GOD IS OUR SHELTER

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” – Psalm 91:1 New Living Translation

     Whether Christian or not, we all get afraid of something. Many times it is a situation that rears its ugly head at the worst possible time and leaves a ball of tension in the pit of your stomach. Perhaps it is consequences for a bad decision you made some time ago or a new situation that has presented itself. It can shatter your peace if you let it. 

     God is our protector. Even when we do wrong we are still under his protection. Even if we must weather stormy consequences, he will protect us and carry us thru to the other side of it.This would be about the time that we should be trading our fears in for faith in Christ. He is the One who knows all about it. He is the One who can keep us safe. No matter what you may have said or done, God forgives you before you even ask for that forgiveness. That’s unconditional love my friends.

     No matter how intense our fears may be God is there in the midst of them. We are blood bought children of God. If our human father can sell out to protect his family, how much greater is our Heavenly Father that he might give us shelter and rest in the face of difficult trials. Focus of the Lord and not the circumstances you must deal with, for that is where the peace comes from. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

OUR SOULS WORTH

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, (Jesus) said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” – Mark 8:34-37 New Living Translation

     Mark’s original audience for his gospel was the Romans. They knew all too well what ‘taking up your cross’ meant. It was a form of execution. So this phrase meant simply that they must die to themselves. This is the ultimate submission. It is required of us as well. Jesus tells his listeners to ‘give up your own way’. Those who strive to keep their own way of living will lose it.

     Believers shouldn’t give up their own life because their life is useless, quite the contrary; not even life itself can compare to all that is gained by submitting to the will of Christ in our lives. Those who strive for worldly success will lose their soul in the process. They don’t realize this, which is why God doesn’t send anyone to hell; they go of their own volition. Their ignorance as to what is truth and what is a lie is their undoing.

     The pleasures of this world are for but a season; the abundant life that accompanies following Jesus is unmatched, all that plus eternal life too. Nothing this side of heaven can compare with the blessings that await those who faithfully serve the Lord. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! 

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

PEACE CAN BE YOURS

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” – Isaiah 23:6 New Living Translation

     There is no doubt we live, now more than ever, in very trying times. How can one stay in an attitude of peace? Fix your eyes on the author of our faith, Jesus Christ. Some may say that is much easier than it sounds and that may be true, but the closer you grow towards God, the easier it becomes. If you believe in the Lord, then you should trust him. If you find you struggle with the trust part, do something about it. Get into the scriptures and see who you’re believing in.

     Once I came to the realization that Almighty God either causes or allows all things that take place in this world for his own purposes, I found peace that has not been shaken. The key words in that thought are ‘for his own purposes’. His purposes are fair, just and eternal.  We must come to a place in our walk with the Lord where we realize we are never asked to understand, only trust. We may never understand this side of heaven, but that’s really okay. God knows what he’s doing.

     The peace that God plants in our hearts is perfect. It makes us steady and stable in our spirit. We are supported by God’s mighty power and unchanging, unconditional love; therefore we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be shaken by any surrounding chaos. Want peace? Keep your thoughts fixed on Christ.

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Philippians 4:6-7 New Living Translation

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

A HUSBANDS DIRECTIVE

“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.” – Ephesians 5:25-26 New Living Translation

     Husbands like to focus on Ephesians 5:22-24 where it states that wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands need to focus on verses 25 & 26 that give them instructions regarding their treatment of wives. Men should not rule over their wives in a restrictive sense, they themselves should do some submitting … to God. The husband who follows this marriage template should find their wives more than willing to submit to their leadership.

     A husband should be willing to sacrifice everything for his wife’s well being, making it of prime importance. He should love & care for her as he cares for himself. Christ loved the Church enough to die for it. Husbands need to be willing to lay their own life down for their wives. Marriage should not be considered a practical necessity or a cure for lust; it should be a sacred & holy union before Almighty God. Divorce has reached epidemic proportions. It seems there aren’t a whole lot of people willing to live out their vows anymore, which makes marriage a mockery.

     Marriage may be a lot of things to a lot of people, but in reality it is a symbol of Christ and his church with the man representing Christ and the woman representing the church. As men we are to love our wives, unconditionally, sacrificially & without hesitation, as God loves us. Women are to love, honor and respect their husbands as they are to love God, submitting to his will. When two people truly love God they respect his word & respect their partner. Trials will arise, but there is nothing that cannot be overcome by the loving power of Christ. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

THE LORD IS WITH YOU

“The LORD turned to (Gideon) and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” – Judges 6:14 New International Version

     When God sends us to do something we should not make excuses as to why we cannot do it. Just as the Lord told Gideon in both verse 12 & verse 16, “I will be with you.” That should give anyone the confidence needed to proceed, but Gideon was painfully human, just as we are, & made excuses as to why he couldn’t do that which the Lord required of him. In spite of God’s word to the contrary, Gideon seemed unaware that God would be his strength.

     The Lord called Gideon “Mighty hero” in verse 12. What an incredible title to give someone. God obviously saw Gideon for who he truly was capable of being in the Lord. The challenge was to get Gideon to see himself that same way. It seems a contradiction, what with our being called in the New Testament to walk humbly with our God, but it is necessary to see ourselves as men & women of God capable of great things as long as we realize it is the Lord doing the great things. We must allow ourselves to be the conduit, the vehicle as it were, that God can use to accomplish that which he needs us to do for the advancement of his kingdom.

     In the end it is imperative that we not lose sight of what we are currently doing, for it has an integral part to play in what God is doing with you in your life. No matter how mundane your daily tasks may be, there is a purpose or the Lord would have placed you somewhere else. Focus on the task at hand, but also give your full attention to believing that God will prepare you what will come tomorrow. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible.