The Most Cherished Guest Ever!

The Most Cherished Guest Ever!

Psalm 65:4 "Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place!"

There's an uniquely exceptional and welcoming presence about someone who is truly gifted with a spirit of hospitality! When you walk into their home, they  make you feel like you belong and you are special to them, they make you feel valuable as a person, accepted for who you are and they freely share their time and all they have with you.... Well, there's nothing else in the world that can truly replicate that feeling, that special touch!

This is the heart of our Heavenly Father towards each one of us! To all who have put their trust in His Son Jesus and committed their lives to him; the acceptance that he gives, the welcoming in, the open arms, the sharing freely of all that he is and has is amazing, beyond our comprehension! When we experience this 'Welcome home', then we know exactly what this Psalmist meant when he penned, "How blessed the guest at home in your place!" Such a special feeling this is, being welcomed into God's presence!

The word blessed here in the Hebrew means, "How happy!" The emphasis is on the degree of happiness, it implies such a fullness of joy that nothing else can take up any space in the heart of this one who has been welcomed in!

I have found this truth to be so real in my own life! And I am so grateful to the Lord for showing me such kindness and care, making me feel welcome and valuable in his sight. What a wonderful place to be! No wonder my heart yearns to live there every moment of every day forever!

How about you? Have you experienced this welcome too? If not, its there waiting for you! Our heavenly Father's arms are always open wide to those who realize their need for him, who lay all of their sins and sorrows down at the feet of Jesus and in full trust give their lives to him! 

Why not come home to Jesus today!?devotiontimes.blogspot.com

UNDISTURBED

UNDISTURBED

Psalm 84:1-4
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah

A longing for peace, that's what we so often hear about nowadays. People want it, they search for it, they fight for it, they set aside time in their calendars, planning vacations for it. But can we really find any lasting peace here in this world?
There's a peace that is lasting that we can find. I have discovered this peace and it's truly amazing! It's called the presence of God; no one and absolutely nothing can move me from his peace. In his presence I am undisturbed!
Those who have faith in God's saving grace through the blood of Jesus his Son are welcomed into God's presence; in fact God gives us his Spirit to live IN us!
How wonderful that the writer of this psalm likens our discovery of a place to rest in God's presence like the sparrows and swallows which would nest in the tabernacle. Obviously they were allowed to raise their young there undisturbed because the psalmist writes, "Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD..." It sounds like this writer was feeling rather envious of the birds that were nesting in the tabernacle; or maybe he realized when watching them that if they were allowed to live there in the place of worship, close to God's presence, then how much more would he who desired to be close to the Lord be welcomed there as well!
Verse four declares that those who live in God's presence are blessed and ever praising him. It's no wonder; this is the place where it dawns on us how good the Lord is, how merciful, how just, how kind, how loving, how accepting.
When we humbly come before God's presence, longing for him, he more than welcomes us, he invites us to make our home there! Like the birds undisturbed, we are not shooed away... We are left undisturbed to enjoy him!
I invite you today along with me to enter God's presence and enjoy him today!Undisturbed

COMPLETE TRUST

Complete Trust

“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (TPT)

It has been becoming so clear to me just how personal God really is! There is no black and white rule book which he simply hands to us to follow, no easy formulas to get what we want, no fast food on his menu to feed our souls, no quick and easy fix ups to hide what’s really beneath the surface – no, the Lord is in love with his creation, and he’s crazy about us, only desiring our very best. His love goes deeper than a magic wand that waves over our lives to make everything pretty and seamless. He gets right into the trenches with us where the hard work is done. He’s there when life becomes complicated, disappointing and messy. He is there and his presence is so comforting! He works all things out for the good to those who love him (Romans 8:28), but sometimes that looks so different than what we expected doesn’t it? That’s why it’s so important to get to know the Lord.

How can you truly trust someone that you don’t know intimately? How can you hear what they are saying to you if you’re not close enough to listen? How can you receive the help you need if you’re not asking and waiting for the answer? What if you’re in too much of a hurry to hear, too preoccupied to pay attention, and too busy to follow directions? You’ll find yourself lost, confused and frustrated! But when you know someone intimately and care about what they are thinking and listen to their input, there’s a much greater chance that together you will find success. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

The encouragement I offer you today is to get close to the Lord. Look for him as you read his word, ask for his help, let him know all of your needs and put your entire trust in Him to guide your thoughts and ways.

To know him is to love and trust him! Trust him with ALL of your heart today!     

WITH GLADNESS!

WITH GLADNESS!

I'm not naturally inclined to be an outgoing, happy go lucky kind of person. No - you might rather describe me as an Eeyore walking around with a cloud over my head!

But God has been teaching me something. I woke up this morning and Psalm 100 popped into my heart, and since I had it memorized I quoted it in my mind...

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations."

It struck me that this scripture tells us to, "Serve the Lord with GLADNESS." It went in line with the verse from 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 which spoke to my heart recently to, "Be joyful always." Both of these passages also speak about being thankful to the Lord. I am curious about these verses as they tell me to do something to which I am not naturally inclined - to CHOOSE joy and gladness! However, after pondering it a little further I understood why. In the following verses it gives these reasons:

• KNOW that the Lord, He is GOD. 
• It is HE who has made us, and NOT WE ourselves.
• We are HIS people and the sheep of HIS pasture.
• The Lord is GOOD.
• His mercy is everlasting.
• His truth endures to all generations.

These reasons go hand in hand with the instructions to :

• Be joyful
• Serve
• Be glad
• Sing
• Be thankful
• Praise
• Bless

Basically, the Lord is telling me to KNOW Him. To know Him is to LOVE HIM! I need to bring back to mind each and every day when I wake up WHO God is and all He has done......

• He is GOOD!
• HE made me, not me myself!
• I am HIS, one of His sheep! 
• His mercy lasts forever!
• His truth will last forever!

It's like having our own children; Bob and I made our children and that is the very simple reason why we love them; because they are ours and that will never and cannot ever change! They did not make themselves, or of their own will come into this world. They are here because of Bob's and my union, our oneness, our love. 

And so also each of us who have been born again were conceived in love, in the heart of God. We cannot experience this new life from God by our own will, we have been birthed by God's Spirit. And our Heavenly Father loves his children so much. Nothing can change His love or stop Him from being there for us every moment of every day. It is His delight to give us all that we need. Even in seasons of darkness, when the light isn't shining as brightly, we can know that His promises are true and remind ourselves that He will never fail or forsake us. He is always and forever there for us and nothing can ever stop him from loving us, EVER!

And so, I encourage you with these words today: "Be joyful, serve the Lord with gladness, sing, be thankful praise, bless His name...for THE LORD IS GOOD!" 

Oh yes! He is sooo good!

God bless you,

Eleanor

NEW HOPE FOR THE NEW YEAR

Well, 2020 is upon us and with this new year we will most likely encounter some prospects for new successes. As well, we will also encounter some new challenges. 
For me, the ordinary and mundane days of life are sometimes the most challenging. When I try to balance business with the desire to experience true meaning in it all, it feels like I'm having fun on a swing while also trying to relax reading a book! Confusing? Frustrating? Yes! Cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, going to work, sleeping and then waking up to do it all over again - where is the real substance in all of these daily routines? 
Life gets really exciting at times too, in good ways and bad; a child graduates with honours, a new baby is born, the vacation of a lifetime; but then comes an unexpected bill, sickness, heartbreak, death of a loved one - each and every high and low causes our adrenaline to flow with either feelings of elation or devastation. Emotions go on roller coaster rides, from highs of happiness to lows of sadness.
Where do we find the happy medium, somewhere that keeps us secure and content in every circumstance of life? I found a scripture today that gave me the answer to this question; not a specific answer to a specific situation, but one that I can apply at anytime in my everyday life!
1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Wow! There are a lot of emphatic words there! ALWAYS, CONTINUALLY, IN ALL circumstances; I am determined to realize from reading this scripture that there's definitely more to life than what meets the eye, because if I run my life according to my circumstances I will only be living for what I understand with my senses.
There's always something to be joyful about, it's possible to pray continually and I can give thanks in all circumstances. Why? Because Jesus is with me and I can bring back to my mind as many times as I want to that he's always there: loving me, teaching me, encouraging me, comforting me, helping and guiding me! That's more than enough reasons to be joyful, pray and give thanks! And these spiritual practices can be done anytime, anyplace, in any situation; whether I'm up or down; in or out; feeling elated or bored; no matter what, there's solid ground beneath my feet and so I'm going to start this new year being thankful for that truth and try to remember these instructions every single day. I know at times I will fail - that's ok. Even then, my Lord will help me get up and keep on moving! 
What a wonderful God He is!