A t my church , Lent began on Ash Wednesday with a reading of Psalm 51.  Lent, the time when we are supposed to prepare, reflect, repent, forgive, actually look at ourselves and feel why we need Jesus.  A time to understand why we need Jesus.  Why we need Jesus.... on the cross,  in the grave,  then triumphantly standing nearby. Read Psalm 51 .  The first words are " Have mercy on me, O God ...." Isn't that a great way to start Lent? Brought me to silent tears. Oh, God, Have mercy on me. Forgive my sins.  Help me forgive and love as You do.  Help me to understand my need for You.  Help me to be thankful, so thankful, that I reflect You and Your love and forgiveness to others. Prepare me to fully accept You in my heart and repent from all of my wickedness, even the wickedness that I have yet to acknowledge.  Help me.  Save me. Thank You for Your sacrifice.  Amen Psalm 51:1-17 1 Have mercy on me, O God,  ...

Psalm 119:5 NLT Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Let me revise this a little: Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect my love and respect of You. I believe this is the same thing, for obeying God's decrees would demonstrate love and respect. I wish I could say that I am consistent in obeying. I am like Paul when he says he wants to do right but does what is wrong.  Of course, this isn't always the case but I do sometimes fail or choose to fail.  Isn't that the awful part?  Sometimes I choose to fail?  But that is really what happens. I go through the thought process and choose to go ahead do whatever it is.....like eating what I shouldn't (gluttony) or not showing up as a volunteer when I think I should or whatever the case may be.  I am not fully devoted to obeying! That is a painful realization!  God, Please forgive me. I pray that You continue to convict me. At some point, I hope that my actions will consistently re...

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart!    Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me,    and lead me in the way everlasting! This is my prayer for today.  Search me, O God, and know my heart. Alert me to my areas of ungodliness. Find and expose my ugliness. Show me Your ways. Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts! Uncover my shame. Bear witness to my anxiety and unfaithfulness. Help my unbelief and impatience. Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, Tell me where I grieve You. Rebuke me. Reform me.  Create in me a new heart and a new way of thinking. Melt me.  Mold me. Shape me into Your ways. And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Drag me until I walk behind in full submission. Lead me in every way. Break any stubbornness in me. Create in me a desire for all things everlasting. and lead me ...

Used by permission. Taken by Deanna Etienne. Another day. It is a glorious day. Sun is shining brightly. There is a wonderful breeze blowing. I can hear a wind chime tinkling.  An occasional car goes by. A dog somewhere in the neighborhood barks. If I listen closely, I can hear birds or crickets, maybe both. The world seems alright. Then I turn on the news, or read the headlines and find out all kinds of things that are not glorious and don't seem to fit with the day. Unemployment rates. Wild fires destroying forests and homes. Obituaries of young people. A friend with lung cancer. A rumor of a local serial sex attacker (which the police say is not true).  Greed of local officials - and who knows which is greedier. This can be very disturbing. Whatever shall we do? The answer is this: All of this is under God's sovereign control.  Psalm 16:8a says, "I have set the Lord always before me." That is how we reconcile both extremes in one glorious/inglorious ...

http://www.lambscapephotos.com/scripture_pictures.html Psalm 68.1 9 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,        who daily bears our burdens. God bears our burdens every day. I had never thought of that. Jesus said that His yoke is easy. (Matt 11:30) But I never thought of Him wearing that yoke regardless if I'm yoked to Him or not. This passage in Psalm, sounds like He is carrying my burdens whether I know it or not. What should I do with that?  How amazing it is that I'm still trying to deal with things on my own! God is already bearing my concerns, issues, problems, frustrations, sins each day whether I know it or not.  Why would I even try to do it myself? He is certainly better equipped than I am to deal with things.  If I allow Him to take care of all problems, it frees me to only do those things that HE wants me to do, that He puts on my heart to handle. I don't have to try to work it into my schedule. God's got control of m...

http://crosswordsforlife.com Psalm 34:7   I'll bet you never thought about that. An angel encamping around you....if you fear God. I hadn't thought about it.  If we love God, if we have a respect and awe of Him, his angels protect us. This must be where the idea of a guardian angel comes from, directly from the Bible.  How very comforting personally and for those I love. http://nadabs.tripod.com/prayers.htm Thank You, Sovereign God, for protecting those of us who love you all the time.   Amen

Psalm 85:13 Righteousness goes before him        and prepares the way for his steps. Righteousness is doing the right thing, at the right time.  Not after you've had time to evaluate the situation and then determine that it is ok to do the right thing. Righteousness is just doing what is right for the sake of doing right, regardless of the consequences. Going the extra mile, because it is the right thing to do. This verse in Psalm tells us that when we do right, when we practice righteousness, we are preparing the way for his steps. I know that if you think about this you can come up with some examples where you've seen this in action.  I just never stopped to think that I was preparing the way for HIS steps.  Righteousness does lead to clearing a path to someone's heart.  When we act righteously we knock down doors and walls of stubbornness, rigid minds of steel that don't allow for the unexplained, peace entering chaos, just from...

I don't have much today. I've been looking for full-time work. I've been converting to my new computer. (I managed to transfer my email contact list and my favorites!) I'm up to date with my readings....but I'm stuck for a blog post.  Not that I haven't had some thoughts of God today. My readings today included some of Lamentations. I also read a verse in Psalms. I wrote down Psalm 139.8: If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! I haven't been able to spend time evaluating, or investigating this verse. I just wonder about it.  I think Sheol is another word for hell, or the grave. But that confuses me.  That would mean that God is even there, in hell. And maybe He is. Isn't God everywhere?  How can He be everywhere but not in Hell?  But how can God be in hell? Isn't that place too evil, immoral, bad for God to be? I don't know. Maybe I'll get around to doing some research to see what the experts ...

Psalm 119:105 : Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.   This verse is too familiar. When I see it, I don't spend any time on it. I don't THINK about what it means....until I force myself. I need to do that for passages that I "know" too well, that I have heard often enough that I just dismiss them as though there is nothing more they can say to me.  How silly is that thought?! After some thought, I picture darkness. Night. Outside. Alone. Sounds are all around. Some familiar. Some very unfamiliar, scary even. The ground is uneven, strewn with tree roots and rocks, pits and dips in the earth. I need a light to see so I don't fall. I need a light so I take the right path, so I don't walk off the path altogether and get lost. So I pull out the flashlight.... to shine light onto the path in front of me. Now I feel safe.  Now I feel prepared. Now I feel able. This verse tells me that God's word, my Bible, is my flashlight for the path in ...

Psalm 71:17-18 Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,        and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  Even when I am old and gray,        do not forsake me, O God,        till I declare your power to the next generation,        your might to all who are to come. I am so blessed and thankful that the generations before me have " declared [God's] power to the next generation". I would know nothing of God or His Son, Jesus if those before me had not passed it on.  When I was younger, or maybe I should say when I was less mature in my faith, I had the misguided thought that my relationship with God was personal, confidential.  That is true, except that I also thought it was no one's business. That is not true.  It is other people's business that I have a relationship with God.  It is their business because they need to know Jesu...

Today's devotional ( Jesus Calling , page 207) begins "self-pity is a slimy, bottomless pit." Today's UpperRoom reading is about not being locked in....locked into despair, emotionally locked into hopelessness. I am not suffering from despair or hopelessness, or even self-pity, well maybe a little self-pity. I can't help but wonder why I'm not finding a job. I have several explanations that make sense to me, but that doesn't keep me from questioning myself. Do I need new skills?  Don't I have plenty?  If I need new skills, which ones do I need and how do I go about getting it? I'm already "over qualified" (whatever that means) and in this economy, for other positions I am not exactly qualified. There are other people who meet a job description exactly who are out of work. We are ok.  At this point, we don't NEED the income.  But we sure would like to have some spending money, planning money, extra money. So two of today's de...

Isaiah 40:12-14 (NIV)  12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,        or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?        Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,        or weighed the mountains on the scales        and the hills in a balance?   13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD,        or instructed him as his counselor?   14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,        and who taught him the right way?        Who was it that taught him knowledge        or showed him the path of understanding? The He or Him in the above verses refers to God.  This passage should put us in our places.  After all, who else is able to hold all the earth's waters in the PALM OF...

by Deanna Etienne.  Used by permission. What do you see? Water? Rocks? Sunlight?  Do you see the frog? God made this frog this color, and shiny - like the water he lives in, to hide him from predators. Even though he is hidden from predators, he isn't out of God's sight. After Cain killed Abel, God sent him away.  Cain was afraid that he'd be hidden from God's view. Genesis 4:13 - 15 (NIV) says " Cain said to the LORD , ' My punishment is more than I can bear.....I will be hidden from your presence'. But the LORD said to him, 'Not so...'" 1 Samuel 2:3 (CEV) says: Nothing is hidden from the LORD... Job 26:6 (CEV) says: Nothing in that land.... is hidden from God... Psalm 33:15 (CEV) says "The LORD gave us each a mind, and nothing we do can be hidden from him." Psalm 38:9 (ESV) says O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. This is a recurring theme. Nothing is away from God's ...

Psalm 4:3:  Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;        the LORD will hear when I call to him. There are at least two perspectives for this verse.  One is that I know that you are godly - so we both can take comfort in that.  The other is: I know you are NOT godly so I can take comfort (revenge) in that.  There are several places in the Bible where I am uncomfortable with the implications.  There are a lot of verses where the sentiment expressed is joy that someone else will "get his", or somehow suffer for the consequences of his actions.  Most of these as far as I can remember are in the Old Testament; so it occurs before Jesus comes to turn the world on its ear.  Jesus came to remove the idea of "an eye for an eye" ideology of the OT. When we read this in the Old Testament, we need to remember that it is in the OT and that Jesus came to say turn the other cheek when struck ( Matt 5 :39),...

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD        and he will give you the desires of your heart. As I read this today, I wonder how well I do this: delight myself in the Lord.  There are things I want and trips I want to take. It seems unlikely that any of these things will bring glory to God. I want them for me. I want them for my enjoyment or comfort. I also wonder if I can honestly say that I delight myself in the Lord.  It is absolutely true that I love to praise God.  I find no greater joy.  But I am not certain that I let God satisfy me.  I am not certain that I let God's requests on my time and talents come before everything else, or that I delight in those requests.  I can't think of anything off hand that God has asked of me lately that I have refused to do, but then I can't think of anything that God has asked of me.  Even making that statement scares me.  What am I setting myself up for?  What will...

Psalm 27:4 ESV : One thing have I asked of the LORD,    that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD    all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD    and to inquire in his temple. I don't know if this is what David meant or not but I take this to say that there was only one thing that David prayed for and considered important enough that he would seek after it.  He prayed for other things .  Many of David's prayers are recorded as Psalms.  Others are recorded in First and Second Samuel and First Kings. David prayed a lot. But there was only one thing that he prayed about that he would seek, pursue, hunt for and that was [to] dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of [his] life and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. David was wealthy, had a lot of wives and many sons. He ran from Saul because he was trying to kill David.  He struggled wit...

Psalm 19:12b - 13a : (NIV) "Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me." I need this passage. Forgive my hidden faults. Also keep me from willful sins. We (I) get so caught up in what's going on ar ound us that we rarely see out part in the goings-on.  We rarely see how our reaction to it impacts the event.  I rarely evaluate my participation to see what I could have done better, or even worse, what I did absolutely wrong.  I rarely see my faults, as if they are hidden from me.  I refuse to openly acknowledge them, pretending they don't exist.  I even try to make them out to be less than what they really are i.e. everyone else does it, or I'm not like that other person. There are some faults/sins that I am oblivious to.  I need other Christians to point them out to me.  I need to have my eyes opened so that I can change the behavior.  Then I need to stop willfully doing the activity as well...

Psalm 119: 1-8     Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,        who walk according to the law of the LORD.   2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes        and seek him with all their heart.   3 They do nothing wrong;        they walk in his ways.   4 You have laid down precepts        that are to be fully obeyed.   5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast        in obeying your decrees!   6 Then I would not be put to shame        when I consider all your commands.   7 I will praise you with an upright heart        as I learn your righteous laws.   8 I will obey your decrees;        do not utterly forsake me. Many times as I read on the Old Testament, I find things that were modified...

When reading through the Bible , especially the Old Testament , you will see many references to "other gods".  These references compare the God of Israel to other gods or otherwise acknowledges that there are "other gods".  (See Exodus 18:10-12, Exodus 23:12-14, Deuteronomy 11:15-17 , Joshua 23:15-16 , and passages in Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Hosea.) This is really confusing.  Isn't God, the God of Israel, the Living God, the ONLY God?  Well, here is my opinion.  I think that anything that is worshiped is a god to the person doing the worshiping.  But I don't think those "gods" are gods that can "do" anything, or feel anything, or fix anything, or provide hope.  I think they are just people or things that are worshiped.  They are gods because someone has made them gods.  it takes an act of worship by a person to make it a god.   Now, the God of Israel is not that way at all.  ...

Psalm 46:2-3 (ESV) Therefore we will not fear  though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam,  though the mountains tremble at its swelling. I read this today. I am in the part of my chronological Bible where they have placed a lot of the Psalms.  I noted several passages that I thought were interesting or compelling for one reason or another.  Psalm 46:2-3 is one I do not think I have the ability to pray (and mean) yet in my journey to give up completely to God.  I can say that I will fear not.  But when I say that, I am thinking of small challenges, or even quick harsh ones.  I am definitely NOT thinking of having no fear when the earth gives way, and the mountains move to the sea and tremble at the swelling of the sea.   I mean, think of the earthquakes that have been occurring to devastating results, the volcano that has halted air travel, stranding a hundreds if not th...