Category Archives: Devotional Life

The value of developing a relationship with God, The value of having a daily quiet time.

Fears of what will be

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A while ago I blogged on the distress I go through in my self-publishing. Now I’m calling it “My fears of what will be”—my fear of possibly finding out that my book cover will not look very good, or as good as it should be. And in every project, that is my fear. But I did my best on it, so why do I fear?

As I look at some old people that are facing the end of life, I think they have the same fears (as I sometimes do). It is the fear of finding out that our eternal rewards will be small.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 34:4: “I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.” In this context, David was fearing for his life being in the camp of the Philistines; and so, he pretended to be crazy so that they would not think that he would be a problem. And it worked; they dismissed him and put him out (1 Sam. 21:10-15). Hence, God saved him. Apparently, David sought the Lord in what to do, and he thought God was telling him to pretend to be crazy (so God has a sense of humor!).

Now, as for whether we should have fears for our eternal rewards; if we do all that God leads us to do, all that we think He wants us to do, what else can we do? If we take each day at a time and obey Him, what else can we do? Remember what Paul said at the end of his life? “I have fought the good fight” (2 Tm. 4:7-8).  Hence, if you also have done your best in fighting the good fight, there is no more you can do. Ask Him to deliver you from all fears. I think it is marvelous that it says all fears. I think fear tends to multiply itself and grow in our heart if we let it. And it need not be. Read further on in Psalm 34. God is telling us to focus on the Lord and praise Him and see that He is good; and then to fear Him. Verse 9 says, “O fear the LORD, you His saints: for to those who fear Him there is no want.”

I think that if we have a healthy fear of God (to trust Him and pray about everything), He will keep us from all the bad fears, the fears we find in this evil world.

Dead Men Preach to Them

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I have been reading a biography on Jonathan Edwards. What a dedicated and holy man! He has been called “The Great Awakener,” and was the primary vehicle in the American Revival of the mid-1700’s, along with George Whitfield.

Midway through this biography, George Whitefield, upon returning from America to England summarized the American situation. He said, “I am greatly persuaded that the generality of preachers talk of an unknown, unfelt Christ. And the reason why congregations have been so dead is because dead men preach to them.”

After reading this quote my mind went to Romans 8:6— “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mindset on the Spirit is life and peace.” Hence, I conclude that many preachers in that day were preaching in the flesh and were dead in the Spirit. And that is also true today.

But this was not true of Jonathan Edwards. I was sparked in my reading with the following words of inspiration:

  • Edwards viewed the work as a minister to call men to recognize their need to know God personally.
  • Edwards believed that his own knowledge of God should be first before preaching to others.
  • He set time for prayer, solitude, meditation, and earnest study—13 hours every day!
  • He recognized that the plain man (in his congregation) was reached best by the plain style of preaching.
  • He said that Christians are to be people of prayer.
  • He was all for Spirit-anointed preaching and he set out in his style to address the conscience of men.

Back to Romans 8:6. “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” I have been thinking about that verse for some time now, and I think it has been helpful because of its truth. How often during the day I catch myself thinking of fleshly things and have to change my thinking. Everything in the World is of the flesh you know. And so, a Christian must be watchful and prayerful and diligent to set his mind back on the Spirit—to find life and peace.

The Lord is Good

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I have been under some stress and depression lately, and have been praying for relief. I won’t give you all the details, but it has to do with my self-publishing—trying to get everything right.

Well, I believe the Lord had a hand in making me laugh through the newspaper comics today. Usually, out of the eight comics I read, one or two of them are funny. Today five of them were funny; one of them made me laugh out loud. It was the “Rhymes with Orange” strip. Anyway, these cows in the pasture had an emotional support animal with them: a chicken, a pig, a rabbit and a turtle!

Somehow I knew it was from the Lord. Who knew He would use comic strips to bring His grace to me. His ways are perfect and He knows what we need. Psalm 145: 8-9 says,

The Lord is gracious and merciful;

Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

9 The Lord is good to all,

And His mercies are over all His works.

It’s All Good

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Today two comic strips spoke to my heart and made me laugh. First, Dustin:

Sometimes, like Dustin and his dad, I want to find whatever refuge I can and hide from all the trouble. But instead of the pillow fort (pictured), a better refuge can be found in the Lord—in the “secret place of the Most High.” From Psalm 91:1-6:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge

and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Second, Hagar the Horrible:

I use to be this way in my painting jobs, saying, it’s all good. I remember the first house I painted. I didn’t know you were supposed to spot prime the bare wood first. The owner ask me about it and I said, “Everything’s good. With the super good paint I used, primer is not needed.” Of course, that wasn’t exactly true. I also remember the first time I wallpapered a bathroom. The guy said, “Aren’t you suppose to match the pattern?” I said, “Oh no, it’s all good.”

My attitude is so changed now. Now everything has to be perfect. That’s good I guess. But I think I am too perfect—too much of a perfectionist. I almost wish I was the way I use to be. But I know I can’t.  All I can do is ask God for His help to do all things right, and then He will make it good. He will give His angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways. Psalms 91:9-15:

If you make the Most High your dwelling —

even the Lord, who is my refuge — 

10 then no harm will befall you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,