Category: Matthew

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Immovable

This is a picture of the well-photographed and famous “Haystack” on the Oregon Coast. It’s what I think of when I read the following verses.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 5:57-58

I remember a time when Dave & I had first started doing cowboy ministry. We had been going night and day, and we were facing some pretty heavy personal attacks from people that were very close to us. I can hear myself saying, “We don’t need this! We are serving the Lord and loving Jesus. We can go back to farming alfalfa, we don’t need all this.” And that’s when he looked up at a plaque on the wall and read me the verses above.

I knew it was God and that we were to continue but I was also angry. I wanted to lick my wounds and go off into the corner. I almost threw something at him. And then I repented and told the Lord I had been feeling sorry for myself and that I would let go and let God! I’m glad I learned that lesson then; it has been relived a number of times in my life since.

The Christian life isn’t for whiners. I love the wording in the King James – Be steadfast and immovable, ALWAYS abounding in the work of the Lord.

We run into discouragement when we work “for” the Lord and not “with” him. I’ve worked for the Lord before, and it’s been by my own efforts and for my own purposes. It’s much better when I work with Him and draw on His strength and have His purpose.

To work with Him means to work in faith because it’s faith that pleases God and Jesus said he always pleased His Father. So, James gives us this instruction for standing steadfast.

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. 6 But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. 7-8 If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.” James 1:5-8 ERV

A few days back I gave you a list of verses, God’s words, to review and make part of your daily living. They are the firm foundation we stand on. They are the foundation that does not collapse in a storm.

“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.

26 “Whoever hears these teachings of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:24-26 ERV

Steadfast, immovable means we don’t waiver.

Stand with your faith firmly anchored to God and His Word and when life’s storms come you will remain standing. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand!

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No Limit

As I was reading this morning, I came across these verses in Psalms, Genesis and Revelation.

“Who is this glorious king? He is our Lord, a strong and mighty warrior. 9 Open the ancient gates, so that the glorious king may come in. 10 Who is this glorious king? He is our Lord,  the All-Powerful!” Psalms 24:8-10 CEV

“ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” Genesis 17:1-2 NLT

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:8 NLT

After reading those verses I had to ask myself, “do I limit God”? Honestly and truthfully, yes I do on many occasions. By my own understanding and doubt, I do.

Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and he asked the Lord to let him do it too. Jesus said “Come”. He did. Then…

“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 14:30-32 CEV

Fear of anything causes us to doubt. Doubt ourselves and doubt God.

It’s when we keep our eyes fastened on the Lord, seeing Him as God Almighty, who loves us and desires to be in relationship with us, who came to earth as Immanuel (God with us) that we remove doubt and fear. We gain a confidence that only God can give.

It’s hard to put into words.

Our heavenly Father wants us to know Him as the Almighty One, the beginning and the end. The first, the last and everything in between. He is limitless, there is no one greater, He has no equal.

“Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. 10 So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” Philippians 2:9-11 CEV

I encourage you, and myself, to meditate on who God says He is – El Shaddai, God Almighty. There is none greater and He has placed Himself in relationship with us!

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The Light Within

When I was a young girl, we lived in Northern New Mexico. I loved the missions; the adobe style houses and the luminarias at Christmas. They fascinated me. Candles in bags, lining the pathways – giving light at Christmas.

Years later in my early thirties, the memory of those special lights brought meaning to the Bible verses I was reading.

“The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. 5 We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. 6  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 4:4-7 CEV

We are luminarias to the world!

When we allow the Lord to work in us and we work with Him, we bring His light to those around us.

Jesus talked about this with his followers.

“You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. 15 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 ERV

When Moses went up on Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments from the Lord he was engulfed by God’s glory. When he came down from the mountain his face was illuminated. He had been in the presence of God.

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he carried the two stone tablets of the agreement. Because he had talked with the Lord, his face was shining, but he did not know it. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw that Moses’ face was shining bright. So they were afraid to go near him.” Exodus 334:29-30 ERV

Moses covered his face to keep the people from being fearful, but they knew he had been in the presence of God. The Apostle Paul talks about this and makes this comparison to our lives.

“And our faces are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings more and more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” II Corinthians 3:18 ERV

We are being changed to be like Him!

Just like those luminarias that lit the path to the mission at Christmas, we are to light the path that leads the world to Jesus.

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The Right Mindset

Looking up – it isn’t a one-time experience or occasional reminder; it is a daily practice.

When Jesus lived on earth, He was limited to the same human traits as we are. He got tired and needed rest, he got hungry and thirsty. He faced rejection by His family, peers and religious elite. He grieved the death of a friend.

However, He overcame those limitations by His faith and trust in the promises of God’s word. He learned the Scriptures as a boy, and He lived them as a man.

When Satan came to tempt Him in His time of weakness Jesus answered him with the word of God. It is written, it is written, it is written.

When He was criticized for His actions, this was His response.

“I came down from heaven to do what God wants, not what I want. ” John 6:38 ERV

Jesus was under the authority of His heavenly Father. Many miracles had been done by the prophets in the Old Testament. The dead had been raised, the leper had been healed, armies had been defeated, the Red Sea had opened, food fell from heaven. Men had survived a fiery furnace. Fire had fallen from heaven.

Countless miracles. And here was Jesus doing the same, but it doesn’t end there.

“ So he came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.’” Matthew 28:18-20 ERV

Jesus gave His authority to the disciples and to us. The “end of time” hasn’t come yet and so we are to continue the work that Jesus started while He was here. We are to preach, teach, and do the will of God on the earth. We are to make disciples, but we can’t do it in our own power. That’s why Jesus gave us His authority before He left.

Jesus received His power and authority from the Father. We need to have that same mindset.

” If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 NKJV

We are His disciples, His ambassadors – representatives of Christ on the earth.

We have been given His authority. We need to make His thoughts our thoughts. Let’s have His mindset and touch our world like Jesus did!

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Follow His Lead

The words that came from my heart before I even got out of bed this morning were “Father, I want to follow your lead with each step I take. I want to follow, not lead”.

I had a couple of frustrating situations yesterday. Ever have any of those? That let me know I wasn’t following; I was trying to lead. Trusting God’s lead isn’t frustrating, it’s a way of peace.

“God’s way is perfect. The Lord’s promise always proves to be true. He protects those who trust in him. 31 There is no God except the Lord. There is no Rock except our God.
32 God is the one who gives me strength. He clears the path I need to take. 33 He makes my feet as steady as those of a deer. Even on steep mountains he keeps me from falling.
34 He trains me for war so that my arms can bend the most powerful bow.

35 Lord, you have given me your shield to protect me. You support me with your right hand. It is your help that has made me great.” Psalm 18:30-35 ERV

“He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.” Psalm 23:2 ERV

When we follow the Lord’s leading it’s more reliable than the most accurate GPS. He keeps us from taking the wrong route and making bad turns. He establishes our steps, even on steep mountains.

Yes, He guides our way!

“Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” Psalm 119:105 ERV

“People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 ERV

Our walk with the Lord is guided by the Master.

“Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” Matthew 4:19 ERV

“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 ERV

And now one last verse for the day.

“People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do.” Romans 8:5 ERV

My feet are on the floor and very shortly I will be heading out the door to embrace a new day. Join me.

Father, lead us and guide our steps. We determine to be led by the Spirit and follow the Shepherd. Amen and Amen.

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Why Can’t I?

A long list of do’s and don’ts – that’s the way some people see the Bible. They think if they follow the teachings the Lord has given us it will cramp their style, stifle their freedom of creative expression, limit them in their pursuit of happiness. And yet it is just the opposite.

How many of you who are parents have stopped your children from playing in the street; or perhaps you have smacked their hands or their little bottoms when they have reached to touch a hot coal in a campfire or the hot pan on the stove? Maybe you stopped them riding their bikes down the steep hill with the big kids or even prevented them from swimming in the lake when they had no supervision.

Man, you have inflected a lot of restrictions on your kids! You parents are just trying to spoil their fun and stifle their creativity, aren’t you? Not hardly. You know that your love for them drives you to protect them even if they don’t understand.

And so we have God and His instructions in the Bible. They are there to do the same. The first commandment He gave to the children of Israel was

“Do not worship any god except me.” Exodus 20:3 CEV but let’s look at the verses before this.

“God said to the people of Israel: 2 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.” verses 1-2 CEV

Why do you think He prefaced verse 3 with 1 & 2? It was a reminder. God was wanting them to remember why they didn’t need any other god. He was the one who delivered them from slavery, He was the one who opened the path across the Red Sea, He was the one who turned bitter water to good and gave them manna every morning and quail at night. He was the one who provided them with warmth from the pillar of fire at night and He was the one who gave them shade from the cloud during the day. He was the one who gave them victory over the enemies in battle!

He was the one who provided for all their needs and He wanted them to remember that He provided for them because He loved them and there was no one else who could take care of them the way He did! He was, He is and always will be the I AM that we need for each day.

The 2nd commandment is very similar – don’t make and/or worship any idols. Plain and simple keep the Lord first place. We might not make idols of gold or silver but we are guilty of worshipping other gods; the gods of pleasure, education, relationships, professional advancement, financial security, health and well-being. When we make these things our primary goals and requirements for happiness, we have God take the back seat and these become our idols.

Jesus taught his disciples a strong lesson in Matthew 6 when he told them they didn’t need to seek after food, clothing, a place to live because the Lord knew they had need of all these things. His instruction was clear

” 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 6:33 CEV

Instead of chasing after things, if we chase after God all these will be added.

God wants us to have a fulfilled life. In fact, Jesus said that He came so we could have life but not just a meager, sad, sullen existence of a life but life more abundantly, to the full, till it overflows!

Seek Him first and all the rest will be added!

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Why Not?

It’s been a particularly interesting week, and it’s only Wednesday. Here we are at the end of February, two months of this year have passed. Sometimes the idea of quitting, whatever it is that you’re doing, seems tempting.

Why not?

I was talking to the Lord about that very thing this morning. Do you want to know what He said?

“…those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:8-10 NLT

Don’t give up! Keep doing good – there’s a time of harvest coming.

I remember the days when we were farming alfalfa. Here in Arizona we got about 10 cuttings of alfalfa a year. That’s a lot of hay and all the baling needed to be done at night when the air was cooler and we had the right amount of moisture.

Toward the end of summer I would be so tired, I just wanted to get one full night’s sleep. Dave did too. But there was no time…there was the irrigating, swathing, raking, baling and repeat.

I found it very reassuring that the Lord knew about farming. “At just the right time we will reap a harvest”. So sure enough, we’d keep going and then we would see the harvest.

We learned to lean into God in our weariest of days.

“Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 NLT

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLT

The Lord invites us to rest. In fact, He commands it. It is one of the Ten Commandments.

“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” Leviticus 23:3 NLT

We’re more productive when we rest. We’re healthier when we rest. I’m going to circle back to Psalm 23. We have been looking at it all month and it’s an appropriate Scripture for today’s blog as well.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength…” Psalm 23:1-3 NLT

Maybe you feel like you’ve been in a battle or maybe it just seems like you’ve been farming night and day. The battle, or the work, might be physical, financial, relational and you need a rest. We all do.

Even Jesus would separate Himself from the crowds and the work of ministry to go to a solitary place and pray. He would find those green pastures in time spent with His Father in prayer.

Follow Jesus’ advice. Come to me all who are weary and find rest.

Come rest but don’t quit!

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Even When, I Trust

All through Scripture we have the words “be not afraid, fear not, be anxious for nothing” and sometimes it seems it would be easier to climb Mt. Everest than to not be afraid.

Other than Jesus, I think the Apostle Paul in the New Testament and King David in the Old Testament probably encountered more fear-filled situations than anyone else in Scripture. Every town that Paul preached in broke out in a riot and had someone planning his death. King David was pursued by more armies than I can count, even his own son sought to murder him.

That makes these two experts in the “fear not” department.

While reading in the Psalms this morning I found these words.

“Have pity, God Most High! My enemies chase me all day. 2 Many of them are pursuing and attacking me, 3 but even when I am afraid, I keep on trusting you. 4 I praise your promises!
I trust you and am not afraid. No one can harm me.” Psalm 56:1-4 CEV

All day long, David was on the run. Armies by sheer number were greater than his band of 400 mighty men. ” even when I am afraid, I keep on trusting you.” His life was in literal danger and he made the determination to trust God even when he was afraid.

“When I pray, Lord God, my enemies will retreat, because I know for certain that you are with me. 10 I praise your promises! 11 I trust you and am not afraid. No one can harm me.

12 I will keep my promises to you, my God and bring you gifts. 13 You protected me from death and kept me from stumbling, so that I would please you and follow the light that leads to life.” Psalm 56:10-13 CEV

What are the enemies that are pursuing you?

Take a note from David’s playbook . “I know for certain that you are with me”!

I just heard someone say, “That’s all well and good Kristi but I’m not certain that God is always with me”. I’m glad you said that.

“A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” Matthew 1:23 CEV

He came to be with us and when he went back to heaven the Holy Spirit came to live in us and be God’s representative in our lives.

“But I tell you I am going to do what is best for you. This is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.” John 16:7 CEV

Sad to say but one of the biggest fears today is that of not having enough. Not enough money to pay our bills, not enough time, not enough food, not enough health, not enough peace.

” Don’t fall in love with money. Be satisfied with what you have. The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us.” Hebrews 13:5 CEV

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

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.” Psalm 23:1 CEV

Is there something that has you fear-filled today? Say with King David and with me, “Even when, I will trust”!

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Being First

You all know that we just returned from spending the week in Daytona. The big question of the week was “who will be first”.

There were practice races, qualifying races, and then the main event. There were races for the ARCA cars, Trucks, Xfinity cars and the Cup Cars. Each series would have a winner. In fact, the car to cross the finish line first wasn’t always the one who took home the trophy. There were two races where the winners were disqualified, and another car and driver were given credit for the win.

How disappointing that must have been!

Don’t we love being first?

It is such an honor – being the first to get a phone call or text with really important news – getting the first piece of cake on your birthday – the first dance at your wedding – the first lick of an ice cream cone – the first ride on a motorcycle – the first kiss… I could go on and on.

The Lord also desires to be first.

“Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 ERV

This isn’t an egotistical desire. No, God wants us to place Him first because He knows the great plan that He has for our lives. His plans are for our good.

He knows that when we lose focus and become distracted by other things we will be like Peter, in yesterday’s verses, looking at the waves and feeling the wind and we will begin to sink.

However, when we seek the Lord first, when we make Him first place in our lives, He fills us with joy, hope, peace, and faith, a true abundant life.

“ 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 6:31-33 CEV

When we make the Lord our first love we will never be disqualified; He always causes us to triumph.

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At Work in Us

“ With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of.” Ephesians 3:20 ERV

At home this morning, with my favorite coffee cup in hand, I continue to focus on the mighty, never-ending, precious love of God.

Reading in Matthew, chapter 14, I was reminded of the account of John the Baptist’ death. The ruler, Herod, was bothered greatly by the reports and miracles of Jesus’ ministry. He made comment that he believed John the Baptist had come back to life.

You see, he had beheaded John the Baptist out of purely selfish motives. He knew John was a man of God but ordered his death anyway and now he felt John had come back from the grave.

Jesus dearly loved his cousin and was grieving his death. Jesus told his disciples he was going into the desert to be alone. But the crowd found out about it and got to the place before He did.

“ When He got out of the boat, He saw many people. He had loving-pity for them and healed those who were sick.” Matthew 14:14 NLV

Not only did Jesus heal the sick, He fed the hungry with five loaves and two fish.

“ He told the people to sit down on the grass. Then He took the five loaves of bread and two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke the loaves in pieces and gave them to His followers. The followers gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were filled. They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish after the people were finished eating.” Matthew 14:19-20 NLV

It was the loving compassion of our heavenly Father that moved through Jesus to heal the sick and it was also His loving-compassion that provided food for their bodies. Jesus, in his grief, didn’t stop His work of showing out the love of God.

“ God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us.” Ephesians 3:20 NLV

But Jesus’ day wasn’t over. He told the disciples to go back to the other side of the lake, sent the people away and then spent time alone with the Father in prayer (the thing He had intended to do from the beginning).

“ After He had sent them away, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.” Matthew 14:23 NLV

The disciples encountered a storm on the lake and were in fear of the boat sinking. Jesus had prayed all night and just before the light of day, the Bible says, He came walking on the water.

The disciples were afraid and thought they had seen a ghost. Jesus called out to them, “Don’t be afraid”. That’s when Peter spoke up, “Lord, if it’s You let me come out to You”. Jesus said, “Come on out Peter”.

Peter started walking on the water to Jesus (according to the power of God) but when he saw the waves and felt the wind he took his eyes off Jesus, entered into fear again, and began to sink. Jesus lifted him up and they walked to the boat.

Jesus question to Peter was “why did you doubt”. I think He asks the same question of us on so many occasions.

“ Those in the boat worshiped Jesus. They said, “For sure, You are the Son of God!” Matthew 14:33 NLV

This is what the Apostle Paul wanted us to see and understand. The power of God working in us and that power was/is activated by God’s love for us. We need to understand that.

“I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, He will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. 18 I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. 19 I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself.

20 God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us.” Ephesians 3:16-20 CEV

And I pray that for each of us – may we be strong in the love of God and be filled with Him, so that His power will be working through us!

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