07 June 2011
Get Up
One of the verses from the Bible that I really like, one that encourages me greatly, is Micah 7:8.
"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me."
(KJV) I have heard many people today voice a similar thought with the idea that a champion is not necessarily someone
who never gets knocked down, but instead someone who always gets back up.
That is what Micah is saying here. Whether it be an illness that has me under the weather,
or a situation that has me taken the wind out of my sails, or a sin that creeps into my life and causes me to get down on myself,
no matter what the reason, when I fall, I WILL get back up. Satan will have no time to rejoice in my misfortune,
because by the time he realizes I am going down, I am already preparing myself to get back up.
When I see him putting a cloak of darkness over my life, before that darkness has time to settle,
I will gasp upon the light of the Lord to brighten my life. No matter what the situation,
with the Lord I WILL BE VICTORIOUS.
14 June 2011
Dumb Like Sheep
I have heard the comment that sheep are dumb animals. One article I read commented "There's dumb. There's dumber.
Then there are sheep." Not a very flattering comment. I got to wondering if they were really that dumb then
I got to reading the 23rd Psalm where David compares himself, and others who follow God, to one of the Lord’s sheep.
Instead of appearing dumb, they seem to be very insightful.
David, as one of God’s sheep will follow His shepherd without question, and so should we.
Why? In verse 1 it is because if we do we will never be in want. In verse 2 He takes us to peaceful places to rest.
In verse 3 He leads us in the paths that are chosen by Him to keep us safe and to help us grow.
In verse 4 He protects us and keeps us safe from evil. In verse 5 He ensures that our lives will be ones filled with abundance.
In verse 6 there is the promise that goodness and mercy will be with us throughout our entire lives.
At the end of verse 6 is the best reason to be one of His sheep. "I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
(KJV) I think the comment should be ‘smart like sheep’.
21 June 2011
Shaking
I have never been present during an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. I can only imagine the fear that overcomes
a person when the ground upon which they stand begins to move around underneath them causing people to fall and buildings to crumble.
A feeling of total helplessness would overwhelm them.
The same often happens in the daily lives of many people. Circumstances arises that shake their lives,
sometimes even the foundation upon which they have built their lives is in jeopardy.
It is at these times that they need to make sure they are clutching on to Jesus.
He will not shake in perilous times. He is the rock that will not be shaken. Proverbs 19:25 assures us of this.
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."
Being safe is good, but we also need to be able to trust His safety and be able to rest in it.
If things in your life are shaking and you can not find anything on which you can grab for comfort, consider looking to Jesus.
He is a solid rock that cannot be shaken and will see you, and each on of us, through perilous times.
28 June 2011
Stagnant Water
I was down by the river the other day and came across a small pond of water that had formed when the river was running much higher.
Now it is simply a pond beside the river. With no new water flowing in and no water flowing out, the pond had become quite stagnant.
It was full of green, slimy stuff and was beginning to smell. Eventually it will dry up to nothing unless it gets an inflow of fresh
water.
Many of us find ourselves in the same sort of situation, separated from the refreshing waters of God’s Spirit.
When this happens we too can become stagnant and will also dry up if we do not again connect with His Spirit.
It is His Spirit that keeps us.
In Jeremiah 2:13, God is talking to the people of Israel about their sinful lifestyle.
About them He says, "they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters." (KJV)
The Hebrew word for living can also mean strong, merry, running, springing, strong and fresh.
This is what being refreshed in God is all about; getting out of that dead, stagnant water and becoming strong, refreshed,
happy and full of life and vigor.
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Ray's Column