God’s Will
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Psalm 2:6-12 – In my own words
Vs 6 – But as for Me, the Lord God Almighty, I have set in place My King upon Zion My holy mountain.
Vs 7 – My Son the King said I will surely tell of the decrees of the Lord God. My Father has said to Me, ‘Thou are My Son – My Beloved Son. Today I have brought You forth.’
Vs 8 – ‘Ask of Me My Son and I will give You the nations of the worlds as Your inheritance. Even to the ends of the earth will be Your possession.
Vs 9 – Those wicked nations who have rejected You, You will break them with a rod of iron. You will shatter them and they will be like broken pottery.’
Vs 10 – Kings of the earth be wise and discerning. Listen to My warnings you judges.
Vs 11 – Work and serve the Lord with gladness and in holy reverence. Rejoice with fear and trembling.
Vs 12 – Show respect and pay homage to the Son of God for He alone is worthy. If you don’t, you may find yourself of the wrong side of God’s anger and you will perish because of your stubborn hard heart and unbelief. There is a day coming in which God’s just wrath will be poured out. But blessed and happy is the man who takes refuge in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Psalm 2:1-5 – In my own words
Vs 1 – What in the world is going on? Why are the nations causing a commotion and in an uproar? They get together with the ungodly and the unrighteous people and seek to plot and plan something that is vain and empty and can do no good.
Vs 2 – The kings of the earth gather together to take a stand against God and desire to overthrow God’s rule and reign over them. The rulers will get together and seek counsel on how they can come against the Lord God Almighty and His Anointed One Jesus Christ. The problem is that they are a band of wicked and ungodly men who have rejected the Lord and His righteousness.
Vs 3 – They say let’s rip off these fetters that the Lord has placed on us and tear them apart. We will throw away the cords which have bound us.
Vs 4 – But the Lord sits enthroned in the heavens above and throws back His head and laughs at them. He scoffs and makes fun of their ridiculous plans. They really don’t have a clue about Who He is and who they are.
Vs 5 – Right now the ungodly and unrighteous man thinks he is something and he is on his high horse. But I’m telling you, there is a day coming in which they will know the full force and weight of God’s anger and fury. For God’s fury will one day be poured out against the ungodly and unrighteous, those who are unrepentant and have rejected God and His rule and reign in their lives. They will soon quake in terror.
Psalm 1 – In my own words
Vs 1 – How happy and at peace is the man who does not listen to the advice and counsel of the ungodly, wicked and condemned, nor will he stand in the path of those who willfully choose to do that which is wrong before God, nor will he sit down with and make a place with those who mock and make fun of God, His people and God’s way.
Vs 2 – But this man takes great pleasure in knowing, understanding and keeping the law of the Lord. He meditates and thinks on it day and night.
Vs 3 – You can be sure, that man will be like a tree on the banks of a stream of water. Like that tree he will be nourished and bear fruit in due season. He will not dry out and die for the Lord will bless and prosper what this man does.
Vs 4 – But it’s a whole different story for the wicked who reject God. They are like chaff that will be blown away by the wind. Nothing that they do will last.
Vs 5 – The wicked will not be there when the Lord God Almighty rewards and judges His godly people, those declared righteous by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The wicked won’t be seen when the righteous are judged.
Vs 6 – You can be certain that the Lord knows the righteous and what they are doing. He also knows the wicked and that there is coming a day in which they will be judged rightly. They will be in the place of torment forever as a penalty for their unrepentance and sins. For they have rejected Jesus Christ and His perfect atoning sacrifice on the cross as payment in full for their sins.
Beginning Again
Today, I finally finished writing out the book of Proverbs. It all started over two and a half years ago when I decided to write out the book of Psalms in my own words during my morning devotional time.
I really grew to love writing out the Psalms and was amazed at how God spoke to me during that time. No matter what I was going through there was a timely reminder about God and who He is. I found comfort, encouragement, strength, peace, rebuke, wisdom, woodshed times, grace and mercy among many other things.
It took two years to get through the book of Psalms and when I concluded it, I thought I would just start back at the beginning and do it all over again. But I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to carry on with writing out the book of Proverbs.
I struggled at times to complete writing out Proverbs. I felt like I was going through a dry season and truly missed the deep, intimate fellowship I felt while going through Psalms. I found myself wanting to slap the son that the father was instructing to stay away from the adulterous woman. (“For Pete’s sakes, what is it going to take for you to get it boy?”) Things were not quite as repetitive when I got into more general instructions found in Proverbs and I learned afresh wise instruction in how to live a godly life.
Now that I’m done with Proverbs and tomorrow plan to start going through Psalms again. I’ll be in a whole different place in my life this time around…about 32 months after I originally started this practice. Soon we will be in a whole new state, Texas, and our lives in many respects will be turned upside down.
I’m so looking forward to the reminders that no matter what, God is always there and He never changes.
Lord…keep my heart and mind close to You. Help me to see You, the God who never changes, in fresh ways and know with confidence that You are there with me in all my circumstances. Help me to grow in truth, wisdom and holiness. May I be a woman after Your own heart.
But God – Proverbs 16:9
Robert Whitlow – The Confession – Well Done
The Confession is the first book that I’ve read by author Robert Whitlow and I must confess, I’m hooked and look forward to reading more of books by this author.
The Confession tells the story of up and coming Assistant DA Holt Douglas as he stumbles across an old case, a murder that was quickly labeled suicide and the case closed. But for what reason and who would stand to benefit from this cover-up?
Robert Whitlow has a very inviting style of writing. He skillfully weaves a story through the lives and events of the characters. He’s not in a hurry and takes time to develop both the story and let the readers learn about the characters as they go through everyday life and events that will change their lives. Instead of a fast pace that leaves the reader exhausted, Robert unravels the story slowly. In doing that I think he also gives the reader a chance to examine themselves and see how they would have responded when facing similar circumstances.
The Confession is not predictable; it had some twists and turns that I didn’t expect. I appreciated the fact that Robert Whitlow doesn’t put his characters in jeopardy because they make stupid and illogical decisions.
One of the questions I have when reading “Christian Fiction” is what makes a book “Christian”. I think Robert Whitlow has struck a fine balance of weaving faith and the Gospel message into his book. It’s was not done in a contrived way, but faith, repentance and salvation was portrayed as several characters wrestle with their faith or recognize their brokenness and need for a Savior. At the same time, the author doesn’t beat the reader over the head; instead he plants some Gospel seeds.
I give a big thumbs up and bravo to Robert Whitlow’s newest novel The Confession.
I would like to thank that people at BookLook for providing with a complimentary copy of The Confession to read in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
Stand Strong by Nick Vujicic – A Powerful Read
After hearing author Nick Vujicic on a number of radio programs I jumped at the opportunity to read his latest book Stand Strong – You Can Overcome Bullying (and Other Stuff That Keeps You Down).
Nick is both a compelling speaker and writer. In Stand Strong he shares openly about difficult people (bullies) he’s encountered, how it’s impacted his life and what he learned from those trials. It’s incredible how Nick has taken his pain and suffering and has used it to help, strengthen and encourage others. His compassion and desire to help other people who are being bullied come through each page. More than survive, Nick wants people to comes through victorious and allow God to use them to come alongside and help others.
Nick’s prescriptions to Stand Strong are powerful and when put into action they can be a game changer. Some of the steps include figuring out who you are so no bully can tell you different, taking responsibility for your life, monitoring and managing your emotions to successfully deal with bullies and seeing that good can even come from something as evil as bullying.
Nick’s personality, humor and compassion comes through this book. He shares openly how his faith in Jesus Christ and the love of his family helped him to overcome the bullies and be used of God to powerfully impact many people.
One thing I would have liked to have seen is Nick clearly presenting the gospel message of us being lost in our sin, the need for repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Both the person being bullied and the person who is the bully need a Savior, as do we all. Much of what he prescribed can only fully be achieved by Christ in us. Nick tells of the love of God for us and how He can empower and enable us.
I wish, as a young person, I would have had the wisdom and counsel of Nick Vujicic. Even now as an adult, I can see myself implementing some of his steps to overcome the bullies because they don’t all go away when you grow up.
I do recommend Stand Strong by Nick Vujicic, especially to teenagers and children who are encountering bullies and to parents who need to know how to come alongside their child and help them.
I would like to thank people at Blogging for Books for providing me with a free copy of Stand Strong in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a favorable review.
I AM With You
My precious daughter
I want to assure you
I AM right there with you
In your grief
As you weep
I weep with you
I desire to wipe your tears
With My nail pierced hands
Your tears are most precious to Me
I hold each tear that falls in a bottle
I understand your heart which is exceedingly sorrowful
Over the brokenness in this world
At times you may feel all alone
When you are crushed by the heaviness of sorrow and pain
Trust the promises in My Word
I AM with you and I will never leave nor forsake you
There is a day coming
In which there will be no more sorrow, death or pain
Until that day, My precious daughter
Rest assured, for I AM with you
Susan Wachtel
August 8, 2014
Murder at the Mikado – A Pleasant Suprise
Murder at the Mikado is the first book that I’ve read by author Julianna Deering and I got off to a bumpy start with this book.
As I was reading chapter one, I found the characters to be rather one-dimensional, boring, self-focused, vapid and empty. I hadn’t connected with any of the characters at that point and didn’t particularly like or care about any of them. When I put the book down for the night and was worried that it might be 300 plus pages of that.
But to my pleasant surprise things changed for me starting about page 20. I found some people that were kind and decent, characters I might connect with, like Drew, Madeline, Nick and Aunt Ruth. As the book continued I was able to get into the story and learn about the characters and their backgrounds and what motivated them as they were all interwoven in to a murder mystery that begged to be solved before the wedding day of Drew and Madeline.
I found the book to be a little confusing, especially at the beginning. There are so many characters and it would have been helpful to have a page at the beginning of the book telling who the characters are and little bit about them. The book seemed a little long. I was surprised that after we learned who the culprits were, the book continued on for about 25 plus pages as it wrapped up some loose ends with two of the main characters.
But all in all, I found this to be an interesting book and period piece. Author Julianna Deering is good at describing the people and scenes so I could almost imagine seeing the scenes take place like a movie in my mind.
I would recommend Murder at the Mikado. Now that I am familiar with Julianna Deering writing style I would like to read more of her books.
One last note, or a question really, what make a book “Christian fiction”? Is it the fact that the writer is Christian or that the Gospel and faith are shared?
I would like to thank Bethany House for giving me a free copy of Murder at the Mikado to read in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
Susan's Blog 