God’s Always Guiding

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”

Psalm 73:23, 24 (NIV)

This is from a psalm of Asaph, a Gershonite Levite choir leader. Twelve of the Psalms have been assigned to him. Gershon was a son of Levi.

Asaph had gotten discouraged by the wicked people always prospering.  Once he entered God’s sanctuary. He repents of his ‘attitude’ and makes the statement that is our focus passage.

“. . . I am always with you. . . “This statement speaks of Asaph’s commitment to the Lord. Peter told Jesus that he’d never leave Him but he denied the Lord three times.  Peter got right with Jesus. In today’s world, we have times where we fall short of God’s standard and we have to ask for His forgiveness. Even when we accidently stray from God, he is there to accept us back.

“. . . you hold me by my right hand.” When young people are dating, they sometimes hold hands. When an older person is unsteady on their feet, a companion will hold their hand while walking. When a parent with young children walks with them, the parent holds the children’s hand as they go from one place to another God does the same thing when He asks us to follow Him.

“You guide me with your counsel. . .” God speaks to Asaph and imparts wisdom to him. With Asaph being a worker in the house of the Lord, I believe he and God had many occasions in which God talked and Asaph listened. Even today, we have times where we seek his counsel and, in order to hear what God tells us, we have to listen.

“. . . afterward you will take me into glory.” This is Asaph’s statement of faith. He knows God will do as He has said.  As 21st Century disciples, we need to remember that our final destination is with God in heaven. 

Book Review “GRANT” by Mitchell Yockelson

               Mr. Yockelson relates the story of Ulysses Grant by focusing on his family life, his business failures, and his military life.

               Jesse Grant, Ulysses’ father, had a great concern about his son. How was Ulysses going to make his living? The main thing that interested Ulysses was horses. Jesse submitted an application to the United States Military Academy on behalf of his son.

               Ulysses really didn’t care for the school. At one point, when there was talk of discontinuing the academy, Grant’s saw himself eventually becoming a professor of mathematics. But the Academy did continue.

               After Grant graduated, his first posting was in St. Louis. A West point friend lived in the area. The friend had a sister, Julia. The way he courted her was interesting.

               Grant got sent to the southwest during the Mexican War. After the war ended, Grant resigned his commission and sought work in various civilian jobs. He and Julia married. He struggled to make a living for his growing family.

               Abraham Lincoln entered office in 1861. April 10, Fort Sumter was fired upon by the Confederate Army. Two days later, Grant heard a speech by a local lawyer in his then hometown of Galena, Illinois. The attorney relayed his belief that the circumstances of the attack on Ft. Sumter was beyond politics. Rather it was a question of nation or no nation. Grant decided he needed to go back into the Army.

I found this book interesting in the fact that, contrary to the way history has portrayed him, he learned to stay away from alcohol. Just this one fact makes me want to be sure I am not judging people I meet.

                Mr. Yockelson enlightens me as to how horrible the Civil War actually was. The subject matter and the way the author presented it kept me reading and coming back for more.

               The information was presented in chronological fashion, giving details of each the battles in which Grant’s men fought.

I recommend this book to anyone who has any of the following interests: Civil War, Life of Presidents, and 19th Century living, also Military History.

I received this book free from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, throught Book Sneeze for an unbiased honest review.

Consider: Attitude RJD # 19

Sometimes, I have a lousy attitude. Several factors can contribute in my way of presenting myself, if I’m in pain, whether I have gotten enough sleep, or if I feel pressed for time. Let’s look at how Mary looked at her circumstance after she was told she would bear the Son of God.

3/02/04

Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s Song

Mary could have grumbled and complained about what had befallen her; but, instead, she chose to glorify God. She had the right to say, “No!” but she accepted her role in God’s Will for His people. When Mary went to see Elizabeth, the older relative told Mary that she, Mary, is blessed among women and also the child inside her is blessed. Even the child Elizabeth carried recognized the significance of Mary and the unborn Child.

            We all deal with attitudes, some not so nice. But we need to focus on Mary’s for a bit. She glorified God although the external circumstances would bring shame to her, her parents, to Joseph, her fiancé, and to his parents.

(Present thoughts)

            I sometimes forget to look at God’s attributes when things seem to go against me. I need to do better about this.

Linking to:beneaththesurface-dawn

The Lord’s Guiding

Hubby called me to our back door to show me this wonderful sight.

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide

 them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,

so that they could travel by day or by night. Exodus 13: 21-22 (NIV)

As Sunday school class let out one Sunday, I made a note in my memo book to think on God’s leading in our lives. As a part of the note I included the phrases “pillar of cloud” and “pillar of fire.” We had touched on how the Lord leads us through our lives.

”. . . the Lord went ahead of them . . . .” When I hear people pray for other’s serious needs, the phrase “Lord, please go before him or her as they go to their doctor appointment.” I now understand the basis of this plea. God went ahead of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness those four decades.

“. . . in a pillar of cloud. . . “The Israelites had this sign. They could see the pillar in the sky every day-all day long. However, we don’t always have a sign. We have to go on our faith in God to see us through.

“ . .to guide them on their way . . “God did not leave the Israelites to fend for themselves. He led them through the wilderness. Yes, their behavior caused them to be in a prolonged search for the land promised to them. But God was there watching over them. God continues to watch over His children. The wreck we almost had last week was confirmation that God had worked it out for Hubby to drive me to the store. Had I been driving, I couldn’t have reacted as quickly as he did. We would have had to wait on insurance estimates and gone through the hassle of getting our car fixed.

“. . . by night in a pillar of fire . . .” The Lord let His presence be known to the Israelites even at night. I’m sure they found comfort in this. When we have difficult issues we find comfort in knowing God is near. We   never know the outcome of our trials but we know God is right there with us as we go through them.  

“. . . to give them light. . .” God allowed the Israelites to see in the darkness. They could see where they were going and steer away from dangers as they wandered through the wilderness. The Lord does the same thing for us. He gives us guidance through His word, answers to our prayers, and speaking to our hearts.

Standing in Grace

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have gained access through faith in this

grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope

of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)

“. . . justified through faith. . . “> When we ask Jesus into our hearts he looks at each of us “just-as- if- I’d” not sinned. As far as he’s concerned, we have a clean slate. He does this for us because we will rely on Him to guide us through this life.

“. . . peace with God . . .” People have searched for peace from the beginning of time. Believers in Christ have learned that a right relationship with the Father is the foundation of the peace the world seeks.

 “. . . access through faith. . .” We can receive this faith in Christ if we choose to. Hebrews 11 is referred to as the faith chapter. We have the stories of the patriarchs, and the apostles to demonstrate faith to us as we journey through our days.

“. . .in this grace . . .” We have God’s unmerited love to guide us as we venture forward in this world, as we seek to enlarge His kingdom by writing, speaking and living for Him.

“. . . in which we now stand . . .” As God’s children, we don’t have to wait for His grace. We have it when we bow before Him and pray the sinner’s prayer. Because we have His grace, we can face anything that the world chooses to throw at us.

“. . . rejoice in the hope. . .” Have you ever praised God for something He has yet to do? We had carpet ordered for our living room. It seemed to take a lot longer to come in than we were told. One morning, I found myself thanking God for it. Two days later, we received the call that it was in.

“. . . the glory of God.” Our ultimate goal is to see God in all His splendor. This comes to us as a reward for our living for Him. In the meantime, we have the hope to keep us strong, to assist us in doing His will while we await what He has for us.

Receiving From His Grace

“From the fullness of His grace we have all

received one blessing after another.”

John 1:16 (NIV)

 John states a profound truth here. When we receive blessings from God, He chooses to bestow a gift because of His unending love for us. During the initial writing of this devotion, I realized the truth involved as I reflected on my earlier exercise of recording my blessings of that morning.

 It was a Saturday, the sun shone brightly through the window behind the couch where I sat. The furnace had kicked in earlier-it was June but we experienced cooler than normal weather. I had gotten a good night’s sleep. I had enjoyed the quietness of our house.

I discovered God’s presence in each of these gifts from Him. I was richer for recognizing all He had done for me early that morning.

 Early last month, Hubby and I traveled to his boyhood home to spend some time with friends. Our friend Tom has some acreage out in the country where he dug a ‘pond.’ We did some fishing. It was the first time for me to have a fishing license. I had fished at trout farms several years ago. I had what I call ‘beginner’s blessing.’ I caught fish and more fish. I can’t cast, so when Hubby was not close by, I dropped my line in near the bank and those blue gill must have been hungry. I caught a 15” bass, but I think I caught him about three times.

 When we started home the next morning, Hubby asked me if I had thanked the Lord for his blessing me with all those fish. I chuckled and said I had. Then, I asked him if he had. He had also.

Praise for His Grace

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given to us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1:4-6 (NIV)

 “. . . he chose us” God picked us out to belong to Him. If you are married, do you remember how you felt when your steady beau asked you to spend the rest of your life with him? Magnify that emotion many times over and that is the effect of realizing that God has chosen you and me to belong to Him.

 “. . . before the creation of the world . . .” Our heavenly Father made this selection before the beginning of time. He knows who would belong to Him. We become amazed when we hear of people having possessions that have been in their families for generations. I was recently in a group meeting. The facilitator asked each of us to tell of our most special accomplishment. The one thing I could think of was that, come November, Hubby and I will have been married 44 years. When I realize that God had me in mind eons before that, I feel very humble.

“. . . holy and blameless . . .” God sets us apart and deems us without sin. From time to time we may fall short of the standard God has set for us.

 “. . . in his sight.” God sees us as He sees us. He also looks upon others with love. I say this because, although sometimes others have hurt me, I realize God loves them as much as He loves me.

 “. . . he predestined us to be adopted . . ” God chose us to become one of His. He doesn’t stand off and watch us mess up our lives. He desires an active part in our lives. Simply put, we can ask Him to guide us through our days an to listen to our plans as we begin our activities. 

“. . . in accordance with His pleasure and will—. . .”

When we ask God to guide us through our day or through a project, we please Him. I believe He actually smiles when we bring our plans to him. Each time we approach God and ask for guidance, His answers always line up with His will.

“. . . to the praise of his glorious grace . . .” Shouldn’t we give praise to God for His marvelous, unconditional, undeserved love for us? We should thank Him for each action God does in our behalf. Our prayers should include praises as well as petitions, thanksgiving as well as requests.

“. . . freely given to us . . .” God’s bestows His love upon us without asking anything of us beyond our living for Him. Some say that it costs us our lives. He is the One who gives us those lives. Shouldn’t we be thankful and loving toward God for that?

“. . . in the One he loves.” Our heavenly Father gives all this grace through His only Son who, while on earth has taught us how to worship, live for, and adore Him.