Going Out of Town

Dear Ones -

I am travelling this weekend, leaving in the morning. I do not know what kind of access I will have to write via this blogspot. Hopefully, it will work out. If not, meet me back here on Monday evening, okay? Blessings to you and yours!

We Didn't Plan It That Way

Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
Ephesians 1:4-6 The Message

As we enter into the Christmas season this year, almost everyone has plans of some kind. Plans to shop for gifts for family or friends. Maybe you have plans for friends' parties or the office get-together. Or maybe you're one who just plans to hide out till it's all over.

Maybe you had plans for this year that didn't work out and you haven't reconciled with it. Maybe you suffered the worst - the death of a loved one that no one can plan for. (((💔))) I'm so sorry...

We can plan and save and work but sometimes, it seems our plans are all for naught. Things don't turn out the way we planned them. Listen, I want to encourage you. Don't quit. Don't give up. God's been planning our lives since "long before he laid down earth's foundations... Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son." 

God DOES have a plan for each of us. Sometimes, it's very difficult to see. However, if we will work WITH Him instead of against Him, it will work...even if we didn't plan it that way.

Prayer:

Father,
          We don't always understand. It's hard for us to walk out the living Word of  'Your ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours'. We choose to trust You. We choose Your Son, Your will, Your way over everything the world has to offer. Increase our faith, God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Repeat Reminder!

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.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

I am always driven to these 2 verses when things happen or are happening that I can't understand. Used to be, I would rant and rail at God, explaining to Him all the reasons those things shouldn't be happening and touting what I believed would be a better plan (usually mine...) Thank God, I've finally come to the place that I believe whatever God does is ultimately for our good. Whatever He allows to touch our lives is there to help us grow in faith and love and trust.

I've been sitting here, trying to find the right words to convey the depth of His love in these two verses, but all I keep hearing is Laura Story's song called  Blessings. So that's what I'm sending along. I've included the link, or you can copy and paste it. I've also included the lyrics. Open your heart to the Lord and let this song wash over your spirit.

This is NOT a message of apologetics. It's about a God who doesn't have to explain Himself, but does anyway, because of His great love for us. The question is, can we understand Him?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ&feature=related

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not - this is not our home

It's not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Prayer:

Father,

          We love You and we trust You. Use whatever it takes to get our attention and keep it on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Scattered

A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.
Acts 8:1,4 NLT

Scattered. Persecuted. Running for their lives! All because they were believers... It was bad! They were being hunted and thrown in prison and killed just for being Christians. Did it stop them? Did they forever go into hiding? Did it paralyze them in fear? No! The Bible says they preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. [emphasis mine]

They had recently watched Jesus die on the Cross. All hope should have been gone... but they had met the Master. They witnessed His everyday-walking-around life and they had been changed forever... and because of it, they were changing the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. The blessed salvation message - all while scattered. Not in their homes. Not with their families. Not with their friends. Scattered. Spread the Word; the Good News wherever you are scattered.

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to fix our hearts and minds on You. Let nothing get in the way of sharing Your Good News to a lost and dying world. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

I Have to Do Everything

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
Philippians 2:14-16 NIV

I don't know when it happened. I'm not even sure how it happened, I just know that I've caught myself doing it, and I don't like it. Grumbling. Complaining. Being negative. I told my sister today, that is NOT who I want to be. I have to rip out that bad seed by the root, get rid of the thorns and re-work the hardened soil of my heart and soul! Jeremiah 4:3 tells us, Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. I am thanking God this day that He shines His light on the Truth of His Word and loves me enough to correct me.

Michelle offered that we should refocus our hearts and minds by actively communicating every day what we are thankful for. Knowing my sister and I are two peas in a pod, I readily agreed with one stipulation: We have to be truly grateful, not negatively grateful. What do I mean by that? Well, none of this - "I'm grateful I didn't smack the snot out of anyone today who ticked me off, even though I had ample opportunity." To which she replied, "Yeah, I was thinking no - 'I'm so grateful God gave me good perceptive skills so I could see an idiot coming from a mile away' kind of thing, either." (Yes, you can see for yourself we needed to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God... Confessing our faults one to another, praying for one another that we might be healed.) It is God's Word - His Living Word - that changes the hearts and minds of mankind.

Yes, I have to do everything - without grumbling and complaining or arguing! We choose to control what comes out of our mouths by following Your Word, I will bless the Lord at all times: Your praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Prayer:

Father,
           According to Your Word in Philippians 4:7, we choose not to worry about anything, but to tell You every detail of our needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and Your peace which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over our hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus. Make our hearts pure so that when we speak out of its fullness our words will be pure. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Like I Believe

If you love me, obey my commandments.
John 14:15 NLT

You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. 
1st Corinthians 6:19b-20a NLT

If you are married and you believe in the principles of marriage till death do you part, and you LIVE like you are married till death do you part because you value the relationship, then you won't be swayed by the temptations that WILL come your way. You will quickly recognize they don't line up with what you believe and so, you won't compromise your marriage relationship. 

Same thing with your job. If you learn the company policies and procedures and put them into practice, you will know when an action does not line up with the company's guidelines. And if you value what you do for the company, you won't compromise the business relationship for a lesser standard.

Strong and solid relationships are worth the extra time and effort needed to nurture them and keep them alive.

If you are married and you act like you are single, you won't be married very long. If you are employed by a company and you act like the rules don't apply to you, you won't be there for long. Would you agree?

The same is true in our relationship with the Lord. Nowhere in His Word does it say God suggests anything. It's His rules, His way for this life we live because He paid for our lives. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments. No ifs, ands or buts... If you live like you believe His Word then you won't be swayed by the temptations that WILL come your way. You will quickly recognize they don't line up with what you believe.

Do you live like you believe? If so, is that good or bad?

Prayer:

Father,
         Breathe on us. Cause Your Word to come alive in us to bring forth the fruit You have purposed for our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

God is Good

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 NKJV

My youngest granddaughter spent the night with me last night - one of my favorite things in the world - Sleepover at Granna's house. That means there are other things that are put aside, writing being one of them. However, I found this sermon on line that is a great reminder of the goodness of God and I want to share part of it with you. It was written by Lloyd Stilley, who at the time of its writing (almost 5 years ago), was the pastor at First Baptist in Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA.

Lend me your ears now for two stories, and see if you can detect the common denominator they share. The first is one of those ripping good parables that Jesus told about our Heavenly Father. Once upon a time, there was a wealthy man who, early one morning, dropped by the marketplace, which was the ancient equivalent to the unemployment office. There he hired a bunch of guys to work in his vineyard for an agreed upon rate of pay. A few hours later, he went back again and then again later that same day, each time employing more and more men. In fact, as Jesus told it, the owner of the vineyard hired extra workers right up until quitting time. The last men were hired just one hour before sunset. 

As the last light of day faded, the workers gathered to receive their pay. They were lined up in order from the last ones hired and working backward. And this is when Jesus tucked a zinger into the story. Every man, no matter how long they had worked that day, received exactly the same pay: one day's wages. 

I don't have to tell you that things got a little testy by the time the line reached its end. A low murmur passed among those who were hired early that morning. Finally someone just said it: "This is not right. We got a bum deal. You have short-changed us! We did most of the work today. We carried the burden under the hot sun. But you treated them as equals in the labor! 

Jesus put these words in the mouth of the owner of the vineyard: "Didn't we agree together on what I would pay you? I've kept my word to you. Now don't begrudge my desire to be generous! For reasons that are mine, I wanted to do something unexpected, something crazy, something that would make these men run home to their wives and say, 'You're not going to believe what happened to me today!'" (Based on Matthew 20) 

Now for the second story, which took place in a classroom at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri back in 2002. It was the day for final exams. Denise Banderman walked into the classroom minutes before the professor arrived. Everybody in the room was doing last-minute cramming. Then the professor enters and takes a few minutes to review. Most of it was familiar, but there were some things that no one remembered ever hearing. The professor responded with what sends cold chills up every student's spine: "This is in your textbook, and you are responsible for the content on this exam.
The time came for the test. He gave the word, every student took up their pen and turned over their test. I want you to hear this in Denise's own words: "I couldn't believe it! To my astonishment every answer on the test was filled in. My name was even written on the exam in red ink." 

A wordless stir traveled like a wave over the class as each student looked at their completed exam. On the bottom of the last page of every test was this note from the professor: "All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an A on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A."  (Denise Banderman, Hannibal, Missouri; cited in PreachingToday.com, "Professor Takes Students' Test for Them") 

Now, consider what you have heard. There was the story about laborers who were paid a full day's wages for one hour's work. There was the story of an already-completed exam that gave every student an undeserved "A." What do these stories have in common? Call it out! 

Can I tell you something? Those aren't just the experiences in other people's lives. There isn't a single person in this room who hasn't experienced outrageous, lavish, unexpected, undeserved kindness. What is more, we experience these serendipities every single day. They are poured out over us constantly. I know this, and I declare it with total confidence today because of one unchanging truth that permeates every crease of reality: God is good! 

If you want to see God for Who He really is, here's a good starting point. "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good" (1st Chronicles 16:34). "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8) "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him and praise His name! For the Lord is good and His love is eternal, and His faithfulness endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:4-5)

Prayer:

Father,
            We enter into Your gates with thanksgiving for all You've done for us and continue to do. In our finite minds, we cannot even begin to fathom Your goodness and mercy and love toward us! How do we even begin to thank You for Your eternal love and faithfulness? Open our hearts to receive Your love in its fullness. Open our eyes to see Your goodness in every day. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Pastor Stilley's sermon in its entirety can be found here: https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/sermon-god-goodness-psalm-145-107

For Real

..being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Philippians 1:6 NKJV

What exactly does it mean to be confident? How confident are we? The dictionary defines confident as:

1. Self-assured - certain of having the ability, judgment,          and resources needed to succeed

2. Convinced - sure about the nature or facts of something

The thesaurus offers these words as alternate ways to define confident: sure, certain, positive, convinced, secure, in no doubt. Are you confident in yourself and your own ability(ies)? Be completely honest with yourself. I know...I know... There are days that I am absolutely confident that I have NO ability(ies). And the Truth of the matter is, apart from Christ, I don't.

But here's the big question... Are we confident in Him? Are we certain that God the Father has the ability, judgment, and resources needed to succeed? Are we convinced, positive, secure, and in no doubt that Jesus is who He says He is? That together They will do what has been promised and already completed? Are we sure? Are we that confident in His Word?

Yeah? Then how come we hesitate when He moves in our Spirit? Jesus is real. His Word is real. How confident are we for real? He who has begun a good work in you WILL complete it... I'm confident. Yeah, for real.

Prayer:

Father,
              We are confident in You. We choose to be just like Abraham who did not look at his or Sarah's inability in the flesh to produce an heir. Abraham NEVER cast away his confidence in You and in Your Word even though he waited years...and then made mistakes trying to help You, just like we have done. But Father, we come back to the heart of who You are and pray that our confidence in You never waivers. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Thanksgiving and Doxologies

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.
Ephesians 1:3 NLT

We sing a lot of contemporary Christian music at my church. Thankfully, though, our worship pastor was raised old school and does a fine job of incorporating some of the old songs and hymns.   This past week, as part of worship, he began to sing one of the old doxologies recently recorded and released by Integrity Music; Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow, sung to the tune of the Old Hundredth. A doxology is defined as “an expression of praise to God, especially a short hymn sung as part of a Christian worship service.”

And as we began to sing a song I have sung hundreds of times before, there in the middle of the worship, I knew we were touching God with the praise of His people and we could feel His sweet presence as we sang...

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above ye heav'nly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  

          Praise God who loves us great and small
          Praise Him who hears our faintest call
          The Sovereign Lamb redeemed the fall
          Praise God, the Saviour, Lord of all 

From all that dwell below the skies
Let faith and hope with love arise
Let beauty, truth, and good be sung
Through every land by every tongue

Thanksgiving is about just that - giving thanks - to the One who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing...and giving Him praise! Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Father, 
           Thank You for music. Thank You for Your anointing on it. Thank You for enabling our hearts to respond to You. Birth in us a new desire to know You more. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

Proverbs 15:13-15 NLT

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. If you want to get people talking, ask them what tradition makes it Thanksgiving for them. Even if they don't have fond memories of childhood gatherings, they usually DO have fond wishes of what they thought should be part of it. And I've never seen it fail that once that conversation starts, it usually progresses into the weirdest recipe ever used to serve turkey leftovers, with everyone in agreement that by the third day, they're done with turkey. They don't want to look at another piece of turkey, let alone eat it again.

I know lots of people who will not eat leftovers - ever - no matter what it is. They're a one-time only eater. As a general rule of thumb, I don't mind leftovers. In fact, some things taste better the next day - pot roast, chili, meatloaf sandwiches - but, I don't want a daily diet of leftovers and I don't know anyone who does. Do you?

And yet, many people eat leftovers every day. You know them. They're the ones who can't, or won't, trust God because they're still chewing on leftover disappointments. Still picking their teeth with sticks and stones from the past. They can't hear the kind words that are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body (Proverbs 16:24) because they're still full from yesterday's generous helpings of bitterness that they're trying to digest. By the same token, many can't take in the goodness of God because they've filled up on garbage.

What are you hungry for? Will you be wise or foolish in your choices? Do you want something fresh from Heaven or something that's been laying around for years? It's feeding time. What will you feed on today?

Prayer:

Father,

        Your Word declares that You sent Your Son to set at liberty those who are held captive. It declares that we are new creations in Christ Jesus. Open our eyes and our hearts to understand and embrace the TRUTH of Your Word over the experiences of our lives. We want more of You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Hope for a Harvest

You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to Me, He gives you.
But remember the root command: Love one another.
John 15:16-17 The Message


Oftentimes, in the Christian realm, we think bearing fruit means winning souls for the kingdom of God. It's not the only fruit mentioned in Scripture. If you've walked with the Lord for very long, you've heard about the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

There are the fruits of righteousness - fruits born of the Jesus that has been planted inside of us. Holiness, good works. Yes, the Bible calls us to be fruitful in every good work. Ephesians 2:10 reads, For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Has what's been planted in you taken root? Are you seeing the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in your daily life? If you're not seeing the actual fruit, are you at least seeing the buds or blossoms? 

The Parable of the Fig Tree in Luke 13, assures us that God wants and expects us to bear fruit. It shows us that God is willing to go the extra mile for us if there is even hope that we will bear fruit for His glory. Hope for a harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, holiness, and good works born out of our relationship with Christ.

Prayer:

Father,

          We pray Your Word from Philippians 1:9-11 The Message,  So this is my prayer: that our love will flourish and that we will not only love much but well. That we will learn to love appropriately. We need to use our head and test our feelings so that our love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Cause us to live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. And we will hope for the harvest. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

How You Look at It

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8 NKJV

Here in the US, we have entered Thanksgiving week. A time set aside to gather and give thanks for the blessings in our lives. And yes, despite whatever challenges we may be facing at this moment, all of us have at least one thing to be thankful for. It's all in how you look at it. It's your choice.

We can choose to be grumpy because we have to get up early - or we can choose to be grateful we woke up and have a job to get to or a dog to walk or children to feed.

We can choose to be grumpy because we have to clean the kitchen - or we can choose to be grateful that we have had food to prepare, and a way to prepare it, and water to clean up, and we live in a place that has a kitchen to clean.
There are opportunities all day long to find them - multiple choices to define and count our blessings.  From the time we get up in the morning until we lay our head to rest at night. It's all in how you look at it.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the many, many blessings You have provided for us. Open our eyes to see You and Your hand of provision. Allow us to see Your fingerprints in every area of our lives. Help us to choose thanksgiving over grumbling. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Deserving

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:8-12 NLT

My sister loves me. She forever takes up for me. When she thinks I've been wronged in some way, her first response is either, "You didn't deserve that!" or "You deserve better than that!" (whatever "that" is). She loves me fiercely and is always in protective mode, even though she's the younger, and of course, I love her right back. That being said, I would be terribly misguided if I started to believe that somehow, I deserve to only have good things happen in my life and that nothing bad should ever happen to me, based on my own actions.

In the light of God's Word - and let's be honest, every area and every moment of our lives should be lived in the light of God's Word - the only thing we deserve is death. Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. A few chapters before that Paul writes, For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:23-24) 

See how that is? Based on our own works, we fall short and our payoff is death. Based on God's works, we are made right with Him and we get eternal life. We don't get what we deserve! We get mercy and grace. Unfathomable in light of the Truth!

Paul says it best in Romans 12:3 The Message when He writes, I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, not by what we are and what we do for Him. [emphasis mine]

Prayer:

Father,
            How can we ever thank You enough for NOT giving us what we deserve? We thank and praise You for the precious gift of Your Son offering us eternal life. We are humbled by Your grace and mercy in our lives. Help us to keep our hearts and eyes wide open to Your Truth. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Psalm 47

Psalm 47

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
    Shout to God with joyful praise!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome.
    He is the great King of all the earth.
3 He subdues the nations before us,
    putting our enemies beneath our feet.
4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,
    the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves. Interlude

5 God has ascended with a mighty shout.
    The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
    sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King over all the earth.
    Praise him with a psalm.
8 God reigns above the nations,
    sitting on his holy throne.
9 The rulers of the world have gathered together
    with the people of the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
    He is highly honored everywhere.

Prayer:

Father, 

          Let Your glory reign over all the earth!  Let us recognize and proclaim Your praise! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen!

Stand Firm

He [God] made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.
Colossians 1:19b-23a NLT

God wants a relationship with us. With you. With me. The Creator of the universe. That God. And He made it so we could have one with Him. Before Jesus, it was nigh on impossible; but since Christ's death and resurrection, we are able to go into the very presence of God and stand before him without a single fault... holy and blameless...

There is one condition - you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.

Even in the Old Testament, King Jehoshaphat said, Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm.

There are many trials, tests and tribulations that come at us. The enemy of our soul wants to destroy our face-to-face relationship with God. Paul warns us in 1st Corinthians, Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And instructs us again in Ephesians to Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. All strategies. All.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. AND guarantees that we have everything we need to accomplish what He has set before us to do for His will and His purpose.

The only way to stand firm in a relationship with an Almighty God - to become His child - is through Emmanuel (God with us). Jesus makes it so we can stand in His presence. Will you?

Prayer:

Father,

           We want to see You. We want to stand in Your presence - holy and blameless - through Christ our Lord. Remind us always to stand firm. Holy Spirit, teach us how to walk in right relationship. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

All God's Children or All God's Creation

He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
John 1:11-13 NLT

This may step on some toes. I heard it again today. It's just not the Truth. We are NOT all God's children. We are all God's CREATION - by His design - but to be His child, we must be born again.

1st John 3:10 - So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

Galatians 3:26 - For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Believing in Christ, accepting Him as the Son of God and the sacrifice of His atonement for our sin - that's how we are given the right to become God's children. No other way to the Father, but through Christ. There's no crown just for being part of the human race. How in do you want to be - part of creation or a child of God?

Prayer:

Father,
           Grant us divine hearing to be able to differentiate between what sounds good and what is Truth. We don't want to be a part of the time Paul cautioned about in 2nd Timothy 4:3, For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. We want to hear and know Your Truth so that we will be set free to be Your children. Deliver us, O Father, from itching ears. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

My Refuge

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 NKJV

There are wars and catastrophes - financial instability and unsecured futures wreaking havoc and stress throughout the world's populace. What are we to do? Where can we turn? When they come to the end of their resources and personal ability, people around the world are looking for a refuge.

Webster's defines refuge as 'a shelter or protection from harm; any place one may turn for relief or help.' Surely, that is our God and ONLY our God. In Psalm 62, King David defines refuge this way;

 1 I wait quietly before God,
      for my victory comes from him.
 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
      my fortress where I will never be shaken.
 5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
      for my hope is in him.
 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
      my fortress where I will not be shaken.
 7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
      He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
 8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
      Pour out your heart to him,
      for God is our refuge.

Prayer:

Father,
          In the midst of all that is going on, we declare You are our Refuge. We will wait quietly before You, for You alone are our Rock and our Salvation. Let us never lose sight of Your Truth. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Stay

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:1-6 NKJV

I heard a 6-minute message today that was part of our church's 25th Anniversary Celebration. It was so rich, I will be chewing on it for days. 

Abide in Me, and I in you. On the surface, I've never taken that any further than "Follow Christ. Be a Christian and He would never leave me." Today, I realized, it is SO much more than that. Thank You, Jesus, for Your Word!

What is the first thing we want to do when we get into trouble or face adversity? We want to cut and run. Turn tail and run in the opposite direction. If there is pain involved, we want no part of it. Right? The last thing we want to do is stay. Likewise, pruning is painful. It's cutting back. It's cutting away things that suck life out of us. Things that allow the enemy to steal from us our time, our health. Our very faith! We shouldn't want that even more!

Abide is translated from the Greek word 'meno', which, according to Strong's Concordance, means to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy). In our Promise for Today, Jesus tells us it is the pruning process of our lives that allows us to bear more fruit. And if we don't bear fruit, we are cut completely away from Him. When we read verse 2, we see it is the branch already bearing fruit that God prunes. In other words, you're doing something right, and God is going to prune so you can do even better. That may feel or even look like you're being punished for doing good things, but keep in mind, God's ways are not our ways. Jesus tells us to "Stay in place." "Stay in relation to Me." "Stay in expectancy."  Stay in the pruning process. Stay in the fire. Be refined. The key is to stay. 

Prayer:

Father,

          Open Your Word to us. Reveal Your great Truths so that we may live and not die. Give us hearts of understanding and opportunities to share Your Good News. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Special Transport

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.
Jonah 1:17a

We all have heard at least something about Jonah and the whale. I don't know whether or not it was specifically a whale - Scripture tells us it was a large fish and God had prepared it. It appears to be yet another case of "for such a time as this..."

Jonah was running from God and God's divine will for Ninevah and for Jonah himself. God had the plan but Jonah didn't want to. It didn't fit with what Jonah thought God should do in his life. So Jonah bought his own ticket and headed in the opposite direction.

How many times have we done the same thing? Do we honestly think we'll get God to come around to our way of thinking by foisting our own rebellious will on Him?!?

I heard Pastor Alan Neel make this statement a few years back. "In the book of Jonah, we read one of the best stories about one of the greatest revivals in the annals of history... because of one man's obedience (finally)."

Doesn't that make you wonder what could happen because of our obedience - or what is NOT happening because of our lack of obedience?

We can do this easy or we can do this hard. God has the plan. Don't make Him arrange special transport to get you to His destination.

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us for our rebellion and pride in thinking that we know what's best for us. Help us just to trust You, no matter what. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Full Dozen

Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.
John 13:1 NLT

As I was reading again the accounts of Christ's last sit-down meal this side of the Cross, I was struck by this first verse in the different translations/versions of the Bible.

NKJV reads, ...having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

The Message - Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.

The NIV - Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

The Amplified - And as He had loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the last and to the highest degree.

I've read it countless times over the years, but every time we read God's Word, it is alive and powerful. His love was and is so deep, so real, so utterly amazing...

Verse 2 tells how satan had already gotten a foothold of Judas. Verse 3 confirms how Jesus knew God had already put everything in His hands...and in verse 4, this same Jesus - ever the Teacher - gets up from His last meal this side of the Cross, takes off His robe and girds Himself with a servant's towel to wash the feet of the twelve - not eleven - ALL twelve of them. He didn't wait until after Judas left to wash their feet. It was all twelve... including the very one who would betray Him.

The full extent of His love. And it was in the role of a servant, washing the feet of His followers that He loved them to the highest degree. And if you read the rest of the chapter, you will find that's how He instructs us to love. Can we take it to the full extent of HIS love?

Prayer:

Father,
            May the love we show and share distinguish us as Your disciples. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

No Fault

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all."
John 18:37-38 NKJV

The world is crazy about 'no fault' scenarios. No fault insurance. No fault divorce. However, the Truth of it all is that there is only One without Fault.  In the book Grace, More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Can Imagine, the author writes, 

It's not that Jesus could not sin but that He did not sin... [He] was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). 

Jesus was God's model of a human being. Ever honest in the midst of hypocrisy. Relentlessly kind in a world of cruelty. Heaven-focused in spite of countless distractions. When it comes to sin, Jesus never did.

We, on the other hand, have never stopped...

To sin is to state, "God, I do not want you to be my king."

He who knew no sin - according to 2nd Corinthians 5:21 - we, as sinners, refuse and reject Him. The penalty for sin is death and we're all sinners, but Jesus paid the price. He was sinless yet He died in our place. Whose fault is that? At the Cross of Calvary where we find grace, we have no fault through the Blood of Christ. No fault.

The author continues,

Saturate your heart in this, the finest summary of God's greatest accomplishment: "God in His gracious kindness declares us not guilty."

No Fault. Only Jesus.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for the sacrifice of Your sinless, spotless Son. The perfect price of atonement for our sins. Help us to walk in this gift of Grace in understanding and wisdom. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen  

What Others Think

Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
John 12:42-43 NLT

How often are we controlled by what others think or what we think they will think? Probably more often than we realize. Consider this. How about the post we don't put on social media because of what someone might think? Are we motivated by concern that it might offend that particular someone, so we don't do it, or is it about what a certain person might think of us, if we do? 

When you think about it, the whole social media venue is designed to get others' opinions. I'm not saying that's bad necessarily, but we DO need to think about our level of involvement - the value we put on it. We might want to check ourselves. How often do we look to see who liked, how many liked, or wonder why nobody liked  a post? 

I am not saying social media is evil. I'm thankful for it because it allows me interaction with family and dear friends across the nation and the world, occasionally in real-time. It lets me see (and share) the cutest pictures of the kids and grandkids. It allows me to share my walk with Christ with whoever will read it online and wherever they are in the world. Places I can only dream about. Social media may seem innoxious, probably even well-intentioned, but we cannot let it take the place of face-to-face relationships, nor should we place more value on human praise than the praise of God. 

We are here to change the world, not to be changed by what others think. What does God think? That's what we need to know.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the Holy Spirit that guides us into all Truth. Help us to evaluate ourselves and our actions by the standard of Your Word - adhering to Your values, seeking Your approval in all we attempt. We know You planned things for us to do and accomplish long before we drew our first breath. By Your Power and Your Grace, cause us to be world-changers. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Strike Up the Band

Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right. God made history with salvation, He showed the world what he could do.
Psalm 98:1-2 The Message

The whole earth comes to attention. Look—God’s work of salvation! Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band! Round up an orchestra to play for God, Add on a hundred-voice choir. Feature trumpets and big trombones, Fill the air with praises to King God. Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, With everything living on earth joining in.
Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!” And mountains harmonize the finale.

(Psalm 98:3b - 8 The Message Bible)

Can't you just hear it? Isn't just the thought of it incredulous?!? Are you learning the songs now? Practicing praise? A little acapella adoration or maybe a LOT? I read this and thought immediately of the orchestration in Amy Grant's version of Sing Your Praise to the Lord* (from the early 80s- I can't believe it's been that long ago...)

One thing's for certain - God and God ALONE is worthy of all our praise. All of our worship - jubilantly and reverently!

Will you strike up the band - or strike out?

Prayer:

Father,
             We plan a tribute for You when You come to set the earth right. We know only You can straighten out the whole world and put it aright, and everyone in it. Let us usher in Your Presence with our praise! In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In6RxmyGois

Challenged

“You abandon the commandments of God to follow human traditions.” He added, “You have no trouble rejecting the commandments of God in order to keep your own traditions!"
Mark 7:8-9 GWT

Lots of people think they would like to have a checklist of precise do's and don'ts to follow to get themselves into Heaven. Things they can pick and choose and accomplish on their own. It doesn't work that way. There's only one way in - John 14:6, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Jesus was - and IS - the Champion Challenger. He stepped all over the rules and customs of the Pharisees and religious rulers; both then and now. The fact is, we want to be in our comfort zone - whatever and wherever that may be. We want to follow our calling, but we want to do it from our easy chair. We don't want to be uncomfortable.

We want all the answers first, and all the plans perfectly lined out before we take our first step. Let's be perfectly honest. We want to predict and control what will happen with the least amount of struggle. That's not Jesus's way. Controlling a situation has nothing whatsoever to do with trusting God.

The fear of getting out of our comfort zones can be paralyzing. However, in order to grow, we need to be using our spiritual muscles! Think about this. Is it the enemy of our souls trying to stop us from the very encounter that will cause us to grow and mature? Truth - comfort and growth do NOT go hand-in-hand.

Is it fear of failure that keeps us from stepping out of our comfort zone? Listen, it's on us to be obedient, and not to be worried about failing. The Truth is, we cannot fail when we walk in obedience to Christ. The challenge is to hear the Truth and then to trust God enough to take action.

Prayer:

Father, 

           Help us to respond wholeheartedly to the challenges You lay before us. We want to know Your voice and hear You above the chaos around us. Let Your seeds of Truth take root in our lives and bring forth a bumper crop in harvest. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Check Check

This is a little take-away from a message I heard my son preach today (he filled in for his pastor who is on vacation). For me, it adds a whole new perspective to "a child shall lead them..." 
***********************

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”

And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:17-22 NKJV

Obviously, this young ruler had been taught the commandments to follow God. According to him, he'd been practicing them since he was a child. Was he looking for a way to complete his checklist - the one he had designed on his own? 

Search for God. Check.
Learn His commandments. Check.
Implement and follow God's commandments. Check. Check.

Some of us tend to do the same kind of thing. Are we looking to complete our own checklist? 

Go to church. Check.
Read my Bible. Check.
Pay my tithes. Check.
Do good deeds. Check. Check.

How many of us, just like the rich, young ruler in our text for today, would love to see Jesus face to face and have Him tell us exactly what we need to do to get to Heaven?  But then, how many of us would be just like the rich, young ruler, and walk away sad because we're not willing to give up what He's asked us to in order to have eternal life with Christ? Think about that. Search your heart. You know what He's been talking about to you.

Jesus is going to challenge those things in our lives that need to change, and if we don't recognize His touch, His voice, His way, we're going to walk away very sad...and lost.

Challenge. Check. 
Choice. Check. 
Change. Check. Check. 

Prayer:

Father,
           Change our hearts, O God! Make us ever true to Your Word and Your way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Seasons

Daniel answered and said:“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2:20-21 NLT

Think about how many times in the last week you've heard someone mention something to do with seasons. 
Football season. 
Seasonal allergies. 
The holiday season is upon us. 
The seasons are changing - winter's coming. It won't be long before we're hearing, "Tis the Season..."  It's not surprising when you really think about it. All of life is seasonal.

In most of the U.S., Daylight Saving Time ends tonight (clocks go back an hour). And even though we technically get an extra hour to sleep, I don't like when the time changes back because then I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark, and I know that winter is coming. My least favorite season...

Now I know, in South Texas, winters are not anything when compared to those north of the border. However, I don't live north of the border for that very reason. Winter was so long last year that August was almost over before I mentioned how hot it was one day. This time of year should be low-to-mid 70s, that's our normal seasonal weather - not the 40-something degrees they're calling for in the 7-day forecast. I hate sudden changes like that. 

I hate it more so when it's a life season that is suddenly changed - sickness, loss, death. Catastrophic. Devastating. Overwhelming... except for the grace of God. One thing I have learned from living this long. God - my God - created the seasons. And He created it so that Spring always follows Winter. 

During the dark of the winter season when everything looks grey and bare, there is the hope of Spring. During the dark of the seasons of life, there is hope for the Light of the World and the new life we find in Him. He is faithful. He will see us through. It's a season... and He made them all.

Prayer:

Father,

         Blessed be Your Name, O God, forever and ever, for wisdom and might are Yours. You change the times and the seasons; You remove kings and raise up kings; You give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. We know that You direct them all, and we trust You in all of them. Help us, Father, to walk boldly in the path You have put before us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Way, the Truth, and the Life (Word only)

John 14 - NKJV

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.