March 31 ~ Psalm 138:7-8
When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil.
With one hand strike my foes,
With your other hand save me.
Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now.
(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 finally entered the world of Facebook a few weeks ago. Many of you are my “friends” there, and I appreciate that you are willing to allow me into your “circle!” Often on the Facebook “Wall” someone will write something like “Bill Jones… is worried” or “Sue Smith… wonders why life comes at you so fast” or something similar. Now, I understand that I am not seeing the whole conversation in many instances… so I have no clue what the real need is – or even the full intent of the statement. But I know that GOD knows what is troubling you, or what caused you to write such a statement. So I just stop and pray that whatever is happening, He will “walk into the thick of trouble” with you and help you through the turmoil.
I honestly believe that God can use something like Facebook to watch over His children and care for them. I believe that He can strike your enemies with one hand and save you with the other. I also believe that God is not through with any of us yet, and He will never, ever quit on our behalf.
So the next time you find yourself in the thick of trouble or “angry turmoil” – the next time you wonder how things are going to work out or why so much is happening to you or what it all means, remember Psalm 138. God WILL strike your enemies and save you… He will finish what He started. God’s love is eternal… and He NEVER quits. And your “Facebook friend” is praying for you!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 30 ~ Psalm 73:24
I'm still in your presence,
but you've taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.
(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.)
In a few short weeks, some of you will be graduating. Others will be getting married, getting out of the military, and/or starting a new job. Some of you have new babies… or a baby on the way! In all instances, you have been on a journey toward this end. And you have had a great deal of influence along the way – teachers and your own studies and experiences, family and friends, doctors and childbirth coaches, drill sergeants and other officers… and all of these people and experiences have led you to this moment.
But more importantly, GOD has led you… and He continues on, even after the big event comes and goes. God is leading us and keeping us close, holding our hand, and preparing us for the greatest milestone of all… heaven in His presence!
In the events of our lives, there tends to be a little bit of a “been there, done that – now what?” feeling. Just remember, the biggest, most exciting event is yet to come! Everything we do now is just a “warm-up” act – an appetizer – before the big feast! God leads us by the hand, through thick and thin, and then He blesses us and gives us Heaven!The expanded passage from Psalm 73 reveals more about how God operates – how He cares for us and blesses us. I leave you with these verses today… and remind you that I’ve made Lord GOD my home… have you?
When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence.
I'm still in your presence, but you've taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.
You're all I want in heaven! You're all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
But I'm in the very presence of God — oh, how refreshing it is!
I've made Lord God my home.
God, I'm telling the world what you do!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 29 ~ Psalm 37:27-29
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.
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.
(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 if this has ever happened to you, but once in awhile, I’ll get home from the store with a carton of eggs, and one will be broken. I check the eggs in the store when I select my carton, but sometimes I don’t see a crack underneath – or maybe they get a little rough handling when checked and sacked. Regardless of how this happens, I feel I must toss out the bad egg. It’s not worth the risk of contracting salmonella or e-Coli over one egg.
In life, “bad eggs” are some of Satan’s favorites. The come in the form of people who quit on God (or never serve Him in the first place) … evil in all forms… misdeeds and sins, and those would rather serve themselves than others. And ultimately, the “bad eggs” will have to be tossed out. There will be no bad eggs in Heaven!
We have a huge opportunity to put down healthy roots and plant on good land. God is calling us to turn our backs on evil and be keep on “keepin’ on” for His glory. He has promised that to do this will assure us a place in Heaven – we really will have it made. I want this, don’t you? I can’t think of anything I’d rather be than a “good egg” for God. What about you? Are you a good egg? Or are you a little cracked? Turn your back on evil – work for the good and don’t quit! Be a “good egg” for God, and secure His friendship forever.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 28 ~ Psalms 37:23-24
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.
(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.)
Probably few among us can say we have never climbed Sugar Loaf Mountain. Many of us know the path to the top almost by heart. It has been well worn through the ages by the hundreds of people who have hiked along it. My brother and his friend used to ride their horses up as far as they could and then tether them to a tree to while they climbed the rocks to the crest of the mountain. And the rocks – we all know that “Fat Man’s Squeeze” is the right place to climb up between the boulders! The last time I was there, those rocks were rubbed slick from the traffic of shoes and boots worn by countless climbers.
Sugar Loaf is not a place to go by yourself. You are sure to need a hand – and a steady grip – to help you navigate those last few feet to the very top of the rock formations. It’s easy to stumble a little… to lose your footing on those slick rock crevices… and the sure grip or support of a friend will definitely be welcome. And do you remember how great it feels to finally be at the top, looking out across the river valley and feeling the breeze across your face? It’s as if you could almost reach out and touch heaven – or at least hear God whisper your name!
This passage made me think of climbing Sugar Loaf with family and friends. I was reminded that God not only provides us with a well-worn path for life – he BLAZED it with the likes of Moses, Abraham, Peter, Paul, John, and Jesus! His hand is steady and sure - gripping ours… supporting us when we start to slip or stumble. When we invite God to walk along with us, we are able to climb any mountain… and to reach the pinnacle and celebrate with Him at the top. And ultimately, we will get to sit and bask in His glory for all Eternity!
Climbing Sugar Loaf is a really fun activity – and something of a rite of passage for many who live in or visit our area. But climbing Sugar Loaf with others doesn’t truly have any eternal value. Walking with God each day does! When you have a “mountain” to climb, do you ask God to walk with you? Are you counting on His steady hand to grip yours? With God, we can scale the top of many mountains and celebrate the victory He gave us. Without Him, we may be forever stuck in “Fat Man’s Squeeze”… only getting a glimpse of how things could have been. I don’t want to be stuck at the base of the rocks, like my brother’s horse. I want to make it all the way – to receive the full glory of what awaits at the top… to feel the gentle breeze of God's presence beside me... don’t you?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 27 ~ Job 17:9
"But principled people hold tight, keep a firm grip on life,
sure that their clean, pure hands will get stronger and stronger!
(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.)
Do the right thing. That’s what this scripture tells us in a nutshell. How do you know just what “the right thing” is? Every day, we make choices. All day long, we decide… what to eat, what to wear, how we will spend our day, who we will talk with, where we will go… and more. We decide whether to follow the speed limit or to “fudge” a little. We decide whether to share a juicy tidbit of gossip or opt to ignore it. We decide whether to watch TV or read our Bible.
Some of our choices may not seem all that important in the scheme of things, but faithfulness to God means we will “do the right thing” in even the seemingly insignificant matters of our day.So here is our challenge… to do the right thing in ALL things… great and small. Those who keep a firm grip on this… and keep their hands clean and their choices pure… grow stronger and stronger. Be strong for Jesus – be principled and hold tight. Strengthen your resolve that in all things, you will do the right thing.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 26 ~ 1 Chronicles 16:11
God-seekers, be jubilant!
Study God and his strength,
seek his presence day and night;
Remember all the wonders he performed,
the miracles and judgments that came out of his mouth.
(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.)
A friend and I were talking recently about how we used to think that being a Christian would take away all of our fun and our joy, when the truth is that living life as a Christian is exactly the opposite! God-seekers truly ARE jubilant!
In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren says that we will know we are maturing in our walk with God when we can see His hand in the “random, baffling and often pointless circumstances of life.” How do we get to this point? In part we reach this maturity by seeking God’s presence day and night – by remembering the wonders and miracles He performed that are recorded in Scripture… and by paying attention to the judgments He spoke on many.
I don’t think there is any among us who doesn’t need to step up our efforts in seeking God’s presence day and night. I can’t think of a better time to start than today - in the middle of Lent - as we focus on Jesus and the Cross, His death and resurrection. Now IS the time for us to seek Him – and to be jubilant! It’s time to get busy – we’ve all got work to do!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 25 ~ Revelation 22:11
The Angel continued, "Don't seal the words of the prophecy of this book; don't put it away on the shelf. Time is just about up. Let evildoers do their worst and the dirty-minded go all out in pollution, but let the righteous maintain a straight course and the holy continue on in holiness."
(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.)
With the advent of devices like the Amazon.com Kindle, some feel that in the next generation, books as we know them will be obsolete. I find it hard to envision shopping in antique stores for the classics someday – not because they are the CLASSICS, but because by the nature of being a book, they are a relic of the past. I absolutely LOVE books, and if you saw my shelves, you would believe me.
Sadly, I have not read every book on my shelves – yet! Some I have read more than once, and my Bibles, I read often.I have several Bibles… different translations, some with commentaries. Some were gifts. Others I purchased. Still others I acquired at estate sales and auctions. I may not read ALL of them… but I do read Scripture every day… and many days, I read passages directly from one of my many Bibles.
This scripture in Revelation is clear – our Bibles are NOT to gather dust on the shelf! We are not to give ourselves any room to wander off course or let our guard down and allow Satan to slip into our lives. And reading our Bible often will help to ensure that this doesn’t happen! Don’t get confused… reading the Bible is not the ONLY thing we need to be doing on a regular basis to maintain a straight course toward holiness. But it’s a start.So when was the last time you dusted off your Bible and opened it?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 24 ~ Revelation 21:6-8
Then he said, "It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I'll be God to them, they'll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest - the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars - for them it's Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!"
(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 grew up hearing the “fire and brimstone” sermons – “Do this or that, and you will go to hell!” – so a large part of my faith was based on fear… I loved Jesus and served the Lord because to do otherwise meant burning forever in the Lake of Fire! Thankfully, I came to understand that serving God and being a Christian is based in LOVE, not in fear and punishment. Serving God and loving Jesus means that He gives FREELY to me… that I am a conqueror over sin. Even better, I am God’s daughter…His chosen, beloved child. He LOVES me… and all He wants from me in return is MY love.
How hard is it to love Someone who has given EVERYTHING for you? How hard is it to serve God when you realize that He sacrificed His only Son – allowed Jesus to be tortured and ridiculed and crucified – just so that WE could belong to Him? How can we turn our backs on the One who wants to give us so much… secret names, hidden manna and rewards… a seat at His banquet table… mansions… even a CROWN?! How can we not serve a God who sends His Holy Spirit to be our constant companion and to endure every second of every day with us? No one else will EVER love us like this! It isn’t possible.
I don’t want to end up in the Lake of Fire… but more importantly, I don’t want to miss the continual party of Heaven! I don’t want to follow the devil… but more than that, I don’t want to miss out on having the Holy Spirit with me in this earth. The daily struggles and challenges of this life are hard enough without trying to dabble in sin at the same time, much less “go it alone” without the Holy Spirit. If you are trying to carry the devil’s baggage, I encourage you to lighten your load… give your burdens and cares to Jesus, Who is more than able to handle them, and become a conqueror. Assure yourself of the free gift of the Water of Life and a Heavenly Father who loves you!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 23 ~ Revelation 16:15
"Keep watch! I come unannounced, like a thief. You're blessed if, awake and dressed, you're ready for me. Too bad if you're found running through the streets, naked and ashamed."
(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 my brother was dying, I sat with him for a couple of nights, spending time with him… talking and singing to him… and just watching him sleep. I tried to stay alert in case he needed something… and the first night, I stayed dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. The second night, my sister joined us, and I decided I would put on pajamas and try to get some sleep. But sleep wouldn’t come, and I soon found myself dressing again… just in case. I didn’t want to be in my pajamas if my brother died. Shortly before he passed away, I woke my parents and told them to “get dressed” because I felt the end was near.
We didn’t know when, exactly, my brother would die. But we wanted to be ready. I’ve been called in the middle of the night or very early in the morning to meet a relative or friend at the Emergency Room, and I am always embarrassed by my disheveled appearance, understandable though it may be. And anytime someone knocks on our door and we are less than presentable, aren’t we embarrassed, or even ashamed of how we look or maybe how our home looks?
So we know what it is like to get caught unaware or unprepared – at least on an earthly level. Now imagine if Jesus returns and we are not spiritually dressed. Imagine if we are caught cloaked in the pajamas and the dishevelment of sin instead of the orderliness and covering of faithfulness and living for Jesus. We might as well be naked, for all the shame – and worse – that we will experience. As Christians, we must always be “dressed and ready.” Our “house” must always be in order. We don’t know when Jesus will return… but the hour and day should not matter if we are living for Him already. So what are you wearing these days?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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March 22 ~ Revelation 14:12
Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God's commands, staying faithful to Jesus.
(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.)
You are in the check-out line at Wal-Mart, self-checking your groceries. The register is not cooperating and keeps giving you commands… “Please place your items in the bagging area,” or “Please wait for assistance,” or “Approval needed.” Standing behind you, impatiently shifting from one foot to another, are several other customers. They are in a hurry, as we all have been from time to time. But this particular day, the person directly behind you is acting as if he/she will NEVER get a turn. You feel your blood pressure rise a little – along with your stress level – as you experience the sideways glances of those behind you in line - and that Associate seems to be ignoring your need for help!
I’ve been on both sides of this situation, although I hope I’ve never given anyone unpleasant glances or really shown that much agitation. But I have felt impatient as I waited for the person ahead of me to hurry and finish their business and move out of my way. And I am trying to do better. I have concluded that even in the small things, like exhibiting patience in a check-out line, we honor God.
God wants us to be patient as we wait for Christ’s return. God wants us to be faithful in everything – to exhibit patience as we wait upon HIS timing in our lives. He wants us to show patience and calm to others… a demeanor that says, “I can handle ANYTHING, because the Holy Spirit is always with me. I am operating in the promises of God, keeping His commands, and staying faithful to my Jesus.” And really… if we kept this as a mantra, wouldn’t the everyday stresses of the world seem at least a little bit trivial? Wouldn’t it seem just a little silly to be impatient in a grocery check-out line – or waiting at the stoplight – or even as we wait for a friend or family member to get ready to go somewhere or for an event to get underway? The saints stand passionately patient, keeping God’s commands, and staying faithful to Jesus. What about you?
©2009 Debbie Robus
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