December 7

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3 NKJV)

Is this just John the Baptist (not the denomination) or are we also called to cry out? Are we called first in our own life to allow God to “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.” Are we then called to cry this out to others?

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Having served in the US Navy December 7^th has always been a time of grief and remembrance to me as the Japanese navy destroyed so much and killed so many.

1. I grieve for those who were killed

2. I grieve for those who killed

3. I remember the price of not being prepared. Of not being “wise as serpents” and realizing the depths and power of evil

4. I remember the arrogance of feeling safe in our own power

5. I pray for wisdom and humility to prepare ourselves against evil

 

December 6

““Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins.”” (Isaiah 40:2 NKJV)

This the comfort we are called by the glorious God to offer to God’s people. The comfort of victory, of pardon and that our sin has been doubly paid for by Jesus!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

December 5

““Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1 NKJV)

When trouble comes let us find comfort in God’s love and through comforting others. God is of comfort to us but here we are called to comfort God’s people. During hard times give others the comfort of your love as well as God’s.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

December 4

““Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.” (Mark 13:26 NKJV)

The coming of Jesus is – beyond – anything! Currently it takes 3 satellites to cover the whole world but Jesus will cover all of the world and all of time. Could those redeemed by Jesus be the cloud! Could it be “those whom the world was not worthy of” return with Jesus?

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

December 3

““the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” (Mark 13:25 NKJV)

As Creation crumbles see the glorious POWER of God in Creation and un-creation! How it must hurt God’s heart to see what He lovingly created be shaken and fall because of our fall. Yet the glorious God loves us above the creation created for us.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

 December 2

““But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;” (Mark 13:24 NKJV)

We sometimes worry about the “Great” Tribulation to come. Will we remain faithful? Some believe we will not go through the “Great” Tribulation but how can that be? All around us the Body of Christ is suffering persecution and to them they must seem to be in the “Great” Tribulation as some have lived their whole lives in tribulation. Let us be faithful to pray for our family who suffer.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

God help me not hate

help me to pray for

to not pray against

to see I can be wrong

I often am wrong

to see their side

and not just react

know You are Truth

only You truly know

help me to forgive

forgive even myself

11/28/2020

December 1

“Do not be furious, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look — we all are Your people!” (Isaiah 64:9 NKJV)

The glorious God should be furious because our sin is our rejection of Him. Our fall cut us off from God forever and leaves us without hope. But we can ask God “please look — we all are Your people!” God created us and desires us to call out and receive a forever forgiveness!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

 

What do I pray

What can I pray

What should I pray

Your will be done God

11/13/2020

November 30

“But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8 NKJV)

God being the potter and we being the clay is both painful and intimate. Open your eyes and see God’s hands working in you. Slowly the bits of stone and sticks are taken out and the bubbles are worked out. God’s fingerprints are seen throughout our lives as we are prepared to become fit vessels for Him.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

 

November 29

“And there is no one who calls on Your name, Who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, And have consumed us because of our iniquities.” (Isaiah 64:7 NKJV)

The glorious God is still God whether you accept it or not! We will not and cannot come to God because we are consumed by our iniquities. Because of our sin God must come to us! Despite our rejection the glorious God came to us so through Jesus we can return to Him and eat of the tree of life.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

November 28

“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV)

The only way we can understand how good God is we must understand how bad we are. Even when we try to do what is right and good we are ensnared by our fallen nature and it becomes tainted and corrupted. Iniquities are sin which is part of our communities and are taught and even accepted. Though wrong they are right to us.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

 

You may notice I usually try to run ahead about posting the devotions. I do that because of my pain I am never sure when I have the ability to be open to God’s guidance as I write them. When I have a better day I try to do as many as I can. Please excuse the randomness of my posts.

November 27

“For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5 NKJV)

The glorious God is good. God does not just do good but is good! Because of this everything good indeed “endures to all generations.”

May our praise for the glorious God also be without end.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

November 26

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4 NKJV)

Thanksgiving celebrates all God has done but praise celebrates Who God is! Looking at all God has blessed us with and giving thanks is the beginning of getting close to God. But if we are not careful we can come to expect and become greedy about those blessings. Only when we praise God for who He is can we have a pure thankfulness and “bless His name.”

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Today is Friday the 13^th

a day full of bad luck

but what is bad luck

can luck be defined

is there really luck

or is it an excuse

do we like good luck

while hating bad luck

is luck God working

is bad luck our sin

                                 11/13/2020

        

 

Why do I feel so weary

not just being tired

but something deeper

it is something more

Sleep helps a little

but the weariness

it is beyond sleep

deeper than sleep

Weariness of pain

Weariness of meds

Weariness of loss

Weariness of soul

Others are sorry

but I cannot be

my pain is earned

my pain is deserved

11/13/2020

 

The 2020 election was Tuesday

not settled and this is Thursday

more votes in places than people

votes still coming, but by people

There is no election but anarchy

fear, anger, hatred now anarchy

just about us, no longer people

for power to destroy those people

We are committing our own suicide

to destroy them will commit suicide

ahead there will be very dark days

God seen us through darker days

Hope begets Faith

Faith begets Love

Love begets Fruit

Fruit begets Hope = the math of God

11/5/2020

 

 

The darkness covers the face of the earth

GOD BE OUR LIGHT!

November 25

“Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3 NKJV)

The LORD is God. The first confession of the Church was “Jesus is Lord”. It is a declaration and a reminder Jesus is Lord and we are NOT! Recognizing God as LORD, we become the “sheep of His pasture.”.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

November 24

“Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:2 NKJV)

Thanksgiving produces a desire to sing and to serve. Serving God is not boring or burdensome but gives us gladness as we discover our place in God and the world. If you serve God boring is not an option as we rejoice in living for and in the Glorious God.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 November 23

“«A Psalm of Thanksgiving.» Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!” (Psalm 100:1 NKJV)

Psalm 100 reveals the meaning of thanksgiving and that it is the beginning of the process to praise. If we are not thankful (full of thanks) we will not see God active in our lives and the world. We will always want more because we will never be satisfied with what we have. When we are thankful we will give a joyful (joy filled) shout in celebration of the God who blesses us.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 This devotion is to help us learn about the Glorious God but as we travel through these days discover all the names for God and in each receive a deeper understanding of who God is. Notice the names which continue from the Old Testament to the New Testament. God as Shepherd is shown not just in both Testaments but will have very special meaning in both as the name reveals Jesus who is God. God in the Old Testament is not a different and judging God but as Jesus would say if you have seen me you have seen the Father.

 November 22

““As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.” (Ezekiel 34:12 NKJV)

God seeks and dwells among the scattered and will deliver His sheep from the dark places they have ‘found’. We do not find God but God the Shepherd seeks us out within our sin and the dark places we are and brings us back.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

November 21

“At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes,” Says the LORD.” (Zephaniah 3:20 NKJV)

The Glorious God will bring us back! Not just to Israel and Jerusalem but back to the Garden where we can once again eat of the Tree of Life and dwell in God’s presence and before God’s face! All will see and will wonder at what God has done for us!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

                      ?

Is God there when fear disables

Is God there when hatred flares

Is God there when violence reigns

Is God there when women abused

Is God there when children raped

Is God there when people are sold

Is God there when murder reigns

Is God there when power abuses

Is God there when suicide calls

Is God there When meaning lost

God is there

Will I cry out            8/27/2020

 

November 20

“Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame.” (Zephaniah 3:19 NKJV)

In our fallen state we can afflict those who seem unworthy to us. The growing power of evolution defined the weak as a drain on society and eugenics – the killing or sterilization of the weak and disabled – has grown to abortion – the murder of children of the less than. But God will raise up those we see as a drain and waste and “deal with all who afflict” them.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

November 19

““I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.” (Zephaniah 3:18 NKJV)

Just as we can receive the gladness and song of God we should also experience His pain. Our hearts and souls should hurt and be burdened by the sin and destruction of God’s assembly. We MUST not rejoice in the judgment or suffering of others but experience and share God’s deep sorrow.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

November 18

“The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”” (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV)

Over and over Zephaniah declares The LORD your God in your midst! The glorious God will rejoice over us! Over us! God will quiet us and reveal to us His gladness and singing! Open your soul so your ears can hear God singing! Singing over you!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

The cries of pain

for relief of pain

the physical pain

the emotional pain

the spiritual pain   4/4/2020

 

November 17

“In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.” (Zephaniah 3:16 NKJV)

In what day? The day of God’s presence! In that day the glorious God will take away fear and the weakness which comes from our fear.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 November 16

“The LORD has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.” (Zephaniah 3:15 NKJV)

We celebrate God has taken away your judgments – cast out your enemy – and we shall see disaster no more. But of greater worth and indeed the source off these promises of the glorious God is “the LORD, is in your midst”!!!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

November 15

“Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zephaniah 3:14 NKJV)

For some there seems to be a misunderstanding that the Old Testament is full of gloom and destruction but some of the most wonderful praises of the glorious God can be found there. We are told to Sing – to shout – be glad – and rejoice with all your heart! God is worth and worthy of all our love and rejoicing!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

November 14

“The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.” (Psalm 34:22 NKJV)

If we choose to be servants of the most glorious God we will be redeemed from sin, but if we seek to put ourselves above God we are our own condemnation. Trust in God and receive undeserved redemption rather than our deserved condemnation.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

November 13

“Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.” (Psalm 34:21 NKJV)

Evil is self-destructive and thus cannot win and will lose! Fear, anger and hatred will burn and consume the source and it can only seek to destroy the people of the glorious God. But hold on to God, evil will destroy itself. It cannot help it for it is its very nature.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.