Fully Abandoned

Our high school football team went to the State Championship for the very first time. It was held on December 18th in Cowboy stadium. What a fine arena! It was amazing the number of people cheering on their home teams! The sheer volume and roar of the excited fans was deafening.

As we sat next to the band and cheered in unison, "Plus 1" to the opposing side, I was taken aback. Everyone was cheering and excited. I didn't know the people we were sitting by but we all had a comraderie because we were unified in our common purpose. Look at our faces.

And I thought as I looked around at the forty plus thousand people around me, "Why do I hold back in my worship of the Lord, Jesus Christ?" "Why am I not fully abandoned as I was at the championship game?" "Are not the people around me my brothers and sisters in Christ and unified in our purpose?"

I'm still lingering on this today.

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. --Psalm 95: 1-7 NASB

New Every Morning

"The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness."
- - Lamentations 3: 22-23


I saw this comic this morning and immediately thought of the above verse. God mercies are new every morning. Each day is a gift from the Lord. Am I extending new mercies to those I come in contact? My husband, my children, and/or my coworkers?

"'Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?'
Jesus replied, 'Seven! Hardly. Try seventy time seven.'"
--Matthew 18: 21-22 The Message

Psalm 130

Psalms 130

The Message

A pilgrim song

Help, GOD — the bottom has fallen out of my life!

Lord, I woke up discouraged this morning.

Master, hear my cry for help!

Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy.
Sometimes I don't feel you're listening.

If you, GOD, kept records on wrongdoings,

who would stand a chance?

Thank you for removing our sin as

far as the east is from the west when we confess to You.

As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit,

and that's why you're worshiped.

You are faithful and righteous to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.
I pray to GOD — my life a prayer — and wait for

what he'll say and do.

May my lifesong sing to You this day.

My life's on the line before God, my Lord,

waiting and watching till morning,

waiting and watching till morning.

Even though there are no cattle in the stalls,

I still will praise You.O Israel, wait and watch for GOD —

with GOD's arrival comes love,

with GOD's arrival comes generous redemption.

Thank you, God, for Jesus, our Redeemer!

No doubt about it — he'll redeem Israel,

buy back Israel from captivity to sin.

I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on.

There will be an end to these struggles

but until that day comes

Still I will praise You,

still I will praise You.

Lord Jesus, may we get a glimpse of Your glory today.

-- michele

Asking God for Help

II Chronicles 13 - 16

But you asked GOD for help and he gave you the victory. GOD is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. Now you're in trouble — one round of war after another."

At that, Asa lost his temper. Angry, he put Hanani in the stocks. At the same time Asa started abusing some of the people.

A full account of Asa is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa came down with a severe case of foot infection. He didn't ask GOD for help, but went instead to the doctors. Then Asa died; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. They buried him in a mausoleum that he had built for himself in the City of David. They laid him in a crypt full of aromatic oils and spices. Then they had a huge bonfire in his memory. 2 Chronicles 16:8-14 THE MESSAGE

As I read through today's Bible reading, I was reminded of when I was a first-time mom. Our son was at the age where he should have been sleeping through the night. My pediatrician gave me suggestions as what to do and my ladies home fellowship was giving me wonderful advice as what to do. I was growing more and more weary because our son wasn't sleeping through the night.

No one seemed to understand. If my son started crying too hard, it would easily trigger him to throw up. Then we would really be awake, because I was up changing his clothes and crib sheets. This went on for several weeks.

At some point, I realized that I had not asked Godfor help. I remember specifically praying Psalm 139, "Lord, you know my son, Terren, and how he is made. The doctor and friends are all giving me good advice but I haven't sought you for help. You know how tired I am and need Your help . . ." That very evening, Terren slept through the night!

God does want us to seek Him for help. I realized that He cares that we come to Him, our Creator. I try to remember this before I give someone else advice or ask, "Have you asked God about it?" I don't mean it to be a trite response but He does care for us and desires us to seek Him, first.

My son didn't sleep through the night every night after this. But God made Himself very evident and present that night.
But you asked GOD for help and he gave you the victory.