I Owe Him At Least That Much

O Lord, You are my God;  I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;  For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. (Isaiah 25:1 NASB)

God deserves my praise.  I can't speak about His faithfulness to you, but I know He has never failed me!  Even in His silence I have received what I need at the perfect time in my life.  He's a wonder in my soul.  He created the plans for my life before mankind ever existed.  He knew my name at the beginning of time.

How could I not serve a God like Yahweh?  He deserves so much more than I am capable of giving.  I don't have the means to offer the sacrifices of which He is worthy, but I have me.  I'm not much on my own, but covered by the blood of Jesus, I can offer my life in service to the Lord.

I am humbled that God would continue to bless me and grant me His favor, when I have only this shabby offering of myself.  I must live a life of holiness, pleasing to the Lord my God.  Although I will never be worthy of His unfailing love, I can do what He's asked of me.  That is my reasonable service, and I owe Him at least that much.

The Secret to Peace

Sometimes we make things harder on ourselves because we are attempting to please people, rather than the LORD.  Unrealistic expectations that people place on us have nothing to do with our God-given purpose in life.  Maturity demands that we follow God’s direction for our lives, and let the crowds go their own way. 

What God has placed in you to do may not make sense to the crowds.  Even the religious crowds may be against you.  Perhaps last season you walked with those same crowds, but God has called you to a different route.  We are all on a journey, and my journey may not look like yours.  My destiny requires a different skill set than yours.  I need experiences that will develop the character traits that I need to fulfill my purpose.

No one has better plans for my life than my heavenly father.  He alone knows what it’s going to take for me to get from point A to point B in Him.  I have to trust Him and obey Him, even when people don’t understand.  When I deviate from God’s plan and do what people expect, frustration, discouragement, confusion and mayhem overtake me.  God gives a peace that passes all understanding, and I prefer that peace over the expectations of man any day.

He's There

Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there;  If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn,  If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me,  And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalms 139:7-10 NASB)

I find it very comforting to know that God is always there.  Even when I feel deserted or abandoned, He is still there.  Even when I cannot feel Him near, He is there.  During a brutal assault from the enemy, God is there.  He will never leave us alone.  I know I said the same thing last week, but I need to remind myself all the more that God is here with me.

I can count all my trials and temptations as joy because I know God is about to turn this thing around in my life.  He had to test me, to try my faith in Him.  He had to know He could trust me to trust Him.  When it comes right down to it, I wouldn't trade anything for my journey.  I wouldn't know God like I do if I never went through anything.  I give thanks in everything I go through because I know God is building character in me.

God is molding me into the me I need to be for the next level of glory.  As He grows my faith, I can be trusted to carry out His assignments His way.  Things won't have to be logical for me to obey His commands.  Even when I'm weary, I will follow Him.  Even when I can't figure out how it's gonna work out, I will trust Him.  He will always be with me.

Never Alone!

Hebrews 13:5b (NASB) …for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

Every now and then, I just need a reminder that God is with me.  Today was obviously one of those days because I woke up with the old hymn “Never Alone” on my heart, and I’ve been singing it all day.  He PROMISED never to leave me, never to leave me alone!  God’s promises are better than our greatest plans.  No matter what I’m going through, God is with me.

Psalm 23:4 is also a wonderful comfort when I am feeling abandoned and left to wade through dire circumstances. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (NASB)  I don’t have to be afraid because the LORD is with me.  Even in the midst of evil, God’s correction and protection are my safety.

Where can I flee from God’s presence?  Psalm 139 answers that for me.  If I ascend to heaven or make my bed in hell, God is there.  God is always there.  The question really isn’t about God’s presence, but rather my acknowledgement of His promises.  If He said He would never leave me nor forsake me, then I should believe Him.  If God told me to cast my cares on Him because He cares for me, then I should do just that.  I need to take God at His Word, rest on His promises, and take comfort in His presence.  “No, never alone; no, never alone. He promised never to leave me; never to leave me alone!”