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Praise the Lord!

Apr8

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse. — Psalm 150:1
For He looked down from His holy height;
From heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth,– Psalm 102:19
The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God. — Psalm 14:2
God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God. — Psalm 53:2

Praise the Lord! A simple request for a deserving, worthy God. Praise Him in His sanctuary. The sanctuary, temple, a holy place. It is the place where God dwells. We are called to be holy, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Praise Him in His mighty expanse. The Creator of everything, indwelling in us desires our praise.

He looks down from His heavenly abode upon all His creation and He searches for any who understand, any who will seek Him. When He looks at your corner of the world what does He see?

To properly praise our God, we must have a spirit of praise. Where does that come from? From seeking Him continually. When we seek we understand because God reveals great and mighty things. When we seek we see the Lord at work. When we seek our hearts are softened and filled with praise. Seeking brings understanding, peace, and joy which is turned into praise!

So let us praise the Lord from a heart that seeks Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Dad’s Greatest Gift To Me

Apr7

 

I shared this message at my Dad’s memorial:

I would like to tell you about the greatest gift my Dad ever gave me. This gift is a gift that he actually received. This was and is a gift that doesn’t lose its value when re-gifted. This is a gift, because he accepted it, that affected many, many people. This gift, like a diamond, has many facets. This gift comes wrapped in strength, peace and assurance.

The greatest gift my Dad gave to me was the gift of salvation that he received from Jesus Christ!

When Jesus was being led away to His crucifixion there was a large crowd following Him — women were mourning and lamenting Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children”.*

My Dad is with Jesus now and O the peace that brings to me and the strength to carry on. John 14:27-28 says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” As Jesus said — weep for yourselves and for your children — Dad is at peace, experiencing joy as never before — my concern here is . . . do you know Jesus? Have you received the gift Jesus has for you so that when you pass your loved one can have the assurance and peace of your salvation and the strength to carry on?

There is no greater gift you can re-gift to anyone than to receive the greatest gift ever given – the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Please, if you do not have the assurance of where you are headed in death – come talk to me or someone you know who knows Jesus. It makes all the difference.

Thank You Jesus for my Dad’s salvation, my salvation and the peace and assurance of where Dad is. All praise and glory to You, my God. Amen.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

* Luke 23:27-28

Taking a Hiatus

Mar25

As much as I enjoy studying God’s Word and writing devotionals I must take leave as my family and I mourn my Dad’s death. We are rejoicing also and will be having a wonderful memorial service on Saturday and military honors on Monday. Hopefully I will return to writing on Monday April 7th.

Thank you to all who follow my blog so faithfully. So until we are reunited “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe”. — Ephesians 1:18-19a

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Word of Comfort

Mar24

Remember [fervently] the word and promise to Your servant, in which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort and consolation in my affliction: that Your word has revived me and given me life. — Psalm 119:49-50        When I have [earnestly] recalled Your ordinances from of old, O Lord, I have taken comfort. — Psalm 119:52

Where do you turn to for comfort? Your best friend? Mom? Dad? Brother? Sister?

The Psalmist here prays to God for comfort. He reminds God to remember (or was he reminding himself) His word and promises given to him, His servant. “Your word causes me to hope”. For those with no hope, there is no comfort.

God’s word is able to comfort and revive. It gives life. The Word encourages, inspires, guides, and gives us hope. It tells of a faithful friend who is always there for us, listens to all we have to share with Him — our pains, struggles, anger, hurt, as well as our joys, triumphs, and dreams. He gives us life.

Go to Jesus first. He knows what you need and when you seek comfort He finds just the right way and time to bring you comfort. It may be with a phone call or a visit from a friend. He cares for you more than anyone you will ever know. Let us trust Him with our lives and He will bless it. We will be comforted.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Unquenchable Joy

Mar23

You have endowed him with eternal happiness. You have given him the unquenchable joy of Your presence. — Psalm 21:6

This verse was shared on Facebook this past week by a dear friend and I immediately thought of my Dad. God, You have endowed him (my Dad) with eternal happiness. You have given him the unquenchableable joy of Your presence. My Dad is in His presence enjoying the unquenchable joy of being right there in the light of His countenance, enjoying a joy that we could not possibly grasp this side of heaven.

These words were actually written of a king. He was endowed this side of heaven with this unquenchable joy. We can experience this joy by simply trusting in the Lord. How is your trust in the Lord these days? Easy when things are good and going your way or even when things are tough and not going your way? At what level is your joy?

One day my joy will overflow, when my faith becomes sight, but in the meantime “I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.” — Psalm 43:4

Trust and rejoice in the Lord our God starting right now and continuing throughout eternity. Eternal happiness, unquenchable joy. Wow!!!!!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Humble, Pray, Seek

Mar22

“But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: — Deuteronomy 28:15

“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. . . Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. . . The Lord shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. . . A people whom you do not know shall eat up the produce of your ground and all your labors, and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually. . . You shall bring out much seed to the field but you will gather in little, for the locust will consume it.  You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you will neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm will devour them.  You shall have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives will drop off. . . — Deuteronomy 28:16, 19, 25, 33, 38-40

So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. . . Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things;  therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young.  Moreover, it shall eat the offspring of your herd and the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also leaves you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor the increase of your herd or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. It shall besiege you in all your towns until your high and fortified walls in which you trusted come down throughout your land, and it shall besiege you in all your towns throughout your land which the Lord your God has given you. . . — Deuteronomy 28:45, 47-52

“If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. . . Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see. — Deuteronomy 28:58-59, 65-67

Sound familiar? Do we have the curses of God upon us? What is the answer?

 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,  and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. — 2 Chronicles 7:13-15

The Blessing of a Holy People

Mar21

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: — Deuteronomy 28:2                       The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. — Deuteronomy 28:9.                                                                                                     and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. — Deuteronomy 28:14

Obedience comes with discipline. Make it a discipline to be VERY firm in obeying the Word of God. Keep His commandments, not turning aside from His words. Then, and only then you will walk in His ways, not turning to your left or right but focused on the straight and narrow. That will keep our feet from evil.

Focusing on Jesus and the things of God, He will establish us as a holy people unto Himself. That is the blessing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, — Joshua 23:6

Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. — Proverbs 4:27

Blessing in the Battle

Mar20

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: — Deuteronomy 28:2           “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways. — Deuteronomy 28:7                       So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you. — Deuteronomy 28:10.            The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, — Deuteronomy 28:13

There are many battles mentioned in the Bible but one is very well known. The battle between David and Goliath. The battle belongs to the Lord and in that battle David showed great trust in the Lord. He ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David had no anxiety. He had confidence in the Lord and knew He was with him.

The Lord God can be trusted when we face battles, no matter the magnitude of the battle, because the battle is not ours but His. We need not fear nor be dismayed because the Lord will help us, gird us with strength, for the Lord is with us, stand and see the salvation on our behalf. What love.

The Lord our God is with us to help and to fight our battles. He will subdue under us those who rose up against us. He answers our cry in the midst of battle because we trust in Him. The battle is won because we obey His commandments, His ways and we trust the Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. — 1 Samuel 27:47-48

“For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. — 2 Samuel 22:40; Psalm 18:39

They were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hand; for they cried out to God in the battle, and He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him. — 1 Chronicles 5:20 

Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” — 2 Chronicles 14:11

and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. — 2 Chronicles 20:15

You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” — 2 Chronicles 20:17

With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. — 2 Chronicles 32:8

Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. — Psalm 24:8

Blessings While Coming And Going

Mar19

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: — Deuteronomy 28:2   “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. — Deuteronomy 28:6

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever. (Psalm 121:8) Forever is a long time. What a peace is ours knowing that in our obedience God promises to bless us as we come in and go out. As we grow in our obedience we learn to trust Jesus more and more as we see the blessings, experience the assurance of God’s promises kept, and draw closer to Him.

Drawing closer to Jesus I am confident that He is intimately acquainted with all my ways. He checks out my path and my lying down. He sees my ways and all my steps are numbered. From birth to death I am His. I love that He encloses me behind and before and has laid His hand upon me. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds His people from now and forever.

Why would we not want to be obedient? Built into obedience is trust, peace, security, intimacy, direction, and a relationship with God, the Almighty, Creator of the Universe, Father, and the lover of my soul.

Come and be blessed. Go and be blessed.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. — Psalm 139:3-5

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. — Psalm 125:2

“Does He not see my ways And number all my steps? — Job 31:4

For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. — Psalm 116:8

The Blessing of Provision

Mar18

All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: Deuteronomy 28:2          “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Deuteronomy 28:5

Obedience to God brings blessing to our table. What have we to worry about when our obedient trust in Jesus promises blessing to us. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? — Matthew 6:25-26

“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:32-33 Our God treasures us and thinks we are worthy to be blessed. He desires to shower blessings on His children and He will when we are obedient. He knows what we need to survive and will supply all we need. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:19

Our Great Provider, of all our needs, has given us a means to receive blessings by our obedience and seeking of His righteousness and kingdom. The choice is ours. Hopefully we choose blessing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon