Good morning! In God’s Word, the book of Amos has been surprising me with fresh insights into what the Lord desires from His children. He longs for our love and obedience and warns us of the imminent dangers of not realizing how much He does for us.
Through Amos, He tells us not only what He expects of Israel (and us) but also what we can expect from Him. Aren’t you glad we serve a God who makes it plain and simple?
Amos 5:14 says, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live and so the Lord, the God of hosts will be with you as you have said.”
The poem below is inspired by the above verse, but also Amos 5:24…”But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Our world may be a little crazy, but God is the same as He’s always been. He’s in control, ruling with justice, love, grace and compassion:) He’s like a rolling river.
Our desire, as Christ followers, is to be a river too…righteous, rolling through life gratefully glorifying Him, no matter the trials. His living water cleanses and refreshes us constantly, to be a better servant for Him.
A Rolling River
A rolling river, let me be…a moving source of good for Thee
Awash in Spirit, let me flow…how living streams are meant to go
Awake and moving, let me bend…my purpose to your will depend
I pray, dear Father, feed my soul…buoy me over rocks, to roll
With grace and wisdom, help me see…the servant You would have me be
No other pleasure will I ask…but glory in Your name and task.
I pray you have a blessed and close week with Jesus. Let’s be rolling rivers that move for Him, to Him, because of Him!
The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”But Jesus answered, “It is written:‘ Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:3-4
Have you ever had your eyes opened to truth in God’s Word in a new and fresh way? Have you read a passage of the Bible many times, yet this one time you read it, you get so much more from it? That happened to me. I have read the book of Galatians many times, but a few days ago I REALLY read it!
Paul was upset, or more like surprised and disappointed that the Galatian church had false teachers in it. They were spreading their version of the truth about salvation. Of course, Jesus is the only way to salvation, yet these teachers convinced many that they still had to follow the custom of circumcision to be justified before God.
I wrote this poem, in an attempt to grasp what that situation must have felt like, how Paul must’ve felt. I sensed his disappointment that the people he preached to, were listening to these false teachers. After all, the truth was revealed to Paul, straight from God! So, he knows what He is talking about!
Paul Tells The Truth
Apostle Paul was led to write Galatians from the heart
Surprised, he was, that some believed the gospel changed, in part
Their church had teachers preaching false, that for God to atone
One’s circumcision was required and not just faith alone
So Paul reminded them of what he said before that’s true
Jeus is the only way. He paid salvation’s due
Our evil world, it still contains false teachers in disguise
They’re eager to dissolve God’s truth, replacing it with lies
Revealed to Paul, God IS the truth and that will never change
So, never can we alter Him or His truth rearrange
God’s the ONLY source of truth so to His Word we cling
The author of our faith, He is, and Father of our King.
Jesus, We love You and know You are our only salvation. You obeyed your Father, now our Father, to death and back to life. We will do as You did and live by the Word of God only. Help us do our human best but also Your amazing best in pursuing God’s will and way and not the popular trends, customs and lies of the world. We ask this in Your special and most holy, beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.
With love from the Father, have a beautiful day, knowing you have been bought by the Savior to live with Him forever!
…if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 2 Peter 2:9-10
Good Morning! Have you read 1 and 2 Peter lately? I highly recommend taking just four or five verses at a time only, so you don’t miss anything. If we rush through,we might miss something. It’s good to read, pray, listen to God and apply His truth to our lives deeply. Truth is everything, everything we need.
So, Peter knows he will die soon, because the Lord told him, so he is trying to remind Christians of things they already know, but need to really remember after he is gone. He is all about holy living, loving and obeying God and being effective for God. No better goals!
Peter reminds us that…If God made Sodom and Gomorrah extinct , due to their ungodliness(which He did) and If He rescued Lot, the only righteous man in Sodom who was miserable, seeing so much sinful conduct(which He did) THEN…
He knows what’s going on, who is sinful or not and He is able to both punish and rescue us! It is not our job to punish anyone. Sidenote…I admit I took over God’s job a bit this past week and did a little judging. Oops! It made me feel awful! He understands when we mess up but is so good to forgive us:)
These verses remind me of something we already know, but need to remember about truth…that, in today’s world, we like to decide our own truths, but that leaves God out, which is wrong. He, THE ONLY JUDGE, will judge us all for how we obey or disobey His truth. We tend to obey our own truths. along with His truth… but is it really total obedience if we follow God AND wordly, popular trends, or what’s easiest or what suits us? NOPE! Truth, often is UNpopular…
We can’t create truth. Only God can and has. We can’t decide it or bend it to suit our desires. Since we can’t change His Word, His truth, then our only choice is to accept it or reject it. I am GLAD to accept truth from Truth Himself! I do not want a changeable god, one that humans can influence. Would we really want a god we could each change with our whims? Would he really be a god? NOPE!
I hope this makes sense.My heart has changed from anxious to peaceful today, by reading that God is still true and just, no matter what the world says or does. God’s got this, friends! He knows what is true and what’s not, and He will carry us through a sometimes dark world with His truth to light our way!
Dear Father ,Thank You for Your truth, our anchor in a dark and stormy world. Guide us all the way home to You as You desire. Keep us from falling in love with popular but ungodly lies. Thank You for being who You are, truth and goodness and light and love! We love You back! Amen.
With love from the Father to you, have a great day! Hang onto God’s truths!
Yesterday, I had my final check-up after two cataract surgeries. I am done! My long range vision is 20/20 and my close range vision only requires some reader’s glasses from Walgreens or CVS! I am so thankful for this blessing, that I asked my doctor…
“What can I do to make my eyes stay the healthiest they possibly can? My Dad has macular degeneration and I don’t want it anytime soon.”
“The key is simple” he said. “Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, wear sunglasses in the sun, always, and take a multi-vitamin or supplement.” He explained that those things will greatly affect when or if I get macular degeneration. That’s good news!
So as I am reading 2 Peter this morning, I get excited! As Christ followers, we have good news, too! Jesus gives us, through faith, supplements!! The divine nature of God gifts us with what we need to stay spiritually healthy and growing. How good is He!!
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV
He gives us what we need, to stave off sin’s effect on us. He shares His divine nature with us if we ask Him for it. He’s so wonderful. And…as if the Lord wanted me to totally get and relay this analogy to eyesight, look at verse 9! (I have been studying 5 verses a day of 1 and 2 Peter and this happened to be my fifth verse for today…)
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 2 Peter 1:5-9
BAM! Just as we can keep our eyes healthy by supplementing our care of them, Jesus will keep us spiritually healthy by supplementing our souls with divine qualities. All we have to do is ask. I am blown away and feel like praying. Pray with me?
Lord Jesus,
You are so wonderful to not only earn our salvation to make our souls healthy, but You also supplement us in our Christ-like walk. Please keep giving us more desire for You and less desire for the world. Give us opportunities to share Your truth in a dark world. Above all, help us to love everyone with a holy love like Yours. Thank You, Lord for allowing us to be Your children. We love You. Amen.
With love from the Father to you, have a wonderful, supplemented, day! He is able!
If there was ever a time to exponentially increase our prayer and Bible study, it is now. In light of recent events, it’s time to take our time on earth way more seriously and our Father in heaven way more seriously. Engraved on my Bible is 1 Peter 4:1. I felt led to read verses 1 through 9 this morning and boy, do I thank the Lord for this inspired Word. It is so enlightening!
In my own limited understanding of 1Peter 4: 1-9…
A. The Overall Battle Plan-Peter compares our new life in Christ as a battle that’s ongoing. We are to arm ourselves with the right kind of thinking. No longer do we focus on selfish or sinful things we could enjoy; because we have been raised to new life in Christ, we do not strive for the flesh, but for God’s will. (v.1)
Hmm…Do I STRIVE for this or do I often relax, because I feel I have it figured out?
B. The Death of Sin- Peter says we are to live for Christ, since we have died to sin. I like how he says “the time is past” for pleasing ourselves and pursuing earthly pleasures like drunkeness, passions, sensualities and other things. People will judge and criticize you, as they are surprised at your not joining in their “debauchery.” However…We and they should fear God’s judgement, as EVERYONE will be judged.(v.4-5)
Hmm… How scary would that be for someone who does not believe! But, how wonderful that there is still time to die to sin and follow the Savior!
C. Judgement Comes for Everyone-We, they, everyone should fear God’s judgement, because it is for ALL believers, unbelievers, dead or alive. (v.5)
D. The Gospel Saves Lives- Peter explains that the gospel was preached to former believers to bring them back to life in Christ. We can either live in “the flesh” for self and sin or we can “live in the Spirit the way God does.” (v.6)
E. The End is Near, so Focus!- Verses 7-9 should be bolded and highlighted in our houses, offices, cars, hearts, souls and minds! Here goes the answer to the question, “What should my focus be, in these end times?
Peter says, The end is near so do something that is appropriate for the time. Be self-controlled, think straight, be soberly-minded devoted to prayer. But above all else…LOVE ONE ANOTHER! LOVE people despite their sins, their supposed sins, their appearance of sin, your suspicion of their sin. This is how my brain and heart read God’s Word today. Simply put, DO NOT JUDGE! Be hospitable, charitable, and loving to everyone, even if they are a republican or a democrat! They are God’s beloved!
Hmmm…Itd be cool if we stoppped watching any news that bashed the other political party, just saying. We are not to judge each other. That is not of God. God’s Word should be our guide to all we do, no matter if we don’t fit in to the world and because we are not MEANT to fit in this world, because if we do, we will not be fit in our world to come, with the Lord forever.
I pray that you readers and I both continue to grow in Christ, spreading love and God’s Word and praying with an urgency for others. Jesus is coming back and with our own gifts God has given us, we are meant to tell others that.
Dear Father,
Thank You for shining Your light on Your Word for us today. Lately the world has seemed to grow darker and a bit scary. Thank You for Your light that guides our minds, hearts and feet every day. Please comfort the families affected by the shooting at the Trump rally and guide others who know them to love them like Jesus does. Give us boldness to spread the gospel and to be constantly convicted of Your will for us. You are so great in every way, Lord and we are so thankful for You!
Sorry this was so long, friends. My heart is heavy for those affected by our world’s sin and violence. We ALL need love and the gospel. Let’s live it and share it generously, and love others deeply, as Jesus did and does:)
How about a poem day? Here is my reflection on Solomon’s chase for lasting happiness and meaning in life.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
In our church, we are studying the book of Ecclesiastes and I am grasping things in a fresh new way. It makes me want to testify to God’s everlasting goodness and joy. Solomon, over and over, stresses how futile it is to chase things that don’t last.
I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 14:1 ESV
My brain considered the alternative to chasing the meaningless. What is the most meaningful thing I could do for God with whatever days I have left?” I asked myself. My answer?… to chase HIM, to fill up each day with praise to God, because that is worthy of the time He gives me, gives US!
Sooo..after much praying and soul-searching about all the “fun” and vain things I have chased, that did not leave me happy, I asked God to forgive me and help me put my realizations in a poem based on Solomon’s search for meaning. I hope this honors Him and encourages you to keep striving to enjoy all the blessings God gives, but also to resist the pull of the world to find happiness in things that do not bring lasting peace like He does. ( I am preaching to myself here!)
“Solomon’s Chase”
My vanity’s a futile chase, that ends up winning time erased
For nothing lasting have I found, I’d take with me when heaven-bound
Though many suns have come and gone, and I’ve exhausted all roads drawn
No lasting joy can I afford, save in the knowledge of the Lord
God’s truth outlasts the schemes of man, for joy without the Lord’s a scam
God-given hope lives past the grave where earthly sorrows will not save
Though trials seem to last too long and struggles take away our song
God has a plan for joy untold, while in His will and in His fold
The dreams of God, I now will seek, throught the day and through the week
Eyes focused on eternity, Lord send me what YOU want for me
I’ll treasure all Your hand will give, and love You ev’ry day I live
Though Your servant weak and small, my soul will gladly give You all.
With love from the Father to you, have a wonderful day and rest of the week!
Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; He will protect and deliver it; He will spare it and rescue it. Isaiah 31:5
Just getting over pneumonia, I am realizing how much my day to day routine was affected. My priority was been getting better, so medicine, doctors and advice from family became something I clung to. After a few days, I began to feel better but something was missing. I felt discontent. How could that be since I was getting better?
The answer? My illness messed up my time with the Lord. I am not really “well” if I am not in the Word. I am not “well” if my source of help is all flesh and not Spirit. Isaiah tells us in chapter 31, verse 3 that Israel was looking to the Egyptians for help. They trusted in horses, their many chariots and on strong horseman. That makes sense, right? Not exactly. Isaiah is saying that GOD will rescue them.
The Bible says, “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.” (vs. 1)
GOD is our ultimate help. We are to trust in the Spirit, God our Father, who hovers over us like a hen and her chicks. (How sweet!) I wonder if the Israelites felt “off” like I did, by depending on human help but neglecting God?
Here are a few questions if you are a person who likes to journal…
1. Where do you go for help first? Flesh first, then Spirit? Do you need to tweak that? How so?
2. If you were to write “time with God” on your calendar every day, where and when would it be?
3. What are the physical and spirtual effects of not leaning on God, but solely on ourselves and others?
Friends, I hope you enjoy the day God gave us today. I am praying for you as well as myself, that we make EVERY day, HIS completely, fully relying on His Fatherly love for us. It is a great big love!
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
This devotion is inspired by my pastor’s sermon. It really hit home to me how we search for satisfaction in different areas of our lives, but often in the wrong places.
Solomon searched quite a bit! He discovered how and where to have a good time. He found delight wherever he could. He chased it through work, play, accomplishment, with no limits. Know what he gained? In his own words, “Nothing was gained!”
That makes me think…He did the research that we do not need to do! We do not need to chase after anything to satisfy us or make us feel worthy or accomplished or pleasurable. We need only seek Jesus. He has everything we need. Any “pride” we gain should be confidence in following His will for our lives.
These thoughts inspired this simple poem… “Only God”
Only God can satisfy a sinner’s guilty heart
quenching it with holy grace, forgiving every part,
Only God rejuvenates a tired and searching heart
He takes away what is no good and gives a brand new start.
Only God can satisfy, based on all that’s true.
Written in His Word we find good news for me and you.
Search the world for happiness and you may find some fun
but for lasting peace and joy, the answer’s in the Son.
Dear Father, Please forgive us for all the times we strayed from Your Word and will and looked to the world for joy. We never find it there. You supply all the joy we long for and even allow us extra blessings we do not deserve. You are a good Father. Please help us to strive for eternal things, not things that this world chases after. Thank You for being our shining light to truth. Amen
With love from the Father to you, have a wonderful day!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Upon reading this (for about the thousandth time!)…my heart suddenly melted. HOW MUCH our God loves us! HOW MUCH our Savior left behind for us!
After reading this, came a poem…
“He Left Exalted”
Though highly exalted by heaven and throne He sacrificed kingship to make earth His home.
How much did Jesus give for us? Everything. ALL God wanted Him to. ALL that His huge love compelled Him to do.
Father God, King Jesus, Holy Spirit, Make us so full of Your love that it doesn’t drip out of us occasionally, but POURS onto everyone we meet. Help us to see that obedience and sacrifice is more important than ALL else we do in Your name. Help us to care about people’s souls more than anything in the world. We love and praise you! Thank You for sacrificing for us. Amen
With love from the Father to you, have a wonderful, loving day!
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