February 28 – Before the Eye Twinkled

“My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  -Psalm 139:15-16  (ESV)

God knows us.  Not just who we are.  We were known to be a person before any of our days existed. We did not spring into existence and then God happens to come to know us.  No, we were not a surprise to him for we have actually been put together by Him.  We used to say to others to mark their pre-conception that they were “just a twinkle in the eyes of their father/mother.”  Way before that ‘twinkle’, God knew about us and He even knew us before there were any days of our formation in our mother’s womb. It was there that God put us together weaving into us who we would be.  When we had no form to be seen by the ultrasound machine, God knew what we looked like.  The secret of our development was not a secret from God.  These are some of the promises from these verses today.  But there are many more in this passage that details how intimately God knows us and how very involved He was in our creation. The verses are from a Psalm of David.  Reading the whole Psalm 139 is an uplifting experience.  

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November 23 – Constant Contentment

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  -  Philippians 4:12-13 (NASB)

Each one of us walks this life encountering different circumstances, don't we?  Our circumstances can change quickly and we might go from low to high and then low again before we are ready for a change.  But our promise today is that we can be ready if we are willing to learn the secret of contentment in any and all circumstances. We may be experiencing prosperity but we don't put our trust in it for we know it is only temporary.  We may be stretched with challenges of meeting our daily responsibilities without fear or anxiety because we know that too is temporary.  Why?  How can we be content in both humble means and in prosperity?  Because we know this: like the Apostle Paul, we actually can make it through all things, all circumstances, face all comers, all challenges,  and do all things we are called to do IF we do them with faith through Him who will give us the strength He promises to give us.   

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June 15 – What We Know

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 (NASB)

The truths and promises in this verse expressed long ago by God's servant Moses are given to us to remember and realize that we serve a wonderful God.  The same God who lead Moses and the Children of Israel out of Egypt and to Mt. Sinai has given them so that we may know.  God has not made known or revealed all things to us – for there are things that are still a mystery to us.  But God has made known exactly what He wants us to know and what we need to know.  The Bible contains the complete revelation that has been given by God to us.  These many things teach us and guide us in how we should live to please Him and serve Him in truth and love.   We are so glad for the many truths that He has chosen in His wisdom to reveal to His human creatures.  Our verse reminds us that it is God's will that we pay close attention to what God has taught us.   Let's never neglect to follow the teaching we have from Him and let's teach it to our families and others in our world.   

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November 28 – Learning the Secret

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

For the Apostle Paul, the life of a Christian is a time of learning to be content.  No matter what situation he was in, Paul says that he had learned the secret of being content. We know enough about Paul's life so we can say that he had faced many very difficult situations.  His life had been threatened, he was physically beaten and he had been left for dead.  He had been imprisoned for speaking the truth of the Gospel.  All these circumstances had been opportunities to learn contentment.  Maybe we find that difficult to understand?  But Paul had a teacher, and although he does not mention His name specifically we know Paul was talking about  His Lord.  All through his life God was teaching him and he had learned the secret from God.  Our promise is that we have the same teacher,  the same Lord and He wants to teach us this secret of being content.  It begins with being thankful and not being anxious for anything.  

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June 15 – Revealed For Us Forever

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”  Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV)

When Moses was nearing the end of his life he spoke to the Children of Israel. Our verse is from that time. God has revealed many wonderful truths to us in the Bible. We realize that He is an infinite God who knows all things. We recognize that God knows more than what He has revealed to us. We do not know what God has not revealed and kept secret but we do have and can know the things He has revealed. As Moses said then, it forever for all to know. So what should our attitude be to this? We should be so grateful to God for what He has revealed to us. Our verse tells us that the truths He's revealed do belong to us today and that is His promise to us and all  who believe forever. We should treasure these truths and follow what God has shown us through them. We should obey what He has revealed to us. 

June 15 – Living By What We Know

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)

These are words of Moses near to the end of his life. He had lead the Children of Israel for more than 40 years. God had revealed much to him for His people. Moses knew, however that not all things had been revealed – only the truths which God wanted them, and us, to know. God used many others to pass on truths which we have in the Bible. This revelation is for us and intended to help us live according to His will. We can be glad for what we have and we can live by what we know.  Someone once said, “It is better to know than not know,” and that is often true but we must recognize that God knows more than what He has revealed to us and what he has revealed, He knows is good for us to know.    When we don't understand everything in the universe, let's thank God for what he has made known through the Bible and then live by it.

May 2 – Near and Far

“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 23: 23-24 (NIV)

God is always in the process of revealing to us what He is like. There are three questions in today's verses that we believe are intended to help us know God better.  As we read the verses we can see that the last question actually contains the answer to the first two. “Am I only a God that is nearby and not a God that is far away?” No, God is everywhere. He fills heaven and earth. He fills all of His creation. He wants us all to know this because it reveals what a wonderful God He is. There is nowhere that God is not and so no matter where we are, near or far, he is there with us. He is drawing us near to Him and as He is with us today, He is and will be with us tomorrow and forever – He fills our world and beyond.