Minute Musings...Idols

What image does your heart conjure when I say the word idols?  I'm pretty sure that the
majority of you would picture a statue of some sort, made of wood, brass, gold or silver.
In the western world these are not as prevalent as in eastern cultures, but they are still
here!  Idols are the center point of homes in some cases;  shrines build around these
figures.  I want you to notice what the dictionary definition says about idols.  "An image
of a deity as an object of worship:  a false god:  object of excessive devotion."  Did you
catch what this said, a false god.

There is only one God.  Deuteronomy 4:39  "Know therefore this day, and consider
it in thine heart, that the LORD He is God, in heaven above, and upon the earth
beneath:  there is none else."  "There is none else!"  The Ten Commandments, found
in Exodus chapter 20 start out with the statement in verse two, "I am the LORD thy
God," It emphatically states 163 times in the Bible that the LORD is God!   Immediately
following in verses three to five, Almighty God addresses the problem of idols.  "Thou
shalt have no other gods before me.  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them:"

Right about now you might be saying to me, "But I don't have any idols in my house,
there are no shrines that I worship!"  That's great!  However I would dare say that
you still do have idols in your life.  How do I know this, because I struggle with them!

God spoke to Ezekiel about certain elders of Israel that had come to him with questions. 
God told Ezekiel that they had "Idols in their heart."  (Ezekiel 14:3)  An idol in general
is "anything that we rely on to fill a need in our lives other than God."  (Pastor Don Symons) 
Are we guilty of erecting idols in our hearts?  Yes we are.  How many times do we rely on
our talents, brains, jobs, relationships, ingenuity, personality or looks to help us achieve our
goals?  When anything is deemed more important in our lives than the Lord our God,
it is an idol.  When we trust in any thing other than God for help, it is an idol!

Are you hiding idols in your heart today?  We see in 2 Kings chapter 18, that when
Hezekiah became King, one of the first things he did was "Remove the high places,
(places of idol worship) and brake the images, and cut down the groves,"  We
see in verse 7 the result of his actions, "The LORD was with him;"  Erecting idols,
whether ones we can see, or those in our hearts, are deliberate actions on our part.
Ridding our lives of these idols that have taken the place of God has to be a conscious,
deliberate act on our part as well.  Ezekiel 14:6  "Thus saith the Lord GOD:  Repent,
and turn yourselves from your idols;" 

Don't you think its time to give God the proper place in your life?  If we want the
presence of God with us, then it is up to us to take the appropriate action.  It states in 
Deuteronomy 4:24, "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." 
God will not share your worship with anything else.  Repent, tear down the high places
that you've set up in your heart, and worship the One True God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhnAblF-f6s

Majesty

 

Majesty, worship His majesty,

Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise.

Majesty, kingdom authority,

Flow from His throne unto His own, His anthem raise.

 

So exalt, lift up on high, the name of Jesus.

Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus, the King.

 

Majesty, worship His majesty;

Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all Kings.

 

                                                                 Jack Hayford 

Minute Musings...Family Day

Today in is a provincial holiday in Ontario known as Family Day.  It's a day to celebrate
our families, to spend time with them, making memories that we will cherish for years to
come.  A little while ago I had a knock at my door, and I got to spend some wonderful
time with my dear son, his sweet wife and my precious 15 month old grandson.  My heart
feels warmed, bursting with love for this family that God has blessed me with!  After they
left, I started thinking about my other family, the family of God.  How blessed I am for
the brothers and sisters in Christ I have all around the world.  I am so thankful for my
loving Heavenly Father who adopted me into this amazing family, and I stopped to tell
Him so.  As thrilled as I was to hear the voices of my family, God is even more happy to
hear the voices of His children!

Psalms 5:3  "My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD:  in the morning
will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up."

Our God loves for us to spend time with Him, He desires our fellowship, communion
and worship.  As His child, it should be our desire to be in His presence as well.  How
heartbreaking it is to hear of children who have gone off into the world, forgetting their
parents.  These people, who cared for them, sacrificed for them and loved them are now
forsaken by the very ones whom they would lay down their lives for. (I am of course only
speaking of parents who truly love their children, not those who abuse and neglect.)  The
anguish would be overwhelming for these dear folks, who long to hear the voice of their
precious child.  But don't we treat our Heavenly Father in the same thoughtless way? 
Sometimes days, perhaps weeks go by without time spent in prayer with the One who loves
us like no other.  He silently, patiently waits for His child to remember Him.

Have you spent time with your Abba (daddy) today?  He longs for your voice, for your
presence, don't keep Him waiting!

Psalms 29:2  "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name:  worship the
LORD in the beauty of holiness."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUQeEEVj92s

Father I Adore You

 

Father, I adore you,

Lay my life before you,

How I love you.

 

Spirit, I adore you,

Lay my life before you,

How I love you.

 

                                                                (Matt Brower)

 

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice,

To worship You, O my soul rejoice;

Take joy my King in what you hear,

May it be a sweet sweet sound in Your ear.

 

O Lord, I thank You, I really thank You,

I just thank You all the days of my life;

O Lord, I thank You, I really thank You,

I just thank You all the days of my life.

 

And I was hungry Lord, You fed me,

And I was hungry Lord, You fed me,

And I was hungry Lord, You fed me,

I just thank You all the days of my life.

Minute Musings...Love Is In The Air

All you have to do is walk into a store and you know that Valentines Day is coming!
Everything is "red."  There are aisles of stuffed animals of every description all holding
plush red hearts;  delicious chocolates, red roses, beautiful jewelry, and hundreds of
cards all trying to convey the thought of lasting love and devotion.  Millions of dollars
are spent every February in the attempt of being the "perfect valentine" to your special
someone.

Jeremiah 31:3  "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have
loved thee with an everlasting love:" 

We hold in our hands the most beautiful love letter that has ever been written in the
history of mankind.  This is a love that we cannot fathom.  It brought the Almighty God
of the universe from the majestic courts of heaven to a humble stable; this love led Him
into the waters of baptism; it allowed Him to be driven into the desert of temptation;
it accompanied Him throughout His earthly ministry.  This love drove Him to His knees
in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prayed, "Thy will be done." (Matthew 26:42) 
It was this love that kept Him on that old rugged cross bearing your sin and mine.  That
old Roman cross was drenched in red...the precious blood of our blessed Redeemer; the
blood that He willing, lovingly shed for us.

Don't get caught up in the commercialism of this time of year.  I'm not saying it's wrong
to convey your love to your significant other, but spend your energy focusing on Who
should be the greatest love of your life, your precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 
Make sure that your spiritual love life is vibrant and flourishing.

Song of Solomon 7:10  "I am my beloved's, and His desire is toward me."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9jNvwicRC4

I Am His, and He Is Mine

 

Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know;

Spirit, breathing from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!

O this full and perfect peace, O this transport all divine-

In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine;

In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.

 

Heav'n above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green!

Something lives in every hue Christ-less eyes have never seen;

Birds with gladder songs o'erflow, flowers with deeper beauties shine,

Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine;

Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.

 

His forever, only His - Who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart!

Heav'n and earth may fade and flee.  Firstborn light in gloom decline;

But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine;

But while God and I shall be, I am His, and He is mine.

 

                                                    George W. Robinson 

From me to you

I've had some people inquire about why I don't post every day.  Well, I try...but as you
know, life has a habit of interrupting plans, also I'm not interested in writing just for
the sake of writing.  Unless I feel led of God to write a devotional, I don't.  I want what
is on the page to come from God, not from my desire to "get another devotional posted!"
If I don't post for a few days, that doesn't mean that I won't anymore, I'm just praying
and mulling over idea's.  Thank you all so much for your follows, comments and
encouragement, they all mean so much.

Because He lives,
Cindy

Psalms 26:7  "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy
wondrous works."

Minute Musings...Properly Seasoned

Have you ever spent time cooking a meal only to be disappointed in the taste because
you didn't properly season it?  Without proper seasoning food is bland and in some
cases downright disgusting!  A little salt, onion, garlic, oregano etc goes along way
to making a meal inviting to the palate.

Our words are the seasoning by which the hearer finds either delight or disgust
in the truth we are sharing with them.  Colossians 4:6 tells us, "Let your speech be
always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer
every man."  No one responds well to the truth being rammed down their throats!
However a loving, compassionate approach to a situation, coupled with kindness
in our words, can make a world of difference in how what we say is accepted by the
listener.

The Old Testament book of Proverbs is full of admonition about our speech.  Here
are just a few verses.

Proverbs 15:4  "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life:  but perverseness therein
is a breach in the spirit."

Proverbs 16:24  "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and
health to the bones."

Proverbs 25:11  "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

How are you seasoning your speech today?  If anger, frustration, impatience, hate,
indifference and malice are what the hearer is tasting in your words, what you have
to say will be ignored.  Truth coupled only with love, compassion, patience, and
kindness, will be able to penetrate the heart of the listener.  When our lives are hid
in Christ Jesus. led by His Spirit, our speech will by the vehicle by which God uses
to reach others through us!   If you seem to be getting no where with someone, take
the time to check your seasonings!

Psalms 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be
acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

The Beauty Of Jesus

 

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His wonderful passion and purity;

O Thou Spirit divine, may I truly be Thine,

Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

 

Let my wonderful Savior be seen in me,

His amazing compassion and constancy;

His great love is my goal, by His Spirit's control,

Till my wonderful Savior be seen in me.

 

Let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in me,

Grant me grace all sufficient that I may be;

True and faithful each day, every step of the way,

Pointing souls to the Savior on Calvary.

 

                                                             Tom M. Jones.