Photographs.

Having just finished our oldest daughter’s senior year of high school, we’ve taken lots of them over the past year. From the last first day of school in August to the reception after graduation in May, the past year is well documented on my cell phone!

We typically take pictures because we want to remember something about that moment in time. It could be the people that were there, the place where we were, what we were doing right then, or a combination of all three.

Pictures are a brief glance at that particular moment in life. And by the way, few people know what’s going on behind the smiles. Maybe it was a wonderful, memory-filled vacation…or maybe it was the one minute of the whole trip when the kids weren’t bickering back and forth!

Hopefully, we all have some spiritual memories as well, times in our lives we can look back on and say, “Thank God for how He worked in that situation.” Or “I wasn’t sure how that need was going to be met, but God was faithful.”

How often in the Old Testament we see God commanding His people to remember what He has done for them in the past. Not only was He to receive glory for His mighty acts, but it was also to encourage them for the future.

The Israelites getting ready to fight against the Canaanites and take over the Promised Land needed to remember how God had mightily redeemed them out of Egypt. That reminder of God’s power and faithfulness was to encourage them in their current struggle.

In Psalm 105, King David reminds His readers of God’s covenant with the Israelites. He takes us all the way back to Abraham, through Jacob and Joseph, and describes His deliverance of His people from Egypt.

In verse 105, we read, “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth…”

Whatever trial you or I are in today, recalling God’s hand at work in our past will give us the faith to go on. How helpful and encouraging it can be to mindfully pause in our day with the purpose of recalling God’s faithfulness. Psalm 77:12 says, “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”

These thoughts were actually inspired by the song Turn Around and See written by Heather Sorenson. Here are the words to the first verse and chorus.

You followed God’s hand, but you’re not where you had planned.
You stumbled in the place you were sure that you could stand.
So you press toward the goal, giving God control,
but the path is all uphill, and it seems you’re standing still.

But turn around and see!
Look what God has done:
Redeeming ev’ry scar to the image of His Son.
The battles you have fought are the vict’ries He has bought.
Though there’re many miles to go, and the journey seems so slow,
don’t lose faith down here below.
Just turn around and see.

You can listen to the song here.

We don’t want to dwell in the past. But looking back and recalling God’s faithfulness can give us the courage we need to live today.

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Sometimes when I’m reading my Bible, a particular word will stand out. A verse I recently studied made me want to dig in and get a better understanding of the word “strange.”

As I looked at the definition, one synonym that came up was “foreign.” Last week on our Western Caribbean cruise, my family and I were in the foreign countries of Honduras and Mexico.

Almost everyone we encountered spoke English, but I was reminded of how intimidating it must be to enter a country where you can’t easily communicate with people. That would have to be frustrating and even scary!

Psalm 81:9 is the verse where the word “strange” caught my attention. God is talking to Israel, and He says,

“There shall no strange god be in thee: neither shalt thou worship any strange god.”

Sounds like a repeat of one of the ten commandments, doesn’t it?

In this case, strange means alien or false. God is referring to those gods who were worshiped by foreign nations.

God is telling the Israelites to display absolute fidelity to Jehovah. And while we may not directly be part of that group, I believe God still calls us to worship and serve Himself only.

While we likely don’t bow before a carved statue, I think we’d all agree that there are other gods that can take precedence in our lives. The typical ones we think of might be money, material possessions, fame, and power.

And while I’m certainly prone to worshiping those, I came up with a list of other gods that I think I’m more tempted by on a regular basis. See if any of these might be present in your life.

1. The god of what other people think

I started off with one that can be so easily become part of my thought process! How we or our families are perceived by others can sometimes move us in a direction we shouldn’t go.

On the other hand, we can even choose to do “good” things with a wrong motive. Maybe we serve in a particular ministry at church so that people will see us and think we’re a good Christian.

God knows our hearts, and our calling is to do what He leads us to do in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. We can fall into worshiping another “god” when we look to people for our approval and fulfillment rather than to God.

“The greatest prison people live in is the fear of what other people think.” ~David Icke

2. The god of trusting in myself

This can happen in good times or in difficult ones. We can think that we’re capable of handling whatever comes. And when we’re successful, we decide to just rely on ourselves to keep getting the job done.

But looking to God and seeking His strength and wisdom is the only way to accomplish anything.

“I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” ~John 15:5

3. The god of my own desires

If you read a few verses further in Psalm 89, you’ll see that verse 12 says, “So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

God goes on to detail the blessings He would have given the Israelites if they had just listened to Him and followed His commands. When we seek to align our desires with His, rather than plunge ahead on our own, we will be open to receiving those blessings He has in store for us.

This is also a good reminder to always seek God’s desires rather than insist on our own way. Psalm 106:15, also referring to the Israelites, says that God “…gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” We don’t want to pay that cost to get our own way.

4. The god of apathy

When I’m not interested in growing in my spiritual walk or unconcerned about the needs of others, this god might be present in my life.

You probably know the passage in Revelation 3 where God tells the church of Laodicea that because they are lukewarm in their works for Him, He will spit them out of His mouth. I know none of us want to be classified that way!

I love Paul’s encouragement in 1 Corinthians 9:24. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” Stay connected to God through His Word and prayer, and be enthusiastic about serving Him.

5. The god of self-righteousness

I suppose this could be called good ol’ fashioned pride. I find myself worshiping this god way too often. The Bible has plenty of verses condemning pride, but James 4:6 is one I try to remember.

“…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.“

I don’t want God to resist me, so I have to continually remove the god of self-righteousness from my life, and see myself as one who’s been saved by grace and needs more of His grace every single day.

Do you worship any of these gods? I’m sure there are other gods in our lives that can draw us away from a full-focused worship of our Savior. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and insight to help us keep strange gods out of our lives.

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Are you someone who enjoys a routine and mostly does the same things every day? Or are you a go-with-the-flow, spontaneous type?

I am the first, which is probably not surprising. Breakfast is yogurt with granola every morning. I like a plan to follow with no surprises. This is why summer always sends me into a bit of a panic mode since our regular schedule goes out the window!

It’s good for us to build healthy, daily habits into our lives. Recently I was thinking about spiritual habits that are good to practice daily.

As I was looking at Bible passages that include the words “day” and “daily,” I came upon the Israelites. When they were wandering in the wilderness, how often did they have to collect manna? According to Exodus 16:5, daily (with the exception of gathering one day ahead for the Sabbath).

Why daily? Why did they have to get up every morning, go outside, and pick up off the ground what their family needed to eat for the day?

Because every time they bent over, they could be reminded to be thankful. They had to recognize that God was the one who met their need every. single. day. They couldn’t make that manna appear the next morning, but God could.

He knows how forgetful we are. I, as they, need to reminded each day that I am me and He is God.

So I continued in my research, and found several Bible verses that used the word “daily.” I put together five ways that we can apply them in our own lives.

1. Give praise to God.

“…and daily shall he be praised.” ~Psalm 72:15

In what appears to be a description of the future kingdom of the Messiah, this verse tells us that Jesus will be praised daily. If this is a practice we will be partaking in then, wouldn’t it be great to start it now?

Psalm 68:19 reminds us, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” Every day we are given so many blessings. God is truly worthy of our praise.

2. Pray.

“Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.” ~Psalm 86:3

I’ve mentioned before that prayer truly is a discipline. It’s hard work! Yet talking to God every day is vital to our Christian life.

If we’re going to follow the example Jesus gave in the Lord’s prayer and ask for our daily bread, we’ll have to be communicating with Him on a regular basis.

3. Surrender to God’s will.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” ~Luke 9:23

Die to self. That doesn’t sound very fun. But being a disciple of Christ often means sacrifice.

It seems counter-intuitive, yet God knows that this is how we will find joy. We only have room for one master in our lives. Will it be us or Him?

4. Study God’s Word.

“…they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” ~Acts 17:11

These new Christians were looking through what they had of the Bible – likely just the Old Testament at that time – and searching for truth. As I was thinking about this, I realized that they put me to shame. How often do I search the Scriptures? Yes, I read it, but am I actively looking for God’s truth and how I can apply it to my life today?

5. Encourage one another.

“But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” ~Hebrews 3:13

This encouraging of our fellow believers can be to warn them against sin or to lift one another up when we’re down. As often as possible, let’s pray for one another and not miss opportunities to be an encouragement. Send that text or handwritten note, make that phone call or visit, and support those around you in their faith.

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I’m not sure if it’s because Easter is in late April this year or if it’s just my general frame of mind, but I don’t feel like my heart is properly prepared for this season.

In case you’re in the same boat, I came up with a plan. I’m challenging myself to think about all that Jesus’ death accomplished. There’s not enough room to cover every aspect of that here, so I’m focusing specifically on what Jesus’ blood did for us.

None of these truths are likely new to us, but hopefully as we meditate on them, we’ll realize anew the redemptive work that was finished at the cross.

1. No matter how wicked we’ve been or how many times we’ve sinned, Jesus’ blood cleanses us.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” ~Isaiah 1:18

2. The blood of Jesus is the only thing that could redeem us. It is pure and precious.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” ~1 Peter 1:18-19

3. Jesus loved us so much that He willingly shed His own blood for us.

“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” ~Revelation 1:5

4. It’s the richness of God’s grace that allows us to be redeemed and forgiven.

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” ~Ephesians 1:7

5. Our redemption is eternal. His blood bought us a life with Him that will never end.

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” ~Hebrews 9:12

6. Because of Jesus’ blood, we can have fellowship with God.

“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” ~Ephesians 2:13

7. Because of Jesus’ blood, we can have fellowship with other believers.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” ~1 John 1:7

And just for a bonus truth, I thought I’d throw in an appropriate hymn to remind us that Jesus paid for ALL of our sins. Don’t let Satan throw guilt your way! Jesus’ blood covers every sin. And because He paid it all, how much we should want to love and serve Him.

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Chorus:

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Where-by Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
My lips shall still repeat.

Jesus Paid It All by Elvina Hall

May you be blessed and encouraged as you think about Christ’s death and resurrection over these next few days!

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Have you ever been in an argument with someone who said, “You always __________” or “You never __________” [fill in the blank]? Immediately you start running that scenario through your mind, searching your memory for that one time you actually did [stay under budget, get ready to leave on time, etc.] or didn’t [forget to put gas in the car, save important tax receipts, etc.]

I’ve heard the advice that you shouldn’t use “absolute” words like “always” and “never” in an argument because let’s face it – those are usually exaggerations. Maybe it’s rare that you’re ready to leave the house on time, but it’s likely happened at least once or twice in the past!

But thankfully there are absolutes when it comes to God. And Psalm 145:17 is a wonderful reminder of this.

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.”

Do you see that word “all”? It’s not “some” of His ways or “most” of His works. It’s all. Every. single. one.

So let’s break this down.

All of the Lord’s ways are righteous. We think of righteous as morally right, and it is. It also means just. Whatever God does is right and just.

We know that in a big-picture sense. But when it comes down to what happens to you and I on a daily basis, do we ever accuse God of being unjust or unfair?

Maybe we’re in the middle of a situation that just doesn’t fit with what we think should be happening to us. In our humanity, we can begin to doubt that God is working what’s right for us. But that’s because we can only see it from our point of view, with human limitations and lack of eternal perspective.

Nothing can come from God but good. We have to cling to this truth. Because of His character, He can only do what is right. Just because we don’t understand His ways doesn’t mean they aren’t good and just.

So what are we to do when God’s ways seem unjust to us? It’s that word that easy to say and hard to live.

Trust.

Trust the nature, the character of God. Not how we feel or what we see, but trust in the truth from His Word that all His ways are righteous.

The second part of the verse tells us that He’s holy in all His works.

Several commentaries say that the Hebrew word for “holy” here is usually translated “merciful.” How thankful we are for both of those traits – His holiness and His mercy!

When God works, He isn’t like we are. There are no hidden motives. He works from a heart that is always pure and plans everything for our good. And in the hard and difficult moments, we have to also trust in His mercy.

Remember Lamentations 3:22-23? “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.“

All of God’s works are wrapped in His mercy. Without it, there’d be no hope for us.

In God, truth and mercy meet together in perfect harmony. Anything He brings into our lives is for our good and His glory. And His mercy is available as we boldly ask for it in prayer. [Hebrews 4:16]

Today let’s take comfort in the always righteous ways and holy works of God.

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Maybe it’s something about this time of year.

I seem to fall into a pattern in which all my days look similar. There’s nothing particularly exciting going on at the moment. It’s just the routine, the same ol‘ same ol‘.

I understand that this isn’t everyone’s story right now. Some of you may be in the midst of really tough circumstances. Others might be experiencing great victories.

But in the ebb and flow of life, I’m fairly certain we all hit spots where it doesn’t seem we’re accomplishing much. Maybe we’re not seeing spiritual growth in our lives. Perhaps a ministry or a career or homeschooling isn’t panning out like we thought it would. Could be that our days are just filled with taking care of little kids, going to appointments, or answering the office telephone.

As I thought about what we can learn from these times, I came up with three questions we can ask ourselves.

Am I choosing faithfulness?

“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much…” ~Luke 16:10

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” ~1 Corinthians 4:2

Faithfulness. It’s not a flashy, hip, exciting word. It’s just steady dedication and commitment.

But it’s important because the majority of life is not lived on the mountaintops. Mostly it’s going through the daily grind, and just choosing to be faithful. There’s no pumped-up soundtrack or big fanfare to push you on. It’s just doing what has to be done, doing the next thing.

Am I living with a spirit of gratitude?

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:18

In these seasons of ordinariness, it can be easy to compare. “Look at what she’s accomplishing.” “Well, if I had those advantages, I’d be getting ahead, too.”

But that verse above tells it’s God’s will for us to be thankful. In the mundane, the exciting, the challenging, and the just plain hard, we’re to give thanks.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…and be ye thankful.” ~Colossians 3:15

Am I trusting God’s providence?

We are where He has placed us today. Yes, we’ve each made choices of our own. Yet ultimately, God is in control.

Life may not be as glamorous as we would like. We may be serving when we want to be served. It may look like piles of laundry, filing your taxes, or driving two kids to different sports practices.

While the following verse is used often, it’s still true. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” ~Romans 8:28

Job asked about God, “Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?” [31:4] Isaiah says, “The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” [14:24]

Trusting God’s guidance in our lives involves a surrender to His will, even when it doesn’t match up with our plan. He is always working, whether we see it or not.

This is encouragement I need today. I hope it is for some of you, too. When we’re stuck in one of those days/weeks/months where the little that we’re doing doesn’t seem to matter, let’s remember to be faithful, be thankful, and trust God to use our efforts for His purposes.

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.“ ~1 Corinthians 10:31

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Do you have a prayer list?

I’ve shared the template for my monthly family prayer list before.  I also keep a list of current requests for other family, friends, or needs that I want to talk to God about.

Most of the time when you and I pray, we have an outcome we want to see.  It may be that someone gets well, that God opens a door, closes a door, mends a broken relationship, or meets a financial need.  The list could go on and on.

As I was reading R.A. Torrey’s book How to Pray, the following line stuck with me.

“The true purpose in prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer.”

So as we bring every concern, fear, hope, and desire to God in prayer, beyond all else, we should want God to be glorified.

If we have a self-centered purpose or wrong motive behind our request, it is highly likely that our prayer will not be answered.  Remember what James 4:3 says?

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

In every request I make, my main desire should be that – no matter how God chooses to answer – He will be glorified.

What’s sometimes hard to accept is that God may be glorified by allowing us to continue in our trial, our sickness, our financial trouble, or dealing with our difficult child.

In our humanity, we don’t know the outcome that will bring the most glory to God. We have to trust that God will accomplish that goal as we surrender to Him.

Here’s a personal example.  Our 18-year-old daughter will be heading to college in August.  This month I started specifically praying for her roommates.  I’m asking that God will put in her room girls that she can become good friends with.  I’m praying that they will get along, and that she’ll make many happy memories with these girls during her freshman year.

But I have to admit that God, knowing what is best, could potentially give her a roommate that’s hard to get along with.  Maybe their personalities will clash.  Perhaps one of the girls will disturb everyone else by staying up super late or being noisy when she gets up early. 

(Admittedly I have flashbacks to a roommate during my junior year who would set her alarm clock at some extremely early hour, then hit snooze over and over and over.  She could – and did – sleep through it, but it woke me up every. single. time.  Mercifully she got transferred to another room for the second semester. Not that I’m still bitter over that, ha!)

Maybe God would be glorified by my daughter learning to live with a difficult person. Perhaps God knows she’ll experience more growth if she has to deal with some frustration. 

Will that be easy for her (or her mom)? No. But I need to understand that whatever the outcome of the roommate situation, the ultimate purpose is that God would be glorified.

“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.” ~Psalm 115:1

So maybe we need to say it out loud or write it in colored ink at the top of our prayer list.

Lord, as you hear the requests I make, may You be glorified in every answer.   

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