Diving in again! Stay tuned!!

Watch this space. Devotional materials from my heart to yours, designed to glorify God and bless us as we sit at His feet together.

Psalm 1: 1 - 2 Are you blessed?

Psalm 1: 1 – 2 Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

When we were looking at Joshua1:8 we said “Give God’s Word first place, all the time.” Somehow it seems to me that applies to this week’s verse as well. Psalm 1: 1 – 2 is again about the place that we give God’s Word in our lives. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record but here let me repeat a few words from last week. “It’s as if God says to Joshua,” take this Book, take My Words and give them such a place in your life that they (My Words) are on the tip of your tongue at all times. Let it guide your thinking, frame your words, your decisions, your leadership style, your behaviors and actions, your attitudes, your motivations, your hopes, your dreams and visions, and your desires. Let everything you say and do be colored by the lenses of My Words.” God continues “This will happen if you think on, meditate on, pray through My Words day and night. All the time. When you wake, when you work, when you rest, when you sleep, when you plan.  Always be in a state of thinking deeply about what My Words say.” That’s what verse 2 tells us.

The additional thoughts from verse 1 paint a picture for us of what not to do. Who do I seek out and listen to for advice? Who do I want to be like? Who do I admire? What choices am I making when it comes to my life's decisions and directions? Psalm 1:1 says you are blessed, happy, fortunate if your answers to those questions do not include ungodly individuals.

Are you blessed? Share your thoughts. I would be glad to hear from you. As always...thanks for stopping by.

New Theme: Understanding God's Reign July 20 - August 23

1. July 20—26 God Causes All Things to Work for Good Romans 8:28
2. July 27-August 2 God Limits Our Temptations 1 Corinthians 10:13
3. August 3– 9 Trials Make Us Grow Up James 1: 2– 4
4. August 10—16 We Die With Christ but Live by Faith Galatians 2: 20
5. August 17—23 Christ has Overcome the World John 16:33

July 11 Knowing and Trusting Our Great God Proverbs 3: 5—6 Part 2

Proverbs 3:5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

(Continued from yesterday.) Next the recipe tells you what not to add – your own understanding.
Kind of like it says on the Jello box – do not add pineapple or pineapple juice – jello won’t gel
Or like it says on the dry yeast package – do not add water to the yeast ahead of time – your bread won’t rise.
Or when you are making meringue for lemon meringue pie from egg whites – don’t let the yellow of the egg get in your mix – the meringue won’t fluff up.
Do not try to add your two cents to God’s directions and instructions – you will lose your way.

Now you are ready to add another generous portion of acknowledging Him. How much? In all our ways. Let’s see that would be our thinking ways, our walking ways, our talking ways, our spending ways, our dressing ways, our working ways, our playing ways, our praying ways, our resting ways. The way we do the things we do – in all of our ways.

Put it all together and what do we get – a promise that God will direct our paths. Even better than mapquest or a GPS unit in your car. American King James Version“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21. Surefire, 100% perfect and trustworthy directions. I’ll take that anyday.

Try this recipe for walking God’s Way. It’s full proof – you can’t miss if you follow the directions. Be blessed. Leslie

June 23 Verse 1: Knowing and Trusting Our Great God

Psalm 63: 1—3 1 "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."

A while back we meditated on 1 Peter 2: 1- 2 thinking about the sincere milk of the Word and how babies need milk and cry out for it until they get it. David clearly understands that. Longing for God like a thirsty man in a desert. It's what he needs to survive, to live. "Just to behold His face, just to behold His face, all I want when I get to heaven, is just to behold His face..." And what about right now? Do you long for God? Is His nearness to you so important that you will let nothing get between you and Him.

Father in heaven, bless us with your presence, draw us so close that all else in this world pales and fades away when you are near. Thank you for being our God. We owe you our worship and praise. In Jesus name. Amen

New Theme: Knowing and Trusting Our Great God

Knowing and Trusting Our Great God

June 22 - July 19

1. June 22—28 Longing for God Psalm 63: 1—3
2. June 29—July 5 Boasting about Knowing God Jeremiah 9: 23—24
3. July 6—12 Trusting in the Lord Proverbs 3: 5—6
4. July 13—19 The God Who Keep Us Jude 24—25

Meditating on the Word of God Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12b For the Word of God is …piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I would like to call your attention to the last portions of the verse. The Word of God is spoken of as piercing and a discerner. Have you ever cut up a whole chicken in parts? I used to hate doing that. But you know how when you are separating the breast halves, or the thigh from the leg there is that one spot where you can insert the tip of the knife and cut, separate. The knife must be sharp and the placement must be accurate to get a clean cut that does not mangle up the meat. So it is with the Word of God. Deep in our hearts where only God can see, beyond the outward appearance, beneath the spoken words and physical gestures, behind the eyes.

• You may display church membership and participation but God knows whether you are saved and His Word will pierce you with conviction until you yield or die and go to Hell
• You may speak in tongues of angels, prophecy, have great faith, do great kind deeds but God knows your motive and His Word will expose the thoughts and intents of your heart
• You may pray, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But God knows your heart and His Word will expose whether your righteousness is real.
• You may be confused and think you do not know what to do but God has the answer and His Word will direct your path.

Do you need a change in your life? Perhaps you need to be saved or to be filled with God’s Spirit. Get into God’s Word and let God’s Word get into you.
Do you need an answer to a difficult problem? Are you struggling with someone, something, or are you just your own worst enemy? Get into God’s Word and let God’s Word get into you. I guarantee that His Word is able to handle your every need. Bless you, Leslie

June 15 - 21 Meditating on the Word of God

Hebrews 4:12 "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

This is our sixth week and sixth verse. This is the last week for the theme “Meditating on the Word of God”. I hope you are finding time with God’s Word refreshing and strengthening. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God richly bless your time with Him this week. As always, thanks for listening, Leslie

Inspiring, Isn't It?

2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works...”When I think about the inspiration of God and how the Bible, the written word of God, was written under the 'inspiration of the Holy Ghost' by men of God, I'm in awe of his greatness. Sometimes I ask myself, 'How'd he do that?" I find that God is a talker, for sure....yes He is! Many times God has spoken and placed things in my spirit and I hear him say, "write it down"! In Habbakuk 2:2 he said it. In essence he said, write it down!

In June, 1996 I was sitting at my desk, so very busy, trying to make this deadline and get this grant out. As I was sitting there, God asked me a question to which I did not have an answer. Honest! So, because I didn't have the answer God already knew what he wanted for me and he began to speak to my spirit and he said, "write it down". I was busy. I didn't have time to stop but he kept saying, "write it down". So I saved the document I was typing, opened another screen and began to type what he was speaking to my spirit. It was just like someone was standing over me and dictating to me. I typed what I heard, saved it, dated it and printed it. Oh my, did God have a lot to say. It was three long pages. To this day, that typed document is in my wallet. Twelve years. To this day it is my guidebook for the thing that he wants for me. When I forget, I take it out and look at it. It that thing does not line up with what HE gave me I know that it's not for me.

God does speak to us through his written word, yet he inspires us by his Spirit to write, just as he did the holy men of God who wrote the word of God that we call THE BIBLE!

God loves you,

BE BLESSED

June 14 Meditating on the Word of God

2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works...”

Have you ever had the experience of reporting to a new job for the first day? In many companies after you are hired they send you to a new employee orientation or training. They may give you a handbook or manual to study, and maybe they assign someone during your training period to help you get started. But then there is that day when you are on your own. Did you find yourself wondering, well, am I really ready to do this? Do I know enough yet? I hope I don’t mess up or make any mistakes. I’d like to suggest that it is similar for the Christian. Once we are saved by acknowledging our sin and asking Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and save us we have a whole new job ahead of us. But our God does not leave us to figure out what to do on our own, even though many of us try. He has left us a manual and a helper, the Holy Spirit that is 100% able to keep us on the right track. That is what 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 tells us. Let pull a few phrases of this verse apart. First..

All Scripture is given...

Every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God has the attributes that are listed here. When the Words He speaks are revealed to us, and we accept them as His Word, it is by faith that we receive them all into our hearts. We cannot, should not, pick and choose what we want to accept. We should be in a hurry to know it and do it.

The Word of God is also WHOLE, it is inerrant. There are no inconsistencies, mistakes, or misstatements. God breathed through man and is able to ensure that what He wants said, gets said. He is also able to speak directly into our hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit.
What a wonderful opportunity, a wonderful gift our God has provided for us. He cannot be totally comprehended by us but He has left us love letters, Words to read and meditate on that tell us: who He is, what He does, and what His expectations are of us. He has left us enough of Himself that we could spend our whole lifetime attempting to glean all the meaning of it and still not begun to have scratched the surface, yet be so transformed by what little we do understand if we take it in and obey it.
The fact that it is given also seems to imply an expectation. Considering that the list that follows speaks of what The Word is good for then I should look to it. It is as if God says to me “I am giving you My Word because you will need to use it to become ready for the person I would have you become and the work I would have you to do.” What are we doing with the gift of the Word of God that He has so generously given to us? Let me know what you think. Blessings upon you, Leslie

June 8 - 14 Meditating on the Word of God

2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.."

This is our fifth week and fifth verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God richly bless your time with Him this week. As always, thanks for listening, Leslie

Hi! I'm Dorothy

Praise the Lord Family! I'm Sister Dorothy and am excited about the participation and this blog. This is an exciting time to study and learn more about the word of God and the promises that he has for us. I look forward to the comments and different revelations that God will give to YOU.
Be wonderfully blessed!
In Jesus Name,
Evangelist Dorothy

June 4 Meditating on the Word of God

1 Peter 2: 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:"

Instead of routinely responding, or habitually practicing those evil behaviors, I need to make a concerted, conscious choice to put those things away and instead crave, thirst, earnestly desire the Word of God so that I can grow through it, in it. If I do not, malice, envy, jealousy and evil speaking will grow in me. Drink it in!

The taste of milk is delightful to a baby. They are happy and their enjoyment is great when they are drinking milk. They love how it tastes. So, if you have tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord, and indeed you did when you accepted His free offer and gift of salvation, redemption from sin, then come back to the place where you first found yourself in the presence of the Living Stone, The bread of Life, the Light of the World, come back there to the cross and see the one which the world rejected. Get to know more of the glorious living stone chosen by God and precious to Him. Drink it in!

Come drink, taste, eat, behold, consume, eagerly, even greedily seek to know and be known by this Living Stone. Like a baby, cry out when you have not had enough, cry out when your spiritual stomach is empty, and don’t stop until you are full and satisfied with Him. Full of God’s Holy Spirit, full of His wisdom and knowledge, full of His love and compassion, full and transformed into His image. Drink it in!

Got milk?

June 1 – June 7 Meditating on the Word of God

1 Peter 2: 1 – 2 " 1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:."

This is our fourth week and fourth verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God richly bless your time with Him this week. As always, thanks for listening, Leslie

May 31 Treasures of my heart...

If my heart treasures and fears the Lord, my heart will be pure and my words will help others find their way to Jesus Christ and everlasting life.

If my heart treasures the ordinances of God’s Law, my heart will be assured and my words will be righteous.

If my heart treasures God’s Word more than fine gold and sweet honey, my heart will be rich, full to overflowing and my words will be generous and gracious.

If my heart treasures the warnings and values them as commands from my Master, then my heart will be at peace, my words will sow blessings into the lives of others, and that will be my reward.

If my heart treasures God’s revelation of my sin and His chastisement, my heart will crave forgiveness and my words will be humble.

What will your words be today?

May 30 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 19 can be divided into three parts. Part 1 (Vs 1 - 6) says Our God, the God of this universe shows His glory in all of His creation. There is no place where His glory is not seen or felt. Just as no one on earth can escape the impact of the sun no one can escape the majestic presence of God. Day and night, north and south, east and west every direction and secret place are open to Him.

Part 2 (Vs 7 - 11) says this majestic God has given us His law, His Words, to live by. His commandments, which lead us to righteousness. In every way they are good for us. In every way they are designed to get us to a better state. Where we are wrong they make us right, where we are right they strengthen and keep us.

Part 3 (Vs 12 - 14) declares but as for me I am undone. I can’t even comprehend the magnitude of my own flaws and failure. I need God to stem the tide of unrighteousness in me. I will be overwhelmed by my own nature if God does not deliver me. I want to be free from sin. I want my internal and external states to reflect the glory of God.

This is my prayer today for us all: Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Amen.

May 24 – 31 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 19: 7 – 9 " 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”

This is our third week and third verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God bless your time with Him this week. Leslie

May 16 - 23 Meditating on the Word of God

Psalm 1: 1 - 2 " Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful .2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law he meditates day and night."

This is our second week and second verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before Saturday May 22, 2009. Bless you. Leslie