Living in a State of Perpetual Blessings

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. 

-Psalm 84:12 NIV

"Were blessed because we trust in Him!" What a liberating thought?!  

God's Blessing Eliminates Worry

Some mornings I wake up a little tired and I wonder if I will have enough strength to make it through the day.  Some days I fail to complete my daily exercise regimen and wonder about the impact on my health. Some days I fail to treat others with the love they deserve and wonder if my relationships will recover from my lapses in judgement.

It is simultaneously liberating, challenging and inspiring to think, "I am still blessed because I trust in Him." 

Liberating

The thought is freeing because as a Christian I believe, "All things come together for the good of those that love the Lord."  (Romans 8:28). While I abhor irresponsibility, I love knowing at the end of the day, God is in control.  I'd be a slave to perfect outcomes, and not a servant to God, if I walked around believing, "Success or failure rests totally on my shoulders."  Thank God that when I stumble, like a loving Father, He is there to ensure my fall is not spiritually fatal. (Psalm 37:24)

Challenging

The thought is challenging because when I consider all that the Lord has done for me, I want to be a blessing to others.  As a result of God's incomparable investment in my life, I want to comfort, empower and make the world a better place for all of God's children. (2 Corinthians 9:8-11)

Inspiring

Visions that excite are often so large that they can be paralyzing.   Isn't it fascinating that the same visions which initially inspired us can later cause us to doubt our abilities to bring them to pass.  Yet, we march on because we know that God is able to complete every good work He has started in us. (Philippians 1:4-6)    We work on because we know that God will supply all the effort, intelligence, collaboration and any other resource we need through His riches in glory. (Philippians 4:19)  We don't stop moving forward until victory is achieved because we know God has called us to success and not failure. (Joshua 1:7-8)

A simple truth that is worthy of ongoing application is, "Continuously acknowledging God allows us to appreciate the perpetually blessed state in which we live." (Psalm 1:1-3)

Affirmation

I am blessed because I trust in Him!!!

Confidence Correctly Invested

12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

-2 Timothy 1:12

No matter the size of my problem,

No matter the strength of my enemy,

No matter the failures of my past...

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!!

No matter the impact of my mistakes,

No matter the misunderstandings that threaten my reputation,

No matter the amount of my loss... 

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!

No matter the time I have wasted,

No matter the extent of my suffering,

No matter the weariness of my heart...

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!!

No matter the friends that have stop calling me,

No matter the supporters that have abandoned me,

No matter the crowds that align themselves against me...

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!!

Those are the words that flooded my mind with the unshakable, unmovable peace of God as I read 2 Timothy 1:12.

Confidence Correctly Invested (Matthew 7:24-27)

If my confidence, hope and faith were based on anything besides the permanent character of Almighty God, I would be devastated when situations, people or moments disappointed me. (Psalm 20:7)

However, in the words of the songwriter Edward Mote...

"My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand."

God is a Glorious and Victorious FINISHER!!!

And God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  (Hebrew13:7-9, esp.v.8)

God's good, loving, merciful and kind.  (Psalm 100)

He's not just a starter.  

He's a FINISHER!!!! (Hebrew 12:2 and Phil1:5-7, esp.v.6)

While we don't always understand the plots and twists that occur in the middle of our story.  This we know...

-God started the story

-And He shall FINISH IT in a GLORIOUS And VICTORIOUS Fashion!!!!

This gives us reason enough to CONFIDENTLY...

Believe on!

Live on!

Love on!

and Fight on!!!! 

Affirmation

The Lord is my Confidence!!!

Weeping Yet Pressing Forward

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went...

-2 Samuel 15:30

Behind the Celebratory Curtain

A promotion at work, a college graduation, celebrating 50 years of matrimony are all celebratory occasions.  However, hidden behind the curtains of the aforementioned celebrations are the tremendous amounts of sacrifice that made them possible.  Achievements don’t just appear, they are earned.

Weeping as He Went

Today as I was reading 2 Samuel 15, the 30^th verse caught my attention.  It reads, “But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went… (2 Samuel 15:30)”  It occurred to me that greatness in any area of our lives often requires tearful, uncomfortable sacrifice.

Interpreting Tears Correctly

Painful instances do not always represent setbacks.  Assuming you are pursuing positive endeavors, those tough, tear drenched moments often signal that significant progress is being made.

Winners that Wept

In addition to David’s example of weeping yet pressing forward, consider a few more biblical examples:

Hezekiah

Hezekiah wept yet pressed forward in prayer.  The result God responded by healing him of a serious illness and protecting his city from an imminent attack. (2 Kings 20:1-5)

A Sinful Woman 

A woman in Luke 7, simply referred to as “a sinner,” wept yet pressed through her tears to serve the Messiah.  The result… Jesus ushered the peace of forgiveness into her life and elevated her as an example of authentic gratitude before a group of arrogant, judgmental men.  (John 11:1-43)

Jesus 

Jesus, our very savior, wept yet he pressed through the crowds, pressed past death, pressed passed those that doubted Him and spoke life into Lazarus.  The result…  A man that had been dead for four days walked out the tomb alive!

Weep Today, Rejoice Tomorrow  

Recovery, renewal and reaping rewards all require sacrifice.  Today’s message is simple… Weep if you must but keep pressing forward. 

See your tears as a road sign that says, "Speed up!  A Major Accomplishment is Ahead!"  The Psalmist said it like this, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”  (Psalm 126:5-6)

As you press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling you… Weep if you must but keep pressing on!  (Philippians 3:14)

Affirmation

Weeping or Not... I Am Pressing Forward!

Stop Complaining... It's Draining

 1 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, [a] because fire from the LORD had burned among them.

-Numbers 11:1-3 (NIV)


Praise is the Pre-Curser to an Uplifted Spirit
A popular Christian quote says, “When the praises go up… The blessings come down!”  It is true that the Lord inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3).  It’s true that praise moves our focus from our weakness to God’s indisputable, all-powerful strength.  It’s true that praise makes us feel better (Psalm 42:5)!

The Choice is Yours...

If all of the above is true, why do we complain?  Any reason that we can articulate boils down to one word: CHOICE.  Sure we all have seemingly more than our fair share of problems but we also have much more than our fair share of blessings.  Complaining is choosing to focus on the areas of our lives we perceive as "limiting" instead of the empowering ways God has positioned us to succeed and live an abundant life.

The Downside of Complaining

Complaining attracts the wrong types of friends.  It steals time that could be spent finding solutions.  It prolongs and causes you to re-live the painful situation each time you recount the story.   The main reason to avoid complaining is found in Numbers 11:1-3… God does not like it.  It  makes Him angry.

Praising God Shrinks Problems 

Whatever your troubles, know this… If you are reading this devotional,  your problems have not overtaken you.  You are still here!  You still have a reason to hope in God.  Praise God that every breath you take represents a new opportunity for Him to do something amazing in your life!  

Choose to magnify God instead of your problems and something AMAZING will happen!  Your soul will be encouraged as you think about God reigning over every person, problem, situation and blessing in your life.  Yes!  God reigns over everything!  Your issues may be too big for you but they are not too  big for God!  Praise allows you to raise your hands and literally give your situations to God and receive his strength (1 Peter 5:6-7 and Isaiah 61:1-3)!  

Equipping Yourself to Praise God

Carry a piece of paper with you and, throughout the day, write down everything that’s going right that could be going wrong. 

 For example...

The hot water in the shower could be cold... 

The refrigerator in your home could be empty... 

The car in the drive way could have been stolen... 

Your eyes could be without sight...

Your arms, legs, fingers and toes could be in pain... 

Your errand could have been interrupted by a horrible accident…

The point of this exercise is to write down all the daily blessings that we so easily take for granted.  Anytime you are tempted to complain, look at the list and start to thank God and praise Him for Today’s blessings!

Affirmation

I will Bless the Lord at all Times!

Proverbs 31... Character Development

 ³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, 
      But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

-Proverbs 31:30

Imagine a world in which names did not exist… There were no Joes, Johns, Sues or Samathas… Instead of being referred to by our names, we were called by our actions.  How would people describe you?  (See Luke 6:43-45) While some may welcome this challenge, most of us would tremble!

A Model of Wise Character

Proverbs 31 paints a picture of a woman that would do quite well in the world imagined above.  The author describes her as rare, responsible, proactive, wise, thoughtful. and the list of positive attributes goes on and on and is worth reading  (See Proverbs 31:10-31).

While the way people describe you today is food for thought, the more important questions are…

-How would you like people to describe your actions? 

-And what are you going to do about it?”

Character Development

Here are a few steps you can take to further develop your character...

Study Proverbs 31:10-31

The woman in Proverbs 31 is a great example of wise, godly living in several areas of life.  We not only see her character but we see the way she expresses it in terms of work, family, treatment of strangers, etc.  As you study the verses ask yourself, “Which attributes are present in my life?”  And Praise God for them!  Then ask yourself, “Which attributes are absent?  And what changes must I implement to express them?”

For example, Proverbs 31:8 reads, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”  As I read that I thought, “I want godly strength and dignity to that degree.  I want to be able to look at life’s obstacles and rejoice, not after, but while I am overcoming them.  I want to be so confident in God’s ability to lead me to success that I see momentary setbacks as detours and not permanent failures.”

Find Scriptures to Support Your Ambition and Reflect Upon Them…

Continuing the example above… I found a few biblical promises to support my goal of increasing my strength or confidence in God’s ability to victoriously guide me in overcoming obstacles.  Here are two scriptures that I will use as "thought filters" today…

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

-Psalm 27:1

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

-Ephesians 6:10

Click Scripture Menu to find scriptures that support your ambitions.

Scriptures are food that nourish the soul.  They are literally meant to be our daily bread (Matthew 4:4; Psalm 19:7-9 and Romans 10:17).  Ideas often seep into our minds that reduce our confidence, cloud our vision and distract us from achieving God’s purposes in our lives.  As Christians the Bible declares we are new creations with new identities and possibilities in Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Romans 12:1-2)!  Use scriptures to allow God to define your new identity, sense of possibility and abundant future. 

Commit to your Goals through Prayer and Action

Go for it!  Ask God to be your teacher, your trainer, your tutor… God designed  You for greatness.  After you pray, believe that God will assist you and exercise the discipline required to accomplish your goals!  (John 14:13-14; Mark 11:22-25 and Philippians 4:6-7)

Affirmation

I will Reflect God’s Maturing Power in My Life!

Proverbs 30:7-9... Simplifying Life (The Benefits of Proper Ambition)

⁷ "Two things I ask of you, O LORD; 
       do not refuse me before I die:
 ⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me; 
       give me neither poverty nor riches, 
       but give me only my daily bread.

 ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you 
       and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' 
       Or I may become poor and steal, 
       and so dishonor the name of my God.

-Proverbs 30:7-9

Do you ever feel like the world is moving faster than you?  Do words such as “overwhelmed, anxious or confused” sometimes describe your state?  Do you ever ask yourself, “How did my life get this complicated?”  If you answered yes to any of these questions, Proverbs 30:7-9 is stuffed with advice that we can use to…

Simplify our Lives,

Better Manage our Pace and

Experience God’s Peace in a More Dramatic Fashion.

A Wise Prayer

Proverbs 30:7-9 record the words of a wise prayer. 

                     

Reliance Upon God

The first reason the prayer is wise is because the author was relying upon God to meet his needs (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).   How often do we find ourselves disappointed when human beings let us down or temporary structures collapse (Matthew 7:24-29)?  Here are the facts… Jobs vanish, opportunities disappear, natural disasters wipe out long lasting communities but God and His Word never fail (1 Peter 1:22-25, Isaiah 55:11 and Joshua 21:45).

Understanding "Wants" vs. "Needs"

The second reason the prayer is wise is because the requestor looked at life and asked, “What do I really need?”  Think about that for a moment…  While I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with desiring "wants," how much more peace would we experience if we stopped and realized, “I have everything I need.  I may desire the "luxury of more" but my needs are met.”  The simple truth is… If we didn’t have everything we need, we’d be dead! (Matthew 4:1-4; Psalm 34:9-11 and Deuteronomy 8:1-18). 

God is the Ultimate Source of Everything Good 

Lastly, the simple act of asking the Lord implies that the author understood God is the source of all good things and He freely bestows His treasures on His children (Philippians 4:19; James 1:17 and Matthew 7:7-11).  How much more joy would we experience, if like the author of this prayer, realized, “Whatever we need, God is able to supply it.  Not only is He able to supply it… It is His Good Pleasure to bless us. (Luke 12:27-32)”

Simplifying Life

After considering everything the world had to offer, the author asked for two things…

 ⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me; 
       give me neither poverty nor riches, 
       but give me only my daily bread.

In addition to making His request known, the author allows us to understand his rationale…

 ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you 
       and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' 
       Or I may become poor and steal, 
       and so dishonor the name of my God

What Do Our Prayers Say about Us?

The author’s prayer indicates something about him that my prayers often fail to demonstrate about me… The author's prayer essentially says...

 “My main goal is to please my Creator.”  

While my prayers sometimes border on “spiritual narcism,” this prayer says... 

“God, bless me to make You happy!  In fact, I’d like you to remove or withhold any temporal pleasure that may distract me from your eternal greatness.  I simply want you to structure my life in a way that prompts me to deepen my relationship and dependence on You moment by moment. ” (Psalm 139:23-24, Matthew 6:5-13 and Psalm 27:1-4)

Aspiring to Real Greatness

Want a manageable pace?  Want a life characterized by gratitude, joy and all the Fruits of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22)?  Want to simplify your life by eliminating meaningless clutter and becoming driven by what really matters?  

Make Your Ambition the Unselfish Pursuit of God.

As you chase after God’s Heart, His Blessings will chase after you! (Matthew 6:33; Psalms 84:11 and Psalm 23, Especially Verse 6)

I Will Pursue God’s Love and Guidance!

Proverbs 29:8... Who Do You Look Like?

    ⁸ Mockers stir up a city, 
       but the wise turn away anger.

-Proverbs 29:8

As a child, whenever my parents introduced me to their friends, a weird ritual would take place...  My new adult acquaintance would study my face and say to my parents, “He looks just like you.”  My mother and father (faking surprise or maybe they really forgot someone else said the same thing 3 hours before) would ask, “You think so?”  At that point more study took place and the curious adult would ascribe each of my facial features to one of my parents.

Displaying God's DNA

While that ritual seemed odd as a child, I have come to learn that this practice is somewhat universal.  In fact, parents seem to find it complimentary!  There’s a special kind of pride a mom or dad feels upon hearing people say, “That baby looks just like you!”  Proverbs 29:8 prompted me to realize that 'God the Father' feels the same way about us.  

The Lord wants people to see us and say things like…

“That’s a child of God!”

“Did you see how well she remained calm in the heated conversation?  She must be a Christian!”

“Did you see what he did for that stranger in need?  He has a heart just like his Heavenly Father!”

(See Matthew 5:43-48 and Ephesians 5:1-6)

What Do You Want to Be Called?

 Proverbs 29:8 identifies an opportunity we encounter daily to reflect our Heavenly Father’s wisdom and love.  The scripture says, “Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger.”  Whereas mockers relish the chance to fan the flames of confusion, the wise (i.e. Children of God) desire to create peace. 

Jesus said, “⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  (See Matthew 5:9)

Our neighborhoods, workplaces and churches are full of troubled people.  Think about the number of folks encountering marital strife, financial woes and work related stress?  These situations all represent opportunities to labor as “peacemakers.”

Being a Peacemaker 

Here are a few ways to serve as a peacemaker….

• Model God’s Peace…  When we became Christians, God did not make us immune to life’s challenges.  We still encounter tough situations.  These situations are opportunities to display God’s peace in our lives.  Trials allow us to show our confidence in God’s ability to transform tough circumstances into beneficial outcomes.  (See John 16:33, James 1:2-4 and Romans 8:28)

• Speak God’s Peace…  We encounter people that are frustrated by something daily.  Use these instances to share a comforting word, thought or scripture.  Today a co-worker told me that a loved one was in a difficult situation.  I asked the person’s name and shared that I’d remember the person in my prayers.  My act affirmed the power of prayer.  Allow people to experience God’s presence and peace through your encouraging words and actions.  Your peace filled words could reap immeasurable results in the life of your listener.   (See Acts 3:1-10)

• Introduce God’s Peace…  Pray for an opportunity to introduce people to Christ.  Many of us have no problem introducing people to talk show gurus, new restaurants or great books but we falter at the thought of introducing them to “Christ as The Answer.”  There's no one in your social network worth meeting more than Jesus!!!  This is an intro your friends will literally be ETERNALLY thankful you made!  (See Matthew 5:14-15 and Mark 8:34-38)

I Want People to See More of God’s Features in Me!