Category Archives: DAILY LIFE

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Danger: Scammers are getting more deceitful, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, CURRENT EVENTS, DAILY LIFE, TRUSTING GOD

Comment:  This is not a subject about which I typically write. However, I felt it important to bring the increased danger of getting scammed to your attention.

Do not approach this with an attitude of fear. Rather, be grateful “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).  We need not be afraid of anything the world can do to us (Psalm 118:6-7; Hebrews 13:6). But we do need to use the sound mind God gave us and be informed and cautious.

a woman holding a cell phone in her hands

Photo by jotform on Unsplash

Scammers are increasingly targeting older people and banks and credit unions. If you already heard this warning, just take this as a reminder. If not, please be extra careful about responding to texts, phone calls, emails, anything on line and people who come to your door. As you may have heard, scammers target older people because we tend to be more trusting in general. And, obviously, we are not as well-acquainted with technology and the ways it can be used against us as younger people tend to be.

Why am I writing this? Unfortunately, I recently was scammed. My credit union stopped payment on part of the money before it was transmitted. I am still waiting to hear what decision will be made about the other part – my entire savings account, which, though not large to many people perhaps, was large to me.

Although it is painful even to think about, I share what happened in the hope of helping to protect someone else.

In my case, the scammers sent a text to my phone that looked like it came from my credit union. The text asked, “Did you approve the payment of $54 to John Jones?” I replied with “N” for No and one thing led to another.

How to avoid this and similar scams in the future? The credit union official said to ignore any text apparently from the credit union and call the credit union directly to ask about the status of my account. I plan to do the same for texts or emails regarding a credit card.

Other text scams.  Below is a link to an excellent Reader’s Digest article from October 2024.  Read it carefully and you will see just how devious scammers are becoming.

8 Scam Text Messages You Should Delete Immediately

Good advice from a credit union. Below are links to more articles about scamming. I learned a lot by reading them.

Why We Get Scammed – A+ Federal Credit Union

Pay Attention To These 4 Banking Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Fraud Alert: Romance Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Financial Safety Tips: Using Direct Payment Apps – A+ Federal Credit Union

Scam-Proof Your Financial Life Online – A+ Federal Credit Union

Scams To Look For In The New Year – A+ Federal Credit Union

Although Christmas and tax seasons are over, read the two warnings below. They will help you be more cautious and prepared.

Beware Of Tax-Time Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Top 10 Holiday Scams – A+ Federal Credit Union

Other precautions to take.  Recently, in the city where I live, a lady I know (call her Jane) was the victim of a home robbery.  A woman who appeared to be a nurse coming to give physical therapy came to Jane’s house. The woman knew a lot of personal information about Jane. Jane went into another room for just a minute and in that short time the imposter grabbed Jane’s wallet out of her purse. This woman and another woman were arrested about two weeks later, having robbed many people in the area.

The obvious warning here is to be more careful than ever about who you let into your house. I suggest that if you have not specifically requested a service or delivery, do not even answer the door, and certainly do not open it. If it is a scammer/criminal, or solicitor, they will just go away if they get no response.

If you have specifically requested a service, like home repairs or physical therapy or installation of medical equipment, speak through the closed and locked door and tell them to wait. Call the company or agency the person says they represent and get the name and physical description of the person they are sending. Then ask the person’s name and see if they look like the person described by the company. (If you do not have a peephole, get one installed.)

If the name and appearance do not match, stop talking. Period. A determined scammer will start making up excuses, like “Joe got sick and I am filling in.” Just stop talking. Period.

Signs of the end times. As we all know, the world is getting more and more evil, as God warned in His Word. Jesus taught us about what will happen at the end of time as we know it. One of those teachings is in Matthew 24. One of the signs Jesus mentioned is that evil will increase and the love people have for God will grow cold.  But He encourages us that if we stand firm to the end, we will be saved.

12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:12-14, NIV)

red neon light cross signagePhoto by Diana Vargas  on Unsplash

Here is the thought I want to leave you with. The world is indeed getting more evil, but we can rejoice. Why? Because Jesus has overcome the world for us and deprived it of power to harm us.

33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]” For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.” (John 16:33, AMPC)

What if I get scammed anyway? Immediately report it to the bank or credit card company involved. Immediately. The sooner you report it, the more likely it can be stopped.

You might ask, “Well, if I get scammed how does that show Jesus has overcome the world and deprived it of power to harm me?”  For one thing, loving Jesus helps us value the unseen, spiritual things more than things of this world. He tells us: “And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2, AMPC, emphasis added)

And He says:  We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (Romans 8:28, AMPC)

God does not promise us a trouble-free life but He promises to be “our very present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).  Another verse that is instructive to consider in this regard is Hebrews 13:5. Notice that the first part of the verse exhorts us to be free from the love of money and things of this world. God tells us to be satisfied with our present circumstances and what we have.

5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5, AMPC)

In conclusion. Be smart, be alert, and keep your heart fixed on and resting in the love of God. As we go forward in this world, we can face the future as King Jehosophat did in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. We can pray, rely on God, and send our songs ahead of us.

“When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!” (2 Chronicles 20:21, AMPC)

Friend, I say again, and again, and again:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”  Pause and deeply consider that.

Casting sorrows on Jesus, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, DEPRESSION, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, TRUSTING GOD

A personal note: I often do my journaling with the Lord on the computer because it is faster. That is what I did first thing on the morning I wrote this little blog post, even before having devotions. This is exactly what I prayed, except that I added headings, to make it easier to read, and the Scripture references. I pondered whether to post it, for several reasons. Finally, I decided it might help someone else find the comfort with which God has comforted me so often.

“ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),

4 Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, AMPC, emphasis added)

Please, dear one, tell your heart that wherever you go, whatever you do God is right there with you and in you if you love and follow Him as your Lord and Savior. “8 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)

There is no hurt God cannot heal. It often takes much time and waiting, but He is always faithful. He will be a very present help in your time of trouble (Psalm 46:1).  He will be close to You (Psalm 34:18). Just look for Him. Just expect Him.

trees under cloudy sky during sunset

Photo by Dawid Sawilah on Unsplash

In the morning quiet. It hurts so bad, Father, I don’t know what to do. I’m trying. I’m doing everything I know I am supposed to but it still hurts, this ache inside, this emotional pain that seems to just reach out from inside and pull me down. It is too heavy, Father. I cannot bear it. I cannot endure it and I cannot lift it. It is overwhelming. But I am trying, Lord, I am trying and I know that is all only because of Your grace, only because it is You working in me, giving me strength to try, to just keep pressing on and pressing in (Philippians 2:13).

Yes, pressing on and moving forward with the tasks of daily life that must be done and pressing in, leaning hard on You and into You, just like I would lean on someone if I had just hurt my ankle so bad that it could not bear any weight.

I know You never, no never, no never fail, Lord (Hebrews 13:5b, AMPC).  I know that You always make everything work out for the good of those who love you and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28) I know I must choose joy, Father, in the middle of this pain. I know that deliverance will come, however You choose to do that. And I will choose joy, just like You have enabled me to do so very many times in the past, when other sorrows and disappointments and hurts have come (Habakkuk 3:17-19, AMPC)

But, my dearest One, right now, in the quiet dimness of early morning, while the birds are waking up, while the sun has not yet moved above the horizon and while soft music plays, I need to hear Your voice, Father.

Thank You so very, very much my beloved One that You have put so much of the Word in my heart. Thank You that I know Your Word says You are close to the broken-hearted and that You save those who are crushed in spirit. I know Psalm 34:17 that says, “When the righteous cry [for help], the Lord hears and rescues them from all their distress and troubles.”

low-angle photography of trees during nighttime

Photo by Tiago Fioreze on Unsplash

In the silence. I know that, Lord, but right now I just need to sit here with You and listen to the music and enjoy how beautiful the leaves of the trees are in the dimness, how it somehow feels like the subdued light envelopes me, surrounds me tenderly. The quiet, the silence itself, feels like a companion, like someone or something real, something with a life of its own almost. That must be You, Lord.

Father, are You somehow right there in that very silence, in the beauty of the dawn-dark trees somehow in the same way that it is part of Your very self that I feel in music?  Is part of Your very own self in beauty? In nature?  And in the words and smiles and hugs of loving friends that You send to me?  And in the devotionals and other writings that have so deeply touched my soul in this time?

Are You there, Father, You Yourself, in those writings, in a similar way as You Yourself are there, in Your Word?

I have no words, Lord. I can’t talk out loud, Lord. I can’t get the thoughts into words. I can whisper and pray in tongues and that helps. Thank You for that.  But every time I try to talk about it with You, the tears just overflow. It all hurts too bad to say in words, but I know, I do know, Lord, that You hear my every thought. I know that You are in my heart, in my mind (Psalm 139:4).

I love that proverb You showed me so many years ago, in one of the times when I was so depressed, the one that says something “Like he who pours vinegar on soda or takes away a garment on a cold day is he who sings song to a heavy heart.” (Proverbs 25:20).   I remember reading that and realizing that You were telling me You understood that when our heart is heavy sometimes we just cannot be cheerful and that sometimes if people try to cheer us up it actually makes us agitated. Somehow the slowed inner pace, the dulled responses we have in sorrow are a protection around our heart, just like a coat on a cold day protects our body.

I know, Lord, You tell us to encourage each other and pick up the one who has fallen but You also say to weep with those who weep as well as rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). Thank You, Lord, for friends who are weeping with me. Bless them richly, Lord, for their compassion and their love.

I found that proverb many, many years ago now, in one of the times of depression before I had learned to meditate on Your Word and Your Word had healed my heart. Thank You again for that healing, that deliverance Lord. But this time, this sorrow, this has not come from letting my thoughts run loose and stay stuck on negative things. This sorrow has come from outside circumstances over which I had no control.

Thank You, Lord, that I know You will work it out for good, that You will work deliverance in this situation, and that no weapon that the enemy tries against me will succeed, not even this though it feels like it (Isaiah 54:17).

text

Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash

I know that feelings come and feelings go but Your Word endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). I know You will continue helping me fix my eye, and my heart, on things above, on unseen things, on the eternal things (Colossians 3).  I know You will help me keep being busy with things of Your kingdom. You will help me fulfill my obligations at church, You will help me reach out on Your behalf to those You put in my daily path, You will help me keep on with our writing for Kingdom purposes, and You will keep speaking to me through Your Word as we study.

You know I am trying, with all my heart. So, my dearest One, I know that You understand I am trying with all my heart to trust You, to wait with hope and expectation, to honor You with my trust, like that favorite passage of mine in Lamentations 3 (Lamentations 3:19-26, AMPC). I am trying with my last bit of strength to choose to trust You and be faithful in everything I do to honor You. I do not want to be like the Israelites in the desert who doubted You and complained and who refused to believe You (Psalm 106:7, 13, and 32). I know that greatly angered You so much that You swore they would never enter Your rest because of their doubt and disbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19).

Please help me keep my heart soft toward You, Lord. I understand, from Your Word, Your immeasurable love for us and Your mercy and lovingkindness and also Your absolute power over all that is. Thank You so much, Lord, for all those rescue stories in the Bible and for telling us so clearly and repeatedly how much You love us and how much You long for us to have an abundant life with You on this earth (John 10:10) before You take us home to  be with You eternally in heaven.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for leading me to meditate on John 16:33 in the AMPC until I had it memorized. It is such a comfort to know that in the upper room You lovingly reassured Your disciples, after You had given them Your last discourse:

33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

I will choose to believe. So I will, Father, when we get up from here and start the day, I will keep Your Words in my mind. I will meditate on Your Word as we go along with the day and I know You will some miraculous way give me new and living hope as I try with all my heart and strength to please You with the attitude of my heart.

But right now, Lord, the tears keep coming. Maybe they were stored up all the months I have been trying to hold fast to You and stand strong. I guess I have not actually cried that much since this started, all things considered.

Thank You, Father, for Lily bugs, my sweet, sweet little cat. She is so gentle and in her catly way, so loving as she follows me from desk to chair to bedroom and back.

Thank You, Lord, that my little home is so quiet even though city traffic zips by within thirty yards on two sides. Thank you for the trees right outside the windows by my desk and the rocker. When I look into their branches it makes me feel like I am in a big meadow or forest, alone with You, safe and sheltered.

Only You can understand. There is no one to talk to, Lord, no one who understands, no one but You. Your Word says every heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can share its grief (Proverbs 14:10). How true I am finding that verse to be. Thank You, Jesus, for showing that to me so long ago. Thank You that it has been a distinct and personal comfort for so many years.

Yet, Your Word also says who can know the thoughts of a man except the spirit that is within him and that in the same way no one can know the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). Well, Father, I know that Your Holy Spirit is within me so You do understand and You understand even better than I do what I am feeling.

man carrying to girls on field of red petaled flower

Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

Thank You, my precious Father, so much for Psalm 103. Those verses where You say Your love for us is as high as the heavens are above the earth and that Your compassion for us is like the compassion a father has for his children because You earnestly remember and imprint on Your heart that we are just dust, just human . . . Lord, every time I meditate on those verses I see a strong father tenderly carrying his small, tired children close in his arms. Thank You for the reassurance and peace which that mental image brings.

Reminded to be grateful.  And thank You, Father, for reminding me last night as I was about to fall asleep to be actively grateful today. Thank You for making the thought so strong that I got up and wrote myself a note.

There are so, so many blessings in my life, Father, right in the middle of this. You are doing so many things to take care of all my needs. Even before I know about them You have prepared for them, every need, in every way.

woman in black long sleeve shirt and blue denim jeans covering her face with her hand

Photo by Igor Erico on Unsplash

But most of all, Lord, thank You for letting me feel Your presence. I know that what I feel is from Your Holy Spirit touching my spirit. I know we do not live by depending on feelings but it is comforting beyond words to just have that sense that You are right here with me. I have no words to say how much I appreciate that and how much I love You, Lord. You are such a good, good Father, such a loving Friend, such a kind, loving Helper and Comforter.

Thank You for letting me know that You understand the thoughts of my heart, that You know every word in my mind before I even say it (Psalm 44:12). That is so comforting to know.

And thank You again for Your Word and how You explained  that Your Word truly is living and active, that it judges the thoughts of my heart, showing me what is truth and what is not. Thank You that Your Word gets right down into my spirit, that it separates my soul from my spirit (Hebrews 4:12).

Thank You, that although my soul may feel such sorrow and pain and hopelessness and sadness, that my spirit is experiencing Your presence and Your very life and Your very joy. And that the Word shows me that blessed truth as I feed on Your Word.

Your Word shows me–it evaluates and renders an opinion just like a judge in a courtroom–that my thoughts and intents toward You are good for I see that my thoughts and attitude reflects those of David and other writers of the psalms whom You commended. Thank You so very much, Father, for all those psalms, all 150 of them. They show Your man David and other psalmists pouring out their totally human heart to You. That shows me it is good for me to do the same.

Your wonderful psalms. The psalms put my heart at rest when I feel bad that I cannot be happier right now, that I do sometimes feel doubt before I overcome it with faith. Thank You that Your Word shows me that You, You Yourself Father, Maker of heaven and earth, You are and You will ever be my strength. You will be whatever I need, in every situation, for all my life.  You, oh Lord, are the great I AM, as You told Moses (Exodus 3:14) and as You said, Lord Jesus (John 14:6).

How I love that psalm that says You, Lord, are my strength and my impenetrable shield and that when I trust and confidently lean on You, I am helped and then my heart rejoices greatly and I can sing praises to You (Psalm 28:7)

How I love to remind myself all day long that when I trust, rely and confidently lean on You I am compassed about with mercy and loving kindness (Psalm 32:10b, AMPC)

What a comfort to play over and over in my mind those verses in Psalm 33 where You say that Your eye is on those who fear You, who revere and worship You with awe, who wait for You and hope in Your mercy and loving kindness, that You are watching to deliver them from death and famine. I love how it ends with “Our inner selves wait earnestly for You, Lord, that You are our help and our shield and that we rejoice in You because we have trusted, relied on and been confident in Your holy name (Psalm 32:18-22, AMPC, emphasis added).

So, my precious, precious Heavenly Father, I do say, by Your grace, “let Your mercy and loving kindness be upon me in accordance, in proportion, to my waiting and hoping in You” (Psalm 33:22, AMPC). I love You, Lord, I just really love You.

7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (1 Peter 5:7, AMPC, emphasis added)

person holding babys hand

Photo by iggii on Unsplash

Trusting God in loss, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, DEPRESSION, ENCOURAGEMENT, HARD TIMES, TRUSTING GOD

I pushed back the curtain a bit and set the steaming cup of chamomile on the wide window sill running beneath the two side-by-side windows on the southeast wall, the windows I always look out each morning. Though only a slice of sky rather than a panoramic view, most mornings I see changes from black to dark blue, then purple, and finally blendings of yellow, orange and red. I eased into the rocker and picked up my Bible, holding it to my chest.

Silently, Lily Bugs landed on the window sill. I stood up and opened the window a creaky three inches so she could feel the cool air, smell the rose bush climbing the drain pipe just outside the window and watch early-morning dog walkers.

“Father, I just do not know where to start. I do not know what to even try to say. It’s just. . . “ I stopped and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate.

“No! I do not want to close my eyes. That makes the thoughts too real.”

I stared into the darkness, feeling my face pinch into a frown, that look of intense inward concentration you see when someone focuses on a difficult task. Softly, I began praying in the Spirit, using my private prayer language. (If you do not know about praying in the Spirit, start reading at page 15 in the booklet “The Remedy for Desperation” at www.wordsofhopeandhealing.com.) After a while, I closed my eyes and kept them closed. That’s when the feelings surged up.

That’s when the tears finally came, from deep inside, the tears that God’s shielding cushion had suppressed for three weeks, those three weeks when the loss had been too much to comprehend, and then when my mind had rebelled against believing it was real.

Now, though, now the sorrow of it all floated into consciousness, that despair and discouragement as much a part of loss as the hand’s dorsal and palmar sides are part of each other.

As the crying turned to sobbing then quiet weeping, I kept talking with God.

black lantern with fire during night timePhoto by Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash

Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NLT) “Father, thank You that I know You will take care of me, that I know everything will be alright. Thank You that I know You are right here with me, that You will never leave me or fail me or let me down in any way, (Hebrews 13:5), that I know You will keep supplying everything I need and so much more (Philippians 4:9).

Thank You that I know, although I do not feel it right now, that there is no sorrow or heartache You cannot heal (Psalm 103:3). Thank You that I know You are close to the brokenhearted, and You save those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, NIV).

Praise You that You will be “my strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army”  and that You will make “my feet like hinds’ feet, and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places of trouble, suffering, and responsibility.” (Habakkuk 3:19, AMPC).

In spite of all this, Lord, I know You will help me to say, “Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:18, AMPC). Thank You that I know You will give me Your strength to do the things that must be done today, and the next day and the day after. Thank You that You will guide my steps as I lean on You, even though I do not understand this at all (Proverbs 3:5-7).

I am grateful, dear Father, for the experiences You have used to train me to make a sacrifice of praise (Psalm 49:14-16) and choose to rejoice in You, no matter what, and to follow the other steps in Philippians 4:4-7, where Paul said:

 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I am grateful You have taught me that if I keep my mind fixed on You, if I lean on You, rely on You and hope confidently in You, that You will keep me in complete and constant peace (Isaiah 26:3). Thank You for teaching me that keeping a verse or a passage before my eyes all day long and pondering on it keeps the enemy’s thoughts out of my mind and fills my mind with good things, the things You tell me to think about in Philippians 4:8.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

white and brown wooden tablePhoto by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” (Joshua 1:8, NLT)

By then, gentle sunlight dappled through the leaves in the tree where a sparrow perched, inclining his head from side to side before flitting away. I blew my nose one last time.

“You know, Father. I think I need to review Psalm 18 again. I’ll study that one again and then print some verses to carry around and meditate on until I memorize them.”

I opened my Bible and quickly scanned the psalm before moving to the desk.

“Well, Father, I think the first verses I’ll meditate on until I memorize them is verses 33 and 34.

 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.

He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

These verses also talk about high, dangerous places, only this time it calls them places of testing and trouble. And I see how the next verse talks about You equipping us for battle. That’s what this is all about, I know. That spiritual battle we are in with the enemy of our souls. This loss is just one more attack from him, one more attack like he has used on millions of others before me.

But Your Word and Your love have never failed. You delivered others from the snares of the enemy (Psalm 91:3), You have delivered me countless times before and I know You will deliver me from this one, too, Lord. So, we will just start with verse one and see what You have to show me. I love You, Lord, and I trust You.

two person step on gray soil

Photo by  Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

How much love is enough? Part Four #godindaily life, #the bible in daily life

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, DAILY LIFE, TRUSTING GOD

Happy father young man and baby girl little daughter having fun on bed in room at homePhoto for Getty Images on Unsplash

But if one loves God truly
[with affectionate reverence,
prompt obedience, and
grateful recognition of His blessing],
he is known by God
[recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love,
and he is owned by Him]. (I Corinthians 8:3, AMPC, emphasis added)

Review of Parts One through Three. In Parts One through Three we studied the first half of 1 Corinthians 8:3, which is the if part of the if/then promise —  If we “love God truly” then we are “known by God.”

We saw that God wants us to be reverent toward Him, but He wants that reverence to be like the same affectionate respect a young child has toward a loving human father. God also wants us to obey Him quickly and to have a sincerely thankful heart for His blessings.

Why we approach God with confidence. We ended Part Three with the well-known passage Hebrews 4:14-16. Did you find the connections between that passage and 1 Corinthians 8:3? The connection I see is that I Corinthians 8:3 gives one of many reasons why I can approach God with confidence.  Here is Hebrews 4:14-16 again.

4 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (NIV, emphasis added)

With these words Our loving Father is urging us to draw near to Him, with confidence, when we need help. Why? Because through what Jesus experienced, He feels what we feel.  He has “a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation”(AMPC).  God has the same fatherly compassion on us as a human father has on his children because God “knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.” (AMPC)

Now consider the second half of 1 Corinthians 8:3. The one who loves God truly “. . .  is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him].” Think about a cherished little boy. He runs to his papa for comfort or help or to ask for whatever he needs. He does so with confidence, no hesitation at all, because he knows his papa’s loving character. That child has personal acquaintance and experience with his loving papa. He is like the believer God speaks of in Psalm 91:14

14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].  (AMPC, emphasis added).

God is talking about someone who understands His character, who knows what He is like because that person has personal experience with God’s mercy, love and kindness. That person trusts and relies on God—on the basis of that knowledge of God—and knows God “will never forsake him, no never!” That person approaches God with confidence.

But what if we are not confident about approaching God? Now think about another cherished little boy just adopted into that same family. This little boy had an abusive early childhood and was then in an orphanage where other children told him adoptive parents were cruel and harsh.

Before this hurt and misinformed little boy can approach his new father with confidence, he must hear and believe the truth about his new father. He needs words of love and reassurance from his new father, and he needs actual experience with his new father’s mercy and loving kindnesses. All that happens naturally as that little boy just lives with his new father. His new father adores him, knows what little boys need, and knows that this little boy in particular needs extra love and reassurances and patience and tenderness.

Before we knew the Lord, we were abused by the world and by the enemy of our souls, Satan. Satan lied to us about what God is like. Even after we become acquainted with God, the enemy strives mightily to prevent our having an intimate relationship with God. Satan tells us that God demands perfection and that we can never be good enough. He says that when we err God withholds His love.  Or he hisses in our heart that we are not loving God the right way or that there is only one formal way to talk with God. He says how we worship God is not as good as how other people worship so we should just stop. He says God does not love us as much as He loves others, that He is not really with us all the time, that He really cannot meet all our needs, that we cannot really learn to sense His presence. . .  and on and on! The enemy takes the beautiful truths about God and whispers the exact opposite.

boy leaning on white chairPhoto by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash

If that is your situation, ask God to reveal His loving nature to you and then diligently study and meditate upon passages in the Bible about His love. We can never earn God’s love, but we can all learn more about His love.

“he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him.” Websters 1828 online dictionary defines to know as “to perceive with certainty; to understand clearly; to have a clear and certain perception of truth, fact, or anything that actually exists.”

When a husband arrives late to a neighborhood barbeque and sees his wife, he will immediately know who she is. He will in that same instance recognize that it is appropriate to give her a kiss and a hug.  That same man will not, however, hug a woman he does not know. Why? Because he clearly knows, or recognizes, that this second woman is not his wife. She does not belong to him. Therefore, loving, intimate behavior with her is not appropriate – because she is not his.

In I Corinthians 8:3 God tells us that if we truly love Him, He considers us deserving of His closeness and His love, just as a husband or wife recognizes that their spouse is worthy of intimacy and love. “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19, NIV) God knows whether a person has truly believed in Him.

God knows the human heart. He knows right where each of us are in our relationship with Him. He understands our human nature, and He knows that some of us have an especially hard time believing and then feeling that God really does love us, just as we are, with all our imperfections. I think that is one reason the Bible is filled with so many statements about God’s love for us and His merciful, compassionate nature. (The Bible is also filled with truths about the holy and just parts of God’s character, and we must keep those in mind but I am talking about here about God’s compassion.)

“Learn to know God.” We should all be seeking closer closeness with God. Though the world, our human nature and the devil create obstacles we can, through God’s grace, overcome those obstacles.

When David commissioned his son Solomon to build the temple, he summoned all the officers and commanders of Israel. In their presence he charged his son Solomon to obey all the commandments of the Lord. Then King David said:

(9) “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him] and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity] you will find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever!  (I Chronicles 28:9, emphasis added)

Notice how the AMPC clarifies what David meant by “know the God of your father.” To know God, as David meant it, is to “have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him and to appreciate, heed, and cherish Him.” It also meant to keep your heart blameless and your mind willing. Why? That is the only appropriate human response to God, of course.

Also consider the part of the verse after the word for. David warns Solomon that God understands every thought of the heart, every little wandering thought.  God knows if we are sincerely putting Him first in our life, and if we are, God promises we will find Him.

We must build our relationship with God, a privilege beyond price. Consider verse 10 of 1 Chronicles 28:

(10) Take heed now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it! (1 Chronicles 28:8-10, AMPC, emphasis added)

Since New Testament times, believers in Jesus now have God dwelling inside them, rather than in “an earthly tabernacle made with hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1) as in Old Testament days. As God, through David, charged Solomon to build the temple, so God, through His Word, charges us to build our relationship with Him. We hear this message clearly throughout the New Testament. Consider I Corinthians 13:11 and 14:20, Ephesians 4:13 and 6:10-12, Hebrews 5:12, and 1 Peter 2:2, to name only a few of many.

How privileged we are! How carefully we should build up and maintain our relationship with our indwelling, loving, Almighty Heavenly Father! David, whose name means beloved, gathered all the materials necessary for his wise son Solomon to build the temple. Jesus, our Beloved Lord, has through His blood shed on the cross, provided everything we need to build a deep and intimate relationship with God. I must ask myself: Am I consistently doing all that I can?

In conclusion: I Corinthians 8:3 is one of the many Bible passages where God explains how much He loves us and how much He wants to be intimate with us!  He is like a father pulling a little toddler in close, forehead to forehead, saying “I love you, I love you, I love you!” then chuckling as his child squeals with glee.

Happy father young man and baby girl little daughter having fun on bed in at home

Photo for Getty Images on Unsplash

I ask you: If human fathers and mothers delight in being affectionate with the children they own, how much more would God? Remember 1 Corinthians 8:3 tells us that if we love God truly, we are owned by Him. If human fathers and mothers take care of the children they own, how much more does God take care of the children He owns? Does He not supply our every need? Does He not

“do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us?  To Him by glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Beloved, God has done everything needed for us to be close to Him. The rest is up to you and me. Strive to draw closer to God. Feed on His Word day and night (Psalm 1). Nestle in close to Him, under His feathers and thus hide your heart from the storms of the world as you abide in the secret place of His presence (Psalm 91). You are precious in His sight (Psalm 103). He daily carries your burdens (Psalm 68:19) and carries you close to His great heart of love.

Even to your old age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you. (Isaiah 46:4, AMPC)

Let Him gather you in His strong arms like the little lamb you are and carry you close to His heart (Isaiah 40:11).

baby taking selfie

Photo by Dakota Corbin on Unsplash

NOT wearied out through fear! #godindaily life, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, CURRENT EVENTS, DAILY LIFE, HOPE, TRUSTING GOD

“ Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16, AMPC)

Desperate – again.  For thirty minutes I stayed in bed, eyes closed, listening to “Faith’s Checkbook”, a powerful book of devotions by Charles Spurgeon. Then I got up, dressed fast, and went into the kitchen to feed Lily. Next to the sink was the sheet of paper with Psalm 100 printed on it. After some desperate prayer, I had put it there the night before to remind myself to return, with focus, to my habit of meditating on a fresh portion of Scripture each day.

Not stopping for Lily’s usual brushing and morning playtime, I went directly to the rocker by the window, picked up my AMPC Bible and held it to my chest. I pressed it tight against me, feeling the roughness of its cover with my thumb, looking out into tree branches where sparse autumn leaves reflected the slanting rays of the morning sun. I pressed my eyes closed, shutting out the world, focusing with all my might on God, the Unseen Eternal One.

“. . . I will not, in any degree . . . relax My grip on you. [Assuredly not!] (Hebrews 13:5. AMPC)

“Oh, Father! I am so tired of everything being messed up and so confusing! I don’t know what to do about this latest batch of problems. I am so afraid, about so many things lately. I am just afraid and everything looks so hopeless. I don’t see any way out of all this. . . “

Tears came then, the tears that had not come during the past week or so of car trouble, other bills, and hiatal hernia symptoms that require radical rearranging of how, when and what I eat and how I exercise and sleep, and on and on. I had allowed the multiple problems, all at the same time—the “cares of this life”—to stop my practice of daily meditating on a new Bible verse or passage. Oh, I had still kept repeating the verses I already know but I had not taken time with God to find new verses for meditation each day. Furthermore, I had let His fresh words for me “depart from before my eyes.” I had not kept His fresh manna “In the center of my heart.” (Proverbs 4: 21, AMPC)

But yet, in spite of all that, God had never, no never, no never once “relaxed His hold on me.” And when I got desperate enough, and sought Him with all my heart, He found me.

“29 But if from there you will seek (inquire for and require as necessity) the Lord your God, you will find Him if you [truly] seek Him with all your heart [and mind] and soul and life.” (Deuteronomy 4:29, AMPC)

Encouragement for you and for me.  That was this morning. The long shadows of late afternoon now stretch across the grass. The trees outside my east-facing window stand in deep shade. My heart is, once again, blessedly at peace. No, the problems are not all fixed but I am completely confident and trusting that God will keep me in His peace as we walk this path together, and as I keep my mind fixed on His Word and other eternal things, rather than the “light and momentary” troubles of this life on earth.

“10 And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity].” (Psalm 9:10, AMPC)

It has lately been on my heart to write a blog post about encouragement. I know you have your own set of personal troubles. I also believe that you are probably having more than the usual amount of difficulty just living your life. The enemy is desperately trying to destroy our world and, of course, especially those who believe in and live for Jesus.

Let’s look again at the first part of 2 Corinthians 4:16 and take warning.

“Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). “(2 Corinthians 4:16a, AMPC, emphasis added).

The reason I grew so discouraged and allowed Satan to drag me out of the good path I was following with God is that fear had “wearied me out”. I had become, in a sense, spiritless, living controlled by fear, not by the Spirit. And that had worn me out. That is Satan’s plan for each of us.

Please, please, please meditate on God’s Word!  Although this world is filled with “troubles, trials, distress, and frustration” (John 16:33), God has provided a sure way of escape from all the plans of the enemy. When we obey God with all our heart, and when we meditate day and night on His word, we live continually in the secret place of His presence, and we are safe.

That is what I have been wanting to remind you of, dear friend. No matter how dark the world seems to be getting, no matter how your personal world seems to be crumbling, God is earnestly looking to keep you in hope and comfort and peace and security and aware of His great love.

“ And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!” (Isaiah 30:18, AMPC, emphasis added).

In Proverbs 4:20-22 God urges us to think on His Word constantly. He says:

“. . . attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings.21 Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart.22 For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.to keep His Word before our eyes

Four verses that never, ever, no never fail me. What I intended to be a short piece of writing is, as usual, getting longer. But the main thing I wanted to share with you is four verses that I have been meditating on first thing in the morning and throughout the day for months now. It is like putting on a suit of spiritual armor. His Word–my protection and provision—keeps me covered in His peace and guides my steps.

[1] Habakkuk 3:17-19. “17 Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!

19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!”

a grassy field with mountains in the backgroundPhoto by www.dreamstime.com “Endless Landscapes of Iceland”

Briefly, notice that the prophet is saying that even if his whole world falls apart, still he will not only rejoice in God, but he will exult in God. Why? Because God will be his strength, his bravery, and his army that cannot be conquered. God will enable him to keep moving forward and make progress in his spiritual life in the midst of danger troubles, sufferings, and responsibilities. (For more thoughts on this passage, see the blog posts “Yet I will rejoice” on August 15 and 29, 2024.)

[2] Psalm 28:7. “The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable] Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.” (emphasis added)

Notice that the psalmist uses his voice to praise God and His loving protection. Then he says because I trust in God, with confidence, I am very happy, and I sing praises to Him.

[3] Psalm 32:10. “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on the Lord shall be compassed about with mercy and with loving-kindness.” (emphasis added).

How many mornings have I sat and looked at these words! How many mornings have I said, “Lord, thank You! This verse promises me that if I trust in You, rely on You and lean on You with confidence that You will completely encircle me with mercy and with lovingkindness. Everything I experience will come through Your mercy and loving kindnesses.”

[4] Psalm 33:18-22. “18 Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, 19 To deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield.

21 For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.” (emphasis added)

The psalmist reassures himself that God is carefully watching over those who have reverential and worshipful fear of Him, those who depend upon Him and wait for Him and His mercy and lovingkindness. Why is God doing that? To deliver them from death and things associated with death, like discouragement, and to sustain them during times of lack (or famine.)

Though they are hidden in my heart, it is a deep comfort to read these these verses each morning, and pay fresh attention to the words I have underlined in red, words that show me my part in all these priceless promises.

My part is to trust in, rely on, and lean on Him with confident expectation, actively knowing in my mind that He is protecting me and actively trusting He will give all that I need for this day, “in proportion to my waiting and hoping for Him.”

Closing prayer. Dear Father, Your Word is such a comfort and guide! Thank You for it, Lord, and for teaching us how to study it and “rightly divide it,” so that we may run in the path of Your commands, with the strength and joy that Your presence never, no never, no never fails to give.

Help us this day, Lord, as we go about our own personal life to know, perceive and recognize that You are with us, that You are carefully, lovingly watching over us. Oh, have mercy on our flesh, Lord, and help our hearts be undivided toward You. Help us feed on Your Word so that we may be able to trust in You, to lean on You, and to rely on You so that You can help our heart and we can greatly rejoice in You!

Whether our path today be through storm or sunshine, keep our hearts and minds fixed on You and on things above, where Christ is seated at Your right hand, Father, and through Whose shed blood we have forgiveness of sin and the power to live a holy life as we fulfill the plans You made for each of us when we were yet in the womb.

Oh, Father! Give us a hunger for Your Word. Help us keep it before our eyes and in the center of our heart. Help us guard our hearts, for we know that out of our heart, flow the issues of our life (Proverbs 4). Let rivers of living water flow from our inmost being so that we may share with others that eternal life that only You can give. Amen and so be it!

aerial photography of sea cloudsPhoto by Emmanuel Appiah on Unsplash

How much love is enough? Part Three, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, TRUSTING GOD

But if one loves God truly
[with affectionate reverence,
prompt obedience, and
grateful recognition of His blessing],
he is known by God
[recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love,
and he is owned by Him]. (I Corinthians 8:3, AMPC)

Review of Part One and Two: In Parts One and Two we pondered the meaning of the first two phrases of 1 Corinthians 8:3 in the Amplified Classic Bible. We learned that God wants us to be reverent toward Him. We also learned that He wants that reverence to be affectionate. Jesus actually told us when He ate the Last Supper with His disciples to “call Him affectionately to remembrance” whenever we take the Lord’s Supper.

Part Three: I usually try to balance how much space I give to each part of a topic. So, when the phrase “affectionate reverence” took so many words, I got a bit concerned. I did not have that many ideas in mind to talk about “prompt obedience and grateful recognition of His blessing.”  Then I realized that prompt obedience and grateful recognition of God’s blessing both flow naturally from affectionate reverence.

assorted-color interlocking blocks on floorPhoto by Mark Spiske on Unsplash

Prompt obedience.  “Come on Ben. You need to get dressed so we can go to the park.”

“In a minute, Nana. I’ve got to finish this!”

I looked at my grandson, digging through a bucket of Leggos for just the right piece. His attention was focused on his immediate goal not my long-term one of giving him and his brother exercise and fresh air for the good of their bodies. He was focusing on what was giving him pleasure right now, not on the greater good I had in store for him and his brother.

How many times, I must ask myself, has God told me to do something (which is always, always, always for my good) and I have put off obeying Him? How many times have I said I should do this or I should stop doing that and failed to follow through, though I had good intentions. And, how many times have I intended to obey God about something and then forgot, until I heard it again?

You have likely heard that “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” James 4:17 warns us “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (NLT). If I read the Scriptures about tithing, and put it off, I am disobeying until I obey. If I read 2 Timothy 2:15 and still my only time with the Bible is a quick, superficial reading, I am not obeying God’s command to study the Word.

How do our good intentions get side-tracked so easily? Consider James 1:22.   “ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (NIV)

Pay attention here! The Word says I deceive myself if I hear something in the Bible that I am supposed to do and I do not do it. How does that work? I may feel I am doing well if I listen to preaching and read the Bible a little. And certainly, I think, I am doing well if I actually study the Word. Yes, that is good. However, if I stop there I am deceiving myself. I must actually do what the verses I have read and studied tell me to do! I am to obey God and obey Him promptly!

Consider the next three verses in James 1.

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,  and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (NIV, emphasis added)

When a child learns the ABCs, that child is urged to keep looking at the correct way to write an a. Each line of the worksheet begins with a properly written a.  When a carpenter needs ten 12-inch pieces of wood, he does not cut one piece and then use it to measure the next nine pieces. No! He uses the ruler and measures each piece carefully. He keeps going back to and using an accurate measurement.

If I do not keep looking intently into God’s Word, which, like a mirror, reveals my imperfections, I will go on my way and think I am doing well. If I rub my hand over my cheek, I may think I have removed a smudge, but a mirror will reveal it is still there.

person holding yellow pencil on white table

Friend, we need to be constantly looking hard and long – intently – into the mirror of God’s Word so that we can see and keep in our conscious minds what He says to do. If we do not do that, the world, our flesh and the devil will draw us out of the path of obedience.

And what about being prompt in our obedience? If I feel affection for someone, I am quick to do whatever I can to help them and to please them. My heart is open toward them. Work on drawing closer to God and you will naturally be quicker to obey Him. Spiritual growth is progressive. God does not expect mature behavior from new believers. However, He tells us clearly to press in and seek to grow into maturity. Maturity includes obeying promptly.

Grateful recognition of His blessing. Notice the text says “grateful recognition.”  If I recognize, or accurately identify, that something is a blessing, how much does it mean if I do not do so with gratitude?  When I admonish one grandson to tell his brother thank you for voluntarily taking his turn feeding the cats so he can finish a project, I might hear an absent-minded “Thank you.” His tone of voice says he does not really mean it. However, a spontaneous, sincere “Thank you!” rings out when his brother shares the last unclaimed cookie on the plate.

A while back I began thanking God for (seemingly) little things–food to eat, the clothes on my back, the little flock of brown sparrows flitting out of the bushes as I walk by, the serendipity of hearing a praise song on the radio at just the right moment.  Gratitude for “little” things has become a habit but sometimes I realize my mind is not on the thing I am giving thanks for and that I am not consciously speaking to God. That always stops me. I stop and ask God’s forgiveness, then continue with a sincere heart. That is when true gratitude bubbles up from within and brings that peace that is beyond what we can understand or explain.

The longer I know God, the more I get frustrated with my own ingratitude and complaining. If I have eyes to see, I perceive, every single day, showers of blessings on my life and the lives of those around me. This truth holds for everyone in every circumstance. “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]. (Psalm 145:9, AMPC) And God’s mercies “begin afresh every morning.” (Lamentations 3:23, NLT)

Gratitude brings us nearer to God. Another reason God tells us to have grateful hearts is that we come into His presence when we offer Him our thanks. Consider Psalm 100:4-5.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. (NIV)

When you give sincere thanks to God, you step into the outer part of His sanctuary. Then when you start thinking about His wonderful qualities, you begin praising Him, putting into words how very, very good He is. You are drawing nearer to the mercy seat. And how does God want us to approach Him? Timidly? Like a dog slinking forward? No!

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV, emphasis added)

In Part Four, we will explore how the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 8:3 fits with Hebrews 4:14-16. Until then, ponder these two passages of God’s Word. Ask Him to show you the connections between them.

two brown birds on green grass during daytimePhoto by Andrian Rubinskiy on Unsplash

 

How much love is enough? Part Two, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT

carrots on brown wooden chopping boardPhoto by Simona Sergi on Unsplash

Part Two: In Part One, we began pondering the meaning of 1 Corinthians 8:3:

But if one loves God truly
[with affectionate reverence,
prompt obedience, and
grateful recognition of His blessing],
he is known by God
[recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love,
and he is owned by Him]. (I Corinthians 8:3, AMPC)

We learned that God wants us to be affectionate with Him.  For example, when Jesus was sharing a meal with His disciples for the last time, He asked them to remember Him with affection whenever they ate the bread and drank the wine.

Becoming more affectionate. In Part One, I shared that being affectionate with God did not come naturally to me at first because I had an overly formal attitude toward God. However, as I kept trying God kept helping. One big help was the little book “The Practice of the Presence of God”, written in the 17th century by a friar called Brother Lawrence. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It helped me overcome the last remnants of over-formality with God.

In this dynamo of a book, Brother Lawrence talks about chatting with the Lord while he worked in the monastery’s kitchen, for example. He said,

“. . . during any daily duty, lift your heart to Him (God), because even the least little remembrance will please Him. You don’t have to pray out loud; He’s nearer than you can imagine. . . We can make our hearts personal chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately. These conversations can be so loving and gentle, and anyone can have them” (page 36).

Slowly, I began talking to God more and more during the day, finding that as I drew near to God, He drew near to me (James 4:8) and that He was with me when I was with Him (2 Chronicles 15:2). I also found my feelings of affection for the Lord growing.

It works! It took a long time, with countless failures and trying again. However, continually seeking His moment-by-moment presence as Brother Lawrence suggested has brought deep settled peace and the confidence that my loving Heavenly Father will always, always, always help me find His presence and regain my peace, no matter what I do or what happens around me.

We can be confident He will come closer to us as we try to come closer to Him. He reassures us in I John 5:14-15 that:

 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (NIV).

If there is any doubt in your mind about this, it is from the enemy and is designed to keep you from your rightful place with God. Lift up the shield of faith and take the sword of truth in hand. Keep pressing on and pressing in until you reach the promised land of delighting yourself in His presence!

God is affectionate with us. Beloved, God says He “. . . cares for us affectionately and cares about us watchfully.” I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and He cares about you watchfully.”(emphasis added)

This is not the only place in the Bible where God clearly shows His affection and the depth of His love for us. As you pursue your daily personal Bible study, make note of these places and imprint them on your heart, i.e., memorize them! Some of my favorites include particular verses in Psalm 139, Psalm 136, John 3, John 14, Joshua 1, Isaiah 26, 2 Chronicles 14, and Ephesians 3. The Bible overflows with God’s love. It is, indeed, God’s love letter to us, as someone once said.

Ask, seek, and knock. If you ask, God will show you how to love Him more affectionately. It will be as individual as your fingerprints.

Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. (Matthew 8:7-8, AMPC)

What about reverence? Let’s turn our attention to the word reverence.   God tells us in numerous places in the Bible that we are to revere, or fear, Him. One of the best known verses is Deuteronomy 10:12:

12 “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (NASB)

Reverence means “fear, mingled with respect or esteem” (Webster’s 1828 online dictionary). Fear is a strong emotion caused by awareness that something can hurt you. We are to be aware of Who God is and treat Him with respect and admiration. And we are to do that with affection.

As I ponder this, I think of how my grandsons rough housed with their papa when they were very little. They would launch themselves at him as he sat on the couch, squealing with delight when he gently pinned them down, crowing with victory when they escaped his strong arms, then turning around and jumping on him again.

Obviously, as humans and animals alike do, they would have felt that instinctive caution upon being near a larger, manifestly stronger being. But my grandsons knew their papa as gentle, loving, and tender as well as strong and protective. They had a personal knowledge of their papa’s love and kindness.

man in blue long sleeve shirt carrying baby in white onesiePhoto by Natasha Ivanchikhina on Unsplash

Although my grandsons knew their papa was much stronger and bigger and that they had to do what he said, they also had experience and acquaintance with his mercy and they confidently played with him because he had always done good for them. Psalm 9:10 says something similar about the believer who understands God’s nature.

10 And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity (Psalm 9:10, AMPC, emphasis added).

How to get acquainted with Gods’ mercy, love and kindness. So, how do we get to know God well enough to be affectionately reverent? How do we acquire that experience and acquaintance with His mercy, love, and kindness? The Word tells us that God is with us when we are with Him. (2 Chronicles 15:2). The Word also promises that “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11-b, AMP).

If you ask, God will show you how being affectionate with Him looks in your life. Perhaps you could start by thinking of the person whom you most cherish and are most comfortable being with. How do you talk with them? How do you approach them? How often do you think about them during the day?

I strongly recommend reading the psalms out loud with the Lord. Read them slowly, thinking about each phrase. Read them with love in your voice. Read them realizing that God is right there with you, listening to you. Some psalms that especially address intimacy with the Lord are: Psalm 25, 63, 139, 18 and 71.

Read these and other psalms, consciously knowing that God loves you dearly, and He longs for your close fellowship with Him day by day, hour by hour. You are His treasure, and He delights in you, yes you, exactly as you are at this moment. He has written your name in the palms of His hands. He can no more forget you than a nursing mother can forget her infant. Your voice is pleasant to Him. He wants to share each moment of your life with you.

Would a mother turn away from her toddler who wants to sit in her lap and just be cuddled? Does a lover turn his face away when his beloved smiles at him?

Jesus will never, no never, reject one who comes to Him. Consider now the words of Jesus in John 6:37.

All whom My father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me] (AMPC)

Do you see how God emphasizes that He will never, no never, reject anyone who comes to Him? He says He will “most certainly no cast out” such a person. That includes you. Do you want to be closer to God? All you have to do is ask.

silhouette photo of man on cliff during sunsetPhoto by Zac Durant on Unsplash

In Part Three, we will continue exploring 1 Corinthians 8:3, beginning  with the phrase “prompt obedience.”

 

How much love is enough? Part One, #godindailylife, #thebibleindailylife

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, DAILY LIFE, ENCOURAGEMENT, TRUSTING GOD

a window with a tree outside of it

Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash

Note:  Part of this blog post comes from the March 26, 2020, blog post “Are you affectionate with God?”  Part was drafted but not posted on December 26, 2023, when I asked myself, “How much love is enough?” on a cold December morning . . .

A persistently returning lie. “I am thinking again that You are mad at me. Again!” I sighed with pencil poised above the clipboard holding a thick stack of looseleaf notebook paper in my lap, slowly rocking back and forth. The air here near the window was pleasantly cold. Staring into the darkness of the December morning, I shook my head.

“Again that silly feeling comes up. Why, Lord?” I asked, “Why does that feeling still surface when I know it is a lie? You have shown me so many times when I have lapsed into a works attitude, the attitude that I have to work hard to stay in Your favor and Your love. Will some part of my heart always forget the blessed truth in Ephesians 2:8-10, that we are saved and live a righteous life because of grace, not because of what we do?”

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. (NLT).

As I continued journaling with God in the early morning chill that penetrated the walls–which this native-Floridian-turned-Texan prolongs by keeping the heater turned off–some answers came.

What led to hearing that lie? It had been a busy week, making final preparations for Christmas, fitting physical therapy appointments in, and spending as much time as possible with my grandsons while they were out of school. All this, though good, had meant I spent less than the usual time with my personal spiritual disciplines, like prayer, Bible study, Bible reading and just being with the Lord.

“That’s where the false guilt came in, isn’t it, Lord? And that’s when I subconsciously began thinking You don’t love me as much because I am not doing the things I think I should do for You and with You. And the guilt and the lie grew with each passing, busier than usual day.”

I paused, cradled the warm mug in my hands, took a sip of tea, inhaled the apple-ish, vaguely floral scent of chamomile, and looked out the window again.

“Hmm. . . maybe this should be a blog post. I definitely need to study this subject for myself. I only have an hour before I have to leave for the gym and another busy day, so I don’t have time to get into work on the book, and my bank of ready-to-post blogs is empty. Do I know any Scriptures that speak to this problem?”

What will destroy that lie? Immediately I thought of First Corinthians 8:3, the only new verse I had meditated on this past week. I walked to the middle of the front room, the big countertop—the command center, so to speak, of my blessed little home, the place where I keep to-do lists and verses I am meditating upon–and picked up the half-sheet of paper from its place by the sink. Spattered dishwater had made wrinkled spots on it, as numerous as summer freckles. I read:

But if one loves God truly

[with affectionate reverence,

prompt obedience, and

grateful recognition of His blessing],

he is known by God

[recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love,

and he is owned by Him]. (I Corinthians 8:3, AMPC)

“Hmm, Lord. I think You are saying I need to study on this phrase by phrase. Yes, I see that the amplifying phrases in the AMPC show what to truly love You actually means.”

“but If anyone truly loves God” – true love for fellow believers, true love for God.    Before I began studying word by word and phrase by phrase,  I briefly got the context for the book, then the chapter. Paul wrote First Corinthians to the church in Corinth, a wicked city where the wickedness made it hard for believers to live a Christ-like life. Paul addressed many problems, scolding the Corinthians believers for their errors and teaching them how they should be living. Chapter Eight (part of the section on Christian rights and responsibilities) addresses food sacrificed to idols, as the NIV labels this section.

Verse 3 is tucked in as a parenthetical aside, a little side comment, where Paul says all of us (meaning him and the Corinthian believers) understood about idols, that they are really nothing. But Paul explains that having knowledge, for example about the true nature of idols, can make you feel important, but love will lead you to build others up. Paul warns that if you think you know all the answers, you really do not know “as you ought to know.” (I Corinthians 8:2, NIV). In the rest of the chapter, Paul explains that if you really act in love toward your fellow believers, you will not do anything that will make them stumble in their walk with Christ.

For the Corinthians, that meant they would not eat meat sacrificed to idols if it would lead new believers who did not yet fully realize that idols were nothing to also eat such meat and thereby sin against their conscience.

The whole chapter is about acting in love toward our fellow believers. That is why Paul starts the chapter by contrasting how love and pride affect our behavior.  Perhaps that is why he puts that little-but-big statement in verse 3 about what truly loving God is. Perhaps pondering what a believer’s true love for another believer looked like led Paul to ponder what a believer’s true love for God looked like.

“But if one loves God truly, (with affectionate reverence . . . ” Part of truly loving God truly is having affectionate reverence toward Him. Let’s consider the word affection first. Webster’s 1828 online dictionary defines affection as:

“a permanent bent of the mind, formed by the presence of an object, or by some act of another person, and existing without the presence of its object. It also means “a settled good will, love or zealous attachment; as, the affection of a parent for his child.”

God’s Word tells us to be affectionate with Him.  A quick search reveals the word “affection” or “affectionately” appears 55 times in the AMPC, most of which appear in the psalms”.  After the words bless the Lord, we see [affectionately and gratefully praise]. The words in brackets are amplifying words that show what people in Bible times would automatically have thought when they heard the words “Bless the Lord.”

(By the way, a similar search for the word “affection” in the KJV, NASB, NIV, and the NLT shows that it appears between seven and ten times. However, in no instance is “affection” used in speaking of our love for God. I rarely used the AMPC until recent years. How I wish I had heard this idea before!)

Luke 7:36-50 gives a clear example of what affection for God is. Mary gave Jesus her very best as she kissed His feet, washed them with her tears, dried them with her hair and anointed them with costly perfume.

“… and as she stood behind Him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them.”(verse 38).  In verse 45, the AMPC says that Jesus told the Pharisee that Mary had, from the moment He came into the room not stopped kissing His feet “tenderly and caressingly.”

Reading the whole story as recorded in Luke 7:36-50 and Mark14:3-9, shows us that Jesus obviously approved of the affectionate way Mary demonstrated her love for Him. To the self-righteous people who criticized and said the perfume on His feet was a waste.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus said, “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. . . I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. (Mark 13:6, 9, NIV)”

Today, you and I can likewise show God our affection by giving our best effort, for Him, all day, in whatever we are doing. (“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might”, Ecclesiastes 9:10a, NIV). We also give Him our best by loving Him with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might (Deuteronomy 6:5).

An awesome reason to be affectionate. Next, notice that, in 1 Corinthians 11:24, during the Lord’s Supper, when Jesus had given thanks, He broke the bread, and said “Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.” And He repeats His request when the wine is taken, in verse 25. “Similarly, when supper was ended, He took the cup also, saying, This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood. Do this as often as you drink [it], to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.” Every time I take the Lord’s Supper, Jesus wants me to remember Him with affection.

I knew that believers observe the Lord’s supper to honor and respect Him by remembering His incomprehensible sacrifice for us. However, until I read this verse in the Amplified as I wrote this blog, I did not know that Jesus specifically asked us to remember Him with affection.

He could have, very appropriately, said to call Him to remembrance with respect and awe and fear. This is certainly part of the way we should approach God and it is the most basic, foundational way to think of God. But He clearly wants us to think of Him with affection, too. If you have deep respect and awe and appreciation for Who God is and what He has done for us, if you know Him well and pursue a close relationship with Him, eventually your love for Him will also include affection.

gray and black rocks

Photo by Jesse Orrico on Unsplash

I believe that Jesus was, as always, putting us above Himself here because He knew that thinking of the agony He endured for us could make us sad. I understand that because I would, if he were alive, affectionately kiss and hold my earthly father’s hands, hands roughened by years of operating heavy equipment, big strong hands covered with sun-bronzed skin and scars. I would gaze with fondness at the tan lines on his forehead and arms, acquired through decades of loving labor for his family. I would do the same for my mother’s soap roughened hands. And so, when I think about what Jesus did for me, I am affectionately grateful, and privileged to come so close to Him.

We are only affectionate with those we know intimately. Synonyms for intimate include private, personal, secret, innermost, cherished, familiar, dear, devoted, and deepest. Help us, Father, to be more intimate with You!

Being affectionate with the Lord might not come naturally at first. As a new believer in Jesus, I had an overly formal attitude toward Him. I had at least a measure of  proper reverence and fear (Deuteronomy 13:4, I Chronicles 16:25, Psalm 2:11) but I also had an unhealthy subconscious fear that I was not doing enough, fear that I was not worthy, and fear that God would one day abandon me because of that. Those wounded attitudes were caused by events in the past, obviously the work of the evil one, but God (whose power no foe can withstand, Psalm 91:1, AMPC) brought those hurts, with the shame and guilt, into the light of His love and forgiveness.

Over time, He helped me learn to ask Him into each moment of my day, including the undignified times (like exercising or scrubbing the bathroom) and times when I fail Him in my reactions to frustrations, like with traffic and technology. I began learning to practice the presence of the Lord.

In Part Two, we will continue exploring what true love for God is. Until then ponder First  Corinthians 8:3 and see what God shows you. 

But if one loves God truly

[with affectionate reverence,

prompt obedience, and

grateful recognition of His blessing],

he is known by God

[recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love,

and he is owned by Him]. (I Corinthians 8:3, AMPC)

Little paper hearts

ANXIETY, DAILY LIFE, HOPE, TRUSTING GOD

“Oh no!”

I stopped shaking out the bunch of artificial white carnations and lilies as I leaned over my second-floor balcony, watching three rosebud pink paper hearts spiral and flutter all the way to the ground, as concerned as if I had just dropped the ruby ring my daughter gave me down the sink.

I ran, well at least I moved fast, to retrieve those three little paper hearts. They had nestled in the vase of white flowers next to my kitchen sink for nearly four years, extras from when I worked part-time in the children’s department of our church. Four years ago, God was just beginning to draw me out of the pit of deep depression.

‘He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” (Psalm 18:16-19).

Read all of Psalm 18 and take time to thank God for something He has rescued you from. Understanding how God fights for us is deeply comforting.

The messages on those paper hearts. Three messages are printed in the center of those little hearts:

  • God made me and He loves me.
  • God listens to me and He loves me.
  • God takes care of me and He loves me.

Pondering Bible truths such as these day and night (Psalm 1), healed depression and gave me a new, undepressed mind (Romans 12:2) when nothing else worked.

Constant reminders.  We all have our weaknesses. Some of us, like me, need reminders all day long to depend on God and not worry. Some of us, like me, need reminding that no matter how I feel, I am not alone. That’s why those little pink paper hearts reside in that vase of flowers by my sink. What do I think of when I read those three little messages?

God made me and He loves me. In Psalm 139:13-16 David talks with God about how God created him. David says to God:

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

Verse 16b says “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” How comforting to know that our all-powerful God has our life planned and that His plan is for our good.

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

“. . . And He loves me” In verses 17 and 18 of Psalm 139, David gives us another detail about the way God loves us – He thinks about us all the time.

“How precious to me are your thoughts,] God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.”

I can only echo The Enduring Word commentary: “David was filled with amazement and adoration by considering how God knew and cared for him. It is precious that God should think of us at all; it is beyond precious that He would think well of us and think so often of us.” (emphasis added)

God takes care of me and He loves me. I have an extremely hard time writing about the phrase “God takes care of me.” Why? I have too much to say! Since April 1981, when I gave my heart to Jesus, God has abundantly supplied all my needs “according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NIV). He truly has never, no never, no never failed in any way (Hebrews 13:5-6, Joshua).

By God’s grace, when I was saved I determined to put my relationship with God first and to obey Him fully. Everything else—every day of the past forty-three years–followed from that. God continues to give steady spiritual growth, heart and body healings, and miraculous provision of every physical, mental, emotional and spiritual need. All it takes is loving God above all, obeying Him, and serving Him with your whole heart.

Consider now Hebrews 13:5-6. Verse 5 tells us to love God first, more than material things, and be content with where we are and what we have. Why? God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, promises to never fail us in any way. I highly recommend imprinting these two verses on your heart by pondering on them.

 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down ]relax My hold on you)! ]Assuredly not!]

6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

woman in white long sleeve shirt kissing girl in white long sleeve shirt

Photo by Saeed Karimi on Unsplash

God listens to me and He loves me. Many years of seeing God do personal miracle after personal miracle has built up my faith. From the miracle of courage and strength for daily life to miraculous physical healings and provision, He has never failed. Yet, being human, sometimes dark clouds of loneliness and self-pity close in, threatening a destructive emotional storm. Though surrounded by loving family and friends, in moments of special stress or fatigue, the enemy sometimes flings flaming arrows of thought. “You are all alone. No one really cares. How could they? You are such a mess, you are . . . “

By grace, I’ve learned to quickly identify the voice of the enemy. When thoughts like that come, I say “Satan, it is written in James 4:7 that if I submit myself to God and resist you, you must flee, so I command you to flee now!” Then I immediately turn to praising God and keeping my mind on Him. “Father, thank You that You are far greater than the enemy and that You are in me, Your Spirit is giving me all I need for life and godliness. You are keeping me in complete and constant peace because I am keeping my mind fixed on You. Thank You for teaching me Your Word. Thank You that I live in America where I can have a Bible and worship You in freedom. Thank You for my family, for food to eat, clothes to wear, a car to drive. Thank You for the bird I hear chirping outside. . .”

This has never, no never, failed to restore my peace. Try it.

Another weapon against the poison of loneliness is Genesis 28:15.

5 And behold, I am with you and will keep (watch over you with care, take notice of) you wherever you may go, and I will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done all of which I have told you. (AMPC)

Keep the truths in this Scripture in mind as you go about your daily life and simply talk with God about whatever you are doing. Be aware that He is listening—all day long—specifically to you. You will find it helps you feel His presence.

person holding heart shaped red balloon

Photo by Ryan ‘O’ Neil on Unsplash

Returning to whole-hearted seeking. Jeremiah 29 contains a warning and a precious promise about God’s mercy toward us. Jeremiah 2­9 is a letter God wrote through Jeremiah to the captives exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem because of their wickedness and unrepentant idol worship. In the first nine verses, God told the captive Israelites to settle down and work for the good of the place they lived (Babylon) because “its welfare will determine your welfare.” (V. 7b, NLT). God told them they would stay in Babylon 70 years, which was until their punishment was completed. (Notice how God is taking care of them, even while they are being punished, by telling them how to have a better life.)  In verse 10, God promises that after 70 years He would return them to Jerusalem and “do for you all the good things I have promised.” (v. 10b).

And then comes the well-known verse, Jeremiah 29:11: “11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” (NIV). Especially notice verses 12 through 14.

12 Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.

13 Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (emphasis added)

14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.” (AMPC, emphasis added).

God reassures His rebellious people that He has good plans for them, and that their final outcome will be one where they love Him whole-heartedly and find Him as well as enjoy freedom again.

This teaches me that I move toward captivity –to my fleshly nature and/or Satan–when I start depending on or loving anything more than God. I make that thing an idol. It also teaches me that God is ever ready to deliver me when I seek Him with my whole heart, as if my very life depended on Him, which it does.  God brings me back to Jerusalem, to the beautiful condition of the heart that comes from peace, when I call on Him whole-heartedly.

I believe this process of sin-captivity-judgement-restoration applies to any scale of time, from our “little” failures that take us away from God part of the day to unrecognized and/or unconfessed sin that steals our closeness and our peace for months or years.

close view of Bald Eagle

Photo by James Newcombe on Unsplash

Father, thank You so much for teaching us how to stay in peace. Thank You for Your clear guidance in the Word. Please forgive me when I give in to doubt or fear. Thank You that You are growing me up and those times come far less often.

And from Psalm 91 I say, Lord, help me always dwell in the secret place so that I can remain continually under the shadow of Your great wings. Remind me to say of You, “The Lord is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!” (AMPC)

When I do that, Lord, I know You will cover me with Your feathers, just like a mother hen fiercely defending her little chicks.

And when I am under Your wings, I will be able to snuggle in close and find the trust and refuge I so desperately need.  Truly Lord, Your “truth and faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.”  

God’s Arsenal for Peace and Security, Revisited – Part Two

ANXIETY, BIBLE STUDY, DAILY LIFE, DEPRESSION, ENCOURAGEMENT, TRUSTING GOD

In Part One, we were reminded that the truths in God’s Word are our weapons for spiritual warfare. Some Bible verses in particular will keep us in peace and feeling secure if we keep those verses uppermost in our minds and hearts. We considered the benefits of meditating upon and memorizing God’s Word.

Part Two covers the following topics.

  • Why the AMPC?
  • God’s Word has power to change your heart and your life.
  • How does God’s Word change your heart?
  • As God’s truth increases in your heart, lies and darkness decrease.
  • A word of encouragement about meditating and memorizing.
  • God’s Arsenal for Peace and Security – List of Verses

Why the Amplified translation of the Bible? Here is the description of the Amplified translation from www.lockman.org, the publisher.

“The Amplified Bible is a Literal Equivalent translation that, by using synonyms and definitions, both explains and expands the meaning of words in the text by placing amplification in parentheses, brackets, and after key words. This unique system of translation allows the reader to more completely and clearly grasp the meaning as it was understood in the original languages. Additionally, amplifications may provide further theological, historical, and other details for a better understanding of the text.”

To meditate means to ponder, consider, to roll something over and over in your mind, and to work at it like a dog works at a bone or a cow chews her cud.  Compare the translations of Isaiah 26:3-4 below.

  • NIV – “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast in You because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”
  • NKJ – “You will keep in perfect peace Whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever. For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
  • NLT – “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You. Trust in the Lord always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal rock.”
  • AMPC – “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord – commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him—forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting rock—the Rock of Ages.”

You will see that the Amplified has more words than most other translations.  These “extra” words—those set off in dashes, braces, brackets and parentheses –are shades of meaning that the original readers of the Bible would have automatically understood when they heard that word or phrase. Slowly, carefully reading these phrases in the Amplified is one way to meditate. It slows the mind down and guides the thought process. If I meditate on Isaiah 26:3 in the NIV or the NKJ, for example, I will come up with my own ideas about what “perfect peace” and a “steadfast mind” and “trust” mean, but the “extra” words in the Amplified are, I believe, the first thoughts we should  dwell on as we meditate on a verse or passage because they are, I believe, levels of meaning that God intended when He inspired the writers of Scripture.

So, using the Amplified has two clear benefits for meditation. First, it will force you to slow down and spend more time as you meditate. Second, it will help your meditation uncover more completely, in my opinion, what God is saying in His Word.

One clear example is the word trust in Isaiah 26:3-4. Isaiah 26:3 tells us to trust in the Lord and verse 4 defines trust in the clarifying words of the Amplified, the words between dashes. Verse 4 says “So trust in the Lord—commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him—forever. . .”  That means to me that when I see God use the word trust, He means “to commit myself to Him, to lean on Him, and to hope confidently in Him.”  Using my own thoughts, I did not think of those three layers of meaning.

I suggest you try using the Amplified translation to memorize. If, after a sincere effort, you are not blessed then use a translation such as the New King James or New International. I also recommend using the Amplified Classic edition. Later editions leave out some of the amplifying phrases.

God’s Word has power to change your heart and your life. The power of God’s Word will “fix” your heart no matter if your problem is addiction, anger, self-control, loneliness, depression, or fear. Then, as your heart changes, your life will change.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is alive and full of power, and that it “judges the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (NIV) One thing that phrase means to me is that God’s Word in my mind enables me to discern, or to judge, whether thoughts and feelings in my heart are good or bad, true or false, beneficial or detrimental, holy or corrupted, whether they are from God or from the devil, and whether they lead toward life or lead toward death.

When I was deeply depressed and cowered down by fear, most of my thoughts were negative. The enemy and my own downtrodden heart generated thoughts and feelings of hopelessness and discouragement, day after day. Only when I began studying the Word for myself in my areas of need and then consciously kept those verses in my mind minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, did the healing begin.

The verses in “Your Basic Arsenal” are listed in the order in which I studied and then memorized them during that season. What I needed most when I first began was peace, so I kept repeating God’s promise to keep me in peace if I kept my mind fixed on Him (Isaiah 26:3).  The truth of that Word made the lies in my heart flee, little by little. The light of truth chases the darkness of lies away, just as dawn chases the darkness of night away (Proverbs 4:18).

How does God’s Word change your heart? Here is one example of how the Word changes hearts. Isaiah 26:3 is true. It is a fact that God will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts are fixed on Him. (NLT) But the enemy tries to make us believe things that are not true. He tries to make us believe his lies, just as he did with Adam and Eve. I became and stayed depressed because, although I knew a lot of the Word, the enemy shot lying thought arrows into my heart, thoughts like “I will always feel bad and stay depressed. God cannot heal me. I am too messed up. I have wasted too much time. I have disappointed God, and He is mad at me.” If you hear something often enough, you can start to believe it, even if it is not true.

But because God’s Word is “alive and full of power,” it is active, it operates in our hearts, it energizes our hearts, and it is effective in our hearts. (Hebrews 4:12, AMPC). As soon as I heard even one short statement of truth (for example, God will never fail me in any way), the light that comes from that truth drove away some of the darkness–immediately. As I kept repeating that truth and thinking about it, pondering what exactly it meant, more light came into my mind and then my feelings.

As I searched the Bible for verses about peace, God led me first to Isaiah 26:3 and Hebrews 13:5. I started trying to keep the truths in those verses in my mind, by reading them repeatedly, then by repeating them over and over all day long, day after day, and thinking about them phrase by phrase, thinking about what each phrase meant, what each word in the phrases meant.

As God’s truth increases in your heart, lies and darkness decrease. When we meditate on God’s truth, truth and light start to take up more space in our thoughts than lies, so that truth becomes dominant, or foremost.  That is like changing undrinkable salt water by adding more fresh water until it becomes drinkable. Really, it is more like a desalinization plant because the salt, or lie, is actually removed, not just diluted!

I believe that is one reason God tells us, many times, to think about His Word all day long. As we keep His Word in our mind, hour by hour, day by day, we begin to think about life and situations like God thinks about them because we have more of the truth about life and those situations in our hearts. We start to walk in truth, to live in truth, to think like God and to act in a godly way.

As we keep diligently studying the Word, building up our library of knowledge about life as it really is, as God explains it in His Word, we grow up spiritually and grow stronger, and we fall for Satan’s lies far less often.

A word of encouragement about meditating and memorizing. You do not have to actually memorize the verses, although it will benefit you more to do so. You will find that if you ponder, think about, and puzzle over what each phrase means, you will nearly have it memorized without even trying. If you have an especially  hard time memorizing I urge you to give it your best effort, with prayer, for at least a week, with just one verse. If you really feel you cannot memorize, then do work faithfully to at least develop the habit of meditating on a specific verse or two each day, hour by hour intentionally rolling it over in your mind.

I heard a story about a man who worked as a laborer, with no way to pause and read the Word of God during the long hours he labored with his hands and back. But that man deeply loved God and the Word, so he memorized what he could of one verse each morning and meditated on that all day. The pastor who told the story said that man had a deeper understanding of God’s Word than many of the formally educated pastors and theologians he knew. The point, to me, is:  try the best you can, with all your heart, to study the Word and God will make your efforts succeed. Study Psalm 1 and selah – pause to think about what it says!

Remember the table below “God’s Arsenal for Peace and Security” is available as a printable Word document on the Books and More tab at www.wordsofhopeandhealing.com.

“Grace and peace to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 1:3, NIV)

Gods Arsenal for Peace and Security

Scripture Reference Key Thought – Memory Cue
Section One  
Isaiah 26:3 1. Peace
Hebrews 13:5 2. never fails
Isaiah 30:15 3. to return
Psalm 91 4. to the secret place.
Section Two
Lamentations 3:25-26 5.  God is good,
Genesis 28:15 6. He is near, so
Psalm 27:14 7. I can wait,
Isaiah 41:10 8. and not fear,
Psalm 94:12-15 9. And keep myself calm!
Section Three
John 16:33 10. I can be of good cheer!
Psalm 18:30-36 11. (because) God is perfect.
Psalm 1 12. I can think about Him all day.
Psalm 107 13. And I can thank Him.
Section Four
II Chronicles 15:2 14.  I will find Him
Philippians 4 15. as I rejoice, and
Psalm 103 16. and praise Him.
2  Chronicles 16:9 17. He longs to strengthen me.
See the “Books and More” page at www.wordsofhopeandhealing.com for a printable Word document of this table.