Perseverance and Persistence, by Mom

Perseverance and persistence seem to go hand in hand.  They are absolute necessities on our walk with God.  Life can throw many obstacles in our path.  Satan's fiery darts come in many forms, our own stubborn sin nature, family and friends that let us down, and just living in a fallen world will test our mettle and try our relationship with the Lord.  Our job is to be steadfast and keep going forward, believing and trusting our Savior for growth and victory.   Mom had some words on these two character traits that I will prayerfully share with you now. 

Perseverance is the steadfast effort to follow God's commands and to do His work.  The New Testament makes it very clear that faith alone can sve, but it makes it equally clear that perseverance in doing good works is the greatest indication that an individual's faith is genuine. 

James 2:14-26  14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.  18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”  19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  He was even called the friend of God. 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.  25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Through persevering in God's work, Christians prove their deep appreciation for God's saving grace.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58  57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.  58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

As a result of perseverance the Christian can expect not only to enhance the strength of the Church, but also to build up strength of character. 

Romans 5:3-4   We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

We learn we can persevere primarily because God is intimately related to us. 

Romans 8:25-27  But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.  26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Develop persistence:

1. Set a goal for my life that demands my best.
2. Set a goal high enough.
3. Develop a burning desire to make it a reality.
4. Keep you eye on the goal.
5. Refuse to listen to negative criticism.
6. Surround yourself with encouraging people.
7. In every defeat look for a personal lesson.
8. Practice self-control.  Control your emotions, don't get into your feelings.  Put feelings behind you, put feelings aside.  "What does God want from me?"
9. Rely on the Spirit of God to enable you.  

What is God's plan for me? 

Galatians 5:1  So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.  

Galatians 5:7-9  You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? 8 It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. 9 This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!

Galatians 5:13-26  13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.  19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.  

Romans 8:1-31  So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 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. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.  31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

From me.

This is a lot of Scripture to feed on.  And feed on it we should.  It is our nourishment and sustenance.  The only way to persevere is to do so by the power of the Holy Spirit which is alive in His Word and in us.  The only way to strengthen the Spirit's influence in us to be in and believe in the Word our Father has given us.  Study it.  Memorize it.  Believe it.  Live it.  Perhaps we can take these Scriptures into the new year and use them to build our character and strengthen our walk with Christ, bringing His blessing wherever we go.  

Lord, keep us going.  Keep us walking forward and growing.   So often it seems so easy to give up and give in to the negativity and disbelief of the world, but You call us to a higher place.  Lift us up.  We will not give up!  Make us like Jesus!  Transform so that we reflect Your glory, Your character and Your love.  We will continue to believe and continue to follow by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  In Jesus' most powerful Name.  Amen.  

Run your race.  Hebrews 12:1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  The beginning of a new year is a great time to set some goals.  Prayerfully consider where God wants to work in your life.  Be persistent!  Persevere!  

For some reason this Christmas season I am being reminded that Jesus' first appearance here on planet earth was a precursor to His return.  As joyful as the first coming was, and is for us...it's the second coming that holds out the hope of peace, joy, love and salvation everlasting for all His children.  The Lord seems to be focusing my heart and mind toward the return of our Savior as the Lion of Judah, the victorious and triumphant King of kings. 

It's with this in mind that I type these Scriptures I feel the Lord wants shared to remind us of the joy and the promise that we shall someday share in His glory...the joy of Christmas being just a taste of the promise of heaven.  And if we are finding it hard to find that peace and joy this Christmas, as many do, then we have an awesome hope in our Savior's return to comfort and strengthen our hearts. 

Luke 1:78-79  Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide us to the path of peace. 

Luke 1:68-70  Praise the Lord, the God of Israel because He has visited and redeemed His people.  He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of His servant David just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.

Luke 1:44-45  When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.  You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said. 

Revelation 21:3-7   I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”   And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.  All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Thank You Lord. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

                                     

Pictures

Word pictures.  Pictures in my mind.  Moments of memory.  These thoughts came to mind when my Christmas devotional asked us to create in some way a picture of the Advent themes of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.   How do you see each one?

Hope is the hardest for me to picture and put into words.  It's truly a concept I struggle with because to hope means to believe and belief is not my natural go to state of being.  I'm working on it!  I also equate hope with dreams and I've had too many of those shattered to cling tightly to hope.  I fear more disappointment.  But I would have to say my greatest hope and surety is heaven.  So the picture of my hope would have to include the warm embrace of Christ when I finally see Him face to face.  The falling away of the cares and mistakes of this world as I walk toward Him on those golden streets.  I picture passing from this life, leaving behind stacks and stacks of suitcases filled with the sorrows, troubles and burdens of this world.  In those suitcases is my unbelief, my frustration, my aches and pains, hurts, mistakes, guilts....all left behind as I leave this place and walk into the loving arms of my Savior. A pile of suitcases I no longer carry.  That is my hope. 

For love a memory comes to mind of my sitting with a sick kitten.  This kitten was dying.  Happy endings are not always the case in animal rescue.  So I sat with this sweet little one, speaking gently about heaven and God's love, singing little tunes, just holding her.  That moment brings love to mind...being there through the darkest times with someone.  Holding their hand or in this case their body.  Coming along side someone who is hurting or struggling.  This is the picture of love to me.
 

Joy shouts freedom.  Deep laughter and outstretched arms.  I see cartwheels and dancing, running and leaping. A picture of our heart in joy.  Freedom.  Joy has no weights to drag it down.  It's a release from heaviness.  Sorrow may still exist but we know the freedom of salvation in Christ.  Joy lies at the core.  

Many things came to mind for peace.  An inky black sky sprinkled with starlight, a hushed walk through a deep forest dappled with sunlight, the rhythmic sound of gentle waves on the shore...all evoke a feeling of peace.  For me, sitting with the Lord in the morning in a quiet house is one of the most peaceful feelings I know.  

Those are my word pictures for Advent.  What are yours?  I think clarifying these things in our minds can open the doors of our heart to live in hope, love, joy and peace.  We strive for them, pray for them and work with the Lord to build them into our lives.  This exercise was a great God visit.  I loved revisiting each theme.  All point to God with us because each of this is a gift from God for us to open and live with. 

Lord, let us open Your gifts of hope, peace, love and joy. You are so generous with us.  We need only look to Christmas day and the Cross to know the generosity of Your heart.  I praise You this morning and thank You for Your gifts! 

Think about he Advent themes and jot down your thoughts if you can. 

Joy's Base

"Joy is rooted in gratitude."  That beginning of a sentence from our "God With Us" Christmas devotional nudged my heart last week.  What a concept!  Joy is based in gratitude. 

If I am grateful then I am not complaining and frustrated.  If I am grateful then I will be at peace.  Peace brings contentment, contentment brings joy.  So simple, right?  But we all know it's not so simple to apply.  LOL 

Ephesians 5:20  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thessalonians 5:18  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

I believe the Lord is leading me, and you too to a new level of gratitude.  One that looks and trusts beyond the visible and sees the love and kindness of our Father's heart no matter what the world around us looks like and says.  A gratitude that goes past our feelings to our faith in His mercy, wisdom and love.  This gratitude will begin to fill us with a joy that will be evident for all to see, and a peace permeates our hearts and minds. 

It's amazing what God can bring out of one little phrase or sentence.  I'm always in awe of these moments He uses to guide us along His path. 

Lord, help me and all of us to practice gratitude.  It's such an important and integral part of a Christian's walk through the darkness of this world.  Let it light up our lives with joy that points to You.  In Jesus' Joyful Name.  Amen.

Try memorizing these two verses today.

He is With us

Not only does God see, He is with us.  And He is for us.  Those two FACTS are not always easy to remember when the going gets rough.  But the Lord has been impressing them on my heart this week, so I know these truths are important for us to learn and to believe.

I see so many friends and loved ones struggling with extremely difficult circumstances.  My heart is  broken for them. I don't understand why God isn't answering my prayers for them.   It's easy to think God doesn't care or listen to our prayers.  It's easy to feel forgotten.  And so much harder to stand on the truths of the Bible and trust God's heart.  God has promised to always be with us.  Even when His answers seem so far removed from our understanding.  Even when the world seems to be closing in on us.  Perhaps the breakthroughs come after we refuse to let go of these facts.  After we stand on faith and not fear.  After we hold onto the Invisible and not let the visible blind us to He who is able above all we think or ask.  Hard, yes.  Impossible, no. 

Hebrews 13:5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”   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.”

Romans 8:31-39  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself  4 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.  35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

These are great passages to meditate on when we are feeling low and lonely.  Life may throw many punches, but God is bigger and He doesn't duck!

Lord, help us to remember and hang onto the facts that You are with us, Your plan will bring about beautiful blessings from the ashes of our struggles and we are completely and utterly loved beyond measure.  Help us to see beyond the darkness of life's hardships.  Strengthen the weary, heal the broken, provide for those in need...Lord help.  I cry out to You for those on my heart.  And for those I don't know who are reading this and are in desperate need.  Lord, I know Your heart is kind and is filled with a love we can't fathom.  Give us assurance that You are with us.  Thank You for Your care, tender and loving, even in discipline, even in trials.  In Jesus' sweet Name.   Amen.


When fear comes calling, when doubts assail, quote these passages out loud.

He Sees

One of my favorite Christmas songs is El-Shaddai.  There is a line in that song that touches my heart every time, "to the outcast on her knees, You were the God who really sees." 

How many times do you and I feel, lost, outcast, alone and forsaken.  And yet our Father sees us.  We are not alone, nor forsaken.  We look around and see wilderness, look inside and feel anguish, but He is there with us too.  Sometimes it's so hard to find Jesus when we are suffering.  Our struggles and sadness loom larger and larger, yet we are assured in the Bible, He' is the God Who sees.  In Genesis 16:6-15*  Hagar is running away from her home with Abram and Sarai.  She was being mistreated and chose to run from the harsh hand of her mistress Sarai.  Left alone, her resources and prospects were dim. She'd rather face the dangers of the wilderness and the unknown than live beaten and mistreated.   And yet the Lord saw her.  He sent her an angel with instruction and reassurance. 

In Hagar's case the instruction was to submit to the very mistress she ran from.  Sometimes God asks us to stay in difficult circumstances.   But He knows and sees the blessing and good that will come from our hardships. 

Hannah felt forgotten.  We see her story in 1 Samuel 1**.  She was childless, a very unwanted and "looked down upon" position in her day.  She was thought to be "less-than" other women.  We know Elkanah's other wife taunted Hannah.  "No children!"  She may have said.  "I guess I am the one the Lord favors!  You must be displeasing to Him!"  On and on it went til Hannah sank into a deep depression and didn't even want to eat.  But the Lord saw her.  The priest may have thought Hannah a drunkard at first, misunderstanding her deep misery that was causing her to pour out her heart to the Lord, but the Father knew better.  He granted her request for children and gave her Samuel, one of Israel's greatest prophets and leaders.

Hannah's request was granted by the Lord.  Sometimes we see our hearts desire fulfilled quickly.

In John 8*** we meet a woman who was caught in the act of adultery.  She was a sinner.  She had broken God's laws and according to that law was destined for and deserving of death.  She must have been terrified when she was dragged down the street and thrown down in front of Jesus' feet.  I can only imagine the fear she must have felt when all these men around her started picking up stones.  The shame she felt seeing their angry, sneering faces.  And yet Jesus quietly bent down and began writing in the dirt.  Confusion must have joined the fear and shame swirling around her heart.  As Jesus stood up and looked at her, she was probably thinking, here comes the condemnation.  Can you imagine her surprise when He said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!"  Could Jesus really be saving her? 

Yes He was.  He washed away the accusations.  Instead of condemnation she found forgiveness from the One who saw into her heart and into the hearts of her accusers. 

God is the God who sees us.  Whether it's difficult circumstances, unmet needs or our own sin, our Lord never abandons us.  Sometimes it's so hard to find the God visits.  But they are there and we are never alone or unloved. 
 
Lord, You are the one Who sees me.  So often I feel adrift and yet I know that in Psalm 139:7  I am told "I can never escape from Your Spirit!  I can never get away from Your Presence!  How wonderful is that news!  Thank You Lord that no matter what I see, think or feel, the truth is You always love, always care, always stay with me.  Please help all of us to see more clearly Your Presence in our every day lives and in our darkest struggles.  Open our eyes to the God visits and increase our faith.  In the always loving Name of Jesus.  Amen. 

Listen to the song and just soak in God's Presence today. 

*Genesis 16:6-15   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.  7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8 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.  9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” 10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
11 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. 12 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.”  13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 14 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.  15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.

**1 Samuel 1:1-18  1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.  3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children. 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.  8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”  9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”  12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”  15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”  17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”  18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

***John 8:1-11   Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.  4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”  6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.  9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”  11 “No, Lord,” she said.  And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Seek

God doesn't hide.  But we are still told to seek Him.  Sometimes it seems He remains just out of reach though.  But I also wonder if that is because my heart isn't in the seeking, maybe too many distractions and worldly concerns.  I think the kind of seeking the Lord is looking for is single minded, desperate focus.   He wants us to desire His Presence above all.  Not just a quick peek in the Bible and a few hurried words of prayer, but a yearning so deep that is makes us forget all else while we are doing it.  And that is my desire also, although I know it will take patience and practice to get to that place. 

The Lord has been putting this on my heart lately.  Last week I read in our Advent devotional about the woman in Mark 5* that had been ill for twelve years.  She held fast to the hope that she only need to touch the hem of Jesus' garment to be healed.  But the Lord showed me something else in this story as well....her determination to reach Him.  She was unclean.  In being so she was more than likely an outcast, rejected by the very crowds of people she was pushing through.  And yet she came to Him.  She risked even more rejection to reach her Healer. 

Then we have Zacchaeus in Luke 19**.  Height challenged Zacchaeus.  A hated tax-collector.  Unpopular.  Most likely corrupt.  A pariah among his people.  He too had to find a way above the crowds to find Jesus.  He climbed a tree!  He found away around the crowds to catch a glimpse of his Savior.

In Mark 2*** we see four friends determined to reach Jesus for help of a fifth man.  Again the crowds were so intense, they resorted to desperate measures to reach their goal.  Finding Jesus.  Climbing on the roof, they made a hole and lowered the fifth man down on his mat right in front of Jesus! They sought the One who forgives all our sins and heals our diseases. With determined focus they sought the One who makes us whole inside and out.

What are the "crowds" in your life and mine that keep us from Jesus?  That keep us from receiving His healing touch?  Busyness is usually my problem.  Especially this time of year what with all the extra hours at work and the preparations for the upcoming Christmas celebration.  These things crowd out my "God time" when I should be drawing closer to Him.  But I feel the stirring, the deep need in my heart for Jesus.  For quiet time alone with Him.  It's in there, beneath the to do list and the frantic work schedule and the needs of the daily routine.  Lord, help me to prioritize!

Lord, I need You.  More than anything or anyone else I need You.  I need the peace, love, and wholeness only You can bring.  Lord, focus my attention on You.  You are more important than even the air I breathe.  Give all of us the deep desire to do whatever it takes to reach You.  There is no more worthy, more necessary objective in our lives.  It's You we need most!  Thank You for this beautiful and timely reminder.  In the Name of our Savior and Healer, Jesus.  Amen. 

Start seeking! 

Isaiah 55:6  Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

*Mark 5:24-34  24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.  30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”  31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”  
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

**Luke 19:1-10  19 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.  5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”  6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.  8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”  9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

***Mark 2:1-12  2 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”  6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”  8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”  12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Next Year

The first week of Advent.  The week that we focus on hope.  My heart has been stirred by thoughts of our greatest hope, the hope of eternal glory with Christ our Lord.  For centuries the Jewish people have ended their Seder with the saying, "Next year in Jerusalem."  Although there are a few different interpretations to that phrase, for me it evokes a longing for home.

The Jewish people still await their Messiah.  And have been for millennia.  All through the Old Testament we have the promise of the coming Messiah.  As early as Genesis we have been promised a Savior.  Genesis 3:15  And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike you head and you will strike His heel.   The promise of deliverance. A hero will rise up to destroy our enemy the devil. 

Can you imagine thousands of years of longing.  Generation after generation telling the story of the coming Messiah and the hope of restoration that He will bring.  And yet we too are waiting.  Not for the coming of our Messiah, for we know He has already come and claimed victory, but for His return and the restoration of His complete rule. 

Our hearts long with the hope of His return and long for the hope of our heavenly home.  Sometimes those yearnings get crowded out with the physical, concrete reality of this world we walk through, but if we quiet our hearts and turn our focus heavenward, we can sense them. 

John 14:1-3  Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.  That is our promise.  That is our hope.  That is our future.  Glory!!

Revelation 21:1-4   Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.  8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”  9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”  10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. 12 The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. 13 There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  15 The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel).  18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.  22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Our new home is being prepared.  Our happily ever after with our loving, amazing God.  Can you feel the longing?  Perhaps, next year in NEW Jerusalem! 

Hallelujah!!  Our hope is sure!  For our hope is in You, the Promise keeper!  The one who was promised through the centuries came and will come again!  Hallelujah!  Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus! 

Find the hope in your heart today...and if you have trouble, look to the promises of Christ's return to fill your heart with hope.  Stand and believe!