love – Page 3 – Drawing Closer to Christ

Take Refuge in the Lord-Psalms 37

Psalm 37 is my favorite Psalm. I have been meditating on it over the last couple of weeks and have found comfort in its words. So I am sharing it with you and I hope it brings you comfort also. It encourages us to remember that God sees evil and injustice (which are two things we see a lot of nowadays). He will deal with wrongdoing so we do not need to worry. It also reminds us that refraining from anger, delighting in the Lord and trusting Him, leads to blessings.

The final two verses, 39 and 40, ensure us the Lord is our Helper and He saves those who take refuge in Him. Enjoy reading Psalm 37 and have a blessed week.

Psalms 37 NIV

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish: Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed ; the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just.

31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death;

33 but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Stay Tuned In

Galatians 5:16 NLT, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

Most of us can probably agree that it is not always easy to live by the Holy Spirit. As the verse mentions, the sinful nature rises up to entice us. Plus, we live in a hectic world that sends us many signals, signals that work to draw our hearts and minds away from the Lord. Remaining intentional about staying tuned in to the voice and leading of the Holy Spirit will help us to not be lead astray.

Photo by:
John-Mark Smith of the Ukraine 🇺🇦

When we read and meditate on God’s Word, it will strengthen us so our thoughts and actions stay in line with His will. And honest communication with the Lord about everything through prayer, will remind us that He is with us, is sovereign over our lives and loves us unconditionally. Exchanging our worries for prayer, will also lead us to God’s perfect peace.

Photo by: TimaMiroshnichenko of Poland 🇵🇱

We all have times in life where we go through difficult challenges, and our faith and trust in God are tested. During these times, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us may seem especially hard, but no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, God is willing to help us in our time of need. Remember, nothing we face is too hard for God and He is faithful to us. He never changes. His love always remains the same.

Psalm 36:5 ESV, “Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”

Stay tuned in to the Lord. He promises to direct our paths as we trust Him.

Compassion

Isaiah 30:18 NLT, “So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.”

Compassion is something that seems to be scarce in the hustle and bustle of today’s world. Showing compassion requires us to take time to be aware of those around us and to listen to what they have to say. When we listen, we can learn and understand what others need.

Photo by:
Andrea Piacquadio of Hungary 🇭🇺

As the verse says, the Lord is faithful to show us love and compassion when we come to Him. It is a blessing that we can take that same compassion that we receive from Him and give it to others. God is always willing to help us do what He ask us to do. We just need to be willing to act in obedience.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Now is a good time to ask God to keep our hearts and eyes open to those who need to receive His compassion. Especially with the holidays approaching, since it is often a difficult time for many people. Chances are we won’t have to look very far because it’s usually the people we interact with daily. Or perhaps it may be a stranger who crosses your path. But either way, it’s an honor to be able to extend the compassion of God our Father. May He help us and bless us as we aim to shine the light of His compassion in a dark world.

Photo by:
Matthias Zomer of the Netherlands 🇳🇱

Persevere in Hope

Romans 15:13 NIV, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

If you live here in the U.S., welcome to Fall! I hope that you had an enjoyable summer. Or whatever part of the world you’re in, welcome to your new season! My daughter is spending some time in South America and she says they just entered spring, which is my favorite season. I consider her lucky to get to enjoy spring twice.

At the beginning of the year, I shared that persevere was my word for 2024. Almost ten months into the year, I can definitely see why the Lord gave me that word. I have certainly had to persevere through some difficult things. As you reflect on the word persevere, I am sure you can think of multiple things you too have had to persevere through. Or perhaps, you’re still in the battle.

Photo by:
Yelena Odintsova of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

I have been thinking about hope lately, and I think that to remain hopeful takes courage, determination, and perseverance. Especially in the midst of the many changes that life often brings our way.

I saw this simple definition of hope from Oxford languages, “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” This definition alerts us to the close relationship between hope, expectation and desire. When we’re hoping in someone or something, we usually have expectations and desires attached to that hope.

We all know it can be disappointing when our expectations are not met, and our desires go unfulfilled. Even sometimes when we hope in God and have expectations of Him, we may feel He has somehow let us down. However, I love it when God’s word reminds me of His faithfulness in the midst of my anxious thoughts…

Psalm 145:16 NIV, “You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Psalm 37:4 NIV, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

I believe there is hope in the fact that God always sees and hears us and will ultimately do what is best for us. Even when we don’t see the results right away.

In my own life, I have had to decide, sometimes daily, not to give up on hope. Romans 15:13 tells us, God is called the God of hope and He is willing to fill us with joy and peace that will cause us to overflow with hope. This promise assures us that we can keep persevering in hope, by His grace.

Photo by:
Lynnelle Richardson of Australia 🇦🇺

My biggest hope is to live eternally in heaven with Jesus, but as long as I am here on Earth, I have hopes for this life. I trust God to meet my needs and show me His goodness in this life. I encourage you to keep trusting Him as well.

Psalm 27:13 NIV, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Even in the midst of persecution, trials, difficult people or disappointing circumstances, decide not to lose hope. Decide not to give up on the God of Hope. He is the Giver of Hope and of all good things.

James 1:17 NLT, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

Remember, God has not forgotten you and He never will. So don’t lose hope.

Have a blessed and hope-filled day.

So Thankful, Year 7!

In May, I celebrated 7 years of blogging on Drawing Closer to Christ! Thank you for choosing to be part of Drawing Closer to Christ. I appreciate you taking time to read what I write and share your thoughts.

Each time you like, comment or share my posts it encourages me to keep going and growing. And it is my prayer that when you visit this blog, you are encouraged too.

We all know trusting Jesus and walking by faith is a learning process. But His love and faithfulness are never ending. He has promised to supply our needs. And He is pleased when we wake up every morning and still choose Him.

As the hymn says, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.” Keep choosing to trust Him, even when it’s hard. Your perseverance in commitment to Jesus is not in vain. Remember, He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Well, it’s that time of year, where I take a blogging break. I plan to return sometime in September. But before I break, I wanted to leave you with these words from Ecclesiastes chapter 3, reminding us to trust God with the seasons of our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NIV

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil?

10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Friends, God makes everything beautiful in its time. Although some seasons are more difficult than others, God remains the same. He understands your struggles. May He be your anchor no matter what you are facing. Remember that He always sees you and hears you. He has a perfect timing for everything in your life.

Blessings, and Happy July!

Do You Have An Answer?

1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 16 But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Recently while attending a small Bible study group, the speaker asked the question, “What keeps you committed to Christ?” For me, it was a very timely question because I had been thinking about this just a few days earlier.

These verses in 1 Peter tell us to be prepared to answer this question. We never know when we will be given the opportunity to share with someone the reason we have chosen to put our hope in Jesus Christ.

When it was my turn to answer the question, and share about something that keeps me committed to Christ, I said, “He always sees and He always hears.”

I love that Jesus is the God who always sees me. He is always aware of me and what I am going through. Although I am blessed to have people who care about me, people cannot always see what He can. I am never out of His sight. He understands me and my circumstances completely.

Secondly, I love that Jesus is the God who always hears me. I can pray at anytime and He will hear me. No appointment needed. He is always available. He does not slumber or sleep.

Psalm 121:3-5 NLT, “3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.”

I was glad the Bible study leader asked us this question. I was reminded to always be ready to give others an answer for the hope Jesus gives me and why I choose to stay committed to Him. It could be a non-Christian asking us about our faith in Christ or even another Christian who needs encouragement. Whatever the case, we should be ready.

I could use some encouragement and I am sure others can too, so I am asking you to please share in the comments, “What keeps you committed to Christ?”

Love and Trust

Psalm 143:8: Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

As we start each new day, we can look to God and His unfailing love. He knows what is ahead and He is aware of every moment and every detail of our lives. We can trust Him completely. He desires to lead us into what is best for us.

Doubt and fear will sometimes hinder us from casting our cares on the Lord but as we learn to trust Him, we can experience the peace that He wants to give us, regardless of our circumstances. Peace that surpasses all understanding and His peace is only a prayer away. (Phil 4:7). No problem is too big or too small. So don’t hesitate to pray. Then trust God to answer your prayer and supply your needs.

May the joy of the Lord be your strength today as your rest in His unfailing love.

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