Hello my dear friends! Warm, very warm, greetings to you from sunny and hot South Carolina. Today we are going to take a close look at one of my favorite Psalms. It is a lesson on grace and evangelism and how God uses our most difficult times to bring glory to Him and good to us.
May the Lord use this passage of Scripture to give you great encouragement and comfort today. I'm praying for you. Thanks for praying for me.
In the hands of the One who cares for me,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship: July 23, 2011—Principle #28 (Grace & Evangelism)
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #28
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3
Core Value: Grace and Evangelism
Whoever said that life would be easier once we became a devoted follower of Jesus is misleading at best, or at worst, just flat out lied to us. Yes, it would be easier on us if our Christianity were no more than a formula we could memorize and confess our way to success. Yes, it would be easier to be a Christian if a stable life was guaranteed with no difficult changes allowed. But, we know the truth. The Christian life is not based upon a formula; it is based upon having a relationship with Jesus. All of us have personally discovered that the Christian does experience wild swings of highs and lows.
The challenge for all of us who follow Jesus as His disciples is clear: will we trust Him when it seems everything is going against us? Will we trust Him or will we lean towards our own ability to make our way? Are we willing to rest in God’s character (He loves us, cares for us, has a plan for us, etc.) or will we convince ourselves that God has forgotten about us and left us to ruin? Are we patient with God? Do we have hope, no matter how deep is the pit we are in, that God is at work in us and through us? David did and so can we.
Principle #28 & Personal Application: The quality disciple experiences the blessing of going from desperation in the pit of destruction to a supernatural deliverance that offers to the Lord unending worship, glory and praise.
• It is the grace of a patient God that helps us wait patiently for the Lord (and for His perfect work and timing) when everything within us schemes to take control and offer our own solutions.
• It is the grace of a concerned God that helps us believe that He does care for us and that He does listen to both the audible and inaudible cries of our heart.
• It is the grace of a delivering God that helps us escape from our own forms of destructive pits and miry clay to a place of stability and safety.
• It is the grace of a glorious God that helps us sing the kind of life song of praise that causes others to trust in our great God too.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I find myself in a destructive pit and reach the point of wanting to give up, what keeps me going?
Can I think of a time when the Lord used a difficult (but spiritually enriching) time in my life that caused others around me to grow closer to the Lord?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, by Your grace, may I always be patient with You. I know that You have never forgotten about me and that You do hear the cry of my heart. May I always look to You as my deliverer and my stability and my safety and may my life be a life song that causes others to trust in You too.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
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