Our Treasures

Matthew 6:19-24

Christ warns against living for the physical treasures of here and now.  He warns against investing all of the gifts, talents, time, resources, and energy of your life on the impermanent and unsatisfying treasures of physical earth.  But it is scary how magnetic and powerful these "treasures" are, I never wake up in the morning and say, "I want my joy to be the single, life-organizing treasure of my life," but somehow it becomes that.  I never say, "Today I will get my identity, meaning, and purpose from another human being," yet somehow the affection of a certain person becomes my treasure.  I never say, "I have decided to find all of my personal happiness in the possession of material things", yet more and more I am living to acquire.  Even though I have never made a conscious decision to make these things my treasure, the physical values of earth hook and enslave me.  I never say, "I will make power and control the thing of highest value in my life," but somehow it is.  I never say, "I will make the success of my children the central treasure of my life," yet somehow it happens.

We weren't created to find our satisfaction in the little, earthbound kingdom treasures of the here and now.  We were created to seek a better treasure, and in so doing to be eternally grateful and satisfied.
Paul David Tripp

What is Worship?

Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture.  Psalm 95:6-7

Some people talk about being in a great house of worship and sensing God's presence.  The towering spires, stained-glass windows, and deeply carved wooden altar where private confessions are made are elements that can stir your heart with thoughts of his unconditional love, mercy and grace.

Many Times, however, the most sacred place is found in the quietness of your own room and in the stillness of your heart.  This is where God personally meets with you, reveals himself to you through His Word, and teaches you how to live each day with hope and a sense of victory.

The Lord of heaven cannot be confined to a building or a single location.  He is omnipresent--everywhere at all times.  He is awesome in nature, and he is near to you right now.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.  Psalm 95:2-3

God, I am in awe

and wonder at your

greatness.  Thank you

for extending your

personal love to me and

for the opportunity to

live each day for you.

Amen.

365 moments of peace for a woman's heart (Bethany House)

Lord I need you by Chris Tomlin

Enjoy your weekend.  Always keep looking heavenward.  There are joys and blessings all around you.

He will be gracious

He will wait to be gracious; he will wait till you return to him and seek his face, and then he will be ready to meet you with mercy.  He will wait, that he may do it in the best and fittest time, when it will be most for his glory, when it will come to you with the most pleasing surprise.  He will continually follow you with his favours, and not let slip any opportunity to be gracious to you.  Matthew Henry

I found  this to be so comforting.....
He is always there.  He never leaves us.  He protects us and leads us.  He knows what we need and when we need it.  He knows how to give us his mercy and grace despite all that we do or don't do.

Thankful for Your Book

I glorify You for the bible--that wonderful, written revelation of You and Your plan.  As snow and rain fall from the skies to meet our needs, so You have condensed Your thoughts--which are vastly higher than all human thoughts--into written-down form.  I'm so grateful that You cared enough to communicate with us in this clear, unchanging, always-accessible way, so that Your thoughts are now available at all times to refresh and nourish and teach me...and that You are still a communicating God, speaking these words to me as I am attentive to You, as I read and meditate with a listening heart.  What a privilege it is to store Your Word in my heart, where You can use it at any moment to bless me and guide me...to keep me from sinning against You...and to be a storehouse of inspired words that the Spirit can bring to my mind to help others.

Thank you that in Your word I can see Your face and hear Your voice.  I can discover Your will and Your patterns for living and serving.  I can develop deeper faith and confidence.  Thank You that the Holy Spirit inspired Your Word and uses it to enlighten and guide me, and to change me more and more into Your image, from one degree of glory to another.

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable fro teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

By Ruth Myers with Warren Myers (Enjoying God Anew)

You & Me

Thank You that You have me in the place You want me just now....that even if I got here through wrong choices or indifference or even rebellion, yet You knew my mistake and sins before I ever existed, and You worked them into your plan to draw me to Yourself, to mold and bless me, and to bless others through me.  Thank You that, even if I'm here through the ill will or poor judgement of other people, all is well; for in Your sovereign wisdom You are at work to bring about good results from all those past decisions, those past events beyond my control--good results both for me and for others.  Thank you again that You meant for good the terrible things that happened to Joseph, who was sold into slavery, exiled to a distant country, and later sent to prison on false accusations....and that through all this You had him in the right place at the right time, for highly important reasons.  I'm glad, Lord, that You are the same today--well able to work things our for us, to turn evil into good.  i stand amazed at the complexity and mystery of Your wisdom. How safe it is for me to trust Your reasons for acting (or not acting) and Your methods of working!

Thank You that I can safely commit my location and situation to You.  I can "be willing for You to shift me anywhere on life's checkerboard, or buy me anywhere in life's garden, gladly yielding myself for You to please Yourself with, anywhere and anyway You choose" (source unknown).  Thank You that I can trust You wit my future places--ready to go, ready to stay.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  how unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  Romans 11:33

By Ruth Myers Enjoying God Anew

My Skyward Look

My soul is like an eagle.  This is not its home.  It must never lose its skyward look.  I must keep faith, I must keep hope, I must keep courage, I must keep Christ.  It would be better to crawl immediately from the battlefield than to not be brave.  There is no time for my soul to retreat.  Keep your skyward look, my soul; keep your skyward look! (Streams in the desert by L.B. Cowman)

Keep looking up

the waves that roar around your feet,

Jehovah-Jireh will defeat

When looking up.

Keep looking up

Though darkness seems to wrap your soul;

The Light of Light will fill your soul

When looking up.

Keep looking up

When worn, distracted with the fight;

Your Captain gives you conquering might 

When you look up.

We can never see the sunrise by looking toward the west. Japanese Proverb