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Posted on 09/30/2020 9:26:22 PM PDT by JustAmy
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Bible in a Year:
The Lord is the strength of his people.
The weeping Alaskan cedar tree whipped from side to side in the storm’s strong winds. Regie loved the tree that had not only provided shelter from the summer sun but also given her family privacy. Now the fierce storm was tearing the roots from the ground. Quickly, Regie, with her fifteen-year-old son in tow, ran to try to rescue the tree. With her hands and ninety-pound frame firmly planted against it, she and her son tried to keep it from falling over. But they weren’t strong enough.
God was King David’s strength when he called out to Him in another kind of storm (Psalm 28:8). Some commentators say he wrote this during a time when his world was falling apart. His own son rose in rebellion against him and tried to take the throne (2 Samuel 15). He felt so vulnerable and weak that he feared God might remain silent, and he would die (Psalm 28:1). “Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,” he said to God (v. 2). God gave David strength to go on, even though his relationship with his son never mended.
How we long to prevent bad things from happening! If only we could. But in our weakness, God promises we can always call to Him to be our Rock (vv. 1–2). When we don’t have the strength, He’s our shepherd and will carry us forever (vv. 8–9). Reflect & Pray
When have you felt vulnerable and unable to fix a situation? How did you see God come through for you?
It seems there’s always something for which I need extra strength from You, O God. Help me to remember that without You I can do nothing.
I never thought of them as goofballs. LOL! I’m terrified of them. I’ve never really known one personally, though, just the image portrayed on TV and in movies.
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Had a beautiful day in Wisconsin. Our fake governor is trying to stop the recount by imposing another lockdown. Rush even closed his show talking about this new illegal mandate. “No Turkey For You”. Tyrants always go too far. By limiting gatherings, he thinks he can stop a recount. He’s killing businesses. I went to stock up on essentials earlier today, ahead of panic buyers.
It was nice here too in Beautiful Marxachusetts. (hat tip to my sister for that one!) I spent the better part of the day raking and attempting to blow several tons of leaves into the woods. After hours of backbreaking labor, a neighbor said:
“You shoulda blown them deeper into the woods. The wind will just blow them back into the street.”
If she wasn’t 80 years old, I would have socked her. As it was, it took every ounce of self-control not to be rude.
I had to endure the idiocy of wearing a mask at the store. Ran into 2 old friends from my old church. They are fine with mask mandates. I said since we can all smell people’s deodorant/colongne ,masks are useless and only make those wearing them/seeing others wearing them “feel better”.
Indeed.
War Room is starting now, my fav show. On America’s Voice Channel (219 Dish Network), or americasvoice.news .
Hi Peaches! Great climbing tree!
Bible in a Year:
I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
A few years ago, my doctor gave me a stern talk about my health. I took his words to heart and began going to the gym and adjusting my diet. Over time, both my cholesterol and my weight went down, and my self-esteem went up. But then something not so good happened: I began noticing other people’s dietary choices and judging them. Isn’t it funny that often when we find a scoring system that grades us well, we use it to lift ourselves up and put others down. It seems to be an innate human tendency to cling to self-made standards in an attempt to justify ourselves—systems of self-justification and guilt-management.
Paul warned the Philippians about doing such things. Some were putting their confidence in religious performance or cultural conformity, and Paul told them he had more reason to boast of such things: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more” (3:4). Yet Paul knew his pedigree and performance was “garbage” compared to “knowing Christ” (v. 8). Only Jesus loves us as we are, rescues us, and gives us the power to become more like Him. No earning required; no scorekeeping possible.
Boasting is bad in itself, but a boast based on false confidence is tragic. The gospel calls us away from misplaced confidence and into communion with a Savior who loves us and gave Himself for us.
Reflect & Pray
What would it look like to trust in God’s grace today? How can you live and work from a place of rest and trust in His love for you?
Dear Jesus, thank You for Your love for me. I set aside the scorecards of self-justification. Those are misguided grounds of confidence.
To learn more about Jesus and His life, visit ChristianUniversity.org/NT111.
You’re right about the masks!
I commend you for holding back. ROFL!!
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As tyou may probably know already, I HATE “Yeshouldas”.
I am basically a decent person...but sometimes it’s really hard.
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