too involved with our busy lives or lose sight of our passion to serve the Lord, He will intervene in our lives.
He will use some event or circumstance to compel us to rest in Him. He wants us to rest secure and content in Him.
Green pastures in Psalm 23 are a metaphor for abundant life or for all that makes life flourish. Some of the circumstances the Lord allows in our lives may not seem like green pastures. They seem more like brown dried up pastures. We do not want to "lie down" and trust our Good Shepherd. We may try to "fix" the problem on our own. But what you or I see as a bad circumstance in our life may actually be for our good. The Lord may be trying to make some repairs in our character and in our heart. The Lord may be operating on us spiritually to remove selfishness and arrogance or self-reliance from our lives. The Lord is in control. We simply need to trust Him. We must remain teachable. If the Lord has allowed a difficult situation in our lives, we must submit to Him and rest in Him.
Psalm 23:2 goes on to say, "He leads me besides quiet waters." The Lord leads us like a shepherd. Jesus Christ is out in front of us today. He is already in the future, so we need not fear the future. Our future is secure in Him. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is in the business of stilling the raging waters and storms of our lives and leading us by "quiet waters." The Lord leads us to His rest. He provides for our security, nourishment, and sense of well-being.
Sheep panic when they are around raging waters. This is because sheep can drown very easily. The Lord is our Shepherd, and He can still whatever raging waters are in our lives that cause us to panic. The Lord will still them at the right moment in in His perfect timing. Faith is a refusal to panic; because we know that our Shepherd, Jesus, is in complete control. He is our peace! He is our Shepherd!
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Luke 10:38-42
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. Luke 10:39-40
We must not get so involved with life's busy and hectic schedule that we forget to sit at Jesus' feet. We must never neglect our quiet time with Him in prayer and Bible reading. In our Biblical story today Jesus was visiting in the home of Martha and Mary. How excited Martha and Mary must have been to have the Lord Jesus come to their home! Martha was an energetic "take charge" type person. Perhaps Mary was a more "laid back" and meditative person. God uses all kinds of personalities in His kingdom for different purposes. So no matter what personality type we possess we can be used by the Lord. We need to bring ourselves and our personalities under the Lordship of the Lord, however, and we must seek to do all for His glory.
When Jesus came to Martha and Mary's house Luke chapter ten verse thirty-nine says that Mary "sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said." Martha, however, was running around frantically making preparations for the meal that she was planning to serve the Lord Jesus. Luke chapter ten verse forty tells us that Martha was very "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made."
Soon Martha became annoyed that her sister, Mary, was not helping her. She complained to Jesus in the last part of verse forty. Martha said, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Jesus answered Martha in Luke chapter ten verses forty-one and forty-two by saying, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Jesus was not condemning Martha for her service. God's kingdom needs people who are energetic in His service. Jesus, however, was admonishing Martha for allowing her busy schedule to interfere with needed and precious time in the Lord's presence.
So we also must remember that it is not what we do for the Lord that is important. What is important is that we are abiding in the Lord in what we are doing. All of our activity should be filled with a sense of the Lord's presence right beside, before, and behind us. Our lives must be filled with His agenda and not our own. To be about God's agenda in this world we need to be abiding in Him and communing with Him. We must not become so involved with life's activities that we miss the joy of Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening to Him.
In these days of tension, turmoil, and frantic schedules we must take time for quiet times with the Lord in His Holy Word and prayer. This is the one thing that is needed and essential in our lives! It should be our number one priority in our lives to grow in our love relationship with the Lord. Even if we are busy in service for the Lord, if we neglect time sitting at the Lord's feet; our service for the Lord will not be blessed. Only when we have taken time with the Lord can we experience the peace and joy of the awareness of His presence in our many activities of the day.
I at one time had a placard on a windowsill in my kitchen. I think it must have gotten lost in one of my moves. It read, "God is more interested in my character than in my activity." That reminds me that I need to more concerned with showing a Christ-like character than in accomplishing all the things on my "to do" list. God is interested in our service, but we can only properly serve Him, if we first have spent time with Him!
We must not get so involved with life's busy and hectic schedule that we forget to sit at Jesus' feet. We must never neglect our quiet time with Him in prayer and Bible reading. In our Biblical story today Jesus was visiting in the home of Martha and Mary. How excited Martha and Mary must have been to have the Lord Jesus come to their home! Martha was an energetic "take charge" type person. Perhaps Mary was a more "laid back" and meditative person. God uses all kinds of personalities in His kingdom for different purposes. So no matter what personality type we possess we can be used by the Lord. We need to bring ourselves and our personalities under the Lordship of the Lord, however, and we must seek to do all for His glory.
When Jesus came to Martha and Mary's house Luke chapter ten verse thirty-nine says that Mary "sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said." Martha, however, was running around frantically making preparations for the meal that she was planning to serve the Lord Jesus. Luke chapter ten verse forty tells us that Martha was very "distracted by all the preparations that had to be made."
Soon Martha became annoyed that her sister, Mary, was not helping her. She complained to Jesus in the last part of verse forty. Martha said, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Jesus answered Martha in Luke chapter ten verses forty-one and forty-two by saying, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Jesus was not condemning Martha for her service. God's kingdom needs people who are energetic in His service. Jesus, however, was admonishing Martha for allowing her busy schedule to interfere with needed and precious time in the Lord's presence.
So we also must remember that it is not what we do for the Lord that is important. What is important is that we are abiding in the Lord in what we are doing. All of our activity should be filled with a sense of the Lord's presence right beside, before, and behind us. Our lives must be filled with His agenda and not our own. To be about God's agenda in this world we need to be abiding in Him and communing with Him. We must not become so involved with life's activities that we miss the joy of Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening to Him.
In these days of tension, turmoil, and frantic schedules we must take time for quiet times with the Lord in His Holy Word and prayer. This is the one thing that is needed and essential in our lives! It should be our number one priority in our lives to grow in our love relationship with the Lord. Even if we are busy in service for the Lord, if we neglect time sitting at the Lord's feet; our service for the Lord will not be blessed. Only when we have taken time with the Lord can we experience the peace and joy of the awareness of His presence in our many activities of the day.
I at one time had a placard on a windowsill in my kitchen. I think it must have gotten lost in one of my moves. It read, "God is more interested in my character than in my activity." That reminds me that I need to more concerned with showing a Christ-like character than in accomplishing all the things on my "to do" list. God is interested in our service, but we can only properly serve Him, if we first have spent time with Him!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Easter's Meaning
(I
am deviating from my normal activity here, and I am writing an Easter
devotional instead. I will not be posting next week. Use this time to read some of my older posts. The next post will be on or around March 31. Have a blessing Easter.)
We
are celebrating Easter in a few days. What does Easter mean to you,
dear Christian reader? How does it relate to your life with its joys
and struggles?
Easter
means that the Lord Jesus came to this earth and lived a perfect life
for you and me. He later died on the cross to pay the price for our
sins, and then He arose again on the third day to prove that He had
won over sin and death and Satan. If you and I have accepted his gift
of salvation by repentance and faith, we are His child now and for
eternity.
Easter
also means that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, identifies with your
pain and struggles in your life. He also identifies with the pain of
your loved ones, dear reader. Having suffered the worst possible
pain for us on the cross He is able to sympathize with our heartaches
and weaknesses. He is also an all powerful Savior to whom we can
freely go for grace in our moments of sadness and overwhelming and
crushing needs.
In
fact Hebrews chapter four verses fifteen and sixteen says “For we
do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just
as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of
grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help us in our time of need.”
Because
of Easter and Christ's sacrifice you can freely approach God the
Father Himself with your and your loved one's needs, dear reader. You
can cry out to Him for help and according to Romans chapter eight
verse fifteen call Him your “Abba Father,” because He considers
you His special child. Easter also means that when your heart is so
weighed down with the heartaches and overwhelming circumstances of
life that you do not even know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will
intercede and pray for you!
Easter means that although you will always face trials and
troubles in this world, the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the
world. He is also your source of peace even in the most
challenging of times. (John 16:33) Even in the overwhelming and unthinkable circumstances of life, when we do not understand
God's ways in allowing certain things in our lives, God is working for our ultimate good.
We are victors in Him!
Dear
Christian reader, my hope for you would be that when difficulties
occur in your life you will slowly heal emotionally and spiritually
through God's loving and healing hand. God will always be with you,
and joy will return one day in even the overwhelming trials of life.
His love for you will never fail. He proved that love for you on the
cross. I also pray that you will find joy both in the pleasant times
and in the difficult moments, because of the tremendous and eternal
love the Lord has for you, That is the meaning of Easter for all of
us.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Mark 14:1-11
"She did what she could." Mark 14:8
The religious leaders of Jesus Christ's day hated Him, and they were looking for a way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. During this time period Jesus was in the home of a man known as Simon. Jesus was sharing a meal with Simon and the others who were present that day. Suddenly Mark chapter fourteen verse three tells us that "a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head." We know from this same account in the Gospel of John that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. John chapter twelve verse three tells us that Mary poured the perfume "on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair."
The perfume Mary poured on Jesus' head and feet was made of a delightfully pleasant smelling oil extracted from a root of a plant grown mainly in India and was very expensive. In fact, John chapter twelve verse three goes on to say, "the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." This action on Mary's part showed her deep and overflowing devotion and love for the Lord Jesus. It also showed Mary's humility. Mary was not concerned about what others thought about her action. She was only concerned about showing her love for her Lord.
Some of those present, however, were indignant about this and were saying that the money could have been given to the poor. We know from John's Gospel account of this same story that the main person who was objecting to this display of love on the part of Mary was Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was the man who right after this incident went out and betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders of that day. Others were also rebuking Mary for her act of love to Jesus; but Jesus said to them in Mark chapter fourteen verses six through nine, "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to Me. The poor you will always have with you, and your can help them any time you want. But you will not always have Me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for My burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she had done will also be told, in memory of her."
While others rebuked Mary for her act of love, Jesus praised her. Mary gave all she could to show her love for the Lord. Can we say the same for ourselves? Do we give our all to the Lord? The Lord wants our time, our talents, our lives, and our all. Jesus wants the the sweet fragrance of our Christ-like actions and attitudes to fill our world around us, so that others see Jesus in us.
Our Lord wants us to be consumed with the desire to bring glory and honor to Him. Our Lord wants us to be consumed with our love relationship with Him. Our lives must be poured out in gratitude to the Lord for what He has done for us. Our Lord Jesus poured out His life for us. Should we not give our all to Him in gratitude and love for His gift of salvation to us? Our selfish wants and desires must diminish and be extinguished, and our consuming desire must be that we may live to reflect Christ's holiness in our lives. John chapter three verse thirty says, "He must become greater; I must become less." May it be our supreme desire that there will be less of self and our selfish desires in our lives. Instead may our lives be poured out for the Lord for His glory and honor!
The religious leaders of Jesus Christ's day hated Him, and they were looking for a way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. During this time period Jesus was in the home of a man known as Simon. Jesus was sharing a meal with Simon and the others who were present that day. Suddenly Mark chapter fourteen verse three tells us that "a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head." We know from this same account in the Gospel of John that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. John chapter twelve verse three tells us that Mary poured the perfume "on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair."
The perfume Mary poured on Jesus' head and feet was made of a delightfully pleasant smelling oil extracted from a root of a plant grown mainly in India and was very expensive. In fact, John chapter twelve verse three goes on to say, "the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." This action on Mary's part showed her deep and overflowing devotion and love for the Lord Jesus. It also showed Mary's humility. Mary was not concerned about what others thought about her action. She was only concerned about showing her love for her Lord.
Some of those present, however, were indignant about this and were saying that the money could have been given to the poor. We know from John's Gospel account of this same story that the main person who was objecting to this display of love on the part of Mary was Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot was the man who right after this incident went out and betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders of that day. Others were also rebuking Mary for her act of love to Jesus; but Jesus said to them in Mark chapter fourteen verses six through nine, "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to Me. The poor you will always have with you, and your can help them any time you want. But you will not always have Me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for My burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she had done will also be told, in memory of her."
While others rebuked Mary for her act of love, Jesus praised her. Mary gave all she could to show her love for the Lord. Can we say the same for ourselves? Do we give our all to the Lord? The Lord wants our time, our talents, our lives, and our all. Jesus wants the the sweet fragrance of our Christ-like actions and attitudes to fill our world around us, so that others see Jesus in us.
Our Lord wants us to be consumed with the desire to bring glory and honor to Him. Our Lord wants us to be consumed with our love relationship with Him. Our lives must be poured out in gratitude to the Lord for what He has done for us. Our Lord Jesus poured out His life for us. Should we not give our all to Him in gratitude and love for His gift of salvation to us? Our selfish wants and desires must diminish and be extinguished, and our consuming desire must be that we may live to reflect Christ's holiness in our lives. John chapter three verse thirty says, "He must become greater; I must become less." May it be our supreme desire that there will be less of self and our selfish desires in our lives. Instead may our lives be poured out for the Lord for His glory and honor!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Mark 11
"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:23-25
In the home where I used to live hung a sign which read, "Let prayer be the KEY that opens and closes your day." I think this sign was suggesting that prayer should permeate our entire day from beginning to end. The sign was suggesting that prayer is the key to a joyful, abundant, and productive life. It is so tempting to rush into our day's activities without prayer. Prayer, however, is a powerful tool given to us by the Lord. Often we do not begin to tap into the full power prayer can have in our lives.
Mark chapter eleven verses twenty-two through twenty-four are powerful verses. They tell us that we need to approach the Lord in prayer with faith and trust. If we do this, the Lord will remove the "mountains" or what we deem to be impossible circumstances or obstacles from our lives. The Lord will remove these difficult situations in our lives, or He will give us the grace and strength to walk through those difficult situations.
He will do this through the power of prayer. In verse twenty-four of Mark chapter eleven Jesus says,"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." God can hear our prayers and do what we think is impossible. Wonderful things have been accomplished through the power of prayer for those who are the children of God.
We do need to pray according to the Lord's will, however. God knows what is best for us. A parent would not give a knife to a toddler, if he or she asked for it. In the same way, our Lord will not give us things that are not good for us. He loves us that much! According to Mark chapter eleven verse twenty-five we also need to not have an unforgiving spirit towards others, if we want to be an effective prayer warrior. Further, if we want to be an effective prayer warrior, we need to show evidence of a relationship with the Lord and of spiritual fruit in our lives. Jesus condemned the fig tree for not producing fruit in Mark chapter eleven verses twelve through fourteen. So we too must produce spiritual fruit in our lives, if we hope to be powerful spiritual warriors.
Our trusting prayers to the Lord will open wide the storehouses of heaven! By our complete dependence on the Lord the door is open to the presence of the Lord and to all His answers to prayer in our lives! Our helplessness united with faith in the Lord produces prayers that are pleasing to the Lord. If we approach the Lord in trustful prayers, it will also bring about wonderful answers to prayer! We prove the all-sufficiency of the Lord when we ask for what we think is impossible, and the Lord honors those prayers!
In the home where I used to live hung a sign which read, "Let prayer be the KEY that opens and closes your day." I think this sign was suggesting that prayer should permeate our entire day from beginning to end. The sign was suggesting that prayer is the key to a joyful, abundant, and productive life. It is so tempting to rush into our day's activities without prayer. Prayer, however, is a powerful tool given to us by the Lord. Often we do not begin to tap into the full power prayer can have in our lives.
Mark chapter eleven verses twenty-two through twenty-four are powerful verses. They tell us that we need to approach the Lord in prayer with faith and trust. If we do this, the Lord will remove the "mountains" or what we deem to be impossible circumstances or obstacles from our lives. The Lord will remove these difficult situations in our lives, or He will give us the grace and strength to walk through those difficult situations.
He will do this through the power of prayer. In verse twenty-four of Mark chapter eleven Jesus says,"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." God can hear our prayers and do what we think is impossible. Wonderful things have been accomplished through the power of prayer for those who are the children of God.
We do need to pray according to the Lord's will, however. God knows what is best for us. A parent would not give a knife to a toddler, if he or she asked for it. In the same way, our Lord will not give us things that are not good for us. He loves us that much! According to Mark chapter eleven verse twenty-five we also need to not have an unforgiving spirit towards others, if we want to be an effective prayer warrior. Further, if we want to be an effective prayer warrior, we need to show evidence of a relationship with the Lord and of spiritual fruit in our lives. Jesus condemned the fig tree for not producing fruit in Mark chapter eleven verses twelve through fourteen. So we too must produce spiritual fruit in our lives, if we hope to be powerful spiritual warriors.
Our trusting prayers to the Lord will open wide the storehouses of heaven! By our complete dependence on the Lord the door is open to the presence of the Lord and to all His answers to prayer in our lives! Our helplessness united with faith in the Lord produces prayers that are pleasing to the Lord. If we approach the Lord in trustful prayers, it will also bring about wonderful answers to prayer! We prove the all-sufficiency of the Lord when we ask for what we think is impossible, and the Lord honors those prayers!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Psalm 18
Psalm eighteen was written by David after he had been delivered from the hands of King Saul. King Saul hated David, because he knew God had rejected him and had chosen David to be the new king to succeed him. Hence, Saul was trying to kill David. God protected David, however, and David eventually became king. Psalm eighteen is a psalm of praise from David to God for his deliverance from Saul. It is a beautiful psalm of praise which we can utter to the Lord also!
David said in Psalm 18:1. "I love You, O Lord, my strength." This verse reveals David's intimate and passionate relationship with the Lord. The Lord delights in our expressions of love to Him as well. We need to always be expressing our love for the Lord through our prayers and our lives.
When we truly love someone we also trust them. This kind of trust for his Lord was expressed by David in Psalm 18:2-3a. David said, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise."
The Lord is our "rock" or foundation also. When we are resting on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ our lives are meaningful, and every moment of our lives are under the Lord's direction and control. We need to fear nothing! The Lord is our "fortress" or place of shelter and safety. When the difficulties or trials of life come we can run to the Lord. The Lord is our "deliverer." How often we try every human resource before we turn to the Lord. We must run to the Lord first. He is our only true source of deliverance and our only "shield" of protection. The Lord is the one who will protect us and give us the grace and strength we need in those difficult times in our lives. The Lord is our "horn" of salvation and our "stronghold." He is the strength and glory of our lives for time and for eternity! If we truly love and trust the Lord, we must call upon the Lord with our every need. We can trust the Lord to meet our every need in His perfect timing. Hence, we must also not forget to praise our awesome and faithful Lord; for He is indeed "worthy of praise!"
Even though David went through a difficult experience when he was being pursued by King Saul, the Lord was with David and protected him in a mighty way. David said of God in Psalm 18:16, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters." Later in Psalm 18:18b-19 David said, "The Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
The Lord rescues and helps us also in times of difficulty. The writer of this devotional has lived long enough to see that the Lord has always been faithful to her in her life. Sometimes the difficult things that occur in this life seem hard to accept and understand, but we can trust with absolute confidence that the Lord is faithful. Often only through difficult times can the Lord shape us into the kind of of people He wants us to become. This is because during trials in our lives we tend to lean more heavily on the Lord.
After the trials the Lord often draws us "out of deep waters," and He brings us "into a spacious place." The writer of this devotional has also seen that in her life. The Lord will always bless us through and in the trials, and then He will bring us out of trials "into a spacious place" unconfined by dangers and threats and protected by His love! This will always happen either in this life or ultimately in eternity! The Lord is faithful to His own! The Lord delights in His children who love, trust, and obey Him! Psalm 18:46 says, "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!"
David said in Psalm 18:1. "I love You, O Lord, my strength." This verse reveals David's intimate and passionate relationship with the Lord. The Lord delights in our expressions of love to Him as well. We need to always be expressing our love for the Lord through our prayers and our lives.
When we truly love someone we also trust them. This kind of trust for his Lord was expressed by David in Psalm 18:2-3a. David said, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise."
The Lord is our "rock" or foundation also. When we are resting on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ our lives are meaningful, and every moment of our lives are under the Lord's direction and control. We need to fear nothing! The Lord is our "fortress" or place of shelter and safety. When the difficulties or trials of life come we can run to the Lord. The Lord is our "deliverer." How often we try every human resource before we turn to the Lord. We must run to the Lord first. He is our only true source of deliverance and our only "shield" of protection. The Lord is the one who will protect us and give us the grace and strength we need in those difficult times in our lives. The Lord is our "horn" of salvation and our "stronghold." He is the strength and glory of our lives for time and for eternity! If we truly love and trust the Lord, we must call upon the Lord with our every need. We can trust the Lord to meet our every need in His perfect timing. Hence, we must also not forget to praise our awesome and faithful Lord; for He is indeed "worthy of praise!"
Even though David went through a difficult experience when he was being pursued by King Saul, the Lord was with David and protected him in a mighty way. David said of God in Psalm 18:16, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters." Later in Psalm 18:18b-19 David said, "The Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
The Lord rescues and helps us also in times of difficulty. The writer of this devotional has lived long enough to see that the Lord has always been faithful to her in her life. Sometimes the difficult things that occur in this life seem hard to accept and understand, but we can trust with absolute confidence that the Lord is faithful. Often only through difficult times can the Lord shape us into the kind of of people He wants us to become. This is because during trials in our lives we tend to lean more heavily on the Lord.
After the trials the Lord often draws us "out of deep waters," and He brings us "into a spacious place." The writer of this devotional has also seen that in her life. The Lord will always bless us through and in the trials, and then He will bring us out of trials "into a spacious place" unconfined by dangers and threats and protected by His love! This will always happen either in this life or ultimately in eternity! The Lord is faithful to His own! The Lord delights in His children who love, trust, and obey Him! Psalm 18:46 says, "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!"
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Matthew 14:22-33
"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Matthew 14:27b
Perhaps you remember as a child being afraid of the thunder and lightening. Maybe you have experienced fear in the midst of a tornado or a hurricane. There are also other kinds of storms in life. When the circumstances in our lives are of such a nature that everything in our lives seems to be crashing down around us,we are also experiencing a storm. Difficult trials or storms in our lives are never something we enjoy. God, however, often allows these trials or storms in our lives for our good.
Matthew 14:22a says, "Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side." Notice this verse says Jesus MADE the disciples do this. Because of their obedience to the Lord the disciples were soon going to find themselves in the midst of a storm. Storms and trials in our lives do not necessarily come, because we have been disobedient to the Lord. Often the Lord allows storms in our lives to teach us to rely on Him instead of our own resources. Often the Lord allows storms or trials in our lives to perfect and sanctify us. The Lord allows these things to help us grow spiritually.
After Jesus sent His disciples out into the boat to cross to the other side, a fierce storm arose on the lake. Though they were in the midst of this storm and thought they were alone and without Jesus' help, Jesus was still with them. The Gospel of Mark's account of this same event says the following in chapter six verse forty-eight, "He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them." Jesus was with the disciples even when they felt they were all alone. Jesus saw the difficulties they were experiencing. Jesus is also with us in the storms and trials of life. The Lord is with us even during the times when we feel all alone!
During the middle of the night Jesus came walking out on the lake to the disciples! When the disciples saw Jesus they were terrified, because they thought Jesus was a ghost. Jesus, however, said to the disciples in Matthew 14:27, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Jesus in effect said, "Cheer up! I am more than a match for any storm, so do not be afraid!"
Then Peter, one of Jesus' disciples said to Jesus in Matthew 14:28, "Lord, if it's You,---tell me to come to You on the water." Jesus did tell Peter to come to Him on the water. When Peter stepped out in faith and kept His eyes focused on Jesus, Peter actually walked on water! However, then Peter took his eyes off the Lord Jesus and looked at the waves and storm around him. As a result Peter became afraid and began to sink. According to Matthew 14:31 Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter and said, "You of little faith---why do you doubt?" As Peter and Jesus climbed into the boat the wind died down. The disciples worshiped the Lord Jesus and said to Him in Matthew 14:33b, "Truly You are the Son of God."
As we experience storms and trials in our lives, we also have a choice to make. We can either be overcome with doubt and fears, or we can keep our eyes focused on the Lord and trust Him to be with us in the storms. We can and must trust the Lord to be with us through the storms of life. We can and must trust the Lord to calm the storms in our lives. Then we will be able to walk triumphantly over the angry waves of the storms and trials in our lives! Our Lord is faithful, and He will be with us through every storm of life. We simply have to keep our eyes focused on the Lord. He alone can calm every storm and fear in our lives.
Perhaps you remember as a child being afraid of the thunder and lightening. Maybe you have experienced fear in the midst of a tornado or a hurricane. There are also other kinds of storms in life. When the circumstances in our lives are of such a nature that everything in our lives seems to be crashing down around us,we are also experiencing a storm. Difficult trials or storms in our lives are never something we enjoy. God, however, often allows these trials or storms in our lives for our good.
Matthew 14:22a says, "Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side." Notice this verse says Jesus MADE the disciples do this. Because of their obedience to the Lord the disciples were soon going to find themselves in the midst of a storm. Storms and trials in our lives do not necessarily come, because we have been disobedient to the Lord. Often the Lord allows storms in our lives to teach us to rely on Him instead of our own resources. Often the Lord allows storms or trials in our lives to perfect and sanctify us. The Lord allows these things to help us grow spiritually.
After Jesus sent His disciples out into the boat to cross to the other side, a fierce storm arose on the lake. Though they were in the midst of this storm and thought they were alone and without Jesus' help, Jesus was still with them. The Gospel of Mark's account of this same event says the following in chapter six verse forty-eight, "He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them." Jesus was with the disciples even when they felt they were all alone. Jesus saw the difficulties they were experiencing. Jesus is also with us in the storms and trials of life. The Lord is with us even during the times when we feel all alone!
During the middle of the night Jesus came walking out on the lake to the disciples! When the disciples saw Jesus they were terrified, because they thought Jesus was a ghost. Jesus, however, said to the disciples in Matthew 14:27, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Jesus in effect said, "Cheer up! I am more than a match for any storm, so do not be afraid!"
Then Peter, one of Jesus' disciples said to Jesus in Matthew 14:28, "Lord, if it's You,---tell me to come to You on the water." Jesus did tell Peter to come to Him on the water. When Peter stepped out in faith and kept His eyes focused on Jesus, Peter actually walked on water! However, then Peter took his eyes off the Lord Jesus and looked at the waves and storm around him. As a result Peter became afraid and began to sink. According to Matthew 14:31 Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter and said, "You of little faith---why do you doubt?" As Peter and Jesus climbed into the boat the wind died down. The disciples worshiped the Lord Jesus and said to Him in Matthew 14:33b, "Truly You are the Son of God."
As we experience storms and trials in our lives, we also have a choice to make. We can either be overcome with doubt and fears, or we can keep our eyes focused on the Lord and trust Him to be with us in the storms. We can and must trust the Lord to be with us through the storms of life. We can and must trust the Lord to calm the storms in our lives. Then we will be able to walk triumphantly over the angry waves of the storms and trials in our lives! Our Lord is faithful, and He will be with us through every storm of life. We simply have to keep our eyes focused on the Lord. He alone can calm every storm and fear in our lives.
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