Ezekiel 19:21-22 But if wicked people turn from all their sins and begin to obey my decrees and do what is right, they will surely live and not die. All their past sins will be forgotten, and they will live because of the righteous things they have done.
My Thoughts
I love that God gives us another chance... that He is a God of mercy... In verse 32 God says, "I don't want you to die. Turn back and live." He even gives us His Word so that we can learn to live a righteous life. How special is that! He forgets all of our sins! When we are reminded of our sins it is not God, He does not remember! It is Satan trying to trip us up... because God loves us so much He forgets...and we can tell Satan that we know that!! We with boldness can say, "God has forgiven me, God loves me so much that He has even chose to forget my sins!" God wants us to grow in Him and He knows that we can't do that if we are living in the shadow of our past, so He forgets our past for us so that we can grow!! We can never be so bad that God will not forgive us if we ask and begin to do better. That is love! An amazing love.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
11.7.13
Proverbs 27:7 A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
My Thoughts
I have read this at least 3 other times...no each time I go through my Bible I go through Proverbs twice...so this is the 6th time I have read this verse. FINALLY I get it!! Which means I am growing... so I will not beat myself up... I will just be so very thankful that I got here to the "getting it" part!
There have been stories, and sometimes there still are, that I have read in the Bible that just baffled me, upset me even that now I love!! Even when I have to hang my head in shame because I know that those verses that day are speaking directly at me. Telling me that I have done wrong and I must do better. Even the harshest stories of the Bible are sweet now... I am finally hungry enough... and I hope that I stay hungry for God's words, for God's truths...those truths no matter how harsh they may sometimes seem make my life better and better and better...and they help keep me focused on God.
Even today I thought how could I bet too full of God's word to be hungry, then I realized that when I am not hungry for God is not when I am too full of God's word, after all the more I read God's word the hungrier I am for it. It is when I am too full of myself that I am not hungry for God's word. The less full I am of me, and the more I hunger for God's word the more I am able to rejoice even in God's correction of my actions. Why? Because those corrections make me able to draw closer to God and all that He has for me. They make me able to know God more deeply... and in the process bring me closer and closer to God. Which also grow the joy God places in my heart.
I love that the more I know God the more starved I feel for His Word... and the more full of love I feel all at the same time. The hungrier I am, the less I get in my way. The hungrier I am the more blessings God can send to overflow my life with. What a blessing it is to read this verse and know that I know, that I know what it means to me and for me!
My Thoughts
I have read this at least 3 other times...no each time I go through my Bible I go through Proverbs twice...so this is the 6th time I have read this verse. FINALLY I get it!! Which means I am growing... so I will not beat myself up... I will just be so very thankful that I got here to the "getting it" part!
There have been stories, and sometimes there still are, that I have read in the Bible that just baffled me, upset me even that now I love!! Even when I have to hang my head in shame because I know that those verses that day are speaking directly at me. Telling me that I have done wrong and I must do better. Even the harshest stories of the Bible are sweet now... I am finally hungry enough... and I hope that I stay hungry for God's words, for God's truths...those truths no matter how harsh they may sometimes seem make my life better and better and better...and they help keep me focused on God.
Even today I thought how could I bet too full of God's word to be hungry, then I realized that when I am not hungry for God is not when I am too full of God's word, after all the more I read God's word the hungrier I am for it. It is when I am too full of myself that I am not hungry for God's word. The less full I am of me, and the more I hunger for God's word the more I am able to rejoice even in God's correction of my actions. Why? Because those corrections make me able to draw closer to God and all that He has for me. They make me able to know God more deeply... and in the process bring me closer and closer to God. Which also grow the joy God places in my heart.
I love that the more I know God the more starved I feel for His Word... and the more full of love I feel all at the same time. The hungrier I am, the less I get in my way. The hungrier I am the more blessings God can send to overflow my life with. What a blessing it is to read this verse and know that I know, that I know what it means to me and for me!
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
11.6.13
Ezekiel 9:17-19 You took the very jewels and gold and silver ornaments I had given you and made statues of men and worshiped them. This is adultery against me! You used the beautifully embroidered clothes I have you to dress your idols. Then you used my special oil and my incense to worship them. Imagine it! You set before them as a sacrifice the choice flour, olive oil, and honey I had given you, says the Sovereign Lord.
My Thoughts
Verse 23 says, "What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, you built a pagan shrine and put alters to idols in every town square.
What all do we do this with today? I think of stars having their hand prints in the sidewalk...of collages putting up statues of their sports hero's and of Washington putting up statues to great presidents. I thought of us spreading out a wonderful meal in front of the TV to watch our favorite teams play and of all the wonderful smells of food surrounding a football stadium by the tailgaters. I though of how much pomp and circumstance we give so many things and then ponder on Sundays if we will go to Church or stay home. How many times do we miss worshiping God because we stayed up late to watch "the game." I couldn't help but wonder what God thinks of all of that!! It actually made my heart sad... the thought has truly brought tears to my eyes this morning.
God has given us so very much... so much of what He has given us gives us more time...yet we spend less and less time with God. I think of how much I have grown in the past 4 years by getting up each morning and reading my Bible and I feel proud of myself...but today I think... what if at night I gave up one more TV show and read that much more of God's word? I would have grown even more!!
I have heard it said that if we are too busy to make time for God then we are way too busy. So often we spend our days looking for a minutes peace...when peace would come in spending time with God. Each night I look forward to settling in and turning on the TV for a couple of hours... a whole couple of hours of peace... have I neglected God in the process... have I made TV an idol? It seems that I need to adjust my life a little more... I can see this as frustrating...as giving up something I enjoy... or I can see this as a wonderful chance to find more peace, to know God more, to grow my joy.... there are so many moments in my day where I have the chance for this.. yet I pass them up. I have a couple of changes I need to make... I am sure there is more than a couple...but I can at least start with a couple and go from there.... I want so God to smile down on me....
My Thoughts
Verse 23 says, "What sorrow awaits you, says the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, you built a pagan shrine and put alters to idols in every town square.
What all do we do this with today? I think of stars having their hand prints in the sidewalk...of collages putting up statues of their sports hero's and of Washington putting up statues to great presidents. I thought of us spreading out a wonderful meal in front of the TV to watch our favorite teams play and of all the wonderful smells of food surrounding a football stadium by the tailgaters. I though of how much pomp and circumstance we give so many things and then ponder on Sundays if we will go to Church or stay home. How many times do we miss worshiping God because we stayed up late to watch "the game." I couldn't help but wonder what God thinks of all of that!! It actually made my heart sad... the thought has truly brought tears to my eyes this morning.
God has given us so very much... so much of what He has given us gives us more time...yet we spend less and less time with God. I think of how much I have grown in the past 4 years by getting up each morning and reading my Bible and I feel proud of myself...but today I think... what if at night I gave up one more TV show and read that much more of God's word? I would have grown even more!!
I have heard it said that if we are too busy to make time for God then we are way too busy. So often we spend our days looking for a minutes peace...when peace would come in spending time with God. Each night I look forward to settling in and turning on the TV for a couple of hours... a whole couple of hours of peace... have I neglected God in the process... have I made TV an idol? It seems that I need to adjust my life a little more... I can see this as frustrating...as giving up something I enjoy... or I can see this as a wonderful chance to find more peace, to know God more, to grow my joy.... there are so many moments in my day where I have the chance for this.. yet I pass them up. I have a couple of changes I need to make... I am sure there is more than a couple...but I can at least start with a couple and go from there.... I want so God to smile down on me....
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
11.5.13
Ezekiel 13:10 This will happen because these evil prophets deceived my people by saying, "All is peaceful" when there is no peace at all. It's as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!
My Thoughts
When I read the words whitewash, I though of white lies. These prophets didn't want people, especially kings who could have them killed to dislike them. So they said what the people wanted to hear. God called them evil.
As I child I was taught to tell "white lies" to spare hurt feelings. You know the kind, the phone rings (back in the day of no caller id) and your mom says, "If that is so in so tell them I am not at home." A white lie to spare someones feelings... my mom didn't want to talk to them, but didn't want to hurt their feelings. There are other examples, "I love this dress! Do you like it" and you answer, "yes" when your mind screams NO! The list can go on...and some of the white lies you learn to tell... become more of a gray. When you are taught something as a child, by a parent who has good intentions... you do what you are taught. And sometimes you even pass these things down to your children...and them to their children.
The more I read God's word the more I understand how harmful these things can be in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. A white lie...is white wash...it is something that makes things look better than what the truth is. And as harmless as a white lie seems it does not please God. And as small as a white lie seems it could have consequences that we never intended. What if we told a "white" lie about a dress being pretty...and that dress was worn to a job interview? The way that person looked in that dress could make all the difference. We never ever know how far the ripples of a "white" lie reach. God understand this...and in this verse I learn that we are not to white wash anything... we are to say everything with love and kindness... even if it stings a little.
If you think about it... white washing the truth only benefits you... we are taught that it is for the benefit of others... but in reality it isn't. It makes us look sweet while the person we told a white lie to walk around in an ugly dress. Is that kind... or would the truth been kinder? The truth is always kinder if we could see the big picture. God sees the big picture enough to warn us that white washing things is evil in His eyes.
My Thoughts
When I read the words whitewash, I though of white lies. These prophets didn't want people, especially kings who could have them killed to dislike them. So they said what the people wanted to hear. God called them evil.
As I child I was taught to tell "white lies" to spare hurt feelings. You know the kind, the phone rings (back in the day of no caller id) and your mom says, "If that is so in so tell them I am not at home." A white lie to spare someones feelings... my mom didn't want to talk to them, but didn't want to hurt their feelings. There are other examples, "I love this dress! Do you like it" and you answer, "yes" when your mind screams NO! The list can go on...and some of the white lies you learn to tell... become more of a gray. When you are taught something as a child, by a parent who has good intentions... you do what you are taught. And sometimes you even pass these things down to your children...and them to their children.
The more I read God's word the more I understand how harmful these things can be in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. A white lie...is white wash...it is something that makes things look better than what the truth is. And as harmless as a white lie seems it does not please God. And as small as a white lie seems it could have consequences that we never intended. What if we told a "white" lie about a dress being pretty...and that dress was worn to a job interview? The way that person looked in that dress could make all the difference. We never ever know how far the ripples of a "white" lie reach. God understand this...and in this verse I learn that we are not to white wash anything... we are to say everything with love and kindness... even if it stings a little.
If you think about it... white washing the truth only benefits you... we are taught that it is for the benefit of others... but in reality it isn't. It makes us look sweet while the person we told a white lie to walk around in an ugly dress. Is that kind... or would the truth been kinder? The truth is always kinder if we could see the big picture. God sees the big picture enough to warn us that white washing things is evil in His eyes.
Monday, November 4, 2013
11.4.13
Hebrews 6:19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary.
My Thoughts
I love this ...a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls!! An anchor for our souls!! I love that word picture!! Even tossed in a storm when we are anchored to God by Jesus we can weather the storms of life!! And when we are anchored and the sun is shining bright we don't have to stay at the controls of our ship...we get to go about the ship and enjoy life. The anchor has everything under control! Held firm into place!! On top of all of that... when Jesus is our anchor He takes us straight to God.. to the safest place we can be. An anchor with GPS...we throw it out into the waters, no matter where we are and it lands in the inner sanctuary of God. We have to be smart enough to never cut that anchor from our lives even in the toughest storms then we will come through to the other side...better and stronger than we have ever been before.
My Thoughts
I love this ...a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls!! An anchor for our souls!! I love that word picture!! Even tossed in a storm when we are anchored to God by Jesus we can weather the storms of life!! And when we are anchored and the sun is shining bright we don't have to stay at the controls of our ship...we get to go about the ship and enjoy life. The anchor has everything under control! Held firm into place!! On top of all of that... when Jesus is our anchor He takes us straight to God.. to the safest place we can be. An anchor with GPS...we throw it out into the waters, no matter where we are and it lands in the inner sanctuary of God. We have to be smart enough to never cut that anchor from our lives even in the toughest storms then we will come through to the other side...better and stronger than we have ever been before.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
11.3.13
Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest (Jesus) of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. there we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most!
My Thoughts
Jesus understands!! He understands every single feeling we have! So we can talk to Him about anything...we can boldly tell Him how we feel.
I loved reading this today... just loved it... I needed it! For most of my life I just did not understand this... I felt like I could only go to Jesus when I was being good. Now I understand that I can go to Jesus when I am at my worse, when I am having my worse thoughts ever and that is when He will go to God on my behalf and ask for God's grace to help keep us strong, to help us make the right decisions in spite of ourselves!!
How wonderful that God sent Jesus to earth to be a man, so that He could totally understand us! So that He would know exactly how we feel... how wonderful it is that Jesus called always on God's grace to help Him not sin... and God will give us that same grace to help us not to sin. We just have to learn to go to Jesus before we sin, so that we don't have to go after we sin. I never really understood that I could go to Jesus and say, "Oh I feel like sinning, I feel like giving in! Please help me!!" It seems an odd thing to say...but isn't it much better than saying, "I have sinned please forgive me!" Jesus "gets us"... He so understands... we just need to understand that we can go boldly and confess our desire to sin...and ask for help!!
My Thoughts
Jesus understands!! He understands every single feeling we have! So we can talk to Him about anything...we can boldly tell Him how we feel.
I loved reading this today... just loved it... I needed it! For most of my life I just did not understand this... I felt like I could only go to Jesus when I was being good. Now I understand that I can go to Jesus when I am at my worse, when I am having my worse thoughts ever and that is when He will go to God on my behalf and ask for God's grace to help keep us strong, to help us make the right decisions in spite of ourselves!!
How wonderful that God sent Jesus to earth to be a man, so that He could totally understand us! So that He would know exactly how we feel... how wonderful it is that Jesus called always on God's grace to help Him not sin... and God will give us that same grace to help us not to sin. We just have to learn to go to Jesus before we sin, so that we don't have to go after we sin. I never really understood that I could go to Jesus and say, "Oh I feel like sinning, I feel like giving in! Please help me!!" It seems an odd thing to say...but isn't it much better than saying, "I have sinned please forgive me!" Jesus "gets us"... He so understands... we just need to understand that we can go boldly and confess our desire to sin...and ask for help!!
Friday, November 1, 2013
11.1.13
Hebrews 3:19 So we see because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
My Thoughts
Oh wow! Looking back over my life this verse really hits home. For so long I thought I believed in God. I did believe that God existed .... I believed that Jesus died of my sins. I had been taught that all of my life. But there was so much that I missed...even when I thought I was trying. All along there were things my Sunday School teachers would say, or that the preacher would preach on...that I just didn't believe. I more felt like I didn't "get it" ...but really I didn't believe it. Why? All because I didn't understand all that God says in His word. Why didn't I understand? Because I had not taken the time to read God's word for myself. I had only read bits and pieces and then I had just gone on what the preacher preached. I probable had faith about a few things...but not about all the things that God promises me. I just didn't know all the things that God promises me. I had not read them for myself. And all along I was never at rest... I didn't know how to enter God's rest.
If I think about it...what I believed is that Jesus died so that I could be forgiven and that I needed to be good. That may be all that I really understood. I sure didn't understand that if I loved God and kept my eyes and my heart on Him, He would make me want to be good, and He would make me able to be good. I had the Jesus died for my sins part right. I just had no grasp what so ever on God's amazing grace...that made me able, that gave me the deep desire to do better and better and better. I was out in the world trying to please God by my actions, not by loving Him and accepting all that He had to give me. Once that I learned about how God loves me so completely... I couldn't help but love Him... once I knew how to look for God's love around me, I couldn't help but feel loved by God. Once I got that...the peace of God just flowed down from heaven into my life like a river filled from a never ending rain.
These days I just bask in the peace of God...sometimes I stop and feel a bit sad for the me that was trying so hard without direction...so void of God's wonderful peace. Once I understood the Holy Spirit and learned to actually feel His presence inside of me... my life was, finally, forever changed.
You might be asking, as you read this, "How did you get to this place?" I always had that question in my mind when I met a Christian that glowed with God's peace and understanding. But I would never ask for fear of looking like I was not a Christian myself. What I was, is a Child of God stuck at the very beginning of a wonderful journey for years upon years... Found but so lost all at the same time. And all along I was afraid to ask, "How do I get what you have?????!!!!" I can tell you how I got what I have today... I picked up my Bible and started reading. God tells us that if we seek wisdom, wisdom will find us. And that is just what happened to me. It happened when I had not ever known that promise of God. I started seeking wisdom...and slowly but surly I begin to understand...and as I did I begin to live under the protection of God. Then God wanted me so protected that He surrounded me by godly people, who taught me even more...now I live totally in the peace of God. Every once in a while when I feel peace slipping away...I go running to God and find out where I put peace down and picked up the world... and I fix it fast... because peace, the peace of God is an amazing place to live!
My Thoughts
Oh wow! Looking back over my life this verse really hits home. For so long I thought I believed in God. I did believe that God existed .... I believed that Jesus died of my sins. I had been taught that all of my life. But there was so much that I missed...even when I thought I was trying. All along there were things my Sunday School teachers would say, or that the preacher would preach on...that I just didn't believe. I more felt like I didn't "get it" ...but really I didn't believe it. Why? All because I didn't understand all that God says in His word. Why didn't I understand? Because I had not taken the time to read God's word for myself. I had only read bits and pieces and then I had just gone on what the preacher preached. I probable had faith about a few things...but not about all the things that God promises me. I just didn't know all the things that God promises me. I had not read them for myself. And all along I was never at rest... I didn't know how to enter God's rest.
If I think about it...what I believed is that Jesus died so that I could be forgiven and that I needed to be good. That may be all that I really understood. I sure didn't understand that if I loved God and kept my eyes and my heart on Him, He would make me want to be good, and He would make me able to be good. I had the Jesus died for my sins part right. I just had no grasp what so ever on God's amazing grace...that made me able, that gave me the deep desire to do better and better and better. I was out in the world trying to please God by my actions, not by loving Him and accepting all that He had to give me. Once that I learned about how God loves me so completely... I couldn't help but love Him... once I knew how to look for God's love around me, I couldn't help but feel loved by God. Once I got that...the peace of God just flowed down from heaven into my life like a river filled from a never ending rain.
These days I just bask in the peace of God...sometimes I stop and feel a bit sad for the me that was trying so hard without direction...so void of God's wonderful peace. Once I understood the Holy Spirit and learned to actually feel His presence inside of me... my life was, finally, forever changed.
You might be asking, as you read this, "How did you get to this place?" I always had that question in my mind when I met a Christian that glowed with God's peace and understanding. But I would never ask for fear of looking like I was not a Christian myself. What I was, is a Child of God stuck at the very beginning of a wonderful journey for years upon years... Found but so lost all at the same time. And all along I was afraid to ask, "How do I get what you have?????!!!!" I can tell you how I got what I have today... I picked up my Bible and started reading. God tells us that if we seek wisdom, wisdom will find us. And that is just what happened to me. It happened when I had not ever known that promise of God. I started seeking wisdom...and slowly but surly I begin to understand...and as I did I begin to live under the protection of God. Then God wanted me so protected that He surrounded me by godly people, who taught me even more...now I live totally in the peace of God. Every once in a while when I feel peace slipping away...I go running to God and find out where I put peace down and picked up the world... and I fix it fast... because peace, the peace of God is an amazing place to live!
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