All Things
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Author: Lori Casto
TRUST
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge(submit to) Him,
And He shall direct your paths.(Make your path straight)
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart (shun) from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength(nourishment) to your bones.
Proverbs 3:5-8
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.” – Jeremiah 17:7
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
Trust- Hope, Easy to be obedient when we trust
Confidence– (Philippians 1:6) Being confident of this… He who began a good work in you will complete it
***Trust = Peace, blessing, health, direction***
Health & Strength
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.
Proverbs 3:5-8
He Restores
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; Psalm 23:2-3a
He Makes Me
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; Psalm 23:2-3a
Did your parents ever make you sit in time out? Do you remember in kindergarten nap time? I remember in grade school having to put my head on the desk for a short break. We even had an hour set aside at church camp for a rest period.
I never personally liked nap time, break time, or quiet time.
Today The Holy Spirit gently reminded me about the importance of sitting still. In the 23rd psalm David said, “He makes me.” That jumped out at me today. He isn’t saying it’s a suggestion. God actually made David lay down. I also notice the progression…
First, He makes me lie down
Second, He Leads me beside still waters
Third, He restores my soul
Do you need renew, restore, refresh, renovate, rejuvenate in your life and body? Maybe it’s time to rest. Maybe it’s time to sit still. Maybe God has something to say. Are you listening?
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; Psalm 23:2-3a
Never Moved
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:2 NIV
He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. Psalm 62:2 NKJV
Planted
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3
This is the Day
This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
Rejoice and Be Glad
My prayer for you? May you praise and worship so much today that joy oozes out of every cell of your body.
This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
Today we have a choice to rejoice and be glad. We can achieve that goal by continuing to praise the Lord. The praise comes from our mouth. We need to speak it. We can add to our praise by getting our body involved. I personally love lifting my hands while I praise. We can even add a melody while we praise. It’s amazing that what begins with praise, ends with worship.
Great is Your Faithfulness
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
God’s Example
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
- Compassion– A deep awareness of another’s suffering coupled with a deep desire to alleviate it.
- Mercy– forgiveness or leniency when it’s within your power to punish
- Grace– unmerited favor, love and kindness of God toward us
- Faithfulness– unwavering loyalty, reliability, and trustworthiness
- Love– selfless, unconditional, sacrificial
We don’t deserve it. We don’t deserve the love of Christ that caused His sacrifice at Calvary. We don’t deserve His mercy that’s new every single day. He’s loyal, kind, and faithful. He shows us compassion. He is here to help us through anything that may come our way. We don’t deserve any of it, yet He gives it freely.
How blessed am I? How blessed are we? I’m so thankful for His mercy and compassion aren’t you?
But wait. Aren’t we endeavoring to be more like Jesus every day? What moves us to compassion? Who should we show mercy to? Are we as kind as we should be? Are we loyal? Are we patient?
Maybe today is the day I show more patience, kindness, and love. Maybe today I exercise mercy at a deeper level.
Dear heavenly Father:
Please help me to remember every single day your love toward me and everything that comes with that love. Help me to exercise your attributes at a deeper level every single day.
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” – Ephesians 5:1-2
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:5
It Was Good
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. Genesis 1:31
Recently we celebrated my grandson’s first birthday. People were talking, laughing, and having a good time. My daughter-in-law’s family and some of their friends along with my family, and my ex-husband’s family, all gathered as one big family to celebrate the first birthday of the cutest kid any Nonna could ask for.
After experiencing so much loss over the past several years, it’s natural to wonder who will spend time around the table. Today we had 8 tables- 8 picnic tables full of people. It was a joy to look around our new pavilion and see so many happy faces. My husband and I had dreamed about having a pavilion built ever since we dug a hole in making our lake. This fall, with the help of a friend, our dream became reality.
As I was looking around the new pavilion and all the people enjoying themselves, I was reminded of God’s creation of the world and the words in Genesis 1… “And indeed, it was very good.” Can you imagine how God must have felt after everything He had set out to create was finally accomplished? He looked around and saw it was good. That struck me in such a powerful way. While He rested, He looked around and saw that the lakes, oceans, and rivers were good. The mountains, valleys, and meadows were all good. The wide variety of fish, birds, and other animals were all good. The sunset and sunrise were beautiful and good. When His work was completed and He took time to rest, He rested well knowing what He created was all good.
I went back to the house after the party and everyone had gone home, and I glanced out at the fire pit by the new pavilion. I noticed my husband sitting there taking in the peace, calm, and quiet. I could tell he was thinking… “It’s all good.”
In the stillness of the moment, The Holy Spirit gently hushed my mind. I hadn’t felt the hush in a while. He reminded me that sometimes I just need to stay still. I don’t need a plan, a goal, or a calendar. I don’t need to figure anything out. He has no requirement from me other than for me to be still. He simply wants me to sit still, look around, and see that it’s all good. That’s when His peace overwhelmed me.
Dear Heavenly Father,
It’s not easy for me to be still. The stillness, however, causes me to feel quiet peace from your Holy Spirit I’ve been craving. I will do my best to stay still. Work however you want in my stillness. May you be exalted as I sit still.
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10