Tag: Lord

The Lord is There

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The name Jehovah Shammah means The Lord is There. This is the ever present character of God. He never sleeps nor tires and is always there. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet was given a vision of the future holy city that will reflect God’s glory and where God will dwell with us. Ezekiel 40:1-4 tells how this vision starts. “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. 2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” In the next chapters Ezekiel sees the Temple, courts, gates, the altar, the feasts, division of the land and then in Ezekiel 48:35 “The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.”

It is significant that this passage is the only place where God is referred to as The Lord is There. Perhaps in heaven, in His holy City we can know for sure that that is where we will be for eternity. Until then, His spirit dwells with in us and we can say the Lord is here within me. Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him in 2 Timothy 1:13-14 “ Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” God’s Spirit lives within us to transform and sanctify us. Be encouraged as we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and we belong to Him. Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know I’m sealed, protected and indwelt by the Holy Spirit for eternity. I will always be where God is now and in the future to come! Thank you Jesus!

Linda

Lord of Hosts=Lord of Heaven’s Armies

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The LORD of HOSTS, Jehovah Sabaoth, is the commander of the Heavenly Army! Who else but God himself would be leading them? Psalm 46:7 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” The New Living Translation uses the phrase Lord of Heaven’s Armies often however, in the ESV translation it reads, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” It seems that the two phrases are interchangeable. Hosts refers to the angel army of God=heavenly army. Isaiah 47:4 makes this name very clear, “Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel.” When Isaiah had a vision of the throne room of God he saw the seraphim proclaiming God’s glory, Isaiah 6:3 “And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

What does this army do under God’s command? Psalm 91:1 is a verse to cherish and claim, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” God is always watching out for us and directs His angels to do so for Him. In 2 Samuel 5:10 scripture describes the Lord of Heaven’s armies as giving David strength, “And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.” In the Psalm it describes the Lord of Heaven’s armies as being with them, as we know He is, Psalm 46:7 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.” Psalm 84:8, He listens to our prayers, “O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob.” Psalm 84:12 He brings joy when we trust Him, “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is the avenger of all nations who have wronged Israel. Scripture speaks of His wrath towards Babylon, Assyria, Egypt and even against His own people for abandoning Him and worshipping idols. The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah in Romans 9:28-30 showing us “For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth  quickly and with finality.”29 And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: “If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom,  destroyed like Gomorrah.” God was merciful towards those who loved Him and showed them grace they did not deserve.

This name of God is powerful and filled with action as we envision God as the Commander and Chief of His Army. It is just another facet of our all -powerful sovereign God. Blessedly He reminds us in Pslam 80:19 that He is there for us. “
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved! The Lord of Hosts is patient with us and desires that we be saved!

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know, serve and be saved and protected by the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. What a privilege it is to have the Lord of the Heavenly Army supporting and defending me. Someday we will be with Him in glory and can praise Him with the words Isaiah heard, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts!

Linda

LORD and Master to Me

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One of the names for God that we are probably most familiar with is Adonai in Hebrew or Lord, Master in English. Generally, it was used to mean someone in charge or of greater station in the society. Those usages totally apply to God as He is indeed the Lord and Master of all. When it is written in all capitals, LORD, the name refers to Yahweh or Adonay referring to the God of the universe, creator of all things. It was a personal name to the Jews for their Lord God. The name Lord or LORD appears over 6,000 times in scripture and Master 179. At times the words can be used as a person performing or acting as say the lord of his estate or master of a slave, but most references refer to God or Jesus.

Psalm 123 offers us a beautiful look at our LORD and His merciful character throughout time towards His people.

I lift up my eyes to you,
    to you who sit enthroned in heaven. God dwells in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
    as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, Others look to earthly masters
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he shows us his mercy. We look to Lord our God for mercy.

3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
    for we have endured no end of contempt. Lord look on us with mercy as we are suffering,
4 We have endured no end
    of ridicule from the arrogant, We have suffered for you Lord at the hands of others.
    of contempt from the proud.

I particularly love the prophesy in Isaiah 40:3-5 about the coming of John the Baptist who would herald the coming of Jesus.

A voice of one calling: John the Baptist was that voice to come.
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord; The Lord Jesus was coming soon.
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
    every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, Jesus would reveal the Lord’s glory to us.
    and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

I find comfort in the Lord, as I know He is my comforter. Isaiah 49:16 “Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

Jesus was referred as Lord and Master by his disciples. One night they had been out fishing and had caught nothing. Jesus came to meet them and told them to put their nets out again. Luke 5:4-8 “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”  Peter recognized a divine power within Jesus. 10b continues, “Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” They knew immediately that Jesus was different, and a Lord and Master they could follow.

Paul uses the name Lord for Jesus when he speaks of salvation. Romans 8:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Jesus is our Lord and through faith in Him we can be made clean and pure- justified to stand before God! Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without Jesus we would still be lost in our sins, thank you Jesus for the gift of enteral life and forgiveness. Philippians 2:10-12 tells us of a future time when all will know and bow before Jesus our Lord. “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father.”

How do you see your Lord and Master? I hope these scriptures have helped you to see the great depth of God’s love and devotion to us. The names Lord and Master show the great privilege that God is granting to us through His grace and mercy that we can call Him our master and Lord. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can call Jesus my Lord and Master. It is an honor to be loved and cared for by Him.

Linda

1st Sunday of Lent, Food for our Prayers

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This first Sunday in our Lenten journey I wanted to revisit a scripture we saw earlier this week. Psalm 103 came up as we were looking into God our healer, but there is so much we see about God in these first 10 verses. There is so much to praise Him for!

Psalm 103: 1-10
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name! He is holy.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits, He is filled with blessings.
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases, He heals and forgives.
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, He redeems and crowns.
5 who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. He renews and satisfies.

6 The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed. He is righteous and just.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel. He makes Himself known to us.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is gracious and merciful.
9 He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever. His anger is limited.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities. He is merciful towards us.

Use these aspects of God today in your prayers and thank Him for His abundant goodness and mercy towards us. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can approach God in prayer and know that He hears us.

Hear our prayers today of Lord.

Linda

Lent 2025, Let the Promise Journey Begin

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Our world is filled with chaos and turmoil. Keeping our eyes on Jesus will give us wisdom and discernment for navigating the waters of life that seem to swirl constantly around us. Habakkuk 3:17-19 provides a window into the hope we have in God.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty, Does your world resemble this picture?
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Is your resolve set in the Lord?
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights. Are you willing to trust in Him?

Promise: God promises He will be my strength and joy and enable me to endure life’s trials.

If you had a chance to profess your faith and trust in God, would your words be similar to the prophet Habakkuk’s? He had learned that God alone would be His joy and strength in hard times. He knew he could count upon God to be there and give him the surefootedness of a deer when things got hard or steep. This confession of faith came after struggling with God, questioning Him and seeking to understand his world, faith and God’s actions or inactions. Doesn’t that describe each one of us? We say, why God did you allow such and such to take place? Why is this happening to me? Our answer, like Habakkuk’s comes down to trust and faith in Almighty God. Isaiah 55:8 “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither ar e you ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Just like Habakkuk, we have to acknowledge and trust in the sovereignty of God and depend upon His strength. May your resolve be empowered today as you step out and trust God in every trial you are facing.

From this promise we see: trusting God brings joy, God is our Savior, God is Sovereign, and God provides what we need to be able to endure or rise above the trials of life.

Questions for myself in this Lenten time of reflection. How is my trust in God growing? What joy from God am I experiencing in the trials of life I am currently facing?

God’s Word is deep and provides many other places where we can find similar assurances to this promise in Habakkuk. We are ‘slow’ learners and God knows we need things repeated to have them stick to our character. Here are some verses with related truths: 1 Chronicles 29:12, Psalm 18:46, Isaiah 43:11, John 10:29, Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4.

Let us journey together the next 6 weeks and emerge steeped in His promises!

Linda

Realigned Focus during Adversity

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How do you deal with Nay Sayers or those that would desire to cast doubt on your faith? Believe it or not, the psalmist David had the same issues when he wrote Psalm 3. He did not want to listen his many foes who were telling him God was not going to rescue him or do anything to help him solve his problems. This was written when he was struggling with his son Absalom who was trying to take over David’s throne and kill him. David talked to the Lord about this, laying it before Him. Then, he set about remembering the times God had rescued him!

O Lord, I have so many enemies;
    so many are against me.
2 So many are saying,
    “God will never rescue him!” Interlude

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
    you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
4 I cried out to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude

5 I lay down and slept,
    yet I woke up in safety,
    for the Lord was watching over me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
    who surround me on every side.

7 Arise, O Lord!
    Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
    Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8 Victory comes from you, O Lord.
    May you bless your people. Interlude

David’s conclusion, after remembering who God is and what He had done for him during his lifetime, was that God holds the victory. Victory comes from Him. He can defeat any foe as He is sovereign. David was reminded that God will bring victory and blessing.

David is our example for how to react to those who would discourage our faith saying it is worthless, that God will not help us. We too can change our focus from the Nay Sayers to Jesus. The right perspective will bring us to Jesus. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we have a permanent advocate in Jesus. He intercedes for us and sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. Romans 8:27 “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Focusing on Jesus will put everything in perspective as it did for King David.

Let thanks be on you tongue and praises in your heart as you look to Jesus. Thank you Jesus.

Linda

1st Sunday of Lent, 2022

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As you attend church today, meditate on the first 6 verses of Psalm 139. They are precious and reveal much about who we are and who God is. He is to be praised.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

May you realize today that God knows you, all about you. Can you even imagine such knowledge? When you couple Psalm 139 with Nahum 1:9 The Lord is good,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,

and Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.

you get a picture of our loving God who knows and cares for YOU.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Linda

A Pleasing Walk, Can you do it?

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Colossians 1:9-10a gives us some insight into the heart of the Apostle Paul. He is being intentional with his prayers for the Colossian Christians as he has something specific in mind. “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him:” It is totally in Paul’s mind and on his heart that the Colossian Christians live lives that are worthy of their calling as servants of Jesus Christ and that their lives would be pleasing to Him. To achieve a life that is worthy and pleasing to God one must have a knowledge of God’s will and an understanding of spiritual things.

How does one achieve such things? Scriptures tell us to seek to know God. Job said in Job 5:8 “As for me, I would seek God,
and to God would I commit my cause,” Psalm 14:2 “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
 to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Knowing God and what He desires of us, helps in discerning God’s will for our lives. That means knowing and following His commandments,1 John 5:2 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” We also must seek to abide in Him, John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Paul knew that a walk without Jesus is futile and will accomplish nothing. So he encourages them and us to keep abiding in Jesus, to draw near to Him, to be steeped and guided by prayer, to stay in God’s Word and above all else seek to know Him more each day.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know and understand the things of God with spiritual wisdom which helps me to walk daily in a way that pleases Him.

Linda

The Cross = oneness and giftedness in Christ!

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Ephesians 4:4-7 is a beautiful passage to be cherished by believers.  We are all called to be a part of God’s family and share in what we have in Christ,  and yet God sees us as epheisans 4 4-7individuals with different needs.

“For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.   5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  6 one God and Father of all,   who is over all, in all, and living through all.  7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.”

God,  the creator,  who is Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient  is our Heavenly Father.   He is in everything we do, everywhere we go and in every action we take.  We are to be in His presence daily, walking with Him and letting His Holy Spirit guide and direct us.  I love the fact that we are individuals before God.  He gave us special gifts through Christ when we became believers.  Each one of us is seen as useful and productive for the kingdom and are given gifts so we can successfully work and live for Him.

Do you feel isolated or a part of the body of Christ?   Are you connected in meaningful ways to other believers?  What about your gifts?  Are you using your God given talents to accomplish work for the Lord?  Lent is a time of reflection.  Ponder what your gifts may be, read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 to seek clarity about gifts, think about the things you do for others in Jesus’ name- what brings you the most joy and peace?   Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead,  we are one in Christ, specially gifted through His grace.

ephesians 4 7May you be lifted up as you pray and meditate on the power of God’s family in your life and your gifts.  Be encouraged as God has special gifts for each of us though the grace of Christ!

Linda

Seeing the Savior is life changing, just ask the shepherds

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shepherd mangerLuke 2:15-20  “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The shepherds had a glorious encounter with angels that prompted them to go and seek the child born in Bethlehem.  Their second encounter that day was seeing their Lord and Savior in the flesh, the one that had come to earth to save mankind.  Luke 2:11 was the glorious message they had received, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  People were amazed when they heard their message and Mary treasured what they said and stored it away in her heart.   They all had personally encountered the Savior, Jesus.

jesus saviorGod showed the world their Savior and proclaimed his work on earth even at this humble beginning.  God reached down and rescued sinners from the penalty of death and hell that our sin deserves.  We cannot save ourselves from sin because we are dead in our sin.  God had a plan from eternity past to save His children fully from sin- from the penalty, power and presence of sin.  He sent His Son to live the perfect life we cannot live and die in our place for our sin.  Savior Jesus took all the punishment for our sin and saves us completely.  Romans 5:8 reminds us of God’s motivation for sending His Son and our true condition, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  I love the explanation of why and how God did what He did in Titus 3:4-7 “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  Through faith we reap the benefits of His love, eternal life, His righteousness in our lives, the indwelling Holy Spirit, His grace, mercy, hope and become heirs with Christ.   We know and serve an amazing Savior.  Thank you Jesus.

What do you do with the message of Jesus the Messiah, Savior who is the Christ? Are you excited, awed and motivated to tell everyone of your Savior?  As you go through your day, think about the message the shepherds received.  Ask yourself, what am I jesus reason for the seasondoing about the Savior who is Christ the Lord?  Am I telling others of His wonderful love, salvation, hope and eternal life?  If not, why not?  Christ is the reason for this season as His is the message of Hope for all mankind.  Spread the word!

Linda