Promise for Today - In His Image

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them...

Genesis 1:27-28a NKJV

God has a reason, a design and a plan for everything He creates. We may not know or understand a large part of it, but that doesn't matter. Mankind was created in His likeness.

The original plan was that our nature would be like His, but it didn't take us long to fall, did it? One thousand, one hundred, eighty-nine chapters in the Bible, and by chapter 3, we'd already fallen. The fallen nature of man just wants to be blessed. And in our fallen nature, we started the "What about me?" saga. It doesn't want to work for it, to have to earn it - it's that whole I-didn't-ask-to-be-born-You-owe-me selfish, self-focused and self-consumed attitude.

The good news is that those who choose to follow God, to walk in Christ's footsteps - to pick up their Cross and be redeemed from the curse of sin - they can once again be the image of God. The redeemed nature wants to give and to bless others. That's following God. He's not asking us to do anything He hasn't already done Himself. You see, He gave us our very breath of life and then He gave us the opportunity for Life abundantly through the death of His Son. He gave - after we had already fallen.

"For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." Titus 2:11-14

Prayer:

Father,
          We want to be more like You. Redeem us unto every good work, Father, according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - You Think You Know

All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?”

Acts 9:21 NLT

Saul of Tarshish. You had to have known him. He studied under Gamaliel. He had all the respected heritage and lineage. He was known! And he pursued and persecuted followers of Christ! He had them chained and dragged back to Jerusalem to throw them into prison for perpetrating the Way. That's what he called following Christ (who also called Himself the Way, the Truth and the Life). How many times they asked, "Isn't he the one who is arresting followers?" Isn't this the same one? They knew of him, but they didn't want to know him.

Saul thought he knew all about Jesus until he met Him on the Damascus Road. And then knowing Jesus in Truth turned Saul's life upside down and completely around.

The hometown folk questioned Jesus, too, when He was among them. Scripture tells us they were amazed at His wisdom and His power to do miracles, and yet because they knew him, they scoffed, "Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?" Matthew 13:55. And the rest of the verse tells us, "they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him..." because they thought they knew Him.

But they didn't recognize the Messiah, the Son of the living God, our Rock and Redeemer, Saviour and King, our Hope, our Peace and Light of the World, Lord of lords, the Great I Am. You think you know Someone... do you?

Prayer:

Father,
          Open our eyes to see You in all Your glory! Unveil our sight so that we may see past our finite view. We want to know You in Your fullness. We want to know You as You want to be known. We want to know You more. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Promise for Today - Keep the Flame Burning Brightly

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
Isaiah 42:3 NLT

Candles are still very popular, and they continue to gain in popularity. Did you know you can purchase a candle that smells like dirt? Truly! And if you like food-scented candles, how about trying the pizza, popcorn, bacon, nachos, coffee, or cotton candy candles? And those who are into the great outdoors but can't get there through work or weather, these will carry you through - lawn mower clippings scent, campfire candle, pigskin candle, or s'mores. And how about this? A Hippie-scented candle - I can't even imagine what would go into that, and I'm not sure I want to know! 

Whatever the scent, no matter if it's 2 for a dollar or $40 a candle, none of them burn without a wick. And the wick has to be properly maintained for the candle to do all it's supposed to do and for the time it's supposed to do it. FYI - Wicks should be trimmed to 1/4 inch before each time the candle is lit. The reason is that carbon accumulates on the end of a wick and can weigh the wick to one side so that the candle burns unevenly. That nobby of carbon on the end of the wick can also prevent oxygen from getting to the flame, or if the wick gets too long, it cannot draw wax all the way up to the top. Both can cause the flame to go out because the wick itself will then start to burn, which also produces the black soot. It gets ugly rather quickly.

I know you don't need a lesson in candle care, and you might be asking what all this has to do with anything in the eternal weight of things. Well, I can't seem to get away from today's Scripture. I keep seeing the smoldering wick of someone who is overwhelmed by life, the person who sees no way out, the smoldering wick of a life that has borne much pain, and wants to believe someone cares - that they matter. They want to believe... and we glance over and think, "They're okay, I still see some light..."

You know who they are - they're burning themselves out and spewing soot all over everything around them, where once they burned brightly, cleanly. Now, there's that faint red glow on the wick that's burning itself out, no light left, just a little smoke because it's drowning. However, if they could just get a little breath of life blown their way to feed the flame... or get a little help to get rid of the weighty carbon nobs of accumulated sin so they can once again draw from the wellspring of life to keep the light burning.

Does that make any sense? Have you seen them? Is it you?

Wicks have to be tended for the candle to maintain a clean flame. Each candle is created to burn for a certain length of time, and that time is NOT accomplished if the wick is not tended properly. And if they don't burn for the length of time for which they were created, how many will not see the Light? Let us care for each other and keep the flame burning.

Prayer:

Father,
         Please, trim what needs to be trimmed in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Breathe Your breath of Life on us to fan the flame of Your Light to the world. As this world becomes darker, Father, cause our flame of fervor for Your Truth to burn ever more brightly so that all are drawn to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - The Heart Knows

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

1st Thessalonians 4:16-18 NLT

Have you ever watched the YouTube videos of soldiers returning to their families? From the youngest to the oldest, the depth of honesty in their response is overwhelming. All pretense, any pride for the sake of appearances, and all self-consciousness are thrown aside, and what you experience is the intense integrity of the love and the long-anticipated reunion... and I cry every time with the overwhelming emotion of it.

In every situation imaginable, people are going on with their day-to-day living, doing whatever they need to do to cross one more day off the calendar toward that homecoming, but inside is that deep longing, the on-the-edge gnawing awareness that a part of you is missing and will soon be coming back. And the closer the day looms, even when you don't know the exact date, the more you feel it. The heart knows...But it's very clear in those videos whose hearts are involved and who are just observers...

Are we anticipating the return of Christ in that same manner? Are we crossing off the days that make it one day closer to His return? We don't have the exact date, but we know it's soon. Can't you feel it? The heart knows... Is your heart involved or are you just an observer? Will it be a grand reunion or grave regret? The choice is still yours. He loves you. Give Him your heart today.

Prayer:

Father,
           Our hearts are responding to Your most famous act of love - You loved us so much that You gave Your only Son, so that whoever would believe in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. How extraordinary that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and we believe in our heart that You raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. We can hardly stand to wait much longer. I know You're the only One who knows when You will send Jesus so we can be reunited. Even so, come quickly, Lord! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - The Familiar Phase

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

I stand amazed at what God teaches me through the eyes and hearts of my grandchildren; perhaps because my heart is the least guarded and the most full when I am with them.

I remember years ago when my youngest granddaughter had gotten hurt during gym class and she was not happy. She was also upset at the thought that it might take a few days to feel her best again. We had just left the Chick-fil-A drive-through line during this part of the discussion, when she asked if we could drive by her old house since we were so close. Yes, we would drive by, but no, we were not stopping.

When we turned onto the street, she started naming neighbors and pointing to their houses. At that time, she was smart beyond her five short years and proclaimed, "There's my old house, Granna! All of my memories are there... I miss my old house. "
I slowed the car a little and she said, "It doesn't look the same..." which presented the perfect opportunity for a teaching moment.
"That's because you don't live there anymore, Baby. Your memories are of Mommy and Daddy, and MawMaw and PawPaw, and all that love, but they don't live there anymore, either. You wouldn't want to live in the house without your Mom and Dad, right?" And she agreed.

How many times do we do something similar? We get hurt and we want to run back to what's familiar - an old relationship, an old habit, the way we used to live - whether or not it's good for us. The "new house" might seem like a wilderness, but the good news is that God is aware of that. He promised to make a way in that wilderness. He promised to make life-giving streams in the wasteland of new. He wrote it all down so we wouldn't forget. You don't want to go back there and be without God the Father...

Revelation 21:5 tells us, He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

It's our Promise for Today - "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!"

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for making a way for us in the wilderness and for providing life-giving streams in what feels like a wasteland. Thank You that all Your Words are trustworthy and true. Help us to keep moving forward and to keep our eyes on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Worth Repeating - Because We Were There

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

Psalm 32:7 NKJV

This afternoon, I watched again The Hiding Place - the story of the ten Boom family as told by Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom. There are many things that amaze me about this testimony of their lives. Still, I rejoice that the Holy Spirit reveals more Truth each time I watch it (which isn't often, because I cannot bear to dwell on the horrors that people without Christ are able to inflict upon other humans).

Today, I realized on a whole new level that the true hiding place was not the home where the ten Booms hid and helped hundreds of Jews to escape. It started way before that! One cannot face such atrocities and live to testify and teach of God's love and forgiveness unless one is living God's Word. The truest Hiding Place is the triune Godhead, where the ten Boom family had already hidden their hearts and lives with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:2-3 NKJV, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Psalm 119:11 NKJV, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

Betsie ten Boom said to her sister and then made Corrie promise to tell the world,
"No pit is so deep that He [God] is not deeper still. They will believe us because we were here (in Ravensbrück Death Camp)."It is in the darkest places that the Light of God shines brightest. The Light of His love HAS overcome... It will for you, too, if you choose to let it. If you struggle to forgive, inhale His Word and breathe out His love.

Where have you been that God has kept you? Tell it! They will believe you because you've been there...

Corrie closed the film with this quote, "With Jesus - even in our darkest moments - the best remains, and the very best is yet to be!" Praise His Holy Name!

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to see Your hand in all things. Help us to see as Corrie saw that "This is what the past is for! Every experience [You] give us, every person [You] put in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only [You] can see." May our lives be lived to Your perfection! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - (Guest author) Waiting Well

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
James 1:4 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Patience is extremely important for people who want to glorify God and enjoy their lives. If we are impatient, the situations we encounter in life will certainly cause us to react emotionally.

The next time you have to wait on something or someone, instead of just reacting, try reminding yourself, "Getting upset will not make this go any faster, so I might as well enjoy the wait." Then perhaps say out loud, "I am developing patienceas I wait, so I am thankful in this situation." If you do that, you will be acting on the Word of God rather than reacting to the unpleasant circumstance.

Remember, patience is a fruit of the Spirit that God wants to develop in your life [note: see Galatians 5:22-23 ESV]. Don't merely think about how hard and frustrating it is, but think about how blessed you can be as you learn the art of waiting well.

Prayer:

Father,
          I am grateful that You have planted patience in my spirit and that through You, I can react properly to any situation. Help me today and every day to exercise patience in all things. *************In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Devotion from Joyce Meyer's "The Power of Being Thankful"