This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Wise and Wonderful One,
You are an amazing word artist. Your illustrations are quite clear. I see a crossroad with two distinct choices: I can fear people or I can fear You.
If I choose to depend on my family and friends to make difficult decisions, and carry me through my dilemmas, I'll be dry and lifeless like a stunted shrub in the desert. Impoverished and spiritually weak, I won't have any strength to be productive. My hard work will be in vain and my blessing basket will be empty.
However, if I choose to rely on You, the Divine Gardener, I will flourish like a lush green tree planted by a gaily flowing spring of fresh water. Spending time in Your Word, my Bible, will nourish and strengthen me. When I allow others who are rooted in You to be my support system, I won't bend and break under the pressure of problems. Drawing deep into the steady Source of Living Water, Your Spirit flowing in and through me, I'll be exceptionally fruitful in scorching seasons of intense pain. Not only will I have enough vigor to meet my own needs, but I'll also have energy to meet the needs of others.
Thank You for Your wise instruction. At the crossroads, I want to make the right choice: to follow Your Word and Your wisdom. Please give me a greater desire to dig deeper into Your presence so that I'll take the way of Your will during tough and troubling times. I want to confidently face challenges, believing that You will bless me with peace, protection, and power in Your holy presence for the honor and glory of Your blessed name. Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The more we allow those who ridicule God to affect our thoughts and attitudes, the more we separate ourselves from the Source of nourishment. Delight in spending time in God's Word and develop a support system of people who love the Lord. Then, you will have the strength to stand up under the pressure of difficult people, problems and pain. You will be blessed with the delicious juicy fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Full of the Spirit, your countenance will be happy even when your heart is sad.
Showing posts with label June 14. Show all posts
Showing posts with label June 14. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hosea 14
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. Bring your petitions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you the sacrifice of praise. Assyria cannot save us, nor can our strength in battle. Never again will we call the idols we have made 'our gods.' No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy."
The Lord says, "Then I will heal you of your idolatry and faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever! I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. Its branches will spread out like those of beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedar forests of Lebanon. My people will return again to the safety of their land. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.
"O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who looks after you and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year."
Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those who are discerning listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall along the way.
God of Grace, have mercy on me! Admittedly, I'm conceited and controlling, insisting on having my own way. Thoughtless and inconsiderate, I'm absolutely self-absorbed, self-assured, self-righteous, self-reliant, self-seeking and just plain SELFISH. Demanding my own rights, I'm completely disrespectful and irreverent, denying Your supreme authority over my life. Vigilantly looking for virtues in others, I cease to be virtuous myself. O Lord, how I've disappointed You. Please be gracious, forgive me, and accept my sweet sacrifice of praise.
Heal me of my selfish idolatry and faithlessness. Let Your limitless love fall fresh on me like silver teardrops from heaven. Watered by them, I'll burst up from the dirt of despair like a lovely lily in springtime. My roots will go down deep and I'll stand firm, free and fragrant like a tall cedar in Lebanon. I'll produce many off-shoots and become a sheltering forest where others will find relief from the heat of hell. My beauty will be widespread like that of a hearty, ancient olive tree. I'll grow gracefully like a golden grain of wheat. My vine will be famous for producing fresh, flavorful fruit.
O Lord, my God, You are the everlasting Tree of Life. You protect me and provide for me. Everything I need is found in You. In the shelter of Your presence give me wisdom to fully understand Your generosity and goodness. Carefully listening to Your time-proven, trustworthy teaching, I'll stand firm on Your powerful promises. My heart's desire is to live well by You and grasp all the blessings You bestow on those who walk close beside You. Following You, I will be faithful, fulfilled and fruitful and Your holy name will be glorified. Amen.
Confess your waywardness, asking the God of Grace to forgive and heal you. Then, claim all the powerful promises contained in these verses. Following Him, you will be faithful, fulfilled and fruitful.
The Lord says, "Then I will heal you of your idolatry and faithlessness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever! I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. Its branches will spread out like those of beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedar forests of Lebanon. My people will return again to the safety of their land. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.
"O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who looks after you and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year."
Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those who are discerning listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall along the way.
God of Grace, have mercy on me! Admittedly, I'm conceited and controlling, insisting on having my own way. Thoughtless and inconsiderate, I'm absolutely self-absorbed, self-assured, self-righteous, self-reliant, self-seeking and just plain SELFISH. Demanding my own rights, I'm completely disrespectful and irreverent, denying Your supreme authority over my life. Vigilantly looking for virtues in others, I cease to be virtuous myself. O Lord, how I've disappointed You. Please be gracious, forgive me, and accept my sweet sacrifice of praise.
Heal me of my selfish idolatry and faithlessness. Let Your limitless love fall fresh on me like silver teardrops from heaven. Watered by them, I'll burst up from the dirt of despair like a lovely lily in springtime. My roots will go down deep and I'll stand firm, free and fragrant like a tall cedar in Lebanon. I'll produce many off-shoots and become a sheltering forest where others will find relief from the heat of hell. My beauty will be widespread like that of a hearty, ancient olive tree. I'll grow gracefully like a golden grain of wheat. My vine will be famous for producing fresh, flavorful fruit.
O Lord, my God, You are the everlasting Tree of Life. You protect me and provide for me. Everything I need is found in You. In the shelter of Your presence give me wisdom to fully understand Your generosity and goodness. Carefully listening to Your time-proven, trustworthy teaching, I'll stand firm on Your powerful promises. My heart's desire is to live well by You and grasp all the blessings You bestow on those who walk close beside You. Following You, I will be faithful, fulfilled and fruitful and Your holy name will be glorified. Amen.
Confess your waywardness, asking the God of Grace to forgive and heal you. Then, claim all the powerful promises contained in these verses. Following Him, you will be faithful, fulfilled and fruitful.
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