Category: May

Psalm 27, 2016

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

The Lord lights up my life!

He has saved me!  I’m not afraid of anything.

The Lord is the rock that my life is built on.  I have nothing to fear.May 10 2016 psalm 27

When people turn against me, trying to hurt me, they are the ones that get hurt.

Even when it feels like I’m surrounded by problems and trials, I am not afraid.  I am confident God is on my side.

There is only one thing I ask.  Only one thing I desire with all of my heart.

And that is to know God all the days of my life.

To know his beauty and majesty.

To understand his truth.

May 10 Psalm 27 2016 bWhen I am in trouble, he keeps me safe.  He holds me close and gives me hope.  He helps me rise above my problems where I can find joy and success again.

I sing praises to God!

I know you hear my voice when I call, Lord.

You are merciful and you answer.

I want to know more about you, dear God.  Help me see you.  Help me understand.

Sometimes I feel angry even though I know you will always help me when I call.

I sometimes feel rejected by the people who are most important to me, God.

But you never reject me.

Teach me your truth, Lord.

Lead me on the right path.

Keep me away from those who would do harm to me or tell lies about me.

I am confident of this – God is good and I will experience his goodness for the rest of my life.

I will be strong whenever I am waiting for God to speak.

I will have joy as I watch for God to move.

I will have confidence in God every day, forever.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Psalm 139, 2016

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

You know me well, LORD.

You know where I am and what I’m thinking about.

You know where I go and when I stay – you know all of my habits.

Before any words come out of my mouth, you know what I’m going to say.

You walk close beside me, with your hand guiding me.

I don’t understand you – you are too awesome!May 5 psalm 139 2016

I know I am never alone – you are always with me.  Where ever I go – you are already there.  My life is in your hands.  You are constantly guiding me, protecting me and loving me.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I feel alone and everything seems very dark.

But you are there –

you are always there.

Darkness is not dark to you.  Your light shines through.

For I know you created me, dear Father.May 5 b psalm 139 2016

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you for how unbelievably wonderful you are!

You create masterpieces!  I know – because I am one of them.

You knew me before anyone else.

You saw me.

You formed me.

And you made plans for my life before I was even born.

Your plans are precious to me, God.

Please show me the path you have designed just for me.  I want to spend each day with you, Abba Father.

Psalm 100, 2016

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

All of the earth shouts because you bring us so much joy, LORD!

We worship you with smiles on our faces!May 2 psalm 100 2016

We sing praises to you because of the joy you give us!

We know you are God.  You made us.  We are yours.

We are your people.  We belong to you.

We are so grateful that we have the privilege of having a personal relationship with you, God!

When we come together in your house, we are filled with praise!

Thank you, Father!

You are so good to us!  Your love will never end.

We praise you for your faithfulness to us and to our parents and our grandparents and everyone that has lived before us.

And we praise you for your faithfulness to our children and our grandchildren and all of those who are yet to come.

We know we can always count on your faithfulness, dear God.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Psalm 93, 2016

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

The Lord is our King!

He is majestic and strong.May 1 psalm 93 2016

He created the world – firm and secure.

He is eternal – forever – no beginning and no end.

The seas shout your praise, LORD, as their waves pound on the rocks.  You are mightier than the thunder of the great waters!  The LORD in heaven is mighty!

Your commands are clear and unchanging, LORD.

You are our Holy God, set apart from everything else – forever.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

Setting My Heart on God

On By Judy GlasserIn May1 Comment

What does it mean to set our hearts on the Lord?

We set our hearts on the Lord by loving God with all of our heart, mind and soul.  June 2 2015 set my heart on the Lord

This isn’t a superficial relationship of going to church once a week.  This is a passionate quest for more of God, less of me.

More obedience, less independence.

More seeking God’s wisdom, less thinking that we know what’s good for us.

More prayer, less talking.

We read in 1 Kings that Rehoboam established his position as king and became strong.  Then he stopped following God.  Because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.  He was not committed to God.   He was not on a journey towards the truth of God.

He was like people we know who are religious because of the traditions they follow.  But their heart isn’t involved.

They are missing it!  A personal relationship with God.  A relationship which can give us strength and peace and power and love.  WHEN we set our hearts on seeking the Lord.

Thank you, Abba Father.

What is the Meaning of LIfe?

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon tells us about the emptiness of human wisdom,

the emptiness of pleasure,

the emptiness of achievement,

the emptiness of labor,

the emptiness of our human condition,

the emptiness of accumulation,

the emptiness of unshared lives,

the emptiness of politics,

the emptiness of false worship,

the emptiness of wealth,

the emptiness of materialism,

the emptiness of prosperity,

the emptiness of strength.

We can easily get confused and distracted by our pursuit of the things on this list.  We think they will bring us happiness.

Solomon tells us they will not.  He has tried them all and none of them have given him what he was looking for.

Only one thing fills the emptiness that is inside of each one of us – a relationship with God.  This will make us happy.  Nothing and no one else will do that for us.

Solomon teaches us to strive for balance in our life as we find our purpose in knowing God and obeying him.

Everything else is meaningless.

Please help us always find our purpose in you, Abba Father.

Why?

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Why does God tell us so often in his word to avoid wicked people and to keep away from those who would lead us away from him?  In the last verse of James 1, God tells us that true religion is to keep from being polluted by this world.

Why?May 27 2015 Why

Because it happens all of the time.  It happens before we realize it.  The rotten culture that surrounds us sucks us in and we end up somewhere we don’t want to go.

Far from God.

Focused on worthless things as we deal with all of the negative consequences that come with our disobedience.

We read King Solomon’s sad story in 1 Kings of turning away from the One True God in order to serve various detestable idols.

Why?

Where did all of that magnificent wisdom we read in Proverbs go?  We are memorizing Proverbs 2 where God tells us through King Solomon that wisdom will save us from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse.  Why didn’t King Solomon follow his own directions?

I don’t know how you feel, but it’s a little frightening to see how far he wandered.  He had it all.  And he gave it up.  For idols made by men.

Why?

To make his wives happy.  He obviously thought that would make him happy.

How could he do this?  He knew the truth and yet, he turned away from it.

Why?

Because the lure of this world we live in has an extremely strong effect on us if we don’t keep our eyes focused on God.  Satan and his team work night and day to distract us from God in any way possible.  They know that if they can get us to wander even a little bit, they’ve got us.  Because everything of the world calls out to our sinful desires.  And we are enticed.  And our eyes shift off of God onto ourselves.  Onto what we want.  Onto what we think will make us happy.

That’s what happened to King Solomon.  The wisest man who ever lived.

Please hold us very close, dear Father and help us keep our eyes on you.

Proverbs 30, 2015

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Every word of God is flawless.

He has promised to be a shield to his faithful ones and he always keeps his promises.

We need know his truth so that we don’t become liars by adding or subtracting anything from his word.

Two things I ask of you, Lord;May 25 2015 flawless

keep me far away from the lies of the world around me.

And give me your perfect provision for each day.

I don’t want to be rich – then I might forget how much I need you each day.

And I don’t want to be poor because that could distract me from focusing on you as well.

Help me live my life in a way that honors you, my God.

The Search

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

She was searching for wisdom.  She was looking for the truth like it was silver and searching for it like it was hidden treasure.

The Queen of Sheba took a dangerous journey of 1200 miles on camels through a hot desert to check out the wisdom of King Solomon.  She came prepared with some hard questions.  And she was awed by the wisdom in his answers.

As we read and memorize Proverbs, we are being presented with this same wisdom.May 15 b The search 2015

Wisdom about:

dealing with fools,

patience,

the value of wise advice,

discipline,

love and compassion,

pride and humility,

selfishness,

jeolousy,

self-control,

patience,

wise and foolish talking,

flattery,

slander and gossip,

meddling,

wealth and poverty,

patience,

generosity

and more. (Did you notice one that I mentioned more than once? :))

We know that all of Solomon’s wisdom came from God.

And that wisdom is available to us as we cry aloud for it, as we store it up in our minds and as we apply it to our hearts.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Filled Up

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Solomon built a magnificent temple for the Lord and, as he was finishing the dedication of it, fire came down from heaven to consume the burnt offerings and sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

We are told several times in the New Testament that our body is the temple of God.May 15 2015 filled up

The redeeming grace of Jesus changed our relationship with God.

Now his spirit lives within us.

And God wants to fill us with his fire and with his passion – just like he filled Solomon’s temple.

God wants to fill us with his glory – so that his love and light can shine out of us.

God wants to fill us with his power, his goodness, his peace.

We just need to let him.

In Proverbs 2, God tells us to store up his truth within us.  He tells us to call out for insight and to search for his truth like it was hidden treasure.

When we do this, we will understand the knowledge of God and we will know every good path that God wants us to take.

We want to be filled with your spirit, dear Father.