The Lord is my Shepherd. ~Psalm 23 And because He is, I can have: Rest from endless wants. Because I shall not want. (v.1) Rest from weariness. Because he makes me to lie down. (v.2) Add Comment Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. Yesterday, 40,000 people participated in the 33rd annual Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. The winner was a 29-year old Kenyan man who was participating in his first race on U.S. soil. His time? 47 minutes and 5 seconds. Ten miles in under an hour. He made it look easy. In truth though, long distance running is anything but easy. Any marathon runner will tell you that it is not only physically challenging, but mentally as well. Have you ever finally spotted a parking space in a crowded parking lot, turned on your turn signal to signify your intent to park there - only to have someone else pull into it? Does it bug you when someone tailgates you? Have you ever fit an appointment into your busy schedule - only to have the person not show up? Don't you hate it when someone cuts you off when you're driving? Do you live in a house where everyone disagrees on which way to hang the toilet paper and where to squeeze the toothpaste tube? There are thousands of occurrences daily that can easily irritate and frustrate us! "Come, my children, listen to me." ~Psalm 34:11a "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them." ~Psalm 34:17 "You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry." ~Psalm 10:17 God uses many, many verses in scripture to reassure us that he is listening. He also uses many, many verses to beseech us to listen to him. Somehow He knows that this whole listening thing is a struggle for us. "Let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise." ~Hebrews 13:15 "I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together." ~Psalm 34:1-3 (NLT) You are a great God. Each day - for that matter, each moment of every day, we can choose to practice the Presence of God or to practice the presence of problems.
Practicing the problems: Thinking and dwelling on the big-ness of the problems rather than the big-ness of your God. Thinking and dwelling on the worst-case scenarios rather than what God might be doing in the midst of the problem. Thinking and dwelling on frantically trying to find immediate solutions rather than a God who delights in solving the unsolvable dilemma. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me." ~Psalm 23:4 (KJV)
"Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side." ~Psalm 23:4 (MSG) One author writes about one of the most moving passages in English literature that comes towards the end of Charles Dickens's Tale of Two Cities, a story of the French revolution. Each day, a grim procession of prisoners made its way on the streets of Paris to the guillotine. One prisoner, Sidney Carton, a brave man who had once lost his soul but had now found it again, was now giving his life for his friend. "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake" ~Psalm 23:3b (KJV) "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." ~Psalm 25:2 (NIV) Author Ken Sande tells a story about observing a visually impaired man who resisted the repeated warnings of his loyal and protective guide dog: One day during my morning run I noticed a blind man walking on the other side of the street with his seeing-eye dog, a beautiful golden retriever. As I was about to pass them, I noticed a car blocking a driveway a few paces ahead of them. At that moment the dog paused and gently pressed his shoulder against the man's leg, signaling him to turn aside so they could get around the car. One author tells the story about his brother who bought a new car that was loaded with high-tech options. The first time he drove the car in the rain, he turned a knob he thought would start the windshield wipers. Instead a message flashed across the dash: "Drive car in 360 degrees."
|  Dr. RussLove God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. ~ ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll |
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