Month: March 2024

Have you ever come to the end of yourself? You’ve employed every self-centered, self-serving ploy and tactic to make something happen on your own…only to now sit there in utter defeat. For no matter the amount of intelligence, skill, or grit you could muster…it still wasn’t enough. Self-reliance is part of our old nature that needs to be put to death as we acknowledge our utter and complete weakness and dependance on God. For when we come to the end of ourselves…this is where God’s grace begins.

Lord, I cannot hold back my fear & anxiety when life takes a sudden turn for the worse. But I know You can, for You tell me in II Timothy 1:7 that You’ve not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control. So with that reassurance I will rest confidently in Your Presence & fear not. (Psalm 4:8)

Lord, I cannot restrain my feelings of isolation and loneliness as a 24 hour Caregiver to my loved one. But You can…for you won’t leave me as an orphan, for the indwelling Holy Spirit is with me. (John 14:18) “And so Lord, I will praise You, Who counsels me; even at night as my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. And because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:7-8)

Lord, I cannot seem to regulate my weariness in persevering day in and day out as I care for someone. But I know You have invited me to find my rest in You. (Matthew 11:28) And as I do, I can hold fast to my confession of hope without wavering, for You are faithful in all Your promises. (Hebrews 10:23)

Lord, I cannot. But You can.

The founder of modern Nursing, Florence Nightingale, once wrote in her journal, ” God spoke to me and called me to His service.” So if we are to be His servants, we must first seek God’s guidance. Having had a Nursing career that spanned over 36 years, I’ve always admired Florence Nightingale’s life service to humanity & to God. But there were many times then, and even now as I care for my husband, that I was thrown into unfamiliar & frightening situations. But this Scripture in Isaiah makes it plain that God is continually walking beside me, removing obstacles that I can’t see, and instructing me to make my path straight. Or as Isaiah 26:7 says, “He goes before us, making our path level.” But the biggest comfort here is knowing that God is a merciful God that will neither leave or destroy or forget His Covenant promises. (Deuteronomy 4:31)

Submitting to God is a willing act of accepting the Authority of God. But a surrendered life in Christ means that we must first be willing to let go, before we can grasp something else. We must let go of sinful behavior with all its desires and allure in order to grasp wisdom, holiness, and new life through Christ. We must let go of self and with it pride, arrogance and seeking after our own interests, that we may instead grasp humility, modesty, and total obedience to the Lord. For if we’re unwilling to let go…we’ll never be able to grasp the things God has for us.

Across his letters in the New Testament, Paul’s gratitude and encouragement for God’s work of grace in others was a constant feature of his life. (Romans 1:8, I Thessalonians 1:2) He didn’t just say, “I’ll pray for you.” He actually did. And now when I see requests for prayer from friends, I have gotten in the habit of doing the same. Sure, a quick comment and a set of praying hands will show your concern…but to take the time to actually look up a Scripture and write a heart-felt prayer has eternal impact. The other day I did just that…asking the Lord for guidance to the right Scripture and writing a simple prayer. Little did I know that it was her all time favorite verse…and thus bearing witness to God’s great mercy, grace,& faithfulness. But what do I write you ask? I cover the foundational basics…Jesus loves you & remember what God has done for you in the past. I ask God for divine wisdom & revelation knowledge in order that they may know Him better, and finally I ask for hope & comfort to fill them as they fix their eyes on Jesus… for their good and His glory.

The simple lesson here is that we become like those whose company we keep. And it’s very evident in the two Hebrew words used here for “walks with” and “companion.” When we walk with someone, we’re doing life together…there’s depth and direction, learning and discipleship…as iron sharpening iron. But when we’re just companions, we’re simply spending time together with no focus, aim, or growth. And sadly, this time is usually spent doing things contrary to the Will of God, which end up injuring not maturing us.

Peter’s letter is addressing Believers in the early Church and exhorting them in the practical matters of living within the Body. Even in the middle of Church we’ll encounter people that we find hard to love, but hatred dissolves relationships, and unity in the Church is vitality important. That’s because sacrificial love (Agape love) seeks the best for others and is the greatest expression of order in the Church…promoting harmony rather than friction. The next thing Peter hits on is practicing hospitality…not to fellow Church members but to visiting Believers that have come into the Body as guests. He desires the Body of Believers to be welcoming and make an effort to create a comfortable environment. Finally, he writes about caring for other’s needs before their own as they use the gifts of the Spirit…humbling serving one another eagerly and appropriately.

No matter who his audience was, Paul declared openly & freely the Gospel Message…whether it was to the Jew or the Gentile. His focus was always to point the crowd to God’s divine plan & purpose…giving them the whole counsel of God. Paul never suppressed any truths of the Gospel…but always preached the full Gospel Message. Yet throughout his ministry, he always employed tact & discretion…but never once watered-down or compromised the Word of God. When you speak the truth in love to someone it would be wise of you to use the same method of Paul’s…which means to listen attentively & with intention, patience & wisdom… but never concession.

When grief & pain are real…when each day is hard to bear and hope is elusive… this is the time we should counsel our soul on the faithfulness of God. We must bring into remembrance who God is & what He has done. We need to bring to memory all of God’s former acts of faithful love to us, His Covenant promises, and His glorious might & power. And as we reminiscence, our soul will be filled with all the memories of His steadfast love & devotion towards us…and with it then will come the certianity of His merciful kindness.

In Genesis 1:3 God spoke the universe into being…creating everything out of nothing, just by His Words. We see in the Old Testament that God “spoke” to His people through the prophets…His Presence made known by way of His Word. But Psalm 29:3 & Job 37:4-5 tell us that God’s “Voice” is as thunder and beyond human comprehension. But then there came a time when God’s voice became silent…and for 400 years He did not speak. The last time God spoke in the Old Testament was in Malachi 4:5-6…with His silence ending 400 long years later with the coming of John the Baptist in the New Testament.