GREAT IS THY FAITHFULESS

I praise your name

for your unfailing love and faithfulness;

for your promises are backed

by all the honor of your name.

Psalm 138:2 NLT

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I started singing scriptures songs and praise and worship choruses over 30 years ago. They have stimulated my faith and helped me express love and appreciation to God for His mercy and grace. But I also love the old hymns of the Church. My most favored of all is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” by T. O. Chisholm. You know the familiar refrain: “Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided, Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”

I became aware of that reality over 58 years ago and I still praise His name for His unfailing love and faithfulness. Today’s scripture reminds us that God’s promises can be counted on without reservation because they are “backed by all the honor of His name.” God will never go back on His word for that would bring dishonor to His name. In fact it is impossible for Him to be unfaithful and still be God! Being faithful is His nature. As the hymn says, “There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy passions they fail not; As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.”

How blessed we are to have "Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, His own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside."

Let’s Pray-
Lord, I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness. You keeping your promises brings honor to your name and after all that’s what it’s all about – the honor of your name!
Thank you, Lord.

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HOW TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

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When we are confronted with making decisions, our normal inclination is to assume that we can handle it on our own, even when there are major unknowns involved. I guess it may be a bit of pride in us that motivates us to do that sort of thing. If I read this week’s Scripture right - that’s depending on my own understanding, which I shouldn’t be doing. Our understanding is so limited – the Lord’s is unlimited - so the wise thing for us to do would be to try and find out what His will is in the matter.

There are many decisions we make from day to day which aren’t that consequential. But if the decision could have serious effects on our life or the lives of others, we really need to check it out with the Lord. I think most of us know how to do that. It’s just a matter of doing it. We need to pray about it with an open mind – find out what His Word has to say on the issue – be willing to set aside our will where it conflicts with His.

If we honestly desire to know His will and trust Him wholeheartedly, He will show us the way we should take. It may take a while and we may vacillate between doubt and trust. But once we trust Him wholeheartedly, we will have peace and we will know we are on the right path.

Let’s Pray-
Father, forgive us for “going it on our own” so much of the time. Help us to seek your will in all we do. And when you show us the way, grant us grace to trust you with all our heart!
Amen


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PRAY FOR CIVIL LEADERS

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.
Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf,
and give thanks for them.

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority
so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives
marked by godliness and dignity.

This is good and pleases God our Savior.

I Timothy 2:1-3 NLT

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During political elections, and for that matter most other times as well, it is common to speak disparagingly of political leaders and aspiring politicians, especially those of the “other” party. Political discussions can get downright nasty to the point of destroying friendships. As Christians we need to guard against falling into that sort of attitude. “For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” Romans 13:1 NLT

No candidate or elected official is going to be perfect, measured by God's standards. They will have some policies and values with which we do not agree. And even the people we feel the most comfortable with most likely do not fully measure up. So as we chose for whom to cast our vote, it will come down to choosing the lesser of two evils. This requires that we be informed concerning the candidate’s stand and what biblical principles have to say on the issues. Instead of belittling and maligning candidates or elected officials, whether local, state or national, we need to treat them with respect, even those with whom we differ.

This week’s Scripture says we are to pray for all in authority – that would mean regardless whether they promote godly policies or not. We are to intercede for them and ask God to help them “so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” That sort of “support” is good and pleases God.

Let’s Pray-
Father, thank you, that we are blessed with a government instead of anarchy. We pray that it would please you to grant us leaders who govern righteously. Help us to do our part to bring that about.
Amen

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THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them.
People judge by outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

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During the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing, a 9-year-old girl named Lin Miaoke sang a ballad to a packed stadium and a billion television viewers. But the voice coming out of our TV sets wasn’t hers. It belonged to a 7-year-old girl named Yang Peiyi. “The reason was for the national interest,” said Chen Qigang, general music designer of the opening ceremonies. “The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression.” The girl with the lovely voice had crooked teeth and a plain face - that barred her from performing before the cameras.

There is something within us that is repulsed by that. Yet, how many of us judge our outward appearance as being inferior in one way or another – we are too tall or too short - some part of our body is either too big or too small – something is not the right shape or is unattractive compared to other people. Some of those features come from our genes, and it’s just who we are. Taking care of ourselves and looking our best pleases God, but He is more concerned how we look on the inside. People have a tendency to judge others by outward appearance, and that can be very deceptive. But God’s focus is on our heart, which reveals our character.

Let’s Pray –
Father, forgive us when we fall for the temptation of thinking that you short changed us when you passed out good looks. Thank you for making us beautiful on the inside through Jesus, in whose name we pray.
Amen


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PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Physical training is good,
but training for godliness is much better,
promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

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The 2008 Olympics are history. All of us were impressed with the feats of Michael Phelps. Eight gold medals in swimming - WOW! It is absolutely amazing what a gifted person can accomplish by faithfully following a good training program.

Most people, including me, could improve their physical fitness and mental alertness through proper and disciplined exercise. Paul told Timothy, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT

Not to belittle the achievements of medal winning Olympians, they are an inspiration to millions of people around the world. They are good examples of prolonged disciplined hard work to reach a set goal. But if the goal is physical achievement, the benefits will only be temporal. However, if the goal is Godliness, prolonged disciplined hard work will yield better results. Working at becoming more like God enables us to experience God’s best here and now even in the midst of trials and hardships. In fact it may be through those very trials and hardships that God enables us to become more like Him. The more Godlike our lives are, the more His purposes for us will be fulfilled here on earth and eventually in heaven. It seems to me it would really be wise for us to commit the rest of our lives to disciplined exercise in Godliness.


Let’s Pray-
Father, help us to work at being as physically fit as we are able. We want to take good care of the body you have given us. But even more we ask for your grace to work hard at becoming more like you. We desire your best for us now and throughout eternity.
Amen


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TELL OTHERS WHAT GOD HAS DONE

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Has the Lord redeemed you?

Then speak out!

Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
Psalm 107:1-2 NLT

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I am sure you would agree that God is good. We are aware of his goodness not only because it is repeatedly recorded in the scriptures, but also because we have become increasingly aware of it as we walk with the Lord. Even before we surrendered our lives to God, we had dim glimpses of his love and goodness. But since we put our trust in Christ as our savior, we see his goodness and love all around - all the time.

Remember what joy and excitement filled our life when we first became a Christian? We couldn’t stop telling others about it. It may take a bit more of an effort today, but we need to keep telling what God has done and is doing in our lives. “All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression.”(a)

Testimonies take on all sorts of shapes and forms. Few of my parents’ generation of German-Russian immigrants had any formal education of any kind. But in church services when given the opportunity to give a testimony concerning their salvation, they would speak up – even though it was the same story word for word every time. One could not deny their genuine gratefulness for what the Lord had done.

Most all of us have given and do share testimonies of what God has done and is doing in our lives. Testimonies can be short or long – simple or formal – the important factor is that they give glory to God. Several weeks ago while reading Terry Hoggard’s blog - “Connections” - I learned of a form of testimony of which I had never heard before. I thought it was so meaningful that I am including it here. You can watch the testimonies on video by clicking on the underlined link called Cardboard Testimonies.

Let’s Pray –
Father, thank you for the joy it brings us when we testify about your goodness, and the faith and praise it prompts in those who hear. Forgive us for allowing the enemy to seal our lips - you have set us free from his power. Help us to live in that freedom and tell the world about what you have done.
We ask this in Jesus name,
Amen


Footnotes:
(a) Psalm 107:2 The Message,


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ALL MAY CHANGE, BUT JESUS NEVER

Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 NLT

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We live in a changing world. Most of us don’t live in the state, let alone the community we grew up in. Remember the first time you went back after you had been gone for many years? You couldn’t believe how the place had changed. While some landmarks were the same – but so much had changed, it really wasn’t the same place. It wasn’t like “old times.”

I have gone “back home” many times over the years to visit family. So often things looked different and the family had become smaller. Over the past fifty some years, my parents and all of my seven brothers and sisters have gone to be with the Lord. However, I still have a number of nieces and nephews and a cousin to visit when I go “back home.”

Donna took me to her High School Reunion several years ago. I had never been to one before, and to my amazement, they were all old people! Dah!! I guess I also had gotten older.

Besides places and people getting older, a lot of other things have changed as well. Values have changed. Some practices that were unthinkable several decades ago have become politically correct. Since sin has entered into this world, natural things deteriorate and die. People in their fallen state, separated from God, are going their own way – away from God and His standards and changing for the worse.

Of course, change in and of its self isn’t bad. Some change is good and indeed necessary when it is a change to comply with God’s ways. A major change took place in our lives when we were born again. And we continue to need to change in order to become more like Jesus. He has been perfect from all eternity. He has always been the one and only way to the Father – He is now and always will be. He has always been Savior and Lord – is now and always will be. He has always been God - is now and always will be. Like the written Word of God, Jesus, the Living Word of God, never changes. We can fully trust Him with body, mind and soul both now and forever.

In 1890 Albert B. Simpson wrote:

“Yesterday, today, forever,
Jesus is the same.
All may change, but Jesus never!
Glory to His Name!
Glory to His Name!
Glory to His Name!
All may change, but Jesus never!
Glory to His Name!
James H. Burke set it to the music we are familiar with.

Let’s Pray-
Father, we can never thank you enough for the assurance that our Savior is always the same, no matter what we are going through. We choose to rest in His unchanging love and grace!
Amen

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