God is Good!

S: Psalm 100: 3-5

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

O:

We're creatures who have a Creator. He has a right to us, as a ranch owner has claim over his flock. This same Creator tells us to come near to him, through His gates and into his presence with thankful praise, because He is loving and faithful.

A:

God made me for a purpose—to minister to Him. He is my first calling, and offering thankful praise to Him is among the most righteous and good things that I can do. But what is really beautiful about this Psalm is its sense of invitation. Though I belong to Him, he doesn't compel me to come. Instead, He communicates His loving faithfulness, and His goodness draws me.

P:

Dear Lord, let me always remember your goodness, especially when I gather with your people to praise you!

Be on Guard!

S
1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.

O
God has given Timothy — and us — His Word. The God of Creation, Who was and is, and is to come gave us His Word of Truth. It has been given to us to care for and guard over; His Kingdom on earth. He warns Timothy to turn away from the chatter of godless men. They say they have knowledge and are puffed up with their profession. But if you lean to the ways of the earth you will wander from your faith.

A
God says to turn away from godless chatter; to turn away and walk away from it. He warns us that it is not knowledge but chatter. Why do we need His Word in our lives daily? Because His Word is the truth; rich, untainted truth. it is life. It reveals the Author of Life to us. It is our storehouse of treasure and God has given it to us to have. The chatter of this earth that is professed as knowledge can fill up all the spaces in my mind and heart. If we listen just to that it can crowd out and then take the place of the very truth God has given us. Without His Word in our heart it is very easy to stray away from him. For when we lose faith we lose touch with the Author of our faith.

P
Thank you, Lord, for ears to hear Your Word and a heart to store Your Word. May I ever hold it dear. May I ever hunger after Your Word. Fill me with Your Word, Lord, for knowing You is having knowledge. Amen.

Above the Sickened Swamp

S
(Colossians 3:1,2) If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above.... Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

O
Having seen both the Lord and heaven numerous times (2 Corinthians 12:1-10), Paul's thought processes and content was forever changed. His message to us from Jesus is that we can begin to experience heavenly life--even in the darkened spiritual pollution of earth. He's saying our brains can begin to experience heaven before our spirits and resurrected bodies get there.

A
I've often wondered how long I'd have survived in Eden without eating the forbidden fruit. Now I can find out: God has told me where I should occupy my thought life, where I should fence it in so it can thrive and roam without hurting others. And once I get to heaven, I won't have to fear being hurt by others who live outside, where immoralities, greed, and malice roam freely. Evidently, where we park and exercise our imaginations is very important to our mental and social health.

P
O Jesus! How I long for heaven! Forgive my for sometimes sending my thoughts into errant and unheavenly swamps. There, Your clear voice is drowned by unhappy moaning and whining. Oh, how I love Your voice!

What If...?

S

(2 Chronicles 15:8) As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin ... and he repaired the altar of the Lord ....

O

By that time, King Asa had become great. His reforms and protective leadership made his people safe and prosperous. His prayers allowed God to utterly destroy what could have been the largest army assembled against Judah. If anyone didn't seem to need an encouraging prophecy, it should have been Asa ... yet he needed it. After it, he found even greater blessings.

A

Paul said we should "pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophecy" (1 Corinthians 14:1). I forget that all of us have constant room for encouragement. Yes, sometimes we're more vulnerable than we realize. God knows. He also knows I'm safer than I realize when I stick close to Him. I'm not sure, after reading this, which is better--giving someone a Spirit-led encouragement or receiving one.

P

Lord, may I be used by Your Spirit today to encourage someone who is down or dangerously close to ignoring You? May I walk intimately with You throughout each moment of the day so I can be attentive to whatever Your Spirit is wanting to accomplish--it's always good.