Category: Joshua

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Are We Having Fun Yet?

Are we having fun yet? Anyone remember  asking your kids that or perhaps they asked you that question?

By the time you are reading this, I will be asking Dave this question or perhaps he will be asking the same of me. About every 12 to 18 months we have a garage sale. No point in hanging on to things we don’t use or need.

Today and tomorrow are those days.

We have fun doing them. We look forward to the opportunity to visit with folks. Be sure to pray that we have an opportunity to let the Father’s love shine through us.

The day wouldn’t be complete without having a blog to share with you. Today I am repurposing a post I wrote years back.

As you start each day what are your first thoughts? Do you get up dreading the schedule that’s ahead of you or on a weekend are you eager to start the day looking forward to athletic events, shopping, time with family and friends?

I will still get up early in the morning and have my quiet time with the Father but knew I wouldn’t have time to sit quietly and put my heart’s thoughts into words. You see, Dave will be out by 6 am putting up signs and I fully expect that folks will be coming by 630. So that’s why I recycled and set the delayed posting feature.

Where in your thinking do you focus on the Father and His purpose and plan? Start here first and everything else seems to fall into place. The truly successful set priorities even for their leisure – we need to keep our focus!

“What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:33 ERV

“Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 ERV

Words for today: Live long and prosper God’s way!

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Shouts of Triumph

This morning I feel like shouting! Really shouting.

“Clap your hands, all you people. Shout to God with a loud, joyful song. 2 We must fear the Lord, the Most High. He is the great king of the whole earth.” Psalm 47:1-2 GW

You know the kind of shouting I’m talking about. It could more appropriately be called cheering. That makes it clearer right?

That cheering, roar-of-the-crowd, winning touch down, home run kind of shouting! The “victory is mine” kind of shouting. The walk around Jericho, let the walls fall down kind of shouting.

“So then the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the trumpets, they began shouting. The walls fell down, and the people ran up into the city. So the Israelites defeated that city.” Joshua 6:20 ERV

Today is our day of victory! Maybe you feel you have been in a battle for a very long time. Almost ready to give up – feeling winded, knees wobbly, biceps quivering and shoulders drooping. Don’t quit now – it’s time to shout!

“I celebrate and shout because of my Lord God. His saving power and justice are the very clothes I wear. They are more beautiful
than the jewelry worn by a bride or a groom. 11 The Lord will bring about justice and praise in every nation on earth, like flowers blooming in a garden.” Isaiah 61:10-11 CEV

Not only do we have reason to shout but heaven is shouting too. The Bible tells us there is great rejoicing in heaven when we come to the Father and receive His love and forgiveness. He marks the day we find life in Him.  He circles it on the calendar. The angels in heaven sing and heaven’s “social media” come alive with the announcement of our birth.

“Suppose a woman has ten coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house, and look for the coin carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin that I lost.’ 10 So I can guarantee that God’s angels are happy about one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts.” Luke 15:8-10 GW

And oh how the Father rejoices when we come to Him! It’s party time!!

Yes, it truly is time to shout!

God has made us His own. He has given us new life, new hope and a joy that is almost unimaginable.

“You have now become a new person and are always learning more about Christ. You are being made more like Christ. He is the One Who made you... Christ is everything. He is in all of us.

12 God has chosen you. You are holy and loved by Him. Because of this, your new life should be full of loving-pity. You should be kind to others and have no pride. Be gentle and be willing to wait for others.” Colossians 3:10-12 NLV

More like Christ. Each day the Holy Spirit is working in us to make us more like Christ. Christ lived a life of victory; He had challenges, attacks and all out persecution but He knew victory was His because the Father had promised that He would triumph.

“I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

Join me please. Let’s start this day with a shout! Let the voice of triumph be heard!!

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Life’s Lessons Lived Well

Kids all across the country are getting ready to return to school and some already have.

Over 30 years ago, a book written by Robert Fulgham brought attention to the simplicity of doing things right. It was called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten“.

We did learn some very important lessons in our early years of education. The importance of listening, sharing, co-operating, washing our hands, saying please and thank you, were just some of these valuable lessons.

Our parents taught us other truths in our early years that molded us and were very beneficial. It’s amazing how many things we do as adults that we were taught as children. We no longer do them because we fear that we may get a whippin’ or because “mom” is still standing there telling us every time but we do them because we know their right.

Look both ways before crossing a street
Brush your teeth before going to bed
Don’t run with scissors
Don’t talk with your mouth full
Chew with your mouth closed
Don’t tattle
Wash your hands after you’ve gone to the bathroom
Say, “Yes Ma’am” “Yes, Sir”
Don’t punch your sister
Pick up your clothes
Feed the dog

All of these things are simple and right but we had to be taught them and now that we do them we are better for it.

You know the same is true with Scripture.

“But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:7-9 ERV

Joshua was taking over for Moses, leading over a million Israelites into the Promised Land. Big shoes to fill – he needed wisdom and courage. This was his instruction from the Lord…remember what you were taught, you will be successful!

Jesus said the core teaching of the Bible, all that Moses and the other prophets said, was found in this instruction.

“36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus answered:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 23:36-40 CEV

When we love the Lord with all our heart we will naturally and supernaturally love others as well. We learn from His example of love, unconditional love, and we give. We give our time, our possessions, our acceptance, we give our very lives if necessary.

A little nugget that jumped off the page of my Bible this morning was from Psalms.

“Help me to guard my words whenever I say something.” Psalm 141:3 CEV

One of the most loving things we can do is to watch our words. Words can encourage or they can destroy. They can compliment or  criticize. Remember the little childhood chant, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me”?

But words can hurt – they can devastate. Another one of Mother’s Rules was “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t saying anything at all”. I know that’s what this verse it is telling me.  My words should be kind and loving.

I don’t know which teaching from God’s Word  you’ll be living today but whatever it is, love well!

 

 

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Circle of Influence

Each one of us has a sphere of influence. Each one of us has a specific purpose that God has called us to.

Joshua’s calling was to replace Moses and lead the children of Israel into the promised land. What a daunting task! But God made him a promise and spoke words of encouragement into his life.

What has God called you to do? Does it seem overwhelming and near impossible? Then these words to Joshua are for you too. If God has called you to do something, then He will also empower you for the task.

Replace Joshua’s name with yours and meditate on God’s promise to you today.

“Joshua, you must be strong and brave! You must lead these people so that they can take their land. I promised their fathers that I would give them this land. 7 But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9 CEV

Be strong, be brave! I am with you – what better promises could you have.

Let’s look at some of the regular people in the Bible. People who weren’t the lead players but without their involvement the story would have greatly changed.

We always hear about Noah but without the help of his three sons I doubt the ark would have ever been built.  Then there’s the Egyptian servant girl who went down into the Nile River and retrieved Moses from the bulrushes. Hers was a vital mission but menial.

Consider the innkeeper who allowed Joseph and Mary to stay in the stable. He is only briefly mentioned but his role was paramount. Do you remember anyone who has ever given a message on the owner of the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? Or what about the carpenter who constructed the cross?

All of these people had very important roles to fulfill but gained no notoriety.

What role have you been called to fill?

I once received a phone call from a very gifted singer. Years ago she had been on the worship team in our church. She sang like an angel. People would be spell bound as she sang. She was anointed.

She was frustrated because it seemed that all the avenues to her having a recording made were blocked. She said to me “I just want to use this gift God has given me”.  She was working as a nanny at the time.

Here is what I found myself saying. If you use your voice to sing to the little children in your care and the Holy Spirit uses your songs to impact them, who’s to say that they don’t grow up to become the next Billy Graham and change the world for Christ. Whatever you are doing, do it for the Lord.

“ Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:16-17 ERV

When Joshua was a young man I don’t think he knew that he would become Moses replacement. He just did what he was good at and the Lord moved him in to the right place.

I used to think that it would be great if I could teach God’s word to large crowds. I love to teach – I know it’s what I’m called to do. However, I have never filled a large auditorium, much less a stadium. But I am happy with the circle of influence that I have among my family, my friends and through this blog and social media.

If you’re  a good cook, woodworker,  musician, business administrator, internet genius, policeman, fire fighter, nurse, homemaker, mom or dad – you have a circle of influence that no one else can fill.

Take the words the Lord gave Joshua and go for it!

Be strong, be brave. Don’t be afraid. The Lord goes everywhere with you!

 

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Instructions for Fatherhood

What a wonderful, challenging, frustrating, invigorating, demanding and out-right rewarding thing is fatherhood.

I was blessed with a loving and caring father. Not a perfect man by any means but a man who loved me and wanted the best for me. I have also been blessed with a wonderful, godly man who is my husband and father to my children. He, too, isn’t perfect but he is committed to me, his children and his grandchildren.

Men, fathers, have an tremendous responsibility. They are to be living examples of God’s love for us. Our heavenly Father loves unconditionally, protects, leads and instructs us in the ways of right living. Our earthly fathers are instructed to do the same.

The great thing, men, is that you have never been directed to do this on your own. God has given you His word and the Holy Spirit to help in your areas of weakness. Let’s look at a few of the verses given to you as fathers.

The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon as instruction in wisdom for his children. He constantly taught them to pursue wisdom and have reverence for the Lord.

“The reward for not having pride and having the fear of the Lord is riches, honor and life.  5 Thorns and traps are in the way of the sinful. He who watches himself will stay far from them.  6 Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it.” Proverbs 22:4-7 NLV

These verses correctly state that living a life committed to the Lord brings reward. It also gives a directive to avoid traps and pitfalls. Teaching/training a child implies dedication to getting the job done. It doesn’t happen with just one instruction. No, children need repetition, discipline and boundaries as they are growing and learning.

However, all of the above should be done with a loving and compassionate heart.

“Fathers, don’t make your children angry, but raise them with the kind of teaching and training you learn from the Lord.”          Ephesians 6:4 ERV

““Remember these commands I give you. Keep them in your hearts. Write them down and tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads as a way to remember my laws. 19 Teach these laws to your children. Talk about these things when you sit in your houses, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. 20 Write these commands on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. 21 Then both you and your children will live a long time in the land that the Lord promised to give to your ancestors. You will live there as long as the skies are above the earth.”          Deuteronomy 11:18-21 ERV

Our children learn as much from our example as they do from our words. Maybe more.  A good father is someone who lives what they teach.

Joshua was a man like that. He had been Moses assistant and when Moses died it became his job to lead the Israelites into their promised land. This is a charge he gave the nation of Israel. He made it personal when he said “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. He wasn’t just telling his family to follow God but he was determined to follow the Lord himself.

“Then Joshua said to the people, “Now you have heard the Lord’s words. So you must respect the Lord and sincerely serve him. Throw away the false gods that your ancestors worshiped. That was something that happened a long time ago on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Now you must serve only the Lord.

15 “But maybe you don’t want to serve the Lord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

16 Then the people answered, “We will never stop following the Lord. We will never serve other gods!” Joshua 24:14-16 ERV

The Apostle Paul gave the same type of fatherly advice to the Christians in Ephesus. Since God is our heavenly Father, as His children, we should follow His example.

“You are God’s dear children, so try to be like him. 2 Live a life of love. Love others just as Christ loved us. He gave himself for us—a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 ERV

Ladies, I know this has been directed at fathers but we need to be praying for our fathers and husbands. They have been given an assignment by God and we need to be supporting them in what they’ve been called to do.

“Thank you Lord for godly men. Thank you for husbands and fathers who have a heart’s desire to see their children become adults who are honest, God loving, leaders in their own homes and communities. Give these men strength, wisdom, compassion and tenderness to lead as You lead. And for those who haven’t had fathers like this I thank you that You have never failed us. “

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Our Biggest Cheerleader

Do you realize that this year is half way completed? What goals are we accomplishing – what successes have we had so far?

Do you know that our Father is gracious and loving and He has such big plans for us? Plans for our success and benefit.

Oh my goodness – He is our biggest cheerleader! He is at every soccer game, basketball game, swim meet, 4H and FFA event and on every shoot. He’s there cheering us on and He does it with a good attitude and doesn’t say bad words if the “ref” gets it wrong.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

I used kids’ activities as my examples because each of us as a parent have been there to cheer our kids on and to tell them they are great. God does it too but in a much greater way.

He’s also there in every prayer we pray over our kids, He’s in on every discussion we have with our mate, He attends every business meeting, goes on every trip, is there for every sale and training session. He’s not a dead beat or absentee Father! He’s involved in our lives as much as we allow Him to be. He’s there!

He’s written everything down that we need to succeed. It’s not a suggestion book or an advice column. He has given us what we need to succeed in every area.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 NIV

He’s also given us a freewill. We can go out and try things on our own. We can fail, we can fall flat on our faces and He will be there to pick us up and set us on the right path once again.

Don’t we do this with our kids? How our hearts break when they try to do it on their own and don’t listen to our instruction. We know what’s best and they ignore us – and we love them anyway. We reach out to hold them, to comfort them and then to give them instruction once again. Our Father is just like that – where do you think we learned it?

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

If this year hasn’t brought a life of victory, maybe it’s because we are trying to do things on our own without reading the instruction manual, or it could be that our enemy has devised a plan against us. If it’s the former, we need to get in the book and take it to heart – “lean not to our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths”.

And if it’s the latter, get in the Word and take the authority that has been given us by the Father and put the enemy in his place. Don’t quit, don’t give up but go forward in the power and authority that the Father has made available to us.

“We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:3-5 CEV

We have been given everything we need to live a life of victory – we have been given God’s great and precious promises!

He’s cheering us on today! Listen for His voice and follow His words. 

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Living in the Sunshine

Now before you think that I am going to wax poetic about the joys of living in the desert, I want to share some thoughts with you that the Lord brought to me yesterday in my quiet time.

I have been dealing with some issues that require decisions and actions on my part. I was telling the Lord that I didn’t want to make a decision based on my own knowledge, fear or a sense of urgency.

It was then that I remembered these verses.

“ Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.” Proverbs 3:5-8 ERV

I don’t want to do things or make decisions based on my own “common sense”. I want everything I do to be God-led and God-directed.  My intelligence and understanding  give me a limited view of the things before me, like a flashlight on a dark night.

But trusting the Lord completely and relying on His understanding of the situation is  comparable to the light of the sun at noonday. Nothing is hidden, everything is revealed. I would much rather walk in the light of the sunshine than with the light of a flashlight.

Remember a few days ago in the story of Saul/Paul. Saul was met on the road to Damascus by a bright blinding light from heaven. That’s God’s light and it’s so much greater than any light we use.  The same light appeared with the angels to the shepherds when they announced the birth of Jesus.

Trusting the Lord and His wisdom is far beyond my own wisdom and understanding.

“ But for you that honor my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play. 3 When I come to bring justice, you will trample those who are evil, as though they were ashes under your feet. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!” Malachi 4:2-3 ERV

God caused the sun to stand still for Joshua when he was fighting a battle. The sun represented God’s power and promise working for the Israelites.  As long as it was present they were winning.

“The Lord was helping the Israelites defeat the Amorites that day. So about noon, Joshua prayed to the Lord loud enough for the Israelites to hear:

“Our Lord, make the sun stop
    in the sky over Gibeon,
and the moon stand still
    over Aijalon Valley.”
So the sun and the moon
    stopped and stood still
until Israel defeated its enemies.

This poem can be found in The Book of Jashar. The sun stood still and didn’t go down for about a whole day. 14 Never before and never since has the Lord done anything like that for someone who prayed. The Lord was really fighting for Israel.” Joshua 10:12-14 CEV

So yesterday, after my quiet time I took Glory, our dog, for a walk. While I was on the walk the Lord reassured me to “wait” pursuing my own idea for a solution and to trust Him. After all, His ways are perfect.

This morning I woke refreshed. I plan on living this day in the “Son Shine”!

 

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Advice From My Professor

I had a professor in college that would say, “If I say it’s significant, if I repeat it once it’s important, if I say it a third time write it down, it will be on the test”.

He was true to his word. We learned quickly.

You will notice that these morning writings follow a theme. Generally they will deal with our relationship with God the Father, his character (love, kindness, protection) and I always try to bring a message of encouragement and hope which dispel worry and fear.

When it’s important I will be repeating it time and time again.

When we lived in Montana we lived about 15 miles from town. Kaci would call to tell us she was off work and headed home. She would ask if we needed anything before she left town. Her dad would always tell her “remember to slow down through the willows, you never know if a deer is going to jump out onto the road”. This wasn’t an occasional reminder, it was daily.

She asked me once if he thought she wasn’t being careful. I told her no, but  as her dad he felt it was his responsibility to keep her safe and so as long as she drove that road he would be reminding her to slow down and be alert. The reminder was the expression of a loving father.

You know God, our heavenly Father, does the same with us. In the Old Testament He gave his message through prophets. In the New Testament the message came through Jesus and the apostles. The messengers were different but the message was the same.

“I love you and I want relationship with you. Listen to and obey my words. Life will go better when you use My wisdom.” Now that’s the Kristi paraphrase but Scripture says it like this:

“Be faithful in obeying the Lord your God. Be careful to keep all His Laws which I tell you today. And the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these good things will come upon you if you will obey the Lord your God. 3 Good will come to you in the city, and good will come to you in the country. ” Deuteronomy 28:1-3 NLV

or

“Listen to and obey all the Laws I am telling you today. Love the Lord your God. Work for Him with all your heart and soul. If you do, 14 He will give the rain for your land at the right times, the early and late rain. So you may gather in your grain, your new wine and your oil.” Deuteronomy 11:13-14 NLV

Listening to the Lord and obeying always came with blessings.

“Only be strong and have much strength of heart. Be careful to obey all the Law which My servant Moses told you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left. Then all will go well with you everywhere you go. 8 This book of the Law must not leave your mouth. Think about it day and night, so you may be careful to do all that is written in it. Then all will go well with you. You will receive many good things. 9 Have I not told you? Be strong and have strength of heart! Do not be afraid or lose faith. For the Lord your God is with you anywhere you go.” Joshua 1:7-9 NLV

We’re his children and His Word is his loving reminder of what’s important.

Let me ask you, when your kids were little how many times did you tell them to brush their teeth before they went to bed? Or how many times did you instruct them to say please and thank you; yes sir and no sir? How often did you instruct them to wash their hands, eat with their mouth closed, look both ways before crossing the street? Over and over again we repeated parental instruction.

Jesus used words like “verily, verily” which meant I’m telling you a truth, listen up. He also repeated the concepts of God’s kingdom by telling parables. A parable was a practical story with a godly principle as its basis. Remember the one of the prodigal son?

The son wanted to go off on his own. He made mistakes. He squandered his money and when he hit rock bottom he went home. The Father was waiting, waiting with open arms. Waiting to embrace his son and make his life good again.

The Apostle Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament. The books were letters to churches in different areas where he had preached. In each letter he was reminding the believers of the things he had taught them while he had been with them personally. One of the major themes of Paul’s writings was joy and peace.

“Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy! 5 Let all people see how gentle you are. The Lord is coming again soon. 6 Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NLV

How appropriate it is for us today. Be full of joy, pray, don’t worry, be guarded by peace. Yes, that’s worth repeating!  I can guarantee life will test us daily to see if we come up with an answer to be joyful, pray, don’t worry and have peace.

Let me close with these words of repetition from the book of Psalms. I will encourage you to read chapter 118. The repetition in these 29 verses is overwhelming. This whole chapter has one purpose and that is to remind us that God’s loving kindness lasts forever. When we are mindful of that fact, it makes it easier for us to be full of joy, free from worry and bathed in peace.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. 2 Let Israel say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.” Psalm 118:1-4 NLV

I hope you learn to love the repetition of Scripture. God is making a point!

His loving-kindness will last forever! Amen.

 

 

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Refined Like 24k Gold

A new day – a clean slate! Today we have the opportunity to be refined.

 

God wants to purify our thoughts in the same way a refiner purifies gold.  He desires to work with us to remove what’s impure so that we can shine brightly.

“Fire is used to make gold and silver pure, but a person’s heart is made pure by the Lord.” Proverbs 17:3 ERV

As a mother and as a kid, I heard and said “Watch your tongue!” An admonishment I didn’t always follow and so my mother made sure that there were consequences for those improprieties.

We learn to discern what are the right and wrong things to say and when to say them. But the meditations of the heart, our thoughts, are just as important as the words we say.

In fact, what we think or meditate on will effect the things we say. What do we dwell on? The word meditate paints a picture of a cow chewing her cud; going over and over and over a matter in our minds. So if we want to say the right things we need to be thinking on right things. That’s what Jesus told his followers.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

Our thoughts and our meditations will direct our lives and can bring us to a successful place or a place of turmoil. Think on what it good today.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9

When we meditate on God’s word we begin to think like He does. Our thoughts begin to be refined and we start to see ourselves as God sees us.

King Solomon put it this way in Proverbs 23:7. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:”

If we see ourselves as God sees us and we meditate on His word, we will be victorious when the battles and the challenges come. We’re told

…I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

…My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.

…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

…If God be for us, who can be against us

…the thief comes but to steal, kill and destroy but I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly

…if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally

…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed

God tells us that the battle is in our minds and we are to renew them to His way of thinking and not to be caught up in man’s natural way of thinking. Successful people throughout time have used God’s principal of renewing their mind and have come through with God-like results.

“Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:1-2

This is what David did as a young shepherd; all the armies of Israel were in fear of one giant but David knew that God would fight with him and so he had no fear and defeated Goliath single handed.

Abraham knew he had God’s promise for a child and so at 100 years old he held on to God’s word and a miracle of conception took place and Sarah gave birth to Issac.

Peter was in a sinking boat when Jesus came walking on the water and at Jesus’ word, Come, Peter stepped out and walked to Jesus.

The men and the women of the Bible were/are people just like us, 100% human, what made them special is they chose to believe that God’s words had power and they let those words refine and purify their thoughts and  change their circumstances. We can do the same today.

We should give God’s word more credibility than the word of our neighbor, our spouse, or a trusted friend. Let His words fill our thoughts.

Begin the refining process today. Soon we’ll see that our thinking can be stamped 24k.

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What’s Next??

The other morning when I took Glory, our miniature Aussie, for a walk I was praying. I knew we were about to end our study in Psalms 119 and I wanted to know where the Lord would have me go next for my daily devotionals.

It was then the Lord reminded me of how I began to put His word into my daily life. As a young girl I had memorized a lot of Bible verses. Sunday School teachers gave me stars for learning my weekly Bible verse; King’s Daughters, a girls club, awarded us points and badges for memorization. I still remember a lot of those verses.

However, as you all know, memorization doesn’t mean that you understand or better yet, apply that information to your life. I wanted to “know” God’s word not just have it memorized. I wanted to depend on God’s word for answers but the question was “how”.

Dave and I decided to start looking up verses that applied to specific areas of need in our life; faith, health, finances, relationship with God. Now mind you this was before computers, back in the dark ages, when you had your Bible and a concordance (a book that lists all the verses that had a particular word in them). We would sit down at our kitchen table and write all these verses down, look them up in the Bible, read them out loud and cross off the ones that didn’t really apply. Then we took the ones that were left and would copy them onto 3×5 cards.

We took those cards and punched a hole in the corner and put them on a ring. Dave had a set he carried in his work truck and I had a copy I kept in the house or my purse. When I situation would come up and we needed God’s answer we would read those verses and let the Lord show us what to do. We were living the word not just memorizing it.

Depending on God’s word became almost as natural as breathing.

Now – what’s this have to do with you and my morning devotionals? That was 35 years ago and  I still have that ring with verses on it and over the next few weeks I am going to be sharing some of those verses with you.  One verse at a time.

It’s so much easier now with the technology we have. You can go to an app like BibleGateway and have dozens of translations on your screen in a matter of seconds. If you don’t understand what a verse means in one translation, find one that you can. You don’t even have to hand write or type the verses, just hit print and it’s done for you. I hope you will make them a part of your life the way we did.

Here is God’s promise regarding His word:

“But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9 ERV

One verse at a time, one day at a  time makes a lifetime of difference!

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