Anchoring My Thoughts

The Lord reigns forever... 

-- Psalm 9:7a

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...the righteous stand firm forever. 

-- Proverbs 10:25b

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The fruit of righteousness will be peace; 

the effect of righteousness will be 

quietness and confidence forever. 

-- Isaiah 32:17 

“Abraham believed God and trusted in His promises, 

so God counted it to his favor as righteousness.” 

-- Romans 4:3b VOICE

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So for the person who does not work, 

but instead trusts in the One who makes the ungodly right, 

his faith is counted for him as righteousness. 

-- Romans 4:5a VOICE

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...God who creates out of nothing and 

holds the power to bring to life what is dead... 

-- Romans 4:17b VOICE

In fact, his faith grew as he gave glory to God... 

-- Romans 4:20b VOICE

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God saw his faith and counted him as righteous; 

this is how he became right with God. 

-- Romans 4:22 VOICE

My Father, 

I will anchor my self, my thoughts, 

and my will in these facts: 

You are.

You rule in heaven and on earth.

You call me "righteous" because I am in Jesus, your son.

No matter what it may seem, I will stand firm forever. 

(Prayer from "You Are My Hiding Place" by Amy Carmichael -- devotional readings arranged by David Hazard.)

Counting on God's Rule to Prevail • Habakkuk 3

"God, I've heard what our ancestors say about You, 

and I'm stopped in my tracks, down on my knees."

 

Habakkuk 3:1

"Though the cherry trees don't blossom 

and the strawberries don't ripen, 

though the apple are worm-eaten 

and the wheat fields stunted, 

though the sheep pens are sheepless 

and the cattle barns empty, 

I'm singing joyful praise to God. 

I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. 

Counting on God's Rule to prevail, 

I take heart and gain strength. 

I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain!" 

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

"But the person in right standing before God

through loyal and steady believing 

is fully alive, really alive." 

 

Habakkuk 2:4
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All around is darkness,
no light can been seen,
no ray of hope comes
dripping into the shadows.

Crushing down,
the weight of it all seems
relentless, endless.

When will it end?

How?

Oh the effort it takes to turn!
Forcing memories to come,
putting pen to paper,
the list begins.

Remembering,
it starts to form,
deep in the cracks,
it begins, drop by drop.

Creeping up over the treetops,
the first rays of light
break into the night.

As the remembrance continues
shaky legs strengthen,
faith bubbles up
and arms begin to raise.

You are the same all powerful One
who spoke the world into being,
who destroyed it all in the great waters
and restored it to life once more.

You are still the God who makes lakes into highways,
turns rocks into water pitchers and shepherds into kings.

Before You my heart sings and my mouth shouts praise!
You are the One and Only God!

When I choose to remember Who You are and
All that You have done,
Light bursts forth and the darkness flees.
Living water gushes forth and brings new life.

Faith Revealed • James 2

Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.

James 2:13

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There is so much in this chapter! 

But, due to a real life lesson, 

I need to share this verse and how the Lord 

used it in my life this morning.

You see, after I posted this verse to my status 

on Facebook, I had a pop quiz on it.

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"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, 

when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. 

You know that under pressure, your faith-life is 

forced into the open and shows its true colors." 

James 1:2-3

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Through a difficult conversation with a friend, 

my mercy fruit was tested and what was revealed 

was instead a root of judgment.

As my friend poured out her feelings to me
the words that jumped to my lips
and rolled out of my mouth
did not encourage, lift up or give life.
Instead my words put her on the defense
and threw up a wall between us.

My words conveyed the judgment in my heart.
They showed that I expected
so much more from her.
Couldn't she see that she wasn't acting
like a real Christian?

My words revealed that I
thought she should perform,
cover up her initial feelings
and pretend that she had it all together.

Where was the mercy?

Thankfully, this conversation did not end 

with my judgment hanging out all over. 

Jesus came in and brought His mercy and forgiveness,

brought down the wall and restored relationship. 

Praise His Holy Name!

Our Holy Gardener is landscaping me 

with His Word. (See James 1:21.)

I am so thankful that He is at work and 

that He is making me into the Salvation-Garden 

He wants me to be!

But let me tell you, 

pulling these roots can sure be painful!

It is all well and good for me to read His Word 

and write beautiful shares about what 

He has showed me in His Word, 

but if I don't act on what He has showed me, 

what good is any of it?

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Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere 

in this if you learn all the right words 

but never do anything? 

Does merely talking about faith 

indicate that a person really has it?

James 2:13-14

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Dear Lord, thank You for allowing this test this morning.
Thank you for prompting me to come to You,
because when I did You showed me what was
happening. Thank you that You do not want us to
pretend or perform for You. You want real fruit that comes
from walking in faith, in Your power, as I rely on Your
Spirit to produce Your Good Fruit in my life.
Thank You for Your Word that instructs me in the Way
I should go. Help me to do more than just read it
and talk about it. Thank You for showing me that I need to
do more than just talk and share about Your Word.
Help me to, by faith, do what it says.
Please teach me what Mercy is and please grow
the fruit of Mercy in my life. Please rip out the roots
of judgment that I have so faithfully tended.
In Jesus' name, Amen.

Faith Expressed in Love • Ruth 2

Boaz answered her, "I've heard all about you—

heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law 

after the death of her husband, 
and how you left your father and mother

and the land of your birth and have come to live 

among a bunch of total strangers. 

God reward you well for what you've done—

and with a generous bonus besides from God, 

to whom you've come seeking protection under his wings." 

Ruth 2:11-12

What matters is something far more interior: 

faith expressed in love.

Galatians 5:3

Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; 

that's how freedom grows. 

For everything we know about God's Word 

is summed up in a single sentence: 

Love others as you love yourself. 

That's an act of true freedom.

Galatians 5:14

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She was a foreigner.

There she was in a strange place, far from home
with another to care for and provide for.

What was she to do?

Moving to this land she chose
to make their God her own.
She chose to make Him her refuge.

Physically her life may not have been very free,
but already she was walking in the freedom
of her Lord.

Stepping out in faith, she went out to
serve and provide for her loved one.

Faith expressed in love.

Her reputation proceeded her.
They all knew who she was and what
she had done.

Eyes had been watching
and they saw love, devotion,
faith and faithfulness.

Fruit blossomed in her life,
there for all to see.

She made God her refuge,
she hid in the shadow of His wings.

Ever so faithfully, so tenderly
God saw her, welcomed her,
showed her favor and provided for her.

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Father, help me to live my life fully trusting You. Help me to step out and express my faith in love and to use my freedom to serve in love those You have placed in my life. Thank You that You see me, welcome me, show me favor and provide for me. Thank you for being my refuge, thank you for hiding me in the shadow of Your wing.

So Help Me God • Ruth 1

But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you; 

don't make me go home. 

Where you go, I go; and where you live, I'll live. 

Your people are my people, your God is my god; 

where you die, I'll die, 

and that's where I'll be buried, so help me God—

not even death itself is going to come between us!"

When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart 

set on going with her, she gave in. 

And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem. 

 

Ruth 1:16-19

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Why did she stay with Naomi?

She could have turned back,
she could have stayed with in her land,
with her people, with their gods.

What had she seen,
what did she learn
as a member of Naomi's household?

Did she meet You
as she lived among Naomi and her family?

And now Naomi – bereft, lonely, lost –
needs to be brought back to You.

Full of faith, Ruth sticks by Naomi's side
and lovingly carries her back home, back to You.

Ruth holds firmly to Naomi and goes with her
to a strange land, to a place she is a foreigner
and boldly takes You to be her God.

Receiving God's Life • Galatians 3

 

 

"...only crazy people would think 

they could complete by their own efforts 

what was begun by God."

 

Galatians 3:3

"Answer this question: 

Does the God who lavishly provides 

you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, 

working things in your lives you 

could never do for yourselves, 

does he do these things because of 

your strenuous moral striving or 

because you trust him to do them in you?" 

 

Galatians 3:5

"The person who lives in right 

relationship with God does it 

by embracing what God arranges for him. 

Doing things for God is the opposite of 

entering into what God does for you."

 

Galatians 3:11

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It's too good to be true, isn't it?

But it is true.

Salvation

Forgiveness

Eternal Life

Real Life

It's all mine for the taking!

There is absolutely nothing 

I can do on my own 

to get what You have given me.

I just have to respond, accept, 

to live on the basis of

what You say You will do.

Trust

Believing that You will work 

out in me what You have already begun.

Living by my own effort, 

apart from You

guarantees failure.

You set me right. 

I live in right relationship with You

by embracing what 

You arrange for me.

I receive Your life through belief.

I continue in Your life,

in real life,

by belief.

No rules, no strivings,

nothing can achieve for me

what simple belief can.

Thank you, Jesus! 

I choose to enter into what

You have done for me.

Please show me any way 

that I am trying to 

live by the law in my life, 

trying to earn what You have 

given freely.

I want real life.

Personal and Free • Galatians 2

What actually took place is this: 

I tried keeping rules and working my head off 

to please God, and it didn't work. 

So I quit being a "law man" so that 

I could be God's man. 

Christ's life showed me how, 

and enabled me to do it. 

I identified myself completely with him. 

Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. 

My ego is no longer central. 

It is no longer important that I appear righteous 

before you or have your good opinion, 

and I am no longer driven to impress God. 

Christ lives in me. 

The life you see me living is not "mine," 

but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave himself for me. 

I am not going to go back on that.

Galatians 2:19-21

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In Christ alone
my hope is found.

Rules are a false foundation
that seem so good and strong.

But who is able to completely
live by and abide by them
all the time?

Jesus, You truly have done it all.

You came and so simply and plainly
demonstrated how to live.

You did only what You
saw the Father doing.

You did only what He
told You to do.

The words You spoke
were His words.

You lived in constant
contact and fellowship
with the Father.

You stood trial in my place,
and accepted the sentence of death
in my place.

You gave Your life
for mine
as payment for my sin.

And then, You broke the power
of sin and death
through Your resurrection!

Through Your life,
I can now truly live.

Christ in me.

Personal and free
I live in faith in You.

Rules bring death,
faith in You brings
a living relationship with God.

Remove from my life
any way that I may be
trying to rely on the law
to improve myself, to impress You.

In Christ alone,
my hope is found.

Meeting Hannah

I met Hannah this morning in the quiet darkness of my sleeping home.

Yes, I have met her before... I think the first time she was a paper figure kneeling on a piece of felt in a Sunday School room that smelled of crayons and fruit punch.

I knew that she prayed to the Lord and asked for a son.

And He gave her Samuel.

And then, she gave him back.

That always scared me a bit when I was a little girl. I imagined being dropped off by my mom at this dark and cavernous place with an old priest and voices in the night.

It scares me now as a grown woman who has children. Could I give one back to the Lord? Could I give them all?

This morning I feel like I got to know her a little better. She became more flesh than paper to me today. More real.  

She was one wife of two.

She had no children. The other wife had at least two, if not more.

Her husband loved her, but he didn't understand her.

She had deep pain.

She was laughed at, and taunted.

Her husband thought that she should be happy that she had him. (How's that for an ego trip?)

When her sorrow got too much, too heavy to bear, she finally went alone before the Lord and cried out to Him for help.

She made a big promise.

She was looked down on while she was praying and even thought of as being drunk by the priest.

When she told the priest why she was there and what she was doing, he heard her and believed her.

The priest gave her hope.

And Hannah walked out in faith, believing that she was heard and that she would receive what she prayed for.

Her faith changed her outlook and her behavior.

And she gave birth to a son.

I was blessed to meet Hannah this morning. And the world was blessed because she took her pain to the Lord and because He granted her request.