Stand on the Promises of God

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,

Resting in my Savior as my all in all,Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standingStanding on the promises of Christ, my Savior

Standing, standingI’m standing on the promises of God

(Excerpt from Standing on the Promises by Russell K. Carter (1886))

Devotional BookletGermany Trip

May 1, 2015 to May 15, 2015

Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church918 South Litchfield Road

Goodyear, AZ 85338

The Promises of God

Imagine coming across a trunk while cleaning out your attic. You open it and find it full of treasures. Not just a few items, but lots of them. The Bible is like that trunk full of treasures. It is not full of valuable items, but is full of something much better—God’s promises. Promises that will help get you through each and every day of your life. God’s treasure chest is waiting to be opened. Waiting for you to experience the riches you’ve been given through his Word.

Throughout your life time, we will likely face difficulties and go through some pretty tough times which will test your faith and trust in God. Maybe it is a personal crisis or a national disaster or things happening that are completely out of your control. God is your source of strength and peace. He is your comforter and your helper. He will always be there for uou, in both the good times and the bad.

As you read the following devotions, let the following Bible verses speak to you on how God has given you freedom from your fears, worries and concerns. As it says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.”

Hold onto God’s promises. Trust him no matter what happens on your pathway through life. As the song writer said, if you’re standing on his promises, you will not fall.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Daily forgiveness of our sins

“But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.” 1 John 1:9

Do you remember the first time you did something wrong and you were asked to apologize to the person you had wronged. Maybe it went well and maybe it did not. Perhaps your apology was brushed off and your forgiveness was not accepted. How terrible you must have felt. Thankfully, we will never suffer this type of rejection from God. He longs for an intimate relationship and will not reject us, even when we have done some pretty bad things. We all have sinned and face God’s punishment, but on the cross Jesus was punished for our sins. So when we turn from the wrong we’ve done and ask God’s forgiveness, our repentance is accepted; we are forgiven for our sinful nature; and our sins are forgotten. Just as God forgives us, he also wants us to forgive others who have wronged us in some way. Forgiving and being forgiven--they are as one. For whoever receives the forgiveness of God is forgiving of others.

Whatever happened in the past, forgive yourself and others. Choose love. –Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Saturday, May 2, 2015

God’s presence wherever we go.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:8

My mom has been struggling with depression and loneliness over the past few years. She currently lives in an assisted living facility and can still get around on her own. She has difficulty seeing and hearing which tends to make her days long. Even though she is living in her own apartment and sees nurses and other people multiple times each day, she misses her family and friends. At 97 years, she has very few friends left. Her brothers and sisters who are still living are unable to get out and visit her. We, her children, come as often as we can, but because of distance or work, it is not possible to visit her as often as she would like. Nieces, nephews and people from her church visit when they can. We all talk with her on the phone to help her overcome her loneliness. Yet, there are days that she cries because

she feels that everyone has abandoned her—she longs for human presence. Sometimes it is hard for people to not get discouraged with God when they cannot physically feel his presence in their lives. Perhaps there has been unanswered prayer or a series of disappointing events happening or maybe someone close has betrayed them. They feel that God has abandoned them, just like my mom feels that we have abandoned her because we are not physically present with her all the time. God says that we are to have faith—faith in his word—faith in his promise—for he has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We can be assured of his constant presence whether we are struggling with a painful situation or just too busy to notice him. He is with us even when we cannot physically see or feel him. I am so thankful that my mom has a strong faith and knows that God will never abandon her. She feels his presence in her life—she just longs for ours.

Don’t mistake God’s patience for his absence. His timing is perfect and his presence is constant. He’s always with you.

--unknown

Sunday, May 3, 2015

The Lord’s strength in whatever difficulty we face

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

I know there have been times in my life where I thought I was at the end of my rope and surely I felt I could not have dealt with one more bad thing happening in my life. Then, along came another tragedy that needed my attention. I remember calling out in my prayer, “Why God, why me?” There was no magic wand that made everything better or made my problems disappear. Instead, I felt calmer, I had energy and the strength I needed to keep moving ahead. God advances his greatest strength when we are at our weakest. He wants us to be dependent on him and to rely on his strength to pull us through. Because of our fallen world, there will be moments of suffering. Some

days will be rough. Some months will be long and some years will be exhausting. But, through it all God will be our strength. He will carry us when we are too weak to walk and he will lift us up on eagle’s wings when the only thing we can do is gather enough strength to rest. God gives us the strength we need to get through whatever storms—big or small—that hit us each day.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Monday, May 4, 2015

Provisions for our daily needs

“….don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body….the people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them.” Matthew 6:25-32

A few years ago, I was on a mission trip to Costa Rica with a number of people from my church. We stayed with families in this poor village while we built shelters at their school. The families that housed us were not wealthy and had very little to live on. Yet, they provided—a roof over our heads, food to eat, and even washed our dirty clothes each night while we slept. These verses came to mind as I thought about how God had provided everything we needed on this mission trip. And if one were to ask the village people, they would say that God was providing for them by sending us to help improve the school grounds for their children. God was the center of this mission trip and he made sure that the needs of everyone were met in one way or another. God does promise, as we pray, to give us everything we need to be fully satisfied in him. Look around you….God provides so much for us each and every day—through his creation and through other people. It may not be the things that we want, but it will always be the things that we need to get through life.

Through prayer God promises to provide for every need in the perfect time and amount to give you the greatest joy in him now

and forever. --unknown

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Answers to our prayers

“And this is the boldness we have in God’s presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us. If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him.” 1 John 5:14-15

Prayer is the way we can communicate with God. Yet, it seems that prayer is not used as much as it should be by many today. In prayer we come to depend on God—depend on him for what we don’t have and what we can’t do on our own. For many Christians in America, they depend on God for less and less as they feel their needs are being met in some way within their culture. They make their own decisions and go about doing things their way, whether it is right or wrong. They treat prayer as a formality or ritual rather than depending on God for what is needed in their lives. It is only when they experience difficulties and find themselves unable to handle things on their own that they turn to God with a “pleading” prayer. Yet, the Bible says we are to pray without ceasing. We are to pray at all times. Be it times of joy and celebration or when we face sickness, failure, rejection, or financial distress. When we pray, we will always experience God’s love and peace no matter what is happening around us and to us. Through prayer we can open a window to let God’s love shine in our lives. We can open our hands to receive his riches. We can open our hearts to let his presence fill and empower us. And, through prayer, he hears our requests—maybe even sometimes over and over again as we wait for an answer. Prayer, like everything else in a Christian’s life, is for God’s glory first and then for our benefit. Everything that God does, everything that God allows and ordains, is done for his glory. When we pray to glorify God, what we ask for in his name, and what we receive, will be answered as to what’s important both to God and to us.

It is when the answer to prayer does not come…that the trial of faith, more precious than gold, takes place. --unknown

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

A supply of blessing

“For the LORD God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right.” Psalm 84:11

God’s love never ends. His mercies never stop. They are new every morning. Each day God’s grace is bestowed upon us. We don’t always notice his grace because we are so busy with our lives and we are distracted from appreciating the little things that God does for us and what he provides. God’s blessings are all around us in the gifts he gives us each and every day. We just need to look for it. In her book, “One Thousand Gifts”, Ann Voskamp says there is hope and transformative power in counting our blessings and naming the gifts we receive from God. If we want to discover the rhythms of grace, joy, and true thankfulness, we need to not only count the big gifts God has given, but also look for the little ones he continually gives us—even at this very moment. Begin by noticing them, then write them down, express them in words, and take time to celebrate each one. They all come from God and all have value. Acknowledging our blessings bring gratitude and thankfulness to God for his goodness, his love, and his abundant grace for us. Slow down, stop, notice, reflect, and give thanks.

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” --C.S. Lewis

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Wisdom for every challenge

“But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so he will give you wisdom.” James 1:5

How often have we said after the fact, “If only I would have known what to do, things would be different”; or in the midst of our trials, “I don’t know which way to turn or what to do.” Even though we know God, we may not always honor him, or look to him, or give him thanks—then only to find later that the decisions we made on our own were not always right. We need to accept the fact that we’re not as smart as we thought, or as clever as we think, or as wise as we should be. Most of us feel we can handle the “moderate” problems of life. We can deal with cranky children or an unreasonable boss or a bad case of flu or piles of work that get dumped on us. We understand normal pressures and we learn how to deal with them. But do we really? It is so easy to do something we though was right and end up looking like a fool. Then something happens that catches us off guard—a debilitating sickness, loss of work, death, divorce—and we find ourselves flat on the ground. We are out of options and our only hope is to cry out to God for help. We need God’s help every day of our life from our birth to our death. We need his wisdom in all phases of our life. When we read and study God’s Word; the Holy Spirit brings to those who have faith, wisdom through the Holy Scriptures. We need to put our whole trust in God and not doubt what he can do for us. When we do, God promises to give us his wisdom to meet the trials of life and to face them triumphantly.

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.

--Socrates

Friday, May 8, 2015

A way of escape when we are tempted

“The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

The temptations in our life are no different from what others experience. God can’t remove temptations from our lives. We can’t run and hide from them as they will always be around us. We are powerless when we rely only on ourselves. But, God is on our side in the fight against temptation and he gives us a way to escape, to say no, to brush aside, and move on with our lives; providing us with a chance to be obedient. I heard say that temptation is not only an opportunity to do the wrong thing, but an opportunity to do what is right. Why is it that we look at temptation in negative terms? By saying “no” to temptations that come our way, God is helping to strengthen our lives, to produce endurance and to build our character. Isn’t that a good thing? So, the next time you feel the temptation pulling at your soul, ask God for his way out. It may come in the form of a friend or a deep desire to please God. He may send a vision of the negative impact of your sin or a picture of how your obedience will be blessed. Look to God for help as he promises to faithfully lead you away from temptation.

Don’t just run from temptation, look it in the eye and defeat it.--Baylor Barbee

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Fruitfulness as we grow older

“But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the LORD’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.” Psalm 92:12-14

Last spring we planted a dwarf orange tree and this fall when we returned to Arizona, we noticed that it had produced two oranges for our enjoyment. The tree is the life line on which the oranges have a way to grow. The oranges are a means to bring refreshment and nourishment to those who eat it. I also know that if the tree remains healthy, it will produce more and more fruit for us to enjoy for years to come. In the same way, God provides a means and a way for us to be

fruitful throughout our lifetime here on earth. We are the fruit of God’s tree, offering nourishment to those with whom our paths cross. As we grow older and have weathered many storms in life, God allows us to flourish, and grow stronger under his care. We gain knowledge; we grow in our faith; we become stronger through our own trials and experiences; and thus we have so much more to share with others. No matter what stage we are in our life, we still have the means by which to produce fruit that is vital to God’s work.

Do not bring the past with you. Let them serve as your guide to keep moving on your journey. --unknown

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Eternal Security

“My sheep listen to my voice; I give them eternal life, and they will never die, and no one can steal them out of my hand. John 10:27-28

We have been claimed by God. We are his and no one can take that away from us. He has promised us eternal life after death. We won’t be able to live in our bodies the way they are now and for some of us that is a real blessing. We know that when we take our last breath here on earth, there is a place prepared for us in heaven. What we do not know is what we will become when we are remade in the image of God—no doubt we will become something brighter and better—to be as Jesus is now. No more aching or swollen limbs, no more failing eyesight, no more heartaches, no more pain and suffering—only the promise that we will be close to God forever. Holding this thought in our hearts should help us get through whatever trials and hardships that faces us on a daily basis.

Eternal security is the position that what Christ has accomplished on the cross and in us cannot be undone.

--unknown

Monday, May 11, 2015

Peace regardless of the troubles we face

“Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And, God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Christ came speaking peace. He came after his resurrection to his disciples, saying, “Peace be with you!” He comes to each of us speaking these same words of peace. When Christ is part of our life, when he enters into our personality, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we too became a person of peace. Peace with God, peace with others, and at peace with ourselves. When trouble hits and we are faced with turmoil, pain and suffering, it is then that God wants us to be at peace. When we are at peace, our mind and our heart is calmed so we can think more clearly and act more reasonably. When my son was in trouble, I felt completely helpless; could not sleep; had difficulty working; and did not know what to do to remedy the situation. So, I turned to God in prayer. I remember saying, “I need your help right now. I leave Tony in your hands. Whatever you need from me…just show me what I need to do and I will do it.” At that moment, I felt a sense of peace come over me—a peace that I had never felt before. God had lifted the burden I was carrying and in its place he left me with complete peace. My son was still in trouble, but I knew that God would be by his side as well as mine in the days to follow…and I knew he would guide me as to what I needed to do. He comes to all of us with the promise to bind up our wounds, to bring quietness to our life, to still our troubled soul, and to speak words of peace to whatever is troubling us.

PEACE. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those

things and still be calm in your heart. --unknown

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Comfort in our distress

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

No matter how old or young we are, we will always need protection from something. When we were young, we looked to our parents to protect us from harm; to hug us when we were hurting; to patch our scrapes when we fell; to hold us when we were scared. As we grew older and left the protection of our parents, life seemed a bit more frightening and challenging. Yet, God has promised that no matter what happens, he will always be with us. He is there, like an eagle, spreading his wings to cover and protect us from any harm and danger that comes our way. Just as we called out to our parents for help when we were young, we can call out to God to deliver us from our fears and concerns; to comfort us when we are in trouble; and to walk with us when we have lost our way. God is always with us and he will never leave us. He is just a prayer away!

The one who put the stars in the sky tenderly extends his hand to wipe away our tears (Revelation 21:4) and bring new hope.

--Melissa Nesdahl

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Rest for our weary souls

“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives.” Matthew 11:28-29

Just getting through life is difficult. Just getting through each day can drain us of our energy. Busy schedules, work demands, family issues—all add to the stress in our lives. We all know that stress over prolonged periods of time can cause serious illness. So, why do we do that to ourselves? Life was never intended by God to be that way. We

read in the Bible that Jesus departed from his ministry and went away to be alone, to pray, to rest and gain renewal. Should we not do the same? Instead of trying to do everything ourselves, all we need to do is turn each day over to God and have him schedule our day for us. I remember an incident a number of years ago, that changed the way I now approach each day. I was overworked and stressed to the max. In the middle of my busy day, I received a phone call from my church asking if I could write a devotional for a booklet they were putting together for lent. It was something I could do, however when they told me they needed it that day, I was in shock. I wanted to help out, but my mind and my workload was saying “no”. I turned the request over to God and asked for his help. What happened next was unbelievable—my present workload felt lighter, the devotion was written and I seemed to have extra time in my day to get other things done. When we turn our day over to God, and express our thanks for his help, he will organize it for us—so much better than what we could ever do on our own.

We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that he injects into our

bodies energy, power and strength. –Charles Stanley

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Guidance throughout our life

“The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8

When I was young, I was sure I had my life all figured out—I would attend college, get a job, be married, and have a family. I did do all those things, but during that time, I also found out the limits of my own experience; the uncertainty of things that were happening around me; how deceptive the evil one could be; and the many difficult decisions that needed to be made. I had family, a husband and many friends, but they were not always a help. I needed someone who knew me for who I was—my faults and all; someone who understood me and had my best interests in mind; someone who understood my personality,

my temperament, my gifts and abilities, my likes and dislikes. I needed a guide, a mentor, a cheerleader, a consoler, a special friend--someone who would stand by me and not let me down. That someone has been God. He knows me and he understands everything about me. He has been with me, helping and guiding me through the ups and downs of life. He says to each of us…take my hand, you matter to me, I know you by name, I created you and I have great plans for you.

“Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.” Proverbs 3:6

Friday, May 15, 2015

The absolute guarantee of God’s love

“Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

We find out early in life that to be loved we must show ourselves as lovable. Somehow we have to demonstrate or prove to others that we are worthy of their love. Then we mess up, we do something wrong, we upset people and we are cut off from their friendship and love. God’s love is different. It cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything. He does not want anything to come between us and his love for us. We can mess up—even do some pretty bad stuff and yet God will continue to love us. His love is forever. But then, sometimes we let ourselves down by pulling away from God and allowing that connection to be broken. God continually works to draw us back so we can fully experience his unconditional love. All we need to do is follow his ways and allow him to guide us each day. When we love God with all our heart and soul, we will begin to see all the awesome things he has in store for us.

One day man asked God… what’s the difference between your love and my love… God smiled and replied, a bird in the sky is

my love and a bird in a cage is your love… –unknown

Personal Notes: