Delight Yourself In The Lord

When life goes bad, we tend to focus on the problems, then we become defeated and depressed. 

In all times of life we are challenged to let the Lord be the focus of our attention. 

Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

If we can focus on Who He is to us, what He has done for us, where He is taking us, and how much He loves us, even the darkest day can be endured because we know something better awaits us down the road.

When the Lord is our delight, we will only want the things which bring Him glory— which please Him. 

When this happens He will lift us out of our sadness and fill us with His glory. God will open the windows of Heaven and give us every desire of our hearts.

My Heavenly Home

Some words about my heavenly home. 

In my heavenly home there will be no death, no tears, no burdens, no trials, no devil, no evil or sadness. 

Nothing will defile, discourage, defeat or ever darken that glorious place.  

It will be a place of perfect rest, peace and joy.

It’s being prepared for a redeemed people,  I’m glad I’m going. Are you going? I hope so.

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

We can speak of golden streets, jasper walls, angelic hosts, pearl gates and foundations of precious stones; but the presence of Jesus Christ is what will make heaven heavenly.

Be Of Good Cheer

Following His miraculous resurrection and the renewal of their faith, the disciples would face intense persecution for sharing the Gospel, but in the midst of their turmoil they would experience great peace in the Lord.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Our Lord never promised life would be easy, but He promised He wouldn’t put more on us than we could bear. 

He offers peace in our moments of weakness, then He says, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the World.”

The saved by grace are right now victorious in Christ. Believe it. My best friend has overcome the world. That makes me happy.

Jesus defeated sin, Satan, and death as He died on the cross and rose triumphant in life.  

Take a moment to consider Romans 8:31-39. We are more than conquerors in Christ and nothing shall separate us from Him or His great love.

If you are struggling or discouraged, look to Jesus. If you don’t know Jesus, run to Him and respond in repentance and faith unto salvation.

Out Of The Pit

         Unable to help himself, King David was forced to wait on the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it , and fear, and shall trust in the Lord .

We have all experienced helpless times in our lives, but none can compare to that time we spent lost in sin.  

Can you remember the day it became clear to you that you were a lost sinner living under the wrath of a holy God, Eph. 2:1-3?  

Thank God, even in that terrible time of waiting, God loved us, heard us and lifted us out of the sin pit by His power and His grace when we believed, Eph. 2:4-6!

Where before there was bitterness, darkness and hopeless; there is joy, light and peace.  

This change in the heart produces a change in the attitude and will put a song on our lips.  Why? What’s in the heart will always work its way out of the mouth, Matt. 15:18-19.

While we have breath in our bodies, we ought to lift our voices and exalt the name of Jesus for what He did in each of our lives.

Coming out Of The Wilderness

In my mind I think of a wilderness as overgrowth, a jungle or a forest.  But it can also be other things, like a bewildering situation. 

In their day, The Cathedral Quartet sang a song about the wilderness. 

“How did you feel when you came out of the wilderness, leaning on the Lord?” 

Today I felt like I came out of the wilderness. I had my final chemotherapy. 

I leaned on the Lord every feeble step and oh, what a difference.  

He was there all the time, holding my hand. It could have been worse. 

People need Jesus in times like this. When cancer invades a life, knowing Him makes a huge difference. He is precious in our weakness.

Whatever your wilderness, learn to lean on Jesus.

Psalm 107:35 He turneth the wilderness into a standig water, and dry ground into watersprings.

The Presence Of The Lord

David was a man of war. He had known great victories and suffered great losses. In everything he faced, God was always there.

Psalm 139:3-4,7 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but , lo, O Lord , thou knowest it altogether. . . . Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

We can’t escape the presence of our Lord. Every born again child of God has the Holy Spirit in their hearts, Romans 8:9.

He’s there when you lay down at night, and He’s there when you wake up in the morning. He’s in your sorrow, your joy, and everything in between. 

He knows all there is to know about you.

I don’t know what you are facing. You may feel you’re all alone but be assured God is there. He will never leave you.

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

Glory In The Lord

There are no secret formulas for worship. It can’t be worked up or manipulated, but it can be achieved. 

We will never genuinely worship without a sense of the awesome power and presence of God. 

1 Chronicles 16:10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

If Jesus never offered another blessing, I have received far more than I deserve. 

He bore my sin on the cross, providing for my redemption. 

He saved me by His grace and has promised eternal life and a home in heaven. 

As I ponder all He is, standing in awe and wonder of Him, I must glory in the Lord and rejoice in Him.

That is worship.