Category: April2023

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Good Morning

The sun hasn’t come up yet but when it does this is probably what I’ll see. The desert is beautiful, the cacti are in bloom and the morning air is crisp.

It was a short night. I’ve been sitting here for the last several hours thanking the Lord for filling my life with so many wonderful blessings.

Last night we celebrated Dave’s birthday with new friends. These are folks we have known less than a year and already they seem like family. It amazes me how the Lord can knit our hearts to so many wonderful people.

Wonderful people like all of you.

“May you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank God for you whenever I think of you. 4 I always have joy as I pray for all of you.” Philippians 1:2-4 NLV

I am so grateful that you join me each day and I never take your readership for granted. You are a blessing.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and sing praises to Your name, O Most High. 2 It is good to tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning, and of how faithful You are at night, 3 with harps, and with music of praise. 4 For You have made me glad by what You have done, O Lord. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.” Psalm 92:1-4 NLV

To be honest, I haven’t always greeted the day with gratitude. No, there was a time when I grumbled at the start of the day. I didn’t want to get out of bed; I didn’t want to go to work; I focused on the things I didn’t want to do.

However, the quiet time – just me and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is now the richest time of the day. No grumbling or complaining here. I welcome the opportunity to spend time in His presence.

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

“But as for me, I will sing of Your strength. Yes, I will sing with joy of Your loving-kindness in the morning. For You have been a strong and safe place for me in times of trouble.” Psalm 59:16 NLV

“ Fill us in the morning with Your loving-kindness. Let us sing for joy and be glad all our days” Psalm 90:14 NLV

There was a song we used to sing at church and it often invades my morning quiet times. I goes something like this:

“In the morning when I rise,
in the morning when I rise,
in the morning when I rise,
give me Jesus.

Refrain:
Give me Jesus, give me Jesus.
You may have all this world, give me Jesus.”

My prayer is that as you start your day, your heart is filled with gratitude and praise!

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It’s More Than Grammar

Have you ever thought about the difference between “with” and “in”?

If you have water in a glass and you take it to the table it is “with” you. But you can leave that room and leave the water behind. However, if you drink the water it is “in” you. It gives life to your cells and nourishes your body.

All through the Old Testament we find that God was “with” His people. When Jesus came, one of his names was Emmanuel, God “with” us and wherever Jesus went He took God with Him.

Once we accept Jesus as our Saviour the Scriptures says that we are “in” Him.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:6-10 KJV

His fullness fills us with His life, His love, His character. Wherever we go we take Christ in us. We bring His nature, His life to every circumstance and person we come in contact with.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.” Ephesians 1:3-6 ERV

There is no need to beg God to be “with us”. We need to be aware, vitally aware, He is always “in us”.

“This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. 27 God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth, which is for all people, is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory. 28 So we continue to tell people about Christ. We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person. We are trying to bring everyone before God as people who have grown to be spiritually mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:26-28 ERV

He lives “in” us so that we can take Him with us to the world! Let the Lord shine in you today.

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Things Seem Backwards

I got to thinking about my childhood. The things we did, the fun we had. Things kids don’t get to do today.

We played hide-n-seek in the street after dark. Dad didn’t call my cell, he just whistled and I knew to check-in. I played outside with friends, not online. If I didn’t eat what mom made, I didn’t eat. Hand sanitizer didn’t exist, but I got my mouth washed out with soap a few times for lying. Mom had a paddle and knew how to use it. It was ok for the other neighborhood mothers to scold me if you did something wrong.

I drank water out of a hose, rode in the back seat without a car seat or seat belt. Went hunting when I was 10, walked two miles from my house to the swimming pool with my sister in the summer time.

I lived by the rules of our home, had chores that needed to be done, learned to be honest and most of all, I was taught to respect adults – those in authority.

Why this walk down memory lane this morning?

It came from reading in the book of Proverbs.

“My son, do not forget my teaching. Let your heart keep my words. 2 For they will add to you many days and years of life and peace. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them upon your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good understanding in the eyes of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. 6 Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and turn away from what is sinful. 8 It will be healing to your body and medicine to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your riches, and with the first of all you grow. 10 Then your store-houses will be filled with many good things and your barrels will flow over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:1-10 NLV

“O sons, hear the teaching of a father. Listen so you may get understanding. 2 For I give you good teaching. Do not turn away from it. 3 When I was a much loved and only son of my mother and father, 4 he taught me, saying, “Hold my words close to your heart. Keep my teachings and live. 5 Get wisdom and understanding. Do not forget or turn away from the words of my mouth.” Proverbs 4:1-5 NLV

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to teach them respect. Part of their learning will come from our words and part of it will come from the way we live our lives.

We have a commission from the Lord to speak to their hearts, giving them instruction in wisdom and teaching them God’s word. More important that the exterior precautions we take for their safety is the way we teach them to guard their hearts.

“ Keep your heart pure for out of it are the important things of life.” Proverbs 4:23 NLV

Drink from the hose, it’s fun. But also take time to drink from the living water of God’s word!

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Watch How You Jump

Jumping to conclusions, making snap judgements and circumstantial evidence have destroyed so many relationships.

Years ago, I worked in the Dean of Students office at a local community college. I was hired to help with the new student handbook and to serve as Admin Assist. to the Dean of Students.

Our office was responsible for student ID’s, vehicle usage for the sports teams and even the campus security. We had lots of students coming and going through our office who worked on campus. But one young man in particular stood out.

I was a mature married woman of 32. I had 3 children, a husband and was a “good christian woman”. He was in his early 20’s, tattooed and pierced, looking like a character from Pirates of the Caribbean. He could have been a stand in for Johnny Depp. I judged him based on his appearance and nothing more.

After working with him for several weeks, he came in one morning, late again. When I asked why, he told me that the devil had really been working against him that morning – car wouldn’t start, flat tire, wife was sick and it had really stolen his joy. He asked me if I would pray for him throughout the day so that he could keep a good attitude and do his job well!

Oh Lord, I apologize! I judged wrongly, I wasn’t looking for the good in this man, I was looking at him through my own prejudice and I was wrong!

Why am I telling you this? Well, this morning I was continuing my read through I Samuel and Samuel made the same judgement. The Lord had rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience and Samuel was sent to find and anoint a new king for Israel. He found a man, based on outward appearance, that he thought was God’s man of power for the hour.

“When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely this is the man who the Lord has chosen.’ 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Eliab is tall and handsome, but don’t judge by things like that. God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. Eliab is not the right man.’” I Samuel 16:6-7 ERV

And then came this young man, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, a shepherd. David hadn’t even been invited to the dinner because his father had misjudged him as well.

“Jesse sent someone to get his youngest son. This son was a good-looking, healthy young man. He was very handsome. The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Get up and anoint him. He is the one.’…The Spirit of the Lord came on David with great power from that day on. Then Samuel went back home to Ramah.” I Samuel 16:12-13 ERV

Are you like me and misjudging someone based on appearance or education or some other external character? Perhaps you are the one that is the recipient of snap judgement.

Let me encourage you to ask the Lord to show you the heart of people; let the Holy Spirit love through you and see those around you as God does.

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Just Keep Preaching

This morning I saw something in the book of John I hadn’t seen before. It put a big smile on my face.

John, chapter 8, Jesus is teaching in the Temple. People are curious about His teachings and hoping to see a miracle. Jesus’ teachings were like none they had ever heard. He taught with boldness and conviction from a heart of compassion.

The religious leaders were often offended by what He said and secretly they were plotting ways to silence Him. He had gained too much popularity and they saw Him as a threat.

So here He is teaching again.

“Early in the morning He went back to the house of God and all the people came to Him. He sat down and taught them.” John 8:2 NLV

The religious leaders come marching in, disrupting His teaching, with a woman. A woman they said was ““Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.” (vs4) They were trying to trap Him, they wanted to be able to accuse Jesus of breaking the law of Moses that said those who were adulterers were to be judged and stoned.

I mean they dropped this woman right down in front of Jesus, demanding He give a judgement of her. Jesus said nothing. He just knelt down and began to write in the dirt.

“The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, ‘Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.’” (vs7).

Then he knelt down and continued writing. The story continues that those who had accused her began to leave one by one, the oldest ones first, until it was just Jesus and the woman.

Now let me say here, no one knows what Jesus wrote on the ground. It isn’t recorded in Scripture. He may have written the sins of the accusers; He may have written Scripture from the law of Moses but what He wrote either convicted them or brought them to shame. It caused them to leave.

“He looked up again and said to her, ‘Where did they all go? Did no one judge you guilty?’ 11 She answered, ‘No one, sir.’ Then Jesus said, ‘I don’t judge you either. You can go now, but don’t sin again.’” John 8:10-11 ERV

Now I know this story very well. I have imagined myself being there that day. I can see the woman – naked, ashamed, tears rolling down her cheeks, trying to cover herself. Completely humiliated. Ready to face a death sentence. All of this has made her a public spectacle.

Jesus’ words bring deliverance, not condemnation. He sends her on her way forgiven.

But here’s the part of this story I hadn’t seen before.

“Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.” John 8:12 CEV

Jesus, undeterred by what had just happened, went back to teaching. He stayed on message. He didn’t get distracted by accusations or man’s opinion. He stayed true to the mission He had received from the Father.

Each day we have situations that will try to distract us from the mission that God has called us too. Let’s learn from Jesus and just keep preaching!

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Thirsty

I know I have shared this a couple times with some of you. We found ourselves sharing the story again just days ago.

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 our dogs put us on alert that something was in the yard; 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 provided the much-needed water that she was seeking. After they drank their fill, the moose rested in the shade of the tall pines. At first, she was very cautious, looking about after every sip and then as her calves rested quietly, she found rest herself.

Have you been thirsty? Have you been really thirsty for God? Thirsty enough to search outside your comfort zone? Willing to leave the familiar way of doing things and find the answers you need in God’s word?

God asked Abraham to leave his family and his homeland. Ruth left all to follow Naomi to a new land where God blessed her with a husband and a child, making her a descendant of Christ. 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 gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God. 2 In my heart, I am thirsty for you, the living God. When will I see your face?” Psalm 42:1-2 CEV

When we seek God, we will find Him and we will find that He gives us so much more than we ever dreamed possible.

“‘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 29:12-13 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.

“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 5:17-19 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.

“Thank the Lord for his faithful love and for the amazing things he does for people. 9 He satisfies those who are thirsty. He fills those who are hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9 ERV

Be thirsty for God, like that momma moose who sought out the life-giving water, you will find all you need in Him.

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Come, Sheep, Come

Yesterday Dave and I watched a YouTube video produced by a family in the southern U.S. They are homesteading some land. They are so excited about the opportunity they have to live such a simple life.

In the video, the wife was showing the animals they have, and she stopped at the sheep pen. The sheep were on the other side of the enclosure until she said “Come, sheep, come”. They lifted their heads and started moving in her direction. She repeated it once more and sheep came right to her.

They knew the voice of their shepherdess and they came. She didn’t holler to get their attention she just called for them in a normal tone. They knew her voice and came.

It was such a picture of how we should follow Jesus our good shepherd.

“The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.” John 10:3-5 CEV

“I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15  Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.” John 10:14-15 CEV

The Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep.

As a good shepherd, He sees to it that we are well rested and fed. He protects us from evil. He searches for us when we go astray, and He carries us when we are weary. And when it was necessary, He gave His life to save us.

“You know the Lord is God! He created us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture.” Psalm 100:3 CEV

Sheep are natural followers. In the ranching community, cattle need to be herded. You’ve seen the cattle drives in the movies; it takes a number of good cowboys to move a herd. Sheep follow.

I pray that we follow the Shepherd. Through His word we hear His voice, by the inner prompting of the Spirit we know the right way to go.

“Father, I make the decision to listen to the Shepherd’s voice and I will follow Him to green pastures beside still waters and He will restore my soul. Amen.”

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Oh My, Look at the Time!

That’s what I said to myself when I woke up this morning! I really slept in.

We are all so conscious of time. Appointments, work, school, dinner with friends all require us to look at the clock. But there are other times too – times you can’t find on a clock. Those are the ones I want to talk about this morning.

Look at the time.

Since we are connected through the internet it may be early morning, midday or perhaps you are reading this in the evening but whatever time it is where you are it is time to praise the Lord!

You could be in a time of trouble, a time of fear, good time, dinner time, party time, time of loneliness, time of sickness or time of concern. No matter, it is time to praise the Lord.

Why?

Because He is Lord of all and Lord over all and all who trust in Him will never be ashamed!

Just so you know, all those times listed above – I’ve been there and the thing that ALWAYS brings me through is praise time. Remembering that my heavenly Father is bigger than anything here and that He has a plan for me to prosper and have good success gives me reason to praise.

“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. 2 I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. 3 Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name.

4 For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears. 5 Others too were radiant at what he did for them. Theirs was no downcast look of rejection! 6 This poor man cried to the Lord—and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles. 7 For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him.

8 Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him. 9 If you belong to the Lord, reverence him; for everyone who does this has everything he needs. 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing.

11 Sons and daughters, come and listen and let me teach you the importance of trusting and fearing the Lord.” Psalm 34:1-11 TLB

Oh my, look at the time! Look at the timeline of your life and praise the Lord for bringing you to this place.

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An Intimate Courtyard

One of the first group of verses I memorized as a young girl was Psalm 100.

“Earth, sing to the Lord!
2 Be happy as you serve the Lord!
    Come before him with happy songs!
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    He made us, and we belong to him.
    We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.
4 Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him.
    Enter his courtyards with songs of praise.
    Honor him and bless his name.
5 The Lord is good!
    There is no end to his faithful love.
    We can trust him forever and ever! ERV

That’s exactly what I’m doing this morning – being happy and grateful to be in the Father’s courtyard.

When Dave and I did the landscaping at our home in southern Arizona we designed a front courtyard. It was my place to sit and pray; a place to always be thankful for the many blessings the Lord has given us. I miss the courtyard but the praise I always have in my heart.

Another memory I have of my childhood is a song I used to sing, In the Garden:

“I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses

And he walks with me
And he talks with me
And he tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing…”

There is a relationship that we can share with the Lord that is incomparable to any other. In the joy and in the sorrow, in the struggle and in the rest, we are invited to come into his courtyard, into the pasture of green grass and cool water, into His presence where there is fullness of joy.

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV

There’s a progression here. In Psalm 100 we are told to come through His gates and into His courtyard. Praise and thanksgiving are the ticket to enter. The writer of Hebrews tells us we can come boldly into His throne room.

“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 4:16 CEV

Our heavenly Father is generous and welcoming. He wants to come bravely, He extends His grace and provides us with the help we need.

There’s an intimacy in our relationship with Him. When we come into His courtyard, He meets us there.

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Correct Guidance

I love Psalm 143. No matter how many times I read it, it always reveals something different to me.

I have read nearly every morning for years. Verse 8 is the way I start my day – “I want to learn more about You, Lord. I put my trust in You. I need Your guidance”.

That’s the way it is with God’s word; when we read it with an open heart it is the Living Word of God. Directed by the Holy Spirit, taught by the Spirit and encouraged by Him to do the word of God definitely becomes the Word of Life and sustains us better than bread and makes our hearts at peace.

“Listen, LORD, as I pray! You are faithful and honest and will answer my prayer. 2 I am your servant. Don’t try me in your court, because no one is innocent by your standards. 3 My enemies are chasing me, crushing me in the ground. I am in total darkness, like someone long dead. 4 I have given up all hope, and I feel numb all over. 5 I remember to think about the many things you did in years gone by. 6 Then I lift my hands in prayer, because my soul is a desert, thirsty for water from you. 7 Please hurry, LORD, and answer my prayer. I feel hopeless. Don’t turn away and leave me here to die.

8 Each morning let me learn more about your love because I trust you. I come to you in prayer, asking for your guidance. 9 Please rescue me from my enemies, LORD! I come to you for safety.

10 You are my God. Show me what you want me to do, and let your gentle Spirit lead me in the right path. 11 Be true to your name, LORD, and keep my life safe. Use your saving power

to protect me from trouble. 12 I am your servant. Show how much you love me by destroying my enemies.” Psalm 143

King David faced physical enemies; the enemies I often face are my own inadequacies and limitations. The amount of time I know the Lord has protected me from trouble has been innumerable, He keeps my life safe. He hears my prayer!

Come to Him for guidance this morning. He’s waiting to show you the right path!

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