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The Gift of Beauty

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 17, 2017
 
Praise the LORD, for another sunny day, pleasant weather and a beautiful countryside: rich, warm sunshine streaming over the hills, casting long, deep shadows from the trees and buildings, bringing out every dip and rise in the land.
 
The trees are silver with dew, the river is clothed in shimmering wreathes of fog, flowers are peeking out from bushes, gardens and graveyards, the birds are joyfully flitting about and singing in the new day’s light.
 
You, O Lord God, are a lover of beauty, and are so gracious to share this visual feast with us, a breakfast for the eyes, a refreshment to the soul.
 
I praise you for your marvelous creativity, making all so practical and yet so beautiful. You could have made everything black and white, ugly and efficient—but you have chosen to clothe usefulness in gracefulness, practicality in loveliness. You cover fruit trees with fragrant and colorful blossoms; you make water sparkling and pure; you give the hills and trees many shades of green.
 
Praise you that you do the same in our lives, making food festive, procreation pleasurable, worship wonderful.
 
You are yourself beautiful, O Lord.
You are lovely in goodness, graciousness, gloriousness and greatness.
You are righteous, pure, positive and just.
You are kind, compassionate, ready to forgive and long suffering.
You are present, protecting, seeing and caring.
You uphold all who are bowed down.
You deliver from the oppressor.
You heal the broken-hearted.
You guide the lost.
 
You are the God of only goodness,
The God of eternity,
The God of salvation,
The God of faithfulness.
 
Therefore, you are worthy of worship, praise, glory and honor. I bow before you now in awe, praising you in gratefulness; I rise up in your joy to exalt you in thankfulness and obedience.
 
May you be glorified today in my thoughts and actions, words and reactions, O great and mighty, lovely and lavish Lord Jesus!
 
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The Gift of Supply

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 15, 2017
 
Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and gracious heart. Praise you that you look down and see every single person on this earth; you are aware of each one’s needs, desires, suffering, rebellion and anger.
 
I praise you that you work in the life of each–believer or not–to supply their needs: “… your Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45).
 
You bring each one help: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psa. 34:18).
 
And most importantly you offer the opportunity for all to enter your Kingdom “when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world [everyone] of sin, righteousness, and judgment…” (John 16:8-10) and “…whosoever believes should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16b).
 
Psalm 146:7 “He upholds the cause of the oppressed…”
 
[You, Heavenly Father, went right to the core of the issue and provided an escape from the three sources of oppression: Satan, sin and self. All other oppression we experience flows out of these.
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for paying the price of great, deep, profound, excruciating suffering to provide the only possible way out from this oppression. Praise you that daily you give grace, guidance and goodness to your children in the midst of every oppression so we can rise above it.]
 
“and [He] gives food to the hungry.”
 
[You are the One who provides our daily bread. You give enough to live on and you give us the freedom to share this with others, the privilege of being the conduit to supply their needs,. Help us not to squander your supply or withhold from others the abundance you constantly give. We praise you that you are wonderfully generous and give freely, fully to all.]
 
Help us to recognize the marvelous supply you give us every day in the unending stream of gifts, help and guidance you pour into our lives. Help us to live in the light of your love today and to bring honor to you in all we do.
 
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Insight

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 14, 2017
People remember little of what you preach; they remember some of what you say; but they remember fully how you made them feel.
 
Concept from the book “The Emotionally Healthy Church” by Peter Scazzero, one I highly recommend.
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Psalm 146:6b The Gift of Faithfulness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 13, 2017

The Gift of Faithfulness

Psalm 146:6b “The Lord who remains faithful forever.”

[You, Lord, are the persistent God of Hope. You desire to forever pour joy and peace into our lives as we trust in you (Rom. 15:13)–so that we may live lives worthy of you.

I praise you, Lord Jesus, I exalt you heavenly Father, I honor you, Holy Spirit, for your consistent, continual faithfulness to Truth, to Righteousness, to your Promises and most importantly to your rich and beautiful Character.

In the garden of Eden you promised a Savior who would crush Satan’s head. You prepared the way for His coming, choosing Abraham, protecting him and his off-spring through many years of danger, oppression and difficulty. Through Joseph you saved Judah from whence came the Christ.

And at the right time you came, Lord Jesus: in weakness and vulnerability, a helpless babe born to inexperienced parents in a dirty and sickness-filled society where infant mortality rate was high and enemies abounded.

You lived among sin-warped people, in evil systems, under oppression by Rome and rejection by your own. You willingly suffered unjust condemnation, torture, death and seeming defeat, that you might save all who were willing to come into your shelter of forgiveness, cleansing and new life.

You are the ultimate in faithfulness and therefore we can trust you fully each day to carry us through whatever will come, granting us opportunity to work in your plan and to give you honor by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each difficulty, disappointment and discouragement.

Help us to take up your proffered grace, Lord Jesus, to live in the light of your love and to rest in the fact of your faithfulness, so you may be honored before all around us.

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Psalm 146:5,6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 13, 2017
“His countenance beholds the upright.”
 
[You, Lord, in your love and goodness, consistently look after us– we who now stand in the uprightness of Christ. You are aware of every event that comes to us, you filter out what is truly evil and harmful, and you have equipped us to deal with whatever you allow through.
 
You have qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light! You are carrying us on to glory, honor and praise as we respond to your direction in faith. Your love is wonderful, rich, pure and powerful, and it is a great privilege to live in it!]
 
“Blessed is the man whose help is the God of Jacob”
 
[You work with us, as you worked with that rebellious rascal Jacob. You are patient, persistent, allowing consequences to bring understanding, intervening at the right time, and drawing us on to full surrender],
 
“[Blessed is the man] whose hope is the Lord his God”
 
[Jacob kept calling you, “the God of my father” rather than his own God. It took a whole life time of self-imposed suffering, fear and loss before Jacob, on his death bed, finally bowed before you and worshiped you as “my God,” making you his personal hope. May we not wait so long to surrender! ]
 
“[Blessed is the man whose hope is the] maker of heaven”
 
[You made both the throne room of Heaven where you dwell, and the great expanses of space where all the starry hosts dwell: trillions of stars (and you know the name of every one!) placed in billions of galaxies, spread across billions of light years of space]
 
“and [maker of] earth, the sea and all that is in them”
 
[You spoke the earth into existence with its mountains and plains, rivers and streams, the seas with all their great expanse. And you created the astounding myriad of plants and animals, from the single-celled, up through insects, cats and dogs, to elephants, walrus and whales–plus the unseen spiritual creatures around us.]
You, Lord God, are amazing and awesome: powerful, creative, wise, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-present, Creator, Victor and King.
 
From you alone comes real, sure, enduring hope, giving us the great certainty of having salvation from sin, more than enough significance and security, and the assurance of a sinless eternity with you.
 
We can know that all which comes to us in this life will be for your glory, our good and the outworking of your triumph over evil.
 
To you be glory, honor and praise forever: may you be lifted up, esteemed and exalted today, in my life in my motives, thoughts, words and actions.]
 
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Psalm 11:5-7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 11, 2017

Psalm 11:5b “But the wicked and the one who loves violence His [God’s] soul hates.”

[Here is one of those seeming paradoxes of the Bible: God loves all, yet hates the wicked. Three possible understandings among several, all of them true:
–He hates what they do, but loves them as His creatures;
–He loves them, but when they refuse to come under His protection by surrendering to Christ, they fall under His hatred for sin;
–or here He is speaking of Satan and his hoard of demons.

The certainty is that, in God’s character there are no contradictions: He hates sin and will punish it, yet found a way (an extremely expensive way) to redeem sinners within this context.

Psalm 11:6 “Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.”

[As part of your plan to eliminate evil, you, Lord God, will punish rebellious evil doers–those who refuse your gracious forgiveness and instead love violence, those who hate what is good, those who refuse to believe you and accept Truth.

This is what you did in Sodom and Gomorrah, what you did in Canaan to those who rejected you, and what you will do to all those who refuse your offer of goodness and grace. There can be no justice without the punishment of evil.]

Psalm 11:7 “For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;”

[Praise you, Lord God, that in your there is no evil, no darkness, no sin, no wrong. You are righteous and love what is right. You cannot be corrupted and corrupt no one. You cannot be tempted and you tempt no one. Instead, you call all to righteousness.

When we believe, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. Then we get to grow in righteousness as we walk in obedience to what we know to be true:
–loving your Word by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on it;
–listening to and obeying the conviction of the Spirit, that most often comes through the Word;
— working by and through prayer, living the truth that without you we can do nothing;
–participating in fellowship, knowing that in your church we will learn to give and receive, help and be helped, both enjoy and be irritated by others, repent and forgive.

Help us to be faithful in participating in your righteousness, Lord, living worthy of you, as sons and daughters of the Most High King, the Creator and Sustainer of all. May our central and deepest goal be to glorify, honor and please you.]

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Psalm 11:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 10, 2017
 
Yesterday ended with a dissatisfying taste, an emptiness which I tried at first to banish with reading and popcorn.
 
But then you, Lord, led me in the right path, reminding me to praise you for it, as this emptiness was a reminder that my soul finds rest in you alone—and the right response is to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
 
Therefore I praise you now, Lord Jesus, for the wonder and stability of knowing you, for my being a child of the eternal living God. You give us all we need for life and godliness and I can praise you for both the pleasant and the painful.
 
As it says in Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
 
[When everything seems to fall apart, we can look away to you, Lord God, the only sure foundation in all of existence. We can rejoice in your character, rest in your love, live in your wisdom. The instability of the world only serves to highlight the surety of your character: Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever!]
 
Psalm 11:4-5 “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven;”
 
[You are ever ruling, ever awake, ever alert. Nothing escapes your notice and you always act in inexorable power at exactly the right time. You rule wisely, wonderfully, willfully. You are moving events to the great conclusion of history, sweeping as many as are willing into your Kingdom, while giving those who aren’t willing multiple opportunities as well.]
 
“His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous,”
 
[You watch every person, you test each one, first giving opportunities to believe to the not-yet-sons. And then to your children, who have been granted the righteousness of Christ, you give tests that are possibilities to grow, give you glory and display grace.
 
Ah, Lord, help us to remember that difficulties, disappointments, danger and discouragement are tests, each one an opportunity to take up your grace, rise up in praise and defeat the enemy on his own ground.
 
May we not fail in these tests but cooperate with you, for your glory! Help us today to live in the light of your lavish love, trusting in your great goodness in each trial, fulfilling the purpose of our lives by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all.]
 
 
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Worship Journal Praise

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 10, 2017
Lord Jesus, my God and Lord, my King and Master, my Savior and Shepherd, you have undeservedly set us, your illogically adopted children, in such a wide and wonderful place, in a position of light and love, of grace and goodness, of beauty and brightness, of color and care.
 
This is a place of belonging, where all depends on your gracious heart and your ever-flowing spring of love that waters all relationships, washing away the stains of selfishness and the shame of failure.
 
From your deep forgiveness-filled eyes, from your pure, grace-giving lips, from your powerful, health-bestowing hands, flows the message of acceptance, cleansing, delight and favor.
 
In your presence we, who deserve only eternal banishment from your presence, are dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in.
 
This is not because of anything we are or have done, but because of all you are, Lord Jesus: the King of Grace, Lord of Love, the Savior of sinners and Master of Restoration. In you all is made right, all harm is transformed, all wrong will be righted in the end.
 
Your eyes are grace-filled, both fiery and forgiving; your heart is pure, both loving and giving. Yours acts of righteousness grace cause mercy to triumph over justice; yours thoughts are of returning only good for the evil we have done.
 
You are consistently at work, turning the kingdom of this world right side up, starting within us. You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Light, and now you are teaching us to see things as you do: to rejoice in persecution; to offer thanks in difficulty; to understand that in mercy you chasten all those you love.
 
With you there is hope, meaning and purpose, a future with the certainty of an eternity in joy. Praise you for the foretaste we can have now in your Word as we gaze upon your grace and beauty, and are consistently transformed more and more into your image by the Spirit of power (2 Cor. 3:18).
 
You, Lord Jesus, are truly worthy of worship, glory and honor, both now and forever more. May we honor you all through this day with obedience to what we know to be true.
 
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Psalm 11:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 8, 2017

Psalm 11:1 “In the Lord I put my trust;”

[Yes, Lord, I willfully choose to trust you, not myself, not people, not circumstances, not power, nor politicians. You alone are the One to rest in, for you alone are All-powerful, All-knowing, All-seeing and All-loving.

Therefore, I choose to praise you in and for all things–for all the proof we need for trusting you, Lord, is found in your faithful, sinless, pure and positive character, displayed in the rich outpouring of your Love in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, I choose to trust you.]

“How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?”

[No mountain will save me, no mountain will love me, no mountain is impregnable. Only You, Lord God Almighty, are the actual, adequate refuge and strength needed; you alone are my High Tower, my Mighty Rock and my Stronghold.

To you, Lord, I will flee when worry, fear, danger or loss threaten. To you I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving—praising you when it costs me, when I don’t feel like it–thereby honoring you and opening the way for your salvation to come to me. Your help is all I need.]

Psalm 11:2 “For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.”

[If I fly to temporal help, I make myself vulnerable to attacks of the enemy. If I set my heart on a desired solution rather than God’s glory, I have made myself open to attack, to loss, to failure, pain and death.

However, if I set my heart on praising you, Lord, rather than on having my way, my desire my plan, than you will shield my head in the day of battle.

I may not get what I desire, but I will be able to exalt your name in praise, fulfilling the purpose you have for my life and live in the freedom of knowing you will do what is best.

What a privilege to live for you, my Great King, Ruler of the universe, Spinner of the Earth, Bringer of the dawn, Beginner and Ender of time. You are the One to be exalted, praised, honored and worshiped.

I bow before you now in surrender, I will rise up before you to obey you this day with all my heart. May the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, my mighty Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)]

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The Purpose of our Lives

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 7, 2017
Thank you, Lord, that all which will come to us today will come from your hand.
 
Praise be to you, Lord God, for your wonderful wisdom, working consistently in the lives of your children, bringing protection, guidance, goodness and difficulties.
 
You know what is best, you know what is right, for you are the wise and powerful One, that entirely good One whose heart is set on bringing glory to yourself through doing what is righteous and merciful.
 
I praise you that in your mercy you bring positive pressure on us to see truth, to come to ourselves and surrender to you. You are the One we can trust, the One who is our refuge and strength, our joy and wisdom, our Shepherd and King.
 
Through challenges and adventures (including suffering, tragedy and persecution) you give us opportunity for faith-responses, for glory-giving, for grace-demonstrations, for clenched-teeth praise, for faith-filled obedience. These provide chances to fulfill the purpose of our existence: to bring honor to you, to be reflectors of your glory, exalting your name and your Word above all other things.
 
I praise you now for another day, another opportunity to live for you, to live by faith, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and thereby honor you while opening the way so your salvation can flow further into my future and that of those around me (Ps. 50:23).
 
May you be glorified today in my thoughts, actions and words, may those around me be touched by your Spirit overflowing from me. May grace be the fragrance of my life. For your glory may I be a strong scent of life to those around me who are looking for truth. May many more be swept into your Kingdom. Amen.
 
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