Renewal in Jesus
Psalm 19:7 GW The teachings of the LORD are perfect. They renew the soul. The testimony of the LORD is dependable. It makes gullible people wise.

When I am tired and at my lowest point, it is so easy to click the TV on. Yet after watching TV, I often feel lower, more exhausted. Others seek a pick up with friends, bars, drugs, shopping, etc. All of which leaves a void.

If we truly wished to be renewed and refreshed, we need to turn to the source of hope and life--Jesus in prayer and seek refreshment in His Word.

When I'm tired and depressed, Lord, help me come first to You for renewal. Amen.

V. 14 GW May the words from my mouth and the thoughts from my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my defender.

My Fortress. My Rock.
Psalm 18:2-3 GW The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my Savior, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the strength of my salvation, my stronghold. The LORD should be praised. I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.

Who is my God?
He is my rock--solid, secure, dependable.
He is my fortress--my safe place in times of trouble.
He is my Savior--I go to Him when in need, realizing I cannot save myself, but He can.
He is my God--greater than myself who desires the best for me and who will guide as I come, ask, listen...obey.
He is my rock in whom I take refuge--when I can't handle what life brings, He will as I come to Him.
He is my shield--my protector. He is the strength of my salvation--without Him I am miserable, spiritually blind and hopeless. As my Savior, He offers hope.
He is my stronghold--holds me tight through good times and bad.
When I come for help, He hears and saves.
Praise the name of The LORD.

V. 35-36 GW You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me. Your gentleness makes me great. You make a wide path for me to walk on so that my feet do not slip.

True Freedom
Today is Independence Day that has been so dumbed down, many have no clue to why we celebrate or the sacrifice that made the celebration possible.

I miss celebrating with C&J and the grandkids. Fireworks aren't all that fun without kids, family, friends.

I am saddened too by the present dismantling of this nation, turning the republic into a repressive nanny-state.

My frustration and disappointment does help refocus attention and hope away from government to the real source of hope, change...and freedom.

For true freedom does not come from our efforts or from government, it comes from a heart given to following Jesus Christ.

If the Son therefore shall make you free , ye shall be free indeed. -- John 8:36 KJV

May you know freedom in Him this Independence Day--and celebrate!

Who is the Driver?
Psalm 17:4-6a I have avoided cruelty because of your word. In spite of what others have done, my steps have remained firmly in your paths. My feet have not slipped. I have called on you because you answer me,...

Cruelty can take many forms from terrorism, manipulation and physical abuse to deception, mental and verbal abuse.

When we gossip and spread rumors, we cause pain, cruelty. When we shade the truth or seek to "give as good as we've gotten"--revenge, we cause pain.
But the worst thing we do is put God in the back seat and drive our life car without His help. Then we turn cruelty onto ourselves as we lose the guidance and help we need to make wise decisions. Further, we lose out on God's blessings.

Personally, I'm not such a good driver. Neither are you.

Lord, please take the wheel of my car and guide me to where You want me to be at any given time. Amen.

Pleasure
Psalm 16:2, 11 GW I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord. Without you, I have nothing good." ...You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever.

We look at wealth and say it is good.
We look at fame and want to be like celebrities.
We look at education and often see it as the path to wealth and fame and all we consider "good.
In our striving and dreaming for wealth and fame and education , we miss a basic truth--only God is good.

God is the essence of goodness. Without Him at the center of our lives, our dreams, our plans, everything we gain will end up leaving us empty and unfulfilled.

With God as director of our lives and with His guidance, whatever we are and have and achieve will be sweet because these things will then be accompanied by three other important factors--hope and joy and peace.

Not About Selfishness
Now Playing: I Deal in Hope Daily Devotional
 

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. john 14:14

 Does this mean I can demand anything of God, like He's some big time magician or sugar daddy and expect I'll get anything I want? Nope. Doesn't work like that.

 The phrase "in my name" is important. What I ask must be in His name. It isn't about my will, but His. God is loving, righteous, unselfish, compassionate.... What I ask must be within His character and His will.

The closer I am to Jesus, the more my wants will reflect His character and the more I will truly understand what asking "in His name" means. Then I will receive that for which I ask.

Lord, may my will be yours, that when I ask, I'll ask for what is Your will and plan for my life. Amen.

 

Desire
Psalm 15:1-2 GW O LORD, who may stay in your tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one who walks with integrity, does what is righteous, and speaks the truth within his heart.

Jesus,
Help me have the desire to walk with You,
The courage to stand up for right
--even when it hurts,
--even when it means ridicule or worse
And a heart that seeks and speaks Your truth
--no matter what.
Amen.

Shallow lives
Psalm 13:6 GW I will sing to the LORD because he has been good to me.

Too many fritter away money like it's theirs. Living beyond their means, leaving the burden to someone else--spouses, family, parents, government.

Too many live for what feels good today and all pay the price for shallow lives and shallower faith. We call it good.

God calls us to a higher standard, one of responsibility and dependence, not on ourselves or what feels good today, but on the true goodness of God who knows that sometimes even problems and pain are for our good. Why? Because we realize what is truly important and come, bow and depend on Him.

Promises to Keep
Psalm 12:6 GW The promises of the LORD are pure, like silver refined in a furnace and purified seven times.

Businesses break commitments. Employers and employees break promises and commitments. Family and friends break promises. We are not innocent. How often have we hurt others by making commitments we don't keep?

The good news is--God keeps His promises. He can help me keep mine as well.

God is Good
Psalm 11:7 The LORD is righteous. He loves a righteous way of life. Decent people will see his face.

God is good,
He loves me.
God loves goodness,
He leads me to see good.
God reveals Himself in Jesus
He saves me and makes me
Good and whole in Him who is.
The Way
The Truth
Life.

Real Courage
II Samuel 22:29-31 GW O LORD, you are my lamp. The LORD turns my darkness into light. With you I can attack a line of soldiers. With my God I can break through barricades. God's way is perfect! The promise of the LORD has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

Courage. Who doesn't want courage. Yet courage isn't something we gin up on our own. Real courage doesn't come from rage, revenge or a bottle. Courage is noble. It is standing for right even when no one stands with you. Real courage used in the cause of right can have only one foundation--Jesus.

Do I walk in courage, living the life God intends for me, or do I cower back in fear? It is a matter of decision, a matter of commitment and a matter of trust.

Justice found only in the righteous judge--God
Psalm 9:8-9 GW He alone judges the world with righteousness. He judges its people fairly. The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Even many Christians believe the best court/government system is one without prior biases or assumptions. But fairness and justice have to have a base, a foundation. Since God is righteous, justice and mercy, only a court/government system based on Judeo-Christian principles has any hope of truly succeeding in being fair and just.

The American system did succeed, until it began to be dismantled by those seeking to rid America of its spiritual foundation. With the loss of that foundation goes any real hope of either justice or mercy as judges rely on their own biases and governmental power brokers rather than God's laws or the constitution, built on God's laws, to decide cases. Such a situation leads to dictatorship not justice, not mercy and certainly not freedon.

Help me, Jesus, recognize justice and my freedom is in You alone. Amen.

Which god do I serve?
Psalm 8:3-4 GW When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place- what is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of him?

God is so much more than we can imagine. So much so we usually chop Him down to a size, a god, that feels comfortable with our lifestyle. The problem is, God is then no longer God in our lives, a God of majesty and might who is worth bowing to, listening to and following. A God who will actually make a difference in our lives.

Which god do I serve--a weak god who fits my preconceived ideas or the God of might and miracles?

V. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!

Integrity
Psalm 7:8 GW The LORD judges the people of the world. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity.

What a statement. Would I want to be judged on my integrity and the choices I make? Do I live in such a way that others see Jesus and His righteousness--not self-righteousness--shining forth.

Jesus, make me more like You, that I can say, with King David, " Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity. " Amen.

Do I Justify or Repent
II Samuel 12:9-10, 13-14 GW Why did you despise my word by doing what I considered evil? You had Uriah the Hittite killed in battle. You took his wife as your wife. You used the Ammonites to kill him. So warfare will never leave your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
...Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin; you will not die. But since you have shown total contempt for the LORD by this affair, the son that is born to you must die."

Sin has consequences, even for a man after God's own heart. The passage also shows that no matter how much we seek to follow, we must always be on guard that our faith doesn't become arrogance and we begin to follow our way, instead of God's, and end up like David--deep in sin.

The difference between David and his predecessor Saul, was that when confronted with his sin, David didn't blame others, didn't turn away from God. David acknowledged his sin as his responsibility, repented and was resting into God's fellowship.

When I do wrong do I justfy or repent?