Sunday, December 1, 2024

Keep Focused

So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.  If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision - you will see it yet!  Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it. ~ Philippians 3:15-16


There are times in our busy lives when we will be distracted from our ultimate goal of living Christlike and we will lose sight of the kingdom rewards.  But we must get back on track and stay focused.  This world is filled with distractions and it’s never been so easy to be consistently busy; busy with things that aren’t even going to matter at the end of our life.  It is vital that we mature our minds and hearts in God’s word and press on to become more like Him so that we do not get swallowed up in the worldly manner of things and sucked into self reliance and independence.  Pray for guidance, trust Him, press into how He has shown us to live so that people become more important to you, second only to Christ, than anything else.  A spiritual life without growth will become stagnant and unproductive.  Just as a pond becomes swampy, smelling and filthy with no fresh inlet of water flowing in and no outlet for water to flow out of so can the spiritual life be without any renewing, or refreshing of your mind.  Spiritual staleness will not produce new life giving growth.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to mature in our walk, to grow from newborn infancy into mature adults in Christlikeness.  Pauls even suggests later in Philippians that we should strive to the maturity level of even being willing to suffer, or die for Christ.  Focus on your daily walk with Jesus and ask Him to help mature your spiritual life to show you where you may not agree with Him and ask Him for clarity.  Dive deeper with Jesus and He will meet you.  I think it is important to remember that we are called to be givers, helpers, and lovers of people; we are to be selfless in this world full of selfish and worldly desires.  We are called to maturity that causes self-denial and possible suffering for the cause of Christ.  In Revelation 3:14-17 Jesus comes down hard on the Church at Laodicea:  “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”  I don’t want Christ to think that of me.  I am praying for the maturity of God that sets me ablaze! ~ Amen

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Everyone Competes

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:25


Strict training, self-discipline, self-control; all great athletes practice these traits when getting ready for a race.  Athletes who hope to win victory and a great prize keep their eye on the end result and stay focused toward that goal.  Christians should exercise the same self-control for the race that they are in and for the heavenly prize that will not wither away, but that will give us eternal glory.  Athletes watch what they eat, stay away from harmful substances and exercise their body to give them the best chance at victory.  Everyday, Christians should be on guard of their daily habits, on how well they are living righteously, and how humble and loving they are and they should exercise their heart, mind and soul with God’s word to stay in tip-top shape for the race towards our end goal of Christ’s eternal service.  Every believer who exercises self-control for God’s glory will win a crown that won’t rust, fade, or decay, but one that will last forever.  Hearts, heads and souls that are won over for the Lord because of the love you have shown them and because of your kindness and humility will all culminate to make your glorious crown in heaven.  To train our minds and attitudes to win over the lost and to bring glory to God should be our number one goal.  To win the lost takes discipline, training in the Word and sometimes giving up our own personal desires so that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus according to God’s will for our lives.  We must throw off what doesn’t ultimately matter in life and run God’s race with perseverance for the purposes he has for our lives while reaching the lost.  Winning for Jesus takes discipline.  So dust off those sneakers.  We’ve got a race to run. ~ Amen


Stand Before

You then, why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or why do you treat them with contempt?  For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat. ~ Romans 14:10


I’d like to say that I have perfected the art of being non-judgemental, but that would be a downright lie.  This is something I have to admittedly work on.  We are reminded in this verse that we will all be judged by God so judging others is not a wise use of our time.  Instead, we should be judging ourselves with the same standard that we want to judge others by and see how well we do.  If we would remember that we also will have to answer to God we might be a bit more gracious and merciful towards others.  God alone is judge and jury and in this verse, brother or sister refers to a fellow believer in Jesus. Family.  We should be living in love for them and living humbly for them.  Helping them in their walk as they help us - not being judgemental, or hurtful.  Paul even used the word contempt; which also is translated as despised and families that have siblings in a contemptuous relationship are sure to cause fractions within the whole family.  We must not despise each other; in so doing, we are being judgemental and that is not our place.  Unity is important and vital to any family, so it goes with Christ’s family.  The fact of the matter is that each of us will be judged and none of us will come out squeaky clean, so who am I to judge my fellow brother, or sister when I probably have the same issues, and those issues probably have nothing to do with the huge commonality we have as being family in Christ?  For in the larger scheme, why should personal opinions or convictions that don’t have salvation significance get in the way of loving one another?  If it’s not a salvation issue, it is a secondary issue and should not be allowed to disrupt unity among family members.  Righteous living, humility, love of others and trust in God should be our forward goals; not judgement of our brothers and sisters.  Let us put our opinions away and love. ~ Amen


Friday, November 29, 2024

Your Gentlenss

Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. ~ Philippians 4:5


There are people in my life who I call “gentle giants”, but really, these people are extremely strong.  You know the type - they keep themselves in check and seem to keep their cool even in the most difficult times.  They are the followers of Jesus who don’t bat an eye at persecution, or disagreements and they handle it by traveling the high road instead of getting easily angered.  They do what I often find impossible to do….hold their tongue.  The fact of the matter is that this type of gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit; you can only exhibit this gentleness by abiding in Christ, trusting God and loving others.  This kind of gentleness can only be illuminated when you let the Holy Spirit cultivate your emotions and you stay in step with Him.  You must be in check with your heart and mind and be on guard so that Satan can’t get a foothold in your  mind, your feelings and your reactions.  We must treat people, believers and non-believers alike, with grace and patience.  We need to be flexible with others and acknowledge that we are not all alike.  We must give up our own rights and be considerate of others first.  We must learn that it’s okay to agree to disagree and still love the people.  Many people have rough edges because they have never learned to be flexible, considerate and gentle with others who don’t see life the same way.  The truth of the matter is, as believers of Christ, we need to bring all anxiety, worry, strife and quarrels to Christ.  We need to remember that in quarrels, especially among other believers, nothing is as important as our end goal - to live for Christ for He is coming back soon and is near; nothing in this world is as important.  Ultimately, we are on the same team; in the same family and want the same thing.  The practice of restraining our emotions and yielding to forgiveness is the way of the “gentle giant”.  May we have the ability to hold our tongues and feelings in check so that we can be great examples of a Christ filled follower. ~ Amen


Saturday, November 23, 2024

Straining Forward

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 3:13-14


Back in the day, I used to be quite the runner and I had great endurance.  Between about the fifth and sixth step of any race, or training, I would get myself into a familiar breathing and step pattern that would carry me to the finish line.  In no race did I turn my head back to see what was going on; I kept my eyes forward and focused.  In the same way, Paul urges us to press on for Christ to the finish line.  Do not look back; look forward so that you may win the prize.  We all know people who get stuck in their pasts, or play the victim role of life until it consumes them and pushes everyone else away.  Some get sucked up with bitterness, anger and resentment and stay stuck in that quick sand.  It’s important to learn from our past, but as believers of Jesus, we are not bound to it.  We need to forgive ourselves, forgive others and throw off our shame and let God’s grace wash over us and accept it so we can continue in forward motion in our spiritual walk.  Moving forward to live our life in God’s will and in His character and to live according to His ways versus the world’s so that we may have eternal life with Him.  Rewards and accomplishments here on earth will pale to our spiritual rewards in heaven.  This race is personal and no two believers’ race will look the same, but should be a journey aligned with God’s will for you and will require perseverance and intentionality each day to see spiritual growth.  Never in the history of the mankind has it been so easy to get distracted by the things of this world; however, if you immerse yourself in God’s word, cultivate a prayer life and keep yourself in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, your race will be encouraged, uplifted and a lot easier.  Now is our time to run our race with perseverance, love, joy, peace, and patience to stay focused on God.  He will be with us and make our paths straight.  He will never leave us as we move forward.  He is our biggest cheerleader.  Let’s give Him all we’ve got. ~ Amen


Sunday, November 17, 2024

Even Though

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ~ Psalm 23:4


Psalm 23 is often read at funerals, memorials, or celebrations of life, but the darkest valley in our life doesn’t always mean death.  Your darkest valley could be a financial difficulty, unknown changes, watching someone you love live a dangerous lifestyle, a scary health diagnosis, or any other tumultuous circumstance.  God is with us through it all.  In the most trying times of your life, your God will never leave you even when you feel all alone.  By relying on God and leaning into Him and his providence over our life, we can overcome the fear that threatens to drown our faith and swallow up our hope.  The fact is, as believers, we do not face adversity alone.  God is with us.  The rod in this verse symbolizes God’s protection just as a sheep herder used the rod to protect his flock from predators.  The staff symbolizes God’s guidance as the herder would use the “hook” end of this staff to gently pull, guide and direct his sheep back to the right path, and/or field.  By committing this verse and other verses of God’s faithfulness to memory we can combat fear and anxiety with hope and reassurance.  Jesus has promised, “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish - no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28).  Inevitably, bad times come into our lives, but God does not change and He will be with us even to our last breath.  He has conquered our worst days, our difficult situation, our stresses and He has even won victory over our death.  I think it’s important to remember that God knows what is best for us and knows His will for us and sometimes we get our own will confused with His will, but He always meets our needs and provides and guides us the way He feels is best for us - not necessarily always the way we feel is best for ourselves.  Nonetheless, He meets us and never leaves us; no matter the circumstances.  I will have faith that even in the darkest and dire of circumstances, God is with me and for me.  Even unto death. ~ Amen


Saturday, November 2, 2024

World Choices

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ~ Ephesians 5:17


We live in a world of choices; who we listen to, what job we have, what car we drive, how to spend our money, what kind of house we want, and what type of lifestyle we are going to live.  We live in a time when morals and values are up to us; when what was once wrong has many times been made okay, or even considered right now.  Being a follower of Jesus means I am called to understand the righteous way to live in His will even when the world gives me so many other options.  We have to search out and imprint our hearts and minds with the wisdom of God as it does not automatically come to our sinful natures.  We need to dive in and dig into His Word for the real truths of life.  Time here on earth is short and so we must evaluate how we are living for His glory from time to time.  To be mindful of our relationships and how we treat each other; mindful of how we spend our time and resources; mindful that our faith produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit and mindful of the many traps and ways Satan may use to destroy us.  If we say we are followers of Jesus, we must walk the walk AND talk the talk.  We must make the best use of our time and resources for His kingdom while here on earth and we must live a life that is pleasing and glorifying to Him.  We don’t need to partake in slanderous gossip, but should be encouraging; we shouldn’t work more to line our own pockets, but for the widows and fatherless; and we should be mindful of trying to keep up with the neighbors and instead ask for contentment in what God has blessed us with.  As followers of Jesus, we need to recognize God’s will for us, cultivate our spiritual lives, be ready to act in faith and obedience to God’s will, live righteously in peace and ask God for wisdom to do it all the way He wants; not as the world wants.  I want to be a wisdom filled follower of Christ, not a foolish worldly follower. ~ Amen  

Slow Keeping

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~ 2 Peter 3:9


We live in a “quick fix” society where we don’t have to wait long for anything anymore.  There is fast food, microwaves, ordering online for almost anything, our phone is always with us so we can get a hold of anyone and if that’s not fast enough, we can text a quick message.  With our devices, It seems like everything, everywhere is at our fingertips, at our disposal, and we can have almost anything in our hands in minutes.  Our need to practice patience in today’s world is almost null and void.  In the same way, as followers of Jesus, we would love to know when the second coming of Christ is going to happen and we would like it to happen soon.  God does not break promises.  He will return.  It’s inevitable.  However, He also desires all of us to come to Him.  In His infinite wisdom and great love for ALL mankind, He wants everyone to have the opportunity to repent and turn their lives and hearts over to Him.  God’s time is vastly, vastly different from our time and His ways are exceedingly different also.  His time has not yet come because not everyone has had the opportunity to hear his gospel; plain and simple.  God is patient with you, me, even the most wicked you can think of and wants none of us to perish and be separated from Him….so more time goes by and hopefully more will repent and turn toward God.  However, that does not mean everyone will repent and that He will wait forever.  There will still be people who hear the good news and keep their head turned from Him and refuse….but everyone will have heard.  The hope of Christ’s return should give you the strength, as believers, to endure and grow in Christlikeness.  There will be a day when you will hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”  He promises that. ~ Amen

 

Friday, October 18, 2024

Pretending People

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. ~ Proverbs 13:7


Better are we to be rich in spiritual righteousness than worldly riches.  All of us wish to have deep pockets, but what about the heavenly riches?  Does your ambition for worldly wealth cloud your ambition for heavenly rewards?  One is surely much greater than the other.  There is nothing wrong with worldly success as long as our heart is well aware of where our success comes from.  We must not lose ourselves to worldly wealth only to lose our spiritual selves.  We must keep ourselves in check.  The desire to acquire much here on earth is immeasurable to what God’s riches are and if we are not careful, we can become greedy in what really doesn’t matter in the end.  Monetary gain, when used solely for oneself, often leads to destruction; however, when monetary gain is used for others the Kingdom of God is glorified.  If we become self-serving in our wealth , we will most definitely end with nothing of great value.  If you long to build spiritual wealth then you must make yourself poor, or giving, to others success so that in the end you have peace, love and joy in your heart.  If you intentionally make yourself poor by pouring out on others the kindness, gentleness and goodness of God through your monetary gain then in the end you will have everything.  You will hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”  In God’s economy, to be rich is to give of your resources so that your relationships may flourish and his kingdom can be multiplied.  God’s economy is about giving, not getting.  A truly rich person may have enough just to get by, but have great character and spiritual integrity that makes him wealthy.  Then there may be a very wealthy person who has no integrity and no spiritual character.  Which one is the rich one in God’s economy?  Who do you relate to most?  May we never bankrupt ourselves spiritually for worldly gain.  Listen to this verse and the wisdom about the true nature of wealth and pursuing it for your own sake. ~ Amen 


Sunday, September 29, 2024

Love Enemies

But love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ~ Luke 6:35


We all have those people in life who rub us wrong, who no matter how we might try, we just won’t get along with.  Hot-tempered, selfish, snobbish, someone who holds morals completely opposite our own, someone that may even wish us ill will; these are people we tend to stay away from and can’t imagine being overly kind too.  After all, why would I submit myself to helping someone like that?  Have we forgotten that Christ saved us and showed us his faithful love even as we were sinners?  My God gave His most prized possession for me without knowing if I would even accept his gift and then there is the fact that I will never be able to live a “good enough” life for such a gift.  To be kind to the ungrateful and wicked can only happen with supernatural strength as this act is completely counterintuitive to our human nature.  We are called, as followers of Jesus, to treat ALL people well; even those who are hostile toward us.  We don’t stand out for Christ, and we are not the light to the world we are called to be when we treat our enemies the same way they would treat us.  Instinctively, we usually want to respond to our enemies with the same intensity, anger and defensive attitude that they have, but instead, we are to speak graciously to them and pray for them.  We are called to respond with kindness, to give without expecting anything back and to pray for even those who show wickedness toward us.  This is such a tall order, but we must do what Christ has done for us.  We need to do good to our enemies.  Pray that God will help you with this supernatural task and He will meet you there.  Pray that you will see your enemies as Jesus sees them and help you to treat them as He would. ~ Amen


Have Labored

But I said, “I have in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.  Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand and my reward is with my God.” ~ Isaiah 49:4


There are times in our lives when we feel like the mundane is overwhelming and exhausting.  The daily chores that we do day in and day out with little gratitude from others, but that must be done nonetheless.  What about living in kindness; turning the other cheek; giving and giving and giving some more?  Sometimes we wonder if it’s all worth it.  We doubt, we question.  I believe in my heart that I am where I am supposed to be, but am I making any difference?  Sometimes it’s just so hard to tell.  We may get discouraged, but we must remember where our ultimate reward comes from.  Who it comes from.  My goal is to continue to give God glory and to plant as many seeds as I can for Christ.  The world needs Him desperately; they need the free gift of His redemption and grace.  But in a world that is so self-reliant and a bit narcissistic, sometimes I feel like even my best efforts are to no avail.  My encouragement comes from knowing that it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to turn the hearts over and it’s my job to keep planting.  It is a difficult world we live in, but if we stay focused on our mission and lean into God, we will find encouragement.  We may not be rewarded here on earth, but my ultimate reward will come from the Creator of the universe.  There is always reason to have hope in Christ so as not to give in to discouragement.  I am sure God felt discouraged as he watched Israel falter back and forth from Him many times.  I am sure Jesus felt discouraged at times as he led twelve misfits and again when He was in the garden asking God to take this cup (the crucifixion) from Him.  The Messiah of the universe felt all the feelings we feel and still fulfilled his mighty purpose.  Let us not get discouraged, but keep going on and let God take care of the rest.  Being called a follower of Jesus was not a promise of a discouraging free life, but we know we still have hope and faith that even through our heartache God will be faithful and just.  Let’s keep moving and keep our eyes on the prize! ~ Amen


Saturday, September 28, 2024

Count Blessed

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.  The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. ~ James 5:11


We all have trials and tribulations in life and James is encouraging us to continue to be faithful to God even in our difficulties.  Amid great persecution and destruction that God allowed to touch Job, he never renounced his faith in the Almighty.  His children were killed, his livestock stolen, his servants destroyed and his body was overtaken with great sores - yet he persevered.  Justice was ultimately given to Job when everything was restored plus more was given to him and God was given much glory.  Anger, bitterness and self-pity can penetrate our souls when we go through trials, but we are called to keep our eyes on God and persevere through whatever comes our way.  Beautiful diamonds are created using great pressure and the same can be true of our faith as we wait patiently and faithfully on the Lord.  Non-believers can get swallowed up in dismay, but we are called to count our trials as great joy as they can produce glorious fruit in Christ if we would just hold on and keep our eyes focused on Him.  Jesus endured the greatest trial of all and God’s glory was shown brilliantly and mankind benefited greatly from his trial.  If Jesus had to endure trials, why wouldn’t we?  And even though we may never understand the reasons for our trials, we can be living testimonies of God’s goodness when we are patient and persevere through it.  There will be times in your life when you will question why you are going through something.  May I suggest that it is to strengthen your faith, to be an example of Godly patience and perseverance for others and ultimately to bring glory to God alone.  May we focus our eyes on Jesus, who is the perfecter of our faith, and persevere. ~ Amen


Serve Masters

No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money. ~ Matthew 6:24


“Just look at what you have spent your money on this week and you’ll be able to see where your heart lies,” my Pastor said from the pulpit and my stomach turned.  The truth of the matter is I didn’t think, or even ever dreamed that I put money first, but do I?  Am I consumed with thoughts of God, or my bank account?  When we are more concerned about our material well-being over our neighbor in need, God may not be first in our lives.  Being a follower of Jesus means putting others first and serving, even with our money; which is in direct opposition to the act of acquiring for ourselves.   We have to be intentional about using our wealth for Kingdom gain instead of our own personal gain.  Totally upside down from the world’s view.  To put others first even in our finances does not come naturally.  All of us know the world goes round and round by money and with money.  Jesus isn’t telling us that having money is a bad thing, but he is making it clear that money and God both battle for first place in our hearts and we must be careful not to let money win; it’s a heart issue.  There will be a choice to make at least once in your life regarding these two masters.  Are you going to help your friend make her bills this month, or are you going to go ahead and stick this extra in the retirement fund?  Do not become a slave to materialism as money will become your master.  Trust that God will take care of His believers who serve God with their money and put others first.  This does not mean Christians who serve God cannot have money, or things.  Jesus is not suggesting that His followers become destitute.  Money for a follower of Jesus, with the heart of a servant, is another tool to be used to further the gospel of Christ.  He is merely pointing out that there can only be one master of your heart.  Make sure you are a servant of God instead of a slave of money.  As for me ... .well, let’s just say I am a work in progress. ~ Amen


Sunday, September 22, 2024

Weary Doing

Let us not become weary doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~ Galatians 6:9


I am tired, I am exhausted and sometimes I just want to be selfish and throw in the towel and think only about myself.  Sometimes I feel like I give and give and give and no one is filling me back up.  Juggling the needs of my family, making a meal for a sick co-worker, answering the call to help a friend move and watching my neighbors animals while they go on vacation all in one weekend has proved to push me to the end of my rope.  Now more than ever, I need to lean in and find rest in Jesus.  Jesus also had to find alone time and rest during his time here on earth….so what makes me think I can do without rest?  Jesus is the best example in always doing good, but knowing how and when to rest as not to grow weary in our quest of doing good.  I know as a follower of Jesus I am called to do good and I want to do good, but we must be conscious of not getting disgruntled, or tiresome.  He didn’t give up on us and we must never give up on the mission He has left for us.  Instead, we must strive to be Christlike - to love God and love people.  To show the love of Christ through our walk, talk, and to help others.  To be the hands and feet of Jesus in a changing culture.  Being a light to non-believers of a fulfilling life full of love, joy and peace that they do not see in the world’s way of living.  And we must not give up gently planting the seed of the gospel so that God can grow that seed into a new believer.  Till the hearts, plant and wait patiently.  Repeat.  Do not grow weary and you will see good deeds become a great harvest.  Jesus will continually fill us up when we come to Him to keep doing His work.  He will reward us for our perseverance and for not giving up.  Keep on planting for the harvest will be great! ~ Amen


Perfect Love

There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ~ 1 John 4:18


Fear has several definitions and according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, fear is:  1) an unpleasant and often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; 2) an anxious concern; 3) reason for alarm or danger; or 4) profound reverence and awe especially toward God.  As followers of Jesus, the fear we are to have is the fear of reverence and awe, but the fear of danger, or alarm have no place in our walk.  My loving God is not to be feared as an angry and punishing God, but as an unconditional giver of love that conquers all and will never leave those who are his followers.  I do not have to be fearful of what may be coming my way, and I don’t have to be fearful of what is happening around me as long as I have my hope and trust in the Lord.  To be overcome by fear may imply that my trust does not fully rest in Jesus Christ.  He loved us enough to die on a cross for our sins, to pursue us into a relationship with Him and to show us His great love for us.  This is not a God who wants to make us fearful of punishment, but a God who wants to have a mature relationship with you and a God who will never leave you.  Often it is Satan who tries to lull us into fear and shame by whispering lies into our ears whether we are going through difficult circumstances (“if God was a good God, he wouldn’t allow this”), or maybe he likes to tell us that we’ve stumbled to far for God to still love us (“how could God love and forgive you”)?  God is with you through every circumstance and God loves you no matter what you’ve done.  Believes of Christ should be led by the Spirit and fear should not be able to take over our thoughts.  Be in awe of God, but do not be fearful in life.  Instead, call on God for his guidance, live in his love and let his love cast out all your fear. ~ Amen   

Saturday, September 21, 2024

Tongue Rejoice

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure…~ Psalm 16:8-9


There are many reasons our faith may be shaken in this unstable, broken world.  Turn on the television, or follow any media outlet and in moments you can find negative information and  unrest in our own nation and around the world.  Senseless crimes, illness, political backbiting and unrest, and numerous tragedies abound.  So how do you keep from being overtaken with sadness?  How do you push forward when evil permeates, or tragedies take over your own life?  Trust.  As followers of Jesus, we must ask for his continued guidance and protection over our hearts and minds.  We must ask and expect that no matter what goes on in this wild world, or in our own lives, God has us.  Even when it doesn’t feel like it.  Turn your eyes and heart to God and seek His ways.  Even when you don’t feel like it.  Putting the Lord first and living with your trust in Him brings much joy and peace even in the midst of chaos.  My heart can be peaceful and full of joy when God is my priority and my trust is in Him.  I know that this home on earth is only temporary, but a whisper.  James 4:14 says, “why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”  I know that while my body may decay and be left behind here on earth, my eternal glory will be my soul once again with Jesus Christ and I find comfort in knowing this is not my home.  My body is a temporary vessel for my spirit that will live forever.  This world is a pit stop, it is a temporary place to bring honor, glory and praise to Christ so that others may see Him.  For as followers of Christ, we have the benefits of protection and guidance in a messed up world if we would only ask and trust Him to transform our minds.  I don’t rely on the security of the world, or my success.  I rely on God’s strong right hand.  I find goodness and well-being in the thick of God as my refuge.  There is no one like the Alpha & Omega, the Creator of life, the Beginning and the End to put my trust in so that instead of being shaken my heart can rejoice and my mouth proclaim that all is well with my soul! ~ Amen

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Glorious Name

Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.  Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ~ Nehemiah 9:5


There is nothing as sweet to God’s ears as our voices in worship and praise to him.  Yesterday, today and tomorrow God is eternal and deserves our praise.  Only one God and one name can move mountains, heal the sick, give peace to storms and take away all my sins.  The whole entirety of the earth will sing God’s praise even when people have fallen silent.  Luke 19:40 says, “I tell you, if my people were silent, the very stones would cry out.”  Does this mean that even nature knows who to worship?  I do believe that everything God has created, that all of creation, does in fact bring Him praise.  In short, we will never be able to praise God’s name to the full extent of what he deserves.  God is eternal - forever.  His name is above all names.  He knows everything about you; your struggles and your wins; your good days and your bad days; your accomplishments and your failures;  He knows all.  He is sovereign.  He is known as the great I AM.  He has you.  He is in control.  He is exalted above everything.  He has been here forever and will BE forever.  He has put time and space into motion.  He deserves our undivided attention and praise.  His hand has been in control of all things.  He speaks life, or death into situations.  His eternal nature is one of love and goodness from one generation to the next.  He is good.  He is faithful.  He is holy.  His name is above all and no other name rivals that of Jesus.  At the name of Jesus, Satan has to run.  At the name of Jesus, hearts are healed and miracles are performed.  At the name of Jesus my sins were forgiven and I was made clean.  Praise belongs to Jesus and his name!  Philippians 2:10-11 says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Under the earth?  So even those in hell will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, but by that time, it’s going to be too late as they have already made their decision.  When will you decide that his name deserves glory and honor?  He is God alone in the good times and the bad times and we would do well to keep him in his rightful place in our lives.  He alone is worthy of all worship and praise.  If you aren’t praising God, what are you praising?  Let’s make sure our worship and praise is directed to the only name that deserves it all – Jesus Christ. ~ Amen


Saturday, September 14, 2024

Resentment Kills

Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. ~ Job 5:2


The book of Job is profound, weird, challenging and one of my favorite books in the Bible.  Chalked full of trials, the loss of everything he had once owned, torturous physical pain down to losing his entire family, God allowed a lot of suffering to come upon Job all in the name of a “test”.  Talk about a brutal final exam.  Even though Job has been a righteous and faithful servant of God, God still allows Satan to test Job.  Yet despite horrific suffering and loss, Job still refuses to curse God and remains His faithful servant.  Now on the scene come three of Job’s friends to try to comfort him and what ensues is what sounds more like a theological debate than comfort.  They claim they want to console him, but their attempts seem a bit futile, or misguided.  They just should have kept their mouths shut!  There is no doubt that Job is in the pit of despair, but when Eliphaz suggests that Job must have done something sinful to bring this upon himself and that he needs to repent and ask God for forgiveness, this seems to bring the discussion to a whole new level.  Truly the friends don’t know how to handle this, and surely don’t have the right words to say about their friends' situation.  They don’t understand why this is happening.  So it is, or will be…. with your life.  With my life.  There will be times when we don’t understand why we are going through what we are going through.  You may have had things happen to you in the past that you still wrestle with and are harboring bitterness over.  This verse, Job 5:2, struck me hard and I heard this loud and clear in my head, “LET IT GO!  GIVE IT TO ME!  DO NOT LET IT DESTROY YOU!  THEY WILL CONTINUE TO HURT YOU UNTIL YOU LET THE BITTERNESS GO!”  There is nothing but destruction when we hold onto resentment, bitterness, or envy against people, or even God.  The verse can’t be any clearer, “resentment kills”.  It kills relationships, it leads to pain, and it will become your stumbling block if you don’t lay it at Jesus’ feet and let go.  At the end of Job, God restores Job’s life with more than what he had before Satan messed with him.  The Lord restored everything and more.  He wants to do the same for you.  Don’t let life’s trials, your past, or I dare say, even a test from God fill you with bitterness, jealousy, resentment, or envy.  Let it go! ~ Amen


Sunday, September 1, 2024

Spirit Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law. ~ Galatians 5:22-23


I love fruit, all of it!  Apples, bananas, berries, peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes - you name it, I like almost all of it.  Fruit is naturally sweet and delicious and good for your body.  Well, the fruit of the spirit is sweet, delicious, good for your soul and great to share.  In Galatians 5:19-21, Apostle Paul lays out what are the obvious acts of the flesh; which tend to be very stinky, destructive and unpleasant. “The acts of the flesh are obvious:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  They are not called fruit, but instead “acts”; they are unsavory behaviors.  What about that list is delicious?  Sweet?  Good for you?  For most of us, our fleshly desires come naturally to us without much thought because we are all born sinful and have to choose to intentionally nurture the fruit of the spirit once we become followers of Jesus.  We are called to give up the selfish lifestyle and lead a servant lifestyle.  I have to cultivate my relationship with Jesus and seek His face so that the Holy Spirit can cultivate and grow my spiritual fruit so that I may be the best representation of Jesus I can be.  I want to represent these life giving qualities instead of representing destruction and self-centeredness.  Furthermore, if I claim to be a follower of Jesus and if I am letting the Holy Spirit lead my life, then I had better see the fruit of the spirit flow; otherwise there must be a disconnect.  For the fruit of the spirit is evidence of our connection to Jesus.  John 15:5 states this clearly, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  Jesus longs for this connection and he wants to leave the Holy Spirit with you so that you may experience this good fruit.  So stay connected, let the Holy Spirit lead you, pray for growth and be intentional about following Jesus and in no time, you will reap a great harvest. ~ Amen

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Blessed Transgressions

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ~ Psalm 32:1


I hate when I give in to sin and temptation, but I am not going to lie and say that I don’t - I am human.  However, when I do “cross the line”, I am so thankful that I can come to Christ, confess my sins and know that I am forgiven and have a clean slate once again.  Sin will eat at your insides and zap your strength and keep you at arm's length with Christ until you come to Him and confess so that you can be clear of the heavy burden.  Christ wants you to come so that he can give you the gift of forgiveness that he brutally paid for.  The impurity of our sins will be mercifully and gracefully covered to be seen no more so that you can stand in the presence of the Lord joyfully.  Jesus died for all mankind, but only those who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior and have become His follower have the true gift of forgiveness of sins.  Forgiveness is a promise given to every believer, but it comes with a warning.  Matthew 6:14-15 says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  As followers of Christ, we must be obedient to our calling of forgiving people who have hurt us, or wronged us – this is the only way you will not be judged on the day you stand before the one who has forgiven you.  The scripture is clear; we will be judged on this attitude of forgiveness when we stand before Christ.  Was I forgiving?  Did I forgive?  Was I gracious and full of mercy to my offender(s)?  Or did I play the victim and remain bitter?  We must forgive as Christ has forgiven us.  Go to Him now, confess your sin, get a clean slate and forgive others.  Your heart and soul will be more joyful. ~ Amen

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Over These

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ~ Colossians 3:14


I love my children, my husband, my family, friends and I would even say my co-workers and church family.  How we display and show our love will bring everything together in unity - meaning we will be a light to the lost when we clothe ourselves in love for everyone.  I believe that the greatest way we can show love is to be a servant of Christ and humbly put other people before ourselves.  Love is the sticky glue that holds all of Christ’s holy attributes together.  It’s an attitude that illuminates the soul so brightly that no one can argue with the positivity and influence it brings.  Love never fails.  Love can begin the healing process.  Love can piece together a shattered dream.  Love can bring hope, peace and forgiveness.  Love can light up the dark.  Love believes.  No one can argue with love.  Love like this can only be demonstrated if you are rooted in Christ and then allow His supernatural love for others flow through you to bless others.  This is not worldly love.  This is different.  You can not obtain this love without Christ being the center of your life.  It is a very district and selfless love.  Love ties all Godly virtues and spiritual fruit together.  Peace flows from love, joy flows from Godly loves, self-control flows from Godly love, gentleness flows from this love, patience flows from Godly love, kindness flows from this love, goodness flows from Godly loves and faithfulness comes from Godly love.  Love gives grace and should be the priority of a Jesus follower.  How well do you do?  God help my love for others increase. ~ Amen 


Restless Wanderer

When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.  You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. ~ Genesis 4:12


Consequences for our actions come in many forms and touch many lives and consequences of sinful actions have even larger and sometimes longer impacts.  Impacts that can touch a family line and sometimes even nations.  We read of mankind’s first murder in Genesis when Cain becomes filled with jealousy and rage when God blesses his brother Abel’s offering over his.  And from this horrific sin, Cain will no longer be able to get crops from the ground and has become estranged from his family.  Instantly, Cain becomes a vagabond with no crops, no family and Adam and Eve lose two children and numerous possible grandchildren.  Most sin is an action of impulse from our flesh and worldly desires; a knee jerk reaction, or choice we make when we lose our focus on the Almighty followed by great consequences and guilt.  How many times have you lived with the guilt of your actions wishing you could turn back time?  It’s a terrible feeling.  Cain should have been Abel’s protector as his older brother, but instead he gives into his anger and does the unthinkable.  We read that Cain lies to God, as if he could, and tries to hide the crime, but God knows all too well what has happened.  He witnessed it.  He asks Cain in verse 10, “what have you done?  Listen!  Your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground.”  The fact is that Cain was more afraid of the consequences from God than he was sorry for having done the deed.  He was afraid to get caught; isn’t that how most sin works?  Sin, all sin, is crouching around the corners of all of our lives and we are all capable of the unthinkable if we don’t stay focused.  Keep yourself righteous and rooted in God’s word so that you may have joy, peace, and love in your heart instead of jealousy, anger, resentment, bitterness and rage.  Put Satan in his place and do not let him have a foothold.  ~ Amen


Sunday, August 11, 2024

Your Anxiety

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:7


Christ cares. Period.  We often worry and sit in our anxiety because we don’t always trust God; in fact, maybe we trust in ourselves a little too much.  Whatever the reason, most of our anxiety is rooted in the fact that we don’t take our cares to him.  He wants to help, but we must let go.  He wants us to humble ourselves and come to Him with prayerful and hopeful hearts that God knows what is best.  Many times in my own life I have held tightly to my anxiety depending on myself and believing Satan’s lie that I must shoulder my burdens by myself.  That no one else can help, or cares.  But that is a lie.  God is faithful to help.  I need to humble myself and cast my cares at his feet.  No matter how big, or small, God promises to care for us and our burdens.  God doesn’t always take our anxiety, but when we throw our anxiety on Him, we can rest knowing that He will take care of us as we work through the stress.  You may wake up in the same circumstance, but you have more hope, more peace and more confidence that everything will be okay.  That’s our heavenly Father.  We live in a broken world where independence is considered greatness, but we were never created to do life by ourselves; to think that we must do everything on our own.  We were created for fellowship with each other and our Creator.  To put it all on our shoulders and not seek Him is extremely prideful.  No one has it all together.  We are called to throw our burdens on Jesus and let him care for us as he works everything out in his timing.  It’s all in who He is.  Being God means He can do what he wants to when he wants, but remember he is not a genie for our purposes, but He is faithful to be good all the time no matter if we understand His ways or not.  The Lord is good, He is gracious, He is sovereign and He will reign forever.  He will take care of you.  He may not take the difficulty, but he will be with you and take care of you through it if you will humbly cast it before his feet. ~ Amen


Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Jacob's Descendants

Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnants of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.  Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. ~ Isaiah 46:3-4


Doesn’t this verse give you great comfort?  He will carry me through, sustain me and rescue me.  What more could we want, or need?  Everything we need to get through any trial, temptation, or difficulty God has if we rely on him.  He even promises to be with us all through our golden years.  A superhero dad who takes care of all our needs and then some.  An action hero dad!  A dad who we can come to in our tremendous times of need and know that we will be taken care of no questions asked.  The idols of Israel’s enemies could not carry them, sustain them, and time and time again we see that those man made objects failed and could not rescue them.  These false gods had to be moved and carried by human hands.  Our God doesn’t need help; instead, we need his and he carries us.  The image I have is God telling the Israelites in a loving, but firm manner, “Hey idiots!  I am the one!  Me!  Not your crafted idols, but ME who has sustained you.  Turn your eyes the right way.  Redirect your praise!”  Rembrandt, van Gogh, Monet, or any other artist didn’t/doesn’t create beautiful masterpieces and then just toss them to the side.  No, they take extraordinary care of their creation.  The same is true of us.  God made us; do you really think anybody else is going to take better care of us?  He knows our thoughts, what makes us happy, or sad and he knows every cell in our body.  He knows how to get you to the end of this race; it’s designed BY Him for His creation.  He is all we need.  He will be with us from start to finish here on earth and as believers, He’ll be with us forever! He sent his only son to redeem us to Him; why would he not take care of us?  A number of people will let you down in this broken world, but God will never leave you.  You are as close to God as you want to be.  He is not the one who keeps you at a distance; it’s much more likely that you keep him at arms length for whatever reason.  All He has ever wanted to do is love you and take care of you.  Let Him. ~ Amen


Fruitless Deeds

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ~ Ephesians 5:11


Here Paul clearly tells believers to have nothing to do with sin.  We are also charged with exposing sin, but we must be careful in how we bring the dark into the light as we can not and should not come across as being judgemental.  By living a righteous life first, only then may we be able to humbly talk to another believer about their sinful deeds.  Do not try to expose something you are also taking part in.  Christians are often accused of being hypocritical; don’t add fuel to the fire.  We were rescued from the darkness when we decided to follow Jesus Christ and now we walk with the light of the children of God and should no longer play with the devil’s advancements.  Illuminate a dark room with a flashlight and you can see where everything is so you can walk freely about.  The same is true of the light and darkness; expose the sin so that the deeds can be openly acknowledged, denounced and turned from so as not to stumble over it again and again.  Christians must not be ashamed of their holy living and they must be humble so that they can be great light bearers to this broken world.  We live in a warped world where things that once were wrong are now considered right and vice versa; we need our light to shine more now than ever.  I work at a high school and I see the enemy attacking teens daily about their identity.  Know who you are!  I am heartbroken, but I pray for them and if asked my opinion, I try to gently respond with God’s truth and in love.  We need to stay anchored in God’s truth so that we can tear down the many lies of the devil!  A spiritual battle isn’t coming – it’s here!  And if you do not stay anchored in God’s word and fully committed to following His ways, you may be in trouble my friend.  Pray that God would help you avoid temptation and sin as it is a waste of time and ask God to help you humbly expose the lies while you live a holy life. ~ Amen   


Saturday, July 27, 2024

God Is Love

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ~ 1 John 4:8


I believe this one verse clearly defines who does and does not follow Christ.  He is not referring to physical, sexual love, but I believe John is talking about the supernatural love of supernatural compassion that you only enjoy, or can possess by knowing and having a relationship with God.  Loving unconditionally and stepping into a love that isn’t gratified by human desires.  This love is one of the spiritual gifts Christ cultivates in his followers so that we can bestow it onto others.  Doing for others before ourselves and sacrificing some of our comfort for others as Christ sacrificed his only son for us is this kind of love.  An action love.  A doing love.  Not an emotional love, but so much more.  The fact of the matter is that everything God does comes from a place of love.  How does that grab you?  Everything.  And we are supposed to show that same kind of love as followers of Christ.  I must be willing to get out of my comfort zone to show Christ’s love.  I must listen to that still small voice we know as the Holy Spirit.  I must be willing to show love even when I know no one else is.  I must be loving in my words and in my thoughts towards others.  I must understand that if God is love, then even the difficult and painful journeys in my life God has orchestrated, or allowed out of love for a purpose in my life that will bring him all the glory.  That he is working behind the scenes for my good out of love.  Today the world is all about me, myself and I, but God’s love is unconditionally selfless and servant-like.  We can only emulate that type of love by being in relationship with God.  If you cannot love someone because they don’t agree with you, you do not know God.  If you cannot love someone because they don’t affiliate with the same political party as you, you do not know God.  If you cannot love someone who has a different perspective on sexuality, you do not know God.  If you cannot love the sinner, you do not know God.  Because as Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  His nature is love.  He is the source of love.  He can not be without love.   A person in genuine relationship with God will radiate God’s love.  Let’s let our acts of love permeate our world with His love. ~ Amen

Be Merciful

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ~ Luke 6:36


Jesus just gets done telling his followers that they should love their enemies and now he is telling them to be kind and merciful to them no matter what they may have done to them.  Many of us have been hurt by people and sometimes there is no explanation for their harshness, but we still need to look at them with kindness and look at them with sincere care.  I don’t know about you, but I need to work on this big time.  Sometimes I can get so caught up looking at the hurt that someone has caused me that I become engulfed and my heart can harden towards them.  I could care less.  If you hurt me, or my family, it’s grudge holding time, but that’s not how God would want us to act.  Over the years, I have intentionally worked on this and it takes practice.  I am by no means there yet, but I have an easier time these days when I step back and realize that they may be lost….and so then I pray that God would bless them and let the offense go.  Now I still believe that boundaries need to be set up sometimes and I don’t believe Jesus would ever want us to show our kindness by staying in an abusive, or violent relationship.  Please get out and get help!  I believe this verse specifically calls for us to be merciful when we are being persecuted for our belief in God.  I could be wrong, but I don’t believe God is asking you to be merciful to abuse.  There is a difference between abuse and conflict.  We are talking more along the lines of disagreements and conflicts.  Get out of abuse!  Sometimes showing mercy is taking yourself out of a situation, calling for help, or just by bringing groceries to the lonely, grouchy old couple who live next door.  Two years ago, God granted me the biggest opportunity for showing mercy I have ever experienced yet.  And he used my own son.  Isaac has, as the saying goes, been too smart for his own good.  But by his sophomore year in high school, he was headed for disaster.  Honestly, I don’t remember much of his junior year, but I do know there were at least two suicide attempts.  By his senior year, you name the drug and he was using it.  We were in a spiritual war.  I chewed off God’s ear and wore the carpet out with my knees near my bed praying.  One night, and I am not going to get into great detail, but one evening in June 2022 he became extremely agitated with me and his father.  He started throwing things and cursed loudly non-stop at us.  I heard “call the police” in my head.  My husband didn’t think it was a good idea, but I knew where that voice was coming from.  The next thing I remember is talking to dispatch while I watched my son and husband get physical with each other.  You see, when I grabbed the phone, my son grabbed a knife and now my husband was trying to wrestle it away from him.  Long story short, two sheriff deputies showed up at my house and hauled our 18 year old son away.  It was a terrible night.  The worst one so far in my life.  Awful.  Sad.  Cried ourselves to sleep.  So many questions.  I don’t know how I stayed calm on the phone (divine intervention), but two years later he is on the right path.  He was sent to a mental health facility where he was finally properly diagnosed with a mood disorder and ADHD.  Two weeks later we were able to bring him home and with the right medication and counseling improvement was almost immediate.  I tell you this story because even though calling the police on my son was not the “nicest” thing to do, I knew that it was the only thing to do.  We had to get him help and I knew he wasn’t going to listen to us.  We learned, while he was at the facility, that he was probably experiencing a “manic” episode that night; which we would have never understood if we didn’t take ourselves out of the situation and get him help.  God had granted me mounds of mercy for my son that night.  I don’t have any other explanation.  I was concerned about his well being.  I stayed calm, didn’t fight or argue back and did the best thing I could for him at the time even though it was extremely difficult.  Two years later, he is a different young man and has made tremendous strides.  He is enrolling in college classes for a culinary degree, is an assistant manager at a restaurant and hasn’t had a “manic” episode since.  I was worried that my relationship with him would be strained, but it has only grown stronger.  He calls that night the biggest turning point in his life.  Show mercy and grace to others.  Even when it’s hard.  God’s mercy was all over that situation that night and now it is part of our family's testimony.  Thank God for his mercy and grace. ~ Amen 


Friday, July 26, 2024

Created Heavens

For this is what the Lord says - he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited - he says:  “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” ~ Isaiah 45:18


In Deuteronomy 5 and in Exodus 20 we find the list of the Ten Commandments that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai while leading the Israelites out of Egypt.  The first commandment right off the bat is:  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  You shall have no other gods before me.”  Number one right out of the gate!  Then here in Isaiah, God makes sure that everyone knows, “I am the Lord and there is no other.”  In today’s cultural and religious confusion let me make this clear - there is NO other God!  He is the only one who fashioned the earth and made it inhabitable for us.  No other god has lavished so much on us, cares so much for us, gushes over us as much, or promises to be with us wherever we go.  No other god knows the very working of your special design, or the number of hairs on your head.  The powerful, sovereign and creative God specifically made the earth for his glorious creation of precious humanity.  I believe every little part of the earth was intentionally created for you and I to enjoy - nothing is wasted.  Yellowstone National Park was created for our enjoyment; the Arches National Park was created to bring glory, honor and worship to God and Niagara Falls; well, it’s just plain breathtaking (just to name a few) and God made it all.  A loving and just God who has created so much beauty for us to behold is a sovereign and awesome God who deserves all our praise, worship and reverence.  He did this.  Alone.  He created the earth out of nothingness and formed it to be our dwelling and to enjoy its majesty.  Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”  Let’s enjoy and be good stewards of what the one true God has given us and let us have no other gods before Him. ~ Amen

Stand Against

Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ~ Ephesians 6:11


The devil just needs you to put your guard down once; just one little time, one little crack, one little lie, one little thought and if he can get you to give into him, you are going to have a battle on your hands.  We are in spiritual battles everyday and just like a soldier going into war, we need to make sure we have the right equipment and protection.  This verse emphasizes the need to put on the full armor of God that is available to us.  The armor of God comes in 6 pieces and is one size fits all:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit (word of God).  What is the functionality of these pieces?  Each has a special function.  Let’s start with the belt of truth.  Identity has been lost in this woke, cross-cultural and very confused world.  The belt of truth protects us from an identity crisis.  You should know who you are.  The truth is you were made in the likeness of Christ and you were made as a reflection of God’s holiness.  You were made to be in fellowship with and to be a child of God.  Being made “right” is the job of the breastplate of righteousness, both by way of the righteousness Christ gives us and by the righteousness we have the desire to stand up too.  The enemy will use any way he can to hurt our heart and emotional being; the breastplate protects us from his sinful temptations that could, and probably would, lead us to heartache and brokenness.  Sometimes doing the right thing, or making the right choice isn’t always popular, or easy, but you won’t be so hurt by the right choice.  Disobedience can lead to destruction, but obedience always leads to peace.  This leads me to the shoes of the gospel of peace, boy; something everyone wants.  Buckling knees and weak ankles can find rest as they stand firm in these shoes.  But many times in this broken world, the enemy can cause us to be trembling with worry, anxiety, doubt and fear.  Remember, don’t worry, instead take every care and cast it at Jesus’ feet so that you may have peace that surpasses all worldly understanding.  So often the shield of faith and the shoes of the gospel work together to ward off our deepest fears and anxieties.  The shield of faith protects us and our faith is where we find the courage and hope to move through difficult times.  Our shield of faith reminds us of the promises and goodness of God and we hold them high when we believe God to be who He says He is knowing He will “make all things work together for the good of them that love God” (Romans 8:28).  Then there is the helmet of salvation; which we were granted access to the moment we put our trust in Christ’s death as payment for our sins, but the helmet of salvation also helps in the battlefield of mind games.  The brain and the heart don’t always line up with one another for the righteousness of God, but with the helmet of salvation and the shield of faith working together, God can get the two on the same page.  As 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We destroy arguments of every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ”; this is the work of the helmet of salvation. The last piece of the armor of God is the sword of the spirit, or the word of God.  Let me put this plainly….the B-I-B-L-E.  Scripture.  Arguably, the most effective weapon.  The scriptures can be used as both an offensive weapon and a defensive weapon.  Years ago, I was challenged by an older woman to memorize Psalm 91.  The whole of it.  My husband and I were going through a rough patch and I evidently had the look of sorrow all over my face at this weekend Women’s Retreat.  This sweet lady had no possible way of knowing what I was going through, but she came up to me and simply said, “The spirit told me to tell you to memorize Psalm 91 for comfort.  Oh, and yes, he’s going to get you through this.”  Then with a quick squeeze of my hand, she turned and left.  I stood with my mouth wide open for a brief second before I burst into tears.  As fast as I could, I memorized Psalm 91 and you will never know, or understand how much it has been used as the first of many scripture quivers I have in my arsenal.  Memorize scripture.  Pick scripture that means something to you.  Pick scripture to fight anxiety and fear.  Pick God’s promises.  Just do it!  I can’t explain the feeling I get when I can quote scripture out loud during a battle.  It stops the enemy in his tracks.  Put on the full armor of God and be ready for the battle.  Victory is ours! ~ Amen

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Give Birth

He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. ~ James 1:18


Giving our firstfruits is a term often used in the church as meaning to give God first of our money, time and other resources even above ourselves and our family.  Original readers of James, the Jewish believers, were well aware of this term as they celebrated The Feast of Firstfruits as an offering of gratitude to God.  The truth is we should be grateful ourselves that God gave us a new life and birth when we became followers of Christ.  Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.  This means that by his own will and goodness Christ died for us to give us a new life in Him.  Not only are we Christ’s crowning creation, but “firstfruits” suggests we have a special standing above the rest of creation.  We are firstfruits of salvation and firstfruits of new creations in Christ.  God gave us new life in Christ.  God chose, out of his own will, to bring us up out of our sinful lives by sacrificing his firstfruit, his son, Jesus.  The bible makes it clear that we were set apart and chosen by the Lord, born again and adopted into the family of Christ.  He did this.  He sought us out and by his will we were brought into relationship with him through the invitation of His sacrifice.  God has chosen to give us new life not through our own works, but through the truth found in his word so that we may be the dedicated and special part of God’s creation to fulfill His purposes.  From the beginning, God chose mankind to be His splendor and wanted us to find our purpose in Him.  Our spiritual rebirth is an act of God’s grace so that we may live in the fullness of life for him and with Him.  It is through faith in Jesus alone that we receive this  new birth.  We accept the good news of the cross and He gives us His righteousness as the firstfruits of creation.  You can not earn this, in fact, you do nothing at all but accept the invitation for a new life.  A life of hope, love, and grace and one where you will always have someone by your side. ~ Amen

Monday, July 22, 2024

Been Saved

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. ~ Ephesians 2:8-9


Being saved has nothing to do with the good deeds you do, how many times you go to church during the week, or how many bible verses you have memorized.  After the fall of man, there had to be a way to reconcile us back to God.  In the Old Testament, Israel had to follow many, many laws, be obedient to the leaders God had put into place and make many sacrifices for the atonement of their sins.  God recognized that His people could not live like this forever and that there had to be another way to reconcile this now sinful world back to him once and for all.     The whole purpose of Jesus could have been classified as a rescue mission for all who believe.  Free and simple. Many religions believe in good deeds and religious performances in order to be smiled upon by their god.  For those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it is imperative that we understand we were saved through the very act of the crucifixion and resurrection.  Under God’s authority, we received an undeserved gift of freedom and salvation when we put our faith in Jesus Christ.  A gift that can never be repaid through our own doing.  Being a follower of Jesus will automatically bring about good works and a lifestyle change of blessing to others, but that is not what makes you saved.  We believe by faith that we are saved by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as God’s gift of grace, kindness and love.  Because he wants us with him.  Always.  This way we can not boast about ourselves and; therefore, can not place ourselves on the same level as God, or higher.  But if we remember that grace is defined as an undeserved gift, or act of kindness, we will want to build our faith in a manner that is pleasing to God. ~ Amen  

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Beginning Knowledge

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. ~ Proverbs 1:7


We all know people who seem to think the rules of society don’t apply to them.  They ask for advice and turn around to do the exact opposite.  Sometimes these people look like they are trying to self-sabotage; choosing everything and anything that is not good for them even though they know better.  Their lives tend to be a path filled with bad decisions, broken relationships and constant chaos.  They can’t see today from yesterday and tomorrow doesn’t look much better.  It seems like no matter how many people try to help them, they just run their lives deeper into the ground.  And we, as their loved ones, are at a total loss.  We must be wary not to turn into such foolish people.  Humble worship and a reverential fear of the Lord develops a teachable spirit for us to learn His knowledge on how to build our lives.  Jesus is the beginning of all knowledge.  Most of us would say we are knowledgeable in life, but are you knowledgeable because of your awe and worship in God and so know his ways, or are you knowledgeable most in how the world would tell you to live?  How the world tells us to live is in direct contrast to what God would say; just read the Beatitudes from Jesus’ sermon on the Mount in Matthew and you will see that God’s ways are upside down compared to the world and our own flesh.  In Proverbs, Solomon talks greatly about wisdom and foolishness, and the message is clear - foolish people do not consider the truths of Christ and they pay dearly for it.  Wisdom is knowing the knowledge and then putting that knowledge into action.  Wisdom and instruction is to know, teach and do what Jesus, the beginning of knowledge, has taught us.  However, fools hate this.  They despise being told what to do; they think they know it all and don’t need to learn anything else and they don’t need your advice.  They think they have it all together.  They run away from teaching, learning, or correction.  They think they have a better way and so disregard God and live according to their desires.  They want everything to be about them and will try to conform all paths to satisfy their needs and desires.  They flap their jaws incessantly and talk of nothing.  I hate to say it, but I think this can happen to the best of us as I don’t see Solomon making any distinction between the “wise” being only the followers of Christ and the “fools” being only the non-believers.  Just two choices - wisdom, or foolishness.  We have all been given the opportunity to choose a path in life; the decision is left up to us.  Make a wise choice.  Seek out His knowledge. ~ Amen


Lacks Wisdom

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ~ James 1:5 ...