Psalm 121

Psalm 121

A song of ascents. ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.
 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.
 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.
 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

This is a great chapter to memorize. It expresses assurance and hope in God's protection all the time. Nothing distracts Him. He doesn't sleep. We are safe. We will always need God watching over our lives. He is our refuge... our hiding place!!!

Are You Narrow Minded?

Be Narrow-Minded

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."—Matthew 7:13-14

 

If you are worried about fitting in and being cool and being culturally acceptable, you will have a hard time being a follower of Christ, because it means taking a narrow road. Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).


There are two gates and two ways we can take in life: the narrow or the broad. And when we read, "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life," it means we are to be—in a strict sense—narrow-minded.
What does it mean to be narrow-minded? It does not mean that we are self-righteous, arrogant, know-it-alls. We should have humility as we share the truth of God with others. But we are to recognize there is a specific road we must walk on to reach a particular destination. It is as simple as that.
Yet when it comes to the most important issues of life, like where we will spend eternity, people will say things along the lines of, "Well, I believe that all roads lead to God as long as a person is sincere." But Jesus said, "Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life . . . " (Matthew 7:14).
If you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you can know with certainty you will be welcomed into heaven. But if you have taken the broad road, the popular road, the ultra-cool road, it will lead to destruction. And it will be too late on that final day.

Author: Greg Laurie

James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

You can count on God. He’s dependable, reliable. He is worthy of your trust.
Some of you know fathers who are unpredictable, unreliable, or fickle. They’re always changing, depending on the mood they’re in. Inconsistent fathers produce insecure children.
But the Scripture says God never has a bad day. He doesn’t wake up grumpy. He’s not moody. He doesn’t get up on the wrong side of the bed.
 
He’s consistent and faithful.
2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” Even when I’m unfaithful, God is faithful. Even when I’m inconsistent, God is consistent. Even when I’m unreliable, God is reliable. No matter what else is changing in the world, there is one thing I can count on: God always acts the same way toward me. He is loving and He is consistent regardless of my mood. He loves me just as much on my bad days as on my good days.
God says it himself in Malachi 3:6, “I, the Lord, do not change.” That is good news!

The number one problem with children and parents – why more children rebel than any other reason, why there are more hurt feelings and damage done in relationships between parent and child – the number one cause of resentment between parent and child is broken promises. “One of these days … I promise”. And “one of those days” never comes.

But God is consistent. “What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his promises prove true!” (Proverbs 18:30, LB) If God says it, count on it! He’s always faithful. He’s always just the same way.

Questions: Has your view of your own father affected your conception of your Heaven Father? If so, how can you begin to change your attitude to more accurately reflect who God is?

Let's share our thoughts. Please put your comments in the comment section below. If you go anonymous... please put your name at the bottom of your post. ;D

About the Author: Rick Warren