Truth? Feelings? Feelings? Truth?

by Susan Sampson

Question – Has the Lord forsaken me?

The Truth – “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5b).

Question – Does the Lord love me?  I am prone to doubt this when things go so wrong in my own eyes and the circumstances feel so painful.

The Truth – “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Truth?  Feelings?  Feelings?  Truth?

Which one shall I go with?  Is that even a question?  I know which one I go with still much of the time.  Why?  As I type this I see the ridiculousness of it!  The futility.  The sin.  Lord, please forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness.  Please forgive my idolatry in bowing to king Feelings.  He is nothing.  You are God Most High, King of kings and Lord of lords.  You alone are God and worthy of all worship and humble obedience.  Your Word is truth.  You have exalted your name and your word above all things.

Truth – “My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8).

Heavenly Father,

You are God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth.  Worthy is your Son who was slain (Rev. 5:12).

We confess that we continue to bow to our feelings.  We continue to doubt your great love.  We continue to disregard your truth and believe the lies of the enemy and our flesh.  Forgive us, Lord.  Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Have mercy on us and give us grace to humbly believe the truth of your Word.

We come to your throne of grace and humbly ask for the grace to believe your perfect love for us.  To believe that you are our loving Father.  That you want so much for us to run to you and not any other person or any earthly thing.  Cause us to run into your loving arms!

We thank you, Lord, for your Word.  Your eternal truths recorded in the Bible for all generations.  We thank you for being our faithful Covenant Keeper.  Keep us all now close to your heart, Father.  Enable us to cling to you as you uphold us with your might right hand.  Keep us in your Word, Lord.

Grant us faith to CLING to Christ alone by –

  • Choosing to believe your Word and not our feelings
  • Looking to Christ alone
  • Immediately obeying your Word
  • Never giving an inch to our flesh or the enemy
  • Going forward in your grace1

“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (Is. 40:11).

“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).

“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend, you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off’; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Is. 41:8-10). 

Praising God from whom all blessings flow!

Footnotes:
1Adapted from a recent Falling in Love Again with Your Lord lecture

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Sheltered by God

by Susan Sampson

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?…For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble, he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will lift me high upon a rock” (Ps. 27:1, 5).  Why do I think that hiding under the covers of my bed could ever compare to being sheltered by the Most High God under the cover of His tent?  Why do I think that I can protect myself or my own heart?  A blanket is just temporal, it has no power.  I am only human, mere dust.  Only God Almighty can and “will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler” (Ps. 91:3-4).

We are daughters of the King.  Our Father is the King of kings.  He has revealed Himself to us in so many ways.  I love detail.  God is a God of detail.  He wants us to know Him intricately and intimately.  One of the descriptions that stands out most in my mind in reference to the building of the tabernacle was Exodus 26:36, “You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework.”  I’ve tried needlepoint a few times in my life.  Each stitch small and precious and necessary.  Our small group meets in the chapel where each chair has a unique seat cover done in beautiful needlework, intricately detailed.  “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:30).  So beautiful is the detailed care our loving Father provides. As Laurie said, “what a demonstration of the extraordinary, extravagant lovingkindness of our Lord.”  Oh, if we would only believe and trust.  Lord, please give us grace to believe.

Yes, we are in a battle, but our Father is both the King and the Victor!  Enable us, Lord, to remember DAILY, moment by moment these points from our lecture:

  • Position – in Christ
  • Praising Him
  • Praying continually
  • Prepared with full armor of God
  • Plunging our sword
  • Proceeding in peace

Oh my dear sisters, we have to know and acknowledge that apart from Christ we can do nothing.  The battle is raging all around.  The phone call is going to come if it hasn’t already.  I know many of you know what I’m saying having experienced this very thing, maybe throughout your lifetime.

Ladies, please let us all allow the Lord to search our hearts and show us what we are putting our trust in.  He has shown me that my default is to control.  Wanting my way, my will over His will.

Our lecture notes state, “in trial we learn how to handle the Word.”  The example of Christ stares us right between the eyes and convicts us.  If the Son of God needed the Word of God to stand against the enemy why do we think we can stand without the Word?  Why are we running to the temporal counterfeits?  Why are we believing the lies?

The Lord has given us all we need, Himself.  We are the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit of God Most High!  Please let us not leave him standing in the hallway of our hearts!  Let the King of Glory come in and take the seat that belongs to Him, the throne.

Oh Lord, how we need you!

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’  And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new'” (Rev. 21:3-5a).

 

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Be Merciful

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 6:27-36 ESV

27 But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, 
do good to those who hate you, 
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also,
and from one who takes away your cloak  
do not withhold your tunic either.
30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes
away your goods do not demand them back.
31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you?
For even sinners love those who love them.   
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you,  
what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive,  
what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners,  
to get back the same amount.
35 But love your enemies, and do good,  
and lend, expecting nothing in return,
and your reward will be great,  
and you will be sons of the Most High,
for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
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Sometimes a Bible passage is so familiar
or so profoundly simple that we just can’t hear the words.
We read the passage and meditate on it
but still have a hard time getting past years and years
of thoughts, sermons, and Sunday school stories
to be able to really take it to heart.
I believe today’s passage may be one of those verses.
Just in case, let’s walk through it step-by-step
listening to our Lord’s commands one at a time.
Take time to think about each one.

Love your enemies  

Who do you need to love that you know you aren’t loving very well?

do good to those who hate you  

Who hates you, despises you, or looks at you crossly?

bless those who curse you  

Has someone cursed you?
Ask the Lord how you can bless them.

pray for those who abuse you  

Has anyone ever abused you?
Jesus tells you to pray for them.

  To one who strikes you on the cheek,
offer the other also  

Has anyone ever struck you? Slapped you?
Rather than “sockin’ it to him,” or “making him pay,”
let the offense go and allow God to take care of it.

and from one who takes away your cloak
do not withhold your tunic either.
Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes
away your goods do not demand them back.  

Has anyone ever taken something from you
or borrowed it and not given it back?
Jesus says to have the attitude in your heart
of being willing to offer them even more.

 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them…
 But love your enemies, and do good,  
and lend, expecting nothing in return,
 and your reward will be great,  
and you will be sons of the Most High,
for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Let us look to the Lord to handle it — He is our defense.
Let us be merciful to those who harm us just as He was merciful to us
and allow Him to be the judge.

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following passage from Luke 6 and recite it 3 times.

Take it with you throughout the day.

27 But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, 
do good to those who hate you, 
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also,
and from one who takes away your cloak  
do not withhold your tunic either.

PRAYER
Lord, teach me to sacrificially love my enemies
as you loved me.

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie
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