Daily Dose of God’s Glorious Love

10/31/2022 Lesson 3 of 3 Habakkuk 3:1-19 In judgment we experience the love of God and can run to Grace! Old Testament Reading Habakkuk 3:1-15 “ 1 ¶ A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth. 2 O LORD, I have heard your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. 3 ¶ God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. 5 Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet. 6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian trembled. 8 O LORD, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger agains

10/30/2022 Lesson 2 of 3 Habakkuk 2:2-20 Judgment is God using evil to break evil! Reading Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 “ 12 ¶ Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. 13 You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he? 14 Why do You make men like fish of the sea, Like creeping things that have no ruler over them? 15 They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. 16 Therefore they sacrifice to their net, And burn incense to their dragnet; Because by them their share is sumptuous And their food plentiful. 17 Shall they therefore empty their net, And continue to slay nations without pity? 2:1 ¶ I will stand my watch And set mys

10/29/2022 Habakkuk Seeing prayer as a conversation Lesson 1 of 3 Habakkuk 1:5-11 GOD SAID WHAT? God’s answer to your prayer may surprise you!!! Old Testament Reading Habakkuk 1:1-4 “ 1 ¶ The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. 2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds. ” (Habakkuk 1:1-4 NKJV) “ 5 ¶ "Look among the nations and watch—Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. 6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not

Over the next three days I will offer a series of sermons on Habakkuk which I later used as a study.  

10/28/2022 During prayer time today Bonnie mentioned she was reading in the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk saw the evil in his times and asked God why He allowed such evil to be and over the three chapters where we see prayer as a dialogue with God ending with an amazing declaration of faith. “ Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls —  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments. ” (Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV) How will you choose to face your troubles today?  

10/27/2022 At times I wonder what people think of me and my condition. Do they feel sorry for my pain? Are they embarrassed by me and what I am going through? Do they not know what to say so say nothing? Do they think I am lazy and just want to lie around. I do not know what they think but I do know in the long run it doesn’t matter as much as what I think. Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! Psalms 79:9  

10/26/2022 But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. Psalm 63:11  

10/25/2022 This blog began as an attempt to recognize the glorious God Who is so much more than we can ever know. Psalm 62:7 reminds us God also shares His glory with us and the glory others see in us is a reflection of God’s glory. God is so glorious all within Him are glorified through His glory. So “ this little light of mine ” is the glorious God shining in and through us! In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Psalm 62:7  

10/24/2022 One of my favorite songs is “ Heaven in the Real World ” by Whiteheart. The words of the song lift us up above everyday philosophy and theology and call us to live within God’s Kingdom and as though we are in heaven now. Because we are. Heaven does not begin with our physical death but with our spiritual death and resurrection. Christians live in the presence of God and though we may not see, by faith we dwell with and in God. You do not need to ask for God’s presence for He is always with you. You do not need to ask for God’s blessings for they surround you. Ask God to open your eyes and see God and His blessings surrounding you. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. Psalm 57:5  

10/23/2022 Once again it is Sunday and we have our weekly reminder of the suffering of God for us and the resurrection which is life for us. Resurrection is not just about life after death but life while we are still alive here on earth. The bodily resurrection of Jesus reminds us resurrection is for now. Ps 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.  

10/22/2022 Did I depress you with the last post? I didn’t mean to but it came from over a month of physical and emotional pain with a lack of spiritual strength. It was truth. Maybe it set someone free. Pain strips away the nice things we say to not offend others or risk others thinking we are weak. By the way we are weak. Oops, here I go again. Hope and grace strengthen our physical, emotional and spiritual muscles and can unlock a heart hardened to pain. The verse below is a reminder when the floods and storms overcome us God is over it all. Jesus walked on waters and calmed storms. Do not get lost in looking at pain but look and see God over the storms in your life. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The LORD is over many waters. Psalm 29:3  

10/21/2022 Pain does not celebrate Thank God its Friday for every day is the same to pain, even Sunday. I could wax eloquent and pious and say Friday is the day Jesus died for our sin but I cannot. Even the suffering of God can get lost in pain, especially when it goes on for years. Pain is like water and searches out every weak place in your life and wears at it until you crack. Over time pain wears down all the nice thoughts about how we do not deserve to hurt like this until we are just left with pain. Pain is a jealous master that seeks to destroy everything in our life so you will be left only with pain. I have hurt for over 40 years and I am still learning about pain. I write about hope because without hope pain will destroy you. Or maybe pain finds that part of broken humanity that is self-destructive? There is a difference. I write about grace and seek to live out grace because often that is all I have. The hope of grace and the brief joy when either I receive or offer grace.

¶ «To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.» The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1  

10/20/2022 Pain sets in and progresses and then after the tide of pain recedes weariness is like a weight crushing you and befuddling your mind. In the midst of all of this hope provides a strength to face and even overcome all you are going through. Hope calls us back from the edge of the cliff of despair and helps us find even the tiniest light in the darkness in your life.  

10/19/2022 I know there are people who hurt worse than I do and I wish that helped with my pain but it doesn’t. Pain can not really be measured by either comparison with other people or with other times pain was experienced. The pain of this moment is unique and must be faced not with numbers showing how much you are hurting but with hope and by treating others with a grace you do not feel. We must remember pain is not bad or evil but is a warning sign we too often ignore to our peril. Lepers feel little if any pain in the outer parts of their body and some parts can be destroyed without the warning of pain. Pain is the friend you need but don’t want to spend a lot of time with.  

10/18/2022 The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke  

10/17/2022 “ More often than not, it’s not that we don’t believe in God. Rather, it’s that we don’t want to.” ―  Craig D. Lounsbrough  

10/16/2022 Sunday is a day of resurrection and new life because of the resurrection of Jesus. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are a sign and example of the hope and grace living in the world. Even those who do not have faith in Jesus can receive the blessing and benefit of God’s hope and grace. Some have questioned there is hope and grace for non-Christians but the God who sends the rain on the just and the unjust must also make hope and grace available for all. Even though hope and grace are available we must accept them and use them in our lives.  

 This has been my prayer for many years.  I pray my God that there would be no screaming in the streets! That the young girl could walk safely the streets of our towns. That young boys could play safely in their yards and streets. That the aged could walk and be treated with respect. I pray my God that parents would care about their kids. They would teach them to love and honor You. And then their kids could honor their parents. And all could livelong in the land together. I pray my God for those who seek to keep the peace. That they would be just as they bring about justice. That they would be protected by Your power my God. That they can return to their families at day’s end. I pray my God for those who care in fire and suffering. Protect them as they rush to bring help and comfort. May they be protected by Your power my God. So they can return to their families at day’s end. I pray my God for those who serve in the military. Protect each of them as they

10/15/2022 the fever will not go away but runs the gamete from normal to 100.8. drinking water to keep hydrated means the exercise of going to the bathroom frequently. Very frequently! The pain is doubled by the communist Chinese disease known as COVID and as my muscles and skin hurt now my bones hurt. The pain is making me feel like I am drunk and makes me very confused. Hope and grace are medicine for my soul which refreshes my body and do not have side effects. I must not surrender to the pain!!! You must not surrender to the pain!!!  

10/14/2022 The communist Chinese disease or as it also known as COVID has been a long term problem for me as I still have a fever and my pain has doubled. Hope is my seeing beyond the current pain to a day when either the pain will decrease or I will learn to live within it. May I live in the hope the glorious God offers to all people.  

10/10/2022 Sometimes it seems life goes from worser to worser or bad to badder. Holding on to hope and grace can be so hard and it seems it may not be worth the strength and effort to hold on. BUT THIS A LIE! Letting go of hope and grace multiplies all the negative and even worse weakens the good in our life! HOLD ON! NEVER LET GO! LIFE MATTERS AND IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!  

10/9/2022 It has been a long time and a weary time. With the usual pain and weariness has been added the fun of the Communist Chinese Disease or COVID which has added another whole layer of pain, fatigue, feeling cold and the inability to sleep. Hope and grace were such an important part of holding on during this time. I had hope that as the Bible says “this too shall pass” and by seeking to treat others with grace I could experience and acknowledge their grace shown to me. Grace and hope are not limited by how you feel but how you feel and your condition can be enhanced by hope and grace.  

10/8/2022 Giving up is always an option but surrender either takes away or limits your ability to choose and even to live. When you surrender to pain you greatly limit any chance of finding relief and especially strength to find life within the pain. If you surrender to death you throw away life and settle for an existence of pain becoming who you are. On a Japanese TV show a character said To choose life leaves you open to many possibilities while choosing death takes away all possibilities. Choosing life or death is not something we do one time or even daily but is choice we must make when we want to give up. I share this not as something from a self-help book but as what I have learned from facing emotional and spiritual pain as long as I remember and intense physical pain since I was 19. The last 7 to 10 years have seen my pain grow to beyond endurance which medications and a spinal stimulator only made somewhat bearable.