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Choosing to Trust God

    Even in a time of great suffering and affliction, David begins his worship with a declaration of his trust in God:In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.  What if we chose to do the same? How easy it is to declare our trust after the crisis, after the provision, after God has answered our prayers, and after He has provided all we need. It requires little faith to declare we trust Him after—but a great deal of faith to trust in advance (and in the midst) of the crisis. Perhaps it is a mindset that comes …

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Time to Trust

      “Trust in him at all times, you people: pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8 The Psalmist instructs us to trust at all times. “All times” includes: Times of plenty and times of want Times with and times without Monday morning and Friday night Anxiety and peace Debt-free and bankrupt Benign and malignant Rough waters and smooth sailing All means all. Life tells me that believers run to God in times of difficulty but tend to “drift” when all is well. Has that been your experience?  Looking over my shoulder, I …

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Trusting That He Knows

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11  God has a plan for us. It is a plan for our good. His plan includes prosperity and hope. Is it enough that we know that He knows what the plan is? Do we insist on knowing all the details in advance? Knowing that He knows and being okay with not yet knowing ourselves is choosing to walk by faith. By its definition, faith includes an element …

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Trust Brings Overflowing Hope

          “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 Overflowing hope. Hard to ponder the magnitude of what that means. Hope on steroids? Hope beyond imagination? Hope that defies the imagination? Perhaps it is all that and more. And it can be ours … it is ours! This overflowing hope is one of the many by-products that come to those of us who trust in Him. To trust in God is …

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Trusting Him for Then…and for Now

When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him … those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Mark 3:8a, 10b As word of His ministry spread, Jesus was forced more and more to retreat and pull back from the crowds.  They pressed in and followed – not because they wanted to hear His teaching, but because they wanted to experience and see the miracles He could perform.  They wanted the blessings…but they didn’t necessarily want HIM. It sounds a bit like the prosperity gospel teachers of today who try to “market” Jesus with promises of …

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Love — Protects, Trusts, Hopes, Perseveres

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I Corinthians 13:6-7   If asked to define love, many of us would use words like joy, delight, and acceptance.  Some might describe butterflies in the stomach, floating on air, or extreme happiness. But when Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he talked more about what love does than about how it feels. And he also used an extreme qualifier: always. He tells us that love protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. And he added that love always does these things. In …

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All My Heart

      “I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands.”   Psalm 119:10 These words are both a declaration and a plea. The Psalmist boldly declares with confidence: “I seek you with all my heart…” And then immediately follows with a plea for protection from wandering: “Do not let me stray from your commands.” Centuries later, time and circumstances have changed but the human heart is the same. Our desire to know and follow God is still great. Those of us who follow Him still have the longing to be “all in” — to embrace …

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Eyes Wide Open

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18   Do you find the Bible boring? Have you tried reading it, but either it doesn’t make sense, doesn’t seem to apply to your life, or you just don’t seem to get it? Perhaps the problem lies in not preparing to read it. Just as we must shop before we cook or pack before we travel, savoring the journey in God’s Word also requires some preparation. How do you get ready to read the Bible? I’m glad you asked! The answer: You pray! If you have no words …

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The Word of God-Is It Your Delight?

    “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  Psalm 1:2 If we were watching ‘The $100,000 Pyramid’ game show, and the category was “The Bible” … what clues would you expect to be offered? Perhaps your list might include: Rules Dos and Don’ts Legalism Some people might even add: Drudgery Unattainable Oppressive The writer of Psalms would use this word: DELIGHT. Our attitude towards the Word of God provides great insight into our relationship with God Himself. While we humans may sort ourselves into an ever-increasing number of …

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The Creation Prompts Praise To The Creator

      “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1 The life of a shepherd was a lonely one. David, the author of Psalm 8, spent a good portion of his younger years in nature and isolation. No street lights, no cities or buildings, and no human beings also meant no distractions … plenty of time to think and ponder. As David looked to the heavens and beheld creation, he was prompted to worship the Creator. The vastness and beauty of God’s creation led to astonishment that the Creator both thought about David and …

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From the Universe to My Heart

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  Psalm 19:1 The Psalmist takes us on a journey in Psalm 19 – beginning by drawing our gaze to the heavens. All of creation cries out wordlessly, unceasingly, and universally: There is a God! Look at what He has done! While creation makes a strong case for God’s existence, we need more. We see His divine glory in the universe, but we long to know His divine plan. His divine WORD provides the answers. David uses powerful words to describe the WORD in Psalm 19, verses 7-9: Perfect Trustworthy …

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A Psalm for All the Days of Our Lives

    Are you old enough to remember the Florida Orange Growers TV commercial from the 70’s?  It featured folks of various ages and stages of life pausing in their day to drink a big glass of cold, refreshing orange juice and then declare: juice – It’s not just for breakfast anymore! That commercial came to mind as I studied Psalm 23. Inspired by the Floridians, let’s coin our own phrase: Psalm 23 – It’s not just for funerals anymore! (And it really never was!) While it my be the most-quoted passage for funerals, this poetic Psalm provides truth for every …