Be Still...and Know

Friday, September 29, 2023

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.  Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  

….“Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.                          I will be honored throughout the world.”  Psalm 46:1-3, 10

When the storms of life head your way, it becomes an absolute necessity to know and trust the strength of the position you occupy.  It won’t do to start fixing the roof when the raindrops begin.  This is why Scripture constantly tells us, shows us, and reminds us to meditate on God, to study His Word, and trust His strength, rather than our own.  He is our roof, walls, and foundation; He wants us to survive the storms.  So…this morning, let’s meditate on God in the stillness:

Be Still and See His Creation

The Psalmist tells us God created all that we can see, as well as that which we still haven’t discovered.  Take a deep breath and contemplate how God has put you together, intricate, beautiful, capable of great kindness and compassion, having free will to serve goodness or evil; you are fearfully and wonderfully-made.

Be Still and See His Gentleness

With all His power to create the universe, God made sure we would have the tenderness to be gentle with that which is vulnerable.  What trust our God has in us to ennoble us with such gifts that display His image in us.  We are blessed with a family resemblance.

Be Still and See His Kindness  

God did not have to create us, or be gentle with His creation, but rather chose to do so because of His nature to be kind.  Even the covenant word used for God’s promises to all who look to him as Father…the word is lovingkindness.  That is the stuff of His creation and promises.

Be Still and See His Majesty

Mountains, plains, seas, sky, and all that is in them, declare the handiwork of God.  And with all of that to display his glory, God also has not chosen to live in a house made with bricks, mortar, wood, or stone; God lives within the crown of His creation…humankind.  He decorates his abode with love, compassion, and eternal life.

Be Still and See His Mercy

In the storms of our lives, God is there; He cares what we’re going through, and what we’ve learned, how much we’ve suffered, or laughed.  He knows us so fully…every molecule of our body, every thought of our being, every tear we’ve ever shed is collected in His bottle, and He knows every pure or vile thing we’ve thought or done.  And in His mercy, we are loved.

For You Today 

What could we possibly add to Creator, Gentle, Kind, Majestic, and Merciful? 

Tons more…we have just barely touched the slightest glimmer of the grandeur of God’s glory.  And the greater news is, for those who love Him and call Him Father, we will have an eternity to explore all He is, and the greatest measure of His love, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

Title Image(s) courtesy of The Chosen via Wikimedia                      

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

The Sheep of His Pasture

Monday, May 1, 2023

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!  Worship the Lord with gladness.  Come before him, singing with joy.  Acknowledge that the Lord is God!  He made us, and we are his.  We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.  Give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good.  His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.  

Psalm 100:1-5

Sheep are not warring creatures, they’ve been domesticated for thousands of years, and are by nature gentle.  They communicate with sounds and body language, much like any species, locating food, alerting the flock to predators, and singling-out their family position.

Perhaps one explanation of why God’s Word characterizes the people of God as sheep, and tells us to shout loud praises to our Lord, is because sheep will bleat loudly and continuously when near their food source.  Domesticated sheep tend to view their shepherd as their food source.[1]  That has some strong implications for the relationship between God and the sheep of His pasture.

The sheep of God’s pasture have a gentle posture.  In teaching the crowds of would-be followers he offered rest and strength to weary sheep:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:29

John’s Gospel changes the metaphor from Shepherd and Sheep to Vine and Branches, but the relationship is clearly the same:

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.  Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!  When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my Father.  “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.  When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!  

John 15:5-11

For You Today 

Sheep with a Shepherd, and Branches with the Vine…earthy examples of the way God loves and provides.  This is an open invitation to join the flock, stay close to the Good Shepherd, and have eternally-overflowing joy.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:   Flat Tire Worship  and  Of Sheep and the Shepherds Song    

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] North American Nature

The Disciplined Christian Life

[1] 

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you.  And now that I am away, it is even more important.  Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.  Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.  Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.  Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.  But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.  Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.  Philippians 2:12-18

The diligent Christian life may seem rather dull by worldly standards.  TV or the big screens, novels, and current media trends show exciting stuff as what makes for a great life, going here and there, being powerful and noticed often on Facebook, or being the best looking, richest, or most influential in today’s culture.   By comparison with worldly standards a Jesus follower is tame and judged boring.

Question:  Can the world ever get things more wrong?

Now it’s obvious that the church, imperfect as it is, doesn’t always get things right, but the message of the Head of the Church is one of peace and life, not violence and death.  The so-called more interesting life according to worldly standards has quite the opposite message.  We live in a time of unprecedented (and escalating) violence and anger.  A news report listed a total of 11,843 homicides from 1999-2016, an average of nearly 700 deaths by shooting per year.

By comparison, the disciplined Christian life is a study in the opposite of self-interest, personal pleasure, and getting angry if you don’t get what you want.   Rather, it is a preoccupation with preserving and protecting life, and being gentle with others always, even if you must give up your “rights” to do so.  Here is how the Head of the church stated that categorically:

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:29

For You Today

The disciplined Christian life may seem tame, unassuming and less than scintillating to the worldly mind.  However, it is hardly boring to the one who gives self over to Christ, has his mind opened to the Master, who, in His beauty and majesty, is powerfully changing the future into a time where lambs can lie down with the lions, and swords will be beaten into plowshares[1]. 

That, for any violence-weary mind, is as exciting as it gets!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image:   Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

[2] Micah 4:3 & Isaiah 2:4