New Year's Blessings

I have a prayer for us this upcoming year.  I am praying that each of us will see God as our solution.  When our problems loom large, God will be the one we run to.  The one we cling to.  When the direction is dark and the path rocky, I pray we will look only to the light of Jesus to find our way.  When our heart is broken, aching and empty, I pray we camp on God's promises, immerse ourselves in His Word until we feel the balm of Gilead soothe our souls.  When no change seems to be on the horizon, I pray we look past the circumstances, past the present stagnation to the One Who holds our future in His hand and promises good plans for us.  This is the season I am in now, a season of crying out for change but seeing only sameness.  And so I hold on.  And I pray you are able to do the same.  I pray that we hold onto the truths our Lord gives.  Romans 8:31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  We are in His hands.  And there is no better place to be.  As I was doing my readings and studies this week I came across a sentence that really spoke to my heart the attitude with which the Lord wants me to go through this life. I've paraphrased it here in order to personalize it.  "I will not let myself sink to the level of the problem, instead I will make myself rise to the level of the solution.  That solution, the only solution, our only source and stay, is Jesus Christ.  When the waves of trouble come, when the doubts lash my mind and the empty happiness of the world flees my path...I will rise, coming boldly to the throne of grace....it is there that I will find my help and my hope.  In the Presence of God Himself is the fullness of joy I need to sustain me and the strength I need to overcome the weaknesses in myself.  I pray these things for us and over us this year.  And I do it in a spirit of thanksgiving and faith, knowing that He has good things for us, even when we have to unwrap them from the grave cloths of trials.  Happy New Year my brothers and sisters.  

Madeline

Dear Readers

Merry Christmas to all of you!!  We are so blessed in all the gifts we give and receive this time of year.  The greatest of these being the reason we celebrate Christmas, Jesus Himself.  As much joy as we get from blessing one another, I can only imagine God the Father's joy in giving us His Son.  God the Father gave Jesus, wrrapped as a present in human form, to ave us all.  John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Hm shall not perish, but have eternal life."  Imagine that!!  The Creator of everything wanted our fellowship so much, loved us so much, that Jesus willingly came to earth, lived perfectly, died and rose again to bring us to Himself.  So, I pray for all of you, that during all the wonderful fun and bustle of this season, that God warms your heart with His love for you and that you remember the greatest gift of all. 

Have a great holiday.  

God's Reason

This is an article I found many years ago in a small Bible book store.  I loved it so much I still send it to my family at Christmas from time to time.  I have no idea who the author is, but they did a great job making it easy to understand why Christ came to earth all those centuries ago.  Enjoy and feel free to share!

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays.  His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.  One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived.  They were to talk about Jesus' birth.  She asked him to come, but he refused.  "That story is nonsense!" he said.  "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man?  That's ridiculous!"  So she and the children left, and he stayed home.

A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard.  As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm.  He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.  Then he heard a loud thump.  Something had hit the window.  Then another thump.  He looked out but couldn't see more than a few feet.  When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window.  

In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese.  Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on.  They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter.  They just flapped their winds and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly.  A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.  

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them.  The barn would be a great place for them to stay, the thought.  It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm.  So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.  But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.  

The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved farther away.  He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn.  They still didn't catch on.  Now he was getting frustrated.  He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn.  Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.  

"Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed.  "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"  He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.  "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. 

Then he had an idea.  He went into the barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.  He then released it.  His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn and one by one, the other geeze followed it to safety.  He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them."

Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier.  "Why would God want to be like us?  That's ridiculous!"  Suddenly it all made sense.  That is what God had done.  We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing.  God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.  As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought.  Suddenly he understood why Christ  had come.  

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14

What's It All About

Isaiah 9:6  

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Matthew 1: 18-25  18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.  20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:  23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”  24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

 

Micah 5:2

 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors."

The times are growning dark.  The days rushing to the inevitable final battle between good and evil (and we know who wins!)  As the church we long for the day that Christ returns.  For the day where He delivers and claims His bride.  Every time I hear this song, I think of the comparision between Israel awaiting a physical deliverance from the oppression of her enemies, and us while we await the spiritual and physical deliverance from the oppression of living in this evil world.  Our deliver Jesus, the mighty King of kings, our Savior, Redeemer, Messiah, our victor and Lord...He is coming back.  And with joy and expectation we await that day!  

Keep this in mind this Christmas season.  As the Father fulfilled His prophecies and promises the first time when Jesus came as a baby to be our Savior, He will fulfill His promise of a second return.  The promise of a victorious warrior King that will rule forever.  Hallelujah!!   

Revelation 22:20-21  He Who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!"  Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus!   The grace of the Lord be with you all.  

Hallelujah!  Come, Lord Jesus!  Lord, we are filled with longing and anticipation for Your return.  Come, Lord Jesus!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS !! 

Changing It Up

Today I read Judges 16:1-31  This was the story of Samson's demise.  Samson had a weakness for the ladies.  Especially ladies that would lead him away from God.  In this chapter we read of his relationship with Delilah.  Delilah repeatedly tried to trick Samson into revealing the source of his strength so that she could collect a tidy sum upon his capture from the Philistines.  And Samson continually fell for her trickery.  

It's so easy to judge and condemn Samson.  "What was he thinking?" we say.  "I would never fall for the same thing over and over!"  But don't we?  I was thoroughly convicted of being "Samson" as I read through this passage today.  I continually fall prey to the lies of junk food.  (And there's a few more areas in life, but to keep it simple I'll just focus on the one LOL).   Just one more cookie.  Just one more day.  Monday I'll do better.  I'll start eating right tomorrow.  I'll eat a healthy dinner.  On and on and on it goes.  Day after day, month after month, year after year..  I keep repeating the same cycle.  Just like Samson did with Delilah.  

So I've decided I needed to go back to basics.  And for me, a former drug addict and alcoholic, the basics mean going back to the 12 Step program.  I need to work my way through, with my Savior's help, the basic steps that led me to freedom before.  I need to stop making excuses, stop the old habits of small victories followed by major crashes, stop the yo yo lifestyle of eating good then bad, good then bad and get down to breaking the addiction that holds me back from being all God wants me to be.  

As I walked through the 1st step today I realized a few things.  I realized how damaging this practice is.  First, for my physical health.  If I don't take care of my body, (remember, it's the temple of the Holy Spirit), I will not be up for the things I like to do, or the things God has for me to do.  Secondly, I will put stress on my finances as I have to buy new clothes.  And thirdly, and the most important, spiritually I will become weak.  If I give into my flesh's unhealthy desires I will never learn to rely on my Father to strengthen and deliver me from sin. I will not have learned to let Him lead me and help me walk in His Spirit because I will be so used to following my fleshly desires.  I will be so reliant on the comforts and pleasures of this world for happiness and fulfillment, that when they are taken away (and in the world we live in it's a very real possibility), I will not have learned to rely on God for those things.  

Now, maybe your problem isn't food.  Please feel free to substitute anything that steers you away from Jesus.  What are the habits, addictions, earthly satisfactions, fleshly emotions...what is it that you need to change up?  Jesus is here to deliver us from all things that bind.  Maybe the 12 Step isn't the "program" for you, but find one that is.  That could be a simple as doing a word study in the Bible for your particular issue.  Getting some godly books on the areas you need to work on. Doing a study on line.  Joining a local Bible study.  Whatever way you want to go about leaving your imprisonment, as long as it's Jesus centered.  Do it.  He will work with you.  

Lord, deliver us.  We all have our blindspots, our fixed habits and sins we need to leave behind.  We want to live fully and faithfully for You.  Your are our strength and our deliverer.  In You we can have the permanent, forever victory.  But not in our own strength.  Not on our own plan.  Lord, we need to prepare ourselves now for the days that are coming.  And that means breaking free of any and all sin that so easily ensnares us, sin that weakens us and our faith in You.  Show us how to walk in faith, walk in holiness and walk in Your strength to Your glory and for Your purpose.  It's on our only Savior Jesus' Name I pray   Amen.  

Pray.  Seek.  Then do it! 

Judges 16:1-31  One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. 2 Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept quiet during the night, saying to themselves, “When the light of morning comes, we will kill him.”  3 But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the town gate, including the two posts, and lifted them up, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them all the way to the top of the hill across from Hebron.  4 Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”  6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.”  7 Samson replied, “If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.”  8 So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them. 9 She had hidden some men in one of the inner rooms of her house, and she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of string snaps when it is burned by a fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.  10 Afterward Delilah said to him, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.”  11 Samson replied, “If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.”  12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were hiding in the inner room as before, and again Delilah cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread.  13 Then Delilah said, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.”  Samson replied, “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.”  So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric. 14 Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.  15 Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!” 16 She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it.  17 Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”  18 Delilah realized he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the Philistine rulers. “Come back one more time,” she said, “for he has finally told me his secret.” So the Philistine rulers returned with the money in their hands. 19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.  20 Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!”  When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him.  21 So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison.  22 But before long, his hair began to grow back.  23 The Philistine rulers held a great festival, offering sacrifices and praising their god, Dagon. They said, “Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!”  24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, “Our god has delivered our enemy to us! The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!”  25 Half drunk by now, the people demanded, “Bring out Samson so he can amuse us!” So he was brought from the prison to amuse them, and they had him stand between the pillars supporting the roof.  26 Samson said to the young servant who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.” 27 Now the temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who were watching as Samson amused them.  28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, 30 he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.  31 Later his brothers and other relatives went down to get his body. They took him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.

Compassion in the Dark

I've been spending a lot of time in the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.  These books tell the tale of Israel's kingdom, it's split into two separate entities and the eventually fall of both.  In the northern kingdom, Israel, it was pretty much all dark.  In the southern kingdom of Judah, there were a few bright spots of light, but they too eventually fell into the pit of complete estrangement from the God of their ancestors.  Both kingdoms chased after false gods, idols from the neighboring peoples.  The did not seek the One true God.  They abandoned their covenant with Him to bow down before foreign gods.  What are the foreign "gods" you bow down to today?   

But one thing remained steadfast.  One thing remained faithful.  It was God Himself.  All through the years, He continually reached out in love to draw His people back.  Elijah, Elisha, a myriad of prophets spoke the words of God to these stiff-necked people.  In all the darkness that plagued the hearts and land of both kingdoms, God's Presence remained and His hand was outstretched.  Sometimes that hand gave warning, sometimes discipline sometimes relief...but always God's compassion and faithfulness were in full view for them, and for us.  

Where are you in life?  In the darkness of life's trials?  In the pit of your own sinfulness?  God is still there.  He has not left nor abandoned you.  Sometimes His voice is hard to hear.  It's still and small and we must listen carefully, quieting our minds and hearts of the storms around us.  Sometimes we must humble ourselves and stop fighting the leading of our Father.   So often in life we let the tilts and turns and noise of our world blur the path to the Lord.  We get weighed down and cease seeking Him.  Jeremiah 29:13  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  

Just like Israel we get caught up in our own ways.  We break covenant with our God.  But don't be like Israel and continue down that path of destruction, the path to captivity.  Instead turn back to the Lord, seek Him, listen for His voice and look for His tendrils of love and compassion reaching into your life.  They are there.  He is faithful. 

This study in these books has been so enlightening to me.  I feel like I've spent a lot of time on the surface of these books, and it's so amazing to go deeper and to see God's character come to life on the pages.  To truly see that His compassions are not just for those who live life "perfectly,"  Not just for the "super saints."  But for the wretches, the mistake makers and the stubborn sinful people just like me.  What a comfort!  What a picture of God's love.  Lamentations 3:22-23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Lord, these passages, these books of the Bible give me such hope, such comfort.  As dark as they are Your light shines through.  If You can, not just can, but would reach out to these evil kings, then You can and will reach out to me.  Let each of us turn toward You, even when and especially when we fail.  Lamentations 3:32 Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.  Let us accept Your discipline when it comes, seek Your mercy when we fail, and believe that even in the darkness You are with us.  Thank You for the Word You give us.  And the compassion and faithfulness that is Who You are.  It's in the Name of our risen Savior...the ultimate act of mercy came through Him...that we pray.  Amen.  

Read Lamentations 3,  2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.  Look especially for the ways God showed compassion to those who followed Him and to those who didn't.  

Vacation next week!  We are driving back to see family.  See ya in a couple of weeks.  

You Are Always Loved

Happy Thanksgiving.  John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  In all the turmoil, the ups, the downs, the pretty, the ugly,  the joys, and the sorrows that greet us on life's twisting path, one fact is true.  Jesus.  And for that we can always be grateful.  I hope your thanksgiving was blessed and beautiful.  What an awesome God we serve.  

Dos and Don'ts

I've been getting a repeat lesson the last week.  Apparently I am not the type of person to learn things right away, first time around.  I need repeats and reiterations.  Many.  And my mind came up with a dos and don'ts list for this lesson.  I am so thankful that our Lord is so very very patient!

DO accept God's forgiveness.   DON'T think your sin is bigger than His sacrifice.

DO believe God accepts you.  DON'T dismiss the fact you were chosen. 

DO trust God's compassion.  DON'T believe you can ever out run it. 

DO know that God loves you.  DON'T make more of your failures than His love. 

DO make God the King of your heart and life.  DON'T set yourself up as higher than Him. 

Every day, every moment choose the dos.  Choose humility, choose to lift the sacrifice of Jesus and the love of our Father higher than any other thing in your life.  We place ourselves above God when we reject His forgiveness, acceptance, compassion and love.  When we think we are too far gone, too far beyond, don't too much, we are setting these things above the reach of our Father's heart.  

Lamentations 3:22-23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Psalm 103:12-14 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.      13 As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.  14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Ephesians 1:3-12 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.  7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Romans 8:31-39 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:  “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”  37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The forgiveness, acceptance, compassion and love we receive are because of God being who He is not, because of who we are or what we do.  Hallelujah!!!  

Lord, thank You!  Help us to commit these truths to heart.  Believe them even when we don't feel them.  Help us to not make ourselves bigger than You.  Forgive us for doing that.  Increase our faith.  Let us believe Your Word over our feelings, over our sins, over our failings.  We pray in Jesus Name.  Amen.

Read, meditate, believe these Scriptures.  Lift God up!  

A Message For You

I have a message for you today.  It's from God.  He gave it to me and I am sharing as I believe He wants it shared.   He wants you to believe it, and me to believe it.  He wants us to own it as our truth.  

Ephesians 1:3-6 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

We need to stop seeing ourselves as a "sneak in the back door, a begrudgingly added leftover" that He felt sorry for or had to take in.  

That's it.  That's the message.  

Lord, thank You for this message today.  Thank You for Your amazing, all consuming love which with You love us.  Thank You for desiring us, even the most undesirable of us--which I know I often feel like.  You do not see us as we do.  Thank You.  I'm overjoyed with this message.  Please help those who are reading it take it into their hearts and make it there own truth...because that's what it is.  Truth.  Let us not live in rejection, but in the knowledge that You call us Your very own.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

BELIEVE. 

Our Biggest Support

Psalm 61:3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

What are you facing right now?  Attacks of the enemy?  Illness?  Persistent sin?  Family difficulties? Financial troubles?  Physical, spiritual, mental, emotional...whatever kind of trouble is plaguing your heart right now God knows.  And He sees.  And He cares.  And He will not leave nor forsake.  

I've been struggling with bitterness for a long time now.  I make some progress, only to fall back into old habits, old thought patterns.  It happened again this morning.  Sometimes I can't seem to go more than an hour without having to battle thoughts of anger or resentment.  The Lord continues to lead me back to Hebrews 4:16, and I am so often running back to that throne of grace, I think I've run a rut a mile deep!  But, to me that is progress.  Catching myself falling and instead of leaning into the freefall, I turn, run back and grab hold of that throne, looking to the Lord Himself for that promised mercy and grace.  

So this morning I fell again, I turned again, and yet I still beat myself up over the persistence of failure.  Well, the Lord wasn't going to let that self recrimination go unanswered.   As I was driving to go help out at the animal shelter I volunteer at, He sent a triple blessing on the radio...three consecutive songs to uplift and reassure.  I'm sharing them knowing that I am not the only one who needs this encouragement. 

What a sweet touch of the Father I felt as I listened to these songs on my ride this morning.  I felt so beaten, but God saw me.  And He reached down from His throne of grace to comfort and strengthen me, His frail child.  My prayer today is that you will feel this caring touch as well as you listen to these songs.  And that you will know the love that holds you so close....the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I thank Him for this loving comfort and support.  

Listen and rest in the love of our Lord.  

Help Is On The Way

Do you ever think you can do it all?  This seems to be a normal way of life, especially for women.  I know I think I am superwoman sometimes and can do a million things in a day.  And now as I get older it's getting a bit harder to do those million things.  I notice where I once could go for hours and hours, I need to break a little more, or stop a little earlier than I used to.  Doing it all seems to be doing some.  LOL

Well a friend had asked me to bake cookies for her son's wedding.  And of course I said yes.  It was an honor.  Well, this was two hundred cookies.  But I said "Sure, no problem."  Because honestly it was I was happy to do it.  

I had a friend who said she would help me.  Then something came up for her and she couldn't.  I had another friend who said she would help and the same thing happened.  Still, no problem.  I didn't think it would be a hard task to do by myself.  I had baked these cookies a hundred times before.  

Well Sunday I was talking about this at our after church lunch to a few people.  Another friend said she would love to help.  I said, "Great, I'll let you know."  Now at first, I was like, will I really need the help, I can do this.  But then I thought about it and the fact that this friend had just lost her husband and I thought it was a good time for us to get together, get her out of the house, and give her a time to talk if she wanted to.  I thought I was helping her.   LOL  Little did I know how arduous a task baking two hundred cookies would be!  

I definitely needed the help.  I didn't even know it, but God did.  He sent this lovely lady to give me the help I needed, when I actually thought I was helping her.  And you know what?  Having someone else to bake with made it more fun and go faster.  Truly, as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.  We got the job done, and had sweet fellowship besides!

The Lord knows when we need help, even when we don't.  Even when we think we can do it all.  He knows and sends brothers and sisters alongside to strengthen us, support us and share the work.

Thank You Lord for the help You send.  You truly know our needs better than we do.  Let us not turn away the blessing of another's aid.  Let not pride or the notion of not being a bother let us deny another the gift of being that blessing that You use for us.  Thank You again for my friend that You sent.  In Jesus' most precious Name.  Amen. 

Let others bless you.  

And Yet Another Question

I've joined a Bible study group called Bible Study Fellowship.  It's a weekly group that meets around the Word of God for the next ten months.  I wasn't sure about a ten month commitment.  It scared the heck out of me to be honest.  But I am so glad I did.  It's only been about a month or so and it's a total blessing.  We are studying "Kingdom Divided."  This teaching digs into the time when the Israelite kingdom divided into two parts.  

So as I listened to this weeks lecture the question came up in my head, "In what ways do I reject God's grace?"  Tough question.  In this weeks lesson we saw God extend grace to both Elijah and King Ahab.  One, Elijah, was God's servant.  He zealously served the Lord to the point of exhaustion.  The other, King Ahab, was an evil king.  Disobedient, rebellious, idolater.  He did nothing to honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Yet God extended grace to both.  Elijah accepted God's loving care and was given new purpose.  On the other hand, Ahab accepted God's blessing, but refused to turn his heart to the Lord.

What is grace is a big question.  I've heard it explained as God's Riches At Christ's Expense.  It's also defined as God's unmerited favor.  It can be a big as salvation or as small God's intimate care of Elijah, with rest, food and encouragement.  

So, back to the question.  How do I, on a regular basis, reject this grace.  One of the ways I do it is through guilt.  Instead of accepting God's forgiveness for what it is, a gift from my loving Father, I feel the need to earn it.  It's the same with His love.  I feel I should be unloved because I am sometimes so unlovable.  I am rejecting God's kindness, His unmerited favor.  

In Hebrews 4:16 we are told, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."  So many times I give into sin instead of running to the throne of God where I could find grace to help me stand strong.  I follow my flesh into what is unhealthy and sinful instead of following the Spirit to where I can find my strength

Lord, help us to accept and revel in the grace You so freely give.  You lavish Your grace and love on Your children.  Not just Your perfect children, but us fallen, failing, sometimes ugly children.  We are undeserving, but that's just what makes Your grace so amazing.  Thank You.  Forgive us when we don't accept this favor and love with gratitude.  And Lord, help us to never take advantage or take for granted Your grace, Your unmerited favor and mercy.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen. 

Examine yourself.   Are you rejecting God's grace?

Measuring God

We do this.  We measure God by ourselves.  Maybe not consciously or purposefully, but we do it all the same.  

Yesterday I was out running, trying to get in a little exercise and fresh air.  As is my habit I was listening to a Joyce Meyer podcast.  The topic was "Authentically You."  Joyce spoke of being who God meant us to be, not living to please people, but Him.  But what stood out to me was when she spoke of God's love for us.  This is a tough subject for me mainly because I know all the junk inside and I see how wretched I can behave.  

I'm sure many of us feel that God can't possibly love us the way we are.  Or maybe we concede that He loves us, but probably doesn't like us very much.  I've lived in this place for a long, long time.  I think I've moved from the first category to the second though.  

I don't like me very much.  I know my thoughts and feelings.  I see the way I act.  I see my impatience, my grouchiness, my critical attitude, on and on and on.  Many of us see ourselves in a negative light.  And then we take that way of seeing ourselves and apply it to how God sees us.  We measure His thoughts by our thoughts.  But the Bible tell us in Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." 

So why are we equating the way God loves us to the way we love ourselves?  Did not God also say, "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."  Jeremiah 31:3.  

And yes, we can all say, "You don't know what I've done, how much anger, hatred, bitterness....I have in my heart."  Well maybe I don't.  But I know what's in mine.  And God knows all of us inside out, He knew us before we were born, knows the end from the beginning and yet still calls us His own.  Psalm 139:15-16 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  16 You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  

God knows us, and loves us with an eternal, everlasting, complete, perfect love.  We need not fear Him turning from us.  Romans 8:29 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.  Ephesians 1:4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Before time began, God chose us.  Before we took a breath.  So yes, He knows all about us, knew all about us, and yet still chose to save us, to adopt us and yes to love us.  He does not love us based on our performance.  He loves us because He is love.  He doesn't change who or what He is based on our ideas or actions.  God hates sin, yes indeed.  But that doesn't negate His love for you and me.  

As humans, we tend to love those who love us.  We are happy when we perform well, reject ourselves when we don't.  We have a tendency to follow emotions and judge things (ourselves and others) based on how well we do.  If we have a good day, say all the right things, we are pleased and love ourselves.  But when we fail....then we pile on the recriminations and guilt.  Our Father doesn't do this.  In Him there is no turning or changing who He is.  James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.   We must trust His love.  He who began a good work in us will complete it! (Philippians 1:6)  Let's not measure how God loves by how we love.  

Lord, thank You for the everlasting love You love us with.  Thank You that You don't walk away when we've gone too far, failed too often.  Thank You that You don't see us the way we see ourselves.  Teach us to have a balanced way of looking at ourselves.  Let us come to You when we fail, for forgiveness, for strength and for correction.  But let us not try to hide, because You love us fully, even when we fail.  Thank You that You will always love me, even at my most unloveable.  But we also ask that You continue to work in us to make us more like Jesus.  And it's in His precious Name I pray.  Amen.  

Read Psalm 139.  Meditate on it's truths.  

Psalm 139

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart

    and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit down or stand up.

    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

3 You see me when I travel

    and when I rest at home.

    You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say

    even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me.

    You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!

    I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;

    if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning,

    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

    and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me

    and the light around me to become night—

12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

    Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God.

    They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;

    they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

    you are still with me!

19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!

    Get out of my life, you murderers!

20 They blaspheme you;

    your enemies misuse your name.

21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?

    Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?

22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,

    for your enemies are my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 Point out anything in me that offends you,

    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Devotion

Oh for a heart that is every moment totally devoted and committed to God!  This week in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) we read about Abijah and his son Asa.  Two kings of Judah who waffled in their devotion to God at various times in their lives.  It's so easy to maintain committment when our hearts and emotions are up, but when we don't feel anything, or are tired, or become busy or don't get our way....well devotion easily falters.   

But God says in Jeremiah 29:13 "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."   And when Asa turned to a human army to save him from his enemies God sent the prophet Hanani to tell him "...Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram. 8 Don’t you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and charioteers? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them over to you. 9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war."  2 Chronicles 16:7b-9

So I know God is speaking sweet instruction to my heart, reminding me to remain committed and devoted to Him.  Don't waiver in this by looking towards the world for fulfillment or letting life's busyness turn me from Him.  I love these words and lessons my Father brings.  

So I pray, I pray for a heart fully devoted, not looking to the left or to the right.  I pray for a committment not to put anything before my Savior.  Think of this...Jesus was so devoted to you and me that His face never turned from the Cross.  Let us be the same as He!  And thank God for the truth that even when we are faithless He remains faithful, as we are told in 2 Timothy 2:13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.  And in all this, as we seek God it is He who will give us this faithful devotion if we would only seek and obey.  The more we do this, the more we become!  1 Thessalonians 5:24  5:24 God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.  God will make us holy in every way, including our devotion to Him.  

Hallelujah!  Lord, make us devoted to You!  Give us hearts fully focused, fully committed, while unshakeable devotion to You our Creator, Redeemer and King.  It's in Your faithful Name we pray.  Amen.

Make a decision each morning to seek this full hearted devotion to God.  

God's Glory

My friends and I signed up to do a hiking marathon in our county.  Our goal was to hike 26.2 miles during the  month of September.  Well, September is almost over and we are one hike away from completing our goal.  It's been fun and just a beautiful way to fellowship and connect with other ladies of the Lord.  

What has most impressed me with this sweet time is the beauty and variety of God's creation.  He is so amazing, so wildly, above anything we could think or dream, intelligent, creative and imaginitive.  The vastness of this world He created truly amazes me.  The variety of plant life, mushrooms, rocks.  The way the light played through the trees to fall upon the forest floor, dappling it with splashes of brightness.  I think we sometimes forget or get to busy to notice how utterly incredible and wonderful His world really is, and in turn how incredible and wonderful our Creator and God is.  

We recently visited the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.  This is a life size replica of Noah's ark.  Just walking around this incredible structure and seeing all the provision for animals, food, people....and to think, God provided for all of it.  He thought of everything.   He equipped Noah for this herculean task, drew the animals to the ark, and sustained them through the destruction of this world.  And now we see in nature the regeneration that took place as the world healed from the Father's wrath and cleansing.  

I am so in awe of our heavenly Father.  I share a few pictures to point you to Him.  They don't do justice to His creation.  But I hope they inspire you to look around and praise the Lord as you go about your day.  

Thank You Father for the beauty You give us.  In every day we see Your hand and Your handiwork.  Open us up to Your glory and let our hearts sing Your praise.  In the Name of Jesus who is our only Savior.  Amen.  

Read Genesis 1

A Different Spin

I started something called Bible Study Fellowship this week.  It's a ten month long, weekly dive into the Bible with a group of ladies at a local church.  This is my first time doing this program and even thought I was trepiditious at first because of the committment level, I am very excited to be doing it.  Apparently it's a world wide event that has been around for quite some time.   

The title of the study is called "Kingdom Divided."  The material will cover the time of Israel's fall from grace, the dividing of the kingdom after King Solomon, her up and down relationship with the God who rescued her from slavery and settled her in the promised land, her plummet into idolatry and eventual return to enslavement.   

Many times I've thought of Israel, read about her triumphs and failurers, and in my mind compared her to the present day United States.  The early settlers came here with good intentions, escaping tyranny and religious oppression and bringing the Gospel to the people in this far off land.  And yet, we seem to be on the same track as Israel.  We forget our Lord.  We chase after the false gods of this world, seeking only pleasure and materialism.  We fall more and more into sin with each passing year, disobeying our Lord and even celebrating the things He calls evil.  What happens in the future?  I don't know.  In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we are told, "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."   So is there hope for America, for other nations in this world?  I like to think so.  

But this is not my focus here.  This is just the way I've always thought of the decline of Israel...on a national level.  And as a comparison to the nations of today.  But as I was reading the introduction to the Bible study something else clicked into place.  What if this is not just a story of  nations?  But of individuals, a story of me.  Can I look at my life and compare it to Israel's history?  Do I follow God wholeheartedly for a time, only to fall away and become lazy, self-serving and forgetful of the One who saved me.  YES!  

Whoa.  That was eye-opening.  My life reflects the stories written of this ancient people who went up and down in their devotion to Jehovah God.  I often suffer the same misplaced focus, the same seeking after other gods.  They may not be called Molech and Ba'al but they come by other names such as food, comfort, selfishness, and pride.  Maybe those idols we chase after are money, position, power.  Maybe we choose spending hours in front of the TV instead of the Bible.  Whatever we put in place of God, that is our idol.  Like Israel, we wane in our devotion to our Savior because we get complacent or too satisfied with things of the world.  

Wow.  What a different way to read these books.  So my goal in this study is not to look at the passages on a grand scale, but to pull them down to a personal level.  I want to learn to be steadfast and unwavering in my devotion to Jesus.  I am so blessed by this revelation, so joyful to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit calling me to more.  And I know He is calling each of you to more as well.  

Thank You Lord for bringing me this new way of seeing.  This new way of growing and learning.  I'm so glad You showed me this and am excited to mature in my walk with You.  Keep us all moving forward and following You each minute of the day.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

What is your walk with Christ like?  How can you make it more abiding, stronger and more on fire?  

 John 151-10  I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.  9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

Be Wise

Lately I've been allowing life to crowd out my time with Jesus.  And I've been neglectful of my study and prayer time.  I always feel so weird trying to get back to it.  Like I'm so unworthy and fake.  It's like I feel I am only doing because I know I'm supposed to not because I want to.  That is only partially true though.  I want to and I know I'm supposed to.  It's just that being away from dedicated time out with God makes me think I need to do some form of penance before I'm allowed to be in His Presence.  

Now, I know not only have I been over busy, I've also gotten lazy.  Most nights I could have taken time to study, pray and fellowship with my Father, but by then I'm tired.  Now I have the excuse, "I'm tired and I need a break from working, thinking, doing..."  So on goes the TV.  Out comes the book.   It's an EXCUSE.  Pure and simple.  So I decided to buckle down and get back to it tonight.  My intention was to work on the Psalms for my Friday Bible study group.  Well the Lord had a message for me.  

I opened the Bible and the first page I opened to was Proverbs 15.  In Proverbs 15 I have a highlighted verse.  That verse is 14.  Proverbs 15:14 says, "A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash."  Ouch!!  Next to this verse I have written, "Make Bible study a priority--don't be lazy."  Double ouch!!

Well, okay then.  I guess I got the message loud and clear.  But you know what else I get?  I get another message with that verse.  Yes, I understand my priorities have been out of whack and I've been a lazy fool.  But I also hear God saying, just come back.  Come back and hang out with me.  Get back to doing what you know, what you need the most.  Time in My Presence.  

God isn't asking me to jump through hoops or wear sackcloth and ashes.  He just wants me back where I belong.  The Father in Luke 15:11-24 expected nothing from the prodigal son.  He didn't ask for bucketfuls of tears or mea culpas, He celebrated the return of his child.  And while I should and do repent of my neglect I know that the Lord welcomes me and desires my return to fellowship.  I am so grateful for His mercy and loving welcome.  How utterly blessed and blessed some more I am!

Lord, thank You.  Thank You for Your strong words of correction.  I welcome them and repent of my spiritual laziness and putting You on the bottom of things lately.  I've let so many things come before You...busyness and self has drown out Your voice.  Please forgive me.  And thank You for Your open arms, which welcome me back into Your Presence.  Lord, help us to stop letting life getting in the way of being with You.  I pray this in Jesus' most precious Name.  Amen. 

Have you neglected your "God time?"  Get back to it!  

Words

 Two stories.  Two different lessons.  

A while back a lady was standing in the check out line at the local drug store.  It was a pretty long line and one harried, weary cashier was attempting to get through it while two other employees stood to the other side of the register area talking and looking at a phone.  This lady gets up to the cashier and looks at her face.  The cashier looks about ready to cry.  So this lady makes some seemingly unimportant comment about how she was doing a good job getting through the long line.  But then the cashier just opens up.  She came in with a migraine, was barely able to get to work, and was getting no help from her manager or the other employee.  She was so happy to receive a compliment instead of a complaint.  That small comment helped her through that morning.

Fast forward to the present day.  A lady (we'll call her Ann) with three children were shopping at a local department store.  Along came a lady (we'll call her Jane) who thought that Ann was being inconsiderate and holding up Jane's progress of getting through an aisle.  Jane was having a bad day to begin with.  This put her in a very grouchy mood.  Jane huffed and sighed and made an uncomplimentary remark.  Jane continued on her way, leaving Ann and her children stunned and confused.   As Jane made her way around the store, the Holy Spirit (Jane's a Chrisitian) started working on her conscience.  She started feeling very convicted and ashamed.  So Jane knew what she had to do.  She had to find Ann and her children and apologize.  Ugh.  We don't like to do that do we.  Jane did find them.  I think Ann was completely shocked when Jane showed up and asked to talk to her.  And maybe even more shocked when Jane apologized to her and asked for forgiveness.  Thankfully Ann was very gracious and forgave Jane for her un-Christlike behavior.  

I am those two different people.  I am the one who helped by my words and I am Jane who harmed by my words.  I definitely prefer being the one who helps with their words!  I am so glad the Holy Spririt worked on me in the second situation.  I am so glad that Ann was so forgiving.  I can only hope that my bad behavior and subsequent humble obedience in apologizing will bring something positive to the lives of her and her children.  I know it has brought deep repentance in me.  

Lord, please set Your guard over our mouths.  They can do so much good and yet also so much harm.  Help us in our homes, our jobs, our churches and our daily lives to spread love and kindness through our words.  Let "everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."  Ephesians 4:29.  Help us to "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior."  Ephesians 4:31  Let our words and our lives glorify You.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Proverbs 16:24 Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Shut the Door

Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Instructions from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus was contrasting the pride of the Pharisees with the humility desired by the Father.  He wanted us to learn the difference between the eternal rewards God gives as opposed to the earthly, temporary rewards of the approval and admiration of men.  

Jesus calls us into the secret place, behind the door.  The quiet place.  A place of aloneness with our Father.  It's not a place for others to join.  Not a place of accolades and "way to goes."  In this place we leave the world behind.  The to do list, the phone calls and text messages.  We leave the needs of the physical and temporary to come before the throne of God.  This is where we find our treasure and our hope.  Alone in the company of Jesus.  

Psalm 144:2 My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.  We don't find protection, safety, our needs met or strength standing next to the high tower.  We find these when we go inside and shut the door.  God Himself is our high tower

It is here, in our prayer closets that we find the Lord who answers us, we find our Father who desires to reward our sweet, quiet time with Him.  

So shut your door.  Go in to the quiet place.  Leave the world outside for a while and fellowship with our loving Father.  Song of Solomon 2:10 My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.  The Father calls to our hearts.  "Come away."  

Lord, let us come away with You.  Let us leave our busy schedules, our worldly focus behind and come into Your Presence.  Help us to not bring the interruptions with us.  We need this alone time with You.  It's not for the praise of men, not for the show of piety, but because our hearts greatest need is You.  It is You who meets our needs, listens to our desires, hears or prayers for those in our lives...and it is You that will provide the perfect answers.  And as we wait on You, You give us strength, peace and joy.  Help us to make this "our" time.  You and us.  In Jesus' Name, amen.  

Shut the door.  

Clothes

My neighbors and I are doing a Bible study on the Psalms and Proverbs.  We are on Psalm 30 this week.   Verse 11-12 stood out to me.  “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.  You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.  O Lord my God,   I will give You thanks forever.  

What a beautiful picture.  The Lord Himself dresses us in joy.  He takes our wretched, woeful, worldly clothes and tosses them out.  We are then given elegant, eternal clothes that bring our Lord praise and glory.   

I looked up a few more verses on being clothed and this lovely masterpiece of God’s design emerges. 

Galatians 3:27. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.

2 Corinthians 5:2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.

Zechariah 3:1-5 Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the Angel.  So the Angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.”  And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”  Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.”  So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the Angel of the Lord stood by.

The Lord gives us beautiful clothes to wear.  In the Word we are told of robes of righteousness, the armor of God, crowns if righteousness….all given by the Lord Himself.  These are not things we earn, but amazing gifts given by a loving Father and Savior.

Lord, what more can we say then thank You.  A million times, thank You.   Let us wear the clothing You give us in humility, gratitude and praise.   In the most precious Name of Jesus.  Amen.   

Seek God

I've heard Joyce Meyer say how the Lord challenged her to not ask Him for anything but Himself for six months.  She said it again in her teaching I listened to this morning.  And as usual the question came to mind, "Well yes I can do this for myself, but what of my prayers for others?  And today, the Lord finally gave me an answer.  "Ask for My Presence in their life.  It's their greatest need."  Wow.  Wow.  Wow.  What an answer!  What an obvious, perfect answer! 

And so, for the rest of the week, I will be asking only for the Presence of the Lord in all my prayer requests, whether for myself, others, my marriage, ministries on my heart....Whoever and whatever.  The greatest need of everyone and everything is God's Presence.  What a beautiful visit this morning.  

Psalm 27:4  One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.  (Amplified Bible)

There is no better place to be, no greater need, nothing that can compare or fulfill or bring life than in His Presence.  

Lord, each of us need nothing more than Your Presence.  Give us Your Presence.  Let us just be with You.  In the precious Name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Pleasant Company

Are you pleasant company?  Easy to be around?  Would someone want to hang out with you?  Most of us like to think we are.   And maybe we are for the humans in our life, but what about for God?  What about when we are alone and talking to Him, or to ourselves about our life or circumstances? (You know the muttering under our breath type talking.) 

Something Joyce said in her podcast I was listening to this morning struck a sore spot in my heart.  In essence, she said why would Jesus want to hang out with someone who was complaining and whining all the time?  Ugh.  That hurt.  Couple that with what I read in the daily devotion from Oswald Chambers this morning and I could have been well on my way to a "beat myself up" session.  "If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience.  

So, here I am.  Mulling these two thought over.  And I'm coming to the conclusion that if I want the Presence of Jesus Christ in my life, evident in my life, shining in my life, I need to watch how I speak and be obedient to His teaching.  Otherwise my life becomes a white washed tomb.  I may look okay on the outside, but my inner man is dead.  My Christian walk is lukewarm, powerless and fruitless.  

Gratitude, obedience, worship.  These are the things that will bring the Presence of Jesus to my life.  These are the things that will make hanging out with me a pleasant experience for our Lord and Savior.  Why would He want to make Himself known in my life if all I did was complain about the things His given or how He does things in my life.  Wow this is quite the convicting eye-opener.  

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

God desires to show us His ways.  But if we want to be in His Presence we must be obedient.  Why whould He show us the another step if we haven't followed the first one He showed us?  

Psalm 5:5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong;

Psalm 41:12 Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.

We must obediently and humbly walk in His ways to remain in His Presence.  To have Him manifest Himself in our lives.  God's not going to show Himself to those who are arrogant and continually disobedient.  

Psalm 89:15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.

Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

When we are being thankful, praising His Name, acclaiming His glory and love to ourselves and others we will walk in the light of His Presence.  Jesus will shine in our lives and we will grown closer and closer to Him.   

There are areas in my life where I know I am not in obedience.  I am being led by my emotions and my stubborn will.  I am not allowing the redeeming power of my Savior to work in those areas because I am in disobedience.  And I am actively complaining about the situation.  This stops now.  I want Jesus to shine and be on display in my life.  John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Lord, forgive me for my stiffnecked response to Your leading.  I desire Your Presence in my life.  I have not been good complany for You.  I have not been obedient in certain areas of my life to Your commands.  I repent.  I turn from these things right now.  Help me.  Because without You I can do nothing.  But in You I can do all things You ask of me.  Lord, we all desire Your Presence to be with us each day.  We need to sense You, we need to see You and we need others to see You in us.  Give us this day our daily bread.  You are the bread of life.  We need You.  We thank You and we praise You for Your wisdom, patience, and love.  We thank You for the forgiveness You offer when we fail.  We submit our hearts and lives and words to You.  It is in Your most powerful Name we pray.  Amen.  

Are there areas in Your life where Your words and actions arae keeping you from the Presence of God? 

Stay Present

Yesterday morning I was driving to the first of many appointments for the day.  My mind was wandering through the to do list and figuring out the best way to accomplish what needed doing and getting to the places that needed getting to.  I was getting exhausted just thinking about it all, and I wasn't even doing the first task yet!  LOL 

Well, God, as He always does set out to bring me back to the present.  On the radio came the song "Keep Me in the Moment" by Jeremy Camp.  And boy did I need to hear that!  

It's so easy to get ahead of ourselves.  Our minds race through the day, focused on what has to be done instead of what we are doing.  And I have to wonder, how much are we missing by doing that?  Are we missing a lesson God wants to teach us, a person He wants us to help, a blessing He wants us to have or even missing His very Presence in our day.  Are we missing joyful moments with loved ones, meeting a new friend, enjoying a sunset or just taking in the peace of God.  This makes me very sad.  I don't want to miss anything the Lord has for me, especially His sweet Presence in my every moment.   Should we not keep ourselves focused in the moment, taking time to savor our days as gifts from our Father?  Should we not keep an eye open to His hand, His heart and His will as we walk through the tasks of our day?  As I get older I find multi-tasking to be a little more difficult.  LOL   Maybe that's God's way of telling me to keep my mind on what I am doing right then, and be open to His design for that space of time.   In doing that I can remain in peace instead of worrying the hours away with the list of things to accomplish.  And in doing that I have space in my head and heart to hear His voice so I can follow His leading, which may be something entirely different than I have planned.  

What a sweet reminder this was.  I love hearing the voice of God, love His patient instruction which I need so often.  

Thank You Lord, once again for the correction and encouragement You bring.  Keep me in the moment so I can hear Your voice, see Your hand and walk in Your Presence.  In Your Presence is peace and joy in abundance. What a beautiful way to live.  Please help me and all of us follow this plan of Yours.  Let us be lead by Your Spirit and remain focused on the moment in front of us.  It's in Jesus Name I pray.  Amen.

Remain in the moments.  

Prayers

When we pray doesn't it sometimes feel like just words?  I go through this often, even though I believe God is calling me to a higher level in prayer.  I want my prayers to be meaningful, effective, filled with the power and promise of the Holy Spirit.  How do we get there?

First, I think we have to be aware.  Aware of what we are saying and Who we are saying it to.  Lose the "I'll pray for you," throw away phrase that we give people when we hear a need.  Instead, take the need we've heard and thoughtfully, bring it to the One who can do all things, who knows all things, who is filled with love and wisdom...our El Shaddai.  The Lord Almighty.  Remember Who we bring our requests to.  He is our Lord Almighty, but He is also our loving Abba Father.  

Second, remember prayer has power.  James 5:13-18 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.  Pray with the expectation that God will answer.  Don't forget though, leave that answer up to Him.  He is not a cosmic genie who grants our wishes but a Sovereign God who rules with all wisdom, love and kindess.  He sees the beginning from the end, the end from the beginning and everything in between and knows the perfect solutions that we can't even fathom. 

The Lord tells us in Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  We can come before Him, not in fear, but in faith.  But we also need to be humble enough to remember that He is God and we are not.  Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? 

Jesus talked about prayer.  Matthew 7:7-12 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.  Our heavenly Father desires to bless us.  And whether His answer agrees with ours or not, His answer is good.  He gives no other type of response.  

I could go on and on about praying.  God is showing me so much lately.  But believing my prayers are "real" and believing I am coming to a Being who desires to interact, communicate and respond are some of the biggest things He is teaching me.  Come expecting Him to answer.  Come expecting that answer to be the best response.  And come leaving the timing up the Him.  Patient, believing, trusting faith.  

Thank You Lord for this amazing truth...You desire to fellowship with us.  You desire to meet our needs.  Lord, help us to come in faith, not in our own solutions, but faith in Who You are and that You always want the best for Your children.  Give us an awareness of Yourself when we pray.  Whether our words be few or many, whether we are articulate or only cry out in Your Presence, Lord, let our prayers be heartfelt and trusting.  Teach us to pray.  And it is in faith, in the holy Name of Jesus that I ask this for each of us.  Amen. 

Matthew 6:9-15 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.