We Will Not be Shaken

Read Psalm 15

Lord, I praise You that You hold me upright. I praise You that I am able to plant seeds of righteousness and hope.

I have been hurt badly in my life, Lord. But, I have hope in You. You said, "He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not" shall not be moved. I have always tried to continue in You in spite of the hurt.

I have not asked for repayment when others sought help from me (although I have praised You when that repayment came, right on time!). And, I would never hurt anyone intentionally.

I have done my best to live right and speak truth, even when it wasn't easy, and even when others hate me for it.

I ask You today, Lord, to be who You say You are; to be who You have ever been to me, and to continue to be my strength, my shield and my hiding place.

I can't imagine a day without You, Lord. I can't imagine life without You at all.

Thank You, Lord.

In Jesus's Holy Name I pray, Amen!

Psalm 15 Description: Psalm 15 begins with two related questions: LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? (v. 1). These are questions worthy of our consideration as Christian business professionals seeking to integrate our faith and our work. The psalmist answers the questions with the following description: He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken (vv. 2-5, NIV). Using this psalm as a basis, Southwest Baptist University''s College of Business and Computer Science is devoted to educating Psalm 15 professionals, who exemplify traits including integrity, service, respect, charity, faithfulness, truthfulness, humility, and perseverance. The devotions in this small volume draw readers'' attention to the need for believers to exemplify such character traits. Contributions from the SBU faculty and administration remind us of the necessity to approach life and work with a biblical worldview. This volume is an abbreviated version of another Resource Publications book, A Noble Calling: Devotions and Essays for Business Professionals, also available from Wipf and Stock Publishers (www.wipfandstock.com). Endorsements: Too often, Christians attempt to compartmentalize life and live in a dichotomous world. Psalm 15: Integrating Faith and Work presents a compilation of devotions challenging the reader to develop a Biblical worldview for all facets of life, including ministry and professional careers. The contributors clearly show that spirituality should not be divorced from professional life. This book is an excellent source for professionals who desire to integrate faith with all aspects of life. --C. Pat Taylor, President, Southwest Baptist University About the Contributor(s): David Wesley Whitlock serves as the Associate Provost, Dean of the College of Business and Computer Science, and Professor of Business at Southwest Baptist University. He holds BS and MBA degrees from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a PhD from the University of Oklahoma. Other books by Whitlock include Opportunity: Introducing Free Enterprise and Business and A Noble Calling: Devotions and Essays for Business Professionals, which he coedited with Gordon Dutile. Both are available from www.wipfandstock.com. Gordon Dutile serves as the Provost and Professor of Biblical Studies at Southwest Baptist University. He holds a BS from Louisiana Technical University and MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dutile is also the coeditor, with David Whitlock, of A Noble Calling.

All Things Under My Feet

Lord, this passage says that You have made me a little lower than the angels and crowned me with Glory and Honor.

It also says that You have placed all things under my feet.

Lord, help me to take what You have given me so I may give it back to you tenfold, for YOUR glory.

Thank You for all Your blessings on me. No matter how I feel or what I am going through, YOU are my courage and my reason to remain persistent and determined.

In Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.

Psalms Chapter 8

1 (To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.) O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Devotionals of Recovery: God gave you free will

Genesis 1:11 -- And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth: and it was so.

Everything God creates has a purpose. God did not create you to sit idle. He doesn't intend for you to sit by and watch as events unfold. God created you as a part of His plan. If you were not in God's plan, He would have not created you.

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) (Romans 9:11)

God gave you talents. He made you unique. He gave you certain intelligence and ability, just as He did the grass of the field and the fruit trees. All of this is so that you may seek Him with your free will, which He allows you to have. God doesn't want robots to do His bidding as He pleases. He wants true companionship, true love, true belief. God wants you to choose to be on His side. He won't force you to do anything, but He will make it inconvenient for you to do anything else, in the long run.

If there were no free will, there would not be a need for God to forgive us of our sins. Our free will was the reason for the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We can choose God as our leader, or we can choose to follow our pride. Until we humble ourselves, and realize that our pride is not greater than God's will, our lives will have no fulfillment.

Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (Isaiah 48:17)

Understand that God created you for a reason. God gave you everything you need, and what He has not given you, He can as need arises. Until you are focused on living for Him, your life will not be comfortable, or convenient, or peaceful.

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God: The Mighty Protector

Satan tries so hard to steal your joy. He tries so hard to turn everything you have tried to build up up-side down. Your confidence, your security, your peace. You name it, if it is good for you, Satan will try to destroy it.

But God...

Praise God!

God says that if you are HIS child, that no weapon Satan forms against you shall prosper! The enemy's arrows turn back onto them, and you will regain tenfold what you lose in the battles!

PRAISE GOD.

Isaiah 54:17
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 28:7
“The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.”

James 4:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Stand Tall on Your Knees

Most people think that Satan is the exact opposite of God. In many ways he is. But, for the most part, Satan will use just enough of the truth to get you hooked, then throw you into a lie that you will believe. This is what it means to be "deceived".

1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

This world will deceive you into believing that you don't need God in order to survive. The truth is that, without God, you do not even exist to survive. God is permeated in everything. Pushing God aside for what the World offers is inviting death.

When you fail (which you will), there is always hope in Jesus. The World offers no hope. The World likes kicking people when they are down. Only Jesus offers the hand-up that you need to keep going.

So, when you are alone, beaten up by your problems, tired, burdened with stress, heartbroken, frightened, at your weakest and knocked down on your knees, use that to call out to Jesus.

Standing on your knees as you reach out to Jesus will find you taller than you've ever been in your life.

Matthew 11
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.