Weekly Spiritual Meditations - February 3

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He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

Like tasting and trying a great new food, when we taste the goodness of God we find a love and grace that satisfies and nourishes. It can exceed our imagination and remind us of our heart’s deepest longing. God is rich in goodness and in steadfast love.

When we make room in our days for scripture reading and prayer, then our spirits can be strengthened with treasure from the Bible. God’s wisdom and guidance will help us in our relationships and in our service to God and God’s people.

We are never too old to proclaim God’s goodness and love.

Today let's show God’s love to someone who seems unlovable.

Sometimes we need to be recharged. Even the strongest of saints needs encouragement. We get caught up in life’s challenges and stress. Our souls become troubled. That’s when we can turn to God for encouragement and strength. Perhaps God speaks to us through a kind word from a friend or maybe God recharges our hearts through prayer and Bible study. When life feels draining and the next step is a mystery, we can seek the recharging power of a God whose love for us is immeasurable and unending. When life depletes us, God can recharge our spirits.

Thank God for what you have & trust God for what you need.

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A little girl, on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me."
The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?"
The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?"
"Yes, that's true," the mother replied.
"He also said that God lives within us. Is that true, too?"
Again the mother replied, "Yes."
"Well," said the girl. "if God is bigger than us and He lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"
I like that little girl's way of putting it. If God lives in us, then there's no way of keeping Him from "showing through." That's the essence of Christian living - living in such a way that people around will see God in our lives.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).
Is God showing through in YOUR life? -- Author Unknown

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KINGDOM-MINDED Author Unknown
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said that it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful that it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. The essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall.
Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come.

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Waiting by Karl Csaszar
Genesis 8:10-12 – And [Noah] waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. (NKJV)
Life is all about waiting: waiting for people, waiting for an appointment, waiting in traffic, or waiting in line. Well, you get the idea.
These days, people are waiting for spring.
When we were kids, we had to wait to get to our summer vacation spot. I remember how many times, as children, we'd emote from the back seat of the family car, "Are we there yet?" It is hard to wait when you're in kindergarten.
Do you remember having to wait until you were old enough to have a bicycle? I do. It was a manual pedal bike, as opposed to the multi-speed roadsters and mountain bikes.
Then of course, we all had to wait to be old enough to drive a car. Do you remember waiting to graduate, or waiting for your name to be called so you could march with fellow diploma recipients to the platform?
Do you remember waiting to save for a down payment on your first house? How about waiting for the first-born child?
Waiting is not learned all at once. I dare say that it takes a lifetime to learn how to wait.
There are some tricks that I've learned about how to wait — how to put in the time. I would share some of them with you, but you'll just have to … wait.
As followers of Jesus, we also need to learn to wait. Isn't it interesting that God, Who is outside of time and space, wants to teach us about the value of waiting!
Noah had to wait while floating apparently aimlessly about. But he undoubtedly learned how to wait: He learned to trust in God's timing.
Hope springs eternal while we wait. Waiting fixes our focus on hope. As we get older, life teaches us that there is wisdom in waiting. This is especially true as we wait for God's good time.
Let's all practice this bit of wisdom and precious advice that the psalmist offers us:
Psalm 25:5 – Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. (NKJV)
Prayer: Dear Lord and Father, with each new day, [NAME] and I learn the wisdom of waiting. As we wait, may we be filled with Your calming peace which we sense as we hope in You and Your sovereignty. We patiently wait and pray that Your will be done and Your kingdom come. Amen.

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The Song In The Silence by Scott Williams
Have you ever found yourself listening to something — maybe you've heard it many times before — and noticing something entirely new and unexpected? I had that experience on a recent Sunday. We were singing Hymn of Promise, written by Natalie Sleeth, which many people know by its first line: "In the bulb there is a flower". I can't even guess how many times I've sung that hymn, or heard it sung by others. I know the words almost by heart. And yet, on this particular Sunday, I was taken by surprise.
The second verse of the hymn begins, "There's a song in every silence". As soon as we sang that line, I was struck! I was reminded of the Bible story in which Elijah is told to expect to see God, and he finally finds the Lord, not in calamity or noise, but in silence:
1 Kings 19:11-12 – He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. (NRSV)
Isn't that amazing? That God, Who could speak with us in any other way, chose to speak to Elijah through silence. Other translations refer to it as "a still small voice" or "a gentle whisper". That's another surprise, that the all-powerful and mighty God would choose to speak through a still, small voice. No wonder we need to be quiet in order to hear!
Ours is a busy, noisy world, full of earthquakes, wind, and fire. Our job is not to let the noise distract us, but to look over, under, around, and through the noise, until we can find a place of peace and quiet — a place of silence. It is in that silence that we have an opportunity to hear the voice of God, that gentle whisper, speaking and singing into our hearts.
Prayer: Loving God, thank You for being a part of our lives. Thank You for Your gentle voice that guides us, lifts us, and nurtures us. We pray that we would be ever more mindful of that voice, more open to Your nudging and prompting, and more accepting of Your words for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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I saw a very important and very great man the other day. What made this man great wasn't the car he was driving. He had a beat up old pick up truck. What made this man great wasn't the clothes he was wearing. He had on a torn tee shirt and blue jeans. What made this man great wasn't his money or his job. His worn out work boots and the hard hat in his truck were evidence that he worked hard for what little he had. What made this man great and important in my eyes was that he had stopped along the side of the road to give an old lady with a stalled car a jump start.
Our society has a way of seeing everything backwards. It thinks the nice car and house make us important. It thinks the expensive clothes and high paying job make us great. These things may make our life a bit more comfortable, but they do nothing to improve who we are.
We are great and important from what we think, feel, and do. It is our choices in these areas that determine who we are and what we will become. And the greatest choice we can make is to love and serve others.
Serving others is the true sign of strength, character, and goodness that lie in a person. It is the very best among us who love the most, give the most, and help others the most.
Remember then to serve and help others all that you can. Remember to choose love and joy and to share that love and joy with everyone everywhere.
God wants us to love each other, help each other, and care for each other in this life. Jesus said that what we do for the least among us is what we do for Him.
Whether it is writing to a sick friend, visiting an elderly person in a nursing home, or stopping to help a stranded motorist know that it is by helping others that you also help yourself and God. -- Joseph J Mazzella

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Are You Angry At God?
It doesn't do any good to be angry, does it?
And, although you may know this, it doesn't stop you from getting angrier. It doesn't change what's wrong. In fact, you can get angrier and angrier, and whatever was wrong is still wrong. And now you've gotten really angry, and you've focused your anger on God. Why? HE didn't do anything wrong. And, HE didn't make you do whatever you did.
Stop focusing on what is wrong in your life, and know that when we focus on God, everything else seems trivial. God is what is important in our lives, because God is love. It doesn't matter what we do, God will always love us. He is just waiting for us to remember that.
We can look at what we've decided is terrible in our lives, or we can look at God. When we look at God, we only see love. If we don't, we haven't really looked.
If you want to look at your problems, go ahead. I say go ahead, because God will wait for you.
Just remember, if you're looking at your problems as problems, you aren't seeing God. Turn away from your problems, take a deep breath, and look at God. Your solutions are just around the corner.
TIP: Understand, though, that you won't see your solutions if you aren't looking at God. --Jan Tincher

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God, when I received this, I thought... I don't have time for this... And, this is really inappropriate during work. Then, I realized that this kind of thinking is... Exactly, what has caused lot of the problems in our world today.
We try to keep God in church on Sunday morning... Maybe, Sunday night... And, the unlikely event of a midweek service. We do like to have Him around during sickness... And, of course, at funerals. However, we don't have time, or room, for Him during work or play... Because... That's the part of our lives we think... We can, and should, handle on our own. May God forgive me for ever thinking... That... there is a time or place where... HE is not to be FIRST in my life. We should always have time to remember all HE has done for us.
Yes, I do Love God
HE is my source of existence and Savior.
HE keeps me functioning each and every day.
Without Him, I will be nothing.
Without Him, I am nothing.
But, with Christ, HE strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)
Author Unknown

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There's Hope in the Word of the Father!
He's got a Word for you...and that's all you need today!
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God (Psalm 43: 5 KJV)."
Devour God's Word for yourself! Dig deep until He speaks that Word into life in your very soul. When His Word comes alive within you, you can hold on to it. You've got hope, the hope of God who will never fail nor forsake you. He holds your future in His safe keeping--you are in His loving care now and forever more. How well I remember hearing my preacher dad quote one of his favorites, "The future is as bright as the promises of God." And it's true. There's a valentine of love--and hope--in His Word for you today!
There's Hope in the Name of the Son!
He's been given a Name above All Names...and His Name is all you need today!
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)."
Discover His Name for yourself! Call upon that precious Name, day or night, in sickness or in health, in despair or in danger. The instant you call--before you call--He is there. He will meet your need, whatever it may be. The "Name above all names" is available for you, and He awaits your call. You can trust that Name with your future, for wherever you go and whatever you do, that Name goes with you and before you. He's already signed your valentine with His love and His Blood--there IS hope in His Name and it avails for you today!
There's Hope in the Presence of the Spirit!
He's given you His Presence...and that's all you need today!
The Spirit of God is active in our world today...and wants to be present in your life, if you'll surrender it to Him. His presence will not fill an unclean vessel, nor will it enter uninvited...but He will draw you to the Savior. The Savior cleanses and the Spirit fills...and oh, what a valentine of love. His presence is light; darkness must leave; His presence is love; hatred must leave; His presence is joy; sadness must leave. Open your heart today to the presence of the Lord and that presence will go with you into the unseen future. It's His valentine of love for you. There IS hope in His presence and He waits to fill your life with hope this day.
God's love is a Valentine for all time--for our past, our present and our future. Receive it with joy--and know you are dearly loved by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It's God's Valentine to you this day--now share it with someone who needs a word of encouragement, a loving touch or a warm hug. Happy Valentine's Day! May His Love overflow your heart and spill over to someone else this week--and the heart of God will be pleased! --Peggy's Place

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
Find the place in your life where you are in sync with the moving of My Spirit, and then you will be led and directed to do all that is in My heart for you. This is true surrender. If you are not yielded fully to My purposes for you, there will be opposition and roadblocks as a sign that you need to make adjustments in your relationship with Me, says the Lord. Psalm 119:133 Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.

To those of you who feel as though you have been abandoned or forgotten, I tell you honestly that I have not forgotten you. I see you and know the problems and heartaches that you have endured. Do not give up hope, says the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The gates are open and the way has been made clear. Go through the gates and survey your opportunities. Look, evaluate, and understand that I am moving you into a place of freedom from the bondages and restrictions of the past. Now is the time when you can take your next step in the fulfillment of destiny, says the Lord. Isaiah 62:10 Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!

Beloved, I want you to be aware that you will encounter situations that require extraordinary patience to get through. You can't force anything, but you can trust Me to give you wisdom as perfect order is being established. Open your mind and heart to learn things that you would otherwise not have opportunity to understand. Never doubt that I am with you and that I am directing your steps, says the Lord. Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Give yourself a break. Take the time necessary to relieve yourself from all stress, and rest in My presence, says the Lord. In My presence in peace and joy instead of the turmoil that comes from worldliness. Stop and just breathe and relax. Then, when you need to deal with circumstances, I will take you through with ease. Lean on Me. Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

Strengthen yourself in your faith in spiritual reality. Stop looking only at the natural, physical realm and seek to know and discern what I am doing in Spirit, says the Lord. Most of the noise around you is designed to draw you away from spirituality into carnality. You must resist and stop your ears to worldly things that consume your time and attention. Rise up to find Me and to find peace. Mark 4:24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given."

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
You have heard what I have spoken. You should stop and take a breath. Stop the chaos and be renewed in the Spirit. Get into a position of walking with Me. I will always take you forward to the position of favor and victory. I will be with you to bring you through to victory over everything that the enemy presents against you--victory over infirmity, doubt and unbelief. I will bring you forth in My kingdom and establish you in the blessings of this season, says the Lord.

Listen to Me. I know what you have been through. I know the harshness of the past season that you have had to endure. I know the reality of that, but please understand that it was for your benefit; the benefit of strength; the benefit of your trust in Me. Those things that you have endured and gone through have made you stronger if you believe they have. And, as you come out into a new season you will find the strength that I have given to you will become a reality. It stretched you and caused you to walk with greater dignity, greater revelation, greater focus than ever before. This new reality will benefit you in the season that is now unfolding before you. So leave those things in My hand. The things you endured will now become your ornaments--they tell the world, tell the enemy, you have been through something, and you have come out victoriously on this side of it. This day, see yourself as victorious, says the Lord.

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Reason For Life
I don't know how to say it,
But somehow it seems to me
That maybe we are stationed
Where God wants us to be.
That the little place I'm filling
Is the reason for my birth.
And just to do the work I do,
He sent me down to earth.
If God had wanted otherwise
I reckon He'd have made
Me just a little different,
Of worse or better grade.
And since God knows and understands
All things of land and sea,
I fancy that He placed me here
Just where He wanted me.
Sometimes I get to thinking,
As my labor I review,
That I should like a higher place
With greater things to do.
But I come to the conclusion
When the envying is stilled,
That the post to which God sent me
Is the post He wanted filled.
So I plod along and struggle
in the hope, When day is through,
That I really am necessary
To the things God wants to do.
And there isn't any service
I can give which I should scorn,
For it may be just the reason
God allowed that I be born.
Leenee

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God Is Never Far Away
God isn't far away;
He surrounds you
with His love.
It was He who opened
your eyes this morning.
It is His strength
that will carry you
through this day,
and it is in His peace
that your heart will
find rest tonight.
God isn't far away.
He is the light of this day.
He is the sky above you,
the earth beneath you,
and the life of every living thing.
He is in every smile,
in every thought that gives you hope,
in every tear that waters your soul,
and in every moment you can't
face alone.
He's the love on your loved one's face.
He's in the friends along the way...
in strangers you have yet to meet
and blessing you have yet to receive.
He's in every good thing
that touches you.
He is in every step you make
and every breath you take.
He's not far away,
for He is with you always
-unknown

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I may not be where I want to be,
but I'm not where I used to be,
I'm heading where I'm meant to be
and God is watching over me.
-- Terri McPherson

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Nehemiah 1:11 – O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

Isaiah wrote, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ ” And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ” - Isaiah 6:8

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. - Psalm 55:22

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. - Psalm 34:8

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:21

[The righteous] will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” - Psalm 92:12, 14-15

Those who enter God’s rest . . . cease from their labors as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest. - Hebrews 4:10-11

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Worn Lightly by Sally I. Kennedy
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Puffs of feathery snow, gently, silently floated down from heaven to earth. Coming from a tropical climate, I was mesmerized. It was thrilling to watch the awesome, magnificent sight. I smiled in my heart, and thought, “How intricate and beautiful God made the world…..for us.”
Just outside the window was a large evergreen bough. It was interesting, that as the snow continued to fall and mound up on the branch, it never caused the branch to dip or bend. The evergreen was wearing it’s new “burden” lightly, as though it were not of 'the world’.
There’s a place in the Bible where Jesus talks about this; He says to take His yoke on you, which is light, and easy…..not the heaviness of the world. (Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11)
We don’t have to carry around heavy things, carrying & 'the world' on our shoulders. We weren’t meant to have stooped, sagging shoulders from bearing heavy cares and worries.
In 1st Peter 5, it says, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” (AMP)
We can wear the world as a garment of light, not as a cloak that suffocates and chokes. How wonderful that Jesus did / does that for us. That is very good news.

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O God, help us listen for your voice in scripture — the voice that calls us and leads us through our lives. Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
Psalm 52
1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. 2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. 6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. 8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. 9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

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Dear Father, thank you for listening to our prayers. Help us to listen for your answer and direction. Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.