November 8, 2024

Grateful for His Works

November 11, 2014 by

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Great are the works of the Lord, they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:2

This psalm praises the Lord for His physical and spiritual blessing as well as for His providential care over those who love and fear Him.

I am so grateful to the Lord for His works and deeds which no one can fathom. He who delights in them is blessed. God is a wonder and He has done so many wondrous things that you and I are witnesses to today.

I am so grateful that the Lord works wonders that transform people to the point of realizing Who God is, Who Jesus is, and being able to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. As it says in Exodus 15:11, the Lord is “majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders…” who is like unto Him? No one.

And that is why I am so grateful for being part of His Kingdom because whatever my Lord has I am a partaker and so I lack nothing. He created me in His own image and likeness.  How does a father feel when a child is born and resembles the father? They are always in jovial mood! It is the same way with my God whom I resemble—in His own likeness He created me—I am so grateful.

I can scale a wall because of Him and I am so grateful. He performs miracles…He displays His power among the peoples…with His mighty arm He redeems His people (including me!) I am so grateful.

You are the God who works wonders;
You have made known Your might among the peoples.
You with Your arm redeemed Your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
Psalms 77:14-15

I am so grateful to my Lord for great are His signs and mighty are His wonders. His kingdom is eternal and His dominion endures from generation to generation.

Sisters, it is the will of God for us to be grateful for what He has done. Each time we should show a grateful heart to the Lord. Do not murmur when you face adversaries; think of His wondrous works and His care for you night and day. In fact we need to be grateful and sing new songs to Him…the songs that will be like a sweet aroma to him. I am sure more blessings will follow you.

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Lord, I am so grateful for what You have done in my life and what You are yet to do in my life and the lives of my friends and relatives. May You continually be praised… and receive all the glory and honor. For Your works and deeds, Lord, we are so grateful. Be praised for everything in my life…in Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen

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Thankful For Life Itself

November 10, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with His godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in Him should ponder them.
Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
He causes us to remember His wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
Psalms 111:1-4

Let me ask you a question:  How often do you thank God for your life?

I myself thank God for the lives of those He has graciously placed in my life.  I thank God for my three best friends.  I thank the Lord for my awesome boyfriend.  I thank the Lord for my wonderful mother.  I imagine that you have people in your life that you are so thankful God placed in your life, but what about your own life?

I seldom thank God for my life.  I thank Him for my health, job, food, money, peace of mind, guidance (and the list goes on), but I don’t think to thank God for my actual life.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Psalm 139:14

Think—how often do we combine the words wonderfully and complex?  Complex typically has a negative connotation.  This verse blows that connotation out of the water, saying that we as human beings are “wonderfully complex.” We know to thank God for all good things.  Therefore, should we not stop to thank God for making us?

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Thank You, Lord for taking the time out to make me.  Among all the unfathomable amount of people that You have masterfully crafted, thank You for including me.  May I honor You with this amazing opportunity to live among Your creation and point people back to their Mighty Creator.  I am so thankful to be here on this Earth as Your ambassador.  Amen.

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Little Bundles of Thanks

November 9, 2014 by

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Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.
He has gained renown by His wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
Psalms 111:1-4

In this season of the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), we often forget that this is a time to thank God for all we have.  The Lord had a plan when He did His great works.  God made everything for His glory.  As a group of believers, we should give thanks to God when we are together and when we are not.  The Lord is present at all times, and He hears our prayers of thanks.

On Mother’s Day, many churches hold baby dedications to thank God for the birth of new little ones.  When our son was born, we were going to a Methodist church, so we had a christening.  We had already decided to do his christening the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  We had the same plan for our daughter.  When our daughter was born, we had already moved to a Baptist church.  Baby dedications are done there in May.  I was able to talk to our Pastor and the Children’s Director about doing a dedication service the Sunday before Thanksgiving for both children.  The reason for doing all this at Thanksgiving was that I had miscarried our first pregnancy.  When we got pregnant with our son, it was in November.  We wanted to give thanks to the Lord for getting us through the miscarriage and sending us our son to us.   We wanted to do the same with our daughter.  I don’t know about my husband, but I wanted to honor and thank God for our blessings—especially during such a special time of year.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Going through rough times can teach anyone to be thankful.  Losing a child can make one thankful for the little ones we do have.  I know I have a very soft spot for my son because I took a hard hit when we lost our first.  I still think about that one to this day.

As a group of believers when we dedicate our children to the Lord we are thanking Him for sending us this little bundle of joy that brings love, pain, heartache, and everything else that goes along with it.  In the company of other believers, we thank God for this little person and pledge to teach him/her the Judeo-Christian values for which our country was founded and to teach the child to be a person who loves and honors God through worship and service.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for our children and the children of our friends and family.  You send us a great gift when you send new little ones to the church.  We pledge to teach them Your ways and to honor You through service.  We thank You for Jesus and the sacrifice You made as a father.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Show Me Your Ways

November 8, 2014 by

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Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore He instructs sinners in His ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.
Psalms 25:8 and 9 NIV

Show me Your ways
Teach me Your paths
Lead me in Your truth, O Lord
On You I will wait

You are upright
Teaching sinners the way
The humble You guide in justice
The humble You teach Your ways

All Your paths O Lord are mercy and truth
And Your secret is for those who fear You

You will teach me the way I should go
You will guide me in the fear of the Lord
In Your presence, You will give me rest

You will show me the path of life
In Your presence is fullness of joy
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore

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This Week…Psalms 25:8 and 9

November 7, 2014 by

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Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore He instructs sinners in His ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.
Psalms 25:8 and 9 NIV

What a loving and kind God we have—He doesn’t just tell us that we must follow His ways (though He could do that).  He instructs and teaches us His ways. Who could be a better teacher than He?  No one.  And when we humbly seek His instruction and guidance, He faithfully teaches us His ways.

This week’s devotionals have centered on verses 8 and 9 of Psalm 25.  Earlier on in this psalm, David asks his God to teach him; listen:

Show me Your ways, Lord,
teach me Your paths.
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are God my Savior,
and my hope is in You all day long.

And these are the very things that my friends…Ann, Ahmee, Cynda, Laura, and Tina…have shared in the Seeking Him devotional blog this week.  Here is a short synopsis of some truths that they have shared.

Laura shared about the vital importance of being in a relationship with our Teacher:
“We become wiser the longer we stay in the Word of God and immerse ourselves in our relationship with Christ…By allowing God to be our Teacher, we gain the wisdom to be able to discern what is right and wrong. We become humbled and are able to teach others about God.”

Tina reminded us how humility allows us to be teachable:
“We, as believers, continue to learn every day. Each day is a new opportunity to learn about the wonder of our God. He shows us what is available to us. All we have to do is look and take action. God wants us to seek after Him and be teachable. We can do this by becoming humble. We are to ask God to reveal His heart to us and we need to be receptive to His Word.”

Ahmee wrote about God’s accessibility and willingness to teach us:
“…all you need to do is ask Him for help and He will guide you…One thing I love about God is that He is accessible. Even though He lives where we cannot physically see Him (like we would our friends or family), He is still ever so close to us. He also has a limitless wealth of wisdom and knowledge, and He is willing to share with us!”

Ann brought us back to foundation of asking and seeking:
“…seeking His guidance. And also make sure we are guided by the Spirit of God through the Word of God.” Take a look, again, at the some of the Scriptures she shared with us.
When we allow God to guide us…Psalm 32:8
He will guide us into glory..Psalm 73:24
He will guide our path…Isaiah 42:16 (also Isaiah 48:17, Luke 1:79)
He will guide us in all truth…John 16:13

Cynda focused on the value of biblical humility—’a lowliness of mind’ and being ‘submissive, meek, contrite, teachable.’  She wrote, “I would much rather bask in God’s grace than have God oppose me; wouldn’t you? Psalm 25:9 states that if we are willing to be humble, God Himself will teach us His ways. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher!”

How very thankful I am for each of these reminders!  I want to be humble and meek…teachable…soaking up like a sponge all that my Father chooses to teach me.  You, too?

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God our Teacher

November 6, 2014 by

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Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in His ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.
Psalms 25:8-9

No one is perfect.  No one is without sin.  If we were, we certainly would not be in this world.  We would be in the glory of God at this very minute.  However, we fall short—way short.  We needed Someone to teach us how we should act and worship in order to reach God’s glory.

Without Someone’s perfect ways and blood, we could not ever hope to reach God’s glory in the end.  We would be looking forward to an eternity of doom.  God instructs us to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior so that we may be reunited with Him in the end and be able to spend eternity in Heaven.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16

Jesus becomes our Guide and Teacher once we enter into a relationship with Him.  The relationship works to help teach yourself and others how God expects us to live.  We live in the Word to keep ourselves from falling in line with the world and with Satan. We become wiser the longer we stay in the Word of God and immerse ourselves in our relationship with Christ.  When we become wiser through God, we can help others become closer to God.  By allowing God to be our Teacher, we gain the wisdom to be able to discern what is right and wrong. We become humbled and are able to teach others about God.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being our Father and Teacher.  With Your teachings we can walk the right paths and look forward to the glory of God in eternity.  Thank You for giving us the wisdom needed to teach others and be able to discern right from wrong.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Being Teachable

November 5, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore will He instruct sinners in [His] way.
He leads the humble in what is right, and the humble He teaches His way.
Psalms 25:8-9

We have heard the phrase, “You are not too old to learn,” right?  We, as believers, continue to learn every day.  Each day is a new opportunity to learn about the wonder of our God.  He shows us what is available to us.  All we have to do is look and take action.

When we attend a Bible study, we have set certain expectations for ourselves and for the group.  God wants us to seek after Him and be teachable.  We can do this by becoming humble.  We are to ask God to reveal His heart to us and we need to be receptive to His Word.

When the psalmist writes, ‘therefore will He instruct sinners in His way’, he is telling us God wants us to follow the one true path to Heaven—which is through Him and belief in His Son, Jesus.  Then He wants to lead the afflicted in what is right and wants to teach them His way.

When we go through strife, it seems we become more teachable in those moments.  Our defenses are down and we are more willing to receive the instruction of the Holy Spirit.  Why?  Because we are seeking answers that are outside of our own understanding.  While we continue to seek His will for our lives, we will grow in knowledge.  It is only when we become comfortable and complacent that we begin to forget to seek Him first.

Let’s pray,

Father, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for sending your son Jesus as an example for us to follow. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, our helper in all things. With praise and thanks and gratitude for your great mercy and grace. Forgive us when we take our eyes off of your will and look at things with our eyes, not with yours. Train us to seek your will, not ours. In Jesus’ name, Amen

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Gone Astray?

November 4, 2014 by

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The Lord is good and does what is right;
He shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way.
Psalms 25:8-9

Are you confused?  Lost?  You don’t know what to do next?  Or have you knowingly wandered off the path you know was set before you?  Remember, God knows everything—all you need to do is ask Him for help and He will guide you.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.
That is why He broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one was there to help them.
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains.
For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; He cut apart their bars of iron.
Psalms 107:10-14, 16

One thing I love about God is that He is accessible.  Even though He lives where we cannot physically see Him (like we would our friends or family), He is still ever so close to us.  He also has a limitless wealth of wisdom and knowledge, and He is willing to share with us!

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.
He will not rebuke you for asking.
James 1:5

God can be mysterious, but the more and more we grow in relationship with Him, the more and more we can understand Him.  So, go to God and let Him set you straight.

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Guidance

November 3, 2014 by

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He guides the humble in what is right, and teaches them His way.
Psalms 25:9

Guidance is a word that communicates something for which we often ask.  For example “I need God’s guidance for me to find a spouse…how to do my business…, etc.  Good guidance is when we expect the Spirit of God to take full charge in us and when we listen and discern to what the Spirit is saying.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left your ears will hear a voice behind you saying “…this is the way, walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:21

And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.
John 10:4

There are times we seek God’s guidance even though we have already made mistakes in some of our choices.  Before doing anything or embarking on any project we should seek God’s guidance.

When we allow God to guide us:
He will watch over us so that nothing comes against our plans and the plans of God and that the will of God on us will be accomplished. We shall have good success.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalm 32:8

He will be our God forever and ever.
…for this God is our God for ever and ever He will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 48:14

We shall be walking in prosperity all the days of our lives.
The Lord bless you from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Psalm 128:5

He will take us into glory.
You will guide me with Your counsel and afterwards You will take me into glory.
Psalm 73:24

He will guide our path.
I will lead the blind ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them.
Isaiah 42:16
(also Isaiah 48:17, Luke 1:79)

He will guide us in all truth.
But when the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you in all truth. He will not speak of His own, He will speak only what He hears and He will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:13

So, where do we get this guidance?  Joshua 1:8 tells us… “in the word of God.”

Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth meditate on it day and night
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
THEN and I say THEN you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)

(…In KJV the successfulness is connoted as having “good success”.)

Let us make a choice of involving God in everything we do, and seeking His guidance. And also make sure we are guided by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. I know we all need good success.  May God help us!

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Father, we thank You for the word that has come at the right time.  May we find pleasure in meditating on Your Word so that we may do everything therein allowing You to direct our path always for our good success.  In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

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The Humble

November 2, 2014 by

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He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.
Psalm 25:9 AMP

As I read this passage, my eye kept returning to the word humble.  Being humble is something I have struggled with.  Not necessarily that I think I am better than anyone, but that I know what is best for them or the best way to handle a situation.

The world’s view of humble and the Biblical view of humble are vastly different.  The world tends to view humility as a weakness, being a wimp. The biblical Greek translation of humble is “a lowliness of mind.”  That doesn’t mean putting yourself down or talking bad about yourself.  As the Pulpit Commentary defines it, being humble means you are “submissive, meek, contrite, teachable.”

Humility is an absence of self. It is a heart attitude…not an act we put on.  A humble person willingly submits themselves to God.  Humility is giving up our desires for the good of another—a willingness to step aside so another can shine.  Being humble means giving up my right to be right in order to do what is right.  It takes a strong person to put oneself aside.

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves,
you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12

Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic,
should love believers, and be compassionate and humble…
1 Peter 3:8 HCSB

But, why should we be humble?  1 Peter 5:5 (AMP) offers the best reason I can think of:

Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble.

I would much rather bask in God’s grace than have God oppose me; wouldn’t you? Psalm 25:9 states that if we are willing to be humble, God Himself will teach us His ways.  I couldn’t ask for a better teacher!  Plus there are so many benefits to being humble:

  • If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
    2 Chronicles 7:14 HCSB
  • I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word.
    Isaiah 66:2 HCSB
  • Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully
    Psalm 10:17
  • The humble will eat and be satisfied.
    Psalm 22:26a HCSB
  • But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
    Psalm 37:11 NASB
  • The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Psalm 69:32a NLT
  • …a humble spirit will obtain honor.
    Proverbs 29:23b NASB
  • Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
    James 4:10 NASB

The world may try to convince us humility is a weakness, but all it offers in return is self-satisfaction.  It cannot offer anything that compares to what God offers the humble.  And there is not one of these benefits I am willing to give up.

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Father God, we thank You for Your grace.  We thank You for the blessings You are waiting to bestow upon us if we are willing to humbly submit ourselves to You.  What the world has to offer pales in comparison.  Gently remind us when our attitude shifts away from humility.  Continue to help us as we struggle to become humble and teach us Your ways.  In Your Holy name I pray, Amen – It is so!

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