I will exalt you

This morning I've got the song "I Will Exalt You" by Hillsong on replay. Over and over and over again. Getting those lyrics deep within my soul. Nothing else matters in his world. He is everything. Sung with strength, conviction and truth, I find myself and my soul lifted beyond the confines of this world. Thank you Jesus for being so very real.

I will exalt You
I will exalt You
I will exalt You
You are my God

Chorus:
My hiding place
My safe refuge
My treasure Lord You are
My friend and King
Anointed One
Most Holy.

Verse 2:
Because YouÂ’re with me
Because YouÂ’re with me
Because YouÂ’re with me

I will not fear

The tongue has the power of life and death

This morning I found myself considering a truth that Christ-followers believe about God and the Universe. God's word was powerful enough to speak the world into existence. Things that were not yet formed were created out of nothing and the world as we know it was made because God spoke.

I know there are scientific facts behind this, but what caught my attention this morning as I pondered this truth is that when it all comes down to matter, substance, even our physical bodies, God spoke it into existence.

For some that might cause great consternation. For me, my soul is deeply encouraged! There's a story in the Bible of a man who wanted Jesus to heal his servant but it would have been a journey. This man had faith in God's word. He said to Jesus "Only speak the word, and my servant shall be healed."

When God speaks through His word, through His people, through the majestic sunsets and natural formations, my soul finds peace and strength too. My soul is healed. I need God to speak again and again, to infuse courage (encouragement) into my soul almost daily. The good thing is that He's always speaking. Am I listening?

If we are made in His image, then our words are powerful too, both to harm and to heal. We have the ability to bring life and courage (encouragement) to those we love through the power of what we say and don't say.

I'm a big fan of the book "The Five Love Languages," by Gary Chapman. If you've never heard of it, it basically looks at different ways people give and receive heartfelt love. The book calls out five ways that most people give and receive love - through gifts, quality time, physical touch/affection, acts of service, and words.

I know how much the words of others mean to me and when I consider that Proverbs 18;21 says our words have power to bring life or death, wow! I can't discount the power of encouragement. One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is an encouraging word. Who can you encourage today? Although everyone might be affected differently by words, there is life in your tongue. Everyone needs it.

This morning parts of Psalm 37 found its way into my soul and infused a sense of life and strength to get through the day. My favorite part this morning was verse 7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;" His word strengthens, heals, guides, protects us and keeps us on a course of good things. I'm thankful this morning that He chose to speak the world into existence. I'm thankful that He speaks through His son Jesus. And I'm thankful that He speaks today and every day words of life that my soul so desperately craves.

This morning I read a devotional on Proverbs that I thought I'd share with you. I find it fascinating that scientists would look foolish if they didn't adhere to the foundational laws that govern the world. Good point. There's an integrity built into the fabric of the earth and as this author says "the universe was made for the same thing we are made for - righteousness!" Hmmmmm. I'll be chewing on that one all day!!

"For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her" (Proverbs 8:11)

"We continue with the thought that another aspect of wisdom is integrity. Both the universe and we are alien to untruth and dishonesty. The universe is made for the same thing we are made for - righteousness. Not only the face of the Lord, but the face of the universe, is set against those who try to go some other way. No scientist can get very far without integrity. If he tampers with the laws that govern the universe, then he comes out looking foolish. He must sit down before the facts of the universe, and if he is to be successful, whatever he does has to be based on a prior commitment to honor and truthfulness. Without integrity, all learning becomes evil. Charles Spurgeon wrote to the then Prime Minister of Britain, William Gladstone, in these words: "You do not know how those of us regard you who feel it a joy to live when a Prime Minister believes in righteousness. We believe in no man's infallibility but it is restful to be sure of one man's integrity." What makes us so suspicious of politicians, even though politics can be a noble profession, is not that they might make some mistakes, but that sometimes staying in office is more important to them than honor and candor. Henry Clay, when about to introduce to the American Congress a bill that was heavily weighted in favor of morality, was told, "If you do this, it will kill your chances of becoming president." His reply was, "I would rather be right than be president." I can almost see King Solomon's head nodding in favor of that.

Charles Spurgeon once wrote
"There is no light in the planet but that which proceedeth from the sun; and there is no true love to Jesus in the heart but that which cometh from the Lord Jesus himself."

It's a miracle to me that my life is turning out the way it has. One thing I know for sure. I love Him because He first showed me a kind of love unmatched by anything I'd ever imagined. And one taste of that love sends you reeling into the abyss of a love blessing.

"I love thee, Lord, but with no love of mine,
For I have none to give;
I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine,
For by thy love I live.
I am as nothing, and rejoice to be
Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee."

King of your castle?

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mohandas Gandhi

So much of what I find in my heart every day reveals the absolute need for a Savior. Gandhi assented to Christ's teachings, His lifestyle. And that's easy to do, to call him a "good man". But when He comes inside your heart and becomes King of your castle, He has full authority to re-arrange the furniture, to clean out cluttered closets, to get rid of old pictures and trinkets you've had and kept from previous lovers. He truly is King and this requires yielding again and again to His power working in your life. Sometimes that's not easy, especially when you selfishly want what you want. But more than an acquaintance or someone you see from a distance, as Gandhi may have, when Christ is King of your heart, there is a love that overflows in thanksgiving too. Because you realize, sort of like Extreme Home Makeover, that you could never afford to do it on your own.

"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me." - Saint Patrick

Sunrise/Sunset

Ever been captivated by a sunrise or a sunset? I can't help but stand in awe when I see one, but its usually only a minute or two before I'm on my way again, busy with the day's events.

My favorite sunsets and sunrises take place near the Ocean. What an incredible, majestic sight! There have been times I've wished to live in the brilliance of its beauty for longer than the few moments it takes place. But soon the clouds shift, day breaks or the sun goes down and it's gone. A brilliant moment, repeated daily. Every day the sun rises and the sun sets. At different times and places all over the world. And each sunrise and sunset looks a little bit different. Isn't that amazing? That's amazing to me!

I once heard someone say that God is the greatest artist, shown in how He paints the sky for us every day. I believe it. I believe He is a skilled craftsman. Think about the intricacies of the body. Think about the vast number of plants, animals, flowers that this world contains - all unique, all with a different look, sound, function.

Every single sunrise and every single sunset is God's uniquely painted picture of His character, His beauty. Whether we choose to recognize it or not, our days and nights are capsulated inside that beauty and that character. Ever think of that?

How easy it is to go about the day and not stop long enough to recognize the Creator and sustainer of all life. God is not those things we see like the sunrise or an animal but He has created them in this world we live in and they speak. They tell a story of His goodness. When I do stop long enough to consider that, I realize He is so incredibly worthy of my attention! He speaks through the things that are visible. His invisible reality is seen in these visible things. He is not those things, but He uses them to tell us a story of His goodness. Are we reading it?

There comes a moment when one realizes a few truths. 1) There is a God. 2) I am not it. Stopping long enough to approach this truth with a humble heart and receive things He's doing all around is the place I'm constantly wanting to get back to. Funny thing is, it doesn't matter if I get back to that place or not because He'll continue to speak and summon the earth day after day after day. I just miss out if I don't live in that reality.

In Psalm 50 it says He summons the earth. What does it mean to summon? Being the word nerd that I am, I had to look it up. To summon is to "authoritatively or urgently call on (someone) to be present, esp. as a defendant or witness in a law court. It means to bring to the surface (a particular quality or reaction) from within." The heaven's are God's court of law. Every day, by His authority, He calls forth the heavens to be present as a witness to His glory. That just makes me want to stand up right here and thank Him for that!

Do you have a picture of a favorite sunrise or sunset?

I'd love to see them....Here's a few I found that I enjoy.

Psalm 50: 1-23
"The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. ....He summons the heavens above and the earth....the heavens proclaim His righteousness for he is a God of justice.....God says, 'every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all that is in it'.....fulfill your vows to the Most High and call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you will honor me.....those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me...."

Jeremiah 23:24
"....Do I not fill heaven and earth?," declares the Lord?

Here I am.....

"It is not the critic who counts:
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles
or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error or shortcoming,

but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,
who spends himself for a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who knew neither victory nor defeat."

(Theodore Roosevelt)

Thank you Theodore. Reminding me to keep my eyes on the prize of living a long life, through all the changing seasons, with a warm and willing soul. Here I am Lord, send me were the words of Isaiah. And they're mine too.