GREATNESS OF THE LORD

Today's reading: Psalms 134-136

"I know the greatness of the Lord--that our Lord is greater than any other god." Psalm 135:5 NLT

As you make preparations to gather with your church family tomorrow for worship, and I truly hope you are making such preparations, consider this...

You aren't going to 'learn anything new'.

You aren't going to 'be captivated by surprising revelation'.

You aren't going to 'be schooled in a new way of thinking or believing'.

You are going to gather in order that the name and praises of our Lord to lifted up!

We know the greatness of the Lord--and Sundays are perfect times to applaud Him.

We know the greatness of the Lord--and church houses are the perfect places to gather and proclaim all we know.

We know the greatness of the Lord--and with other believers is the perfect group in which to unite and extol His great characteristics.

If we're going for any other reason, we're missing out on the opportunity to share what we know about His greatness! 

THE GRACIOUS HAND OF THE LORD 

Today's reading: Ezra 6-10

"...the gracious hand of the Lord..." Ezra 7:6, 7:9, 7:28, 8:18 NLT

If I read it once in my Bible time, my interest is piqued.

If I read it twice in my daily Bible readings, I take note.

If I read it three times in my Scripture passage for the day, I sit up a little taller in my prayer chair.

If I read it the fourth time, FOUR TIMES, over the course of a few of the pages of my Bible, I consider it something I am not to take lightly.

So this morning I am considering the gracious hand of the Lord.

On my life.

On my testimony.

On my faith walk.

On my day.

On my outreach to others.

On my mountain-sized pile of blessings.

And, on my list of prayer needs/wants/requests.

God's mighty hand is on me...and all things to do with me.

The gracious hand of the Lord was on Ezra--he knew it and others knew it about him.

I'm praying the same for my life!

SETTING YOURSELF APART

Today's reading: Deuteronomy 16-19

"When you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there." Deuteronomy 18:9 NLT

Do the people around you know you aren't of this world?

That this earthly orb is not your home?

That you are a citizen of another country--another celestial country?

As believers we cannot blend into society.

How we live, what we do, the things we say and the stands we take cannot imitate the detestable customs of the world.

We cannot laugh at what makes the ungodly giggle.

We should not participate in the sin of the unsaved.

We must not participate in the world to such a degree that they ever believe we are part of them.

That's going to mean a different language...

Different viewpoints...

Different entertainment...

Different speech...

Different schedules...

Different goals...

Different values...

Different ways of living...

Being a Christian is about being as different as we can be from the unsaved--and about being so loving about it that the unsaved want what we have!

So, are you easily recognizable as being from (and going to) somewhere else?

  

CONTROL
Today's reading: 2 Peter

"...For you are a slave to whatever controls you." 2 Peter 2:19 NLT

What holds the reins to your life?

Not who, but what?

What fills your mind...

Is a constant thought...

What is an ever present 'thing' in your head...

That, that is what you are a slave to.

For drug addicts, it is the euphoria the next hit provides.

For alcoholics, it is the next smooth gulp.

For food addicts, it is the next sugar high.

For control-freaks, it is the next carefully followed plan designed and carried out by them on their time frame.

For those who desire drama, it is the next pot they can stir up.

For pornography addicts, it is the next bit of skin they see.

For smokers, it is the next puff.

We all have something that constantly vies for control of our hearts and minds. We have that one thing that is always battling against God having the ultimate place of priority in our lives.

Are you letting 'it' control you?

Are you a slave to anything but God?

WHO HAD BEEN

Today's reading: Acts 15-16

"But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses." Acts 15:6 NLT

How is it the ones who are saved by grace, forget to give grace?

Like their sinfulness was deserving, but no one else's is?

As if their conversion required less of God's power than another's?

Friends, if you have been saved by grace (and if we are Christians, we have been), extend grace.

Pass out grace to the yet-to-be-saved.

Give grace to the not-yet-believers.

Offer grace to those who aren't in the family of God--yet.

Gift grace to your future brothers and sisters in Christ.

These men in Acts reverted back to who they were BEFORE Jesus saved their souls, they forgot the change in their hearts and lives, they failed to remember their salvation was a free gift offered to them by God. And they repeated old habits by thinking 'law keeping' was more important than 'grace giving'.

We were all once sinful Pharisees...we cannot forget that! 

AROUND AND INSIDE

Today's reading: Zechariah 1-7

"For I, myself, will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!" Zechariah 2:5 NLT

A very important piece of real estate in Israel bears the title, City of God.

Wars have been, are being and will be fought over this portion of land.

Why? Because it has God's name on it, the fire of God around it, and the glory of the Lord inside it.

That's what makes it vital. That's what makes it controversial. That's what makes it desirable. That's what makes it powerful.

Can the same be said of the piece of real estate beating inside your chest?

Does your heart bear the seal of a Savior?

Does the fire of the Lord burn within you?

Does the glory of God shine around you--in all you do, in what you say, in your countenance?

Are there being wars fought day in, and day out, over the property of your heart?

Remember, at all times, Whose you are and to Whom you belong!

WISDOM

Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 7-8

"How wonderful to be wise, to be able to analyze and interpret things. Wisdom lights up a person's face, softening its hardness." Ecclesiastes 8:1 NLT

Want to have a face lift without the cost or pain?

Looking for a way to remove some wrinkles and make your appearance more child-like?

Wishing you have a glowing complexion?

Seek God's wisdom.

Look deep into His Word on a regular basis.

Use what you find in the pages of the Bible to erase frown lines, reduce anxious crow's feet and to reduce the scowl not knowing brings to most of our faces.

I WILL NOT...

Today's reading: Psalm 131-133

"Lord, remember David and all that he suffered. He took an oath before the Lord. He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel, I will not go home, I will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber until I find a place to build a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel." Psalm 132:1-5 NLT 

How determined are we to make sure God 'finds a place' in our day?

A few moments of solitude with Him.

A period of time where we are focusing on Him.

A closet where we can listen to Him.

Are we willing to 'take an oath', like David did, in order that the Mighty One receives a time slot in our schedule?

Make a decision that re-arranges our planners to make room for Him?

-Canceling something.

-Getting up earlier.

-Staying up later.

-Postponing social media until time has been spent in our Bible.

-Fewer outings with friends.

-Not signing our kids up for every activity available. 

Where might you 'take an oath' and determine not to rest until a place is found for the Lord in your busy life?

STIRRING HEARTS

Today's reading: Ezra 1-5

You'll notice in Ezra 1 that our God is in the heart-stirring business.

He led King Cyrus to 'let God's people go' and he moved His own people to make an almost 800 mile trip back to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity.

God stirred the heart of a king that was not a believer in the One True God.

And He stirred the hearts of people who knew Him, knew of Him, knew all about Him--but had disobeyed Him.

Those would be some hard hearts to stir, don't you think?

An enemy of God...

A power hungry monarch...

A man whose identity had been built on conquest and accumulation of people and things...

A nation who had thumbed their nose at the Lord who had declared them to be His...

A people who had settled in and, to a degree, given up hope of ever going home...

A segment of the Jewish population who had never seen the great city of Jerusalem at all...

This chapter has made me double-down on my prayers to the Lord. I've been bold enough to ask Him to do some more 'stirring of hearts' in the lives of loved ones--and in my own heart.

I desire to see big things done around me. Big things that ONLY God can accomplish.

Lord, stir hearts--I'm praying!

 FIVE SIMPLE STEPS

Today's reading: Deuteronomy 13-15

"Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice and cling to him." Deuteronomy 13:4 NLT

1. Serve only the Lord your God. 

In all that you do, all that you say, all that you have the greatest intentions to accomplish--do it for Him. Let your life worship Him in living!

2. Fear Him alone.

Remember, this type of fear is not a cowering, disabling type of fear. It's the awe of God that causes you to think of Him at all times and to remember, continually, who He is--and who you're not!

3. Obey His commands.

This goes beyond the 'Big 10' listed in Exodus. It includes many we find written in red in the New Testament, as well.

4. Listen to His voice.

There are a whole lot of voices vying for your attention in life--lean in and listen for and to His!

5. Cling to Him.

With both hands. In complete and utter dependence. For life itself. 

Five simple steps that will change your life, change your world and change your outlook.

CHECK YOUR WILLINGNESS

Today's reading: 1 Peter 4-5

"...For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning." 1 Peter 4:1 NLT

None of us like pain.

Especially not when the pain involves denying one's self pleasure, free will or getting what we want.

But WHEN we determine to seek God above all else, there may be some pain involved in regards to the things of the world that we will need to give up.

The things we ache to do, but won't build our faith.

The old habits we find so deeply rutted into our day, that it challenges us to do it another way.

The built in responses we feel no longer advertise the new life we live.

The communities we no longer feel comfortable in.

The prying of our tight grasp from around things we realize aren't really in our control.

If we are willing to hurt a little in order to be more Christ-like, then we have stopped sinning.

Check your comfort level...I'm checking mine.

IN THIS MAN JESUS

Today's reading: Acts 13-14

"Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God--something Jewish law could never do." Acts 13:38-39 NLT

In Jesus there is forgiveness.

That is a life-changing, earth-shaking, head-turning, eternity-capturing truth.

And IF that were all we find in Jesus, that would be more than enough. But it isn't!

In this man Jesus there is hope.

There is peace.

There is joy.

There is love.

There is acceptance.

There is redemption.

There is security.

There is power.

There is blessing.

Brothers and sisters, listen! In this man Jesus there is...all you will ever need! 

CONSIDER

Today's reading: Haggai

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you!" Haggai 1:7 NLT

You must admit, noticing where God places an exclamation point is important.

He's telling the returning exiles to take a self-assessment.

To do a quick inventory.

To evaluate how things are going for them.

In their case, God had been pushed to a back-burner, and they were experiencing a mediocre, at best, life.

Consider how things are going for you!

Might the same charge be necessary today? Might we need the same soul-deep evaluation? Might we need to honestly judge where our priorities have been arranged?

If we are dry spiritually--what might need done?

If we are lacking peace--what might need let go of?

If we are struggling to grasp hope-what might we need to re-focus upon?

If we are without joy-what might be sucking it out of us?

Consider how things are going for you--and re-adjust as directed by the Lord!

ARGUING WITH GOD

Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 5-6

"Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny." Ecclesiastes 6:10 NLT

I have this 'friend' who likes to argue with God.

About who He made her to be...

About the His time frame not aligning with hers...

About the temptations that consistently plague her...

About giving up her own will for His...

And the arguing? It's futile. It wears her out. It makes her bitter, leaves her emptied and causes her to have a stinky attitude.

This 'friend of mine' forgets that God has ordained her for this time, for the place she currently lives in and for the mission He had in mind for her to complete when He first thought of her.

So why argue?

Why fight it?

Why choose to question?

Why, indeed?

When all He has planned will be for my, I mean her, good...

When what He has purposed will bring about godliness in my, I mean her, character...

When who I, I mean her, will be when the finishing process is completed, will be amazing...

Why argue? 

COUNTING ON THE LORD

Today's reading: Psalm 128-130

"I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word." Psalm 130:5 NLT

Counting on the Lord...

I think I know what that means, it means I know God will.

Is that all?

Let's dig a little deeper into the word used in the original Hebrew writings.

To 'count on the Lord' means to wait on, look for, hope, or expect.

It's multi-faceted.

It requires more than just thinking the Lord will do what He says He will do.

It's building a life upon the trust you have in Him...

It's believing, wholeheartedly, that 'it' will come to pass...

It's eagerly anticipating when He will perform...

It's speaking it in our conversations-not 'if', but 'when'...

It's taking the next step because you know, you know, that He will do His part...

Are you counting on the Lord to that degree?

WHEN HE PRAYED

Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 33-36

"And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request for help. So the Lord let Manasseh return to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Manasseh had finally realized that the Lord alone is God!" 2 Chronicles 33:13 NLT

I'm a visual learner.

Sure, I love listening to sermons, podcasts and talks--but give me a picture to focus on and things seem more real!

Like the visual I keep in my mind about how God chooses to listen...

I believe He, in all His splendor and majesty, sits on His throne leaning forward just waiting to hear every word cried out to Him.

Half in his seat, half poised for better listening...

Slightly inclined in anticipation and expectation...

Inclined to hear the slightest whimper, the lowest guttural sob or the sobs of agony...

For when that one prays.

For when that one finally realizes that He alone is God.

For when that one tires of time spent in the pigsty.

For when that one confesses their sins to the One against whom those sins were committed.

For when that one admits they aren't in as much control as they thought they were. 

I see, in my wildly imaginative mind, God holding the universe together, receiving glory and honor and praise from heavenly residents AND leaning forward in His throne to hear the prayer of a repentant heart.

Don't you just see it?

FOR YOUR GOOD

Today's reading: Deuteronomy 10-12

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires you to fear him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart and soul and to obey the Lord's commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good." Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NLT

1. Fear Him.

2. Live out His will.

3. Love and worship Him.

4. Obey His commands.

Four charges God makes of those who want to be His. Four requirements. Four boxes to check.

To make Him feel better about Himself? No.

To impress the world we are called to live in? No.

To provide Him with fans and followers? No.

For our own good.

For us to be able to experience the life He wants us to have, living out the purpose He has for us.

Will He be honored through it? Yes.

Will the world notice a difference and be called to question their way of living? Yes.

Will it make us better disciples of Him? Yes.

Will we experience blessings, peace, joy and hope? Yes, a hundred times, Yes!

Once again, all for our own good!

MORE AND MORE

Today's reading: 1 Peter 1-3

"God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace." 1 Peter 1:2 NLT

If you believe God chose you before you were created...

That the power of the Holy Spirit has made you holy...

That the cleansing blood of Jesus has forgiven you of all your sins...

That heaven will be your home for eternity...

Then you can believe, rest on, trust in the fact that more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace are available to you!

As if salvation weren't enough, He offers more.

More than a religious moment.

More than a future destination.

More than a clear conscience.

He offers Himself to you for every day of your life. 

More and more...more than enough...more than you can imagine...more than what anyone else can offer you!

PRAYING

Today's reading: Acts 11-12

Acts 12 gives us the account of King Herod Agrippas attempting to stop the growth of Christianity by imprisoning Peter.

While Peter sat overnight in prison, chained between guards, the house church was praying.

Praying fervently.

We are told that a bright light shone, an angel appeared, and Peter was led out of the prison.

As Peter arrived at the home of John Mark's mother, where the believers were meeting, he knocked on the door...

The young girl who answered the door, quickly ran to tell the pray-ers that their 'answer' stood at the door, but they didn't believe her.

Is it that they didn't believe God would answer?

Is it they didn't think He would answer so quickly?

Is it that they didn't think God would answer in this way--by actually placing Peter back in their midst?

That's a lot to think about.

In regards to God's abilities.

In relation to the expectations I place upon my praying.

In the expectations I attach to my prayers.

Makes me ask...What am I doing to prepare for the answers I am asking God for? 

TAKE NOTE

Today's reading: Zephaniah

"How terrible it will be for rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime. It proudly refuses to listen even to the voice of the Lord. No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God." Zephaniah 3:1-2 NLT

Mirror verses.

It's probably not a phrase you've heard, because I made it up.

It refers to verses in Scripture that place a mirror in front of me, allowing me time and intentionality in looking deep into my own heart and mind.

While the verses themselves refer to Jerusalem and the prophet Zephaniah's plea to her, I see myself.

Refusing to listen...

No one can tell me anything...

Refuses correction...

I could easily read over this portion of Scripture, having said I've done my Christian discipline for the day, or I could stop and listen.

...To the Lord speaking to my heart.

...To the correlations between Jerusalem and myself.

...To the outcome of continuing to do what, sadly, comes naturally to me.

...To how the Holy Spirit wants to address, correct and proceed.

I'll be quite honest, it's easier to use my Bible as a magnifying glass in the lives of others than as a mirror to my own failings. But these times before the mirror of the Lord, prove His love for me, His desire to see me grow in His image, His forgiveness and His grace.

What will you do with the 'mirror verses' you come across?

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Today's reading: Ecclesiastes 3-4

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NLT

Do you, like me, forget that there is a time for everything?

Especially when the time is waiting.

Think about it...

While not specifically mentioned by God, through Solomon, while there IS a time for planting and there IS a time for harvesting...do you realize what has to happen in the time in between?

Waiting.

Waiting for the seeds to sprout.

Waiting for the first leaves to appear.

Waiting for the plants to develop.

Waiting for the growth.

Waiting for the fruit to be produced.

Waiting for ripening.

There is a whole lot of waiting that happens in between steps.

Are you rushing through the 'waiting season'?

Are you pushing past the lessons to be learned while you wait?

Are you wasting your days wrapping up one season and wanting to hurry up and get into the next?

There is a season for everything, including waiting.

Might I go so far as to add...

There is a reason for everything, including waiting.

PLANTING IN TEARS

Today's reading: Psalm 125-127

"Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy." Psalm 126:5 NLT

Trials to triumph.

Testing to testimony.

Heartache to hearts filled.

Our tears, especially those cried out in prayer to the Lord, do not go unnoticed.

They are kept.

They are treasured.

They are sparks that start the fires of change, revival and salvation.

Cry out to the Lord in prayer...tears water the garden of His heart!