Anxieties or Peace?

Scripture:
Psalm 119:145-152 (NIV)

I call with all my heart; answer me, LORD,
and I will obey your decrees.
I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.
Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.
Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
Yet you are near, LORD,
and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever.

Devotional:                                                    

At some point in our lives anxiety grips us and can create havoc in our lives.  There are nights when I just can’t seem to sleep.  I lay there tossing and turning wishing I could just fall asleep for a little while.  I lie in bed and try to quite my mind without success.  Instead it just keeps racing thoughts through faster than the Indy 500.   Once I run out of thoughts I start back at the beginning for another lap.  Recently I decided I would focus on God instead.  When I wake up in the middle of the night I force myself to quite my mind and pray.  I just start talking with God.  Sometimes we have a long chat and other times I slip off to sleep in just a few minutes time.

Everyone gets caught up with something that worries them or makes them anxious.  This affects each of us in different ways.  What is important to remember is that God is with us.  He is in control.  We need to turn over our worries to Him.  When our focus in on the world our anxieties are prone to build up and can overwhelm us.  When we focus on God He will give us peace.  We can rest assured that God will take care of what troubles us.  We just have to be patient and wait for Him.  In His time all things will work out for the best.  He has our best interest in mind when He works everything out.  He wants what is best for us.  He knows how best to deal with all the different situations we get ourselves into.  He has the best possible timing already planned out.  All we have to do is trust in Him.  I cannot think of anyone better than God to trust my whole life to.  Can you? 

Words, Build or Destroy?

Scripture:
Proverbs 15:1-4 (NIV)

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. 

Devotional:

I can see the effects of words in my six year old as clearly as I can see the sun rise in the morning.  Loving words spoken gently brings smiles and hugs.  Harsh, or reprimanding, words send her off to her room to hide.  I just love to see her smile and bounce around the house.  Reading proverbs 15:1-4 is a very powerful verse to read.  With the power of just a few words we can crush someone’s spirit.  We can devastate people by what we say.  We can tear them down by how we speak as well.  A raised voice builds up defenses.  I rather loudly and harshly would ask my son which he prefers.  When I speak harsh and yell at him or when I speak softer and gentle.  I try to explain that not only what we say matters but how we say it.  

A soft and soothing voice can win hearts and build spirits.  We have all heard the saying “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.”  After hearing my mom or teachers tells me this over and over I finally realized, some years later, that they were dead wrong.  Sticks and stones may hurt the flesh.  Words can destroy a spirit and crush someone’s life.  Broken bones heal much quicker than a crushed spirit.  The good news is that Jesus can heal ALL wounds, even those that are on the inside.

The Power In A Word

Scripture:
Proverbs 12:18 (NASB)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 16:24 (NASB )

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 18:21 (NASB)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 15:18 (NASB)

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

Colossians 3:8 (NASB)

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

Devotional:

God spoke and the universe was formed.  It is through His words that He created everything, Genesis chapter one.  Several verses of the Bible talk about the power of just a word.  I once read a story where a wise old man told a younger man to take a feather pillow to the highest tower.  Once there he was to tear it open and scatter the feathers.  After doing this the young man returned to the older man.  It was then that the older man told the younger man to go and put every single feather back into the pillow.  As we all know this is an impossible task.  So are the words that come out of our mouths.  Once spoken, the words can never be taken back, damage done. 

This morning I had breakfast with someone from church.  He reminded me of the power in just a word.  In a word we can heal, or hurt, someone.  In our words stem our attitudes.  Are we in the habit of building people up, or tearing them down?  What are the words that you speak?  We have all heard the saying “It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”  Way too often I speak out and remove all doubt.  We have the power.  The next question is, how do we use that power?  Remember words are like time.  Once a second slips by it is past, done and gone.  You cannot take it back or redo it.  Once a word is spoken it is out.  You can never take it back or redo what was said, damage done.

The Bridge

Scripture:
Romans 3:23-26 (NASB)

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Devotional:

Picture yourself walking along a field.  The landscape is sparse and mostly barren.  There are patches of lush green fields and flowers with plenty of food and drink.  There are other places that are barren and dry.  As you walk along you come to a cliff.  Several hundred feet across you see the most beautiful and bountiful land you have ever seen.  You cannot get across the chasm separating you.  It is too deep and too wide.  There is nothing you can do to build a bridge big enough to cross over.  You see several people working away trying to build bridges to cross.  Some people work together and seem to get a little closer.  However, none can make it across.  As you walk along the cliff’s edge a cloud or mist rises between the cliff’s edges.  You can no longer see to the other side.  You do know that the land over there is still there just as lush and beautiful.  You come to two bridges.  One bridge is made of stone.  It looks strong and sturdy, able to handle a lot of weight and people at once.  The other bridge is an old rope bridge that looks barely able to hold one person at a time.  You cannot see to the other side of either bridge.  Finally you notice someone at the entrance to the bridges.  He asks if you trust Him to choose the bridge for you.  You can see people walking down both bridges.  What do you do?

We have all sinned and fall short.  The chasm is the sin that separates us from God in heaven.  Once we leave this life we must cross one of the bridges.  The bridge we choose to cross is made by our choice in life.  The strong and sturdy bridge is a life without Christ and it will lead you only part of the way.  In the end you cannot make it across to the other side.  The rope bridge is the bridge Christ has built giving us access to heaven.  Our lives may seem rough and that we may not make it.  Christ’s bridge is complete and strong enough to hold everyone.  The stone bridge, or the bridge of this world, only goes part way before dumping you down the chasm.  Nothing you can do can complete that bridge.  Sin is the chasm.  Living a life without Christ places you on the stone bridge.  Faith in Jesus, that He is the Savior John 3:16, is the rope bridge to eternal life…