November 25, 2024

A Perfect Protector

February 10, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

As for God, His way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
He shields all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except out God?
It is God who arms with strength and keeps my way secure.
Psalms 18:30-32

Perfection.  I will go ahead and say that I have tried many times to be perfect. Have I ever achieved it?  No.  I never will. I have flaws.  I was born that way.  God made me with flaws for His own reasons.  I can either take advantage of those flaws to make myself better or let those flaws bring me down.  God gives me the strength to get past these flaws.

If we let our flaws bring us down, we can take refuge in a God who understands us because He made us.  God knew us before we born.  He knit us in our mothers’ wombs; therefore, He knows every fiber of our body.  This is one way He is our Rock and Shield.  He knows where we need protection and a fighting way against the evil of the world.  He arms us with the ways to stay strong and secure in our lives.

As Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock, in Whom I take refuge, my Shield and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold,” God delivers me from my flaws which allow me to fall into temptation and to feel down.  He arms me with the strength and tools I need through His Word—the Bible. I only have to make the choice (which I already have) to accept Jesus into my heart and to pick up the Good Book. Through this, I am armed with God’s Shield to protect myself and my loved ones from Satan, and I have a Rock to lean on in hard times.

God  does not just not only makes me feel secure…He is my security. Just like a child depends on a blanket for security, God envelops us with His loving and strong arms to protect us. We can get that same security blanket feeling if we just depend on the rock that is always giving us protection and love.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the flaws that make us what we are. We can use those to make our lives our betters if we let You show us how to deal with them. You are perfect. We are not. Your perfection is what makes You our great Protector and Father. Without you, we would be lost to the world. In Jesus name, Amen.

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A Shield of God

February 7, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy;
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: He is our Help and our Shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His Holy name.
Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.
Psalms 33:18-33

Have you ever wanted something so bad you could taste it?  I have.  I live sandwiched in between four states that have the lottery. Oh, that temptation to gamble!  I will go ahead and admit I have bought my share of lottery tickets.  (Shame on me.)  However, I have never won.  I can already know that I never will.  My odds are probably greater of winning Publisher’s Clearing House than winning the lottery. I tell people this as the reason why I have never won and will probably never win: I fear God too much!  (And He knows that by winning the lottery I would have given into temptation and the Devil).  He is ever watching out for those who fear and love Him.  He gives them what they need and when they need it.  He never leaves us no matter what we are going through.

If we trust in God then He becomes our Shield as we traverse through life.  He looks out for us and protects us from that which could harm us.  Too many times people have come into a vast sum of money without it being an inheritance, and the money ruins their lives.  God wants us to meet Him halfway and work for what we have.  He provides for us every day.

In all circumstances take up the Shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
Ephesians 6:16

When we accept Jesus, we are shielded with this Shield of faith from God.  He shields us from all that could harm us or ruin us.  He is our Rock.  He shows us His mercy by being there for us when we most need it or are the most tempted.  I know that I have been tempted, but thanks to the Shield of faith that I have, I know that God is going to protect me from harm and bring me through the many trials and tribulations of life.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for shielding us from harm. I wear the Shield of faith every day because I know that You are there to protect me and help me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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A Covenant of Love

January 28, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
Continue Your love to those who know You,
Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalms 35:9-10

As we age many of us wonder where the time has gone.  Some of us age with grace, while others try to maintain their youth.  Some of us lose our youth to diseases such as cancer or heart disease.  Yet, there are those who refuse to grow old.  Those are the ones that may look old, but they don’t act like it.  They live by the mantra, “You’re as young as you feel.”  I have to say that I like that mantra, too.  I may be approaching my middle age, but sometimes I don’t feel like I am in my thirties. Sometimes I still feel like I am in my twenties.

Many have searched through the centuries for the so called “Fountain of Youth” but with no success.  A fountain of youth does exist…but it is not in the sense that many wish it to be.  The fountain of youth is really the fountain of life—an eternal life with God.  This eternal life shines like a light to the world through those who have accepted the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s greatest gift to mankind.

Know therefore that the Lord Your God is God,
the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him
and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations….
Deuteronomy 7:9

God loves those who love Him.  He loves those who do not.  He created a new covenant with us when Jesus was crucified on the Cross.  He has kept to this covenant (eternal life through acceptance of Jesus Christ) with us for over 2,000 years.  God is faithful to us in all things.  He never leaves us—from the time that He creates us to the time He calls us home.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the blessings and the eternal life that we can look forward to in heaven.  We feel Your love and faithfulness every day. Without Your love, we would be lost forever.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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Awesome God

January 22, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~

There’s thunder in His footsteps and lightning in His fists
(Our God is an awesome God)

And the Lord wasn’t joking when He kicked’em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason that He shed His blood
His return is very close and so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

~  Singer/Songwriter Rich Mullins: Our God Is An Awesome God  ~

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;
and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
1 John 3:1

Our God is a wonderful, loving, merciful, and graceful God. He loves us all in a way that we will never truly understand. The closest that we can come to understanding any of it is that He shed His own blood on the Cross for us. God has shown us the greatest love by giving us the greatest sacrifice of all time—His own blood.

Our God is a wonderful loving Father who takes cares of us, provides us with what we need, and rebukes us when we do wrong.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.
He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat,
and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden
to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out,
he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword
flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:21-24

Adam and Eve committed the first sin recorded in the Bible. God had told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Yet, Eve, as most humans tend to do, followed her own nature, listened to the serpent, and ate of the tree. Then she convinced Adam to do the same. When they did, they became conscious of themselves and realized that they had sinned. They tried to hide, but were not able to. God found them. He knew where they were and did not have to look for them.

Even though they disobeyed Him, God still loved them. As any loving Father would do, God punishes Adam and Eve and sent them from the Garden, but He still provides for them. He clothed them and provided them with food by providing Adam with an area to farm. He punished Eve just a little more, but this pain also brings a gift. Through the pain of childbirth, women bring forth life. To keep them from eating of the Tree of Life, God banished them from the Garden. They were punished by their Father, but He also continued to provide for them.

God loves His children. He provides for them in amazing ways. He also knows what is best for us and provides and cares for us in ways that we need. God loves us, and that is amazing enough.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being so amazing. Thank You, Lord, for shedding Your blood to show us how much You love us. Without this great sacrifice, we could not be close to You or live eternally with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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God Hears

January 20, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!
Psalms 66:19-20

When we speak, God hears us. He hears us when we speak in everyday conversation. He hears us when we talk to him through prayer. Even when we think God is not listening—He is. God is omnipresent. He is aware of everything.

I remember both times that I was pregnant with our son and daughter. I prayed for a boy when I was carrying our son. I almost jumped off the table when the ultrasound technician told us we were having a boy. I fist-pumped when God answered my prayer for a little girl. I wouldn’t have minded another boy, but I asked God to let His will be done. I told God if He wanted us to have a little girl then to please let the baby be a girl. That must have been what God wanted because that was how He answered my prayers. I have several friends who have sons. Each time that they had their last child and were wanting a girl, I prayed for them to have a girl because they were praying for a girl. There was only one mom that He gave a boy instead of a girl. (But then, of course, I was not the only one praying for them.)

My point is that God listens to us all. He does not turn away from us. He is our heavenly Father. He loves us all. God is not going to turn from us at any time. God is listening to us even when we are not in prayer. He knows our heart. He knows our wants, needs, and desires—even when we do not tell Him directly.

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and He shall hear my voice.
Psalms 55:17

No matter what time of the day or night we talk to God, He will hear us. I talk to God whenever I want or need to. I will talk to Him when I drive, take a shower, or just about anytime I want to. Thanks to the death of Christ, I can talk to God anytime I want and in a way that I can. God hears me no matter the way in which I talk to Him.

*  ~  * ~  * ~ * ~ *  

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful listening and answers to our prayers. The answers may not be the ones we want, but they are the ones that are best for us. You know us better than anyone here on Earth. Thank You for Your love and mercy. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Pray to the Father

January 13, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

You will call to Me and come and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:12

 Do you ever feel alone? Do you ever feel like you have more on your list than you can handle? Do you ever feel like there is no hope? Do you look for a miracle; perhaps you receive it or you do not receive it? Do you ask for something only not to get it? I think that everybody can answer yes to these questions—at some point in their lives.

Yet, many people rely on the outside world to find answers to these questions. However, the world itself cannot truly fulfill the answers to these questions/feelings. We must call on the highest power—the power of God—to answer these questions. He does not leave us. He will be there for us and help us when we feel like we have too much to handle. God brings us hope, love, and peace. He gives us the miracle we need (not what we may think we need).

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

 Prayer is our way of talking to God. We should pray daily. Through prayer we can talk to God about our problems and request help for situations that we cannot control. If we hold true to our faith in God, He will bring relief to us. He will show us mercy and listen to us. As His children, God always has our best interest at heart. We may not like how God answers our prayers, but He answers them in ways that are always for our good.

Our Father loves us dearly. He answers our prayers in the ways that He knows we need. We may want something very much, and pray for it, but if God knows that it is bad for us, He will answer us in a way that protects us. He answers our prayers in the ways that are best for us. He knows what will harm us, and as any father would do, He protects us from what is not good for us.

*  ~  * ~  * ~ * ~ *  

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for looking out for us. Sometimes we do not know what is best for ourselves or our families. You do. Without You, we might make the wrong decisions and put ourselves in harm’s way. Continue to protect us and look out for us. In Jesus name, amen.

 

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Great Joy and Rejoicing

December 26, 2013 by

luke SeekingHimLogo

Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This final week’s theme is JOY.  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 the peace and joy of His second Coming.

“But the angel reassured them, ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said.
‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”
Luke 2:10

“Don’t be afraid”…”great joy!” God has sent His only Son as a gift of love, peace, joy, and hope to all mankind.  His Son, who would die for us so we could have everlasting life, is good news to all those that hear and believe (with faith) that Jesus was born, lived as a man on earth, and died, then rose from the dead. Good news is hard to find these days as news of odd and bad things now seem to fill the air waves and other news-reporting media. It is reassuring to know that Jesus is on our side.

Just knowing that Jesus was born was great joy for the people of Israel on the night He was born. They had long been waiting for their Savior to be born. His birth brought joy to the people. His life brought peace and hope to those who believed, skepticism from those who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, His death and resurrection brought joy and hope in anticipation of eternal life.

It is hard to find joy in death even though we know that, if our loved one was a Christian, that they are in a better place. Yet it is easy to find and show joy in the fact that one day, if you believe in Jesus and the Resurrection, that you too will find the same peace and joy when you see Jesus.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

Always have joy in the Lord. Rejoice every day. As we immerse ourselves in this busy and joyous season, I always remember the words of Kevin’s mother in the movie, Home Alone, “This is the season of perpetual hope! This is Christmas!” Just remembering those words bring joy to my heart. Those are two of my favorite quoted lines during the Christmas season. I rejoice just in knowing and feeling that knowing Jesus brings thoughts of love, peace, joy, and hope.

The shepherds found joy in the news that their Savior had been born. Prophecy had been fulfilled. They were so overcome with happiness and joy that many of them left their own flocks of sheep to meet the Baby who would grow into the man who would save us all. We should all have the same joy as we go through this holiday season and every day as we go into the New Year.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, we find great joy in the gift that you sent over 2,000 years ago. This gift brings hope, love, peace, and joy to us all. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

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The Greatest Gift of Love

December 18, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is LOVE.  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 the peace and joy of His second Coming.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8

Love is the reason that Jesus was born and died for us on the Cross. He loved every one of us enough to die for us. When he died Jesus cleared us of our sins, if we believe and accept His gift of salvation, because He loved us. Love is one of the main reasons that God sent His only begotten Son to us. Love radiated from this Gift on the very first Christmas night.

Christina Rossetti catches this in her poem, “Love Came Down at Christmas”:

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine,
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign 

That first Christmas the first Gift was given—love from God in the form of Jesus. Jesus’s love is divine because He is the Son of God, and He is the Savior of all mankind. Love was already present that first Christmas, but the birth of Jesus makes it more powerful than just an emotion. Love came from the heavens to wash away our sin. Love came down from heaven because of God’s love.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Love resonates during the Christmas season, even as we live through the chaos called life. It brings us together to celebrate life—earthly and eternally. It is through love that we, as Christians, can show good will toward our brothers and sisters. It is with love that we serve our Almighty God and celebrate the birth of Jesus during this season. There are all types of love, but the divine love of God is the best of all. This love is why God chose to send His only Son to die for us and give us eternal life in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for the Gift of love that You gave us during the first Christmas. We are grateful that this Gift is available to be accepted by all those that believe. Let us show that love to all and bring goodwill to men. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Twelve Days of Meaning

December 15, 2013 by

 

gchcarolsbloggraphic

I am going to admit that I never really thought much about the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” until I was sitting in church one morning. I never really considered that each of the twelve things could have certain meaning—a bigger, broader, spiritual meaning.  Consider the following meanings as you listen to this song.

Since we all know that the stanzas repeat themselves and grow as each day is added, I will only refer to the last stanza:

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:
Twelve Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords a-Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids a-Milking
Seven Swans a-Swimming
Six Geese a-Laying
Five Golden Rings
Four Calling Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

The twelve days of this song refer to the twelve days that start on Christmas Day.  If you notice, the song repeatedly says “…my true love sent to me.”  The true love is that of the love that we receive from God. His first gift to us is the partridge in the pear tree, or His only begotten Son, Jesus. He loved us more than we could ever know and sent His Son to save us.

So as to not leave the entire stanza out, days 2-7 mean many things:

Day 2:   Two Turtle Doves: The Old and the New Testament
Day 3:   Three French Hens: Faith, Hope, Charity
Day 4:   Four Calling Birds: The Four Gospels
Day 5:   Five Golden Rings: The Five Books of Moses
Day 6:   Six Geese a-Laying: Six Days of Creation
Day 7:   Seven Swans a-Swimming: 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Now day 8, Eight Maids a-Milking, can really hit home. Day 8 represents the 8 Beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:3-12

These are the blessings of God on those who believe in Him and show Him to the world. The poor in spirit will receive the kingdom of Heaven. The mourning will be comforted. The meek will inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Those who show mercy will be shown mercy by God. The pure in heart will see God. The peacemakers will be seen as the sons of God. The persecuted (which I like believe include those who are persecuted in the name of Jesus in this day and time) will also see the kingdom of Heaven. The blessed people of the earth will receive the kingdom of Heaven.  For me, these blessings are the ones that we will all receive when Jesus returns. It won’t be sectioned out because there are those out there who show a lot of these traits -mercy, love, peacemaking, mourn, etc.- plus we know that God does not play favorites. I believe that we will all see the kingdom of Heaven because as Christians, we are persecuted because of righteousness-because we claim Jesus as our Savior.  Of course, I could be wrong but I do believe this to be true. This is just an interpretation. I guess I will have to wait until Christ returns to see if my beliefs are right or wrong in some perspective.

As for Days 9 through 12:
Day 9:   Nine Ladies Dancing: Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Day 10: Ten Lords a-Leaping: Ten Commandments
Day 11:  Eleven Pipers Piping: Eleven Faithful Disciples
Day 12:  Twelve Drummers Drumming: Twelve Articles of the Apostles Creed

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for this joyous season. Thank You for the blessings that are listed in the Beatitudes. We here on earth cannot wait to receive those that are destined for us when we reach the kingdom of Heaven. Please be with us all as we go through this season and remember our Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Peace of Mind – and – Peace of Heart

December 11, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This week’s theme is PEACE. 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 the peace and joy of His second Coming.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid
John 14:27

The greatest gift ever given to us is the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we truly accept this gift, our hearts and minds should be at peace.  The world cannot give us this peace; no matter how hard it tries.

The universal Christmas wish every year is probably peace on earth. Yet what is peace on earth? To many, peace would be no fighting, no hunger, no pain, and no sickness. The world would be giving us everything we need to be at peace. Yet, it can’t. No matter how hard we strive for peace from the world the world cannot give it. Only Jesus can do that.

Jesus’s birth brought the promise of eventual peace on earth.  His birth also brought the promise of peace in the heart. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, spiritual peace of the mind and heart is part of the gift of salvation. We should never have to worry about what the world cannot give us. We are granted peace as part of the gift from Jesus.

I will give you a case in point… From around November 1-January 2, it is chaos in our house. We have school, church, work, and our home lives to deal with. We are constantly on the go during these weeks with family outings and get-togethers. Just when we need a weekend at home or a day of the weekend at home, we can’t get it. We can’t get the peace of our home for one single minute during the weekend. The case this year: December 7-Live Nativity, December 8-Calloway Gardens; December 14-Christmas Parade; December 15-Christmas Lunch and Sports Banquet; December 20 (and on) – family dinners, Christmas, and New Year’s. We can’t get a moment’s peace until at least January 2. Because of the busyness of the world, we cannot get peace of mind because our minds our constantly going with everything that is going on. However, when we think of Jesus, we get a little bit of peace because that is what His birth, death, and resurrection has brought us.

In this season of hope, love, joy, and peace, the main point to remember is the peace that Jesus brought to the world and the peace He will bring again when He returns. Just the thought of eternal life in heaven should bring peace to the mind and heart.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father: Please be with us as we go through this busy time of year. Bring peace to our minds and hearts as we go through the motions of the holiday season.  In Jesus name. Amen.

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