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Nurturing Our First Love for Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 15, 2020
“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 145:3
 
Yes, praise be to you, Lord God, the Triune One, Breather of the stars, Lighter of the sun, Spinner of the earth, Bringer of the dawn. We glorify your name, for you are the Holy One, sparkling in purity, shining in truth, spreading light with every act.
 
We exalt you, the totally good One, pouring grace upon your creation, watering the garden of our souls with your love, planting seeds of good desire in our hearts.
 
You are the mighty One, towering far above all creation, powerful in every good work, filling the universe with your majestic, gracious Presence.
 
You, O Triune God, O heavenly Father, O heavenly Son, O heavenly Spirit, are worthy of all honor, all worship, all glory. All creation points to you, all will bow down to you, all will proclaim you to be Lord, for you are the only holy and pure One, eternal, unchanging and perfect, deserving of full adoration, exaltation and magnification.
 
You, Lord God, are the Most High: the Wise Creator and Eternal God, the Mighty Master and Kind King, the Successful Savior and Righteous Redeemer, the Faithful Father and Perfect Planner, the Powerful Protector and the Beginner and Ender of time. Therefore, it is right to bow before you in joy, it is right to rise up in obedience, it is right to live in the light of your presence, it is right to exalt you in all we do. Yes, praise belongs to you forever and ever!
 
Prayer: “May I walk in the light of your presence through this day, Lord, aware of your mighty grace, your powerful wisdom, your majestic goodness. May I give you praise in each event, whether it be pleasant or painful, for you are always worthy of worship. Amen.”
–from Edified!
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Psalm 7:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 14, 2020
 
Psalm 7:3 “O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands–”
 
[David faces the possibility of unconfessed sin being a factor in his life; it seems there is none he knows, but there is always more sin in our lives than we are aware of. Help us, Lord, to be open to the conviction of the Spirit as He points out the next sin you want us to quickly confess, repent and lay aside.]
 
Psalm 7:4-5 “if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe, then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.”
 
[This is a powerful prayer of surrender to God’s judgment and mercy, a declaration of David’s innocence in these two possible crimes of attacking a man in peace or without cause robbing someone.
 
How sure could I be so sure of my innocence as to make such a strong claim of being without guilt? There is much in my life below the level of consciousness–as well as some above it–to confess and forsake! Sins like impatience, fear, worry, gossip, pride and unkindness—small things according to human thinking, but all sin is significant in your sight.
 
Yet in you, O Lord, I am forgiven and cleansed. I must deal only with what you show me—and I want to do that. Help me to be alert and open to the work of your Spirit as He convicts, reveals and teaches me about the sins I need to confess and reject.
 
Help me to be confident in you and your forgiveness while being realistic and transparent before you and myself about my natural depravity–daily dealing with sin in eager confession and wholehearted repentance.
 
Help me then to receive and embrace the forgiveness and cleansing within that flows from Christ’s sacrifice. Help me to walk in the confidence that I am accepted, dearly loved and holy in your sight as I stand in the righteousness of Jesus (Col:3:12). I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your resurrection, redemption and righteousness, all shared with us so graciously! ]
 
“Selah” [Meditate on these things.]
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Lover of my soul

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 13, 2020
“Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
Psalm 73:25
 
Praise your name, Lord Jesus, for you are the most High: you are the Almighty, powerful beyond conception, mighty beyond imagination, loving beyond understanding. You are the Victor, undefeated and undefeatable; you are the Creator, wise and good; You are the Savior, gracious and kind. I praise you for your perfect and powerful character, persistently and providentially guiding all in the lives of your children.
 
Thank you that, as my Shepherd you are loving and leading me, protecting and providing, teaching and transforming. Thank you that during the night as I was attacked again by fear in my dreams and thoughts, as I awoke and turned to the truths of Psalm 23, you defeated the enemy. As I spoke out loud these truths from your Word, the fear and distress lessened and dissolved away. I was able to sleep again and my dreams were positive.
 
You, dear God, are the One and only Savior. You are the only constant Lover of my soul: no matter what I do, you love me, consistently, completely, creatively.
 
You describe this in Psalm 73:21-25. In your love you rebuke and discipline, revealing to us our sin: “When my heart was grieved, and my soul embittered, I was senseless and ignorant, I was a brute beast before you.”
 
You consistently draw us on to repentance: “Yet, I am always with you.”
 
You guide, direct and protect: “You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will take me into glory.”
 
And your great love creates in me an ever-deepening responsive love for you: “Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you”. Praise be to you, Lord Jesus for your great, unquenchable, ever flowing love!
 
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, develop in me that intense first love for you which the author of Psalm 73 had, so that my passion for you will eclipse all the world has to offer. Amen.”
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Heart Felt Progress

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 11, 2020
In 1993 I began to have chest pains that then migrated down my left arm. I got a stress test done, but it did not indicate that there was anything seriously wrong. However, I took the pains as a warning and decided that I needed to begin eliminating some of the stress present in my life. The Lord helped me to identify what I now call “junk stress,” that is totally unnecessary stress that I caused myself.
 
Stress, I learned, is actually an inward response to an external stimulus. Two people can be in exactly the same situation, with one being totally stressed out by it and the other completely calm.
 
For instance, two drivers come to a stoplight. One sits there, looking at the cars around him, observing the people in them. He does some small motor exercises while waiting, and prays for his family. He experiences zero stress.
 
The other driver nervously drums his fingers on the steering wheel, looks repeatedly at his watch, fiddles with his tie and talks to the light, telling it to hurry up and change. He is very stressed. His reaction to his wait at the red light is intensified because he left home late, meaning he would be late for his next appointment. Plus his wife was unhappy with him when he left. All of this adds up, so now he is stressed to the max. That was a picture of me!
 
As the Lord led me through a time of looking for the stress that I unnecessarily manufactured for myself, He showed me them one at a time. Primarily, I was trying to fit too much into my days. After a full day of meetings and visits, I would try to squeeze in a stop at the bank, a stop at the gas station, then buying something from the grocer’s and dropping by the printers to pick up work I’d left for him. Of course, this would make me late in getting home, which would create even more stress for me and my family.
 
With the Lord’s and Barbara’s input, I learned to be more realistic in my scheduling and to cut back on spontaneous additions to my day. This made a definite difference— my chest pains went away.
 
There was also a hereditary factor in this chest pain scenario: all the males in my family have high cholesterol–it doesn’t matter how healthily we eat, our bodies just produce it. As a consequence, most of the men in our family have had heart surgery or have died of heart attacks or both. So my doctor put me on a statin. I hoped that this would protect me from any serious heart problems. But in the long run it didn’t.
 
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Psalm 7:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 11, 2020
 
 
Psalm 7:1 “O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
 
Why does David use two names for God here? He is reminding himself of the character of God revealed in these two names. The first, “Lord,” is Yahweh or Jehovah, the mighty One whose glory is in His holiness, who hates sin and will punish it while providing a way to escape His wrath for all who will come.]
 
The second, “God,” is Elohim, the incredibly mighty One, who showed His power in creation, spreading out the heavens over trillions of light years, while making delicate and beautiful flowers; and the absolutely faithful One, who showed His faithfulness in keeping His promise and providing salvation for all at great personal cost.)
 
Because of His being Jehovah and Elohim, David (and we) can say, “I take refuge in you;”
 
[This, Lord is what you desire: our full trust, our consistently taking shelter in your great power, mighty wisdom and unending faithfulness. In doing so we bring great honor to you.
 
And this is what must be our first response to danger: fleeing to you, acknowledging our weakness and your power, our inadequacy and your total competency, trusting in you, not in ourselves.]
 
“save and deliver me from all who pursue me,”
 
[Before any other action, we need to come to you in prayer, Lord,–as David has done here–and seek your help, for salvation comes from you alone, you who only have the power to prevent anyone from pursuing and capturing us successfully.]
 
Psalm 7:2 “or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.”
 
[Our enemies, both supernatural and often human, are too strong for us; we cannot succeed against them–we would be destroyed if we sought to save ourselves. David was a mighty warrior, never defeated in battle (to my knowledge), yet he did not trust in himself, but fled to God here, begging for His help and intervention.
 
In Psalm 18:17-19 David said, “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”]
 
Lord, help us to remember how desperate a battle we are in each day–fighting against the world, the flesh and the devil–and to turn immediately to you when difficulty, disappointment and danger enter our lives.
 
May our trust be in you, not in ourselves or others. May you be our Rock, our Fortress and our Defender. We praise you now for what you will do in our lives today.
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Psalm 6:8-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 10, 2020
 
Psalm 6:8 “Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.”
 
[Here is a statement of pure faith—nothing has changed, there is no sign of an answer, yet after looking to God in prayer, David, is ready to trust, to act on unseen Truth by rebuking his enemies and choosing to believe in the faithfulness of his Heavenly Father.]
 
Psalm 6:9 “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”
 
[He is certain, sure, convinced of God’s faithfulness and mercy, so he can state with certainty that Jehovah has heard him and will answer. “I will call upon the Lord in the day of trouble, for he will answer me” (Psa. 86:7). He looks to the character of God, the heart of his Lord, the promises He has given and is sure of an answer in the right time and right way.]
 
Psalm 6:10 “All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”
 
[David ends his psalm with the statement of conviction and confidence. He does not have any visible sign of help yet, but he is sure of the outcome because he knows the living God who can and does act in power.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and wonderful character, full of unfailing love, unfailing wisdom, unfailing grace, unfailing help. You see all that is going on in our hearts, you know all our troubles, you hear all our prayers and you always answer in wisdom, power and grace.
 
We praise and thank you for your wonderful provision out of your glorious riches, your endless grace and your loving heart. May we live today in the light of these truths, bringing honor to you through our trust and confidence in you. Amen.]
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Psalm 6:5-7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 10, 2020
 
 
Psalm 6:5 “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?”
 
[While he is right that the dead cannot praise in this world any longer, David here did not seem to have a clear view of what came after death. We as believers will praise you, Lord, forever in Heaven. We will see you face to face, exalt you, and bring you honor as we see your glory more clearly. What a marvelous truth!]
 
Psalm 6:6-7 “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.”
 
[David was overwhelmed with worry, with fears, with anguish over his difficulties, his problems, his many enemies. In the night his mind raced from one problem to the next and sleep eluded him. His attempts to deal with this met with failure; his strength is too little, his resources too meager.
 
So he cried out to you, Lord, the only true source of help, the only actual salvation available. He poured out his heart, hiding nothing. We know from other passages, that in lifting his soul to you, he was able to lay his burdens before you and be open to a renewed filling of the truth.
 
In Psalm 46:5, speaking of Jerusalem, David wrote, “There is a river, whose streams make glad the city of God…God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” That is, after waiting through the coldest, darkest part of the night, God would come in to help. So often we have to wait in faith for the help we desire, knowing He will come in the right way and at the right time.
 
May we turn to you, Lord, early on and not let our worry and fear control us, not depend on our finite insight and wisdom. Help us to consistently lift our souls to you, telling you what we are thinking, feeling and wanting, and submit this all to your Word.
 
The pastor imprisoned in T on trumped up charges did this, coming to rest in Christ during his more than two years in prison, in spite of the strong possibility of spending the next thirty-five years in there, too. In one of his last hearings he made this statement “I have forgiven those who have been unjust to me, hurt me, and separated me from my children,” adding, “Of course, suffering for the sake of Christ is also a privilege. I am suffering these anguishes for the sake of His name, I am glad that I can share his sorrows.”
 
Lord, we praise you that you are our Rock, our Salvation and our High Tower. May we rush to you for help in each challenge so that you may be lifted up before men and angels as you save us yet again from our enemies who are too strong for us.]
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Psalm 6:1-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 8, 2020
Psalm 6:1 “O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”
 
[Our guilt is so great and your corresponding wrath Lord, is so powerful that we would be crushed in an instant if you disciplined us in your full anger. I praise you, O Jehovah, that while you are the holy, sinless, pure God who hates sin, yet you love sinners and have provided us a means of shelter, a way to escape your righteous wrath through the death and resurrection of Christ.
 
Praise be to you for your gracious, kind and forgiving heart, and for your mercy triumphing over justice. You, Lord Jesus, took the punishment and anger we deserved, and you, heavenly Father were willing to pour your righteous wrath on Him rather than us, opening the way for us into your Kingdom, into your family, into full forgiveness.]
 
Psalm 6:2 “Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?”
 
[You have made body, soul and spirit so intertwined that the anguish of one strongly affects the others. Praise you, Lord, that your healing touch in one area also brings healing to the others. You are the answer to our anguish, you are the healer of our hurts, the cure to all that troubles us.
 
You are merciful so in our needs we can turn to you, knowing that our salvation comes from you–even though sometimes we must wait a long time to be rescued from anguish.
 
I think of the American pastor unjustly imprisoned for two years in T, who in yesterday’s hearing was denied release and was returned to his sweltering prison cell. May he remember that you only are our Rock, our Salvation and our high Tower. Our soul finds rest in you alone, and when our soul is at rest, so is the whole of our being.]
 
Psalm 6:4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.”
 
[In your wonderful wisdom you bring us through the dark valleys where all seems to go wrong, where we are overwhelmed with failure and anguish, where we must walk by faith. And in this torment, we can appeal to your unfailing love—which is the only ground of approach to you, for we in ourselves do not deserve to even think of speaking to you; naturally we have no access. But you have opened the way with your love, your everlasting, unfailing agape love.
 
You, Lord God, are great in grace, lavish in love, marvelous in mercy, faithful in forgiveness. Therefore we bow before you in awe, surrender to you in thankfulness, accept your grace in gratitude.
 
In obedience we will put on your full armor, and then rise up to walk with you into this day, shining in the light of your love, bringing hope and truth and grace to all we meet. Glorify yourself in us, through us, in spite of us, Lord.]
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Psalm 5:12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 7, 2020
Psalm 5:12 “For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;”
 
[Yes, you do, Lord, you bless those who have bowed before you, have received your pardon, have been cleansed of their sin by the blood of Christ, have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ and have become members of your family.
 
You bless us daily with your presence, your love, your grace, your goodness, your wisdom, your power, your protection and your purpose. To be your child, to know you is to be blessed beyond conception, beyond imagination, beyond belief!
 
Truly you are worthy of our wholehearted worship: “Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).]
 
“you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
 
[Every day we live in your favor as your dearly beloved children, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. You are enthused to meet with us each morning as we awake– are we as enthused to meet with you? You are pleased when we come to you in prayer, you are delighted when we bring our problems to you, you are glad when we intentionally walk with you through the day.
 
Your favor surrounds us, covers us, protects us, guides us, provides for us. “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 18:30).
 
You, Heavenly Father, Shepherd Jesus, Faithful Holy Spirit, are fully, truly, absolutely worthy of worship, obedience, exaltation and love. So, I bow before you this morning, I give myself to you anew. I pledge my obedience to love and praise you for what you will bring today, no matter how it may appear to me. May you be glorified in my life today.]
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Psalm 5:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 6, 2020
 
 
Psalm 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.”
 
[Yes, you, Lord Jesus, are our Refuge and Strength, our Mighty Rock and Defender, our Fortress in the day of evil. You invite us into your protection, you open the way to safety, and for all those who come, you give joy.
 
Truly, knowing you is wonderful: you are the Mighty Shepherd, the Powerful Creator, the Strong Sustainer, the All-knowing King, the Majestic Victor over all evil–who in the end will right all wrongs–and you are our High Priest who lives forever to intercede for us. Yes, knowing you is enough for joy!]
 
You “Spread your protection over them,”
 
[You are our tent of refuge spread over us every day, every minute: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”!!! (Psalm 91:1).
 
As we choose to live in the grace of your presence, your light banishes darkness, your power defeats worry, your plans erase confusion, your love overcomes fear.
 
You are our personal protection, our gracious guide, our constant keeper and our persistent provider. We can praise you for whatever comes, good or ghastly, delightful or difficult, nice or nasty, for you are wise and good, powerful and protecting, allowing only what can be used for growth, good and your glory!]
 
“that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
 
[It is such a privilege to love your name, Lord Jesus. You are Yahweh, the Eternal and Holy I AM. You are Elohim, the Triune Creator and Faithful Redeemer. You are Adonai, the Lord of all who has the right to demand full obedience and faithfully provides all we need so we can do so.
 
We love your name and with all our being rejoice in you wholeheartedly, enthusiastically, willfully! May this bring you much honor today as we continually offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving in whatever you allow.]
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