Looking To God

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Psalm 5:3 Morning Routine

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. Psalm 5:3

Mornings are the time when most people get up from their sleep to begin their day. The majority of people have some type of morning routine that they go through in the process of getting up in the morning to prepare for their day. Some people take a longer time to prep themselves physically and psychologically, while others are up and out the door very quickly with very little prep.

David tells God that He will hear his voice in the morning directed to Him and that he will look up to God.

At a minimum the process of getting ready for the day includes getting up and getting dressed. Others will take time to clean themselves up, eat a good breakfast, drink some coffee and get dressed, along with a myriad of other possible things they might do before they hit the day of work or other requirements.

While none, or at least most, of these things are necessarily bad, they are not always what is best. The world, as a whole, will miss out on what is actually best–spending time with God.

While eating a good breakfast and getting dressed is good, taking time to talk with and listen to God is of much greater value. This talking with God is spending time in prayer with God and His word. It is taking one’s eyes off of the things and cares of this temporary, sin filled world and focusing them upon God and eternity. It is finding out what is important to God and what His plans are, rather than what self thinks.

Putting God first in the morning routine sets the day on the right path.

Every day that you get up you have some type of routine that you usually go through to prepare for you day. As you get yourself physically ready for your day, you must take time to get yourself ready spiritually for the day.

While going through your morning routine, take time to spend some time with God, both in prayer and in His word. Allow God to speak into your life and guide you, giving you strength for the day with what He has for you to do.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will put God first in your morning routine; that you will pray each day to God to hear what He has for you; and that you will focus your eyes and life upon God and heaven.

Picture by Aaron Burden under Unsplash

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Genesis 19:26 Desiring The Past

Man looking back

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26

The sin in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were so great that God had chosen to destroy both of them. In His great mercy, God warned Lot and his family to flee from the destruction. As Lot, his wife and daughters were leaving, his wife chose to look back at the city. When she looked back, God turned her into a pillar of salt.

Files on computers or online are filled with thousands of pictures of things that happened in the past. The pictures are kept to remember people and events that occurred in the past. People will look back at those photos remembering good and bad times. 

It is very common for some people to look back at things in the past and want to go back to that time. They want to go back when things were ‘better’. Often they want to escape the cares, fears, and trials of the present and go back to the ‘better’ days.

While there is nothing wrong with looking back at good times in one’s life, there are things that are often looked back upon and desired that are not good. Believers are to be a changed person. They have turned away from the past ways of living and become a new person in Jesus.

When a believer looks back on his old life and desires it, he is desiring the old and sinful ways of life. As he looks back, he is turning his back on Jesus and turning to sin and the world.

God is always moving forward. He is changing the believer to be more like Jesus every day. Going back to the old way of living, is to deny what Jesus has done. It is to deny what God wants the believer to be.

As a believer, keep your eyes focused ahead upon Jesus. You may look back to see how far you have come, but do not look back to desire it. God is always doing a new thing in your life. Do not allow the old ways to entice you to give up what God has done in your life.

Although the things in your past may have looked good, they only led to death. God wants to lead you forward into eternal life.

What are you desiring–the sinful past of death, or the future of life?

I pray today that you will know Jesus as your Savior; that God will help you turn from all sin; that you will know what God has in store for you; and that your eyes will always be on God. 

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1 Chronicles 16:11 Looking To The Lord

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11

After David had the ark of the covenant brought back to Jerusalem, there was great excitement among the people. David had appointed Asaph to lead the praise to God. He gave Asaph very detailed words in which to praise God. Part of that praise was a line telling everyone to look to God and His strength while seeking Him at all times.

Every morning millions of people get up in the morning and the first thing that they do is drink some coffee. The majority of those people drink regular coffee. The purpose of that cup of coffee, or much more, is to get some energy for the day. They want to have some of that caffeine in their body. It is often believed that the caffeine will give them the needed strength for the day. Others will drink different types of energy drinks for the same reason.

Along with drinking in that caffeine, many people will look to other people for their affirmations to give the needed strength for a job to do. Various leaders will surround themselves with people who think like they do in order to get the needed strength to accomplish something.

Doing these things do give some strength, but the strength can and will fail over time. Caffeine wears off and causes a crash. Friends will fail a person and walk away, or will not be available.

Only one will be there for all eternity and will never fail, or walk away or be unavailable. God is there around the clock for every person.

Instead of looking to things in this world for strength, choose to look to God. God had proven He has the power to do anything He wants when He created this world, and when He raised Jesus from the dead. There is no greater power than that of overcoming death as Jesus did.

Every moment of everyday, you need to seek God and what He wants for you. Seek His strength to do everything that needs to be done. Jesus said He would never leave or forsake you. Do you believe that?

Jesus also said that He gave you all of His authority to do His work in this world. Do you believe that?

Then look to God all the time.

I pray today that you will know God personally; that you will seek God’s strength all the time; that you will seek to know God’s ways for your life; and that you will trust God with your life.