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   

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 

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

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

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  

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

Before Creation

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy & blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ~ Ephesians 1:4-6

The very idea that God chose me to be part of his plan; part of his family, is astounding to me.  A daughter of the Most High King as I have been brought into the family of Christ!  We need to understand that God chose ALL of mankind to be adopted back to Him through the resurrection of his son, Jesus.  When you made the choice to follow Jesus, you accepted his invitation to be adopted back to Him for his pleasure and purpose.  We all know people who are not believers, but that was not God’s original plan.  Before the world was created, he had chosen mankind to be His, but because He is a gentleman and didn’t want to force himself on us, he gave us free-will to choose him, or not.  However, He has always longed for all of us to choose Him.  God’s heart is breaking when those He chose have made their decision to deny him and go a different way.  He wants us all.  We are God’s crowning creation and he longed for us to be with Him forever because He loves us.  I know it’s hard to believe, but God created us to be in constant companionship with Him.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, we no longer have to worry as God has now stepped into our lives in relationship with us and wants to take control if we will submit to His authority and will.  We were created to be loved by God, to accept his invitation so that we could be adopted as his child and to love God by doing His will of spreading the good news everywhere so everyone would have the opportunity to come back to Him.  We are to be holy, or “set apart” and live in such a way that is pleasing to God.  We are here to love God and love people.  Do you love people?  Do you love God?  You are a child of the Most High King and because of Jesus, you are holy and blameless.  Let that sink in.  That’s how much he loves you. It’s time to share the good news. ~ Amen

Fools Vent

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. ~ Proverbs 29:11

The book of Proverbs is chalked full of verses referring to the “fool” and the “wise”.  Many people are “hot tempered” and let their emotions get the best of them.  I know people, and I bet you do too, that have lost jobs, got themselves in trouble with the law and have even destroyed relationships because they can’t keep their emotions in check; which leads to a spiteful tongue.  A harsh word may have been spoken against you, or someone may have openly hurt you with no sense of reason; whatever the case maybe, we need the Holy Spirit to help us calm down before we react.  I admit, I have reacted poorly to being hurt and I have let my anger bubble out only to feel regret and wish I could hit the rewind button.  Our tongue can speak life, or bring death into situations and so before we go spewing our feelings, we best bring them to God first for Him to help us sort them out.  Being intentional about going to God so that he can speak to our hearts and calm our spirits does something not only to ourselves, but it can bring thoughtfulness to the other party as well.  People don’t know what to do with someone who doesn’t fight back, or get defensive.  It often softens their hearts and lowers their walls and leaves them exposed to reconciliation.  Better to keep our mouths shut than to end up looking like a fool.  How many times have you heard people talk just to talk?  Or how about those ‘one upper” storytellers who just like to hear themselves talk.  See, a fool venting his anger is not the only fool.  A fool can babble on about themselves, or any thought just because a foolish person likes to talk arrogantly while a wise person knows there is a time to speak and a time to be silent.  Which one are you?  Let our words be gracious and used only for edifying and let’s bring calmness so as not to look like a fool. ~ Amen