Yearly Archives: 2019

Your Strength Will Lie in Quiet Confidence

TODAY



…”Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. … everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made…You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession… But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast. 

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross–“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence.”

For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Is. 43:1, 7, 10-11 ESV; Heb. 3:1,6 CSB; Phil. 2:8 CSB; Mk. 8:34 NASB; Is. 30:15 CSB; Phil.2:13 HCSB; Gal.2:20 CSB

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Quiet Confidence–while walking to His death, while serving, serving, serving all along the way–laying down His life even before He gave Himself up to the Cross. I am SO impressed with Jesus, with the way He lived His short life in such an unhurried, undistracted, purposeful way.

I want to be like that.

He was unhurried by the urgings of others and undeterred by their insults and threats. He was not distracted, discouraged, impatient or intimidated. He merely walked on by the Spirit, in the knowledge of who He was and what the Father was calling Him to do at any given moment. Though He was a misfit in our world and was scorned, doubted, debated and sometimes adored, none of it ruffled His sense of quiet confidence.

I want to be like Him, hearing a Voice in my ear when I turn to the right or the left, “This is the way. Walk in it.” I am trusting that as I spend time looking at Him in the Word and considering His Words as they pertain to me (!), that He will do for me what I cannot do for myself–grant me a life lived in quiet confidence in the One who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Thanks for sharing the journey with me ( :
–Linda

“Therefore, holy brothers and companions in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession– “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Is.30:21; Heb.3:1 HCSB; Ps.37:4 ESV



Hang on–He has overcome!

TODAY

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called… In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus…I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time–God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to Him. But we do see Jesus [having tasted death for everyone] crowned with glory and honor…

…the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us…in this hope we were saved.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.ย  Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.ย  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.

The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

We would see Jesus.


I Tim. 6:12-16 NIV; Heb.2:8,9 HCSB; Rom.8:18,24 HCSB; Jn.16:33 NIV; I Jn.5:4-5 HCSB; I Jn.3:2 HCSB; Gal.2:20 HCSB; Jn.12:21KJV

Amen?

May the hope of what’s to come fill our hearts today.ย 
And may any present disappointment, doubt or grief bow to Jesus’ Lordship.ย 
He is our life and only hope!

–Linda

Whose heart are you following?

TODAY

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick [incurable, desperately wicked, malignant] who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind…

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.

…The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart– And [Jereboam] walked in all the sins of his father…his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.

David: Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.

Caleb: For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.

Then [Jesus] said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Prov.14:12 ESV; Jer.10:23 ESV; Jer.17:9-10 ESV; Prov.3:3,5-7 NKJV; I Sam.13:14 NKJV; I Kings 15:3 NKJV; Ps.51:10 NKJV; Ps.81:13 NLT;  Ez.36:26 ESV; Joshua 14:8 NLT; Ps.32:8-9 NKJV; Lk. 9:23 NLT; Rom. 6:13 NKJV; Jn. 8:12 NLT; Jn.10:27 ESV

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FOLLOW YOUR HEART is trendy advice. Given the post-modern penchant for embracing whatever ‘truth’ works for you, it’s fitting and certainly heart-felt. But beware the comely brush-script abloom with floral loveliness. Such flourishing is only truly found in pursuit of God’s heart.  To follow His heart is to discover the fruitfulness for which you were made!

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Ps.37:4 ESV

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Ps.36:7-9 ESV

–Linda

The beauty of Joy

TODAY

Make special clothing for Aaron to show his separation to God–beautiful garments that will lend dignity to his work.

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to console those who mourn… to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…that He may be glorified.”

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines…Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength!

Ex.28:2 NLT; Is.61:1,3 NKJV; Neh. 8:10ESV; Jn.16:33 NKJV; Ps.55:22 NLT; Hab.3;17-19 NKJV

I so easily slip into the trough of sadness. Despite all that is beautiful and wonderful, and all God’s abundant goodness to me, there are things that make me sad. Disappointments. Things I wish I could change. Regrets that gnaw at hope…The world is full of troubles. If yours aren’t weighty right now listen in on your neighbor’s heart. Take a walk with a friend and let them share their pain… There are burdens aplenty to share. But sometimes in taking them on I lose sight of the bedrock of joy that is ours in Jesus. I become somber at heart instead of hopeful.

The Word never fails to lift my eyes to bigger realities than those that gloomify my heart. ‘God works in ways we cannot see’ is more than a trite chorus. It’s a truth woven through every story in Scripture. Have a look. Consider Ruth and Naomi, Samson, Jonah, Peter or Paul. Whether you’re in the Oldest or the Newest books, history, proverb or epistle, God is weaving a tale that reflects His Glory and Might.

Our own stories are not finished yet. And even if they never read as we had hoped, no matter if trouble dogs us to the finish, God has the upper hand and all things will turn to His purpose and praise. He will be glorified in His people.

My prayer of late comes from the words of Psalm 138 which I’ve been memorizing…

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Ps.138:7-8 ESV

I highly recommend finding a passage for yourself that reflects your prayer to God or reminds you of the truth you most need. It can be a joy-preserver!

Blessings on you. May Spring’s beauty lighten your heart as you cast your cares on the One who has given us the seasons of life through which we walk.

–Linda

This is the LIFE!

TODAY

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly–And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.–Beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses–Charge them not to…set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy–take hold of that which is truly life!

I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life!

Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today…For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess–And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory…And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Long ago…God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son!…Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it…how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?!–I am the Resurrection and the Life!

Jn.10:10 ESV; Jn.17:3 ESV; Lk.12:15 NKJV; I Tim.6:17,19 ESV; Deut.30:19,20 ESV; Deut.32:46,47; Jn.1:14,16,17 ESV; Heb.1:1,2;2:1; Jn.11:25 ESV

What’s the secret to the best of life? Ads promise life-enhancement through adding or subtracting one more thing. Start a new habit. Throw out what doesn’t spark joy. Buy this car/appliance/book or gizmo. Try a leaner, cleaner diet…There’s no end of appeals. The pursuit of LIFE can preoccupy a lifetime only to end in death. Not so, the pursuit of Christ!

The trendy ephemera of modern culture competes with this pursuit, promising life but serving only to distract from its true Source. Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life! As winter inexorably gives place to spring, shoots will rise where ice and snow reign for a season. Flowers will bloom again. Even so God’s Kingdom will come and Satan’s power to deceive and enslave will once-and-for-all be vanquished. This is a hope on which we can build our lives and arrange our days. No matter the state of our bank accounts, the culture savvy of our lifestyles, or even the health of our bodies, the best of life is ours in Christ, for today and forever after!

How does your pursuit of Him dictate the shape of your days? These are thoughts I’m pondering today in my still snow-capped part of the world as I enjoy the lengthening hours of sunshine with their promise of spring!

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

–Paul, Phil.3:8 ESV

Enjoy the words to this old hymn which says it all in rhyming verse!

Jesus lives, and so shall I;
Death, thy sting is gone forever!
He who deigned for me to die
lives, the bands of death to sever.
He shall raise me with the just:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and reigns supreme,
and, His kingdom still remaining,
I shall also be with Him,
ever living, ever reigning.
God has promised: be it must:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and God extends
grace to each returning sinner;
rebels He receives as friends
and exalts to highest honor.
God is True as He is Just;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and by His grace,
vict’ry o’er my passions giving,
I will cleanse my heart and ways,
ever to His glory living.
Me He raises from the dust;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives! I know full well
nought from Him my heart can sever,
life nor death nor pow’rs of hell,
joy nor grief, henceforth forever.
None of all His saints is lost;
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

Jesus lives, and death is now
but my entrance into glory.
Courage, then, my soul, for thou
hast a crown of life before thee;
thou shalt find thy hopes were just;
Jesus is the Christian’s Trust.
–Christian F. Gellert

Blessings!
–LS