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Waiting – It’s Worth It

During this past month I have heard, and maybe even said, I love this time of year. The weather changes, the fall colors and the flavor of pumpkin spice. Waiting through winter, spring and summer for fall.

Or perhaps you are waiting for the Christmas season. The decorations, the carols, the homemade sweets, the gathering of family and the “peace on earth” that comes from putting the birth of Christ forefront around the world.

Waiting! It’s worth it!

Favorite verses of mine are Isaiah 40:29-31CEV “The Lord gives strength to those who are weary. 30 Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. 31 But those who trust (wait on) the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.”

And then from Psalms 27:14 ERV “Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help.”

The word wait is also translated “trust”. When we trust the Lord, we are willing to wait for Him to bring His promises to pass.

Waiting! It’s Worth It!

Another word for waiting is one we don’t like very much, patience.

Some of us who have been Christians for a while know what it’s like to believe God’s word and then to stand, maybe for years, waiting for God’s promise to come to pass. We are tempted at times to get weary and give up but we can’t, because it’s God’s Word and He never lies and His word never fails.

When Jesus was born his parents took him to the Temple to offer the sacrifices that were required. In the Temple was a man who had looked each day to see the promised Messiah.

“ A man named Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a good man who was devoted to God. He was waiting for the time when God would come to help Israel… So he was there when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to do what the Jewish law said they must do. 28 Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God: 29 ‘Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace as you said. 30 I have seen with my own eyes how you will save your people.'” Luke 2:26-30 ERV

If you’ve been waiting, waiting a long time – don’t complain. Thank God that He is faithful to His word and it will come to pass.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground. Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:10-11 ERV

Waiting? Grab a pumpkin spice latte or a molasses cookie and “wait on the Lord”.

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Sing in the Silence

The last couple of days I have seen pictures on Facebook that friends have shared of the full moon. They’ve been beautiful. This morning I walked out to enjoy the splendor myself.

My I-phone didn’t do it justice, so I just stood and took it all in. The quiet, the majesty, the awesome work of God. I heard in my heart what I had read on the pages of my Bible only minutes earlier and I knew that this day, this time, this space was dedicated to praising the Lord.

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him on high! 2 Praise Him, all His angels! Praise Him, all His army! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise Him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He spoke and they came into being. 6 He has made them last forever and ever. He has set a Law which will not pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you large sea animals and all seas, 8 fire and hail, snow and clouds, and wind storms, obeying His Word. 9 Praise the Lord, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all tall trees, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small animals that move on the ground and birds that fly, 11 kings of the earth and all people, princes and all leaders of the earth, 12 both young men and women who have never had men, and old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord. For His name alone is honored. His shining-greatness is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all who belong to Him, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord! Psalm 148 NLV

There is not one thing that the Lord created and formed that does not give Him praise. They all declare His glory, so they were created to praise their maker. So were we. But we have the option to complain if we choose to. We can use our words to fault-find and spew criticism or to offer praise and encouragement.

“ A man’s stomach will be filled with the fruit of his mouth. He will be filled with what his lips speak. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20-21 NLV

Our praise honors the Father. The Psalms say that He inhabits our praise but our praise also encourages us. It puts our focus on Who God is and His mighty power.

Start the day, singing in the silence, before the cares of life come crashing in. Take a listen from the birds, the first thing we hear each morning is their song.

Sing praise to the Lord – sing praises!

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Wipe Away All Tears

How many times have I sat alone, crying, while talking to my Father. Tears flow freely in His presence. Times of devastation, disappointment, heartbreak, empathy, pure joy and inexpressible love – can cause my eyes to overflow.

“And the Lord God will wipe away every tear from every face. In the past, all of his people were sad, but God will take away that sadness from the earth. All of this will happen because the Lord said it would.

9 At that time people will say, ‘Here is our God! He is the one we have been waiting for.  He has come to save us. We have been waiting for our Lord. So we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us.‘” Isaiah 25:8-9 ERV

I’m so grateful for my husband, he is a loving and caring man. He’s a good father and an example of our loving heavenly Father.

I don’t think there has ever been a time when our kids have called out to their “daddy” asking him to help that he has not responded in a positive way. He has never refused to help when it has been physically, emotionally, spiritually or financially possible. He’s been there every time!

Now he may have given them a lecture regarding the circumstances that have led up to them getting in trouble but he has never refused to help.

Good example of the heavenly Father.

I was thinking this morning about how many times it says in Scripture, “I cried unto the Lord and he heard me”. Then I thought of the number of times I have called out to the Father. I have always known He was there! He heard me and He was there!

He either changed the situation or walk me through it. He has always been with me. He gave me His word and He never breaks His promises.

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah” Psalm 3:4

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears” Psalm 18:6

“O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.” Psalm 30:2

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 I trust God, so I am not afraid of what people can do to me! I praise God for his promise to me…8 You know I am very upset. You know how much I have cried. Surely you have kept an account of all my tears. 9 I know that when l call for help, my enemies will turn and run.  I know that because God is with me!” Psalm 56:3-9 ERV

“Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.” Psalm 107:6

“I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.” Psalm 142:5

The Lord never tells us to go away. Instead, He told us to come BOLDLY to the throne of God’s grace and find help in time of trouble. (Hebrews 4:16)

And Jesus said for all those who are weary and weighted down to come to Him and find rest! (Matthew 11:28)

Jesus invited ALL to come so that includes well…everyone!

Take the step today – cry out today, come…He’s there to help and He will wipe away our tears!

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Amazing Grace

It’s more than a hymn – it’s the love of God revealed to each and everyone of us.

Amazing GRACE how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found; was blind but now I see.

GRACE – unmerited favor; God’s unconditional goodness and love coming to us as a free gift! We so often get the idea that God only loves us or shows us favor when we are doing well and measuring up to a certain religious standard. Not so, that wouldn’t be grace! God’s love and grace are always extended to us – that’s what makes it GRACE! That’s what makes it so AMAZING!

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” II Peter 3:18

Those words were written by Peter, the man who denied the Lord three times on the night of his betrayal. The same man who stepped out of the boat to walk on water and began to sink when he looked at the waves and lost sight of Jesus.

This Peter was the same man who stood up on the day of Pentecost and preached to the crowds, unashamed and unafraid of what might be done to him. He was thrown in jail for preaching Jesus and then was threatened by the religious leaders.

“ But to keep this thing from spreading, we will warn them never again to speak to anyone about the name of Jesus.” 18 So they called the two apostles back in and told them they must never, for any reason, teach anything about the name of Jesus.

19 Peter and John answered, “Do you think God wants us to obey you or to obey him? 20 We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.”…29 Lord, listen to their threats! We are your servants. So make us brave enough to speak your message. 30 Show your mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the name of your holy Servant Jesus.” Acts 4:17-20, 29-30 CEV

The message of grace is the theme of the New Testament. The birth of Christ, the message of reconciliation that He preached, His death and resurrection, and the message that the apostles took to all the world was the message of grace.

“ And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.

7 In Christ we are made free by his blood sacrifice. We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace. 8 God gave us that grace fully and freely. With full wisdom and understanding 9 he let us know his secret plan. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ.” Ephesians 2:5-9 ERV

Amazing grace! May we grow in grace each day. God’s plan for our salvation was conceived before the world was even formed. How amazing is that?

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A Three Hour Tour

Some of you who are my age, or a little younger, know this reference.

In the 1960’s there was a television show called “Gilligan’s Island”. A charter boat set sail for a 3-hour tour. Instead, they were caught in a storm and stranded on a deserted island. Great premise for a tv show, right?

What about real life? Have you ever felt like you were stranded on a deserted island and no one knew you were there? Let me share a life experience with you.

In January of 1982, Dave and I, along with two other couples, founded a ministry called Christian Cowboys Assn. Prior to that we were running a hay operation for an absentee owner. We had 900 acres of alfalfa and the owner sold the bales from a storage barn in Peoria.

We had two small children, kindergarten and first grade, we drove company vehicles, lived rent free in a manufactured home, and received a good wage. Our only expenses were our groceries and clothing. We had it made.

About that time, the Lord started dealing with our hearts to establish an outreach to working cowboys and ranchers. Those folks who had to work 24/7 during the growing season and couldn’t get to town for church or any kind of fellowship.

We began holding evening Bible Studies, three of them in different locations each week. When we weren’t working hay, we would hold Sunday Cowboy Church. The Lord blessed the outreach and we knew we needed to leave the farm and all that it offered and step out “full-time” to continue ministry.

There was no church backing or financial support but we had a few people from the Bible Studies felt led to give an offering from time to time. We went to the owner of the farm and told him we needed to quit and pursue ministry. He understood completely but was one of the few who did.

That brings us to the Scripture I felt led to share today.

We had one well-intentioned family member say to us, “You know, you don’t need to go overboard with this ministry stuff”. To which Dave replied, “You have to go overboard, if you’re going to walk on water”. And so we did.

“Later in the evening, he was still there. 24 By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. 25 A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. 26 When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming.

27 At once, Jesus said to them, “Don’t worry! I am Jesus. Don’t be afraid.” 28 Peter replied, “Lord, if it really is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come on!” Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.

30 But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.31 At once, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don’t have much faith. Why do you doubt?” 32 When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down.” Matthew 14:23-32 CEV

There were many times we felt we were about to sink and we called out to the Lord. He always lifted us up and calmed our fears.

If you’ve stepped out but feel you’re sinking do what Peter did. Say, Lord, save me! He will!!

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The Greater Gift

We are living in a time when there is so much uncertainty. A time when the Bible says, “men’s hearts will fail them for fear”. Unrest around the world, unusual weather conditions, financial distress and the daily fears and anxieties that inundate.

“The hearts of men will give up because of being afraid of what is coming on the earth. The powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Luke 21:26 NLV

But in all of this, we have received a gift that will keep our minds set on things above. It is a “present” to us all.

The ever-“present” power of God has been given to us as a gift.

“Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 AMP

Did you get that? He will not, He WILL not, HE WLL NOT fail us or leave us without support!!!

A lot of people get hung up on the first part of verse 5 and lose the impact of the second half of the verse. But let me put it to you this way. I have two gifts. The first is limited, it’s temporary, it will run out and be used up. The second is limitless, eternal, inexhaustible, constantly renewable. Which one do you choose?

Which one is the greater gift?

Moses said to the children of Israel; I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life! That’s what this verse is saying – don’t go running after riches but instead choose God who promises to never leave you because in Him is an infinite supply for whatever we need.

We have been given a wonderful Gift who is always present.

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

And that Son has promised to never leave us or abandon us, regardless of life’s circumstances.

Jesus said: “… I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20 CEV

Now, let’s ask and answer the question in Hebrews 13:6. What can man do to me?

When God is on my side, as my comfort, my encourager, my helper, man’s attacks are incomparable to God’s power. Circumstances and situations change when we put them in God’s hands. Storms come; attacks are launched but we have been given a gift greater than wealth or fame. We have been given the gift of His abiding presence.

The greater gift is ours!

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Set Your Heart

This morning my heart has been on a trip. It has been in Texas, California, Arizona, to England and to the states and towns where you live. My heart felt prayers have gone out to my family especially and to you, whom I also consider my family.

But then, my heart ended its travels set in heaven.

“You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God’s right side. 2 Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. 3 You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. 4 Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 CEV

As a child I played a lot of hide-n-seek. We always played after dark. The subdivision we lived in was built in a pecan grove. We had big pecan trees and also some elm trees. These gave us lots of cover and great places to hide. Once we found a good hiding place, we never wanted to reveal it because we could always use it again. It was safe and concealed from the outside world.

That’s what I think of when I read “your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God”. I can’t imagine a place that is any safer than that. Our new life is in Christ, right next to God the Father.

We keep our heart hidden in Christ because it guards our emotions and our thoughts.

“With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.” Proverbs 3:5-6 CEV

Remember what King David wrote in the Psalms.

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection.
2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.’ 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.”Psalm 91:1-4 ERV

Keeping our hearts set on things above is another way of saying our hearts need to trust the Lord completely. He will lead us and protect us when our hearts are focused on Him.

“ Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Philippians 4:5-7 CEV

Keep your heart set on things above. When we do we have peace, protection, and we will be led on the right path.

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Look at My Hands

This morning I had my Bible laying in my lap and one hand resting on the page. I looked at it. It had a scab from where I touched the oven rack a few days back. There are some little cuts from working outside and a scar on the end of one finger from where I almost severed the tip of it 30+ years ago.

I remember when we were newly married our Sunday School teacher’s wife looked at my hands and said, “You have earthy hands, you must enjoy working hard”. I wasn’t offended, in fact, I took that as a compliment.

I’ll never be a hand model for a commercial but that’s ok. These hands have lived a lot of life and the one thing I want them to do is point to Jesus.

“ So they told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But Thomas said, ‘First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!’

26 A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples 27 and said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!’

28 Thomas replied, ‘You are my Lord and my God!’ 29 Jesus said, ‘Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!‘” John 20:25-29 CEV

First, I have to see the scars.

I think all of us at one time or another think “if I could just see Jesus, like the disciples did”. However, living with Jesus on a daily basis wasn’t what caused them to have such a strong testimony. The New Testament is filled with stories of their unbelief – Lord, there’s too many people to feed with 5 loaves and 2 fish; Lord, we’re going to sink; Lord, we can’t open the tomb, Lazarus stinks.

What Jesus said to Thomas was written for us. “The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!”

Paul wrote this to the Christians in Rome: “The Scriptures say no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12 no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13  All who call out to the Lord will be saved. 14 How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them?…17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. “

Take a moment to stop and look at your hands. Are they hands that reach out to touch others with the kindness and compassion of Jesus?

We’ve all been sent into the world to preach the Gospel. Let’s say to others “look at my hands” they are a testimony of God’s saving grace.

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Shout Praises!

Dave and I are big NASCAR fans! There’s just something about watching a race with 50,000 of your closest friends that fills the air with excitement!

“Gentlemen, start your engines” brings a roar from the crowd and when the cars take the green flag at the start of the race everyone is standing and cheering on their favorite driver! You can tell who most everyone is hoping will win by the shirt or the cap they are wearing.

The shouts that rise from the grandstands is deafening with the most popular driver takes the lead…and it’s just a sport. No eternal significance to the outcome, no monetary or physical benefit to those in the stands but the fans seem to be intimately involved in the outcome.

When the winning driver crosses the finish line and takes the checkered flag, more shouts of victory arise.

Shouts of praise!

This morning there are shouts of praise arising all over the world. From every corner, every nation, fans are young and old, from all demographics, shouts can be heard in the heavens.

“Shout praises to the Lord! With all that I am, I will shout his praises. 2 I will sing and praise
the Lord God as long as I live. 3 You can’t depend on anyone, not even a great leader. 4 Once they die and are buried, that will be the end of all their plans.

5 The Lord God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts him and depends on him. 6 God made heaven and earth; he created the sea and everything else. God always keeps his word. 7 He gives justice to the poor and food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free 8 and heals blind eyes. He gives a helping hand to everyone who falls. The Lord loves good people 9 and looks after strangers. He defends the rights
of orphans and widows, but destroys the wicked.

10 The Lord God of Zion will rule forever! Shout praises to the Lord!‘ Psalm 146 CEV

If you were thinking these verses were only for the nation of Israel or that they are Old Testament and no longer valid, listen to what Jesus said:

“‘The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, 19 and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’

20 Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue looked straight at Jesus. 21 Then Jesus said to them, ‘What you have just heard me read has come true today.’” Luke 4:18-21 CEV

The writer of Psalms says “God always keeps his word” and Jesus said “what you have just heard me read has come true today”.

What we have just heard is better than any individual or team winning the championship. These are the words of the Lord and they are for us because of Jesus!

Shout praises to the Lord! Shout praise!

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Waiting for the Sun

Waiting on the sunrise this morning, I know it will be a glorious day!

There’s an old hymn that I’m humming as I wait:

1 When morning gilds the sky,
our hearts awaking cry:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
in all our work and prayer
we ask his loving care:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

2 To God, the Word on high,
the hosts of angels cry:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let mortals too upraise
their voice in hymns of praise:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

May Jesus Christ be praised! Praised from every corner of the earth. Praised by all the heavenly hosts. Praised by the angels’ chorus. Praised because He is worthy of all praise.

“They sang songs of praise and thanksgiving, taking turns in singing each part. They sang, ‘The LORD is good. His faithful love will last forever.’ Then all the people cheered—they gave a loud shout and praised the LORD because the foundation of the LORD’S Temple had been laid.” Ezra 3:11 ERV

Let’s follow the example of those Jews who were responsible for rebuilding the Temple today. Let’s take turns singing our part in the praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

These people were rejoicing because the foundation of the temple had been laid, which meant that God would be dwelling with them once again. You see, they felt that the presence of God was with them because He lived in the Holy of Holies in the temple and rebuidling the temple meant that God had a place to live once again.

We should be giving thanks every day because we have been promised that God’s presence is always with us – never leaving us or forsaking us – His presence dwells within us when we are in Christ. That’s reason to give praise.

Each one sang their part. I’ll sing my part today and I hope you’ll join in too.

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