Month: July 2016

Psalm 92: 8 “But You, Lord, are on high for evermore.”  Psalm 90: 1, 2 “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting. You are God.”

Dear God,

How sweet to the senses it is to learn and meditate upon You early in the day, with soft light glowing and little birds chirping.  I also give thanks for Your Holy Word, in all the different styles and messages, that overall fit our need in all situations.  To also praise Your wonderful name is my joyful reaction this morning; for You really do never leave us, or turn off Your mercy toward all of us.  There is nothing You cannot do, or are not able to add to Your creative works.  There is nothing You do not know about every part of Your starry heavens, universe or what happens every place, including our sins committed by each individual on earth, (sin only occurs on earth.)  Psalm 90:8”You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.”  Because of the love and care of us by You our God, we are not left hanging in our sinful state, V14” Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”  Hallelujah, the Holy Spirit bought us to repentance, and we have embraced Your way, and move on in Your wonderful gifts of power and light.  Psalm 90: 16 “Let thy work appear unto Your servants, and Your glory to their children.”  And my response is, yes please, V17 “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”

I know by experience, that when You God are my dwelling place; I will rest or live under Your shadow, O Most High God, Almighty, and I will truly say as written in Psalm 91: 2 “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”  The imagery used in V 4, is totally comforting “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”

I claim all promises and truths, and desire to keep them in my heart and mind very firmly, so that the enemy of souls and his cohorts will not be able to pierce Your armour around me, or draw me away in anyway, because I am in Your protection.

Amen

 

 

Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.”

Dear God,

I thank You for keeping me in Your love, which endures forever.  I am also very mindful of the fact that I live in a place of religious freedom, which is not the case for many of the earth’s inhabitants: and I therefore count it as a real privilege to be able to freely read the scriptures; to be blessed thereby and drawn closer to You at every reading.  I better comprehend today, how much You love each of us; the magnitude of what it means to me and everyone, that Jesus Your Son, died in my stead and then arose from death; arising to live in heaven again.  It is impossible to separate me or anyone from Your love and purpose for each one, which is – salvation from sin, followed by eternal life; reconciled to You through Jesus Christ, Your Son, now known as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Paul is full of joy and hope in Romans 8, as seen in sentence after sentence on the theme of the love of God, and the salvation plan implemented; for example, in V32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

With these truths in mind, I do not have to worry what anyone on earth may say about me or accuse me of, V33 “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.”   And Christ has already answered our need as seen in V34 “Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, gave His own life, so that I and every person can choose Him and have eternal life. O, what a very deep and soul answering, reaffirming thought to have seeping into the very depths of my being again today!

I give thanks, dear God, for the words of Paul that come down to us through the ages, for they reaffirm for me, that I am forever and absolutely loved by Christ Jesus, who will also be with me and give me strength to return His love faithfully.  Therefore I end my meditation and prayer, with more of Paul’s words, as found in V35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.”  No, it always we who would leave Jesus, for when we are afflicted, the pitying Saviour in His great love, comes even closer to me and teaches me to depend on Him more, strengthening my faith, as Paul says in, V37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  Nothing will separate me from, V39”…..the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The word ‘nothing’ is so important for me to thoroughly internalize, and I pray again today, that by the power of the Spirit, I will by faith accept Your love, Jesus, in its entirety and it will be the sweet influence of my life in all circumstances.

Amen

Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

Dear God,

Thank You for my life and another new day; in the physical and spiritual sense.  I appreciate my family and friends and feel very blessed by all the talks and interactions I have with them all.  I often wish I was closer to many of them, even though I live in a very pleasant place.  I pray that each of us will remember by whom we are made and have our being, and that each of us will ask for and follow Your will.  I pray that we all will look to You afresh today, especially if belief in You has lapsed for any of us, and that in each of our lives, and as promised, You will be our Rock and Wisdom. Also for those who count themselves believers, but don’t actually seek Your will in prayer or follow Your way as they once did.  Psalm 116: 1, 2 “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.  Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

You have made each of us, with a need to be close to You in love and we are not really happy apart from You, and today I am thankful again for the release from my burden of sin, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, as written in, Romans 8: 1 “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  It is my joy and desire to have the Spirit within me, influencing all that I do, for I am of the ‘flesh’ and carnally minded and naturally do the things that lead to eternal death, but instead I have, V 9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he is not His.”

Thank You for the wonderful council and assurance that is found in the entire writings of Paul, and I have renewed my commitment and given You my heart.

Amen

 

Psalm 79: 8, 9 “Oh, do not remember former iniquities, against us!  Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, for we have been brought very low.  Help us O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake!”

Dear God,

It is delightful to speak with You, especially today when the sky is glowing with orange and deep pink heralding the promise of warmth after a chilly night. I honour You as the One who makes the perfection of beautiful colours and forms.  From John’s description in Revelation, I look forward to the glorious colours blended together in every part of heaven.  Thank You not only for all the different colours, but also the visual stimulation which is relayed to our minds and emotions in a way that can impact every part of our body, as we interpret the colours and hues into our emotions.  Your created colours as found in nature never impact negatively upon us either, as man made ones can, in certain situations!  Please ‘switch us on’ to Your colourful creation, so we can be impacted positively; as You designed.

When I think of think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden I remember that they had been created perfect and lived in a place that was perfect and alive with colours of every hue; as heaven still is, in which nothing is ever dreary or dying; as it can be on earth.  Sadly, we and all Your creation upon earth is in the process of dying, after reaching our maturity. The scriptures make it clear that with sin automatically comes eventual death. This has been the ‘order of things’ since Satan led Adam and Eve into sin; and all mankind, from then on has been drawn toward sin and disobedience to our God.  Romans 7: 17 “But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” V 19 “For the good that I will do, I do not do, but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”

How You must yearn for the day when You will have finally banished all sin from us, individually and on earth, for ever.  During our lifetime, You will forgive the repentant person, and be the power for each one to prepare, so they can be taken to Your heavenly home.  Hallelujah, what a Saviour, and what a God!

With our bodies made new, we will have no trouble abiding by Your law, because they reflect Your character and we well be transformed to live in Your love and characteristics; naturally and with delight.  Even though we always will have our power of choice, none from earth or the universe, would ever choose to repeat the travesty of Satan’s way: and God would have no purpose in letting sin reign again, because all Satan’s accusations, about God being an unjust tyrant and impossible to follow, will have been forever disproved for the whole universe to see.

Hallelujah, in heaven and the New Earth, no one to tempt us or lead us astray, combined with the fact, within our new body, we will have no propensity toward sin.  As with Paul, I thank You God, that Jesus Christ delivers me from this body of death.  V 24, 25 “O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Amen

 

Romans 6: 8 – 12 “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all: but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Dear God,

Thank You for all care and protection, for Your love is absolute and infinite toward all Your creation. I have not quite spent as much time with You over the past few days as usual and there is a void in my heart; which is only filled when I express my thoughts and love to You in words. Cleanse me please from all sin, and fill me with joy as I read the words of Your servant Paul, in Romans 6:12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

In the light of Your wonderful revealed grace, my heart response, is to live in a way that brings You glory.  I believe that as I place myself in the care of heaven, my deepest desire will be fulfilled; I will be enabled and led away from premeditated sin.  Paul again gives the answer, V 18 “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”  Hallelujah, what a blessed knowledge, for I never want to stay wallowing in my sins, but instead be lifted up in the assurance Jesus died as my substitute and gives me instead of sin, His gift of imputed righteousness and His power to overcome sin.   This is the best news which is worth the continual raising of praises and hallelujah’s; along with telling as many other people as we can, so that they also may have the promise from Paul, in V22 “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

Fill me with praises and words to others in testimony of what You have done for me, and mean to me; whenever You place this upon my heart.

Please impress me more and more of my own sinfulness and need to press closer and closer to my Saviour, who is beyond compare, and all I need for this life; and on into eternity with Him.  I ever appreciate the truth contained in, V 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Amen

Psalm 71: 1 “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame.”

Dear God,

I come to our time together, anticipating an important heart and mind renewal, for which I give praise. I pray for those I have had contact with in anyway who are not experiencing the delight of meeting with You often, and pray that many will take the opportunity to do so and thereby be impacted in a meaningful way.  I am thankful that You hear all prayers, including in very difficult times; whether they are personal requests or for another. I have experienced the comfort of knowing, that You do hasten to my side when I call in need, V12 “O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!”

I do not forget the people and parts of the world in too many places, which have become less than hospitable for mankind and animal, bird life and sea creatures. May more experience the assurance that we also will be delivered, Psalm 70: 5 “But I am poor and needy; make hast to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.”

I am reminded by the Psalmist how his faith was rewarded.  Psalm 71: 5 “For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.”  I am convicted, that as Your child, I need not be down hearted, whether it be about the aging earth or the adversities for myself or people I know, for there is great therapy in giving thanks and praise, V 8 “Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day,” and, V14 “But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.”  Holy Spirit I invite You into my mind, to influence and direct me unto God the Father and Son, Jesus Christ, at every opportunity.

None of we earthlings have all power or righteousness of our own; only our God and Creator has all power and absolute righteousness.  Your power will conquer all, even when I am dead and buried; for I would forever stay dead if it were not for Your expressed intention, when Jesus comes again for Him to raise us all again; some to everlasting life, and some in due time, to everlasting death.  Psalm 71: 20 “You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.”

Amen

 

 

Romans 5: 1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Dear God,

I am so glad Father that with Jesus, our salvation plan was arranged by you both before the foundation of this world, to be implemented if needed.  I am deeply sad that the salvation plan had to be implemented, because as written by Paul, in Romans 5: 12 “………as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—V14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who is to come.”  The first created man, Adam, was the one man who bought sin and death to all of earths inhabitants.  The free gift of salvation from sin reveals much of the Your grace and the one Man, Jesus Christ.  Who abounded in mercy, which resulted in justification and life, for every sinner who accepted His free gift, instead of the condemnation and death, that had come through the other ‘one’ man Adam.  Further we are told in Romans 5: 15 – 18, that Jesus when on earth lived a sinless life and was in constant communication with His Father, through the Holy Spirit, so that He was able to live in and do the will of His Father; in constant obedience to Him; V: 19”For by as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

Today I again accept Jesus into my life, and ask that the Holy Spirit fill me, and lead me to the Father through Jesus Christ, higher and higher on the pathway of obedience; yet despite these aspirations, I know that my sinful nature will sometimes get in the way, and I will lose my connection to Jesus,and sin will be the result.  Amazingly, Your love is such, that when I am repentant, I will be forgiven and justified, V 1”…having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. V2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Amen

(I am going away on the 29th July for 9 days, to a camp with out wifi.  Because of the packed program I decided not to take the computer with the necessary purchase to post every day.  So I am posting some ahead, and will catch up on the others when I get back.  God bless you richly.)

Romans 5:2 “It is through Jesus Christ that we have gained access to God’s grace and are joyful in the hope of sharing His glory.”  (Clear Word Translation)

Dear God,

Thank You for Your warm welcome to this day, even though the day is grey and sodden outside, as the result of much rain previously.  When the hot days come and we remember these days, we will be glad for the rain of now.   It is my desire, in Your strength, to give praise, for the times of Your bountiful blessings, as well as the hard times; because they both can perfect my character.  I know You love to receive our thanks and praise for the blessings and good times, and not just words asking for help in my hard time and cries of woe.

I am filled with thankfulness, that we are, “…justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5: 1, it is Jesus Christ, who gives us access to God’s grace in which we now stand, and then it is the Holy Spirit, that fills us with rejoicing and the hope of sharing His glory.  Not only these, but with changed attitudes and priorities, we will learn not to, bemoan about tribulations when they come, because – V3 “……tribulations produce perseverance; V4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  God You never leave my hope without foundation as love is poured into my heart, V5 “…..by the Holy Spirit who was given for us.”  At a time when we were not around or did not know Jesus, V6 “…..in due time Christ died for the ungodly”, this is truly love so amazing and divine and beyond our human practice – V 8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Now I have accepted Jesus, and have V9 “Much more then, having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”  Again, praise the glorious name of Jesus, V10 “…….we shall be saved by His life.”  Along with Paul; my praise is not finished, V11 “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through whom we have received the reconciliation.”

I thank You God that You have provided a way out of the consequences for my sins, and freely offer each of us salvation.

But more than that, You have promised, and do provide us with a way out of our anxieties and fears; for You always hear and answer our prayers and quiet our fears, which are placed there by Satan, who He flees before You.  Sometimes it can be hard to not be overwhelmed by the pressing activities and important needs that are ahead.   Thanks that it is Your Spirit that reminds me whenI am facing the challenges in my own strength, when there is omnipotent power available.  Time pressure apprehensions that take away my usual practice of seeking You first, are usually not due to Your direction for what I am planning, but more likely due to my own self-imposed agenda or ‘I must not or dare not say no’.  I implement the ‘grand and wonderful scheme’ I have dreamed up, and end up being exhausted through unwise practices.

Due to You total love and grace, You hear my sincere prayer, and give trusting peace when I call out.  I am grateful for having learned that Your promised help may only come after I wrestle before You in humility and prayer for some time, or the answer may be instantaneous.

I feel cherished today, because You have answered my petition; and it is delightful to surrender all problems and concerns and then rest in Your promises.  Thank You, that I (we) receive, V17 “……abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in the life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Amen

 

Psalm 61: 1, 3 “Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Dear God,

Such a feast of good spiritual food this A.M. in Scripture and I thank You for these passages.  Again forgive me for allowing my own ’doings’ to swallow me up.  In the past my drive ‘to do’ caused me to live life at a pace that is not the healthiest, in terms of getting sufficient rest and sleep. I often wonder if that is why I have been allowed to have a period of unwellness; for now I must stop and rest and go to bed early.  It has been a time of learning very precious lessons, through which I am blessed.

I praise Your name, for Your protection, guidance and enabling to accomplish quite a lot of the ‘much’ required.  You have indeed heard and answered my prayer for help and I thank You, that You care about the ‘big things’ to me at the time; even though I acknowledge, that in the span of time, and on the earth, they are ‘small things’.  After all will it really matter if ALL the (maybe 180) roses do not get pruned, even though it is July and they are very ‘leggy’?  And so it goes on, on from one time challenge to another!  Though not able to do as much as I would like and is needed, how good it is to have full retirement years.

Along with David and other psalmist’s, I choose to give You my thanks and praise every day.  Psalm 63: 3 “Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.”  My lips also say, V7 “Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”  Today, I again ask, that You will give me thoughts, that direct me along Your planned pathway; for I know that no matter how good my ‘works’ for You are, it is my heart and love You want.  It is these ‘works’ that have consumed my time, and at times have pushed me almost over the edge of my endurance:  which never was Your plan for me, but my own relentless drive.   Thankfully Paul points me in the right direction in Romans 4: 2, 3 “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

I am confident, because of Your promises; when I submit my plans to You, I can be protected from myself and other forces.  Today I again choose You, and ask You to be my God and know You hear and accept me, and in love give me Your strength, love, wisdom and power, as well as discernment.

Amen

Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.  They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’”

Dear God,

At the beginning of this day; I will add my praise to that of the psalmist, because I also appreciate Your love and kindness.  It is the love of Jesus; Who in His life, became for each of us, our ‘bread and water’, that is worth our frequent thanks.  Psalm 56: 13 “For You have delivered my soul from death.  Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?”

As with a musical instrument, I will use my voice to praise You, at first in the morning and throughout all the day, for You have saved me from the consequences of my sins, and have been given life abundant whilst I have life on this earth, with the hope of eternal life.  Psalm 57: 8 “Awake, my glory!  Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.” V9 “I will praise You, O lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.”

Jesus came to earth to address all the issues of sin; which robs and will eventually destroy every living thing on earth.  We have also have been robbed of the face to face communication with God, which was the privilege of Adam and Eve, prior to their fall from perfect sinlessness.  When I stop and reflect on what it means to accept Jesus as my Saviour, I realise that the blessings are not all in the future, but as Jesus says in John 10:10 “……I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Thank You for the fulfillment planned within me.  In this part of the world, and from my family background and beyond (even in difficulty) it is a blessed life, above the ordinary, no matter the physical circumstances.  For myself, I have nothing to boast about, for it is Christ who is ALL and supplies everything for me.  I have asked him to live and abide in me, and I in Him and my invitation has been accepted.  I believe his promises and see the changes that tell me, that in Him I am a new creation; however I do know that apart from Him I would be the same unattractive repository of sin and doer of sinful practices. It is a wonderful thing indeed, that because of You I have the promised life abundant here on earth, with the expectation, of unimaginable better things, in the hereafter.

In Your Spirit, dear God, I will walk Your way today, with joy and rejoicing.

Amen