thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Archives - Page 9 of 11

Published February 19, 2015

God-Size Rest

In our culture and language the word rest can sound like a simple word. We talk of taking a rest which usually means a short break long enough to regain some strength but never quite long enough for a full recovery before we have to start again. So it is no wonder that when we hear God say “rest in me,” we don’t begin to understand what He means. God is inviting us to a God-size rest.

In the Old Testament, one of the Hebrew words for rest is ‘nuah‘. It means absence of activity or movement, being settled in a particular place with finality, victory, security, or salvation. I love the strength of that definition. Finality, victory, security and salvation. Now that is a God-sized rest.

Rest is in God alone (Psalm 62:1-2, 5; 116:7). It is a gift from God (1 Kings 8:56). God promises rest from the enemies called sorrow and suffering, turmoil and trouble, hard service and cruel bondage (Isaiah 14:3). Nevertheless, God warned that continued rest depended on their obedience (Numbers 32:15, Isaiah 28:12, Psalm 95:11). Continuing in God’s undisturbed composure requires that we keep our spirits and souls stayed on Him.

Another word for rest ‘shavah’ means to repose, to end, to observe the Sabbath, to cause to rest, to bring to completion. Can you imagine the dramatic change when all the whirl of activity in creating everything on Earth came to an end. When God rested from creation, He did not stop because He was tired, but because His work of creation was complete. It speaks again of the strength and finality of God’s rest.

God ultimately accomplished true rest for His people through Messiah to make for Himself a glorious name (Isaiah 11:10, 63:14). The fulfillment of this is expressed in Hebrews 3:7-4:13. This Greek word for rest ‘katapauo’ means to cease, refresh, give intermission from labor. This passage speaks of entering into God’s rest. We enter this rest through Christ’s completion on the cross of all the work needed for us to enter into His victory and grace. He has won the victory and the battle is over. We rest as we choose to have our total being, our spirit, our will, heart, imagination, and conscience centered in His perfect work. This is rest to be enjoyed in fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the rest of God Himself in our spirits and hearts, based on relationship with Him.

God is longing to give you His God-size rest of spirit, soul, and body as you abide in Him. Allow His God-sized rest full of victory, finality, security, and strength to take care of everything that concerns you today and enjoy Him in it.

By Sylvia Gunter

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published October 31, 2014

Fountain of Life

Hear the Word of God for you in Psalm 36:9.
“For with you is the fountain of life.”

Listen to God’s loving invitation. Isaiah 55:1-2 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

You have received the water of eternal life that Jesus gave you. You are blessed with the Fountain of living waters of God’s presence welling up in you. Be blessed to drink from living waters that stream even from hard places because He is your Spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). Psalm 107:35 says, “He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs.”

God’s compassion will lead you beside springs of water. Drink often of His thirst-quenching water. Be blessed with rejoicing in His unfailing springs of joy and mercy. God will make the Valley of Trouble into a place of springs, and you will go from strength to strength in Him (Psalm 84:6). His righteous spring of blessing is flowing to you. Let Him fill you up and pour you out to others who are thirsty.

Listen to the promises of God for the poor, the needy, the thirsty. Isaiah 41:17 “I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. 19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

You are blessed to stand in God’s river flowing from His throne, carrying the sound, motion, power, and fragrance of heaven to you.

Be blessed in the name of the One who is Living Water, who invites you to come to Him (John 4:10; Isaiah 55:1).

By Sylvia Gunter

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published June 22, 2014

View from Back of the Desert

There are three classes of people: those who have been in the desert, those still in the desert, and those who have your day coming in the desert! If you have been there, you need no explanation from me. If you haven’t been there, no words of mine will explain it to you. It is not a popular topic, and God’s people perish for lack of knowledge.

Being “on the backside of the desert” is not a self-inflicted inconvenience or a detour because of our spiritual slackness. It is one of God’s major destinations for those He wants to take deeper. He is deliberate in leading us into the desert to speak tenderly to us and to make our trouble a gateway of hope. God says, “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope” (Hosea 2:14-15). There we give ourselves to Him in a new way, and He affirms to us that we are bound to Him forever in righteousness, justice, unfailing love, and compassion (Hosea 2:19-20).

God has purposes and blessings for us in the desert and afterward. From there, we will know Him as Lord more deeply. He wants to sharpen our listening skills to His voice alone. He wants us to know that the only proper response when there is nothing we can control is to trust that He is in control, and He can’t get it wrong. He wants to show us that there are only two places to go: down and out, or right up into His lap. He gets us where we can’t move in our flesh, because He must do everything of eternal significance by His Spirit. In the heat of the desert, He burns up or blows away all the wood, hay, and stubble of our pride, confidence, and striving.

The Bible says that John the Baptist grew strong in spirit in the desert (Luke 1:80). There, he preached the message of the new entrance of God into the affairs of earth (Matthew 3:1). The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert (Matthew 4:1, Luke 4:1). Luke 4:14 tells us that Jesus came out of the desert in the power of the Spirit and preached his first public sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). This was His mission statement for the three years of His earthly ministry and His ultimate ministry to us and for us.

What lies ahead? Based on the experience of the Israelites, we can expect more giant obstacles, more resistance by the heathen and hell itself, fiercer battles, and more confrontation with the forces of darkness. That is the bad news. The good news is that there are great things to come: more positioning as the Body of Christ to move corporately, more victories, more blessings, more light, more power in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, more of His presence, and more of His glory made manifest in our world. For the joy set before us!

by Sylvia Gunter

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published May 24, 2014

Do Not Disturb

On a trans-Atlantic flight, the airline provided me with a little travel kit. There was a toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash for not offending; a comb for looking good; and socks to keep my feet cozy. There was also a light-blocking sleep mask, ear plugs to muffle all sounds, a warm blanket to snuggle up in, and a pillow for my head. I made my nest in climate-controlled comfort with someone to periodically serve me mass-produced, pre-packaged, warmed-over food and be available for my needs at the touch of a call-button. The finishing touch in the travel kit was a “Do Not Disturb” sticker. The humor of it hit me: if we are honest we spend most of our days like that. Our baggage is checked through to Destination Heaven, and we are meanwhile settled in climate-controlled comfort, wearing our “Do Not Disturb” sticker. Don’t bother to wake me till we get there.

Do you want more of God’s presence? He is causing your holy hunger to want something He is poised to give: more of His glory. He will not abandon you or leave you unfulfilled. Be enormously grateful for what God has shown you, but there is more still, so never be content with the present level of your intimacy with Him. Holy hunger for Him compels you to seek Him earnestly, even desperately. If you desire more of God and more of His gifts, His mercy and grace are working in your heart. Like the apostle Paul, keep pressing on toward the prize for which God has called you: to enjoy His presence forever, starting now.

God promised these benefits to God-seekers:

He will let us find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13).
He will hear, forgive, and heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
He will show us His gracious favor (Ezra 8:22).
We will not lack any good thing (Psalm 34:10).
He will give us life (Amos 5:4).
We will understand justice (Proverbs 28:5).
He will give us all the essentials of life (Matthew 6:33).
He will answer our prayers of faith (Hebrews 11:6).

God is pleased when we pursue Him and communicate with Him in our own unique way. Pursuing intimacy with God is different for each person, and it will be different for the same person in different seasons of life. God is pleased with our fellowship with Him in prayer (Proverbs 15:8) and in His Word. He is pleased when we delight in Him as a Person (Psalm 34:8) and in His greatness (Psalm 46:10).

Join the cry of another God-seeker in Psalm 63.
“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
My soul will be satisfied with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”

By Sylvia Gunter

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published May 3, 2014

Designed for Fulfillment

by Sylvia Gunter

Don’t we all, deep down, desire to be known and understood for who we really are? We long for someone to help us answer the question “Who am I really?” and “Why am I here?” The truth is that before we came into being, God had a plan for us. But for most of us, life, the words and actions of others, their expectations, our wounds, or sin issues have warped God’s design. Our families, our churches, and others have formed us into their mold and caused us to feel shut down or rejected, leaving us unable to see God’s original design for us and unsure of who we are.

Psalm 139:12-16 says that God created you special, and he really knows you, and regardless of how others have tried to shape you, he has a design and plan for you.

Your Father longs for you to grasp these four foundational truths about who you are.

1. You are uniquely you, and you are special (Psalms 139:13-16).
2. You are uniquely you for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10).
3. You are uniquely crafted and placed in this time in history and in this certain place (Acts 17:26, Esther 4:14).
4. You are uniquely gifted and needed by those whom God has called you to be with (Romans 12:6-7, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:12-15).

When we fully grasp these principles, it changes the lenses through which we see everything.

Several years ago I discovered life-changing teaching by Arthur Burk that helped me to begin to uncover God’s design for me. As I have shared this with others, it has been liberating in every case. One young woman said, “I’m normal, I’m normal, I’m normal!” One young man said, “This describes me better than I could describe myself.” Another young man said, “I thought I was weird, but this is so totally me!”

Recently Chuck Wale has compiled these teachings by Arthur Burk into a resource workbook entitled Designed for Fulfillment. The premise of the book is that we are most fulfilled as we live in the freedom of who God designed us to be and develop the resources that he placed in us.
Designed For Fulfillment is based on the seven gifts of Romans 12:6-7. It is an attempt to better understand ourselves and our birthright through the seven foundational gifts: prophet, servant, teacher, exhorter, giver, ruler, and mercy, which Arthur Burk refers to as redemptive gifts.

A redemptive gift is more than a personality profile. It is the essence for which we were created. It sheds tremendous light on who we are — our spirit, soul, personality, outlook on life, and even the way we minister. Through this study, we can know in a deeper way why God created us. This study includes an in-depth section on each of the seven gifts. There is a tremendous amount of details presented in a more complete picture of who we are created to be.

These concepts of redemptive gifts have been transformational to me. I’m confident that you will find them a tremendous blessing to you personally and an asset in your ministry.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published March 7, 2014

Waddle or Fly

by Elizabeth Gunter

There is something stirring about watching geese fly in perfect V-formation across the sky. Their flying south for the winter is poetry in motion. It is who God created them to be. It looks effortless, but for them it is a lot of work.

I am not sure if this is a phenomenon just in the southeastern United States or if others experience this, but in our area many retail or office parking lots have become home for a flock of Canada geese. I am sure it started off innocently enough. A flock of geese on their natural migration route got a little weary, so they decided to take a break in a parking lot. At first they grazed on the grass in the medians, and then they discovered random food that someone dropped. Soon the parking lot becomes more and more appealing. Why spend all that time flying back and forth when we can make a pretty good life right here? Sure, we will miss out on flying across the bright blue skies, in rhythm with our Creator, but we’ve got French fries!

I was in my car and watched in amazement as Canada geese stopped traffic as they took their leisurely time walking in front of me. They were completely unfazed. I wondered how long it took them to get d-sensitized to the large metal objects on wheels that could crush them. Did they used to run scared? When did walking across a parking lot become normal? As the goose parade continued, I noticed at the very back of the line a baby goose doing its best to keep in step with the others. Unbelievable. This baby goose was born in a parking lot because these adult geese aren’t flying like they are designed to. So this baby is growing up thinking a parking lot is the natural habitat for a goose!

Just as condemnation of the geese began to swell in my heart, God gently tapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t you do the same thing when you choose to live from your soul because living in your spirit is too much work and discipline? Don’t you have days where you choose French fries in the parking lot over my beautiful design for you? When you choose to live in your soul instead of soaring in your spirit, it impacts not only you but others. How many baby geese are following you in your earthbound parking lot?”

All of a sudden, my bird-watching was getting a little too convicting. We all have situations when our soul is dominant. It will happen because none of us reaches complete maturity this side of heaven. But where have we become so comfortable that it feels normal to live in less of who God made us? What are those familiar places or relationships that cause us to so easily slip into old patterns without even realizing that we have stopped soaring and we are now waddling on asphalt?

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Father, forgive me for being satisfied with anything less than the fullness of what you designed for me this day spirit, soul, and body. Show me the areas where I have settled for the familiarity of “less than.” I choose to fly to higher heights. By your grace, I will soar in your magnificent design of me.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published December 25, 2013

A Child is Born

by Sylvia Gunter

Isaiah 9:6-7

The names of God in Isaiah 9:6 are familiar to most of us.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

But have you ever really unpacked it and felt the depth and passion of the verse?

For to us a child is born, unto us a son is given, dedicated, granted, given in exchange for or to pay a wage

and the government dominion shall be up on His shoulder,

and his name, reputation, fame and glory

shall be called, recited, cried out, and proclaimed to be

Wonderful, extraordinary, a hard to understand thing, a marvel of God, Counselor, one who advises, consults, counsels, gives purpose, devises, plans

Mighty strong, chief, valiant God,

Everlasting ancient of past time and forever of future time

Father, the head or founder of a family or clan, the first of all fathers

Prince, ruler, leader, chief of Peace, wholeness, completeness, soundness, welfare, quiet, tranquility, contentment, complete health.

That would be enough right there, but then it continues to in verse 7.

And of the increase abundance of his government dominion and peace wholeness, completeness, soundness, welfare, quiet, tranquility, contentment, complete health there shall be no end.

Through Jesus, God has offered us a great exchange through the only One with enough dominion, power, strength, and wisdom to pay our debt of sin in full so that we might know Him who is our Father, Ruler, Leader of wholeness, completeness, soundness, tranquility, contentment, and peace. And He is those things to us in abundance that never runs out.

That is worth proclaiming and crying out to the world!

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2013/12/25/sg_a-child-is-born/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published November 29, 2012

Inner Court Ministry – Your Ministry to God

God is seeking worshipers.He desires His people to be eager to know Him intimately and experience all of who He is. He wants a people who are not content to be just born-again and sitting on their eternal security. He longs for His people not only to love Him but to be in love with Him. When you are in love, you desire to please your beloved more than anything else. You are joyfully, willingly submissive to the one you love. This is commitment. This is surrender. God would rather have you than the things you can do for Him. He is more interested in your being all He wants you to be than in your doing things for Him.

In the Old Testament, the Levites stood before the people to minister to them in the outer court of the temple; but the sons of Zadok, the Levitical priests, kept charge of the sanctuary, coming near to God to minister to Him (Ezekiel 44:15). There is a difference. We need to be not only ministering to people in the outer court, but as priests, first ministering in the inner court to God (Deuteronomy 10:8). Our hearts and spirits need to meet His Spirit in worship before working in His name.

Inner-court ministry is intimacy with Jesus Himself with an undivided heart. It is the right of all the church, not just the people on the platform on Sunday. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom. Now every believer has access to the inner court. What an awesome privilege! All may boldly come into the holy of holies to praise, worship, adore, love, glorify the Father, and yield as a minister. Outer-court ministry without inner-court ministry to God will not yield God’s best eternal fruit. To minister God’s life, we must wait on Him in the inner sanctuary, sacrificing all we are and have to Him, so that His Spirit can flow freely through us in ministry to others. Ministry that has been anointed with His presence has transforming power in other lives.

The need of the hour is for believers to be in the inner court as priests. God desires to visit you powerfully to convict, woo, love, proclaim truth, reconcile, make all things new, and glorify Himself. Intimacy with the risen Christ is first priority. Minister to God in praise, worship, and communion in the inner court – just because He is worthy of worship. Let His presence and power flow through you to His glory. Inner-court ministry is the key, if you want desperately to see the works of God done in your life, your family, and your church.

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published October 16, 2012

Paradoxes of Prayer

by Sylvia Gunter

Let me share with you some of the paradoxes we all are learning about prayer.

Prayer is easy, even a child can do it.
And it’s hard. It requires positive commitment to pray and not to do other things.

Prayer is simple, as simple as obedience to the next thing the Father says.
It is complex, the inexplicable invasion of the invisible.

Prayer is dramatic enough that the answer makes headlines in the newspaper.
It is also without fanfare, as a matter of course, about the mundane, like lost keys.

Prayer works.
Sometimes it appears not to work, but always God is at work.

Prayer will be misunderstood and even resisted. (The seven last words of the church are “We’ve never done it that way before.”)
It will at times be grabbed like a life preserver thrown to a drowning man.

Prayer is rejoicing and hilarious at times.
Sometimes it is with tears, weeping with the Father’s heart over a city or the church or your prodigal.

Prayer is war, and the language of the war room is appropriate: strategies, targets, “Prayer Force” saturation intercession.
It is intimacy, our hope for peace and rest.

Prayer will be opposed by the enemy.
Yet it will hit the bulls-eye with the accuracy of a sharp-shooter.

Prayer is infinitely powerful and a priceless privilege.
It is abjectly humble and an absolute necessity.

Just do it! Your Father is pleased to hear His Son and His Spirit praying through you.

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published August 14, 2012

Praying the Character of Your Father

From the 23rd Psalm
by Sylvia Gunter

For every need, there is a name of Father-God that corresponds to the need. His faithfulness and his caring meet in the 23rd Psalm to portray our intimately personal Shepherd. God’s character in all of his covenant names can be seen in this psalm. Ask him what he wants you to know about who he is, what he does, what you have in him through each name. Cultivate your personal communion with God praying this Scripture.

The Lord is my Shepherd –
Jehovah-Rohi: The Lord my Shepherd
Thank your Shepherd that he knows you by name and wants to communicate with you. Talk to him about your intimate relationship with him.

I shall lack nothing –
Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord my Provider
Thank your good Shepherd that he provides all your needs, beginning with redemption. Ask him to carry all your worries, burdens, and cares.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters –
Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord my Peace
Thank Jesus your Peace for his attention to the details of your life. Tell him you want to see him more clearly in your “dailies.” Let him speak to you.

He restores my soul –
Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord my Healer
Because Jesus your Healer became man, he understands everything you have experienced. Thank your Healer for healing the hurts. Remember his times of restoration.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake –
Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord my Righteousness
Thank the Righteous One that you are accepted in him and completely forgiven. Thank your Shepherd for his guidance of your life for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me –
Jehovah-Shammah: God who is there
Thank God who is there for his presence with you that dispels all fear. Your Shepherd is always there for you. Thank him that he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Thank God for his loving authority in your life to discipline, correct, and give you the security of loving limits. Thank him that you can never mess up so bad that you fear punishment by him.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies –
Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord my Banner of victory
Thank your Banner for his strength and protection against the enemy. Thank him that Jesus lives victorious in you.

You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.
Thank your Shepherd for his grace and favor that he gives you so generously. Thank him that you can enjoy fellowship with him.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Thank your Shepherd that you can continuously sense his presence because of his faithfulness. Worship him with a song that speaks of his nearness and love.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/08/14/sg_character-of-your-father/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published June 26, 2012

Show Me Your Glory

by Sylvia Gunter

Hudson Taylor said, “We are changed by beholding.” He may have had 2 Corinthians 3:18 in mind. “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” Isaiah was changed by beholding the glory of God, the awesome revelation of his holiness. (Isaiah 6:1-8).

For years every January I would take some time with God and ask Him what He wanted me to pray for And for years, the answer was the same, “Show me your glory.” When you come face to face with God’s holy glory, you do one of two things: run away or run to His grace for transformation. Ponder the prayer requests of Moses: “Let me know Your ways that I may know You. Show me Your glory. Go among us (Exodus 33:11-19, 34:5-10).” Consider the price of speaking intimately with God friend-to-friend. Is the price worth the glory? What heart attitudes does God need to transform, so that you can see all God’s goodness and know Him as He really is? As you are convicted by the character of the Glory at whom you gaze, make Psalm 51:10-11 your prayer: “Renew my spirit” from glory to glory.

Just between you and God, pray through these transformation points in the verses below. “By your Spirit and for Your glory, renew in me a right spirit of___________. I want this to be a new beginning of Your glory and your Spirit unhindered in my life.” Look up in your Bible those verses that God puts his finger on.

By Your Spirit, renew in me:

humble and contrite spirit Psalm 51:17

steadfast spirit Psalm 51:10

willing spirit Psalm 51:12, Psalm 110:3

a servant’s heart Mark 10:44-45

spirit of forgiveness Ephesians 4:32

quiet and gentle spirit 1 Peter 3:4

spirit of repentance Acts 26:20b

grateful spirit Ephesians 5:20

unity Philippians 2:1-8, Romans 15:5-7

weeping Psalm 126:5-6

joy in the Lord Psalm 33:1

return to first love, spirit of revival Revelation 3:18-20, 2:4-5

spirit of love 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Corinthians 13:3-8

diligent spirit 2 Timothy 1:7

delight in the Lord Psalm 37:4, 40:8

longing for God Isaiah 26:9

yielded spirit Philippians 2:5-8

teachable spirit Psalm 25:4-5

spirit of truth 1 John 4:6

spirit of edification Ephesians 4:29

renewal/filling of the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18,
John 7:37-38

whole-hearted spirit Numbers 14:24

spirit of fear of the Lord Isaiah 11:2

rest in the Lord Psalm 37:7

undivided heart and new spirit Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 86:11

spirit of praise Isaiah 61:3

strong in spirit Ephesians 3:16

worshiping spirit John 4:24

faith, rest in God Hebrews 11:6, Psalms 37:7

spirit of wisdom Deuteronomy 34:9

Thank God for the new thing that He is doing in your life.
Present to Him the clean empty vessel of your life to fill with His Spirit.
Pray always the prayers of Moses:
Let me know Your ways. Show me your glory.
Go among us.
Renew my heart from Glory to Glory by Your Spirit.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published May 16, 2012

Seeing the Unseen

by Sylvia Gunter

Listen to this majestic picture of God in Job 26:14. “These are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” And 1 Peter 1:8. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

I bless your softness in the hands of your Father when you don’t understand what he’s doing. I bless your surrendered heart to look for him when he’s not doing what you wanted or expected. Every season has its beauty and is preparation for the next season. In this time of the hiding of his power, take faithful steps of faith and obedience, faith and obedience. Beyond obedience, even when you don’t see him, be blessed to love him with joy. Although you don’t see him now, be blessed to believe in him and be filled with glorious inexpressible joy.

Be blessed with eyes to see the fingerprints of his ways in your ordinary days, knowing that he says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

When you know you don’t understand and when you think you do, the earth keeps shouting to you that he is completely faithful. He is as faithful as the rain and snow that water the earth and make it bud and flourish and yield seed for the sower and bread for the eater. That’s the law of the harvest. He promises that his word to you is like that. “It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

As you see seed time and harvest in the natural realm yield its return every year, come into his courts with praise that you will reap a spiritual harvest as you sow in faith and joy. Worship leads you to rest and trust in his faithfulness, his sovereignty, and his love. Be blessed to see that God is there, increasing your knowledge and experience of himself. Know this: with each place he takes you in those sometimes not-your-first-choice circumstances, he draws you deeper into himself.

Even when you see only the edges of his ways, hear only his small whispers, and cannot understand him, he is the best. Even when he seems to have withdrawn from you, he promises that “you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12). Remember that in the spring time when the trees are in blossom and in the autumn time when the leaves are turning brilliant colors. You can celebrate him in the growth points of your journey, even in his faintest whispers. Remember Elijah. God was not in the violent wind, or the fire, or the earthquake, but in the gentle blowing of the still small voice. Be blessed to line up with his still small voice. Be blessed with an “upgrade” of your image of God, because what you think about him, who he is to you, is the single most important element in trusting him and bearing fruit in every good work
(Colossians 1:9-13).

Be blessed in the name of the King of the kingdom
he promised to those who love him (James 2:5).

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/05/16/sg_seeing-the-unseen/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published March 22, 2012

Green Eggs and I AM

by Sylvia Gunter

My seminary course in Trinitarianism included several class lectures on “I AM” in the Bible. I wrote the following piece to fulfill the assignment of a creative project having to do with the Trinity.

I have wondered if Jesus had come at a different time how he would have communicated with His children. The following is a result of two greats in my life coming together: God, the ultimate lover of my soul, and Dr. Seuss, who had a love of the simple things of life. If Dr. Seuss had written theology books, instead of classics such as Green Eggs and Ham, I think it would have gone a little something like this.

Green Eggs And I AM

My name?
I AM.

I am I AM,
I AM I am.

I AM here,
I AM there,
I am I AM everywhere.

Father, Son, and Spirit are we.
We are one, but we are three.

I AM here,
I AM there,
I am I AM everywhere.

One in Three and Three in One,
Jesus is God, Jesus is Son.

Spirit’s Power, Father’s Plan,
Nail scars in the Son’s pierced hands.

“What,” you exclaim, “How can that be?”
Shhhh, my child, just rest in me.

I will not be put in a box.
I will not let you worship an ox.

I created it all-the family, the mountain, the tree-
We created it all, so you could grasp the “we.”

I will call you here and there,
And I will go with you everywhere.

I AM here,
I AM there.
I am I AM everywhere.

Confused, uncertain, and having doubt?
Give up now, you won’t figure it out.

Father, Son, and Spirit are we.
We are one, but we are three.

Adonai, Yahweh, Savior, Friend-
The aspects of me never end.

I will not be defined by just one name,
But I will love you just the same

So what should you do?
How should you react?
Learn enough truth to guard against attack.

Then let go of questions like “Why?”
And raise your voice in praise toward the sky.

Never to leave is my promise to you.
Stay focused, listen to me, and follow through.

Wherever I lead, wherever you go,
I’ll be there, too, just continue to grow.

I am I AM,
I AM I am

On a train
In the rain
In a box
With a fox
On a boat
With a goat

Anywhere, everywhere you may go,
I am I AM is all you need to know.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/03/22/sg_green-eggs-and-i-am/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published March 17, 2012

Beyond Believing in Prayer, Beyond Talking about Prayer

by Sylvia Gunter

Have you ever noticed a couple who have been married for many years? They have truly become one. They finish each others sentences. At a restaurant they look down the menu and can tell you what the other person will order. They start smiling when their spouse begins to a story, because they know the punch line is going to be good. They even start looking more and more like one another. It is hard to know where one of them starts and the other stops.

James Houston once said “Prayer is keeping company with God, and we become like the One with whom we keep company.” That is the invitation: to spend time in the presence of the One who beckons us to the life-changing friendship called prayer. Jesus kept company with His Father while here on earth. Seven times Luke records Jesus praying: at His baptism (3:21), often (5:16), all night before choosing the twelve to be with Him (6:12), privately (9:18), before His transfiguration (9:28), in an accustomed place (11:1), in the garden (22:41-44), and from the cross (23:34).

That is my passion for me and for you. I want us to get up close to Him in His Word long enough that we see it not as a theological treatise or an object of study, but as opportunity to deepen our relationship as a friend of God. I want us to break out in praise to our holy, holy, holy, yet-oh-so-personal God, search our souls by the light of the Holy Spirit, share our hurts and fears and run for refuge to our Keeper, and draw closer to Jesus in pure devotion.

God desires an intimate relationship with us. God beckons us deeper into His heart, and we must not hold back. We need the personal resolve of Joshua who said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We ask for God-given vision birthed in prayer, God-given ministry based on prayer, and God-permeated mission completely depending on Him. Then our lives will bear the imprint of His character in light, peace, joy, power, and truth.

As we continue on this journey with God through the years, people will begin to notice that level of oneness in us. As we soak in His Word and allow it to become a part of us, we can finish His “sentences.” We will smile in the middle of the story God is unfolding, because we know the punch line is going to be good. And people will begin to say, “You know, they even look like each other.”

Question: Are you asking the Lord for a more intimate relationship with Him?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/03/17/sg_beyond-believing/
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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published October 20, 2011

The More

by Sylvia Gunter

In these days when the economy is subtracting jobs or retirement
or net worth or peace of mind from all of us
and adding to our real problems and temptation to worry,
our oldest son Charley points us to God’s eternal economy.

The more I see and understand how my sins (even the ones I would call little) are a personal insult and act of rebellion against a holy, holy, holy God …
the more I see the unspeakable, immeasurable value of His gift of forgiveness.

The more I see how I capriciously and wantonly wander, nay, hurry into sin
and selfishness …
the more I see that His forgiveness has to be a gift,
because I have never earned it and could never earn it.

The more I see myself as God sees me …
the less satisfied I am with myself as I am, and the more I want of Christ.

The more of Christ I seek, and the more I trust in Him to follow in His ways,
to live His truth …
the less I find of the sad, sinful person that I was before Jesus rescued me.

The more time I spend delighting in His Word, in His presence, in His counsel,
in His ways …
the less time I have to chase the “soap bubbles” around me that glisten in the sun for a short time, but are empty and without substance, leaving a bad taste
and distracting me from the truly important things.

The more I take time to pray for those who are important to me,
to pray for those in need, to pray to learn how to pray …
and the more I become sensitive to God’s prompting,
the less time I have for self-seeking and self-gratification.

The more I see how only love held Jesus to the cross for me …
the more I am ashamed at how little I love Him and sacrifice for Him.

The more I get assaulted, weighed down, and tossed about by the cares of this world …
the more I long to and need to spend time alone with my Savior and only hope.

The more I keep my mind set on things that count for eternity: other people,
the work of the Lord, praising Him, my own spiritual life, for example …
the more content I find myself and the less patience (and more pity) I have
with people who focus only on temporal things and scorn the eternal.

I think of how Christ came to Earth and lived, knowing with every step, with every breath, that He was drawing nearer to a singular moment in time when God would condemn God to death because of sin. God would not be able to look upon Himself, in the person of Jesus, because He who was without sin had become sin for me. Christ became the embodiment of rebellion and abhorrence to God because of me and for me, so that I could at last enter into God’s presence. Myself, my nature, let alone the rebellious, selfish, contemptible things that I do, would have separated me from God forever. And there was nothing I could do about it.

But God…
But God loved me…
But God loved me with a love that I could never equal, comprehend, deserve,
or live to be worthy of ...
But God loved me so much that He gave. He gave of Himself to supply the payment for my sin, to satisfy the judgment that my sin deserved. He gave what I needed and didn’t have, so that He could meet all my needs and I would want no more. God gave so He could give me more. Unexplainable, save for the character of God Himself. So unlike me.

Heavenly Father, thank You for so much. Thank You for choosing me before I could choose You. Thank You for giving so much to me before I could do anything for You. Thank You for accepting me as Your child, a joint-heir with Christ. God, keep reminding me of who I am and whose I am. Cause my life to reflect You always. Keep me focused on Your time, Your ways, Your wisdom, Yourself, so that I don’t follow the foolish devices of man or my own selfishness. Thank You, Father. In the name of Jesus Christ, my only hope, my only Redeemer, my only source of Life, I pray, amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/10/20/sg_the-more/
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