September 14 ~ Psalm 40:9-12
9-10 I've preached you to the whole congregation,
I've kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn't keep the news of your ways
a secret, didn't keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
let the congregation know the whole story.
11-12 Now God, don't hold out on me,
don't hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
I couldn't see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I don’t know about you, but when I go on a trip, I overpack. More times than I can count, I have found myself lugging way to much baggage through an airport like a pack mule. When the trip is over and I repack to go home, I usually look at all I never used and wonder, “WHY did I do this?” We could easily ask the same thing about some of the Spiritual baggage we are carrying.
If you ever needed a scripture passage to confirm that you can ask God for help with ANYTHING, this is it! I think there are three keys to this: 1) You must humble yourself before God. In other words, you have to talk straight. You will not have been perfect, by any means. You may not have always shared God with others, as David did… and certainly you may not have put Him first in your life. But you can still ask for His help, and if you are humble and sincere and really, truly want to hear from God, He will answer you. God’s love IS unconditional. 2) You must wait! God WILL answer, but He will work on His timetable – not ours!
3) There is one more thing I want you to remember. There is nothing – NOTHING – that is so big or so bad or horrible that it will keep God from answering you. Even the most faithful Christian who shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ at every opportunity will have areas of weakness – NONE of us is perfect. But some of us have baggage in our lives that WE feel is so bad – so vile – that God would NEVER want to speak to us again. That is simply NOT TRUE! God is waiting to hear from you! He wants you to fork over the baggage to Him – to admit you need help and cannot do this on your own.
Why is it we want to continue carry our baggage like Spiritual pack mules, when God is waiting to “check” it all and lighten our load. His shoulders are big enough to hold everything we give Him. Let God “lighten YOUR load” today… and remember to give Him praise and tell others of His grace and mercy.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 13 ~ Psalm 40:4-8
4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your backs on the world's "sure thing," ignore what the world worships;
The world's a huge stockpile of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one comes close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know, and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words account for you.
6 Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
that's not what you're after.
Being religious, acting pious— that's not what you're asking for.
You've opened my ears so I can listen.
7-8 So I answered, "I'm coming. I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I'm coming to the party you're throwing for me."
That's when God's Word entered my life, became part of my very being.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever been in a situation where something – or someone – seemed so fascinating, so exciting, so “larger than life” that you just couldn’t put into words a decent description of this person or thing? Maybe it was a big event in your life, and you might have even said, “There are just not words to describe how I feel!” Now, think about God and your relationship to Him. Is your faith so magnificent and amazing that you run out of words to describe it? Shouldn’t this be the case?
God doesn’t want us to be puffed up and “holier than thou.” He doesn’t want a big show… flashy worship… “religious” symbols. It’s okay to wear a cross or put a “fish” on your car. But can you tell others WHY you wear that cross or WHY you have the Jesus bumper sticker? Do you raise your hands in worship because your neighbor does and you want to be cool and fit in, or do your hands seem to instinctively rise as you sing to God? In other words, are you the “real deal” for God? Has He entered your life in such a way that there is absolutely nothing phony about your relationship with Him?
Search your heart and your mind and make sure “your motives are pure.” Be the real deal for Jesus. He has written your name in His Book of Life… bought and paid for with His own blood. He has given you His very best – He deserves nothing less than that in return. If God’s Word has truly entered your life and your very being, then you are invited to the party to end all parties – a life spent with Him. Did you get your “letter?” Will we see you there?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 12 ~ Psalm 40:1-3
1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God.
At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn't slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
At church we sing a song about Jesus taking us “from the miry clay” and setting our feet upon a rock. This Psalm was the inspiration for that song. The King James Version says in Verse 1, “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Hasn’t that been each of us at least one time in our lives? The situation and circumstances are different for each of us. Maybe you have been praying for God to help you come up with the money for college, and little by little, the scholarships trickled in until you had enough to cover your first year, with prospects for more to come.
Maybe you have been waiting for a baby to arrive, and you have been praying that God will keep you and the baby healthy and safe, and the delivery date is almost here, and you are in the “home stretch.” You are believing that God will deliver a healthy child with all ten fingers and toes!
Maybe you or a loved one has suffered a long time with an illness. You know the end is very near, and you are trusting God to see you through – either your own death or the grief of the death of your loved one. You understand that in death, restoration and healing can come, too, as God sets you securely on the rock of His strength and power and helps you through the darkest days. Or maybe you or your loved one is nearing the end of a round of treatments, and restored health is within sight. God will guide you through physical healing, too, and evidence of His miraculous healings is all around us.
Or maybe you have wandered around for a few years now, doing things your own way, and generally screwing it all up pretty soundly. You’ve cried out to God to rescue you, and sure enough, He is doing just that. Maybe you have been praying for God to rescue someone you care about – a family member, a dear friend, a spouse, a co-worker… and you can see that God has heard your prayers, and He is moving in that person’s life.
Regardless of what your situation may be, God hears you. Wait patiently. Don’t give up. Keep pressing and praying and begging and believing. He will lift you out of the squishy, unsteady “clay” of your dilemma and set you firmly upon the rock of His salvation! Let go and “let God” – then praise Him every day for the mighty works He has done – and those He is yet to do!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 11 ~ Psalm 37:18-32
18-19 God keeps track of the decent folk; what they do won't soon be forgotten.
In hard times, they'll hold their heads high;
when the shelves are bare, they'll be full.
20 God-despisers have had it; God's enemies are finished—
Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time, vanished like smoke in thin air.
21-22 Wicked borrows and never returns; Righteous gives and gives.
Generous gets it all in the end; Stingy is cut off at the pass.
23-24 Stalwart walks in step with God; his path blazed by God, he's happy.
If he stumbles, he's not down for long; God has a grip on his hand.
25-26 I once was young, now I'm a graybeard—
not once have I seen an abandoned believer,
or his kids out roaming the streets.
Every day he's out giving and lending, his children making him proud.
27-28 Turn your back on evil, work for the good and don't quit.
God loves this kind of thing, never turns away from his friends.
28-29 Live this way and you've got it made, but bad eggs will be tossed out.
The good get planted on good land and put down healthy roots.
30-31 Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone,
rolls virtue around on his tongue. His heart pumps God's Word like blood through his veins;
his feet are as sure as a cat's.
32-33 Wicked sets a watch for Righteous, he's out for the kill.
God, alert, is also on watch— Wicked won't hurt a hair of his head.
34 Wait passionately for God, don't leave the path.
He'll give you your place in the sun while you watch the wicked lose it.
35-36 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad, croaking pretentious nonsense.
The next time I looked there was nothing—
a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.
37-38 Keep your eye on the healthy soul, scrutinize the straight life;
There's a future in strenuous wholeness.
But the willful will soon be discarded; insolent souls are on a dead-end street.
39-40 The spacious, free life is from God, it's also protected and safe.
God-strengthened, we're delivered from evil—
when we run to him, he saves us.
(Scripture from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I have worked for some great people in my lifetime. I have also worked for some real tyrants. For whatever reason, these people felt like walking all over their employees and degrading them at every turn – and even threatening them - was an effective way to lead. Chalk it up to “good raising” by my parents… or Divine Intervention or an army of angels who protected me… but I kept my dignity and never lashed back at these people. Oh, sure, I wanted to, but I knew that all I would do was create an even bigger mess, and in the end, “good would triumph over evil,” and I would be vindicated (or delivered). In other words, I always did all I could to “take the high road.” I didn’t lie, cheat, or steal to get ahead or “stay in good” with the boss. I wasn’t disrespectful or rude. I did a fairly decent job of keeping my cool – at least in public. I tried to do my job with as much decency and dedication as I possibly could, regardless of the way I was treated. And once or twice, when I had an opportunity, I took it and moved on to another position.
I wish I could say that I my “running to God” for help was always conscious and deliberate, confident that He would deliver me and strengthen me. Honestly, when I was a young adult, it was probably more an act of desperation. I ran to God, alright, but it was more like a last-ditch, “Lord, you gotta help me!” than a consistent and constant prayer life. But that is not the case these days… and frankly, I might not have even gotten into some of these jobs or situations if I had given the decision more prayer on the front end.
The good news for you is that YOU have a chance to start off on the right foot. If you feel you must accept a position, or stay in one, where your supervisor or boss or co-worker or teacher is a tyrant, you know what to do. Give this situation to God. Ask Him to protect you and to strengthen you. Ask Him to shield you from insults and difficult situations. Let God use us as an agent of change, perhaps… or at least as an example of “good folk” He keeps track of and rewards.
If you are doing what you know God wants you to do and staying close to Him, nothing or no one can truly hurt you or cause you to fail. Remember that, and remember that God will bless those who please Him – He “never turns His back on His friends!” Run to God, but not as a last-ditch effort. Stay close to Him and be patient. He will give you “a place in the sun,” and you will be greatly blessed.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 10 ~ Psalm 37:1-17
1-2 Don't bother your head with braggarts
or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
In no time they'll shrivel like grass clippings
and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.
3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
settle down and stick to your last.
Keep company with God, get in on the best.
5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
he'll do whatever needs to be done:
He'll validate your life in the clear light of day
and stamp you with approval at high noon.
7 Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him.
Don't bother with those who climb the ladder,
who elbow their way to the top.
8-9 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
God-investors will soon own the store.
10-11 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
you'll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
relishing a huge bonanza.
12-13 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
obsessed with doing them in.
But God isn't losing any sleep; to him
they're a joke with no punch line.
14-15 Bullies brandish their swords,
pull back on their bows with a flourish.
They're out to beat up on the harmless,
or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
slapstick figures in a moral circus.
16-17 Less is more and more is less.
One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
For the wicked are moral weaklings
but the righteous are God-strong.
(Scripture from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
We have all been there… something or someone frustrates us so badly we think we might explode! Your mom plans a family dinner, and the coach calls extra practices for that very hour. You get all of your classes set for the semester, and then the very one you need to fulfill your requirements gets dropped the first week of the semester. Someone says or does something that embarrasses or disappoints us in front of our friends, family members, colleagues or fellow church members, and we feel our blood begin to boil.
Because I seem to idle in “high gear,” I find myself easily frustrated. I know better, but that just seems to be my nature. I am learning to do all I can to sit back, be patient, and “cool my pipes” as it says in Verse 8, so that I do not say or do something that I will regret later. I don’t know about you, but this Psalm gives me a lot of comfort. First of all, some frustrating people and situations are not wicked or evil or meant for our harm or displeasure. Sometimes life just happens.
But when Satan uses something or someone to frustrate us, we should remember the words of this Psalm. We should take heart that God finds these people and situations to be a “joke with no punch line.” Isn’t that cool?! Recently, I was frustrated by a particular situation. I was really frustrated… and upset! I felt I needed to address it in some manner, but I just couldn’t figure out how – every idea that came to me had flaws. And then, as clearly as day, it came to me that what I needed to do was to pray. I needed to pray for the situation and those involved who had frustrated me… and that was ALL I needed to do! God would handle the rest. Just as in Verse 5, I needed to “Open up before God, keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done.”
Do you understand what rich and powerful advice this is? WE don’t need to do anything in so many situations. We need to give them to God and let HIM handle them… trusting that He will do just that! In the King James Version, Verse 4 says “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Stick close to God, and He will give you His best! It is such a relief that I don’t have to handle these things. It is so wonderful to hand them off to God and know that He will know exactly what to do… and He will bless me to boot!
We’re all going to have frustrations. The question is, “how will we handle them?” I don’t know about you, but I’m going to lay them before God in prayer and let Him do the rest.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 9 ~ Psalm 34:11-22
11 Who out there has a lust for life?
Can't wait each day to come upon beauty?
13 Guard your tongue from profanity,
and no more lying through your teeth.
14 Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don't let it get away!
15 God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.
16 God won't put up with rebels;
he'll cull them from the pack.
17 Is anyone crying for help? God is listening,
ready to rescue you.
18 If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there;
if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath.
19 Disciples so often get into trouble;
still, God is there every time.
20 He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone;
not even a finger gets broken.
21 The wicked commit slow suicide;
they waste their lives hating the good.
22 God pays for each slave's freedom;
no one who runs to him loses out.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
When you were a kid, did you ever fall so hard that you “knocked the breath out of you?” For a brief second or two, you felt like you would never breathe again, didn’t you? And then your breath returned, and you gasped and coughed and sputtered, but you were okay.
That’s how it is with our Spiritual lives. Often we fall – or falter – and for a time, it seems as if our breath is gone. We wander aimlessly, sometimes with a seemingly broken heart or spirit, and sometimes we cry out to God for help.
This is a really comforting Psalm. God IS listening. God IS right there to help us catch our breath when life (or Satan) kicks us in the gut. God IS protecting us from even as much as a broken finger. Our “heartaches” in this life are never permanent. God will restore us – give us a “lust for life!”
What is holding you back? What is keeping you from giving yourself wholly and completely to this amazing God of the Universe Who loves us so incredibly? No one who runs to Him loses out… so what are you waiting for?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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September 8 ~ Psalm 34:1-10
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Many of you are just beginning your college life. You are stepping out into the world, somewhat on your own, for probably the first time. I remember those days. Even though I left home for marriage, I could finally make my own decisions (along with my husband, of course). I could decide what to eat and when… where to go, who to “hang” with, and whether or not to go to church. Like many young adults, I was incredibly self-centered. My focus was on ME – MY college degree… MY husband… MY happiness... MY entertainment… MY future.
In my early adulthood, life was good. My husband and I both got college degrees, good jobs, and I even earned my Master’s degree, which meant a little bigger paycheck. We “traded up” from a mobile home to a duplex to a home of our own – and eventually a brand new house with a pool. We drove nice cars. We had season tickets to the in-state Razorback games – football AND basketball. We were there the lights went out in Barnhill Arena and for the first game in Bud Walton Arena. We went to bowl games and tailgate parties and pep rallies, and we rearranged our schedules at the drop of a hat to do whatever we wanted to do. And all along, we assumed that God would meet our needs and care for us… and we called on Him – when “the chips were down.”
What I didn’t do in those early years was put God first like I should. Sundays were “lay-around” days for sleeping late, doing laundry, reading the paper, and cooking a big breakfast. Bible study was reserved for times when I needed a scripture to help me with a problem or to answer a question. I prayed when I needed help or wanted something… someone was sick or in trouble, I wanted to pass an exam, or I needed an answer to a problem.
I don’t know HOW my life would have been different in my 20’s and 30’s, but I know it would have been different. Had my focus been to put God first in everything rather than farther down the list, I might have been more confident. I might have been kinder and more considerate of others, and I might have handled stressful situations more easily. I know we cannot change the past. I know there is nothing wrong with spending time and energy on my husband, my home, my career, or even the Razorbacks! But now I see that God MUST come first, and everything else falls into place.
Regardless of your stage in life, I hope you will take a look at your priorities and your focus and see where God is on your list. If He isn’t at the “number 1” position, it may be time for an overhaul. Bump God to the front of the line and “lack for no good thing!”
©2008 Debbie Robus
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