Thank God I'm Forgiven Friday! Amen and PTL! What love, grace and mercy He showers over us! Jesus loves us so much that he hung on the cross for your forgiveness. he had you and still has you on His mind and in His heart. Yes what love! Thanks Lord for forgiving a wretch like me--amazing love and grace are from You1 Thank You! Help me repent of all sins and allow You to refine and reshape me. Come! Have Your way with me! Thank You Amen!
Good Morning Redeemed, Molded, Prepared, Followers of Jesus. He is our Good Shepherd. He is Love. He has great plans for you and is shaping and preparing you for those. PTL! Yesterday we discussed following the Good Shepherd and today's devotionals flow from that and led to this blog. God inhabits our praise and leads us through the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Amen!
Sometimes the journey is very hard and the enemy loves kicking us when we are down. Sometimes we just want to give up as we weary of staying true always. Our Daily Bread talks about being spread out too thin and asks, "How can you put your trust in God when you're tired and overwhelmed?" great question, right? Check out this song. You're gonna be okay. Turn off the noise and tune into God. Fix your thoughts on things above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj_RNYbynU4. Don't give up. Seek some fellow travelers to hold you up and help you along too.
The rest of our devos flow through this reminder: God is with you and making a way. Keep your eyes on Jesus and feet following. Be renewed and directed as you dwell in Hid Love and Word. And go live and love like Jesus and help someone along the way today. God loves you and has great plans for you today. He inhabits your praise. Keep worshiping and your eyes on things above. I'm praying for you and here if you need to chat or pray. Shalom--dwell in His Love today!
ODB:
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In J. R. R. Tolkien’s book The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins starts showing the effects of carrying, for six decades, a magical ring with dark powers. Weighed down by its slowly corrosive nature, he says to the wizard Gandalf, “Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.” He decides to leave his home in search of rest, somewhere “in peace and quiet, without a lot of relatives prying around.”
This aspect of Tolkien’s story reminds me of an Old Testament prophet’s experience. On the run from Jezebel and wrung out after his battle with false prophets, Elijah badly needed some rest. Feeling depleted, he asked God to let him die, saying, “I have had enough, Lord” (1 Kings 19:4). After he fell asleep, God’s angel woke him so he could eat and drink. He slept again, and then ate more of the food provided by the angel. Revitalized, he had enough energy for the forty-day walk to the mountain of God.
When we feel scraped thin, we too can look to God for true refreshment. We might need to care for our bodies while we also ask Him to fill us with His hope, peace, and rest. Even as the angel tended to Elijah, we can trust that God will impart His refreshing presence on us (see Matthew 11:28).
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
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When you’re wrung out and exhausted, what actions tempt you? How can you put your trust in God when you’re tired and overwhelmed?
Strengthening God, I look to You for true rest. Please help me put my hope in You and fill me with Your presence.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Elijah’s plea for God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4) may give us some insight into his condition. His wish for death wasn’t just because he feared Jezebel’s death threat, but because he felt he was “no better than [his] ancestors” (v. 4). It’s possible that his depression was rooted in the reality that though he’d trusted God to do the impossible when He consumed the burnt offering (18:38-39) and witnessed His power when He sent rain (vv. 41-46), he’d immediately fled in fear of Jezebel. Perhaps he felt that his own faith, like that of his ancestors, was weak and fickle. Or he may have been discouraged because he’d failed to rid Israel of Baal worship and idolatry.
J.R. Hudberg |
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Sarah Yong:
Upper Room: Dwelling on Blessings
You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. - Psalm 40:5 (NRSVUE)
Recently, I decided that every night when I lie down to sleep, I would give thanks for three things I noticed that day. Some days my gratitude is for something as simple as finding what I needed at the grocery store, getting an encouraging text or email, or feeling the warmth of beautiful sunshine. Other times my prayers of gratitude focus on finding the solution to a computer problem I had spent hours working on or rejoicing with a friend who experienced healing. Many nights, my list is far longer than three things! I am realizing God’s goodness encompasses my day in ways I often did not notice before.
Focusing on God’s goodness has boosted my spirit immensely. Sleep often comes much more quickly than before, and I am blessed with peace. I have found that when I go to sleep dwelling on God’s blessings, I wake up the same way. What a difference this practice has made in my attitude and feeling of well-being throughout the day!
Today's Prayer
Gracious God, open our eyes to the wonderful blessings we receive each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Joyce Meyer:
Charles Stanley:
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