Ordered by the Lord
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
Year: 2024
New Every Morning
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Love
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
With all Your Heart
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will 1. Call me and 2. come and 3.pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13
- Prosper
- Hope
- Future
- Call
- Come
- Pray
***With all your heart***
Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21
Behind the Fine
Cast all your anxiety (care) on him because he cares for you. NIV & NKJV
Things aren’t always what they seem. Last year we took a late season trip to Isle of Palms. Early in the week, we found out a hurricane was expected to hit in the Atlantic, but that it should downgrade to a tropical storm by the time it reached us. After much discussion and advice from seasoned locals, my husband and I both felt it ok to go about our week and not concern ourselves with what was obviously going to be a weakened storm system. It would only affect one day of our trip. Sure enough, we got one day of rain and life went on as usual.
When we took a walk after the storm, we saw a few small stretches of flooding and a few downed branches. While we were walking, we noticed a TV camera crew who found an old, abandoned parking lot. This parking lot had been abandoned the whole time we were there. The crew filmed this old lot and reported that everyone had left the area. It was not at all close to the reality of what was happening. The old, abandoned parking lot gave the appearance of a deserted vacation destination.
Things aren’t always what they appear. We must sometimes do our homework to separate fact from fiction. Even in our own lives, it’s easy to put on appearances. We get good at masking our reality, so people see what we want them to see while we’re out in public, and the video camera is running. Unlike the sensational news media, we want people to see the perfect side of us.
When we bump into friends at the grocery store, work, or church, and they ask how everything is going, what’s our conditioned response? “Everything is fine.”
After all, they really don’t want to hear, and we don’t want to burden them.
The reality, though, is everything isn’t fine. You’re stressed at your job, your marriage is in trouble, or you or someone you love is dealing with addiction.
You may even be dealing with grief, depression, rejection & hurt.
What’s behind your “fine”? God sees your reality. He sees what’s behind appearances. He sees the imperfection and He loves you and wants to help. He can’t help, though, if we don’t let him.
I’m reminded of lyrics from an old song… “I will cast all of my cares upon You. I will lay all of my burdens down at your feet.” Isn’t it time you do just that? God knows what’s behind the “fine.”
How will you devote 2day?
Cast all your anxiety (care) on him because he cares for you. NIV & NKJV
Meaningless
So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And this was my reward from all my labor.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun. -Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 NKJV
I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun. -Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 NIV
So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. -Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 NLT
Beautiful
God has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
At All
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
He is Good
Praise the Lord!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
1. Who forgives all your iniquities,
2.Who heals all your diseases,
3. Who redeems your life from destruction,
4. Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5. Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
6. So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Protection
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Satisfaction Guaranteed
With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:16
“Satisfaction guaranteed.” We’ve all heard this when buying a product or service. In fact, if advertisers want to add validation & credibility to a product or service, they will use the word “guaranteed.” We’ve all heard, “guaranteed or your money back.” , “fully satisfied or your money back” or “100% satisfaction guaranteed.”
I love knowing God will satisfy us with long life. It reminds me of being really hungry before sitting down to eat. After eating I’m so full that I push myself away from the table because I couldn’t possibly eat another bite. I become fully satisfied.
God’s word is full of satisfaction guarantees.
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:9)
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. (Psalm 63:5)
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple. (Psalm 65:4)
Who (God)satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:5)
Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not parish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) If that’s not a guarantee, I don’t know what is.
I’m reminded of the words to an old hymn…
All my life long I have panted
for a drink from some cool spring
That I hoped could quench the burning
of the thirst I felt within
Hallelujah I have found Him
whom my soul so long has craved
Jesus satisfies my longing
through His blood I now am saved