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While in Detroit

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 3, 2015
It is so wonderful to know that you, Lord, are everywhere; there is nowhere I can go where you are not. “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139:9-10). This is encouraging and strengthening: a truth I can rest in.
 
You never leave me on my own, but are always present to protect, guide and provide. Not only are you there, but you have gone before me to prepare events, opportunities and people. I am stepping, one second at a time, into the plan you have laid out for today. I am running the race you have set before me (Heb 12:1-3), moving into the good works you have prepared for me to do (Eph. 2:10).
 
Wherever I go, I can abide in you and you will abide in me; in you love and power you have chosen me (along with every other follower of Christ) and ordained me that I might bear much fruit that will remain. And because of this, as your Word abides in me, I can bear fruit, giving the Father glory, and pray knowing you will answer (John 15).
 
You have certainly put me in a win-win situation, Lord Jesus: you love me as the Father has loved you; as I obey your commands, I will remain in your love. A truth that is clear, concise and complete.
 
Help me, Lord, to obey your commands, to abide in you today, to think your Word, to bear the fruit you desire, giving you a growing stream of glory and honor.
 
 
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Joy in Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 31, 2015
I praise you, Lord, for your gracious and good Character, filled with kindness, forgiveness and love. You are absolutely unmoving in your righteousness, holiness and hatred of sin. And you are just as firm in your commitment to save and sanctify as many of your enemies as possible. To you, Lord God, the King of Glory, the Lord of Forgiveness, the God of reconciliation, belongs endless honor, worship and praise.
 
I am so thankful to have been ushered into your family, into a relationship with you. I deserved the opposite: eternal banishment, punishment, hopelessness, despair and darkness. But you are the God of Grace who delights in giving us the opposite of what we deserve. So every moment I can come to you in prayer and you are glad; you warmly and delightedly desire to interact with me. You are the God who sings over your redeemed children, who has a plan to prosper them, who is with them, in them and surrounding them at all times. You offer us the possibility of praising you numerous times each day, to act out of faith and fulfill the purpose of our lives in honoring you.
 
Your desire is to pour your joy into our hearts, a joy independent of what is happening around us or in us. It is dependent on you and your love: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…these things I have told you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full” (John 15:9,11). You are the God of Joy and it is a joy to know you.
 
As I go into this day, Lord, help me to keep on looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith so I can run with patience the race you have set before me, knowing that all will unfold in your time. Help me to lay aside the unnecessary baggage and sin that I tend to carry. Help me to put on the armor every day so I can, having done your all, to stand.
 
Be honored in my life today, Lord Jesus, in all I think, do and say.
 
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Two Ways

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 29, 2015

Psa 1:6 “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

[You, the infinite and eternal One are able to care for and provide all that your children need. We are righteous only because of Christ’s work, and you have placed us on the right path. You are actively, powerfully involved in protecting, providing and carrying us forward in this life. You give us multiple opportunities every day to fulfill the purpose of our lives in offering thanks in every situation—especially the ones we don’t like—and thereby honoring you before all the unseen hosts as well as humans. You are our Good and Gracious Shepherd.

“but the way of the wicked will perish.”

[Here is Grace and Mercy offered and rejected, the making of a choice to enter into condemnation.  You, O Lord, want to watch over the way of all, but sadly not all will enter your way.  When they stay in the way of the wicked, they will perish, both in this world and in the world to come.

Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you came as Savior first, and that you will come as Judge, ending wickedness, sin, evil, suffering, pain, sickness and death.  In you only is the goodness, grace, love, care, protection, security, significance, peace, hope and joy that every human being longs for.  How sad that many, for the sake of feeling independent, reject all this and end up in utter darkness. “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Prov. 4:19)

You, the Lord of Light, are worthy of praise, for you shine your light upon every human being, you call all, you chose those who respond.  Praise you for your grace, undeserved by us, but poured out on us in great waves of love. You are worthy of worship, of praise, of glory, of honor.  I bow before you in surrender, I rise up in obedience to follow your leading today.]

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God's promise Psalm 1:3c

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 28, 2015

Psalm 1:3c “Whatever he does prospers.”

[As a result of avoiding the three sins mentioned in verse 1 and meditating on God’s Word with delight, whatever situation or work you call us to do, Lord, you will prosper both it and us.

This is partly because we will be thinking as you think, acting in accord to your Word, obeying what we know to be true, living in your power not our own. It is partly because you will act on our behalf.  This is the promise I will rest on.

Of course, your definition of “prosper” will be different from ours. What may look like failure in our efforts, you will be using to make us prosper spiritually. And from this we can prosper in other areas, like relationships that are difficult, in being light and salt, in being hope carriers to all around us.

One example of this is that our last church plant has failed; humanly speaking this is not prospering. But we know that you can bring something better out of this death of a vision.

For one thing, the believers all moved to other fellowships, taking their training, maturity and drive. Some of those have gone through very difficult situations since and stood strong in their faith, trusting you.

You have deepened us through this, showing me that I put too much importance on being successful from a human standpoint instead of keeping my eyes on you. You are prospering our efforts in a way that is different from what we wanted and through that you are bringing growth and direction.

You, Lord Jesus, are worthy of worship, of glory, of adoration, of obedience, of surrender.  I praise you now for what you will do today, as well as for what you will not do and for the opportunity to give you glory at each step of the way.

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Today's pressures and Psalm 1:3b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 27, 2015

Praise be to you, Lord, that I awoke to your presence. Not a sense of your being there, but the knowledge that you are. As it says in 2 Peter 1:2 “May grace and peace be yours in abundance through full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!”

And thank you that out of that sure knowledge from your Word, you are giving me rest as I face multiple issues which the enemy wants to use to push me towards worry. As a bitter neighbor breathes threats, as my identity has been stolen and as a result my credit card account was hacked, as a project for a renter has stalled because I can’t get an overhead door to work—in each of these things you are there, at work, protecting and guiding.

In each event I can offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, seeing them as an opportunities to live out the purpose of my life—honoring you—and also a chance to join you in what you are doing in each of these difficulties.

I don’t know the outcome of any of these, but I know that you who breathed the stars, who hung the earth on nothing, who is the Beginner and Ender of time, has a plan: a good, positive and powerful plan. So I can rest in you, trust in you, rejoice in you before any answers come.

I can have joy in the midst of uncertainty because you, Lord Jesus, have made yourself known to me. This is enough. Guide me through this day; help me to continually trust you so that you can fill me with all joy and peace and so that my life can overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, bring hope to all around me for your glory.
[This ties in with the Psalm 1:3b entry below]

“and whose leaf does not wither.” [No matter what happens around this tree, it remains green–drought, dryness, winds, dust storms or disasters, failure of the seasons, failure of other streams–this tree has water to draw from, for its roots are deep down into the true source of vitality and strength. Whatever difficult events come to us—weakness, hardship, insults, persecution, difficulties or loss—we can prosper, remain lush and green, bear our fruit, be a delight to those around us if we keep our roots down in the Word through meditation. This is all because of you, Lord, for you gave us your Word and draw us into it.]

 

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Psalm 1:3

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

Psa 1:3 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water,”

[Planted, put down in one spot and kept there—it seems this is the result of a cooperation between you, Lord, and the person—as he obeys and delights and meditates, he is planted in the right spot. And not by just one stream, but streams of water, plenty of water to put his roots down in, draw sustenance from and grow strong in.

This is your good desire for us, that our roots go down into your Word, which brings deepening, growth, maturing, strengthening. There is no end to the insights, understanding, wisdom and guidance you give us from your Word. Your desires are good!]

“which yields its fruit in season”

[There will be order and positive results. When it’s time to bear fruit, you will bring it. And it could be said that whatever fruit we need to bear at the moment, you will supply, whether it be the fruit of the Spirit, or the fruit of praise, or the fruit of good works, or the fruit of those who come to Christ. Praise you, Lord, for you make us fruitful as we abide in you, for, as you said in John 15, without you we can do nothing. May we abide in you and your words abide in us so that we might bear much fruit.]

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Provision Personified

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

Praise be to you, O triune God, our Heavenly Father, our Shepherd Lord Jesus and our Teacher Holy Spirit. We thank you for how you watch over us, bringing what is good for growth, helpful for healing, strengthening for our souls and moving us towards maturity.

You are the wise One, knowing every factor in the equation of this day, every possible decision, every impending danger, every good solution, every opportunity for worship and witness. And you will guide us into the best, if we are willing to listen.

You, Lord God, are wonderful in your ways, you are powerful in your provision, you are gracious in your giving and present with your protection. You are worthy of worship, deserving of praise, entitled to obedience.

May we daily live in the light of your presence, wholeheartedly joining you in your great and graceful plans for this day, playing the significant role you have prepared, that we might bring you more glory, see more people prepared to enter the Kingdom and to build up the faith of believers around us.

May we be carriers of hope, springs of faith and rivers of grace to all around us. To you be glory and praise in all, for you, Lord Jesus, are worthy.

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Living in the Light of Perfection

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 12, 2015

Praise be to you for your great and good heart, O Triune God, King of Glory, Lord of the universe, Ruler of all creation. As you are the absolute Authority, the final Word, the Judge of all, the Despot of destiny, it is wonderful to know that you are love itself.

This means you are never cruel, unjust, quixotic, selfish, sinful or mistaken. All you do flows from your character of love, light and life. You desire good for your creation, you shine light on the way, you desire life for all.

You are the One who, in the midst of the suffering of life in a fallen world, brings order, meaning, direction and grace. You are order itself, you are the Giver of purpose, provision and power so we can live for what is positive. You are good and ready to forgive, plenteous in mercy to all who call upon you (Psa. 86:5).

As we enter another day, another opportunity to live in your love, to walk in your light, to taste more of true life, help us to look away from the distractions of the world, to reject the whining of our soul and the whispers of the devil.

Help us to think Truth, to revel in your love, to rejoice in your goodness, to respond to your kindness and to relate to your unconditional acceptance.

May we, being made holy in Christ, live that way, independent of this world, of evil and selfishness. May we be dependent on you and your abundant grace, your expansive goodness and your great love. May we live for you, in you, with you, by you. May you be thereby glorified, honored, exalted and revealed before all around us. Amen.

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God's Glory Seen in Spring

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 8, 2015

The mist is moving this morning on the surface of the pond and the trees are firming up with a myriad of tiny leaves peaking out from their beds. The forest has gone in one day from a red sheen of buds to a green shimmer of awakening leaves. The graceful arrival of Spring is a beautiful process.

Praise be to you, Lord, for the idea of seasons, each with its gifts, its specialties and its beauty. Spring is my favorite: longer days, warming weather, life springing from the earth, flowers showing their little faces and birds busy with their work of building nests.

This is the reminder of the new life we have in Christ: fresh, green, growing, increasing beauty and warmth, moving us on towards greater fruitfulness.

May we cultivate our souls with the same enthusiasm that gardeners have for their plots for veggies and fruit. May our lives produce tasty moral morsels for all those around us: the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of thanksgiving, the fruit of good works and the fruit of seeing people come to Christ.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for calling us to join you in the rich and good privilege of living for you, with you, in you. May you be honored in our lives today and may those around us meet you as the fullness of the Holy Spirit spills over from us onto them.

 

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A New Day with My Old and Wonderful God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 6, 2015

Praise you, Lord, for a new day, fresh from your hand, filled with good things you have prepared for us.

I praise you today for your character: good and gracious, powerful and pristine, lovely and lavish, great and glorious, magnificent and majestic, wise and wonderful, creative and consistent, beautiful and bountiful.

You are fully faithful to your values: consistent in goodness, powerful in righteousness, magnanimous in mercy and persistent in perfection.

In you there is order, safety, guidance, protection, provision, power, and goodness. You are unyielding and unswerving in your universal love, wise and wonderful in your affection for variety, patient and persistent in your plans, powerful and purposeful in all you do.

You are wonderful beyond conception, too good to be true, able to do more than we could ask or imagine. You are motivated by righteousness and wrath against sin, moved by love and mercy for your creation, guided by Truth and grace in all you do.

Therefore you are 150% trustable: in you there is no evil, no wrong, no sin or error. You are always righteously and warmly right. You are firmly and graciously correct. You are insistently and wisely impartial. You are infinitely and consistently loving.

Before you we must bow in godly fear, in joy, in gladness and in worship. To you we must offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving in and for all things. With you we can rise up and enter the day with quiet confidence in your presence, your power and your provision. For you we can do the works of righteousness you have prepared.

May we do each of these, loving you, honoring you, joining you in your great plan to bring healing, transformation and joy to your creation. Amen.

 

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