Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice! Philippians 4:4
WHAT should we do? Rejoice....
In WHO? The Lord....
WHEN should we do this? Always...
God knew we'd need so much help with this concept, so through the apostle Paul, God says, "AGAIN I say rejoice." We will never rejoice in our circumstances: job loss, cancer, a rebellious child, death of a loved one, broken relationships, corrupt leaders, etc. But we CAN always rejoice IN the Lord. No matter what comes, God remains the same. He is forever Faithful and True. And somehow if we make a conscious decision to rejoice in Him no matter what comes our way, He does something amazing. He enables us to find joy in those very circumstances that were at one time so hard to even tolerate. How? by following the WHO of the above verse!
With a heart and mind focused on Jesus we are brought to a place far above any circumstance.....transported to a view of Holiness and glory......to the cross. Putting the flesh to death and seeking His Life which gave me life, I become broken by what sin cost my Savior. At Calvary I can embrace love as I can nowhere else. I can fully and completely rejoice in Jesus Christ as I live and KNOW that whatever comes, no matter now 'bad' it may appear, God has already provided and continues to provide for all of my needs through the Son and by His Spirit.
For today: Rejoicing in our circumstances is impossible, and God never intended for us to do that. Rejoicing in the Lord is not only possible, but it is the only option when we really 'see' what His priceless sacrifice cost Him. And in 'seeing' through an earnest search and ferverent longing, the supernatural takes place. Suddenly I can rejoice despite injustice, and loss, and financial need. I can rejoice though my heart grows weary, loved ones live in darkness, and the future of the world as we know it is so uncertain. Why? One reason alone answers that question; because I can always rejoice IN Him. And nothing will ever take that away.
Psalm 33:21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Not Just for the Birds by Maria Hartman
Spring is definitely here. There is a sense of hope and expectation as the flowers, in all their glory, bloom in vivid color. What was once dead and lifeless is now alive! What a magnificent correlation God has given us. There is no coincidence that spring and Easter happen at the same time of year. But what always gets to my heart is not so much the tiny flowers pushing up, searching for the sun, it isn't the green returning to the grass, or the mild temperatures. It is simply the birds.
God is evident everywhere; He fills our eyes, ears, mind, heart, and senses with His magnificent creation. The singing birds awaken me each morning, and although my body is weary, I too am invited to rise, lift my voice to the Maker, and join the beautiful chorus that they have begun. Through the smallest and seemingly insignificant of His creation I am gloriously reminded of the reason they sing. I'm reminded that nothing alters the purposes and plans of God. I am reminded that I too am called to rejoice so that others can hear. Not because I have all the answers, but because I have a Saviour who loves me completely.
So tomorrow morning as you hear the song begin outside your window, rise with the sun, in order to give glory to the Son. It's not just 'for the birds'. God is gently calling His most precious creation (YOU), to awaken. He goes so far as to send us our own personal wake up call to help get us started. Jesus longs for our fellowship and for us to know Him intimately. It is the longing of many of our hearts as well, so........tired or not, (of course you will be) ,get up before the hectic pace of the day begins. Someone is waiting for you.
Psalm 67:3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
God is evident everywhere; He fills our eyes, ears, mind, heart, and senses with His magnificent creation. The singing birds awaken me each morning, and although my body is weary, I too am invited to rise, lift my voice to the Maker, and join the beautiful chorus that they have begun. Through the smallest and seemingly insignificant of His creation I am gloriously reminded of the reason they sing. I'm reminded that nothing alters the purposes and plans of God. I am reminded that I too am called to rejoice so that others can hear. Not because I have all the answers, but because I have a Saviour who loves me completely.
So tomorrow morning as you hear the song begin outside your window, rise with the sun, in order to give glory to the Son. It's not just 'for the birds'. God is gently calling His most precious creation (YOU), to awaken. He goes so far as to send us our own personal wake up call to help get us started. Jesus longs for our fellowship and for us to know Him intimately. It is the longing of many of our hearts as well, so........tired or not, (of course you will be) ,get up before the hectic pace of the day begins. Someone is waiting for you.
Psalm 67:3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Crushed For You by Maria Hartman
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to crush Him. Read that again. Isaiah chapter 53 is about the One and only Messiah, the Son of God, who personally took all the punishment for our sins. It tells of how He was despised and rejected; a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He was led as a lamb to the slaughter...(v. 7a).
All of this is just a glimpse into some of the horror that Jesus suffered for me and you. But what stopped me cold this morning was that it pleased God to crush His precious Son. Why wouldn't God then see fit to bring degrees of crushing to we who were born in sin, who need to die to our sinful ways? If it pleased the LORD to crush holiness and perfection on our behalf, can't we see that it would please Him to crush sin and worldliness in us for the sake of Him?
We don't like 'crushing' in our lives because it feels wrong. But our opinion of how the work of God feels is completely irrelevant. I wish I could always see it that way, but unfortunately I don't. I deserve the ultimate crushing, Jesus did not. He deserves glory and honor and worship. Not only did He go THROUGH all this, but it pleased His Father to do it. God was pleased by His Son's obedience, and by the purpose His sacrifice achieved. But as a parent, can you even for a second imagine being pleased that your son was suffering for a person who spit on him? Crushed for someone who mocked him or betrayed him? God was. What an impossible calling unless we are made new by the very One who was crushed to make us that way.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. A grueling and costly ransom. If Jesus' sinless life was deemed by God as fit for the ultimate sacrifice for sinners, how much MORE expendable are the lives of those who follow Him........how much MORE expendable is my life?
FOR TODAY: His sacrifice was for us; our sacrifice is for Him. He deserves our all no matter what the Father chooses for us.
All of this is just a glimpse into some of the horror that Jesus suffered for me and you. But what stopped me cold this morning was that it pleased God to crush His precious Son. Why wouldn't God then see fit to bring degrees of crushing to we who were born in sin, who need to die to our sinful ways? If it pleased the LORD to crush holiness and perfection on our behalf, can't we see that it would please Him to crush sin and worldliness in us for the sake of Him?
We don't like 'crushing' in our lives because it feels wrong. But our opinion of how the work of God feels is completely irrelevant. I wish I could always see it that way, but unfortunately I don't. I deserve the ultimate crushing, Jesus did not. He deserves glory and honor and worship. Not only did He go THROUGH all this, but it pleased His Father to do it. God was pleased by His Son's obedience, and by the purpose His sacrifice achieved. But as a parent, can you even for a second imagine being pleased that your son was suffering for a person who spit on him? Crushed for someone who mocked him or betrayed him? God was. What an impossible calling unless we are made new by the very One who was crushed to make us that way.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. A grueling and costly ransom. If Jesus' sinless life was deemed by God as fit for the ultimate sacrifice for sinners, how much MORE expendable are the lives of those who follow Him........how much MORE expendable is my life?
FOR TODAY: His sacrifice was for us; our sacrifice is for Him. He deserves our all no matter what the Father chooses for us.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Guard by Maria Hartman
All of us have seen them. They are located at banks, prisons, museums, malls, and establishments where expensive things are kept. Guards also stand in front of courtrooms, and in front of doors to palaces. Their job is specific; they are to protect what is inside by not allowing what is on the outside to enter.
David speaks of a guard as well in Psalm 141:3, although there is a notable difference. Set a guard, O LORD, before my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. David is speaking to his God about something that I have spoken to my God about as well. Oh the mouth; that dreaded thing under the nose, right above the chin! The guard is a request for help, but THIS guard faces toward the mouth. The concern here is not what goes in from the outside, but what comes out from the inside. The first part of the next verse says, Do not incline my heart to any evil thing.......The heart is never hidden when the mouth opens. They are intricately tied together like a pulley system; what originates in the heart is pulled right up to the mouth and given a voice.
Recently, I have known the personal heartache and pain from words which were said with bitterness and malice. For the one who spoke them, there was no guard to keep the words inside, nor was there any desire for a guard to be present in the first place. It again reminds me that it is only when we truly want godliness and seek holiness that the Lord will empower us to resist what the flesh does best. Without a sincere and humble desire for the LORD'S intervention in this area, we have no ability to overcome our weakness. But when we ask for it, we get it. God's power is evidenced, when upon attack, that dangerous door remains closed, no matter the call to come out. It is also heard in the purity of our speech though we may be wounded to the core. God calls us to speak His forgiveness and His grace to ALL those who need it; if we cannot, then we must for His glory, keep the door shut.
Even David, a man after God's own heart, knew of this battle that all of us face. The tongue is impossible to tame on our own. But when the LORD is in control of our heart, our words will reflect His gentle nature, and maybe, just maybe, our 'guard' can step aside for a time so that our mouth can open with His eternal purpose.
FOR TODAY: Lets open wide the door of our mouth to speak truth, to encourage and uplift another, and to spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our mouths were not meant to be silent but to PRAISE Him. Psalm 146:2 While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. He is listening right now......In a dark and desperate world, sing with joy to the One who loves to hear the voices of His own.
David speaks of a guard as well in Psalm 141:3, although there is a notable difference. Set a guard, O LORD, before my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. David is speaking to his God about something that I have spoken to my God about as well. Oh the mouth; that dreaded thing under the nose, right above the chin! The guard is a request for help, but THIS guard faces toward the mouth. The concern here is not what goes in from the outside, but what comes out from the inside. The first part of the next verse says, Do not incline my heart to any evil thing.......The heart is never hidden when the mouth opens. They are intricately tied together like a pulley system; what originates in the heart is pulled right up to the mouth and given a voice.
Recently, I have known the personal heartache and pain from words which were said with bitterness and malice. For the one who spoke them, there was no guard to keep the words inside, nor was there any desire for a guard to be present in the first place. It again reminds me that it is only when we truly want godliness and seek holiness that the Lord will empower us to resist what the flesh does best. Without a sincere and humble desire for the LORD'S intervention in this area, we have no ability to overcome our weakness. But when we ask for it, we get it. God's power is evidenced, when upon attack, that dangerous door remains closed, no matter the call to come out. It is also heard in the purity of our speech though we may be wounded to the core. God calls us to speak His forgiveness and His grace to ALL those who need it; if we cannot, then we must for His glory, keep the door shut.
Even David, a man after God's own heart, knew of this battle that all of us face. The tongue is impossible to tame on our own. But when the LORD is in control of our heart, our words will reflect His gentle nature, and maybe, just maybe, our 'guard' can step aside for a time so that our mouth can open with His eternal purpose.
FOR TODAY: Lets open wide the door of our mouth to speak truth, to encourage and uplift another, and to spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our mouths were not meant to be silent but to PRAISE Him. Psalm 146:2 While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. He is listening right now......In a dark and desperate world, sing with joy to the One who loves to hear the voices of His own.
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