Year: 2020

As a former classroom teacher, one of my continual concerns was to check for understanding. Were my students grasping what I was teaching? Did they have a good understanding of the concepts we were covering in class? Would they be able to take what they had learned and apply it to a real world situation?

Some days I see God working in my life checking for understanding. I often ask myself, “Am I understanding what God is trying to show me?, Am I able to apply what He is teaching me?” I know that following my own understanding of things will end up in a mess, but He promises to give understanding if I look to Him.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

There are days when I know I’m not yet seeing what He is guiding me toward; there are pieces that I do not yet understand. I have assurance in those times that if I continue to come into Him, He will give me understanding.

“Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.” Psalm 119:73

Once He opens my eyes so that I can understand what He is speaking to my heart, then I am to follow Him applying what He is teaching me.

“Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.” Psalm 119:34-35

As I seek Him, as I continue to listen to His word and His instruction, the way before me becomes clear and I have assurance in the way that He is directing me.

“So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:2-6

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments : his praise endureth for ever.” Psalm 111:10

So it is that I can have a “Good Understanding” of the way ahead, if only I come before Him in full surrender as I embrace His commandments in every aspect of my life. I can begin to master the concepts He is teaching me, applying what I am learning from His Word.

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

This was the daily verse that popped up on my app this morning. As I normally do I spent some time reflecting upon it before my feet ever hit the floor, I examined my heart. My heart is such a difficult part of my humanness to trust. It is a constant battle to keep my heart in line with God. The whole idea of following my heart is a worldly idea. Everyone says, just follow your heart and it will lead the way; NO, absolutely not. I have followed my heart in the past only to find myself completely off track.

I find that I struggle daily seeking to know if my heart is pure before God. It’s a battle the devil doesn’t want me to win. God’s word is true, my heart can deceive me if I’m not careful.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

So how can I have a pure heart? How can I ensure that my heart is pure before God?

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:22-23

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

Drawing near to God is key, I find that the closer I am to Him the purer my heart becomes. A pure heart can be found through following God’s commandments; through placing our faith in Him as we continually seek to cleanse our conscience from the evil of this world that threatens to invade our heart.

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:” 1 Timothy 1:5

A pure heart before God will be well worth the battle, it brings His blessings.

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

It’s October, where did June go? I’m 52, where did 35 go? Life seems to be an illusive thing, something that can be hard to hold on to as it moves so quickly. But God tells us how we can find it.

“For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.” Proverbs 8:35

Life exists and moves in God. He is the giver of life and He is the sustainer of life, without Him there is no life. Life today and life tomorrow can only be found in Him.

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11

We do not only find eternal life in Him, we find the joy of life today in Him. This life is found by following after righteousness and seeking mercy in Him.

“He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.” Proverbs 21:21

In this life that we have been given, the true joy comes by giving our life to Him in service to others. That is where we find life !!

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 10:39

The true joy of living comes not from seeking after the things of this world, all of that will fade away; but in Jesus we find a life full of joy !!!

“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.” Acts 2:28

In the day-to-day events that occur, I can become focused on the situations I face today, forgetting what God took care of yesterday. I puzzle and I stew trying to figure it out, wasting so much time and effort. I know God often sits back watching me, waiting for me to remember.

“Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;” 1 Chronicles 16:11-12

And again . . .

“Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;” Psalm 105:4-5

It was just yesterday that He stepped in and moved in ways that seemed impossible at the time, yet He made a way. Now, here I am again today perplexed and distraught wondering how it will all come to be. How will all of the intricate details fall into place? All the while, if I’d only pause and remember.

“The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.” Psalm 111:2-4

As I hear His voice calling unto me, reminding me of all that He has done, I will remember !!

“I will remember the works of the Lord : surely I will remember thy wonders of old.” Psalm 77:11

“The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” Job 33:4

Sometimes verses have a way of jumping off the page as I’m reading. This verse struck me with a great sense of awe as I thought upon the fact that as God made me, it was His breath that gave me life. Stop and think about that for a moment.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

The Lord God Almighty breathed into the nostrils of man the breath of life !!!!! It was His breath that became the first breath of mankind. As each new baby is born that first breath is given by God, and as we come to the end of this life it is with our last breath on Earth that we enter eternity.

As I thought upon the fact that it was the breath of the Lord God Almighty that gave life; I then contemplated what it will be like when I take my first breath in heaven.

When a new baby is born, we listen for the cry to ensure us that it has started to breath. With that cry we experience a strong sense of joy at the wonder of life, the true beauty of that gift that is given to us by God. I know when I heard the first cry of my babies, my heart uttered thanks to God.

As I thought upon the joy of hearing that cry, I thought about that moment when I take my last breath here on Earth and my first breath in Heaven. I am quite certain when I take that first breath, I will cry. I will cry at the Glory of seeing my Savior face-to-face. I will cry at the wonder of it all as I come before the one who gave me the “Breath of Life”. I will cry as I see the wonder of all that He has prepared for me. I will cry . . .

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

“Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalm 150:6

“And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.” 2 Chronicles 19:9

Throughout the Bible there are instructions to serve the Lord with a perfect heart. I have often thought upon this, focusing on the word perfect as questions form in my mind. Every day of my life I struggle with my inability to be “perfect”, so how can I possibly serve Him or love Him with a “perfect” heart? In 2 Chronicles 25:2, Amaziah did what was right, but not with a perfect heart. “ And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.”

So what was the problem, how could he do that which was right yet his heart not be perfect? And then God reminded me of all the times I’ve “Done the Right Thing”, but not from my heart. Times I did the right thing to impress someone or to achieve something I wanted. Times when I did the “Right Thing” because I knew it was expected, I didn’t do it from my heart into the Lord.

“Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord : and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.” 1 Chronicles 29:9

They gave from their heart because they wanted to, it came from their heart. They gave with a perfect heart.

“But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5

It’s not the service that brings honor to God, it’s the attitude of the heart with which the service is done.

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 1 Chronicles 28:9

“Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.”1 Kings 8:61

I come before Him, knowing I fall so short of perfection; yet, He sees and knows my heart so with a perfect heart of love for Him I will seek to follow Him in all that I do.

Some days I start the morning fresh and renewed with a strong sense of confidence; but, there are those days when that confidence wanes and I feel defeated before I ever begin. I want to curl up in my cozy chair and hide from the world. Those are days that I’ve come to see as important days, important because they remind me of my inabilities within myself. I do not possess the ability to confidently meet the demands of life. Those are important days, because those are the day’s I hear God say, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

I don’t have to rise each day with confidence, because each day I can access the confidence I find in my Lord. So it is that on days when I want to hide from the world, I can rise up in the confidence of my Lord knowing my strength is found in Him.

“In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” Proverbs 14:26

“For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken” Proverbs 3:26

My confidence is found in Him, so regardless of how I might feel on any given day I know He is there for me. It’s kind of like the bully scenario I shared sometime back, I can walk with confidence because I walk with my Lord. Nothing can come my way that my God can’t handle.

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Ephesians 3:12

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” 1 John 5:14

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:6

My confidence is found in my Lord.

Sometimes I look around me at the lives of other women; their immaculate home, their social grace, their seamless appearance . . . and I’m tempted to ask, “Do I measure up?” How do I fit within the spectrum of life’s expectations?

If I allow myself to sit here awhile in my self-exploration, I will begin to feel less than. I will see my world, my life, my home through all of its flaws and imperfections; but, the reality is that I am losing sight of “the measure”.

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.” 2 Corinthians 10:12-13

I need to focus on the measure of the rule that God has set for my life, God’s ruler is established to measure each of us just as He determined the measure to be. In a world where everything is measured, (height, width, depth) it is so refreshing to think of a perfect tool of measurement established for each individual by the God who created them.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office” Romans 12:3-4

The Creator is in control of “the measure”. Just as we need different sized pots and pans in the kitchen to fulfill an intended purpose, God needs individuals with different qualities and gifts to fulfill His intended plan. Our measure is not found in an immaculate home, polished social grace, or our seamless appearance. Our measure is found in fulfilling God’s will for our life through the measure of faith that He has established within us.

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” Ephesians 4:13

When questions mount up faster than the answers, when the unknown remains unclear, when my heart is unable to see the way ahead . . . God provides counsel.

“I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.” Psalm 16:7

He provides answers to my questions, He provides clarity for the unknown, He provides light to reveal the way ahead . . . God provides counsel.

“Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.” Psalm 119:24

Through His word, He gives me direction. Through His word, He shows me how I am to proceed. Through His word, He brings about peace in my heart. He is my counsel.

“O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” Isaiah 25:1

It’s just too much . . .

Every day it’s more and more and more, the weariness of all the turmoil threatens to defeat me. I feel my heart within me weaken, feelings of despair edge about the threads holding my sanity in place. My strength fails within me, I see the day before me and the uncertainty brings a hesitancy within me. I hesitate to move forward; my heart is weary, my strength can not be found.

“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” Psalm 73:26

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

In the quiet of daybreak, He steps in and renews my strength once again. With the light of the sun, in the truth of God’s Word, I find my strength in Him.

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

Though I may see darkness as I awake, He will bring light about me strengthening me with the light of day. Just as the sun starts to rise I breathe in His renewal of strength for today.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.” 2 Samuel 22:33

It’s not about me at all, the day before me is simply me taking one step forward, while He gives me strength. It’s all through His power as He perfects His work within and through me.

It’s not up to me at all, as I begin my day I know that come what may today, it’s all up to Him to give me the strength I need. It’s all up to Him to provide the way, for He is my strength.

“I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9