Act justly, love mercy, walk with God - Micah 6:8

During a dinner with friends last week, this question came up:

Can you really know and do God's will?

 

Don and I were able to share times when we didn't understand why, but we knew God was directing us.  Sometimes we were directed by wise counselors, sometimes by His word, sometimes in prayer, but always with faith resulting in obedience to what we believed He was directing us to do.  In our Precept study this week on Covenant, we understand that when we believe, our responsibility is to act in faith which results in obedience.  By the way, it also results in blessing!  And peace!  And rest!  And His pleasure!

 

Micah, the prophet, was trying to answer a question with a question about what true religion was.  The questioner wanted to believe if they sacrificed enough that would be their ticket.  Micah reminded the people God had already shown the Israelites through history what was required...they didn't need a new revelation as much as they needed to obey what He had already told them.

 

Don has preached many times that 90% of God's will for us - those in covenant relationship with Him - is known to us in His word.  We just want something else - more current, more fun, who knows why we want something else!  Listen to Oswald Chambers (6/3):

 

If we are saved and sanctified God guides us by our ordinary choices,

and if we are going to choose what He does not want, He will check, and

we must heed.  Whenever there is doubt, stop at once.  Never reason it out

and say --'I wonder why I shouldn't?'  God instructs us in what we choose,

that is, He guides our common sense, and we no longer hinder His

Spirit by continuallly saying-- 'Now, Lord, what is Thy will?'.

 

Micah reminds us to simply --

--Act justly -- be honest and fair in all things

--Love mercy -- do more than is required; be kind even when it's not easy

--Walk humbly with God - keep in step with Him; know Him and His word and act on it;

    keep Him as your focus and do not allow the world to tell you you are the boss!

 

Yes you can know and do God's will.  He has given you His Spirit to show you how.  Who are you walking with today?

 

For further study:  Psalm 40:6-8; Psalm 143:8-10, Matthew 6:9-13 and 26:39, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 5:17, Philippians 2:12-13, James 4:13-17, 1 John 5:13-15

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly





Blessed are all who wait for the Lord - Isaiah 30:18

Of all the promises in the Bible, I find this one of the most comforting.  Waiting is not easy, but it is something you have to believe in...implicit in this promise is the faith of the one waiting...faith that the Lord will do the blessing...however that blessing looks.  I had a computer glitch this week...all my Word documents changed so that I could only open them by purchasing a new program...3 years of Word documents!  I got on a virtual chat with someone at Microsoft and she said it had happened within Microsoft and she could fix it, but she would have to "enter" my computer.  With some fear and trepidation, I allowed her "in" and the cursor began moving around as she did her work. I sat back and watched it happen! Well, lo and behold, it worked!  I had to be patient and trusting that she was who she said she was and that she would "bless" me with success!  If we will wait, the Lord who created us will "move our cursor around" and bless us!!  What a promise...in my own words, of course. 

There is a wonderful hymn "There Shall Be Showers of Blessing" written by Daniel Whittle.  Not "There Might be Showers..." but the promise that there "shall be"!  In THEN SINGS MY SOUL by Robert Morgan, he tells a story of a pilot whose plane was shot down in Vietnam and he was taken to a concentration camp.  In that camp, of course, he was deprived of all spiritual books or resources, so he reached deep into his soul for months bringing up the hymns he learned from childhood.  One night it started pouring rain and with the darkness all around him, he sang:

Showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need!

Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead.

 

He wrote: "All this talk of Scripture and hymns may seem boring to some, but it was the way we conquered our enemy and overcame the power of death around us."  He lived to write a book of his experiences and we can live to tell of the blessings in our lives.  I love to tell people in the midst of trials: "watch for the blessings".  I have been there and the promises of God are true...He will bless if we will wait for him.

 

For further study:  Numbers 6:24, 2 Sam. 3:18, Psalm 1:1, 2:12, 84:5, Ezekiel 34:26, Luke 12:35-48, 2 Cor. 12:9, 2 Tim. 4:16, Titus 2:13, James 1:12

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

It is good to praise the Lord - Psalm 92:1

STREAMS IN THE DESERT has a story attributed to Henry W. Frost of his being in a very dark place after receiving some bad news from home while away in China.  He prayed and tried to force himself into a better place but the "shadows only deepened".  He then tells of entering a missionary's home and seeing these words on the wall: "Try giving thanks".  He says, "so I did and in a moment every shadow was gone, never to return."  I realize this doesn't always happen, but it is a very good attitude to try.

You could substitute the word "bless" or "thank" for the word "praise"...they all come from the same root.  The psalmist was reminding us that it  is a good thing to say thanks to the Lord...good, because the Lord longs to hear that from us; good, because we will be the ones blessed when we do; good, because others will be helped when we do; good, because it will have a beneficial effect not only in our own lives, but in others' as well, and most especially good, because He is worthy of praise!

My favorite new Christian song is "This is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham.  Listen...

This is amazing grace; this is unfailing love

That you would take my place, that You would bear my cross

You laid down your life that I would be set free

Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me.

 

Between last week and this I week I'm doing a lot of singing...you should try it...it might work for you!

 

For further study:  Deu. 32:3, 1 Chron. 29:10-13, Psalm 1:1, 147:1, 150:6, 1 Thes. 5:18, Hebrews 13:15, James 5:13

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Sing from your heart...GIVE THANKS to God in all things - Eph. 5:19-20

I don't know about you...but when my circumstances are not good, neither is my song or my thanksgiving!  But our sweet friend, Paul, who was likely in prison in Rome when he wrote this, as usual, astounds us at his ability to praise his God in all circumstances!  He was writing to the believers in Ephesus and they were likely in better conditions than he was.

However, Paul was very clear in this chapter that he wanted them to live well...and to walk worthy of their relationship with the Lord.  In this particular passage, he was specifically talking about not being drunk on wine, but rather being "filled with the Spirit".  Singing and saying thanks, therefore, according to Paul, comes from being filled with the Spirit...it is not contrived or forced, but comes from a heart where joy dwells...that which is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  Did you know
Proverbs 27:21 says: "...people are tested by their praise"?  If you took that test today, what would your grade be?  Is there a song and a word of thanksgiving coming out of my heart today, or is there some filling that needs to take place?  Am I grumbling about what is not going right in my life or praise because God knows the way that I take?  Am I spending more time thinking about the world or about the Lord?

Listen to Chris Tomlin:

How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King and it makes

my heart want to sing.

 

What song are you singing today?  We are given a priceless opportunity to be loved by the King...let's have our praise and thanksgiving be loud toward heaven.  He hears, you know.

 

For further study:  Deu. 32:1-4, 1 Sam. 16:7, 1 Chron. 16:25, Ps. 19:14, 30:4, 89:1, 101:1, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 12:34, Acts 16:25, Col. 3:16-17.

 

Be blesssed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Stand firm in the Lord - Phil. 4:1

It's easier to be the crowd

to just fit in and not stand out at all,

to make a case for apathy

and never risk a thing in case you fall.

This is life and we all decide

the stand we take and this is mine:

that I am not ashamed, won't walk away

not trying to disguise or ever hide

the reason that I choose to be a fool

for the one who saved my life.

I won't apologize.

 

"All In" by Stellar Kart

 

In today's paper is a picture of former President George H.W. Bush with a shaved head...he was "standing" with a young 2 year old cancer patient, one of his Secret Service agent's child.  A dear picture of standing in support of someone or something.  The word in today's verse for stand is steko, meaning to be stationary or to persevere...as Stellar Kart says in the above lyrics "to be all in".

 

We all live by certain standards...we have rules or principles that are used for our basis of judgment.  Some standards are higher than others, some are just different than others.  As a follower of Christ, I choose to abide by the standards He set forth in His word...I love the freedom that comes from knowing what I believe, from seeing it, being guided in it and understanding it.  Eugene Peterson in his book TRAVELING LIGHT says:

 

Taking a stand fights driftng with the tide.

Taking a stand contrasts with being carried and coddled by

the culture.  Taking a stand means standing on our own two feet.

 

Our culture wants us to be "forward thinking"...as if that is better.  I'm sad to say our beloved city of

San Antonio is considering an ordinance that would prevent anyone being appointed to a city position if they have "...engaged in any discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed, against any person, group or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age or disability."  My goodness...that's quite a statement!

My "bias" is toward Biblical truth...that is where I stand and that is where my Savior has told me to stand.   Some days are easier than others, but my Lord tells me He will always go where He sends me. 

 

Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  In our verse for today, he pleads again for his brothers and sisters to stand together to be of the same mind in the Lord.  The world would have us go wherever the shift in moral and values chooses to take us.  I will not go with them...I will fight with every fiber of my being to "stand firm in the Lord" and His principles.

 

If we have to stand for something, let us do what Jeremiah said in 6:16:  "Stand by the road, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."

"Forward thinking" isn't necessarily the best thinking. I choose to be "a fool for the one who saved my life." If you are a follower of Christ, be prepared to share with others what "the good way is"...let us not leave behind the "ancient paths" or the faith of our fathers.

 

For further study:  Exodus 14:13-14,  2 Chron. 20:17, Psalm 18:33,  Psalm 40:2, Psalm 119:120,

Ezekiel 22:30, Matthew 12:25, 1 Cor. 15:58, Eph 6:14, 2 Thes. 2:15, James 5:8, 1 Peter 5:8-12.

 

This is my 100th blog and how grateful I am to the Lord for this privilege!  Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



The Lord will never leave you - Deu. 31:6

"Never alone, never alone

I'll be in every beat of your heart when you face the unknown.

Wherever you fly,  this isn't goodbye

My love will follow you, stay with you, baby,

you're never alone"

Jim Brinkman with Lady Antebellum

 

One of the sweetest moments of my whole life was dancing with our oldest son this past March at his wedding to our sweet Caroline Bailey.  He chose the above song and happily I wept when I first heard it so I could just delight in the dance when the time came (see below picture with him singing to me!).

 

 

The real truth is that God is the one who will never leave us alone...His love goes with us wherever we go.  Our verse today is said by Moses as he spoke to the people of Israel, as he was about to give over the leadership to Joshua.  Later, in Joshua 1, the Lord spoke similar words to Joshua, giving him courage to lead the people into the Promised Land.

 

When we are followers of Christ, His Spirit indwells us giving us power to think and do all that is right and good.  In the storms, in the struggles, in the conflict,  in the discouragement...all of these places He goes with us.  Max Lucado in TRAVELING LIGHT talks about being lonely and the things we do to satisfy our lonliness...often dangerous and destructive things.  This is what he says:

 

Why do we do it?  Because we fear facing life alone.  For fear of

not fitting in, we take the drugs.  For fear of standing out, we wear

the clothes.  For fear of appearing small, we go into debt and

buy the house.  For fear of sleeping alone, we sleep with anyone.  For fear

of not being loved, we search for love in all the wrong places.  But

all that changes when we discover God's perfect love.  You are not alone!

 

How about you...will you call upon the One who goes with you wherever you go?  See if He isn't just the perfect companion for your day!

 

For further study:  Psalm 23:4, 48:14, 121:5-8, 139:1-10, 145:18, Isaiah 52:12, Isaiah 58:11, Jeremiah 31:3,  John 14:16, John 15:4, 1 Thes. 4:17, Hebrews 13:5.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



Be STRONG and take HEART, WAIT for the Lord - Ps. 27:14

Do you know there are different kinds of "waiting"?  I remember waiting for the birth of our children - painful at times.  I remember waiting for the surgeon to come out after suspecting cancer in my husband - pure dread.  I remember waiting for the marriage of our boys - pure joy.  The waiting our psalmist, David, often talks about in his writings is a different kind of waiting.  The Hebrew word is qavah meaning to "wait expectantly and hopefully".  A clue for us is in Ps. 27:13 where he says:  "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living".  His waiting had no fear, anxiety or dread.  His was confidence in his Lord which inspired his hope.

Andrew Murray in WAITING ON GOD says:

"...when we set ourselves to wait on God

we ought beforehand to resolve that it shall

be with the most confident expectation of

God's meeting and blessing us.  We ought to make

 up our our minds to this, that nothing was ever so

sure, as that waiting on God will bring us untold

and unexpected blessing."

 

When we resolve to do that, our faith is strengthened and that's when the power of the Holy Spirit begins its work.  I was at the gym this week, and even when my body was tired, Toby Mac began singing in my Ipod which caused me to not even think about my tired body.  All of a sudden, an unknown force began to cause me to soar and to revel in my work knowing what I was doing was a good thing...and in fact it was pretty easy and fun when that force took over!

 

That's what the Spirit does in us...gives us power to think and to do all that He plans (2 Tim. 1:7).  Think about what you are waiting for today..."Be strong and take heart and WAIT for the Lord".  How can you have that confidence and hope?  Know God and know His word.  Delve in today...no time like the present to start!  I can remember as a new pastor's wife learning to do Bible study and being absolutely amazed at how the Holy Spirit led me to truth (John 16:13)...my brain had never done very well in learning until the Spirit began to teach me.   Oh, friend, let Him be your strength! 

 

For further study:  Ex. 15:2, Psalm 40:1, Psalm 130:5, Isaiah 8:17, Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 40:30-31, Lamentations 3:24-26, Romans 8:23-25, 2 Cor. 3:4-5, Titus 2:11-14

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly