God's Word on That

Tag: Daily Slice

  • Can We Understand God?

    Many people want to serve God but only as advisor. The more we obey God, the more we understand Him. His ways are not our ways. He seldom moves in a straight line from A to B. The way up is almost always down.

    “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts,” says the Lord (Isaiah 55:9). When I [personally] tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me (Psalm 73:16). A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way? (Proverbs 20:24)

    As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in the mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5).

    In order that we finite beings may apprehend God, He translates His glory into multiple forms: stars, trees, waters and marvels on land, birds and beasts, and even the bodies of men.

    A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish (Psalm 49:3). Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). God’s mouth speaks words of wisdom; the utterances from His heart give understanding (Proverbs 49:3).

    We tend to emulate the God we worship. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Embosomed in beauty and wonders as we are, we should be cheerful and in courage.  We should feel secure that our future will be worthy of our past.

    We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us (1 Corinthians 2:12). We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding (1 John 5:20), so that you may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that you may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ (Colossians 2:2).

    Not so in haste, my heart.  Have faith in God and wait.  Although He linger long, He never comes too late.

    We are so small. God is so vast! Just accept understanding as He supplies it.

  • Humility Is a Good Thing

    If God wanted perfection, He wouldn’t have chosen humans to do the work. Just make yourself available and let the Holy Spirit do the work through you.

    Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you (Romans 12:3). “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit” (Isaiah 66:2).

    Humble people don’t think less of themselves; they just think about themselves less. (Norman Vincent Peale). An inferiority complex could be a blessing if the right persons had it. True disciples strive to have no gap between their faith and their deeds.

    What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). With humility comes wisdom (Proverbs 11:2) and humility comes before honor (Proverbs 15:33). Humility and fear of the Lord bring riches and honor and life (Proverbs 22:4).

    Whoever humbles himself like [a] child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4). God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His ways (Psalm 25:9). Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up (James 4:10).

    Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by… deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (James 3:13). In humility consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3). Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble”. Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s might hand (1 Peter 5:5-6).

    Show true humility toward all men (Titus 3:2). Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic; love as brothers; be compassionate and humble (1 Peter 3:8). Humbly accept the word planted in you (James 1:21).

    Do not think of yourself too highly, or too lowly – for God has made you the way He wanted.

  • Attitude Is Everything

    The Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier states, “I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given a life, that I might enjoy all things.”

    Be made new in the attitude of your mind (Ephesians 4:23). Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). Arm yourselves with the same attitude, because Jesus has suffered in His body and is now done with sin (1 Peter 4:1).

    Every action is prompted by an attitude. Attitude alone can fuel your fire – or assault your hope. With an attitude, you can impact your situation. Keep an attitude of “everything is possible with God” and life can flow easier.

    In the presence of hope, faith is born. In the presence of faith, love becomes a possibility. In the presence of love, miracles happen! So basically, without hope, faith cannot be used. Seek to live creatively – and to face tragedy with courage and hope.

    You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him. Hope keeps the spiritual circulation moving. “When life seems hard and labors long, I think of heaven and find I’m strong.” Meditate much on heaven, it will help you to press on and forget the toil on the way. Also remember your blessings, for they can see you through dark times.

    A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life (Titus 1:2). Christ Jesus is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1), Christ, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). On Him we have set our hope (2 Corinthians 1:10). For in this hope we are saved (Romans 8:24).

    Our job is to inject people with hope. Hope makes a dismal day bearable because it promises a brighter tomorrow. If we refuse to give up hope, we will keep our joy, for hope takes us into the spiritual realm where God is.

    Be joyful in hope, patient in suffering, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character, hope. Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts (Romans 5:3-5). May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You (Psalm 33:22). As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more (Psalm 71:14).

    Like the special smell that comes with a drought-breaking rain, God loves the aroma of His children’s joy – especially when He is the source of its delight. Praising God does wonders to change your attitude.

    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, so that you may overflow with hope (Romans 15:13).

    Hope lets us see God’s love everywhere.

  • Being Tempted

    Notice that “evil” is the word “live” spelled backwards. Satan delights in reversing the beauty that God creates. Anything that is evil demeans a person, whereas truthfulness develops a person. Satan will lie and try to make you believe that nothing will ever change – but it always does because that is the nature of this universe.

    Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your door continuously. Temptation today may be just a ripple, but it is tomorrow’s wave and next year’s flood. God has one Son without sin, but He has no children without temptation.

    He was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan (Mark 1:13). Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:18). For we have a High Priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

    We have been warned: opposition comes with every opportunity. New level = new devil.

    You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance (James 1:3). God cannot tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when – by his own evil desires – he is dragged away and enticed (James 1:13-14). Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Mark 14:38). Watch yourself or you may be tempted (Galatians 6:1), because Satan is the tempter (1 Thessalonians 3:5), and may tempt you because of a lack of self-control (1 Corinthians 7:5). God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can standup under it (1 Corinthians 10:13)

    Assume responsibility for today and trust God for tomorrow.

    Be careful, temptation is not always obvious.

  • Enjoy the Trip

    “If they would get to know Me,” God says, “they would fall over themselves getting to Me!” Life could become a great romance – a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time.

    Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain. You see, the Cross means that our lives are no longer dependent on what we are able to perform.

    You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman! The place to where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. Believe it or not, the circumstances of our birth determine much about us. We should receive them with gratitude, and put them in proper perspective and to their best use.

    God gives blessings, but happiness is up to us. Happiness and fulfillment depend not only on how well I plan but also on how I trust in God and cope with things I don’t plan. It has been proven that laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life (though laughing at someone else’s can shorten it).

    Set your mind to be happy for others and trust God with yourself. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And trust in your Creator who loves you. Faith in God really can change a dull, miserable life into an adventure.

    Let us throw back our heads and run with a passion through the fields of forgiveness and grace! (Steven Curtis Chapman)

    Change requires a process, so set your mind to enjoy the trip!

  • Dark vs. Light

    The power of evil is in the lie. The power of the believer is in the truth. Be strong in scripture to deny deception!

    The devil was a murderer from the beginning. He has never been truthful. He doesn’t know what the truth is. Whenever he tells a lie, he’s doing what comes naturally to him. He is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).

    Satan is a master of the urgent, not the important. Satan’s strategy is to keep us distracted with the urgency of the moment vs. the importance of eternity. One of the marks of maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control – without the need to understand why He does what He does. When you are down to nothing God is up to something.

    You belong to the day and the light, not to the night and the dark (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Can light have anything in common with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).

    God said, “Let light shine out of darkness” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Open your eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God’s (Acts 26:18).

    Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. And believe that the night is as useful as the day. I have gained something truly significant that I might not have gained from flawless expositions: shadows have indicated something more about the light.

    What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight (Matthew 10:27).

    We are called out of darkness to shine forth the light.

  • The Tongue of the Learned

    Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will glorify Me…  Whoever offers praise glorifies Me (Psalm 50:15, 23).

    To Glorify = to reflect credit, praise and honor unto God. O that my praise could be as ceaseless as His bounty!

    Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You, O Lord my Redeemer. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:3-4). I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever (Psalm 86:12). I will praise Your name in song and glorify You with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). I will celebrate Your abundant goodness, O God, and joyfully sing of Your righteousness (Psalm 145:7). For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the work of Your hands (Psalm 92:4).

    I will keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking lies (Psalm 34:13). I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin. I will put a muzzle over my mouth as long as the wicked are before me (Psalm 39:1), because whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble (Proverbs 21:23). He who guards his lips guards his life (Proverbs 13:3). Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent; and discerning if he holds his tongue (Proverbs 17:28), but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:18).

    When I speak, I want only to speak the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11). The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from You, Lord, comes the wise answer of the tongue (Proverbs 16:1). Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). I love speaking God’s Word and so I will bear much fruit.

    Heavenly Father, please give me the tongue of the learned that I may know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary (Isaiah 50:4).

    Let us give praise to the Lord our God for His many blessings to us.

  • Things To Dwell On

    “I read in a book where a man called Christ went about doing good. It is very disconcerting to me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about.” (Toyohiko Kagawa 1888–1960)

    Time is a vapor. Popularity an accident. Riches take wings. Only character endures. It is a law of personality that you become like that thing you dwell on.

    Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Your Word is Truth (John 17:17). All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that any man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). Therefore I discipline my body and bring it under strict control (1 Corinthians 9:27).

    No matter how great the talent or the field of endeavor, unless the individual is personally disciplined, much of the potential will remain just that – potential. Your life either sheds light or casts shadows.

    We must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth; this is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence (1 John 3:18-19).

    God is goodness and beauty and truth and love. I could do no better than to remind myself of this each day – then I will look for these things around me and know He is near. The secret of a good attitude is to have thoughts that dwell on good things for this reflects God’s character.

    Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things. Do what you have learned… and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9).

    Let us dwell on His Word and His nature.

  • Timely Scripture

    With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers and sisters, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remake you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed. Thus you will prove in practice that the will of God is good, acceptable to Him, and perfect. (Romans 12:1-3 Phillips)

    I am convinced, and I say this as in the presence of the Lord Jesus, that nothing is intrinsically unholy. But none the less it is unholy to the man who thinks it is… You mustn’t let something that is all right for you look like an evil practice to somebody else. After all, the kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of whether you get what you like to eat and drink, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you put these things first in serving Christ Jesus, you will please God and are not likely to offend men. So let us concentrate on the things that make for harmony and on the growth of our fellowship together. (Romans 14:14, 16-19)

    Why all this stress on behavior? Because, as I think you have realized the present time is of the highest importance – it is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God’s salvation nearer than the day in which we took the first step of faith. The night is nearly over, the day has almost dawned. Let us therefore fling away the things that men do in the dark and let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day! (Romans 13:11-13 Phillips)

    Let us be prepared. We can sense the Day is approaching.

  • We Are Not Alone

    We act as though we were alone in this inner sanctuary, but on the contrary, God is here more intimately than we are ourselves. We fear to have lost God when we are no longer conscious of Him. But in truth, it is our own impatience under trial; it is the restlessness of our hyper-sensitive and self-centered nature that hides Him from our minds.

    Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).

    There is no escaping sorrows and sufferings, we must bear them with patience.

    In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

    The more the flesh is worn away by affliction, so much the more is the spirit strengthened by inward grace. The greater the height we reach in the spiritual life, the heavier we find our crosses. Everything is founded on the Cross and everything depends on our taking up the cross handed to us. Our present difficulties are an essential part of the process of becoming the people God wants us to be. Whatever we are like today – with grace, we will be better tomorrow.

    Believe in Him steadfastly, and everything that challenges you will strengthen you.

    Trust in Him and His presence with you, and trials will make you stronger.