1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, I’ve learned to find the smallest of blessings in the things that God provides for us each and every day. One wouldn’t think that gourds are a blessing but I do. As you look at this photograph, look at the beautiful colors! As Summer comes to an end, we see the Fall foliage and crops pop with their exquisite beauty! I pray this 30-day devotional (written in 2007) will help you to concentrate on God’s creation and see how we can learn about Him through it all.
Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. (Psa 77:14)
Being saved is having a personal relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. To many, this is not understandable – they are merely words. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. So much so, He has written all about it across the pages of His love letters to us in His Word.
I wondered how many times I would find the phrase, “The Lord is my” in the Bible. To my delight, I discovered that it was used eight different ways. How appropriate is that? Eight is the number of “new beginnings” – how wonderful that our new beginning as born-again Christians is reflected in our personal relationship with Christ! My Pastor stated that everlasting life does not begin at the moment we die and leave this physical body. Everlasting life begins at the moment we are born again. We merely exchange our earthly bodies for a heavenly body at the time of death. This new beginning at the time of salvation had new meaning to me as I meditated on what he preached.
As born-again believers, were are adopted into the family of God and now worship a personal God.
(1) God is my Strength:
(Exo 15:2) The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
(Psa 28:7) The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
(Psa 118:14) The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
There have been so many times in my walk (as I am sure in yours) where I felt as though I could not go on one more minute in my own strength. I felt so weak and discouraged. It is at these times of depression that God ministered to me. It was as if He had sat down beside me and placed His strong arm around me to say He was right there and He would take care of everything. I have relied on the Lord’s strength many times. I think of my dear sick friend who battles daily with her physical trials. She battles depression because of it. This friend needs the strength of her God. It reminds me of: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Co 12:9)
(2) God is my Rock:
And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; (2 Sa 22:2)
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psa 18:2)
And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4)
When we build our spiritual foundation upon the Rock, Jesus Christ, we are able to claim these verses, my friend! When you look at today’s picture, can you imagine this mountain falling apart? I can’t, but I know it is possible. The Lord chose a rock to depict His strength, His stability, His power and might. We can run to this Rock and be protected. There are times when nothing else can do what God can do for us. He knows our frailties, He knows our weaknesses and He pities us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. (Psa 103:13) He wants us to be able to run to Him and hide in Him. He is not like the rocks of earth which may crumble and fall. His strength is permanent and unwavering. My favorite times in the Word have been those where I have desperately needed a miracle and hid myself in His Word. The miracle I received was not the one I wanted but it was the spiritual one I needed from the Rock of Ages.
(3) He is my Shepherd:
[A Psalm of David.] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psa 23:1)
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (Joh 10:14)
In my devotional, The Nine Cares of a Shepherd, the Word taught me just how thoroughly Christ takes care of me. Christ knows His sheep – He knows us by name and each part of us (even down to the number of hairs on our head)! Does this not touch you at the very core of your heart? God, the Creator, knows you by name! Praise His Holy Name! He will guide you, care for you, protect you and love you!
(4) He is my Light:
[A Psalm of David.] The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psa 27:1)
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (Joh 8:12)
When we are saved, God gives us the ability to read and understand His Word. We are no longer stumbling in the dark but we have a new spiritual light within us called the Holy Spirit. He illuminates His Word and reveals to us what He intended for us to learn. Each day the Word is fresh and new. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12) It is here that we will see the light of God. He reveals His will to us within the pages of our Bible. The believer who does not spend time in the Word is walking in spiritual darkness and will stumble. The Lord promises to light our way so that we don’t have to stumble. When we do, it is because of our unfaithfulness, not God’s. NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psa 119:105) and But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (Pro 4:18) God is light and promises to shed light on our way so we are not in darkness.
(5) He is my Defence:
But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. (Psa 94:22)
He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. (Psa 62:6)
Noah Webster defines defence as:
1. To drive from; to thrust back; hence, to deny; to repel a demand, charge, or accusation; to oppose; to resist; the effect of which is to maintain ones own claims.
God stands ready to oppose all our enemies, including ole slew foot himself. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31)
(6) He is my Portion:
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (Lam 3:24)
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. (Psa 73:26)
We have just as much of the Holy Spirit at the time we are saved that we are ever going to get. The key is are we yielded to Him? We grow in Christ and become more like Him because of our yieldedness to the work of the Spirit in our lives. He is our portion – our flesh will fail us but the Holy Spirit is our strength to overcome trial and temptation. He is always with us. Once we are born again, we receive the Holy Spirit of God and the Word says that we are sealed unto the day of redemption. Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2 Co 1:22) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Eph 4:30) That’s a promise! What a portion of God we have!
(7)He is my God:
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. (Zec 13:9)
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. (Joh 20:28)
Can the unsaved claim this verse? How can they personalize their god in this way? They cannot. How can a statue of Buddha be personalized? I have never heard or read of a muslim saying that Allah was a personal god to him. But our God meets our needs in a very intimate and personal way. He knows our every need. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (Mat 6:32)
(8) He is my Helper:
Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me. (Psa 86:17)
(Heb 13:6) So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. God is our helper, my friend. Many times I have found myself in a situation that I just can’t fix. I’m going through a trial such as this at the moment. [To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.] God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psa 46:1) Am I in trouble? No, but my trial is one that I personally cannot fix. There is nothing that I can humanly do which will solve this problem. Can God? Absolutely! I have seen the Lord come to my rescue time and time again. I can rest on my past experiences because He has been faithful in helping me. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Heb 10:23)
I will not waver – I refuse to waver in this area of faith because my God is personal. My personal God is my Strength, my Rock, my Shepherd, my Light, my Defence, my Portion, my God and my Helper! What have I to fear? Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (Deu 31:6)
Dear God…
You are our Abba, Father
You know our every need
There is not one thing hidden
To You we humbly plead.
Deu. 33:13-14, And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, (13) And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, (14) As the sun provides radiant heat during the day for earth’s precious fruit, the moon provides needful moisture in the night to nourish these precious fruit. God’s own Goodness provides His creation a nightly drink! God goes one step further and gives us the dew, (sparkling like diamonds in the morning sun) to behold just because He can! Our Father paints a picture for us so beautiful, so intricate, so delicate! Ps. 139:14, “Marvellous are thy works.”
The moon’s light is viewed in many ways, isn’t it? Couples view its romantic aspect – Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, (Son 6:10a). Meteorologists and farmers watch it for seasons – He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. (Psa 104:19). While the child of God sees God’s handiwork – When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; (Psa 8:3) God created the moon for our enjoyment – for us to gaze upon, to draw us closer to Him. Surely one cannot look at a lake with the moon’s light reflecting upon it and not be drawn closer to the Creator! Be still, and know that I am God: (Psa 46:10a)
Mankind attributes the wonders of the skies to science, but God will be exalted in the end – the truth will be revealed to all. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isa 2:11) Remember when Joshua asked God to make the sun still? God did cause the sun to be still but little do we hear that the moon was also made still. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. (Josh 10:13a) I never noticed that before – God’s Word always has something in there to take notice!
One day, these lights will be gone – their purpose no longer needed. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. (Isa 60:20) We will no longer need the lights in the skies because God will be all the light we need. I can’t even imagine this in my finite little mind! For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (Isa 55:8 ) But God says it will be so and, therefore, it will be so. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (Rev 21:23)
A lunar eclipse is a phenomenon that is beautiful to witness, isn’t it? I’ve seen a few in my life time and each time I’m filled with wonder. Prior to salvation, I viewed it as a scientific wonder. But after salvation, I could not help but see God in it – beholding His wonder!
Brother Jerry Bouey brought out this topic even further for me. He shared some notes that he had written in his Bible next to Matthew chapter 5. What a blessing!
“Like the moon reflects the light of the sun – we are to reflect the light of the Son of God, the Sun of Righteousness.
When the world comes between the sun and the moon, it creates an eclipse (darkness) and the sun’s light is not reflected. Even so, the world (worldliness) coming between us and Christ causes His light not to be reflected through us because there is spiritual darkness in our lives. Also, the moon (our flesh) coming between us and the sun (the Son) creates an eclipse.”
Amen, Brother Jerry! We can see God’s Goodness throughout His Word and throughout all of His creation!
Lastly, I thought it appropriate to end today’s topic with one of Noah Webster’s definition of the word eclipse, “All the posterity of our first parents suffered a perpetual eclipse of spiritual life.” What a wonderful use of God’s handiwork in the sky to reveal the spiritual condition of mankind!
Dear God…
Your hand has placed a lovely moon
On Your canvass in the sky
As Your children look up below
Your Name do they glorify
