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Summer Tip 4# might surprise a lot of people, but you can read it yourself in Psalm 116:7. The psalmist reminds his soul to rest in God and enjoy the bounty that his Savior has lavished upon his life. Life is busy and often summer is even busier because we are healthy and have the time and money and energy to do "everything". But instead of filling our God-given abundant life with business -- the proper thing to do is rest content in what God has arranged. And tell your soul "return to...rest...for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." Amen.   The Lord is...
Gracious Righteous Merciful The Lord... Protects the simple Saves those who are brought low Summer Tip 3#: Praise God for Who He is and what He has done. This is a special pleasure in times of abundance in life. We have the opportunity to look around our lives and see how God has led and blessed. How He has ordered our decisions and guarded us from evil. He has done everything good in our lives and He deserves the praise!  Summer Tip 2#: Continue in prayer.
Prayer is a privilege in all seasons of life. But, and I hope you are completely different than me, I am really good at prayer when I need something from God. When I am grieving or pleading or lacking, my prayer life is -- hopefully not too self-centered -- but very consistent. But as soon as the stressors leave, my prayers whither in the summer heat. The second thing the psalmist does in gratefulness for God's deliverance is commit to continued fellowship with God in prayer. Praying through the psalms is an easy way to do this. Especially those hymns near the end of the book, are a constant recitation of joyful praise to our good God. Some seasons in life feel like winter -- cold and miserable. Others are like fall -- there is beauty all around, but it is fading into the knowledge that hardship is right around the corner. Spring seasons in life are full of hope -- even though there is a chill in the air. And somehow, we who follow Christ are pretty good at weathering those seasons. But how should we respond in our summer seasons? When life is joyous and overflowing with blessing, certainly my default of waiting "for the other shoe to drop" is not appropriate...but what then? Psalm 116 is written after winter has melted and joy has returned. And the first thing the psalmist says we should do? Love God! We respond to His hearing and answering our prayers with love, which Christ clarifies for us is obedience. Summer Tip 1#: Obey God in love.  I admit it. When I saw how hard my fellow-walker was trying to see the weed-wacking guy: I laughed at her and judged her lack of insight. (And then felt guilty for my uncharitable thoughts.) But in life, once we grasp the condition of those around us, we must be intentional to hear and head Paul's instructions about dealing with those who cannot see (2 Timothy 2:24-26). His first point? Don't fight with them. It is cruel for a man with sight to beat up a man who is blind. How similar if we who see Christ's goodness use our sight to berate those who cannot see? Instead, Paul urged Timothy to be a gentle and patient teacher, humble in correction. It may just be that God will grant them repentance so they can come to their senses and escape. So, next time I see a fence, real or intangible, may I be gracious in my response and pray that one day they too will know the truth.  |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
November 2025
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