Preserve me, oh God, for in You I put my trust. Oh my soul you have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You." As for the saints who are on the earth, "They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight." Their sorrow shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names upon my lips.
O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord Who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night season. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Hidden Language of Feet
I am not a foot person by any means, so for me to rub a family member’s feet is a sacrifice like no other, but as I woke this morning, I realized feet have an important place in this world. They speak and have a language of their own. They tire and hurt, curl up to get warm when they are cold, withdraw themselves from anther's feet when hurt, anger or frustration are present, and they are created to walk a journey of faith in God-like fashion.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace; who bring glad tidings of good things”, Romans 10:15. God says my feet are beautiful when they preach peace and bring joyful news of peace to others. Well, He obviously is a foot person and therefore my observation of feet must change to be like His. Beautiful feet preach peace and share joy! Now this is a statement to live by. What am I seeking each day? Is it God? Is it peace? Is it to share the love of Jesus, His peace and joy with others? What are my reasons for living? What is my purpose for drawing one more breath today?
As I ponder these questions many thoughts come to mind, but those I want to meditate on are Matthew 6:33 which states, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you.” What things? Needs, such as what we eat, drink and wear. Psalm 34:14 says to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Romans 10:15 tells us to preach the gospel of peace and to share joyful events with others. My reason for living should be to worship Jesus as told to us in Luke 4:8, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” as well as to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit” as said in Matthew 28:19. Exodus 9:16 and Jeremiah 29:11-13 shows us God has a purpose for our lives. In Exodus he says, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” and God tells us in Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
The answers to these questions show us not only the importance of using our feet to spread the gospel, preach peace and share joyful tidings, but to seek God and His righteousness, thank Him for supplying our needs, to turn from evil and do good, to seek after peace, to worship and serve God only and make disciples of others. Knowing God’s plans for us are good and not meant to harm us, plans to give us a future and a hope, we can take a breath of relief and rest in the knowledge of how much God loves us. Trodding the journey of faith may take our feet on unknown paths, but praise God Who will never leave us or forsake us and wants us to be content with such things as we have. (Hebrews 13:5) So during the next foot rub I give to a family member, what better revelations for me to ponder on than the beauty of even the one’s feet I am rubbing .
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace; who bring glad tidings of good things”, Romans 10:15. God says my feet are beautiful when they preach peace and bring joyful news of peace to others. Well, He obviously is a foot person and therefore my observation of feet must change to be like His. Beautiful feet preach peace and share joy! Now this is a statement to live by. What am I seeking each day? Is it God? Is it peace? Is it to share the love of Jesus, His peace and joy with others? What are my reasons for living? What is my purpose for drawing one more breath today?
As I ponder these questions many thoughts come to mind, but those I want to meditate on are Matthew 6:33 which states, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you.” What things? Needs, such as what we eat, drink and wear. Psalm 34:14 says to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Romans 10:15 tells us to preach the gospel of peace and to share joyful events with others. My reason for living should be to worship Jesus as told to us in Luke 4:8, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” as well as to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit” as said in Matthew 28:19. Exodus 9:16 and Jeremiah 29:11-13 shows us God has a purpose for our lives. In Exodus he says, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” and God tells us in Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
The answers to these questions show us not only the importance of using our feet to spread the gospel, preach peace and share joyful tidings, but to seek God and His righteousness, thank Him for supplying our needs, to turn from evil and do good, to seek after peace, to worship and serve God only and make disciples of others. Knowing God’s plans for us are good and not meant to harm us, plans to give us a future and a hope, we can take a breath of relief and rest in the knowledge of how much God loves us. Trodding the journey of faith may take our feet on unknown paths, but praise God Who will never leave us or forsake us and wants us to be content with such things as we have. (Hebrews 13:5) So during the next foot rub I give to a family member, what better revelations for me to ponder on than the beauty of even the one’s feet I am rubbing .
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Running the Great Race in 2010
Wow! Where in the world did 2009 go? It seemed to have whizzed right by with its twists and its turns. I feel I have been riding on the autobahn for the past 365 or so days, how about you?
Looking back at the various events that have happened in my life and in that of my family, I am thankful to have lived this past year in the richness of God's glory, growing ever closer to Him and making new friendships, nurturing relationships I have had for years and letting some go that aren't yielding fruit in my life. Life is like a race, one in which we are continually training for. Having God on my side, friends and family to cheer me on and sacrificing much to obtain the reward God has set before me humbly makes me wonder what's in store for 2010?
Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. God has put us in a race and He is giving us a much needed tip in running the race with success. We are to throw off, take off, remove, toss aside everything, not some things, but everything that hinders and entangles us in life. First of all think about this. God wants the best for us. His plans for us are for God and not for harm to give us a hope and a future as He has said in Jeremiah 29:11, right? With that in mind, we must realize because He is God He knows what He is talking about when He tells us to get rid of or avoid those things that weigh us down. In a race, runners wear shoes lighter than air, their clothing is feather light and they don't try and run with suitcases attached to their ankles dragging them down. They don't carry backpacks, sacks of clothing or equipment, cell phones or laptops along with them. They run as freely as possible with nothing to hold them back. That is how God wants us to run the race of life. Freely dashing from day to day taking what comes our way in stride knowing we are never without God by our side, Hebrews 13:5. God wants us to run the race with perseverance. Training alone for a race takes alot of willpower, patience and endurance. We aren't born fit to run any race but are equipped as we go along the journey of life, sacrificing for the greater good during the course. Training involved suffering and agony sometimes as we push ourselves to greater heights yet we know great joy is ours for the taking along the way. Just as Jesus suffered greatly at the hands of ill-willed men, so it is with us. If we believe we can sprint through life avoiding pain and sorrow, rejection and ridicule when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ could not, you might want to reconsider these notions.
But do not despair, we have hope. Isaiah 40:21 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." What greater hope can we have while running the race of life? As we wait upon the Lord around every turn, as we face new obstacles, when we grow weary and want to just give up, our strength is renewed by the One Who gave us life. God Himself gives us strength we can find nowhere else; enough strength to mount up as eagles flying high in the sky above all the cares of this world. We can run and not grow weary when we grab hold of His hand and run the race together. When all is said and done, we will walk and not faint once we have finished the race and our reward lies ahead of us.
With this encouragement, let me challenge you in the year 2010 to remember you do not have to run the race of life alone. At any time, you can grab the hand of God through Jesus His Son, (John 14:6 says "No one comes to the Father {God} except through Me {Jesus Christ}, and be filled with His strength to endure whatever trials and hardships you are facing. God will give you patience as you need it and help you endure whatever it is that you are tackling. He will not leave, abandon or ignore you. He wants good things to happen in your life, things that offer you a great future and one that is hopeful.
You don't have to run this race alone, unless you choose to. God did give us a freewill to believe in Him or not, to have eternal life with Him or to spend eternity in hell with satan. John 3:16 reminds us, "For God loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Jesus, will not perish (spirit ad soul)but have everlasting life."When the race is over, and rewards are handed out for the way we ran the race, there will be only one of two places we spend the rest of eternity. Either in heaven or in hell and that is completely our choice. God is a gentlemen and He will not force Himself on anyone. It is His desire that no one spends eternity in hell, II Peter 3:9 and in Hosea 4:6 God tells us we perish for lack of knowledge. Well, now you have the knowledge you need to spend eternity in with God instead of in hell with satan, what will you do with it?
Looking back at the various events that have happened in my life and in that of my family, I am thankful to have lived this past year in the richness of God's glory, growing ever closer to Him and making new friendships, nurturing relationships I have had for years and letting some go that aren't yielding fruit in my life. Life is like a race, one in which we are continually training for. Having God on my side, friends and family to cheer me on and sacrificing much to obtain the reward God has set before me humbly makes me wonder what's in store for 2010?
Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him Who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. God has put us in a race and He is giving us a much needed tip in running the race with success. We are to throw off, take off, remove, toss aside everything, not some things, but everything that hinders and entangles us in life. First of all think about this. God wants the best for us. His plans for us are for God and not for harm to give us a hope and a future as He has said in Jeremiah 29:11, right? With that in mind, we must realize because He is God He knows what He is talking about when He tells us to get rid of or avoid those things that weigh us down. In a race, runners wear shoes lighter than air, their clothing is feather light and they don't try and run with suitcases attached to their ankles dragging them down. They don't carry backpacks, sacks of clothing or equipment, cell phones or laptops along with them. They run as freely as possible with nothing to hold them back. That is how God wants us to run the race of life. Freely dashing from day to day taking what comes our way in stride knowing we are never without God by our side, Hebrews 13:5. God wants us to run the race with perseverance. Training alone for a race takes alot of willpower, patience and endurance. We aren't born fit to run any race but are equipped as we go along the journey of life, sacrificing for the greater good during the course. Training involved suffering and agony sometimes as we push ourselves to greater heights yet we know great joy is ours for the taking along the way. Just as Jesus suffered greatly at the hands of ill-willed men, so it is with us. If we believe we can sprint through life avoiding pain and sorrow, rejection and ridicule when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ could not, you might want to reconsider these notions.
But do not despair, we have hope. Isaiah 40:21 says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." What greater hope can we have while running the race of life? As we wait upon the Lord around every turn, as we face new obstacles, when we grow weary and want to just give up, our strength is renewed by the One Who gave us life. God Himself gives us strength we can find nowhere else; enough strength to mount up as eagles flying high in the sky above all the cares of this world. We can run and not grow weary when we grab hold of His hand and run the race together. When all is said and done, we will walk and not faint once we have finished the race and our reward lies ahead of us.
With this encouragement, let me challenge you in the year 2010 to remember you do not have to run the race of life alone. At any time, you can grab the hand of God through Jesus His Son, (John 14:6 says "No one comes to the Father {God} except through Me {Jesus Christ}, and be filled with His strength to endure whatever trials and hardships you are facing. God will give you patience as you need it and help you endure whatever it is that you are tackling. He will not leave, abandon or ignore you. He wants good things to happen in your life, things that offer you a great future and one that is hopeful.
You don't have to run this race alone, unless you choose to. God did give us a freewill to believe in Him or not, to have eternal life with Him or to spend eternity in hell with satan. John 3:16 reminds us, "For God loved the world so much, He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Jesus, will not perish (spirit ad soul)but have everlasting life."When the race is over, and rewards are handed out for the way we ran the race, there will be only one of two places we spend the rest of eternity. Either in heaven or in hell and that is completely our choice. God is a gentlemen and He will not force Himself on anyone. It is His desire that no one spends eternity in hell, II Peter 3:9 and in Hosea 4:6 God tells us we perish for lack of knowledge. Well, now you have the knowledge you need to spend eternity in with God instead of in hell with satan, what will you do with it?
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Noteworthy Revelations for 2010
Today, being the first day of 2010, I want to shed some light on the prophetic meaning of the number 10. I am sure you can all understand my divine interest in this topic since I'm an evangelical born again Christian and a Criminal Law student. So let me give you a few noteworthy things to ponder.
Specifically spoken by Dr. Stephen E. Jones in his book,The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty,ten is the number of divine order which is being reestablished one way or another through the judgment of the law. In other words, it manifests the actual sentence of the law which follows the gathering and presentation of the evidence. After the Holy Spirit has revealed the evidence to expose men’s hearts (as in the meaning of the number nine), the Judge reveals the law. Meaning, he pronounces the sentence (as in the meaning of the number ten) according to the law.
Ten is the number that represents the time of judgment when humans either receive their reward or come under divine judgment. The number 10 is the symbol of "the works of the law" (Romans 20:12) meaning all will be judged according to their deeds. Something we all need to remember, is that 2008 meant new beginnings for believers and signifies searching with a inner room such as our hearts. Then in 2009 was the year of Jesus visiting the earth and searching for evidence of those whom were learning right from wrong much like a divine court case where the evidence is uncovered and presented to the judge for judgment. Now, in 2010, with judgment before us, how pertinent it is to allow God to search the most innermost part of our hearts and remaining open to God's revelation of any areas within that are any wicked ways within us, Psalm 139:23-24. It is important to live our lives in a way that evidence of rightful living before God will be found out by the Judge of all judges.
If the Holy Spirit has been nudging you about any area of your life, surrender that which is not pleasing to the Lord and invite Jesus to cleanse and renew those areas. Confess, repent, and accept the correction the Lord provides you with knowing that God chastens those He loves, Hebrews 12:6-7.
There is no greater honor than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of all creation loving us enough to have sent His only Son to die for our sins, to pay the price for all the wicked things we have done, are doing or will ever do in our lives, John 3:16. What more can we give then our very lives back to the One Who created us.
2010 will be a year of judgment but those of us that are believers should allow God to search our hearts daily as we deal with those things within us that would be displeasing to the Lord. Decide now to give your heart and life to the Lord completely, without reservation. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4. What better way to live fulfilled and satisfying lives in the year 2010?
Specifically spoken by Dr. Stephen E. Jones in his book,The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty,ten is the number of divine order which is being reestablished one way or another through the judgment of the law. In other words, it manifests the actual sentence of the law which follows the gathering and presentation of the evidence. After the Holy Spirit has revealed the evidence to expose men’s hearts (as in the meaning of the number nine), the Judge reveals the law. Meaning, he pronounces the sentence (as in the meaning of the number ten) according to the law.
Ten is the number that represents the time of judgment when humans either receive their reward or come under divine judgment. The number 10 is the symbol of "the works of the law" (Romans 20:12) meaning all will be judged according to their deeds. Something we all need to remember, is that 2008 meant new beginnings for believers and signifies searching with a inner room such as our hearts. Then in 2009 was the year of Jesus visiting the earth and searching for evidence of those whom were learning right from wrong much like a divine court case where the evidence is uncovered and presented to the judge for judgment. Now, in 2010, with judgment before us, how pertinent it is to allow God to search the most innermost part of our hearts and remaining open to God's revelation of any areas within that are any wicked ways within us, Psalm 139:23-24. It is important to live our lives in a way that evidence of rightful living before God will be found out by the Judge of all judges.
If the Holy Spirit has been nudging you about any area of your life, surrender that which is not pleasing to the Lord and invite Jesus to cleanse and renew those areas. Confess, repent, and accept the correction the Lord provides you with knowing that God chastens those He loves, Hebrews 12:6-7.
There is no greater honor than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of all creation loving us enough to have sent His only Son to die for our sins, to pay the price for all the wicked things we have done, are doing or will ever do in our lives, John 3:16. What more can we give then our very lives back to the One Who created us.
2010 will be a year of judgment but those of us that are believers should allow God to search our hearts daily as we deal with those things within us that would be displeasing to the Lord. Decide now to give your heart and life to the Lord completely, without reservation. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4. What better way to live fulfilled and satisfying lives in the year 2010?
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