Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Uncertainties Seen in the Light of His Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 16, 2017
As I face the unknowns of this coming day, I praise you, Lord Jesus, for what you will lead me through, and for what you will allow. I praise you that I can rest in you, in your wonderful, marvelous, majestic and mighty Character, sparkling in holiness, shining in purity, glowing in love, radiating forgiveness.
 
You are perfect, wise, absolute, gracious and righteous. You are trustable, loving, firm and good. You are the One and Only to be exalted and worshiped.
 
In you there is no evil, no fault, no wrong, no error. In you there is only goodness, righteousness, purity and holiness.
 
Therefore, to you belongs praise, to you belongs trust, to you belongs obedience. I bow before you now, surrendering myself and my desires to you in worship, I lay them on the altar of your love, and ask that you will do what you desire with each one. Fulfill what is good, deny what is not.
 
Guide me in joining you in what you are doing. One way I can do this is by “boasting in my weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9) so that the power of Christ can come upon me. Another way is by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in and for whatever comes (Ps. 50:23), keeping up the shield of faith.
 
I give you glory and honor, Lord, praise and exaltation for what you are doing in all the uncertainty and uncomfortable situations before me, for how you will use them for your glory, for how you will defeat the powers of Satan and carry us on into the glory of your coming return.
 
Help me to rest in these Truths and in your goodness. I thank you for the continued unsettledness within, flowing from the uncertainties without, for this reminds me further that my trust must be in you, not in outcomes.
 
May I have “clean hands and a pure heart” throughout this day, and thereby give you glory before all those around me.
 
Praise be to you in all. Amen.
Image may contain: tree, sky, plant, cloud, outdoor and nature

 

Filed under:

Making it easier for your child to embrace your faith

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 15, 2017
My newest book, Pass-it-on Parenting, is slated to be up for sale on Amazon.com later this week.
 
As we shared the parenting advice we’d gotten with young parents, they urged us to write it down. So here it is: six short, simple, success-producing biblical principles of parenting.
Image may contain: one or more people and text
Filed under:

You Are Too Wonderful for Words!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 14, 2017
You, Lord Jesus, are the King of glory, the God of goodness, the Prince of peace, the Shepherd of supply, the Lord of Love, the Light of life and the Bride-groom of beauty.
 
You are the Creator of All, the Sovereign of Eternity, the Shield of your sheep, the Stronghold of safety, the Fortress of protection, the Rock of stability, the Arm of strength, the Source of support, the Giver of grace, the Provider of power, the Widener of ways and the Protector of all who take refuge in you.
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, Savior of the universe, Redeemer of all people, Transformer of all who believe. You are active, powerful and on time in answering the cry of all who submit to your leadership.
 
You are deeply caring, wisely working, godly in guiding, persistent in protecting. You are the only One we can trust–all others and all else are shifting sands.
 
Praise be to you for your lavish love, your gracious goodness, your wise work, your firm faithfulness, your cherishing in chastening, your reasonable rebuking, your taking us through trials, your shepherding through suffering, your working through our weakness, your maturing us through miserable times.
 
You are marvelous, Lord Jesus, you are majestic, you are mighty, you are magnificent, you are worthy of worship and deserving of dedication. “I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies” (Psa. 18:3).
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, gracious God, King of glory. May you be honored in my life today through faith, obedience, kindness, patience, wisdom and grace. Amen.
Image may contain: flower, outdoor and food
Filed under:

Hebrews 12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 13, 2017
As Barbara and I pass through the valley of the shadow of depression, we can rest in God, knowing that “…the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Heb. 12:6). This present suffering is proof that you, Lord,  love us by taking the time to discipline us for our good.
 
I praise you, Lord, for your loving work in us, on us and through us, pointing out sin, wrong thinking, negative attitudes and unbiblical beliefs that keep us from really living: “…we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and [really] live!” (Heb. 12:9).
Thank you for chastening us through difficulties so that we might share in your holiness. Thank you for correcting us, even though it may be painful, so that we might respond with faith, confession, surrender and obedience, thereby receiving the fruit of peace and righteousness (Heb. 12:9-11).
 
Praise you, Lord, for your care, your consistency, your chastening to bring patience and power, fullness and fruitfulness, maturation and maturity (James 1:2-4). Truly you are the perfect Father: wise, loving, good, firm, persistent and forgiving.
 
I praise you that you are wonderously full-orbed in ability, perfectly rounded in personality, flawlessly balanced in your characteristics and wholly complete in your holiness. In your rich wisdom, you leave out nothing when working in our lives–all that is needed comes: pressure and pleasure, loss and love, defeat and delight, wrenching and rest.
 
I praise you for what you allow, for what you send, for what you bring. You are wise, you are good, you are loving, so we can trust you fully, praise you consistently, obey you whole-heartedly.
 
Today I want to praise you persistently, Lord, through rain and shine for your wonderful work in my life. May I glorify you by cooperating with you, joining you, obeying you all through this day.
Image may contain: sky, tree, outdoor, nature and water
 
 

 

Filed under:

Psalm 24:9-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 12, 2017
 
Psalm 24:9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
 
[The repetition here from verse 7 shows how important it is to open the way for God’s entrance. And why would anyone not want to open up to the King of glory? Well, unfortunately, in our selfish and deluded desire to be independent and in control, many refuse to open up so that the Lord of glory may come in.
 
How foolish! For you, Lord God, bring only what is good, only what is a blessing, only what gives freedom, joy and grace in the end. Therefore we choose to open our hearts, our lives, our wills to you. We commit ourselves to giving you praise, to give you the glory due your name, lifting you up by obeying your Word, resting in your goodness, thanking you in all.]
 
Psalm 24:10 “Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty—he is the King of glory.”
 
[You, O Yahweh, are the Lord of Power, the God of Might, the Ruler of Majesty, the Commander of all the hosts of Heaven. There is nothing good you cannot do, there is nothing wise you will not do, there is nothing evil you can ever do.
 
To you belongs all glory, for you are Creator and King, Ruler and Redeemer, Lord and Leader of all who will come to you. Therefore, to you I bow down today and submit myself in obedience to your Word, to your Spirit, to your Way so that you may have more glory.
 
I proclaim your power and your strength, your goodness and your grace, your wisdom and your holiness, your purity and love. To you be rich and deep glory, ever expanding honor and endless praise. May only positives flow from my life to you today, giving you ever increasing exaltation, pleasure and joy, my Lord and King. Amen.”
Image may contain: bridge, sky, outdoor and water

 

 

Filed under:

Thoughts on Romans 15:13

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 11, 2017
 
 
“May the God of hope”
 
[Our God is the source of all we hope for, the spring of all positive possibilities, the well of all goodness. We should look to no other.]
 
May He “Fill you with all joy and peace”
 
[These are what we all long and strive for, but fail to get on our own. Our heavenly Father, however, stands ready with ALL joy and peace, eager to pour them into our lives, if we will only join Him in the process, as the next phrase tells us.]
 
“As you trust in Him”
 
[This is our part: if we trust, we are given joy and peace; but conversely, failure to trust equals no joy or peace. If we don’t trust Him, we are, in our pride, trusting in ourselves, meaning we are cutting ourselves off from His grace. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). But if we humble ourselves and trust in Him, then He has blessings even beyond joy and peace for us, as the last phrase tells us.]
 
“So that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
[As we trust God, we can then join Him in a new dimension, becoming “carriers of hope,” just as He is the God of all hope–a hope that will splash over on all those around us. We will be “hope empowered” by the Holy Spirit, becoming more and more like Jesus, the God of all hope.
 
So let’s trust, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each situation and thereby become infused with joy and peace so we can be springs of hope, carriers of hope to all we meet today and every day.
Image may contain: people standing, sky, outdoor and nature
Filed under:

Psalm 24:7-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 10, 2017
Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
[As the gates in those ancient cities where cranked upwards to allow entrance, so may the doors of our hearts, our thoughts, our souls be lifted up to allow you, Lord Jesus, entrance into every aspect of our lives, giving you the honor and glory you deserve.
May we be in submission to the reality that we were created to be dependent on you, to walk in obedience and trust, so that your power may be made perfect in our weakness, that honor may flow to you out of every situation, and that we may appear with you in glory when you come again.
You alone are the great King of Glory. Help us to live in the truth that what you are, what you do, and what you say all flow out of your glorious being and serve to bring you the exaltation you deserve before all the created hosts of the universe.]
Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”
[This is you, Yahweh, the Holy One: completely other than your creation, totally complete in yourself, needing nothing, being both One and fully self-sufficient as the Trinity.
You are the Powerful One, undefeatable and ever triumphant. You fight and win against every enemy–those who oppose what is good. You, Lord Jesus, came to destroy the works of the devil, freeing us from the fear he has used so effectively against us. You have also defeated death and hell, sin and evil, rebellion and shame. You have replaced all these with love and light, with life and joy, with peace and hope. You are the mighty One, triumphing in your strength, wisdom and power.
So we give you praise, honor and exaltation, for in your might, you are the pure and sinless One, you are the Just One, bringing proper judgment on sin; you are the Loving One, bringing forgiveness for all, especially to those who believe.
You are worthy of praise and we bow before you in worship, we open the gates of our hearts to your Kingly presence and we rise up to go out with you out into the battle of today, knowing that you, the mighty One, will lead us safely through whatever will come. ]
Image may contain: sky, cloud, tree, outdoor and nature
 
Filed under:

Psalm 24:5-6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 9, 2017
Written several years ago. Psalm 24, speaking of the person “who has clean hands and a pure heart,” goes on to say,
 
Psalm 24:5 “He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”
 
[Thank you for this assurance, Lord, that you, my Vindicator, have saved me and will bless me by helping me live for you. At the moment, I do not see much blessing, with two difficult situations before me–but I can trust that you have a plan and will do what is best. I chose to run with endurance the race you have set before me. To you be glory both now and forever. Amen.]
 
Psalm 24:6 “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
 
[When we seek you, you grant us clean hands and a pure heart through the finished work of Jesus Christ; then you lead us aright, guiding us into obedience as we seek your face.
 
May we seek you first and always, O Lord, rather than pursuing being comfortable, or possessions, or success, or our own desires. Instead may we seek you, the King of Glory, the God of Jacob—the Pure One who is willing to identify with those like Jacob and us–who are by nature selfish, manipulative, stubborn, untrusting and proud.
 
Praise you for your patience in drawing us along into the warm and transforming embrace of your love. Praise you that you do whatever it takes to bring us to surrender in yourself, as you did with Jacob, taking away everything he valued, so he would face his need for you. And finally, in his old age, at 147, he surrendered: “Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff” (Gen. 47:31).
 
And so it is with us–you do whatever it takes to help us seek you first, so that you can bless us with a life in and with you: a new life, an eternal life, an abundant life, a pure life, a serving and productive life.
 
Help us to surrender to you quickly so you don’t have to take drastic measures as you did with Jacob. May we seek your face daily, so we can be useful instruments in your hands, bringing you honor now, not waiting until later in life.]
 Image may contain: tree, plant, sky, outdoor, nature and water

 

Filed under:

Nurturing Our First Love for Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 8, 2017
Praise you, Lord Jesus, the Lover, the Liberator, the Leader of my soul. You are a marvel, so different from any human being, so pure, so persistent, so powerful, so perfect in your character.
 
You never change, you never vacillate, you never alter your ideas. You are rock solid, ever loving, ever correcting, ever forgiving. With you we can move through the valleys of failure and selfishness, sin and poor choices and still come out to a good place because of your grace and goodness.
 
You faithfully work to convict us, guide us, warn us, call us, protect us, chasten us—with you there is always hope for growth and progress. You reverse the second law of thermodynamics, bringing order out of chaos.
 
I give you honor and praise and glory, Lord Jesus, for to know you is to be given stability in your love, grace in your commitment, hope in your power, peace in your forgiveness, joy in your presence, delight in your beauty, wisdom in your Word, strength in your might, help in your compassion and guidance in your wisdom.
 
Your goodness and desires for us are summed up with this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
 
Prayer: “Glory be to you, honor be to you, obedience be to you in my life today, Lord God, that your Name may be lifted up before men and angels. Help me to hear you, to comprehend and obey you for your glory. Amen.”
Below, a school picture of our grand daughter (Josh’s) Leiza
 
Image may contain: 1 person, sitting, child, closeup and indoor
Filed under:

Nurturing My First Love for Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 7, 2017
Praise be to you, Jesus, my Lord and God, for the privilege of waking up and knowing that I am at peace with you, that our relationship is grace-filled, good and gloriously positive.
 
Thank you for your wonderful unmerited love, ever flowing to me, over me, through me, and around me, as well as going before me.
 
Therefore, I can rest in your gentle grace, your positive power, your marvelous majesty, your wide and deep wisdom. I can rest in your great plans, your deep purposes, your plenteous provision. You are the glorious God of goodness, the majestic God of meaning, the strong God of hope. In you I have a future with stability and purpose.
 
These are all wonderful, but they are actually only the by-products of your much more significant gift to us: a wonderful relationship with you which is rich, warm, enthusiastic, filled with your delight, love and joy.
 
Peace reigns as I rest in you. Grace flows as I embrace my place of submission with humility. Joy deepens as I move forward in eager surrender to your wisdom, to your Word and to your ways.
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jehovah, the great Triune God, marvelous in majesty, glorious in grace and caring in compassion. You have made yourself my Father, my Savior, my King and my Shepherd. In you alone is rest, in you alone is peace and joy, for we were made to live in surrender in your embrace of love.
 
Help me to be in submission and sync with you all through this day, Lord, living in the light of your Word, in the direction of your Spirit and in the wisdom of your understanding, waiting for your timing in all. I praise you now for what you will do, for how you will use me, for all that you will bring into my life today here in Ankara.
 
Image may contain: sky, tree, house, outdoor and nature

 

Filed under: