November 19, 2024

A Mother to All

June 18, 2014 by

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He maketh the barren woman to keep house,
and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113:9

In all my adult years, I never thought I would meet anybody who would not want children. Now, I have met women who were not able to have children or who, with their husband, had established their families through other means. Needless to say, of all the women in the aforementioned descriptions, they have all felt blessed and that this is the way God intended for their lives to be led. These women still have homes and husbands to care for, but they also have another calling.

There are some of these women in every church. I know of a few in ours. One of these great ladies works with the children in our church. She finds great joy in her role as their teacher. She teaches Sunday School, children’s choir, creative movement, and much more that involves the children of our church. She finds great joy in fostering the spiritual side of the children she works with each week. She finds great joy in the pursuits of her own family and those of working with our children. God has made her joyful in what she does.

Ladies, whether you have children or not, you are blessed to be put in the position you are in. As mothers, we are blessed with the joy of having a family and taking care of it. Barren women can find joy in helping foster a godly spirit in their friends’ children and the children of the church. Through these roles they praise God through their actions. Children look up to both their parents and their elders for guidance. As women of God, barren women still can find joy in helping with children through doing God’s work.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the women that You have placed in our lives. Without them we could not learn from one another or be good examples for each other…or for our children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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God’s Condescension

June 17, 2014 by

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He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
Psalm 113:6 NLT

Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!
Psalm 113:6 AMP

As I was researching this verse, I kept coming across the phrase “God’s condescension.” I did not like the way that sounded. Who thinks of God as condescending? To me, condescending meant ‘patronizing superiority’.  But biblically it means the exact opposite. I looked it up in several biblical dictionaries and found that condescension means ‘gentleness, meekness, or humility’.  It is used to describe God’s benevolence towards us.

Think of it this way—God’s glory is above all things, even the heavens.  Job 5:15 says: “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight” (NASB).  Yet, He never neglects any of His creations.  Psalm 138:6 puts it this way: “Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly” (NKJ).  He gives us His constant care and attention. God is aware of even the smallest of details.  Psalm 11:4 tells us: “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; He examines everyone.”  There is not one thing that He does not see, guide, and direct (as if there is nothing else to demand His attention).

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Psalm 8:4 NASB

Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him?
Psalm 144:3 AMP

Who are we that God should be so mindful of us?  Job 36:5 reminds us: “Behold! God is mighty, and yet despises no one nor regards anything as trivial.”  He is infinitely perfect and all-sufficient; and yet, it pleases Him to think of us.  He stoops from His throne on high to lay His hand upon us. God chooses to open Himself to us. Humble beyond any comparison, He stoops to offer us reconciliation.

In the words of Charles Spurgeon:
“It is God making Himself little which is the cause of our being made great.”

If that doesn’t blow you away, nothing ever will!

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father God, I stand amazed and in awe of You. That You, to whom even the heavens are unclean, should stoop down and take notice of me. Mere words will never adequately express the gratefulness and appreciation I feel that You should humble Yourself on my behalf. Thank You Father. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray – Amen, so be it!

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He Stoops

June 16, 2014 by

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Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?
He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
Psalms 113:5-6

The high and lofty One who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:
I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

Isaiah 57:15

He is enthroned on high and He stoops.  If you imagine God sitting above all the world, then we can fathom “the high and lofty One.”  He sits there and watches what He created.  How easy would it be for Him to be hands off or for us to hear from Him only when He wanted to punish us?  He could have said, “I have made mankind now let’s see what they can do,” but He does not.  He stoops.

God sent His spirit to dwell among us and Jesus to save us from ourselves!  God is pretty dedicated.  Not very long at all after we were put to work on the earth, we screwed up God’s perfect creation.  Disobedience!  At the start of Creation we already thought we knew better than God and had wavering trust in Him, but He stooped.

Could you imagine a newborn telling their mom three days after birth, “Oh, it’s been good…but I can actually take better care of myself.  I mean, I’ve been doing this a whole 3 days, so thanks, but no thanks.”  That’s crazy!  Better yet, what loving parent would say, “Oh, okay. I understand.”  Even though we try to venture out alone, God stays right by our side.  He stoops.  If anyone had the right to be proud, it would be God.  Yet, He stoops.

What more does a loving God need to do to show His love for you?  He stooped! When He didn’t have to.  He came to us, so we could go to Him.  That’s the caring, loving God we serve.  Never doubt that He cares because He stoops.

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Lord, thank You for coming after me. Thank You for chasing me down! You are indeed an awesome God! Amen.

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Praising God Everywhere

June 15, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
To make them sit with princes,
With the princes of His people.
He makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

The whole of Psalm 113 describes three of my favorite things:
1. We are called to praise God
2. Praise celebrates God because He is beyond compare
3. God’s grace

We are called to praise God. (Read verses 1-3.) Verse one states, “Praise the Lord!” This is an imperative, meaning it is a command we are to obey.

• Who offers praise?  God’s servants
• What is to be praised? His name. The name of God represents who He is. No matter our circumstance we can always praise God for who He is.
• When is His name to be praised? From this time forth…right now!
• How long is He is be praised? Forever
• Where are we to praise God? From the place where the sun rises all the way to the place where it sets. We are to praise God wherever we are and in all places.

Can you think of a time or place where it is difficult to praise God?  Focus on who He is and continue to praise Him!   Two concepts are included in this one illustration about God’s creation praising Him.

First, since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west it means that the Lord is to be praised or recognized as God, everywhere.

Secondly, since the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening it means that God is to be praised all day long, at all times. From the bursting forth of each new day to the slow-spreading shadows of the evening each and every new day is a gift from God’s hand to us. Each and every new morning sunrise has within it a promise of fresh new blessings from the same hand that created the sun.

Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

God’s mercy ensures us that we will not get what our thoughts and actions deserve. Mercy is not getting what we merit. Sometimes mercy comes in interesting packages that are really God’s grace.

A doctor who is a believer had seen an unusually large number of unscheduled patients one morning, and was exhausted. As he sat down for lunch at the hospital canteen, he placed his hands over his eyes, closed his eyes, and thought to himself, “I’ll scream if another patient shows up without an appointment…” Opening his eyes, he saw an elderly woman approach. She said, “You know, I was nervous about coming to this hospital … but now I know this place is okay, because I see that the doctors pray before eating.”

Do you think that was a fresh new mercy from God?  I do!

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Lord, help us realize that praising and worshipping You should be our lifestyle; in Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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Stand In The Congregation

June 14, 2014 by

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Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

Let them (publicly) exalt Him also in the congregation of the people
and praise Him in the company of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32 AMP

I will stand in the congregation
And I will exalt You
I will stand in the congregation
And I will exalt You
Let the children of Your salvation
Lift their praises too
Hallelujah

I will stand in the congregation
And I will praise Your name
I will stand in the congregation
And I will praise Your name
With Your people in every nation
I will shout this praise

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

We will join as a congregation
And we will exalt You
We will join as a congregation
And we will exalt You
We will sing as all creation
Lifts the song anew
Hallelujah

(Stand In The Congregation – Bill Batstone/Maranatha Music)

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Praise Him

June 13, 2014 by

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Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in the council of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32

What does praising the Lord look like to you? Is it going out into nature and drinking in the glory of it all, listening to the birds singing, the wind swirling about you or the sounds to the insects? Or do you prefer the corporate worship, where you enter the sanctuary and sing to your hearts content and settle in and listen to the minister teach or preach? Whatever your style is, worship Him. Worship Him with your whole life, your whole being.

Just as David praised God in the good and the bad times of his life, we can too.  We can be angry with God as well, just as David was.  Our God is such a big God. Growing up I had such a reverence for God..I still do.  What has changed is that I have learned that God loves me more than my earthly parents, my husband, my child or my friends ever could. Only—to come to that conclusion—I had to understand who God is.

God loves us and wants what is best for us. Here is an example of His protection of Job:

Have You not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
So that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
Job 1:10 NIV

Even though God allowed Job to suffer, Job never wavered from his faith.  Job was a strong leader for his friends and for his wife.  Job always looked out for those around him and looked for ways to improve his relationship with God.

God is sure to give us rest when we need it.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

I pray, as this week closes and we begin to celebrate our fathers, that we choose to honor them for who they are. My dad (who raised me) was brought up during the Depression Era. He was the second or third of five children whose father was a saw miller. His mom was a stay-at-home mom who was responsible for the four boys and daughter. Dad started out on his own with only an eighth grade education and  joined the Army. He served only two years and was discharged. He followed his dad and joined him and older brother in the saw mill business for a short period. Then he was employed by Mr. Pride Car Wash where he became a manager. Dad did his best for his family. He worked hard and advanced with what education he had and took advantage of the skills God had given him.

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Father, thank You for our fathers. They may not be the one we would have chosen, but You have plans. You know who was the best person to help develop us for who we were meant to be. I know I would not be who I am today without the two dads You placed in my life. I thank You for both of them and I thank You for the other people who have helped develop me into the person I am today. I know I still need to improve and seek to know more about You and Your Son.  In His name, I pray.  Amen.

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Sharing His Glory

June 12, 2014 by

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Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in the council of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32

The elders in the church held key roles within the congregation—they would settle disputes, they were the leaders, and they would teach and govern. I was looking through different translations to get a better feel on this passage and I came across the New Living Translation (below):

Let them praise the LORD for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.

The last line replaced the term “elders” with the phrase “leaders of the nation;” this helped me to see this verse differently.  I think that in these times we, as Christians, need to make our voices heard.  We need to exalt, we need to shout, we need to make sure that all He has done for us is heard and known.

Declare His glory among the nation’s, His marvelous deeds among all people.
Psalm 96:3

His gentle commands call for us to share His deeds.  By doing this we are declaring His glory.  It tells those around us how wonderful and loving our Heavenly Father truly is!

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Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the ability to share with others what You have done for us. In a world where an expression of faith is frowned upon in so many countries, freedom of speech is no minor gift.  I pray for courage and for the right words at the right time.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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Thankful

June 11, 2014 by

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Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32

My husband and I started trying to grow our family shortly after we got married. Six weeks into our first pregnancy, we got into a huge fight.  Let’s just say that I said some things I wished I had never said.  A short while later, I suffered a miscarriage in the sixth week.  This was so devastating to me and my dear husband.  By the time that the due date rolled around for the miscarried pregnancy, I was halfway through the pregnancy with our son (who would be blessed to share a birthday with one of his maternal great-grandfathers—talk about a great 77th birthday present!).   Needless to say, our son holds a very special place in my heart.

God loves us, and He never leaves us.  He answered our prayers when we tried again.  He answered my prayers when I asked for a boy when I was pregnant. Now most churches do baby dedication on Mother’s Day Sunday.  Of course, since our son was born closer to the end of the year, I missed that round, but I wanted to show God that I was thankful.  So, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we christened our son in our church.  I purposefully asked for that Sunday, so we could give thanks to God and show our thanks during such a thankful season.
We should give thanks to God for all His love and kindness every day no matter where we are at.  By ourselves, we should thank Him through our prayer and our actions.  God loves us, and He loves showing His kindness to us—just as any good and loving father does.  When we are with a group of believers, we know He is with us because Jesus is with every one of us.  We thank Him through praise and worship, bible study, and group prayer.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all Your loving kindness and wonders.  We praise You and thank You with all our hearts every day.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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How To Impact a Nation

June 10, 2014 by

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How do I impact a nation?  Not all of us can be Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr., or George Washington, so how can I impact a whole nation?  Think with me for moment….  I am one person.  There are billions of people in this world and tons of nations . I am one person who can barely manage to find time to sleep at night.

Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
Let them exalt Him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.
Psalms 107:31-32

The answer to my question? I cannot impact a nation and show the world my God—without God.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled,
ordinary men, they were astonished and
they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13

In my mind, the thought of being influential to a nation can be overwhelming. Then again, doing anything dependant on my ability alone is overwhelming.  But with God anything is possible!

Here’s the thing—God gives us the desires of our hearts.  God has big plans.  He picks people who are willing to help.  Ability is nothing without being available to do the Lord’s will.  Take a look at what His people can do when we are available!

So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:8-11

God sent Moses to free his people. You’ll read further on that Moses wasn’t confident in his ability to speak.  God is awesome.  God’s plans are amazing!  God’s plans are big!

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God, You are awesome and Your plans are amazing.  Please help me to keep my heart available to Your will and to hear Your words.  Amen.

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Corporate Worship

June 9, 2014 by

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Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness
and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people
and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32

From the beginning only God is to be worshipped.

Why do we need to corporately worship? Because He commands it and takes it seriously!

There shall no strange god be in thee neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
Psalm 81:9

For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14

This is based on a previous command of false worship in Exodus 20:4-5.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above
or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children,
on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me….

God deserves it – 100% He deserves it.  He alone deserves worship—

  • He is The Alpha and the Omega
  • He is absolutely Holy, Righteous, Just
  • He is Love
  • He is our Savior

Worshipping in spirit and truth flows naturally from faith, love, and trust.  God deserves it even when we are facing adversaries for He is the same God—He never changes and what He says He will do shall completely come to pass! Therefore worshipping God should be our lifestyle, He deserves it.

And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying,
Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying,
I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:2-3

And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14:33

You will take note in these Scripture references, some worshipped Jesus for who He was (before He did any miracle); others worshipped Him afterwards.

The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne
and worship Him who lives forever and ever saying
You are worthy, O Lord to receive all the glory and honor and power.
Revelation 4:10-11

We need it and the world needs it too. We worship God for it benefits us, anything else we worship doesn’t work out to benefit us and, in fact, brings harm. Others worship their jobs, businesses, food, money, other humans, nature, false gods, etc. It never works out. Stick with worshipping the Perfect Being Who loves you and cares about you. It works out a lot better in the end.

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”  After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand.  It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”  Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 15:1-14

This passage in Matthew 15:1-14 isn’t all about worship, sisters. There can be those that worship in a way that is completely meaningless. Their worship is in vain. Salvation isn’t about worship; it is about faith, trust, love, etc. Worship flows so naturally from these things that many Christians get a bit confused. Let us worship God in spirit and in truth.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Our dear heavenly Father, we thank You and glorify Your holy Name for there is no other True God besides You. You alone are worthy of all our praise and worship for You are holy, mighty, wonderful, faithful. We pray for the spirit of worship to be awakened in our lives for You deserve it. May our worship be like a sweet aroma to You! We pray in Jesus’ name, AMEN!!

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