Waking Up

What wakes you up in the middle of the night? Maybe your children, especially if they are young, wake you up. Maybe your dog wakes you up because she needs to go outside. Maybe a storm is rolling through and the thunder awakens you. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I usually just want to roll over and go back to sleep. If something wakes me up in the middle of the night, it better be important!

Here, we read that the Psalmist wakes up int the middle of the night - deliberately - to thank God for His laws. Prayer and Thanksgiving are important, are they not? I want my uninterrupted sleep so that I can feel rested and ready to face the day in the morning. Would I be better off in the morning if I were willing to thank God - even in the middle of the night? Even if I weren't better off in the morning, would I be willing to sacrificially wake up in the middle of the night and devote myself to God? Regardless of the outcome, He is worthy of my devotion all day long - even in the middle of the night.

Sing It Out

Can you imagine singing "You shall not drive faster than the posted speed limit?" That would be weird, wouldn't it? Do you still remember the words to your favorite song when you were younger? Do you still remember the words to "Mary Had A Little Lamb" or "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?" Of course you do! Did you first learn the letters by singing the alphabet song? Next time won't you sing with me! Singing is a great way to learn something and memorize it. Singing is fun and can bring you much joy. Why not sing God's word? It will help you to commit it to memory and it will bring you strength and joy long after you finish d singing it!

Sticks And Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

I can remember reciting that many times when I was young. And almost every time I can remember that words DID hurt me. Though I hate to admit it, I've been on the other end of that also. I've been the one doing the insulting.

Insults hurt. But they don't have to. If we are focussed on God's love for us, if we remember all that He has done for us, if we trust His word, we can handle whatever insults come our way.

When we are insulted, the insults may draw our attention to something we lack or some way we fall short. They draw the attention to us. If we remember God's love for us, if we remember the works,He has done for us, if we trust in His word, we are drawing our attention to Him. He can handle it. He is so much bigger than any insult. He never changes.

So when you are insulted, dear reader, don't dwell on the insult, dwell in Christ.

Worthless Things

Isn't it amazing how much time we spend focussing on worthless things? It may be the latest celebrity gossip, or binge watching the hot new show online, or playing games online, or almost anything else. Sure, they may be fun for a while and maybe even bring some zest to out lives. But do they revive us?

First of all, I guess we should remember that we need to be revived. We have become new creations in Christ, but when we sin, it deadens us and turns our hearts away from Him. We need revival. His Word can bring us revival. It reminds us of His love for us. It reminds us of all that He's done for us. It reminds us that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How's that for revival?

The Path

The first time I ran a 5K, I was worried that I might get lost and wouldn't know which way to turn. As it turns out, the course was well marked and of course there were the hundreds of runners before me that I could follow. I was worried that I would be able to finish because I'm really not much of a runner.

Life is like that. However life can be much easier when we know that God has marked out the path for our life. His commands may not literally tell us "Don't turn here" and "turn left ahead" but they do tell us the way we should go. We need to be diligent in reading, studying, and meditating on them so that we can discern how to apply them to our lives. And best of all, as we round the bend and see the hill ahead of us, we can know that God will enable us to make it up.

So, stay on the path and do not deviate. The run may be hard, but you can do it!

Open My Eyes

Open my eyes... Why are my eyes closed in the first place? Am I resting or sleeping? Are my eyes closed because I am trying to focus on something? Am I trying to imagine something? Am I closing my eyes because there is something I don't want to see? Maybe my eyes are actually already open, but I am totally oblivious to what is around me? Maybe I'm blind and it doesn't matter whether my eyes are physically open or not - I can't see. There are many things that may prevent us from seeing the wonderful truths in God's word. A simple prayer may unlock the marvelous for us. Do you want to truly see?

Storing Up

Squirrels gather food for the winter when times are tough. There may be times when they need to draw on what they've saved when there is nothing else to eat. We should be storing up God's word in our hearts. There may be tough times ahead and we need God's word to get us through. There may be times where we are facing trials and temptations. We need God's word to help us through. Read it. Savor it. Memorize it. Store it up for the future. It's worth it.