Tag: all we can be

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · guidance · lent · power of God · psalms
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Psalms 40:4 NIV
[4] Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

False gods show up in the most unlikely forms. I discovered during my college days that studying was a false god. I thought I would always succeed if I studied hard enough. I was relentless in studying, panicking if I did not meet my self proclaimed quota. I needed to be reminded that my success and strength come only from God. When I would put my notes away and rest I was honoring Him and acknowledging that He was the one who controlled every outcome.

We rely so heavily on things that are finite. We rely on people, technology, stuff, books. Yet all these things can have errors. The only one who is all knowing and all powerful is God. You really do not want anyone or anything to be placed before Him. Idols are not just offensive to God, they’re also useless. They take up time and thought and give you nothing in return. Trust Jesus. He’s got the answers.

Take away:

False gods and idols show up in the most unexpected places. They take our energy and time and run us down.
We must focus on Jesus instead. Spending time with Him gives us energy, strength, and the ability to keep going.
Watch out for the pit traps in your life, before you fall so deep you can’t get out.

Psalms 34:6 NIV[6] This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
Devotional

Psalms 34:6 NIV[6] This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

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Psalms 34:6 NIV
[6] This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
David was not poor in monetary ways or in possessions, not by a long shot, but he recognized that even with all his wealth he was poor when it came to any ability to save himself. David was the perfect example of how you cam have everything and still have nothing without God. He was rich, yet he relied on God. He was a great warrior, yet he relied on God. He was skilled in many things, yet he relied on God.
He could have relied on his abilities, the way Sampson threw out his anointing to rely on his own strength. But David knew that without God he would not be king. Without God the giant would not have fallen. Without God Saul would have caught and killed him. Without God he would never have survived a single battle.
So many sought David’s life. So many wanted him dead and to take his kingdom. He lasted so long because of God. God chose him to be part of the birth line of Jesus.
No matter how much you have. No matter how strong, brave, smart, skilled, attractive you are, you are lost without God.

Take away:

We sometimes grow discouraged when those who hate God are heavily successful and we feel we are struggling. Yet God is the answer to every problem and He will help us.
The wicked who succeeded have their inheritance already, this world and what it gives.
But the righteous who love Jesus, we have an eternal inheritance.
Do not be discouraged, God will help you in all you do!!

Devotional · encouragement · found · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost · power of God · Prayer · psalms · searching · still fighting · True Joy
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Psalms 33:18 NIV
[18] But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
God cares for His people.
Read that again.
We hear and repeat those words so often that we forget the meaning. God Himself, care for you.
He watches us and keeps us safe. Even in times of trouble and terror God has us in His hands. Our hope is in the fact that God loves us and will take care of our needs. In truth, and this is hard, God does not always care for our wants. Sometimes He gives us what we want as a gift of love from a Father to a child, but we often we lose faith in Him on the times when He does not give us our wants and we forget the times when He has provided our needs.
I was reminded recently that we can build an alter to God even in the valley. That was really encouraging because I have felt like I am in the valley for a few days now. It’s a “why God?” Instead of a, “but God!” Moment. Then a friend said how she was marking down her blessings because she had seen how much she has, this was after spending two days in emergency not able to get in. But she lives like that. No eyes on the dark clouds, only on the ways to dance in the rain. God has permitted her to go through so much and yet every morning she takes special time to praise Him. I lack so much compared to her. To feel blessed in the middle of your stress may sound like a bumper sticker but it’s a good way to live. God has got you! He has a plan! You may never know why you spent this time in the valley, but God has a reason.

Take away:

Just because you are down does not mean that God has left you. Look around, you will see Him there reaching out His hand. Sometimes God speaks in the sunshine on a day that was supposed to rain. Sometimes He speaks through the laughter, in a time that should have brought pain. Sometimes He speaks in the “caught it just in time,” when you would rather it had not happened at all.
Sometimes the blessings are wrapped like a sugar coating on a pill. Something sweet to take a sting out of the bitter. But God will remind you He is there, you just have to look around.

Psalms 21:13 [13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.[13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.
Christianity · Devotional · Jesus · lent · power of God · psalms

Psalms 21:13 [13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.[13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.

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Psalms 21:13 NIV

[13] Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.
It is often a pausing moment to read David and remember that he was king. He was king over all of Israel and yet he always, always gave the victory and glory to God.
When we are doing really well, and life is good, and we feel strong, do we still remember to give God the glory? Or do we turn to Him only when we are down and out and looking for a save?
David remembered God in each moment. In direct contrast, Saul turned his back on God and chose his own will and gave himself the glory.
Giving God the throne even when He has let you sit on it for awhile is honestly the smartest decision to make, because He knows what He’s doing and He will guide your life and your “kingdom” better than you ever could, trust me.

Take away:

God give us blessings and can even make us great. But how we treat those blessings will determine how long we are permitted to have them. Do we give them back to God? Or do we claim them and act as though we deserve them and God owed it to us?
How we treat God is very important. Jesus may have come as Prince of Peace, but He is still king of the world, let us not forget that.

Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · free · guidance · holy spirit · Jesus · lent · power of God · Prayer · psalms · searching · still fighting · The Bible · True Joy
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Psalms 14:2 NIV
[2] The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
The band Whitheart has a song called Desert Rose- in it they say “Lost in a windswept land
In the world of shifting sand
A fragile flower stands apart
There in that barren ground
Feel like the only one
Tryin’ to serve Him with all your heart.”

How often do we feel like the only ones trying to serve God with all our hearts? We have people around us who claim to be Christian as well, but their lives speak of compromise and Luke warm taste. It can make us feel lonely, it can make us feel like somehow we are wrong and their way of submitting to sin under the shelter of “love” or “empathy” or the all famous, “Jesus didn’t really say that, it was meant for those times and not for now,” and we feel alone- hurt- confused. Sometimes we feel like David felt, angry. He was angry as he watched the sinful prosper, as he watched them gloat over the righteous. We feel like anger is a sin, but if it is for the right reason and handled correctly, anger is not always a bad thing. We can be angry about sin. We can certainly be angry when people who claim to be fellow believers attack us for standing with God’s word. But see how David uses his anger correctly and takes it to God and brings his pain before Him and pleads for HIS justice.

Take away:

God is still looking on mankind to see if any understand and seek Him. Will He see us as those who have served Him and stand with Him even when our friends turn away? In our anger and hurt do we turn to Him and ask Him for His help and guidance?
Feel your feels, then give them to God. But no matter what those you once trusted and believed in say and do, never compromise your faith and your stand with righteousness. Where the righteous are, God is also.

Sometimes, the rock you are trying to move unsuccessfully is the right rock. You are just moving it in our own power and not Jesus’s.
encouragement · found · guidance · Jesus

Sometimes, the rock you are trying to move unsuccessfully is the right rock. You are just moving it in our own power and not Jesus’s.

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When something is a struggle to succeed at and it feels like we are pressing through a steel wall, people want to say that that means that God has closed that door and does not want us getting through it. Now, sometimes that’s true. However, there are many times when you are oushing to open a door that God has not closed, but the devil has stood behind it, holding it shut so you can’t get it open. Don’t be deceived. The devil can keep the door shut from you, but he can’t keep it shut from Jesus. If you give every struggle over to Jesus and let Him push open the doors that He wants you to walk through, then not only will you walk the right the path, your struggle will lessen, because the one who wants you to walk that way will let you through the most stuck doors.

Following the fourth Wiseman- When the sea is stormy and the Messiah is walking on the waves
Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · no longer lost

Following the fourth Wiseman- When the sea is stormy and the Messiah is walking on the waves

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As he stood on the boat, following the disciples across the sea to the far shore, our traveler felt a gust of wind blow hard in his face. He looked up the sky. He was not a seafarer, yet after so many years of travel he could feel in his skin when a storm was coming. The wind began to grow. He looked at the other boats who had chosen to follow the disciples across the water. Some of them were turning back, others were strapping their gear down. This was going to be a bad one. Our traveler felt his heart sink a little as the captain of his boat began to turn the boat around and head back to shore. The waves began to grow and our traveler quickly strapped himself to a tether line. He looked back as a crack of lighting filled the sky with light. The disciples had not turned back. He was filled with concern as he saw the deeper water their boat was in begin to surge and throw them. He turned,
“Father! Your people are going to drown!” Our traveler shouted out as another wave hit his own boat and threw him to his knees. He clawed his way back up to the side of the boat where he could watch the disciples. Another crack of lightning. He shuddered. A figure had passed by on the waves. He was so close he could reach out and touch Him. The figure looked and smiled at our traveler as he went by. Our traveler gasped. It was Him.
“Messiah! Wait!” Our traveler screamed but his voice was lost in the wind. In desperation he called again. “REMEMBER ME!!”
He watched as his Messiah walked on the waves to His disciples. If only he had the courage to leave the boat and chase after Him. If only.

John 6:16-21 ESV
[16] When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, [17] got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. [18] The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. [19] When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. [20] But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” [21] Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
There will be times when we go ahead without Jesus and we lose sight of Him. The storms then come and we become afraid. Where is He in those storms? Walking across the waves toward you. Even when you walk away from Him, He is walking after you. Just because you left Him does not mean He has left you. He will chase you over the waves and will guide you safely to the shore.

The body – part 6
Christianity · Devotional · dreams do come true · encouragement · free · guidance · Jesus · lent · Love · power of God

The body – part 6

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‭‭Luke 24:3 NIV‬‬
[3] but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
This. This right here. They entered the tomb but did not find the body of Jesus. Why? Because He had risen. Jesus rose as He said He would.
Have you ever lost something?  You know you put it right there. Yet when you go back it’s gone.
The deciples knew they had left Jesus’s body in that tomb. They knew that it took a good four, strong men to roll the stone away. Yet, there the stone was, and there Jesus was not.
It must have taken a long time for the deciples to wrap their heads around that one. He was there. Now He wasn’t. The ladies had told them that there was an angel (mistaken for a gardener) who told them that Jesus had risen as He said He would and to go tell the others, but to accept that. To look and go. Huh, he really isn’t here. You know where you left Him, He was in a safe place right? No way He could go missing. But now He’s gone.
I know I’m making this a little funny. But I can just see the perplexed looks on the faces of Peter and John. I can see them stare at the tomb, then each other, then back at the tomb.
The crucifixion was so horrible that they were still raw. Nothing could cleanse that pain. And then Jesus’s body dissappears. They saw Him dead. They mourned Him. They were still mourning. Now. How do they recall Christ’s words and joy in His return? First. They must have been so very confused.
Then Jesus comes and shows Himself. We have the upper room, we have the road to Damascus, we have several places Jesus appeared to show, “Yes I am alive.”
Then just as the deciples got their feet under them, Jesus ascends to Heaven. Never again in this world would they touch Him or laugh with Him. But God.
Jesus sent His Holy Spirit do the deciples and now we, can know Him better and serve Him through His own Spirit.
The body is gone guys. I know people still search for it, wanting to find it, wanting to prove that it’s still there. But as the angel said, “He is not here, He has risen. Just. As. He. Said. He. Would.”

As we end this series I want us to remember the journey. Because we followed part of Jesus’s journey. We are always walking slowly on a path following the cross. Because, of we aim for the cross, if we aim for Jesus. We get all we have ever dreamed of, simply by having Him.

The body – part 3
Christianity · Devotional · encouragement · Jesus · lent · Prayer · searching

The body – part 3

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‭‭1 Corinthians 15:37-38 NIV‬‬
[37] When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. [38] But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

We are amidst farmers here in my town of Souris. It’s funny because I lived in the city all my life before moving here, so when the farmers spoke about pretty much anything, I was lost. Now I understand much of what is said and can hold a general conversation on the plants, fields, livestock and crops.
I love watching harvest happen. We (my dog and I) sit in the living room and watch the lights of the machines on the fields around us. Often they are there until early in the morning, because planting needs to happen at a specific time depending on what you are sowing. I have never, Ever, Seen a farmer drive off his field and leave behind a full stock of grown crops. No, he leaves and his field looks like it did before, just turned up. It takes time and patience before we see the first signs of life in the seeds that were planted. Little, generally green, lines of thin organic material peeks out through the soil. It really is a miracle every time a crop is harvested and there is actually something there to harvest. These baby shoots are so small that an ant literally causes them to bend. God destined baby shoot to grow, so grow it does. It’s always a game at my place to try and figure out what plant will come to be from that shoot. Usually it’s wheat. Sometimes it’s canola, once it was flax, once it was sunflowers and last year to everyone’s surprise, it was beans. Beans hurt when you walk through them by the way. The have a fuzzy shell, but prickly stock. Why? God made them that way.

We plant seeds everyday. We also water seeds everyday. Sometimes we pull out weeds. It’s all in how we are to people. Do we shower them with Jesus and water a good seed while plucking a weed out? Or do we treat them the way the world does, planting more weeds and holding back the sun?
We are all planted seeds growing through the soil. We don’t know what God has destined us to be until He permits us to grow leaves, then we have a guess. Someday we will flower and then we will know, and so will the world, what sort of plant we are. Did we grow as flowers in God’s garden? Or did we grow as nettles in the ground of the world?
What sort of plant are we? Are we artists? Teachers? Musicians? Ditch diggers? Farmers?
Most importantly. How do we use what we are to bless God’s kingdom?
How are you growing? What are you growing into?

The body – part 1
Christianity · Devotional · free · guidance · lent

The body – part 1

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‭‭Hebrews 10:20 NIV‬‬
[20] by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
Earlier I mentioned the part of this verse that speaks of us being able to enter the Most Holy Place through Jesus’s blood, here the author speaks of a living way being opened through the curtain by Jesus’s body. In the time of Jesus, and beginning in the days of Moses, there was curtain. This curtain was used as a veil to separate the outside world from the Holy Place of God. Only certain people could enter past the veil. Only certain people got to talk with God. It was a privilege and an honor. It still is even if we don’t view it as such anymore.
When Jesus died the sky went dark, there was a loud Crack like thunder, and the veil was torn. Suddenly we were able to cross the threshold into God’s court. Any of us. All of us. Can now stand before the living God. Because of His blood we are able to enter God’s holy place, because of Hos body was can cross past the curtain into God’s sanctuary.
This makes me think of the scene from BenHur. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading the book. The only movie that didn’t miss the important stuff was the one with Charleston Heston. And even that doesn’t match the book. Anyway.  There is that moment in Ben Hur when Jesus dies and Judah Ben Hur’s sister and mother, who had come to see Jesus to be healed from leprosy but hadn’t gotten there before the cross, they have to hide in a cave because a massive storm sets in after Jesus gives up His spirit. The wind pounds and the rain soaks them and they feel things in that moment can’t get worse. Then the look at each other and see that they are both healed. Jesus died so that even if we can’t see Him and touch Him physically, we can still he healed. Healed from more than our leprosy, healed from more than our blindness. Now we are healed from our sins and are reconciled to God. Because He was beaten, buried and rose, we can enter into God’s presence and talk to Him as to a friend. We were worthy of punishment, but Jesus gave His body so that we could be unworthy of grace and still receive it. This is the body we enter through.