Is this a phrase that you recognize? I do. It's in Psalm 24:4 and it says "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me." A very familiar verse in a very familiar chapter of God's Word. So David admits to God that even though a time in his life is like "death" he has no fear. And why? Because he knows that his God is with him.
This is what I thought about when I read Psalm 138:7 which says... "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me (or keep me alive). Thou wilt stretch forth Thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Thy right hand will save me".
Both verses display a good level of confidence in God's ability to take care of him.
So many of us are walking through some of these valleys that surely look like "death" to us and we need to be confident in the one who is our provider and protector. I see so many people whose confidence is "shaken" as the result of a serious trial in their lives, yet they profess to "walk with God". Not sure I understand that. "If God is for us, who can be against us" (Ro. 8:31)? Why are we as Christians so shaken and distressed when the God of the universe has promised to "stretch out His right hand...against our enemies"?
I know you are all aware that Barb and I have experienced some very difficult emotional times lately but I have to say it is these very things that cause me to run even faster toward God because He has assured me of His love and protection in my life.
One of my favorite passages of scripture is also in Psalm 84: 5-7. Let me quote it for you and perhaps if you find yourself living in this fear, you should take the time to memorize these verses: "How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; In whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring, The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength. Every one of them appears before God in Zion." Look at the phrase "they make it a spring". When we pass through some of these trials God expects us to "dig a well" because there will be others passing this way in the future and they will need a cool refreshing drink as they go through the trial.
Where do you get your strength these days. "If God is for us, who can be against us"? Get up and go tell someone how much they are loved by God.
Dave
Crazy Papa
I'll make 'um an offer
Thursday, February 5, 2009
New Blog Devotion Location
Starting tomorrow, February 6 2009, all of my devotions will go on my website at www.nowwhut.org.. I am doing this because there are more benefits and options available for me on my site and I have owned this domain for years now.
I hope you will all continue to read my devotions and if you have comments you can simply send me an email at papadave2@cox.net until I can figure out how to make them more automatic.
I labored over this decision but it is the best decision for my ministry. It is my plan to compile these devotions at some point and create a devotional book to share with even a larger audience.
God bless you all and thank you so much for your support. Please invite your friends to come and read the writings at www.nowwhut.org.
Dave
I hope you will all continue to read my devotions and if you have comments you can simply send me an email at papadave2@cox.net until I can figure out how to make them more automatic.
I labored over this decision but it is the best decision for my ministry. It is my plan to compile these devotions at some point and create a devotional book to share with even a larger audience.
God bless you all and thank you so much for your support. Please invite your friends to come and read the writings at www.nowwhut.org.
Dave
Crown of Exultation
"For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? "
In my Bible, the explanation of the "crown of exultation" is the crown of the "soul winner." You know that we have been commanded in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations..." and without exception, this will be the greatest privileged work we will ever have the opportunity here on earth to do for God.
Bringing others to the saving knowledge of Jesus and helping them invite Him into their hearts. In fact, Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are his joy and crown of exultation for now and also when Jesus comes again.
Consider these verses of scripture:
1) Proverbs 11:30 says "he who is wise wins souls"
2) James 5:20 says "let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins."
3) Luke 15:10 says "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
4) Daniel 12:3 says "and those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
We witness to others with our lives, with our mouths, with our offerings to the work of Christ within the church. And God has promised that our witness will not go in vain.
Finally, we do not rejoice alone in the salvation of others because all of heaven rejoices as well when one of these little ones is introduced to Christ.
There are no negatives to sharing your faith in Christ to a lost person. So the next time the Holy Spirit starts "pushing you" from behind toward a situation, take a deep breathe and "go for it" remembering that God has already been preparing the situation for your arrival.
Dave
In my Bible, the explanation of the "crown of exultation" is the crown of the "soul winner." You know that we have been commanded in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples of all nations..." and without exception, this will be the greatest privileged work we will ever have the opportunity here on earth to do for God.
Bringing others to the saving knowledge of Jesus and helping them invite Him into their hearts. In fact, Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are his joy and crown of exultation for now and also when Jesus comes again.
Consider these verses of scripture:
1) Proverbs 11:30 says "he who is wise wins souls"
2) James 5:20 says "let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins."
3) Luke 15:10 says "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
4) Daniel 12:3 says "and those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
We witness to others with our lives, with our mouths, with our offerings to the work of Christ within the church. And God has promised that our witness will not go in vain.
Finally, we do not rejoice alone in the salvation of others because all of heaven rejoices as well when one of these little ones is introduced to Christ.
There are no negatives to sharing your faith in Christ to a lost person. So the next time the Holy Spirit starts "pushing you" from behind toward a situation, take a deep breathe and "go for it" remembering that God has already been preparing the situation for your arrival.
Dave
Prayer For Deliverance
(As you can probably tell, I got a very late start of the devotion for February 4th so that is why it is dated February 5th (but its the 4th - Next one will help me get caught up).
The scripture verse for today is in the book of Psalm, chapter 43, verse 5 which says... "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God."
I've had some very intense discussions with my Mother this week about being "in despair or disturbed" about a family situation. Not a coincidence, I don't believe, that this scripture came before me today. The Psalmist starts this chapter by challenging the God of the universe by saying... "VINDICATE me, O God, and plead my case against any ungodly nation; O deliver me from he deceitful and unjust man! For Thou are the God of my strength; why hast Thou rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill, And to Thy dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise Thee, O God, my God."
In these first 4 verses he is speaking to God and asking Him to "plead his case against ungodliness..." Wow! Seems like we as finite humans are always calling upon God to "plead our case", no matter what the case may be.
But in the last verse, which is the focus, the writer's question dwells from within himself as he wonders, "Why...in despair...why disturbed within myself?" He is "God savvy" enough to understand that God is his strength yet he feels such despair and is so disturbed. And here in the last verse of the chapter as he closes out the thoughts of the first four verses he counts on his "Hope in God" he wishes to "praise God". He seeks the help of his "countenance and God" to bring him out of this despair (one of the definitions of "countenance" is approval or favor; encouragement; moral support). So he is looking to his calm facial expression or his composure that he seeks from God to come to him in his time of despair.
Wow! Is that all we have to do when we are down or disturbed about something? Pretty much, I think! In these down times we need to remind our souls that our God is their peace and understanding for ALL THINGS, good or bad. So I asked my Mom to ask her soul why it was in despair and then ask God to grant her peace.
Dave
The scripture verse for today is in the book of Psalm, chapter 43, verse 5 which says... "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God."
I've had some very intense discussions with my Mother this week about being "in despair or disturbed" about a family situation. Not a coincidence, I don't believe, that this scripture came before me today. The Psalmist starts this chapter by challenging the God of the universe by saying... "VINDICATE me, O God, and plead my case against any ungodly nation; O deliver me from he deceitful and unjust man! For Thou are the God of my strength; why hast Thou rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill, And to Thy dwelling places. Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise Thee, O God, my God."
In these first 4 verses he is speaking to God and asking Him to "plead his case against ungodliness..." Wow! Seems like we as finite humans are always calling upon God to "plead our case", no matter what the case may be.
But in the last verse, which is the focus, the writer's question dwells from within himself as he wonders, "Why...in despair...why disturbed within myself?" He is "God savvy" enough to understand that God is his strength yet he feels such despair and is so disturbed. And here in the last verse of the chapter as he closes out the thoughts of the first four verses he counts on his "Hope in God" he wishes to "praise God". He seeks the help of his "countenance and God" to bring him out of this despair (one of the definitions of "countenance" is approval or favor; encouragement; moral support). So he is looking to his calm facial expression or his composure that he seeks from God to come to him in his time of despair.
Wow! Is that all we have to do when we are down or disturbed about something? Pretty much, I think! In these down times we need to remind our souls that our God is their peace and understanding for ALL THINGS, good or bad. So I asked my Mom to ask her soul why it was in despair and then ask God to grant her peace.
Dave
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Confess Me Before Men
"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My father who is in heaven." Matt. 10:32
Have you every been driving down the road, listening to Christian music and see someone you know; pull over to pick them up, but change the radio station first? I have! I'm not at all proud to confess that but as a much younger Christian man, my witness did not seem to have the value it does today. In fact when I think back on times like that I feel that I may have been embarrassed, not wanting my "lost" friends to think I was some sort of "Jesus" Freak!
That has all changed to the point that sometimes I even embarrass my wife and daughters when we are out in public. I LOVE to talk to ANYONE and EVERYONE and the Lord most always comes up somewhere in the conversation. My life and death commitment is to Jesus Christ my Lord an Savior and I don't care WHO thinks WHAT about it.
I'm really glad I came out of my shell because the very next verse says, "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Believe me, that is the last thing any of us want to happen when we face the Lord.
There are some who have more knowledge than me in spiritual matters and there are some who have less than me, but it doesn't really matter. For my part, my responsibility is to open my mouth and share my faith. In fact, you may remember that when Jesus healed the "blind" man, he went off and said in John 9:25, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know; that, whereas I was blind, now I see." What a tremendous witness he was even to himself.
We don't always find ourselves in the perfect witnessing situation and most of the time it seems is the worst time, but Jesus has assured us that the Holy Spirit dwelling in us will "prompt" us as what to say.
So, when the time comes, just open your mouth and allow the Lord to speak. He will, I promise. I know because He has done it for me.
Dave
Have you every been driving down the road, listening to Christian music and see someone you know; pull over to pick them up, but change the radio station first? I have! I'm not at all proud to confess that but as a much younger Christian man, my witness did not seem to have the value it does today. In fact when I think back on times like that I feel that I may have been embarrassed, not wanting my "lost" friends to think I was some sort of "Jesus" Freak!
That has all changed to the point that sometimes I even embarrass my wife and daughters when we are out in public. I LOVE to talk to ANYONE and EVERYONE and the Lord most always comes up somewhere in the conversation. My life and death commitment is to Jesus Christ my Lord an Savior and I don't care WHO thinks WHAT about it.
I'm really glad I came out of my shell because the very next verse says, "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Believe me, that is the last thing any of us want to happen when we face the Lord.
There are some who have more knowledge than me in spiritual matters and there are some who have less than me, but it doesn't really matter. For my part, my responsibility is to open my mouth and share my faith. In fact, you may remember that when Jesus healed the "blind" man, he went off and said in John 9:25, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know; that, whereas I was blind, now I see." What a tremendous witness he was even to himself.
We don't always find ourselves in the perfect witnessing situation and most of the time it seems is the worst time, but Jesus has assured us that the Holy Spirit dwelling in us will "prompt" us as what to say.
So, when the time comes, just open your mouth and allow the Lord to speak. He will, I promise. I know because He has done it for me.
Dave
Monday, February 2, 2009
"As You Wish"
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7).
I have 4 grandchildren, two of which are older (13/10). They come and spend the night with Grammy Barb and I frequently and when they do, we usually plan either a dinner "out" that night or a breakfast the next morning. They know they can come to Grammy and Papa's house and get ANYTHING they want because we love them (and enjoy spoiling them a little).
My grandson's favorite breakfast place is IHOP's (International House of Pancakes) because he can always get a huge pancake with a funny face on it and lots of chocolate chips. He love this meal.
Now these kids know that when they come to our house that "the world is their oyster" however, they are always polite to us and (never wanting it to look like they have us wrapped around their little fingers) always ask if they can have a certain thing from the menu. They are just too precious. Now I have two other grandchildren that are a good bit younger (but we will spoil them just the same as time goes on).
I believe this is a good illustration for the above scripture because Jesus is saying that because we have Him living within us and we treasure His relationship, what do we want? Let me get it for you!. Now, if my grandson asked for snake venom for breakfast, naturally I would not let it be served to him. That kind of love applies in this scripture as well. I have never asked God to give me a Cadillac, but more than "plenty" of times I have asked Him for peace when I don't understand what is happening. A lot more, lately with sickness.
Our Lord wants to cover us with blessings every minute of every day and all He asks of us is that we just "ask." There are a lot of people going through very difficult times right now and our "Redeemer" just wants us to call on Him. Just like Grammy Barb and I know what is and is not good for our grandchildren, Jesus knows what is best for us. He simply says "ask"! Made any requests lately?
Dave
I have 4 grandchildren, two of which are older (13/10). They come and spend the night with Grammy Barb and I frequently and when they do, we usually plan either a dinner "out" that night or a breakfast the next morning. They know they can come to Grammy and Papa's house and get ANYTHING they want because we love them (and enjoy spoiling them a little).
My grandson's favorite breakfast place is IHOP's (International House of Pancakes) because he can always get a huge pancake with a funny face on it and lots of chocolate chips. He love this meal.
Now these kids know that when they come to our house that "the world is their oyster" however, they are always polite to us and (never wanting it to look like they have us wrapped around their little fingers) always ask if they can have a certain thing from the menu. They are just too precious. Now I have two other grandchildren that are a good bit younger (but we will spoil them just the same as time goes on).
I believe this is a good illustration for the above scripture because Jesus is saying that because we have Him living within us and we treasure His relationship, what do we want? Let me get it for you!. Now, if my grandson asked for snake venom for breakfast, naturally I would not let it be served to him. That kind of love applies in this scripture as well. I have never asked God to give me a Cadillac, but more than "plenty" of times I have asked Him for peace when I don't understand what is happening. A lot more, lately with sickness.
Our Lord wants to cover us with blessings every minute of every day and all He asks of us is that we just "ask." There are a lot of people going through very difficult times right now and our "Redeemer" just wants us to call on Him. Just like Grammy Barb and I know what is and is not good for our grandchildren, Jesus knows what is best for us. He simply says "ask"! Made any requests lately?
Dave
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Continue to Grow in Christ
Today's scripture verse is from 2 Peter 3:18. "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity, Amen." In scripture there are four areas of growth as a Christian. Each one of us fit somewhere within these categories:
1) A Baby Christian - A baby lives to be served and only drinks milk. It cannot eat meat. They are spiritual babies. They are offended easily and often jealous (see 1 Cor. 3:1-4).
2) A Little Child - Little children love praise and only seek things that appeal to themselves. Untruthful, envious, and cruel are some characteristics of the "little child stage". In 1 John 2:12, the Apostle John refers to the little children of the church.
3) Young Christian Man - Strong and virile, he is able to overcome his enemy and has a vision for the future and the courage and faith to tackle it. Paul said of these young Christian men to "put away childish things" in 1 Cor. 13:11).
4) The Father (Mature Christian) - In the church, the spiritual fathers are at peace with God. They have learned how to be content under all circumstances (Phil. 4:11). The spiritual father has come to know that the only source of true strength in this life is through Christ (Phil. 4:13). He puts away the past and looks forward to the future with God. And he knows that in God, "all things work together for good" (Ro. 8:28). Finally, in his spiritual maturity, he looks forward to "the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph.2:7).
Can you pick yourself out of one of these characteristic stages? You're there, somewhere. Look hard. You'll find you! As for me, it has been an enjoyable "growing" experience to write from scripture everyday for the last 32 days straight. I am enjoying myself so much that I am going to try committing myself to continue throughout the year. I hope that one of these daily devotions will be just the medicine for your "hurt" in life. Then you can share it with a friend. You'll pray for me, won't you?
Dave
1) A Baby Christian - A baby lives to be served and only drinks milk. It cannot eat meat. They are spiritual babies. They are offended easily and often jealous (see 1 Cor. 3:1-4).
2) A Little Child - Little children love praise and only seek things that appeal to themselves. Untruthful, envious, and cruel are some characteristics of the "little child stage". In 1 John 2:12, the Apostle John refers to the little children of the church.
3) Young Christian Man - Strong and virile, he is able to overcome his enemy and has a vision for the future and the courage and faith to tackle it. Paul said of these young Christian men to "put away childish things" in 1 Cor. 13:11).
4) The Father (Mature Christian) - In the church, the spiritual fathers are at peace with God. They have learned how to be content under all circumstances (Phil. 4:11). The spiritual father has come to know that the only source of true strength in this life is through Christ (Phil. 4:13). He puts away the past and looks forward to the future with God. And he knows that in God, "all things work together for good" (Ro. 8:28). Finally, in his spiritual maturity, he looks forward to "the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph.2:7).
Can you pick yourself out of one of these characteristic stages? You're there, somewhere. Look hard. You'll find you! As for me, it has been an enjoyable "growing" experience to write from scripture everyday for the last 32 days straight. I am enjoying myself so much that I am going to try committing myself to continue throughout the year. I hope that one of these daily devotions will be just the medicine for your "hurt" in life. Then you can share it with a friend. You'll pray for me, won't you?
Dave
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