He decided that he would never ignore Christmas again, and not just the date on the calendar.”
–C.J. Petit (The Second Star)
“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
–1 Corinthians 1:25 (NKJV)
—————————
I trust that you had a very wonderful Thanksgiving. It should have been a grand day to reflect on the goodness of the Lord. The same is true as we finish Psalm 31. David has been moaning and groaning. He is almost done in and he is wearied to the bone. But then…he remembers the Lord. God has an unfailing love! When times are tough hearken to the voice of the Lord. Contemplate on these verses and you will find instructions.
19 – How great is Your goodness that You have stored up for those who fear You and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in You.
20 – You hide them in the protection of Your presence; You conceal them in a shelter from the schemes of men,
from quarrelsome tongues.
21 – May the Lord be praised, for He has wonderfully shown His faithful love to me in a city under siege.
22 – In my alarm I had said, “I am cut off from Your sight.” But You heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to You for help.
23 – Love the Lord, all His faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant.
24 – Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord. (HCSB)
Often we worry so much about little or nothing. Our fears become a nightmare. When, oh when, we will begin to trust in the Lord?
“Oh, what blessings will attend
Those who make the Lord their friend.
Lord, may this my portion be.
Seek it, all your saints with me.”
–Henry F. Lyte
Often we use pieces of God’s Word to comfort us in tough times, but forget His challenges after it passes. In the midst of an attack we seem to go through the same motions as before but we should remember that we can depend on God. We need to be loyal to Him no matter the plight we find ourselves in and not worry so much about those who mock God. God can take care of Himself.
There is so much talk among Christians about “relationship.” From what I have observed, it is mostly meaningless talk. Take Thanksgiving for instance; we think some about our blessings and are thankful, when in actuality we should live in that blessedness all year round. Christmas is approaching and we become joyful, yet we should have Christmas in our hearts all year round. And just think, our visible blessings, here and now, are nothing compared to what we can have if we truly want and have a relationship with Christ. I like what Alexander MacLaren says,
“All of our visible blessings are but pale shadows of the real wealth that we can have if we live in continual communion with God. He does not put His best gifts in the store windows. He keeps those in the inner chambers. The best good is not the good that we can touch, taste, and handle and that men can see.”
This season, look inward for the “best good.” Something else, there are things that we are to do. We are to praise Him, take refuge in Him, and be loyal. He also tells us to be strong. Something to consider–look at the epistles of Paul and Peter and dwell on those words. Be strong!