“The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” Isaiah 60:22
Whether it is the result of a medical test, the birth of a baby, the answer to a job interview, or a pressing need not yet provided – waiting is difficult. For many of us, it is the most difficult part of life – as it causes anxiety to rise and holds us back from living while we wait.
Our verse today speaks hope to this anxiety and promise that graces us with the strength to go on living – despite the wait. Why? Because God knows when it is time for Him to act – and He will do so swiftly.
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36
Have you ever known someone that was never satisfied? You know, the person who seems to have everything going for them but they’re just never content. Their lack of satisfaction or contentment motivates them to grasp at the next best thing “the world” offers with the thought or the hope that “it” will make them happier. A better car… a bigger house… a better relationship…a better job… more money… more status… more accolades… more happiness… you get the picture. The list is endless and exhausting, and according to today’s verse – it can be dangerous.
Don’t get me wrong, none of these things in themselves are bad – but the danger comes when our motive is based on what the world offers or says is best rather than on the reality of what God has given us. For God has graciously gifted us with “life to the full”(John 3:16 and 10:10). This gift includes the Kingdom of Heaven and an eternity in paradise with Him! There is nothing better or anything in the world that can make our joy and contentment fuller than this.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do
Ah, to know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made is a great encouragement but to know that we are “God’s handiwork, created ‘in’ Christ Jesus to do good works” is an added blessing. As it is another reminder that God is intimately involved in our lives from birth to rebirth and even to death – as we know that He alone has “numbered our days”, (Psalm 139:16 and Job 14:5). It is also a beautiful invitation or clarification that He wants us, even expects us, to be actively involved with Him in His work.
Understandably, to know that God created “good works” for us to do can also be a bit daunting and challenging – both in concept and in the reality of knowing what those good works are – and carrying them out. However, we must remember that what He has called us to do – He has also equipped us to do, (2 Peter 1:3-4).
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
Ephesians 2:8–9 is an extremely popular passage of Scripture. Since those two verses are so often quoted, many miss out on verse 10 when seeking to understand God’s salvation by grace through faith. However, this important statement offers tremendous insight into what God desires after salvation. God calls us His workmanship or His artwork, from the Greek word poiēma. We are something crafted, with skill and a purpose, by God, for His purposes.
Specifically, we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Good works do not give us salvation, but they are absolutely meant to be the result of salvation.
Interestingly, God prepared what He wanted us to do for Him long ago. He has already planned what He wants us to do with our lives. We do not need to copy what someone else has done or is doing. He has a unique plan for each of us to serve Him in this world. This includes certain spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to lead us in service to Him.
David is right, the body is an intricate creation – unique from all of God’s other creations, and a true testimony of His wonderfully, amazing, miraculous works. Let’s get real though – do you sometimes read this verse and roll your eyes or grimace, knowing you don’t feel wonderfully made? I mean in these days of increasing aches and pains of age and less than stellar care that I have given this particular vessel through the years – I am grimacing! Don’t get me wrong, it is good to be reminded that when God “formed me in my mother’s womb”, I was “wonderfully made”. It is an encouraging truth and a wonderful reminder of the power and creativity of God – but, I admit this body doesn’t always feel like it.
More Like a Mess –
I don’t know about you, but I find myself seeking His mercies and strength more and more as I weather the consequences of the lack of self care and/or good habits, or simply the aging process on this earthly body. I pray for His help and healing of what feels more like a mess than a fearfully and wonderfully made body. While I know I cannot undo the aging process or the role my choices have played on this body, I am equally certain that to live in regret and fear or misery is not glorifying to God and only robs me of the rich and satisfying life that Christ came to give, which is exactly what the enemy wants. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants us to be miserable and to turn away from God.
Satan Has No Authority Here
Even as I was writing about the enemy’s purpose – I was reminded of an old song that declares satan has no authority over me, for this habitation was created by God and for God’s glory. All authority belongs to God – who fearfully and wonderfully created us. And, this same Creator works all things, including our messes and poor choices, together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose – and this for His glory.
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
Day after day God hides us, His children, under His wings, where they can safely abide. Whether in storms, trials, or sorrows God’s protective love shelters them. For, as His children, we rest in Jesus where we are forever safe. Through Jesus we are brought close to God. He is our fortress, the God in whom we trust. We find refuge under His wings – for His faithfulness is a protective shield!
About thirty years ago I was looking for the Scripture reference to a song that had been introduced at church. I had never heard it before but the words, “He will give His angels charge over you …” captured my attention so I started looking for the reference. Psalm 91 was one of the passages that I found linked to the words. The Psalmist declared it and I believe it and claim it to be true! God has given His angels charge over us – to protect us in all our ways. When we set our heart on Him – He will deliver us because we know His name. When we call out to Him, He will hear us and answer us. He will be with us in trouble. He will rescue us ,for He has – by grace – through faith – given us life everlasting in Christ Jesus!
In these TRUTHS I find HOPE and JOY and STRENGTH! In these TRUTHS, I find PEACE and REST, knowing we are safe in His shadow. — Blessed assurance Jesus is mine!
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Have you ever wondered just how personally God is involved in your life? I have. However, not often – because there are mornings, or times, like this morning more often than not when He reveals that He is more involved than I can even imagine. – Allow me to paint the picture …
I woke one morning last week to find this verse in my inbox from ‘ourdailyverse.com’ in my inbox. I subscribed to these verses a while back as a means of having a prayer starter for my mornings, but more times than I can count they have been exactly what I have needed for that moment of the morning or at sometime throughout the day.
This particular morning happened to follow a night of struggling greatly with fear – after waking from a dream. The fear pinned me to the ‘ground’ and truly shook me! I called on God, I whispered His name and the name of Jesus – over and over. Peace and sleep eventually came and the voice of the enemy ceased – but when I woke he sought to shake me again with the reminder of the dream – but God met me with this verse – these beautiful words that reminded me that not only is God with me, and will strengthen me throughout any given day, and hold me up with His victorious right hand – but that He always knows just what i need and when! This was more than a reminder that He cares and goes before me through life’s battles. It was a vivid reminder that God is greater than anything that makes me anxious!
Worship and Prayer
*As I was panting this picture for today’s post – this song of worship came to mind and turned into my morning prayer – May it be a blessing💜
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
In Paul’s day, it was Timothy that seemed to need the encouragement that God didn’t want him to live in fear of doing the work He was called to do. Instead, Paul reminded Timothy, that the Spirit God had given them, and all believers, was one that filled them with power, love, and self-discipline. In other words, Timothy had no reason to be timid for he had been empowered to live out His calling. The same is true for us today.
My first remembered experience with this verse was at VBS, not one that I attended but one I was co-leading. I was tired and stressed from some personal things going on in my life, I wasn’t feeling prepared, and definitely not strong enough to lead, love, and deal with all that goes into VBS as I had committed to do. Today’s verse “just happened to be” the theme verse for the week. God knew that just like Timothy, I needed to remember that while I might be nervous and feel too weak to lead, He had given me His Spirit – equipping me with not only the power to lead, but with love for the kids and all involved, as well as the discipline to stay committed and focused on Him, and boldly share the Gospel with the children. And, as a bonus, He daily renewed my strength and filled me with immeasurable joy when I was able to personally lead one of the children to the Lord.
About a month ago I subscribed to “Our Daily Verse” – which is simply that, a daily verse I receive in my inbox every morning around 6:30. Each verse comes with a short comment from the host as well as a quote, song, and picture of the day. I use the verse as a morning prayer prompter, and then I watch for ways that God chooses to use it in or through me during the day. In full disclosure, depending on the busyness of the day, I sometimes forget the verse by mid-morning or afternoon, but at the close of the day I try to circle back to it and reflect on how it may have applied to my day or been used to encourage someone else.
– To bridge the gap between studies and keep us journeying through the Word – I will be sharing one of these daily verses and a link to their content, past or present, for the next two weeks. I believe you will find them a blessing and look forward – with hope – to hearing your comments, thoughts, or questions.
Verse of the Day: Philippians 4:13
I started this morning reflecting on this empowering truth from Philippians 4:13 …
The thoughts and prayers it prompted …
Father, you are good! You have given me Jesus and You have given me Your Spirit and through them I can not only draw near to You but I can do all “this” — All that You have called me to and/or allow in my life. You – Father, Spirit, Son – You are my STRENGTH, my SONG, my HOPE and my JOY! Oh, how I worship You.
You make me brave when I am afraid – You whisper peace and You give grace for each moment and fresh mercies every morning! When I am weak You are strong – When I don’t know the way You show me – When I hurt You comfort me – When my body fails I look to You for healing power – When I am tempted You show a way of escape – And when the storms come You walk with me through the waters and hold me up so I that I am not overcome by them!
I rejoice in these words by Oswald Chambers –
“God does not give us overcoming life: He gives us life as we overcome.”
Through Christ You empower me to live – to endure – and to walk in confident HOPE that all of Your promises are “Yes and Amen in Him” who has overcome the grave; and through whom I can do all things!
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 12:2
Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 12:12
Romans 12:2 and 12
Observations
In verses nine through twenty-one, Paul basically makes a list of things that Christians should do, or ways they should live, in order to please God. He starts with the importance of love without pretense (9), and ends the list with instructions to not be overcome with evil but rather to overcome evil with good(21).
Verse twelve, the second of our SOAP / focus verses, is so important to our study that I wanted to share this Scripture ‘nugget’ I found by Bibleref.com – I encourage you to really take the time to carefully read through this explanation of “rejoicing in hope and enduring suffering,”as well as the role prayer plays in it all.
The first command to Christians is to rejoice in hope. Often, we resist instruction about what we should feel: that we should change our attitudes to be joyful. The idea here, though, is more about declaring ourselves as having reason for joy. It’s not a command to be happy, but to have the right perspective on our situation. We should agree with God that our hope is worth rejoicing over. What hope? Paul is referring to the hope of the redemption of our bodies and being united with our Father forever once our adoption is complete (Romans 8:23–24).
The next command is to be patient [endure] in tribulation or affliction. This becomes much easier if we are keeping the other two commands. Those who see their future worth celebrating and who pray to the Father continually will have a much easier time being [enduring] during hardship. Paul is not downplaying the genuine pain of those experiences. Life can be unpleasant, and not all moments are happy moments. Yet Paul has pointed out that the struggles of life on earth are not worth comparing with the glory to come (Romans 8:18). So, we wait with patience (Romans 8:25).
The final command of the verse also connects with Paul’s thoughts in Romans chapter 8. We’re commanded to be constant in prayer, or to keep praying continually. During any time of suffering, while waiting for what we’re hoping in, we should pray. Prayer brings a connection with our Father through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26–27). He hears, understands, and helps in response to even our clumsiest attempts to communicate with Him.
Keep in mind that none of this is possible without the transformation of our minds, which is the focus of verse two, our other SOAP verse. In a recent message by one of our pastors, this verse was explained as such: “God wants a transformation, meaning a continual moving toward God, and allowing Him to change and renew the way we think. However, prior to this transformation we must be intentional to guard ourselves from being “conformed to(or to copy the behavior of…) this world.” Pastor Yates went on to clarify that being conformed to the world involves a continual renunciation of God for the ways of the world.”
Application
Consider these applications found at Bibleref.com and from Pastor Yates’ sermon …
Bibleref – 12:2 / “…God may continue to provide us with pleasure, possessions, and status in various forms, but he urges us to learn how to look at life with a new question: What does God want for me? What is truly a good, acceptable, and perfect use of my life for His purposes and not just for my own?”
Pastor Yates –
“God wants a presentation” –
We are to …
be a living sacrifice
“a vehicle through which we serve Christ”
be set apart for God
to be holy as He is holy=====
be pleasing to God (Malachi 1:6-8_
“second best is not pleasing to God”
be a true worshiper
Prayer, Response to God’s Word
Father, Your Word is living and active and life-changing when we yield to Your instructions. Help us to faithfully present ourselves to You as living sacrifices … to live set apart for You, pleasing You by really loving others. Help us to hate what is wrong and hold tightly to what is good, to work hard and serve You enthusiastically, being eager to show hospitality. Let us rejoice in the hope we have in You, patiently endure – even in our suffering, and to always keep praying. If we are persecuted may we bless our persecutor and not curse them – and may we even pray for them to know God’s blessing. Remind us to be happy with those who are happy, to weep with those who weep, and to live in peaceful harmony with all people – as much as is possible with You. Guard us from vengeance or paying back evil for evil, and in all of this may You be glorified – In Jesus’ Name – Amen!
Well, this has been a “full-disclosure” kind of week for me here on the blog. Sharing with you the struggle I have with listening and the love I have for words has been a bit humbling for me. So, it is good to end the study with the revelation, that as much as I enjoy words and talking, as I read through some of the words in today’s devotion, God allowed me see that I am equally comfortable to “sit in silence” and that while it is true that I love words and a good conversation, I do not feel the need to “fill every space with words,” That being said, it is obvious I still have much to work on in the listening department and have been blessed with the thoughts and instructions and Scriptures given with every point. I pray you have been as well. I hope you’ll take the time to read through this final point and truly consider that while “learning to really listen to others is hard work – for a Christ-follower, it’s vital to our mission as God’s ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation.” – Simply put, according to Gotquestions.org, “The ministry of reconciliation involves the proclamation of the gospel and its assurance that forgiveness of sin is available in Christ.” This is “the work believers have been given to do and the message they declare: ‘you can have a restored relationship with God through Jesus.” Me – from the Inside out
5. We Must Count the Cost of Remaining a Poor Listener
For some people, listening comes naturally as their personality is to be less verbal. Others may feel they have nothing to offer in a conversation, so they listen more than they speak. After all, God did give us two ears and only one mouth!
Whether we are quiet in nature or a person who is uncomfortable in silence and feels they must fill every space with words, learning to really listen to others is hard work. For a Christ-follower, however, it’s vital to our mission as God’s ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20 – “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
The way we listen can either draw people toward God or push them away. Even in our attempts to tell others about Jesus, we can talk too much in the uncomfortableness of a gospel presentation. Are we focused on downloading information and our beliefs without stopping to listen to the questions people are asking? Good listening skills can help us slow down and reduce our anxiety to win a convert. Instead of talking constantly, we need to hear what the other person is sharing about their own hearts and where they are in their spiritual journey, trusting Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will give us the right words at the right time.
Listening well tells others they are valuable to us, and illustrates they are valuable to God. Just as God patiently listens to our prayers with His heart of compassion, we must learn to listen with more than our ears. Let us humble ourselves to close our mouths often, and when we do open them, make sure we speak timely words that produce life, hope, and peace in the hearts of the listener.
Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Me From the Inside Out 