How Long, O Lord?

Psalm 13:1-6

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes; lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, I have prevailed against him; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

   Though the way may look dim to your eyes, the truth is that God is always waiting for you. Though it may seem like perpetual night and starvation of the soul has no beginning or end, be assured that God is with you. If a day arrives in your life which brings only memories of pain, and death appears as beautiful as a shimmering diamond, you can have confidence in one promise that will stay true beyond the grave - The promise that God's hand will never let you go! You may not see Him and you may not hear Him, but He will never leave you. When all seems lost and victory is a distant memory, do not despair! God's attentive ear is waiting for your plea, your cry in the darkness. Let your heart be filled with hope and trust and your soul overflowing with the joys of God's salvation. Believe in Him in the darkest nights and in the most glorious days. God shall continually bless! In the days of blessing, He shall walk beside you every step of the way. In the days of testing and refinement, He shall carry you and give you His strength. His faithfulness endures forever! Do not let your soul be burdened, for God is with you every step of every day while you journey through this life in search of His kingdom. Draw near to Him, and He will lift you up!

 Matthew 11:28

 "Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

One Life to Offer

Hebrews 9:27,28

 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."

A man has only one life to choose whether he will serve God or not, but he has an eternity to live with his decision. When one dies, he cannot change the choices he made in life. When he stands before God in the last day, it will be either to receive a crown of glory and be ushered into His kingdom, or it will be a day of judgment and wrath.

Pain on earth is present everywhere we look, trials overtake us on every side, but it pales with comparison to an eternity of fiery condemnation if we choose to place ourselves above God by willingly choosing to believe that we don't need Him or His gift of salvation. We could ignorantly choose to live our lives as we please, but when the final trumpet sounds and all mankind is called before God, He will count every sin that we have committed against Him and we will not have the blood of Christ to wash it away.

If, however, we seek God and ask His forgiveness, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Christ has paid the penalty for our sins, and no longer must we face God's wrath. We are not

True Beauty - What does God say?

Psalm 29:2
"Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

In today's society, beauty and worth are often defined by external appearances, an engaging personality, and material wealth. The multimedia world spends millions advertising this beauty product, that miracle cure, this pill to make you skinnier, that new exercise bike to get you toned. But in the pursuit of beauty and acceptance, the internal spirit is often forgotten and becomes corrupt and loathsome before God. Character and attitude become shallow. Personal worth is measured by being noticed and praised... But God did not create us for this shallow purpose, nor does He see us in such a demeaning way. To truly understand eternal beauty, we must search the scriptures for God's definition of worth and value.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3-4

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:3

God sees us as His final masterpiece! Each person on earth from every corner of the world is uniquely created, shaped, and formed by the work of His hands. Every person is beautifully and creatively designed by God's desire and is equally loved and cherished by Him. But yet He does not look to the outward appearance of a man to find worth, instead He searches the inner thoughts of the heart. He examines the character of a man and seeks out the unfading beauty of a pure and gentle spirit. He cherishes those who worship and tremble before His awesome power. This is true beauty in the eyes of God - that His people would seek to glorify His name in every aspect of their lives while continuing to grow more Christ-like in holiness, purity, and obedience to God. 

Outward beauty is daily fading and will one day be a distant memory, but the beauty of a spirit that is rooted in Christ and mature in the Word of God shall endure forever. So perhaps instead of spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror each morning, we should instead be examining our hearts from the reflection of the Scriptures.