Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”
– Psalm 150

The last psalm for the last day of the year. It kind of sounds like a New Year’s Eve party with all the trumpets, lutes, harps, tambourines, strings, pipes, cymbals, and dancing, doesn’t it?!? Well, this party has a theme – praising God! Praising God for Who He is and what He does. Praising God with all the different tools and instruments available to praise Him. It’s a good idea!

Whatever else you may be planning today to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another, take time to praise God. Think about His power and presence in your life this past year. Think about His mighty deeds and His many mercies. Think about His greatness and His goodness. Think about His love, grace, and kindness toward you. Think about the answered prayers and those best left unanswered. Take time to have praise party for the Lord today, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever! #FollowJesus

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” – Revelation 21:22-23

No matter how dark the present may feel, an infinitely brighter day is coming for those in Jesus Christ! One day, Christ will return and creation will be renewed. The curse upon Creation will be reversed and sin will no longer separate us from our Creator. We will see God the Father and Jesus the Son face to face. We will enjoy their visible presence night and day! Their radiant glory will be so overwhelming that we won’t even need a sun, moon, or other lights!

We won’t even need special places for worshiping God because every place will be in His presence and every place will be perfect for worshiping. When that day comes, there will be no evil, no suffering, no illness, no poverty, no pain, no injustice, no cruelty, and no death. Brighter days are coming!

If this sounds good to you, please remember this – these brighter days are only for those who’ve been made clean in the eyes of God through faith in His Son, Jesus. Everyone is welcome to God’s party but they must wear the clothes He’s given them access to – robes washed in the blood of Jesus. Let this truth encourage you if Jesus is your Lord, Let it lead you to trust in Him if He isn’t. Let it lend urgency to your efforts to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people you know who haven’t yet believed. #FollowJesus

“They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.” – Nehemiah 8:8

God’s Word is meant to be read AND understood by His people. Scripture isn’t supposed to be something that sounds great but can’t be understood. It’s meant to be read or heard, explained, understood, enjoyed, and obeyed by all of God’s people. If Jesus is your Lord, then don’t settle for not understanding the Bible! Don’t settle for letting others study God’s Word while you tell yourself you can’t possibly understand it yourself.

If Jesus is your Lord, then the Holy Spirit lives in you and He will help you understand the Bible. Get a good quality translation of the Bible that you’re able to understand. There are many to choose from. Get a study Bible that has many good notes at the bottom of every page to help you understand what you read. Then start reading God’s Word every day. It’s almost a new year which is a perfect time to start the habit of daily Bible reading. Bible reading is a skill that anyone can learn, but it definitely improves with practice. So practice!!!

Don’t settle for devotionals like this being the only way you read and understand God’s Word! Commit to read (or listen) to a portion of the Bible (perhaps starting with a chapter of the New Testament) every day. Read carefully. Try to make sense of what you read. Consult the notes in your study Bible. The more you read, the better you will understand. God has given us the Bible to feed us all spiritually. Don’t limit yourself to spiritual snacks – dig into the finest meal imaginable – the feast of God’s Word prepared for you! #FollowJesus

“For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands.” – Nehemiah 6:9

If you’re serious about doing God’s will, don’t be surprised when people stand up and oppose you. They certainly opposed Nehemiah and those rebuilding Jerusalem. They discouraged. They mocked. They plotted attacks. They threatened to spread lies that would destroy his reputation. This is all completely normal in a fallen, sinful world. It’s how the devil has worked for countless years to discourage God’s people.

Be encouraged by Nehemiah’s example and imitate it! He knew exactly what God wanted him to do and wasn’t going to let earthly opposition stop him. He just prayed and kept working, worked and kept praying. He probably had moments of great fear in the face of this opposition – that’s totally natural. But he prayed for supernatural strength and courage to stay faithful to what God called him to do. Do likewise!

When you find yourself opposed for doing the right thing, pray and keep working. Work and keep praying. In Christ, you have access to supernatural power to overcome natural fear. Don’t let human opposition stop you from doing what you know God has called you to do. Carry on and #FollowJesus

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

May Jesus, the eternal Word made flesh, bless you and keep you today and every day! Merry Christmas from Lake Ridge Baptist Church!