Category Archives: God’s Promises

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 11, 2014

Posted under

God's Grace & Love, God's Promises

HE IS MINE!

The Lord is my shepherd. I am never in need. [Psalm 23:1 (GW)]

What confidence David shows in the 23rd psalm; what confidence this psalm gives me. Note that he used the pronouns “me,” “my” and “I” instead of “you,” “our” and “us.” While sharing is nice, we all want to have someone or something that is truly just our own. Psalm 23 tells me that I do: the Lord is my shepherd. He is my very own personal shepherd who will feed me, guide me, and provide me with everything I need! He refreshes, restores, revives and reassures me. He both shields and comforts me. I dwell in him and He in me; He is mine and I am his! He cares for me as if I were the only lamb in His flock. We’re all His sheep, but He knows each of us by name. He is the personal shepherd for each one and every one of us.

Thank you, God, for loving me as if I were your favorite lamb, the one most precious in your sight. Thank you, God, for loving everyone else the very same way!

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me. My sheep know me as I know the Father. So I give my life for my sheep. [John 10:14-15 (GW)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 5, 2014

Posted under

God's Promises, Trusting God

THE LORD IS WITH YOU

Gabriel appeared to her [Mary] and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” [Luke 1:28 (NLT)]

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” [Hebrews 13:5b (NLT)]

Many of us attend churches where the liturgy includes the minister or priest saying something like, “The Lord be with you,” and the congregation responding, “And with your spirit.” That wording almost implies that God needs to be called upon to join the service. God, however, has promised that he is always with us. In fact, he leads the way and promises to never disappoint or forsake us. Perhaps we should rewrite the liturgy to reflect what the angel said to Mary: “The Lord is with you.” The congregation’s response could be, “He is with us all, now and forever!”

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. [Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)]

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise. [Methodist liturgy]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 25, 2014

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, God's Promises, Holy Spirit, Temptation & Sin

WHAT SHIELDS US?

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. [Psalm 91:4 (NLT)]

When I was a girl, in the Cold War days, my school conducted fire, tornado and air raid drills. Leaving the building in case of fire made sense as did going to the basement in the case of a tornado. Cowering under our desks, however, would not have done much to save us from an atomic bomb! Do we tend to use equally flimsy defense tactics against Satan’s threats? Today, let’s choose to tap into God’s strength and put on His armor for protection.

DSC02124-Chillon-L Geneva-cropWEBBut let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. [1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 14, 2014

Posted under

God's Promises, Nature, Worry

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM

2014-6-13Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying? [Matthew 6:26-27 (GW)]

Jesus tells us not to worry and that God will take care of us. He doesn’t, however, tell us to sit back and do nothing.

June was the official start of hurricane season and the Florida newspapers were filled with articles about hurricane preparedness. In fact, several days were even set aside as sales tax holidays on hurricane supplies. Yet, I guarantee that there will be some people who, when the hurricane hits, won’t have the flashlights and batteries, the extra water and the other emergency supplies they should have stock-piled. Are they the ones who simply trust God to provide or are they the ones who have ignored God’s provision because it involved effort on their part?

Yes, God will provide all we require to meet our needs, but let us never make the mistake of thinking there won’t be some work on our part, as well. After all, the robin still has to wake early to get the worm, the egret has to get his feet wet to catch the fish, and the woodpecker has to drill into the bark for bugs.

I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. [Thomas Jefferson]

So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. [Matthew 6:34 (GW)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

May 28, 2014

Posted under

God's Promises, Nature

PROTECTING THE NEST

mockingbird - IW072aawebBut this is what the Lord has told me: … The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it.” [Isaiah 31:4a,5 (NLT)]

Most birds don’t appear very intimidating, so unless you’ve seen a mockingbird defend its nest, this verse from Isaiah might not seem terribly reassuring. Several mocking birds live in my neighborhood and I enjoy listening to their delightful songs. This is nesting season, however, and the bird with the beautiful songs now has a loud aggressive rasping call that is used to harass any other bird or person that ventures near its nest. This little bird will even give chase to birds over twice its size just to keep its nest safe. A mockingbird family has chosen to nest in a shrub just a few feet from my lanai. As a result, whenever I go out, one of the parents will sit atop the screen and screech down at me. It harasses me non-stop with the bird version of, “Stay away from my babies! Stay away from my home! Go away, go away!” It gives me great comfort to know that God promises to love, defend and protect me like a bird protecting its nest!

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

May 20, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, God's Promises

What Does Tomorrow Bring?

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. [Isaiah 46:10 (NLT)]

If we could see everything that was to happen in the future, not just the joy and triumphs, but the sorrow and defeats as well, would we ever get out of bed in the morning? God doesn’t just see tomorrow or next week; he sees the whole picture. I, for one, am glad that it’s God and not me who knows what that future holds. If we had known about the grief and pain or the betrayal, heartbreak, and disappointment of our lives would we ever have loved, committed, cared, taken a risk or strived? Looking back, however, I wouldn’t trade any moment of my life for someone else’s; any of the pain I endured was worth it.

Lord, when I feel bogged down by the challenges of this day and the next, help me trust you with my future.

Our suffering is not worthy the name of suffering. When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what are they in comparison of the sufferings of my blessed Savior Christ Jesus. [Martin Luther]