Psalm 119:136

Hey, y'all--happy Thursday! :)

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Psalm 119:136

Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep Your law.

 

When I think back over the things that typically make me cry, I don't know that "because men do not keep Your law" would be a common one. Yet, I can't help but think that God's heart weeps over the rebellion of His creation, and the heart of a true worshipper is broken by the same things that break God's heart. So when I look around and see a world that is rejecting God's word at every turn, shouldn't it break my heart?? Shouldn't it cause me to weep and cry out for revival??

 

Father, soften my heart and make it sensitive to Yours. May the things that break Your heart break mine; may the things that bring tears to Your eyes cause me to cry, also. I want to weep and yearn over a fallen world the way You do!

 

May the Lord richly bless you allow your heart to be broken by what breaks His heart!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

John 10:9-10

Hey, everyone! :)

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John 10:9-10

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

 

There are four things offered to the person who "enters by Me [Jesus]", that is, comes to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ and lives by this faith: 1. salvation--"he will be saved"; 2. liberty--"he will...go in and out"; 3. peace and provision--"he will...find pasture"

On the other hand, the world and the counterfeits it offers only bring death, deceit and destruction; the comparison seems pretty easy to me! I'll go for that "life...more abundantly" deal! :)

 

Father, as if just being Yours wasn't blessing enough, You heap blessings upon blessings on those who trust in You! Thank You!! Help me to live fully in the abundant life You have given to me.

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 20:21-28

Hey, y'all! :)

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Judges 20:21-28

Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encourage themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, "Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?" And the LORD said, "Go up against him."

So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day. And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.

Then the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, "Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?" And the LORD said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

 

We are not guaranteed instant victory. The Lord had clearly sent the men of Israel to fight against the men of Benjamin in order to bring about justice and a renewed purity after the awful things they had done (see chapter 19). But before they gained the victory, they were thoroughly beaten twice, causing them to cry out to the Lord and weep before Him. So often, we seem to think that we should be able to go out and quickly claim a victory in our life somehow--but that is not always how it works. We have to be committed to and prepared for a long battle, as well as willing to get on our face before the Lord and cry out to Him.

 

Father, I am willing to fight for as long as it takes...help me to seek Your will and Your strength, and to press on in the face of defeat!

 

May the Lord bless you richly with all that He is!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Psalm 11:3

Hey, y'all!

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Psalm 11:3

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

 

Foundations are critical. If a foundation is weak, the house or building standing on it will not last. In life, there is only one foundation that is strong enough to stand on for a lifetime, and that is God Himself; His word, and our relationship with Him, is what forms the sure foundation. But it takes care and attention to keep that foundation strong. If we neglect it, it will be destroyed, and then we are crippled in every area of our lives.

 

Father, help me to keep my "foundation"--my relationship with You--in good repair!

 

May the Lord bless you richly as you seek to keep your life firmly founded on His word and your relationship with Him!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 16:21, 25, 28-30

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 16:21, 25, 28-30

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison... So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may perform for us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars...

Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

 

Because of his own foolishness, Samson was bound. Blinded. Forced to serve in the prison house of the enemy. He became the laughingstock of the heathen, a source of "entertainment" to them. But even there, he found redemption. In this place of forced humility, Samson finally realized his source of strength. So he called on the Lord in his darkest hour and the Lord redeemed even that impossible situation--which Samson had gotten himself into! And, He redeemed it in a big way, as Samson accomplished more in his death than in his life. 

God can redeem any situation, even when I get myself into them by my own sin and foolishness. And He will do it, in His way and His time, which is always better than anything I can think up! 

 

Father, thank You for the many times You have redeemed the foolish situations I've gotten myself into! I want to follow You, and stay out of those kinds of situations, but when I do get into them, help me to turn to You and trust in Your grace to redeem them!

 

May the Lord richly bless you with His grace and joy!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

 

Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 14:6a, 19a; 15:14

And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand...

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle.

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.

 

Samson may have thought his strength came from his uncut hair, but since every time he accomplished some great feat it is preceeded by the phrase "the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him", I think his strength had a different source. :) The best news is, that same strength is available to me. No, I will probably never kill a lion barehanded, or slay thirty men, or break off ropes like they were burnt string...but God's Spirit will give me the strength to do whatever God is calling me to do. I cannot place my trust in my own strength or in any source of strength except God alone.

 

Father, help me to trust in You alone for the strength to live and walk as You have called me to!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in His strength!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 11:1-2

Good morning, y'all!

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Judges 11:1-2

Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. Gilead's wife bore sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, "You shall have no inheritance in our father's house, for you are the son of another woman."

 

Jephthah apparently has two aspects to his identity: he is a mighty man of valor, and he's an "illegitimate" son born out of wedlock. Here's what is interesting: his brothers (or half-brothers) throw him out because he's "the son of another woman" but God uses him to deliver Israel because he is "a mighty man of valor" (read the rest of Judges 11!). So tell me--which one mattered most? What his half-brothers called him, or what God knew him to be? When Jephthah walked in his God-given identity, rather than his man-made label, he did great things. What great things might God be calling you to?

 

Father, help me to see and walk in the identity, the destiny that You have for me!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in the identity He has given you!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Judges 4:14-16

Good morning, everyone! :)

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Judges 4:14-16

Then Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

 

Deborah told Barak that the Lord "has delivered Sisera into your hand". The victory was already theirs! The Lord had already given it to them. And it was the Lord who "routed Sisera and all his chariots with the edge of the sword". However, Barak and the Israelite army still had to go up and take the victory that the Lord had given them. They couldn't just sit back and say, "Praise the Lord! He's given us the victory!" while still living in bondage to Sisera. Yet, although we may chuckle at the picture that brings to mind, to a great extent that is what the church in general is doing today. God has given us victory over sin; a victory that was won on Calvary. But in order to live in the reality of that victory, we've got to get up, fight in the Lord's strength, and take it!

 

Father, give me the courage and the strength to stand for You, to fight in the battles You lay out before me, and to take the victory You have already won in my life!

 

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in the victory He has given you!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Romans 8:5-8

Hey, y'all! :D

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Romans 8:5-8
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

This verse makes the choice sound so easy--who in the world would choose death over life and peace?! But so often, we do, mostly just because we don't make a conscious choice toward being "spiritually minded". I like the way the Good News Bible translates this verse: "To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace." Living life ruled by the flesh (or "human nature") is easy, it's what comes naturally. However, it's also deadly. If we want "life and peace", we must continually choose to be controlled by the Spirit. So what does a life controlled by the Spirit look like? Well....

• If the carnal mind is enmity against God, that insinuates that the spiritual mind is friends with God. Jesus said that we become His friends by following His commandments, and walking in the revelation that He gives of His Father (God) and His will. (You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15)
• If the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, it is safe to conclude that the spiritual mind is subject to the law of God. Someone who is "spiritually minded" chooses on a daily basis to lay down their own will and yield to the word and will of God.
• If those who are in the flesh cannot please God, then those who are in the Spirit can please God. How do we please God? Well, we know that we must have faith--"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) Beyond that, a great way to learn ways to please Him is to study the lives of those in Scripture who "pleased God". Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David, and many others are said to have pleased God. (Hebrews 11, the "hall of faith", is a great place to start!)

Father, help me to live a life controlled by the Spirit, choosing purposefully and continually to yield to You!

May the Lord richly bless you as you live a life controlled by the Spirit!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website