Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, bemoaning the economy, discouraged by the evening news, or mired in overwhelming personal issues, we all understand that we have "dark days". In a bible study on Wednesday night, my husband, Michael, encouraged us to cling to these "5 Truths for Dark Days"...
1. God is still on the throne.
"Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath; there is none else." - Deuteronomy 4:39
"And he (Solomon) said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath..." 1 Kings 8:23
"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." - Deuteronomy 33:27
"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." - Hebrews 13:6 & 8
2. The Church will survive.
"They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." - Psalm 125:1
"And I (Jesus speaking here) say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock (God) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18
Acts 8:3-4 Even though Saul persecuted the church, and the believers scattered to avoid this persecution, God used the scattered believers to spread the Gospel to people who had not yet heard it. The church was not destroyed, but rather strengthened!
3. Our Mission is still clear.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 We are to glorify God.
Matthew 28:19-20 We are to go and teach.
Romans 15:5-7 We are to be unified as believers.
1 Thess. 4 We are to walk pleasing to the Lord.
John 15 We are to bear fruit and love one another. By the way, "loving" one another is not a mushy-gushy kind of thing; "loving" one another means giving of myself for someone else.
1 Peter 1:16 We are to be holy. "Holy" means "set apart"; we are to be different from the world in a way that lets others know there is something unique about us because Jesus dwells within. This does not mean to be "weird"!!
Romans 12:1-2 We are to be a living sacrifice.
4. Our Focus is still "up", not "down".
On eternity - Matthew 16:24-26
On today - Matthew 6:33-34
On Christ's return - Titus 2:11-13
On our hope laid up in heaven - Col. 1
On our hope in our calling - Ephesians
On Christ's resurrection - 1 Cor. 15
5. Our Victory is guaranteed!
Nothing can separate us from God. - Romans 8:35-38
We have victory through Jesus. - 1 Cor. 15:57-58
Greater is He that is in ME than he that is in the world. - 1 John 4:4-5
No more tears. - Revelation 7 & 21
Yes, we'll all have dark days. But if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you know who the winner will be in the end - and YOU will be on the winning side!
~Tammy~
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Reflections...
Saturday mornings are a great time to reflect on the week just over and to re-assess where the Lord wants me to go in the week to come. It's quite, it's peaceful, and I am not distracted by the need to get ready for work...
Of late, I have found my devotions meandering a bit. I realize when this happens I frequently turn back to the book of James. Both yesterday and today, I was struck by two very familiar verses - but God, in His wisdom, makes his word "new every morning"! (along with his mercies!)
James 1:8 - "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." I've always interpreted this verse to be similar to verse 6, in that "double-minded" meant that he could not decide - that he was easily swayed. But my Scofield reference bible cf. Proverbs 3:5, which says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
This would seem to indicate then, that "double-minded" refers to a practice of trusting God one minute, but then trusting my own wisdom, my own wicked heart, the next minute! Jumping from the solid, firm foundation of God's Word to the squishy, slippery loam of my own understanding of things, which is inevitably shaped by persuasive speech, Satan's lies, and under the influence of feelings or emotions.
But in order to stand on the firm ground, I have to know where the firm ground is and what it is! How can I stand on something I am unsure of? I need to KNOW God's Word.
Today's thought-provoking verse is James 1:22 - "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." We so often stop at "only", leaving off the last phrase, "deceiving your own selves." But there is nothing superfluous in God's Word - so there is great importance to that last phrase.
We deceive ourselves if we think that just because we go to church we are being "obedient" to the Lord. Yes, we may be hearing his word, but we're not doing His Word, and we're not being completely obedient!
For example, am I being "kind one to another?" (Eph. 4:32).
Am I going to the brother who has "ought against" me? (Mt.5:23-24)
Am I "exhorting" one another? (Heb.3:13)
Am I "praying" to the Lord? "Seeking" His counsel? (Prov.8:17)
Do I "esteem others" more highly than myself? (Phil.2:3)
Again, it all comes back to our knowledge and understanding of God's Word. We cannot have firm footing on something we can't even find and we can't do something of which we have no knowledge!
I am convinced more and more that the Bible is the key to godly, growing, joyous, abundant Christian living - and we, as born again believers - woefully ignore and under utilize the very tool God has given us for success!
Naaman was told that in order to be cleansed from leperosy, he had to go wash in the Jordan river 7 times, and he become upset at this. But his servants said to him, "...if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?" (2 Kings 5:13)
Indeed. God hasn't asked us to accomplish some strenuous physical feat. Nor has He asked us to solve an inexplicable riddle. All that He asks is that we read. That we think. That we apply. Whether you are of Herculean strength or bedridden with the strength of a newborn kitten, it makes no difference. Either can still accomplish God's will.
So what's your excuse? Deceive not yourselves....
~Tammy~
Of late, I have found my devotions meandering a bit. I realize when this happens I frequently turn back to the book of James. Both yesterday and today, I was struck by two very familiar verses - but God, in His wisdom, makes his word "new every morning"! (along with his mercies!)
James 1:8 - "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." I've always interpreted this verse to be similar to verse 6, in that "double-minded" meant that he could not decide - that he was easily swayed. But my Scofield reference bible cf. Proverbs 3:5, which says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
This would seem to indicate then, that "double-minded" refers to a practice of trusting God one minute, but then trusting my own wisdom, my own wicked heart, the next minute! Jumping from the solid, firm foundation of God's Word to the squishy, slippery loam of my own understanding of things, which is inevitably shaped by persuasive speech, Satan's lies, and under the influence of feelings or emotions.
But in order to stand on the firm ground, I have to know where the firm ground is and what it is! How can I stand on something I am unsure of? I need to KNOW God's Word.
Today's thought-provoking verse is James 1:22 - "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." We so often stop at "only", leaving off the last phrase, "deceiving your own selves." But there is nothing superfluous in God's Word - so there is great importance to that last phrase.
We deceive ourselves if we think that just because we go to church we are being "obedient" to the Lord. Yes, we may be hearing his word, but we're not doing His Word, and we're not being completely obedient!
For example, am I being "kind one to another?" (Eph. 4:32).
Am I going to the brother who has "ought against" me? (Mt.5:23-24)
Am I "exhorting" one another? (Heb.3:13)
Am I "praying" to the Lord? "Seeking" His counsel? (Prov.8:17)
Do I "esteem others" more highly than myself? (Phil.2:3)
Again, it all comes back to our knowledge and understanding of God's Word. We cannot have firm footing on something we can't even find and we can't do something of which we have no knowledge!
I am convinced more and more that the Bible is the key to godly, growing, joyous, abundant Christian living - and we, as born again believers - woefully ignore and under utilize the very tool God has given us for success!
Naaman was told that in order to be cleansed from leperosy, he had to go wash in the Jordan river 7 times, and he become upset at this. But his servants said to him, "...if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?" (2 Kings 5:13)
Indeed. God hasn't asked us to accomplish some strenuous physical feat. Nor has He asked us to solve an inexplicable riddle. All that He asks is that we read. That we think. That we apply. Whether you are of Herculean strength or bedridden with the strength of a newborn kitten, it makes no difference. Either can still accomplish God's will.
So what's your excuse? Deceive not yourselves....
~Tammy~
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