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From the devotional book EDIFIED!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 25, 2015
From the devotional book EDIFIED!
 
As your Word says, “My God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Ps. 18:2b). So, whether I am firmly in a protecting schedule, or my life is chaotic, you are there, Lord God: solid, sure, always loving, kind and firm. You are my Light, my Love, my Life.
 
So I turn my eyes to you and praise you, Lord God: my Triune, Eternal, Personal and Holy God—utterly other, entirely independent, simply sinless and incomprehensibly complex. You created me, chose me, cleansed me, claimed me as your child, commissioned me to special service, and I stand before you dearly loved, delighted in, deeply cared for, doted on and dependent on you.
 
What a wonder! For what I actually deserve as a sinner is
condemnation, punishment, eternal separation, failure, suffering, death and hell.
 
To live in the light of your presence, to walk in the shining paths of your righteousness, to bask in the radiance of your love, to be able to see by the brilliant illumination of your Word—these are the privileges of the children of God and we praise and thank you for them.
 
I praise you now for what your power and grace will do in and through me today, in spite of how I may feel and fail. May all be for your glory. Help me to focus on you, draw my stability, wisdom, strength and understanding from you. May I honor you in all I do today.
 
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From my worship journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 24, 2015

From my worship journal.

Praise be to you, Lord God, that yours is a full-orbed character. On one side you are love while at the same time you hate what is evil. I praise you for your hatred for sin, your anger at injustice and your wrath against sinners who refuse to repent because,   your justice makes restoration possible; your wrath against sin makes salvation possible; hell makes a sinless heaven possible.

I Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you took the wrath of the Father fully upon yourself so that all who choose to believe might be  saved in your goodness, sheltered in your love, protected in your grace and transformed in your power.

Thank you that you have given us life from your suffering, love from your heart and light from your Truth. Praise you for qualifying us to enter your Kingdom, for adopting us into your family and giving us purpose, meaning, hope, a sure future along with joy, peace and power to live a godly life.

But thank you most of all for giving us a rich, real and righteous relationship with you. Thank you for loving us unconditionally, wholeheartedly, eternally. That is to be the focus of our lives: You!
And in this wonderful relationship with you, you give us all we need: forgiveness, cleansing, acceptance, affirmation, attention, love and grace. I am thankful for these, but they are not the focus: you are.

I worship you as the Lord of love, the Giver of good and the God of grace. To you be glory and honor in all my life today. Amen.

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Psalm 9:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 23, 2015

Psalm 9:2 “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

[Yes, I will rejoice in you, Lord, for you are wonderfully worthy, graciously good, powerfully persistent, righteously just, lovingly strong and readily forgiving. Praise is your due, praise is our privilege. How can I not praise you in and for all things—pleasant or painful, nice or negative—when you are so magnificent in your pristine, perfect triune character? Glory be to you now, today and forever, for you are worthy!]

Psalm 9:3-4 “My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause;”

[Praise be to you, O warrior God, who fights for your children. You fight against Satan, sin, selfishness and sinners who attack your children. Such help is not our right but a powerful privilege. I am not right, but your Word is right. I praise you that out of your grace you fight for me, for us, for your Word, for all that is right.

This is echoed in Psalm. 37:5-6, “commit my way to the Lord, I will trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass, He shall bring forth my righteousness as the light and my judgment as the noon day sun.” He who delights in and meditates on your word “will prosper in whatever he does.” (Ps. 1:3).

So, I can rest in what you will do in the pressing debates before me concerning how to biblically proceed with our work, for you are faithful. Things may not work out the way I desire, but I know that you will do what is right.

“you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.”

[We may be unsure, have only part of the information, be prejudiced by our preferences and hang ups, but you have none of these restrictions. You, Heavenly Father, see all perfectly, you have every detail of information, you even understand our motives and intents. You know Truth totally and you will judge in full righteousness. Thank you that security is not in my faulty understanding and standards determining outcomes, but it is in the fact that your perfect understanding and righteous standards will prevail in the end.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness, your greatness and glory. I praise you today, bowing before you, accepting whole-heartedly whatever results you bring out of the conflicts around me.]

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Psalm 9:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 21, 2015

Psalm 9 A Psalm of David.

Psalm 9:1 “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;”

[You, O Lord God–Triune, Triumphant and Tremendous–are worthy of praise. As you have loved me, cleansed me, transformed me, adopted me, delighted in me, how can I but respond with love, with praise, with admiration, thankfulness and whole-hearted rejoicing in you.

You are my Lord, my King, my Shepherd, my Rock, and I rejoice in the great privilege of knowing you.  You are worthy of praise no matter what comes into my life.  I will praise you now and forever in eternity!]

“I will tell of all your wonders.”

[Great and many are your wonders, beginning with your character: you are Love, Light and Life; in you there is Purity, Perfection, and Power, Greatness, Grace and Goodness, Righteousness, Justice and Mercy, Riches, Rightness and Reigning. You are Immortal, Invisible and Invincible. You are Mighty, Magnificent and Marvelous. You are God, Lord and Sovereign. You are without beginning, without end and without time.

You are a wonder, and we have not even come to your works: speaking all into existence, holding all together, holding back the tide of evil, providing salvation for all your enemies.

In addition you willing suffer disappointment, pain and grief every day as you shepherd your professed children who willfully disobey, disbelieve and disrupt. You wait patiently for the right time to correct, you act from pure motives and always do the right thing in the right way.

You weave all together into your plan to bring history to a conclusion, eliminate evil and usher your children into an eternity of light, love and life.  Your wonders are great and you are worthy of praise!

Help me to be a glory-giver today, taking every opportunity, positive or negative, to honor you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and thereby fulfill the life purpose you have given me. Alert me when I am about to be a glory-stealer by complaining, whining or feeling sorry for myself. In the light of your marvelous and majestic presence, what’s there to feel sorry about!!!? Honor yourself in my life today.

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Jesus, the Freedom Bringer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 20, 2015
An excerpt from the book EDIFIED
 
Praise you for all you, Lord God, did in having your Revelation written down for us, in exactly the words you desired, then preserving it, getting it translated and giving us your Spirit to teach us what it says.
I love these words: “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (Ps. 119:32).
This is echoed in the NT: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the Path Maker, the Freedom Bringer, the Guidance Giver. Your Spirit and Word are the means to bring your freedom to us as we embrace your Way.
 
Praise you that in your Word you provide us with Truth, giving spiritual sight and being the Way to freedom from self, sin and Satan. Praise you for our weakness that drives us to be dependent and strong in you; for the path of your Word to run on; and for the working of your Spirit to keep us on track.
 
My desire is to live like the Psalmist who wrote, “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times…. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors…. I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws…. I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame” (Ps. 119:20,24,30,31). Help me in that.
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Psalm 8:5-9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 19, 2015

Psalm 8:5 “You made him [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”

[you made us for a specific position in your creation, you gave us glory and honor because you loved us, you gave us significant roles:]

Psalm 8:6 “You made him ruler over the works of your hands;”

[You gave us position and power, meaning and might, dominion and demarcation. You called us to partnership with you in administrating what you created. And this is still true even after the fall, even though we are twisted and imperfect, for you are gracious and good, wanting us to have meaningful work and productive purpose.]

Psalm 8:7-8 “you put everything under his feet:  all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,  the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”

[You are so gracious to give such a broad range of responsibility to creatures you knew would fail and fall—and I praise you that you will restore us to pristine purity again so we may rule further with you in the new heaven and earth!]

“O LORD, our Lord,”

[Again you make yourself “our Lord:” the personal, present, passionate, powerful and perfect God, Ruler of all, Lover of all, Redeemer of all, even though you know that many will not accept the forgiveness you have purchased at great cost.]

[Truly] “how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Your name is majestic in perfection, creation, redemption and salvation. You are worthy of worship from every being throughout all the earth, throughout all the universe, throughout all eternity. May that begin today by us giving honor and praise to your majestic name throughout this day. Amen.

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Partnering with God in Worship

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 18, 2015
For the past few weeks I’ve been posting commentaries on the Psalms These are taken from my “worship journal” and were written as part of my personal daily worship. High level worship is, I believe, “Praising God for what He is without thinking of how that benefits me.”
That’s hard to do, as we are so naturally self-centered. But I have found that the more I “stay up there” in focusing on God’s character, on His works and Word, the more He moves to change my character to conform more to His.
 
He does this by exposing sin, encouraging surrender, giving insight and bringing worldview shifts away from my natural worldview to a biblical one. For instance, going from feeling sorry for myself when I don’t get my way, to recognizing that this is an opportunity to fulfill the purpose of my life by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps. 50:23).
As you have seen, I moved quite slowly in this worship process: it took over three years for me to make it through the Psalms. It was, and continues to be, a rich, transforming and equipping journey with the Holy Spirit, focusing on the greatness, the glory and the goodness of God.
My hope is that as you read these posts and think through with me how God has revealed His character by the words of the psalmists, that you, too, will be transformed and experience worldview shifts in your life. May it lead us to obeying more and more Psalm 37:4, “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
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Psalm 8:3-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 17, 2015
Psalm 8:3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,”
 
[Last night walking back home after dark, the stars were wonderfully bright and clear, the sliver of a new moon so distinct in the sky—and this despite the light pollution of the nearby city. It was a stimulating sight, a reminder of how vast the universe is, of how small and insignificant we are. As we view the unimaginably immense stretches of the heavens, the size and number of stars, galaxies and formations of galaxies—all created by you, Lord, we get a small idea of how infinitely great and powerful you are. And this makes us ask:]
 
Psalm 8:4 “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
 
[We are so little, so unimportant, just tiny creatures hidden away on a speck of cosmic dust tucked under one arm of an insignificant galaxy. Yet you not only think of us, you value us and desire a relationship with each one in spite of our being twisted by sin and selfishness. And you were willing to pay a huge price to be able to take us into your family.
 
You are mindful of us and you do care for us, in spite of what we are naturally. Praise be to you for your grace, giving us undeserved goodness; for your kindness, returning blessing when we hurt you by disobedience and unbelief; and for your faithfulness, correcting us over and over again as we stumble through life.
 
You are a marvel, a wonder and most worthy of worship by all of your creation. May I give you honor today by giving the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all that comes.]
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Psalm 8:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 16, 2015

Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”

[You give the weak, the unrecognized, the unimportant the great privilege of giving glory to you—such a significant task your grant them! Praise you that you give the privilege of praise to all, even infants. May we join them in giving plenty of praise to you throughout the day.]

“because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

[What a wonder: you use the praise of the weak to defeat your powerful enemies, starting with Satan the avenger and his forces! What an amazing thought! The deliverance of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 comes to mind.

As the king faced a great coalition army, he came to you for help, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2Ch 20:12)

Then after a prophet foretold that God would deliver them, in faith, “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD” (2Ch 20:18).

The king then followed the unusual strategy of sending out singers, a choir, before his army as they set out for battle. How would you like to be in an unarmed choir between two armies about to fight? It was a big step of faith for the choir as well as the king. And God honored this faith.

“As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2Ch 20:22).

God responded to this praise of trust in Him and sovereignly defeated the enemy. Such praise is a pure act of faith, for there was no discernable reason to praise, except for knowing the powerful and good character of God.

So it is with us. As it says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving [giving thanks when we don’t want to], honors me [fulfilling the purpose of our lives] and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.”

Praise opens the way for God’s help; complaining closes the door. May we follow king Jehoshaphat’s example of going immediately to God, seeking His help and praising Him for it before any answer comes. This honors our Lord greatly and defeats the enemy whether we can see it or not!

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Psalm 8:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 15, 2015
Psalm 8:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. A Psalm of David.
“O LORD,” [You are Yahweh, the great I AM, who exists from eternity to eternity, having no beginning, no end–the Creator of stars, Maker of the earth, Bringer of the dawn. You are great and glorious, powerful and pure, the Lord of all.] “our Lord,” [You are THE LORD and you are also OUR Lord,. You stoop down to enter our little lives, to walk with us, work with us, watch over us. You invite us to join you in your majestic plans, making meaningful work for each of your children, tailored lovingly to fit our abilities, gifting and situation. You are my Lord: present, alert, watching, ruling, protecting, guiding and deeply involved in every detail of my life. You I can trust, you I can be sure of, you I can praise in every incident.] “how majestic is your name in all the earth!” [Your name, O Eternal God, is pure and powerful, holy and great. You move with majesty, unrushed, sure, full of grace and glory. You are high and mighty, the only One with no beginning and no end. You are the One to be extolled and lifted up before all creation. Truly, your name is to be exalted above all in all the earth, in all the universe. It is to be honored by our reverence, our obedience, our awe and worship. You are to be exalted throughout the whole earth, by every person in every place at every time, for all of time and beyond–for you are worthy.] “You have set your glory above the heavens.” [You who spoke and created the stars, who stretched out the heavens with your hand, who set the limits for time and tide, you are far beyond the heavens, you are outside of time, you are beyond human comprehension.
 
Your glory is far above us, far beyond what we can imagine, yet in your grace you give us small glimpses into the beauty of your character. I see echoes of your glory in Spring time with the wealth of flowers, each more lovely than the last. In their colors–bright, gentle, rich and wonderful; in their shapes–varied, pleasant, crisp and smooth; in their scents–pleasing, positive, powerful.
 
So it is with you, Lord: you are beautiful, lovely, colorful, richly scented, wonderfully complex and inspiring—only much more than anything we can imagine in our earth-bound understanding. Truly your glory is great, stretching beyond the limits of the universe.
 
Help me to remember this and to continually stand in awe of you, to honor you by wholehearted obedience to what I know to be true.]
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