12.28.12

Zechariah 12:1 This message concerning the fate of Israel came for the Lord: "This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit."

 

My Thoughts

I love this part. "... and formed the human spirit." If we look around us at all the disasters that have happened in the last few months, the last few years... over lifetimes of history, the human spirit always triumphs.  Look at how the human spirit has moved so many people to do so many sweet things in the wake of the New Town school shooting.  First the spirit of the heroes...then of the community...then of the country.  Strangers showing up from miles away to show support for these families.  The human spirit survives in such tragedies because it is God made!! 

 

The human spirit shows in men who go off to work day after day after day to hard jobs to feed their families.  In mom's who get out of their sick bed to make sure their children are fed, and clothed and dressed for school.  It shows in servicemen who, most often at very young ages defend the freedom of people they don't even know.  It shows in the acts of hero's each and every day, in stories we never hear.  The human spirit shows in a mother giving birth. It shows when a big sister takes the hand of a little brother to help him.  It shows in grown man runs down the stairs to hug his sister goodbye.  It shows in the loving wrinkles of a couple that has been together for 40 years that walk down the hall holding hands. The human spirit shows in the heart of a dieing person that waits against all odds until the last family member is there to say good-bye.

 

The human spirit triumphs only because it is God made!!

 

12.27.12

Psalms 146:8b The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.

 

My Thoughts

This verse made me smile this morning!!  It is so true.  It took me so long to learn this...and still I fall into my old habits sometimes.  But then I get my wits about me and I turn to God. The very minute I do this...the very minute I take the problem that is weighing me down and I say, "God please help me with this!"  I feel that weight, that seems to be pushing me into the dirt of the earth, fall from me.  I feel a smile cross my face and I feel the words deep in me that say, "I have it now, it is going to be ok!"   I get better and better at giving things to God because each time I do I feel the difference in my life.  Sometimes I am bad to take my worries about something back...but that is ok... because I have learned to give them back to God as many times as it takes!!   I am growing all the time!!  The more I grow in God the less I find myself pushed down into the dirt!!  I am  constantly amazed at how God takes my smallest problems and my biggest problems.  He cares about everything, every single thing that tries to worry me. 

 

I find that when I trust in God I find victory in my life. Each victory helps me trust more.  And the more I trust the more victories I have.  It is like a snowball... each time down a hill the bigger and strong my trust grows.  The bigger my faith grows...the smaller all my problems look!!  How grand is that!!

 

12.25.12

Luke 2:1-20 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.  (This was the first census taken when Quirnius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home.  He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  He took with him Mary, his betrothed wife, who was now obviously pregnant. 

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  She gave birth to her fist child, a son.  She wrapped him snugly in the strips of clothes and laid him in a manager, because there was no lodging available for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angle of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.  They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid! he said, "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all the people.  The Savior--yes the Messiah, the Lord-- had been born today in Bethlehem the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign:  you will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manager."

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others -- the armies of heaven -- praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

When the angels and returned to heaven, the shepherd's said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manager.  And after seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened.  All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen.  It was just as the angel had told them.

 

My Thoughts

I love that the angel appeared to the shepherds. Men who were thought of as lowly.  Yet men who would understand what it meant that Jesus came to care for the people as shepherds care for their sheep.  Watching over us all.  After all they cared for each and every one of their sheep... it was their job to watch over... to get between the wolf and the sheep even if that mean harm to themselves.  These shepherds, these men would understand the importance of the job of Jesus here on this earth.  These men would know that night to be thankful for the roll that tiny baby  was about in their lives, in the lives of all mankind.  

 

This Christmas morning I am so thankful for Jesus and the great sacrifice He made for me!

12.24.12

Proverbs 30:24-28 There are four things on earth that are small but usually wise.  Ants--they aren't strong, but they store up food all winter. Hyraxes--they aren't powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. Locust--they have no king but they march in formation. Lizards--they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings' palaces.

 

My Thoughts

This verse really struck me.  What could I learn from these animals if they are so wise.  Ants aren't strong but they store up food all winter. How could that apply to me... well this tells me that no matter my ability if I keep at something eventually I can accomplish it. Even if it does take me a season to do so.

 

There the Hyrases--they are not powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks.  This one is easy... they put their homes in a place that is stronger then they are... a place where their predators can't get to. The rocks are the strength of the Hyrases... God is the strength of us...so we need to live with God and He will keep us safe...we don't have to be powerful because God is powerful for us.

 

The Locust-- they have no king but they march in formation.  There is nobody to tell the Locust what to do..yet they do what they need to do anyway and it makes the mighty and strong.   God give us a choice... to be powerful we need to surround ourselves  with Godly people and do what is right... together we can be strong.

 

The lizard is easily caught but is found in Kings' palaces.  Oh I had to think on this one...but I think it is that lizards are so quiet...their silence gets them near kings.  Is this example telling us that to get near to God we need to be quiet?  I hear God in the quiet.. too often it is not quiet enough!  Just now I stopped to feel the quiet..to see if I could feel God... I did! He told me He loves me and that I am doing good!!   How many things do I miss because I don't get in the quiet? How many people could we influence by just keeping quiet?

12.23.12

Zechariah 4:10 Do no despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand"

My Thoughts

I love this verse.  Let me set it up for you.  The verses just before said that God planned for Zerubbabel to rebuild the His temple.  God was not going to let anything to get in Zerubbabel's way not even mighty mountains. God said it would not be by force of strength by by God's spirit that the temple would be rebuilt. The importance the words in verse 4:10 is that once Zerubbabel picked up the plumb line he was accepting what God ask him to do. It says that he knew that God was asking him to do something for God. He knew that God would make him able to finish what he was willing to start.

 

What does this say to us in our world today?  It says that when God ask us to do something, God will make us able!!  It is up to us to start the task to show our willingness, then God helps us with the rest... we don't need force or strength... we just need the Spirit of God. 

 

I remember the first time I prayed with a complete stranger. I was terrified! I was in Hobby Lobby and got to talking to this lady.  Her mom was dieing...she had said something to her daughter the day before about being ready to go home.  We talked for a few minutes and I felt inside that I needed to say a prayer not for this lady but with her.  My heart was pounding, what if my prayer did not have the right words in it? Would I say something wrong?  My prayers are not elegant, they are pretty basic and rough around the edges.  But I ask anyway... the lady said, "Please do!" I took her hands and in the isle of Hobby Lobby I sent up a very simple, but elegant prayer.  I was surprised at the words!!  You see I had to be willing but the Spirit took over.. it wasn't my words it was the Spirit of God who spoke through me that day, because I was willing.  When I finished the lady had tears in her eyes and we hugged. She said to me, "You have no idea how much I needed that today, God sent  you to me."

 

When I read this verse... "...for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." I realize that God rejoiced that day I was in Hobby Lobby the minute I said, "Can I say a prayer for you?"  Then God took over my words.   Each time we are willing to do what God prompts us to do He rejoices, then He makes us able.

 

I didn't build a temple that day...what I did was so tiny in comparison but it was what God ask me to do.  Anything that God ask us to do is important. We may never know how important it is...but it matters. And we we act on what God says He rejoices!

 

 

12.22.12

Psalm 141:3-4 Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don't let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.

My Thoughts

I read this and thought, "How would I word this today??"

Dear God,

Oh please watch my mouth! Don't let me say anything unkind to or about anybody. Please stop me in my tracks if I find myself doing so!! Don't let me be pulled into bad things through comedy or entertainment. Please help me recognize evil for what it is evil. Help me to recognize when Satin tries to slip evil into my life and make it seem ok so that I can turn away from it. And God please don't let me be dazzled by the things people have who have done wrong to get it. So dazzled that I take part in what they have. In Jesus name, amen.

I find that when I put these things in words that fit today...when I take time to understand them that way...they drop down in my heart better and I can remember them so much better. I am finding that I need to read and hear God's word over and over and over again. It makes me so happy... it makes me feel great joy when I find myself finally able to do what God has ask me to do without effort.

I find that the the steps I go through are theses; recognizing what is wrong, then knowing I have done wrong immediately after I have done it, then know I shouldn't do it just before I do it, then stopping myself in the middle and finally one day I hear the Holy Spirit right off stopping me before I get started...when I get there...I smile at myself and joy fills my heart.

12.21.12

Revelation 12:11 And they have defeated him (Satin) by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lies so much that they were afraid to die.

 

My Thoughts

Look how important our testimonies are!!!  We defeat Satin by the blood of the Lamb and by our testimony.  How do we use our testimony?  We remember...we make a conscious effort to notice, recognize and remember all that God does for us.  We do this so that when Satin lies to us about what God will do we can say, "God does this and this and this for me!!"  We defeat Satins lies with the truths of God that have played out in our lives!!  When Satin says, "Nobody cares about you!!" We say, "You are lying, God cares about me! I know because He has done __________ for me and __________ for me."  Our testimonies are out stories of God's love for us!!  Those stories in our lives of what God does for us are as important to our well being as the stories from the Bible of what God has done for the people of the past.  Those stories of the Bible help us to recognize God in our lives. Being aware of God and what He does for us is one of our greatest strongholds against Satin!! 

 

And the part of the verse about the angles not being afraid to die... they got their strength to be that strong from the blood of the Lamb and from their own stories of God's love in their lives!! 

 

This verse says to me... take notice, pay attention... close attention to all that God does for you. Knowing will make you strong and knowing will keep you strong.  I like this verse!! 

12.20.12

Psalms 139:17-18 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up you are still with me.

 

My Thoughts

How precious is this verse!!  It makes me smile every time I read it.  First I think of a jar filled with sand and how I could not even begin to count those grains of sand...then I think of walking along the beach in Florida and how it stretches as far as I can see before me and behind me... to think of those grains of sand as thoughts precious thoughts that God has for me!!!  And for you!!  Wow!  Then there is way more beaches than just that one beach in Florida...and the desert is filled with sand.  God is thinking precious thoughts about us more than every second of our lives.  Think of the person you love most in the world... as much as we think of that person our thoughts for them in a lifetime would probably not equal the number of grains of sand in a jar.. much less the beach!  Yet God's thoughts of us outnumber the grains of sand!  And God thinks of us with pure love!!  How could we not love Him back?!

 

Then there is this part "...when I wake up you are still with me." That means that God is right beside us all night long, watching over us.  God is with us always... waiting for us to reach out and take His hand and depend on Him for all our needs.

 

I love God so much...I love how He loves me.  This verse creates in me one of those moments when I want to take every body's face in my hands and say with a sweet loving, concerned for them smile on my face, "God loves you so much!!  Please understand that... He love you so much that He things precious thoughts about you more that 100 times every second of every day!!" 

12.19.12

Zephaniah 3:1-2 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!  No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God.

My Thoughts

When we let evil in we live with the consequences. When we move outside the protection of God we live with the consequences. People often say, "I can do what I want, it doesn't effect anybody but me!" But it does it effects the people around us... our sins touch the lives of others. 

 

I am reminded of a story in the Old Testament (Joshua 7) about Achan.  God told the army not to take plunder from the city they destroyed.  But Achan didn't do what God ask... it was effecting everybody.  When Achan confessed he and his whole family, wife, children and even his livestock were destroyed.  They were all destroyed because of the sin of Achan. When the people got rid of the sin of Achan everything was good again. 

 

We have become so politically correct not wanting to step on people's toes, their feelings.  But we do this at the cost of letting sin run rampant. That sin effects even the people who are doing their best to do good.  We have gone from being a nations that puts God into everything and hides sin... to a nation that flaunts sin and denies God. That is not a good thing.  It moves us our from under the protections of God and puts us right in the path of the consequences of sin. 

 

People say we are living in the end times... My grandmother thought that during the Great Depression too. It wasn't yet the end times then. It may not yet be the end times now.  During the Great Depression people turned back to God, God was sometimes all they had. Turning back to God changed things... our nation began to grow again, to prosper. It wasn't because the depression was over.. it was because God was in the picture again... God was first and His blessings poured down on our nation once more. 

 

We have the power to change things... not because we are powerful...but because God is all-powerful.  What we have to do is love God, do what God expects of us and love others. We have to be honest, upstanding people that always choose to do what God would have us do.  If we do that then God will take care of the rest.

 

 

 

 

12.18.12

Habakkuk 2:12-14  "What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption! Has not the Lord of Heaven's Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord."

My Thoughts



We choose to live under the protection of God... or we choose to go it alone against the evil of the world.  Without God evil can take over completely.  It scares me for our country, when here even in "The Bible Belt" so many people don't go to church.  How few go to church in an area that is not considered "The Bible Belt?"  In Times Square in NYC there hangs a huge picture, stories high, of our Lord Jesus Christ that calls him a myth, this saddens my heart!!!  I am afraid that we are becoming a nations that so far away from God that as a Nation we have move out from under His protection.

 

God loves us so much!  Even when we forget about God, He never forgets us or stops loving us.

 

I have learned that all that God does for us He does out of love. His love is so amazing, so amazing that He even sent his Son down from Heaven to die for our sins. I can go through pain easier that I can see my children hurt. Imagine that, sending your child to die for stupid things other people just won't stop doing... yet God did just that! So many of my sins were stupid, stupid decisions....but Jesus died for even those sins.  God loves us no matter what!!  But sometimes we move so far away He has to get our attention.  Because He wants to protect our eternal soul from Hell...and bring us into a wonderful Heaven to be with Him, He sometimes has to go to great lengths to get our attention.  If He has to let us live completely without His protection to make us remember to be aware of His amazing Glory, He will do just that. Not because He doesn't love us...but because He loves us so very much. 

 

When we put God first He will never move that far away from us... so far that we know no protection. But because God gives us free will that choice is up to us. Just because we can choose to love God or not to love God doesn't mean that we should ever choose not to love God, ever!  We loose out on so much when we choose not to believe.  We loose out on a love that is so amazing that it knows no boundaries.  We loose out on a love that has nothing but our best interest at heart.  If we choose not to love God we step out from under the greatest protection we could possible have. 

 

We can save our nation by doing our part... by loving God and by expressing God's amazing love to others. We can no longer be complacent Christians. We have to be bold. We have to be bold enough to talk about right from wrong.. bold enough to be politically incorrect and be Godly correct.  And if somebody puts up a sign stories tall... we need to be bold enough to put one up right beside it that says, "My Jesus in not a myth!! My Jesus is real can I tell you about Him?" We have to start stepping up and stepping out. When one person takes a stand against God we need to build an army against that stand and stand up for God.  We can move our nation back under the protection of God...but we have to make a move...we have to use our voice... we have to make sure that God knows by our actions that we do love Him. 

 

 

12.17.12

Proverbs 30:7-9 Oh God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, Help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, "Who is the Lord?" And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name.

 

My Thoughts

"Give me just enough" don't you just love that! What wisdom!!  For each of us "just enough" is a different portion.  I believe that God would love to make us all rich, but not at the expense of our salvation!!

 

I am reminded of the story of the Shepard who had a little lamb that kept wandering away from the flock.  The tiny little lamb kept putting himself in harms way. The Shepard broke the legs of the lamb and carried him about on his shoulders.  All the while loving him, and feeding him until he was able to walk on his on again.  When the lamb was able to walk again, he loved and trusted the Shepard to keep him safe and fed, he wanted to be close to the Shepard.  What the Shepard took from that lamb for a time kept the lamb safe for a lifetime.  When the Shepard broke the legs of the little lamb it broke the Shepard's heart... and when the little lamb began to walk again in the safety of the Shepard it made his heart glad. 

 

Sometimes God keeps things from us to keep us safe. As we grow in Him and depend on Him, He is then able to give us more and more and more.  God has only our best interest at heart.  God knows our needs more than we do. 

 

I like to think that if God would entrust me with a million dollars that I would be honorable and do all the right things.  But when I am honest with myself...truly honest with me I know that I would be a bit too selfish.  It is not that I would spend it like there were no tomorrow.  Right now I feel like I have enough money in saving to keep me save in times of trouble.  But if I were given lots of money and got use to that big amount being my safety net... I would see the amount of money I have now as "not enough!"  I would become more dependent on that money for my safety.  I would trust in it instead of trusting in God.  So God keeps me in the safest place possible, a place where I put my trust in Him.  As I grow He gives me more and more and more.  But I still have so much growing to do. 

 

Some people...that if God gave them a million dollars, that million dollars would put them in ruins.  It would be a means to put themselves in such dept that they would never be able to climb out..they would not see that money as security they would see that money as a way to have the ability to put something else on credit...in the end they would be in more dept than ever without a penny to their names. 

 

God knows what is enough to keep me in line with His will and what so much that I will loose sight of Him.  He knows that about each and every one of us.  It is important that we love and trust God for exactly what we have!!  It is important that we learn to use exactly what God has given us in the wisest ways possible. In ways that are in keeping with His word.  It is vital that we keep our eyes on God and learn all that we can...and be all that we can be as His children.  When we do that ... when we grow in God... God is able to give us more and more and more blessings...but always just enough blessings to keep us safe in Him.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.

My Thoughts
The more I read and study God's word the more I understand this verse.  The more I know God the more I am comforted by this verse.

12.15.12

Micah 3:11-12 Your rulers make decisions based on bribes; your priest teach God's laws only for a price; you prophets won't prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord. "No harm can come to us," you say, "For the Lord is here among us." Because of you, Mount Zion will be plowed like and open field; Jerusalem will be reduced to ruins!

 

My Thoughts

Wow!!  Oh wow!!  We think in America that we are big and powerful... but we, like Jerusalem could be reduced to ruins in the blink of an eye!!  We CAN NOT go about thinking we will be protected by God if we are not doing what God ask us to do.  We can't continue to go to Chruch on Sunday and do what ever we please during the week and believe that we are living under God's protection.  We are lying to ourselves when we do that...and the lies we tell ourselves are the most dangerous lies of all. 

12.14.12

Jonah 3:3-5&12 This time Jonah obeyed the Lord's command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.  On the day Jonah entered the City he shouted to the crowds: "Forty days form now Nineveh will be destroyed!" The people of Nineveh believed God's message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrows. 10 When God saw what they had done and how they put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.

 

My Thoughts

Nineveh was a wicked, wicked city... so wicked that God decided it needed to be destroyed.  God gave them one more chance... he sent a messenger, Jonah to tell them that they were doing too much evil and that he would destroy them.  When the people turned from their evil and showed God that the were really sorry for that evil God saved the city and all its people... Because God loves all of His people.

 

These people were evil!!  God still loved them...God wanted to give them a chance!  When they turned to God our gracious loving God showed the city of Nineveh mercy. 

 

God loves each of us that much. It doesn't matter what we have done if we cry out to God and are willing to change God will hear us. God will show us mercy and give us His grace to do better and better and better.

 

God sent Jonah when the people were ready to listen... Jonah said so few words but the people heard Jonah.  The people turned back to God.  As long as we hear God calling to us it is never too late. God loves us so much and He wants to make our lives better... He wants to bring us to live in heaven with Him.   God never stops loving us ever!! 

12.13.12

Proverbs 29:25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.

 

My Thoughts

I use to fear people really bad!!  I feared their moods mostly! It was something I learned growing up.  But I carried it into my adulthood.  Looking back I can see how directly that fear effected each and every decision I made in my life.  Funny it can make you extremely cautious and extremely reckless all at the same time.  Mostly I was extremely cautious... if I was good enough I could put people back in a good mood... or keep them in one, I would think.  Then sometimes I would think, thank goodness not too often, what the heck I can never be good enough anyway!! 

 

Thankfully God sent me Robby.. who is pretty even about everything... he can get in grumpy moods but they don't effect his action too much at all.  He never gets too excited or too upset.  Funny though that can be hard to adjust to. But that evenness about Robby makes life really peaceful and I love that!! 

 

The wonderful thing about God is that He is always the same... His promises are forever promises. He spells everything out leaving no room for us to miss understand.  And when we learn to put His actions and words in context with His love for us, we begin to see the rules He sets out for our lives are all in our best interest. God always has our best interest at heart. He is never selfish. He watches out for us constantly.  And we can trust that when we choose what God would want over what people want we can know that God will keep us safe!!

 

There are lots of things in my childhood that taught me to be a people pleas er.  I think my mom was taught to be a people pleas er herself.  When we go about trying to please all people we are going to fail!  It is a no win situation...that brings about anxiety and panic... it brings on a feeling of failure.  It is very readable in a person and often people take advantage of those traits in a person.  People pleasing can really create a downward spiral that spins out of control. 

 

I am learning that God is the answer to that!! He is the answer to everything...but I am telling you for me this is one of the biggest things loving Him has helped me with.  When you are a people pleas-er there is always 100 right answers that are also wrong answers. What anxiety!!! With God there is right answers and there is wrong answers.  When I go to please God I get to mark lots and lots and lots of things off my list of possible "right" answers. That eliminates so much of my anxiety right off.  Then if  there are a few answers left...I ask myself this question... "If I say yes to this, will it make me later act in a way that would make God unhappy?" If the answer is yes...I feel so free to say no.   What I mean by that is... if somebody ask me to do something and I want to say yes to please them...and I know that it would not be against God to do so.... I look down the road and think will this later make me frustrated or maybe even angry at this person because I told them yes?  If that answer is yes...then I am able to say no.  After all at this point I have the choice...and I choose to be sweet and kind and loving later on by saying no now.  I am learning that when I choose to please God over people that He protects me!  Even if people don't like what I have to say...they respect my decision.  I get to go home and sleep good because I have not done something that made me live in a state of frustration for weeks.  Starting with the second I said yes to something I needed or wanted to say no to.  And too I am learning that those times when I want to say no...and God prompts me to say yes, He makes it all work out and I find myself happy in what I am doing.

 

I always have a choice...I can choose to be a prisoner of trying to please others.  Or I can be a loving, kind and sweet person that chooses to please God.  If I choose the first I live in turmoil.. when I choose the second I find peace and rest.  Amazing peace and rest!! 

 

The best way to choose ourselves is by choosing God... because God has our best interest at heart always!!  The best way to choose others is choosing God...because God always has their best interest at heart too.  Even if somebody doesn't understand it at the moment I am choosing them when I choose God. 

12.12.12

Revelations 3:15-16 I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one of the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

 

My Thoughts

We can't love Jesus when it is convenient or on Sundays.  We can't pray to God just when we are in trouble. We can't know God when we are with our church friends and not acknowledge Him when we are at work.  It is more dangerous than not knowing God at all.  We fool nobody but ourselves when we are part-time Christians. The lies that we tell ourselves are the most dangerous of all!

 

In verse 22 Jesus says, "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the Churches."  We must listen and be honest with ourselves.  Are we walking around being neither hot or cold?  I don't want to be standing before God and hear Jesus say, "I never knew you!" 

 

Revelations 23:6 Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the church's.

My Thoughts
This verse is repeated after each letter to the seven churches.  We are told here, by Jesus,  that we must listen and understand. 

If we don't understand we should ask God to help us.  We don't want to miss a thing. Jesus was sent with a message for us and it is important that we make every effort to understand that message. It is on us if we listen or not. We can't make excuses. 

When we go to a book store there are thousands of books... but no book in our bookstore takes up as many shelves as the different Bibles take up.  God has made sure they are there for us.. Written in enough ways there is one that each of us can understand enough to read.  If we pick one up and do our part God will do the rest!! 

12.10.12

Amos 2:4 This is what the Lord says: "The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instructions of the Lord,  refusing to obey his decrees.  They have been lead astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed."

 

My Thoughts

The part of this verse that really got me to thinking today was this, "They have rejected the instructions of the lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been lead astray by the same likes that deceived their ancestors."  God to me is saying, "Not knowing is not an excuse, believing what other say is not an excuse. I have given you clear history and clear instructions." 

 

We have our Bibles... Pastor David is always telling us that when we hear something we need to check it against God's word to see if it is true. Here it tells us "Well I thought..." is not going to work when we face our judgment day.  It is not going to work because we have God's word available to us. It has survived year after year after year....because God made sure that it did.  Because God wanted us to have His word and know what He says. 

 

The wonderful thing about God's word is that it is always true. It stands the test of time. It is the same yesterday as it is today...and will be for all the tomorrows to come.  And it says in God's word that if we seek wisdom that we will find it!  So if we seek to understand, if we need to know something God will make sure that that wisdom drops down into our hearts.  But we have to be seekers.. we have to be do-ers.  We have to measure what we hear against what God tells us. 

 

We can't decided not knowing doesn't matter. We can't decided that ignorance is bliss.  We can't decide that someone else knows the Bible so what they say is true.  Satin himself used God's word against Jesus to try and trip Him up. He will use it against us through people to trip us up.  When we know God's word for ourselves...we can use God's word, like Jesus did to win our battles against Satin. 

 

There have been a few things that I have believe about the Bible that I have heard people say in my life.  These things sounded really good.  I like them because they seemed to let me off the hook. But as I have read God's word I have learned that what I believe was wrong...I would have never known the difference if I had not picked up my Bible. I would have been held accountable for those wrongs I was doing if I had not learned the difference and asked for forgiveness. 

 

God give us His word so we will know. So we will grow. So we will have the opportunity not to repeat the sins of the past... of past generations and of our past.  God loves us enough to make sure it was all written down so we could learn and grow. 

 

We can see that a child needs to pick up a book to learn to read... we so totally understand that it is important to that child's life, that it is essential in their ability to live...yet we will let our Bibles collect dust on a shelf.  We send children off to school for 7 - 8 hours a day... they come home for their job of learning and we expect them to do their homework.. their work at home so to speak.  We tell them that it is important that they must make time for that homework. We expect them to set aside things they enjoy, things that they would rather do, other things that seem important to them. We expect them to do it even if they are tired.....because their homework is so important to their ability to live a good life in this world.  Our Bibles, God's word is more than that important to our lives.. we need to pick them up every day and renew our minds. We need to set aside everything else for a few moments of our day to make sure that we know and understand God's word.  We need to know it!! Not so we can pass to the next grade...but so we can pass on to a better life when this life is over.  We need to treat reading and knowing God's word as important as we treat our children's homework. We need to know our History so that we understand how important it is to choose to live under the protection of the Almighty. 

 

When a child ask another child the answer to a test question if that answer is wrong he doesn't get to blame it on the child he ask.. his answer is still marked wrong.  We have been given God's word to read for ourselves. If we get the answer wrong because we believe somebody else's answer we will still be held accountable.  We need to get busy learning and growing... God expects us to get our homework! 

12.9.12

Proverbs 29:18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.  But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

 

My Thoughts

It is impossible to feel joy when we are worried, or when we are feeling guilty. When we feel angry we cant feel joy.  When we are running from something or when we are drowning our sorrows (in anything... alcohol... drugs... TV.... football... golf). So often we are busy staying busy so we won't "feel" this mistakes or our past or the mistakes of our present. It is impossible to feel joy when we don't feel safe.

 

When we obey God's law we are free to feel great joy... we can even feel joy in the hardest time. Every time that happens to me I am totally amazed.  First when we follow God's law we live under His protection so we feel safe.  When we choose God we choose forgiveness which takes care of all past guilt's. When we follow God's law we forgive, forgiveness erases anger.  When we follow God's law we live life in a way where we don't carry around sorrow.  When we follow the laws of God we are free to live in joy!!  Amazing joy!

 

We can go about searching for happiness/joy. Or we can simply trust in God and do what He ask of us. We could spend our life searching... or we can just  love God and follow his law then joy will find us!! 

 

 

12.8.12

Psalm 127:1-2 Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.  Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning to late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

 

My Thoughts

God protects us!!  God protects our homes,  our cities, our country!!  God makes sure that we have food to eat and clothes on our backs!  Only God can do this. We can think that we have it all under control ...that it is all us...but it isn't. When we give all that we have to God, God protects all that we have!!  We can work from before day light until after dark and we can store up tons of wealth,  but if we don't love God that wealth will not be protected. It can be taken from us in an instance no matter how hard we have worked.   We can build the mightiest army... the smartest planes... the biggest ships but all of that can not protect us if we don't love God.  If we choose not to be children of God. If we choose to ignore God in all that we do we move right out from under His protection.  When we choose to love God our army will never be too small or our bank accounts too empty, God will provide.  But we have to choose to love God with sincerity... we have to show God that we love Him by our actions. When we do... God protects us on every side!

12.7.12

Hosea 6:6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices.  I want you to know me more that I want burnt offerings.

My Thoughts

God gave the Israelites a way to be forgiven for their sins. He gave them burnt offerings and sacrifices. They began to use these sacrifices and rituals as a way to live like they wanted to and then ask forgiveness.  They didn't even take time to know God.  They only took time to make themselves right after they did what they wanted. God said I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. 

 

This same thing often plays out in marriages... a husband doesn't time time with his wife... he knows life so little that he can't tell you what she has done that week or what she has said.  Then he brings flowers and wants to make it all better.  One day the flowers no longer work..one day she sees the flowers not as love for her but as a way to make sure that she loves him.  This often happens in reverse too... the wife is too, too busy to even hear her husbands worries.. or his accomplishments... she senses he is upset so she cooks his favorite dinner.  Eventually that favorite dinner is his least favorite dinner because it screams to him, "She has  not been listening."

 

God says here, "I want to know you love me...I don't what your sacrifices because I am an afterthought.. I want to be your first thought!!"  "I want you to know me enough to know what pleases me... I want you to know me enough to talk to me about everything in your lives. I don't want you to pretend to care with your burnt offerings." 

 

Another words we can't be Sunday Christians.  We must be Christians every day.  Sunday can't be about making all our wrongs from the week before okay.  The wrongs we did knowing even before we did them that we would just ask forgiveness for on Sunday. Our Sundays can't be about being forgiven for the things we didn't know were wrong because we didn't take time to learn.  Our Sundays need to be a beginning to our week.. a way to start the week off with God.  A promise to Him that we will love Him with our actions...that we will make Him a part of each day, a part of each decision we make. 

 

We need to love God, not because we love ourselves and don't want to go to hell, but because we love God. Love him because He first loved us. Because we know Him, truly know Him.  We need to love God because He is God... because He is love.  God doesn't want our love because we are suppose to love Him. He wants us to love Him because we just do love Him.  To love Him that way we must spend time knowing Him.  When we love God like that, that love will, WILL change our lives in amazing ways!! 

 

12.6.12

Hosea 4:1-3
Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
“There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.² There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.³ Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.


My Thoughts

Psalm 6:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise Him, the seas and all that move in them.  When I read the first three verses in Hosea 4 my mind went straight to this verse in Psalms.  I though if the earth can praise God it can also morn our actions toward God.  When we are in our deepest morning we don't function right and we feel like giving up. We are not productive...and often we act out in anger. 

 

We had a preacher once that talked earthquakes in another country and how that country mistreated it women... he referenced a Bible verse about the land.  I can't remember the verse.  But basically he said that the earthquakes were caused by the mistreatment of the women of that land.  I was amazed and it made such sense.

 

Here it talks about the people committing such sin...it talks about blood shed following bloodshed.  I read these verses and think about gangs that take a life for a life.  I think about how cursing is not shocking any more, like it was when I was a child.  I think about how we have become people who steal from people or our government on paper and think that that is ok....everyday people that seem to do most thing right will cheat on their taxes. My mother put it best one day when she said, "There has always been sin, but now people just seem so proud of their sins."  TV teaches us that sex is expected on the third date if you are a dating adult. 

 

These verses go on to tell us that because of sin the lad dries up...the beast of the field and the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea are swept away.  Only mighty winds could do that.  And look at all the mighty winds we are seeing in our land.  Winds that bring on fierce storms that cause such damage and distruction.  Hot dry summers where crops don't grow...and stormy, stormy falls. 

 

The scientist say there will be so much more of this to come.  They blame it on global warming. God's word says that it is our sins.  If our land, our seas can praise God... our land and our seas can morn our treatment of God.  If morning causes us to be angry and act out.. if it causes us not to be productive and to give up, wouldn't it do the same the the wind and the seas? 

 

We have control over all of this... God put us in control of the land and the animals in Genesis. To gain power over the land we must love God and put God first. We must turn from sin and put God first in our lives. I believe with all my heart that if we do that the ice will quilt melting and causing the earth to cry.  I believe the winds will calm down and the rain will come without storms.  If we love God our earth will rejoice and produce in abundance. But we have to love God. 

 

We each play a part... we can't play the blame game.  When we blame others we don't fix ourselves.  We can't say, "If he didn't sin and she didn't sin." We have to each take responsibility for ourselves and say, "Where am I sinning, how am I letting God down? What is my part in making the earth morn?" 

12.5.12

1 John 5:13-15 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.  And since we know He hears us when we make our request, we also know that He will give us what we ask for. 

 

My Thoughts

I have an uncle that doesn't believe in God because God didn't answer this one prayer that he prayed over and over.  If you knew my uncle and knew his prayer you would know that he would have never survived if this prayer had been answered. If God had answered this prayer just so that my uncle would have believed... my uncle would still not have believed... at least now he thinks on God and God not answering that prayer. Maybe one day he will make the connection... I pray that he does.

 

From the outside looking in that is easy to see, if you knew my uncle.  So often we only see what we think our need is... sometimes that need or that want feels so great that we can't see beyond it...not only can we not see beyond it we are standing so close to it we can't see it clearly.  It would be much like standing with your nose glued to the base of a bridge... you could see only the spot in front of your nose... you could not see the height or width of that bridge or where it really came from or reaches to.  So often our prayer come from the place our nose is glued to.  God sees the whole picture... God sees where the need/want originated from and where it is going.  We see only the spot. 

 

And then there is this part of the verse... God hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. The prayer my uncle prayed was not a want that started with God, or that had God in the middle... and if my uncle had reached what he wanted the prayer would not have ended with even a thank you to God.  The only part that included God in this prayer was getting my uncle just what he wanted more than anything... more than He wanted the presence of God.  There was no thought to what pleases God in his prayer.

 

Mind you I am not trying to pick on my dear uncle at all... he is this odd but sweet man that is hard to love but you can't help loving, all rolled up into one. I have discussed God with him almost pleading with him to believe.. pointing out that he must believe in God, he prayed!!  I pray that God puts somebody in his path that he hears. His prayer is just a prayer that I can see clearly.

 

I know that I have prayed prayers that were not answered. I know too that those prayers were such selfish prayers.. prayers where my nose was attached to only my wants...and the limited knowledge of the phrase "God answers prayers." James 5:16 tells us that the prayers of a person right with God have great power and wonderful results.   Here in 1 John it tells us that God hears us when we ask for anything that pleases Him.  We also have to keep in mind that God sees the whole picture... God knew us before we were born and He knows what our lives hold. God knows what is best for us!!  So often when I have prayed I did not take the time to get right with God... so often when I prayed I prayed only selfish prayers. For so, so long when I prayed I did not know God enough to even begin to pray a prayer that might please Him.  And sometimes when I pray for others, I often forget that God gives each of us free will to choose Him.. it is not that God is not answering my prayers for others.. it is that they are not open to the gifts that God has waiting to poor down on them. 

 

What I am learning is that God is always there for me and if I don't think my prayer has been answered then  I need to first examine my life and see if I am right with God and with man.  I have to know God's word so that I know if my prayers will be pleasing to God. And when my prayers are for others I do my best to remember that God has heard my prayers when I have my life in order and when  my prayers are in agreement with His word. I believe that He is storing up those prayers to be answered for the people I know and love. And when they are ready to receive all that God has planned for them God will answer those prayers too. 

God always, always has my best interest at heart, always!!!  The only thing that gets in the way of me and God is me!!  And I have the power to fix that! God has the power to make everything else in my life good.  When I know His word... it can change my life. But I can't just hear the bits and pieces from others... I have to learn God word for me so that I will not leave anything out that is important ...where I won't put anything in that is wrong... so that I can be completely connected to God and His amazing love!!

 

My unanswered prayers were never about God...they were because I didn't step back and look up to God... by looking into His word. 

12.4.12

Daniel 4:12 But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But The wicked will continue in their wickedness, and non of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.

My Thoughts

The Bible often talks about our trials purifying us. Everyday trials. Here Daniel had been given visions about the end of time. Those trials leading up to the end of time are going to be huge compared to our everyday trials. This verse made me think hard about how I handle these everyday things. About how the people around me handle the every day things.

Just yesterday I was coming back home from being downtown. I had about a 20 minute drive I guess. I was amazed by the rudeness of the drivers... 4 times I could have had a wreak if I had not at those moments been the one paying attention. I thought to myself, "If we get much more selfish we are not going to be able to drive! There is going to be complete chaos and lots of wrecks. One day we are going to cross that line where there aren't almost wreaks everywhere and there is in one day going to be lots of them. If we don't become less selfish drivers!"

Now today I read this verse... If we can't keep our temper in traffic... if little annoyances make us unloving or unkind. If standing in line makes us crazy or anxious. What will we be like when the world gets worse.. when end times are upon us enough for us all of us to recognize them? Will we be strong enough? Will we be loving? Will our actions be Christ like?

We really need to practice being strong, loving and Christ like now!! In our everyday lives...if we can't do it on a bad "normal" day... we will not be able to do it at the very worst of times.

In James 1 it tells us "² Dear brothers and sisters,when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." Life will test us... testing will grow us... we need to see those moments as opportunities to be strong in God. We need to see those moments as opportunities to practice being Christ like.  When we do we grow!!  When we do, we don't make excuses, we instead take on the challenge and show what we are made of as children of the Most High God!!  When we do that our endurance grows and grows and grows... we need to grow it enough to be strong enough to be Christ like in situations that we can't even imagine. 

 

I challenge you, I challenge myself to act today, and tomorrow and all the tomorrow's to come to do you best, make no excuses... be strong and loving and kind in all situations.. practice it like a soldier practices his steps that make him able to defend himself.  Because being Christ like will be our defense, it is our defense against evil.  Our very lives will depend on it one day just as much as the life of a soldier depends on being able to defend himself!! God warns us not to be deceived, not to be complacent.  We need to be alert, practiced and ready!!  Our everyday trials are not our battle ground..they are our boot-camp...we need to learn to use them to become the best we can be at being a child of God!!

1 John 3:7-9 Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: when people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.  But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning.  But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.  Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them.  So they can't keep on sinning because they are children of God. 

 

My Thoughts

I use to skip right over the Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this part...and see only the warning... the warning seemed harsh and scary... it could make me feel like I could never win which in turn could just make me give up completely. 

 

Now when I read this I feel like that through John, God is taking my face in His hands and lovingly saying, "Jeannie, sweet dear Jeannie... I love you and I need you to hear this!!!  People are going to tell you that sin is OK, I will forgive it... they will say it doesn't matter what you do as long as  you "love" God you can ask forgiveness. Don't let them get you all mixed up and confused!!!  Don't let the Devil himself convince you that all is OK as long as  you go about your business then ask forgiveness.  Will you mess up? Yes you will!!  You live in that human body on earth where Satin is trying to trip you up at every turn.  Will I forgive you when you mess up? Yes I will if you are my child I will forgive you!!!  If you have chosen me, if you believe in my Son I will forgive you!!!  I will forgive you and I will give you my grace to do better.  But I need you to be very aware that you make choices all the time.  And in those choices you choose me or you choose Satin.  You can not chose me by work and Satin by your actions.  Your actions show who you love.  Your actions don't get you into heaven your love does... but your love for me, changes your actions.  You actions show your heart!! I love you and I want you to be very aware of this.... because I want you to live your life out in Heaven with Me. I want to shower you with My love, but I can't do that if what is in your heart separates you from Me!! When you mess up in your efforts I can forgive you!!  But when you are always choosing Satin over me you are not forgiven because you are not my child.  If you are doing that, be aware that you are and become my child so I can forgive you, so that I can pour my grace out on your life and help you grow." 

 

God is not pointing His finger in our face and calling us awful and evil... God is taking our face in His hands and saying .. don't be fooled child, Satin is the master deciptor ... hear my words!! I love you and want you with me!!!  God loves us so much!!  God loves us so much and He wants to make sure that we know that we are a child of His...and He is telling us to watch our actions because our actions will tell us if we really love God.  Our words can deceive us...but our actions tell us the truth.  God is saying, "Child look at your actions ...don't listen to your words!! I want  you to be mine, are you really mine? If you aren't lets fix that!!  So I can shower you with love!!"

12.1.12

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love this world or the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  Those are not from the Father, but are from this world.  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.  but anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

 

My Thoughts

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.  Wow!  If this was the only line we read in the Bible we would think that it was written today!!  We are so full of "I want, I want, I want"... and  so full of "Look what I have!" or "Look what I can do!!" How often do we really stop and say, "God you have given me this ability, what do you want me to do with it?" "God you have given me this money what do you want me to do with it?"  Instead we tend to say, "It's payday what can I get?"  "I want, I want, I want!"  We can have a closet full of clothes and see wanting a new outfit as a "need." We see having what our neighbor has as a need.  So many of us are so far removed from really needing anything that we don't know the difference between a need and a want. God has given us so much and we just keep wanting more.  It is heartbreaking of you think about it!!  How sad it must make God.  We just keep wanting bigger, better and more so, so often without stopping to say, "Thank you God for all that you have given me." 

 

What do we really "NEED?" All we really need besides God is a room that provides a roof over our head that has a fireplace... food in out tummy...and a warm outfit for our body and people to love and to love us back.  Yet we get way to busy for the people because we want so much more that a room, food and set of warm clothes.  We get way too busy getting and having more that we don't even take a minute in our day for God. 

 

It makes me think... what if we simplified our lives down to just a little more than what we need?   What if every time we bought something new, we gave up something to have it.  What if our houses were the size just to hold necessities?   How much more time would we have for God... how much more time would we have for people... how much more time would we have for love??