In The Midst...He is Mighty!

Only in the furnances of life will the world see our true source of help evident. As Nebuchadnezzar saw the fourth man in the fire, we approach the trials of our faith as a joy, "(1Pe 4:12-13) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." They serve to us a dual purpose. First,the dross of our own hearts is cleansed and second, that the world may know, "(Dan 3:28) Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God." We have to have the revelation in our hearts that our God is mighty to save! He is all powerful. Even we then the storms of this life seem overwhelming, Jesus is asleep in the boat and more than able to speak to the winds and waves of our circumstances. All dominion is under our Lord, we should not fear, but look to Him as our source of strength for He is mighty!

That word mighty is "Gibbor" in Hebrew. It means a powerful champion or warrior. We know that our Lord Jesus has triumphed over all, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33)." We have this same strength living within us,"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 Jn4:4)." These are truths that we must have settled in our hearts. Jesus is faifthful and He is mighy to save, "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zep. 3:17)."

Today's Theme Song

When we find ourselves in need of encouragement, we call a friend, a family member, or a loved one. We are walking in this life as a peculiar people really searching for a city whose maker is God! We will not always be rejoicing and sometimes find ourselves in need of rest. Trouble arises and we can become discouraged, but fear not there is joy in reminding your soul that you have a great hope! As David reprimanded his soul, "(Psa 42:5) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance." The Lord encourages us in His word to engage in, "speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord (Esphesians 5:19)." I call it your theme song for the day!!! Is your heart rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord? He is worthy of your heart song today :). Making melody in our hearts begins with a gratefulness, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you are also called in one body; and be ye thankful (Co. 3:15)." As we allow the Word of God to resound in our hearts we find ourselves unable to keep quiet; we must respond, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Col. 3:16)." When we have a song in our heart, we find ourselves sharing this overflow with others and it brings joy!

Swing Wide the Door!

One of my favorite worship leaders sings/wrote a song that contains this phrase, "Swing Wide the Door!" You know.. that door which going to open in heaven if we respond to all that God has for us! Each day we should be challenging ourselves to "Ask, seek, and knock" for more of Jesus in our lives. As it says it in His word, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened(Mat 7.7-8)." His presence, His precious presence is available to us and we many times overlook it and go about our way seeking worldly activities or entertainment. How hungry are we for Jesus to overtake us with His glory? Are we really pursuing Him or do we just stumble into the outer court on a weekly occasion? Once I heard a pastor talk about the reference I made mention of earlier. He said that we should not just stop at asking, but seek, and then also knock! Our hunger for God should be at whim or controlled by others. As one speaker once put it, "Be a thermostat, not a thermometer." Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20)." Holy communion is waiting for those that press past just asking or seeking.. let our hearts begin to knock and the door will open! "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter(Rev. 4:1)."

God of all Comfort

Ever had that day when you feel lonely or afraid, maybe you just have alot on your mind. Well, that is just your trouble, you are allowing the cares of this life to rise up and overtake you. At this point in time is the perfect opportunity for the presence of God to breeze in by His precious Holy Spirit and bring COMFORT! Not many human beings, pets, or activities will afford you a commodity close to the sweetness of His comforting presence. Jesus promised us that we would never be alone and in fact purposed that the third part of the Godhead would be our companion, caretaker, and bring us into perfection until His return. "And I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever (John 14:16)." Jesus would not leave us comfortless or ever leave us or forsake us. We are His children and He cares about our outcome. Romans tells us that Jesus is ever making intercession for us (Romans 8:34).

2 Corinthians beautifully describes the comforting aspect of our God, He is the "Father of mercies, and the God of all Comfort (2 Cor. 2:13)." If we lay our worries and cares at the feet of the Master where they belong, we find a growing strength in His presence. The trials of our faith are more precious than gold when we realize that this comfort He has imparted to our hearts can be dispersed to others, we realize we have a precious gift! Jesus is the one "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God (2 Cor. 2:14)." As He comforts us, we in turn become able to bring the comfort of God to others! Praise the Lord :D!

One Thing I Have Desired

Each day, we go about our way and take care of the needs of our families and ourselves. We have jobs to do, errands to run, and places to arrive. While we are much aware of the pressing needs and wants we may have; it can be easy to put our most important focus on the back burner. Our hearts are waiting for a future hope, but God is considering the present. Do we desire to have to merely approach our Savior when a need presents itself or it there a longing in our hearts to draw nearer to our Lord ? Can we say like David, "One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after; that I might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple(Ps.27:4)"? Are we hungry to cultivate a relationship we our Master? Jesus desires a relationship with us more than just a visit on Sunday, but a day-to-day communion. "Oh, God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirty land, where no water is (P. 63:1)." We find our instruction for seeking the Lord in His Word, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart (Jer. 29:13)." Where does our treasure truly lie, do we have the heart of David whose name means to boil in love towards? We must not take for granted the most precious opportunity that we have in this life to love and honor our Lord each and everyday. The choice that the Creator of the Universe gives to us is precious and He awaits our response! "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come to him and will sup with him and he with me (Rev.3:20)."

Master of Mercy

Each and everyday, we face insurmountable odds, tragedy, joys, and sorrows. The roller coaster of life can sometimes paint for us a tainted viewpoint when it comes to the Master. God has promised, but situations scream loudly that are contrary. Is the Lord fickle in His plan for our lives? Absoultely not! A wise man once said, "He allows in His sovereignty what He could prevent with His power." It is so important that we don't allow anyone or any situation to taint the character of Jesus in our hearts. This can be done unknowingly just through the harshness that life allows. We must have it settled that He is the Lord and He changes not! Who is this God that we serve? My pastor wrote and amazing collection of studies on God's characteristics, The God Manual, to answer this question. We find how precious our Lord is in His Word and should allow the word of God to settle and strengthen our hearts.

The characteristics of God are stedfast (Hebrews 6:19) and one of the most precious of them all is His mercy. It has been said that you will view our Heavenly Father in the light of your own relationship with your earthly parents. For some of us we have experienced love and nuturing, yet for others this leaves them with a bitter outlook on authority and a skewed understanding of the Lord. God is not just waiting to catch you with your hand in the cookie jar to punish you, but rather is the Father on the road waiting to embrace you and welcome into His home as a son. We need to have an answer for the world when describing our God and the answer is in His word.
When Moses asked desparately to see the Lord, The Lord announced His presence by sharing His attributes, "The Lord, The Lord God , merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Ex. 34:6)." The scriptures do present the severity of God, but "His anger endureth but a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps.30:5)." Our hearts gain strength in the understanding that our God that is "shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments (Ex. 20:6)."

Even when we fall, the Lord is merciful! David found this truth to be a sure fact, "great mercy (1 King 3:6)." was shown unto him. We know that David was not the most righteous of all the Bible figures, but found, " But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart will rejoice in His salvation (Ps. 13:5)." Let us trust in the character of our God and in His great mercy!

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy (Ps.33:18)."

Sacrifice of a Grateful Heart

As Solomon pleaded before the Lord upon the altar to consecrate the temple, we must also strive to present ourselves as a living sacrifice before the Lord, "Present yourself as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.(Rom.12:1)." This is not an occurrence upon occasion, but rather a daily opportunity to honor the Lord, what He has done and is doing in our lives. It must be our cry to abandon what our heart desires and offer our life and love as sweet incense before him. Each morning, we awake with the choice to bless His name or begin our day with our to-do list. Really and truly, this life and its never ending tasks can greatly deter us from the precious opportunity to wait upon the Lord as we awake. David cried, "O satisfy us early with your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days (Ps. 90:14)." As we surrender our day to the Lord, we remember His goodness and invite His presence to guard our way. His joy our strength and His mercy our hope, "This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness(Lam.3:21-23)." When you wake up tomorrow, remember that as you awake the Creator of the Universe is awaiting your response. His heart beckons you to give thanks and praise, a morning sacrifice, awaken the dawn and sing! "My heart is fixed, Oh my God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory awake, psaltery and heart: I myself will awake early Ps. 57:7-8."