Blessed
Psalm 1: 1-3, 6 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. What a promise from the Lord. Blessed. Blessed. I want to be blessed of the Lord, don’t you?! Delight in the law of the Lord. The things He commands us to do. The direction He gives us. To think on His law day and night! Seems crazy to think we would delight in and think about law, but when we understand that all of God’s commands are for our good, we can certainly delight in them! And when we do that, we are like a tree planted by water! We will bear fruit at the right time! We won’t wither away! And WHATEVER we do prospers! Oh how I long to bear fruit at the right time and to have the things I set out to do, based on God’s direction, to prosper! The Lord watched over the way of the righteous. Ah, how I can rest in that! He watches over me. Am I righteous on my own? No, no way. But through the blood of Jesus I have been made righteous and now the Lord watches over me! Oh God watch over me! Watch over my way and keep me! I pray you watch over and keep the way of each person reading this. Thank you for your promises in your word for us, Oh God! Oh Lord God may we not walk in step with the wicked! May you refine us, mold and make us into your image! May we take delight in Your law! Lead us, Oh God, in the way everlasting!
Are You Struggling Today? God Wants To Use The Struggle
We all live in uncertainty; the future is unknown. None of us know what tomorrow will bring. We all go through struggles. Most of us have had a time that we feel we’ve run straight into a wall. There’s so much brokenness in this world. So many difficult things we face: death of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of a dream, broken marriage, and many more that you may think of. You know how we can all read the exact same scripture and it will speak to us all differently? Or how a scripture will pop out at you at a certain time in your life even though you’ve read it many times before with no special impact. God wants to use our struggles similarly. We may go through the same struggle as someone else, yet God wants to use our experience in a unique way, specific to us. God wants to use our struggles to change us, to grow us. He wants to mold us and make us, refine and perfect us. But even though it’s the same struggle, same uncertainty, same wall for us all – He wants to work in us each differently and in a unique way. Just as His scripture speaks to us each differently. What struggle are you facing today? What is God doing in your life? What does He want to mold or perfect in you through this time? So many possibilities. Take some time and ask Him today. Ask Him, “God what do you want to change in me? What are you showing me or speaking to me through this struggle?” Then work on that thing alongside Him and allow Him to do His perfect work! And once completed ask Him again. Because this is a lifelong journey we’re on. We should be changing under the work of His hands continually until we meet Him face to face on the streets of gold. Be Blessed! Nothing goes to waste with God! He uses it all. Keep your eyes focused on Him through the struggle and seek what He’s doing in your life. He will use it, if you let Him! Isaiah 64: 8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Psalm 66: 8-10 Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
It’s Time to Put Off Your Old Self and Put On The New Self
Ephesians 4: 17-24 NIV So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (emphasis mine) Let’s look at the segments in bold: You must no longer live as the Gentiles do… That is not the way of life you learned… You were taught to put off your old self…. put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. A gentile is anyone that is not a Jew. In the context of this letter of Paul’s to the church in Ephesus, he’s referencing those that do not have salvation through faith in Jesus. So, for ourselves, we can rephrase this as, You must no longer live as those who do not know Jesus live. Once we choose faith in Jesus, once we give our life to Him in surrender, admitting we are sinners, in need of Savior and ask Him to forgive our sins and grant us the Salvation that can only come through Him; once we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead: we are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come! We are not the same any longer! We cannot continue to live like we did before we made that confession of faith! We cannot continue to talk the way we talked before. We cannot continue to participate in the same behaviors that we did before! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. We are all still learning. We are all still a work in progress, but we are being taught that we must put off our old self! We must put on the new self! We have been created to be like GOD in true righteousness and holiness! It is not ok if we look just like the world! Those around us should be able to see that we’re different than those that don’t know Jesus! I’ve seen the line, “I love Jesus, but I curse a little.” Haha. Cute. No! No, it isn’t cute! That’s my old self! My new self has been created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. God is calling us to more than that! We are a new creation. Have you seen the one: “part holy, part hood”. What does that mean?! No, absolutely not. 2 Timothy 2:9a NIV He has saved us and called us to a holy life We are Christians! We are to be a little Christ! We should be different than those that do not have the revelation knowledge of Jesus Christ! To accept anything less for ourselves is a lie! You are more than your sin! I am not perfect! You are not perfect! But I’m not ok with where I am! I want to be more like Jesus ever day! Some days I’m less like Jesus than the day before but I will not excuse that with a cute saying as a way to make that behavior acceptable! I am a new creation and I will hold tight to the promise that the old has gone and the new has come! I will keep striving! It’s not easy but it’s worth it because that’s what Jesus wants from and for me! That’s what He wants from you and for you too! He’s worth the failing and the striving because in Him is the fullest life! It’s my prayer that you desire to reflect Jesus in your attitudes, behaviors, and choices each and every day! It’s my prayer that you take this scripture to heart and that you seek to be more like Him each and every day! This is a tough one! Struggling with it? Send me an email, let’s talk about it! -A.E.
Don’t Worry!
Matthew 6: 25a Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Matthew 6:26-27 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:31-34 So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. In the craziness of our current world, I’m thankful for the promise of God that I do not have to worry about my life. What’s more – it’s even a command not to worry about my life. I trust God’s plan for my life. And I’m thankful for his promise that he will take care of me. It’s not profound- and yet it strikes me as profound ‘Who of you, by worrying can add a single hour to his life?’ Not me. I cannot add a single hour to my life by worrying. The moment I was born and the moment I will die are both completely out of my control. All the anxiety and fear and worry I can muster will not change my appointed time to meet the Lord. Of course, that’s true. And yet there’s something about that verse that hits just the right spot – to convict me – how silly to worry. My heavenly Father knows I need food and drink and clothing. He is asking me to seek His kingdom and His righteousness and the things I need will be given to me as well! It’s an instruction for my benefit – he commands me not to worry about tomorrow – for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. You know that’s right! So today, when everything is turned upside down and the future is uncertain- this I know! God is in control, he is well aware of what I need, I cannot extend my life by worrying about it, and I’m told not to worry about tomorrow. So today I will hold on to the promise that God will take care of my needs! Today I will seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. Today I will choose not to worry. Today I will walk by faith!
Who Am I?
There are a lot of influences in this life that tell us who we are. From the time we’re born until the time we die, we are defined by many things. Take a moment to think about that. What are some things that you have been defined by? It’s vitally important that we know who we are in Christ, who God says we are. The world. Our background. Our successes. Our failures. Do not get to define us! God gets to say who we are! Galatians 4:4-7 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. There’s some foundational truth here: God sent His son (Jesus), so that we could be adopted by God! Now that we’ve been adopted, we’re children of God. Since we are His children, we are heirs! Wow. It’s amazing, isn’t it?! It’s amazing that Jesus coming would not only bring us salvation but also a perfect father and an inheritance! Look at these 3 definitions from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heir for heir: one who receives property from an ancestor : one who is entitled to inherit property one who inherits or is entitled to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office one who receives or is entitled to receive something other than property from a parent or predecessor As a heir, we will receive something from God! Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Most of us will never share the full sufferings of Jesus, but we all have struggles and challenges in this life. But what a hope that we will share in His Glory! Why do we get to share in the glory of Jesus? Just because God adopted us and made us heirs! Titus 3: 3-8 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. When God’s kindness and love appeared, He saved us! Not because of how perfect we were or all the good things we’d done but because of God’s great mercy on us and the redeeming death and resurrection of Jesus! And now, we are also heirs of eternal life! As flawed and broken as you are, as flawed and broken as I am, God has saved us because of His great mercy and has given me, given you, the hope of eternal life! It’s quite amazing. Why. Why would God do this? Who am I that He would do this great thing for me? Let’s go all the way back to the beginning. Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Check out this note from the Zondervan NASB Study Bible: Man is the climax of God’s creative activity and God has crowned him with “glory and majesty” and made him “to rule” over the rest of His creation (Ps 8:5-8). Since Man was created in the image of the divine King, delegated sovereignty was bestowed on him. Wow! Psalm 139: 13-14, 16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Matthew 10:29-30 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Ephesians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will Why? Why would God do this? This is why: He created us! We are the peak of His creative activity! We were created in the very image of GOD! And He loves His creation. It’s quite remarkable, but it’s true. He knit us together. All the days He’s giving us to live were written in His book before we were ever born! (He has a book about us?! A topic for another day!) God loves His creation so much that He is aware when sparrows (dirt cheap sparrows) fall from the sky. He loves us so much that He even knows the exact number of hairs on our heads! So weird! Who cares the number of hairs?! (I’ll admit, when it
Let Us Approach God with Confidence and Boldness
Hebrews 4: 13-16 NIV Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (or BOLDNESS KJV), so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. He sees it all. He sees our weakness. He sees our struggle. He sees our humanity. And one day, we will stand before God and give account for it all. But, we are blessed beyond measure to live in the day when the very Son of God, Jesus Christ, is alive and has ascended into Heaven and He is our great High Priest!! The High Priest is the priest who goes before God on behalf of the people. But we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness. No, we have Jesus! Who, while on earth, was tempted in every way! Just as we are! Yet, He did not sin. Jesus gets it! When we come to Him in prayer – He empathizes with us! To empathize with someone is to experience empathy. According to Merriam-Webster*, empathy is: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner. Jesus understands, he is aware of, and sensitive to our feelings, our thoughts, and our experiences! How powerful to have a High Priest going to God on our behalf that understands our weakness! We are so used to thinking of Jesus as God, which of course He is, we sometimes forget that he lived 33 years on this Earth- He was tempted in every way- He understands us – He has empathy for us! Amazing! With this knowledge and understanding, let us approach God’s throne with CONFIDENCE and great BOLDNESS! There is nothing we will bring before God that Jesus doesn’t understand! Nothing that He isn’t aware of! Nothing he isn’t sensitive to! Oh what a Savior! Isn’t He wonderful?! What a time to be alive! If we know Jesus will empathize with us, we can bring before Him any issue, any struggle, any concern, any desire and know it is okay to be honest with Him. It’s okay to pour it all out there. It’s okay to confidently and boldly share what we long for and are experiencing. And we do so trusting we will receive His mercy and find His grace to help us in our time of need! Let us end this year by approaching God with great boldness! Because Jesus has prepared the way for us to do so! He is the great mediator (1Timothy 2:5)! He has torn the veil in two (Matthew 27: 50-51)! He has made a way! Be encouraged today and seek God with great fervor, confidence, and boldness! *https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy
