Are you thankful? For how long???

November 8, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

David described his state of thanksgiving as being eternal in Psalm 30:11-12 . Why was he going to be thankful forever? Earlier in the Psalm David said God had lifted him out of the pit, saved him from his enemies, healed him physically and spiritually, had shown him forgiveness and favor. David had experienced God’s forgiveness as he mourned over his sins. In Romans 4:7-8 Paul quotes David’s words from Psalm 32 ““Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” Experiencing God’s forgiveness, seeing that God had covered his sins and that his sins would never be used against him in judgement made David eternally thankful and filled him with joy.

What about you? Have you experienced God’s hand lifting you out of despair or trouble, has He rescued you from your enemies or from a really bad situation? Has God touched you physically or spiritually to heal you? Have you been given favor by God in blessings you did not expect and in no way deserved? God had shown himself faithful to David, and David recognized this. His responds was eternal thanks that was filled with joy. What is your response to God’s grace and forgiveness in your life?

Begin today to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving that is based on God’s grace and forgiveness. You will experience joy from now to eternity.

Linda

Seeing God’s response to me, brings thankfulness!

November 4, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Psalm 28 is a thankful response from David for God’s deliverance. I want to focus on the verses 6-9. What was David thankful for in these verses that we know to be absolutely true of God?

Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy. God is accessible, He hears our prayers.
⁷The Lord is my strength and shield. God is our protector.
I trust him with all my heart. God is trustworthy.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. God gives us joy.

⁸The Lord gives his people strength. God gives us strength to meet the day.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
⁹Save your people! God saves those who believe in Him.
Bless Israel, your special possession. God blesses.
Lead them like a shepherd, God is our good shepherd.
and carry them in your arms forever. God is eternal and saves us for eternity with Him.

For which of these attributes are you most thankful today? I had a friend tell me yesterday that when times are hard she focuses on her joy in the Lord. What about you? As you go through today, meditate on God’s goodness and blessings towards you, then take time to thank Him.

Blessings,

Linda

From Sin to Blessing because of Jesus

February 22, 2019 nofearlinda4 Comments

Paul makes a case for the blessed man in Romans. He is talking about the blessed state of a man who has faith. He is blessed by God because of his faith and trust in Him and the man did or does nothing to earn that blessedness. It is a gift from God through Jesus. Paul quotes David’s words from Psalm 32 in Romans 4:6-8.

⁶just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

⁷“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
⁸blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Our blessedness comes from God and has nothing to do with our ‘works’ as it is all God working in us. Only God can forgive sin and through Jesus’ shed blood God covers our sins. He does not count our sins against us! Now that is blessedness! The believer is mightily blessed by God through his faith and trust in God. Jesus’ work on the cross eradicates our sin and presents us whole and blameless before Almighty God.

Thank you Jesus for your work on my behalf!

May you have a blessed day as you consider your privileged position before God- pure, blameless and saved from eternal destruction through your faith in Jesus the Son.

Linda

Blessings, what are they?

January 18, 2019January 18, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

I have had a very hard week but feel blessed by God. That started me thinking about blessings and where scripture tells us we are blessed. What does blessing look like to God? First, I wanted to start with a definition of blessing. The dictionary says: a gift of divine favor, good wishes or approval, anything that gives happiness or prevents misfortune. I can see my week’s events were a blessing as God granted me divine favor and prevented severe misfortune.

Psalm 1 is a great place to start looking at blessings or being blessed. This psalm describes the way of the believer and the blessings that way brings.

Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
²but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The blessed man doesn’t seriously listen to the advice of unbelievers, do the things they do or make fun of godly things. The blessed man loves God’s Word and thinks about it all the time. He is deeply rooted by God and shows growth in both his faith and his life. He prospers in all he does. The psalmist contrasts this picture of one who loves God with the unbeliever.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Unbelievers are tossed to and fro with the ideas of the world. They are not grounded in God’s Word and faith in Him so they will perish.

As you meditate today, think about your life and ask yourself, Am I like the blessed man? Do I hunger after God’s Word and think about it a lot? Am I deeply rooted in God’s Word, and am I standing firm in faith where ever God has me? If your answers are yes, you are on you way towards blessings. Being in God’s Word and walking in God’s way gives happiness and guides us away from misfortune. Even if we go through hard times Jesus is with us. Therefore, by definition we are blessed!

Count your blessings today as you strive to walk with Him in His way,

Linda

Praise and Thanksgiving on our lips today! Good-bye 2018!

December 31, 2018 nofearlinda1 Comment

On this last day of 2018, we conclude with the final chorus of the Messiah. The scene is the throne room of heaven in John’s vision and Jesus is being praised and worshiped. Revelation 5:9-13

⁹And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

¹³And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

They begin by singing a new song. In the Old Testament, a new song was sung to celebrate and act of divine deliverance or blessing. Here the creatures and angels are praising Jesus, the Lamb, who delivered all mankind through his blood. Jesus is worthy to receive all power, wealth, wisdom, honor and blessing because of the ransom He paid with His blood on the cross. All heaven and earth will praise Him! What a glorious scene this will be. Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, is Worthy of all Praise!

And so… what a fitting way to end our year. Let us praise our Savior and Redeemer. Let your lips utter praise today for all this last year has brought both good and bad. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Ponder the difficulties you’ve had in your life this year in light of James 1:2-4 “²Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Let us take the adversity we experienced and the blessings we received and offer them up to Jesus today as and offering of praise and thanksgiving.

Linda

The Conclusion of the Messiah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSHxrkQcEAk

Biblical A,B,C’s- let’s take a look!

April 13, 2018 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As I have been praying about writing after the Lenten season, the Lord has renewed my conviction that His Word is essential to our Christian walk and good spiritual health. I am going to walk through Psalm 119 in successive weeks stopping to blog and meditate on selected verses. I pray you will be blessed as we journey through this magnificent Psalm together.

Pslam 119:1-2

Aleph

¹Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the Lord.
²Joyful are those who obey his laws
and search for him with all their hearts. (NLT)

This psalm is known as an acrostic as it goes through the Hebrew alphabet, aleph to taw. Each section has 8 verses and are all about God’s Word. In these opening verses the Psalmist tells us that joy is to be had in following God’s Word, walking in obedience and seeking after God. Can you agree with the psalmist? Do you find joy in reading and knowing God’s Word? Does walking in obedience make your life more joyful and keep you in touch with God? Do you hunger for a deep meaningful relationship with God and seek Him out each day?

Nehemiah 8:9-10 tells what happened when the people of God heard the word read to them. “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” How does the Word of God affect you? The Israelites were sad and grieved over their sins as God’s Word revealed to them how they were sinning and not walking with Him. Then Nehemiah reminded them that a right relationship with God brings joy and strength from the Lord! Their repentance brought them into a place of joy in the Lord. Offer up a prayer with a repentant heart right now, then claim His joy and strength in your day.

Jeremiah 29 13 As we journey through this psalm, claim the joy that God has for you as you seek him with a humble and repentant heart. Remember, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13