“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.” Acts 7:30 Life has a funny way of catching us off guard, and usually at the most inconvenient times. Have you ever noticed that God can work that way as well? Moses probably thought that chapter of his life was over, after all, forty years had passed. But that is usually when God is up to something… in the silent, quiet, ‘everything is going well’ seasons of life. When I read this portion of scripture, this thought instantly came…
“My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.” Psalms 130:6 KJV We often associate night with trials, and darkness with struggle and rough seasons of life. I don’t know about you, but I do not enjoy harsh seasons. I see them as something I need to suffer through and claw my way out of, barely surviving. The above scripture in the New Living Translation says this, “I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.” A sentry is a soldier who stands guard all night to watch for enemy attacks, fires, unauthorized people, etc. They are the first line of defense, and their main goal is to signal to the people they protect that danger isn’t far off. I imagine a soldier, standing at the ready with drowsy eyelids, forcing himself to stay awake. The people’s very survival depended on this man watching the horizon all night. I would be terrible at night shifts, so I can only imagine how hard a job this would be. I can hear the sigh of relief…
Romans 12:2 ESV “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The word “world” in the above scripture means “period of time, age.” The age that we live in is one that is riddled with those who are struggling to win the war in their minds. Our thoughts hold us captive, and freedom seems to elude us. We are warned not to be conformed (to become similar, to comply, to agree) to this world, and then we are also told how not to do this. We must be transformed by the renewal of our minds. So how do we do that? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says this: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We must always be in Christ. We must, as Psalm 91:1 says, “Abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” We are called to daily place ourselves under the care and protection that God offers. It requires a humble attitude, a determined mind and a…
Matthew 14:15-20 ESV “Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the…
Psalms 34:18 ESV “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” I’m sure many of us have experienced a situation that left us with a broken heart. I recall one specific break-up in high school that left me with swollen eyes, a bad case of the sniffles, and a heart that felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. Of course, in high school, this quite literally felt like the end of the world to me. I am glad to report that I have since recovered. There are many different seasons that we will encounter and be asked to endure in this life. Every experience is unique to the individual and is dealt with, grieved, and processed differently. What may seem to be a minor issue to you could cause significant damage and heartache to another. In the King James version, Psalms 34:18 reads ” The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” And according to Strong’s, the phrase “unto them that are of a broken” is translated as “break, destroy, break in pieces, break down, torn, and give birth.” One biblical use…
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 To be like Jesus, To be like Jesus. All I ask, to be like Him. This chorus has been running through my mind as I prayed and studied for these devotions over the past week. I know I have a long way to go to be like Jesus. But I am thankful that He is patient and long-suffering with me. He is still working on me, making me what He wants me to be. When we read the story of Paul, we think of him as a fitting example of a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet, he struggled and wrote of how he fell short of what he felt the Lord wanted. Philippians chapter three records his feelings. I like how it appears in the J.B. Phillips New Testament: Philippians 3:12-14 “Yet, my brothers,…