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Psalm 27:2-3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 2, 2019
Psalm 27:2 “When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me,”
 
[Note that this is not “if” but “when.” Such attacks will come because we are followers of Jesus, and Satan hates us. So, we should not be surprised when we are attacked by people, problems and political powers. And we should remember that we also know the outcome: ]
 
“they will stumble and fall.”
 
[In the end, they will fail: Nero, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Mao and many others here who oppose you, Lord, and your Word, all fell while you, the Almighty Lord and God, triumphed and will triumph. There is no way that anyone can prevail against the Creator of the Universe.
 
I praise and thank you, Lord, that you will fight for us out of the great goodness of your heart, in the mighty power of your arm, in the expansive width of your wisdom and in the immeasurable depth of your discernment. Nothing is hidden from you, no plan is secret, no power can prevail against you.]
 
Psalm 27:3 “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.”
 
[Because my trust is in you, the Almighty and the Most High, I can be confident of your help in the most trying of circumstances. I think of Elisha in 2 Kings 6, who awoke to find his city surrounded by a large army; but he also saw the chariots of God surrounding them! And God empowered Elisha to strike the army with blindness and render them harmless.
 
So, I need to ask, “What can men do to me when you are on my side? What can I lose that you cannot replace? What can I suffer that is not worthwhile because you will use it to bring maturity, deepening and a display of your power which I can share with all those around me?”
 
Thank you that you are the God of all wisdom who, even in the mistakes I make, can and will work out all for good. Help me to let go of my natural tendencies to worry and fret, to hold all you have granted me with an open hand, and to trust you to give and take as you see best.
 
Help me to let go of my emotional perceptions, to hold onto your great promises and rise above whatever challenges come. Help me to rest in you now, knowing that you are the good and great One whom I can totally trust. May you be honored in all I do today.]
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Want Joy?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 1, 2019
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:9,12).
 
Recipe for Healthy, Loving Living Leading to Joy.
–author unknown
 
Start with a base of faith.
Add One heart full of love,
Two heaping cups of patience,
Two handfuls of generosity,
A dash of laughter,
And one head full of understanding.
Sprinkle generously with kindness
Add plenty of goodness and mix well
Spread over a period of a life time
And serve to everyone you meet.
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Psalm 27:1b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 30, 2019
Psalm 27:1b “The LORD is the stronghold of my life—“
 
[in the midst of uncertainty I can praise you, Lord God, for you are the safe Place, the generous Giver, the good Guide, the Rock and Stability of my existence. When things look bleak and unhappy like the picture below, you are my Shelter, my Joy, my Strength.
 
You have revealed your beautiful character in your promises to provide what is needed, to give what is best, to protect me and sustain me with your right hand, to be my shield and enabler. And you faithfully follow through on every promise.
 
As my stronghold, you are the One who protects me in the hurts and harm of life. To you I can retreat and find safety, comfort, encouragement and joy when all else is bleak, broken, sad and dangerous.
 
Living in the power of your promises, I praise you now for what you will do today, this week, next month, next year. I praise you that each day is a new adventure with you, as you have laid out the race for me to run and are constantly helping me to see and lay aside the weights and sins that so easily entangle. I am so glad to be able to follow you.]
 
“of whom shall I be afraid?”
 
[Since you are the Almighty, the Most High, the Great King above all, who can contravene what you deem right? Who can overrule the desires of your great overarching plans? Who can condemn when you forgive? Who can harm us spiritually when you are there?
 
There is no one else I should fear but you, O Lord God, King of Glory. Help me to move every day away from fearing those around me to fearing you, away from fearing what others think of me to caring deeply what you think about me, about what I do and think, wear and say.
 
You are worthy of respect, honor and fear, for you are Awesome, Almighty and Eternal, while all others are not. Therefore, I choose to believe you, to fear you, to live in the light of your grace.. Help me this day to consistently take refuge in you, thereby honoring You, your Name and your Word before all those around me.]
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Psalm 27:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 29, 2019
Thank you to all who send us congratulations on our 45th anniversary. We had a good time celebrating with friends.
                             ———————
Psalm 27:1 Of David. “The LORD is my light and my salvation—“
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the light Giver, the Sonshine of life, the Illuminator of our path, the One who shines on us. You show us the way, you reveal dangerous sins and snares so we can avoid them, you give insight and understanding, you help us to make the right choices.
 
Because of you, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining on ever more brightly till the full light of day” (Prov. 4:18). We no longer have to live in “the way of the wicked which is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Prov. 4:19).
 
You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Light where you protect us from the devil, from death, and in danger and difficulties.
You are actively working every moment to counter the attacks of the enemy, to shield us from his deceptions and help us stand against temptation. You also protect us from ourselves, from our old and evil nature.
 
Praise be to you that no attack, no opposition, no enemy is too fast, too great or too strong for you: you can counter all that comes, protecting and providing, keeping out what will harm while allowing in the things that make us effective. In your light we are safe.]
 
“whom shall I fear?”
 
[Who is greater than you? Who can defeat you? Who can fool you? Who is stronger than you? No one! You are the Almighty, the Most High, the Eternal One, dwelling outside of time, knowing and seeing all. “From His dwelling place the Lord looks down and watches all who live on the earth…He considers all that they do” (Psalm 33:14.15).
 
You are aware of every thought, every intent, every plan. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Prov. 21:30). You have the power to counteract the devil’s every desire and duplicity.
 
Yes, whom should I fear, of whom should I stand in awe? Why should I fear the words and thoughts of others? You are the One who gives us significance, you declare us righteous in Christ, chosen and beloved. You have replaced our shame with honor, while those around us often seek their own honor by shaming us.
 
Forgive me for elevating the opinions of others over your truth, Lord. Help me to fear you, to respect you, to care what you think, not what others think, value or say. You are the measure of all, your Word rules, your estimation is supreme. Help me today to live in the light of this Truth, Lord.]
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Anniversary

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 27, 2019

Today is our 45th wedding anniversary. A good start! In the picture Barbara is saying to me, “Slow down!”

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Schooling for the boys

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 27, 2019
In Germany we bought a used car to drive back to our country, a somewhat beat up yellow VW station wagon. On the return trip we left Dan’s car with a mutual friend who had worked in our country for many years. We spent only fifteen minutes there, but they were life-changing minutes–a definite God sighting.
 
“So, what are you doing about education for your boys?” our friend asked.
 
“We are planning on putting them into the German school,” I replied. “We’ve learned how easy it is to be expelled from our country and since our ‘plan B’ is to move to Germany, if the boys are already in the German system, they could easily fit in here.”
 
“In that case,” said our friend, “I have some advice for you. Have your older boy repeat the third grade. That way he’ll only have to adjust to the language, not the material. That’s what we did with our children when we moved to Germany and it was very helpful for them.”
 
I thanked him for his advice while thinking, “Have my boy repeat a grade? No way!” What an insult that would be to our family and to my boy’s intelligence! No one in our family had ever stayed back a grade, only skipped them.
 
The Lord, however, kept working on me, bringing to mind the fact that in our family we all were slow bloomers, especially emotionally, that staying back would make Josh’s adjustment much easier.
 
By the time we got back home, the Lord had convinced us to follow our friend’s advice. It was the best move we ever made for Josh. Later we realized one side benefit of having Josh repeat the third grade was that he would have one more year with us as a family.
 
And later, when Nat was struggling academically, we had him repeat the seventh grade. It put both boys right where they should be both academically and emotionally and made them much more successful in their learning.
 
After our return, Nat started first grade. Having been in the German Kindergarten for three years, he had no difficulties with the language. However he had other problems. In February his teacher called us to say that Nat was sleeping in class.
 
“What do you mean, ‘sleeping in class?’ ” I asked.
 
“He lies down on the floor and goes to sleep,” the teacher replied.
 
“And what have you done about this?” I asked.
 
“We don’t know what to do. The headmaster doesn’t know either. We just let him sleep.”
 
“And how long has this been going on?” I asked.
 
“Since October,” replied the teacher.
 
“Hmm, I’ll take care of this,” I assured him.
 
That evening Nat and I had a little chat. He told me he slept because the classes were boring. I told him that was not an acceptable reason and that he was to pay attention and not sleep.
 
“If you sleep in class again, Nat,” I said, “You and ‘uncle spoon’ (our code name for the wooden spoon we used for spankings) are going to have a chat.”
 
The next day the teacher called again to report that Nat hadn’t slept in class. “What did you do to solve that?” He asked.
 
When I explained about the threat of spanking, the teacher was appalled; spanking is highly frowned upon in European circles. But the lack of wise, biblical, gracious, loving discipline also brought lots of problems into those families.
After starting school, Nat developed a fear. Whenever we went anywhere as a family, he was like a little sheep dog, trying to herd us all together. He didn’t want any separation. As we talked with him about his concern, the reason came out: a number of his classmates’ parents were divorced, so he thought it might come to our family, too.
 
We assured him that as we were followers of Jesus, we wanted to please Him in every way and we would never divorce; it was not an option for us. We helped him see that the lack of biblical values in these families led to their many problems. It was an effective means of showing the difference between true belief and following your own ideas.
Most of the boys’ classmates were from well-to-do families; some came to school in chauffeured Mercedes; all had the latest designer clothes as well as the latest electronic gizmos. One day the boys came home complaining that we were poor.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
 
“Everything we have is used. Our car is old and clunky, even a lot of our clothes are hand-me-downs. Why can’t we have new and nice things like our classmates?” they whined.
 
“Let’s think about this,” I responded. “Do we lack anything? Do we have a TV, a VCR, a computer, a camera, a car?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“Do they all function properly? Does our car get us to where we need to go? Does our TV show us movies? Does our computer work?
 
“Yes.”
 
“And what about our family life; what’s it like compared to your class mates’ families?”
 
The lights began to come on for the boys. “They have lousy families. And they are unhappy people.”
 
“Right. So what’s more important, having new things and a poor family life, or having old but working things with a good family life?”
 
“We like our family better,” they both said. That ended the whining.
Josh and Nat were ostracized at school for other reasons than being poor. First, they were not “pure German,” but were “the Americans,” despite the fact that they had German citizenship. Then when he was in the fourth grade, Josh befriended a new student who was a bit slow. This student was quickly labeled as an outsider and “socially unacceptable;” so because Josh was kind and spent time with him, he was also branded an outsider. That label remained throughout the next six years of Josh’s time there.
 
In grammar school both Josh and Nat performed poorly academically. They were bright enough, but were lazy, more interested in play and writing comic books than homework. Finally Josh “caught fire” academically in the last grade and went from last in his class to missing first place by a 1/100th of a point. Nat was to follow in his footsteps.
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Triune Beauty

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 27, 2019
 
Thoughts on the Wonder of the Trinity
 
Praise be to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Triune Lord, God and King.
 
The fact that you are one Being with three Persons is one proof that you are truly God. No human or angel, devil or demon has ever thought up an idea like the Trinity. You are totally other than anything in your creation, being three persons in one God, having a character so complete and complex, so far above us that we cannot comprehend it.
 
Your being a Trinity means that you need nothing to complete yourself. You do not need your creation for fellowship or fulfillment. Within your triune Being there is perfect love amongst you, full relationship and rich complimentarity. I praise you for the marvel of your majestic unity, where there is no competition, no jealousy, no resentment, only full cooperation, joyful submission and perfect, lovely leadership
 
In many situations you, Father, plan things. Then you, Lord Jesus, bring them to pass. And you, Holy Spirit bring them to completion. Salvation is the best example: the Father planned it, the Son bought it, the Spirit is bringing out the results..
 
I praise you that you are the One(s) who created all, rule all, and are bringing all to a conclusion. In you there is the hope of help, the goodness of your guidance, the power of your protection, the purity of your purpose and the stability of your shepherding.
 
I praise you that when turmoil comes, I can cling to the certainty of your almighty presence, the comfort of your unlimited help, the constancy of your goodness and the completeness of your power.
 
You have provided solutions for the three aspects of the curse flowing from the Fall. You have given us forgiveness and cleansing for our guilt; you have given us honor and glory for our shame; you have given us power and strength for our weakness and fear.
 
I praise you, Lord God, for what you are doing in and amongst us. To you be glory forever. In response to your goodness, may I live wholeheartedly for you, trusting you by rejecting complaining and grumbling through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Fill me so full with your Holy Spirit that He will overflow onto all those I will meet today and thereby give you a continual flow of honor and exaltation. Amen.
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Guilt, Shame, Fear Resolved

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 25, 2019
 
Recently a little book Josh recommended to me brought together a number of truths I’d collected over the years. “The 3-D Gospel” by Jason Georges explains the three terrible results of the fall and the three wonderful ways God has provided restoration for each in the death and resurrection of Christ.
 
When Adam choose to trust Satan, his wife and himself instead of God, he ate of the forbidden fruit and Immediately he became guilty. He and his wife also became ashamed and tried to cover their shame with leaves. And they became afraid, hiding from God when He came to talk with them.
 
While different cultures tend to emphasize just one of these results over the others (Western “guilt culture”, Eastern “shame culture” and animistic tribal “fear culture,”) we all suffer the twisting effects of each part of this trinity of guilt, shame and fear.
 
In our Western culture, the gospel is presented mainly as dealing with our guilt (think of the Romans Road presentation—and this is certainly correct). However, little is taught about how the gospel also provides a solution for our shame and our fear.
 
Many (if not all) of us have a sense of shame, maybe from past experiences where we were abused verbally, emotionally or physically. We also have failed to measure up to biblical and church culture standards. And we all have done foolish and destructive things we know are wrong. Shame is there, but often not acknowledged. Undealt with, it is a weight and blight on our souls, keeping us from loving ourselves so we can love our neighbors well.
 
Fear also is a big factor for us, as the world seems to be falling apart, as Christianity is more and more marginalized, denigrated and portrayed as evil, as millions of believers are persc We wonder where this all is going–and are filled with fear. Look at how many believers are consumed with worry, experience anxiety attacks and need medical help to cope.
 
God knows all about this and has provided a solution to each one. When the Holy Spirit does His work of conviction, He addresses each of our areas of need: guilt, shame and fear. As it says in John 16:9-11. “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong:
–“about sin, because people do not believe in me” [there is guilt];
 
–“about righteousness, because I am going to the Father” [there is shame as we stand humiliated before the righteous One, who exposes the emptiness of our futile, selfish attempts to make ourselves look good];
 
–“and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” [There is fear as we, too, without Christ stand judged and worthy of condemnation.]
 
However, for those who respond to the Spirit’s work, Ephesians 1:18-19 tells us what God has given to free us from each one of these: Paul writes, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know:
 
–“the hope to which he has called you” [forgiveness in place of guilt],
 
–“the riches of his glorious inheritance in his saints,” [honor in place of shame]
 
–“and his incomparably great power for us who believe” [power in place of fear].
 
All of this I vaguely comprehended, but now they have come into full 3-D focus and it makes a difference. I have wholeheartedly looked at my hidden shame from my failures and sins, as well as from others’ opinions of me, and am embracing the honor Jesus has given me by taking my shame on Himself in His suffering before and on the cross.
 
I have also confronted my fears more directly, embracing the fact that “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7 KJV). This is making a difference in my life, and in the lives of those I am sharing this with.
 
So I encourage you, too, to embrace the full trinity of the gospel, internalizing the fact that Jesus died to save us from our sin, our shame and our fear. “My salvation [guilt covered] and my honor [shame covered] depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge” [fear covered](Ps. 62:7).
 
As Corrie Ten Boom said, “If we look around us, we will be distressed; if we look within us, we will be depressed; if we look to Jesus we will find rest.”
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Christ the Shepherd

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 24, 2019
 
Meditating on, “The Lord is my shepherd….” Ps. 23:1
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the great Shepherd of the universe. You are wise, powerful, all knowing, all seeing, all present. You are the One who breathed the stars, who gathered them into the Milky Way, who hung the earth on nothing, who brings the dawn each day. You are the One who sets up and takes down rulers, who controls the flow of history, who will bring all existence to an end.
 
Your power is infinite: what we see in hurricanes, tornadoes and tsunamis is a tiny bit of your might. We cannot begin to imagine a power that could create a galaxy like the Milky Way: 100,000 light years across, containing billions of stars, many much bigger than our sun. You simply spoke and they came into existence.
 
Your power and attention to detail is unbelievable. To make carbon-based life possible, you created the sun a million times larger than the earth, burning at just the right and incredible temperature. You placed the earth at exactly the right distance from the sun, so it won’t be too hot or too cold. You put it in an orbit just the right shape so summer is long enough for crops and winter isn’t so long that people would starve. You spun the earth at the optimal speed so night isn’t so long that we’d freeze, and day isn’t so long that we’d get too tired. And you tilted the earth at exactly the right angle to make the different climates. You did everything perfectly.
 
In this you show what a wise, strong, good and trustable Shepherd you are. I praise you for the wonder of your Character, seen in your being the Creator, the Redeemer, our Savior, Provider, Protector and Great Guide.
 
You are Love, you are Light, you are Life. And you have declared yourself to be my Shepherd: you wanted me as your sheep; you chose me before the foundation of the world; you arranged all the influences I needed in life so I could come to you.
 
What I actually deserve, as a rebellious sinner, is continual punishment, rejection, suffering, failure, hopelessness, despair, death and eternity in Hell apart from you.
 
However, you had mercy on me, you wanted me as your child. So, you suffered, died and rose again to make it possible that I would be your sheep. You called me, you cleansed and transformed me, you claimed me as your own, you commissioned me to special service and you cherish me.
 
I stand before you now dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. In you, Lord Jesus, I am fully forgiven, fully loved, fully accepted, fully yours. I revel in your love, I bask in your desire for an ever-expanding relationship with me. I rejoice in your unconditional, deep, rich acceptance of me as your child, your sheep, your beloved.
 
I bow before you in awe and reverence; I rise up today to return your love in obedience to your Word, to walk in the joy of being yours, to reflect the light of your love to those around me, living in the perspective of Psalm 73:25: “Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
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Psalm 26:8-12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 23, 2019

Psalm 26:8 “I love the house where you live, O LORD, the place where your glory dwells.”

[Praise you, Lord, that now you dwell in each believer, in each of us, and as we together are living stones we make up your church, your bride. Help me to live the reality of that, to love the church universal and the church local. Help all of us to be in awe of you and live in such a way as to bring you honor, both personally and as local congregations.]

Psalm 26:9,10 “Do not take away my soul along with sinners, my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.”

[Praise you that, although I am naturally one of these sinners, in you I am made an innocent, being cleansed and forgiven, transformed and adopted. Therefore, I will not have to go with the wicked into punishment, but with you into an eternity of joy and peace, of goodness and grace. Help me to recognize my tendency to do the natural, negative, nasty things, to reject them, and to live instead in the freedom of wisdom, the joy of submission and the goodness of obedience to your Word and Spirit.]

Psalm 26:11 “But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me.”

[I do want to live a pure life, but cannot do so on my own; help me to walk with you in your way of purity, positiveness and power. Thank you that you have redeemed me and that I stand in safety because of your blameless life, Lord Jesus. Praise you that you are merciful to me far beyond what I deserve.]

Psalm 26:12 My feet stand on level ground;

[Praise you that you have given me level ground, that I have all I need in you for stability, effectiveness and safety. You have set a race out before me; you smooth out the way, you help me forward, and running before me, you guide and direct.]

“in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.”

[Before all, Lord, I want to give you honor and glory, praise and power, exaltation and strength. You are the good One, you are the powerful One, you are the trustable One. So, I bow before you in awe and thankfulness, I rise up in grace and joy, I move ahead in this day with thanksgiving and faith, fully clothed in the armor of God, able to stand no matter what comes.

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