March 2010 Archives
Aware of His Presence
Nothing ushers me into the presence of God quicker than taking time to stop and remind myself that He is right beside me. No matter how hectic life gets or how tired I am, that awareness relaxes me as I feel His arms around me and I know that everything is going to be okay. It also makes me more determined to give Him the praise He deserves which is quite a bit of praise if you stop and think about it. If I spent all day every day praising Him, it would not be enough for His goodness to me.
Amid the hecticity of life, make sure that you have plenty of time for Him. Nothing is more important than periodic stops during the day to acknowledge the one who walks beside you every step that you take. No one likes to be ignored, and God is no exception. It’s so easy to talk to Him as you go about your day but it does take an element of discipline–well worth the effort I must add.
If you begin to feel out of sorts, think about how much one-on-one time you’ve spent with God today. If everything is going wrong, acknowledge God and repent for ignoring Him. He desires to help us if we will just ask and if we will look to Him continually, not just when we need something.
Partial Obedience is Not Obedience
“Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, ‘Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.’ But Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?’ And Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed.’ Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night.’ And he said to him, ‘Speak on.'” (1 Samuel 15:13-16).
As I read that passage, I find myself wondering what Saul’s real motive in sparing the sheep and oxen and King Agag. Was it so others could see his victory? Was he going to keep the animals for himself and turn Agag into a slave? Scripture doesn’t say but what is clear from this account is that Saul did not obey God. He tried to convince Samuel that he had since he’d obeyed part of God’s order but part was not enough. Because of one selfish act of disobedience, “the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:35). How sad.
Excuses seem to be part of our human nature. I’ve seen children try to convince parents that they really did carry out their instructions. Maybe they folded part of the laundry they were asked to or washed some of the dishes; however, part is not what they were asked to do. Their job was not finished. As children in the Lord, our tendency can be to make excuses. “Don’t worry, Lord, I’ll talk to that person next time.” “Sorry, Lord, I was just too tired today but I’ll do it next time.” As we grow in the Spirit, we can no longer make those excuses. If we desire to live in the Spirit, we must walk in the Spirit and that walk begins with having a heart that is willing to be totally obedient in all we’re asked to do. We may not always know God’s will but, once He makes His will clear to us, we must move forward accordingly.
As you come before the Lord today, I encourage you to examine your heart. Ask God to show you if there is anything you are not fully obeying Him in and be willing to surrender that area of your life. It will be hard at first but the fellowship you will share with Him afterward will be so worth it!
CD Review: “The Journey” (The Mattingly Family)
As the title implies, the latest release from The Mattingly Family is a journey from the birth of Christ through His death and resurrection to the commission He gave us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Songs on the project are: “Only God Could Think of That,” “O Holy Night,” “On My Father’s Side,” “He Saw It All,” “That Soul Was Mine,” “Resurrection Morn,” “Beyond the Cross,” “No One Else,” “I Will Trust You Lord,” “Should We Neglect the Cause?” “Wake the Town,” and it ends with “It is Well.” It is a very creative project with great songs to take you on this journey with Jim, Ruby, Ruth Ann, Jeremiah and Jonathan Mattingly.
They only sing the chorus of “Beyond the Cross” but they sing it a capella. “It is Well” is also sung a capella. Both are nice arrangements. I think they sum up the the CD when they ask, “Should we neglect the cause? Should we forget the lost and fail to point the sinner to the cross?” After all Christ has done for me, I do not want to fail Him in that.
Have a Good Day!
I hope your week is off to a good start. My brother and I were talking earlier about how you don’t always know what’s going to happen in a day. You may receive unexpected news–good or bad. Whether it’s the birth of a new life or the death of a love one, that news may affect your plans but it’s good to know that, no matter what happens, you are in God’s hands.
I think the unknown is part of what makes life interesting. Some days are routine and boring but a lot are exciting, at least in my life. Some days are full of pain and heartache but a lot are full of joy and gladness. It’s hard to prepare for every phone call and every turn of events but, if we stay close to Jesus and hold His hand, we will not be shaken. The winds may blow and the sea may become stormy but it will not take us overboard. The captain has made sure that all His passengers are safe and, because of that, I can always have a good day. I hope you will too.
Reach Out
When I’m down, I find the quickest way to lift my spirits is to reach out to others. It’s never my first thought during those times but when I realize that I am beginning to wallow in self-pity, the thing that pulls me out of that pit the quickest is when God brings someone to mind that I can send a note of encouragement to or someone else who is having a trying time that I can pray for. They may never know the struggle I’m having but God does and He also knows the cure.
This week, the Gospel Greats radio program announced that their most requested song in their recent listener call-in was “I’ll Pray for You” by the Whisnants. It seems like most people want to know that someone is really praying for them. If you can’t think of anything else encouraging but can honestly tell someone you’re praying for them, that may be all the encouragement they need to lift their spirits, and you will be lifted up as well due to your obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Don’t have pity parties. They are extremely lonely parties and can just send you deeper into depression. Commit to fighting the good fight and keep reaching out. As you do so, God will encourage you as you encourage others.
CD Review: Rescued (The Harris Family)
The latest release from The Harris Family is a mixture of uptempo traditional southern gospel songs with a couple that have more of a praise and worship feel. The group consists of Roger and Sue Harris and their daughter Kristen. Their sound reminds me a bit of The Galloways but they are definitely setting their own niche.
Sue Harris wrote “The God Who Will Provide,” “Will Anybody Love Me?,” “God is Enough,” and “It Doesn’t Matter.” Kristen wrote “He Came to Me” and “Don’t Be Afraid, Just Believe.”
Two familiar songs on the project are “Mighty to Save,” (the popular praise and worship song) and “Victory Road,” a song they brought in a bass singer to accompany them on. Other songs included are: “Testify,” “Get Out There,” and “That’s Just What Love Does.”
Reflections on Mary, the Mother of Jesus
“My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to His seed for ever” (Luke 1:46-55).
No wonder God loved Mary and chose her to be the mother of Jesus. Her quickness to testify of His goodness and to recognize this blessing as His mercy instead of her own Godliness must have been the perfect assurance that she truly was the best person to raise this sinless boy. Although at first she was startled and disbelieving, she quickly hit a point of surrender. “Be it unto me according to your word,” she said (Luke 1:38). Then she began to prepare herself to give birth to the Messiah.
I can’t imagine the thrill and fear that must have taken place simultaneously but she went on to fulfill God’s purposes and God gave her the grace she needed even when it came to watching her son die. If I could choose a lady to be like, Mary would probably be at the top of that list. What grace and unwavering faith. What an example to the rest of us!
The Blessing of a Hug
One thing I’ve discovered is that you can’t receive a hug without giving one in return. Well, I suppose you COULD but generally the tendency is to give one back in love and gratitude. A hug doesn’t cost a thing except a second or two of your time and yet it can be a source of tremendous encouragement to the recipient. It’s amazing how much comfort a hug can provide too. I wonder if that’s why God designed arms. With them, we can be stingy, selfish individuals, grasping for every worldly thing our eyes see, or we can be constantly reaching out to others and sharing with them the love God has for them.
Today would be a good day to hug someone as you pass by. Maybe tell them you love them in the process. You may not think much of it but it could be the thing that makes their day and puts a spring in their step. Maybe it will inspire the recipient of the hug to hug someone they pass and on and on it goes. Let’s not be stingy with our hugs. Giving a hug is one way we can be the arms of Jesus on this earth. I hope I don’t miss one opportunity to be just that.
Do You Pray For Others?
When you tell someone you’ll pray for them, do you really take the time to do so? I’m very selective who I ask to pray for me because often I don’t think people take prayer requests seriously. Maybe we get so used to hearing them that they go in one ear and out the other or maybe, since it’s not our trial, we don’t take it to heart as we would were we the ones going through that situation.
“Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). How many of us can truly say that we bear the burdens of others? I’ve seen even pastors not want to be burdened with the needs of others but I would put that in the category of “he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20).
Are you a person people can trust not to talk about them to anyone but God and yet to faithfully talk to Him about them? I encourage you today to think about those who have asked you to pray for them and take some time to do just that.
The All-Seeing God
The snow hasn’t quite melted but it was nice to be able to get out and walk again. I tend to go into hibernation for the winter but I look forward to the daffodils poking through the ground reminding me that spring is almost here.
The air was quite foggy as I walked down the lane but the presence of God was still there. “Where shall I go from Your Spirit?” asks the Psalmist. “Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in Hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Your hand lead me and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.’ Yea, the darkness hides not from you; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Psalm 139:7-12).
No matter where you are, God sees you. He loves you. He wants to dwell with you. He’s not limited as humans are. He is God. I was so thankful today that, even though I could barely see the sky, God saw me. What an awesome God we serve!
