Posts from January 2023 (Page 2)

A Good Night’s Sleep Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!You have freed me when I was hemmed in and relieved me when I was in distress;Be gracious to me and hear [and respond to] my prayer. O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] shame?How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart for…

I Am What I Am But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 Has the manner of God’s working in relation to your own life come home to you? Have you not been arrested by…

Working Together Working together with Him, we strongly urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain [by turning away from sound doctrine and His merciful kindness]. 2 Corinthians 6:1 God has saved us for Himself. “I press on,” says Paul, “if so be that I may apprehend that for which also I was apprehended of Christ Jesus.” We we’re not apprehended for eternal salvation only, but for a quite definite purpose now: to be God’s fellow-workers. What is His…

Opportunity Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. Ephesians 5: 15-16 In God’s appointed course for you, it may be that today was to have been…

Betrayed! O Lord, how my enemies have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of me,“There is no help [no salvation] for him in God.” Selah. But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,My glory [and my honor], and the One who lifts my head. With my voice I was crying to the Lord, And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. I lay down and slept [safely];I awakened, for the Lord sustains me. I…

How Excellent Is Your Name O Lord, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens. Psalm 8:1 In an hour when men are blaspheming the Lord’s name, the psalmist can only exclaim in wonder at its greatness. Though himself a poet, he is at a loss for words to express its worth. All he can do is cry, “How excellent!” And this unspeakable excelling “…

Leaving A Legacy Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservent, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2: 5-7 We usually think of someone’s legacy as a stellar achievement or an accumulation of wealth. Christ’s legacy, though, is quite different. His life is remembered as…

Calling On God For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God [is to us] whenever we call on Him? Deuteronomy 4:7 When God prepared the people of Israel to enter the Promised Land, He gave them laws to direct their steps and to remind them to trust Him. The laws prescribed their choices and the consequences for disobedience. Unlike any other country that was created, the nation of Israel…

Life’s Alternatives Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],Nor stand in the path of sinners,Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of scoffers (ridiculers). But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of…

Blessings Taking the five loaves and two fish, He looked up to heaven and said a blessing [of praise and thanksgiving to the Father]. Then He broke the loaves and [repeatedly] gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and He divided up the two fish among them all. Mark 6:41 Surely the one fundamental need in our life and service for God is the blessing of God upon it. No other need exists. What do we mean…