Month: March 2021

So often I get caught up in the day, doing this, determining that, as if I am in control of my world. I go about throughout the day full steam ahead in the power of my own strength as if what I am purposing to do in myself will come to a good end.

It doesn’t take long for it to all fall apart, leaving me fully aware that it’s not in me to purpose to do this or that; it’s God through which the purpose is made real and only in Him can it be manifest in our lives.

Isaiah 14:26-27 “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it ? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”

Who is it to question what His purpose is or that what He has purposed will come truly come to pass ? He created all that exists, He is in control of all that exists, and what He has purposed will be as He hath said it will be.

Ephesians 1:8-9 “Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:”

The fact that He has given us His Word by which we can learn of His intended purpose, allowing us the opportunity to become a part of His purposed plan is beyond my comprehension. He has given us the ability to come before Him to learn of His intended purpose, just as the coach goes over the playbook before the game, God stands ready to give us the purpose and plan for each new day.

Ephesians 3:11-12 “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

Not only do we have the ability to learn of His intended purpose, we can gain access to the confidence we need to fulfill that purpose through our faith in Him. It is in and through our faith that we become part of His intended purpose. Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior we become part of that which He hath purposed to do, so that in and through us He can be glorified.

Ephesians 1:11-12 “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

So it is when I begin my day in acknowledgement of who He is that created me, knowing that I was created to live each day of my life for that which He hath purposed . . . then and only then, it is a Good Day for I am living toward that which He hath purposed.

Sometimes it’s easy to be “that” person when everyone is looking, “that” person that has it all together, “that” person that knows God’s perfect plan and is moving forward in complete surrender to His will. “That” person who never struggles with doubt or fear, “that” person who loves with sincerity and openness of heart never struggling with feelings of jealousy or envy. “That” person who trusts God completely, knowing He is working all things for our good and His glory in His perfect time.

Yet, in the quiet of the darkness of night and in the break of first morning’s light when no one but God is near, the facade of “that” person disappears and the reality of who we are is made known.

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

We are often fooled by what we see outwardly, but God sees the heart. He knows the reality of who we are when no one else is near. He sees our hurt, our pain, our doubt, our pride, our sin.

Psalm 139:1-4 “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”

God sees every action and every thought, He knows us inside and out; yet, in our imperfect state His thoughts are still toward us and in that is the most amazing of all truths.

Psalm 139:16-17 “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!”

The reality of the true extent of His desire to be with us when no one else is near, knowing us for who we really are should enable us to live in the freedom of that realization. In Him we do not have to be “that” person, we can be exactly who we are, a person saved by His grace as a result of and despite our imperfection.

Thus, we can live as we are when no one else but God is near fully confident in who we are in Him. We are free to be honest, allowing others to see our vulnerabilities in all humbleness knowing God can use our brokenness to reach a world that is broken.

Ephesians 2:3-5,8-10 “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The first light of morning is always a beautiful thing, a fascinating miracle of life as the light creeps over the horizon. It’s expression of new hope fills the heart with anticipation, anticipation of all the promise held by the new day that is dawning. I’ve often wondered about that moment when the first light of my Savior dawns with the realization that a new day has come over the horizon and the darkness of the night will be no more, for it will all be gone away.

2 Samuel 23:4 “And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.”

Paul experienced this light in the brightness of light of day, this light that he saw far exceeded the light of the sun at noon day.

Acts 26:13 “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.”

Even in the brightest of days, the light of our Savior expands far beyond human comprehension. We cannot begin to understand the light that exists within the person of our God and Savior.

John 1:3-5 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

This light is so great that it shines in the darkest of nights, it reaches beyond the imprisonments of sin and gives life where death once was found. It penetrates beyond the grasp of darkness to the sinner that turns toward the light.

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

No matter where we have been, where we are, or what we might have done, this light comes to to us in the depth of our darkness. We need only turn toward the source of all light.

Psalm 107:13-14 “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.”

When we experience the light that comes with the forgiveness of our sins, it spreads throughout our soul as the first rays of summer’s warmth shining upon our face. We lift our face up to the source of inner light, soaking in the essence of who He is and what He has done. A new day dawns within us.

Isaiah 58:8 “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.”

1 John 2:8 “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.”

Once we experience this great light it becomes a part of us, it lives within us. The beauty of light is in its ability to spread outward, to overtake the darkness that exists. Light was never intended to be hidden, but to be shared with those in darkness.

Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

We are commanded to take our light to others, to share the light that we have been given. Unlike the light contained within the wattage of a light bulb, the light within us is limitless exceeding outward to dispel darkness.

Isaiah 42:16 “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

And, in that day when the last set of sun occurs in our lives, we will step into the dawning of Heavens light where no darkness will ever exist for all is Light.

Isaiah 60:19-20 “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.”

And so it is that we should be reminded, the time is nearing when all that is darkness shall be put away and all will be light. Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”

In the darkness of night there is opportunity for thoughts to overtake us that leave us feeling afraid. Fears tend to be greater in the night, thoughts that flea with the light of day seem to be so much more threatening while darkness prevails around us.

God has commanded us to not be afraid, to not be dismayed. He has promised to be there to give us courage and strength in those moments when we find ourselves in the midst of an ever threatening darkness.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

He goes before us, ensuring our safety; even in the midst of great darkness, He is there with us. He is our strength when we feel alone. Regardless what we might face, what darkness that might attempt to hold us in its grasp, our God is so much bigger. He stands ready to make a way, to clear a path before us, protecting us.

Isaiah 41:10 “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.”

Be not afraid, even when the night is dark.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

There is a thief, he is very real. He comes to us in very subtle ways, just as he came to Eve in the garden.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1

He didn’t come to the garden that day to add value to her life. He came to steal something from her that she would never regain. He does the same to us each day of our lives. He comes to steal our life from us, to take that which matters the most.

He creeps in very subtly, he comes slowly taking from us one moment at a time. He eases himself into places he should never be allowed to enter. He takes over our time and our thoughts, filling them with so many things that soon God no longer has the place He once had. Moments once spent with God become focused on other things to the point we no longer spend time with Him. Soon we begin to doubt God’s word, the very promises that He gives to enable us to live the life Christ died that we might live. We lose sight of the life He has promised us.

The thief has entered our lives, robbing us of the life we once lived in our daily walk with the Father. Just as Adam and Eve hid from the presence of God, we do the same.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8

They heard the Father, but sin had taken over their lives. They were no longer comfortable in His presence. The life they had in Him had been taken. The abundance of life that He had created for them had become tarnished. The thief had come to destroy and he had succeeded. Or so he thought . . .

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

“And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Revelation 21:6

That they might have life . . .