Devotion Day: All of Creation Sings

I love music! One thing I love most about it is that it is something that I can take from this world. Music will still abound when I meet my Creator. So awesome to think about! The following scriptures were part of a lesson from the Stepping Up study I just finished through Beth Moore. I had read the scriptures before, but now in a new light. . .

Job 38:7: God is talking to Job and asking some (what I would call) "sarcastic" questions, such as Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Then in verse 7 it says that during the creation, "the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy"!! Wow, music was already on it's way during the creation of the earth. The STARS sang! Angels shouted for joy! Can you picture it???

I guess I never thought about it much, but Psalm 150:6 says that all that has breath praise the Lord. So, the next time your dog barks for no reason maybe he's giving a shout out to his Creator. I'm sure living creatures, other than humans, are much more compliant in the praise department. Isaiah 55:12 says that the mountains and the hills will break forth with shouts of joy. Revelation 5:13 also adds that all created things (in, on, under heaven and in the sea) "speak" honor and glory to the Most High! Now that should be interesting to be a part of!

But what is even more awesome is that our God sings. Zephaniah 3:17 states that God rejoices over US with singing, in Matthew 26:30 Jesus sang the Psalms, and in Hebrews 2:10-12 Jesus sings praises to the Father! WOW! Thanks to Beth for bringing all these scriptures together!

In light of this, I wonder what He thinks about our music that is not praiseworthy.

Not judging, just wondering what He thinks about His creation once again twisting what He meant to glorify Him.

The overall Bible study was on the Psalms of Ascent. Psalm 124 says (paraphrased from HCSB), "If the Lord had not been on our side, let Israel say. . .Then the waters would have swept over us. Praise the Lord who has not let us be ripped apart!" What I love is Beth's interpretation, which makes you think. . .(from pg. 53 of her workbook), "If God hasn't been good to you, don't bother. If He's never rescued you, save your breath. But if He has, and you know He has, lift your voices and give Him the praise due His name!"

I'm wondering how much "wasted" breath I've uttered today? Better get busy praising!

Don't want the rocks to cry out!

"I tell you if these (His followers) become silent, the stones will cry out!" (Luke 19:40)

Praise the one, true God today!

Devotion Day: Things You Don't Expect to See

Things that you don't expect to see (not saying you won't. . .it just doesn't seem right)

A uniformed police officer riding in the BACK of a police car.

A cat chasing a dog up a tree.

A vegetarian eating a Big Mac.

An Amish lady with a hot pink designer handbag

A doctor smoking.

A waitress refusing to take an order.

A Hardees working wearing the golden arches.

A hula dancer working in Nebraska.

A teacher who hates books.

Disney World with no mouse.

Texas without cowboy hats.

A hunter sleeping in during hunting season.

Black friday with no sales.

An active marine overweight.

A bakery without doughnuts.

A member of P.E.T.A wearing a fur coat.

Col0ssians 3:12-17 (NASB) - So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

A Christian without compassion. . .A Christian who is unkind. . .A Christian who is proud. . .A Christian who is harsh in word or deed. . .A Christian who can't forgive. . .A Christian who only loves those who love them. . .A Christian without peace in their heart. . .An ungrateful Christian. . . .Christians who don't teach or encourage others. . .A Christian who doesn't worship. . .

Hmm. . .things you don't expect to see? Thanks to a sermon I heard by Bob Coy on Colossians 3 I was really convicted about this. I had to ask myself. . .am I moving towards becoming a Colossians 3 believer OR am I in the paragraph above. . .something you don't expect to see (and not in a good way)! Maybe the world has become so used to seeing Christians behave in an unexpected way that they don't know what to expect from us. No wonder Christianity in America is stagnant and bland and no longer causing change. If we lived with compassion, kindness, humility, forgiveness, lovingkindness, gratefulness and teaching others to do the same and showing the peace we have in Christ, our world might really understand who we serve and that God is God Almighty! Someday the world will know but God will have to do it by showing Himself. Then, every knee will bow!

Daily Devotion: Just thinking

So, I've been on a bit of a break! Please accept my apologies. I really had good intentions when I started this blog and plan to try to get back on track. But be forewarned, my summer schedule is NOT very organized, and we are gone a lot!

In my current summer Bible study, we have been encouraged to have "face time" with God daily. Not just praying like normal, but being prostrate before the Lord. Beth Moore's little phrase is "the way up is down". It has been humbling. Recently, after we returned from a weekend wedding, I was spending a little time on my face, and God reminded me that He uses ALL things around me to point to Him. I just don't always recognize it.

I had been thinking how good it felt to lay in my bed following a 3 1/2 hour road trip. That led to thinking how at the beginning of vacation it's always sooooo exciting. Even a road trip! Thinking about where you are going! Getting to eat in various places! Snacks in the van (all the things I won't keep in my house)! Then, you have fun while your there, but at some point you are ready to come home. Then, when you reach home, what joy! All of this entered my head while in face down position, and God said, "See. It's kind of like life. Starting the journey. . .everything on earth is exciting and new. Every little thing is interesting. Then, you journey through life a bit, and you start wishing you were home. And, the way home. . . is less exciting, kind of tiring, and you're just ready to rest. Then, you are home! What joy!!!! That is how it will be with Me once you arrive. What joy!"

I hadn't really thought about life like that but I think it's true! We are to press on in this life, but we should be eagerly awaiting our arrival at home!

Jesus said in John 14:1-3 (NASB)"Do not let your heart be troubled;believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

"How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God." (Psalm 84:1)

How lovely a dwelling place You have created for us here, but my soul longs for Your dwelling place surrounding Your throne where Satan has lost and battles are gone forever!

Mercy for Monday!

Wow! When I started this blog, I knew He was merciful. But this past week, He has proven it again! He showed up! Yeah God! You are so awesome! And, believe me, this understanding of His mercy wasn't because things were going great. . .they weren't, but it was in that distress that He showed up again. So, imagine when I came across this scripture in a devotional that I was delighted! His mercies are new every morning! Praise Jesus!

Deu 1:30-31 NASB - 'The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.'

Wow! The Creator God, Elohiym, carried me to where I am now. . .all the places I've walked, just like I carried my daughter tonight who was scared of the storm. You are carrying me! I don't know what is to come, but I do trust that You will be there! I love you!

Devotion Day: The deliverance of the sons of Jacob

This week, I have no words of my own, but had to be reminded to go back to something God taught me this fall and the prior summer through a Beth Moore study, Patriarchs.
Gen 45:4-11 NASB "Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me." And they came closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God. . ."

These are the thoughts that Beth provoked in us following this scripture:

• Joseph framed the entire picture in the sovereignity of God. It was their only hope of healing.


• Feelings of distress and anger towards others sometimes can't rival those we have towards ourselves.


• Our great pain can mean someone else's deliverance, even someone who helped imprison us.


• If we refuse God's means of our deliverance, we could easily find ourselves destitute. It's a humbling deliverance to break our pride.

My thoughts. . .in the end God works all things together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). . .even when we are the one who cause the imprisonment. That sometimes in God's mercy He causes things to happen to draw us to Him to prevent us from making bigger mistakes. . .we just don't see what "might have been". That sometimes our pain is for someone else's gain. That sometimes I must shut my eyes so I can cling to what I know about Him.

The song, "Blessings", by Laura Story has made me think. I pray for healing, blessing, safety, shelter, forgiveness, but (I don't know about you) I don't normally pray for trials. I am sure that Joseph did not pray to be enslaved and stolen from his father for years at the hands of his brothers. And, he didn't know for a LONG time what God was doing. He didn't get to see the bigger picture of preparation for the exodus and God's bigger plan for the Jewish people. Sometimes, we never see His plan. I think this most excites me about heaven. . .seeing how God's hand swept over us to protect us from ourselves. . .to see our trials in a new "light". And, most of all, I will see how my trials were not just about me. That his plan is bigger than my "here and now", it's about His plan to bring all to Him. I can't wait to see through His eyes! And, as the song "Blessings" says, "What if the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are His mercies in disguise?" Although a cloudy day makes it difficult to see the sun, it's still there. . .it never goes away!

And so Joseph said to his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Genesis 50:20)

Mercy for Monday

Matthew 5:43-46

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you maybe sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?"
So, why is this so hard? Jesus, who had most reason to feel betrayed, still prayed for His enemies even on the cross by asking His Father to forgive "them" for they did not know what they were doing.

Father God, please break my heart for my enemies! Show me how to pray for them. Help me to pray with the right spirit! Holy Spirit guide my words to the Father's ear that they be Your words and not mine.

You were even betrayed by Your closest confidants! Yet, You forgave! With Peter, maybe it's because You could see who he would become, and You knew the betrayal was short-lived. I think this is why we must pray 'Your will' because You are outside of time and You know what is to come! You know the true hearts of people; and therefore, You know how to intercede. Help me close my eyes and trust who You are. . .that when I don't understand I can be confident that You do! It takes nothing to love the loveable! Give me Your fruit of the spirit that I might have true kindness, goodness, and gentleness that only comes from You!

Thank you Lord for what You are going to do!

Devotion Day: Trust

Psalms 37:5 "Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it."
Psalms 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man."
Isaiah 26:4 "Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock."

Today I was thinking about my lack of trust, which is often a result of fear. For the past few years, my anxiety has increased riding with others in cars, particularly with my husband. Now, I'm not claiming to be a good driver myself. . .it's just that "in control" thing. When I'm riding, I have too much time to look around and see what we might hit "if" we ran off the road. The reason for my concern is that Tim prefers to look out at the land rather than the road. I've actually watched him look more to the side than out the front of the van, so I feel the need to watch the road. However, in my husband's defense, he has NEVER randomly swiped a mailbox because he is too close to the side although there are times when it's like I'm in a 3D movie and things are flying into me. This is what I think is going to happen sometimes. I blame my irrational fears on my active imagination! So that we don't end up in divorce court, I have had to create some accommodations for myself, which now include closing my eyes when I feel that we might hit something (not when I'm driving, just when I'm riding). And, guess what? My fears are relieved because I am no longer allowing the physical evidence to outweigh what I know about my husband. When I close my eyes, I trust that he will safely pass the "close to the road object" like he always has.

Just like in this "worldly" example, I was thinking that maybe when life gets rough and what I see physically causes me to worry about what's next in my life that maybe I just need to shut my eyes. By closing my eyes, I don't see the physical but am reminded of the spiritual. I can then soley focus on who God says that He is and who I know Him to be. . .from His word and from His work in my life. I don't have what I see in the moment competing with who He is in the everlasting. I can completely trust in Him. And, the funny thing is that when I close my eyes in the car that I feel instant peace. There is nothing in front of me to fear. And, I think that when I close my eyes because I have been focusing too much on what I can see in this world that I will feel true peace in Him. Because at that time, I will be resting in the God who has always been in control and has never steered me wrong!

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."