We all will face death some day. Our fleeting life will succumb with our last breath…our earthly body will become an empty shell of what we once were. But what is buried to decay, will be raised immortal…what goes down in shame, will come up in honor, authority, and holiness.
Tag: power of god
Judges 14: 1-2 ” Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, ‘I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.’ “
Samson’s parents were childless, until an Angel of the Lord appeared and told them they’d be having a son – a son set apart to God from birth. So how do you raise such a “special” child? Do you spoil and pamper… enable and compromise your better judgment that they can be indulged? Samson’s parents knew that mixed marriages were forbidden…but they still chose to coddle him…and by Samson’s demands, he was obviously used to getting his way. In the end, Samson showed he was lacking in sensual control and wisdom, while his parents showed they lacked the tough love to stand up against him.
Romans 8:35-37 ” Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors.”
No matter what the world throws at you this coming year…remember that with the Lord you can overcome it. Whether it be troubles pressing down upon you from the outside, or anguish that comes from within…you can rise above them all with His help. Don’t try to make it on your own…God is there, ready to take those burdens. And in the end, you’ll rise victorious over all the pain and suffering.
Isaiah 6:10 ” Make the heart of this people calloused…”
Are you walking around with a hardened heart? When we’ve been hurt over and over again, our only recourse is to protect our heart…our inner person. We put up a wall of callousness and apathy so no one can hurt us again. It’s effective, but makes us appear uncaring and insensitive to others. It’s also really lonely within those walls…but we’re too afraid and distrustful to allow anyone in…so instead, we put on the mask of indifference.
But you may also be walking around with a hardened heart from sin. Everything is going great… you can make it on your own…you don’t need the Lord. But obstinately refusing God will only lead to destruction.
My wish for you this Christmas Season
Just think, you’re here not by chance, but by God’s choosing. His hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else – you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.
Written by Roy Lessin, Co-founder of DaySpring
Psalm 10:14 ” But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.”
The Lord understands the misery and sorrow you may feel today. He wants to take that pain from you…placing it in His all-powerful hands and off your shoulders. If burdens are weighing you down today…entrust yourself to God’s mercy and fall upon His grace.
James 1:23 ” Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
You know your face better than anyone else…every nook and cranny – every spot and wrinkle. You’re familiar enough with your face that you can readily pick yourself out of a group picture. We need to know the Word of God in the same manner. We can’t causally listen to His Word allowing it to go in one ear and out the other. His Word must go deep inside…changing us for the better – not being dismissed and forgotten. The key is to contemplate, internalize, and apply His Word to your life…mirroring His life with yours.
II Samuel 1:26 ” I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother, you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.”
In your life time, you’ll only be able to count on one hand the same kind of friendship that David and Jonathan had. Their relationship was extraordinary, amazing and unique…and much closer than being biological brothers. When you have such an intimate friendship with someone, it doesn’t matter the space of time or distance, the friendship still endures . If you haven’t connected recently with this friend…don’t you think it would be a wonderful time to do so?
Ephesians 1:11 ” In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will…”
You are not a mistake. No matter what people tell you, God’s divine Will included you as an important part in this world. He has a unique purpose for your life here on earth…your birth was foreordained by Him…He knew you before you were even conceived. You are not a mistake, but a valuable part of God’s plan.
Psalm 80:3 ” Restore us O God; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”
Turn us around Lord. Return us to our first love and enable us to know again the joy of our salvation. As it says in Psalm 71:20, “Though You have made me see troubles many and bitter, You will restore my life again.” Refresh us O Lord that we may restore others around us.