"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul." Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)
I've been on a kind of respite this past week. One week of time off from my job with no plans to get away. Some would call it a "staycation." And certainly it was that. But it was so much more.
 |
| Source: https://www.heartlight.org/ |
(Hello Friends,
I'm taking a little break this week, so I'm reposting a devotional from a year ago. I'll be back with a new post next week. God bless you this Memorial Day, as we remember and honor those who have sacrificed so much in service to our country.)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Aren't you glad we have the Book of Psalms?
I find so much encouragement within its chapters, and so much food for worship there. Beginning with the very first Psalm containing a mere six verses:
"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
Years ago I participated in a women's Bible study that required daily homework. One day the assignment was to personalize a particular scripture; to put my name in place of the pronouns in the verse. It's an exercise I've done before, and its very effective in helping me make God's promises in the Bible my own.
Our world often speaks of peace. And no wonder, as we can't turn on the news without hearing about wars and rumors of wars. There are as many views on how to achieve world peace as there are commentators.
.jpg)
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:15-16
It is a mystery how Christians together function as Christ's body. It is supernatural. He spiritually indwells each Christian, and when those individuals join together, the result is the body of Christ.
Without proper nourishment, the human body will remain immature. As with the physical body, so it is with the spiritual body. It must be nourished in order to mature.
"You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near." James 5:8
James wants to encourage Christians to stand firm in trials. He reminds us that the Lord's return is near, and he tells Christians to "be patient" and "strengthen your hearts".
"Sanctify them in the truth, Your word is truth." John 17:17
Before Jesus fulfilled His earthly mission by dying for our sins on the cross, He lifted up a prayer to the Father for His disciples and for those who would follow, namely ourselves. We find His prayer in John 17.
This is a beautiful, moving prayer, and of it Pastor David Guzik writes:
"Genuine prayer often reveals a person’s innermost being. John 17 is an unique opportunity to see the nature and heart of Jesus. In this prayer, Jesus will touch on many of themes developed in this Gospel: glory, glorify, sent, believe, world, love."
"and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." Ephesians 1:19-21
Yesterday we celebrated Resurrection Sunday, honoring our Lord for His tremendous sacrifice to save us from our sins, and the indescribable power He displayed in rising from the cold, dark slab in the tomb to the glorious warmth of Heavenly light!
Today, more than ever, we need to grab hold of this power! This same power strengthens believers and gives them victory over fear and despondency.
But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”
Luke 19:40
As Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the colt, a crowd of His followers began to shout praises to Him: “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
There were Pharisees in the crowd who told Jesus to rebuke His disciples and tell them to stop their praises, but Jesus replied that if they were to stop, the stones would cry out. Stones could tell much of Jesus their Creator.
"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." Isaiah 53:6
I have heard it said that without a shepherd a flock of sheep will wander and go astray. Isaiah likens our spiritual wandering -- the desire to go our own way -- to straying sheep. And it is "all of us" who do this. Everyone of us. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). But just as a good shepherd will do whatever it takes to bring his sheep back home, Jesus did what was necessary to bring us back home to God and restore our relationship with Him.
After I purchased my mobile home a little over a year ago, my outdoor focus was the patio. Honestly, I didn't give much thought at all t...
For as long as I can remember I've loved cottages. These cozy places, with abundant flowers and sunshine, give me a sense of peace and contentment. .
