The Lord, Our Refuge
(NIV)Psalm 9:7 The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Don’t you love the Psalms? The comfort and assurance found there is unmatched.
Do you recall in 1 Chronicles 21 when David went against God and ordered a census throughout Israel? God said David had to be punished and gave David three choices—two choices involved the judgment of man, but one was from God.
David, in his wisdom, chose the judgment of God, because he reasoned perhaps God would show mercy—not so with man. David was keenly aware of the character of God, and he was confident that God would be fair, never forsaking His people.
Today, regardless of the obstacles before us, let us take a moment to thank God for what He has already brought us through. We can know, believe and understand that God is our hiding place and He will never forsake us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Growing in Grace
(NIV) 1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
I am not a model Christian, but I am, and have been most of my life, one who seeks holiness. Why? Because when God said, I am holy, be thou holy likewise, I understood it was not merely a suggestion.
Peter’s letters, written to believers surrounded by pagan practices, are little instruction manuals for holy living.
Peter’s directive to rid ourselves of malice, hypocrisy and deceit seems intuitive. Yet, we each are burdened with a sin nature and as such, we are presented with choices.
I choose to begin my days in the Word, knowing that I need both the grounding and the hope found within its pages. And as I ruminate on the Scripture, I share my thoughts with others, recognizing we each have our own spiritual battles and perhaps something I have experienced and overcome can encourage a fellow believer.
When Peter says we are to grow into our salvation, I understand that this process lasts for a lifetime. The grace poured out on me when I was yet dead in my sins continues to be made manifest in my life, and I am thankful.
May we each seek the holiness that is found only from spending time with our Savior, and may our spiritual growth charts reflect that we are, indeed, growing in grace.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and if the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sometimes You Just Have to Praise
(NIV) Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
When I think of the epitome of praise and worship, my mind goes to none other than Paul and Silas. I think of those men, beaten, shackled, and yet they sang praises! I’m not talking about bowing their heads in silent prayer, I’m talking about all out, glory to God, singing.
I want to tell you that true worship is infectious. The men in the other cells knew they were hearing worship to God, the guards knew it, and God knows it. After all, Ps 22 says God inhabits the praises of His people!
Evangelist Leon Trombley said it is easier to hold a tempest in a teacup than a heart full of silent praise.
What if every day for the next month we would commit to beginning our day with praises? I believe we would see a noticeable difference not only in our lives, but the people whose lives we intersect.
May we today and everyday lift up our voices to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Enduring
(NIV) 1 Pet 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
The Potter and the Clay
The clay on the wheel was marred,
seemingly beyond repair
but the Potter molded, shaped and perfected
until a treasure was displayed there.
The clay on the table was misshapen,
and there was nothing left to do,
but break it apart and start over again,
for the clay was too brittle to use.
But the Potter had a secret,
and only a few were aware
that clay dried out by the elements
could be revived to be something beyond compare.
He dipped his hands in water,
and a transformation took place,
For a masterpiece turned its visage
toward heaven, no longer a thing to be abased.
We are that same ruined clay,
seeking a form of cheap grace,
but the Potter dips his hands in the water of the Spirit,
and we are reformed, no longer a disgrace.
For kingdom people need kingdom understanding,
and we need to turn each day,
to the call of the Holy Spirit as He washes
our imperfections away.
We must recognize there is a covenant,
a holy promise we must obey,
if we are to be molded and shaped
by His love, and more than a lump of clay.
©️2010 Carol J Grace
Praise God for His enduring love and His matchless Grace. As we receive new life through Him, and new hope, may we have a new understanding of the nature of His enduring love. As we receive, so let us give.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Living Hope
(NCV) 1 Pet 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy he has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 4 Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept in heaven for you. (NIV) 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Peter, whom Jesus called the rock long before he became so steadfast, writes this letter to the people of the dispersion. The tone of this epistle suggests God’s people are to be travelers on this earth, whose final destination is in heaven.
I think of the song “Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” and wonder how closely we, in 21st century America, truly identify with Peter’s first century audience. After all, most of us are not merely visitors but have well established roots to our communities. Yet Peter reminds us our true reward is in heaven.
Do we remember what it feels like to set our mind, and our heart, on heaven? When our focus shifts from being earthbound to “looking for a city,” our hope moves from the earthly to the eternal.
May we each know, believe and understand that Jesus is truly our living hope and once we grab hold of that wonderful truth, may we begin to act like it.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 