Prayer Focus - Dreams
Day 3
Pray for:
One dream you have for yourself
One dream you have for your family
One dream you have for your spiritual life
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 102
"For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in His glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their plea.
In the course of my life He broke my strength; He cut short my days. So I said: 'Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; Your years go on through all generations. In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end. The children of Your servants will live in Your presence; their descendants will be established before You.'" ( vs. 2 - 7 )
Everything changes except for God. We all grow older, and tired, and weary, and eventually we give out. Even the earth someday will perish. It will wear out like an old garment and be tossed aside. It will be changed. Everything changes; this fact and God are the only constants. Day by day, the situations of our lives evolve. In one instant everything we have ever hoped for and dreamed of can be gone; swept away by a natural disaster or some other tragedy.
God alone is consistent. God alone will remain in the end. He brings down and lifts up. His power is amazing. It we look to creation and the earth and heavens, the vastness of His being is overwhelming. Who are we that He should even pay attention to us. Yet He does. He cares immensely for us. And He will in the end rebuild us if we let Him; no matter how far we have fallen. He will rebuild His kingdom as well. His plans will succeed as they always have. And He will listen to us if we call. We are all "the destitute" at one point or another in our lives. We all hit the bottom sometime, and it is there that God will be, waiting for us to turn to Him. In the end it is God and God alone.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Rebuild us. We rise and we fall. We have good days and we have bad days. We have dreams and failures. We cling to our existence here and try to make something of it. We desire to have consistency and eternal things. What we are often desiring and do not know it, is You. Help us to find You as You are all around us. You will remain when all else fails. We turn our eyes to You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What in my life needs to be rebuilt? Why?
2. Do I feel destitute in any way? Why? If not now, when have I felt this way? Did I turn to God or to other things for comfort?
3. Do I ever think about the creation of the earth? What do I believe about this? Why? Do I see God's hand in creation and nature?
4. What do I believe about God's eternal existence? Do I ever contemplate the end of time? What can I gain by thinking about these concepts?
5. What do I think it means to live in God's presence? Do I want this for my children and myself? What would it look like if my descendants were established before God? What can I do personally to ensure this?
Showing posts with label God's creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's creation. Show all posts
Monday, October 12, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Daily Devotional - 10/3/15
Prayer Focus - Needs
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 93
"The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity
The seas have lifted up. O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty.
Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O Lord." Psalm 93
God is in charge. God is majestic, and God is strong. The earth runs on fixed principles. It is more ancient than we are. It is established. This psalm speaks to me of how life is so much more than we are. We get caught up in our lives and our struggles and it is hard to have a true perspective of how small we really are. If we can think about all the people that have come and gone through all generations, it helps a little. If we stand by the ocean that helps as well. When I am near the ocean, it calms me. I look at the wide expanse in front of me and am amazed that this is only a small fraction of the water that covers this planet. This planet is truly immense and we like tiny ants run around as if we control it. How funny and sad we are at the same time. We control nothing.
I love the comparison of God and the ocean. The psalmist stresses the power of the ocean, its magnificent waves and the thunder they produce. Waves can truly destroy as we saw with all the tsunamis in recent years. It is amazing the power that is with in the ocean and yet the psalmist closes with God. God is mighty. God is mightier than the strongest things we see on our planet. And God is consistent. His statutes, His word doesn't change. He does not change. He is always holy and always good. He is the only thing that we can trust in. He is all we need.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are unchanging. We are grateful that Your creation runs on fixed principles so that we can have consistency. We are grateful for the cycles of life and we are grateful that You allow us to see the beauty of nature around us. Nature speaks to Your power and glory. It points out Your magnificence because it is powerful, and glorious, and magnificent. You have created all of this. We can not fathom You and all that You are but we are grateful for You anyway, and we are grateful that You allow us to serve You. We rest in You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about God reigning? Do I have issues with authority? Why or why not? How can I come to appreciate authority?
2. How do I view God? Do I think He is majestic, holy, and strong or do I have conflicting views? Why do I see God as I do? Does it have anything to do with how I see my father?
3. Do I see God in the world around me? How do I feel about nature and science? Do I see God's hand in the laws of nature? Do I see God's hand in science? How can nature increase my love for God?
4. What helps me to put life in perspective? Am I tempted to view life from a narrow viewpoint and think it is all about me? Do I see how not in control we are? Does this turn me to God or just stress me out? How can I turn to God more and let go of my desire to control everything? How can I have a whole world perspective?
5. How do I feel about God's statutes? Do I see them as consistent? Do I see them as valuable? Am I following them and putting them into practice in my life? Why or why not? How can I do this and what do I think I will gain from it?
Day 1
Pray for:
One thing that you need to be grateful for but find it difficult to be
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your ever present voice and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 93
"The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity
The seas have lifted up. O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty.
Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O Lord." Psalm 93
God is in charge. God is majestic, and God is strong. The earth runs on fixed principles. It is more ancient than we are. It is established. This psalm speaks to me of how life is so much more than we are. We get caught up in our lives and our struggles and it is hard to have a true perspective of how small we really are. If we can think about all the people that have come and gone through all generations, it helps a little. If we stand by the ocean that helps as well. When I am near the ocean, it calms me. I look at the wide expanse in front of me and am amazed that this is only a small fraction of the water that covers this planet. This planet is truly immense and we like tiny ants run around as if we control it. How funny and sad we are at the same time. We control nothing.
I love the comparison of God and the ocean. The psalmist stresses the power of the ocean, its magnificent waves and the thunder they produce. Waves can truly destroy as we saw with all the tsunamis in recent years. It is amazing the power that is with in the ocean and yet the psalmist closes with God. God is mighty. God is mightier than the strongest things we see on our planet. And God is consistent. His statutes, His word doesn't change. He does not change. He is always holy and always good. He is the only thing that we can trust in. He is all we need.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are unchanging. We are grateful that Your creation runs on fixed principles so that we can have consistency. We are grateful for the cycles of life and we are grateful that You allow us to see the beauty of nature around us. Nature speaks to Your power and glory. It points out Your magnificence because it is powerful, and glorious, and magnificent. You have created all of this. We can not fathom You and all that You are but we are grateful for You anyway, and we are grateful that You allow us to serve You. We rest in You.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. How do I feel about God reigning? Do I have issues with authority? Why or why not? How can I come to appreciate authority?
2. How do I view God? Do I think He is majestic, holy, and strong or do I have conflicting views? Why do I see God as I do? Does it have anything to do with how I see my father?
3. Do I see God in the world around me? How do I feel about nature and science? Do I see God's hand in the laws of nature? Do I see God's hand in science? How can nature increase my love for God?
4. What helps me to put life in perspective? Am I tempted to view life from a narrow viewpoint and think it is all about me? Do I see how not in control we are? Does this turn me to God or just stress me out? How can I turn to God more and let go of my desire to control everything? How can I have a whole world perspective?
5. How do I feel about God's statutes? Do I see them as consistent? Do I see them as valuable? Am I following them and putting them into practice in my life? Why or why not? How can I do this and what do I think I will gain from it?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Daily Devotional - 9/13/10 (10/13/09)
Prayer Focus - Family
Day 6
Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to
One family member that you are not close to
One family member that lives far away from you
One family member that lives near to you
One family member that you are concerned about
One family member that is supportive of you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 43
"Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." (vs. 3-4a, & 5)
God is amazing. Tonight as we watched a video of a talk/sermon by Leo Giglio on God and the universe (Indescribable pt 1-5), I felt an incredible urge to fall to my knees in awe of God. The grandeur of our Lord as evidenced by the universe is beyond comprehension. He truly does send His light and His truth out to us. The majesty of His creation is astounding and I was awed by the photos from the Hubble telescope of the structures in space. Being a science teacher, I had seen many of them before but some were new even to me. The universe truly declares the glory of God and I found myself bowing my head and praying "forgive me, forgive me" as I watched the film. I am so unworthy and insignificant in the light of creation and yet here is God paying attention to me. He is able to guide me. I have no doubt of this. I only need to keep this perspective of His grandness on a daily basis to tap into this confidence. Daily troubles can shake us but if we go back to creation, we can be renewed in our faith in His power to take care of everything for us. Our God is enormous. He holds the universe in His hands. He spoke all of it into existence. He can lead me to the place He dwells. He can get me to heaven if I let Him, if I follow. I want to go to there, to this place where He dwells. I want to praise Him with all of creation.
As I go about my day tomorrow, I will look anew at creation and I will worship God - my God, my Joy, and my Delight. He is what I will delight in. I will not let my soul be downcast. I will put my hope in God and I will yet praise Him.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You for Your grandeur and Your amazing power and creation. You are able to do all things. All we have to do is look around us at creation. It is truly declaring Your power and glory. Let us join in in praise and worship. Let us remember how small we are and let us worship You for caring about us despite that fact. What are we that You are mindful of us? It is beyond our comprehension. We turn to You and put our hope in You. We know You will not disappoint. We are so grateful.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I letting God guide me? How can I do this?
2. Am I recognizing God's power in creation? How can I get in touch with this in a greater way?
3. Am I praising God or am I complaining about what is happening in my life right now? How can I praise Him more?
4. Is my delight in God? What would my friends and those closest to me say? What else might I be putting my delight in? How can I change my perspective?
5. Am I putting my hope in Him? How can I change if I am worrying?
Day 6
Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to
One family member that you are not close to
One family member that lives far away from you
One family member that lives near to you
One family member that you are concerned about
One family member that is supportive of you
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 43
"Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." (vs. 3-4a, & 5)
God is amazing. Tonight as we watched a video of a talk/sermon by Leo Giglio on God and the universe (Indescribable pt 1-5), I felt an incredible urge to fall to my knees in awe of God. The grandeur of our Lord as evidenced by the universe is beyond comprehension. He truly does send His light and His truth out to us. The majesty of His creation is astounding and I was awed by the photos from the Hubble telescope of the structures in space. Being a science teacher, I had seen many of them before but some were new even to me. The universe truly declares the glory of God and I found myself bowing my head and praying "forgive me, forgive me" as I watched the film. I am so unworthy and insignificant in the light of creation and yet here is God paying attention to me. He is able to guide me. I have no doubt of this. I only need to keep this perspective of His grandness on a daily basis to tap into this confidence. Daily troubles can shake us but if we go back to creation, we can be renewed in our faith in His power to take care of everything for us. Our God is enormous. He holds the universe in His hands. He spoke all of it into existence. He can lead me to the place He dwells. He can get me to heaven if I let Him, if I follow. I want to go to there, to this place where He dwells. I want to praise Him with all of creation.
As I go about my day tomorrow, I will look anew at creation and I will worship God - my God, my Joy, and my Delight. He is what I will delight in. I will not let my soul be downcast. I will put my hope in God and I will yet praise Him.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We praise You for Your grandeur and Your amazing power and creation. You are able to do all things. All we have to do is look around us at creation. It is truly declaring Your power and glory. Let us join in in praise and worship. Let us remember how small we are and let us worship You for caring about us despite that fact. What are we that You are mindful of us? It is beyond our comprehension. We turn to You and put our hope in You. We know You will not disappoint. We are so grateful.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I letting God guide me? How can I do this?
2. Am I recognizing God's power in creation? How can I get in touch with this in a greater way?
3. Am I praising God or am I complaining about what is happening in my life right now? How can I praise Him more?
4. Is my delight in God? What would my friends and those closest to me say? What else might I be putting my delight in? How can I change my perspective?
5. Am I putting my hope in Him? How can I change if I am worrying?
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Daily Devotional - 9/3/10 (10/3/09)
Prayer Focus - Leaders (any type - World, State, Local, Church, Business, Work)
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something
One leader from another country
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 33
"Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him." (vs. 1)
I was not very happy today. It was just one of those down days we have now and then and I struggled even to sit down and write. As I read the Psalm, I was reminded once again that I am to be joyful, I am to rejoice, not just when my emotions back me up on it, but always. I am reminded that it is fitting for me to praise God and rejoice in Him. I do not have to be happy about circumstances that are negative, but I am to be happy about a God who is consistent. It is fitting. If I have the being who created me at my side, if I have a book full of promises that He has plans for me, if I have the security of forgiveness and the cross before me, what is there that I cannot get through. I will sing joyfully to Him and I will praise Him. I will go beyond that also.
"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." (vs. 3)
I will sing a new song to Him as well. I will not get stuck doing things the same way over and over again. In my blueness today, I thought of giving up writing this devotional. I thought it was too difficult and I was so busy. I thought I had no more ideas. Then I sat down and read the psalm again. I was reminded that this is my new song to God. This is something that I have wanted to do for years and have been afraid. This is my way of communicating all that is inside me and that will never get out otherwise. This is for God, not me. This is His blog and for Him, I will keep it going. It is my new song. We all need a new song; something that inspires us and challenges us. Something that we think is impossible. I love the quote by Saint Francis of Assisi, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." We need to get a new song going today. What will my new song be today? What will your new song be today?
Once I have figured out what my new song is, I will play skillfully at it. I will play skillfully on this new song and my old songs as well for that matter. Often my goal is just to play with no regard to the way I do things. I think, "If I can just get by and get something done, I will be happy." I must broaden my sights. I need to embrace living skillfully. It is possible because all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). I need to not live haphazardly any more. I need to remember, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Col 3:23-24).
Right now I am a teacher and so I am teaching for God. He wants me teaching, although it is not something I ever planned to do. I must embrace it and become excellent and skillful at it. It is my job and service to God. He has shut all the other doors at this time. I am also writing. I must write and become skillful at it as it is a talent that God has given me. It is my job of service as well. In everything I do, I want to be skillful. I want to remember that I am doing everything, even the mundane tasks, like cleaning my house and doing laundry for the Lord and not just for my family. It is my goal to do it all skillfully. And I will shout for joy that I have been given these tasks to accomplish; that I have been deemed worthy to carry it out. I want to be found faithful. I will shout for joy for this and other reasons such as the following.
"For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." (vs. 4)
I will shout for joy because God's word is right and true. I am not doing this for naught. I am not obeying God for nothing. He will not forget all of my hard work (Gal 6:7-10)! He is faithful in all He does. This is not some farce I have been on. This is true and right. God is here and He is faithful. I can look to all of His promises and know that the more I obey His word, the more He will be able to bless me. I have seen His principles bring great rewards in my life, marriage, and parenting when I have been willing to step it up and follow more accurately His teachings. This includes the ones that I may not understand, or like, on first glance. It is crucial to turn away from doing our own thing and turn back to His will because that is what will win in the end anyway.
"The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance." (vs. 12)
God loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of His unfailing love. I need to fear and revere God because He is great. His plans will happen, not ours. I need to get on board the winning team. God foils and thwarts our plans and purposes. He foils and thwarts even the plans of nations. If we would turn back to God, we could be blessed. We aren't going to be blessed by politics or laws but by getting our heart and soul back to God. We need to go back to our foundation and principles; those that are based on Him and His principles. Blessed are the people He chose. He chose me. He really picked me. What an amazing thought. I need to get with His game plan because I was chosen. I am important in all of this! It is so amazing that God would use me; that God would use any of us since He is so big and grand.
"From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; From His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth - He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You." (vs. 13-22)
Finally, God is watching all of us. He sees everything. God formed my heart. He knows me and He is considering everything that I do. No one here can save themselves; not any king, not any strong warrior or horse. The strongest of men and created things are as nothing to God. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him; on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. His eyes are on those who trust in Him to deliver us from death and keep us alive. Only God can really do these things. We wait in hope for the Lord, not impatiently, - in hope. He is our help and our shield. In Him we can rejoice.
Be happy because of God. Trust in His name. It is who you know that gets you somewhere in life and we know that best.
May Your love be on us all as we trust in You, dear Lord.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are watching us. We are grateful that You save us. We know, when we are honest with ourselves, that we are powerless. Only You can control the universe both inside and outside of us. It is fitting that we praise You and we want to praise You more and more. We are putting our hope in You and we know that we will not be disappointed.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What will my new song be today? How can I get started with it?
2. In my life, what is the necessary? What is the possible? What is the impossible that I would like to see happen?
3. Am I joyful? Am I praising God, even when my emotions are not supporting me in it? How can I change this if I am not joyful and how can I incorporate more praise into my life?
4. Am I playing skillfully, or just playing? How can I start playing skillfully? What training or help do I need and in what areas?
5. What am I hoping in? What do I rely on to save me? Is it always God? If not, why? How can I put my trust completely in Him and stop relying on my own strength?
Pray for:
One leader who inspires you
One leader who you know is struggling with something
One leader from another country
Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs
Dear Lord - Help me to hear You and grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 33
"Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him." (vs. 1)
I was not very happy today. It was just one of those down days we have now and then and I struggled even to sit down and write. As I read the Psalm, I was reminded once again that I am to be joyful, I am to rejoice, not just when my emotions back me up on it, but always. I am reminded that it is fitting for me to praise God and rejoice in Him. I do not have to be happy about circumstances that are negative, but I am to be happy about a God who is consistent. It is fitting. If I have the being who created me at my side, if I have a book full of promises that He has plans for me, if I have the security of forgiveness and the cross before me, what is there that I cannot get through. I will sing joyfully to Him and I will praise Him. I will go beyond that also.
"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy." (vs. 3)
I will sing a new song to Him as well. I will not get stuck doing things the same way over and over again. In my blueness today, I thought of giving up writing this devotional. I thought it was too difficult and I was so busy. I thought I had no more ideas. Then I sat down and read the psalm again. I was reminded that this is my new song to God. This is something that I have wanted to do for years and have been afraid. This is my way of communicating all that is inside me and that will never get out otherwise. This is for God, not me. This is His blog and for Him, I will keep it going. It is my new song. We all need a new song; something that inspires us and challenges us. Something that we think is impossible. I love the quote by Saint Francis of Assisi, "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." We need to get a new song going today. What will my new song be today? What will your new song be today?
Once I have figured out what my new song is, I will play skillfully at it. I will play skillfully on this new song and my old songs as well for that matter. Often my goal is just to play with no regard to the way I do things. I think, "If I can just get by and get something done, I will be happy." I must broaden my sights. I need to embrace living skillfully. It is possible because all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). I need to not live haphazardly any more. I need to remember, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Col 3:23-24).
Right now I am a teacher and so I am teaching for God. He wants me teaching, although it is not something I ever planned to do. I must embrace it and become excellent and skillful at it. It is my job and service to God. He has shut all the other doors at this time. I am also writing. I must write and become skillful at it as it is a talent that God has given me. It is my job of service as well. In everything I do, I want to be skillful. I want to remember that I am doing everything, even the mundane tasks, like cleaning my house and doing laundry for the Lord and not just for my family. It is my goal to do it all skillfully. And I will shout for joy that I have been given these tasks to accomplish; that I have been deemed worthy to carry it out. I want to be found faithful. I will shout for joy for this and other reasons such as the following.
"For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." (vs. 4)
I will shout for joy because God's word is right and true. I am not doing this for naught. I am not obeying God for nothing. He will not forget all of my hard work (Gal 6:7-10)! He is faithful in all He does. This is not some farce I have been on. This is true and right. God is here and He is faithful. I can look to all of His promises and know that the more I obey His word, the more He will be able to bless me. I have seen His principles bring great rewards in my life, marriage, and parenting when I have been willing to step it up and follow more accurately His teachings. This includes the ones that I may not understand, or like, on first glance. It is crucial to turn away from doing our own thing and turn back to His will because that is what will win in the end anyway.
"The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance." (vs. 12)
God loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of His unfailing love. I need to fear and revere God because He is great. His plans will happen, not ours. I need to get on board the winning team. God foils and thwarts our plans and purposes. He foils and thwarts even the plans of nations. If we would turn back to God, we could be blessed. We aren't going to be blessed by politics or laws but by getting our heart and soul back to God. We need to go back to our foundation and principles; those that are based on Him and His principles. Blessed are the people He chose. He chose me. He really picked me. What an amazing thought. I need to get with His game plan because I was chosen. I am important in all of this! It is so amazing that God would use me; that God would use any of us since He is so big and grand.
"From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; From His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth - He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You." (vs. 13-22)
Finally, God is watching all of us. He sees everything. God formed my heart. He knows me and He is considering everything that I do. No one here can save themselves; not any king, not any strong warrior or horse. The strongest of men and created things are as nothing to God. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him; on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. His eyes are on those who trust in Him to deliver us from death and keep us alive. Only God can really do these things. We wait in hope for the Lord, not impatiently, - in hope. He is our help and our shield. In Him we can rejoice.
Be happy because of God. Trust in His name. It is who you know that gets you somewhere in life and we know that best.
May Your love be on us all as we trust in You, dear Lord.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We are grateful that You are watching us. We are grateful that You save us. We know, when we are honest with ourselves, that we are powerless. Only You can control the universe both inside and outside of us. It is fitting that we praise You and we want to praise You more and more. We are putting our hope in You and we know that we will not be disappointed.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What will my new song be today? How can I get started with it?
2. In my life, what is the necessary? What is the possible? What is the impossible that I would like to see happen?
3. Am I joyful? Am I praising God, even when my emotions are not supporting me in it? How can I change this if I am not joyful and how can I incorporate more praise into my life?
4. Am I playing skillfully, or just playing? How can I start playing skillfully? What training or help do I need and in what areas?
5. What am I hoping in? What do I rely on to save me? Is it always God? If not, why? How can I put my trust completely in Him and stop relying on my own strength?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/28/10 (9/28/09)
Prayer Focus - 8's
Pray for:
Eight things that you are grateful for
Eight people that are on your heart
Eight places that you care about
Eight characteristics to grow in
Eight characteristics/habits to get rid of
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to follow through and obey.
Psalms 28
"He will tear them down and never build them up again." (vs. 5b)
This fragment of a verse in the middle of Psalms 28 catches my attention. Who will God tear down? This sounds so ominous and final and so I think, "Will it be the murders? The violent? The criminals?" When I look back to see exactly who the psalmist is talking about, I am convicted and challenged. Let's start looking in verse three.
"Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." (vs. 3)
Wow! He is talking about people who are holding grudges against someone or have hatred, anger, or prejudice against another. I know I have sinned against others in this way. Maybe there is someone right now I need to clear things up with. I need to always search my heart to be sure it is clear. How often have we been upset with someone and then they come up to talk to us and we act like nothing is wrong. We speak nicely to them and all the while we are angry deep down. Or perhaps we just avoid them altogether. God is expressing just how He feels about that in this verse. What we are doing when we do this is evil and is putting us in danger of being torn down.
Why would this upset God so much? After all, isn't this exactly how the world works? This is so common. We are stabbed in the back continuously. People talk nice to us and as soon as we are gone gossip about us to their friends. We expect it. Sometimes we engage in it. In the church, we are tempted to do no differently. So why would it upset God so much? The answer lies in the first part of the psalm I quoted at the beginning of the devotional.
"Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what His hands have done," (vs. 5a)
The answer goes back to Psalms 24 which reminded us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is His as well (Psalms 24:1). Every person belongs to God and is special to Him; whether they have a relationship with Him or not. He created them and knit them together in their mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-16). They are important to God and as such deserve good treatment, especially from me as I profess to be a Christian. This is referring to my family, to strangers, and especially to those in the church. We are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with special regard (Gal 6:10). But how is this possible?
"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place." (vs. 2)
Thank goodness that God hears our cries for mercy (vs. 2). By myself, I cannot stand. I need the mercy of the Lord. I need His strength to do right, especially in this area; even after all this time. Conflicts will continue to happen in my life. As long as I am alive and interacting with people, I will have to deal with my heart, hurt feelings, and conflicts. I will never out grow it. Sometimes it will be my fault, sometimes it will be the other person's fault, and sometimes it will be just a misunderstanding. Even so, I need mercy and I need to give mercy.
When I do this and clear my heart so there is nothing false in me, I will be able to rejoice. My heart will leap for joy (vs. 7). It is so good to have a clear heart and a clear conscience. We can truly thank God then. He is our strength and will save and bless us when we are obedient. He will be our Shepherd and carry us forever.
Thank You Lord, because I cannot do it alone.
"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save You people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (vs. 6-9)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We want You to be our shepherd forever. Purify our hearts and help us to not harbor any ill will towards anyone. It is so easy to do wrong in this way. We struggle to value people as You do. It is easy to love those who love us but it is difficult to love everyone and keep our hearts pure. Grant us strength. We do not want to be torn down but rather built up. Have mercy on us we pray. We know You will do it.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my reaction to the seriousness of harboring ill feelings towards another person? Do I see it as as serious offense as God does?
2. Is there someone I need to speak to and work something out with? When will I do this?
3. Do I have any stereotypes or prejudices that are hindering my relationship with God and my effectiveness for Him? How can I change my attitude about these things?
4. How do I feel when I have a clear conscience? How can I strive to maintain this?
5. Am I treating everyone as a person that is special to God? Who is the most difficult for me to treat right? Why? How can I change this?
Pray for:
Eight things that you are grateful for
Eight people that are on your heart
Eight places that you care about
Eight characteristics to grow in
Eight characteristics/habits to get rid of
Dear Lord - Please open my ears to hear Your everpresent voice and grant me the strength to follow through and obey.
Psalms 28
"He will tear them down and never build them up again." (vs. 5b)
This fragment of a verse in the middle of Psalms 28 catches my attention. Who will God tear down? This sounds so ominous and final and so I think, "Will it be the murders? The violent? The criminals?" When I look back to see exactly who the psalmist is talking about, I am convicted and challenged. Let's start looking in verse three.
"Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts." (vs. 3)
Wow! He is talking about people who are holding grudges against someone or have hatred, anger, or prejudice against another. I know I have sinned against others in this way. Maybe there is someone right now I need to clear things up with. I need to always search my heart to be sure it is clear. How often have we been upset with someone and then they come up to talk to us and we act like nothing is wrong. We speak nicely to them and all the while we are angry deep down. Or perhaps we just avoid them altogether. God is expressing just how He feels about that in this verse. What we are doing when we do this is evil and is putting us in danger of being torn down.
Why would this upset God so much? After all, isn't this exactly how the world works? This is so common. We are stabbed in the back continuously. People talk nice to us and as soon as we are gone gossip about us to their friends. We expect it. Sometimes we engage in it. In the church, we are tempted to do no differently. So why would it upset God so much? The answer lies in the first part of the psalm I quoted at the beginning of the devotional.
"Since they show no regard for the works of the Lord and what His hands have done," (vs. 5a)
The answer goes back to Psalms 24 which reminded us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is His as well (Psalms 24:1). Every person belongs to God and is special to Him; whether they have a relationship with Him or not. He created them and knit them together in their mother's womb (Psalms 139:13-16). They are important to God and as such deserve good treatment, especially from me as I profess to be a Christian. This is referring to my family, to strangers, and especially to those in the church. We are to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with special regard (Gal 6:10). But how is this possible?
"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your Most Holy Place." (vs. 2)
Thank goodness that God hears our cries for mercy (vs. 2). By myself, I cannot stand. I need the mercy of the Lord. I need His strength to do right, especially in this area; even after all this time. Conflicts will continue to happen in my life. As long as I am alive and interacting with people, I will have to deal with my heart, hurt feelings, and conflicts. I will never out grow it. Sometimes it will be my fault, sometimes it will be the other person's fault, and sometimes it will be just a misunderstanding. Even so, I need mercy and I need to give mercy.
When I do this and clear my heart so there is nothing false in me, I will be able to rejoice. My heart will leap for joy (vs. 7). It is so good to have a clear heart and a clear conscience. We can truly thank God then. He is our strength and will save and bless us when we are obedient. He will be our Shepherd and carry us forever.
Thank You Lord, because I cannot do it alone.
"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save You people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." (vs. 6-9)
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
We want You to be our shepherd forever. Purify our hearts and help us to not harbor any ill will towards anyone. It is so easy to do wrong in this way. We struggle to value people as You do. It is easy to love those who love us but it is difficult to love everyone and keep our hearts pure. Grant us strength. We do not want to be torn down but rather built up. Have mercy on us we pray. We know You will do it.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. What is my reaction to the seriousness of harboring ill feelings towards another person? Do I see it as as serious offense as God does?
2. Is there someone I need to speak to and work something out with? When will I do this?
3. Do I have any stereotypes or prejudices that are hindering my relationship with God and my effectiveness for Him? How can I change my attitude about these things?
4. How do I feel when I have a clear conscience? How can I strive to maintain this?
5. Am I treating everyone as a person that is special to God? Who is the most difficult for me to treat right? Why? How can I change this?
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Daily Devotional - 8/24/10 (9/24/09)
Focus Letter - X
Pray for:
Five things that you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Open my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to feel. Grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 24
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;" (vs. 1)
Everything around me and everyone I see are God's. I must remember this. Frankly, if I can hang on to this thought, it will revolutionize my life. I am very careful when I am watching someone else's children. When I go to visit someone at their house, I am respectful of their belongings and I respect their wishes and the rules in their house. It is only right I figure because that is how I would like my children and my home/rules to be respected. But with my possessions, with my husband, with my children, I tend to do what I want because they are mine. Or are they?
When I look at this verse, I realize they are not. They are God's. They do not belong to me. They belong to God. And the earth around me, is it just there to be used and abused, with no one to hold me accountable? No, it is God's as well. How about all of those strangers that I pass along the way? Who do they belong to? No one? Are they not important because they have not entered into my sphere of influence? No, they are God's treasured possessions. They are important whether I know them or not.
Let us consider the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25: 31-46. The King, representing God, separates all of the people into two groups; the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Those on the right He praises for taking care of Him in many different ways. They respond in confusion, "When did we ever do this for You?" He replies, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Those on His left, the goats, He sends away because they did not take care of Him. They also respond before leaving and ask, "When did we not take care of You?" God's answer has always been convicting and challenging to me. "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me."
As I take care of my husband, I need to consider this. Am I caring for Him as I would care for God? How about my children? Am I being as patient and compassionate as I would be to the Lord? How about the people on the streets. Am I being kind to those I meet on a casual basis as if they were Jesus Himself? Also, am I offering people what they need the most, an opportunity to know God? That is really the most loving thing I could do. This goes even beyond people though, as the psalmist suggests. Am I being responsible with the money God gave me? Am I keeping my possessions and home in good condition. I must remember it is the Lord's, not mine. How about my body? Am I really taking care of it like it was God's temple? Finally, am I respecting God in His house, the earth, by obeying His rules and following His directions?
This is so challenging but so worth considering. I want to be a sheep. I want to be on the right side of the throne of God. I want to be able to ascend the hill of the Lord as mentioned in verse three.
"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior." (vs. 3-4)
The one who will ascend is the one with clean hands and a pure heart; that one who treats everyone and everything as it should be, as God's. This person will receive the blessings. We can be this person. We can do this if we get the idols out of our lives. I know when I am preoccupied by making money or my little projects, or worries, I neglect what is most important, for example, my children and husband.
I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to waste the time that God has given me pursuing things that will not get me to heaven and will not fulfill me in the long term. I look back in sorrow at all the time I have already wasted. I must invest in what God wants me to invest in. I must seek God's face, and in doing so, I will be able to treat others right.
The Lord is strong and mighty. The Lord is mighty in battle. I will lift up my head and see God come in victory. I will honor Him by honoring others. I am climbing up the hill.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding us that all we have is not really ours. Help us to see people and the world around us correctly, as Your cherished beings and creations. Help us to take care of all that has been entrusted to us as we should. We want to remember that all we do is done for You. Grant us strength for the task of honoring You in this way.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I treating those closest to me like they were God? If not, how can I change? How do I treat those I meet during my day? Am I treating them as I would God or Jesus? What do I need to change?
2. Am I taking care of my body like it was the temple of the Lord? If not, how can I change?
3. What areas of my life do I struggle the most with viewing as God's? Why? How can I change my perspective about these things?
4. What idols (anything that gets put before God and following His ways) do I have in my life? How can I get rid of them?
5. Am I treating the earth with respect as God's creation? What can I do better? Is there a cause or need I can get involved with to help protect or provide for God's creation?
Pray for:
Five things that you are grateful for beginning with the focus letter
Five people whose first or last name begins with the focus letter
A place that begins with the focus letter
A characteristic to grow in that begins with the focus letter
Dear Lord - Open my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to feel. Grant me the strength to obey.
Psalms 24
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;" (vs. 1)
Everything around me and everyone I see are God's. I must remember this. Frankly, if I can hang on to this thought, it will revolutionize my life. I am very careful when I am watching someone else's children. When I go to visit someone at their house, I am respectful of their belongings and I respect their wishes and the rules in their house. It is only right I figure because that is how I would like my children and my home/rules to be respected. But with my possessions, with my husband, with my children, I tend to do what I want because they are mine. Or are they?
When I look at this verse, I realize they are not. They are God's. They do not belong to me. They belong to God. And the earth around me, is it just there to be used and abused, with no one to hold me accountable? No, it is God's as well. How about all of those strangers that I pass along the way? Who do they belong to? No one? Are they not important because they have not entered into my sphere of influence? No, they are God's treasured possessions. They are important whether I know them or not.
Let us consider the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25: 31-46. The King, representing God, separates all of the people into two groups; the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Those on the right He praises for taking care of Him in many different ways. They respond in confusion, "When did we ever do this for You?" He replies, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Those on His left, the goats, He sends away because they did not take care of Him. They also respond before leaving and ask, "When did we not take care of You?" God's answer has always been convicting and challenging to me. "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me."
As I take care of my husband, I need to consider this. Am I caring for Him as I would care for God? How about my children? Am I being as patient and compassionate as I would be to the Lord? How about the people on the streets. Am I being kind to those I meet on a casual basis as if they were Jesus Himself? Also, am I offering people what they need the most, an opportunity to know God? That is really the most loving thing I could do. This goes even beyond people though, as the psalmist suggests. Am I being responsible with the money God gave me? Am I keeping my possessions and home in good condition. I must remember it is the Lord's, not mine. How about my body? Am I really taking care of it like it was God's temple? Finally, am I respecting God in His house, the earth, by obeying His rules and following His directions?
This is so challenging but so worth considering. I want to be a sheep. I want to be on the right side of the throne of God. I want to be able to ascend the hill of the Lord as mentioned in verse three.
"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior." (vs. 3-4)
The one who will ascend is the one with clean hands and a pure heart; that one who treats everyone and everything as it should be, as God's. This person will receive the blessings. We can be this person. We can do this if we get the idols out of our lives. I know when I am preoccupied by making money or my little projects, or worries, I neglect what is most important, for example, my children and husband.
I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to waste the time that God has given me pursuing things that will not get me to heaven and will not fulfill me in the long term. I look back in sorrow at all the time I have already wasted. I must invest in what God wants me to invest in. I must seek God's face, and in doing so, I will be able to treat others right.
The Lord is strong and mighty. The Lord is mighty in battle. I will lift up my head and see God come in victory. I will honor Him by honoring others. I am climbing up the hill.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding us that all we have is not really ours. Help us to see people and the world around us correctly, as Your cherished beings and creations. Help us to take care of all that has been entrusted to us as we should. We want to remember that all we do is done for You. Grant us strength for the task of honoring You in this way.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
QFT
1. Am I treating those closest to me like they were God? If not, how can I change? How do I treat those I meet during my day? Am I treating them as I would God or Jesus? What do I need to change?
2. Am I taking care of my body like it was the temple of the Lord? If not, how can I change?
3. What areas of my life do I struggle the most with viewing as God's? Why? How can I change my perspective about these things?
4. What idols (anything that gets put before God and following His ways) do I have in my life? How can I get rid of them?
5. Am I treating the earth with respect as God's creation? What can I do better? Is there a cause or need I can get involved with to help protect or provide for God's creation?
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