Psalm 25 is hidden in my heart, but recently when I revisited it, the first nine words grabbed my attention like a diamond in a well-lit jewelry case. My eyes and heart were fastened to it, and I could not move further into the verse or chapter. Here are the first nine words to this beloved Psalm:
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
This is what saturated my mind as the Spirit of God had me slowed to a stop on these words. God is the only One trustworthy to care for my soul.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
The Spirit undoubtedly directed David’s heart, and David knew that God was his absolute help for the eternal core of his being, whether in peace or crisis.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
Why wouldn’t I, too, lift up my soul to the only Soul Lifter?
Is there anyone more trustworthy than the Lord?
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul…
To experience what David knew in the very first line of this Psalm, then certainly we have to go to the Lord to lift our soul to Him. We can not remain unaffected by this great God we know.
We can not hide in our super busy life avoiding Him.
We can not be puffed with pride in our significant space.
We can not run by Him in ministry mode.
We can not excuse our presence with Him because of a caretaking call.
We can not rest in complacency in our relaxation room.
No, we must choose to go to God.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Are you overwhelmed that you can even approach God?
God is available to every follower of Jesus. He is our Father, and He is there for us anytime, any day, any season of our life. But we must choose to stop our life, and go get His life each and every day.
Why not every morning say to Him…
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
The soul actually demands as much attention as the body…the soul was made for God, and without God, it is restless and in secret torment.
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Are you dreading Valentine’s Day? Expectations of an upcoming Valentine’s Day are looming as the day approaches. We long to be on the receiving end of any gesture of friendship or love.
Last year, I took a class where John 12:1-8 was studied. Let’s see if the following thoughts can help you with your expectations and save you some hurt and disappointment.
In this passage, we find Jesus reclining at the home of Lazarus; Mary is near Jesus. Martha is serving.
Readers of this story have a higher view of Mary because of her outward display of devotion toward Jesus. She gave all she had to worship Jesus and show her love to Him. This story is about one who loves big.
It was six days before the Passover Feast. Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. Lazarus was the One Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 A dinner was given at Bethany to honor Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus was among the people at the table with Jesus. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard. It was an expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot didn’t like what Mary did. He was one of Jesus’ disciples. Later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies. Judas said, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold? Why wasn’t the money given to poor people? It was worth a year’s pay.” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor. He said it because he was a thief. Judas was in charge of the money bag. He used to help himself to what was in it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “The perfume was meant for the day I am buried. 8 You will always have the poor among you. But you won’t always have me.”
What lavish love Mary displays.
Have you shown this kind of love toward Jesus?
Do you know how to love that big?
Compared to Jesus, we all fall short of loving big.
I don’t believe that people can love big if they haven’t fallen in love with Jesus.
When we fall in love with Jesus, our focus changes, and obedience to Him is first. We can enjoy His presence in our lives. We will do things we previously wouldn’t have done. Our actions marked by faith in the One
who has our back
who will see the purity in our hearts AND
who appreciates our selfless motivation and sacrifice
We live for the audience of One.
Loving big means we care more about what God thinks than how another human will receive or perceive our love. This is huge in preventing unnecessary pain. Please remember this part. Now on with the story!
Judas’s weakness was that he cared only for himself. When he tried to deceitfully make a point about Mary’s love toward Jesus being misguided, the selfishness and darkness in his character were exposed.
The difference between Judas and Mary is stark. Judas cared only for himself, but not only that, he attempted to garner favor for his position by pulling in the poor as his cover. Acting in this way, Judas reveals his true colors.
Jesus, of course, was the one concerned for the poor, most of all. The fact that Judas tried this tactic with Jesus present exposed even more unfavorable and repulsive traits about Judas.
image by Unsplash
Mary, on the other hand, is generous in her expression of love. To be clear, it was a display. Unabashed, Mary seems oblivious to the dark character sitting near her in Judas and still displays a lavish love for Jesus using a lavish product. She is one to admire and esteem.
Jesus knew both hearts, of course, and welcomed Mary’s love and worship while penetrating the darkness of Judas with a direct command to leave Mary alone.
This story thrills me. Jesus, a man willing to fellowship with friends and foes alike. And ready to defend the pure in heart, willing to receive a lavish love, and appreciate the sacrifice. Yet, in a few words, He exposes the motives and forces of evil sitting near Him.
This story gives new meaning to true love and can give you another reason to let Jesus love you and your heart. Your heart is safe with Him. Focus on your relationship with Him this Valentine’s Day. Celebrate your relationship with Him if you know Him.
Here’s an opportunity for you to try this Valentine’s Day. Why not write Jesus a love letter thanking Him for who He is and remembering how well He has loved you?
Mary held nothing back, and she’s a worthy example of one who had so richly experienced the love of Jesus and was eager to love Him.
Jesus is the answer to a dull and jaded heart. He’s the only One who can help us love lavishly. Usually, this shows up best in how we love our neighbors under our roof and around us. Jesus rewards a pure heart every time. A life of devotion to Him is a life marked by devotion to Him.
This Valentines Day, don’t hold back. Spend time with Jesus. Give Him your heart. Ask forgiveness for holding any part of it back from Him. Doing this will enable you to love big.
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Have you ever had amoment when God surprised you by answering a desire in your heart that was there for a while? Usually, that’s the way desires work; they come, they linger, and sometimes many years pass before any action happens regarding them. Desires, by their nature, are things we often wait for.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
This verse seems trite because sometimes we believe we’ve delighted in the Lord for a long time, and a desire is still unmet? Why is that? One thing I’ve come to understand is the delight part of Psalm 37:4 is a command. That means in obedience, we choose to delight in Jesus whether we ever see the desire or not. The Lord knows His children, and He knows when we delight in Him, we don’t obsess over the desire.
If we only look for things that haven’t happened yet or something we don’t have yet, this becomes idolatry. The first commandment reminds us that God has nothing before Him. So, when we look to God and Him alone, somehow, He becomes our desire, and our desires become what He would desire for us.
We fall in love with Jesus.
We trust Him.
We trust His timing instead of having a “what have you done for me lately” attitude.
2 Chronicles 16:9 says that God is looking to strengthen the hearts of those who are devoted to Him.
Amy Grant sang a song, and the lyrics went like this:
This action of delight comes down to submission to His care, giving Him control in our lives, following His plan…learning to love the GIVER instead of the gifts.
Indeed, throughout our lives, God does answer many of our desires. He loves us, and giving is in His nature to do.
One fantastic thing I’ve seen God do in my life is answer desires I didn’t even know I had!
When this happens, it reminds me my distractions don’t come close to what God really wants for me. My heart rejoices in this truth, and I’m aware of how good God is, how He really does hear His children; He really cares. Being a child of God through His Son, Jesus is truly delightful.
Sometimes, God will step in and give us aid from our distractions. Other times, He just can’t. Distractions cause us to miss the very thing God wants to provide us. Surely the Lord knows how we are made, and He protects us from ourselves many times. But I believe, His desire would be that we would look to Him as longingly as we would look at a diamond, mesmerized and longing to be in His presence. This is our protection and where our desires come alive. We learn about His mind and intention toward us. We perceive His plans as clearly as a well-focused picture. There are consequences to choosing to wander from His protection. God has given His children the plan. Like any child is expected to obey their parents, His children are required the same.
My own wandering requires me to refocus, do a soul check, and decide once again God is my delight, and He is my heart’s desire. Spiritual tenacity is required. The enemy of our soul has his agenda. This quote from Amy Carmichael sums up his intent…
“Satan is so much more in earnest than we are–he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.”
The enemy is laser-focused. He wants us distracted, humming along, thinking we are following Jesus. The reality often is, we have missed opportunities that had our desires in them. We want to run to lesser things. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit, who makes me aware of distractions. If I want all of Jesus I can have, I will have to delight in Him once again.
When are you going to get sick of your desires? When will you see all the distractions keeping you from God’s desires for you? The enemy is busy stealing, killing, and destroying. How much of your life have you let him steal already? When your plans become about God’s plans and desires, you live in His delight, and then you are living.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9
(c)Valerie Rumfelt
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Have you ever had amoment when God surprised you by answering a desire in your heart that was there for a while? Usually, that’s the way desires work; they come, they linger, and sometimes many years pass before any action happens regarding them. Desires, by their nature, are things we often wait for.
Valerie Rumfelt 