A Trustworthy Statement

Sep12

It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:11‭-‬13 NASB

Continually Seeking Him

Sharon

Living or Dying?

Sep11

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
Deuteronomy 30:19 NASB

Life and blessing or death and curses. Does that seem to be an easy choice? If it were, why are so many choosing death and curses? Could it be self-centered pride? “I can do life myself.”

Let’s take a look at what life is:

by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Deuteronomy 30:20 NASB

The promised land awaited the Israelites. The promised land awaits those today who humbly surrender to God’s eternal love, obedience to His Word, and holding fast to Him. This is life!

1. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB
2. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:
Deuteronomy 28:2 NASB
3. You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.
Deuteronomy 10:20 NASB

🌹for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
Acts 17:28 NASB

Are you living or dying?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Lord Most High

Sep8

He chooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
Psalm 47:4 NASB
The princes (nobles) of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.
Psalms 47:9 NASB

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
Isaiah 49:7 NASB

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3‭-‬5 NASB

Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.
Isaiah 49:23d NASB

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
Psalms 25:3 NASB

🌹For You are the Lord Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
Psalms 97:9 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The Lord God Reigns

Sep7

He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet.
Psalm 47:3 NASB
God reigns over the nations, God sits (has taken His seat) on His holy throne.
Psalm 47:8 NASB

For the kingdom is the Lord’s And He rules over the nations.
Psalms 22:28 NASB

The God who executes vengeance for me, And subdues peoples under me.
Psalms 18:47 NASB

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
Psalms 89:14 NASB

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Psalms 93:1 NASB

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Psalms 96:10 NASB

My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people (peoples) under me. To You, my God, I bow in reverence and praise Your name. Amen.
Psalms 144:2 NASB

🌹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
1 Chronicles 16:31 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

God is King

Sep6

For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.
Psalm 47:2 NASB
For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
Psalm 47:7 NASB

We have an awesome God! He is King over ALL the earth and He will be feared by those who oppose Him and His people. What have we to dread?

You shall not dread them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
Deuteronomy 7:21 NASB

And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.
Zechariah 14:9 NASB

The Lord Most High, our King, is in our midst. He will strengthen us for battle. Let us bow before Him singing praises and pray.

Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
Psalms 66:3‭, ‬5 NASB

What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.
1 Corinthians 14:15 NASB

O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!
Psalms 68:35 NASB

I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
Isaiah 45:23 NASB

🌹God is King!!!

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Voice of Joy

Sep5

O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy.
Psalm 47:1 NASB
God has ascended with (amid) a shout, The Lord, with (amid) the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
Psalm 47:5-6 NASB

God our King! God is our Savior! He is worthy of our praises! Let us sing praises to our God, our King!

If we don’t, we miss out on the exuberant joy of our God and the earth will shout His praises!
But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”
Luke 19:40 NASB

Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy
Psalms 98:8 NASB

Let all God’s creation join in with clapping hands and shouts of joy for God, our Lord, our Savior, Redeemer, Hope, Shepherd, and so much more!!!

🌹For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:12 NASB

Continually Seeking Him (while rejoicing),

Sharon

Happy Labor Day

Sep4

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 10:2 NASB

Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.
Luke 10:7 NASB

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
1 Timothy 4:10 NASB

For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
1 Timothy 5:18 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Fully Know!

Sep1

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12 NASB

We, beloved of God, see in a mirror dimly, for we walk by faith, not by sight—
2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB
But one glorious day, we will see face to face our Redeemer!

We have only understood in part, Not having already obtained it or have already become perfect, but we are to press on so that we may lay hold of that for which we also have been laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12 NASB

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
1 John 3:2 NASB

🌹I am looking forward to that glorious day when I stand before the One who knows me fully and fully know Him!!
How about you?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Prostrating Prayer

Aug31

August 17, 14 days ago, I resolved to spend more time with the Lord in prayer.

August 23, 1 week ago yesterday, I challenged the readers of my devotions to do the same.

It has not been easy adding the afternoon prayertime, but it was not wasted time. This week I added a new position of prayer…

Prostrate: lying stretched out on the ground with one’s face downward. Face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration.

Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly.
Ezra 10:1 NASB

Prostrate prayer is hard. Laying flat on my stomach, hands stretched out to the side, nose sinking into the carpet, very uncomfortable position but it is humbling. How much lower could I possibly go in reverence of Holy God. I wanted God to know He was worthy of my bowing and bending of knee.

Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. He said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”
Exodus 34:8‭-‬9 NASB

Moses knew. He ran to bow low and worship God.

This painful position of prayer reminded me of Christ’s painful sacrifice on my behalf. This painful position also made me aware that walking with God comes with persecution, with suffering so I must trust Him.

Humble reverence to the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Almighty God, our future, our hope, our strength.

🌹He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30  That is what prostrating prayer has taught me.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Reflection

Aug30

One of my most favorite sights of God’s creation is the full moon just above the horizon, large and glowing so beautifully. It fascinates me how it can be so bright when it has no light of its own.

It brings to mind Moses, probably my favorite Bible person who was a sinner. Moses reflected the light of God. Here is his “light” story . . .

It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
Exodus 34:29‭, 34-‬35 NASB

How is it that Moses’ face shone? Wasn’t it from spending time with God?

Christian, we need time with Jesus so we reflect His light.

🌹Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also (let us also) bear the image of the heavenly.
1 Corinthians 15:49 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon