Seeking Him With All Our Hearts

Friday, July 19, 2013

Dilervance

Psalm 25:19-22

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹Consider how many are my foes,
    and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    ^(A)Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

²²^(B)Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2025:%2019%20-%2022&version=ESV)

David had many men after him but it doesn’t take “many” adversaries to make one depressed and heartbroken. Sometimes just a few people that don’t like you will make you feel that the entire world hates you. It doesn’t matter if it is one or many that causes you pain and distress, our Father in Heaven hears your cries.

The key to overcoming is by continuing to live our lives with integrity do what is right in the sight of God. Then, we wait on the Lord. We wait on the Lord to take revenge and we wait on the Lord to deliver us. It is not by our power that we overcome but by the strength and power of the Holy Spirit working through us. God allows those difficulties into or lives in order for Him to help us through them. When we depend on Him, we wait and we continue to live our lives for Him. I am not very good at the “waiting” part but God has me working on that one! But I do know that He is in control and He will not lead me astray.

As you seek Him may you wait upon Him to deliver you from your troubles.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Who is Glorified?

Who is Glorified?

Psalm 25:11-15

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹¹For your ^(A)name's sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is ^(B)great.
¹²Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him ^(C)will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³His soul shall ^(D)abide in well-being,
    and his ^(E)offspring ^(F)shall inherit the land.
^14 (G)The friendship^[a] of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵My ^(H)eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will ^(I)pluck my feet out of the net.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2025:%2011-15&version=ESV)

So many times we think that our sins should be forgiven to save us from eternal separation from God but look at the first verse again. “For your name sake, O Lord” this indicates to me that it is not for us but for the Lord. That is a difficult concept to get in our heads because we somehow always revert back to “me” and “my needs”. I once heard a sermon on a song that described the crucifixion as being for us and yes Christ did die for us but even more it was so that the Father could be glorified. John 13:31 “³¹When he had gone out, Jesus said, ^(A)“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and ^(B)God is glorified in him.” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2013:31&version=ESV)

Jesus knew, even as He prayed in the Garden just before His arrest, that this life was not about Him but about the will of the Father. He knew He would suffer even unto death but He also knew that this suffering would result in the glorification of the Lord. Now how do we apply that to our lives?

First of all we need to recognize that this life is not all about us. If it isn’t about us, who is it about? It is about glorifying God. None of us like suffering and we don’t understand why we have to suffer. If, however, we look at it at the proper perspective, it is to honor God. If we are able to recognize this life is about our Lord and the glorification of Him we soon realize that everything we do has a purpose.

When we recognize Him our whole entire being gravitates towards Him. When that happens we fear Him yet He becomes our friend, a friend who we can always talk to! He is a friend who will pull us out of the muck and mire of this old life. A friend who will save us in the time of distress, who will pulls us up when we are down, and a friend who will be glorified as He blesses us, can only be found through Jesus. Yet, we should not be His friend in order for us to be glorified but to glorify the Father. We should always strive to recognize that it is His will not ours. Again, as Jesus was in the Garden it was very apparent that He did not want to suffer at the cross but He was dependent upon the Father not His own will but His Father’s will. Even in His distress He knew the Father was in control. If we want to be His friend to be blessed we need to re-think our purpose. We don’t like it when friends use us but we are so quick to try to use the Lord to benefit us.

Today, if you need a true friend look towards your Father in Heaven. Seek Him and His friendship and then be a true friend to Him by placing Him at the top of your priority list. Get to know Him by reading His word. He will be glorified and in the end He will bless you as well.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Steadfast Love

Steadfast Love

Psalm 25:6-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁶Remember your ^(A)mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    ^(B)for they have been from of old.
⁷Remember not ^(C)the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your ^(D)steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸^(E)Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he ^(F)instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are ^(G)steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2025:%206%20-%2010&version=ESV

Have you ever wondered what path to take in life? I know I have and in fact, I am doing that right now. These verses tell me that I have a Lord that loves me very much. He knows of my sins yet He forgives me anyway. He loves me so much that He is not going to let me go down the wrong path. I don’t need a map because He is there guiding me through. Whatever path I choose it will have steadfast love and faithfulness because God will be there. I must humble myself to Him and He will lead me to what is right.

How do we know what direction He is leading us? I believe if we trust in Him and humble ourselves to Him whatever path we choose to go He will be there with us. If we choose to trust in Him any path we choose will be full of steadfast love and faithfulness from our Father in Heaven.

To top that off, He will also teach us His ways as we seek Him with all your heart!

Seeking Him with all my hart,

Sheila

Friday, July 12, 2013

Worth Waiting For

Psalm 25:1-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

Of David.

25 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
²O my God, in you I trust;
    let me not be put to shame;
    let not my enemies exult over me.
³Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

⁴Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
⁵Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2025:%201%20-%205&version=ESV)

At times life brings me down. I don’t know about you but sometimes it seems like I just can’t get a break. Have you ever felt that way? At those times I seem to get down on myself or I feel sorry for myself. Those are the times I need to meditate on these verses! My trust should never be on what “I” can do but what God can do through me.

In those rough times I need to remember to put my trust in Him and wait for Him. I seem to think that I deserve better but I cannot get any better than to have Him on my side and by my side. My whole being should be focused on Him and not on me. During those times I need to pray verse 5, “Lead me in YOUR truth and teach me” and I need to remember that whatever the Lord has in store is worth waiting for.

As you seek Him remember that this life is not our home. Someday when we are in the presence of our Lord and Savior, we will say, “Now this was worth waiting for!”

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Who is this King of Glory?

Psalm 24

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,^[a]
the world and those who dwell therein,
²for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

³Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
⁴He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not lift up his soul to what is false
    and does not swear deceitfully.
⁵He will receive blessing from the Lord
    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

⁷Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
⁸Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, mighty in battle!
⁹Lift up your heads, O gates!
    And lift them up, O ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory! Selah

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2024&version=ESV)

In the last blog we looked at how we become righteous. Righteousness comes from the Lord, not from what we do in this life but through the One who gave us a way through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today we continue to see who our God is although we can never fully grasp His magnificent character. Not until we see Him face to face will we understand the magnitude of His power and majesty, that is why we need to continually seek Him.

Seeking Him, is the entire theme of this blog. In seeking Him we find answers to all of life’s issues. Yes, all of the issues. Good ones, bad ones, and everyday issues are all under the power of our Lord. We may not understand why things are happening but we know that God is in control. Why do we struggle so much with those issues? It is because we do not really understand who our King is?

He is the One who created the earth and everything in it. Have you ever created something or had something given to you that someone created? What do you do with those things? I have a quilt that one of my daughters made for me. Every night I cover up with it. When we go on trips I take it with me. At the top of the quilt is a heart that she embroidered and I put it close to my heart. I treasure that quilt. It is just a quilt but I know that love went into that quilt and so I treasure it. But, if I had to choose between having the quilt or having my daughter I would choose my daughter in less than a heartbeat! There is no doubt that I treasure her more than the quilt. Now, think about it. God made this world for us. He made the world and then made man to dwell in this world. He gave us a gift, handcrafted for us. Do we treasure it? The answer should be yes. But more importantly, do we treasure the One who made it? If we had to choose between the world and God, in less than a heartbeat we should choose God. Too often I think we get so caught up in this world and the drama that is in it that we forget that it is our God who is the King of Glory. It is our God who blesses us, who makes us righteous and it is our God whom we should seek with all our hearts.

As you seek Him may you see a glimpse of His glory and may you know that He is in control.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

My Only Defense

Psalm 23

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.^[a]
³    He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness^[b]
    for his name's sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,^[c]
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶Surely^[d] goodness and mercy^[e] shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell^[f] in the house of the Lord
    forever.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023&version=ESV)

Righteousness, I have heard it described as “right-living”. I think that all of us, no matter what our beliefs want to live a worthy life. Some people go to the extreme in the workforce to make sure they live a noteworthy life. Some people volunteer and work hard to serve those who are less fortunate. Then there are others who do everything for their family, they will go to the extreme to take care of their immediate family and extended family. I am sure there are other things as well that people do to live a life in the manner that they believe is “right”. As we look at this Psalm today we find that there is absolutely nothing we can do to be righteous in the sight of God, unless God is leading us. There are a lot of things that we can do in life that are right but unless we are doing them in the name of the Lord and for the Lord, none of them will make us righteous in His eyes. If He is leading us in one direction and we are choosing to focus and go towards another direction then we are likely to run into trouble. As we live our lives we need to make sure that He is the One leading us and not by our own will.

When we live a life that is led by God we can know that the good times are from Him and when we go down the dark valley with all the shadows and fears of being attacked, we know that He is there protecting us. He is with us in the pastures and He is with us in the dark valley where the enemy lurks, ready to attack us. God is there with His rod to fight off the enemy and He is there with His staff to pull us up when we slip off the edge of the cliff. Sometimes it seems like we forget, or I do, that He is protecting me. In those times we need to remember that we do not need to fear the world or those in this world because our God is in control.

The promise of hope is that someday we will sit at the feast with our Lord and Savior. Just think about it, there will be a time that we will be in the presence of God and sitting at His banquet table. We will not get to that table by doing what we think is “right” we will only get there if we allow Him to be in control of our lives, if we allow Him to be Lord of our lives. We won’t get there for doing good to others unless the very reason that we do them is for Him. We won’t ever be able to dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER unless we place our trust in Him and allow Him to comfort us, strengthen us, and lead us in the path of righteousness.

As you seek Him, know that He is beside you, leading you, don’t be the sheep that wanders away but rather stay close to His side.

This song says it best!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-KM_zpwfr4

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Matt Maher - Lord, I Need You Lyrics

Artist: Matt Maher
Album: Lord, I Need You (Single)

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Our Response in Times of Trouble

Psalm 22:22-31

English Standard Version (ESV)

²²I will tell of your name to my brothers;
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
    and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
²⁴For he has not despised or abhorred
    the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
    but has heard, when he cried to him.

²⁵From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
²⁶The afflicted^[a] shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before you.
²⁸For kingship belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    even the one who could not keep himself alive.
³⁰Posterity shall serve him;
    it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
³¹they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
    that he has done it.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2022:%2022-31&version=ESV)

Although trouble, conflict, pain, and agony may all come upon us there is only one thing that we should do and that is praise the Lord in the midst of the people. Times of trouble are so very hard to go through. All of us have had something go on in our lives that brought tears to not only our eyes but our hearts. Sometimes it seems that our heart has been torn right out of our chests. It may be from the loss of a loved one, old or young. It could be from the breakup of a girlfriend or boyfriend. It could be from an illness put on us or one we love. Some seem more tragic than others but in reality if we are hurting it is still a hurt. It may be the difference between a scrapped knee and a broken bone. One takes more time to heal but they both hurt. In those situations we need to praise the Lord. We need to resist satan’s attack on us and remember our creator, the ruler of the universe.

Tough times will certainly leave us. There will be more joyous times ahead. The most joyous time will be when our Lord and Savior returns. Everyone will bow down to Him but the questions will be, “Did you praise Him in times of trouble?” “Did you tell your brothers about His mighty works?” Will you be eternally with Him because of your devotion to Him or will you be separated eternally from Him?

We may not be able to turn on the happy switch on every time we face trials and tribulations but one thing we can do is give praise to our Lord for enduring the tribulations He faced on the cross by taking on our sin.

As you seek Him, remember that He is the One that deserves praise both during our good days and during our trials.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila