Come Apart Before You Come Apart

"For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you." (2nd Corinthians 1:12)

Simplicity is a good thing. In a culture that strives to find happiness in the acquisition of material things simplicity is almost a foreign concept. Stress seems to be a present reality for most folks. Fear about the economy and the world situation compounds our anxiety.

There really is something to be said for a peaceful and quiet life. We really need to take some time to unplug. You can't be of much help to others if you are overwhelmed yourself. A friend of mine used to say, "Come apart or you will come apart." It's something you really have to be intentional about. It is amazing how voids in our schedules can quickly get filled up. My oldest son is working two part-time jobs and going to school. A few weeks ago he had a situation where he got the inevitable text from a coworker-- "What are you doing Friday evening?" This person wanted him to work for her. He didn't actually have anything going on that evening. That didn't mean he was obligated to work her shift. He declined the opportunity.

Take some time to come apart. Spend time with the Lord. Take a walk. Go sit by a lake and watch the water. Do what it takes to recharge your batteries. Take a look at your life and see what's not working. Take a look at what is working and what is not. Ask the Lord to direct your steps!

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)

Praise The Lord!

"Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created." (Psalm 148:1-5)

It is easy to get caught up in the stress of life where all out prayers and thoughts seem to get focused on dealing with our issues and struggles. Sometimes we just need to step back, take our gaze off of our circumstances and place it squarely on the Lord. Praising Him is a wonderful way to do that. If you don't know what to say open up the book of Psalms. The Psalms are filled with wonderful declarations of praise and worship.

Here is the rest of Psalm 148 for your enjoyment.

"He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away. Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and maidens; Old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory [is] above the earth and heaven. And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints-- Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 148:6-14)

He Will Deliver Me!

"Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." (1st Samuel 17:45)

David's confidence was in the Lord. The quote above is David's response to a threat from Goliath that "I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field." Goliath was insulted that the Israelites would send such a young man out to challenge him. We know how it ended and there wasn't much to it. David pulled out his sling, slipped in a rock, whirled it around, let it fly and took Goliath down with one shot.

When David volunteered to fight Goliath no one believed he could beat the giant. Saul had tried to talk him out of it but David's response was, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1st Samuel 17:370). David had experienced God's help before and was confident in it again. David had developed the habit of spending time with God and getting to know Him. In knowing God David learned to trust Him through what would be, for most of us, some pretty trying adventures.

Learning to trust God is a wonderful adventure. God is with you and will be there for you in whatever you are going though. He is your help and your deliverer! Look to Him!

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." (Psalm 18:2)

What a Wonderful Gift!

"As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." (2nd Corinthians 6:16)

What a precious promise from the Word of God! What a wonderful fulfillment we have in Christ. "I will be their God and they shall be my people." I believe that in this verse we really see the heart of God. Adam walked with God in the cool of the day. Abraham was called the "friend of God." David had a heart after "God's own heart." We were created for fellowship with God.

I believe that this verse expresses the heart of God. He loves humanity. He paid the greatest price that we could be pardoned. He really couldn't have made it any simpler. But, someone might ask, why not just accept everyone regardless? I could write a really long response to that but here's a question to ponder -- is it the fault of the gift giver if someone refuses to accept their gift?

"But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." (Galatians 3:22)

Living Continually with God!

"Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:3-4)

We have such a loving heavenly Father. In Hebrews 13:5 we are told that "I will never leave you nor forsake you." The promises we have as His children are wonderful. People will fail us. They will hurt us and let us down. But God is not like the people in our lives. He is faithful and true. He is full of mercy and compassion. He loves us with a love so wonderful that it is really hard to wrap our brains around it. It is a love that we catch glimpses of in our love for one another but it is so much more. His love manifests in action. His love was manifest when Christ went to the cross and will be manifested in our day to day walk with Him.

"You hold me by your right hand." We can see in that a picture of a parent and child holding hands but when we understand that in Hebrew thought the right hand represented power and strength the picture enlarges. His power and strength is more than enough for what you are going through today. He will never leave you or forsake you!

"To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:19)

Pray for One Another

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy." (Philippians 1:3-4)

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life we forget just how important it can be to pray for one another. It is such a blessing when you have been going through a rough time and someone comes to you and says, "I've been praying for you."

Often we are well intentioned but forget. We tell someone at church that we will really be praying for them and then life comes along and we forget. Be like Paul was with the church at Philippi. Be intentional. When you sit down to read the Word or fellowship with the Lord take some time to remember situations that have been brought to your attention. Most churches have a prayer list of some kind. Sometimes just taking a moment to think about it will give the Holy Spirit a chance to jog your memory and remind you of some needs.

Prayer is more than just some psychological exercise. Prayers prayed in faith have power. Prayer is a wonderful ministry that you can do for others in your life!

"Pray without ceasing." (1st Thess. 5:17)

Rich in Mercy

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us." (Ephesians 2:4)

What a picture of the goodness and love of God. He is rich in mercy. He has an abundance of mercy. When we look at Jesus we see such a wonderful manifestation of God's love for each us. The same God, that sent His son to die for us, is not sitting up there waiting to smack you as soon as you make a mistake. We need a savior because of our inability to live up to God's standard. Instead of changing the standard, He makes a way for us that we could never make on our own, ultimately, changing us. Sometimes people think they've just been too bad to be born again or they think that God has had it with them. But He is rich in mercy. He has more than enough and it is freely available to those who will humble themselves before Him.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)