“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.” - Psalms 50:23 What does God desire of me? Men have tried to answer this through the ages. Religion has always been about people trying to answer this question with their own reasoning. Liturgies of sacrifices, rituals, readings, meditations, self-flagellation, and penance have developed by people trying to please God. As sincere as they may be, these practices don’t bring our Heavenly Father honor. In Psalm 50, the Lord declares, “all the world is mine and everything in it.” (v12b) Our God, “the Mighty One,” does not need anything from us - He is complete, whole, and sound. He owns all the cattle, birds, and animals across the earth, so...
There are times of great distress and discouragement for all people, whether they are a citizen of Heaven or not. As lovers of Jesus, we can fall into the trap of thinking we need to be happy and blissful all the time, but that is not reality. We are blessed because we are children of God. We do have joy in the Lord because of His grace and mercy towards us. But we don't always feel that way. In Psalm 42, the psalmist wrestles with his own soul, and what is recorded is a brutally honest discussion of faith, truth, and feelings. He begins with a declaration of his longing for God. "As the deer longs for streams of water...,"...
“And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.” - Zechariah 1:13 Sometimes my struggle hasn't been whether God can do something, but just whether He will. It becomes difficult to trust that He will act since we don’t know if He will. When a prayer is seemingly unanswered, we fall back on what we know, that our God is all-knowing, kind, and knows what is best for us. And that can mean He doesn't act because it's what is best for our current situation. Even though I can reason this out, it does leave me in a place of discouragement sometimes. The verse above is a beautiful look into the character of our...
"The time is short,yet the road it seems so longwhen I look into the troubles of my life." Sometimes the road seems long and hard. Daily trials, hardships, and mistakes can compound, leaving me to wonder, "Where are you, Lord, in all of this?" Paul speaks of pressing on, and James says to count it all joy, yet I find it hard to identify with those words and ideas. I don't always have the resolve to endure. This time of unknown is where faith kicks in – doing something when I don't feel like it. I can trust God even though I don't see a solution. The following excerpt from “Daily With The King” captures a difficult season of life...
“Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 As citizens of heaven, we know we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, and we have been adopted into the family of God as co-heirs with Christ. Sometimes, even more often than I like to admit,...