‘In every season, you’re wonderful’

Oh how true, how true!
Throughout my life and more recently over the past few months I have experienced the wonder, grace, mercy, love and goodness of the Lord...in every season.

He not only gives comfort and peace in the ‘valleys’ of life but brings us through these times and brings about wonderful end results. “I will trust in you” (Psalm ch 31 v 14 and ch 56 v3) for I know Lord that you ...know the plans in place for [me], plans for good and not for evil, to give [me] a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

I read this beautiful daily devotion published by the Word for Today October 6:

“‘I waited patiently for the Lord; He… heard my cry.’
 Psalm 40:1

Anything that’s built well is put together slowly and carefully. Impatience is a sign of immaturity; children can’t wait for anything. Try to understand this: your impatience won’t move God faster. He works according to His own timetable. Paul writes, ‘We know that all things work… according to His purpose.’ (Romans 8:28) Just because the door hasn’t yet opened doesn’t mean that God has changed His mind. The timing may not be right for Him to get maximum glory, and you to get maximum benefit. So, what should you do while you’re waiting? Two things: 


(1) Pray for God’s will. And don’t permit things to come into your life that are contrary to it, especially hurry and worry. Know how to allocate your time, your energy, and your money, including whom you should and shouldn’t spend time with. God says, 
‘I make known the end from the beginning.’ 
(Isaiah 46:10) Before God starts anything, He has a clear picture of the end goal, and He ordains the steps that lead you to it. 


(2) While you’re waiting—rejoice. ‘Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.’ (Habakkuk 3:17–18) Start thanking God today for what He’s already done, and for what He’s going to do in the future on your behalf. Because He will—He absolutely will come through for you.”

Do not fear; be reassured and filled with joy!

As mentioned in a recent post, I have been struggling recently with change - the potential, possibility and likelihood of it - some it will depend on decisions I need to make, however the majority is out of my hands - the Lord knows and it is part of his plan.

One evening, I amazingly came across (at the perfect time) a very befitting daily devotional reading and it brought much comfort and peace to my heart... it is based on two Bible verses:

‘I have called him… and he will succeed in his mission.’ Isaiah 48:15
God told Jeremiah, ‘Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.’ (Jeremiah 1:5) 

When we give our lives to the Lord and allow Him to be in control, five things happen:

First, there is a call. God asks common people to do uncommon things, like Peter getting out of a boat and walking on water.

Second, there is fear. When God called Moses to stand before Pharaoh, he basically said, ‘I’m not a good enough speaker; use somebody else.' [God didn't ask Moses for his opinion, God already had chosen Moses because He saw him fit for the purpose. Moses, like us, despite being fearful, needed to be obedient and trust in Him - we can't see the bigger picture BUT God can, so in faith, we must trust Him.]

Third, there is reassurance. The thought of filling Moses’ shoes must have shaken Joshua to the core, so God told him, ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ (Joshua 1:5)

Fourth, there is a decision. Sometimes we say ‘yes’ to God and sometimes we say ‘no’(aka obedience or disobedience). When we say ‘yes’ we live with joy; when we say ‘no’ we forfeit that joy. But there’s always a decision. [The joy comes from knowing that He is in control and trusting Him to bring things to pass for our good - both difficult times to help us grow and good times to bring us happiness].

Fifth, there is a changed life. Those who say ‘yes’ to God’s call don’t walk perfectly, not by a long shot. But because they say ‘yes’, they learn and grow even from their failures. Indeed, their failures often become part of their ability to minister to others. And those who say ‘no’ to God are changed too; they become a little harder, a little more resistant to His calling, and a little more likely to say ‘no’ next time. Is God calling you? Maybe it has to do with your work, or your relationships, or your money, or facing your biggest fear. God’s call will go to the core of who you are and what you do. Saying ‘yes’ to Him is the best decision you’ll ever make. Amen!!

[bracketed] = my addition to the reading taken from Australia's Word For Today.

Trust in His Goodness

Over the past couple of months, I had been feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of inevitable change. The thought and knowledge of such change both excited me with anticipation of adventure, journey and growth, but instilled nerves at the thought of coping with it all. I regularly read the daily devotional tab on the App: 'Vision Christian Media'. One evening when I was feeling overwhelmed, the devotional for the day, as detailed below, brought me much reassurance and comfort. It moved the cloud from the judgement and put things into perspective. Titled 'Trust In His Goodness', the devotional was based on the bible verse ‘The Lord is good.’ from the Old Testament book of Nahum ch 1 v 7.

     ~~We read in Exodus 32 v 1 that ‘when the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come… down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us… gods who can lead us.”’ Why did Israel make a golden calf? Because they wanted a god they could see. It’s harder to relate to an invisible God, and Moses, His representative, stayed on Mount Sinai so long [that] the Israelites felt helpless and abandoned. So they did what we do when we’re scared—resort to the comfort of the familiar [often staying inside our comfort zone].

Mark D. Roberts writes: ‘How often do we find ourselves in a situation like the Israelites? We ‘hear’ God’s call to something new, and boldly step out in faith. But when we don’t sense His presence [either before or after stepping out in faith], and our prayers seem to [or feel like they] bounce off the ceiling, we feel abandoned, scared, and helpless. We grasp for the familiar.’

The Bible says, [as we read in Nahum, ‘The Lord is good… He cares for those who trust in Him.’

Nancy Ortberg says: ‘The difficult parts of change are most often where God lives… All the things I glibly say, in change I have to live out… Most of us go kicking and screaming instead of moving into it with an assuredness that not only is God on the other side, but new facets of Him that we haven’t heretofore understood are also there. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a job loss, a move across the country etc—if we allow ourselves to push through the difficult parts we’ll discover God is there… and He’s entirely, wonderfully, amazingly, good.~~

***

Reading this made me realise that I am worrying and prolonging my worry when I should not be. Yes it was and is normal to be concerned, but I needed to give it to the Lord and let it go. I needed to 'cast my fears on him'. The word 'cast' refers to that which a fisherman casts out his net to catch fish in the ocean. 

I was fearful of big change. Then I prayed, with tears streaming down my face - 'Lord I know that you have plans for my life - you tell me so in Jeremiah 29 v 11 - plans to prosper and not to harm, plans to give hope and a future. I know that you are a good and gracious King. Gold is formed out of fire - Lord I feel do overwhelmed by the daunting process and inevitable experience of change, but it is exciting and I know that you are and will be with me always. It will be a good thing both personally and professionally - I will grow from this. Please Lord help me, give me your PEACE, STRENGTH AND COMFORT; and remind me when I am feeling burdened to continue to 'cast' my anxiety and fears on you.'

I encourage you to seek the Lord's strength and guidance. He will help you through it! Trust in Him: in His goodness; His kindness; His mercy; His compassion; His unconditional love and HIS PLAN for your life.

When God closes one door, He opens another—but you must be willing to walk through it.

Concept idea and basis for text taken from Word For Today Australia. Emphasis is mine.

Your worth is based on the blood of Jesus

There are times in life where we doubt ourselves in aspects of all things. Times when we feel vulnerable to the uncontrollable elements of our lives. Thoughts of “it is too hard”… “I don’t think I can do this”… “Am I ‘good’ enough’ – am I in the running”…

Satan, is called “the accuser” Revelation 12 v 10, who comes to “steal, kill, and destroy” all things good in our lives. The truth is, he wants us to forget who we are and see ourselves only in the light of our flaws and failures. He wants us to fail and keep failing.

I drove past a church message board the other day and read this message: We try to fix things with duct tape, but Jesus fixed it with nails (underline emphasis mine).

How beautiful! The REAL truth is – we are children of God, our souls cherished so dearly that Christ died for us. He bled for us and suffered for us so that we might choose Him and LIVE!

Our flaws and failures matter no more – why? Because Jesus died for us. We are ‘covered’ by His blood. What a precious precious thing! Yes, we have faults. Yes, there are things about us that need to be changed, but God is working on us just as He is on everybody else. We are all at different stages of refinement – some more advanced than others, but it is our unique journey that we are on.

Do not allow others to make you feel worthless or useless because they do not treat you or love you as they should. Don’t spend your life trying to win their acceptance or approval, they are mere imperfect mortal humans, just like the rest of us! The REAL truth is, we have already been accepted and approved by God because He made us and His one and only Son died for us. Therefore, make sure your validation and sense of worth come from Him. Yes, we appreciate acceptance from others, but don’t let that be the focus of measuring your worth!

Trust in His love, His unconditional love; His graciousness: His mercy; His compassion: His kindness;  and His goodness (refer to Psalm 145 v 8 and 103 v 8).

(Concept idea and basis for text taken from Word For Today Australia.)

The lyrics of this hymn are beautiful. 'Nothing But The Blood of Jesus'.

1: What can wash away my sin
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
For pardon this I see
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
For cleansing this my plea
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Chorus: How deep the store of Jesus' love
How rich the flow that cleanses us
How great the debt I owed
Now it's nothing by the blood of Jesus

2: What can break the pow'r of death
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Life and hope unto the earth
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What satisfies the law
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What opens heaven's door
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

3: Nothing can for sin atone
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Nothing good that I have done
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
This is my hope and peace
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
This is my righteousness
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Words: Robert Lowry. Music: Michael Morrow © 2004

CCLI Song # 5200137

'He is the one who loved you first, the one who knew you before birth'

Lord, you are the one who knew me before birth.

   "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" ~Jeremiah 1 v 5

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb" ~Psalm 139 v 13

Jesus I love you because: You love me, You care for me, You made me, You suffered and died for me, You saved me, You know me, You forgive me, You hold my life in the palm of your hand.

I came across this song recently - and it melted me into tears. It touched my heart so deeply. I pray that you may be blessed by it. Cherish the words, press into His heart.

THIS IS THE ONE
Verse 1
This is the one who calmed the storm,
Who stopped the waves with just a word
He is the one with power, with power, unending
This is the one who heals the blind
With power to raise the dead to life
He promises forgiveness, forgiveness of your sin

Chorus
He is the one who loved you first
The one who knew you before birth
Before creation of the earth, Jesus
He calls you out of darkest night
And welcomes you into the light
He is the one that you can trust, Jesus

Verse 2
This is the man who conquered death
He is the one who rose again
This is the one who died for, who died for, for your soul
This is the one who reigns above
The definition of love
He is the one who gives you, who gives you, your new life

Bridge
Someone bled for you, died for you, sought to make you His
Then He rose for you and clothes you in His righteousness

Living he loved you, Dying he saved you.

Today we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, the day that Jesus rose up into heaven from earth, after being crucified on the cross so that one day we might realise who He is and accept Him into our heart and Lord and Saviour, because by living he loved you; dying he saved you; buried, he carried your sins away; and rising, he justified freely forever.

Justified means, 'just as if you never sinned'.

We sang this song at church this morning. The lyrics are just beautiful.
'Glorious Day' by Casting Crowns.

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

  CHORUS:

  Living, He loved me
  Dying, He saved me
  Buried, He carried my sins far away
  Rising, He justified freely forever
  One day He's coming
  Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

CHORUS

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer

One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

CHORUS

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine

Watch and Wait for Him...patiently

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 be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you. ~Psalm 33 v 20-22

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25 v 4-5

Life is full of waiting and watching; hopes, dreams, plans and expectations. There is also much that is unknown. It can be unnerving and unsettling. God has a plan for each and every one of us. So we need not be concerned! He wants to bless us! But we need to be cautious to not 'run ahead' and jump in too early, when things aren't going as we think they should. Things won't always be easy, but out of those hard times we grow in ourselves and in our closeness, dependence and reliance on Him! Be focused and intent on serving Him - and experience the joy and excitement of His blessings!

This video of a beautiful little girl reminded me this... see how she is so surprised by the chicken laying the eggs... and the excitement! The joy! So cute!

 

Ever present in a boundless expanse

It's a natural tendency with humankind that we are materially-minded and believe only what we can see. Yet it says in the Bible that:

'The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal' (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Last night, the sky was clear - not a cloud to be had, no mist, no rain, no moon. The stars were incredibly bright and I could see thousands of them. I thought of what I learnt in science at school - we can only see a fraction of the millions we cannot. It made me think back to a time when, a few years ago, I stood in the middle of a deserted road late at night, in the middle of the Australian Outback and gazed up into the sky. The brightness of the stars beamed out of the eerily black sky. I couldn't see my hand in front of me, or my friend who stood right next to me. I was filled with awe - to a point where words failed me - the majesty and awesomeness of out Creator God.

I thought last night, as I did that night, of the Bible verse in Psalm chapter 8 verses 3 & 4:

When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    human beings that you care for them?
*emphasis mine

I read a daily devotional some time ago, for which the author I cannot remember, however it struck a cord with me, much like it did the audience at the time! Apparently it is a true story...

   When that astronaut completed the first orbit of the earth in 1961 he was awarded many honours and made lecture tours throughout his native land. On one of these occasions, when thousands had come to hear him, he ridiculed the existence of God. He said he looked up and down, north, east, south and west, but could not see God anywhere.

Many laughed at this audacious talk. Suddenly a believer from the back of the hall shouted out, "If you had fallen out, you would have met Him!"

For a moment there was a shocked complete silence and then, as though at a given silence, all the Christians in the audience sang, what was to them a well-known song:

Oh Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed;

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

The audience dispersed. They had been given something to think about.

...In the vastness of the Universe - who are they - one mere small fraction of a dot in the grand scheme of everything. 
...Who is God to them - their Creator who made and loves them? Or a figment of millions of people's imagination?
...Where will they spend eternity - in the blissful joy of Heaven, or the fire of Hell, where suffering and torment are endless? The wonderful thing is - people can choose where their soul will go when their earthly shell departs this earth. There will come a time, however, where the choice will be no longer available; God will have had enough of waiting and watching people destroy their lives and the lives of others. The world will become such an awful place to live, God will have to step in and say "Enough is enough".

We are living in a deteriorating world - morally and ethically, that seems to be happening at an increasingly rapid rate.

It is sad and yet amazing to watch people live their lives - they have no concept of eternity - they live for today, here and now; yet fail to see that 'today' is a fraction of a dot on the spectrum of eternity.

Consider Him - He who is 'great... and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.' ~Psalm 145 verse 3

 

Peace in your heart

I read a beautiful devotional today that spoke about the inner 'knowing', otherwise called peace. The result? Your heart is calm, free from confusion. It highlighted that when you walk closely with the Lord, He will guide your decision making...in His timing. See Romans 8 v 6.

From the 'Word For Today'...

When your thoughts, actions and plans are approved by God, He’ll confirm it by giving you an inner ‘knowing’. (See 1 John 2 v 20) The Bible says: ‘Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]...' (Colossians 3 v 15 AMP). When you trust the Lord with your life and all that lies ahead, when you’re being led by [Him], you’ll [experience] a sense of peace even in the midst of difficult circumstances. His peace is like a baseball umpire who decides what’s ‘safe’ and what’s ‘out of bounds’ for you.

But beware of false peace. Sometimes your desire to do a certain thing will be so strong that it will actually produce a false sense of peace that comes from your own excitement about the idea. As time passes this false peace will disappear and God’s true will, will emerge. So wait for it. As a rule you should never move too quickly on important decisions. The Bible says, ‘To be controlled by the Spirit results in… peace.’ In other words, to be guided by the Lord will result in decisions made with a sense of calm, and not confusion. So don’t proceed if your inner peace can’t hold its weight against what you think or hear. You don’t have to explain to others why you don’t have peace about it; indeed, sometimes you won’t know why. Just say, ‘I feel it’s not wise for me to do this at this time because I don’t have peace about it.’...or 'It doesn't feel right', which indeed it won't because without the Lord's peace, making the decision without His 'green light' can induce feelings of tension.

There’s power in having peace. And one more thing: once you know that you’ve heard clearly from God, do all you can to keep your peace and don’t become anxious. The devil will throw 'red herrings' into your thoughts to throw you off course.

Let me encourage you, God's timing is not our timing, and often we will have to wait some time for Him to answer our prayers and heart's desire, and thus receive His peace. And while at the time and during the course of waiting, things can seem unsure or confusing. Be reassured that He has heard you and that He will answer your prayer, but not necessarily in the way in which we want it to be answered nor in the time frame we want and expect Him to answer it.

*non-italic text within the devotion are my additives, as are the emphasised words.

Unconditional, Inexhaustible LOVE

We recently celebrated Valentine's Day - the one day in the year that the world sets aside to remind us to express our love...

Someone once asked a prolific author on Bible doctrine, “What is the most profound theological truth in the Scriptures?” He thought for a moment and simply replied quoting the lines of Anna B. Warner, “Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so.”

How often do we take this profound truth for granted? God’s love is unconditional and inexhaustible. His love is more than enough for everyone in the world, and it is amazing to know (as we read in the Bible) that there is nothing that will lessen, reduce, or minimize that love!

God is love and He proved His love for us in that He gave His One and only Son, Jesus for our wrongdoings so that we can have the opportunity to choose Him. For it is written in the Bible, and how true it is, that “We love Him because He first loved us” (John 1:19). In other words, our love toward God and others is simply a response to His great love toward us. We simply become a channel of God’s love to others.

God is the author and perfector of perfect love. When a loved one expresses love towards us, our natural response is to return love. That is how it is with God and us.

The English language provides just one word for a myriad of different types of 'love'. Yet, the Hebrew and Greek languages provide us with specific terms for specific meanings of the different types of love.

One type of love is 'Agape' (pronounced 'R-gar-pay') love. It is the highest form of love. It is God's love. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: (that) while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' ~Romans 5:7-8.

We can never repay Him for that. What we can and ought do is accept Him into our heart and life and honour Him in the way we live. "...By your love I am accepted; You're a good and gracious King..."

'Good and Gracious King', by CityAlight, from St Paul's (Church) Castle Hill (Sydney), Australia.

I approach the throne of glory
Nothing in my hands I bring
But the promise of acceptance
From a good and gracious King
... You deserve the greater glory
 Overcome, I lift my voice
To the King in need of nothing
Empty handed I rejoice

You deserve the greater glory
Overcome with joy I sing
By Your love I am accepted
You’re a good and gracious King
... 
*emphasis mine

Time is racing along! It is my prayer as you listen and meditate on the lyrics of the song and the Scriptures quoted above, that your heart and life may be enriched by the knowledge and acceptance of the unconditional, inexhaustible love of God.