A blessing to report

“I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.  For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”  Psalm 108:3-4.

God is worthy of all my praise.

I recently lost my glasses.  Couldn’t find them so I ordered a similar pair.  I got the new pair yesterday.

I went out to cut off some branches yesterday morning.  I decided to put my glasses in my pocket so that the falling branches wouldn’t possibly scratch them.

Later as I was moving the fallen branches onto my truck, I looked down and my just-received, new glasses were on the ground in the midst of the fallen branches.

I could have stepped on them.  Could have run over them.  Could have panicked over losing them…again.  None of the above.  God spared me of all of it!

He is indeed the God of the details.  Does that mean everything has a happy ending as I experienced yesterday?  Certainly not.  God’s Ways are not my way.  He makes the agenda of our lives.

I must realize how much He has blessed me.  I must remember that He is with me in the deep end as well as the shallow end.

Conclusion: God is in the details of my life.  Great is His Love for me.

 

His Words become my words

“Blessed is the one ………. whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2.

I adjusted verse 1 and 2 for my own purpose.

I need to be filled with God.

I have been collecting “unceasing” things for the believer.  I am to pray without ceasing.  I am to be mindful of Him without ceasing.  Today I add meditate without ceasing.

That doesn’t leave much time for anything else!

That’s the idea.  I need to be in a state of total commitment to God.

When I get distant from Him, my life is impacted.

I lost my glasses last night.  Couldn’t find them then and haven’t found them today.  Now I’m three hours away from where I was yesterday.  It has been difficult to concentrate on God during this time.  What this brings out to me is that my attachment is situational.  I am so easily disconnected from Him.

I want to be the one who reacts in a Godly way no matter what happens.  There is a time to mourn.  There is a time to rejoice.  But at all times I must be mindful of Him.

Today’s verses remind me that God’s Word needs to be in my head so that His Words come to my mind in all seasons.  I currently read until I find something to meditate on.  Then the next day I move on to some other place.  I wonder if I should be more deliberate with what I meditate on.  Take two days or more instead of one?  Something to consider.

Conclusion: His Words must become my words.

 

Only the breathing should praise Him

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord.”  Psalm 150:6.

I guess that covers all of us!

I am alive because God has willed it.

I enjoy old windup clocks.  I have more than enough of them, according to my wife!

Those clocks are dependent on me.  If I forget to wind them, they stop.  Therefore, I try to wind them regularly.  Some will go for longer times than others.  Some will go just a day.

I have noticed also that the clocks need to be in the right setting to work.  In an older house, there is slant.  Clocks don’t like slant, so I must get them level to get them to work.

Bottom line? The clocks work because of me.  Just like me needing God to survive.  Every breath I take is God letting me live a breath longer.

Praising Him must be a bigger part of my life.  There is nothing contrived when praising God.  From within the office, I see changing leaves.  Their colors are amazing.  A visual feast.  God has given me eye candy!

I have a wife in my midst.  A caring, super-organized lifelong companion.  What a blessing.

Conclusion: I must use my breathing as a reminder of God’s ongoing blessings.

Unless the Lord

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Psalm 127:1.

If I am mindful of God, I put Him with me in all areas of my life.

If I leave God out, I will suffer the consequences that come with godlessness.

How much of my efforts have been wasted because I have gone off without Him?

I am not guaranteed safety and serenity.  But with Him, I can face whatever comes along.  Without Him, there is no “safety” net.

If I have Him when trouble comes, I can face it knowing that He is there with me.

Lately, I have been concentrating on the word, “mindful.”  I want my mind to be filled with God.  Therefore, I am constantly stopping myself from ignoring Him.  It is no once-and-done scenario!  This came about as I realized how much time I was spending ignoring Him.  Forgetting Who He is.  Forgetting that we are related.  Forgetting what He has done for me and my family.

Conclusion: I must be mindful of God at all times and in all things.

 

 

 

The agony of being away from God

“How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?”  Psalm 138:4.

My proximity to God is important.

When I claim to belong to Him, I will behave as He wants me to behave.

When my behavior is off, my relationship to Him has become messed up.

The Jews couldn’t be happy away from their beloved Jerusalem.  Their temple of worship was far away from Babylon.

I have no excuse.  God, through the Holy Spirit, is always nearby.  I don’t have to travel anywhere to find Him.

If I’m not able to be glad in God, it is because I have damaged my connection to Him.

It seems so simple.  If I will just examine my behavior, I can gauge my relationship to God.

The worst times are when I pretend to be close to God, but I am not.  Sunday rolls around and I’m in church “praising” Him in song.  What a fraud!  To rightly praise Him I need to deal with what has been separating me from Him.

In the New Testament, there is Scripture warning those about to take communion that they must first get right with God.  Could be confession.  Could be a phone call or a visit.  Faking a Godly relationship is folly.

I also know, according to 1 Peter, that if I am not treating my wife with respect and consideration, my prayers will be hindered.  God is not mocked.  He sees through me.  I am blessed when He pricks my conscience and motivates me to make things right so that my connection to Him is restored.

Conclusion: If I am not close to God, I will not be able to authentically worship Him.

This is how you do it

“’Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies!’” Psalm 110:1-2.

There are many in my midst who have rejected God.  They want nothing to do with the Creator.

How can I survive such a setting as a believer?

Note the message that God gives to Jesus: “Sit at my right hand until I……”

I overestimate and under-estimate enemies.  Depends on the situation.

I read something and suddenly feel empowered.  Other times I check the news and am overwhelmed.  Same guy, two different mindsets.

God’s instruction in verse one applies to me: “Sit with Him until…”

I must continually stay close to God.  I cannot be wondering off and trying to live for Him while being apart from Him.  It won’t work……….and never has.

In verse two the key word is “rule.”  Jesus won’t just survive or blend in with His enemies, He’s going to rule BECAUSE His Father has empowered Him.  The same thing applies to me.  God’s power is so amazing that what throws me off now won’t, when I’m empowered by Him.

How do I get empowered?  Read Scripture.  Pray.  Practice His Presence.

Conclusion: Closeness to God makes all the difference.  I must be empowered by Him to live in my world correctly.

God is talking. Are you listening?

“Hear me, my people, and I will warn you – if you would only listen to me, Israel!” Psalm 81:8.

God is frustrated with Israel.  They won’t listen!

God has things to tell me, also, and I often do the same thing.

Why would I NOT want to hear what God has to say?  God has all the answers.  He knows what I should do and what I shouldn’t do.  The more I write this the more asinine I realize it is for me to stop listening to Him!

Scripture tells me to “pray without ceasing.”  I need also to LISTEN without ceasing.

How different my lifestyle would be if I walked it with Him straining as I go to hear Him.

Wouldn’t it be important to chat with Him before I talked to the next person in my day?  It sure would but I often jump right in and spiel words of my own choosing.

I am easily frustrated in my household when folks don’t listen to me.  Why?  I have something I think is important for them to know.

I have heard from God via His Word.  I put the brakes on in my daily reading when I come to a verse that is “living” enough to be a directive for me.  Today it is about listening. God must be as riled up with me as He was with Israel.  And for the same reason.  He often can’t get through to me to help me live as He wants me to live.

I must beg God to speak to me in any way He can.

Conclusion: God has plenty to tell me.  I must listen to Him without ceasing.