The Delight of my Heart

"Thy words were found and I ate them,

And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;

For I have been called by Thy Name, O Lord God of hosts."

(Jeremiah 15:16, NASB)

God called Jeremiah to deliver a hard message to His people.  Jeremiah - like many of us when God calls us to do something - felt completely insufficient and ill-equipped.  He was called to a task that was much bigger than himself.  A task that was far beyond his ability.

When I think of people being called by God to accomplish a specific task, I think of surrendered humility.  I think of someone like Jeremiah who said:

“Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young” (Jeremiah 1:6).  

I think of someone who, like Jeremiah, was able to hide his insufficiency behind the ALL-Sufficiency of the God Most High:

But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant" (Jeremiah 1:7-10).

What I love about certain biblical figures is their ability to utterly forsake their own agendas and pride and completely rely on the power given to them by Almighty God.

Our pride, arrogance, and boasting (in ourselves) grosses Him out.

I memorized the above Scripture verse yesterday (Jeremiah 15:16).  I recited it so many times that I believe my little 6-month-old thought I had lost my mind.  I paced his room over and over speaking this Word aloud.  And this is why:

Because I do not ever want to forget that there is power in the Word of God.  When I found the Word - when I truly made the effort to know God through His Word - He gave me an intense appetite for His Truth.  As my appetite for His Word increased, it became for me ... the delight of my heart.

God's Word did not magically become the delight of Jeremiah's heart.  He had to listen to It ... he had to reflect on It ... he had to allow It to transform His mission.  Too often we operate under the assumption that God's Word only transforms some people's lives.  That God only gifts some people with the ability to understand His precepts.  This is the lie that the enemy wants us to believe in order to keep us totally ineffective to a lost world.

Have you gone to His Word for guidance and instruction?  Do you believe there is power in the Word of God?  Are you seeing this power demonstrated in your life as a believer?

God desires His Word to become the delight of our heart.

Spared

"O LORD my God, I called to You for help and You healed me.

O LORD, You brought me up from the grave;

You spared me from going down into the pit."

(Psalm 30:2-3)

It is the beginning of a new year and I have found myself a little more reflective than usual. More than a few times it has crossed my mind that I would be totally in the pit without my God's sovereign rescue. More than a few times I have thanked Him this week for rapturing my heart and not leaving me to my own destruction. More than a few times I have bowed down in gratitude before Him and praised Him ... for I have indeed been spared.

"In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction;

You have put all my sins behind Your back."

(Isaiah 38:17)

Once in a while I think we need to be reminded of the magnitude of our sin in light of the cross of Christ.   In His perfection, He died for us.  For each one of us who call on the Name of Jesus.  I am not suggesting dwelling on previous sins and struggles, as we know that as the Scripture above states - our sins have been put behind the back of Jesus.  I am however suggesting that we not ever (ever, ever!) forget what we have been saved from.  That we have moments where we are just blown away at the redemptive power of the blood of the Lamb. 

"I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. 

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;

He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  

Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD."

(Psalm 40:1-3) 

How has He changed your life?  Have you taken time lately to recall where you were without Him?  And have you humbly thanked Him for loving you enough to come to your rescue? 

I am overwhelmed by the reality of His salvation and and His redemption.  That in His great love He has endured the Cross in order to lift me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.  

And because of that truth ...

Here I remain:

Spared.

Alive and Active

I opened my devotional this morning to read the same verses in Scripture that I have been led to various times throughout the past several days.  I was reminded this morning of the power of Hebrews 4:12 ...

"For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any two-edged sword, 

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

It penetrates.  God is able to use His Word to enter our hearts - to teach us and to convict us, to lead us and guide us, to encourage us and to transform us.  Sometimes there is resistance to the Word of God in our lives - sometimes due to sin and other times due to distractions and other times due to lack of desire - but the point is, God can use His Word to overcome all of that!  He desires to use His Word to transform us and change us, which is absolutely remarkable.

Have you been in the Word of God this week? If so, is there a common theme through the Scripture you are reading? Can you feel it penetrating your heart - changing you from the inside out? How is the Spirit of God using the Bible to speak to you in your specific circumstances this very day?

I have been challenged this week to open the Word of God more frequently. And each time I do so, I am begging God for a fresh word that penetrates my heart ... leaving me more awed at the intentionality of our God.

“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him." (2 Samuel 22:31)

He longs to meet us exactly where we are so that He can use His Word to speak to our exact circumstances. 

Praising Him for His Word today ... 

For it is indeed Alive and Active.

In your depravity

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched with thirst.

But I the LORD will answer them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will make rivers flow on barren heights,

and springs within the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water,

and the parched ground into springs.

I will put in the desert the cedar and the acadia,

the myrtle and the olive.

I will set junipers in the wasteland, 

the fir and the cypress together,

so that people may see and know,

may consider and understand,

that the hand of the LORD has done this,

that the Holy One of Israel has created this."

(Isaiah 41:17-20)

There are many times throughout Scripture when the Lord speaks of creating something out of nothing.  Take a look at Genesis chapter 1, for example!  Our God is the God of the absolute impossible.  I love this quality about Him.  His ability to take even the bleakest of circumstances and transform them completely. 

The above Scripture has been on my mind for the past several days.  We all have circumstances in our lives that seem hopeless.  Some of us may currently find ourselves in the middle of a dry desert.  Others in the thick of a giant wasteland.  And still others of us may just feel plain parched.  In need of an immediate and supernatural change in our particular situation.  

Can anyone relate today?  

I believe that God often chooses to use the places of total depravity to reveal Himself in the most profound way.  

There have been times in my life where I have walked through a dry desert - when I have been spiritually dead.  There have been other times when I have been in the thick of a giant wasteland - so thick in sin that I have wasted precious time.  And then there are times like the recent when my soul has just felt parched - I have found myself longing for more of Jesus but lacking the focus it takes to be determined and intentional in my prayer and study life.  And to be honest, I'm tired of it and am in deep need of a revival from my God.  From the Only One who is capable of true transformation in my life.  

What are you feeling deprived of today?  

Whatever it is, God can fill that void in your life.  I do believe that God desires our lives to be filled to the brim with Jesus.  Sometimes we just need to believe Him that He really can restore our lives, that He really does desire to use the dry circumstances in our lives as an opportunity for His grace, for His supernatural power.  

I feel like I'm a little all over the place today in my thoughts.  I believe this is the basis of what is on my heart ... Our God is very interested in seeing our lives transformed, as it brings Him immense glory.

Are you perhaps feeling as though you're in the middle of a dry desert? What about in the midst of a giant wasteland?  Maybe you're just plain parched and in need of restoration and revival?  Re-read Isaiah 41:17-20 again.  Jesus desires for you to run to Him in your depravity, desperate for a supernatural touch from Him alone.  Did you hear that?  Run to God in your depravity. He longs to restore and revive.  

So the next time you are parched with thirst, or feel like you are wandering through the dry desert, or like your life is wasting away ... Run to your God.  In your depravity, run to the God of Israel who longs to satisfy your thirsty soul and transform your even most difficult circumstance ... 

With none other than ...

Himself.  

Totally Unashamed

"I said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord;

Apart from you I have no good thing.' "

(Psalm 16:2)

My husband's sweet 83-year old "Granny" went on to be with Jesus late last week. As we sat in the church pews yesterday morning and heard reflections of her life, filled with sweet memories for the family, I was overcome with emotion as the Pastor over and over again stressed the importance of knowing Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. Just as Granny did. The importance of knowing Jesus and following Him ...


The importance of being totally unashamed of the Gospel.

I do not think I am reminded nearly enough - in this over-stimulated world we live within - that this is not the end. That this world is not home. That we will one day be in complete glory, praising our God for the rest of eternity. And that this world will completely pale in comparison to the Greatness of our God.

All of this caused a pause in my soul.

Am I living for Christ - every single day? Am I clinging to this world or longing for the next? Am I committed to living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ - regardless of the criticism, fear of failure, or mocking I may face?

Just a short post today, but my heart is heavy over my own self-absorbed life. May we be encouraged to live for His glory and His alone. Totally unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)

Apart from You, Lord ... I have no good thing.

Help me to live my life totally unashamed.

Longing

"Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.

The unfolding of Your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the simple.

I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

Turn to me and have mercy on me,

as You always do to those who love Your Name.

Direct my footsteps according to Your Word;

let no sin rule over me.

Redeem me from the oppression of men,

that I may obey Your precepts.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant

and teach me Your decrees.

Streams of tears flow from my eyes,

for Your law is not obeyed."

(Psalm 119:129-136)

This Scripture spoke to my heart this morning in such a powerful way.  Have you heard Christians speak about how we grow the most in our faith when we have to rely on Him through difficult seasons and circumstances? It's interesting to me that when we find ourselves in a deep season of difficulty, we long for God to answer our prayers and come to our rescue ... Then, once that particular difficulty is over and we have moved out of that season, we are often left with a deeper sense of longing than ever.  

We are longing after the God to whom we clung so tightly during the difficulties.  We desire that same closeness with Him perhaps without having to walk through the fire of hardship.  

Is that possible? 

The author in Psalm 119 makes a remarkable discovery about this particular topic.  In verse 131, He says: 

"I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands." 

In 2005, God began revealing Himself to me through the Bible.  He and I began communicating with each other through the written, God-inspired, Word.  I personally did not begin truly growing in my knowledge of Truth until I became disciplined in my study of Scripture.  I am not talking about becoming a biblical scholar (Lord knows!), but just taking one verse or passage at a time and asking God to begin speaking to me through that text.  Through that disciplined time, my desire increased for Him.    

Because of specific seasons of life when I have had more time than others to devote to my study of Scripture, God has developed in me a very big appetite for His Word.  When I do not have the time to devote to this study, I crave it so intensely.  Psalm 34:8 says:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good."

Here's the thing: No one else can taste for you.  Does that make sense?  We will only learn of the Lord's goodness by personal experience.  It is ours for the taking - We just have to commit to make the effort.  If we are honest, we will all admit we are longing after something.  Something that far surpasses this world.  For me, that longing was fulfilled when I began to learn who Jesus is through His Word.  And interestingly enough, that longing has never completely been satisfied ... It just continues to intensify.  I will admit to you that I looked for satisfaction in some wrong places before I tried investing in studying Scripture!  In seasons where I am overcome with life and busyness and my priorities are skewed, I am like a woman wandering in the desert.  The drought in my soul cannot be quenched with anything other than Him.  But why does it take me so long to realize this at times?  Oh, He is so patient with us as His children, isn't He?

I hope you are blessed as you meditate today on the wonderful Scripture passage above.  His Word contains absolutely precious promises for us to heed.  I am so thankful for His wisdom.  And I am so thankful that His well never runs dry. 

"The unfolding of Your words gives light;

it gives understanding to the simple."

(Psalm 119:130)

Thank You Jesus ... 

for giving understanding to the simple.

And that simple, being none other than me.

The bread of Idleness

"She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness."

(Proverbs 31:27)

I was on the phone with a friend this morning and we were discussing how we would like to commit to being more intentional in our planning during this new year.  We are holding each other accountable of being less last-minute and more prepared for special moments throughout the year.  It was her idea.  I kind of just jumped on the band wagon.  {One that I desperately need to jump on!} As I hung up the phone and came upstairs to my desk for a few short minutes with the Lord, I opened my Bible to Proverbs 31 and my eyes hit verse 27, listed above.

Idleness: lacking worth or basis.  

This reminded me of the conversation I had just had a few short minutes prior with my sweet friend.  How would our lives be different if we earnestly prayed for deliberate focus?  

I don't know about you, but my personality tends to be a go-go-go one.  I don't sit down and relax well.  Many would think this is a positive attribute as they assume I am super productive in my days.  Unfortunately, many days I lay down in bed and feel as though I have gotten nothing accomplished at all.  This is because I am not always {ahem} organized.  My husband would be shaking his head in agreement if he were looking over my shoulder right now.  In fact, he would begin telling you all about how before I met him I never emptied a purse after purchasing a new one -- just dumped the old one (contents and all) into my closet and started fresh.  This made him a very happy man when he was the one who decided to clean out all those old purses.  Needless to say, he found all sorts of treasures and goodies.  He was most excited about the monetary surprises, not the thousands of lip glosses.  

Alright, back on track!

When I think of idleness, I think of time wasted on worthless things.  I think about worthless conversations, which we are warned about in Scripture ... 

"But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness." (2 Timothy 2:16, NASB)

Don't even get me started on how many opportunities we have on a daily ... ok, hourly basis to partake in worldly and empty chatter.  Instead, we are encouraged through Scripture to commit to a higher calling:

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."  (Philippians 1:27)

When you and I eat the bread of idleness, we invite something else other than God to take the seat on the throne of our hearts.  The Bible warns us time and again that we are not to give our hearts to worthless idols.

"Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word." (Psalm 119:37)

Proverbs 31:27 can be applied to our lives both practically and spiritually.  The role model that is set for us in this particular Scripture is one of great discipline.  She is precise in her daily activities - whether it is serving her husband, taking care of her family, running her business, or spending time with her God.  Her life is not meant to be an unfathomable standard.  

So today, I made it a point to be intentional.  I do not say this to boast in myself, because the Lord alone knows I would be absolutely nothing without His guidance and grace.  I would be lost in a sea of old purses, completely a mess.  It went so well that I think I'll try it again tomorrow ... God-willing!

This is the point: Life is short.  We have an unbelievable opportunity to bring our God praise through how we decide to spend our time.  I am guilty so much of the time of dropping the ball in this area.  I want so desperately to be better.  Instead of succumbing to eating the bread of idleness, let's commit to intentional living.  I think we will be amazed at how different life can be when we are focused on bringing Him glory with our time and attention.  

Our lives are worth something.  

Let's live like it!   

Amen!?