"Love the Lord our God with all your heart...soul...strength" - Deu. 6:5

When I was growing up, I knew about God.  That suited me just fine - I lived most of my days, until about 30, settling for "a little bit of God".  But then I read John Stott's BASIC CHRISTIANITY and I learned what it meant to surrender all of me.  My life changed at that point because the Lord began to shape - from the inside out - my attitudes, my habits, my behavior, my relationships and much more.

Toby Mac in his song "Steal My Show" talks about what he says to the Lord before a concert:

"If you wanna steal my show

I'll sit back and watch you go;

if you got somethin to say

go on and take it away."

 

To love the Lord with everything we have means to give Him the reigns, to let Him lead, to surrender our selfish ways, and to let Him receive ALL the glory.  It means what Jesus said in Luke 9:

 

"If anyone would come after me, he must

deny himself and take up his cross daily

and follow me."

 

Anything else we love more than Him is a worthless idol.  I'm singing with Toby Mac - it's His show anyway!

 

For further study:  Joshua 22:5, Psalm 42:1, Jeremiah 31:33, Matthew 22:34-40, Luke 7:36-50, Luke 9:23-24, John 14:15, Phillippians 1:9, 1 Peter 2:11.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly





"Amen, Lord" - Jeremiah 11:5

The prophet Jeremiah was called to be a "prophet to the nations" (Chap. 1) - it was not going to be an easy assignment because much of God's word to him was of destruction and doom for the nation he loved.  Jeremiah felt woefully inadequate (v. 6), but the Lord gave him confidence and he only had to rely on His wisdom and strength.

In our verse today, Jeremiah once again had to "reenlist" and urge his people to remember the terms of their covenant which was to obey their God who had delivered them.  The Lord said to him basically: tell them again.  Jeremiah said "Amen, Lord" - he said yes.

I'm reading KISSES FROM KATIE by Katie Davis about her journey to become a missionary in Uganda.  She was not even finished with high school when she knew she was to go serve the children of this country.  Her parents were not convinced - they had other plans for her that were much safer.  She said:

              "I would like to say that my ministry was born out of a carefully thought out
               plan.  But that simply isn't true.  I was walking through life one moment at a
               time blown away by what God could do through me if I simply said yes."

She is now the "mommy" to 14 Ugandan children and teaches and feeds many more.  She can't imagine anything that would bring her greater joy or meaning, than her current assignment.

What are the things you say yes to?  Are they meaningful?  Trivial?  Selfish?  Worldly?  Eternal? God-ordained? Spiritually influential?  Generous?  There are idols in our lives that need to be destroyed...idols that are causing us (me!) to waste the precious time and gifts God has given us to serve Him.  Jeremiah said "Amen, Lord" and set about to obey.  What do you need to say yes to today?

For further study:  Deuteronomy 6:3, Psalm 119:34, Isaiah 43:10, Jonah 2:8, Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:23, Romans 6:16, 1 John 5:3-4, 2 John 6.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

"This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad!" - Psalm 118:24

This was on Facebook this morning:



"Ever wonder what might happen if you used your Bible

as often as you use your cellphone?"



Our verse today is one of those life-giving exhortations to recognize what a gift today is and to respond appropriately. 

In 4th Grade Sunday School (yes, I'm still in 4th Grade!!) this past weekend, our lesson was on Paul and Silas singing hymns and praising God even after being beaten and thrown in prison (Acts 16:16-40).  Our table activity was to make a "JOY" folder and put scriptures in it that talk about joy.  Joy is possible even when the circumstances of our lives are not good.

I recently read about Lauren Scruggs, a young fashion blogger from Dallas, who lost an eye and an arm in a propeller accident.  Listen to one of her recent "tweets":

"Humbled and thankful to share the journey

God has chosen 4 me.  Hope it helps others learn,

as I have, that He is enough."

John Piper says: "God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life."  Not just when everything is going our way!  As believers, we have been given the Holy Spirit to indwell us and to produce His fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) If we're not producing it, guess who makes that decision?  Does anyone else need a JOY folder?

For further study:  Psalm 86:1, Psalm 100:2, Psalm 107:22, Habakkuk 3:18, Matthew 5:12, Romans 12:12, Philippians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:16, James 1:2.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

"Create in me a pure heart, O God" - Psalm 51:10

It's Monday morning and I'm thrilled to return to my sewing room.  There's just one problem:  I can't find what I'm looking for on my sewing table because it's such a mess!  Sometimes we make poor choices because we don't take the time to purify (clean) our work spaces...or our hearts!

David, in Psalm 51, was very aware of his moral failure (v. 3) with Bathsheba and he knew some cleaning was necessary; and he knew who the Cleanser was.  Confession was necessary before he could go one step further.  The great news is that after confession and cleansing, he was ready to share what he had learned with other transgressors (v. 13).  Read 2 Samuel 11-12 to see how easily David fell into such an awful pattern of sin.  The "lust of the heart" is a very dangerous thing and we must daily stay in prayer and God's word to keep from making the same wrong choices.  Joe Stowell says:

                  "Drift is inevitable unless we monitor our hearts daily staying
                  close to Jesus and obedient to his voice."

Drift is exactly what the enemy wants in our lives.  The last thing he wants is for us to stand firm on Biblical principles...telling others what we know to be true!  Is there anything you need to clean out?

For further study:  Leviticus 16:30, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Kings 3:12, 1 Chronicles 28:9,  Psalm 66:18, Psalm 119:11, Psalm 139:23-24, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45, 1 John 1:9

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

"Stand firm in the Lord" - Philippians 4:1

Paul - with tears in his eyes - in the preceding verses of Chapter 3 was exhorting genuine believers to not live as enemies of the cross of Christ whose minds were on earthly things.  In 4:1, he pleads with them to "stand firm in the Lord" and live responsible Christian lives.  If we stand firm in anything else, we are doomed to failure.

While watching the 2012 Summer Olympics, I have realized how hard it is to "stand firm", especially in the gymnastics competition.  The term "stick" is used when you can firmly plant your feet without an extra step - especially to either side.  I take a alot of extra steps - I call them distractions and they get me off course...of course I LET them get me off course.  To stand firm is to stay focused and do exactly what is right.

Peter, in Matthew 14:28-31, gave us a perfect example of veering off course.  He was firmly planted - even on the water - as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus.  But the minute he focused somewhere else, down he went!

So how do we "stick"?  By focusing on God's word, being diligent in prayer and Bible study and saying no to the things that lead us astray.  I know what those things are in my life, and when I entertain them or allow them into my day, down I go!

For further study:  Exodus 14:13-14, Psalm 40:2, Isaiah 30:21, Matthew 10:22, John 15:5, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Ephesians 6:11-18, 2 Thes. 2:15, James 5:8, 1 Peter 5:8-9.

Be blesssed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

Cast your cares on the Lord - Psalm 55:22

"No strength of our own nor goodness we claim

Our trust is all thrown on Jesus' dear name.

In this our strong tower for safety we hide

The Lord is our power; the Lord will provide."

                                                                                                 John Newton

John Newton's hymn gives us the perfect picture of what it means to "cast" your problems, concerns, anxieties,  etc. on the Lord.  You throw them out - not bringing them back - with the hope of a sure return.  I recently watched a fisherman cast out his line - he wasn't just doing it for sport, he was hoping for dinner!

When we trust our good God with our hopes and our fears, He assures us in His word He is able to handle them because of His awesome and limitless power and His great love for us.  Why do we turn to so many other sources with our cares?  Why do we go over and over them...grazing on them as if they were grass for a cow. David in Psalm 73 knew God would hear him and rescue him. 

Do you really believe God is sufficient?   Do you really believe He cares for you?  Just as the fisherman threw out his line, let us "cast our cares on the Lord".   He is just waiting for us to ask!

For further study:  Psalm 8:1-4, 18:19, 20:7; Isaiah 30:18, Naham 1:7, John 21:1-6, Romans 15:13, 1 Timothy 6:17, Hebrews 2:6, 1 Peter 5:7.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word!

Love,

Holly



God is the strength of my heart... - Psalm 73:26

My brother-in-law is struggling with some potentially-serious heart issues.  The result is breathing difficulty, fluid buildup, weight loss, fatigue, weakness and pain.  A heart that is not healthy produces symptoms that need to be corrected.

What about a healthy heart?  How does one get a healthy heart?  God promises to completely change our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26)...to give us a heart of flesh from a heart of stone.  Only His indwelling Spirit can do the strengthening.  Our psalmist knew both kinds of hearts.  In v. 21-22, when his heart was grieved (unhealthy), his spirit was bitter (unhealthy) and he was senseless and ignorant (unhealthy).   But - good news! - v. 26 says: "...my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart...".  Oddly enough, the psalmist began to understand his issues when he "entered the sanctuary of God" (v. 17).

When God is the strength of my heart, some of my characteristics are being:

--loving (1 John 4:7)
--merciful (Micah 6:8)
--peaceloving (1 Cor. 7:15)
--humble (1 Peter 5:6)
--content (Hebrews 13:5)
--a servant (1 Peter 4:10)
--grateful (Hebrews 12:28-29)

Henri Nouwen says through Jesus, we are God's beloved, just like when God said of him "you are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you" (Mark 1:10-11).  Nouwen says:

                          "...he is being sent into the world so that
                           through him all people will discover and
                           claim their own belovedness."

Are you claiming your belovedness by allowing God to be the strength of your heart?  Spend time with Him in prayer and His word, and see if your heart doesn't grow stronger!

For further study:  Exodus 15:2, 2 Samuel 22:33, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Psalm 28:7, Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 3:16, Philippians 4:13

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word!

Love,
Holly