Friday, October 12, 2012

Trust in Him


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“Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn the justice

of your cause like the noonday sun.”

 Psalm 37:5-6 (NIV)

 

Commit your way to the Lord. . . “ Turn your ideas and plans over to Jesus before you do them.  Ask His guidance in how to handle sticky issues.

” . . . trust in Him. . . “ Listen to Jesus as He tells you how to handle the issue or issues that plaque you. Do as He says. If He says to extend grace, do it. If He says to leave it with Him, then, again, do it. If He says to seek forgiveness from someone, find that person or persons and speak to whoever you need to.

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn. . . ” You will become models of grace and love. You will show Jesus to those who see you. They will look at you and see Him.

“ . . . the justice of your cause like the noonday sun” People will know that your faith is real and, more importantly, that God is real.

               This is yet another lesson from God for me.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Trust at All Times


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“Trust in him at all times, O people;
Pour out your hearts to him
for God is our refuge.” Selah
 
Psalm 62: 8


 

“Trust in him at all times . . .” We are to rely on God and seek His wisdom not just when our world is a shambles-when things go wrong. We are to approach Him when we have no problems besetting us. When we have times of blessing, we are to thank Him. The nation Israel had a roller coaster relationship with Yahweh because they forgot about Him when they had a smooth path-when the going was easy.                  

” . . . pour out your hearts to him. . . “ We can tell God anything-yes, anything. Even if we are angry at Him, he will hear us. If our closest friends have caused us hurt, He wants us to talk to Him about it. If there is an issue you feel that no one else will understand, He will.

” . . . God is our refuge.” The Lord God is our protector. When He wraps His arms of love around us and draws us close to Him, it is if we are in a cocoon, awaiting the day we become a full blown butterfly in all our beauty. We are safe from the world’s hurt, from unthinking people’s action or inaction, and from our own rash decisions or actions.

”Selah” I found out that originally this word was a liturgical musical term. The word was not to be read. It signified to the worshippers a rest. A musical interlude filled the sanctuary. The worshippers were to stop and listen or consider what they had been singing.1 The sons of Korah must have felt the message was important and wanted that thought to resonate with the people. When we see this term, we should stop, and consider what that particular message has for us.                         

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1.Information courtesy of Pastor Regina Rogers Kirkland,former associate pastor at our church.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Take Refuge in Him

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“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

Psalm 118: 8-9 (NIV)

 

Has God ever let you down? Has it ever seemed like He has? God always sees the big picture and we don’t. When we feel that He has let us down, it’s because we may only have one piece of the puzzle. It also could be possible that God chooses not to honor our request because it isn’t in His will for us. We have to believe that God is in control and have to trust the outcome to Him.

Has another person ever let you down? How did you feel? What do we do with the hurt? The psalmists in Psalm 42: 5, 11 tell us to look to the Lord when we are downcast.

As a young adult several years ago, I remember hearing someone say that holding grudges and being remorseful over something done to us causes our hearts and souls to corrode from the inside. In other words, we can cause our own heartaches.

We have to turn each hurt over to the Lord in order to get beyond the damage. For me, I have to practice this on a regular basis; if I hadn’t learned to do this; my faith would have stagnated several decades ago.

Life is not perfect. But God gives it to us-the good and the bad. He entrusts us with it, allowing us to grow in our faith but we have to trust Him for each outcome.

 

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...