December 24, 2024

Unswerving Hope

December 2, 2013 by

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Each week during the season of Advent  our blogs will focus on a central theme associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is HOPE.
Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent. Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with joy His second Coming.

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Hebrew 10:23 NIV

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful.

Who is this Who is faithful that we should put all our hope on?  And what is hope?!?

Hebrew 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things (HOPED) for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hope comes when you are at zero (0) and you want to be at one (1).  How to get to one…you just don’t know how.  It is all dependent on an external force, an external factor to propel you to get to one (1).

In this world we hope for so many things and many of these depend on others.  As we have seen the scripture on Hebrew 11:1, faith is the substance of things hoped for, things that we would want to have!  Things we desire to own, but, as much as we desire things of this world and hope (believing) of owning them one day…let us also hope for an eternal life that is given by accepting Christ Jesus which is better and of much greater value.

When we hope for the better, rest assured that the Faithful One will make it a point we have it. God is the One who is Faithful.  He fulfils all His promises to us and therefore we “… hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised….)”

Psalm 119:74

They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

Testimonies follow when we hope in the Lord, and others will see His providing for us.

Psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Let us acknowledge God as our own Father and approach him as a father;  you will never regret the way your hopes are being answered.  God is our hope. He is our everything and in all things we praise Him.

* * * * *

Father, we put our trust in You, and give our all to the glory of your Holy name.  AMEN!!!

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Creative Praise

November 27, 2013 by

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“But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord!
And I’ll lift my hands but You are worthy of so much more!”

Life of Praise by Casting Crowns

What is a life of praise? It’s more than church on a weekly basis, its more than bopping our head along to an upbeat song on the radio. It’s even more than uttering a quick prayer when negative emotions creep into our heart. It’s not only moments of praise throughout the day. It is a life of praise, it is a continuous action, and it’s a reliance on our Heavenly Father. It is acknowledging Him simply for who He is. These are the lines of the song that stood out to me: “Not just for the things You’ve done for me. Not just for the change You’ve made in me. For you are my strength when I am weak. And I will lift my hand, but You are worthy of so much more.”  A life of praise is a way of being; it is a way of existing.

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!
Psalms 150:1-6

Sometimes I wonder how I can praise the Lord with my everything, and then I remember this verse. It lists so many ways that we can praise Him. Now I honestly don’t see anyone walking down the street with a “lute and a harp”, but He reminds me that we’re not limited to this. We can praise Him with our work, we can praise Him in the way we interact with others, the love that we show our friends and family, and with the gifts he has given us. I believe that our God is a creative God and since we were created in His Image, we are creative as well. Our lives are creative and our praise can be creative.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord thank You for the gift of creativity, please help us to use this gift to praise Your name. Remind us that there are so many ways we can give You praise and glory, so many ways in our everyday actions. Lord let us use our every breath to praise You. In Jesus’ Name We Pray.

Amen.

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His Unfailing Love

November 22, 2013 by

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Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
Psalms 107:21-22

(I stare at these verses, and I wonder what road God will take me down as I begin to type words onto paper. It’s my hope and prayer that anything I write to a group of people will honor Him and that I go the direction He leads me to go. So, with a prayer coming before writing anything of substance, here is what’s on my heart when I read these verses.)

The Book of Psalms is filled with many heart-cries of thankfulness to God. You cannot read much of this great book without realizing that the theme of thankfulness runs throughout it. But today, I am drawn to write about God’s unfailing love (another recurring theme in this book). God out-loves everyone; He never stops loving you; His love is UNFAILING; and His love cannot be measured—but it can be displayed! We are to “…give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men” (Psalms 107:21). God has shown His faithfulness in fulfilling promises, forgiving, healing, leading, performing needed miracles, loving, and sustaining (to mention only a few things He has done.) But the greatest act of love of what HE DID was sending His Son to die on the Cross for our sins! (I pray I never tire of telling the greatest story that is true, life-changing, and filled with love, mercy, and grace!) For please know this—it is nothing that we have done!!! We cannot earn our way into heaven with our works or even pitifully try to be good, but we must completely love, trust, and believe in Jesus as the One and Only Way to God!

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.’
John 14:6

Oh, let us live lives that display thankfulness for a Savior Who displayed mercy, love, and grace when HE died for our sins on the cross! When faced with the cross, His love DID NOT FAIL! Jesus chose to sacrificially hang there and die for our sins! And let us tell of His works and unfailing love with songs of joy. Friends, through the power of the Holy Spirit, speak it, write it, live it, and sing it!

Lately, I am drawn to this wonderful praise song, “Unashamed of You” sung by Chris August. If you have a few minutes, please listen to it. Then ask yourself, “When was the last time outside the walls of my church that I spoke of Jesus and His grace through His love on the cross?” Ask yourself, “Do I praise Him enough for His unfailing love?” As you listen, worship God, and make changes in your life…if the Holy Spirit prompts you to do so. Now, go listen to this great song!!! I’m on my way to do so!

Dear Lord,
I’m thankful for Your unfailing love and that You provided a way for a sinner, such as I, to be restored and have a relationship with You by way of the Cross. Thank You that it’s not about anything that I have to earn, but that it’s all about Your love, mercy, and grace poured out on the Cross for all of us that receive the forgiveness You offer us so freely and easily. Lord, if anyone is reading this devotional that does not know You, my prayer is that they come to You in brokenness and ask for forgiveness of sins and desire for You to now be his/her Savior and King for ALL eternity! In Jesus’ Precious Name I pray.
Amen.

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The Positive

November 21, 2013 by

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Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about His glorious acts.
Psalms 107: 21-22

My mom has been talking to me about what I focus on.  Basically, I need to stop focusing on the negative.

I’d call the season I’m in now one of discovery. I’m learning more about God and myself. And yet, when the road gets rocky and circumstances aren’t favorable, I’m prone to focus all my energy on the problem until it is solved.  Focusing on the negative is like having blinders on that stop you from seeing all the good in your life.

So, when I was told what our next devotional was going to be on, it’s no surprise the word “sacrifice” is what had my attention. (Nothing negative about that, right?) Forget that verse 21 says, “Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them.” I was going to write about how obedience is much better than sacrifice, but something just didn’t feel right.

So, I waited. (Yay!)

For four days I pondered. Every time I went to write, I felt like I was being told to wait. Three of those four days I was drawn to Micah 6:8, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

On the fourth day, I got curious! I went back to the beginning of Micah chapter 6. This chapter is about God bringing his case against the Israelites and Him asking them to bring their case against Him (verses 1-8).

God went first asking, “O my people, what have I done to you?  What have I done to make you tired of me?  Answer me!” (verse 3).  He then reminds them of good things He’s done for them.

The Israelites replied asking what sacrifice they could bring Him (verses 6 and 7). And then, verse 8 is God’s response.

I reread Psalms 107:21-22 and noticed that I’d completely missed the positive in the verses. And finally, it dawned on me, I am inclined to focus on the negative, even in God’s life-giving, hope-filled Word.

I’ve decided to focus on the positive and to be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18); to fix my thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). I know this is possible because God is working in me, giving me the desire and power to do what pleases him (Philippians 2:13).

* * * * *

Thank You, Lord, for opening my eyes and softening my heart. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for constantly loving me.  Amen.

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Where God Camps

November 15, 2013 by

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O come, Let us sing to the Lord, Let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psalms 95:1-3

This psalm calls us to make sure that our worship and praise are accompanied by hearts that are obedient to the Lord.

But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:3

Through praise we experience more fully God’s Presence…both within us and at work all around us.  The Scriptures tell us that God dwells in the praises of His people.  He is the Holy God that inhabits the praises of Israel.

The image painted by the psalmist in Psalm 22 is that God sits down and takes delight in the praises offered to His name. God pitches His tent wherever His name is exalted. He camps out with those who acknowledge, glorify and desire His presence.

If you are struggling with pain, sickness or loss and are desperate for a sense of God’s nearness, then start praising His holy name. Cling to God in praise of His love, His protection and His faithfulness. You need Him to set up camp amid your weakness and fear and suffering.

The simple fact of God’s Presence is this: Where God dwells, God rules. He is our authority. When we invite God to dwell in us, He reigns over our hearts. When we invite God to exert His will and presence in our business, He reigns over our business.
Praise is our foremost means of inviting God to take up His residence within us and to establish His Presence, authority and purpose in every are of our lives. As we praise our Lord, we enjoy the warmest, deepest form of fellowship with our heavenly Father. No matter what you are facing, I encourage you to praise Him now.

Praise has a strong emotional dimension. As we see in this psalm, it is not driven by emotions. Praise is driven by our will. That is why we must never say “I prefer to wait and praise God when I really feel like it.” We are to praise God for He is the great God and the great King above all gods.

* * * * *

Father, we praise You, honor You for You are a great God. You are the King of kings and the Lords of lords and there is none like You. We give You all the praise for Your unfailing love towards us and Your mercies that endure forever and Your goodness that follows us all the days of our lives. It is because of Your love that we give You thanks for the work on the Cross at Calvary. Let us choose to praise and worship You always so that You inhabit in our midst. In Jesus name we have prayed.  AMEN!

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Let Us Give Thanks

November 14, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogoCome let us sing for joy to the LORD;
Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving
And extol Him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
Psalms 95:1-3

Oh, how these verses call us to worship God and to worship Him with joy!  At a time of year when one pauses to think of all the things, the people, and the blessings we are to be thankful for in our lives, there should always be a response of thankfulness in our hearts for our great God and for Who He is in our lives DAILY.  I don’t need a date on the calendar to remind me to be thankful for the Presence of God in my life!  I hope you don’t either because it simply should be an automatic response in your heart if you believe in Him.

Each day is a gift and every day is flooded with reminders of His Presence—from a sunrise and chirping birds to hugs from loved ones that He brings into our lives to truths from His Word springing forth on every page we read. Let us at least bookend our days with prayers to God in thankfulness, just as sure as the sun rises and sets. Let us hug our loved ones with great gratitude to Him for He has taught us to love unconditionally and to be thankful for every moment we have with each of them. And let us never neglect reading His Word to receive the treasures He has waiting for us each day.

On any given day, let our hearts fill with joy! For under the surface of all that we deal with, each day is an abiding joy in a wonderful and Sovereign Lord Who is majestic as the One and Only Almighty King and is also personal and loving to understand our heart cries, prayers, and daily concerns! He is the Rock of our salvation and our Strength!

As our eyes open at the beginning of a new day, let us give thanks. On a quiet, not-much-going-on day, let us give thanks. As the hectic days come along and may multiply during the holiday season, let us give thanks. As we look around at God’s beautiful, exquisite creation that so reminds us of Him each day, let us give thanks. When we, who are believers, remember that He willingly and sacrificially took away our sins at the Cross and rose again to be a living Savior and Lord, let us give thanks. When He holds us in the valleys and shares with us in the mountaintop experiences, let us give thanks. When we are reminded of how much He loves us, let us give thanks. And before we close our eyes at each day’s end, let us give thanks.

* * * * *

Dear Lord,
Let there be a song of joy in our hearts at all times. And when we open our mouths to worship You in song, let us all sing with joy and thanksgiving for You are our great God and King like no other! We love, adore, and praise You! Each day, let us come to You with thanksgiving.  In Jesus’ precious Name we pray,
Amen.

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Joy and Thanksgiving

November 12, 2013 by

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Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.”
Psalms 95:1-3

Our Lord is great. Our Lord is King. He is King above all. God is a loving King who provides for His children based on their needs—the needs that He sees. We as humans have needs and wants and, for some, it is difficult to discern between the two. That is why we have a loving Father in Heaven to look out for us. Just as we should thank our parents here on earth for what they have given us, we should also give thanks to God for everything He has blessed us with.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.
Psalm 126:3

We should live in joy to the Lord every day. We should thank Him for everything He has done and has given us. God is our rock and foundation for this life on earth. Without God, humans wouldn’t even exist. As it says in Genesis, humans were created in the likeness of God. One can only imagine what life would have been like if Adam and Eve had not disobeyed God. Would we get sick? Would we always be searching for what we needed? Would there be sadness? I believe not. It would have been joyous to have been in the Garden of Eden.

At this moment, many of us are gearing up for the holidays. The next one is Thanksgiving. It is the one day of the year that is for giving thanks for what you have and the blessings God has given you. However, we should stand with thanksgiving every day. We should sing with joy in our hearts for having such a loving and caring heavenly Father. During this eventful season, we need to remember God and His Son, Jesus. We should let God and Jesus into our homes, so we can be filled with joy and thanksgiving for the love that They have given us.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, in this time of Thanksgiving, please be with us as we thank You for all we have and for the life that we have. Fill our hearts with joy and thanksgiving every day. In Jesus name.  Amen.

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He is Worthy

November 11, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogoToday, my assistant director came into my room and told me, “Ahmee, I need to talk to you. You got a parent complaint today.” I replayed the last few days in my mind to see if I could figure out what I might have done wrong. When I concluded that I had done nothing wrong, I immediately got ready to defend myself.

“What was it?” I said with much contempt and a tense body. She smiled at me and laughed. “I’m just joking! You actually got a compliment!” I didn’t replay the last few days in my mind to see if I could figure out what I did right. In fact, I was ready to end the conversation and was filled with much skepticism.

Isn’t it awful how I was so very ready to defend myself against the negative, but ready to dodge the positive like a dodgeball being thrown?

I’ve always felt uncomfortable with accepting praise—and I don’t mean in a healthy way. When someone compliments me I’ve trained myself to force out an awkward “thank you,” which is much better than the talking down about myself I used to do (and sometimes still do when I forget).

O come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods.
Psalms 95:1-3

Our God is the Mighty God (Psalm 50:1) and it is natural that as His children we would want to praise Him (Psalm 33:1), but for me praising the Lord doesn’t come so naturally. Not because He doesn’t deserve it (1 Timothy 1:17), and definitely not because I don’t want to, but because praise is something that I am not comfortable with.

I constantly have to stop myself when I am tempted to skip over verses that mention praise, glory, or honor. God deserves these things from me and I’ve decided that instead of rushing through these verses, I will put them into action…not tomorrow or next week…but the moment I read them!

I’d love nothing more than my undivided focus to be on the Lord—praising, thanking, and honoring Him for all His awesomeness!

After all, “…the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods.” I’d say that’s pretty worthy of honor, glory, and praise!

* * * * *

Lord, give me a heart that praises and thanks You constantly. Help me to replace my wandering thoughts with praise to You and instead of my complaints to give You double thanksgiving. Let me never forget Your awesomeness or Your lovingkindness or Your  mercy. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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You Are My Hiding Place

November 8, 2013 by

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You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Psalm 32:7

Sometimes we find ourselves in the place where we want to hide…to be in a secret spot…away from trouble and strife. At those times, it is best not to run and isolate; and try to be alone. It is best to seek our God.

Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me,
and I will hear and heed you.
Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity]
and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12 and 13

To know God’s promises brings such peace and comfort to our minds, does it not? Here we read of His particular promise to hear when we call and His promise to be found when we seek Him. His promise to us (to me and you!) is so simple! Listen…

my part: call upon Him…seek Him with my whole heart
His part: He will hear and heed…He will be found

The psalmist surely understood these promises! David was chased, hunted down by Saul and his army. He had to hide in caves and amongst the rocks on the cliffs. He was all alone during most of this time…alone—except for the abiding Presence of his God! David knew that his God would hide him.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;
in the secret place of His tent will He hide me;
He will set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27:5

For David this was literally true. For us, however, most of our ‘hiding’ is not out in the wilderness. Our hiding is in plain sight—we hide our hearts, our feelings, our thoughts. But we can turn to the One Who loves us so and seek Him.  And when we do, He will be found.  And He will hide us in His shelter.

Think back…maybe you don’t need to go too far into your memories…to a time when you called out to your heavenly Father and sought Him with all your heart. When, perhaps, you were going through a situation and you needed His protection over your heart. When He heard you…and was found by you…and He hid you (your feelings, your thoughts, your heart). How did you feel then? Did you have that “…peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, <which> will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus?” (Philippians 4:7) I trust you did!

And so I encourage you, my friends, cling to His promises and purposefully take a stand on them!  He will hide you!  Trust Him knowing that,

I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalms 27:13 and 14

* * * * *

Lord, thank You for Your promises!  thank You for Your love!  thank You for the joy of knowing You will hide us!  thank You for the peace we have that is beyond our ablity to understand…but we do trust You and we do believe!!!  thank You in Jesus’ name.  amen.

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Broken Mirrors or Broken Hearts

November 7, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogoLooking at a mirror, one would see a hard image.  You can tap on it, and it does not give. You see your reflection and possibly vibrant colors all around as you gaze into the mirror.  What you see at surface level, the mirror reflects those images back to you.  But if the mirror breaks, you throw it away.  It is no longer of any use, or value, to you.  And since a mirror is simply an object, it can easily be thrown away if there is a crack in it or if it’s shattered into many broken pieces with sharp, razor-like edges.

I’m so glad that God doesn’t throw us away when we sin, and actually wants us to come to Him broken.  For you see, we all sin. “…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).  He wants us to come to Him and to ask for forgiveness.  He can heal our hearts and forgive us the sins of our past, present, and future.  We can ask for forgiveness for our words, actions, lack of words, and lack of actions.  We can even ask God to forgive us if we’re not sure if we handled a situation correctly or not.  No matter what, I want to be coming to Him—sharing and being close to Him in this life.  Don’t we all want that?

Many of the Psalms are written by David, a sinner, yet God describes him in this way, “…the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people…” (1 Samuel 13:14).  How is that so, when he was so obvious a sinner, as recorded in Scripture?  Because David loved and trusted God!  He knew that being close to God was where real life and joy was found!  Even though he was a sinner, David rejoiced in knowing that when he came to God and was broken over his sins, he was forgiven!  He could only claim any righteousness because of his faith and belief in God.  David knew he was surrounded by God’s unfailing love because he trusted in Him. In his brokenness, he was restored by God.  And it was worth singing about!!!

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.  Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;  sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalms 32:10-11

We are so much more than mirrors!  But let our lives reflect that we know and love a Savior!  And let us be broken over our sin—coming to the Lord for forgiveness.  Just as a broom sweeps shattered glass into the dust pan, let us bring our broken hearts and sins before God so that He can sweep them away for all eternity.  He alone can truly mend our hearts with healing and forgiveness.

* * * * *

Dear Lord, let us focus on Your unfailing love and Your continuing mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  Let us always be thankful that in this life You are near to forgive and love us; to help those of us who love and trust You.  In Jesus’ precious Name I pray.
Amen.

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