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Category Archives: Books of the Bible

Find Characteristics of God in your favorite chapter in the Bible

My God is Strong Psalm 105:4

14 Aug

Psalm 105:4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!

I’m feeling pretty weak

I want to be just like everyone else. I want to have the energy other people have. But I get worn down, and then I  get cranky, or worse yet, mean. This weekend, my family and I went to family camp at Camp Lutherwood in Cheshire Oregon. We did this last year as well, and it’s likely to become a tradition. I’m not much of a camper, but they cook for you and you don’t have to sleep on the ground, so it’s not so bad.

Worn out

We go pretty much nonstop at camp, moving from one activity to another. It’s a lot of fun playing games, having adult education time and worship around the camp fire. On Saturday my husband and I went on a hike up a steep hill and then later I did archery. I don’t know if I had over done it on Saturday or what, but Sunday was rough. During brunch, I went to pour my water, and my mind didn’t seem to work correctly. Instead of getting water only in my glass, I also poured it all over the table. I don’t know what went wrong, It’s like my brain shut off. Age or MS? I don’t know which, but either way, I’m not excited about it.

I was so tired. When we got home, I fell into bed and had to wake up a half hour later for a picnic with some of my husband’s cohorts. I wasn’t in a good mood. The people and the food revived me a bit. Yesterday I didn’t do too much that was taxing, but this morning I went on a 6 mile walk, and I’m exhausted again. I was exhausted when we started the walk, and I’m still exhausted after my walk.

Seek the Lord and His strength

My body doesn’t always cooperate with me. I want to be healthy and not have to think about being so tired, but sometimes the exhaustion will not be ignored. Today as I was doing my internet marketing work, I wondered how I would be able to keep my eyes open. I realized, today I wasn’t going to be able to without the help of the Lord. I needed the Lord’s strength, because I don’t have any left of my own. I need to trust that God can get me through whatever is coming my way and cling to His promises as I face each day.

Praise the Lord that I work from home. I have finished my work for the day and as soon as I’m finished here, I can take a nap. Thank you Lord for the rejuvenation that comes with sleep. When I am weak, Dear Lord, may your strength fill in the gaps.

 

 
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Posted by on August 14, 2012 in God is My Strength, Psalm

 

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My God is…My Refuge Psalm 62:5-8

09 Aug

Psalm 62:5-8 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; 
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

Definition of REFUGE

1: shelter or protection from danger or distress
2: a place that provides shelter or protection
3: something to which one has recourse in difficulty
I don’t know if you’ve ever watched the old Lost in Space series. Our family gets on kicks of watching entire series of old shows. We’ve seen all nine seasons of Little House on the Prairie, Some of Battle Star Galactica and Buck Rodgers. One of the first series my husband shared with my boys was Lost in Space (the old one). The very first one is called No Where to Hide. In this episode, as the space family is crossing a large body of water in their rover of sorts, they face large storms that threaten their very existence. After they go through that harrowing experience, they get down on their knees. The don’t take their safety for granted.

Wild wonderful adventures just ahead

The Robinson family has just come through one ordeal, and their about to go into three seasons worth of ordeals. Every time Will, the son on the show gets into trouble, their trusty robot says “Danger Will Robinson” Wouldn’t it be great if we had a robot who shouted that when danger was lurking? Sometimes it seems like our lives are like the Robinsons. We get through one tragedy, one struggle to find that there are more on their way. Sometimes it feels like we’re being bombarded.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 

God is my refuge. When I am overwhelmed by the tumultuous seas of life; struggle with family, loss, or disappointments, I need Will Robinson’s Robot to should out “Danger”. Perhaps then I would be more likely to look quickly to my Lord. Our verse tells us that our salvation and our honor depend on God. Not only does our salvation and survival rely on God, but our honor as well. Sometimes when things are seemingly going wrong, it feels like we’re failures. But in our weakness we are made strong, because God is our refuge and our mighty rock.

God is our shelter or protection from danger or distress

God is our refuge. He shelters and protects us from the dangers of this world, and of the spiritual dangers that are all around us. We can cling to him in the storm, and we will be kept safe. He will protect us and our faith so that we might remain steadfast in Him.

Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

I love this part of the verse. I especially like the “pour out your hearts to him” part. I love the idea that God wants us to vent to him. I am the sort of person who sorts through life verbally (no surprise to anyone who knows me). I talk things out. I think out loud. Sometimes that means I have to take things back, because by the end of the thought process, I no longer think what I said in the beginning is true. That can be incredibly frustrating to someone like my husband who only speaks when he has thought about what he is going to say. But here I feel like God is saying He’ll listen to my ramblings, and is going to let me vent to Him about everything that is irritating me. I always feel better after I vent. I just need to vent to God more often. He is our refuge. He is our shelter and protection. Praise God.

 

 
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Posted by on August 9, 2012 in My God is my Refuge, Psalm

 

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My God is…a Comforter Psalm 23

07 Aug

Psalm 23 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

My dear friend is going through a rough time today. Her Stepmother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last night. Then she finds out that same day that her husband lost his job. Sometimes life just sucks. Living here on earth is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Life happens. We’re faced with not great things, and sometimes it feels like everything is being piled up on us and is overwhelming. I met my friend a few years ago, and it seems as though her and her family have been going through some really big stuff ever since I met them. They’ve had many deaths, job loss, job change and illnesses to boot. I think if I were them I would feel like I’m walking through the valley.

He restores my soul.

It can be frustrating to watch your friends go through such hard times. You want to do so much for them, but you’re not sure what is helpful and what isn’t. In an attempt to be helpful, we set up a meal train for them. That’s when a bunch of people come together to provide meals for the family. We set one up in hopes that at least not having to think about meals would be a relief to them. But truly the healing they need is not something we can provide, but the restoring of the soul that only Jesus Christ can provide. I pray that comes quickly for them.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Lord promises us that when we endure these troubling times, we will gain perseverance, character and hope.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

 Rejoice in our sufferings

As I was talking to my friend today, she said to me, “It will be ok. I’m just really sad.” Now I know that doesn’t seem like rejoicing, but it kind of is. It is standing in the hope that the Lord will see us through. My friends faith is a blessing to me, and her strength is amazing. I pray that our church family and our friends will be able to lift her up in such a way that they will be able to look back at this hard time and remember the love that they were shown.

 

 
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Posted by on August 7, 2012 in My God is my Comforter, Psalm

 

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My God is…Delightful Psalm 35:27

02 Aug

Psalm 35:27 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

I get it backwards sometimes

For most of my life I have started my day and ended my day with prayers that include, “Lord help me to be a blessing to others”. I know, how noble of me, right. Not so much. It’s not that I don’t want to be a blessing to others, but rather my prayer is that I wouldn’t be a pain in the … you know what. Praying that I may be a blessing was to safeguard against my own stupidity and allow for the miracle that I might be a blessing.

Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy

This part of the verse is what made me think of that part of my prayer. I also wanted others to know God, and I knew I was supposed to be a vehicle for that, but I couldn’t see how that would be done. Most of my life any compliments on my character were greeted with me saying something like, “We’ll see how long that will last.” or some such disqualification of my ability to be a blessing.

Shout for joy and be glad and say evermore

So when people would say I had been a blessing or pointed out how I might have helped them, I missed the opportunity to point it back to the Lord. I was sure it was obvious that I was not the amazing one in this scenario, but that any blessing I was came from the Lord. This portion of the verse, the idea that those who I have blessed would be able to shout for joy and be glad because of what the Lord has done through me almost brings me to tears.

“Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

Over the past few years, while I’ve been living in Oregon, I have matured a lot (I am almost 40 after all – it’s about time). I have started to accept the fact that the Lord (who is Great) delights in my welfare. He cares about me, and wants me to be a blessing to others, not only for the others, but for myself, that I might be able to give Him the praise and honor and enjoy the closeness that comes with complete Trust in Him.

I’m sure many of my friends know of many of the ways the Lord has provided for us and taken care of our welfare. In Tucson, the Lord provided me with a special friend who would make the early years of parenting survivable. In St. Louis, the Lord provided friends who understood me to the core, the food bank, church, re-sell it shop and a million ways our bills were miraculously covered. Here, we have been blessed beyond all measure, with a home that has no end date. Where relationships, church and home are not transient, but an opportunity to become a part of something bigger and stronger. A place where God’s beautiful creation is a marvel.

The Lord has provided wonderfully for me, but one of the most important ways the Lord took care of my welfare was providing me with amazing parents (and my sister) who loved the Lord above everything else. I don’t think my family was a “Crazy Christian” family, but I will say a lot of conversations included the Lord (and still do). I look back at my journals, and am amazed at how many times I speak about living for the Lord. It makes me want to cry. It warms my heart to be reminded that because of my baptism as an infant, I was able to have an amazing relationship with my Lord my entire life. It is clear to me that He has delighted in the welfare of His servant.

Dear Lord, Help me to be a blessing to others. Amen.

 
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Posted by on August 2, 2012 in My God is delightful, Psalm

 

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My God is…My Confidence Proverbs 3:21-26

25 Jul

Proverbs 3:21-26 

My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. 

If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

I’m a confident person…I think

Yep, most people would consider me a confident person. I’m loud, bubble and generally cheerful (except when I’m not). I am relatively quick on my feet and handle my self well in most situations. What people don’t see (except my husband) is that when I get home, I can replay the entire evening in my head. I know exactly what I said and the ten ways I think the other person may have misunderstood me. I’m certain at the time that they’re going to never want to speak to me again. My husband has named this condition post social anxiety. I am getting better, but sometimes I lack confidence.

No Matter Who You Are…Trust God

This week I’m helping out at our church’s VBS. I’m leading the video section for the preschoolers with one of my sons (they switch off) and my husband and the other son are running the video for the elementary children. It’s fun to spend time with your family serving. This year we’re using Group’s Sky VBS. Each day they have a different theme”People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). So whether I look confident or am actually falling apart inside, I need to trust God.

No matter how you feel…trust God!

The second day’s theme was “No matter how you feel…trust God!” Do you get the feeling I may be getting more out of VBS than the pre-school children to whom I’m showing the videos? Lacking confidence, needing encouragement, being depressed, even in those times I need to trust God. The verse they used for that day was “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God.” (John 14:1) In our women’s Bible study last night, the woman on the video said that keeping our focus on God is a discipline. I think that trusting God is a similar thing. It’s something we have to work at, and even sometimes flies in the face of all we think is true in our human world.

No matter what people do…trust God!

Sometimes people are not nice. Sometimes they’re actually out to get you. They lie, cheat and steal. On day three of VBS (today) we learned that  those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. (Isaiah 40:31). What wonderful promises the Lord gives us in regards to trusting Him. Trusting God will give us new strength. This makes me think about all the kids in middle school and high school who face a sea of unkindness every time they enter school. These verse are such a blessing and encouragement, and I hope to keep them handy when my boys may face difficulties. I guess not just the boys, but when I face difficulties too.

No matter what happens…trust God!

Sometimes when things go wrong, we think God has abandoned us. We think He’s left us to flap in the breeze. But that’s not the case. He’s still there, and He will give us that new strength and get us through the toughest times. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:38)

No matter where you are…trust God!

Whether I’m at church, a party full of people or in my home having an argument with my children, no matter where I am I need to trust God. He promises to be with me wherever I go. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) I love that this verse says that I shouldn’t be afraid or discouraged. I think discouraged is one of the places I hang out a lot. I let words, thoughts and untruths fill my head and I let them get in the way of trusting in God for the results.

If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

This part of the verse above is amazing, and so applicable to my life. So many nights I have laid in bed wide awake. I think about the day I’ve just had. I think about all the things I have to do tomorrow. I get overwhelmed. My head starts to spin, and soon I realize I’ve been awake for hours. But God promises that if I put my trust in Him, my sleep will be sweet. Woo Hoo! That’s so wonderful.

The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught

The Lord will be my confidence. When I lack confidence in myself, I’m no longer out of luck. I have some reserves. I have confidence that comes from the Lord. He has an unending supply of confidence to give me. I know that I have never been disappointed when I have put my trust and confidence in Him. I maybe haven’t always understood, but I haven’t been disappointed. God is good. I need to trust Him more and get some of that sweet sleep!

Are you confident?

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2012 in My God is My Confidence, Proverbs

 

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My God is…Consistent – Hebrews 13:8

24 Jul

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Definition of CONSISTENT

1 archaic : possessing firmness or coherence
2 a : marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity : free from variation or contradiction <a consistent style in painting>
b : marked by agreement : compatible —usually used with with <statements not consistent with the truth>
c : showing steady conformity to character, profession, belief, or custom <a consistent patriot>
3: tending to be arbitrarily close to the true value of the parameter estimated as the sample becomes large <a consistent statistical estimator>
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
One of the things that I find incredibly comforting about my God is that He is consistent. His promises are true no matter when He made them. He is reliable and trustworthy. You can count on Him to do what He says He’s going to do. I think that’s one of the reasons it’s so important that we spend time in His word. In the Bible we find and learn about His promises. Those promises and truths bring peace, because of His consistency. If He was not consistent, we would not be able to have true faith in Him. He would be arbitrary and unreliable. But God is reliable.
Marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity
God is free from contradiction. I will say that sometimes what we think should happen and what actually happens may seem contrary to the way we expect God to act, but when we look at our lives with the scriptures in hand, He reveals to us the ways that He works things for the good of them that love Him (Romans 8:28). This definition of consistent is used in reference to art, and I guess in that way it leads me to think about the harmony, regularity and continuity He has provided in His creation. The amazing patterns and creations He made that work so seamlessly together. The kind of consistency we see in creation doesn’t seem like it could have happened randomly to me.
Showing steady conformity to character
We know that our God is a loving God, and His consistency and patience throughout time has shown Him to have a steady conformity to character. I guess this one touches close to my heart, because as I’ve been writing these blog posts about who my God is, I have seen His character revealed in so many ways. But no matter how His character is revealed, those traits are never contrary to each other. He is consistent.
Are you looking for consistency?
 
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Posted by on July 24, 2012 in Hebrews, My God is Consistent

 

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My God is…the Light 1 John 1:4-6

19 Jul

1 John 1: 4-6 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

In the dark

Have you ever been in complete darkness? I’m not speaking metaphorically, I mean real darkness with no light whatsoever? Just after we were married, my husband and I went to visit his parents in Arkansas. While we were there we went canoeing, shopping and other great adventures (ah – the life before kids). One of the days there, we went to tour some caves. We were the only two on the tour. I love touring caves, and this one was wonderful.  We went into the second cave with our guide, and what happened next is an experience I will likely never forget.

Total Darkness

The guide asked us if we had ever been in total darkness. I said, “I’ve been in the dark.” He said, “No, I mean total darkness.” My husband and I looked at each other and said, “I don’t know.” The tour guide then turned off the lights in the cave. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t see even a fragment of myself (not even my hands or nose), much less my husband, the guide or the cave. Within a moment (a very short moment) I felt afraid. I spoke, hoping that would calm my nerves. I reached out to grab my husband’s hand, but in this darkness, it was like he didn’t exist. I was at the mercy of the guide. The man with his hand on the light switch had all the power. I had never realized how having even a little light can change a situation. I never want to be in complete darkness again.

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

I guess experiencing God’s light would be almost the opposite of my experience that day. With God, the Light, you can see the one who leads you. You can get your footing. You can reach out to others and take their hands. In the cave I was afraid to move, afraid the cave and everything around had disappeared, but in God’s light we can see what is real, what is true.

Walking in the dark

In the cave it was so dark I wouldn’t have even moved. I was paralyzed by the darkness. That is the extreme. For most of us we live in a world where darkness happens a little more subtly. Each night I wake up and have to go to the bathroom in the dark. I know the way by heart, and it’s usually not a problem. But sometimes it is a problem. Sometimes I put my computer along the wall of our room after working in bed or watching a movie. If I don’t get the battery box out-of-the-way, it can make for a very painful walk to the bathroom. Sometimes, no matter how often I’ve walked to the bathroom before, I still manage to catch my toe on the end of our bed as I pass by it. OUCH!

Walking in the dark is dangerous

When we walk in the dark in our spiritual life by lying, cheating, stealing, slander, lust (need I go on?), we often think the things we’re doing aren’t that big a deal. They start small, like taking a dollar from our moms purse without asking or like my sister and I would do, taking quarters off my fathers dresser without asking. Even if we did ask, I know there were a few times I took more than I had been told to take. We say a lot of things to ourselves to make our walk in the dark not seem so bad. We say things like, “He can afford a couple more quarters”. Or, “The guy with the BMW doesn’t need me to pay for the ding I put in his door. He’s rich, right?” But small walks in the dark can lead us into deeper darkness. “I’m just getting coffee with her, totally innocent right? Oh wait, now she wants to find someplace quiet to talk.” It’s a slippery slope.

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

These are hard words to hear this side of heaven. As sinful people, we’ll never fully be walking in the light until Jesus comes again or we go to heaven. But that earthly living doesn’t give us the freedom to sin and walk in darkness, but the freedom to draw closer to the light and further from the darkness. When I was growing up and started to date a bit, there came a time when my mom had to tell me that boys weren’t allowed in my room. I said (of course), “Don’t you trust me?”. To which she wisely responded, “I trust you, I trust him, but I don’t trust the situation.” And that is how it is for so many of our sins, and so much of our time in darkness. We don’t work hard enough at keeping ourselves out of darkness. We don’t work hard enough at keeping ourselves in the light either.

His light doesn’t depend on us.

While we can lead ourselves out of the light into the darkness, the light is always there. God has saved us from our sins that we might spend eternity with Him in heaven. It is this blessing that calls us to walk in the light, to turn from our past lives of sin, not just because they’re bad for us, but because those sins and the darkness is what separates us from the one who loves us more than anyone else. Just like me reaching out for my husband in the dark cave, the Lord reaches out to us in our dark places, takes our hand and leads us back to the light. Unfortunately, sometimes, those of us who are stubborn and don’t like to be told what to do pull our hands out of His and remain in darkness. We pull away, leaving ourselves stranded.

Walk in the light

Hold fast to the one who has brought you out of darkness, so that you may not be overwhelmed by the darkness. Jesus is the Light. He is the way to everlasting life, and can lead you out of that darkness. Even letting in a little light can change your whole world. Once you have a little light, you won’t want to live without it. So go towards the light!

 

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2012 in 1 John, My God is My Light

 

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My God is…the God of Power and Might Psalm 89:5-8

04 Jul

Psalm 89:5-8 New International Version (NIV)

5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

Oooooh! Aaaahhh!

Every Forth of July you can hear around the country the same thing. Children, families and adults alike looking up into the sky and oohing and aahing. Fireworks are amazing things. They’re beautiful, exhilarating, loud, and dangerous. We look up into the sky and see these amazing colors bursting in the air. We’re amazed.

Fireworks are dangerous

To tell you the truth, I’m kind of chicken. I got nervous when my boys would climb the jungle gyms at the park. I couldn’t watch. In my brain the first thing that comes to mind seems to be the danger than could occur. My focus is not on the fun of the moment, but the potential disaster. I’m sort of pessimistic (my husband says I’m the most cheerful pessimist he knows). So with that information, you won’t be too surprised when I tell you fireworks make me nervous. Why? Because they are powerful. Even the small ones (ok maybe not the black worms that you light and they foam out of the small pill the started out as) make me nervous. They bang and pop somewhat unexpectedly. While this seems to bring everyone else great joy, I’m always thinking of the emergency room visits that people will be making that night, and how to avoid one in our family.

Fireworks are beautiful and exciting

Ok, so please don’t email me telling me I need to go back to counseling, but I have to admit that while on the one hand fireworks freak me out, I also enjoy them. I like how beautiful they are and enjoy the brilliance of the unexpected delights I’ll see. You sort of know what you’re going to get when you light your fireworks, but not exactly. Each one is different. The city fireworks are amazing. Laying on your back seeing them burst overhead.

In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared

In our verse above, we hear that God is greatly feared among the holy ones. Not because He’s dangerous, but because He is more awesome than anything else. He is more powerful, more truthful, more consistent, more everything good than anything else in the whole world, universe or beyond.

For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?

So while you’re enjoying the fireworks this Fourth of July, looking up to the skies and seeing the bright array of colors and hearing the loud booms, remember our Lord. Our God is more awesome than all of this; more exciting, more powerful and more amazing. He is more amazing and awesome than even the stars in the sky. Nothing can compare with the awesomeness of our God. Maybe even throw some oohs and aahs His way as you are amazed at what those He created have made.

 

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2012 in My God is The God of Power and Might, Psalm

 

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My God is…a leader Psalm 23:1-3

26 Jun

Psalm 23:1-3

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Great Leaders

Have you ever known any great leaders? Have you read any books by great leaders? What makes you want to follow the leader? Where are they leading you? Sometimes we’re disappointed by earthly leaders. We follow them hoping they know a better way. We want our political leaders to help our State, Country and World run better. For things to go more smoothly. We want them to make our lives easier, more exciting and more profitable. Then we find out they want those things for themselves, and when push comes to shove, they often choose themselves over the common good.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing

God has given us everything we need. He’s given us life, and more importantly eternal life. We lack nothing that is of true value. He supplies what we need. Like the sparrows, he knows our every need and supplies it. He knows each hair on our head. He cares about and for us, so we can be confident that through Him we lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures

What kind of God makes us to lie down in green pastures. Have you ever lied down in green pastures? Imagine yourself, in a park near a lake. The grass is green and soft. You lie down, close your eyes and take in some deep breaths. That’s what the Lord does for you. He makes you lie down in green pastures. What an amazing God that He wants that for us. He’s not concerned about our position in the world or becoming successful. He’s concerned about your well-being, the well-being of your soul. If you have ever laid on the grass with your eyes closed, it’s likely you know the peace it can bring. If you haven’t, you may want to give it a try!

He leads me beside quiet waters

So while you’re lying there on your back in the grass, you begin to hear the water on the lake lapping up on shore. The calm sound of the waves brings you peace. It brings a rhythm to your breathing and to your heart. God is so good. He knows the power of relaxing and being refreshed. Not just from laying on the grass near quiet water, but truly from resting in Him. Knowing Him and trusting Him with all the things that are going on in your life so that in the midst of turmoil you can find that same peace you might have felt near the lake. A peace that surpasses all understanding.

He refreshes my soul

Does your soul need refreshing? God refreshes our souls. He provides the peace that is necessary for our body mind and soul to be refreshed so that we might go on doing His will in this world. He as our leader doesn’t just tell us where to go, He actually changes our soul. Like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day, the Lord, through His word, Promises and Salvation provide us with a refreshment that no water could ever provide.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake

God’s word will not mislead you. You will not be sold one bill of goods and be given another. His promises are true and can be counted on. He is not some up and coming politician who will soon disappoint. He is forever, trustworthy and true. He is a leader we can follow, and He will not lead me down any wrong paths. He will keep my way true.

Is your soul refreshed?

 
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Posted by on June 26, 2012 in My God is a Leader, Psalm

 

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