This morning I was reading through one of Max Lucado's devotionals. It was on bitterness. This is what he said,
Bitterness is its own prison... Step in and look at the prisoners. Victims are
chained to the walls. Victims of betrayal. Victims of abuse.
It is true that there are those who have had serious offenses against them: abuse and betrayal. To work through these ordeals can only be done by the grace of God. And I am so thankful that He is more than willing to love and work for those who have been hurt so badly.
But for a lot of us, thinking of me in particular, we have not experienced these kinds of things. Yet we have bitterness. We are offended over some trivial thing and we won't let it go. The bitterness starts, the foundation. Then the lies start to come in - "They really meant this!" Soon the bitterness has built a wall of lies and there is NO WAY we would deal with that person again. "I mean really - they did that before! Imagine what they are capable of!" The scary thing is we would never say those things, but we would think them. We would believe them. The walls have come up and then we believe them - we become chained to them.
Sometimes we become so bitter and have built the walls of lies so high that we can't even remember why it started, what the foundation for it all is.
Scripture says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) The LORD challenged me this morning. How can I be bitter against anyone when I have sinned against the God of the universe and He has FORGIVEN me ALL?!?!?!?!? The truth is I shouldn't, but I sometimes still do. But He, in His grace, has reminded me that I am forgiven of every thought and deed that is against Him, The Almighty, Omnipotent, All-Powerful One, through the blood of Jesus Christ. Can I not forgive something so trivial? I can and I pray that I will.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
"I Will Be Exalted Among the Nations"
This morning a portion of my reading is from Psalm 46. It's a favourite of mine and as I read through the last portion, a part of it really struck me. Verse 10 starts out, "Be still and know that I am God;" . It's a good reminder to me that I need to be still before God. Rest in Who He is. Not run around - not try and fix things - to wait on Him. I love that reminder; I am constantly quoting it to myself. My mind usually stops digesting there.
But this morning I was listening, for a change. The verse actually says, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." There is a specific reason for me to be still before my God: so that He will be exalted.
When I wait on God, when I am being still and knowing that He is God, He is exalted. That is mind boggling. I am having trouble getting my mind around that. How can God be exalted by my being still before Him? Shouldn't I be up and doing things (ties in with yesterday)? Be still and know that He is God so that He will be exalted.
My ideas have always been that if I am still before Him, I can rest in Him. I get to know Him better. These are both true. I get an assurance of Who He is, a peace of heart and soul by sitting before Him. But Him being exalted by this?
Why? Why would God be exalted by this? Because He can work the way He wants and I won't get in the way. OUCH! I can actually get in the way of God. Do I thwart His plans? Do I change eternity? Yes, I can. Does He allow for that? Yes, He does, but if I am being still and knowing that He is God, He is lifted up. The world can see Him and see what He does. They don't see me any longer; they see Him.
May I be still and know that He is God so that He "will be exalted among the nations."
But this morning I was listening, for a change. The verse actually says, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." There is a specific reason for me to be still before my God: so that He will be exalted.
When I wait on God, when I am being still and knowing that He is God, He is exalted. That is mind boggling. I am having trouble getting my mind around that. How can God be exalted by my being still before Him? Shouldn't I be up and doing things (ties in with yesterday)? Be still and know that He is God so that He will be exalted.
My ideas have always been that if I am still before Him, I can rest in Him. I get to know Him better. These are both true. I get an assurance of Who He is, a peace of heart and soul by sitting before Him. But Him being exalted by this?
Why? Why would God be exalted by this? Because He can work the way He wants and I won't get in the way. OUCH! I can actually get in the way of God. Do I thwart His plans? Do I change eternity? Yes, I can. Does He allow for that? Yes, He does, but if I am being still and knowing that He is God, He is lifted up. The world can see Him and see what He does. They don't see me any longer; they see Him.
May I be still and know that He is God so that He "will be exalted among the nations."
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
His Grace IS Sufficient
I've started reading a daily devotional written by a dear friend of mine. It's called Let's Take a Walk Together. I am really enjoying it because I feel like I am right there with her as she is sharing her thoughts about God. One of the wonderful things I like about it, is if I miss a day, it's not a problem - it's not dated. So I just pick up where I left off. And the LORD certainly knows that I needed to read what I read today.
It's day 42 and the topic is Law or Love? As I am reading through I begin to weep. She tells the story of a man who hires a housekeeper. He places a list of things on the refrigerator that he requires her to do. She diligently does them every day. As time goes on the two fall in love and are married. After they are married he removes the list, but she continues to do all that was put on it. He asks her why she continues to do all those things though she doesn't have to now that she is married to him. She tells him, "Before I did it for the paycheck, but now I do it because I love you."
I was checked in my spirit. "Why do I do the things I do for God? And why do I feel guilty if I don't?" Don't get me wrong, I do love my LORD and I truly do want to do things for Him. BUT if I don't do them (or what I feel people would have me do) I have great shame. That's not right. Yes, if I sin against Him, I need to confess that and get right with Him, but the doing things for God? He wants me to do them out of love.
I suffer from fybromyalgia (FM). I had been doing fairly well for the past couple of years, but within the past 3 months it's like I've been hit with it all over again. There is severe constant pain and no strength at all. I bring this up now because as I was reading the devotional this morning, it hit me: I felt like God was using the FM as a judgement against me for not being obedient.
As I continued reading, I realized this was a lie. I knew it wasn't true, but I have been living that way. My God does not work that way. All my sins, past, present and future have been taken care of by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. I no longer have any judgements coming against me from God. He has forgiven me because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Will I continue to suffer from FM? Absolutely, but knowing it is not a judgement but something that God has allowed in my life to draw me closer to Him, changes my outlook. I can truly say with the Apostle Paul, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
His love for me is incomprehensible as is His grace. And this has made me thankful. The thing is now to continue to be thankful for what He is doing and rest in His care. I've got to let go of the cares of this world and soley concentrate on Him. He is all that matters.
It's day 42 and the topic is Law or Love? As I am reading through I begin to weep. She tells the story of a man who hires a housekeeper. He places a list of things on the refrigerator that he requires her to do. She diligently does them every day. As time goes on the two fall in love and are married. After they are married he removes the list, but she continues to do all that was put on it. He asks her why she continues to do all those things though she doesn't have to now that she is married to him. She tells him, "Before I did it for the paycheck, but now I do it because I love you."
I was checked in my spirit. "Why do I do the things I do for God? And why do I feel guilty if I don't?" Don't get me wrong, I do love my LORD and I truly do want to do things for Him. BUT if I don't do them (or what I feel people would have me do) I have great shame. That's not right. Yes, if I sin against Him, I need to confess that and get right with Him, but the doing things for God? He wants me to do them out of love.
I suffer from fybromyalgia (FM). I had been doing fairly well for the past couple of years, but within the past 3 months it's like I've been hit with it all over again. There is severe constant pain and no strength at all. I bring this up now because as I was reading the devotional this morning, it hit me: I felt like God was using the FM as a judgement against me for not being obedient.
As I continued reading, I realized this was a lie. I knew it wasn't true, but I have been living that way. My God does not work that way. All my sins, past, present and future have been taken care of by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. I no longer have any judgements coming against me from God. He has forgiven me because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Will I continue to suffer from FM? Absolutely, but knowing it is not a judgement but something that God has allowed in my life to draw me closer to Him, changes my outlook. I can truly say with the Apostle Paul, "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
His love for me is incomprehensible as is His grace. And this has made me thankful. The thing is now to continue to be thankful for what He is doing and rest in His care. I've got to let go of the cares of this world and soley concentrate on Him. He is all that matters.
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