Stand In Awe
SUNDAY
God Is Awesome
Fans can be watching a ball game and say, “That shot was awesome!” I’ve heard people describe their meal as awesome. There are many times people use the word, “Awesome” to describe something they liked. I know that we use the word, “awesome” to describe something we think is extremely great, but the Bible tells us to “stand in awe of him.” The word, “Awe” is only found in the Bible three times, and each time it tells us to stand in awe of the Lord. After we talk about some of the reasons we stand in awe of the Lord, we will see that our Almighty God is the only One who deserves that word of praise.
“Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.” (Psalm 4:4)
“Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” (Psalm 33:8)
“Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.” (Psalm 119:161)
MONDAY
The Most Amazing Thing About God
What would you say is the most amazing thing about God? His creation? His power? That He knows everything about everything? His holiness? As we begin these thoughts on standing in awe of God, the most amazing thing to me, is His gift of love to me. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Did God give His Son for me because of something good I have done? No. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Romans 3:10) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) God gave His Son. Jesus gave His life to a painful, shameful, cruel death on the cross. It wasn’t a quick, sudden death, but it was hours of suffering bearing the weight of my sin and the sin of the world. In searching for the words of a song we used to sing, I found that several song writers have written songs with this similar line, “Amazing love, how could it be, that thou my Lord would die for me…” I stand in awe of God’s amazing love. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
Changes
TUESDAY
A New Creature
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17) These words of Paul are so descriptive of his life. He went from persecuting the church to preaching the gospel. He once stood as an onlooker at the stoning of Steven and was later stoned and left for dead at Lystra. After he met Christ on the road to Damascus he was a changed person. Becoming a Christian brings a change to everyone. Those who are brought up in church need salvation just as much as those who have never attended church. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. You may not have committed murder or stolen from someone, but pride and rebellion are just as sinful in God’s eyes. But Christ paid the penalty for sin and has offered salvation to us freely. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) When we become Christians, we want to please God. Our lives are changed as we strive to follow God’s leading. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) Have you experienced the change that only salvation can bring? Are you serving the living God?
WEDNESDAY
If You Want Different, Do Different
I was thinking about how we can make changes in our lives. First, I thought about my health and weight. I know that to make changes I must do something different. It is not smart to keep doing the same things and expect different outcomes. Years ago, a slogan for a running group was, “Want different, do different.” For the last eight months I have been trying to walk 10,000 steps a day on recommendation from my doctor. It has helped my stability, my balance, my endurance, and maybe other areas of my health and well being. As my body adjusts to the walking, I may need to try a different exercise for different, or better, results. I have found that exercise alone does not help me lose weight. If I keep eating the same every day I can’t lose weight. To get different results, I must do differently. If we continually need more money between paychecks, we may need to compare what we are bringing in, and what we are spending out. If we need different, as in more money, then we may need to look for ways to do different. Maybe look for ways to bring in more money, or spend less. It is hard to make ends meet, as we live in hard times with prices of food and necessities going up. I believe we can put this on a spiritual realm. It is important to seek God and pray when we need changes in our lives. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) If we can’t seem to get our prayers answered, then maybe we need to spend more time in prayer, or meditate on God’s Word and search the scriptures for precious promises we can claim. Some things don’t change. We can’t change the amount of time we have each day. But, we can get up earlier, or change the amount of time we are spending on some things to allow more time for more important things. I don’t mean to sound like I have all the answers. Turn to the Lord and ask Him to lead you and show you how to make good changes in your life.
THURSDAY
A Changed Life
We have all had life-changing experiences. Going away to college can be challenging. Some turn to God and their faith during that change, while others rebel against the way they were taught as they experience new freedom. Getting married and having children are also life-changing experiences. You find that you often have to put the needs of your new family over your own needs. But the greatest life-changing experience of all can be that of meeting Jesus and making Him Lord of your life. The maniac of Gadara changed when he met Jesus. Others had tried to change him. They tried to bind him to give him protection and possibly to protect others, but he broke loose. The scriptures tell us he broke the chains in pieces. When we meet people bound by sin, we have no power to help them. Binding them with chains of religion won’t help them. They must meet Jesus. Look at the change in this man’s life. In Luke 8:35 we read the same story, “Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” What a change! Only Jesus can change a life like that.
“1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,” (Mark 5:1-6)
FRIDAY
Change Your Way Of Thinking And Understanding
How many times have we said, “I just don’t understand how that could happen” or “How could he say that to me?” We may throw up our arms in desperation and say, “Why did she do that? I will never understand how that happened.” Well, it is time to change our understanding. The wisest man of Israel gives us the secret of understanding… “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” What can we do when life throws us a curve and we don’t understand? Trust in the Lord. Many things are going to happen in our lifetime that we won’t understand. Things have changed so much in this country the last few years, things that I never thought possible. Trouble and adversity may be right around the corner and our closest friends may leave our side, but remember “…there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24) We can’t go through life in our own wisdom. As Christians, we must trust in the Lord to lead us and guide us, and not lean on our own ideas and notions of how things should be. Our God is still in control!
“5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 35-7)
SATURDAY
Positive Thinking
We are looking at Philippians 4:8, which begins, “Finally brethren…” What a perfect verse to finish up our ideas on changes in 2025. We can change our way of thinking. When we ask Jesus to save us and be Lord over our lives, the Holy Spirit lives in us and leads us and guides us. But there are times when things get us down. It is hard to live a victorious Christian life when we focus on the bad things that are going on around us. There are times when the distress and stress of this world clouds our skies. Paul gives us some things to “think on”, “…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report…” When all the news on TV is bad, or your friends have let you down, or you feel like a failure, think on these things. In the same chapter Paul says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6 & 7) “Be careful for nothing” means “not worry about it.” We can’t only rely on the power of positive thinking, but we can find peace through the power of Christ. We just need to focus our thinking on the things of God.
““Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those thing, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:8 & 9)
