Walk in the Light

John 8:12:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

It could be said that darkness is simply the result of the absence of light. Let's take a look at Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

We can see from the beginning of time that darkness existed because God had not yet created light. Before God's command, the earth was formless, empty, and dark, and once light was created, the darkness became separated from the light. Couldn't we say the same thing about us? Before we received God's gift of salvation, we were empty, perhaps always searching for something to fill us up, something to bring about fulfillment or happiness or peace. Our hearts were filled with the darkness of sin, maybe even shame, unforgiveness, regret. However, if we allow the light of the Lord to shine on us, if we accept His loving grace and salvation, we can walk in the "light of life," as the Scripture says.

My prayer today is to walk in the light of God's grace, peace, and mercy. I pray that He would shine His light on me, so that the reflection of His face can be seen! Have a de"light"ful day!

The Presence of Peace

Psalm 29:11:

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Being "at peace" is more than feeling "at peace." Feelings come and go; they fluctuate depending upon our circumstances, attitudes, and internal chemical reactions. However, the state of being at peace comes straight from God as this verse indicates. Is peace automatic for all Christians? Do Christians always feel at peace? No, but the more we seek His face, the more we seek after His will, the more we realize that every day is one day closer to eternity spent with Him, the Lord will bless us with His peace. I know it's very unlike me (ha ha), but this reminds me of an old Sandi Patty song I used to sing. Here is the chorus of this beautiful song:

In His Presence

In His presence there is comfort,
In His presence there is peace,
When we seek the Father's heart,
We will find such blessed assurance
In the presence of the Lord.

I hope that you have a blessedly peaceful day!

Philippians 4:19 says:

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

As I've pondered this verse this morning, I've been thinking how different earthly riches are from heavenly riches. Any earthly riches we can even imagine here on earth could not possibly compare to God's glorious riches He has in store for us as His children. But I believe that God does give us glimpses into those riches the more we spend time in His holy presence. An old favorite hymn comes to mind...

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His spirit, washed in His blood.

I love these words! Be assured that if you have professed Jesus as your Lord and Savior that He is indeed yours! You have been purchased with a price, reborn with a new spirit, and washed clean with His blood. And we can anticipate a glorious treasure beyond our wildest imaginations with overflowing riches to spend with Him for eternity! Have a blessed day!

I am Weak, But He is Strong

2 Corinthians 12:9 says:

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

I don't know about you, but there are days when I feel like I have more weaknesses than strengths. If I choose to focus on my weaknesses, it could really get me down. However, God continues to use me despite my weaknesses. In fact, this verse tells us that God actually uses our weaknesses to glorify Himself. I think He does this so that we can't boast in our own abilities, which could lead to pride and arrogance. Instead, when we recognize the hand of God in our lives, we can praise Him for the blessing of His provision and strength.

It appears that God is in the business of exchanging things. Weakness for strength, ashes for beauty, death for life. The list goes on and on. I'm so glad that I am weak, but He is strong!

A Humble Sprit

1 Peter 5:6 tells us:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Yesterday, I was helping my daughter with her homework. I don't remember now what the question was (I've slept since then!), but it had something to do with how she could show acts of humility at home. "What is humility?" she asked. That wasn't an easy concept to explain to an 11-year-old. "Humility," I began, "is the act of being humble." "What's humble?" she expectantly asked. I struggled a little bit with it. It was easier to give examples than to explain it with only a definition. Fortunately, the Bible gives us a lot of examples of humility. (See John 13, Luke 7:36-50, and Luke 10:25-37).

My favorie depiction, however, comes to us in this verse:

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)

What an amazing picture of how we could live humbly, every day, in a way that would glorify Him! My prayer today is that I could lovingly set an example for my child by denying myself, taking up His cross, and following my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, every day, with a humble spirit.

Rest

Matthew 11:28-29 says:

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

One of my most favorite things to do is take a nap. It's the most peaceful, relaxing part of my day. Yes, I am a daily nap-taker, I admit it. To me, there are few things more delightful than putting away your cares, to-do lists, and responsibilities for a short time to indulge in some much-deserved rest. Rest... according to God, it is a good thing, something that He gives us. Rest not just for our bodies, but for our souls, our minds, our spirits. If you haven't taken a nap in a while, have one today. Pray that God will take your weariness and troubles upon Him, so that you can find rest in Him. I'll see you when you wake up refreshed and renewed!

Fixing Your Eyes

2 Corinthians 4:18 says:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I am a maker of to-do lists. I have one everyday except Sunday. In fact, I have a weekly to-do list that I print out every Monday morning that tells me what I need to do on what days, and then I add to it things that are specific to that week. I look at this to-do list several times a day, and it gives me great pleasure to check something off the list. It may be something as simple as making the bed or it may be something more time consuming like taking care of the laundry. There may even be reminders for me to call someone or water the plants or pick up my daughter from school early on Mondays. And yes, I even have Bible study and prayer time listed. To-do lists help me to find some control and maybe even security in my life.

So why, even with everything completed on my to-do list, do I still sometimes lack a total sense of peace? Does the Bible say that we will find peace in our activities, accomplishments, or met goals? Of course not. It tells us that we will find peace in the Peacemaker, the giver of Peace, the Prince of Peace, and that could only mean Jesus Christ Himself!

As usual, this scripture reminds of me an an old hymn that I will include here. I pray that as I type the words and as you read the words, you willl allow the Giver of Peace to engulf you in His arms today.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace!

Have a blessed day!

Inexpressible, Glorious Joy

1 Peter 1:8 tells us:

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy...

I used to confuse happiness and joy, thinking that they basically meant the same thing. Now, I attribute happiness as just a reaction to our circumstances. I am happy when my daughter brings home a good report card. I am happy when my cat jumps in my lap just to give me a hug. I am happy when my husband sends me a text message that simply says "I love you."

Joy, however, comes from a much deeper place hidden within. I believe that true joy can only come from a close walk with my Lord and Savior. It doesn't come from riches or good health or the blessings of life; it comes from an inner peace and knowledge that God sent His only Son, Jesus to become sin on my behalf. That the One who created the universe took painstaking measures to save me from my sinfulness. That He loved me enough to sacrifice His greatest treasure, the human form of His Son.

My prayer today is that I would draw close to Jesus, that I would give of myself totally and completely to Him and His will, and that He would fill me with His inexpressible, glorious joy!

Putting Fear in its Place

Proverbs 29:25 says:

Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

OK, I admit it. I have the fear of displeasing people. I was born with the people-pleasing gene. In other words, I don't think it's something I consciously seek out to do everyday; it's just part of who I am. People-pleasing people are some of the nicest people you know. They're the ones that take on extra work because they can't say no (out of fear of displeasing someone). They also always tend to agree with at least some part of every argument (again, for fear of someone thinking badly of them, which would lead to them being displeased). Some of you are reading this, thinking that you know someone like this or that maybe even you are that person! I have learned that the fear of displeasing others puts you in bondage to them, because they become your primary focus instead of God. So my prayer today for myself and others like me is that we would seek to please God, putting Him as our primary focus for everything we do. This is where He belongs and nothing else. For He alone deserves this honor.

If Grace is an Ocean...

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

God's grace is sufficient. It's abundant and overflowing. And it's all we will ever need. One of my favorite lines from a song says, "If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking." I don't know about you, but I desire to be sinking in an ocean of God's amazing grace. Not simply, sticking my feet in it to cool myself off. Not using my hands to drink it up to quest my thirst. Not using it to sail from one place to another. Not even just floating on top of it, waiting for the waves to carry me. Sinking! I want to be sinking in God's grace. Lord, please hear my prayer! Fill me up with Your grace, so that all I can do is sink into your ocean!

We Will Not Be Shaken!

Hebrews 12:28-29 tells us:

28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire."

Wow! So many thoughts come to mind with this passage. Mostly, it reminds me that ultimately, we belong to God's Kingdom, and God's Kingdom is all-powerful, almighty, strong, and completely unshakable... unlike the current "kingdom" we live in, which sometimes appears to be crumbling underneath us. But we know that God is still on His throne regardless of the "shakiness" of our world. So, what should our reaction be? Only to worship God acceptably with reverence and awe! Let me end with some song lyrics from Matt Redman.

We Will Not Be Shaken

When everything's breaking
You are left unshaken
When everything's tumbling down
You're the solid ground
Nations could be quaking
Economies failing
When fear is found all around
You're the solid ground

Our God, You are all that You say You are
You never change, You never fail, You never fade
Our God, You are faithful in all Your ways
Forever You stand, forever You reign, forever remain
And we shall not be shaken

We shall, we shall not be shaken
We shall, we shall not be shaken
When all around is sinking sand
For You are, You are never changing
You are, You are never changing
You will stand, the Great I Am

Have a wonderful day, knowing that God is still on his Throne!

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

One of my favorite old hymns is "Great is Thy Faithfulness," so it's fitting that the scripture I came upon this morning seems to be what inspired this hymn written in 1923. Here is the first verse and chorus:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Isn't it awesome to know that while the world continuously changes around us, maybe the people in our lives, society as a whole, our government, relationships, situations, jobs, etc... that the God of the Universe who has existed forever and always continues to remain the same... full of COMPASSION and MERCY. Thank You, Lord, for your continued faithfulness to Your children!

Strength to the Weary

Isaiah 40:29-31 says:

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

To me, there are several key words in this passage of scripture. Strength, power, hope, renew, soar, run, walk! These are powerful promises given to us directly from God Himself. I would choose strength, power, and renewal over weariness, weakness, and tiredness any day. And yet, when I do not present my requests to God through prayer with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6), I am choosing weariness, weakness, and tiredness. Today, I choose to hope in the Lord, and I will wait for Him to give me strength, power, and renewal, and I will be ready when He calls me to soar on wings like eagles!