Psalm 63:2-4
So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary,
beholding Your power and glory.
Because Your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
in Your name I will lift up my hands.
Questions:
What is your habitual response towards God? Is it awe or apathy? Is it trust or frustration? Is it praise or disapproval?
How deep, intense is your longing to truly know God?
What do you do to satisfy this longing?
Encouragement:
David wrote this psalm while in the wilderness of Judah. Think about his location and his response (read from verse 1-4 for now). It is safe to say that David's habitual response toward God was awe, trust, praise. Our response can and should be as well.
Prayer:
Dear God, cause us to grow in awe, trust, praise toward You. Give us a deep, intense longing to truly know You. So, we will look to You, not elsewhere, to satisfy this longing. Hear this prayer today. Thanks! Amen!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Thirst for God [Psalm 63:1]
Psalm 63:1 [ESV]
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Consider
Imagine being thirsty, desperate for a drink of water, but you can't find any. Will you continue searching for water or will you give up? Will all of you be devoted to finding water or will you be complacent or nonchalant about it? I imagine you will have an earnest, intense desire and drive to find water. Why? Finding water will be vital to quench your thirst and for your survival. David described his need for God similarly. Not a momentary need. But, an every moment, day-by-day, life-long need.
Questions
How would you describe your need for God?
How earnestly do you seek him?
Prayer
Dear God, cause us to be desperate for you. Desperate to grow in intimacy with you. Cause us to earnestly seek you today and each day. Earnestly seek you so that we can be near your heart. May we get so close that we can feel your "heartbeat" and your "breath". So, may 2014 be a year of us earnestly seeking for and drinking from You, the only One who truly satisfies!
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Consider
Imagine being thirsty, desperate for a drink of water, but you can't find any. Will you continue searching for water or will you give up? Will all of you be devoted to finding water or will you be complacent or nonchalant about it? I imagine you will have an earnest, intense desire and drive to find water. Why? Finding water will be vital to quench your thirst and for your survival. David described his need for God similarly. Not a momentary need. But, an every moment, day-by-day, life-long need.
Questions
How would you describe your need for God?
How earnestly do you seek him?
Prayer
Dear God, cause us to be desperate for you. Desperate to grow in intimacy with you. Cause us to earnestly seek you today and each day. Earnestly seek you so that we can be near your heart. May we get so close that we can feel your "heartbeat" and your "breath". So, may 2014 be a year of us earnestly seeking for and drinking from You, the only One who truly satisfies!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Focal Point Ministries Devotional
The following is from Focal Point Ministries' weekly devotional.
UPLIFTING CHURCH
When, in Psalm 73, the psalmist finds himself frustrated by his daily struggles and aggravated by the inequities of life, it is amazing how quickly and simply his angst is resolved. This is especially true when you begin to sympathize with the depth of his annoyance. He says “all day long” he is “plagued,” “grieved” and “embittered.” Those are strong words to which most of us can relate when life gets tough and we run into harsh disappointments. The fix? Simpler than you might imagine. The psalmist confesses that the turnaround came when he “entered the sanctuary of God” (v.17). He speaks of a profound and needed adjustment to his perspective as he encounters God and God’s people in a place of worship. Remember that while many may view church as an extracurricular activity, it is in reality God’s essential prescription to keep your life, your heart and your emotions out of the gutter. With that in mind, we’d be wise to reaffirm our commitment to never “give up on meeting together” at church each weekend (Heb.10:25).
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* My encouragement is to also be part of your church's small group (i.e., life group or cell group etc), if it has one. If it does not, start one. These groups, in addition to corporate worship, are also essential to our well-being as we follow Christ.
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UPLIFTING CHURCH
When, in Psalm 73, the psalmist finds himself frustrated by his daily struggles and aggravated by the inequities of life, it is amazing how quickly and simply his angst is resolved. This is especially true when you begin to sympathize with the depth of his annoyance. He says “all day long” he is “plagued,” “grieved” and “embittered.” Those are strong words to which most of us can relate when life gets tough and we run into harsh disappointments. The fix? Simpler than you might imagine. The psalmist confesses that the turnaround came when he “entered the sanctuary of God” (v.17). He speaks of a profound and needed adjustment to his perspective as he encounters God and God’s people in a place of worship. Remember that while many may view church as an extracurricular activity, it is in reality God’s essential prescription to keep your life, your heart and your emotions out of the gutter. With that in mind, we’d be wise to reaffirm our commitment to never “give up on meeting together” at church each weekend (Heb.10:25).
______________________________________________________________________
* My encouragement is to also be part of your church's small group (i.e., life group or cell group etc), if it has one. If it does not, start one. These groups, in addition to corporate worship, are also essential to our well-being as we follow Christ.
______________________________________________________________________
Friday, December 13, 2013
Focal Point Weekly Devotional
The following is from Focal Point Ministries with Dr. Mike Fabarez
CHANGE
Though most of us are inherently opposed to it, change is an important part of God’s good plan for his children. You and I may prefer the cozy security of familiarity, but both the advancement of the church and personal sanctification usually involves large quantities of change. Throughout the Bible we see God changing the setting and a variety of factors in the lives of his people as he moves them into new levels of maturity and effectiveness for his name’s sake. We have certainly been warned that the one constant in the Christian life is the changing nature of the Christian life (2 Cor.3:18; Phil.3:12-14). So the next time you find that God’s plan is bringing some uncomfortable periods of adjustment for you, your family or your church, just remember that this is God’s tried and true method of preparing you and positioning you to be all that he wants you to be.
CHANGE
Though most of us are inherently opposed to it, change is an important part of God’s good plan for his children. You and I may prefer the cozy security of familiarity, but both the advancement of the church and personal sanctification usually involves large quantities of change. Throughout the Bible we see God changing the setting and a variety of factors in the lives of his people as he moves them into new levels of maturity and effectiveness for his name’s sake. We have certainly been warned that the one constant in the Christian life is the changing nature of the Christian life (2 Cor.3:18; Phil.3:12-14). So the next time you find that God’s plan is bringing some uncomfortable periods of adjustment for you, your family or your church, just remember that this is God’s tried and true method of preparing you and positioning you to be all that he wants you to be.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Living By
What is the main thing you are living by? Is it food? Is it people? Is it work? Is it money? Is it status? Is it knowledge? etc
What do you turn to for wisdom? Where do you go to find out who you are? What addresses the deep needs of our humanity? What feeds the entire person? What, then, is very essential for us to live by? Who is the source of this?
If you have been living without it, then you are merely existing. Simply put, dead. If we started living by it and are no longer, then we are depriving ourselves. We are depriving ourselves from growing to experience life. The life that is full and very rewarding.
Is this thing relative? Who is the source of it? Sooooo, what is it? Matthew 4:4 & Luke 4:4 [Deuteronomy 8:2-4]. Read this verse. Meditate on it. Be open to the truths of it. If you are open to the truths of it, you will be hungry to search it out to know its Author. Your response will be to live by its every word.
What do you turn to for wisdom? Where do you go to find out who you are? What addresses the deep needs of our humanity? What feeds the entire person? What, then, is very essential for us to live by? Who is the source of this?
If you have been living without it, then you are merely existing. Simply put, dead. If we started living by it and are no longer, then we are depriving ourselves. We are depriving ourselves from growing to experience life. The life that is full and very rewarding.
Is this thing relative? Who is the source of it? Sooooo, what is it? Matthew 4:4 & Luke 4:4 [Deuteronomy 8:2-4]. Read this verse. Meditate on it. Be open to the truths of it. If you are open to the truths of it, you will be hungry to search it out to know its Author. Your response will be to live by its every word.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Holiness Day-by-Day
Devotional for Friday, July 26, 2013
Obedience Applied
Today's Scripture: Luke 8:21
"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
Read it online at the Bible Gateway: (NIV) (NASB) (KJV) (The Message)
Bringing ourselves under the transforming influence of the Word of God means much more than just acquiring knowledge about the contents of Scripture. In fact, the mere acquisition of Bible facts or doctrinal truth without application to one's life can lead to spiritual pride. As Paul said, "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1, NIV). By contrast Paul also spoke of "the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness" (Titus 1:1, NIV).
What is the difference between these two concepts of Bible knowledge? In the first instance the Corinthians were using their knowledge in a selfish and prideful way. They were "looking down their noses" at people with different convictions from theirs. On the other hand, the knowledge leading to godliness is knowledge of the Scriptures that is being applied to one's life and results in godly behavior.
One of the banes of present-day evangelical Christianity is the way we sit every week under the teaching of God's Word, or even have private devotions and perhaps participate in a Bible study group, without a serious intent to obey the truth we learn. The indictment of the Jewish people God made to Ezekiel could well be said of us today: "My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice" (Ezekiel 33:31, NIV).
Our tendency seems to be to equate knowledge of the truth, and even agreement with it, with obedience to it. James said when we do this we deceive ourselves (James1:22). This is especially true when we focus on the more scandalous sins "out there" in society to the neglect of the more "refined" sins we commit.
The text for this devotional comes from the award-winning NavPress devotional bookHoliness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges. For more information or to order a copy, visit theNavPress website.
Visit The Navigators Resources website for more devotional resources.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Holiness Day-by-Day Devotional
Devotional for Monday, June 24, 2013
The Primary Issue
Today's Scripture: Hebrews 9:14
"Christ . . . offered himself without blemish to God." Read it online at the Bible Gateway: (NIV) (NASB) (KJV) (The Message) From different points of view, look at Christ's work for us: he perfectly obeyed the law of God. He satisfied the justice of God. He exhausted the wrath of God. He removed our sins from the presence of God. He redeemed us from the curse of God. He reconciled us to God. One thing is readily apparent: every work of Christ is directed toward God. It's God's law that was obeyed, his justice that was satisfied, his wrath that was propitiated, his holy presence from which our sins were removed, his curse from which we were redeemed, and alienation from his divine presence that has been reconciled. This God-ward focus tells us that the integrity of God's moral government and the upholding of his honor and glory are the primary issues in our salvation [emphasis added]. It's true that God's love for sinful people such as you and me is the wellspring of our salvation, but this love could be shown only in such a way that the glory of his holiness and the honor of his law would be magnified. Jesus in his sinless life and sin-bearing death did just that. Hallelujah, what a Savior! As we contemplate the glory of the cross, we see that not only is our deepest need of salvation met, but it was met in the way that brings the most glory to God himself. At the cross both God's law and God's grace are most brilliantly displayed, and his justice and mercy both glorified. It's also at the cross where we're most humbled, where we admit to God and ourselves that absolutely nothing we do can earn or merit our salvation. As someone has well said, "We bring nothing to our salvation except our sin that made it necessary." The text for this devotional comes from the award-winning NavPress devotional bookHoliness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges. For more information or to order a copy, visit theNavPress website. Visit The Navigators Resources website for more devotional resources. | |
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