Who is God?
By Sharon W. Betters
Today’s Treasure
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness 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; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:1-4
Dear Friends,
What is your view of God? If you have been reading or listening to Daily Treasure for any length of time, you have been regularly encouraged to consider your worldview – in particular, whether you have a biblical worldview. Since we push all of our thoughts and actions through our worldview, it’s critical to take time to do a check-up on the foundation of our beliefs. Our view of God determines our response to big and little events, in the mundane and in times of crisis.
I am delighted to welcome back Sarah Ivill as our guest writer for this week, who will help us consider how our view of God affects our thinking and actions. Sarah is a prolific writer whose books take us beyond superficial thinking and help us build a solid biblical worldview. A few years ago, Sarah joined me on the Help & Hope podcast to talk about how a wrong view of God and our relationship to Him can lead us to believe we are “never enough.” I hope you’ll take Sarah with you as you walk or drive carpools and listen to her timeless thoughts on how a misunderstanding of our identity in Christ could be the root of our insecurities.
This week’s devotionals are a gentle reminder of how a skewed view of God creates fear, insecurity, worry, and much more. In Tuesday’s devotional Sarah says:
“This week we are looking at times in our lives when our view of God has been too small. Circumstances seemed insurmountable and we were tempted to forget that the Lord is a mighty warrior on our behalf. The darkness seemed to consume us and we forgot the Lord is our Shepherd who protects and provides. Or we treated the Lord as too familiar. The glory we were chasing kept us from acknowledging His glory. We forgot to worship Him as the Warrior King, the Shepherd King, and the Glorious King. Psalms 20-25 powerfully remind us that the King on the throne is fiercer than we imagined, kinder than we thought, and more glorious than we can ever fathom. Equipped with such truths, we will face enmity with an eternal perspective, and be comforted by the King who keeps us from falling. Today, we will focus on Psalm 21.”
And another taste of this week’s message from Thursday’s devotions:
“This week we are examining times in our lives when our view of God has been too limited. Can you think of a time when you worried instead of remembering God is your Warrior? Or can you recall a time when you were rocked by shocking news instead of recalling your Shepherd? Perhaps there were times when your walk with God seemed monotonous and you forgot to worship Him as the God of glory. Psalms 20-25 remind us to stop looking at our circumstances and to look to our Savior. Today, we will focus on Psalm 23. Don’t let the familiarity of it rob you of its grandeur.”
Friends, the light entered the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it. We know Jesus is that light that cannot be quenched. Our 2023 theme around MARKINC ministries is to offer the light of Jesus to one person at a time. Join us in asking the Lord to show us one person who needs His light today and how you can practically touch them in a way that turns his or her heart toward Jesus.
Treasured by Him,
Sharon
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Be the conduit through which Jesus shines today. Answer the call of our God to encourage others with His love, mercy, and grace, one person at a time. Start small, with an encouraging text, phone call, share a scripture or an “I’m praying for you this morning.” Invite a discouraged friend to join you for a walk and pray for her before you say goodbye. Pray and the Lord will guide you. (For more on biblical encouragement, check out my book, Treasures of Encouragement, and visit treasuresofencouragement.org for more helpful ideas.)
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.