Author: astherainandsnow

“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, they gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ‘Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’  So Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it… And the people… rose up to play.

“Moses went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand… As soon as he saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them… He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder.” Exodus 32:1-6,15,19-20

“Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai… The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord,.. a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…’ And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 

“And he said, ‘ Take care… You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)… You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.'” Exodus 34:4,6-8,12-14,17

The Israelites left Egypt in a hurry with great plunder. God provided as He said He would. But goods and supplies and riches can become hindrances when we no longer see them as from God to be used for his purposes. Idleness and mis-channeled energy can distort right thinking and dampen the fear of God. (Exodus 12:33-36)

How we exercise idleness and ideas depends on how we receive and perceive God’s entrusted bounty. When we see in our ornaments an idol, we will, with careless frenzy, make them into what they are not, give them undue affection, and distance ourselves from the Lord. Once we are humbled before God, and see that they are but dust, we will thoughtfully turn over what we treasure to be used for God’s glory.

What ornaments has He given, and how are we utilizing them? Have we squandered resources on personal pleasure, or contributed to kingdom-building enterprise? Have we talents we keep close in comfort, or do we delight in expending ourselves for God’s causes and children? Do we spend our hours in self-care and ease, or in vigorous, generous service to others in Christ’s name? Discovering and implementing God’s intended use for His goods evokes gratitude, enhances worship, and brings fulfillment and joy beyond what we can imagine.

Lord, may I hold Your ornaments loosely, and use them for Your glory.

“The Lord will not forsake his people;
    he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous…

Who rises up for me against the wicked?
    Who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the Lord had not been my help,
    my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:14-19

“If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?..

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-35,37-39

“Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you…  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:7,10

Help: to give assistance or support; to provide with something that is useful or necessary in achieving an end. To give what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; aid. To make it possible or easier for someone to do something by doing part of the work yourself.

The Lord is majestic and many faceted. He reveals Himself by His Spirit through His word, creation, and people. With purposeful precision He orders lives and circumstances so we can know Him better. Yet often we meander in the lowlands, wrangling to make sense of pain and to do what we can to eliminate it. We take thought for God at church but not in the grip and grind of every day. Yet here He stands as constant help.

Harnessing the Lord as help begins with acquainted ourselves with His ways among men. The scriptures and life experiences teach how He hears, trains, equips, and leads. We then need deliberately to seek Him and request specific assistance. Our very challenges and conundrums are designed to expose needs only He can meet.

What current situations are chaotic and chafing? Where do we presently lack direction, inspiration, zeal, needed wisdom? When so needy, where do we seek supply and solutions? Do we run to gurus, the internet, self-help, or substances to guide our way and get us through? Or do we approach the omniscient, omnipotent God for help? Bold and particular asking induces expectancy and illuminates His generous provision. Hereby, He receives all the praise. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Lord, keep me seeking, trusting, and praising You as my help all my days.

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’

“Between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

‘Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.'” Revelation 5:6-10

John’s realization that none was worthy to open God’s scroll, to initiate His providential and perfect issuance, brought him to deep weeping over the chasm. At the fallenness of man. At the greatness of God as One due respect and awe. At the sobering privilege to be watching, and recording. Into this heart agony the sight of the Lamb captivated his senses and soul. It is hard to imagine that he did not also fall down, join in song, and take up the reverent wonder and praise of the living creatures and elders. Such a vision revealed both unimaginable other-ness and immanent worthiness that demanded a response.

Gazing at the Lord, worthy of all glory and honor and power, and seeing Him as the only One able to take and open the scroll, elicited new recognition and a new song. The illumination of mind and soul instills an irrepressible urge to praise. We cannot see the Lord, as described in Scripture or experienced in our personal lives, and not bow, make music with hand and mouth, and pray. Bring it on! (Revelation 4:2-11)

As sadness and hardship swell and threaten to undo us, will we keep looking for the Lord Jesus in the midst? Will we bring our weeping as incense and offer it before Him who bore our griefs and sorrows and gives sure hope? How will we recount His worth and worthiness? What specific praises can compose a new song to Him? How will we proclaim, with attitude and action, that He alone is worthy to receive worship and execute His will? (Isaiah 53:3-6)

Lord, affix my eyes to You standing and worthy, and cause me to sing.

“When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and shall say to the people, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’” Deuteronomy 20:1-4

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7

The formidable presence of chariots and horses can leave a man quaking or confident, depending on his perception and standing. Both responses are an aberration to how the Lord would have us see. A distorted view of the might of the enemy leaves us frozen to God’s call and opportunities. Seeing too large the looming enemy at hand, we fail to look beyond to the One who is greater and whose promises are more powerful. Conversely, when we trust in manmade means and tools to defeat the enemy, we prove our faith defeated. (Isaiah 31:1,3)

It is the Lord who gives right sight and adjusts heavenly proportions of the ways and weapons of warfare. He is greater than our foe, and He is our shield and Victor. If we would focus on Him and His strength and word, and approach every battle within the parameters of His promises and armed with His help, we can conquer. (Psalm 3:3; 2 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 6:10-18; Philippians 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:7; 1 John 4:4)

What opponents presently have us fretting in fear? What foolish resources are we trusting in battle? How will we correct to advance with the true Victor in bold vision and faith?

“A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
does seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!” ~Martin Luther (1529)

Father, give me heavenly perspective of every part and player in spiritual battle, and help me fight remembering that You win.

“These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord has given you… You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations served their gods, on the high mountains and the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods… You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name… There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and contribution[s], [and] offerings… And there you shall rejoice… in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes… And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake… Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.”

“If a prophet… arises among you and… says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.” Deuteronomy 12:1-8,18b,32; 13:1-4

Every law God laid out was for the good of His people. If their worship was off, so would be their living. Blessing, meaning, and fruitfulness in all they undertook was determined by the rightness of their devotion. In every do and give and decide, who occupied the throne of their hearts had foremost bearing.

As we set out on our days, are we more concerned with the people and tasks at hand, or the One who has called us to the interaction or industry? Unless we get the place and person of worship right, no effort will bring honor to the Almighty or lasting joy. The enemy will do all he can to deter godly thinking and priorities, and to sway our allegiances. Whose voice will we heed?

Saying what we want will not make significant momentum or change. We must seek the Lord and His place and way. We must remove idols and maintain Him as first love and supreme King. We must bring Him the all He deserves. We must be careful, and take care. (Revelation 2:4-5)

What gods are vying for the throne of our hearts? Do we recognize them through our emotional attachment and misguided justification? God can expose them and give strength to put them away. What part of ourselves have we withheld from God’s scrutiny, what part of our treasure have we hoarded? Upon correction of affection and reverence, divine joy is given!

Lord, in all I undertake, may I rejoice in and worship You as You are worthy.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You return man to dust
    and say, ‘Return, O children of man!’
For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night…

For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away…

So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom…
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:1-4,8,10,12,14-17

The eternal Potentate of time has made us for days and years and generations, and time for us. Before the beginning, He was, yet this everlasting Sovereign visits us in our mornings with His personal and steadfast love. Our years are limited and fraught with toil, yet His eternity spans beyond our age to undergird and give broad vision to our daily. We dwell in Him, both bound by and beyond time.

With pressing responsibilities and peppered disruptions, it is normal to forget God’s infinite perspective and purposes. We hanker and haw, stressed by pressure and grind, and fail to see that our Master works by a different clock. But when we begin our mornings in His love, reminded of and refreshed by His sacrifice at Calvary and the life it bestows, the work of our hands takes on new meaning. Days become a collection of moments meant for His glory and glorious good. Godly perspective compels us to grow in wisdom and gladness. Rather than being fraught with fretting, we delight in His favor.

How go our mornings? Do we rush into frenzied days with thought only for what to do? Or will we take time to meditate on the Holy One who is from everlasting to everlasting? Will we bring before Him our nascent faith and ideas and energy and ask for a heart of wisdom to nurture and apply them with eternal vision?

This day, how will we invest the moments He’s given, putting mind to love and hand to work that glorifies God? What relationships and industry are the Lord establishing through me for His kingdom and renown? How will His work inspire mine?

“Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.” ~Matthew Bridges (1851)

Lord, may my mornings, days, and life bring You eternal praise.

A Song. A Psalm. To the choirmaster. A Maskil.

“O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry!

For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
    for they are cut off from your hand.
You have put me in the depths of the pit,
    in the regions dark and deep.
Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah

You have caused my companions to shun me;
    you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
   my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
    I spread out my hands to you.
Do you work wonders for the dead?
    Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Are your wonders known in the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

But I, O Lord, cry to you;
    in the morning my prayer comes before you.
O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
Your wrath has swept over me;
    your dreadful assaults destroy me.
They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in on me together.
You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness.” Psalm 88

The fulsome subtitle and Selah musical directions for exclamation provided with this song remind that it is indeed a song, a lament with melody. The scribe- anguished, full of troubles, in the depths of despair- chooses to sing to the God of his salvation, and records it for the choir and all mankind. To whom else would he carry these burdens so great? For whom else could he cry from his dark pit, his terrors, his flood, for hope and relief? Surely his wailing was heard, and safe there.

As his song enjoins the choir for expression of mutual grief and longing while looking to the Lord, may it catch us up also. In every dark place, the incessant waves that overwhelm day and night, we can cry out to Him. From loneliness, destitution of soul, waste of opportunity and time and physical vigor, we can sing. In the morning, in the gloaming, He tunes our hearts and hears our voices. These are the places where grace meets lament with the harmony of benediction.

How do we handle disappointments, struggles, agonies? Do we complain in an endless vortex of negativity, brattling on about our woes while sweeping others into the whirlwind, or do we find and voice a song? How different would our troubles appear if we joined a choir of dependence on the God of our salvation, and made melody of His deliverance that keeps us with staying power? Let our prayers, let every song- dirge or jubilation- come before Him!

Lord, in all circumstances, keep me resolved to sing to You and for Your glory.

“Man puts an end to darkness
    and searches out to the farthest limit
    the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
    they are forgotten by travelers;
    they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
    but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
Its stones are the place of sapphires,
    and it has dust of gold…

“Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
    and overturns mountains by the roots.
He cuts out channels in the rocks,
    and his eye sees every precious thing.
He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
    and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.

“But where shall wisdom be found?
    And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its worth,
    and it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
    and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
It cannot be bought for gold,
    and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
    in precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
    nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
    the price of wisdom is above pearls.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
    nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“From where, then, does wisdom come?
    And where is the place of understanding?..

“God understands the way to it,
    and he knows its place.
For he looks to the ends of the earth
    and sees everything under the heavens.
When he gave to the wind its weight
    and apportioned the waters by measure,
when he made a decree for the rain
    and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
then he saw it and declared it;
    he established it, and searched it out.” Job 28:3-6,9-20,23-27

Since the beginning of time, the heart of man has beat with a quest for understanding. Creator God designed and implanted an impulse to search for treasure, beauty, and meaning, to uncover hidden objects and discover how and why life works. He also created the world to be discoverable, to a certain extent, and its elements and ecosystems and jewels and creatures to awaken awe at each new unfolding. Each channel bids us deeper, each delight makes us hungry for more, yet wisdom can be elusive.

God knows the place of wisdom, and has so ordered our world and the nature of hunger that we will find it only through Him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We can amass goods and pretties, and significance through education and experiences, but the quest for true treasure will come up empty if we do not first seek the Lord. (Exodus 33:13,18; Proverbs 9:10)

Have we an undefined yearning? Do we find ourselves feeling empty, unsustained by pop culture and vapid knowledge? Do we desire wisdom but habitually look in the wrong places? Would we seek perspective in the heart and ways of God? Will we search His face, His word, His grace for wisdom that nourishes, guides, and enlightens?

Lord, help me live by wisdom by looking daily for You.

“Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,
    and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
It shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
    as with the slave, so with his master;
    as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
    as with the lender, so with the borrower;
    as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
    for the Lord has spoken this word.

The earth mourns and withers;
    the world languishes and withers;
    the highest people of the earth languish.
The earth lies defiled
    under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
    violated the statutes,
    broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
    and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
    and few men are left.
The wine mourns,
    the vine languishes,
    all the merry-hearted sigh.
The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
    the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
    the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
No more do they drink wine with singing;
    strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
The wasted city is broken down;
    every house is shut up so that none can enter.
There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
    all joy has grown dark;
    the gladness of the earth is banished.
Desolation is left in the city;
    the gates are battered into ruins…

They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
    over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
    in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
    of glory to the Righteous One.'” Isaiah 24:1-12,14-16a

Image after image of devastation on the earth deepen the reality of the doom and destruction of judgment. A twisted, plundered, desolate land mourns under a languishing, cursed people. None is immune, none escapes. Gladness and hope are stilled, all is scorched, wasted, dark. And yet, a song…

How does praise rise from ruin? Where the majesty in tumult and suffering? Could it be that the prophetic warning is a merciful beckon to repent? Is the very act of judgment a clarion call to praise God’s perfect justice? His word that issues commands is the one that curses the defiled and defiling. It is one righteous pronouncement. The guilty cannot go unpunished.

When we observe present ravaging consequences of sin, and that they do not discriminate, we can snarl in derision at offenders, or bemoan that we are made to suffer. But if we pray, and weigh what is happening against repeated themes in Scripture, we might find ourselves as culprits deserving the curse. If so, fly to God’s mercy! Christ has taken the curse for us! Take heed of His warnings! He’s spoken for our sake! Look for His splendor, righteousness, and grace amidst the rubble and sing of the glory there!

How will I respond to the Scripture’s promised judgment? Recoil in pride, refuse to listen, or regard the Holy One who speaks and executes the word, and rejoice?

Lord, help me recognize Your character and delight in Your majesty through even difficult Scripture, to your praise.

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land.., and clears away many nations before you,.. then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods… Thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery… Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations… You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today.” Deuteronomy 7:1a,2b-4a,5-9,11

When the Lord brings you into the land. God methodically prepares His people for what’s to come, binding certain promise with dire warning. They would surely enter, and they’d be sorely tempted. As loving Father, He outlined the reasons for His commands. Beware lest these foreigners turn your hearts, lest idols take My place. He’d chosen them, set His love on them, and as His treasured possession they were to live like the holy and redeemed people they were.

Many an idol present themselves as we take on new lands of life experience, relationships, work, and ministry. A spouse or child arrives and steals the heart’s affection. A job or hobby captivates focus and absorbs energy and attention. Any passion can become a god and turn us from the One who inspires the passion- for His glory, not our own fulfillment.

We must acknowledge our raison d’être: the Lord has made us for Himself, and His redemption by fact frees us from the stronghold of slavery to idols. We must determine to live as those so freed, and loved, and endowed with holy purpose. We are not our own. (Isaiah 43:1,4; 49:3)

The allure of worldly icons of wealth and image, beauty and adrenaline rushes, will always vie for our untrained, untamed emotions. Will we take God’s warnings to heart? What in our perception of self needs unskewing? If we are indeed His treasure, valued beyond human comprehension costing our Savior His life, why do we dawdle in the lowlands? With what idols of cool and feel good and boasting do we shamelessly flirt, as though they bring any true pleasure or honor to God?

How can we keep God’s word anew in light of all He’s done for us and the love He’s set on us? What idols will we put away forever?

Loving Father, help me honor You as worthy of all obedience and glory, for indeed You are.