The Heavens Declare Your Glory
“[Psalm 19] For the director of music. A psalm of David. 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2 NIV1984
The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” could not be truer when it comes to the above scripture. Nature itself declares the glory of God. I love the line, “Day after day they pour forth speech, and night after night they display knowledge.” David, a man after God’s own heart, understood with such clarity that God is visible everywhere we look!
Three years ago we made a trip to the southwestern states. The vistas were truly amazing. At night, I saw what Abraham saw when God promised his children would number greater than the stars in the sky. During the day, I saw canyons, striated hillsides, tumbleweeds that literally tumbled, and a desert painted by God Himself.
How can I, a disciple of Christ, a seeker of holiness, remain silent in the face of such magnificent glory? I must give praise, I must share Who God is and what He means to me. Leon Trombley says “it would be easier to hold a tempest in a teacup than a heart full of silent praise.”
Let us be silent no more.
Prayer: Father God, how much I love you. Just as the heavens declare your glory, may I always have declarations of your glory upon my lips. May I never miss a chance to share your glory with others. Amen
Seeing what Abraham saw
Obsidian sky dotted with astral bodies,
jewel-like in their visage, too magnificent to comprehend.
Can you fathom them,
can you count them,
can you see what Abraham saw?
Bush burns with lack of consumption,
Can you see it,
can you feel it,
can you hear what Moses heard?
Sea separates the unholy from the Holy,
gap is wide, too far to span.
Do you have faith
that covers the distance?
Will you grab firmly the Savior’s hand?
The same Jesus who placed the stars in the heavens
is waiting today to give you new life.
Will you receive it,
will you believe it,
will you have the faith that Abraham had?
Psalm 46:10“B…
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
As a child, I was told on more than one occasion to “be still.” Later, as a mother, I admonished my son to “be still.” And now, as I read the Scriptures, I am cautioned once again to, “be still.”
Being still is something we do not do very well. As children, we simply have too much energy to be still for very long. As adults, there is a distinct lack of comfort in being still. We believe we are missing something if we are not on the move, when in fact we are in danger of missing the most important thing if we fail to be still, and that is communion with God.
David understood how to be still and connect with his God. From the highs to the lows, from castles to caves, David learned to seek God where He could be found. David knew that God was his shepherd, and David understood both what it meant to be a shepherd, and what it meant to be shepherded.
Have you learned to be still before the Lord, waiting on Him and allowing Him to restore your soul? Be still, and know that He is God, and He is holy, holy, holy.
Prayer: Dear Father, I have too often rushed headlong into plans and schemes and instead of asking for your direction, hoped you would bless my efforts because I am your child. Forgive me for my impatience and for failing to wait on you. May I learn what it means to be still before you. Amen
Share Your Faith
Philemon 1:6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
Today was our senior pastor’s last day at our church. Subject to the itinerant system in the United Methodist Church, he is transferring to Northwest Arkansas to shepherd a new church. The scripture above is the text upon which he based his final sermon.
Have you considered that when you are active in sharing your faith, you begin to understand how good you have it in Christ Jesus? This is the question we were asked this morning, and I have to answer, “Yes, I do realize when I share my faith just what I have in Jesus.”
You see, I have long since known that whatever God tells us to do for others, actually has an added benefit for those of us who are obedient. Allow me to give you some examples:
- When we are obedient to God and forgive, our act of obedience not only offers grace and mercy to those who have offended us, but that act of obedience removes a wall between ourselves and God
- When we love others the way we love ourselves, we must re-assess the feelings we have about ourselves. Low self-image? We must begin to see ourselves through God’s eyes instead of through eyes that have been damaged by too many years of criticism.
- And finally, sharing our faith with others, while vital to fulfilling the Great Commission, is also instrumental in building up our own faith, for the more we share our story of what Christ has done for us, the greater our faith will become.
As you search the Scriptures for guidance and for truth, I pray that you will, indeed, be active in sharing your faith so that your understanding of what God has done for you will be full and your faith will multiply.
Prayer: Father, as we explore your word may we gain strength, boldness and understanding, and may we take every opportunity to share our faith with others. Amen
Do Not Judge
Matthew 7
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
Judging Others
7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
I have an affinity for sweets. Understatement? Big time. I could eat pie three times a day and perhaps be satisfied, but I’m not sure that would even be enough. But eating that much sugar is not good for me. One part of my brain knows that, but the part that controls pleasure screams, “I don’t care.”
My husband is slightly more disciplined than I, so when I reach for something sweet he gives me the evil eye, to which I reply, “Don’t be judgie.” I know, judgie is not a real word, but I like it and it is just cute enough to take the edge off of telling someone not to be judgmental.
Sin causes us to do strange things. As our sin grows we tend to look for sin in others to deflect attention away from ourselves. But Jesus says how can we even see the sin in others when our vision and our perspective are so skewed by our own sin.
I believe that Jesus tells us not to be judgmental, not to protect others from our disapproval, but to protect each one of us from developing a spirit of criticism. Criticism necessarily does harm, not just to the recipient but to the deliverer as well. Avoiding being critical of others becomes much more manageable when we follow Rule One of John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules: Do no harm.
When we determine to do no harm, suddenly our worldview changes. We must think before we speak, we must be cognizant of the outcome of our words and our actions and therefore monitor ourselves much more closely. Easy? No. Necessary? Absolutely.
Don’t be judgie.
Prayer: Father God, we are so thankful that you love us so much, and that you want only good for us. Help us, Father, to develop that type of love for others so that instead of judging them we would simply love them. Amen.
Reaching the High Places
Habakkuk 3:19
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
One of my favorite books is “Hinds Feet on High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. The book relates the story of the Fearling family in allegorical style. Much Afraid Fearling hears the voice of the Shepherd, and despite her great fears and a terrible limp that makes it painful for her to walk embarks on a spiritual journey with her two companions, Sorrow and Suffering. It is through this journey that Much Afraid is transformed into Grace and Glory with now powerful legs that enable her to reach the high places.
As intentional disciples seeking holiness, we must always listen for the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him through the dark valleys and up to the high places. The journey is not always easy, but it is necessary to grow us and transform us into His image.
Prayer: Father God, I am so thankful to be able to come into your presence today. Fill me to overflowing with your Spirit, that I might be empowered to reach the high places of your love, where fear and doubt cannot survive. Amen
Seeking Holiness 