Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Psalm 18 – Waves of adversity and God’s deliverance
Have you ever been caught in the waves of life’s adversities?
In Psalm 18 David expresses his Love for God and profound appreciation for God’s deliverance from oppressive and life threatening enemies that assaulted him like powerful waves. He uses a number of picturesque analogies in describing his relationship with God. He says, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (vs.2). He then exclaims, “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies” (vs.3).
In your waves of adversity, are you calling upon the LORD?
In your trials of life, do you recognize God as worthy of praise?
If you have called upon God and offered praise in the darkest moments of your life, no doubt you have a testimony of God’s deliverance to share! Will you share it in a way that reflects God’s gifting in your life? Not everyone is a poet like David who sets his verse to music. Maybe you can share your story in a small group, paint or draw a picture, or write in a card or blog post a testimony of praise to God that will encourage others. How will you share a testimony of God’s help in you life?
Last week I was asked to minister at a memorial service and found myself way to emotional to be of much help. I called on God for help, praised Him in my heart, and felt the strengthening grace of God fill me to minister in ways beyond my own ability. God is my Rock when I am weak! He is worthy to be praised!
During my trip to help my friend, I had the opportunity to view and walk along the Oregon beach. I picked up a small stone, shell, and piece of driftwood for each of my three oldest grandchildren. These treasures were more beautiful because they had been buffeted by the waves. Are not our lives more lovely when we receive the grace of God during the polishing waves of life’s adversities?
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Links to the Knowing God Devotionals on the Theme: God Is!
My theme for these devotionals is from Hebrews 11:6, “But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him. “
My goal is to write 52 devotionals – 1 for every week of the year!
I hope you will be blessed and built up in your desire to know God by reading the devotionals and meditating on the Scriptures listed after each devotional.
© January, 2013
Devotional 1: Seeking Idols or God in the New Year
My goal is to write 52 devotionals – 1 for every week of the year!
I hope you will be blessed and built up in your desire to know God by reading the devotionals and meditating on the Scriptures listed after each devotional.
Knowing God Devotionals on the Theme: God Is!
by Pastor Mark Worden – email: worden.mark@gmail.com© January, 2013
Devotional 1: Seeking Idols or God in the New Year
Devotional 2: God Is!
Devotional 3: God is Light!
Devotional 4: God Is Beyond Us!
Devotional 5: God Is Knowable!
Devotional 6: God Is Near!
Devotional 7: God Is Merciful!
Devotional 8: God Is Holy!
Devotional 9: God Is Perfect in Justice!
Devotional 10: God is Righteous!
Devotional 11: God is Judge!
Devotional 12: God Is The Lawgiver!
Devotional 13: God Is King!
Devotional 14: God Is Sovereign!
Devotional 15: God is Good!
Devotional 16: God is Faithful!
Devotional 17: God Is True – part 1
Devotional 18: God is True – part 2
Devotional 19: God is Wise!
Devotional 20: God is Powerful!
Devotional 21: God is Spirit!
Devotional 22: God Is our Father!
Devotional 23: God is our Shield! I Know!
Devotional 24: God is Witness!
Devotional 25: God Is Unchanging!
Devotional 26: God is One!
Devotional 27: God is Eternal!
Devotional 28: God Is the Giver of Life!
Devotional 29: God is the Creator!
Devotional 30: God is our Guide!
Devotional 31: God is Our Shepherd
Devotional 32: God is Jealous
Devotional 33: God is Angry!
Devotional 34: God is Forbearing!
Devotional 35: God is Patient!
Devotional 36: God is Kind
Devotional 37: God is Not Partial
Devotional 38: God is Gracious
Devotional 39: God is Omniscient (all knowing)
Devotional 40: God is our Physician!
Devotional 41: God is All-Present (Omnipresent)
Devotional 42: God is Infinite
Devotional 43: God is Provider – Jehovahjireh
Devotional 44: God is Peace – Jehovahshalom
Devotional 45: God is our Banner – Jehovahnissi
Devotional 46: God is our Comfort
Devotional 47: God is a Consuming Fire
Devotional 47: God is a Consuming Fire
Fire has a way of getting our attention. It is rather
fascinating. Around the campfire as a boy I played with fire. It burns fingers, shoes, and toes. Fire hurts! Fire burned down my uncle’s house when I was
9 years old. I learned young that fire destroys. Subsequently, I came to respect fire from an
early age but also enjoyed and appreciated its warmth and beauty around a
campfire on a cold evening. Shockingly, possibly to some, the Bible reveals God
as a “consuming fire” in both the Old and New Testaments.
What is God teaching us about Himself when Scripture
says in Deuteronomy 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29 that “God is a consuming fire”? By
meditating on the Scriptural contexts of this somewhat puzzling “God is”
statement, we can begin to grasp its meaning.
You could pause and read the chapters that form the context of this
phrase several times in order to do so. In Deuteronomy 4 God is reminding the children
of Israel of how He had
spoken his commandments “out of the midst of the fire” on Mount Horeb. He is warning them to obey, follow, and
worship only Him and receive His blessing or His judgment and chastening if they
forget and choose to disobey. God’s
pillar of fire had given them light by night in the wilderness and He had
spoken to them from the fiery mount, but He also would bring a fire of judgment
upon them if they turned from following Him to worship idols. In time they did turn from their LORD and God
sent stern warnings of His just judgment of fire:
Jeremiah 5:14, Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: "Because you have
spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and
this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.
Ezekiel 22:30-31, And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and
stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I
found none. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have
consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon
their heads, declares the Lord GOD.
In Hebrews 12 the message is also one of
warning: look to Jesus so you don’t faint in your faith, receive God’s fatherly
correction, don’t fail of God’s grace, and listen to His voice. The chapter
closes with an application and statement of who God is, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship,
with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Is this the
kind of respect you give God? Is you
worship acceptable? The fact that God is
a consuming fire should strike a healthy fear in our hearts. Every person will have to stand before God’s
judgment seat! The works of believers in
Christ will be judged by fire to determine reward, “for the Day will disclose
it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of
work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation
survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will
suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (I
Corinthians 3:13-15). Furthermore, the works of those who reject God and his
mercy will be judged (Revelation 20:12-15). They will receive their just
retribution and receive the fiery judgment of God in Christ as 2Thesalonians
1:6-10 reveals, “since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction
those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as
to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in
flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on
those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the
punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from
the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his
saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our
testimony to you was believed.” Have you
believed the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets? It is a matter of fiery importance and eternity!
With Prayer, Mark
With Prayer, Mark
© January, 2013
Scripture quoted: ESV –
Emphasis added
Verses
for our meditation: God Is a Consuming
Fire
Leviticus 9:22-24, Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the
people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and
the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the
tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory
of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the
LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar,
and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Deuteronomy 4:23-24, Take care, lest you forget the covenant of
the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of
anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you. For the LORD your God is
a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 9:1-4, "Hear, O Israel: you are to
cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and
mightier than yourselves, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people
great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have
heard it said, 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' Know therefore today
that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God.
He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out
and make them perish quickly, as the LORD has promised you. "Do not say in
your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, 'It is
because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this
land,' whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD
is driving them out before you.
1 Kings 18:22-24, Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet
of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and
let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the
wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on
the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I
will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is
God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken."
Ezekiel 22:28-31, And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions
and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has
not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery.
They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner
without justice. And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall
and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it,
but I found none. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I
have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way
upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD."
Amos 7:4-6, This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, the Lord GOD was calling
for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up
the land. Then I said, "O Lord GOD, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He
is so small!" The LORD relented concerning this: "This also shall not
be," said the Lord GOD.
Zechariah 13:9, And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one
refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people'; and they will say,
'The LORD is my God.'"
1 Corinthians 3:10-15,
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder
I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take
care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that
which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation
with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- each one's work will
become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed
by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a
reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he
himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
2Thesalonians 1:5-10, This is evidence of the righteous judgment
of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you
are also suffering-- since indeed God considers it just to repay with
affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted
as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not
know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will
suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the
Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified
in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our
testimony to you was believed.
Hebrews 12:25-29, See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not
escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape
if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth,
but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth
but also the heavens." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates
the removal of things that are shaken--that is, things that have been made--in
order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be
grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer
to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a
consuming fire.
2 Peter 3:9-12, The Lord is not slow to fulfill
his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that
any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the
Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar,
and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the
works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to
be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and
godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because
of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies
will melt as they burn!
Revelation 20:12-15, And
I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead
were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had
done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the
dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to
what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not
found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Devotional 46: God is our Comfort
Have you ever experienced having the wind knocked out
of your lungs? If you have, you will likely
never forget that frightening experience. Sometimes life brings blows that figuratively
knock the wind out of us—emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Can you remember a time when you were without
strength, hope, and the will to go on as you sat “gasping for breath”? A situation where everything seemed to be
tumbling down upon your head and you felt so very weak? Where
did you find comfort in your time of distress and need? Often God uses others to point us to Himself
when they have previously experienced God’s comfort.
The Psalmist of Psalm 71 testifies that focusing
on who God is during trying times brings comfort to those who trust in who He
is. After dwelling on the righteousness
and mighty deeds of God the Psalmist says in verse 21-22a, “You will increase
my greatness and comfort me again. I
will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God.” Hope and comfort came as the Psalmist remembered
God’s character! Comfort was also
something that he expected to experience “again”. Once you find your comfort in God you realize
that none other gives such comfort as He gives.
Again the Psalmist shows that meditating on
God’s faithfulness to His word brings comfort as Psalm 119:48-52 reveals, “I will lift up my hands toward your
commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. Remember your
word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort
in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. The insolent utterly
deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. When I think of your rules
from of old, I take comfort, O LORD.”
Comfort
is something that you really don’t understand until you have been comforted in
God, because truly He is the “God of all comfort” as 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 makes
absolutely clear:
Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of
all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able
to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with
which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in
Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently
endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we
know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our
comfort.
I would encourage you to list out the times and ways
in which God has comforted you. Then ask
God to help you share His comfort with others.
There is more than enough comfort in our great God to spread around to a
world in need of His comfort.
May the Lord help us to live out the Apostle
Paul’s admonishment in 2 Thessalonians
2:15-17, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you
were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord
Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal
comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in
every good work and word.
With Prayer,
Mark © January 2013 Scripture quoted: ESV –
Emphasis added
Verses
for our meditation: God is our Comfort
Psalm 71:19-21, Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done
great things, O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me
again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will
increase my greatness and comfort me again.
Psalm 86:15-17, But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show
me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because
you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Isaiah 40:1-2, Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received
from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
Isaiah 49:13, Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains,
into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have
compassion on his afflicted.
Isaiah 52:9, Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.
Isaiah 66:12-13, For thus says the LORD:
"Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the
nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse, you shall be carried
upon her hip, and bounced upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts,
so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 31:12-13, They shall come and sing aloud
on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the
herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no
more. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and
the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort
them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
Act 9:31, So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And
walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
it multiplied.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction,
so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with
the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share
abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in
comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and
if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you
patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is
unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also
share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 7:5-7, For even when we came into Macedonia, our
bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and
fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of
Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was
comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for
me, so that I rejoiced still more.
2 Thessalonians 2:15-17, “So then,
brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us,
either by our spoken word or by our letter. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and
good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good
work and word. Monday, September 5, 2011
God is our Guide!
One of my favorite quotations from the Old Testament is from Abraham’s servant when he had returned to Abraham’s homeland to take a wife for Isaac. After experiencing God’s guidance in answer to prayer he said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen” (Genesis 24:27). Can you look back in your life and see how God has led you “in the way”? You might want to list them out on a piece of paper or a journal. After making your list, praise and bless God for His guidance that Abraham’s servant attributed to God’s “steadfast love” and “faithfulness”! God certainly leads us in His love and faithfulness for He is a good guide.
One situation that I would have to put on my list of times in which God led me in the way would be when we followed the Lord’s direction in joining a certain mission board to go to Brazil as missionaries. We had just finished their required seminar classes in Ohio and needed to travel back across the country to Washington to start deputation in the Western states. We only had $150.00. We prayed for God’s guidance and provision for the trip. God led us to look up a friend in Minnesota, whose father offered me a temporary job on the spot. He needed someone to be the hands for his plumber who had just broken three fingers. So, I learned how to clean drains and sewer pipes, a skill which God would use in Brazil as I maintained mission property. God’s leading also opened up a door to witness to the plumber for three weeks. Having had opportunity to serve others, we were back on the road and heading west. On a Sunday we came to a small town in eastern Montana that bears my family name—Worden. God directed our timing to have arrived about the time that evening church services would be starting. We found a church with open doors and sensed God’s peace about attending. We met and had great fellowship with the pastor and congregation. Without any solicitation, the pastor took up a love offering after the service to help us on the way. I give God thanks and praise for He provided for us and led us while we were in the way.
God’s guidance may not always be so obvious. However, He is always directing those who trust Him and look to Him even in the mundane routines of daily life. God leads us daily by giving us wisdom and truth. He even gives His Spirit to believers to guide them into all truth as Jesus told His disciples, saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13). We still have the truth that the Spirit of God revealed through the Prophets and Apostles in the Word of God which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). God guides us through His Word.
Many of the Psalms contain examples of how to call upon God for guidance and praise Him for this gift:
In a previous devotion—God is Eternal, I listed out God’s eternal gifts. Well, we need to add one more. Psalm 48:12-14 indicates that God’s guidance is eternal, “Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.”
Will you wait for God’s guidance as you are in the way? He will surely guide you if you call upon Him and seek truth and wisdom from His Word—the Bible.
With Prayer, Mark
© September, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added
Verses for our meditation: God Is Guide
Exodus 13:21, And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
Psalm 5:8, Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
Psalm 25:5, Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 27:11-14, Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psalm 31:3-4, For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
Psalm 37:23-24, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. KJV
Psalm 43:3-5, Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 48:12-14, Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.
Psalm 73:24-25, You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
John 16:13, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
James 1:2-8, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
One situation that I would have to put on my list of times in which God led me in the way would be when we followed the Lord’s direction in joining a certain mission board to go to Brazil as missionaries. We had just finished their required seminar classes in Ohio and needed to travel back across the country to Washington to start deputation in the Western states. We only had $150.00. We prayed for God’s guidance and provision for the trip. God led us to look up a friend in Minnesota, whose father offered me a temporary job on the spot. He needed someone to be the hands for his plumber who had just broken three fingers. So, I learned how to clean drains and sewer pipes, a skill which God would use in Brazil as I maintained mission property. God’s leading also opened up a door to witness to the plumber for three weeks. Having had opportunity to serve others, we were back on the road and heading west. On a Sunday we came to a small town in eastern Montana that bears my family name—Worden. God directed our timing to have arrived about the time that evening church services would be starting. We found a church with open doors and sensed God’s peace about attending. We met and had great fellowship with the pastor and congregation. Without any solicitation, the pastor took up a love offering after the service to help us on the way. I give God thanks and praise for He provided for us and led us while we were in the way.
God’s guidance may not always be so obvious. However, He is always directing those who trust Him and look to Him even in the mundane routines of daily life. God leads us daily by giving us wisdom and truth. He even gives His Spirit to believers to guide them into all truth as Jesus told His disciples, saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13). We still have the truth that the Spirit of God revealed through the Prophets and Apostles in the Word of God which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). God guides us through His Word.
Many of the Psalms contain examples of how to call upon God for guidance and praise Him for this gift:
Psalm 5:8, Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
Psalm 25:5, Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Will you wait for God’s guidance as you are in the way? He will surely guide you if you call upon Him and seek truth and wisdom from His Word—the Bible.
With Prayer, Mark
© September, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added
Verses for our meditation: God Is Guide
Exodus 13:21, And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
Psalm 5:8, Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
Psalm 25:5, Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 27:11-14, Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psalm 31:3-4, For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
Psalm 37:23-24, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. KJV
Psalm 43:3-5, Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 48:12-14, Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.
Psalm 73:24-25, You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
John 16:13, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
James 1:2-8, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Monday, August 29, 2011
God is the Creator!
A Shepherd’s Musings Devotional – Week 34-35 – God is . . .
In our last devotional we focused on the truth that God is the giver of life. Let’s broaden our perspective and consider that God is also the Creator of everything! The first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, states this as fact, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In thinking of God the Creator let’s consider two questions: what does this reveal about Him and how should this truth affect us?
1. God alone is sovereign over our lives; therefore, He is worthy of our respectful fear. He determines when we are born and when we die. We should acknowledge and take comfort in His powerful sovereignty over life. A person’s birth and death is no accident with God! Psalm 104:29-31 says, “When you [God] take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works.” Furthermore, the “Time Poem” of Ecclesiastes explicitly states that there is a “time to be born and a time to die.” Then the writer draws an appropriate conclusion and application in Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.” Do you have a healthy fear of God your Creator? Jesus explained it this way, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5)!
2. God is supremely wise in all He does; therefore, He is worthy of our trust: A healthy view that God is our sovereign and wise Creator helps us to trust Him. This is true especially when we don’t understand the trials and difficulties of life that He purposefully designs for our good. This is what God through the prophet Jeremiah beautifully portrays by analogy for the children of Israel, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? Declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 18:1-6). The Apostle Peter encourages followers of Christ with these words, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19). Is there a difficulty or trial in your life in which you need to trust your faithful Creator? He deserves your trust.
3. God is gloriously powerful; therefore, He is worthy of our worship! Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Sometimes we may be tempted to question God because of the circumstances of life, but as we wait upon Him in fear, trust and worship, He will surely help! Isaiah’s words are a challenging comfort, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God’ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:27-31).
With Prayer, Mark
© August, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added
Verses for our meditation: God Is the Creator
Hebrews 11:3, By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Psalm 33:6, By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
Psalm 102:18, Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
Isaiah 42:5, Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
Isaiah 40:28, Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 43:1, But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isaiah 45:8, “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it. Isaiah 45:12, I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. Isaiah 45:18, For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Mark 13:19, For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.
Colossians 1:15-17, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Romans 1:25, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
1 Peter 4:19, Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
John 1:1-3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Hebrews 11:2-3, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Revelation 4:11, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
In our last devotional we focused on the truth that God is the giver of life. Let’s broaden our perspective and consider that God is also the Creator of everything! The first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, states this as fact, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In thinking of God the Creator let’s consider two questions: what does this reveal about Him and how should this truth affect us?
1. God alone is sovereign over our lives; therefore, He is worthy of our respectful fear. He determines when we are born and when we die. We should acknowledge and take comfort in His powerful sovereignty over life. A person’s birth and death is no accident with God! Psalm 104:29-31 says, “When you [God] take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works.” Furthermore, the “Time Poem” of Ecclesiastes explicitly states that there is a “time to be born and a time to die.” Then the writer draws an appropriate conclusion and application in Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.” Do you have a healthy fear of God your Creator? Jesus explained it this way, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5)!
2. God is supremely wise in all He does; therefore, He is worthy of our trust: A healthy view that God is our sovereign and wise Creator helps us to trust Him. This is true especially when we don’t understand the trials and difficulties of life that He purposefully designs for our good. This is what God through the prophet Jeremiah beautifully portrays by analogy for the children of Israel, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? Declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 18:1-6). The Apostle Peter encourages followers of Christ with these words, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19). Is there a difficulty or trial in your life in which you need to trust your faithful Creator? He deserves your trust.
3. God is gloriously powerful; therefore, He is worthy of our worship! Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Sometimes we may be tempted to question God because of the circumstances of life, but as we wait upon Him in fear, trust and worship, He will surely help! Isaiah’s words are a challenging comfort, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God’ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:27-31).
With Prayer, Mark
© August, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added
Verses for our meditation: God Is the Creator
Hebrews 11:3, By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Psalm 33:6, By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
Psalm 102:18, Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
Isaiah 42:5, Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:
Isaiah 40:28, Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 43:1, But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isaiah 45:8, “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it. Isaiah 45:12, I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. Isaiah 45:18, For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Mark 13:19, For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.
Colossians 1:15-17, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Romans 1:25, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
1 Peter 4:19, Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
John 1:1-3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Hebrews 11:2-3, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Revelation 4:11, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Friday, January 14, 2011
Week 3 Devotional - GOD IS!
Last week we considered the fact that God is Light. In so doing we just assumed that God is – or God exists! For a few moments let’s consider this big assumption that God is!
As a teenager I tried to convince myself that there was no God and was very willing to embrace evolution as an explanation for the origins of life. However to be honest deep in my being or God-given soul, I knew that an all-powerful Creator-God existed, and I was accountable to Him. I tried to suppress that truth because I wanted to do my own thing and call the shots of my own life. John 3:19 certainly applied to me, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Thankfully, God worked in marvelous ways and brought me to the point when I believed that He is! That is where people have to start with God, as Hebrews 11:6 indicates: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Have you come to the point in your life that you believe that God is? If so, you will appreciate the Scriptures that reveal the God who is.
In Genesis chapter one we are introduced to God as the Creator who spoke and light was made as well as everything else. Interestingly, no proofs for God’s existence are offered in the chapter besides the creation itself. The inherent design in this world begs for the conclusion that an all-powerful and all-knowing Designer-Creator exists. You would think me crazy if I told you that the painting on the wall did not have a painter. The fact of the painting presupposes the fact of the painter. Much like the artist’s signature on a painting, God has left his unique signature all over His creation. Sadly, those who have chosen not to believe in God refuse to recognize His verifying signature. Paul makes this clear when he wrote: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20). David announces his conclusion in Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The existence of God is a safe and right supposition to make when you look at His creation with an open heart and mind rather than a heart and mind closed to God.
Furthermore, when thinking about God we don’t have to complete the phrase “God is”. God is the eternally self-existing one. He has always existed and will always exist. He is eternal and never came into being or was created. He is the Creator and Sustainer of everyone and everything! Paul reveals this person as none other than Jesus Christ in Colossians 1:15-17, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” We should not be surprised that God revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and the book of Revelation calls Jesus “the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). Will you join me in worship and awe of the God who is?
With prayer, Mark
© January, 2011
As a teenager I tried to convince myself that there was no God and was very willing to embrace evolution as an explanation for the origins of life. However to be honest deep in my being or God-given soul, I knew that an all-powerful Creator-God existed, and I was accountable to Him. I tried to suppress that truth because I wanted to do my own thing and call the shots of my own life. John 3:19 certainly applied to me, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Thankfully, God worked in marvelous ways and brought me to the point when I believed that He is! That is where people have to start with God, as Hebrews 11:6 indicates: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Have you come to the point in your life that you believe that God is? If so, you will appreciate the Scriptures that reveal the God who is.
In Genesis chapter one we are introduced to God as the Creator who spoke and light was made as well as everything else. Interestingly, no proofs for God’s existence are offered in the chapter besides the creation itself. The inherent design in this world begs for the conclusion that an all-powerful and all-knowing Designer-Creator exists. You would think me crazy if I told you that the painting on the wall did not have a painter. The fact of the painting presupposes the fact of the painter. Much like the artist’s signature on a painting, God has left his unique signature all over His creation. Sadly, those who have chosen not to believe in God refuse to recognize His verifying signature. Paul makes this clear when he wrote: “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20). David announces his conclusion in Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The existence of God is a safe and right supposition to make when you look at His creation with an open heart and mind rather than a heart and mind closed to God.
Furthermore, when thinking about God we don’t have to complete the phrase “God is”. God is the eternally self-existing one. He has always existed and will always exist. He is eternal and never came into being or was created. He is the Creator and Sustainer of everyone and everything! Paul reveals this person as none other than Jesus Christ in Colossians 1:15-17, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” We should not be surprised that God revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and the book of Revelation calls Jesus “the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). Will you join me in worship and awe of the God who is?
With prayer, Mark
© January, 2011
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 ¶ The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (KJV)
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 ¶ The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (KJV)
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