Honor Him for Honoring You!

Psalm 8 (NLT)

1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
    Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
    to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
    and all who oppose you.

3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents.

9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Just take some time to meditate on this song. God has given us a place of honor in His creation, and we have squandered it. What can we do to bring honor to Him with our lives?

Such Were Some of You

1 Corinthians 6:11(NASB) Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

 

Don’t forget where you came from. The same grace that found you in the pit can lift someone else up out of their pit. All the self-righteous, religious babble in the world won’t change the fact that you didn’t save yourself.  As a matter of fact, the Bible speaks of our righteousness being as filthy rags in God’s presence (Isaiah 64:6). In and of ourselves we are less than worthless, so what gives us the right to turn our noses up and look down them at someone still in his struggle?

 

We sometimes need to remind ourselves that we are in need of God’s grace everyday just like the next person. What separates us from the sinner is solely our acceptance of the everlasting life that Jesus Christ offers. We cannot earn salvation, nor will we ever be worthy of it on our own. Maybe you aren’t a drug addict, but you’re a liar. Maybe you aren’t a prostitute, but you like pornography. Truth be told, we all struggle with something at some point in our lives – even when we are saved.

 

If you think about the grace it took for God to look past your faults, you would be more willing to offer grace to the people with whom you come into contact every day. I often say that it isn’t so much about what Jesus would do, but it’s about what He DID do. His gift is available to everyone who will receive it. That means you, me, and the world. We were no better than what we would consider the worst sinner when Christ’s love found us. We owe the Lord praise for rescuing us, and we owe our fellow man grace because we’ve been rescued.

I Will Not Be Shaken

Psalm 16:8 (NASB) I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

I tend to worry about things over which I have absolutely no control. What does my worry accomplish? Nothing. There are situations in life that we are helpless to change, but if we keep our eyes on the Lord, we can get through them. There is nothing that catches God by surprise. He is using all of my experiences, good and bad, to shape me into the woman He wants to use.

 

When I am facing my Goliath, I can stand sure-footed and courageous because God is with me. I don’t have to tremble before my circumstances because I have set the Lord before me. He stands in between me and everything that would destroy me. I get weak, I admit. Sometimes I may have a melt-down or two, but then I remember that mountains melt like wax before my God! The same God who stilled the sun in the sky for Joshua will never forsake me.

 

No matter what comes my way, God is already there. His plan for me is perfect, although some of the pieces might baffle me. He makes use of every disappointment, every hurt, every obstacle, and every tear to draw me closer to my destiny in Christ. Nothing I experience is worthless. If I change my perspective to see God working (set the Lord continually before me), I will not be shaken.

Life is Fleeting

Psalm 39:4-5 (NLT)

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
    Remind me that my days are numbered—
    how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
    My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
    at best, each of us is but a breath.”

On any given day we may feel anywhere from vulnerable to invincible. Nonetheless, those feelings are temporary. Anytime we focus on what we do not, cannot, and will never control, we are wasting what precious little time we have. Sometimes we need a reminder that life is just too short.  Our days are numbered by God; He’s the only one who knows how many we have left.

Happiness is a choice. You have to choose to rejoice in the day that the Lord has made. Focus on those things that matter in eternity, not those temporal frustrations of life. Things are going to happen in this life that upset us, but how we react to those things is something we can control. Let’s not ruin our days with negativity. When you wake up in the morning, know that God has a purpose for your life that day.

Learn to thank God throughout all the ups and downs because He has a greater perspective of your life than you ever could. He sees the whole thing in an instant – beginning to end. He knows what it’s going to take to get you through it. The lessons you learn today will help you tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day…until the end. Take it all in stride, trust God, and know that it won’t last always.