Morning Devotion on Friday, April 19th, 2024

Good morning, et cetera, dear Reader, and welcome to yet another day on this side of the Grave. 💛

Morning prayer:

Dear Lord God, thank You for yet another day above ground. Please teach us to worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Father God, we ask that You please protect all of mankind who is affected by the many wars raging across the planet right now. Again we come into agreement to ask for You to raise Your mighty Hand of justice, and cover them with Your cloak of divine Mercy. Please soften the hearts of men, Father. We pray for our leaders, and ask for You to work in and through them to the praise of Your holy Name. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. 💖

Rather than praise and worship music, today I prepped my heart and mind (in part) by listening to this brief message from wise, mature Christian Joyce Meyer, who I look up to and admire:

Did you know that walking by faith and loving God and others is not a matter of competition among us? It's true. Every believer's walk is solitarily before the Lord God first and foremost. We are to walk in humility and obedience before Him, and we are to walk in love with all of mankind. If you wish to 'compete' with someone, try being a better version of yourself than you were yesterday. The Word tells us that we are foolish if we compare ourselves to one another (see 2 Corinthians 10:12) So, you see, when we compare ourselves to one another, we are literally being fools. 

The ONLY standard for comparison is Jesus the Christ and Him ALONE. 

That means that, if you're making the worldly mistake of comparing yourself to other people, you are profoundly in the wrong. The perfect, inviolable Word of God in James 3:14-16 tells us:

The simple answer is this:

REPENT. 

See also:
I Corinthians 4:6-8

Luke 18:9-14

The answer, then, is to fix our eyes upon Jesus, not one another.
The Word clearly says:

This is simple to do. Just every time that you catch yourself with those old thoughts, instead, choose to put on the new man: 

Today's Proverb:
Proverbs 19

Thank you for joining me for morning devotion, dear Reader. I pray the Lord bless you and keep you; may He open the eyes of your understanding and increase the learning of your heart, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💚

Morning Devotion on Thursday, April 18th, 2024 ☦

Good morning, et cetera, dear Reader, and welcome to this day above ground! Thank you for joining me for morning devotion today.
Now, let us pray.

Dear Father God in Heaven, we come to you in Jesus' Name, covered by His Blood whereby we stand, boldly approaching the throne of Grace. Lord, today we submit to You as not only our Savior but as our Master. You alone are Worthy, dear Lord! God, we ask for You to fill us today with your Holy Spirit. Please divinely guide our steps; please use our mouths for Your Word. Lord, we ask today that You please bring peace to Israel and Gaza. Father God, Your Word says that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world so we stand on that truth today. Lord God, please prevent any human soul from dying due to war today. We ask that You please stop all conflicts globally and let there be peace, in Jesus' Mighty Name we pray, Amen. 💜

Give God a big "Hallelujah, Amen!" 😃
Today's reading includes:

Proverbs 18

Revelation 4-5

For some reason, the Word of the Lord came all over me and moved me to overwhelmed tears of worship and gratitude as I read the two chapters there in Revelation. This is the Scripture burning in my heart today after reading those Words of Life:

And this is (to me, anyway) a strangely beautiful and fascinating artist's rendition: 

What does it mean, "He is worthy?" 
Let's look at the secular definition of "worthy" according to the Webster's Dictionary of 1828:

Seeing that, I agree that yes, He IS worthy. He is Worthy to have first place in my life every day without exception; there is nothing more important than seeking and spending time with God. He is worthy of my obedience to His Word. He is worthy of my life, my heart, my soul. He is worthy of my all and so much more. 
I pray, dear Reader, that you receive divine revelation of God and His character today and that your heart is renewed and filled with His spirit and His word. In Jesus' Name, Amen. 💗

Morning Devotion on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024

Good morning, et cetera, dear Reader, and welcome to yet another day on this side of the Grave (reason enough, in and of itself, to be grateful today). This morning we'll do something a little different, but first things first. Praise! 😃

Dear Lord, thank You for this day; thank You for Your Word, and the saints. Father, please prepare our hearts and minds to receive Your Word today. Also Lord, we ask that You please bring Your Peace to Israel and Gaza today in a mighty way. Lord God, please drown all of their hatred with Your compassion and soften the hearts of men today. Lord, we also lift up our leaders to You and ask that Your will be done in and through them. And we ask all of these things in Jesus' Name with thanksgiving, Amen. 

Today I'm reminded of a Scripture that first jumped out of the page at me way back in the late 1990's. From the first instant that I ever read it, it became a part of me and I've never forgotten it.

Proverbs 17:3 KJV: 

And, like unto it is this, from the New Testament:

So, what does it all mean? Does it mean,  then, that fire will descend on us from Heaven to therefore consume us? Though it very well could mean that, I don't believe that it does. I think these things speak to the sometimes difficult process of God refining and purifying our hearts. 
Here, just look at what metal has to go through in order to be purified if it's ever to be of any use to the goldsmith:

In the video, we see the ore placed in a crucible and then violently pounded into a powder first of all. Even if that's as far as it went, having our hearts pulverized into dust probably doesn't feel all that great; it's probably part of the process where we begin to cry out to God to please stop in His mercy; but it is His infinite love and mercy that will prevent Him from stopping once He's started the process of purifying your heart. I encourage you to submit to the process. 

This Biblical use of "test" here means purification, rather than answering a set of questions to assess skill and/or knowledge (for the Lord has no need of those kinds of tests, He already knows all). 
Purification, according to the 1828 Webster's Dictionary, means:

 

But just look at item #3 in that definition. God's holy fire is a cleansing agent to the human being, removing from us that which separates us from God (sin) while concurrently making us stronger in His character by removing fallen parts of our sinful nature, the more we submit to the process. 

Q: So what does it look like, submitting to the process? 

A: Some practical ways that you can submit include 1) just doing what you know the Word says to do and abstain from doing anything the Word says NOT to do (walk in obedience as best you can). 2) Praise and thank Him for the very fire which burns (it is His Will that we give thanks in ALL things, see I Thessalonians 5:16-18). 3) Love on everyone (especially enemies) that you possibly can, and, if you cannot love them, just leave them alone. 

Further reading:
All of Proverbs 17 NKJV

Hebrews 12 NKJV

Thank you, dear Reader, for joining me today for morning devotion; I hope this encourages and challenges and comforts you today; may He move in a powerful way in your heart and mind and life today, in Jesus' Name, amen. 💜

Morning Devotion on Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 💙

 

Additional to that prayer, dear Lord, we come together in agreement and humbly ask that You bring peace to Israel and Gaza and that you will send your angels to minister to every human being in that entire region, in Jesus' Name, amen. 

Good morning (from the MST) dear Reader and welcome to this day above ground! It's not yet eight o'clock in the morning; the Lord gave me plenteous sleep last night and I sit in a room flooded with warm sunshine, gratefully breathing in and out and drinking wonderful, hot coffee. 
I didn't blog yesterday (and not again until today) because I deeply felt like I needed my sweet, beautiful friend to read the last entry I wrote in order to speak grace and love to her; I waited until it became apparent that she'd seen it. (YAY! 💗) Thank you for understanding that delay and welcome back. 

Now that I'm good and awake, awake enough to benefit from what I read, I searched out and found an article on what the Bible says about solitude. Apparently there are many verses that tell us (in one way or another) that Jesus Himself was always going off by Himself somewhere or other to be quiet and pray. Since He's the ultimate role model, that's what I seek to do myself every morning by sitting in peace and quiet (after some praise music, anyway) once I'm fully awake. 

Now, does this new habit make me better than anyone else on the planet? NO. Not even a little bit! All this new habit of mine does is make ME better than who I was yesterday, by the grace of God. 

Yesterday I read "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", a famous sermon by Johnathon Edwards, from the 1700's. I found it very compelling though I can only imagine how powerful it must have been to hear it actually preached out loud. 

I don't know about you, dear Reader, but I'm at this place in my walk/life where I am constantly seeking out His correction; I am ever looking for ways in which I am weak or wrong so that I can then submit those things to the Lord for His (loving) correction. When I feel convicted, that to me is a gift from God, meaning that He hasn't yet given up on me, and that He loves me enough to show me where I'm either wrong or how I can come up higher/ do better in some way or other. I pray that you will come to feel this way too. It's a wonderful place of freedom where there truly IS NO condemnation, even in the face of our mistakes. Remember that we looked at Romans 8:1 last time. I say we revisit that today and meditate on it until it has become a solid foundation for our hearts and minds that other people and/or the circumstances in life cannot bring us down because we're too well rooted and grounded in the Truth of His love for us. 

So, to reiterate some serious Truth which applies to all here:

And here is today's Proverb from the Book of Wisdom:

(NKJV, high-lighted) - Proverbs 16:

1 The preparations[a] of the heart belong to man,

But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

But the Lord weighs the spirits.

3 Commit[b] your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established.

4 The Lord has made all for Himself,

Yes, even the wicked for the day of [c]doom.

5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

Though they join [d]forces, none will go unpunished.

6 In mercy and truth

Atonement is provided for iniquity;

And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness,

Than vast revenues without justice.

9 A man’s heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.

10 Divination is on the lips of the king;

His mouth must not transgress in judgment.

11 Honest weights and scales are the Lord’s;

All the weights in the bag are His [e]work.

12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,

For a throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,

And they love him who speaks what is right.

14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath,

But a wise man will appease it.

15 In the light of the king’s face is life,

And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;

He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before [f]a fall.

19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,

Than to divide the [g]spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,

And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,

And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.

But the correction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,

And adds learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

26 The person who labors, labors for himself,

For his hungry mouth drives him on.

27 [h]An ungodly man digs up evil,

And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

28 A perverse man sows strife,

And a whisperer separates the best of friends.

29 A violent man entices his neighbor,

And leads him in a way that is not good.

30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;

He [i]purses his lips and brings about evil.

31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,

If it is found in the way of righteousness.

32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap,

But its every decision is from the Lord.

Footnotes

Proverbs 16:1 plans

Proverbs 16:3 Lit. Roll

Proverbs 16:4 Lit. evil

Proverbs 16:5 Lit. hand to hand

Proverbs 16:11 concern

Proverbs 16:18 stumbling

Proverbs 16:19 plunder

Proverbs 16:27 Lit. A man of Belial

Proverbs 16:30 Lit. compresses

May the Lord use this to bless you today, dear Reader, and meet you wherever you are, right at the very point of your need. Thank you and God bless you today in a new and special way, in Jesus' Name, amen. 

Morning Devotion on Sunday April 14th, 2024 🥰

 

(from Job 19 NKJV):

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,

27 Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

Good morning, dear Reader! Thank you for joining me today for morning devotion (the most important part of the whole day). First of all, I'd say that it probably takes the best of us at least ten or twenty, maybe thirty minutes, just to do the 'waking up' part of getting up every day. I mean, putting God first doesn't mean that we don't first run to the bathroom, or even grab a cup of coffee; those things are just part of transitioning from being asleep to being awake.
I wake up and do a few other things before seeking God: I go to the bathroom, make coffee, do a breathing treatment, mark all of my emails as read as well as Facebook notifications. All of those things put together probably take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes in total; I see nothing wrong with it, myself. SO, if you take a little time to wake up, rest assured that there's literally nothing wrong with that. AT all. 💜
There, I really wanted to say that today because I fear some of you may be under condemnation from the enemy for literally no reason and 'ain't nobody got time for that'. 
Ok, cool. Now that we've clarified THAT! HEY the last thing I ever want to do is to make anyone feel condemned. That's the total opposite of what I'm trying to do here, ok? The entire point of seeking God is because He's so good, He loves us so much, His Word is so full of Life and healing, and I dearly want that for both of us, dear Reader, so I just figure that while I'm at it (devotions) well why not share it here with you, too? 

Ok. I think we need to look at Romans 8:1 today, staying in that same theme of 'no condemnation' because I really feel like so many people are deceived by the lies whispered to them by the great enemy, satan, who is definitely real and undeniably on the earth seeking whom he may devour as we speak. 

Romans 8 is easily one of my all time favorite chapters in the entire Holy Bible. But let's take a good, long look at the first verse there and see if we can break it down in the hope that it will increase our understanding. 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" 

So, 'now' here, that means this instant, this very precise and exact moment in time; it's not something that we have to wait for, to happen at some other time. No, in fact, the Word backs itself up in also telling us "today is the day of salvation" (see 2 Corinthians 6:1) This is great news, y'all. He is the Great I AM. Not the great "I was" nor the great "I will be" but the great "I AM". He is an ever present help in time of trouble (from Psalm 46:1, which we covered in last night's blog). Therefore, I encourage you to boldly receive Him into your heart by faith, resting in the assurance that it is He Who loves and died for you. Yes, YOU!
What you may or may not have done so far in Life is of little consequence. All you have to do is repent and ask for forgiveness; He has made Himself easily accessible to one and all by way of His Blood sacrifice. He has already paved the way for you, straight to Him. 💜

May I please also just say, that if you're under condemnation from yourself, you're doing it all wrong. We aren't supposed to go around punishing ourselves for all of our many mistakes by walking around with the guilt like it was some heavy backpack that we were required to take with us for whatever reason. No, lay that thing down at the foot of the Cross! He's already paid the price! Guilt (or, conviction) if it drives us TO Him is actually quite useful. The thing is is that we need to run TO Him when we fall rather than the opposite. 
When a child is learning to walk, they fall many times. And what do we, as parents, do? Do we scold them? Do we judge our children's failed attempts and tell them that they're not good enough? Do we give up and believe that our child will simply never learn to walk? The answer to all of that, of course, is no. I want you to understand that if we, being evil, can be patient and loving with our own children as they learn, how much more so is God's love and patience with us, His children? Therefore, be patient with yourself. Once you get the revelation of just how much He loves you, you will then find the freedom to love and forgive yourself with mercy and kindness, and that will further equip you to show those same qualities to others even more than you're able to now. (this is a great promise). 

Look, there's not a single one of us living on this earth who won't, in some way or another, fail by sinning today at some point before bed tonight. It's guaranteed. It's never about "what IF I sin" but rather "what about WHEN I sin" and the great news is that He's already made a way and that way is Jesus. 💙  

So. No matter what you're feeling, no matter what you're going through, no matter what giants you might be facing in Life, remember that your Redeemer lives! Hold on to the knowledge of His great love for you and never be afraid to approach God for any reason at all. He loves you SO much, dear Reader; you are the apple of His eye. 

I'll close with that thought, dear Reader, and I really pray that you let these truths sink deep down into your heart. I find it useful to read/ study His Word over and over and over (because repetition is brilliant as a tool for learning a thing, no matter what that thing is). 

Please join me in praying for Peace in Israel and Gaza. Let's lift them up to the throne of Grace every single day until there is peace.💙
I pray that the eyes of your understanding are more and more enlightened dear Reader. I pray that, today, you will feel His Presence and His love for you, no matter what. Thank you for joining me for morning devotion today. I love you; please be abundantly blessed and have a wonderful day today. 💜

The evening of Saturday, April 13th, 2024

Hello again, dear Reader, and welcome back to my blog; this time for an evening reflection. The war that has begun in Israel and Gaza weighs heavily on my heart right now; I even know someone who lives there and pray for him and his loved ones' safety (even right now, in Jesus' Name, Amen).💗

It's hard to see our world so torn apart, isn't it? I mean, if we just look at the world and the state it's in, it'd be pretty easy to become overwhelmed and fall into despair, into "the dark night of the soul" (a poem by St. John of the Cross, 1542-1591). That's one of the innumerable reasons to strive to set our face like a flint (see Isaiah 50:7) and press on toward the goal (see Philippians 3:14). Personally I've recently discovered that if I'm busily engaged in deliberately pursuing good things (from chores to finding people to encourage, to reading the Word, to sharing the Word with others, to praying, to learning something new, et cetera)... then I just don't have time and/or energy to be angry (and lose focus? nope!) or feel sorry for myself, or other forms of wasting time (and/or energy). 

Feel free to join me if you wish, dear Reader, but I'm going to pray for peace in Israel and Gaza. 
Dear Father God, please be the Overseer of all that is currently happening in Israel and Gaza. Lord, please raise Your Mighty hand of power and calm the peoples as You calmed the storm. 
Lord God, please pour Your Spirit out on all flesh who are presently in conflict; soften the hearts of men towards one another. Father God, where there is hatred, please drown it with Your compassion. Please send your angels to minister to all human beings who are affected by this and deliver them from each others' hands into Yours. Above all, let Your will be done. In Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.

 

Thank you, especially if you joined me or prayed for them on your own, I consider it a personal favor. 💜

Psalm 46, NIV,  full text:  
1 God is our refuge and strength
     an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,

    the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease

    to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields[d] with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Footnotes

Psalm 46:1 In Hebrew texts 46:1-11 is numbered 46:2-12.

Psalm 46:1 Title: Probably a musical term

Psalm 46:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 7 and 11.

Psalm 46:9 Or chariots

I hope that all who read these words find comfort for your souls. I pray that Peace is reached in Israel and Gaza soon! Dear Lord, please intervene, You are our only hope! 

Be blessed; treasure peace in your hearts and spread that love as best as you possibly can and I'll strive to do the same; that's the best any of us can do. 💚

The Morning of Saturday, April 13th, 2024 😎

Good morning, dear Reader, and welcome! Thank you for joining me on this beautiful day above ground for morning devotion again!💜 I just rolled out of bed, grabbed a quick cup of coffee, threw on a warm robe, and now I'm here, listening to this:

(click here for lyrics to the first song) I'm going to have to remember to go do that blood test so my doctor can send me to the two specialists. (Lord, I hope You will help me with that today, please, in Jesus' Name, amen). 
(click here for lyrics to this next song of Praise)
And, this one just keeps playing in my head. How awesome God is! 

There is always so much that I want to share about God and His Word here, but there is only limited space and I also have a desire to condense this for you so that it's a five-minute read or less, given the shortness of everyone's attention span these days. I'm not being mean to you, or to anyone else for that matter; technology has done that to us (as a whole society). After all, when one eats a steak, it's typically done one bite at a time. Trust and believe that the meat of the Word deserves careful attention and consideration; the more we endeavor to grasp It, the harder we search It out, the more we will benefit from the effort. Here's a classic, familiar Scripture toward that end:

Take heart, dear Reader, because that Scripture (among so many others) is pregnant with a holy promise for you! All we have to do is make God a priority in our lives; Jesus' sacrifice proves what He already thinks of us, after all. 💔

So let's break that down today, shall we? (Today is a meditative approach to that one single passage. Let's mull it over, focus on It, and really give It a chance to get way down deep in to the gut of who we are in Him). 

Let's start by examining what it means "to seek". First, the dictionary's definition of the word (from the Webster's Dictionary of 1828) is "to seek after, to make pursuit, to attempt to find or take".

Here's a real life example of "seeking" from my own life (recently). I lost an earring and MAN did we seek it out! We lifted the furniture, we got on our hands and knees, I mean we looked and looked for that thing. But that's a great example of "seeking" from regular life. We're supposed to commit that kind of purpose and passion in ferreting out His Word and what it means to us as His children. 💙 The word "seek" occurs in 43 of the Bible's 66 books and occurs 233 times (in the Bible)! That must mean it's really important, yes?
Don't get me wrong here; casually reading through the Word is still going to benefit you, but, the more effort you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. Consider this, especially the very last line:

Ok, so you might be asking yourself "so what exactly IS the Kingdom of God?" Well, let's see. Here's a secular definition according to Google: 

Fun fact: the phrase "the Kingdom of God" occurs over seventy times in the New Testament, with thirty of those times being in the synoptic Gospel of Matthew alone! And here is (one Scripture that defines) what the Word has to say about the Kingdom of God:

Now, the next part of the Scripture: (and) His righteousness. Okay, so what IS the righteousness of God exactly? Again, let's see as we search that out; we'll start with the secular definition of the term (again, according to Google):

The phrase "the Kingdom of God" occurs more than 80 times and is primarily found in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And the words "righteousness" (and "righteous") occur in the Bible a whopping 540 times in 520 verses. 
The next part of Matthew 6:33 is pretty easy to grasp so I won't spend too much time on it; it's the promise that, if we prioritize Him and His Word, then "ALL these things" meaning (to me) literally everything else, all the things we need, even some of the things we want, will then be added to us. How about "all", though; what does that really mean anyway? The 1828 dictionary says "the whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree".

Which leads us to the final portion of Matthew 6:33 "shall be added unto you".  That is the promised end, that if we will do as He says then He will richly reward us and see to it that our time spent seeking Him and His Word out was time well spent. 

Further reading:
Today's Proverb (Proverbs 13 from the Book of Wisdom). 

Thank you for joining me this morning, dear Reader!  I hope you enjoyed this form of devotion today; let me know your thoughts - did you find this helpful or encouraging? That is my prayer and my aim and I've given both God, and you, dear Reader, my very best in the pursuit of living excellently. I pray that you will develop the curious desire to study the things of God. I also pray that you are blessed today and always. In Jesus' Name, amen. 💛