Throughout the Bible we read that we should seek God’s guidance. Often the following question is, how do we do that? Read the page below, it offers the guidance you were seeking.
At the close of day, we should always thank the Lord for seeing us through another day. And, if we believe He saw us through the day, we should acknowledge He will do the same at night.
Sometimes disasters break our Godlessness. ~ Lisa Blair
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”
Psalms 68:5 NIV
While studying this scripture this morning and listening to the devotional, I immediately thought of the Polish people. They are defenders of the fatherless, and of widows. They are the bridge to the homeless seeking asylum. You see, the majority of the Ukrainians escaping the attack on their nation are fleeing to Poland.
The lion’s share have gone to Poland, where the number of refugees that have arrived – about 1.8 million – matches the population of the city of Warsaw, Poland’s capital and largest city. (The number of Ukrainians who’ve fled to Poland is equal to the population of Warsaw by Becky Sullivan. NPR. March 16, 20225:00 AM ET)
The Polish people, according to the newscast, have opened their arms. People are defending the homeless, the broken, and alienated victims of war caring for them as they would a family member. The Polish peoples’ actions are examples of God’s love for us. They are providing provisions in abundance, seeking to help those in need. They are sacrificing for those who have not.
This brings me to my quote, Sometimes disasters break our Godlessness. For those of us who live in America, many do not understand God’s love for each of us. We do not understand that His Holy Words are more than Words. We do not apply the convictions He rests on our souls as actions to be taken. We disregard the small voice and turn our eyes away from those suffering on the street. We feel helpless and hopeless in the land of plenty.
It is time we turn to God our sovereign leader and father. We the Godless should look at the Polish people as examples of doing God’s work, who are giving to others things that were once their own, extending an open heart and hand to those in need.
To be clear, we are not all Godless, but our actions reflect a sense of Godlessness. There are many in need in this country. We are often quick to give donations while avoiding those on the street, choosing to look away, condemn, and dismiss them as lazy people who choose not to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. I say, what bootstraps? If they had bootstraps, they would not be on the street. Most are indigent in spirit, as well as physically and economically lacking. When you fall into the hole, you lose a sense of self and hope, finding yourself in a state of despair. If we acted more like the Polish towards the Ukrainians, our Nation would be made whole. The children of God will have stepped up and begun living and acting on God’s Word, becoming fathers to the fatherless and defenders of widows. (In this case, widows are all of those who are without resources and hope.)
To quote Mother Teresa- Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. (Top 20 Most Inspiring Mother Teresa Quotes. Goalcast.com)
Photo – Newsweek.com
Scripture – Bible.com
Many of us, like Paul in the scripture, feel we have a pure heart and do not understand some of the circumstances that exist in our lives because we are assuming a perfect heart cannot result in negative circumstances. The truth is, we have sinned so frequently we no longer consider them, or ever considered them, sins, acts if wrongdoing.
-~ Lisa Blair
None of us are pure at heart. Through the knowledgement of our sinful, or if you prefer – our carnal nature, we possess the ability to justify our wrongs and redress them as right. This is why this scripture is important, because before we can improve, we must learn what is faulty and needs to be eliminated. In asking God to show us what He finds offensive identifies that we can correct what is wrong and be led to an everlasting light life.
In the case of this scripture Paul who has been through a lot, still thinks that he has a pure heart and cannot figure out why so many people were out to destroy him. So, in the scripture he’s appealing to God with an attitude of having a perfect heart, asking God to show him what is in him that has upset so many people because it certainly is not true.
However, the only pure at heart is Jesus who took our sins and died for them. This is why we need to do internal searching on a daily basis and ask for God’s help to identify those things that we seem to be blind to, and operate under every day.
I am certain that Paul was truly shocked and disturbed when the Lord showed him his cardinal experiences in life. We cannot and should not be shocked because we know our carnal experiences, we know those things we do that are wrong and maybe reprehensible, we know the things that we do and don’t tell anyone thus living in the shadows, we know the difference between right and wrong and choose often wrong over right because it provides greater immediate satisfaction.
I encourage everyone to read the scripture and begin asking yourself frequently, or daily, what are the things that should be peeled from our, yes our offensive, personality and behavior to help us become obedient to God.’s Word.
Reference – Bible.com; Image – LAB Photos
There is a lower case ‘h’ – holy. We who have been reborn, Christians, learn to live in holiness.
~ Lisa Blair
When people hear the word holy, whether it be with a capital or lower case h, we think of something unattainable, something that dilutes the concept of fun and living a fun life, something beyond our reach. But holy, lower case, simply means the established relationship between our Holy God and his children. (Holy, Holiness. Biblestudytools.com)
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV. biblegateway.com
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” Galatians 5:16-17 (https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.5.16-17.NLT)
As Paul writes in Galatians, these two forces are in contrast battle. They are the forces of good and evil. Our former carnal life is a life of sins, self indulgence and satisfaction. Our new self is that of love and looking for the good we can share with others. Once we are renewed, we acquire the characteristics of Christ. We begin to envelope them into our being, we become holy. We no longer absentmindedly hang out, drink until we are drunk, do drugs, curse, or other things of the flesh, Galatians 5:19-21); you begin to walk the line between sin and holiness leaning towards holiness. You begin to evolve. Once you receive Christ as your Lord and Savior you begin your walk with Him. You acknowledge the Holy Spirit nestled in you, and you receive His guidance, you are led by the Holy Spirit. You put down the old and pick up the new. You become a new being. It is the Holy Spirit who nudges you, who whispers in your psyche, who causes you to feel uneasy or guilty for little things such as telling a lie to a friend or loved one, taking advantage of people, taking office supplies, to making an illegal u-turn, or more noteworthy sinful actions. You begin and develop a new life embedded in the fruit of the spirit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law. Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-26. https://bible.com/bible/1171/gal.5.23-26.MEV)
As born again Christians, we already have been washed clean, but that is not the end. Once washed clean we must absorb the characteristics of Christ and become holy, set apart from our past, our carnal life.
Scriptures – being washed clean.
“Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.”
Psalms 51:2 NLT (https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.51.2.NLT)
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:9 NLT (https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.9.NLT)
“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
Psalms 51:7-10 NLT (https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.51.7-10.NLT)
It is easy to conform to the patterns of this world. Doing so is little more than following those around us who seek popularity, career advancement, and conformity. Non-conforming lives requires thought, commitment, and yes, repentance.
~ Lisa Blair
There are two scriptures that I feel go hand-in-hand. The first is Romans 12:2, “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.“ The second is Matthew 3:8 NLT, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and return to God.“
When we choose not to conform to the pattern of the world and choose to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, we are committing to become more like Christ. We become more loving towards those around us, as well as loving ourselves differently. We think about our actions in a different way. During which time we recognize our earthly actions require change known also as repentance. Repentance causes us to critically (objectively) review our action or actions and choose different paths. That is what Matthew 38 is saying, we prove (demonstrate) the way we live through recognition of our actions past and present, to repent means changing direction and leaving those old habits and thought patterns behind, to again, become more like Christ.
Images: 1) Our Daily Bread; 2) YouVersion. Roger Cole. Bible.com
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 