Category: Matthew

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Keep Your Hands Full

The last couple of days the blog has focused on words – God’s Word and our words. This morning we’re going to see how the two of them line up.

When the Lord called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt Moses felt unprepared. The Lord told him the shepherd’s rod that he carried would be used as a sign of God’s power.

“‘The Lord answered, “What’s that in your hand?” “A walking stick,” Moses replied. 3 “Throw it down!” the Lord commanded. So Moses threw the stick on the ground. It immediately turned into a snake, and Moses jumped back.4 “Pick it up by the tail!” the Lord told him. And when Moses did this, the snake turned back into a walking stick.5 “Do this,” the Lord said, “and the Israelites will believe that you have seen me, the God who was worshiped by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’” Exodus 4:2-5 CEV

Moses held that rod up, before God and the enemy, as a remembrance that God said He would fight for Israel and defeat their enemies and lead them into the Promised Land. God has promised to fight for us and defeat our enemies.

God has placed a rod in our hands but it’s more powerful than any sword or physical implement of battle.

“God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. 13 Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. He can clearly see all things. Everything is open before him. And to him we must explain the way we have lived.” Hebrews 4:12-13 CEV

When we know and speak God’s word it reinforces us with courage and hope. It keeps us from falling into the sin of worry and discouragement.

God’s word is powerful enough to give us new life in Christ. It is rich enough to provide salvation – wholeness, soundness – in every situation. A centurion captain came to Jesus and asked that his servant be healed.

“But the officer said, “Lord, I’m not good enough for you to come into my house. Just give the order, and my servant will get well. 9  I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.’ 10 When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “I tell you in all of Israel I’ve never found anyone with this much faith!” Matthew 8:8-10 CEV

The centurion knew the power of words spoken by one in authority. He knew the words spoken by Jesus would bring results.

In our battle today we have a rod, a powerful sword in our hand and the word of God in our mouth – we have all we need to defeat our enemy. Jesus is our example – when He was tempted by satan His weapon of defense was “it is written, it is written, it is written”.

Our response should be the same!

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Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah

Today’s thoughts go hand-in-hand with yesterday. God’s word never fails so why do we put such little value in the words we speak?

Do you remember the old saying, “My word is my bond”? People used to give value to what they say, to the words they used. Words had importance, value and meaning and now it seems it has just become so much noise like the words of Charlie Brown’s teacher.

We turn on the TV and words come spilling out bringing unrest, frustration, fear and even anger. Words do have power.

To God, words are important. With them He framed the world and all that is in it. “And God said, light be and there was light”. When God promised Abraham a son, we’re told that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as right standing with God. David wrote the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, about God’s word and the importance of it.

Jesus was referred to as the Word. What He said had value and power! People were healed when he spoke a word; his words cursed a fig tree and caused it to die from the roots up; those words turned the water into wine and raised the dead.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 12 that out of the abundance or fullness of their hearts, the mouth speaks and that by their words they would be justified or condemned. He went on to say that they would be judged for every idle word that came from their mouths.

Jesus wasn’t referring to profanity although those aren’t good words. He was pointing out their words of judgement and criticism, gossip, religious error and jealousy.

The Pharisees had been plotting against Jesus earlier in this chapter and even went so far as to say that the works Jesus was doing were of the devil. They were trying to stir up the people against Jesus using their words and Jesus wanted them to know that those words would come back to judge them.

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote these words: “Your words can be as satisfying as fruit, as pleasing as the food that fills your stomach. 21 The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings.” Proverbs 18:20-21 CEV

Let’s make our words bring life. Life to us and our situations, life to our mate & children, life to our colleagues, words of life, peace, health, prosperity and salvation.

“People cannot see their own mistakes, so don’t let me commit secret sins. 13 Don’t let me do what I know is wrong. Don’t let sin control me. If you help me, I can be pure and free from sin 14 May my words and thoughts please you. LORD, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19:12-14

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Comfort!

This morning the city of Uvalde, Texas is in need of comfort!

We get very little news up here, so I don’t know much about the situation in that town but what I do know is that we need to be praying for them. There is no way to make any sense of what happened.

“God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!” Matthew 5:4 CEV

Join me in praying for those who are hurting in such a horrible way.

“Holy Spirit, you are the Comforter. Minister to these families, those who mourn. Wrap them in the Father’s love and ease their pain. Bring peace where there is fear. Bring compassion to the community as they reach out to their hurting friends and neighbors. Do what only you can do, in the name of Jesus”.

It’s hard to know what to say or do, but if we open our hearts to the Lord’s leading, He will show us how we can be used to bring His love and compassion to those who are hurting.

“I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! 3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort.” II Corinthians 1:2-3 CEV

We may not know anyone who is personally affected by this recent horror, but we may have people around us who are experiencing their own kind of deep and emotional loss. We need to be aware of those types of situations so we can share the comfort of Christ.

“Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others.” Philippians 2:1 CEV

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Come If You’re Thirsty

Yesterday afternoon Dave and I enjoyed some time on the back patio of our RV.

Novel concept this patio. We have a toy hauler and so the back of it acts like a ramp when lowered for ease of loading and unloading motorcycles, dirt bikes and side by sides. When not in use as a ramp, it can be raised to a level position and used as a back patio. So now, you know where we were sitting.

There is an underground spring that surfaces just a few feet from our back patio. As we were sitting there the birds began to come for their afternoon libation. First, the red-breasted robins, then the mountain finches, next came the big black crow and finally the iridescent blue Stellar Jay. All sharing the life-giving water.

These must have been some of the same birds that awakened me yesterday morning with their songs. The Lord has taught me so many lessons through the years by watching these feathered missionaries.

I’m going to use yesterday’s verses again this morning.

“ 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?” Matthew 6:25-26 CEV

Birds are the ultimate example of faith. They wake up each morning with a song – they know there will be enough worms, seeds, bugs to feed on throughout the day. They sense the danger of a storm and take refuge in the shelter the Lord provides. When they are thirsty, they find pools of refreshing. They live in complete dependence on what the Father provides.

“Jesus said to his disciples: I tell you not to worry about your life! Don’t worry about having something to eat or wear. 23 Life is more than food or clothing. 24 Look at the crows! They don’t plant or harvest, and they don’t have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds. 25 Can worry make you live longer? 26 If you don’t have power over small things, why worry about everything else?” Luke 12:22-25 CEV

What has you worried today? Remember the words of Jesus, “you are much more important than any birds”. To us He says:

“All you people who are thirsty, come! Here is water for you to drink. Don’t worry if you have no money. Come, eat and drink until you are full! You don’t need money. The milk and wine are free. 2 Why waste your money on something that is not real food? Why should you work for something that does not really satisfy you? Listen closely to me and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the food that satisfies your soul. 3 Listen closely to what I say. Listen to me so that you will live. I will make an agreement with you that will last forever. It will be an agreement you can trust, like the one I made with David— a promise to love him and be loyal to him forever.” Isaiah 55:1-3 ERV

Are you thirsty? Come. Are you hungry? Come. Have no money? No worries, His supply is free to those He loves. His word is better than any food and more sustaining than the purest water.

Come and find all you need in His promise of love and loyalty!

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Singing Before Dawn

This morning I slept a little longer than normal. How did I know? I was awaken by the birds singing in the pines just before dawn.

Normally I’m up and have had my first cup of coffee before they start their chorus. It’s a glorious way to start the day.

Listen…Stop right now and listen for 10 seconds…If you’re anything like me you’re morning starts with the sound of the coffee pot and the hum of the computer. But it hasn’t always been that way.

I remember what it’s like to wake to the alarm clock. Have kids that need to get up, be fed and taken to school on my way to the office in the busy traffic. Radio’s playing, tv spilling the morning news, emails to read, FB to check in on – so much noise.

When you stopped to listen did you hear the voice of God?

I love that when I wake up each morning I say “I love you Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit” and then I can hear that inner voice say “We love you too”. WOW!!

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Folks spend much of their time looking for the big, the spectacular, the miraculous and miss the simple, still small voice of God trying to lead them and give them insight.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that” or “It just dawned on me” or “I was just thinking about that very thing”? We often don’t realize that God is trying to get through to us.

Elijah was looking for God’s answers during a very serious time in his life. He was seeking God and there came a great wind and then an earthquake and then a fire and finally a still small voice. God spoke in a still small voice!

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” I Kings 19:11-12

The song of the birds is my morning reminder, the still small voice, as it were that God has the day in order. The birds wake singing praise to God for His provision.

“ 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?” Matthew 6:25-26 CEV

The most important thing you’ll hear each morning, if you listen, will be the still small voice of the Lord. Sssssh – just listen!

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You Understand!

This morning I’ve spent a lot of time in prayer. My heart is aching because I have been praying for those who are going through such tremendous seasons of hurting or failure.

I found myself saying, “You understand what it’s like to see Your children go through such trying times. You understand what it is to weep over those You dearly love. You understand…”

Oh my, dear reader, He does understand.

“ We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. This is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

Not only does He understand, He is there to help us with every need and every weakness.

Some of you are experiencing the loss of a loved one while others are plagued by debilitating fear. Financial set back and even bankruptcy looms large on the horizon for some families and businesses. Physical health issues are threatening fatally while some face the darkness of dementia. Perhaps your family is fractured by separation or divorce.

The hurt, the grief, the hopelessness are real. He understands!

He cried over the loss of a loved one, He was misunderstood and publicly ridiculed and maligned. He felt lonely and used.

He understands!

Bring your weariness, your heart ache, your pain – bring them to Jesus. Let Him comfort and console. Let Him bathe you in peace and joy unspeakable. Receive hope, hope that was gone.

“ Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me]to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 NKJV

“ I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

Dear friend, never forget that He understands and He is always willing to help!

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Deep Roots

For the past week we have been getting things ready for campers. They will begin arriving tomorrow. It has been a labor of love.

We are looking forward to a wonderful summer.

One of the biggest surprises we found when we arrived was the number of trees that had fallen during the winter. One in particular stands out. It is a massive ponderosa pine. I have no idea how old it is or how much it weighs but I can imagine the ground must have shaken when it fell.

Dave drove me over to see it and I was intrigued by the root base that had been up earthed. It just seemed a tree of that size would have had larger roots.

“good people are like trees with deep roots. ” Proverbs 12:12b CEV

Have you ever tried to uproot a tree? I did. We had been doing quite a bit of landscaping in the back yard of our home in southern Arizona. There were little mesquite shoots coming up. They were easy to remove because their trunks were small and their roots were shallow.

We left one, close to the back wall. It was no bigger around than my little finger. It was about the size of a pencil. We decided if it survived it would be a good shade tree. A year later it was flourishing. Five years later there were several strong branches and it reached 20-30 feet high and provided amazing shade. It would have been very difficult to remove it then.

“The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. 21 But they don’t have deep roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.” Matthew 13:20-21 CEV

When we are young Christians it’s easy to be unearthed. The Apostle Paul gave us good instruction for continuing to grow strong in the Lord.

“You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. 7 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.” Colossians 2:6-7 CEV

Let’s plant our roots in Christ!

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Sitting in the Sun

Yesterday afternoon Dave and I took some time to go to the swimming pool. It was a beautiful afternoon; the sun was shining; the air was clear and the water was cool.

It was so relaxing just to sit there and soak in the warmth. I love the warmth – it’s comforting.

I remember the days when we lived in the Northwest. Up to that point in time I had never lived anywhere other than the Southwest. The cloudy, gray days of the Pacific Northwest far outweighed the days of sunshine. It was hard to adjust to. I must say I like the sunshine better than the clouds.

So, this morning those were the thoughts going through my mind. The warmer weather and the joy of living where we do brought a smile to my face. But it also brought some self-reflection.

“The Scriptures say, “God commanded light to shine in the dark.” Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ. 7 We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

Our Father has placed His “son-light” within us. He desires for us to bring the warmth of His love to those around us.

“You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, 15  and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15 CEV

There was a song we sang in Sunday School when I was a little girl, “Jesus Wants Me for a Son Beam”. It goes something like this:

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I’ll be a sunbeam for Him.

The simplicity of that message is the truth of the Bible.

“Father, each day I want to share the light of your love with the world”.

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A Favorite Lesson

A number of years ago we lived in the panhandle of Idaho. We had one particular summer that was very dry.

The catch ponds were drying up and the springs were only a trickle. One afternoon the dogs put us on alert and when we looked out our windows, this is what we saw. A cow moose had wandered into our yard with her twins in search of water. Our sprinklers were running, and they provided the much-needed water that she was seeking.

After they drank their fill, they rested in the shade of the tall pines. At first, she was very cautious, looking about after every sip but then as her calves rested quietly, she found rest herself.

The question that came to mind was “Am I thirsty for God”?

Thirsty enough to “search” outside my comfort zone? Willing to leave the familiar way of doing things and find the answers I need in God’s word?

God asked Abraham to leave his family and his homeland. Ruth left all and followed after Naomi to a new land where God blessed her with a husband and a child. Peter left his fishing nets to follow Christ. Paul gave up his prestige as a Pharisee to seek Jesus and His word.

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2 ERV

When we seek God, we will find Him and we will find that He gives all we need for an abundant life.

“Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. 14 I will let you find me.” This message is from the LORD.” Jeremiah 29:12-14 ERV

Jesus ministered to a crowd on a hillside one day and he told them:

“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. 8 Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.” Matthew 7:7-11 ERV

God is loving, kind and gracious and when we seek Him we find that to be true. He put all of our punishment and judgement on Jesus so that we could have a wonderful relationship with Him.

“ 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 5:19 ERV

Someone needs to know that God isn’t mad at you!

He loves you and if you seek Him, you will find Him waiting with arms of love open wide. Seek for Him like that momma moose sought out the life-giving water – you will find all you need in Him.

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Some Things Amaze Me

Here we are, a couple days past Easter and I’m still thinking about the resurrection.

We talk a lot about the days that led up to the death of Jesus, His burial and yes, resurrection morning but what about the days that followed?

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.” ~ Charles Colson

This quote by Charles Colson has prompted me to think more closely about what must have transpired that first week after Easter.

“Pilate said to them, “Take the soldiers. Go and watch the grave.” 66 Then they went and made the soldiers stand by the grave. They put a lock on the big stone door.” Matthew 27:65-66 NLV

“They said, ‘Tell the people, “His followers came at night and took His body while we were sleeping.” 14 We will see that you do not get into trouble over this if Pilate hears about it.’ 15 They took the money and did as they were told. This story was told among the Jews and is still told today.” Matthew 28:13-15 NLV

Tradition and military protocol tell us that these soldiers would have been killed for dereliction of duty not given hush money. How many secret meetings were there to convince them to keep quiet?

And what about the disciples? Jesus appeared to Mary, He talked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Peter and John saw the empty tomb, but none of them were excitedly running through the streets of Jerusalem proclaiming the resurrection. They were behind locked doors, afraid that the Jews would come looking to arrest them.

“It was evening of the first day of the week. The followers had gathered together with the doors locked because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said, ‘May you have peace.’ 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. When the followers saw the Lord, they were filled with joy.” John 20:19-20 NLV

Jesus appeared to them and spoke words of peace. That was the same message He gave them the night He was arrested, “Let not your hearts be trouble”. Christ, like a good shepherd, took every opportunity to bring peace and calm the hearts of his followers.

We know Thomas, one of the apostles, wasn’t there that night. He didn’t encounter Jesus for another eight days. I wonder when Jesus saw His mother and brothers; when did He make his first visit to Mary, Martha and Lazarus, his dear friends?

We aren’t privy to that information. It isn’t recorded in Scripture, but His loving nature would not have allowed Him to keep the details of His resurrection a secret. Yes, I imagine that the first days following the resurrection were just as event filled as those leading up to it.

There is a message to reveal to the world. “He is not here; He is risen as He said”!

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