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Bow in Obedience

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 12, 2025 Respond

Lord, your all-encompassing compassion inspires

love,

trust,

transparency

and joy.

Together these nurture

worship,

self-denial

and obedience.

Seeing this perfect balance in your character brings

security,

rest

and contentment.

For, in you we belong,

in you we have worth,

in you we have competence.

Yes, Lord, are our wonderful God:

High and Mighty,

Wise and Wonderful,

Pure and Powerful,

Eternal and Effective.

In you all is brought together in marvelous balance. May we live there with you consistently.

 

Prayer: “Therefore

I bow before you in worship, Lord;

I rise up before you to obey.

Help me to see myself as you see me:

being your beloved son while being a sinner I can’t trust.

Help me to trust you instead.

May you be glorified in my life today as I live in this positive and constructive tension, resting in your love. Amen.”

Picture: Obeying the Father as Jesus did!

No photo description available.

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Promoted, undeservingly

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 11, 2025 Respond

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… we have now been justified by his blood….” Romans 5:8,9

The perfect balance of God’s character (mentioned in yesterday’s post) also reminds us of the positive tension that He  desires in us, the remembrance of:

where we have come from (out of the dominion of darkness where we were condemned criminals before the court of Heaven, trapped in net of the enemy,  and in our natural depravity.)

And who we now are in Jesus (the beloved children of the King, adopted and brought into the Kingdom of Light, living in your love and grace). In Jesus we are cleansed, forgiven, justified, equipped for special service, accepted, dearly loved, and delighted in.

Keeping both in mind means we are able to be truly humble—that is, seeing ourselves as you see us. This protects us from being depressed in the negative and from being proud in the positive.

Only you, Lord Jesus, could bring us to such a balance, lifting us from the level of natural thinking to heavenly seeing, from a self-centered viewpoint to a Christ-centered understanding.

This is the wonderful Christmas gift you came to give us!

Picture : we are now in the Kingdom of light with King Jesus (from internet)

No photo description available.

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Plan Begun

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 10, 2025 Respond

Christmas”

Triggering the Implementation of God’s great plan!
This wonderful plan is laid out in Colossians 1:12,13
1.  “…the Father, who has qualified you 
2. “to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
3. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness
4. “and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
5. “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
All flowing from the birth of a baby!
Picture: the light of Jesus penetrating the dominion of darkness.
May be an image of twilight, grass, fog and tree
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Perfect Balance, Great Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 9, 2025 Respond

“The LORD Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:11

What a full-orbed God you are!

On one side you are

pure and perfect,

high and holy,

the hater of sin..

On the other, you are

loving and merciful,

gracious and gentle,

kind and forgiving.

This balance helps us respond to you well.

Your unbending justice inspires a holy fear of you:

awe,

respect,

caring deeply what you think,

having a fear of firm consequences if we sin.

And your all-encompassing compassionate side inspires

love,

trust,

transparency

and joy.

Seeing this perfect balance in your character brings security, rest and contentment.. Let’s live in the light of these Truths.

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He is always listening with compassion

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 7, 2025 Respond

joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 86:3,4

 

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your warm and loving heart

which makes it possible to always come to you and tell you:

what is bothering me,

where I have failed,

where I am uncertain,

when I am angry,

upset and

hurting.

You are pleased when your children transparently pour out their hearts to you. And with you we can be fully honest, “for you are good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all those who call upon you” (Ps. 86:5).

Nothing surprises you, nothing shocks you, for you know it all already.

Honesty, transparency and repentance please you.

Thankfulness, praise and trust honor you.

Prayer, confession, and surrender bring you joy.

Picture: Jesus is always ready to listen.

No photo description available.

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The Path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 5, 2025 Respond

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

It never fails to amaze me to seethe fruit God brings from memorizing and meditating on His Word.

As I  mentioned yesterday I’ve been rememorizing Psalm 19. Doing this has:

–refreshed old insights

—reminded me of the wonders of God’s Word and how He gives us so much through it.

—opened my eyes in a deeper way to see how trustable He is.

—gave me multiple opportunities to share portions of it with others.

—used it to bring significant truths to bear in a discussion I had.

—drew me again into seeing how weak and sin-prone I am, nurturing humility in me.

—directed my gaze again to God being my mighty rock and redeemer.

All of this came from rememorizing; without that I would have missed all these insights and growth.

So I encourage you, too,  to memorize Scripture. Start with Psalm 19:7-14. Do one verse a day, reviewing the others.

When you are done, spend a couple of weeks praying through it each day and taste the delights of knowing God better.

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” Psalm 119:18, and He will!

Picture: the light of the Words enlightens us daily

No photo description available.

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Light for Life

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 4, 2025 Respond

“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7

In a recent theological discussion with a friend, names like Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Calvin and Luther came up, and led to discussing their different views.

Later, thinking about this,  Psalm 19 came to mind. As the verse above says, God’s Word is PERFECTand it is TRUSTWORTHY. That is where we should go to find answers, rather than focusing on the ideas and writings of faulty men.

Look again at what the Word of God does.

         “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.

         The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

           The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.  

           The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.”

RIGHT. RADIANT. PURE, FIRM.

That’s where we find truth.

That’s how we measure the ideas and writings of men.

Psalm 19 goes on to tell us how valuable God’s words are.

         “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; 

         they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

         By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

In contrast, we are faulty:

         “But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

         Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.

         Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.”

So what should be our response?

         Seeking  to align with the Word of God, not the thoughts of men:

         “May these words of my mouth 

         and this meditation of my heart 

         be pleasing in your sight,

         LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Picture: The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

May be an image of fire

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Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 3, 2025 Respond

After yesterday’s post, I thought this worship poem was appropriate follow up, even though I’ve posted it before. It flowed from meditation on Psalm 73

Whom have I

in heaven but you?

And Earth has nothing

I desire besides You.

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Elohim—Creator

Adonai—Master

Yahweh—Savior

Nissi—Defender

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Stars’ Creator

Day’s Designer

Life’s Sustainer

History’s Ender

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Creation’s Redeemer

Sinners’ Savior

Hearts’ Transformer

Mansions’ Maker

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Strong Shepherd

Living Bread

Church’s Head

Judge of all dead

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Day Giver

Need Provider

Spirit Refresher

Soul Purifier

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Heart Pursuer

Spirit Lifter

Soul Lover

Heaven Bringer

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Worthy of Praise

You Ancient of Days

Your name we raise

In endless praise.

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!

 

Whom have I

in heaven but you?

And Earth has nothing

I desire besides You.

Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy, Period!

 

Prayer: “Lord, help me to live in the light of your glory and to volitionally choose to live in the truth that Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy. Amen.”

Picture: Our God the star breather, planet hanger, orbit maker, life creator.

from wallpaper access.com May be an image of outer space

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Glorious Mystery

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 2, 2025 Respond

I love this verse,
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6.

This is a marvelous and monumental statement of the inscrutability of our God. He has revealed a great deal about Himself in His Word and works–and yet there is much not yet revealed.

Here is a child being given the titles that belong to God the Father, to the Holy Spirit, and to the Son of God. How can that be? It is beyond human conception: one God, three Persons. Each one Wonderful, Mighty, Everlasting, Ruler of Peace.

This mystery shows us what an amazing God we have. The fact that He is beyond understanding is a proof that He is the true God: Magnificent, Marvelous, Majestic, full of grace and truth! Too great to understand, but revealed enough to trust!
Truly Jesus is our great timeless Christmas present.

May be an image of text that says 'FATHER is not is isnot is not GOD is SON is SPIRIT is not'

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The Best Path

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 1, 2025 Respond

“Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Your statutes are forever right….”  Psalm 119:142

Praise be to you, O Lord God Almighty, that you are the measure of what is true, right and good.

We so easily confuse comfort and convenience with goodness; but you so carefully teach us through Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 that weakness, hardships, insults, persecutions and difficulties are also things to delight in—when we have your perspective, think your thoughts and see with your eyes, knowing that you always have a purpose and a plan.

.

Praise you that with your Word, you work to give us the big picture, to help us understand what you are doing. You draw us up above the snares and rebellious thoughts of the world, the flesh and the devil.

Thank you for the shield of faith that we can raise with praise to ward off the fiery darts of self-pity, anger, frustration, impatience, self-centeredness and hurt as well as short-term thinking and feeling.

  • Praise raises the barrier of protection.
  • Praise heals the wounds.
  • Praise opens our eyes.
  • Praise produces perspective.
  • Praise brings freedom.

Psalm 50:23

All this is true because you, Lord Jesus, are the great Shepherd, intimately concerned with each of us each moment. Help us to live in your Word, think your thoughts and join you in your great plans for the universe.

Picture: (from the internet)  God has a better, challenging plan for us, if we will only follow

vMay be an image of ‎text that says '‎My Plan: o God's לי Plan: tneky Sometimes God doesn't do things the way we think he should. But God has a perfect plan for your life.‎'‎

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