“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV) Where do you look for help? Where do you turn when life takes a turn for the worse? Lift up your eyes to the hills. Your help comes from the Lord. He made you. He made heaven. He made earth. The Creator of the universe created you and He knows you better than anyone else on the planet. God knows where you have been, where you are, and where you are going. He knows your fears, your frustrations, and your frailty. Lift up your eyes and call out to the One who loves you, who gave His only Son for you, and who has included you in His story of redemption. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8 (ESV) “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” Psalm 130:1-2 (ESV) Cry out to the Lord for mercy in your time of need. Don’t suppress your pain. Express your heart to the Lord through prayer and receive nourishment for your soul. Your help comes from the Healer. Your help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth. Your help comes from the Creator who designed you and develops you for His glory. God allows you to experience adversity in this life to build your spiritual muscles and to demonstrate His faithfulness to you. When you are in need of help, your desperation becomes a canvas upon which God can apply His paint of mercy and grace. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Help
“Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.’” Exodus 18:17-18 (ESV) Our lives are bombarded with information and endless opportunities to expend our energy. Do you have margin in your life? Margin is the space between your load and your limit. God has designed you to handle a certain amount of His work during your brief stay on this planet called earth. God has given you all the time you need to accomplish His plan. Moses reached a breaking point due to being overextended and overwhelmed. The masses of people each wanted his time, his attention, and his decision making prowess. Though serving as judge over Israel, Moses failed to exercise proper judgment over his own life. God came to the rescue by bringing Jethro into Moses’ life. Jethro lovingly spoke into Moses’ life to declare, “What you are doing is not good.” Moses couldn’t see the unhealthy path that he was on. Jethro saw it clearly and succinctly. Jethro was willing to help Moses’ de-clutter his life. Has your load exceeded your limit? What are you giving your life to that is outside of God’s will? Step back and evaluate your current reality. You may want to ask someone you know and love and trust to help you examine your life. Allow that person to give you feedback on what they see going on in your world. Their perspective could help you see what you are not seeing. God uses other people to help us walk in obedience to His will. Pray and ask God to bring a Jethro into your life. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 (ESV) Where do you look for help? Where do you turn when life takes a turn for the worse? Lift up your eyes to the hills. Your help comes from the Lord. He made you. He made heaven. He made earth. The Creator of the universe created you and He knows you better than anyone else on the planet. God knows where you have been, where you are, and where you are going. He knows your fears, your frustrations, and your frailty. Lift up your eyes and call out to the One who loves you, who gave His only Son for you, and who has included you in His story of redemption. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8 (ESV) “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” Psalm 130:1-2 (ESV) Cry out to the Lord for mercy in your time of need. Don’t suppress your pain. Express your heart to the Lord through prayer and receive nourishment for your soul. Your help comes from the Healer. Your help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth. Your help comes from the Creator who designed you and develops you for His glory. God allows you to experience adversity in this life to build your spiritual muscles and to demonstrate His faithfulness to you. When you are in need of help, your desperation becomes a canvas upon which God can apply His paint of mercy and grace. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 110: Psalms 121, 123-125, 128-130) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.’” Ex 18:17-18 (NIV) Our lives are bombarded with information and endless opportunities to expend our energy. Do you have margin in your life? Margin is the space between your load and your limit. God has designed you to handle a certain amount of His work during your brief stay on this planet called earth. God has given you all the time you need to accomplish His plan. Moses reached a breaking point due to being overextended and overwhelmed. The masses of people each wanted his time, his attention, and his decision making prowess. Though serving as judge over Israel, Moses failed to exercise proper judgment over his own life. God came to the rescue by bringing Jethro into Moses’ life. Jethro lovingly spoke into Moses’ life to declare, “What you are doing is not good.” Moses couldn’t see the unhealthy path that he was on. Jethro saw it clearly and succinctly. Jethro was willing to help Moses’ de-clutter his life. Has your load exceeded your limit? What are you giving your life to that is outside of God’s will? Step back and evaluate your current reality. You may want to ask someone you know and love and trust to help you examine your life. Allow that person to give you feedback on what they see going on in your world. Their perspective could help you see what you are not seeing. God uses other people to help us walk in obedience to His will. Pray and ask God to bring a Jethro into your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Facing Transition
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalms 46:1-3 (NIV) Are you currently facing any of life’s transitions? Maybe you are preparing for graduation and anticipating the future. Perhaps you are considering retirement and wonder if this is the right time. As a primary caregiver, you may be seeking God concerning transitioning a loved one into an assisted living center. It could be that you have purchased a new home and are trying to get settled and find order amidst the chaos. Regardless of your particular season of transition, God is more than sufficient to see you through. For the elder brother, his transition was related to the reentry of his younger brother we know as the prodigal son. Can you relate? Has anyone reentered your life recently? That’s a transition that you must face. How will you make room in your life for the person? How will their presence affect you and your schedule? The elder brother did not transition well. He was embittered by his father’s gracious response. He was resentful of the forgiveness his younger brother received. He will have to choose how he will navigate this transition. God is our refuge! We can go to Him. In fact, our first response to life’s transitions should be to go to Him. He already knows what we are facing and what challenges we will face. Remember, He is all knowing! God is our strength! We will run out of fuel at some point. The fumes are not sufficient, but God is. Allow Him to be your source of strength today. Allow God to have access to your life and your transitions. God is an ever-present help in trouble. There’s no where you can go to get away from God’s presence. He is omnipresent! He is your help to face life’s transitions. Rest in Him. Give Him your worry. Give Him your confusion. Wait for God to show you the next step. Simply obey what you already know Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor