"Always Praising"
By Zach Wood
Psalm 34:1-3
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
Most of us probably find it easier to praise God when times are going good. When things are going good, we feel so joyful and jubilant. Our hearts are happy and we feel so full of energy to rejoice and praise! However, when times get tough and bad things happen, it is often hard to praise God. It's not that we do not believe in Him or think He is not good anymore, but our hearts become crushed and we feel the pain of life set in and we lose much of that joy and feel overwhelmed by sorrow. It is often very hard to find the strength to praise God when situations arise and cause us to become angry and doubtful.
When you find out unexpectedly today is your last day of work........it is hard to praise.
When you find out that your spouse has been unfaithful........it is hard to praise.
When you find out that your house will go into foreclosure.........it is hard to praise.
When you find out that your newborn baby will not live through the night........it is hard to praise.
When you find out that job you interviewed for and desperately wanted fell through.......it is hard to praise.
When you are diagnosed with life-threatening cancer........it is hard to praise.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, there are times in life when things just really hit us hard. They hit us so hard that the pain is so real and so intense that we feel we cannot praise Him. Have you found yourself in one of these situations above or possibly another one that hurts so much you feel you cannot praise Him? Sometimes, it is just downright hard to find a reason to praise God. Life stinks and you try to find some way.
May I remind you that Jesus Christ is there. He has never left you and will never forsake you. It is in these times when Christ helps us up and urges us to carry on with life. I have found that when hard times come, this is when I grow the most. My character becomes stronger if I focus on Him. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it require a lot of strength. But it is only strength that I can draw from a close walk with Him.
We are called to praise God in all situations of life. We are not expected to thank God for taking a loved one away from us. We are not called to thank Him for bringing a hurtful situation or horrible tragedy into our lives. But....we are called to proclaim that He is Lord no matter what happens to us. We cannot explain life many times. God knows what is going on and knows far more than we'll ever know. He calls us to praise Him always because of Who He is. He is and will always be the provider. He is and will always be the One who sustains when we feel weak.
I urge you, to persevere when life seems to stink. Always give praise to God for Who He is. Thank Him for watching over you and providing for you even in the midst of your heartache and sorrow. These are truly the times when the lost of the world will see our strength in the Lord and wonder what keeps us going. Keep the faith and stay strong.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Just Praise His Great Name
"Just Praise His Great Name"
By Zach Wood
Psalm 93
I would like to ask you a question. How often do you find yourself alone with God in prayer and, instead of bringing Him requests and concerns, just giving Him praise? I found myself sitting down the other night and really convicted of this thought. I had earlier that evening listened to Natalie Grant's new song "Your Great Name" and the words just stuck with me all evening. If you have a chance, please take a few moments and listen to the song on-line. It is a powerful song with beautiful lyrics praising our God.
I shared with my wife how often, as Christians, we bring so many requests and petitions to God, but how seldom we seem to do nothing but just bring praise and adoration into prayer time to Jesus Christ for Who He is. Have you done this lately? I am in no way saying our prayers, concerns and petitions for things going on in our lives and other people's lives is not important. What I am saying is that we tend to be so focused on things we need and how we desire God to answer our prayers that I believe we fail to just spend time doing nothing but praising Him for being God. Just taking time to give Him praise and thanking Him for being the Alpha and Omega.
Read through this Psalm and just let the words remind you of His Greatness and Mighty Strength. He is a powerful God and deserves our praise. I encourage each one of us to not only take time to bring our concerns before Him, but also just have some time dedicated to do nothing but praise Him and adore Him for being our Lord and Savior. How often we get so focused on the concerns and forget to just simply praise Him. Yes, He very much desires to hear our prayers and petitions, but I also believe He desires to hear us just giving Him praise solely for Who He is. I am sharing this devotional because I felt strongly in my heart about it and wanted to share it with you all.
May God be praised and adored in your prayer life. I encourage you to just simply make some time to do nothing but lift up praise and glory to Him for being God.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
When We Do Not Understand
"When We Do Not Understand"
By Zach Wood
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
There are times in life when we simply cannot understand things. There are situations that come up in which we have no clue how to deal with. There are times when people say things to us and we have no idea how to reply or respond. There are circumstances we find ourselves in that can suddenly change in an instant and we are left feeling completely hopeless and wonder what will come next.
By Zach Wood
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
There are times in life when we simply cannot understand things. There are situations that come up in which we have no clue how to deal with. There are times when people say things to us and we have no idea how to reply or respond. There are circumstances we find ourselves in that can suddenly change in an instant and we are left feeling completely hopeless and wonder what will come next.
We do not understand when a spouse suddenly says he or she is leaving and calling it quits.
We do not understand when our job is suddenly terminated without notice and or any indication of problems.
We do not understand when our child or teenager expresses their hate toward us as parents.
We do not understand when the house we have waited to buy for so long suddenly goes off the market or the deal falls through.
We do not understand when a close friend or family member takes their own life and so many questions flood our minds and hearts.
We do not understand when a child dies of some sickness or disease and we are left questioning our faith.
We do not understand when a possible job placement we have worked hard to get suddenly falls through.
"Lord, there are so many things in life I just cannot understand. There are situations and circumstances that truly leave me speechless and challenge my faith in You. I know You are real and that You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings, no matter what happens. I must admit Lord that I am weak and You are strong. I do not know the future or what You have planned, but I do know that You are in control. Help me Lord to trust You in all things, no matter how challenging, confusing, frustrating and heart-breaking. Without You, I am nothing."
There is a lot in life we do not understand. There are times when our hearts break and we are in so much pain and we feel we can no longer go through life with strength. Sometimes, we just hit the bottom and feel there is no way back to the top to breathe and have life again. However, there is a way and His Name is Jesus Christ. He is the Light and He knows the way. We must trust, we must believe and we must hold on even when we do not understand.
My prayer is that whatever you may be going through today, this week or this month, that you would completely trust in Him with all your heart and lean on Him. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. I encourage you to not lean on your own understanding. Trust in Him. You will make it through and He will provide strength.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Where Is Your Treasure?
"Where Is Your Treasure?"
By Zach Wood
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If there is one thing I struggle with more than anything, it is the priority I put on things that are not important and the lack of importance I put on what matters most. I ask myself often, "What do I spend most of my leisure time doing?" When I am not at work or at a scheduled activity during the week, what am I spending my time doing? Am I devoting that time to my family and personal growth in the Lord? Sadly, I have to admit I am not as much as I should be.
Where are you putting most of your time and attention? Is your priority going out and getting the latest and greatest gadgets on the market? Is your priority becoming a workaholic so you can make more money to spend on leisure things? Is your priority on spending every single bit of free time in the yard just to have the best looking lawn in town? Now, please do not misunderstand what I am saying There is nothing wrong with having high tech gadgets, making good money at work, or working in the yard with your free time. However, when we are putting more time on those things and less time with family and building a growing relationship with them and in our personal relationship with Christ, then we have a problem.
What is most important to you? Where is your treasure? This is a question we must ask ourselves each and every day. What are spending most of our free time doing? Hobbies are good in moderation, but we cannot use those hobbies in excess and sacrifice precious time with our spouse, children, friends and our personal walk in Christ.
These things we spend time doing in life are only temporary. If we are so focused on these things and less interested in the time we invest with our families and our relationship with God, our treasures will rot, mold, rust and decay. There is no solid value to be put on the things of this world. They are only temporary. We must put importance and priority on the treasures that will last for an eternity. Our relationships with family, friends and others who we witness to will last.
I pray that each of us will seriously consider and re-evaluate where our treasures are and what they really should be.
By Zach Wood
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If there is one thing I struggle with more than anything, it is the priority I put on things that are not important and the lack of importance I put on what matters most. I ask myself often, "What do I spend most of my leisure time doing?" When I am not at work or at a scheduled activity during the week, what am I spending my time doing? Am I devoting that time to my family and personal growth in the Lord? Sadly, I have to admit I am not as much as I should be.
Where are you putting most of your time and attention? Is your priority going out and getting the latest and greatest gadgets on the market? Is your priority becoming a workaholic so you can make more money to spend on leisure things? Is your priority on spending every single bit of free time in the yard just to have the best looking lawn in town? Now, please do not misunderstand what I am saying There is nothing wrong with having high tech gadgets, making good money at work, or working in the yard with your free time. However, when we are putting more time on those things and less time with family and building a growing relationship with them and in our personal relationship with Christ, then we have a problem.
What is most important to you? Where is your treasure? This is a question we must ask ourselves each and every day. What are spending most of our free time doing? Hobbies are good in moderation, but we cannot use those hobbies in excess and sacrifice precious time with our spouse, children, friends and our personal walk in Christ.
These things we spend time doing in life are only temporary. If we are so focused on these things and less interested in the time we invest with our families and our relationship with God, our treasures will rot, mold, rust and decay. There is no solid value to be put on the things of this world. They are only temporary. We must put importance and priority on the treasures that will last for an eternity. Our relationships with family, friends and others who we witness to will last.
I pray that each of us will seriously consider and re-evaluate where our treasures are and what they really should be.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Search My Heart O Lord
"Search My Heart O Lord"
By Zach Wood
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
If a stranger were to come up to you and tell you that you needed to change your life and get your priorities correct, you probably not only would be shocked, but feel a bit violated. First of all, that person does not know you. Second, that person has just crossed a line that should not be crossed unless he or she really knows you. Each of us have had people, at some point in our lives, come up to us and tell us that we need to change our attitude, our priorities or get something else correct in our lives.
Now if a good friend or family member were to approach you and challenge you with some things, you might react and respond differently. This person probably knows you better and has more of an idea of what to say to encourage and challenge you. Granted, it is different for each person and for each situation someone is in. But we would probably all agree that only a few people in our lives really "know us" and can make those comments to us without setting us off.
You might feel violated if someone at your work place would come into your cubicle or office and start cleaning without your permission. You might feel violated if some stranger came to your house and started going through your personal things. Kids might feel violated if a parent suddenly walks into their room and starts rummaging through things. These are all instances where our privacy becomes violated. None of us like this. We like to keep certain things to ourselves and keep it that way.
When I think about how we lives our daily lives, I believe this is how we sometimes treat God in our relationship with Him. We live our lives the way we want to and only invite Him into certain areas that we feel safe for Him to be part of. Other areas of our lives, we do not want Him part of.
These past couple of weeks, I have been listening a lot to Hillsong United song "Search My Heart". This song has ministered to me so much and I began reading over and over through Psalm 139. Especially the last two verses where David talks about how he wants God to search his heart and remove any offensive ways in him. How powerful of a prayer is that?? I began feeling that toward God and asking Him to seriously come in and find offensive ways in me.
When we allow God to search our hearts and find offensive things in us, it can be scary. We may feel violated at first, just like we would feel if someone we did not know challenged our priorities. We get set in many ways and we do not want to change. However, God is not intending to violate us, but simply desires to change who we are and what we have allowed ourselves to become from worldly influences and our own desires to chase after things that do not please Him.
Truth is, God has every right to come in and remove what is nasty and filthy in our hearts. That is truly the only way He can fully cleanse us and restore us. We must be willing to let Him in and "clean house".
I would encourage you to go online and listen to that song "Search My Heart" by Hillsong United. It is a wonderful and powerful song of worship that will challenge and inspire you to allow God to mold you and restore you. It has been a blessing to me and has really ministered to me the past couple of weeks.
Will you allow Him to search your heart and restore you?
By Zach Wood
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
If a stranger were to come up to you and tell you that you needed to change your life and get your priorities correct, you probably not only would be shocked, but feel a bit violated. First of all, that person does not know you. Second, that person has just crossed a line that should not be crossed unless he or she really knows you. Each of us have had people, at some point in our lives, come up to us and tell us that we need to change our attitude, our priorities or get something else correct in our lives.
Now if a good friend or family member were to approach you and challenge you with some things, you might react and respond differently. This person probably knows you better and has more of an idea of what to say to encourage and challenge you. Granted, it is different for each person and for each situation someone is in. But we would probably all agree that only a few people in our lives really "know us" and can make those comments to us without setting us off.
You might feel violated if someone at your work place would come into your cubicle or office and start cleaning without your permission. You might feel violated if some stranger came to your house and started going through your personal things. Kids might feel violated if a parent suddenly walks into their room and starts rummaging through things. These are all instances where our privacy becomes violated. None of us like this. We like to keep certain things to ourselves and keep it that way.
When I think about how we lives our daily lives, I believe this is how we sometimes treat God in our relationship with Him. We live our lives the way we want to and only invite Him into certain areas that we feel safe for Him to be part of. Other areas of our lives, we do not want Him part of.
These past couple of weeks, I have been listening a lot to Hillsong United song "Search My Heart". This song has ministered to me so much and I began reading over and over through Psalm 139. Especially the last two verses where David talks about how he wants God to search his heart and remove any offensive ways in him. How powerful of a prayer is that?? I began feeling that toward God and asking Him to seriously come in and find offensive ways in me.
When we allow God to search our hearts and find offensive things in us, it can be scary. We may feel violated at first, just like we would feel if someone we did not know challenged our priorities. We get set in many ways and we do not want to change. However, God is not intending to violate us, but simply desires to change who we are and what we have allowed ourselves to become from worldly influences and our own desires to chase after things that do not please Him.
Truth is, God has every right to come in and remove what is nasty and filthy in our hearts. That is truly the only way He can fully cleanse us and restore us. We must be willing to let Him in and "clean house".
I would encourage you to go online and listen to that song "Search My Heart" by Hillsong United. It is a wonderful and powerful song of worship that will challenge and inspire you to allow God to mold you and restore you. It has been a blessing to me and has really ministered to me the past couple of weeks.
Will you allow Him to search your heart and restore you?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Do We Truly Want To Be Filled?
"Do We Truly Want To Be Filled?"
By Zach Wood
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Do you enjoy eating good food? If you say no to that, you are probably in no way human! Each one of us enjoys good food. Why would any one of us even think of eating food that tastes disgusting? Whether it is a home-cooked meal, going out to fine dining or to a fast food place, I enjoy it. There are some meals that are planned that I might think about for hours or even days. Just the thought makes my taste buds dance! We all enjoy good meals. We long for them to fill us and give us nutrition.
We also thirst for good beverages. We need to be hydrated. Our bodies need this stuff to stay healthy. We must also make good choices in what we choose to drink. Keeping ourselves hydrated is healthy and we must be conscious about it.
When I think of food and drink, however, I cannot help but think of my desire to be filled with God's Word. Physical food and drink is vital to being nourished, but spiritual food and drink is even more vital to keep living the life I desire in God.
I was reading this passage recently in the Beatitudes and it really shook me. I honestly asked myself if I was truly hungering and thirsting for Him. Do I find myself seeking Him and being more and more hungry to receive what He has to offer me? Do I find myself thirsting for His Living Water?
If we hunger and thirst for the world, we will constantly be filled with unhealthy things. We will never receive the nourishment we need to be strong in our faith. No matter where we look, the world simply will never fulfill that longing and desire for true nourishment. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for something more in life. We are blessed when we seek to hunger and thirst for the spiritual nourishment only God can provide.
By Zach Wood
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Do you enjoy eating good food? If you say no to that, you are probably in no way human! Each one of us enjoys good food. Why would any one of us even think of eating food that tastes disgusting? Whether it is a home-cooked meal, going out to fine dining or to a fast food place, I enjoy it. There are some meals that are planned that I might think about for hours or even days. Just the thought makes my taste buds dance! We all enjoy good meals. We long for them to fill us and give us nutrition.
We also thirst for good beverages. We need to be hydrated. Our bodies need this stuff to stay healthy. We must also make good choices in what we choose to drink. Keeping ourselves hydrated is healthy and we must be conscious about it.
When I think of food and drink, however, I cannot help but think of my desire to be filled with God's Word. Physical food and drink is vital to being nourished, but spiritual food and drink is even more vital to keep living the life I desire in God.
I was reading this passage recently in the Beatitudes and it really shook me. I honestly asked myself if I was truly hungering and thirsting for Him. Do I find myself seeking Him and being more and more hungry to receive what He has to offer me? Do I find myself thirsting for His Living Water?
If we hunger and thirst for the world, we will constantly be filled with unhealthy things. We will never receive the nourishment we need to be strong in our faith. No matter where we look, the world simply will never fulfill that longing and desire for true nourishment. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for something more in life. We are blessed when we seek to hunger and thirst for the spiritual nourishment only God can provide.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Choosing To Love
By Zach Wood
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
The last devotional I shared with you talked about God's crazy love for us through His son Jesus Christ. I still cannot help but think about how God loves us so much, yet, many choose not to love Him back. Am I saying some of us choose not to love Him? Well....possibly. Do we not all have times when we fail to show God love? Do we not have times when we completely go our own ways and refuse to show Him love and love others as well?
This passage I have shared is very short, but proves a powerful point. As Christians, we are called to love God for what He has done for us, but also are called to love others. If we fail to show love to others, we cannot love God in the way we are called to love. He desires for us to show love to Him and to others. Failing to do either of these acts of love is choosing not to love. You may think this is pretty elementary thinking, but if you take a moment to apply it to your life and your actions, do you really find yourself loving God and loving others?
Why in the world would we choose to love God, but then choose not to love other people as He has called us to do? Because people are all different and it becomes very challenging when personalities do not mesh and differences set in. You may have co-workers you cannot get a long with because of personality differences. You may not get along with your kids because you have different ideas of what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. You may not get along with your spouse because you do have hold the same values and are constantly bickering because you cannot agree. You may not work well with another volunteer at church because you have different ideas how a program should be run. There are so many different situations and scenarios in which we do not get along with others. That is just part of learning to love others and get along with them. God never gave us permission to blow someone else off just because they do not agree with how we do things.
As I write this, I am even convicted in my own life how I do not love others as I need to. At work, at church and even in my own family, I tend to show more love to some than others just because of how my personality and differences work out in the various relationships. God calls me to love because He gave His own life to show me love.
If we claim to love God, we must show love to others. If we are to be effective witnesses for the Kingdom, we have no choice but to show God's love to others. Why would we not choose to love Him in return for all that He has done and continues to do for us?
I pray that your choice would willingly be to love God and love others as He has called us to do.
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