I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
What does it mean for the Lord to be our shepherd? This video explains well and I hope it blesses your heart to know all the ways God is your shepherd.
I particularly enjoyed the part about God’s being there in the valleys. We seem to have a lot of challenges in this life, but God is right there, leading us and keeping us safe. I also liked the part about God’s preparing a table for us before our enemies, teaching us to rely on His protection. The Psalm is from the beginning of the video until about the four minute mark and the other seven plus minutes are a prayer based on the psalm. It was very relaxing and uplifting for me to start my day with this today.
Then I followed this scripture and prayer with this song from Phil Wickham. I hope you have a blessed day, knowing that God is with you always and you will be with Him for eternity.
I never really understood what God’s peace means in my life until I started having one health problem after another. My natural tendency would be to rail against the unfairness of life and to give God a stern talking to about the fact that my life was not being blessed as He promised and I expected. The problem was that I was blessed, He kept His promises, but it was my expectations that were wrong.
This quotation from C.S. Lewis explains what I discovered is absolute truth. No matter how many problems I faced, I still had God on my side, in my corner, watching my back. All of those things and more! The circumstances didn’t change, but my attitude toward them did. What could be so wrong, you may ask? I was born with asthma, a single kidney that started failing about fifteen years ago and I had a massive stroke in 2015. So, in short, I have had and still have a lot of health problems, but there has not been a single problem that I have had that God has not helped me through it. He didn’t leave me floundering after the doctors pronounced their words of wisdom over me about my conditions. Rather, God comforted me and kept whispering to me that He was right there with me.
How do I find God’s peace in the middle of my tumultuous life? I spend time in God’s Word, daily, consistently and faithfully. His promises are there, including the ones about peace. I say them over and over until they go from my mind to my heart. Then, I accept that God is in control and move on to the next thing that I have to do, with my hand in His and my life submitted to Him.
Could I choose to be bitter and angry? Of course, because we all have that choice. Instead, I choose to be thankful for each day God gives me and each new thing He shows me in His Word. Some people look at the silver lining and proclaim loudly that they see a cloud. Rather, I look at the silver lining and I am thankful for it, no matter what may follow.
Yield means to let go, to slow down and be aware but you don’t just stop living. I have peace because I have chosen to yield to God. My number of days is in His hands. He is the One who gives me peace and He hasn’t let me down, even when I have disappointed Him with my initial reaction of rebellious demands.
I leave you with this old hymn that means a lot to me and I hope that you will listen and enjoy the lyrics and the meaning behind the words.
This is one of the first songs that I learned as a new Christian over five decades ago. To this day, the song brings back wonderful memories of all of the people I met in the first little church I attended and then the small country church in South Carolina. I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane and that this song brings you the hope that is so evident in its verses.
Lyrics
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives.
How sweet to hold a newborn baby, And feel the pride and joy he gives. But greater still the calm assurance, This child can face uncertain days because He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives.
And then one day I’ll cross the river, I’ll fight life’s final war with pain. And then as death gives way to victory, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone! Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives!
The story behind this hymn may be familiar to you. I heard it once many years ago and had to look it up to remind myself of what happened to inspire such a heartfelt song. Here is where you can find the story:
I have sung this song for years, especially when times are hard for me. The last month has been a real trial with my health. Hospitalized twice, once for a bacterial infection and the second time for blood pressure so high that I was in danger of having another stroke. Those incidents were closely followed by bronchitis and a secondary lung infection. I have been taking so many medicines that I had to write them down to make sure I took them as prescribed. One evening, as I was exhausted from coughing and lack of sleep, God reminded me of this song. No matter what is happening in my body, “it is well with my soul.” And that is what truly matters.
Here are the lyrics:
It Is Well With My Soul – Lyrics
When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, A song in the night, oh my soul!
It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Note that the bold print was added by me to the verses that mean most to me. What verse(s) resonate with you today?
God’s attribute of omnipresence means that there is no where I am that He is not already there. I can’t run from God, hide from Him are escape Him. I don’t recall ever really wanting to be away from God, but I do recall times when I thought He was far away and not listening to my pleas for help or safety. But that is a lie from Satan, the one who does not have the powers of God and envies God, so much so that he tries to get us to believe lies in order to turn us away from God.
With grandchildren getting ready to graduate from college and high school this year, I am looking at the world and thinking what a scary time it is for them to live. But God has assured me and continues to let me know that He is watching out for them and He is there, right where they are. He was with Tyler on his trip to Europe, even while protests were happening in Germany. He was with Isaac when he had to have cancer tests again, the kind that make him nauseous. God is there because He chooses to be right there with us. He created us and loves us enough that He won’t step away and leave us on our own.
It has taken me a long time to come to the realization that God does not just take off when the going gets tough. He is right there, walking alongside me in the hard times as well as in the times of rejoicing. He comforts me so that I can comfort others.
As a finite being who can occupy one space at a time, it is hard for me to comprehend that the God of the Universe can see all of His creation and be present with every one of us all the time. That is part of the mystery that is God and knowing that He is God allows me to accept and just know in my heart that He is there, all the time.
Watchman Nee became a Christian in mainland China in 1920 at the age of seventeen and began writing in the same year. Throughout the nearly thirty years of his ministry, Watchman Nee was clearly manifested as a unique gift from the Lord to His Body for His move in this age. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972. His words remain an abundant source of spiritual revelation and supply to Christians throughout the world. (From Watchmannee.org)
Watchman need had a lot to say about many Christian topics, including grace. He was wise in saying that those who have received grace, which is all of us who proclaim to be Christians, should learn to be gracious to others. What is grace and what is being gracious?
According to Christianity.com, “grace can be defined as ‘God’s favor toward the unworthy’ or ‘God’s benevolence on the undeserving.’ In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously.” Grace is God’s forgiveness and love for us even though we don’t deserve it.
Grace is a free gift from God. We are forgiven by the grace of God, not because we have arrived at righteousness, but because He gives us the righteousness of His Son. We are not worthy, but God calls us worthy and forgiven.
So, how do we show grace to others, i.e. how are we gracious? We must show the love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness that God has shown to us. Judging others, declaring our hatred for certain groups, turning away from people in need and holding grudges or bitterness are all the opposite of grace. We have been shown grace by a compassionate and loving God, so how can we do any less than extend grace to others? In so doing, we show the world who Jesus is inside of us and how Jesus would treat them if He were meeting them.
I don’t know about you, but I often fall short of being gracious to others. I get impatient and short-tempered about the same people wanting the same help all the time. Sometimes, it is hard for me to let go of offenses. I say I hate the sin and love the sinner, but sometimes, I am not really sure that’s true since I don’t want to be around the sinners. I am particularly offended by all of this transgender foolishness, but I have to keep reminding myself that they are sinners to whom God offers grace and I should do nothing less.
My word study today has brought me full circle, It starts with God who shows grace to us and then I am supposed to show grace to others in the hope that they, too, will get to know God and His grace.
Have you ever thought about the fact that sometimes things don’t work out the way we had expected? But it all turns out okay in the end because God is right there.
I read in my devotional today that Abram turned aside from the promised land to go to Egypt because there was a famine in the land that God was sending him to. What? In Egypt, Abram got a little off the path of faith because instead of trusting God to take care of him and Sarai, he told her to tell Pharoah that she was his sister. Read Genesis 12 for the entire story.
Sometimes we are a lot like Abram. We expect one thing, get another, and then we try to help God by taking matters into our own hands. Believe me when I say that is never a good idea. I haven’t read a single scripture in which God tells man that He could really use his help. Actually, God is generally waiting for us to call on Him for help and then to be patient as we wait for His answer.
The “they” in these verses refers to Paul and Barnabas, the missionary duo in the book of Acts. Notice the last part of the verse. If these two men who had been imprisoned, beaten and cast out of cities because of their witness recognize that entering the kingdom of God is not a stroll in the park, then who are we to expect that?
God promises that in spite of our wandering off the path (also known as His best plan for us) and in spite of our insisting on going our own way, He does not abandon us. That is quite a promise to hold on to. Neither does God abandon His plan for us. He has a plan and He will fulfill it; we just need to be so in tune with God that we trust His plan to unfold, in His time, not ours.
Our response is to speak with a confident testimony to all of the scoffers and doubters around us. We don’t need to be afraid of them because God is still helping us, sometimes out of the mess that we got ourselves into.
I found this song to apply to my post today and hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. It speaks to the scriptures above and trusting God for all things in all times.
I was reading in Genesis today about Noah and the ark, and I once again noted that God closed the door of the ark, sealing out the floods that were to destroy the earth.
Just as God separated Noah from the judgment that was about to take place on the earth, He calls us to be separate from sin in our lives so that we aren’t not judged unworthy on the great Judgment Day.
Jesus is our door to eternity with God and when God executes judgment on all of mankind, the time for making the right choice is over. The door is shut so that the evil of the world is not welcome in the new heaven and the new earth.
Many people are enjoying prosperity today, the kind that the world gives…fame, riches, and all the trappings that accompany it. But where will they run on the Day of Judgment, the day when it will be too late for them to declare their loyalty to the One True God? What will happen to all of their riches then? Jesus said repeatedly that we need to leave the things of this world behind and concentrate on our walk with God. There will be a day of reckoning, and God will not want to know how much money you made or how successful you were in your own eyes. He wants to see you clothed in the righteousness of His Son, and if you are not, then the judgment of His wrath that He had been holding back will become your new reality.
Are Christians the ones who are wailing? I think we will be the ones around the throne singing a new song of rejoicing, but those who have not accepted the Lord as Savior will be wailing for their destruction is absolute and certain.
There were many in the days of Noah who ridiculed him for building the ark. They drowned in the flood of judgment that God sent. Don’t let the ridicule of the world keep you away from making the choice that will keep you safe in God’s arms for all eternity. Choose life…choose Jesus! He is the only secure place in a world that is overrun with evil. He is the only door to the Father, and He has invited everyone to come in before it is too late.
This morning in my devotional, I read several scriptures about God’s holiness. Thus, I was enticed to dig in and find out more about what that means to me as a Christian.
The characteristic of holiness is ascribed to God repeatedly. In fact, one source I consulted (see footnote) reports that the word “holy” is used 431 times in the Old Testament in Hebrew and 180 times in the New Testament in Greek. When we think about God’s attributes, we generally think of His mercy, grace and love. Holiness seems to be a part of God that I don’t think about too much, but perhaps I should. God is holy because He is separate from His creation; in fact, the Bible says no one can look at God and live. Moses got to see the back of God from a cleft in a rock, but He did not see God face to face. That marvelous privilege will happen when we live with Him in a new heaven and new earth, where He is the ruler forever and ever.
But why does the Scripture constantly admonish us to be holy? Is that something that happens as soon as we become Christians? No, rather we are “becoming” holy…we will not be complete until we are in His presence.
I cannot imagine the entire earth being filled with God’s glory, but I am excited about it. The angels called God holy, and God tells us to be holy as He is. We are supposed to be separated from the sinful world and sacred to Him, our Creator and Redeemer.
Our God is holy and we can be like him but we cannot be Him. He is the Creator and the One worthy of all of our praise and adoration.
Is Jesus called “holy”? Of course, because He is the Son and has always been with the Father from the beginning. But Jesus doesn’t make us holy; He shows us the way to holiness by living according to the standards he set forth in His words to His disciples. The resource I used stated that even our best efforts cannot make us holy. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “holy” is part of the name of the third person of the Trinity. He is the One who continually works within us to help us to be holy. That still small voice that reminds you of commitments to God and things you should be doing, wise choices you should make? That’s the Holy Spirit that resides in each of us once we have become adopted into the family of God as His children. God doesn’t just say, “be holy.” He sends a helper to aid us in our quest to be more like Him. (John 14:26)
I have not arrived at holiness yet, and I don’t know anyone who has. I think that Enoch, the man who walked with God and never died, must have reached that goal, but I don’t know for sure. I am on a quest to be better today, closer to Him, more “holy” if you will, than I was yesterday. Will I fail sometimes? Yes, more than I want to, but I am still striving to the goal of holiness because God says to be holy. He didn’t wave a magic wand and say, “Okay. You’re holy now.” We have to make wise choices every day, every hour and every minute in order to move towards the holiness that God wants to see in us. Does that mean that we are not righteous before God? No, I may be wrong, but I think righteousness is different than holiness. Righteousness is the right standing with God that Jesus gave us by dying for us on the cross. Holiness is what we strive towards in our daily walk with the Lord.
I am not sure I am making sense here to anyone but me, but I hope that this post has made you think about holiness and how God is holy all the time and He doesn’t have to work at it. He just is holy! Praise His Name!
Today is the day after Epiphany, the day I take the Christmas decorations off the tree and put all of the Christmas things away. It is usually a sad day for me, a day to miss all of the pretty decorations and the fun times that we had as a family together. But this year, I am in a more reflective mood. I took everything down and put it away and then I sat in my chair to do my devotional. Outside the window next to me, I can see the birds hopping around in the snow, eating the birdseed that my husband scattered for them yesterday. They remind me of how much God loves all of His creation.
I really don’t like snow because it’s so cold and so slippery. But it is a beautiful part of God’s creation and from inside my warm home, I can look out at the light reflecting on the white surfaces everywhere and marvel at God’s ability to create such beauty from nothing. What are you looking at in nature today that shows you God’s wonderful creation?
This verse was my memory verse a couple of weeks ago, and it is a favorite of mine. The same God who created all of the world that I know sees me, and nothing is too hard for Him. When I think I have reached the end of my rope, God lets a little more out for me to hold on to and He always reminds me that He is the One holding the other end.
I have not been doing a lot of suffering lately, but I do have friends and family who have been going through some rough times. If we are suffering according to God’s will, we can be assured that the faithful Creator is aware of what we are going through and is right there with us. When I think that I am in a wilderness and no one else is going through what I am enduring, God reminds me that His Son suffered and endured so much more than I ever could or will. He also reminds me that I am going THROUGH the wilderness; I am not supposed to camp there and have a pity party.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 