Debbie Taylor Williams
Thank You, SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS!
“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings;”
Charles Spurgeon wrote these word in 1871 about the Sun of Righteousness: “Jesus, like the sun, is the center and soul of all things, the fullness of all good, the lamp that lights us, the fire that warms us, the magnet that guides and controls us; he is the source and fountain of all life, beauty, fruitfulness, and strength; he is the fosterer of tender herbs of penitence, the quickener of the vital sap of grace, the ripener of fruits of holiness, and the life of everything that grows within the garden of the Lord. Whereas to adore the sun would be idolatry; it were treason not to worship ardently the divine Sun of Righteousness.”* Does that add to your understanding of why Jesus is referred to as the Sun of Righteousness? With which of the descriptions do you most relate to Jesus as the Sun of Righteousness?
We praise You, SUN of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and look to You to enlighten, control, quicken, grow, and ripen us to holy surrender and fruitfulness.
*http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1020.htm
*Debbie Taylor Williams.
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Praise to the Lord, Who is SUBMISSIVE to the Father
“He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’”
There are times when we are called to do something that isn’t pleasant. We would prefer not to do it. Perhaps for you, it’s a medical procedure. For a tired mom, it may be changing another diaper. A worker may long to stay in bed rather than go to work. Then, there are those excruciatingly painful occasions when we may be called to help with an intervention, or change the lock on a door to keep an abusive person out of the home. Or…die on the cross so that mankind can be saved. Jesus knew the suffering that was before Him. He didn’t want to go through it. He asked His Father for another way. But, in the end, He was submissive to Him. Does that not scream of the Father’s love for us? How are we giving back to Him? How are we showing Jesus that we appreciate Him?
Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, thank You! For all You’ve done and all You’ve sacrificed, we give You praise!
Praise to Jesus, SON OF MAN
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
How did Jesus describe Himself? The observant physician, Luke, noted that Jesus described Himself as the Son of Man. And, in the same context, Jesus revealed His purpose for coming to earth: to save lost souls. That would be you and me. Lost. Separated from God. Having wandered from God’s holy righteousness, we were in need of a Savior. So Jesus came from heaven on a mission to earth. Born of a woman by the Holy Spirit, He did what no one else could do – seek and save us.
All praise to You, Lord Jesus, Son of God, SON of MAN, who sought and saved us! We love and adore You!
SON of the BLESSED ONE
“Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’”
When you think of blessings, what comes to mind? Most likely good things: Family. Health.Friends. Freedom from worry and fear. Financial security. Does “Son of the Blessed One” seem an apt description for Jesus as He stood before the high priest: beaten, abandoned by friends, no earthly possessions, and betrayed? Yet, in God’s providence, He had the person who sentenced His Son to crucifixion to also affix the name “Son of the Blessed One” to Jesus. Could it be a message to us that things aren’t always as they appear; that perhaps we should look beyond today’s difficulties to the title He has affixed to us – bride of Christ; the title and position we’ll carry into eternity where we’ll experience His fulness and glory?
Heavenly Father, we praise You for Christ, SON of the BLESSED ONE, and for the blessings You have promised us.
ROCK of Our SALVATION
“O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.”
RESTORER
“He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”
Do you think God expects you to be superman or super woman? He doesn’t. In fact, He acknowledges that our souls will be depleted and need restoration. He says He’s the RESTORER of our souls. Red bull and other super caffeinated drinks only serve to give us a temporary kick. A rightly aligned relationship with Jesus and daily refreshment in His presence provide ongoing restoration to our souls.
Lord, we praise You, the RESTORER of our soul!
Praise to God Our PRESERVER
Friends, the attributes and names of God that you receive every morning were scheduled before Hurricane Harvey. As I have reviewed them prior to them going out, I’ve been shocked by the images and attributes that were pre-selected. We can’t help but recognize that God’s nature speaks of more than the temporal. God is eternal, and His nature reflects His eternal perspective and promises.
“The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.,”
Have you ever thought of God in terms of being your Life PRESERVER? The Hebrew word, “preserve,” means keep, guard, protect, saves life. A PRESERVER is “someone who keeps safe from harm or danger.”** No doubt, our Lord fits the description. Satan has a domain of darkness. (Colossians 1:13) God has a domain of light where Jesus reigns in love. God rescues every single person who calls out to Him. He transfers the repentant to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
We understand the need for someone to come and save us from raging waters. Do we understand the need for Jesus to come and save us from raging sin? God sent Jesus to earth to save us from drowning and dying in sin as assuredly as rescuers were sent to save those dying in flooding waters.
We understand the need for being saved from physical death. Do we understand the need for being saved from spiritual death? Who do we know who needs to be saved? Will we go to them and tell them about Jesus?
Lord, we praise You, the Only One to whom we can look to PRESERVE our life, our soul!
**http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=preserver
Praise to the LORD
“‘I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.’”
As we’ve studied, there are times when God announces, “This is who I am. This is my name.” Such is the case in Isaiah 42:8, when God announced, “I am the LORD, that is My name.” In the same breath, He explains what it means that His name is LORD. It means He will not give His glory to another. It means that our praise is to be given to Him and Him alone. His pronouncement should cause us to ponder, “Have I given my praise to anything or anyone besides Him?” If so, we must bow before the LORD in repentance and profess Him LORD of all.
Heavenly Father, You alone are LORD. Forgive us for putting anything or anyone before You. We bow in humble reverence and praise.
Praise for God’s Voice of POWER
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Worship the Lord in holy array.
The voice of the Lord is upon many waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful.
Have you ever noticed how a child responds to one person’s voice…
but perhaps ignores another’s?
God’s voice is powerful. He speaks and when we turn around…
…we can’t help but ascribe to Him the glory due His name.
If we feel like we don’t hear God speaking, maybe it’s because we’re too preoccupied. Like the child engrossed with his toys, maybe we’re engrossed with our homes, work, even ministries. God’s voice is rich in love and power. If we feel we don’t hear God speaking, maybe we need to listen with our eyes.
Lord God, You are the VOICE OF POWER who spoke our world into existence and life into our spirits. We give You praise, honor, and glory!
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Praise to the God of all WISDOM
“For the Lord gives WISDOM; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 2:6
Are you in the midst of making a decision? Do you wonder what the best course of action is regarding work, parenting, a relationship, or finances?
If ever there was a time to follow the path of wisdom, it’s now.
Wisdom for the road before us. Widsom for how to proceed.
Proverbs reminds us that the Lord is the source and provider of wisdom.
How blessed we are to be able to go to our Heavenly Father, read His ways, pray, and receive His wisdom. When we don’t know which path to follow, we can follow our hearts to His heart.
GOD OF WISDOM, we praise You that we can come to You for heavenly wisdom. Thank You for providing it when we seek You.