Tag Archive | God

Hope is the Lord

Apr14

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. — Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV)

Here’s another “blessed is” statement. God loves to bless His children. But what does it mean to trust?

Trust: reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence/Confident expectation of something; hope/A person on whom or thing on which one relies

Confidence: full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing

We are blessed when we put our reliance, confidence, full trust, hope and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our example of real integrity and strength, who is more than able to supply all we would ever need, who is trustworthy and powerful.

Where is our confidence and peace in life? In hope that is based on God. Seek Jesus who is our hope!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. — Hebrews 11:1

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Living Hope

Apr13

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. — Ephesians 2:12-13 (NLT)

Living in this world without God is living a life without hope. We no longer need to live apart from Christ. We have been united with Christ, brought near to Him through His shed blood.

At one time all of us were alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds; walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. We did not know God, we were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.

We are a new creation. We have hope of salvation and eternal life. We also have hope that God is doing a good work in us. We have the hope of His promise for us and our children and for all who are far off. God is calling all to repentance (a change of heart and mind with regret or remorse over sin that results in a change of purpose and life). He is calling us to a warm intimate relationship, a relationship filled with hope, a living hope.

Do you need hope? Then it is time to hope in Jesus Christ. Seek Him today while He may be found.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon
 

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, — Colossians 3:21
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. — Galatians 4:8
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. — Ephesians 2:2
For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” — Acts 2:39

Hope

Apr12

It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 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 4:9-10

“Godliness is profitable for all things” is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. As we saw in yesterday’s devotional, godliness holds the promise for the present life as well as the life to come. Because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ we labor and strive for godliness. It is He who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,*

We need to fix our hope on the living God. The Lord Jesus who rose from the grave and is alive and working in our lives. He is the Savior of all, especially believers. Seek the Lord Jesus everyday in everything you do and allow Him to do a good work in you, the work of righteousness and godliness. Seek Jesus, our only hope.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

* — 2 Corinthians 2:10;

Godliness Holds Promise

Apr11

for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. — 1 Timothy 4:8

Bodily discipline can make you healthier, stronger, more flexible, thinner, and/or feel better overall. BUT, no matter how disciplined you are physically, it will not get you to heaven. Physical activity relieves stress, refreshes the mind and gets the blood pumping which is great. BUT, it holds no promise for the life to come.

It’s not about quitting exercise and spending all our time seeking godliness. Just like living for Jesus is living Christ in all we do it is practicing godliness in all we do. Over the last year and a half I started exercising and lost 65 pounds. During this time I drew closer and closer to the Lord. How? When I took my 2-4 mile walks I prayed. I communed with God. I sought godliness from the Master of godliness. I experienced (and still do) what it must have been like for Adam and Eve or Elijah.

I benefited from my walks because I felt better and lost weight but it does not compare to the awesome walk I am having with the Almighty God of the universe!!!! My healthier lifestyle just adds to the ability I now have to serve Him more diligently.

My body is more physically disciplined now but it will still die one day. My walk with God is beneficial for me now and will continue into eternity. I envision talking with God as Elijah did and walk right into heaven. Now that holds promise for the life to come.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

A Good Minister

Apr10

bible-study-group-6010

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. — 1 Timothy 4:4-7

What makes a good minister (servant, one who acts upon the authority of another)? One who explains to the brothers and sisters of the word of God and prayer. If you do this you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus. You are one who is nourished by the message of faith and the teaching you have followed. Train yourself to be godly. Practice being like Christ.

Disciple as Jesus discipled. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. — 1 Timothy 6:18-19

Life is all about who we are in Jesus. Life is whatever we do, doing it all to the glory of God.

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. — 1 Corinthians 10:31

Let us seek Him through the Word and prayer so that we are affective for the kingdom of God, bring glory to His name, and enrich our lives because we live every moment for our Lord.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Be Still

Apr9

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”.  — Psalm 46:10
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. — Psalm 37:7
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, — Isaiah 30:15
And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. — Isaiah 32:17

Have you noticed how the world is always in such a hurry? Running from one meeting/event to another. We pass by people not even noticing them and when we do it is usually because they are slowing us down. We get stressed out over all that needs to be done. Why?

And just as we don’t notice people we tend to be too busy to notice God. We struggle through the day getting stressed out and miss seeing the work that God is about. We miss the miracles of the day. We especially miss the Lord Himself. The relationship. The intimacy. The glory. What is the solution?

The Lord says that we need to be still and know that He is God. Without the stillness and quiet of His presence we focus on things of the world that weigh us down and burden us. We are too busy to wait for an answer from God so we make decisions on our own without God’s direction. We are an impatient people. If God is truly in control then waiting on Him will not be disastrous. Being still and knowing God brings peace and contentment. Knowing God is trusting that He knows what’s best for us so we don’t need to rush through our day blindly checking off our to do list. In quietness and trust is our strength.

The result? I walk this world in the work of righteousness that will be peace and in the service of righteousness that is quietness and confidence. Through Christ I walk in righteousness to bring Him glory so that He will be honored by every nation throughout the world. Take the time to be still and know that the Lord, He is God!

Keep seeking.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

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