Archives: Watchword

WATCHWORD:

Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. May he judge Your people rightly, be honorable to Your meek and lowly. Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. Stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. Psalm 72:1-4, 6. The Message

The first thing I want You to do is pray. Pray every way You know how, for everyone You know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.1 Timothy 2:1-3 The Message

⁷ O Lord my God, now You have made me the king instead of my father David, but I am as a little child who doesn’t know his way around. ⁸ And here I am among Your own chosen people, a nation so great that there are almost too many people to count! ⁹ Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. For who by himself is able to carry such a heavy responsibility?” 1 Kings 3:7-9 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. ³ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. ⁴ Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:1-4

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Meditation:

Who Do You Trust?

Do you remember that old TV program several years ago, asking the question who do you trust? It was a quiz program but still it raised the idea of who or what do we place our trust?

In a recent Our Daily Bread devotional there’s the story of a rescue dog that became a fixture for the woman who adopted him. He was a wonderful companion, always calm, always friendly, never intrusive. Then one day Rudy began to jump next to her, licking her face every time she sat down. After scolding Rudy and finally deciding to take him to obedience school, she realized that he was licking the same spot on her jaw every time. A doctor’s appointment confirmed a microscopic bone cancer tumor and if she had waited it would have killed her. Rudy was a life-saver.

I think we all have stories of loyalty from our pets whether they are dogs or cats, it makes no difference. Sometimes we rely on them to be quiet, and calm companions while, that other times we can’t figure out what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. Have you ever wished that your pet could talk? We want confirmation of why they are barking, or why they are acting out, or why they are hiding.

Scripture tells us repeatedly that trust in God leads to life and joy. We see it throughout scripture, sometimes referring to happiness rests with those who trust the Lord. When we trust the Lord, truly trust in Him, we find a genuine sense of happiness. It’s not always easy to put out trust in the Lord because sometimes we are trusting at the edge of an abyss, in our mind, we are experiencing a sense of being lost, and it is immediate.

Scripture tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding,” yet, we do lean on our own understanding and then, try to fit it into what we may think the Lord is doing in response to our prayers. What would happen to us if we truly trusted him, fully and completely, to lead us into happiness? Blind faith? Are you kidding me? No, I’m not. Try it; what are you going to lose? The alternative, my friend, is to remain unhappy. Not much of a choice, is it?

Bulletin Board:

Another day older… When you’re a kid, each birthday is a big deal – – your own special day, with cake, ice cream, a party, and presents. And you are the absolute star for a day. As you get older, the milestones matter — ages 18, 21, 30, 40 and so on through the decades. As those numbers get bigger, some feel an intense need to ignore the passage of time, while I , staring at a goodly number, count myself among those joyfully celebrating to the max. Abraham Lincoln said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”  But, in point of fact, it is not the years, nor the events, weeks or days, that come to mind as I consider the span of my life, it’s the moments that shine like beacons. Those little times spent with loved ones, soaking in God’s beauty, making memories and deepening love. It’s with gratitude that I praise the Lord for long life and His graces that continue to flow. May it be so with you.  Amen.      Stan

Praying For Trust:

Heavenly Father, in my heart I know that the kind of happiness that I seek can only be found in You. But it’s hard for me to trust, sometimes, so I need You to be here for me, to lean on, and so I call out to You, Help me Jesus. It’s in Your blessed name that I pray. Amen.

WATCHWORD:

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, took away his body.  They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which… they laid Jesus.  John 19:38-42 Continue reading