GOD, From Mom

God.  A rather large subject, wouldn't you say?  I'm pretty sure there would not be enough paper, or bytes (or however it's digitally stored, my tech savvy is infamously non-existent) in the whole wide world to tackle that beautiful subject.  But Mom did, so let's dig into what she wrote.  

God.  The creator and sustainer of the universe who has provided human kind with a revelation of Himself, through the natural world and through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God, it simply affirms His existence.  Exodus 3:14  God replied to Moses, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.”  God reveals Himself through the physical universe. Romans 1:19-20  They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.  For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.  Psalm 19:1  The heavens proclaim the glory of God.  The skies display his craftsmanship.  The greatest revelation of God--through the inspired written record, both the existence of God and the nature of God, are revealed in and through Jesus Christ.  John 14:9 He that has seen Me has seen the Father.  

Why God speaks

1.  Comprehend the truth:  God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, to identify the needs of others, and to make the truth applicable to our lives.  

     2 Corinthians 12:9  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in                weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can            work   through me.

2.  Conform to the truth:  God is determined to mold His children into Christlikeness.

3.  Communicate the truth:  We must share the Word of God with others explaining how His Words played out in our lives.  Shy, timid, at a loss for words?  Ask God for boldness.

     Exodus 4:10  But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never      have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my              words get tangled.”

     Exodus 4:12  Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

From me:

Well this is a good start on the subject.  I will relay the rest of Mom's musings and insights next week. God wants us to know Him, and be in a relationship with Him.  And getting to know our Creator, Sustainer and Savior is going to be a lifetime adventure.  I am praying this and the next few entries will get us started, take us deeper, and help us in building a vibrant, living relationship with our loving heavenly Father.  

I am amazed that You want to know us, and be known by us.  For all our rebellion, for all our failures and detours from Your plans...yet still You choose to love us, choose to reach out Your hand.  Lord, I am beyond grateful.  Thank You.  Open our hearts more to receive more of You.  Reveal  the magnitude of Yourself to us in this small space.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Ask God to prepare Your heart to know Him more this week.  

Judge Not

"We judge people because they sin differently."  That was a statement made by the lead singer of the Newsboys Saturday night at their concert we attended. I don't know where Mr. Tait got this little gem, or if he came up with it on his own, (I'm guessing he might say it was God delivered) but it was one of those sayings that you hear that tickles your heart, and jump starts your thinking.  A gentle breeze of the of the Spirit flowing across your cheek, ruffling your hair.  I just touches you, causing one to turn towards it and enjoy.

We know God's stand on judging others.  Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that you be not judged.  And yet still, we sometimes engage it in all to often.  And what are we really doing is condemning ourselves by  judging others.  Verse 2:  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  

The concert hall was filled with people, lights low except those coming from the stage....everyone enjoying the night, worshiping the Lord and then this statement, said quietly, from the heart of one of the most popular Christian artists of our day.  In this desperate time filled with violence, anger, hatred and division, I can only hope that it brought a shift in each and every heart.  It certainly has made me think of my own often judgmental attitude and given me more incentive to leave it behind.

The concert was a blast!  The music uplifting and upbeat.  Just being with God's people, every size, shape, color,and age gives me a picture of what Heaven will be like.  Joy!!  To come away with not just the wonderful experience of dancing in the presence of the Lord, but with a new avenue of thinking to explore is such a blessing.  And I hope it blesses you as well, gives you something to chew on over the next few days, weeks, months to come.

We all sin.  And my sin is not any more acceptable than someone else's.  And all sin separates us from the Lord, but I think the sin of judging most of all, because it usurps His place.  It stems from pride.  I am so glad for this one statement spoken on Saturday night, shed the spotlight on my own  erroneous attitude, and the changes that need to take place.  I know this is nothing new to most of us, but I can only speak for myself (although I'm sure it's true for a lot of you) that I need to be reminded of the same things pretty frequently.  And you know what?  I think that each reminder, each repetition of a lesson or teaching chips away at the stony covering of our hearts, scraping off more and more of the old sinful nature we all struggle with and revealing that brand new Christ-like nature we were given when we first took Him into our hearts.

Thank You Lord for teaching us again and again.  And for all the avenues you use to do so.  Open our eyes and hearts to the lessons and visits you have for us today, give us a willing and obedient spirit to follow Your lead.  Help us to love as You do, and live as Christ lived, in truth and love.

What areas do you judge most harshly in?  Confess and turn from them, giving the Lord's love preference in your life.

It's Who He Is

Isaiah 61:1-3   The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.  He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.  

Acts 16:25-26  Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening.  Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations.  All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

I heard this song yesterday for the first time and felt the overwhelming joy of who our Savior is. Recently I read in one of the daily devotionals I've been using that one of the ways to shine more for the Lord is to deepen our relationship with Him, coming to know Him more intimately.  And so it seems God has set out to make that a focus for me, and I'm thrilled to be on this new path with Him. This song felt like the first step onto this new roadway leading deeper into  the Lord's heart.

He is our Savior.  He is our leader, our way.    He is our freedom, our deliverance.  He is our teacher. As I was looking for the Isaiah passage, I came across one of those "jump off the page" verses (actually two parts to two verses, but who's counting).  Isaiah 42:3-4  He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.  He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.  He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth.  Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for His instruction.  He's tender, loving, kind, strong, persevering, persistent.  Amazing, wonderful, awesome Lord.

Lord, I want to know You, I want to see Your face.  I want to hear Your voice, know You more each and everyday.  Lord, make Yourself known to Your children.  Let us find our freedom in You. Comfort those who struggle today with these words, with this song.  Encourage them.  And thank You for encouraging me.

Start a new journey today, seek the Lord's heart.  It's for you.

As For The Lord

Colossians 3:23-24  Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

I've been involved in a discussion regarding rewards and God's judgment lately.  It's caused me to study on this topic further, and I can't say I've gotten all the answers to the many questions, but I've certainly learned a few new things and gained some deeper insights.  Some verses, when looked at alone, can be very disturbing, especially to those of us who struggle with sins, bad attitudes and habitual shortcomings that we just can't get past (for right now, that is).   For example, take a verse like:  2 Corinthians 5:9-10 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.  For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.   Taken alone, apart from the bigger picture of the whole Bible, and separate from God's character and the way He sees us,can actually cause terror and fear of God.   But woven together with the what we know of God from His Word, and what He tells us in the Bible, we are spurred on to grow and strive for holiness, even as our hearts rest in His love, knowing He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins as we repent.

Okay, onto the God visit....which was prompted through the verse in Colossians.  You know, some people seem to have so much talent.  It just oozes from them, whether it's for music, creativity, leadership, speaking....and others, like myself, seem to have to dig a little deeper to find what we are good at.  AND THAT'S OKAY!!  So, after reading Colossians 3:23-23, I thought to myself, what am I good at and am I doing those things for the Lord?  I'm great at getting through a to-do list.  Small tasks, daily grind kind of stuff, I'm all over it!  Cleaning, organizing, encouraging.....all these seemingly inconsequential things, I can do pretty well.  And so, to do them as unto Christ, I can give my heavenly Father joy.  Sometimes I think we believe that unless we are doing some huge activity for the Lord, being the famous Gospel singer, or being that preacher going around the world teaching millions, that we are not important to God and the things we do don't matter.  And nothing could be further from the truth.  Mark 9:41  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.  A cup of water?!?!  That's it?!?!   

The smallest deed, a kind word, a gift given with a heart to help and bless, a small chore done without complaint....so many things we can all do everyday to please God because we do it just for that reason.  How beautifully and wonderfully encouraging!!  I know this God visit is not just for me, but for all of us who see ourselves in smallness, and sadly, even as useless.  God can and does work through us in a myriad of ways, maybe especially in the things that to us, seem insignificant.  I think we are in for quite the surprise when we finally meet Jesus face to face!!

Lord, You tell us to do everything as unto You.  And I want to do just that.  Help me to keep my focus on You, to keep as a running theme throughout my day, that my life is lived for You and for You alone.  Let that thought transform my thinking and my attitudes.

Today, live your moments and your doings for the Lord.  Ask Him to remind you Who you live for, work for, exist for.  And be joyful, you are important to the Jesus!!

I'm Here

Yesterday I had the honor of being the Voice of the Martyrs representative at the Combined Federal Campaign Kickoff Event in New York City.  I always like to go to these things.  I like talking to people and raising awareness of the suffering that our Christian brother and sisters are experiencing around the world for choosing to follow Jesus Christ.  My prayer is that more people would become involved, more prayers would be said, and that new supporters would be found for the persecuted church.

My stress-y part of all this is the traveling.  I am always anxious until I get there and get set up.  And this event was no exception.  I had to grab a super early train, (after working late the night before) and then find a cab to downtown (I had a very heavy suitcase filled with materials and didn't think I'd be able to handle the stairs of the subway system), and then wrangle me and my heavy suitcase into the building itself.  I try to time it so I am there early, but not too early, keep myself and my belongings organized and not lose my return train ticket or my glasses...both of which I am quite good at !

So onto the train I go, and I am tightly stressed, I ran later than I wanted to.  Then its, "what am I going to do with the suitcase if the train fills up, I can't lift it to the suitcase rack.   What if I can't find the buildig...."  In my mind the possible problems are running around in circles, I'm half asleep even after coffee.   I try to remind myself what my Christian family has to do to share the Gospel, travel to worship together, carry boxes of Bibles by hand or motorbike into remote areas for distribution.  All under the threat of danger to themselves and their loved ones. This encourages me and helps put things into perspective mentally, but still I am apprehensive and fretful emotionally.  So I took out my phone and started scrolling through today's Facebook notifications trying to distract myself and relax a bit.  And  then God......

Lol.  God is so funny and wonderful.  He always knows just what to say !!  I so needed this.  I do pray for the upcoming events, but usually its the days leading up to them, I pray for people's hearts to be open and responsive. I pray that more help for the persecuted will be forthcoming because of this awareness.  I tend to forget that I could be praying for my journey, I could be praying while I am making this journey.  My mind is racing with so many concerns and worries about what I am doing that I forget the most important part and the most important character.  GOD.  Silly me!!  

He is so good.  So aware and so very present in our lives.  I let my roiling mind crowd Him out yesterday morning.  But my heavenly Father broke through the chaos of my thinking and spoke words of comfort and peace to me.  I just love Him!!

Thank You Lord for being You!.  Help us to hear through whatever is crowding our thoughts and emotions Your words of love, words of care, words of hope and peace.  You are so very present, and very tender toward Your children.  Psalm 46:1  God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.  I love You Lord.  You are so good to me.  

Pray for your heart to be open to God's comforting voice in all your situations today.  

Holy Holy Holy

Be Still

Sitting quietly, still and at rest does not come naturally to me.  Even in my prayer/study time I want to be active and doing, reading, writing, praying, chattering away to the Lord.  Like a little bird flitterring from leaf to leaf, sometimes I feel like I am not stopping long enough to breath, listen and absorb. I feel like I need to be "doing something" to be productive in my time with the Lord.   I wonder perhaps if I am forfeiting much of God's power in my life by not engaging in, and practicing more of this "sitting quietly before the Lord."   Maybe the quietness before the Lord is where the power to implement what we learn comes from.  Hmmmmm.

But oh the peace of those moments when I stop, close my eyes and just bask in God's presence. Those "visits" are beautiful, serene, and  filled with promise.   I love it!  This morning I vow to come before the Lord and rest in His arms, quietly soaking up His peace, His strength and substance.  A sponge is useless as it sits dried out on a counter.  Nothing can get cleaned by it or wiped up until it has absorbed the water needed to soften and expand it's form.  I'm thinking like a sponge, I need to soak up the Lord, let Him soften my heart and expand His very essence in my life.

Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  

The Holy Spirit brings to mind the times Jesus calmed the seas.  the waters roiled and raged, and sometimes it feels like that inside my heart and head....constant movement.  Mark 4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  The winds of emotion blow feelings and words to and fro, while the waves of busyness, even spiritual busyness take me from one activity to another.  I am sensing the Lord asking me to take the time to stop, digest, and  to actually receive the enable-ment from God that comes from a quiet heart.  I'm so loving this!!!

This new spiritual discipline excites me.  And I know it will take practice as I am more of a "human- doing" than human being!  LOL  But practice I will and grow I will!   Even if I only manage with a couple of minutes today it's start on a glorious path.

Lord, help us all to be still in Your presence.  To just be, to just rest.  Lamentations 3:26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.  Quiet our hearts and minds.

Will you start the spiritual practice of quiet today?

Be Aware

Matthew 16:21-24  From then on Jesus began to tell His disciples plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and that He would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law.  He would be killed, but on the third day He would be raised from the dead.  But Peter took Him aside and began to reprimand Him, for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he said.  "This will never happen to you!"  Jesus turned to Peter and said, "Get away from me, Satan!  You are a dangerous trap to me.  You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.  

Last week as I was driving around....don't even remember where I was headed, I caught a snippet of conversation on the radio previewing an up coming teaching by a Bible teacher (I didn't even hear his name or what program he was on).  I  heard the title and a small part of the description before I changed stations.  But the title was what hooked me, catching my attention.  It got me thinking.   The teaching was titled "An Ill-conceived Rebuke."  They referenced the above passage as the subject matter for the upcoming broadcast.  Hmmmmm.

Immediately I felt conviction come to my soul.  Don't I do this all the time?  Do I not rebuke the Lord's ways in my life on a regular basis?  Isn't some (or maybe all) complaining really a form of rebuke? Wow.  Didn't really like where this was headed.  I think we had one of those icky, make us uncomfortable and  soul-squirmy,  "God questions" here.

For example, yesterday was one of those days I seemed to continually be spilling water as I cared for the cats and kittens at the adoption center I volunteer at. I mean, it was a lot of times even for me! Ugh!! It was driving me crazy.  I can't tell you how many times I had to stop what I was doing to get a paper towel and wipe up yet another spill.  And if you been a reader for any length of time, you know how spilling and dropping are a problem for me!!  Well, I can clearly remember rebuking the Lord, saying something like: "You're not really helping here, can't You just make this easier?  Help me to stop spilling!"  

Oh my!  Aren't we the high and mighty (hahaha) human telling the all-powerful, all-consuming, all-knowing, all-everywhere, all-everything God what He should and shouldn't do!  Brought to my mind is the book of Job, where the Lord admonishes Job after Job had questioned and lamented God's care in His life.  Job 38:1-4  Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:  Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?  Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you and you must answer them.  Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?  Tell Me, if you know so much.....And so on it goes with Job being questioned by the Lord. (I don't really think I want to be in that position!)

I don't think it's wrong to bring our questions, our cares and our hurts to the Lord.  We all have hard things where we ask God what is going on.  We have times when we can't take another day of heartache.  But I think it's more the attitude, the complaining, the questioning  of His love, His care that I'm trying to bring to light here.  It''s an attitude of lacking trust in His judgment and love that is the deeper problem of my heart.  And that's where I am looking to grow.  Actually, how freeing it would be to just let go and trust!  The peace that is forfeited by a heart in rebellion against God' ways is just sad.  It's a bitter life to live in discontent and dissatisfaction.  And it is absolutely no what God wants for us!  It's not what Jesus died and rose to give us.  John 10:10  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Hebrews 3:19- 4:1-3  So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter His rest.

Hebrews 4:3 For only we who believe can enter his rest.  As for the others God said, "In my anger I took an oath:  They will never enter my place of rest."

Whatever inconveniences, problems, irritations, heartaches, difficulties....all of it is in God's design for our lives and therefore, it is meant for our good, our development, our growth.  To speak peace to all our circumstances, knowing God's love for us never fails and His good plans for us will prevail is the only way to be at rest in this life.  And it's the way I want to live each day.  Help me grow Lord!! It's hard to accept that the Lord uses the difficulties of life, both small and big to polish us, smoothing off the rough edges making us into a  beautiful reflection of Jesus.  But that is exactly what He is doing.  And sometimes it's inconvenient, annoying and it hurts!!  Oh Lord, help us to accept from Your hand what is best for our lives!!  And rejoice in the work You are doing.

1 Peter 6-7  So be truly glad.  there is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.  These trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.  So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.  

What a incentive to embrace all that God allows in our lives!  Lord help us to believe, to trust and to be at peace with all the moments, all the elements, all the situations in our lives.  Help us to not rebuke Your care and Your ways, not to doubt Your love, but to humbly trust Your heart.  Lord, I ask for forgiveness for complaining, accusing, and any disapproval I've given for the way You involve Yourself in my life and the plan You have for it.  Please help me to do better.  In Jesus name.  Amen

What ways do you rebuke the Lord?  

El-Roi

Regrets.  Most people have them.  Some of mine are deeply felt, seemingly unfixable, unchangeable, The mountain of regret blocks out any light or hope.

The family of a dear friend has lost a five year old to leukemia.  How do you face that?  How do you reconcile your world when it's been torn apart after a 14 month long battle with an enemy you can't really see.  Watched your little one struggle and fight, only to succumb?

These are the thought I was grappling with as I drove down the road recently.  Regrets for my life, sadness for my friends family....I certainly could have worked myself into quite the state, setting my mind and emotions for the rest of the day in a place of lowness.  But God.....

God took a beautiful song, put it on the airwaves at just the right moment as He has done so many times and lifted me up.  He comforted my heart and soothed the place of sadness.  My circumstances aren't changing anytime soon.  Pretty much feel as if only a miracle will do that, but I know that God is in control.  And He sees what I face.  He sees what that family faces.  And He sees what you are facing as well.

And the Lord wasn't finish with His talking!  I brought out my "Jesus Calling" devotional book, (I haven't read it in a while) and looked at the days message.  The first line:  "There is no place so desolate that you cannot find Me there."  It referenced the verses in Genesis 16:7-14*,  This tells the story of Hagar, Sarai's maid who had fled into the wilderness to escape the anger of her mistress.  The Lord saw Hagar their, and sent a messenger to bring her words of comfort.  Hagar called God, "El-roi."  And it is my absolute favorite name for the Lord.  It means, "You are the God who sees me."

The reason behind this blog was to keep a reminder for myself, and to encourage others to look for the times God visits us.  To remind us all that He is the God who sees us.  He doesn't desert us, doesn't view us with indifference or from a distance.  He is very aware, very present, and very active in each of our lives.

We've begun the story of Joshua in our Sunday morning Bible studies. One of the key verses, or actually key themes of the first chapter is God reassuring Joshua of His continued presence.  Joshua 1:9 This is my command--be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."   Are you heavyhearted?  Living in a place of sorrow due to your own wrong choices?  Are you in a well of deep mourning over great loss?  Living in a place a great difficulty that you never asked for, never thought you'd be in?  God is there.  He never leaves us nor forsakes us.  That message is sent time and time again throughout the Scriptures, God's love letter to us.

And God reaffirmed this truth with a picture!  Yesterday's mail came with a catalog for Christian merchandise....and on the cover.....

Is God amazing or what!!  LOL  He sees,  He stays.  He cares.  He acts.  That is our Lord.  

*Genesis 16:6-14  Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.  The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”  “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.   The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”  Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”   And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress.  This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”   Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”  So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

God doesn't promise us a life of ease, but He does promise He will be with us, He works for our good and His love will never fail us.  Whether our circumstances are caused by our own making, like mine or through no fault of our own, like the death of a child...He sees.  And He is in control.  And nothing is without purpose. (That is a concept I struggle with time and again.)

Romans 8:28  And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Jeremiah 31:3  Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

I pray now Lord, that You would surround Your children with Your love.  Fill them with hope and peace and trust.  We need You.  We can't do this life without Your presence.  In the darkness help us to see You are our light.  We may be sad, but we remain safe in Your arms.  We may have hardship but we will come out to a pleasant place of promise as we hold onto Your hand.  I pray comfort for those who are hurting, suffering through life storms today.  Thank You for Your everlasting love.

Just hold on.  God isn't going anywhere.