Cultivate It

Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Interesting, we have to “cultivate” faithfulness in our hearts.  God is good and faithful.  However, we are prone to wander and leave him.  So just like a gardener cultivates the ground he plants, we must cultivate our hearts to be faithful.

We have to dig up the hard places.

We have to plant good seeds of truth.

We have to make sure those seeds get watered by hearing the word daily.

We have to pray for the sun and the rain to appear in season.

And then we will see our hearts remain faithful and true to him.

It doesn’t work any other way.

To the Heavens

Psalm 36

Your loving kindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

When’s the last time you looked up to be encouraged and strengthen your faith?

When the sun rises and the moon appears faithfully every day, they remind us of the character of God – he loves us enough to illuminate our days and nights – and he shows up on time every day.

When the clouds appear and bring rain, or the sun appears and dries it up again, we can be assured that it’s from his hand that we receive all that we need to live, thrive and be.

When the mountains loom high above the earth, capped with snow, or adorned with beautiful trees, we are reminded of his majesty, his amazing power, and his faithfulness to all mankind.

Look up today, to the skies, and tell your heart, “My God is faithful,” as you feel the warmth of the sun on your skin.

Of the Lord

Psalm 33:3-5 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.

He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord

I love the phrase “all his work is done in faithfulness.”  You see, he can’t do anything less, because that’s who he is.  He’s a lover of righteousness and justice.  That’s who he is.  He is a loving God, that’s who he is.

There are some people who are so obvious in their character we can predict their movements, because they are just “that way.” However, story after story of people who act out of character shows up on the news when these people experience a breakdown and act out of character and hurt others.

God isn’t like us.  He cannot change, he will not change, and he is the rock on which we can stand.  He always will be faithful and full of love.

This is why we can sing and play and worship him with a full heart, because he’s worthy.

Sing something new today.  To Him.  And bask in his goodness 

You Know It

Deut 7:8 Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Sometimes we just need to remind our hearts and our minds of who God says he is, and believe it.

He is faithful.  When everyone we know fails us, leaves us, disappoints us or accuses us, he is faithful to his covenant (promise) to us – even to a thousand generations – to those who love him and obey him.

Being faithful doesn’t mean he obeys our commands to him, it means he’s certain and committed to carrying us through this life into eternity with him, where there will be no more sorrow or pain.

If I’ve read it once I’ve read it a hundred times, where people question God’s goodness and faithfulness because of horrible people in the world.

God is faithful, and we must pray and seek his face.  He is holy.  He is at work.  He is good.

And he WILL make right everything that is wrong.

Blessed

Psalm 119:1,2

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

We Christians throw the word “blessed” around in the most improper ways, always counting ourselves blessed when money is in the bank, health is good, and life in general is going our way.

However, the Bible uses the word blessed in so many ways that we usually overlook.

Here, we are called blessed if we keep ourselves holy and obey his commands, and seek him totally with our hearts.

This sort of life isn’t one we live in order to gain material things and stuff; but rather, it’s a life we live in honor, love and obedience to Him because he’s worthy. Period.

We are blessed to have the privilege of knowing, loving and living for Him.  

She Senses

Proverbs 31 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.

I’ve been in circumstances and seasons where I had no good sense to realize the blessings in my life, and all I did was see what I didn’t have.  I lacked good sense.

Women who sense their gain and see it as good are worth their weight in gold.  They don’t envy, become jealous, get discontented, or seek self-worth in applause from others.  They look at God’s hand on their lives and they give thanks, and they call it all good.

And when women sense their gain as being good, they then share that light with others…even in the darkest of the night.

I want to be that woman.

Do you?

Good Sense

I love Proverbs.  It is written rough and piercing, beautifully and ghastly, breathtaking and heart wrenching.

He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

Seems like a simple statement, right?

However, without Jesus in our lives, we are all senseless, most of the time.  Senseless acts of violence take place in those who make no sense out of the life they’ve been given, or the lives others have been given.

This statement says if we work, we eat.  It takes some of us a long time to grow up and digest this truth.

This statement says pursuing worthless things is senseless…things like fame, wealth, etc. It takes some of us a lifetime to realize this.

Working hard.  Pursuing worth.  Two good mantras for living well.

The only things worth working for are those things that are eternal.  And feeding our families and blessing others are both present in those who have good sense.

Salt is Good

Luke 14:34

“Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

Isn’t it interestingly funny that God’s word is said to be sweet, and yet we are told that we are salt?

I guess it’s not that funny, though, when we think about salt and sweet.  It’s the best possible combination isn’t it? I love salty popcorn with sweet chocolate Goobers while I watch a movie.  Most love the taste of salt and sweet on their tongues – it seems to satisfy every receptor!

If God’s word is sweet, and we are salt, then that combo together is just what the world needs!  Salty with the sweet.

However, we have to make sure that our saltiness is flavorful and not wet/sticky, that it’s used as seasoning and not ruining, and that it adds flavor and not destroys a meal.

Salt, in order to be tasty, has to be used at the right time, in the right amount, and with the perfect amount of sweet mixed in.

Sweet Words

Psalm 119

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

My husband LOVES honey.  He uses it as a sweetener in his coffee.  I have been cooking lately with honey, and it’s super flavorful and sweet, as an alternative to sugar.  In fact, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like something sweet after a salty meal. 

Sweetness is just a simple fact of life that has to be present, it just HAS to, in order to make us smile.

And this verse says HIS words are sweeter than honey – sweetness in pure form!

What this means is that when life has given you sour lemons, people have been a bit too salty for your taste, and even when life is bland and blah and mundane…here come his words of truth, love, grace, and mercy – and they sweeten up our day in the most pleasant of ways!

Try it.

Read his word today.  Start with Psalm 23. Sit at his table.  Let your sweet tooth be satisfied.

Tasty Goodness

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

How does one “taste” the Lord’s goodness, exactly?

When we taste a food, it requires that we pick it up, place it in our mouths and chew.  The food doesn’t jump in our mouths, but it becomes appealing to us by smell and the way it looks, and it often depends on who prepared the food as well.

God’s word is like a tasty meal prepared just for us, with all things good for our health and enjoyment.

However, we have to ingest it on purpose, by taking it in and chewing on it a while, in order to see that it is good.

When’s the last time you tasted the Lord’s goodness in your life?

Look up at the sun, around you at the flowers, and below you at the stable ground beneath your feet, and soak it all in.

The Lord is good.

Taste and see!

Testing

Job 12:11 Does not the ear test words, As the palate tastes its food?

Isn’t that a cool analogy?  Our ears don’t just hear noises or sounds or whispers.  Our ears also test words.

When we taste a new food, we let it linger on our tongues, we then chew, then we swallow, and we determine if we liked that new taste or not.  If it’s appealing, we continue to eat it.  If it’s appalling, we never try it again.

It should be the same with our ears, when we hear something for the first time.  We should let it linger in our ears and decide with our spiritual “taste buds” whether or not it’s something we should continue listening to.

If it’s a lie about God’s character, or it’s shameful thought about ourselves or others, we can quickly turn away and refuse to listen to it anymore.

It’s akin to spitting out that detestable taste on the tongue.

Test the words you hear spoken aloud and spoken within.

And only “swallow” what is good and true.

Power to Heal

Luke 6:19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Isn’t that an awesome picture?

Crowds of people reaching out to just touch Jesus, because there was this great power coming from him that they recognized and realized their need for it, and they wanted it.

Sometimes we don’t receive the “touch” we need because we don’t even reach out or realize we need a touch…or…we don’t see the power and believe.

Jesus healed them all.

Jesus responds to faith.

Jesus responds to touch.

Jesus has the power to heal.

That same power from his hand is available today, no matter the issue, no matter the crowd, no matter the length of the reach.

What does matter is that we believe.

The Question

Mark 5:31 

And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

There was this lady with an illness and she pressed through a crowd of people, just to touch Jesus, because she had faith that if she did, she would be healed.

The disciples, or followers of Jesus, were amazed that Jesus felt her touch, when there were crowds of people all around who were surely touching Jesus, as well.

However, Jesus knew her heart – one full of faith – and that’s what he felt.  And that’s what he responded to.

Jesus knows when we are reaching out to touch him, he can feel it, above the noise of the world and everything around us.

Just reach out and touch him in faith, and He will respond.  You can be sure of it.

Moved

Mark 1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

There was a man who was unclean (had leprosy) and the unclean weren’t allowed anywhere at all, because others didn’t want to become unclean, like them.  Lepers were outcasts, driven away, and avoided at all costs.

Jesus didn’t let that deter him or keep him from responding to his Father’s compassionate heart for all people, and he reached out his hand and touched the unclean man.

But instead of becoming unclean like the man, the man became clean like Jesus.

Isn’t that so cool? 

We don’t have to be afraid of sinners – or people who reject Jesus and live lives that make us afraid to be near them.  Of course we have to use wisdom, but we can always reach out and touch a person through prayer, or even through a physical touch, if the Father so moves us to do so.

The outcasts of society are just waiting for a touch from Him, and we can often be that hand that reaches out and heals…

Jesus' Hand

Matthew  8:3 is the first verse we read in the NT of Jesus touching a person:

And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus could have just spoken a word, prayed a prayer, or just pointed to the man.  But instead, he touched him.  and the result was healing.

God made us to be humans of touch.  We know that cruel touching and harmful blows cause wounds that last a lifetime, and even sometimes result in death.  But just the opposite is true.  Healing touches and revitalizing word accompanied with those touches can also last a lifetime, and even cause miracles.

There’s something to touching another person on the shoulder, when praying for him/her.  We are humans that respond to touch, and when touched by Jesus, we respond to life.

He Touched Me

Daniel 8:18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.

I love the imagery here of a man sleeping on his stomach, in deep deep sleep, unaware of anything but the silence and rest of the night...when all of a sudden he feels a touch…and the next thing he knows he is sitting upright in his bed.

I’ve had this happen.  Not often, but it has.  I’ve been asleep and awakened suddenly with a thought to pray, a word I need to write down to write about later, or a verse or a phrase of hope.  I’ve also awakened in fear, unable to go back to sleep, with thoughts of worry and dread encircling my head.

Those fearful awakenings are not from God.  We can dismiss them and go back to sleep.

Those amazing awakenings of hope and faith and joy are from God and we need to sit upright and respond.

No one likes being awakened from a deep sleep…unless they are being awakened to something amazingly better than sleep.

His touch is better than sleep.

Ask him to awaken you and visit you and touch you sometime…in the middle of the night.

His Hand - My Mouth

Jeremiah 1:9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

Has your mouth ever been “touched” by God with his words?

Maybe you’ve sat with a grieving friend and God gave you words of comfort.

Maybe you’ve been near a sick child and God gave you words of healing to pray.

Maybe you’ve been with a disappointed spouse and God gave you words of encouragement.

Maybe you’ve realized a truth and spoken the truth over your own heart and soul.

God touches our mouths with the truth, when we are seeking the truth.  He gives us words of wisdom, when we are seeking wisdom.

If your mouth constantly gets you in trouble because of foul words, demeaning words, critical words, etc. – just ask God to change your heart and heal your wounds – and just see if you don’t feel his touch.  And start speaking the words He puts in your mouth!

Innocent?

Proverbs 6:29

So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.

A couple of days ago we wrote about how God warned Eve to not even touch the tree, the one she eventually ate from.

Sexual sin is one of the areas where touching can sometimes lead to death.  If we start with a look at something or someone that does not belong to us, then we move on to touch, it’s a hard road or path to turn around from there.

We are emotional people, charged by touch.  Our bodes naturally want to reach out and be loved and to love.  However, we are given authority over our bodies, minds, and souls and when we belong to another (God and/or our spouse) we must not touch what is not ours – with our eyes or our hands.

There are reasons God tells us what he does – he is SO wise – and we are not.

When evil, unholy thoughts, enter our minds we can ask for God’s strength to come to help us turn back to Him, and it will.  He is faithful.  And he can ensure that we are faithful too.

Touched

In I Kings there are two interesting verses about touch:

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

Have you ever been touched by an angel…or by the Lord?  Both of these passages are referring to a man who was down and discouraged, in need of encouragement.  God could have just spoken, whispered or reminded…but he sent a touch.

Maybe we miss God’s touch because we are so focused on our discouragement.  However, he is always with those who love him, and we can feel him touch us to tell us to “arise” and “eat” and be strengthened in Him.

His touch might come in the form of a friend, a cool breeze on a hot summer day, a sense of warmness that sinks deep into our soul, or a light feeling after being heavy and sad all day.

God wants to touch us, and he’s always near, so just ask him to touch you…where you are…now.

Don't Touch

I’m moving on to the word “touch” in the bible – as I continue to look at our five senses, spiritually.

Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

I’ve never noticed before that not only did God say to not eat of the tree in the middle of the garden, but he said don’t even touch it.

There is another verse in the bible that says to turn away from all “appearance” of evil.

Little kids are masters at touch, aren’t they?  They just want to touch everything they see, even in someone else’s house, on the shelves at the store, or anything at all! And we parents are constantly saying, “Don’t touch,” because we know they will break something or cause an avalanche of falling items right on top of their head.

God didn’t want Eve near what he had told her to avoid.  He doesn’t want us even near sin.  He knows the temptation will be to touch, and once we touch, we will then taste, and then once we taste, we will surely die…

God loves us and when he gives directives, it’s for life – not death.  

It is best if we obey in not touching or tasting…and not even looking at that which is forbidden.

Over and Open

I Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his

ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

I love that His eyes and ears are over me and open to me, because of the righteousness given to me through Christ Jesus.  I always have an open channel to him because of Jesus, and because of God’s mercy to me. 

And we can be assured that justice is in His hand, because we see here that the face of the Lord is against evildoers.   He is not willing that any perish, but for those who choose evil over righteousness (the free gift of grace and salvation), they will be judged.

We all will.

But we who are forgiven and love the Lord will stand. 

And those who have never turned and followed after him will fall.

That’s not mean.  That’s a holy God that requires holy lives.

Thank you, Jesus, for seeing me and hearing me when I am in need and call on your name.

Tickled Ears

II Timothy 4 states what we read yesterday in another set of words:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

I don’t like to have my ears tickled, at all.  It annoys me.  But we all enjoy having our ears tickled with pleasing things we want to hear, like when fame/fortune call our names and we run after both, thinking they will satisfy every craving of life. 

God isn’t in the business of making us famous or amassing great wealth in dollars into our hands to hoard for our own pleasure.  When we listen to teachers who focus on the benefits of the good news, rather than the good news itself – we need to beware.

Myths are not true.  They’re made up stories of winged horses and gods of thunder.  They are fantasies we read and enjoy, but they’re not any good to us on a cold, stormy day in life when everything is going wrong.

Sound doctrine is that which comes from God’s word about his love, his mercy, his forgiveness, his holiness, and his power and his ways.

When we listen to that…our ears won’t be tickled…but our hearts will be forever held…in His hands.

Closed or Open?

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes; Otherwise they might see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.

What a sad state of things.  God wants to heal this people, but they don’t listen and they don’t see, even though they have eyes and ears.

When we close our eyes to those around us, to the needy, and to our own sin – we have eyes – but we don’t see.

When we close our ears and drown his His word with lies, half-truths, and fantasies – we have ears – but we don’t hear.

And when we choose to live with blind eyes and deaf ears we miss out on a whole lot of good in our lives…

Like healing and understanding.

Is your heart aching and you sit confused, and alone?  

Just turn to him and tune in, look into his face, and be unafraid to hear Him sing love songs over you and look at your heart and wash it white as snow…

Let Him Hear

Matthew 13:9

He who has ears, let him hear.

This directive is repeated several times in the book of Matthew and in other books, as well.

Isn’t that crazy that we have ears, but many of us do not hear?  We have even learned “tricks” of nodding in agreement but not hearing a single word, or verbally acquiescing and then dismissing what we’ve heard.

It’s amazing that ears, which are designed to hear, have to be made to hear. Just having them on our heads means nothing, if we constantly tune out the truth.

Oftentimes it’s the other things we’re listening too that drown out what we need to hear.  Remember when you inserted earplugs, turned up the volume, and dismissed all other sounds around you?

There’s a time to listen to music, to cover our ears to avoid loud sounds, and a time to tune out that which is objectionable.

But there is also time to unplug, tune in, and listen closely to instruction and knowledge and wisdom…and then obey.