JANUARY 21

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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Psalm 30:5b

“…Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

Psalm 63:1

“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”

Psalm 96:12

“Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice”

John 16:13

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

Psalm 32:8

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”

Isaiah 58:11

“The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

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This month we’re reading  the new devotional   “Becoming New”,  written by  Warren W. Wiersbe and compiled by his grandson.  Pastor Wiersbe was the President of Moody Bible Institute before the current President, Erwin Lutzer.  

DEPENDENCE PLEASES GOD

Read Psalm 16

As a young man, I went off to seminary in Chicago, and the first week I prayed, “Lord, help me not to waste my opportunity.  Please give me a verse that will carry me through my studies.”  I truly believe God honored this prayer of dependence, because He spoke to me in the last verse of Psalm 16:  “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  While I had great instructors who helped me grow a hunger for God’s Word, it was this verse that anchored my faith and dependence upon God.  Three times in this Psalm,  David highlights our dependence upon the Lord and the assurances we have if we follow Him by faith.

THE LORD IS MY GOODNESS.  Some translations begin this Psalm with the word “preserve.”  I admit there have only been a few times that I have had to ask God to preserve my life.  In the midst of them, I, like David, have found comfort in the truth that God is good and He is MY goodness.

Regardless of our circumstances, our goodness is God.  Whenever I open my hands and receive a blessing, I know it’s come from His hand.  And whenever I have withstood the temptations of life, I know it’s because the Lord has been my goodness.

THE LORD IS MY GLADNESS. Faith in God causes our hearts to be glad, our tongues to rejoice, and our bodies to rest in hope.  Peter quoted this verse when he preached the first sermon at Pentecost and applied these words to Jesus.  (Acts 2:25-28).  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a reality that should bring a hopeful gladness to the hearts of believers.  How sad it is when Christians forget our Lord has defeated the grave!  At the graveside we do not mourn like those who do not have hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).  This doesn’t mean that we don’t feel emotions or process grief: rather, the believer’s hope is grounded in God’s good work in Christ. Therefore, we can be glad in all things.

THE LORD IS MY GUIDE.

During my life, I have tested this verse and found no reason to doubt that God has a definite plan for His children.  As a teenager I memorized Ephesians 2:8-9, but verse 10 carries equal importance:  “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  By faith, we can trust Him to show us the path to walk, and He will.  God’s path always leads to God’s presence.  God never promised us an easy life but He did promise to be with us.  Matthew’s gospel opens with the name of Jesus, “Immanuel …God is with us.” And closes, “And be sure of this:  I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

The presence of God and the joy that comes with Him as my guide brings tremendous pleasure  Don’t fall into the disbelief that the Christian life is only misery and suffering.  Our father “richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment”.  The Lord guides us so that we might enjoy Him and the life He gives.  The best part is that it will never end!  God’s path will one day lead to His glorious presence – heaven!!  And there in heaven we have pleasures forevermore.

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