Posts from 2021
THE LORD THINKS ON ME
The Lord pays special attention to those in need. Jesus is not like the tyrants of the world that see the needy as a burden. Rather, he thinks upon them or you could say His heart is attentive to their needs. Rest assured, if you are in need God knows and cares.
BLESS THE LORD
We have all heard someone curse God when over some event in life. David, however, committed himself to blessing the Lord no matter what was going on. To bless the Lord is to praise Him. To know God is to know that he is worthy of praise at all times. Cursing God is out of ignorance of Him, blessing Him is out of knowing Him.
GOD IS GOOD
God is good all the time! When things are not going the way we want we have to remember that God has not changed. He is always good. I do not know what you may be enduring right now, but believe this….God is good and He is for you (Rom. 8:31).
ABOVE ALL PUT ON LOVE
This does not mean that you can put on love and ignore the others. Rather, to put on love above all these things is to superimpose love upon all the others things we are to put on. If you put on a compassionate heart, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering without putting on love we are really just putting on a show. However, if you superimpose love on top of those things the ending result will be a bond of peace and unity. (Eph. 4:3)
PUT ON LONGSUFFERING
As imitators of Christ we are to be longsuffering towards those that have offended us. To be longsuffering is to patiently endure ongoing offenses. If we are tempted to lose patience with someone we need to remember how much patience God has shown toward us. In like manner, extend that same patience to others.
PUT ON MEEKNESS
Meekness can be defined as having the right or power to do something, but refraining for the benefit of others. A meek person submits themselves to the will of God. Jesus is the greatest example of meekness. He had a right to be treated with reverence, yet, he did not demand this right and instead allowed himself to be crucified for our benefit.
PUT ON HUMBLENESS OF MIND
Humility is a hallmark trait of a Christian God uses. In order to be humble we need to put on humbleness of mind. This is to lower ourselves in importance or in rank. In turn we are to elevate others or as Phil. 2:3 says, “esteem others better than ourselves.”
PUT ON KINDNESS
As Christians we are to put on kindness. Kindness is a disposition to do good to others. Look for opportunities to display an act of kindness today.
PUT ON COMPASSIONATE HEARTS
As children of God we are to put on and put off certain things. In these verses we see that we are to put on bowels of mercies or you could say “compassionate hearts.” A compassionate heart sees those that are suffering and has empathy. Take time today to empathize with someone that is hurting and reach out to them to let them know you care.
GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU
Have you ever felt, as did the Psalmist, that God has forgotten you? Does it seem as though He has hid His face from you? Does your situation seem dire and seemingly your Heavenly Father is distant? Is the sense of urgency so great that you want to shout “Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down…..” Lord? Can you hear me? Are You listening? Lord, are You even there? Sure, we’ve ALL been there at some point or another in our lives, just as the great saints of old have been. Sometimes the storms of life seem like they’re going to sweep us away and there doesn’t appear to be any hope in the foreseeable future. When life gets difficult (and it will) we must remember what David wrote in Psalm 40:4 “Blessed (happy) is that man who maketh the LORD his trust….” Here, “trust” simply means refuge or security. In the storms we face, God is our refuge and though He may seem distant, though He may seem to have forgotten you, remember this…..things aren’t always as they seem to be. God will never leave you nor forsake you. Trust Him to be your trust.