- God the Rock is our focus today.
- The picture above was taken in March of 2021 and shows a Harris Sparrow hanging out with a rock.
A Harris Sparrow is one of the largest, chunkiest sparrows.
- The psalmist David gave voice to his confidence in God by declaring that the Lord was his rock.
2 Samuel 22:2–3 (ESV) — 2 He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
- That’s a bold set of words. What did David mean by ‘God is my Rock?
- The answer lies in the characteristics of granite.
- How about strong?
- How about solid and stable.
- What about steadfast, sure, and always supportive?
Building On God as a Rock
- Jesus gave out a parable one day on this very idea of God as a Rock, specifically obeying the word of God.
Luke 6:46–49 (ESV) — 46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
- When you wisely build your life on God’s Word, it becomes a foundation against every storm that comes your way.
- Take a lesson from the Harris Sparrow.
- The Rock in this photo was more than enough to hold him up.
- And the Lord your Rock is well able to steady you in unsteady times.
- Take a cue from the Harris Sparrow – hang out with the Rock!
- Working for God is the point of focus today.
- How’s your work-life coming along?
- How heavily invested are you in Kingdom affairs?
- Are you intense about pursuing all the will of God for your life?
- Good questions, right?
To illustrate the idea of being intense about your work, a special species of Shorebird comes into view, a Black-necked Stilt. Shallow waters are its domain, but they are anything but shallow in their defense of their territory. Stilts aggressively contend for their pool of H2O. A group of them will band together surrounding an intruder with a flapping wings display meant to show that they’re seriously tough and aggressive about their turf. You see this tendency displayed all throughout the realm of wildlife. My question to you today is shouldn’t this be the same in the realm of human life?
Shouldn’t Jesus Followers Be Serious about Their Domain?
- Every day is an opportunity to say ‘yes’ to Jesus – to work in the area God gifted you.
- We are to buy up every opportunity to advance in the things that really matter.
- Paul said plainly that, by the grace of God, he worked harder than the other apostles of the Lord.
- Yes, we walk by faith, but we labor in love.
- Paul was laser homed in on his calling from God – he aggressively contended for the faith.
- How about you today?
- Is it in your heart to give God the aggressive energy of your efforts?
- You will impact many if you press for the mark, and reach out, reach up, and reach within.
Four Things that Will Unnerve Your Spirit Man
Meet the Firefinch, Red-Billed that is, a bird with no fear of humans
- No fear? Yes, it’s possible to live life with no fear.
- In the Bible, that’s God’s direct word to us – ‘fear not.‘
- He says it over and again.
2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) — 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Isaiah 35:4 (ESV) — 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
2 Chronicles 20:17 (ESV) — 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
You Can Live the No Fear Life
- The Lord would never ask us to do something that we had no way of accomplishing.
- So, if He said do not fear – you can surely know that it’s possible to do.
- If animals, like this Fire Finch, can live without fear of humans why would you be afraid?
- Now, why is it possible?
- Because He is with us.
- Why is it possible? – because He is our God.
- And how about the fact that God will strengthen you, help you, and hold you up?
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) — 10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- Over and over again, we see in the scriptures the fact that we can walk free from fear.
- No fear… That’s one lesson we can learn from the Red-Billed Firefinch.
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Pics were taken in my travels with Sharon using Lumix Cameras.
Images are copyrighted and cannot be used without permission.
For more photos see emeryhorvath1 on Instagram
- David had confidence that he could defeat giants like Goliath because he had experience taking on lions and bears. The lesson we need to learn is that we need to work with God to defeat the little giants before we take on the Goliaths we may be confronted with.
1 Samuel 17:32–36 (ESV) — 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
- Many are just waiting around.
- They are not using their faith against the small stuff of life.
- David didn’t do this.
- The confidence that he needed to boldly declare to the King that he could take this huge enemy on came from many experiences of taking on much smaller giants.
- David slew the lions and the bears and that’s he knew Goliath was toast.
[Tweet “David slew the lions and the bears and that’s how he knew Goliath was toast.”]
Taken while visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath
For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘Are You Stoked about God’s New Sensational City?
Every promised portion of God’s Word will surely come to pass.
- Jesus promised us as much.
Matthew 5:18 (KJV) — 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
- In fact, the very health and stability of the universe as we know it depends on the fulfillment of every single promise of God.
Matthew 24:35 (KJV) — 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
- God promised believers in Him, a new city, a stunning capital that speaks to the glories of our God.
- This is a city God Himself will indwell and be happy to do so.
- Here is the promise.
Revelation 21:1–4 (KJV) — 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
- Nothing in the realm of men has ever or will ever compare to this holy city.
- Are you excited to go there?
[Tweet “God promised believers in Him, a new city, a stunning capital that speaks to His glory.”]
Taken while visiting family in Hungary. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath
For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘Have You Noticed the Beauty of the Sky Lately?’.
Are You Too Busy to Notice the Beauty?
- The information, social media, and technology age in which we live have plotted against us I think.
- Walk through any crowd of people and what do you see?
- Everyone has their face pasted into a smartphone.
- The question is, are we getting smarter?
- Or are we missing the very beauty of God which is all around us?
Psalm 19:1 (ESV) — 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
- What do you think about these things?
[Tweet “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. – Psalm 19:1.”]
Taken while visiting the Tulsa Zoo. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath
For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘Are you a Christian in Hiding?’.
Don’t Be A Closet Hiding Christian
- It’s not the way of Jesus.
- Jesus told us so in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:14 (KJV) — 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
- Are you a Christian in hiding?
- Have you hidden God’s plan for your life as the man with one talent did in Matthew 25?
Matthew 25:24–25 (KJV) — 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
- Notice what caused this man to ‘go to earth’ with his talent, fear.
- He said, ‘I was afraid.’
- The message of Jesus to us today is fear not.
Luke 12:7 (KJV) — 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
[Tweet “The message of Jesus to us today is fear not – Luke 12:7.”]
Taken while visiting the Tulsa Zoo. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath
For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘Narrow is the Way Which Leads to Life’.
Finding the Narrow Way
Walking in the eternal life of God is a simple and uncomplicated thing.
So says Jesus said in these stunning words while teaching His disciples the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV) — 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
- All roads do not lead to Jesus.
- There is only one road.
- Only one path.
- The way of the world is a broad wide way.
- Diversity is not your friend in this particular area.
John 14:6 (NKJV) — 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
[Tweet “All roads do not lead to Jesus. There is only one road. Only one path.”]
Taken while on vacation in Iceland. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath
For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘The Word of the Lord Is a Fire‘.
How’s Your Fire?
Jeremiah said the Word of the Lord in him just lit his heart up like fire.
Jeremiah 20:9 (GW) — 9 I think to myself, “I can forget the Lord and no longer speak his name.” But ⌊his word⌋ is inside me like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I wear myself out holding it in, but I can’t do it any longer.
If you think about the Word of God long enough, if you ponder it and meditate on it like the Psalmist David did in Psalm one,
Psalm 1:1–3 (GW) — 1 Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. 2 Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord and reflects on his teachings day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted beside streams— a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He succeeds in everything he does.
You will come to a place just like Jeremiah where His Word is so strong in you that you can’t hold it in. You have to just let it go.
[Tweet “Is God’s Word like a fire shut up in your heart?”]
We met this colorful gentleman in Ocho, Jamaica while on vacation. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath
