This verse is a very vivid reminder of God’s sovereignty over man. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Woe to him who quarrels (or complains) with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among potsherds on the ground. (Isaiah 45:9) Well, that kinda puts us in our place doesn’t it?! God is the potter and we are the clay…it’s as simple as that, but we humans don’t take kindly to being told what to do by anyone in authority, let alone God. Our rebellious spirit bristles at God’s perceived supreme power over us. But in Romans 9:20, Paul asks in amazement, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, Why did You make me like this?” We are like clay in the hand of the Master potter…and He will fashion us as He sees fit…His Will and Way always prevailing.
Tag: COVID 19 Daily Devotionals
Jeremiah 1:11 ” The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ “
Many times throughout the Old Testament the Lord would ask this question of the prophets. Besides Jeremiah, the Lord asked Amos and Zechariah the same question…”What do you see?” Now in front of them were easily recognizable objects such as a almond branch, a boiling pot, a plumb line, or a basket of ripe fruit. But it wasn’t until the Lord explained the meaning and symbolism and pulled back the veil to reveal the true interpretation of the object, that the men were enlightened to the astonishing disclosure. Even today the Lord may show you something and ask, “What do you see?” That’s when you start with the simple answer and ask Him to show you the deeper meaning… or His perspective and vision.
II Corinthians 1:8 ” We don’t want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”
2020 has started out to be a year of tremendous difficulties, afflictions, and grief. And in many ways we all have been affected. But the next time you’re tempted to go on Social Media and whine…ask yourself this question. Am I attention-seeking, and eliciting participants in my personal pity-party…or am I like Paul who made his friends aware of the hardships he was enduring in order to show them where his trust rested? For in the next verse, Paul points out that this happened that, “we might not rely on ourselves but on God…” Enduring pain, bearing up under persecution, and experiencing grief are all part of the human experience…no one is immune. But it’s how we react to it that makes the real difference. It’s called suffering well. Of placing our reliance on God rather than man…and of pointing to Him as the one we depend on…so that all the glory goes to Him, not us.
Jeremiah 51:15-16 ” He made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.”
If you have the chance today to read Psalm 104 you’ll see the same type of attempt to put into words the height, breadth, and magnitude of God’s power. The writer of Psalm 104 uses the imagery of God wrapping Himself in light as with a garment and stretching out the heavens like a tent…also making the clouds His chariot and riding on the wings of the wind. Both Scriptures try to put into words what can’t be explained by words…for we don’t have the means to illustrate exactly who God is and His infinite power, wisdom, and might. So all we can do is praise Him! Or as Psalm 104 says, “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to My God as long as I live.”
Luke 21:28 ” When these things began to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Here Jesus was instructing His disciples on the signs of the End of the Age…telling them to look up! But why? When we’re preoccupied with our own thoughts, feelings, and emotions…we’re looking down or inward. But it’s not until we lift up our head from that fetal position that we can clearly see God. For it tells us in Psalm 121:1, “I lift up my eyes to the hills – Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.” Also in Psalm 123:1 this idea is repeated, “I lift up my eyes to You, to You whose throne is in heaven.” That’s because sadly, when we’re fixated on ourselves, we totally miss out on what God is doing around us.
Isaiah 2:22 ” Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? “
This verse in a very straightforward manner shows the frailty of man. For at any point in time, we are but one breath away from dying…so how can we be trusted? Our lives are like fleeting shadows, (Psalm 144:4) or like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14) Bottom line is, we can’t put our trust in man…for our life here on earth is but a momentary passing. No, our trust must be in the eternal God, Who created man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into him. (Genesis 2:7)
Exodus 34:29 ” When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.”
It tells us that the face of Moses was so brilliant that the people couldn’t gaze intently at him…for after speaking to God, glory covered his face. (II Corinthians 3:7-13) This happened to Jesus also on the Mount of Transfiguration when His face shone like the sun. (Matthew 17:2) There’s something about being in the presence of God that changes us, for it says in Psalm 34:5, “Those who look to Him are radiant.” Isaiah also spoke of this when he wrote, “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1) Spending time with God in His word will change your countenance from the inside out. Harsh rigid lines will soften, and smiles will replace scowls as God’s glory radiates from within.
Hebrews 3:1 ” Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.”
In this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, I don’t know about you, but it’s been very difficult to “fix my thoughts on Jesus.” With all the over the top media coverage, and expert opinions changing everyday…it’s hard not to fixate on the fear and uncertainty of the situation. Couple that with the limits that’s been placed on meeting as a body of Believers, and I wonder if this dry spell spiritually is God’s wake up call? We are told here to fulfill our calling…a calling of holiness and sanctification according to His purpose in our lives. We are to fight the good fight of faith, (I Timothy 6:12) striving always for God’s perspective, not ours. When we fix our thoughts on Jesus rather than the world…our soul is brought into balance, priories become clear, and God’s lofty plan and purpose is revealed. But if we continue to sit in the corner looking at our belly-buttons…totally self-absorbed in our fears…we won’t be able to see or participate in God’s work. This is called being a nominal or lukewarm Christian…and God has no use for those type of people. This is the time to fix our thoughts on Jesus, not veering to the left or right, but looking fully into His face with trust and hope. For in the next months, the Church as we know it will have to adapt and change, and we’ll have to change with it. But God will be raising up people to accept this challenge…people with a eternal vision. To quote A.W. Tozer, “They serve God and mankind from motives too high to be understood by the rank and file of religious retainers who today shuttle in and out of the sanctuary.” The time of lukewarm Christianity is coming to an end.
Revelation 1:5-6 ” To Him Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father – to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Have I taken the time today to thank God? Now I tend to take things for granted…my health, safety, material needs. And it’s not until I have some kind of close call or problem that I suddenly stop and thank God for watching out over me! This verse illustrates how God’s great love for us was revealed in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, Who came to break the chains of sin…the sacrifice of His blood making our atonement. And after accomplishing this miraculous feat, now lives in our hearts. (Luke 17:21) Yes, I have so much to thank God for…His love, grace, mercy, and the very breath in my body.
Exodus 32:1 ” When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ “
These people were the same ones who had just witnessed Moses parting the Red Sea so they might escape Pharaoh’s army…but their attention span was short, and their loyalties to God fickle as the days wore on with no sight of Moses. So they rejected him as some fly-by-night wannabe and demanded that Aaron make them a replacement god. While still up on the mountain, Moses learned of this when God told him, “Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for themselves.” (Deuteronomy 9:12) Fast forward to today, and nothing much has changed. We get bored easily, we like our information in sound-bites, and we want God to perform at the snap of our fingers…but He doesn’t work that way! Waiting on the Lord is a faith-building, trust-strengthening, hope-fulfilling endurance race that takes us from marginal Christianity to mighty warrior of God.
Safetypinlove 