Tag Archives: Trust

Give Us Rest

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maxresdefaultDavid Crowder Band is one of my favorite Christian bands ever.  I love their spirit, I love their art, I love their lyrics, and I love their passion for leading the people of God in worship.  There version of one of my favorite hymns, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing is very different, but very good.

One their last album they have what may be my favorite of their songs.  It’s called “Give Us Rest.”  I just love the notion of singing to God, saying, give us rest.  We are tired. We are worn out. We are exhausted.  We can’t do any more.

Oh great God, give us rest!

Is that your prayer today?  So many days, it is my prayer.  As a busy body, sometimes, I just need rest.

Today, don’t just listen to the words of that song, listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Today, there is rest.  No matter what you are facing.  No matter where you are.  No matter what is going on. There is rest.  Really, there is.

Now that doesn’t mean that everything will get better at this exact moment.  It doesn’t.  But, you can rest.

You can put down your burden.  You can lay it aside.  And you can know that the very  God of Creation holds you in His hand.  You can rest today.  Really, you can.  You can rest.

Today, cast your cares upon Christ, because He cares for you.

Rest.  In Him.  Rest.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

The Next Verse

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There are certain passages of scripture that we all know so very well. Verses that we all have memorized, or at least have a good idea about they say.  John 3:16, for instance, is a verse that most all of us know pretty well.

Another verse that a good many of us are familiar with is Jeremiah 29:11.  Listen to what it says:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

imageThat’s a verse that is close to many of us, a verse that has been a rock of help and support in difficult times. God has a plan for us, a good plan, a plan that will be for our benefit and for our good.

I love verses like that.  Verses that give hope and peace. Verses that we can hold onto.

But, something I like to do, when looking at a “famous” verse, is look at the next verse.  Look at what happens next.  Look at what follow.  Listen to Jeremiah 29:12-14:

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

In 11 God talks about a hope and a future for us.  But look what it says in these.  When you seek me with all of your heart, you will find me.  I will be found by you.

God will be found today, by you.  Are you looking for Him?  For hope? For peace?  For life?  Are you really looking for what counts? Are you broken, discouraged, or doubtful?

Today, are you looking for God?

Hear His promise.  You will find Him.  You will.  He has promised us that.

Today, He has promised us a hope and a future. And has promised something even better.  If we search for Him, we will find Him.  We will.

Seek Him today. And you will find what you are looking for.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

For all the Scared and the Restless

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There are times in life when we do no fail safe.  There are times when we may be worried, we may be fretting, we may be fearful.  We may be facing a tremendous test or issue.

We may be in a season now where don’t feel “safe.”  Where we may feel unsure or unsteady.  We’ve all been there.

We may be there now.

If we aren’t or ever have been, at some point, we will be. We will all feel that way.  It’s ok.  It’s human.  But, for all of us that are scared and restless, listen to the words of Psalm 63: 7-8 today:

for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

12-Benn-(Benejou-Rabinowicz--1905-89)--Psalm-91-4God is the one that is our help.  God is the one that strengthens us.  God is the one that sustains us, no matter what.

No matter what it may be in your life that is terrifying you.  No matter what it may be in your life that is scarring you.  No matter what is making you run.  No matter what.

You are safe in the shelter of His wing.  His right hand will uphold you. You can trust.  You can be believe.  You can hope.

You can know joy, during any struggle.  Because you are safe in Him.

So, for all the scared and restless, you can relax.  You can breathe.  You can hope.  Because God is there.  He has this.  He has you.  It is ok.

Rest in Him today.  You don’t have fret or fear.  He has you.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

After the Mountaintop

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mountain-top[1]Yesterday at Asbury, I preached about baptism, our promises to God in baptism, and God’s promises to us in baptism.  Baptism is extremely powerful, holy, and sacred moment in our lives.  It is a profound moment, a moment that we need to always remember, a moment that really defines God’s love for us.

It can be what is called a mountaintop experience.  A time when we really feel God’s power.

Mountaintops are great.  They are awesome.  They are holy.

But, here’s the thing.  They don’t last forever.

Listen to what happens to Jesus, after His baptism, in Matthew 4:1-4:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

After the mountaintop, reality sets back in.  There are still problems.

There are still worries.

There are still challenges.

There are still problems.

We can’t stay on the mountain forever.  There are things that we must do.  Challenges we must face.  Battles we must fight.  Tests that remain.

But, remember this.  The God that is God on the mountaintop is the same God that is God in the valley.  He is God in the midst of the storm.  He is God in the midst of the test.

He is God in the midst of the trial.

And He will not let you go.

No matter what.  You can trust Him.

On the mountain or in the valley.  He is God.  And you can trust.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

I Don’t Want to Go

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dont-want-to-goAnyone that’s friended me on Facebook or followed me on Twitter, knows that I’m a big Doctor Who fan.  And I’m not going to go too deep into why I love the show, because we don’t have the time to explain everything. But, I really do enjoy it.

In this show, “The Doctor” doesn’t die, but when it’s time for a new actor to take the place of the old he “regenerates” or changes into the new character, while staying  “The Doctor.”  In the show, when the 10th doctor regenerated into the 11th, his last line was a famous one for Doctor Who fans (aka whovians).  He said this – “I don’t want to go.”

But, go he must, for the show had to go on with a new actor. He had to go.

Sometimes in life, there are places that we don’t want to go. But, we must. There are places that are essential that we have to go to, even if it isn’t our desire or our “want” to. But, go we must.  Listen to what happens today in Matthew 16:23-24:

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus tells us where we must go.  To the cross.  Not just to His cross of our forgiveness of our sins, but our cross of dying to ourselves.  Dying to what we want to do, dying to our desires.  Dying to us.

And living to Him. Living for Him.  Living in Him.

We may not want to go. But when we go, we find His life. For when we die to ourselves, and live for Him, we find life.  Life eternal.  Life everlasting.  Life now.

We find life in Him.  Today, may we go to the cross.  And may we find His life.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

In the Hard Times

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Hard-Times-Grey-Fisted1None of us like tough times or challenges.  None of us like times of trial, or times of worry, or times of stress.  These are all times that we turn away from, times we we don’t like, times we great, and yes, even times that will haunt us and stay with us for a long while.

There are times in our life that are so hard, that literally feel like days, months, or years of our lives are wasted and gone, time we will never get back, time that is gone for us.  These times trial can cause us to even think that God is not there, that we have failed, that our faith is crushed.

You may be going through a tough time right now, and that’s how you feel.  You may be going through a hard time right now, and you’re wondering, where is God, how is this going to get better, how is this going to change, how can I keep going?

Today, listen to the words of James 1: 2-4.  This time of trial may be a great blessing to you, believe it or not:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Count these times joy.  I know it doesn’t sound right. I know it doesn’t even make sense. But it’s true.  These tough times, they will make us strong. They will make us better.  We will grow.  We will find our way.  We will find that God is there.

See, that’s the thing that I’ve come to realize about times of trial.  We feel like God’s not there. We all feel that way. But what we come to find out, in time, is that it is God that is carrying us.  It is God that is giving us the strength to keep going.  It is God that is pulling us forward, holding us close, giving us strength.

No matter how hard the challenge is today, God is with you.  Know that. Remember that.  Don’t give up.  Don’t give up.  Don’t give up.

Even if you don’t feel it, God is there. Don’t give up.

For this time of trial, it will grow you.  It will change you.  It will make you better.  It will.  Believe that. Keep going.

Even in the hard times.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone

Christmas Callings

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God-is-CallingChristmas is a season of callings.  It’s  a season of risks.  It’s a season of trust.  It’s a season of believing.

Think back to what started everything with Christmas.  And angel came to Mary and said, you are going to give birth to the Savior of mankind.  You are going to give birth the the one that would save the people from their sin.

She would do it.

It was a scary, huge, big job.  It would be tough.  It would be a challenge.  It would not be easy. And what did Mary say?  Yes.  She said yes.

This season is a season of saying yes to God.

I though about that, when I read today’s text in 1 Samuel 3: 8-10.  Listen to what it says:

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Samuel, two times, heard the voice of God calling to him.  He was confused.  He went to Eli.  Eli told him to listen, and to respond to the voice of God. And that third time, when God called, Samuel responded.  He said yes.

And God would do great things through Samuel.  He would be the one to anoint David, who would the forefather to Jesus, as king.  God was using Samuel to begin the process that would result in Jesus.

And it happened, because he said yes to the voice of God.  He said yes to His calling.

Today, will you?  What is God calling you to?  Will you say yes?  Will you say yes to your Christmas calling?

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

God Knows What He is Doing

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I love the Old Testament.  I really do.  Right now, I’m reading a great book entitled Jesus on Every Page, which talks about how as Christians, the Old Testament, and the stories of the Old Testament, they are ours. They belong to us as well, and they paint a picture of God’s long term plan of redemption for His people.

God knows what He is doing. And He has a plan for saving His people, that was around, long before us.  God has a plan.  Listen to what the angel tells Mary today in Luke 1: 30-33:

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

trustJesus will sit on the throne of His father David.  He is from the tribe of Judah, the ancestor of David.

God promised David, way back in the Old Testament, that He would establish David’s kingdom, and it would last forever. That it would be an eternal kingdom.

Well, He wasn’t talking about an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly.

That was God’s plan, from the beginning. God knows what He is doing.

Long term, for the world. And for us. For me, for you.  God knows what He is doing.  He has a plan.  He has a will.  He knows what is going to happen. And He directs us where we need to be.

So, today, trust.  God knows what He is doing.  He really does. We see the foundations for God’s plan in Jesus Christ, being laid as far back as the fall, in Genesis 3:15 where He promises this:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

An offspring from Eve would one day crush the head of the serpent. Even in the fall, God was pointing the way towards what Jesus would do.

God knows what He is doing.  He does.

You can trust Him today.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Nothing is Impossible

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What mountain are you trying to climb today?  What hill are are looking at, thinking that there is no way that you can do this?  What challenge do you face that is worrying you to death?

What are you up against today?  What thing do you face, that to you, looks impossible, and leaves you with no hope?  What are you to do?

Listen to what happens in Luke 1: 35-38:

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Fra_Angelico_AnnunciationThis is the story that’s called “The Annunciation.”  This is where the angel tells Mary that she will give birth to Jesus. And her response, with a greater challenge than anything we will face is “let it be to me according to your word.”

How could she have such confidence?  How could she have such hope?  How could she trust in a situation that seems to hard, to challenging, to much, for someone to handle?  This is how.

She believed the word that that the angel spoke – Nothing is impossible for with God.  Nothing.  Nothing.

God is bigger than that mountain.  That challenge. That fear.  That doubt. That hurdle.  That, whatever.  God is bigger.  God is stronger.  God is more powerful.  With God, nothing is impossible.

Nothing.

Believe that, today.  Have hope in that today. With God, nothing is impossible.  Hold tight to Him.  Trust in Him.  And He will make a way.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Calm

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We worry don’t we?   We worry about the future.  We worry about the past.

We worry about the things that we don’t understand.  We worry about the things that we do understand.

We worry about the thing that we control.  We worry about the things that we don’t control.  We worry.

Today, in this season of Advent, where we focus on the fact that God has a plan, for salvation, for hope, for redemption, to make all things right, we are reminded.  We don’t have to worry.

Really.

We don’t.  We can be calm.  Listen to the words of Psalm 131 today:

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

calmThere is a simple humility in these words today.  David says, I don’t worry about things that are too great for him. He doesn’t worry about things above him.  God has those things .  Really.  God has it.

Do you believe that today?  God has it under control.  He really does.

David says, he has calmed his soul, because he knows that God has it under control.  He can rest.  He can relax.  He can.  He doesn’t have to worry. God has it.

He can rest in God. He can be calm.

So can you today.  You can rest in God.  Really, you can.  You can rest in Him.  You can be calm.  He has it.   He really does.

Today, rest.  Be calm.  Trust.  God has it.  You can place your hope in that this day, and each day.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.