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Without Him

Today is the day to focus on the One thing that we need most in life – it’s Jesus!

We need food, water, health, strength, protection, peace of mind, warm shelter…and on it goes but the thing we need most is a personal relationship with God’s Son.

 “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. ‘Without me, no one can go to the Father. 7 If you had really known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.’” John 14:6-7 CEV

Our daily lives are completed when we put our faith and trust in Him. A relationship with Jesus isn’t just so we go to heaven when we die; it’s so much more than that. Jesus came to give us life to its fullest.

“ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully.” John 10:10 CEV

Our heavenly Father doesn’t want us living in stress and fear; He has ordained a great life for our earthly existence.

“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 CEV

“ I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth much more than birds?… Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:25-33 CEV

In Christ, we have been given everything we need and more. We don’t need to worry about life! Christ has made us complete, whole, sound, transformed.

“ I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

It’s time to stop with the worry, the strife, the anxiety. It’s time to recognize that He has made us complete. He cares and provides for the birds and we are much more important to Him than they are. He is our Father and He lovingly and graciously provides for every need in our lives.

As I started writing this, there was a song in my heart, “Without Him”.

“Without him, I could do nothing
Without him, I’d surely fail
Without him, I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail

Jesus
Oh Jesus
Do you know him today?
Do not turn him away
Oh Jesus
Oh Jesus
Without him, how lost I would be

Without him, I would be dying
Without him, I’d be enslaved
Without him, life would be hopeless
But with Jesus, thank God I’m saved”

Without Him life is hopeless, With Him life is complete!

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Removed from Memory

Have you ever been caught up in a chore of some kind and just had thoughts come flooding into your mind?

Maybe you’re doing the laundry or driving to work or out walking, mowing the grass or just daydreaming and something that has brought you pain or guilt comes rolling in like the coastal fog or a wave to the seashore?

I have – and if I’m not careful, I start to mull it over, re-hash it and find that the hurt, worry or pain are still there.

That’s when I realize I haven’t completely turned it over to the Lord.

“Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.” I Corinthians 13:5-7 ERV

Love doesn’t remember a wrong!!!!

Now that’s a hard one to swallow. But thank God He doesn’t. You notice I said He doesn’t because God is love and it’s His character to “Not Remember”. He isn’t holding our sins against us – quite the opposite! When we accept His forgiveness, He remembers our sin NO MORE.

Aren’t you glad that you can come to Him knowing He won’t condemn you for the things in your past? All things are new.

“And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins.'” Hebrews 12:8 ERV

God wipes the slate clean.

Most of us remember the chalkboards that were in our school classrooms. The teacher would put up math problems, penmanship drills, and spelling words for us to copy down. Then she would grab an eraser and wipe the work away.

All that would remain was the chalk dust and a faint impression of what had previously been there. But when she picked up the big eraser with the chamois side to it, the board was completely clean. No evidence of what had once been remained.

That is just a crude example of God’s forgiveness.

“ I, I am the one who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 ERV

” You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins. 14  God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 CEV

If your plagued by guilt or past failures, bring them to the cross and let the blood of Jesus wipe the slate clean.

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Give Life

Knowing when to speak and when to keep silent is a hard thing to determine sometimes. Listening to the Holy Spirit will keep you on the right track. Just like Jacob from yesterday’s devotion who was tricked by Laban for 20 years, we will have folks who will use words and actions to come against us.

We must be careful to honor the Lord in whatever we say and do. Our words must be directed in love and not in retaliation. The book of James deals a lot with the tongue and how destructive it can be.

“We all make many mistakes. A person who never said anything wrong would be perfect. Someone like that would be able to control their whole body too. 3 We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. With these bits we can control their whole body. 4 It is the same with ships. A ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship. And the one who controls the rudder decides where the ship will go. It goes where he wants it to go. 5 It is the same with our tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it can boast about doing great things.

A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. 6 The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell.

7 Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. 8 But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. 11 Do good water and bad water flow from the same spring? Of course not.” James 3:2-11

In chapter one of James we are told to be quick to hear, slow to anger and slow to speak. Control the tongue – our words. God created the worlds with His words – they are powerful! So, we need to emulate the Father and use our words wisely.

Finally, if we take instruction from King Solomon his words of wisdom will bring a good result in our lives.

“The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings.” Proverbs 18:21 ERV

“A gentle answer makes anger disappear, but a rough answer makes it grow. Listening to wise people increases your knowledge, but only nonsense comes from the mouths of fools.3 The LORD sees what happens everywhere. He watches everyone, good and evil.4 Kind words are like a life-giving tree, but lying words will crush your spirit.” Proverbs 15:1-4 ERV

Be a giver of life.

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Another “But God” Moment

This morning I found where Jacob, the patriarch of the Jews, had a “BUT GOD” moment. As a young man Jacob had been sent by his mother to stay with his relatives. Why, you might ask? He had tricked his brother out of his birthright. So he arrives in Haran and goes to work for Laban, his mother’s brother.

He meets Rachel, Laban’s daughter and falls in love with her. He must work 7 years to earn enough to marry her and then on the wedding night he finds that he has been tricked and is actually married to her older sister, Leah. Now he must work another 7 years for Rachel and finally marries her. The whole time he is working for Laban who swindles him time and again.

Laban promised Jacob goats and then changed the terms again and again. Now finally, Jacob has the flocks and his wives and children and is ready to leave and head back to Canaan – probably more than 20 years. They leave when Laban is gone and are 3 days into the journey when Laban finally catches up with them.

Jacob, the one who had tricked his brother out of his birthright, lived working for Laban, the master trickster, for many, many years. But in all this, Jacob was faithful to do the work that Laban required of him. Now this is what Jacob says to Laban.

“I worked 20 years like a slave for you. For the first 14 years I worked to win your two daughters. The last six years I worked to earn your animals. And during that time you changed my pay ten times. 42 But the God of my ancestors, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, was with me. If God had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the trouble that I had and the work that I did, and last night God proved that I am right.” Genesis 31:41-42

BUT GOD saw what I have been through and He proved that I am right! God sees what you have been through and He will defend you.

“I know the LORD will provide justice for the poor and will defend the helpless. 13 Those who do what is right will praise your name; those who are honest will live in your presence.” Psalm 140:12-13 ERV

In times of trouble, in disappointment, in hardship or any kind of trouble look up. If we only had our own resources BUT with God all things are possible!

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In the Midst of Winter

Hearing of the storms that are blanketing the nation, I know that winter can be a treacherous time for many.

Living in North Idaho and Montana we saw our fair share of snow and freezing temperatures. Nothing uncommon there. The evergreens would be flocked with snow and the deciduous trees had their bare branches covered with ice and their trunks packed with white. They looked stark and dead.

The young saplings were protected since they grew close to the base of the larger trees. The mind set of those facing such harsh conditions was Spring can’t come soon enough.

Winter comes to all of our lives both spiritually and physically. Winter is a time of resting, a time to rejuvenate; it’s not a time of death. Spring will come shortly and new life with break out.

“As long as the earth continues, there will always be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and hot, summer and winter, day and night on earth.” Genesis 8:23 ERV

If you feel like you’re in winter – cold, dormant and unproductive, take heart! God is working in you and through you. You haven’t been abandoned or deserted. New signs of growth will spring forth soon.

“Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. 2 Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. 3 So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.” Psalm 1:1-3 ERV

As I was finishing this writing, a song from my time at high school summer camps came to mind, “Pass It On”.

“It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That’s how it is with God’s Love,
Once you’ve experienced it,
You spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.

What a wonderous time is spring,
When all the tress are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it.
You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I’ve found;
You can depend on God
It matters not where you’re bound,
I’ll shout it from the mountain top – PRAISE GOD!
I want the world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on.”

In the midst of your winter, remember Spring will be breaking out very soon! Pass It On!!

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A Mountain of Strength

The last few days I have been reading of the final days of Jesus. One thing has jumped off the pages of Scripture and spoken to my heart.

Prayer!

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away. 34 Watch yourselves! Do not let yourselves be loaded down with too much eating and strong drink. Do not be troubled with the cares of this life. If you do, that day will come on you without you knowing it. 35 It will come on all people over all the earth. 36 Be sure you watch. Pray all the time so that you may be able to keep from going through all these things that will happen and be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Everyday Jesus taught in the house of God. At night He went to the Mount of Olives and stayed there. 38 Early in the morning all the people came to the house of God to hear Him.” Luke 21:33-38 NLV

Jesus was teaching about the struggles that believers, His followers, would face before His return. He wanted them to be prepared – He wants us to be prepared. His instruction was simple, watch and pray.

The Bible tells that Jesus would rise early and go to a solitary place to pray. His life was such an example of prayer that His disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray”.

I’ve never been to Israel but the pictures I have seen of the Mount of Olives are beautiful. It’s a peaceful place, a place to be alone, a place to commune with the Father. It seems to be separated from the city, a destination to be planned. It required a walk away from distractions.

Everyday Jesus taught and at night He went to the Mount of Olives. This was His routine. This is how Judas knew where Jesus would be when he betrayed Him.

“Judas went away and talked with the religious leaders,,. He talked about how he might hand Jesus over to them. 5 They were glad and promised to pay him money. 6 Judas promised to do this and then looked for a way to hand Jesus over when there were no people around.” Luke 22:4-6 NLV

Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples. He told them of His death and then they followed Him to the Mount of Olives to pray. It was here that Jesus committed His will to the Father. He laid down His life emotionally and willfully before He gave up His life physically.

In prayer He gained strength from the Father for the persecution He would face in the hours to come.

“ Jesus came out of the room. Then He went to the Mount of Olives as He had been doing. The followers went with Him…There He got down with His face on the ground and prayed. 42 He said, ‘Father, if it can be done, take away what must happen to Me. Even so, not what I want, but what You want.‘ 43 An angel from heaven came and gave Him strength. 44 His heart was much troubled and He prayed all the more.” Luke 22:41-44 NLV

Where is your Mount of Olives? Is it a garden bench, a comfy recliner, a corner in your bedroom or some other quiet place? Where do you go when you’re troubled?

Whenever you meet with the Father in prayer, you will find strength.

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Follow the Plan

Have you ever struggled with something – maybe a new computer program, maybe a construction project, maybe a relationship? Every day can be like that if we are making our own plans without consulting with the Father.

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 16:25 KJV

Our thinking or reasoning isn’t always the best. Take Joshua for instance.

Jericho was a walled, well fortified city, many people lived there and the city was guarded. And I’m sure Joshua was developing a battle plan when the Lord spoke to him.

“Meanwhile, the people of Jericho had been locking the gates in their town wall because they were afraid of the Israelites. No one could go out or come in.

2-3 The Lord said to Joshua:

With my help, you and your army will defeat the king of Jericho and his army, and you will capture the town. Here is how to do it: March slowly around Jericho once a day for six days. 4 Take along the sacred chest and have seven priests walk in front of it, carrying trumpets.

But on the seventh day, march slowly around the town seven times while the priests blow their trumpets. 5 Then the priests will blast on their trumpets, and everyone else will shout. The wall will fall down, and your soldiers can go straight in from every side.” Joshua 6:1-5 CEV

Seriously, you take a city by marching and blowing trumpets?! No, you take a city by being obedient to what the Lord has said!

“The priests blew their trumpets again, and the soldiers shouted as loud as they could. The walls of Jericho fell flat. Then the soldiers rushed up the hill, went straight into the town, and captured it.” Joshua 6:20 CEV

What if Joshua had gotten discouraged at the end of day six and quit? What if he had abandoned the Lord’s plan and consulted with the heads of the twelve tribes? He knew that wouldn’t be right.

Remember when Joshua and Caleb had been sent out by Moses with ten other leaders to spy out the land of Israel. The ten came back with a report of fear and defeat, Joshua and Caleb’s report was one of victory. The people believed the ten and wandered in the wilderness for years. Now, here they are, finally going in to take the land the Lord had promised them years before.

Consulting with those who don’t have a godly perspective is dangerous. Following God’s plan is always right.

What is the Lord saying to you about your “Jericho”? You’ve been trying to figure this battle out on your own but now it’s time to listen to the One who has the right strategy. When you do, you’ll be victorious!

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Bought With A Price

Dave and I really enjoyed going to auctions. It’s something we had done for years; our favorite were the on-site farm/ranch auctions. There are always so many treasures to be found.

The biggest frustration though was getting there and finding that several other people have their eye on the same treasure. It came down to who has the biggest bank roll.

Saturday we were watching Mecum Auctions from Florida. The cars were amazing and so were the prices. Car after car, bid after bid and when the day was over millions of dollars had been spent. One car in particular went for the most I have ever seen. It sold for a final price of over $38,000,000. It’s a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.

Did you know that each of us have been on life’s auction block? The difference is this – we, as the auctioned treasure, have the free will to choose who will be the winning bidder. We choose when the gavel drops and the auctioneer says sold.

Our heavenly Father is there to buy us but He won’t force the bid unless we desire to give Him our life.

“You know you were not bought and made free from sin by paying gold or silver which comes to an end. And you know you were not saved from the punishment of sin by the way of life that you were given from your early fathers. That way of life was worth nothing. 19 The blood of Christ saved you. This blood is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. Christ was given as a lamb without sin and without spot. 20 Long before the world was made, God chose Christ to be given to you in these last days.” I Peter 1:18-20 NLV

Bought with a price – the precious blood of Jesus!

“You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20 God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” I Corinthians 6:19-20 CEV

“God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.” Colossians 1:13-14 NLV

“For the Son of Man did not come to be cared for. He came to care for others. He came to give His life so that many could be bought by His blood and be made free from sin.” Mark 10:45 NLV

Now I thought it was ridiculous for someone to pay over 38 million dollars for a car. Who has that kind of money? That person had true ambition and a love for the automobile.

But how much more does God love us? The love of God can’t even be compared to that winning bid – it is so much greater than the value of any earthly possession. God finds us priceless, a hidden treasure, something to pursue. He loves us and wants to make us His own.

Going once, going twice, SOLD to God who is love!

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Forgiveness

Never underestimate the power of God’s forgiveness. Our heavenly Father sent His Son to be the pure, sacrificial lamb, who takes away the sin of the world.

When we sin, we all do, God opens His arms wide and offers us complete forgiveness.

“ But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” I John 1:9 CEV

Christ died to cover our sins with His blood and restore us to right relationship with the Father.

“Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:2 CEV

Repentance isn’t only admitting that what we did was wrong, but it is also a conscious act of turning away from that sin. We run to Jesus and thank Him for His wonderful grace and mercy.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

God chooses to forgive and to forget our sins and failings. Then He washes our consciences clean.

“When the time comes, I will make an agreement with them. I will write my laws on their minds and hearts. 17 Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds.” Hebrews 10:16-17 CEV

“ And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. 22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.” Hebrews 10:21-22 ERV

God’s forgiveness doesn’t give us a license to sin. Far from it but it does give us a welcome mat when we come running to Him in repentance.

“ Don’t let sin keep ruling your lives. You are ruled by God’s undeserved grace and not by the Law. 15 What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God’s gift of undeserved grace and not by the Law? Certainly not!” Romans 6:14-15 CEV

God loves us. He forgives us and He cleanses us from our sins. AMEN!

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Love You This Much

Dave and I were watching more country music the other night and a young man, Jimmy Wayne, sang his hit song, “I Love You This Much”. It brought tears to our eyes.

So many times people want to quantify love. There’s a trap in that.

“I love you very, very much”. Is that different than a simple “I love you”? True love is unconditional and sacrificial so can we really love someone more than we did say 6 months ago?

I think we can express love better than we did before and may be willing to sacrifice in a greater way but if it’s true love, it really can’t be more.

We are often caught in the vicious cycle of trying to do the right thing so that people and/or God will love us. We also strive to keep from doing the wrong things, so they won’t stop loving us and walk away.

That’s a really heavy burden to bear. No matter how good we try to be, there will be times of failure and if we feel that love is based on our performance that can be devastating.

One of my favorite passages on God’s love is found in Romans 8.

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. 34 Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say,

“For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.”

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 ERV

Jesus said, “I love you this much and He stretched out His arms and died! Rest well dear friend – God loves you!

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