God's Influence

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

         Be acceptable in Your sight,

         O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer." 

Psalm 19:14

God cares about what we say and think. Cursing and coarse talk are easy to identify as unpleasing to the Lord. But what about gossiping, complaining and grumbling? Instead of speaking negatively, we ought to talk in ways that bless others and give praise to God. Our thoughts should be honoring to God, as well. If we examine ourselves honestly, in light of God's word, and find our speech and thoughts are unacceptable, we have the grace of God on our side. We can confess our failings to the Lord and ask Him to influence what we say and think. He loves it when we come to Him humbly and ask for help. It's a prayer He'll eagerly answer. That's the kind of rock and Redeemer He is.

Brag on the Lord

"I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever;
To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
For I have said, 'Lovingkindness will be built up forever;
In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.'"
Psalm 89:1-2

Aren't you glad David's psalms are included in the Bible?  With words formed in his heart, he extolled the virtues of the Lord, leaving a written legacy of worship for generations to come. In Psalm 89 David sang of the eternal love and kindness of God. He praised Him for His faithfulness. I want to be like David and brag on the Lord. The Lord, my Redeemer, is full of love and kindness. His faithfulness is as solid as the mountains and as constant as the change of seasons. Your turn.

To Whom Shall We Go?

"Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." 

John 6:68

John writes that there were followers of the Lord who turned away and left Him. Jesus asks his twelve disciples if they, too, will leave. Peter answers the Lord with great wisdom. Whom would they go to? No one else has shown them the way to eternal life. The Pharisees have only burdened them with the law, it can't save them. Jesus, on the other hand, has promised them eternal life if they will believe on Him. It is not through the law that they will be redeemed, but through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. The same is true today. Jesus has the "words of eternal life". To whom else shall we go for salvation?

The God of All Comfort

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ". 

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

The same God who allows suffering to enter our lives, is the "Father of mercies and God of all comfort". There is no depth of comfort such as that which we receive from God Himself. He is able to deliver healing to our very souls. Then, when we have experienced God's soul-healing comfort, we know better how to encourage others. In God's economy, we learn from Him and then use what He has taught us to help others.  The Christian who has come through a great trial, is best equipped to minister to others who are hurting.

When We Can't Rejoice in the Day

"This is the day which the LORD has made;

         Let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

Psalm 118:14 

The Lord has made this day. It is a gift to us from Him. If you are struggling with a life issue, today may not seem like a gift from the Lord, and it may be difficult for you to rejoice and be glad in it. If so, tell the Lord how you feel. Even though He already knows, He wants to hear it from you. There are many ways to rejoice and be glad in the day the Lord has made. One of the best ways is to express your disappointment to Him honestly. If you do, you may find that the Lord will take what began as a prayer of complaint and turn it into a prayer of rejoicing and gladness. 

Nothing to Fear

"O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

         You understand my thought from afar. 

  You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

         And are intimately acquainted with all my ways."

Psalm 139:1-3

No one knows us like the Lord does, He knows us better than we know ourselves. We can't travel out of His sight, wherever we go He sees us. There is no better friend. He knows our strengths and loves us, He knows our weaknesses and loves us even more. We can't turn Him off or turn Him around. His love is unconditional and He will never forsake us. He is familiar with the road ahead of us, as well as the place where we will rest. His knowledge is unmatched. Knowing this, what have we to fear?

Never Forgotten

"Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;"

 Isaiah 49:16a

Along Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park stands a trio of old aspen. Their trunks have been carved with the initials of passersby. No doubt the engravers wished to be remembered. But they will be remembered only as long as the aspens live. If the trees die, the initials and those who forged them will be forgotten. Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would inscribe the names of the redeemed on His palms, always to be remembered. How exciting to know that those of us who have accepted Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as payment for our sins and received Him as Lord, will never be forgotten. Jesus is alive, and one day when we see Him face to face, we will look upon his nail-scarred hands and see our names written there, as well as in the Book of Life.  Even now this should inspire us to fall down before our beloved Savior in worship.