GOLDEN WORDS

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  
 
Psalm 27:1



The Lord, is the light for the believer. He is the strength of our life. In God let us strengthen ourselves. He is always near. He is always ready to hear our prayers. With God on our side; with God in us, we have nothing or no one to fear. Not even death can conquer us. For even death was defeated by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.



FEAR

What room is there for untroubled fear?
I know my Lord, and he is near;
And he will light my candle so
That I may see the way I go.

Lord, grant to me a quiet mind,
That trusting thee, for thou art kind.
I may go on without a fear,
for thou, my Lord, art always near.
 

Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman

January 18

"`Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.' So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly" Luke 19:5,6.

This is one of the most poignant passages in the entire Bible. Imagine Jesus saying this to us! And yet He does, every day. He tells us He must stay at our house if it is to be a house unified and secure, for a house divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:25).

Zacchaeus, despised by his countrymen, wanted to meet Jesus. He had heard of this kind Man who was willing to share His life with the lowly and hated. He even climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Him. Are we so eager to see Jesus that we will climb over the inconsequentials of life to look for Him? Is our purpose in life large enough to overcome our trivial pursuits in life? Can we get beyond social position and possessions and poses to accept this astonishing offer to have Jesus come to our house and be a vital part of our family?

Once we have ascended to find Him, He then asks us to descend. Many of God's people have been fetched from lofty heights by God Himself. We each have our own branches in a tree upon which we have settled: selfconfidence, selfimportance, resentments, false hopes, selfjustification; whatever is our peculiar and pet fault. Humility means a coming down from lofty heights. It is interesting that Jesus' only description of Himself was: "...I am gentle and humble in heart..." (Matthew 11:29b).

Next comes the personal plea, "Come down immediately." Make haste to welcome Him, and with great joy. TODAY is the day of salvation. The Divine Guest will dine with us today. He does not wait for us to invite Him; He invites Himself: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me" Revelation 3:20. So what are we waiting for?
Pat Nordman ©

 

T H I N K A B O U T I T

Zeal Not Always According to Knowledge When the Crystal Palace Exhibition opened in 1851, people flocked to London's Hyde Park to behold the marvels. One of the greatest marvels back then was steam. Steam plows were displayed. Steam locomotives. Steam looms. Steam organs. Even a steam cannon.  Of all the great exhibits that year, the first-prize winner was a steam invention with seven thousand parts. When it was turned on, its pulleys, whistles, bells, and gears made a lot of noise, but, ironically, the contraption didn't do a thing! Seven thousand moving parts making a lot of commotion... but having no practical use.  With the high-tech era we live in, it's easy to confuse activity with accomplishment, to be fooled into thinking that the sound of gears and pulleys is the sound of something important being done.  Is that true of your life? Of your church? Are there hundreds, even thousands, of parts spinning and turning and making a lot of noise, but accomplishing very little?  If so, just remember that even though your contraption may win a prize at the state fair or the denominational convention, God is the final judge. And what you think has substance may dissipate before His searching eyes like steam.

 

January 18   Exodus 2:1 - 4:31 Linked to Bible Gaitway TM

 

Today's  Devotion

 

... ...and by his light I walked through darkness!    JOB 29:3 NIV   No Injustice by Pat Nordman   "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Genesis 18:25 We have all encountered what we feel is injustice. We only perceive what is happening at this moment, and that is colored by our own prejudices. God works in the whole of human history–past, present and future–so what we see or feel happening right at this moment that seems so outrageous and unethical is set in a panorama of sacred history. It helps so much to remember this.     "Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17. God originates good and controls evil, and that is the essence of His justice. We could go insane–indeed, some do–if we didn't believe that somewhere there is ultimate impartiality. "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny" Psalm 73:16,17. Only God knows the end from the beginning.     He understands because He experienced the greatest injustice on earth. Still He could say, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" Luke 23:34. Perhaps this is the most ethical utterance made by Man for man. It certainly spotlights man's inhumanity to man. Yes, Father, forgive them. . .and forgive us, too.     "The Lord is a God who knows and by him deeds are weighed" 1 Samuel 2:3b. Only God can possibly know motives, a knowledge necessary for honorable judgment. "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" Proverbs 15:3. Since we can't be everywhere and see everything, it is best that we leave the judging to God. He is holy and therefore incapable of judging from any wrong reason or rule. Our righteous God is farsighted and sees all, while we are so nearsighted, so spiritually myopic, that all we see is what is happening right now and its seeming unfairness. © Pat Nordman God originates good and controls evil, and that is the essence of His justice.   More Walking Through the Darkness

 

 

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