The 2012 Benediction

"To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore."  Jude 24
 

This is one of my favorite scriptures.  Each time I hear a minister give this benediction, it sends chills up my spine.  I am not sure if it is because the verse is so full of promise, or if it is because it expresses my deepest praise.  And what a wonderful way to end the year of 2012 -- with a benediction.  This year has been full of lessons and challenges, but God has proven to be faithful.  His promises are everlasting and we are reminded in this scripture.

 

The promise is rich.  As His children, He will present us before Him faultless, blameless, without spot.  This is reassuring in a world where we always feel at fault for something.  Whether it is an argument, a broken relationship, a project gone awry or a lost dream.  Somehow, we take the weight of the world and put them on our shoulders.  We also hold on to the guilt and shame of our past sins.  Often we struggle to see ourselves as a new creature in Christ. But our Father promises that He will present us before Him without fault and with GREAT joy! 

The praise is precious.  There are so many names we can attribute to the Almighty.  There are so many ways we can honor Him.  Yet these words capture a multitude of feelings and awe.  In this one verse, we declare him to be the only God, who is our Savior - the one who rescues us and takes us in from the storm.  He is attributed as full, overflowing with glory, majesty, power and authority.  And finally we are reminded that He was not just a God of Abraham, of Moses or the Israelites who performed wonderful miracles.  But He is the SAME God, now and forevermore. 

 

This scripture offers us an unending source of hope.  It gives us hope that, as Christians our ending will be better than our beginning.  Whatever is happening now sister and brothers in Christ, THIS will not be how our story ends.  But we will see our Father in all His glory, in all His splendor.  Just ponder on that for a moment.  Our past will not matter, our sins will be obsolete.  We will be blameless before Him. Now... let's march into 2013 with that promise and that praise. 

 

Selah...

I Shall Not Be Moved

“Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  1 Corinthians 15:58

 

Stone Mountain, GA

"I shall not be moved" are the words that were chanted by marchers and leaders during the civil rights movement.  They were confident that they would press their way no matter what the cost. And because they did - many of us are able to sit at the desks that we occupy now, the homes that we live in and the schools we attend. They had perseverance and focus.  They knew something better was on the other side.

Often we allow situations, circumstances, people, and yes even our own emotions to “move” us.  I’m not speaking of a physical movement - but to be moved spiritually.  At some point, we may have made up our minds to follow the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind, just as the marchers made up in their minds to press on.  We committed to give Jesus our all - to never turn back.  We decided to surrender and use our gifts for His kingdom.  But then a storm came along.  Our bank account was low, a friend, coworker, or church member said something to hurt us or make us angry.  A relationship ended.  An illness crept upon us or a loved one.  Suddenly - our zeal was depleted.  We may have pulled back, gotten discouraged or quit.  We allowed something to “move” us. 

Sisters and brothers in Christ, don’t be moved. It is during those difficult times, those times when it is hard to give ourselves fully to the Lord, that He uses us mightily.  It is at these moments that He gets the most glory.  After all, isn’t that the whole point - God’s glory?  Not our convenience or our feelings.  When a situation is threatening to move you spiritually, keep you from being the the BEST that God has intended for you to be - stand firm, be unmovable. Know that something better is on the other side.  God’s glory should be our focus.  This week - allow nothing to move you. Give yourself fully to God and see that HE gets the glory. 

His Unfailing Love

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.  Lamentations 3:22-25

In Outer Banks, North Carolina.  A beautiful view of the ocean and a
reminder of God's unfailing love.

We sometimes find ourselves in the midst of a mess and wonder "how did all this happen?"  I have been there many times.  I have often felt like I was drowning in a sea of unfortunate circumstances and bad decisions and in despair fell to my knees pleading with God for answers and a way out. We have all been there.  We may have been overwhelmed with financial burdens, raising children alone, or marital problems.  What hurt the most in my despair was that the dilemmas were a result of my own bad decisions.  Living life the way I wanted, never stopping to really hear from the Lord.  Yet, even in the midst of our bad decisions, our mistakes, our mess - God still loves us completely and perfectly.  When we are in the midst of mess - we are covered in God's love. God is FAITHFUL.  His love for us never tires or runs out.  With each rising of the sun, the moment our eyes flicker open, God is patiently waiting for us give Him our hearts.  He loves you.  

What is our response to this faithful and great love?  We wait on Him and seek Him with all of our heart.  Whatever mess you may be in right now - lay it at the feet of Jesus . . . all of it!   Give Him your mess and let Him bless you . . . abundantly.

 

God's Protection

“For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.”  Psalm 91:11

 

Protection. It is one of the many gifts God pours out on us. It is not simply a blanket of protection, but it is personal, for each one of His children. He knows exactly what to guard us from and how to keep us. As we are driving into work, riding in the elevator, playing with our children, and yes, even in a terrible accident or when receiving distressing news, He is keeping us. When insults and hurting words are hurled at us, He knows how much we can handle. He knows just how much we can handle. He knows when to say to the enemy "Enough, no more, this is MY child." His strong and mighty arm is right there wrapped around you - guiding you, protecting you. Don’t you find comfort in knowing God is guarding us? Even in your wrong choices, even in our sin - our Savior has not forgotten us. Feel and acknowledge His protection today.

Pushing Fear Out of the Way

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

 

Many of us are gripped by fear.  This trick of satan has kept some of us from pursuing God-given dreams, opportunities and even relationships.  We shrink away, procrastinate or simply tremble at the thought of certain things.  Is there any fear lurking in your heart today?  Is there anything God is calling you to do, but because of fear you have turned your head or drowned out your Savior’s voice?  Our Father commands us to be strong and courageous.  We can look at our fear in the face with confidence, knowing that God is with us. Rejection, failure, hardships have no control over us because God is on our side.  What He has ordained for us, it is for us, therefore we can be like the Proverbs woman and  “. . .smile at the future. “ (Proverbs 31:25)  Ask God to reveal to you any fears you may have today.  Look at your fear in the face, take God by the hand and step into your bright future!

Joy in the Morning

"...Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."  Psalm 30:5

A long night can seem excruciating.  The darkness and quietness seems to last forever. Our mind will race to the worst scenarios or rehearse things that have happened to cause such excruciating pain. But there is something almost "magical" that happens when the dawn begins to break. We somehow feel a little more hope, a litte renewed.  The joy of a new morning.  "...His mercies are new every morning." Mornings are a powerful thing!

Are you laying ther in the night? A season in your life when darkness surrounds you and hope seems to be far away?  Your night may have crept upon you through an illness, marriage problems, financial woes, death of a loved one or disruption on your job. Whatever your "night" is - God knows, He's right there, watching, listening ... and preparing for your morning.  We serve a God of hope.

Therefore in our "nights" we can rest and sleep tight because we know that God is working on our "morning."  And joy comes in the morning  We can be confident of this.  There is no night without morning.  There is no darkness without light.  Hold on to hope during your night and be confident that your morning is on the way!  God promises . . .

 

See you in the "morning."

Lee