Here Comes Calvary

When I was younger, I had a hard time spelling Cavalry and Calvary correctly. I would interchange the two and it certainly would make a difference in sentence comprehension.

However, as I have gotten older, I have, by experience, learned that they are not all that different. Both bring deliverance from the enemy.

Can you imagine what it was like to be Jesus? People live under the impression that since He was God in flesh that everything went well for Him. He was perfect, right? Yes, that’s true; He experienced everything that we do and He did it all without sin.

“Like a young plant or a root that sprouts in dry ground, the servant grew up obeying the LORD. He wasn’t some handsome king. Nothing about the way he looked made him attractive to us. 3 He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, ‘He is a nobody!’” Isaiah 53:2-3 CEV

Isaiah prophesied that He was common looking, unattractive and nothing special as far as physical traits. He wasn’t Charles Atlas; he wouldn’t have been the captain of the football team or even voted most likely to succeed. His own family and disciples didn’t understand Him.

One time He was holding a meeting, and his mother and brothers were outside and sent a message to him.

“While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matthew 12:46-50 KJV

If they had truly believed Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah, would they have interrupted his teaching? Or how about the disciples when they became upset with Jesus because the ship they were in was taking on water and about to sink?

“37 Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink. 38 Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?’ 39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.” Mark 4:37-39 CEV

If their faith had really been in Jesus as the Son of God, they would have approached it this way. “Hey, let’s wake Jesus up because He’ll have the answer to our problem. This storm isn’t a surprise to Him. He’ll know what to do.”

I find it encouraging that those who were closest to Jesus had to grow in faith to accept Him for who He said He was, who they knew Him to be. Just like us – when we cry out “Lord, don’t you care I’m about to go under; cancer is about to sink me, the waves of debt are flooding my boat, the storm of rebellious children or a typhoon with my mate is about to capsize me in this ocean? Don’t you care?”

Even when we come to Him in that kind of desperation and fear, He will speak to our storm and say “Peace, be still!” Then He takes time to teach us again – Come boldly to my throne and find help in your time of need. He expects us to accept, by faith, that help is on the way!

In the old Westerns you could always hear the Cavalry bugle before you saw the soldiers. The invitation to come boldly or “to call on me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things” is the sound of the bugle. It’s then our responsibility to “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day” (Exodus 14:13)

Let God be God in your life today. Don’t limit Him but what you see. Say like Mary, “with God all things are possible”!

A Son Is Given

All three of our children live “away”. The girls are just an hour up the road but Koy is in California and it takes about 2 hours of flying time to get there. We are grateful that we now live this close.

Those of us parents who have had children join the military or enter other “dangerous” occupations know the heart ache, the apprehension and even the worry of having our children go off into the unknown, into hostile and harmful circumstances.

Now think about this…what if you were Father God. Your Son has been with you every moment from eternity past. You have created universes together; you have intervened in the lives of your creation in a powerful way. Never a cross word spoken, never a rebellious thought or action – your Son is your dearest friend, He’s a part of all you do and have ever done.

He’s leaving now – headed to earth. “unto us a Son is given” Isaiah 9:6

He will be loved by some, treated with ambivalence by most and hated by others and they will plot to kill Him. Although you know all this, you still choose to let Him go and even more than that you choose to let Him die so that He can provide restoration for all those who are incapable of providing it for themselves.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people.” II Corinthians 5:17 ERV

And all of this was not because of our great value or importance but because of His great love.

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.9 We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger.” Romans 5:6-9 ERV

“Unto us a Son is given”!

Would you be willing to give your son? Aren’t you glad He did!!

Christmas Presence

Christmas time as a retiree is so much different than it was with children in the home. There were school programs to attend and help with, gifts to select for teachers, parties to plan as well as time with family and friends.

Christmas was such a hectic time and it seemed everyone was calling your name – Mom, Kristi, Honey? I think every mom has said at one point, “I’m changing my name”. We say that in jest because we never would but some days, we were just tired and out of answers.

How great to know that there is One who is always there to answer when we call. He never gets tired or falls asleep while we’re talking. He’s interested, He’s concerned and He loves to make time for us.

“Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out.” Jeremiah 33:3 CEV

His names: Wonderful, Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God.

Also Maker, Husband, Lord, Redeemer, Mighty God

” For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isaiah 54:5 KJV

His name is Jesus…Savior

“21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 KJV

He is I AM: bread of life, the door, the good shepherd, the way, the truth and the life, the Word, the resurrection, the vine, the friend that sticks closer than a brother!

He is our intercessor, our high priest, the author and finisher of our faith, our healer, our Savior, the Son of God.

” For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Hebrews 4:15-16 AMP

He is Immanuel, “God with us”! Oh, how I love that. He is God who lives with us and in us. We don’t have to wait for a special visitation as the people did in the Old Testament. We don’t have to experience a burning bush, a pillar of fire or a cloud overshadowing. We have His promise of His Christmas Presence.

“This happened as the Lord said it would happen through the early preacher. 23 He said, ‘The young woman, who has never had a man, will give birth to a Son. They will give Him the name Immanuel. This means God with us.'” Matthew 1:22-23 NLV

Who is it you need to talk to today? He is JESUS!

24/7/365

I have to tell you; I love finding God in every day occurrences.

I can find Him in the grocery store, in traffic, at a noisy NASCAR race, in the still quiet of the morning. I can find Him while holding David’s hand in prayer, in conversation with friends, in spontaneous outbursts from my grandchildren. I can even find God in a Hallmark movie or in the commercials that come in between shows on television.

That’s where I found the Lord speak to me yesterday. I had one of those sentimental movies playing on television while I sat knitting a Christmas stocking. I wasn’t really paying much attention to the movie, it was the commercial that gained my attention.

I don’t remember what item was being prompted but the dialogue said something like this, “it’s the gift that keeps on giving all year through”. I looked up and said out loud, “that’s God love! It’s the 24/7, 365 gift. That’ll preach.”

I told Dave, “I have tomorrow’s blog title”. 24/7/365

Today I will share with you some of those 24/7/365 verses that mean so much to me.

“The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 NLV

“When the rain-bow is in the cloud, I will look upon it to remember the agreement that will last forever between God and every living thing of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the special thing to see because of the agreement I have made between Me and all flesh upon the earth.” Genesis 9:16-17 NLV

“Go into His gates giving thanks and into His holy place with praise. Give thanks to Him. Honor His name. For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come.” Psalm 100:4-5 NLV

“For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLV

“Trust in the Lord forever. For the Lord God is a Rock that lasts forever.” Isaiah 26:4 NLV

“Those whom the Lord has paid for and set free will return. They will come to Zion with singing. Joy that lasts forever will crown their heads. They will be glad and full of joy. Sorrow and sad voices will be gone.” Isaiah 35:10 NLV

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.” John 3:16 NLV

“We give honor and thanks to the King Who lives forever. He is the One Who never dies and Who is never seen. He is the One Who knows all things. He is the only God. Let it be so.” I Timothy 1:7 NLV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13 NLT

There you have it. Love, promises, strength, joy, loving-kindness or mercy, Father, King and life – all of these gifts are from our Eternal Father and all of these gifts are eternal – 24/7/365. God’s gifts to us!

Thankful for a Good Foundation

This morning I had a strange memory. I remember when we lived in Las Cruces NM and were coming back to Phoenix to visit friends. It was early January/February 1979. We had been through a particularly rough time and we just wanted to be in the comfort of friends.

Well when we got to the Casa Grande area we were met with a detour. The Salt and Gila Rivers were flooding and we couldn’t get to Phoenix on I-10. We were traveling at night with 2 small children. We didn’t have smart phones or satellite radio in those days so communication was sketchy at best. But we ventured on…come too far to turn back now.

We drove down 1-8 to Gila Bend and then headed back toward Phoenix. Every once in a while we would catch ponds of water with the headlights. As we got closer to Buckeye, there was another detour. It took us through the farm country and finally to an old trestle bridge at Gillespie Damn. The river was raging. I had never seen anything like this in the desert before or since.

The old bridge was built into the rock and it was solid. It hadn’t seen much use in years because of the “improved” highway that was faster and better. However, in a storm, it was the solid rock foundation that provided the security that was needed.

Some of you, some of us, were raised with a solid foundation. A foundation of God’s word. A foundation of trust, faith and hope. A foundation of the simple; yes, Jesus loves me. But then the new, faster, better paved highway was built and it seemed to be taking life in a new direction. The old discarded for the new.

Now your life may be on a detour. Storms have raged and the new super highway isn’t getting you to where you want to go. Maybe it’s time to return to solid rock foundation. Let that old trestle bridge take you safely across the flooding circumstances and leave you on dry ground on the other side.

“When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. 3 That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you. I gave Ethiopia and Seba to make you mine. 4 You are precious to me, and I have given you a special place of honor. I love you. That’s why I am willing to trade others, to give up whole nations, to save your life. 5 “So don’t be afraid, because I am with you.” Isaiah 43:2-5 ERV

Thankful today that God’s foundation is solid. Thankful that He is always there to give a second chance and to guide us to safety.

“‘Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.”‘ Matthew 7:24-25 ERV

When I was a little girl this picture hung in my Grama’s home. It made an impact on me then but now that I’m older the impact is even greater. My Father, my heavenly Father, has provided for my safety and my protection!

Yes I am thankful. Thankful for all the years of protection and thankful that He never gave up on me!

Consider the Cost

What does counting the cost have to do with Thanksgiving?

Many of us are counting the cost these days. The cost of fuel at the gas station, the price of groceries keeps going higher and now we are looking forward to Christmas and the presents we would like to buy for family and friends.

If you’re on a budget all of this brings up the thoughts of cost cutting. But once again, how does this tie into having a thankful heart?

I was reminded of not counting the cost the other day when I came home and heard a song on Pandora.

“Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that you’re my God,

You’re altogether lovely,

Altogether worthy,

Altogether wonderful to me.

I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

And I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.

No I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.” By Chris Tomlin

“I’ll never know how much it cost”…stop and think about that!

How much did it cost Jesus to bear our sin? It cost Him relationship with His Father. It cost Him His home in heaven, His reputation. He was hated by men and hated by the realm of Satan and his demons and they spent time trying to destroy Him. He was misunderstood by His friends and family. It cost Him His physical life, which He laid down willingly, but only for three days and then He rose again!

Aren’t we glad that Jesus didn’t look for cost saving measures when it came to our salvation. No second-rate sacrifice, only the most costly would do. To Jesus, we were worth it!

“He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, ‘He is a nobody!’ 4 He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. 5 He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well…

8 He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done. 9 He wasn’t dishonest or violent, but he was buried in a tomb of cruel and rich people. 10 The LORD decided his servant would suffer as a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others. Now the servant will live to see his own descendants. He did everything the LORD had planned. 11 By suffering, the servant will learn the true meaning of obeying the LORD.

Although he is innocent, he will take the punishment for the sins of others, so that many of them will no longer be guilty. 12 The LORD will reward him with honor and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us.” Isaiah 53:3-12 CEV

This is loving kindness. This is how valuable Jesus thinks we are. Thank you Jesus for going through all of this just for me!

More Love

That really is an oxymoron. If you love or are loved how can there be more?

With our heavenly Father there is just love for He is love. His whole character, His nature, His very being is love!

We can come to comprehend His love in greater depth but there is never a point where He withholds His love and then releases more of it. He can’t stop being who He is, He is love.

Yesterday while I was looking further into “hesed”, loving-kindness, I found these words.

Hesed is to love as God loves. When God’s presence passed by Moses on Mt. Sinai and revealed his very essence, God proclaimed his great hesed. (Exodus 34:6) In his book The Bible Among the Myths, biblical scholar John Oswalt describes it this way:

The word hesed…[is] the descriptor par excellence of God in the Old Testament. The word speaks of a completely undeserved kindness and generosity done by a person who is in a position of power. This was the Israelites’ experience of God. He revealed himself to them when they were not looking for him, and he kept his covenant with them long after their persistent breaking of it had destroyed any reason for his continued keeping of it. …Unlike humans, this deity was not fickle, undependable, self-serving, and grasping. Instead he was faithful, true, upright, and generous—always.

Like other Hebrew verbs, hesed is not just a feeling but an action. It intervenes on behalf of loved ones and comes to their rescue.” excerpt from Hesed: Love in the Long Term.

by Lois Tverberg

Contrary to what some teach, our heavenly Father is not the one causing evil and disruption in our lives. He is the One bringing peace in the midst of our storm.

 For this is like the days of Noah to Me. As I promised that the waters of Noah should not flood the earth again, so I have promised that I will not be angry with you or speak sharp words to you. 10 The mountains may be taken away and the hills may shake, but My loving-kindness will not be taken from you. And My agreement of peace will not be shaken,” says the Lord who has loving-pity on you.” Isaiah 54:9-10 NLV

and we have this promise in Ephesians

“At one time all of us lived to please our old selves. We gave in to what our bodies and minds wanted. We were sinful from birth like all other people and would suffer from the anger of God.

But God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love. Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor. God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens.” Ephesians 2:3-6 NLV

A heart of gratitude is established on love. Day 2 in the month of giving thanks. Thank the Father for His unconditional love and then look for an opportunity to share “hesed” with someone.

Better Than

The theme of my morning Bible reading seemed to be “better than”. Let me explain.

First, I was reading in Isaiah, the last chapter, and I came across these words:

“My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine.
 I, the Lord, have spoken! ‘I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.'” Isaiah 66:2 NLT

It goes on to say that those who are trying to look religious and spiritual with all their actions have false and deceptive hearts. What God is looking for are the humble and repentant.

“But Samuel replied, ‘What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” I Samuel 15:22-23 NLT

Samuel, the priest, was correcting King Saul because of his disobedience to what the Lord had said. Saul tried to cover up his rebellious acts by offering sacrifices but his heart wasn’t repentant.

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

From there, I went to the book of Proverbs. Solomon, in chapters 22 and 23, gives thirty wise sayings. He’s giving instruction to young men.

He says being wise is better than expending all your energy to get rich.

“Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.” vs 4

He goes on to say that keeping silent is better than wasting your advice on fools.

“Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.” vs 9

His next wise saying has to do with raising children. Discipline is better than letting our children live a disobedient life.

“Don’t fail to discipline your children. The rod of punishment won’t kill them. 14 Physical discipline may well save them from death.” vs 13-14

At this point, I encourage you to read the whole chapter, Proverbs 23, and look at the wise sayings of Solomon. I’ll end with this one. Avoiding drunkards and gluttons is better than joining in their ways.

“My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course. 20 Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons, for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.” vs 19-21

These all seem like such obvious instructions, don’t they? Our heavenly Father cares about every area of our lives and He doesn’t want us to be caught unaware of its dangers. His loving instruction and compassion is better than life without Him.

“Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.” Psalm 63:3-4 NLT

This is what our Father intends for us:

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Colossians 1:9-10 NLT

We are promised wisdom and understanding and a life that produces good fruit as we grow in our knowledge of the Father.

A life of knowing God is BETTER THAN anything else!

The Hills Are Alive

Today we will look at the final verses of Isaiah 55. What a great way to start the weekend!

“You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.” verses 12 & 13 NLT

I toyed with two titles for this blog – The Hills Are Alive or Blessings of Peace and Joy. Both are appropriate for these verses.

Step back to one of yesterday’s verses.

“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

God’s word is the tie in to our joy and peace. The Israelites learned that often. As long as they were serving God and following His word they had peace in their land. However, when they followed after false gods and ignored God’s word they would be defeated in battle and at times were taken into exile.

We read yesterday where Jesus compared our hearts to soil and God’s word to good seed but not all seed is good. Some seeds produce thorns, nettles and stubborn weeds. Those are the seeds of bitterness, anger, self-righteousness, jealousy, maliciousness, envy, strife…

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,” Colossians 3:8-10 NLT

When we let God’s word take root in our hearts – in our thinking and our actions – He will give us the wherewithal to pull up the weeds. New trees will grow, new life with prosper.

 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

God knows there will be times we struggle with thoughts of doubt and anxiousness; He’s always there to see us through.

“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94:19

Have you ever asked yourself why, why would God do all of this for me? Why would He spend so much time and effort on my well-being? If you have, here’s the answer:

“These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.” verse 13 NLT

There are lots of gods in this world but they enslave instead of bringing freedom. They curse instead of bless; they damn instead of enriching. God is not the damn-er, He is a blesser.

When we walk in His word the world will see the blessings of God in our lives and it will be a testament of his power and love. Even the mountains and the hills will sing and the trees will be clapping with joy!

Bumper Crop

I hope you are learning some new things about the Father’s character and devotion to us through the last few days study.

Yesterday we ended with these words: ““And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Who could imagine a man 600 years old building an ark, or a barren woman giving birth to her first child at the age of 90? Who could have conceived the idea of a teenager being a great warrior, or a leader marching around a city for 7 days with men, women and children and the walls falling down when they shouted? What heart devised a plan for a baby to be born of a virgin and then die on a cross to save us from our sins?

““And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Those words are followed by these:

“For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” Isaiah 55:9-11 NLT

All of the miracles in the Bible are a result of God’s word. He spoke His word, His plan, to Noah, Sarah, David, Joshua, Mary and Jesus. God’s word is life-giving, life-changing seed and when we plant it in our hearts it bears fruit.

“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees.” Psalm 119:11-12 NLT

Jesus said this:

“And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” Luke 8:15 NLT

When Jesus was tempted by Satan after His forty day fast, it was the word of God that He used to successfully resist the temptation. Three times He answered Satan with “It is written”.

God’s word is just as true today as it was when it was given. God does not and cannot lie.

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers 23:19 NLT

Keep planting God’s word in the soil of your heart and it will bring a huge harvest.