Category Archives: right

Jan14

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on January 14, 2015 by lsgrlr

I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 King 12. “Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.’ Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt'” (Verses 25-28). He built an idol for the people to worship in order to distract them from worshiping God. Sound familiar? That is the world we live in, filled with idols to distract us and keep us away from a relationship with God. The lie is subtle, Jeroboam’s excuse, “it’s too far to travel to worship, so just worship this instead.” The excuse today, “I can worship God anywhere… God is in everything…” So we worship every and anything, except God. Beware today the lies are subtle and feel so right, but they are designed to keep you from where your heart really wants to be, in the presence of God.

Jan2

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on January 2, 2015 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Kings 1. “Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. And it was told Solomon, saying, ‘Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ Then Solomon said, ‘If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.’ So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, ‘Go to your house’. (Verses 50-53). Solomon understood the need for wisdom, which is why (I believe), he asked God for it. I love this portion of scripture because Solomon had every right to kill Adonijah, but instead he gave him a choice do right, or die. As sadistic as it may seem we have that same choice today. However, the death we face is often times not physical, but spiritual, which is worse. With spiritual death we lose our door to God, our way to communicate with Him, and thus are left with people as limited as we are. When choose what is right, with have just that right relationship with our heavenly Father. So here’s the option for the day… do right.

Nov25

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on November 25, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

2 Samuel 4. “But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, ‘As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, when someone told me, saying, Look, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?’ So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron” (Verses 9-12). We have a responsibility to do right, even when wrong works in our favor. David is truly “a man after God’s own heart”, he always chose what he knew to be right. Today as we go through the day, we will be giving opportunity to choose right and wrong. Wrong will always seem easier. Right, will always require us to let go of something, but in the end will bring us greater reward.

Nov7

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on November 7, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 22. “And the king said, ‘You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!’Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, ‘Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.’ But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, ‘You turn and kill the priests!’ So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword” (Verses 16-19). Saul has fallen so far. It’s interesting to me the backwardness of his actions. In order to gain God’s favor he has decided to do ALL the things God had told him NOT to do. His version of reverse psychology. Let’s bring Saul’s action into today’s society. How many times do we do the same with friends, with family, and with God. To get attention we do the opposite of what should be done. Why? Because we know it will illicit a response, even if the response is negative. But what we don’t realize is, so will doing what is right. However, it is usually easier to do what is wrong. All God wanted was for Saul to sincerely repent, and his relationship with God could have been restored (not his kingdom, but his relationship). The same is true for us, to be restored all we need to do is sincerely repent. Sincerely recognize our sin and humbly repent. But our pride wars against humility. Thus many times we choose the opposite choice. Make the hard choice, choose to repent. Initially it will be painful, but the fruit it bears will be like nothing we have experienced before.

Nov4

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on November 4, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 20. “As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city” (Verses 40-42). I feel for David here, the bible said he wept more. His heart hurt more. Why? He was being betrayed by someone he loved and for no reason other than jealousy. The ironic thing is that Saul hated David, because he thrived, but David thrived only because he wanted to be pleasing to Saul. So Saul hated David’s sincerity toward him (that is the very definition of irony). Life can be like that. You do your best to be pleasing and people can and will dislike you for it. Why? The world has been jaded and sincerity is not something people understand anymore, so when presented with it many times they will act adversely. Here’s the kicker: Be sincere anyway. Despite the amount of times David had a javelin thrown at him, despite his many near misses with death at the hands of Saul. David was always sincere, always respectful, always treated Saul as king. Our reaction should NEVER be dependent on the action of another, none of that, “I did it because he/she did that”. If you know what is right, DO IT. It doesn’t matter what the other person did. He who knows what is good and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). Always choose to do what is right.

Oct26

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 26, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 13. “And Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’ Saul said, ‘When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,then I said, The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.’ And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you'” (Verses 11-14). Ever felt compelled to “help” God out? He gave clear commands to Saul in the previous chapter, “If you do what I say, your kingdom shall be established” But Saul felt “compelled” to help God out. Why? From Saul’s earthly point of view, God (and His servant Samuel) was not working within Saul’s timetable. Not gonna say I don’t understand this feeling or the drive to help, to fix the situation. The problem is this… we don’t see the whole picture. Our view is limited to what is in front of us, where as God sees the beginning and the end. “No man can fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecc 3:11). Without knowing God’s plan Saul formed a plan of his own and it ended up bringing about his end. We are the same, and our decision to “help” can bring about our end. Instead ask God to reveal His plan. He is not hiding His will. Stop when He says, stop. Go, when He says, go. But don’t MOVE without Him.

Oct10

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 10, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 1. “Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli.And she said, ‘O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.’ So they worshiped the Lord there” (Verses 24-28). I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for Hannah to give up the one thing she had always wanted, a child. She was married, loved, but her inability to give birth left her feeling incomplete. She prays and asks God to open her womb and He does, she makes a promise to give the child to God. Here’s the amazing part, she really does it. She keeps her promise. She gives her one and only son to the Lord. I have made promises to the Lord, way less traumatizing than this, and still have had trouble following through with what I promised. I have even been known to make compromises to the promise in order for the impact to be less stunning to me. Hannah, GAVE her child to God. She did not add an amendment to the promise, she didn’t say, “Okay Lord, lets wait till he is an adult.” She kept her promise and God blessed her. However the blessing did not just stop there it spread, to all of Israel and to us as well. How? Samuel appointed David to be king of Israel. David is the forefather of Jesus. Through whom our sins are forgiven. Obedience, the gift that keeps on giving. Strive to be a Hannah.

Oct8

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 8, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Ruth 3. “Then he said, ‘Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the Lord lives! Lie down until morning'” (Verses 10-13). The difference between good and right. It is a fine line and often blurred by mankind. Society loves doing ‘good” things, we revelry in our “good” deeds. However, while we like doing good, we aren’t always so willing to do what is “right”. Yes, before you ask, there is a difference. “Good” and “right” don’t always equate to the same thing. Sometimes, the “right” decision can seem or feel “not good”. Ruth made a “right” choice she listened to Naomi. Boaz was NOT a young man, from the reading it would seem he was considerably older than Ruth. It would not have been wrong of her to look for someone in her own age group. It was have been “good” for her to find someone she could grow old with. But it would not have been the right choice for her, we know this because we have read the story. Boaz could have bypassed the closer relative and done the “good” thing of performing the duty of a close relative, but instead he did the “right” thing and gave the other relative the opportunity to be a blessing to Naomi and her family. Life, society, and the world around us, constantly put us in the position of making ‘good” decisions vs. “right” decisions. Remember my parallel from yesterday, Naomi (the Holy Spirit)? Ruth listened to the Spirit and did was right and in the end it worked out for her good, and not just hers, but ours… she is the lineage of Christ. Good choices don’t always end up “right”. But right choices ALWAYS end up working for the GOOD.

Aug27

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on August 27, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Joshua 7. “Achan replied, ‘It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.’ So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.’ Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from His fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since” (Verses 20-26). Think the punishment was too serve? Then we clearly don’t understand God’s disdain for sin. But more importantly we don’t understand the effect of sin. God said, “DON”T do this….” Achan did it knowing that he was sinning (he wouldn’t have hid it so carefully otherwise). Not only did he know he was sinning, he knew the cost of his sin and chose to do it anyway. His selfish behavior cost 35 men their lives. Upon seeing the consequences of his actions, he still choose not to own up. I genuinely believed that had he confessed God would have been gracious to forgive, however, he chose instead to continue acting as though life was normal. It wasn’t until God personally called him out that he admitted his sin. He didn’t admit because he was wrong, he admitted because he got caught. There was no repentance. That is the problem with sin, it causes one compromise after another, a little at a time till your heart is hard and you don’t care about others you only care about…YOU. That’s why the serve punishment, that’s why God completely eradicated any trace of it. We need to do the same in our lives (no I am not saying to kill ourselves, that is not the message here) I am saying kill the sin. Let go of what keeps God from blessing us. Eradicate it, don’t let anything stand in the way of what God has for us. God disdains sin and if we don’t kill it, it will kill us (and just so you know not all death is physical).

Aug6

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on August 6, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Numbers 25. “Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly” (Verses 13-16). God doesn’t just dislike dishonesty, He DETESTS it. The world we live in is often dishonest and unfair. Christians are called to be a light. To shine where darkness abounds, we are called to be the opposite of the world. People should be able to trust us and know that when dealing with a “follower of God”, they will not be cheated or lied to. Don’t resemble the world, instead reflect Christ to the world.