Psalm 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

[This is a clear definition of what a fool is: one with no spiritual discernment or interest, who rejects truth in favor of his own unfounded opinion.

The statement that there is no God is so far from reality, entirely limited to this tiny earth, moment, and view, making it a sorry position, void of hope, truth, goodness, meaning and a future. I pity the person who thinks that, as he is caught in his own delusion and ends up in the darkness of a meaningless, hopeless existence.]

“They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

[We are all by nature fools, making ourselves our own god until we meet the true and living God. In our natural selves there is no good, no ability to do true good, for all we do is corrupted by our sin and selfishness. This is reality, this is why we desperately need you, Lord, you who are goodness itself and desires to give all people a new heart filled with righteousness, joy and peace so we can do the good works you have prepared for us (Eph. 2:10)]

Psalm 14:2 “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”

[This means, Lord, that you look at and into every single person, you check them out, you are concerned for them. Only an infinite God could do that, be in close contact with 6 billion people all the time! You are a wonder! And in doing so, you love them, wanting each to come to you, giving each a chance to enter your Family, your Kingdom, your Eternity with you.]

Psalm 14:3 “All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

[The sad truth is that not one single person in the whole world, in the whole of history ever sought you out on their own. Not one person naturally followed you in the right way. We have all turned away from you, we are all corrupt. Because we are sinners, any good that we do is tainted with selfishness, pride and deceit (we convince ourselves we are good).

What a hopeless situation! In ourselves we are unable to alter it. But praise you, Lord, that you have entered history, made it possible for us to be released from the hand of the enemy and our own wickedness so we can come into your Kingdom of Light and Life and Love! May we be ever thankful for your unwarranted grace, goodness and love. May my life, being focused on you, reflect your love and light to all around me  today.]

Lord, as we face the uncertainty of the future, the pressures of the unknown, the fears and worries that arise from our souls, it is wonderful to know that you hold our future in your hand. You deal the cards and make sure we get what is good, what will present us with the most opportunity to give you glory, be it pleasant or tough for us.

You are the Loving King, the Good Shepherd, the Wise Counselor, the Good and Great God of all. I praise you that today, this month and in the coming year you will bring what is best.

Guide me, Lord, give me the direction that I need and I thank you now for how you will answer. To you I can give honor and praise long before I see what I desire coming to pass, for you are fully trustable. Truly my soul finds rest in you alone (Psalm 62:1)

So I give you glory for your faithfulness, honor for your wisdom, exaltation for your power, thanksgiving for your goodness, worship for your righteousness and obedience for your love. May you be lifted up, glorified and exalted today in my life, in my motives, thoughts, words and actions, for you are worthy of all honor.

December 25, 2015 Christmas!

Praise be to you, Lord God, for giving us Christmas, for giving us the Christ who is the Light of the world, the Savior potential for all and the Shepherd of all those who believe.

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your willingness to be born into a world of sin, selfishness and Satan’s power, a place where everyone smelled bad, cruelty was the norm and the leaders were all into money and power.

You entrusted yourself to young, inexperienced and ignorant parents who lived among primitive, disobedient people. You were in danger right from the beginning, with Herod wanting to destroy you.

You grew up among diseased, demon-possessed and discontent people, while you yourself remained pure and positive. I praise you for your willingness to come into the darkness and sin of this world to be a Light, to be the Way, to provide the Way Out of blindness, slavery and eternal death.

Today we rejoice in your coming to live amongst us, to be our Savior and now our Lord. May your Name be exalted throughout eternity for your great Love, your persistent Grace and your great Endurance shown in providing salvation for your enemies. Only you would do something like that.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and bow before you in worship and surrender to your goodness.

“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Ps. 126:3). Because of these great things you have done we can at all times be “…joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” (Col. 1:12).

And you, Lord God, have given us this privileged position in your family against all logic, against all justice, against all the evidence that we definitely deserved condemnation, punishment, rejection, banishment, suffering, pain and death. Your love is sure and steady, powerful, penetrating and positive.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness” This is an accomplished fact, a certainty that we are no longer the children of the devil, bound to sin, controlled by the prince of the power of the air, but have been freed by the blood of the Lamb!

“…and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:12-14).

What a powerful statement: “…in whom we have redemption,”…not “I hope so” but “I know so!” What a wonder, what a privilege, what an astounding, unbelievable, too-good-to-be-true outcome you have given us, Heavenly Father—we are pardoned, adopted, brought into the Kingdom and made co-heirs with Jesus and with the saints.

We now live in the light, are dearly loved, delighted in, doted on and deeply cared for. We have a future with you as well as a daily walk with you now. You give total provision, complete protection, loving direction, wise counsel, consistent correction, unswerving goodness and unending grace.

To know the Great Shepherd of souls, the Wise Warrior of prayer, the Powerful Planner of good, the Diligent Director of details, the Lasting Lover of sinners, the Triumphant Transformer of rebels, the Final Forgiver of our sins, the Great Giver of grace—what more could we want?!!!

Help us to live in the joy of knowing you, rather than seeking fulfillment on the garbage heap of this fallen world.

–From the devotional book EDIFIED!

Psalm 13:1   “How long, O LORD?”

[There will be times when God seems distant, when He is not answering our prayers on our time table, when things are going awry with no help in sight. We pray and wait, but nothing seems to happen]

“Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psa. 13:2) How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?”

[There are dark valleys in life, ones we must pass through. These may be sickness, unemployment, relationship problems, depression or fears sparked by governmental chaos and failure, by wars or great disasters. But you, in your goodness, designed or allowed each one to mature us, bring glory to yourself and to demonstrate your power to the world.

As we know and believe this, we can have hope in the midst of despair, we can have light in the midst of darkness—and yet at times our hearts fail us as we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by disappointment and the immediate circumstances surrounding us.]

“How long will my enemy triumph over me?”

[At times the enemy does triumph over us—evil leaders arise in nations (ISIS), bad decisions are made by government or mission leaders, churches fall apart, families dissolve in bitterness, hard working people can suddenly become homeless.

None of these may be your specific will, but you allow them for greater reasons. For unbelievers it is to nudge them towards belief. For believers it is opportunity for growth and rewards: “Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith…may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Pet. 1:6-7).

No matter what, Lord, you are always there: you are at work, deeply, quietly, powerfully, patiently waiting for the right moment to move. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” In this we can rest. Help us to do so today.]