Walking His Way

Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Isaiah 30:21

God's written word shows us the way we should go -- His way. But He never forces us to follow Him. He has given us the free will to decide if we will choose HIs path, or not. When we stray away from our Heavenly Father, His words come back to us, reminding us to move back in step with Him. He knows the dangers that lie ahead of us, knows every twist and turn in the road. It's wise to heed His voice and avoid the pitfalls of going our own way. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

Tabitha, a Woman of God

"Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did."

Acts 9:36

Tabitha was a woman of God who didn't just think about serving Him, she "continually did" it. She was a seamstress who touched lives with the tunics and garments she made, many of them for widows (Acts 9:39). Yet all of her service did not stop the Lord from allowing her to become sick and die. It was part of His plan to grow Peter's ministry. When Tabitha died, Peter was called upon to come to Joppa without delay. In the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter raised Tabitha back to life and presented her to the widows and "all the saints". The miracle became "known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord." We know so little about Tabitha, but what we do know is that she faithfully served the Lord, and whether in life or death, God used her in a mighty way. 

The Golden Rule

“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 7:12

The Golden Rule. Most of us are familiar with it from our childhood. "Be nice to Johnny. Treat him the way you want to be treated." Which translated means, "Don't hit Johnny, because you wouldn't like it if he hit you." And so we accept the teaching in the negative -- don't mistreat anyone. But Jesus taught it in the positive. Don't wait for someone else to be kind to you, be kind to them first. It was the basis for His story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Reach out to another person in love. Don't wait for them to first show love to you. Be patient with another person, even if they're not patient with you. Do good to others, even if they never do good to you. You may never change the behavior of another person by your kindness, but it's guaranteed your acts of kindness will change you -- for the better.

Unfading Beauty

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

Having a bad hair day? Wish your nose was smaller or your chin wasn't so prominent? Do you avoid the bathroom scale, or cringe every time you find a new gray hair or wrinkle? Well, consider this. . . God loves you just the way you are. Our culture glorifies beauty and sets standards that only the rich and famous can attain, but God says the woman who reverences Him is the one who is to be praised. I know several elderly women who are radiant. It's not the creams and oils they use, but their love for the Lord that makes them attractive. That's beauty that will never fade. 

Have You Been Found?

"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:10

Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners. They are the "lost" He came to redeem from Hell.  Many people don't see themselves as sinners and feel no need for a Savior. But 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us." Romans 3:23 tells us, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The psalmist writes, "There is no one who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:3 ). 

"But if you say, 'I may have my faults, but I’m not lost,' then I cannot offer you a Savior. Jesus came to save the lost. If you say, 'I’m only human, of course, but I’m not a sinner,' then Christ did not come to save you. He came into this world to save sinners. If you say, 'I know that I have done plenty of wrong things, but I wouldn’t call myself ungodly,' then I’m afraid that Christ did not die for you. Scripture says that Christ died for the ungodly." -- Pastor Steven J. Cole

So it comes down to this, if you don't believe you're a sinner, then you've rejected Christ and His gift of salvation. You'll have to save yourself, which is impossible. For no one can live the perfect, sinless life that God demands of those who reject His Son. But "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Jesus is still seeking and saving the lost. Have you allowed yourself to be found? 

Rejoice and Blossom

 

"The wilderness and the desert will be glad, 

And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;" 

Isaiah 35:1

In Isaiah 34, the prophet tells of God's judgment against the nations. Afterward, in Isaiah 35, the Lord restores everything to a beautiful state. "This was true in the immediate term, when Judah was restored after the invasion of the Assyrians was turned back. It is true in the longer term, when modern day Israel has turned the wilderness and the wasteland into productive farms, and truly has made the desert . . . blossom as the rose. It will be true in the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, when God restores the ecology of the world after the end of the great tribulation and the battle of Armageddon (Isaiah 11:6-9)." -- Dave Gruzik. It's true in our individual lives, too. Until we receive Christ, we are barren under God's holy judgment. But after we accept  Christ as Savior, trusting in His work on the cross to save us, we are no longer condemned, and God restores us to the beauty He always intended. In this we rejoice and blossom!

Jonah's Prayer

"But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
While I was fainting away,
I remembered the LORD,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple." 

Jonah 2:6-7

In the  belly of the whale, Jonah cried out to the Lord. He was there because of his disobedience; because of his sin against God. Yet out of His love and grace, God delivered Jonah "from the pit." He didn't hold Jonah's sin against him, but regarded his sad state and gave him another chance. Jonah's humility moved God's heart. "Though we bring our afflictions upon ourselves by our sins, yet, if we pray in humility and godly sincerity, we shall be welcome to the throne of grace, as Jonah was." -- Matthew Henry