“But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us.  And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see you face to face“. Psalms 17:15 (The Living Bible)

It’s time to pack, usually at the last minute, and it seemed that I always forgot something. So, I made a trip list and all I have to do is check off each item. The clothes are not the problem. It’s those other things, especially the electronics that seem to make the list grow.

I need my lap top and cell phone and appropriate chargers, extra glasses and sun glasses. Don’ forget the ever growing list of medications. Then there is reading material, especially my Bible and daily devotionals, along with my I-Pod and a neck pillow for those long trips. I need a notebook to take notes and write down things I forgot that need to be added to the packing list before I travel again. And the list goes on.

Did you ever think of life as sort of a packing list too? Of all the times we wake up and have to face yet another day, one day we will wake up in heaven.  Although we can attempt to walk on this earth with our heads up high, we will not be fully satisfied until we see Him face to face.

When we arrive, will there be anything we have left off the list? After all, we could really consider this earth “choir practice” for the main event. Heaven, where we will worship with the angels, day and night! Have you gone through your heavenly packing list? If not, here are a few places in the Bible to start:

The Bible teaches that the only way to have eternal life is through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 John 5:11 …God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

I John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

I am ready for the trip, spiritually packed and ready to go! Are you?
(a thought on life from John Grant)

by John Grant
used by permission

FURTHER READING

• Contentment
• Secret of Contentment
• Peace and Contentment

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In the game of life there are two courts. God’s court and Satan’s court. God wants us in his court playing by his rules. Unfortunately there are many who are in Satan’s court trying to play by God’s rules and more unfortunately there are those in God’s court who want to try and play by both sets of rules.

We have a choice, although born in Satan’s court we can enter God’s court. To enter his court we must surrender the ‘old’‘ self to Jesus and enter through his gate, the free gift of salvation, (our justification). Then we need to become the ‘new’ self by learning and applying the rules of the new game, getting rid of the old and putting on the new, (our sanctification).

And by the way, there are no bleachers in the game of life. We are in one court or the other. We need to ask ourselves, whose court am I in and whose rules am I playing by?

My prayer for you this week

“Creator God, Thank-you for your admonition, your wisdom and your promise. Your ‘Word,’ telling us that if we are to come after Jesus, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. For if we want to save our life we must lose it, and when we lose our life for Jesus we will find it. Your ‘wisdom’ in asking, what good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? And your ‘promise’, that the Son of Man is going to come in Your glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. Amen and amen.” Matthew 16:24-28

Have a great week

by Alec Niemi
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Satan’s Strategy

He is Out to Destroy You

Surrounded by God’s Protection

The post Two Courts appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah. I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:7-8

I am sitting in my shelter, which is a mobile home in the deserts of southern California, in the middle of a sand storm.  We listened to the wind howl all night and wondered what possessions were flying around outside like missiles in the wild wind.  While we felt quite safe, it was still intimidating, as all storms of life are.  We do not like losing control of our lives or our environments.

In the morning, the sun was shining, but it exposed a thick haze of sand still blowing around, and the beautiful mountains, once visible from our front windows, were obscured from view. Our connection to the outside world, the satellite dish, had blown over in the night, giving us a greater feeling of isolation.  I touched the countertops to begin breakfast preparation.  How could this be?  A thin layer of sand had invaded our home even though the windows and doors were shut tight.  Upon close examination, everything had a thin layer of fine sand on it, and I knew that I had my work cut out for me, cleaning,  deep cleaning after the storm abated.

My mind quickly shifted to my life and thought about the sin in our lives and the way it gets in no matter how tight the barriers we think we have placed against it.  We can do all the “right things“, read the Bible, pray constantly, go to church, tithe, evangelize, do good to all, and still the “fine sand-sin” slips in through the human vulnerability cracks in our armor.  It is our very humanity that required Jesus to die so that we can be reconciled with God.  God could not enter our homes to sit on sofas covered, eat on dishes covered with sand, or walk on floors filled with grit.  I shudder at the feel and thought of it. Jesus is our big vacuum cleaner.  He has taken all our grit away.  He has cleaned house, he has borne our sins so that God can see me as his Princess, his daughter, and visit my clean house and have fellowship with me. Leviticus 26:12

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.”

Father God, thank you for Jesus who has cleaned out all the corners of my life so I can be acceptable to your Holiness and you can fellowship with me.  Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit who continues to teach me in my spiritual journey, day by day. Thank you for your promises, and the Bible, where we can read of them, and be reminded of just who you are to us.  We love you Almighty God, and worship you to the end of days. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

by Sue Tholken
used by permission

FURTHER READING

The Shelter of God

His Wings Shelter You

Dwells in the Shelter

The post Place of Shelter appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Knowing Your Place

You are seated with Christ at God’s right hand…
Nothing is higher than that!

God loves you with an everlasting love…
Nothing is deeper than that!

He invites you to drink from the river of His delights…
Nothing is purer than that!

He shares His heart with you in communion…
Nothing is dearer than that!

He watches over you with tender mercies…
Nothing is kinder than that!

He is with you and will never leave you…
Nothing is nearer than that!

He leads you according to the counsel of His own will…
Nothing is wiser than that!

He faithfully feeds you from His word…
Nothing is truer than that!

He is in you and joined to your spirit…
Nothing is closer than that!

by Roy Lessin
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Attributes of God

Jesus is Always There!

God Provides for His Own

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“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels” Hebrews 13:2

Patricia was just 18-years-old when her father died.
Sadly, her parents’ married friends didn’t know how to deal with Patricia’s mother.

So they did the worst thing possible: nothing.

As the holidays approached, Christmas looked to be pretty dismal and lonely.
But then neighbors graciously invited Patricia and her widowed mother to their Christmas celebration.
They included the two women in their gift exchange.

Conversation was intentionally focused on past blessings and future joys.
By centering on God’s provisions through the neighbor’s hospitality, the women’s grief was soothed.

Dear friend, include widows, singles, and others this Christmas.
Display biblical compassion by making them part of your holiday celebrations.
It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Romans 12:1-13; Philippians 4:8-9; 19; James 2:14-16

The post First Lonely Christmas appeared first on Thoughts About God.

I read a devotion the other day on trusting God through the fog, the writer recounting a difficult drive down a foggy mountain road and trusting God to take her safely home.

I have not had that experience of driving down a foggy mountain road. And yet, recently…I created my own fog on a bright sunny day.

Nothing had changed. A blinding fog did not roll in and obscure my view. I just took my eyes off what God can do and let circumstances overwhelm me with doubt and fear. I was not a friend to myself. I was a saboteur of my own journey.

For a while I let a thick fog swirl around me and swallow up my hope and faith and pull me into a dark place where discouragement filled my heart.

We all have those days when praying, waiting, and working toward something are met with discouragement. We often find we derail our confidence in the Lord with our own weakness and wrong thinking because for a while we take our eyes off of Him and instead let a fog of doubt and worry surround us. The fog comes rolling in when I take my eyes off of the Lord.

It is a miserable place to be when we feel like we have lost our way and can’t find a clear solution.

There are multiple possibilities for our discouragement. Here are just a few:

• We become impatient because we have already waited a very long time for answers.
• We might convince ourselves we have asked for too much or too big and back down from our asking.
• We don’t see any signs of change in our difficult situation and hopelessness leads to great frustration.
• Our task looks too complicated to complete and we feel like giving up.

We will all go through discouragement when faced with the above type scenarios. But will we let discouragement rule our lives, or will we place our trust in God to work those things that we can’t comprehend? Will we remind ourselves how He has worked for our good in other difficult times?

When I realized that all the negativity I was experiencing was a product of my own doing and that my reasons for discouragement were based on feelings and emotions run amuck, the fog began to lift and clear thinking prevailed. I stood my ground with faith and trust and let the sun break through all the fog.

When my self-imposed fog lifted and I experienced the fresh air of hope and faith once more, I truly felt a wave of energy surge through my body, heart and soul. God’s indwelling spirit renewed me and I welcomed His faithfulness to me as His strength overcame my weakness and I felt strong and whole. The sky was blue again, the sun was shining and all fog had lifted away.

Isaiah 40:31”But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

www.kathycheek.com

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God hopes for us to stick with his plan, to take the high road, to keep being faithful even when life throws us problems.

“I cry aloud to the Lord, I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.”  Psalm 142:1

I love the Psalms because they are so genuine; you know how the Psalmists feel even if it’s ugly and seemingly hopeless.

Would you believe that the person who wrote Psalm 142:1 was described as the apple of God’s eye? Impressively handsome? A brave military leader? The next king of Israel? Yes, the writer was David, as he hid in a fortified cave outside the city of Adullam. He was hiding there because the reigning king, Saul, enraged with jealousy and fear, was out to kill him.

If you recall, David had a few chances to kill Saul even as Saul hunted him down, but in each case David resisted, not wanting to harm God’s anointed ruler. David took the high road despite his opportunity to remove his nemesis. But this Psalm of his lets us know it wasn’t easy.

Have you been in similar situations? Are you convinced you are living for God the best you can but you still experience struggles? Perhaps it’s health issues, financial woes, or relational problems. Perhaps you feel like running to a cave to hide and screaming out, “Lord, have mercy on me!” or “Why this Lord?”

Be assured that God hears your complaint. And be equally confident that God hopes for us to stick with his plan, to take the high road, to keep being faithful even when life throws us problems, injustices, and pain. Our issues are not evidence of his unfaithfulness; rather, they remind us that we need to rely on him faithfully to help us through, just as David did.

Are you crying from a cave just now?

Will you trust God to sustain you amidst your challenges?

Lord, listen to my heart, for it cries out to you; keep me in your hands as I struggle. Thank you for sustaining me as I choose the right path despite many tribulations. Amen.

Share any burdens you might be carrying with a friend. Pray together and thank God for his presence and protection, even in the cave.

By Dr. Bill Strom
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   God WILL take care of you

•   God is Bigger than all my Problems

•   Salvation Explained

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The post Crying from the Cave appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“I am God Almighty.”  Genesis 17:1

When Abraham heard these words he fell on his face and God spoke to him.  God filled his heart with faith in what He would do for him.  O Christian, have you bowed in deep humility before God until you felt that you were in living contact with the Almighty?

Read in the Psalms how the saints of old gloried in God and in His strength.

“The Lord protect me from danger” (Psalm 27:1)

“God remains the strength of my heart.” (Psalm 73:26).

Take time to appropriate these words and to adore God as the Almighty One, your strength.

Christ taught us that salvation is the work of God and quite impossible to humans.  When the disciples asked:  “Then who in the world can be saved?” His answer was:

“Humanly speaking, it is impossible.  But not with God.  Everything is possible with God.”  (Mark 10:26-27).

If we firmly believe this, we will have courage to believe that God is working in us all that is well-pleasing in His sight.

Think how Paul prays for the Ephesians, that through the enlightening of the Spirit, they might “begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him.” (Ephesians 1:19).  When we fully believe that the mighty power of God is working within us, we can joyfully say, ‘God is the strength of my life.”

By Andrew Murray
From: ‘Teach Me to Pray‘
Used by permission

Further Reading

•   God Is…

•  Truth – God’s truth remains the same from age to age,

•  Salvation Explained

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The post The Omnipotence of God appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Our weapons are prayer and worship and Scripture.

The devil is a splitter, a divider, a wedge driver. He divided Adam and Eve from God in the garden. He would like to separate you from God as well. He wants to take all unbelievers to hell and make life hell for believers.

Our weapons are prayer and worship and Scripture. When we pray, we engage the power of God against the devil. When we worship, we do what Satan himself did not do: we place God on the throne. And when we pick up the sword of Scripture, we proclaim truth.

According to Colossians 2:15, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, [Jesus] made a public spectacle of [the forces of evil], triumphing over them by the cross.” Satan will not linger long where God is praised and prayers are offered. Satan may be vicious, but he will not be victorious. God has already won.

By Max Lucado
Used by permission

To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://maxlucado.com/about-max/

Further Reading

•   The Power of Prayer & Praise

•   One More Reason to Praise by Bill Bright

•  Salvation Explained

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The post Where God is Praised appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

Including Sam, each student was required to bring a clear plastic bag to class.  Then they would write a name on a potato and drop it into the bag.  Each potato represented a person that student refused to forgive.  They were expected to carry this bag with them wherever they went all that week.  And Sam’s bag was heavy!

Of course, the point was that Sam carried a spiritual weight of unforgiveness.  Hers was a cumbersome burden.  And a smelly one by the end of the week!  Oh, those smelly potatoes!

Oh, dear one, forgiveness is powerful.  When you choose to forgive, the weight is released.  Anger, frustration and fear will be divinely lifted.  Sam learned that never-to-be forgotten lesson.
You can too.

Who might you need to forgive?

by Vonette Bright
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   The Power of Forgiveness | by Dr. Henry Brandt

•  Forgiveness – Yourself and  Others

•  Salvation Explained

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The post Bag Too Heavy appeared first on Thoughts About God.

God wants to make us like Jesus.

You may think that you are tried more than other people are.  If you knew the value of it, you would praise God for the trials that come your way.

It is in the trials that you are purified; it is through the fiery furnace of affliction that God gets you in the place where He can use you.

The person who has no trials and no difficulties is the person whom God dare not allow Satan to touch because he could not stand temptation.

Before God puts you through the furnace of afflictions, He knows you will go through it, and not one single temptation comes to any person more than he is able to bear; and with the temptation, God is always there to help you through.

Abraham was tempted and God helped him through to victory.
God wants to make us like Jesus.

As we look back over our spiritual journey we see that there has been a good deal of our own way, and that the end of our way was the beginning of God’s way.

We cannot enter into the deep things of God until we are free from our own ideas and ways.

How mercifully God preserves us from calamity.

Hebrews 4:16
“Let us therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

There’s no way I can withstand the allure of temptation on my own. My feelings neutralize my resistance. My flesh craves gratification. It’s a war, fought on the battlefield of my soul…my mind, will and emotions.

I win only as my spirit works in partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

By Joshua Chin Hong Lim
Used by permission

Further Reading

• Stepping Into a Personal Revival

• Why I need to Press the ‘Reset Button’ 

•  Salvation Explained

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The post God’s Help appeared first on Thoughts About God.

Could it be that growing up in my crazy family molded me in a way that would allow God to uniquely use my experiences to help others?

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NASB)

Having grown up in an alcoholic family, I have often looked at “normal” families and thought, “If only I could have been born into that family…,” or “Why me, why did I have to experience the madness of life with a really messed up family?” This pity party only led to sadness. I was good at keeping the doors closed about these private thoughts. Most people did not know about this lingering disappoint; it was like a shadow over my world.

This darkness lingered until it was displaced by anticipation. I finally became convinced that God had a plan and purpose for my life. A statement from the book of Romans was instrumental: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Could it be that growing up in my crazy family molded me in a way that would allow God to uniquely use my experiences to help others? I concluded that the answer was yes. It was like a switch was flipped. Instead of looking back with regret I began to look forward with anticipation. The past did not disappear or become less painful, but it was no longer my focus. I’ve realized it’s hard to walk forward when looking backwards. Each day, I trust that God has a good plan.

God thank You that You are good and wise. I trust that You can cause all things to work together for good, even the things that seem hurtful, sad and disappointing. By faith I look forward to how You will work in my life and through it according to Your good plan in the days ahead. Thank You for Your presence and power each step of the way. Amen.

By Mike Woodard
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•  How to be Saved

•  Struggles, Despair

•  Salvation Explained

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