John the Baptist said, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” (Jn. 3:27, NLT)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. (James 1:17, NIV)
Today I pray:
Dear Father,
Thank you for loving me and giving me the gift of another day.
Help me to remember that it isn’t about me, it’s about Jesus in me.
God gives, I steward. May it be so in my life.
Jesus, give me your holiness. Use me for your glory.
Amen.
Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) …
Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“The Lord! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” (Exodus 34:5-6, NIV)
This passage from Exodus about God’s “glory” makes me think of the scene in the Disney movie, “Aladdin” (1992) where the big blue genie describes himself as having “phenomenal cosmic powers.” (I heard you say that in a deep, booming voice.)
The genie’s self-description aptly depicts the way that “glory” is communicated throughout history, and even in our present-day sports, entertainment, financial, business and political contexts.
However, the almighty God—the creator of the universe, the beginning and the end, the perfect, transcendent, all-powerful one—expresses and “shows” Moses (and you and me) His glory in a very different and surprising way.
God’s glory is that He is: compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love, ever-faithful, and forgiving to a thousand generations.
If you think that sounds a lot like Jesus, the one who was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world, it’s because it is. God’s glory is Jesus, and Jesus loves you and me!
“Wow.” (I heard you say that in a hushed, grateful, amazed voice.)
(Hebrews 1:3, John 3:16, John 14:9, Matthew 11:29)
God’s there, listening for all who pray,
for all who pray and mean it.
He does what’s best for those who fear him—
hears them call out, and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19, MSG)
Do you need help? … A life preserver amidst the wreckage? Wisdom for the moment? Peace in the storm? Strength for the next step? A light in the darkness? Forgiveness for failure? Love?
Ask. Seek. Knock. … Pray.
(Matthew 7:7-12, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16)
When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! (Luke 5:4-6, NLT) …
He was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. (Luke 5:9, NLT)
Simon was a fisherman. He had been out fishing all night. He was exhausted and he knew his trade—there were no fish. Jesus was a carpenter and he told Simon to try it again, a little differently though.
He said, “Go out where it is deeper.“ So they did, and what happened next left Simon, and everyone with him, awestruck.
Are you stuck in your “been there done that,” “same old same old,” “nothing’s going to change” mentality? Is this New Year already starting to look a lot like the old year? Jesus is calling you to a deeper and more abundant place in Him. We need to listen to what He says and obey . . . “if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”
Read the Word of God, call out to Jesus in prayer and then do what He says. Go from being stuck to awestruck.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track. (Proverbs 3:6, MSG)
Before I “do” and “go” I pray:
Jesus, I need you today. I don’t want to do and go it alone. May I be “quick to listen” for your voice, remember that you are with me “always,” and “follow” your way in my thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
(James 1:19, Matthew 28:20, Matthew 16:24)
The person in right standing before God by trusting Him really lives. (Romans 1:17, MSG)
If you are reading these words you are existing, but are you “really living”? The man named “legion” existed. The woman at the well existed. The man born blind existed. The woman caught in adultery existed. Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector existed. The woman who bled for twelve years existed. The thief on the cross existed.
But then Jesus came, and they went from existing to really living. How?
“ . . . by trusting Him.”
(Mark 5:1-20, John 4:1-42, John 9, John 8:1-11, Luke 19:1-10, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 23:39-43, John 14:1-3)
God calling yet; shall I not hear?
Earth’s pleasures, shall I still hold dear?
Shall life’s swift passing years all fly,
And still my soul in slumber lie?
— Gerhard Tersteegen (1697 – 1769)
Tersteegen wrote those words nearly 300 years ago, and yet they apply to my heart today. I guess time and life “flew” back then too. Can you believe it’s 2022?
Whenever I reflect on “life’s swift passing years,” I don’t think about all the shows on Netflix, the constant drone of the news cycle, the “likes” I received on Facebook, or the 96 times a day I check my smartphone. (I might as well be sleeping for all that’s worth.)
Rather, I think about fun times, hearty laughter, the beauty of nature, the gift of dogs and cats (pets), the blessings of friendship, tears of joy, help given, kindnesses received, love expressed and the goodness of God in it all.
As we near the end of this first week of the New Year, let us remember that “times flies, and so do we” (David Roper). God is calling! Wake up from your slumber, look to the light of Jesus in your life and make every moment meaningful in Him.
“Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Ephesians 5:14-17, NLT)
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing. (Matthew 3:8-9, NLT)
If you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. (Colossians 3:1-3, MSG)
[The angel said unto Mary] … behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:36-37, ESV)
“Barren,” such a harsh and painful word . . . void of life, an empty place, a deep ache, an unutterable longing.
Does that describe you at this start of 2022? I hope not, but if it does, take heart. God says, “Behold,” . . . I am bigger than that!
Just ask Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah and Elizabeth—all were barren until God moved, and out of their barrenness God gave us Isaac, Jacob, Samuel and ultimately, John the Baptist—the prophet who foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Take heart! God is still moving in 2022!
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert [the barrenness]. (Isaiah 43:19, ESV)
Look to Jesus. He came to give us abundant life, now and forevermore. Call upon His name, start your day and this New Year with Jesus, and He will do a new thing in your heart and life, “for nothing is impossible with God!”
Nudgings #1 – Jan. 3
Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13, NIV)
Have you ever been pushed, bumped, shoved or nudged? I have.
I’ve been pushed by a bully on the playground, bumped by a careless person while carrying a tray of food, and “helpfully” shoved into an overcrowded subway car in Seoul, South Korea. All of these events impacted me in one way or another, but none of them compare to the significance of the gentle nudgings of the Holy Spirit in my life.
God is forever nudging. Jesus saved me from myself and my sin and He gives me new life in Him. He wants good to be realized in and through my life for the glory of God, but He won’t force my hand. Love doesn’t shove, bump, push or coerce—it nudges. Actually, the Holy Spirit nudges, and it’s up to me to respond.
Inherent in any nudge from the Lord is the element of choice—and after that, the potential of change.
The nudgings of God come from His Word and His Spirit, and through prayer and people. I’m hoping to post some of His nudgings here on my blog this year. I pray that they will be a help and blessing to you in your walk with Jesus.
Happy New Year!
Ryan's Ramblings 