In other manuscripts this well-known verse is translated…”And we know that all things work together for good, (or bring about what is good) to those who love God.” The Lord can bring about something useful, profitable, and beneficial from the most dire and serious situation…when our simple human minds can only see the bad, He is still working for the good. Joseph’s brothers sold him off to a passing caravan, and though their intentions were evil, the Lord was still in control of the final outcome. In Genesis 50:20, by then in charge of the whole land of Egypt, Joseph told his brothers…” You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” No matter what it looks like right now…the final result is solely the Lord’s.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
Isaiah 44:20 ” He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, ‘Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’ “
Earlier in this chapter, Isaiah has been talking about a man cutting down a tree, and using half to build a fire to cook and warm himself…the other portion, carving it into an idol and bowing down to worship. The heart can be deceived, and it can lead us far from, and contrary to God’s Laws. This Spirit of delusion will blind us from the truth, and cause confusion and false belief in our minds. There comes a time, when we can hear and see the truth, but fail to even recognize it. So deluded from what is right and good and Godly, we flounder in lies and deception, unable to even save ourselves. But there is someone much greater, who can open our eyes and ears to the truth, and dispel the deception …”Return to Me,” says the Lord, “for I have redeemed you.”
Proverbs 16:28 ” A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”
How many friendships have been blown apart by groundless rumor and hearsay? When whispering behind one’s back suddenly takes an ugly turn, gossip usually is to blame. Gossiping…quite a pastime for many, elevated to an art form for some. But where does all this backbiting get us? Elsewhere in Proverbs it says, “He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” In other words…If you forgive an insult rather than keep dredging it up to everyone who will listen, it will not cause friends to quarrel, take offense, and lose that close relationship they once had. Gossip…just say NO.
Isaiah 25:4 ” You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”
Today we have winds howling outside at 60 miles per hour, but what really makes a difference out here in the wide-open country is the L-shaped wind break of 18 huge pine trees we have around our property. These huge trees shelter the house from the brunt of the storms, and hold back a massive amount of snow in the Winter. Without their protection, our house would be barraged by all the elements. The Lord wants us to take shelter in Him when the storms of life hit…He wants to be our hiding place and refuge from the tempest. As Psalm 118:8 says, ” It is better to take refuge in the Lord than trust in men.” If the winds of the world are howling around you today, find your place of protection in the Lord.
Genesis 9:13 ” I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the Covenant between Me and the earth.”
After the Great Flood, God spoke to Noah, telling him that never again would a flood destroy the earth…and the sign of this Covenant would be a rainbow in the sky. But this Covenant wasn’t just between Noah and the Lord, this Covenant agreement is between God and all Mankind. Every time you see the wonderful glowing colors of a magnificent rainbow as it arches across the sky, know that God is saying to you…”My Covenant is with you My child, never again will the earth be ravaged by a deluge, never again will I devastate it with a great overflowing of water.”
II Timothy 1:7 ” For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Fear need not motivate our thoughts and actions…it need not grip us in paralyzing terror. Fear is not of the Lord…quite the opposite, Satan uses fear very effectively to stop us from moving forward with what the Lord would want us to be doing. Instead, the verse says that God has given us the ability to discern with a logical, sound mind what is true. As Romans 8:15 says, ” For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear, but you received the Spirit of Son-ship.” You have been adopted into the family of God, and are joint-heirs with Jesus…and this family of yours doesn’t know the meaning of fear!
Philippians 4:19 ” And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Our Lord will supply every neccessity…in all things, at all times, giving all that we need. But where we have difficulties in this verse, is in the difference between needing something, and just wanting it…We may have a hard time delineating between the two, but God in His infinite knowledge knows exactly what we need, and what is only a carnal desire. In the end, it’s the Lord in His kindness,tolerance, and patience who decides what’s the very best for us.
Proverbs 10:32 ” The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.”
Think back on all the conversations you’ve had with others today…if Jesus had walked in, would you just smile at Him and continue, or would His Presence stop you cold…mid-sentence? This Proverb talks about being able to discern and understand what comes from our mouth should be pleasing, acceptable and said with kindness. In Psalms 59:7 it says that, “They spew out swords from their lips.”…comparing harsh words and sharp tongues to a saber. Cruel, heartless words can sometimes cut deeper than any steel sword… leaving a gaping wound that will never heal. A wise man’s words are gracious…showing mercy and kindness…and always fitting.
Numbers 23: 19 ” God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind.”
Two things that the Lord cannot do…He can’t lie, in Hebrews it states, “it’s impossible for God to lie.”…secondly, He can’t change His mind, in Malachi it states, ” I the Lord do not change.” Our ways are not God’s ways, but we’re always trying to slap our human emotions onto Him…trying to make Him a little more like us…riddled with the flaws we have. But God is so much bigger than we can ever imagine…His plans will stand forever, He will fulfill and keep every promise, You will never hear a falsehood from His mouth, you will never see Him change. Our ways are not His ways…His ways are perfect.
Psalm 33: 2 ” Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to Him…”
Years back, I was the Director of Nursing at a large Alzheimer’s Unit in Washington State. It was a very demanding, but yet very gratifying job. We had just admitted a lady with end-stage Alzheimer’s as well as many other serious medical problems.
She was not eating well, so I took it upon myself to sit with her during meals in the Dining Room to encourage her to eat. Music was an important part of our day in the Building…depending on the time of day, different types, rhythms, and tempos were played. Music Therapy can be used to help calm, motivate, and engage those lost to this Disease process known as Alzheimer’s. Lunch was over, everyone had left the Dining Room ,except this lady and me. I went over to the CD Player and selected an instrumental CD of Celtic harp music. As the music filled the empty space, she suddenly looked, pointed and smiled. I asked her what she was looking at…she asked me if I couldn’t see the angels playing the beautiful music?? Oh, I wish I could have, but from the look on her face it was a wonderful performance…she died a day later… and I can only imagine with those same angels welcoming her home with heavenly music.
Safetypinlove 