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Psalm 143:6: I stretch out my hands to you; my soul gasps for you like a thirsty land.
After a rather extended dry spell here in the East of England, we are finally having some rain showers to quench the thirst of this dry land.
I could imaging the land crying out for rain and after reading this verse, began to muse over whether we do cry out for God's word enough in our lives or whether we stumble along looking more and more parched until God sends us something to remind us of our needs.
I fear the answer is far too often that we do not cry out to God asking him for help as much as we should. Yes he sees all and knows all, but unless we lift up our requests to him, we are not exercising our faith in all reality.
Think about it...
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Psalm 119:156: Great is your compassion, O Lord; give me life, according to your judgements.
What do you think God's role looks like in your life? Is he the person in charge, or is he more than that?
If we simply call God the boss and do not act like he is actually in charge, then we are not really calling him the boss in spirit, just in word!
Do not forget that God knows what you are doing and thinking about even before you get round to doing the things you may have promised...
God looks for those who work for and with him in their hearts and not just from the words coming from their mouths!
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Psalm 145:11: They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your mighty power
I would like us to stop and think for a bit - not about Jesus, or God, or the Holy Spirit, but rather about "why do you do the things you do?"
I have been thinking about this for a week now and I have to admit I do do some things because I think it makes me look better or feel better in some way!
This psalm talks about the real reason we should be doing things, not to build up ourselves or to bring recognition to ourselves, but to be a better servant of God!
That does not mean we give up on personal dreams, it should mean we take Christ with us every step of the way as we try to give glory where and to whom it is due!
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Psalm 125:4: Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are true of heart.
Well, today was a day when I lost track of time and we spent the whole day doing stuff in the church! So forgive me for bringing this late in the day to you...
Sunday was a very busy day too so I clean forgot to write these devotionals to be ready for first thing today - but now it is almost last thing today!
As I read through some of the verses today I was almost disappointed to find so many talking about the old Israel and times before Jesus; but we should not forget these words were written hundreds of years before Jesus came to live amongst us.
So, let us settle for asking God to lift up and bless people who deserve it; I know it says 'those who are good' but in my eyes this is those people who are willing to listen to God's requests from them!
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Psalm 26:2: Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and my mind.
Are you willing to allow God to judge you? Think about it before you answer; think about all the things you do, think and say, and then think about the question again!
It takes a brave soul to give over judgement to God and allow him to test you and to try you - he knows your weak points better than you do and you may not like the consequences.
Sometimes we do have to stop doing things for ourselves, stop doing things to make others think better of you and start doing things for God and to give him the glory.
Once we can let go of our self-importance and realise just how much we owe to God, life will start to change as you act on that!
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Acts 10:28: and he said to them, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.
One of the big things I have against some 'churches' is their willingness to lift themselves up above the people who do not come to that 'church.'
This is not what God has taught us. Yes, he chose the Jews to be his people. Yes, he did things for them above others. But that was all to try and show them just how much God can do for us when we believe and trust in him.
Paul was taught by God to share the gospel with EVERYONE, no matter the background or whether they were Jews or not. That is what God continues to want from each one of us.
The time for a global church is now. The time to share the gospel globally is now. God wants us all to trust him...
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1 Corinthians 1:17: For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
How long does it take before you get weary of that 'friend' who always takes and never gives back?
When we always take from God and never give him back the praise, glory and honour he deserves, it does become one sided.
Now, surprisingly, God is always ready to listen and answer, no matter what circumstances we have in our lives and no matter how far away we walk from his will; he is always ready to listen!
Building up a relationship is always a two way thing, don't continually take without giving - that is not a relationship!
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Psalm 145:2: Every day I will bless you and praise your name for ever and ever.
Just read that sentence slowly and think about your relationship with Christ...
How much time do you allocate during your day to thanking God for all he does for you and for the people around you. We all shoot up prayers when we need something, but how often do we lift up our prayers as in thanking God or blessing him?
Jesus made sure he spent time with God at every occasion he could,thanking him, praising him, listening to him and obeying him.
Instead of spending half an hour browsing through meaningless stuff on social media, why not spend even half that time just talking to God...
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Psalm 119:129: Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.
How often do you do things you enjoy doing, and how often do you turn down things you do not like?
The more you get to know God's Word and the more you get to know him through his word, the more likely you are to enjoy doing his will in your life because it is enjoyable!
I'm not talking about all the desires and wants people have about doing worldly things because they more often than not get you into trouble in the end; but the righteous things God would like you to do in your life!
God knows what it best for each one of us and he knows the best way we can achieve these things - we just need to listen and obey!
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Psalm 106:3: Blessed are those who observe what is right and always do what is just.
Many people who I have spoken to about the bible look at their bibles as being a guidebook which encourages them to do what is right - why?
Because of the many references to things like this in the bible; both New and Old Testaments carry many encouragements to do what is righteous, if not for others sake, then for your own sake!
God really does like it when people 'listen' to his word and follow his word. He is like a proud parent when their child does what is right!
If you can receive good gifts from your parents when you do things right, then how much more can God give you when you follow his will in your life!
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John 1:43: The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’
What would you have done if Jesus walked up to you and told you to 'follow him'?
Unless we had been prepared with the scriptures and had accepted them in our hearts, we probably would have turned round and said 'What?' or something like that!
God wants to know us, not just to acknowledge him, but to have a lasting, deep and purposeful relationship with us which grows from the heart and soul!
Are you ready to listen to your heart & soul and trust what God is trying to tell you or ask you to do?
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2 Corinthians 6:1: As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
When we talk about the grace of God, it is more than just words, more than just an acceptance. It is the ultimate expression of forgiveness for anything!
When we forgive someone for doing something against us, we often harbour thoughts against them still, even though we want to put that all behind us. That is human nature.
When God forgives, it is described as being a forgiveness that is a far as the East is from the West. It is a total separation of our guilt from us!
Only God can do that and we need to remember just how big a things that is in our lives and thank him for this amazing grace he shows us!
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Psalm 96:3: Declare his glory among the nations and his wonders among all peoples.
How often do you BE a Christian instead of just TALKing about Christianity?
When Jesus told the disciples to go out into the world, it was a command to GO and not to talk about it in churches or synagogues; to GO out!
When we go out and show people we are Christians, it speaks volumes. The bible is full of examples and we should be recounting these as we go out and do them!
When people get to know just how much God can do in their lives, they start to stop and listen and learn...
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Psalm 107:1: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, for his steadfast love endures for ever.
One thing you can be sure of is God's love for you goes far and beyond anything you can imagine!
We may like to think we are the author of love in our lives, but God goes beyond what we can imagine.
The grace of our Lord covers anything in our lives we think cannot be covered - because he loves us that much.
Our loved ones may love us and care so much for us, but Christ goes further. I know this because he has shown me multiple times in my life just how much I mean to him!
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Psalm 51:7: Behold, you desire truth deep within me and shall make me understand wisdom in the depths of my heart.
If we want to know the truth and live by the truth we need to stop and listen to the truth! How will we know unless we listen?
The Holy Spirit is here with us today, just as God the Father and Jesus Christ have told us and he is trying to teach us real wisdom which dwells deep in our hearts.
Only the one who knows the truth can give us this truth. Only the one who shares it with us can teach us properly.
The real truth starts deep within us and wells up until it spills over and everyone around us sees this truth. Believe in God and have the faith to trust him entirely!
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Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light unto my path.
I may have used this verse quite a few times in the past, but it underpins where I get my peace from. The word of God.
No matter what sort of day I am having or what sort of predicament I am in, there is always something God has to comfort me through the words in the bible.
The more we get to know it and accept it, the more we get out of it and the more we can survive when the world around us is crumbling to dust.
I always look to God when things go wrong because I know he has promised to always be there for me!
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Psalm 89:1: My song shall be always of the loving-kindness of the Lord: with my mouth will I proclaim your faithfulness throughout all generations.
Who is king in your life? Do you lift yourself up, or do you lift God up as first and foremost?
In this modern world we are taught to lift ourselves up so we can have pride in what we do; but the world teaches you a pride which is selfish and does not praise others where praise is due!
God wants us to acknowledge him as king and make sure we give him the glory for all he does in our lives. When we acknowledge that he is king, he is teacher and he is our Saviour, we get to glorify him just as we should be doing
God wants us to spread this pride in Christ through all generations, to give people hope in God and someone to look up to, someone who deserves our praise!
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Psalm 80:4: Turn us again, O God; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
What happens to you when you find yourself in trouble? Who do you turn to? Who is the one who normally helps out no matter what?
Most of us will think of a person, friend or relative who is always there for us; but what we should be recognising is the One who is always there... God!
When things do go wrong, he is patiently waiting for us to admit we are wrong and come back to him. He wants to help!
But, we have to be the ones who make the first move (in our eyes - because he is already there and waiting) so we can come back to him.
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Ecclesiastes 3:1: Listen to me your father, O children; act accordingly, that you may be kept in safety.
Throughout the bible we see many passages of God trying to get people to do what is right - not by the world, but by righteousness!
We can also see many places where God promises things - and keeps those promises!
We see many places where God says he will protect - and he protects!
Why can't we stop, listen and obey; so he can set in motion the things which are righteous and get us to come along and do what is right!
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Psalm 138:1: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise to you.
When we have been looking at how we react and act as being Christians, we most often think about it in terms of being and doing the right stuff in front of other people and telling people you know Jesus.
But the same can be said about God, or in the case of these verses, 'other gods,' You may find yourself in a place where they worship other gods and that is where you should be telling them and showing them you believe in God, the Holy Trinity.
If you are able to keep your faith in your God at all times, that is going to make a very big impact on others watching you, including other 'gods.'
And, in the words of these verses, we should be doing it from our hearts and with our whole hearts, not just saying the words...