One of the realities of life is that we will lose people close to us. And as we get older and older it happens more often. We look around, and all our beloved friends and family are gone…and left in their place is this huge void. This Scripture actually reminded me of the first line of an old Simon and Garfunkel song, “Hello darkness, my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again…” And if you read this entire Psalm, you’ll recognize that dark place as grieving and loss. But within this darkness there’s also the hope of God, and the Writer of this Psalm knows this is where he needs to be.
Tag: daily encouraging devotions
Colossians 1:10 ” And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…”
Even though Ralph Waldo Emerson grappled with his faith, one of his quotes fits this Scripture very well. He said, ” The purpose of life isn’t to be happy. It’s to be useful, honorable, compassionate, and to have made some kind of difference that you’ve lived and lived well.” This living our life worthy is also found in Ephesians 4:1, where Paul wrote, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you’ve received.” For when we conduct our life filled with good works and wisdom – God’s perfect plan and purpose will be fulfilled…and in the end we’ll have made a difference in the world.
Job 37:5 ” God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding.”
If you’ve ever been in a severe thunderstorm you know how loud the claps of thunder can be…especially if a flash of lightning strikes very close by. This verse likens that deafening crash with the voice of God and His display of power…doing things far beyond the boundaries of human comprehension. This greatness of God that is too wonderful for us to understand is best summed up in Job 11:7-9 when they ask, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” The answer is no…God’s power is outside the reach of our minds.
Revelation 7:9-10 ” After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ “
Just think…some day we will join in a celebration of praise around the throne of God. We will gather together…a untold throng of humanity from all parts of the world… speaking every language known…yet all together with a common bond. And in a loud voice our praises will rise as one expression of thankfulness and gratitude to our Heavenly Father and to His Son.
Proverbs 18:2 ” A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”
Another Proverb that goes along with this one is Proverbs 12:23 which says, “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.” When it comes to good sense and wisdom, it’s better to just keep your mouth shut in many situations! For when we impulsively spout off with the first thing that comes to mind, we can be starkly exposing our total lack of judgment and discernment to all those within earshot. Which leads me to one of my favorite Proverbs…”Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” (Proverbs 17:28)
Matthew 13: 24-25 ” Jesus told them another parable: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.’ “
The enemy is sneaky and he won’t come at you with blatant full force lies. He’ll do his work when you’re apathetic, lazy, distracted… asleep spiritually. And if you’ve ever planted a garden, you know that as tiny sprouts emerge from the soil it is very difficult to distinguish between what’s weeds and what’s not…until your garden is overtaken and you’re stunned at the mess. So like those tiny weeds, the enemy will sow seeds of doubt, deception, and discouragement…that may sound like the truth in the beginning…but if allowed to grow, will eventually choke out all our fruitfulness. (Mark 4:3-8)
Job 7: 17-18 ” What is man that You make so much of him, that You give him so much attention, that You examine him every morning and test him every moment? “
So why does God pay so much attention to us? Despite all our weaknesses and frailties, God’s heart is continually going out towards us. It’s because we are made in His image, (Genesis 1:26) with a soul and the ability to think, feel and make moral choices. We are made in His likeness to be like Him…full of His character and integrity and love.
Mark 4: 37-38 ” A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ “
In the midst of a fierce life storm, have you ever echoed the disciple’s words, “Lord don’t you care?” But if we stop to think through this question…Jesus cared about us long before we cared about Him. For His loving concern was evident as He was nailed to that Cross on Calvary…intervening on our behalf as He willingly gave His life for ours. So the next time you’re tempted to question the Lord’s concern, just remember I Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Jeremiah 15:19 ” Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve Me; if you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be My spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.’ “
In this verse the Lord lays out very clearly what’s our responsibility and what’s His. For starters, this relationship can’t happen until we have that “coming to Jesus moment”, a time when we finally stop, admit our sinfulness, repent, and turn back to Him. He says that at that moment He will restore, renew, and revive our old self into a new one that is worthy of carrying His Message to others. But there is also a warning in this verse, a caution to not allow compromise to creep into our message – however enticing it is – to merely win the approval of man. As Zechariah 3:7 tells us, we are to continually walk in His ways and keep His requirements…not what we think others want to hear.
Jeremiah 33:8 ” I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.”
God’s mercy is great. It’s His amazing mercy that compassionately addresses our plight and wretchedness as broken human beings here on earth. For only God can forgive and cleanse sinful man when we fall short of His standard.(Which is very often) And it’s only God that can forgive us of our willful defiance, and disobedience directed towards Him. But it is only through a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus, that we can attain this Divine forgiveness.
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