From Psalm 73

Lots of wonderful thoughts on this Psalm. It is one if my favorites. For now, I will share this one sentence. 

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

Blessings & Strength...

First Things First - Christine Caine - Big Dreams

First Things First - Christine Caine



"A dream, on the other hand, needs God’s supernatural power to bring it to fulfillment."



Dream BIG!   I think we often tend to dream small dreams.  Maybe we are afraid of failure or disappointment.  So we dream small, safe dreams - the kind of things that seem easy to accomplish.  The kind of things that we might be able to do ourselves with just a bit of hard work.



But - God is big!  He holds all of creation.  God has big plans and He has a part for each of us in those plans.  Big dreams reach beyond our own capabilities.  Big dreams require faith - the kind of faith that believes God will open doors and God will provide opportunities. Big dreams because God can do immeasurably more than we realize!



Dream Big!  Then God and tell the world what He has done!

From Psalm 66

Come and hear, all you who fear God,

and I wil tell what he has done for my soul. 

I cried to him with my mouth,

and high praise was on my tongue. 

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened. 

But truly God has listened;

he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 

And there is so much to tell of what God has done for me and for his people. Yes, God hears my prayers. He is so worthy of my praise. For I have witnessed his power to change lives. The love he has for us, his people, is amazing. 

God Is Good. Yes, He Is. 

Psalm 62

Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. 

God is...

Our salvation

Our rock

Our fortress

Our hope 

Our glory

Our refuge

He is the one we can always trust. Lean on Him. Tell Him your troubles. Wait for Him. 

Psalm 56

This I know, that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise,

In The Lord, whose word I praise,

In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. 

Amen and amen. If God is for me then who can be against me?  God is bigger and stronger than any wall or mountain or any enemy that may stand in my path.  So I will praise Him in the good times. I will praise Him in the tough times when life seems dark and troubled. I trust Him and know that He will be with me always.  I have no need to fear. 

Praise!

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin!

David's prayer. My prayer too. Our problem is sin. We are stained by sin. Only God can cleanse us. 

Have mercy on us, O God. Be merciful and loving to us. Thank you for making us clean. 

Psalm 49

Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. (v16-17)

It is easy to get caught up in the sparkle of fame and fortune. Seems like the good life means one is always moving up to bigger and more. We live in a culture of comsuption which is never satisfied with what one has but instead is always craving more. With easy payments, no money down, and no interest due for 90 days. And it starts by wanting what someone else has. It is living with our eyes on the things of this earth. 

God calls us to a heavenly perspective, to live with our eyes focused on eternity. For rich and poor, we will each face death and all the things that money buys will be left behind. 

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (v1)

     He IS. Not He will be or He might be, but He is, right now, our refuge and strength. God is always there for us. Waiting. 

     Too often, I find myself leaning on me and trying to live on my strength alone. I am stubborn and I frequently have a bad case of "I can do it myself."  And all the while God is there waiting for me to lean on Him and to find strength in Him. 

Be still, and know that I am God (v10).

     One of my favorite verses and great advice. I spend too much time running around thinking of me. I need this reminder to stop. Be still. Know I Am God. 

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (v11)

Peace & Strength...