Monday Morning Devotion #255

This Week's Focal Passage:

"Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart." Psalm 119:111 (NKJV)

Strong's:
Testimonies #5715 'eduwth - witness
Heritage #5157 nachal - inheritance, to take for, divide, to inherit
Rejoicing #8342 sasown - welcome, joy, gladness

To whom do you look when you need a little lift or a shoulder to cry upon? What makes you happy? Where do you find joy? When are you the most content? Most of us have many answers for each of these questions. We have several friends, family, or loved ones to whom we could turn to in our time of need. We have activities, programs, ministries, hobbies and/or careers that bring us enjoyment and/or satisfaction. We find success in the world's eyes when we obtain a certain economic status. Our world is filled with "things" that enhance our life and bring us pleasure.

All of us have been distracted by the "glitter" of the world's promises at one time or another. We have all sought approval, acceptance, and attention from the world and rejoiced when we received those things. We have each traded holiness for immorality, sinful pleasures and wickedness. "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God…" (Romans 3:10-11) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

My Friend, pause here a moment. We have all read/heard Romans 5:8 before but let's just take a moment to really ponder on what God is saying to us. God, the Great I AM, the Most High, Holy of holies, Lord of lords, King of kings, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, lowered Himself from the glories of heaven to the filthiness of earth and WILLING gave Himself for sinners. That includes you and me!!!! BEFORE we even knew of Him, cared about Him, turned to Him, repented of our sins, Christ died for us. Does that Truth take hold of your heart today? Does that revelation make you drop to your knees in absolute worship and repentance? God's grace is sufficient for us and through that grace we are able to understand God's Word, our eyes and ears are opened to Him, our hearts are drawn to Him and our wills are surrendered to Him.

God loves us with an everlasting love and His glory spills over upon us. HE created us to glorify Him and to live a life that points others to Him. We absolutely waste our lives when we live for any other purpose. When we allow ourselves to be distracted by the world's promises, we sacrifice and destroy ourselves. Our lives become worthless and hopeless, even when everyone around us screams and shouts that we are successful. My Friend, time is short. The Lord Jesus Christ is preparing to return from the riches of heaven, gather His children together, and destroy the earth and everything in and of it. Nothing will last, nothing will stand, nothing will matter when Christ returns and reigns holy judgement out upon everything and everyone who has stood against Him, lived a life without Him, sought to glorify himself/herself, lived a "good" life yet never accepted Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Savior.

God's Word tells us "I Am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not share with another. Nor My praise to carved images." (Isaiah 42:8) "Indeed you (idols) are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination." (Isaiah 41:24) "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) "O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You." (Psalm 69:5) "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts…" (1 Corinthians 4:5) "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before ME. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, HE is coming," Says the LORD of hosts. "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when HE appears? For HE is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap. HE will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver…" (Malachi 3:1-3a)

Jesus is coming, My Friend, and we are not prepared. We live in a nation where God's blessings have been poured out upon us for over 200 years, yet we are seeking to destroy the things of God and eliminate Him from our daily lives. We quietly sit by and allowed wicked men and women to dictate to us what we will teach our children and how we will live our lives. We, the children of God, are not residents of this earth! We are foreigners in a pagan land and we are passing through on our way to eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ; however, we were placed here by God to be a light. To be a witness for Him who loves us and gave Himself for us. To be an example of how to live a pure life in the midst of depravity and death. What are we doing?!?! Have we become so blind and/or so cold-hearted that we do not care about the destruction of those around us and to our own families? We have sat quietly on the sidelines while evil men and women pass laws that eliminate our right to worship and speak freely about our Lord. We vote so that other men/women can "fix" the problems.

Absolutely, we must vote and exercise our God-given right and responsibility, but we have to do more than just cast a vote and then sit back while others try to fix this nation. The children of God must arise "and come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16) We must cry out to the Lord God and allow Him to search our hearts and reveal the hidden sins in our lives. We must do more than just agree that we have sinned, we MUST repent from those sins. Allow the Lord God to cut away those areas of our lives, not matter the cost, and allow Him to purify us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We must live a life that is different than before. God's glory and His grace must be evident in our lives. God's heart is that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), is that our heart today? Do we care about the eternity of those outside our family and/or friend circle? If so, our life should reflect that in every area. We cannot live for ourselves and the satisfaction of self if we truly desire to share Christ with others. People see through hypocrites all the time. If we "talk the talk", we MUST "walk the walk." Even when no one is looking!!!

Reread our focal passage once more. "Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart." (Psalm 119:111) The psalmist loves the Lord God and he has taken the Word of God and the promises of God as his very life force. Because the testimonies of the Lord bring his heart the most pleasure, he seeks it day and night. May we ask ourselves this question…Do the testimonies of the Lord, do His promises and His presence in our lives matter more to us than anything else. If the Lord decided to remove everything from us, our health, our wealth, our spouse, our children, our career, our clothes, our car, our home, our looks, our abilities, our talents, our hopes, our dreams, our desires, would we TRULY be content in Him? Would our hearts cry out praises to Him and to Him alone? Would we sit before His feet and worship with a pure heart and joy in Him alone? "And God is able to make all grace abound to you , so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Your Sister in Christ,
Michelle Jones
October 6, 2008
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