Category: Encouragement

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Revealing Character

Talk about getting to practice what you preach, this morning brought a whole new object lesson and a reminder of why I need to experience more growth in the “fullness of God”.

Dave and I are heading out for an early appointment this morning. I got up intending to have my Bible reading, prayer time and writing the blog before I jump in the shower. I had an idea of what I thought the Lord wanted me to share this morning, so I turned the coffee on and sat down to pull my thoughts together, praying, and waiting for the coffee to finish.

Really no time to spare before we need to head out the door.

Coffee’s done – yes! Picked up my cup and was filling it when I realized the auto shut-off didn’t. There was coffee running down on the burner plate and I had a mess! This was not my idea of what the verse “my cup runneth over” should mean.

Darn it!! I discovered that the filter, for whatever reason, hadn’t drained the way it should. When I opened the filter basket, it was still filled with hot water and grounds were everywhere. That also meant that my coffee decanter would have grounds in it. This morning I get to chew my coffee – not my favorite thing.

I wish I could say that the first thoughts that came to mind were “oh good, another example to share on growing in Christ”; those were not my first thoughts. I was frustrated and still am. The coffee pot will have to wait until later to be cleaned but my heart and my mind needed an immediate tending too.

“And we are also happy with the troubles we have. Why are we happy with troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. 4 And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope. 5 And this hope will never disappoint us. We know this because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit he gave us.” Romans 5:3-5 ERV

Happy with troubles? I will be perfectly honest. I handle big situations quite well, it’s the small and unexpected things that catch me off guard. Patience proves our strength and gives us hope. A hope that doesn’t disappoint because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts. (There’s that fullness again that we were talking about yesterday.)

“If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.” James 1:4 ERV

Am I glad for the coffee failure this morning? Not at all. Am I thankful that the Lord can speak to my heart through the little things? Absolutely!

The Father isn’t chastising or condemning me because of my immediate frustration. Instead, He is teaching me through it and revealing His character for me to conform too. He wants me to grow up into Him!

What areas of character growth is He revealing to you today? Be happy – you’re growing!

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Pursuit of …

I have a question for you. What are you pursuing or on the reverse side of that question, what’s pursuing you?

The first answer that may come to mind is happiness. However, happiness is always changing. What made me happy at 20 is far from what makes me happy now. Some are in pursuit of a good education. Noble goal – it takes dedication, determination and deliberation.

There are those who pursue love. Admirable. We all have a desire to be loved but even that will fall short of expectation if we aren’t diligent and willing to give our all.

Being pursued isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I recall a time when I was little and being pursued by the neighbor’s billy goat. I just wanted to pet him, but he had other ideas. When I realized that his pursuit of me was not going to end well, I ran. I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me but it wasn’t fast enough. I was still butted in the bottom.

There is a pursuit that is beneficial and attainable by everyone.

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.” Psalm 34:13-15 ESV

Truth and peace are godly pursuits. Doing good is a goal we should all seek to accomplish.

“ …pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” II Timothy 2:22 ESV

The Lord has given us all a dream, a passion in life. When we let Him lead, when we follow His direction, our pursuit with end well.

“Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 AMPC

Trust the Lord with your pursuits!

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David & Goliath Revisited

As I was watching some of last night’s news I was reminded of the miraculous story of David and Goliath.

Goliath was a bully. He cursed God and the army of the Israelites who represented God. To both armies, the Israelites and the Philistines, David was a young, unimpressive, naïve teenager.

But in God’s view David was a giant slayer!

Goliath trusted in his experience in battle, his sword, his spear, his size. David trusted in His relationship with the Lord.

“When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. 43 ‘Do you think I’m a dog?’ Goliath asked. ‘Is that why you’ve come after me with a stick?’ He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods 44 and shouted, ‘Come on! When I’m finished with you, I’ll feed you to the birds and wild animals!’

“David answered: ‘You’ve come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I’ve come out to fight you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel’s army, and you have insulted him too! 46 Today the Lord will help me defeat you… 47 Everybody here will see that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save his people. The Lord always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.'” I Samuel 17:42-47 CEV

I encourage you to read the whole story in I Samuel 17.

David went to the battlefield to take nourishment to his brothers. At the encampment, he found an army literally shaking in their boots as they were taunted by their enemy. He saw an incompetent king who didn’t know what to do. The king was so desperate that he agreed to let an inexperienced teenager, single-handedly fight the opposing army’s star warrior.

The opposing army was just as afraid to fight and more than willing to let their “hero” represent them in battle. The hero was self-confident; he had never been defeated.

David was a shepherd with no battlefield experience. What he had was a confidence in the God of Israel.

Let me explain…all Israelite male babies were circumcised when they were eight days old. This had been done since the time of Abraham and circumcision was a sign that God would always be the protector and provider for all of Abraham’s descendants. David took this promise of God to heart – he believed that whatever he encountered God was with him and would protect him.

“‘Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you.’” I Samuel 17:36-37 NIV

David knew Goliath had no covenant promise with God and so Goliath would be no match for the power of God working in his life.

You may be feeling like you are facing a giant, something big, something unnerving. You have the same promise from God that David did. God will never abandon you.

Go out against your giant and let God fight for you!

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No Need To Update

Does change bother you? I have to admit some changes bother me. Some I find exciting and completely embrace, like our decision to sell the house, downsize and move into the RV fulltime. I am loving that!

However, I don’t like it when my favorite stores do a “reset” and move the things I’m looking for. I’m also not so crazy about updating my computer systems and finding new internet service. Those things really annoy me…just sayin’.

Three days ago, we changed our internet service provider. It didn’t work the way it was supposed to, and our frustration level increased. Two days ago, my computer said I needed to do a system update. I try to avoid those whenever possible but since it had to be done, I clicked on the button and let it do its thing.

Yesterday with the internet still not working correctly and with a new layout on my screen (because of the update), I was almost at wit’s end. Now I know those of you who are computer savvy will find this trivial and wonder why it bothered me so. But, it did.

I made a call to the internet company. The tech made some corrections while I was on the phone and everything is working properly. After doing my regular work with my laptop yesterday I am more comfortable with the changes this morning. Aww, I’m breathing easier.

However, there is one thing that will never change. No update needed. No tech support to make adjustments.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 ERV

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

There is such assurance and comfort in knowing that the Father will always be the same. God’s word will not change or lose its power and effectiveness. He isn’t old-fashioned or outdated; He is always current. He is eternal.

“The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed, but my words will last forever.” Matthew 24:35 ERV

“I am the Lord, and I don’t change.” Malachi 3:6 ERV

God will always hate sin but He will always love the sinner. His lovingkindness will last forever. He will always be compassionate and forgiving. He will always answer when we call. He will always extend mercy to us who come to Him and provide help when we are in need!

“Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:15-16 ERV

God never changes. What changes is our understanding of Him, we gain depth in our relationship with Him.

He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He is always the same!

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No More Excuses

I know I need to but…

Excuses – none of us like excuses. As parents we have heard our children give us a 1000 reasons why they couldn’t or didn’t do what they were told. As co-workers we hear the reasons and excuses on why something wasn’t their responsibility or in their job description.

We have a large segment of our society that won’t take or accept responsibility for their own actions but are quick to justify or excuse their actions.

It’s frustrating to say the least!

Now imagine you are God. How many times each minute do you hear excuses. The devil made me do it was the first excuse ever; I’m not qualified, I’m not talented, I’m too busy…on and on it goes. I was reminded of Moses this morning – making excuses.

“Moses asked the Lord, ‘Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?'” Exodus 4:1 CEV

And the Lord provided him with signs and an answer.

Then”Moses replied, “I have never been a good speaker. I wasn’t one before you spoke to me, and I’m not one now. I am slow at speaking, and I can never think of what to say.” Exodus 4:10 CEV

The Lord provided him with an additional answer.

Resistance, excuse #3. “Moses begged, ‘Lord, please send someone else to do it.’” Exodus 4:13 CEV

At this point the Lord is angered. He isn’t mad like we get mad but He was angered by Moses’ resistance to obeying what he has been asked to do. It’s as if Moses were saying, I know it’s you Lord but that’s just not enough.

Have you ever said something like that to the Lord? Me neither – ya, right! The Lord has given us His promise to never leave us or forsake us and He’s given us the Holy Spirit to be our strength and our guide, what more do we need? He’s even given us His Word filled with examples of His faithfulness to people in the past.

The Lord will listen to our fears, our concerns and our excuses but He will remind us that He has called us; He won’t give up on us.

“Aaron will speak to the people for you, and you will be like me, telling Aaron what to say. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will tell each of you what to do. 17 Now take this walking stick and use it to perform miracles.” Exodus 4:16-17 CEV

No more excuses – time to go and do what we are called to do knowing that the Lord’s power and promises won’t fail!

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True Love

Happy Valentine’s Day!

When I see the advertisements for beautiful rose bouquets my memory takes me back to the first years Dave and I were married.

Dave worked in agriculture and near the fields he worked in were the fields of a commercial rose grower. The roses were grown for stock, not for flowers. When the roses bloomed, they were cut and left lying on the ground and the stock was harvested to sell to nurseries.

In those days, we didn’t have too nickels to rub together. On his way home from work – tired as he was, he would stop and go out into the fields and collect the buds and bring me a beautiful bouquet! He would do this several times during the growing season. What a guy!!

Here we are – 49 Valentines’ Days later and those are still some of my treasured memories.

We all know that love isn’t about a day. True love is a way of life.

“Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him. 10 True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins.” I John 4:7-10 ERV

True love is found in God. He IS love and all that love is, is found in Him.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end.” I Corinthians 13:4-8 ERV

Love gives and never gives up. Love forgives and forgets. Love is filled with hope and kindness.

We can never be separated from the unconditional love of God.

“Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 ERV

The Father demonstrates His unconditional love to us each day of each year of our lives. God’s love for us will never end because God, Himself, has no end.

Happy Unconditional Love of God Day!

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Roaring Oceans

For the last couple of days, I have shared with you the Scriptures that keep me on a solid footing each day. In my 68, almost 69, years there have been days with roaring waves and those of calm seas. What I’ve learned in my relationship with the Father is He wants me to be at peace regardless of what I see around me.

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

Sadly, I admit, I haven’t always enjoyed being alone with just my thoughts. My heart would become anxious. Maybe you’re like that. But it’s in this quiet that God reassures us of His presence.

“God is our protection and source of strength. He is always ready to help us in times of trouble. 2 So we are not afraid when the earth quakes and the mountains fall into the sea. 3 We are not afraid when the seas become rough and dark and the mountains tremble. Selah …He is there to help even before sunrise. 6 Nations will shake with fear and kingdoms will fall when God shouts and makes the earth move. 7 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Selah 8 Look at the powerful things the Lord has done. See the awesome things he has done on earth…10 God says, ‘Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.’ 11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Selah” Psalm 46 ERV

The Psalmist recognizes that there will be earthquakes, raging seas and rough times but it also says God is there to help us even before the sun rises. We are told to stop fighting. I think that refers to fighting our own fears and anxiousness because it goes on to say, “I am the one who controls the world; I am the place of safety”. The Psalm ends with the word Selah which means to pause, reflect, and take time to let what you just heard sink in.

I used to hate being alone with my thoughts, focusing on the quiet of my own heart. It told me I was unworthy, I was alone, I wouldn’t amount to anything. It pointed out all my failures and my shortcomings. But that wasn’t really my heart talking that was my mind. I never measured up so why did I want a quiet time to reflect on all that was wrong with me?

It was in that quiet time of reading, learning and applying God’s word that I found peace, true peace. It provided me with my firm foundation.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

When I come to the Father’s throne, in the quiet of the morning, I find grace, mercy, kindness and help. I find Jesus!

This time before the sun rises is where I find help for when the oceans roar!

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He Brews

This morning’s blog could also be entitled, “Where There’s a Will There’s A Way”, but since it’s about coffee I went with what I thought was a cuter title.

Rarely is our home without coffee so you can imagine my shock when I discovered Friday morning that I had no more coffee stored in the freezer. The canister had enough for Saturday’s pot and then we were out. Our favorite coffee has been missing from our grocery store shelves.

What to do? I went on-line and did what any self-respecting coffee drinker would do, I ordered from Amazon with a promise of next day delivery. It must have been the late hour I ordered or the fear of not having coffee for this morning’s brew but in my haste I didn’t see that I ordered coffee beans.

Yesterday when the order arrived Dave brought it in from the driver and the look on his face was puzzling. He asked, “you ordered coffee beans?”. No…but I had. We don’t have a coffee grinder, ugh. Dave laughed and said, “well, you can always beat them with a hammer”. Not funny!

No problem, I have a food processor. Oh yes, that’s what I did, I’m embarrassed to admit it but it’s true. It wasn’t ground fine enough to get a good brew but there is coffee in the pot this morning and that’s all that matters. I have Dave’s promise that we will go to town and buy a coffee grinder. (I just sold one we never used in a garage sale before we moved.)

I could have gone to town yesterday and bought coffee but not my favorite blend. I could have gone to town yesterday late after my coffee order arrived and bought a grinder but I’m more determined and resourceful than that.

This morning as I was sipping my weak cup of coffee and thinking about what to share the words He Brews came to mind and I knew I had to share my blight but first I needed a verse to tie it all together.

“6 But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him.” Hebrews 11:6 CEV

I went through all the above to satisfy my palate for a pot of my favorite coffee. What amount of time and effort I am willing to expend in searching for God who satisfies my soul?

Why is it hard some mornings to sit down and pick up my Bible and study? Time spent in the Word is much more beneficial than a second-rate grinding of coffee beans. People are hurting; they’ve lost loved ones. Parents have lost newborns; spouses have lost their mates. Mental anguish has invaded homes in a similar manner to cancer invading a body; we need to be able to give hope to those who have lost theirs.

When we believe that God is real, we must search for Him. When we search for Him, we will find Him – He’s not hiding, and He will reward us in our search. He will replace our pain with His peace, our confusion with His comfort, our fear with His forgiveness, our loneliness with His love.

If the silliness of my search for coffee taught you anything I hope it was this; put your efforts into searching out the things that have eternal value. Coffee is good but God is great!

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In Time of Need

Yesterday I told you about Daniel and his commitment to prayer. Prayer in its simplest form is just talking to the Lord.

Today I’m going to tell you about another man. A man who listened to God’s word as Jesus spoke and then asked for help. He was putting God’s word into action.

I feel like I have known this man for many years. His story is near and dear to my heart. As Jesus taught, he was standing way off at the bottom of the mountain. He wasn’t with any family or friends. Every word that Jesus spoke had personal meaning to him. Meet my friend, the healed leper.

“Jesus came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. 2 Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man bowed down before Jesus and said, ‘Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.’3 Jesus touched the man. He said, ‘I want to heal you. Be healed!’ Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go and let the priest look at you. And offer the gift that Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show everyone that you are healed.’” Matthew 8:1-4 ERV

This man had stood at the bottom of the hill because he was unclean and not allowed to be close to the rest of the fine upstanding people. But he heard Jesus with his heart – not just his ears! He heard Jesus say, “Ask and it shall be given you” and so when Jesus made it down the mountain, he didn’t run away from Jesus he ran too Him, and he asked!

Try to imagine his face? Do you cringe when you see his missing fingers or the flesh that had been eaten away on his ears? Do you see him, do you see his broken heart from being an outcast for so long? Do you know how long it’s been since anyone has hugged him or kissed his diseased cheek?

And now do you see the tears of joy streaming down his cheeks as he hears Jesus words, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Notice this. Jesus touched him!!! He touched the man who was unclean.

When I read this story I see myself there, I’m the one standing next to him, crying, weeping, rejoicing over his healing. Unashamed I throw my arms around his neck and hug him! What a joy to be able to kiss this man on the cheek and celebrate his healing!!

Oh yes, I’m emotionally invested in this man’s life because I too have felt the hurt of being an outcast. Not being accepted because of my appearance. I too know what it’s like to have a broken heart and to approach Jesus and say will you heal me? And I know the joy, the joy unspeakable, to have Him touch me and say, “you’re healed”.

The Father and the Son won’t force any of their blessings on us. They won’t force us into a relationship, but they wait patiently for us to ask! How many people on the mountain side that day had needs in their lives? How many needed a touch from the Savior? How many walked away empty because they were too ashamed or too proud to ask?

Are you in need of God’s touch? Don’t walk away – ASK and it shall be given unto you!!

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Does God Know?

Sometimes I ask that question. Does God know? Does He know when my heart aches and when fear creeps in; does God know that I have concerns over what the future holds?

The answer: of course, He does!

After I finished writing yesterday’s blog, “Not Today”, I read about Joshua. Moses was 120 years old, and he knew he was going to die. Joshua was his God-chosen replacement and would be responsible for leading the Israelites into the land God promised them. The Israelites were not an easy people to lead.

They had a history of complaining, rebellion, and questioning God’s word. These are the people Joshua would lead; this is the group he needed to be united; these are the ones who would be the called to fight and would need to follow orders.

Did God know what He was asking of Joshua? Of course, He did. And this was the Lord’s word of encouragement:

“Be brave and strong! Don’t be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan. The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.

7 Then Moses called Joshua up in front of the crowd and said: Joshua, be brave and strong as you lead these people into their land. The Lord made a promise long ago to Israel’s ancestors that this land would someday belong to Israel. That time has now come, and you must divide up the land among the people. 8 The Lord will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don’t ever be afraid of your enemies.” Deuteronomy 31:6-8 CEV

God knew! He gave Joshua an irrefutable promise! It was unconditional – the Lord will ALWAYS be at your side; He will NEVER abandon you.

Always, Never – it can’t be any more inclusive than that. I’m sure Joshua had his times of doubt, even fear, as he looked at some of the impossible situations they faced but he held on to God’s promises and went forward and the enemy was defeated.

We also have some ALWAYS and NEVER promises, they cover the small insignificant issues in our life as well as the larger ones which are life-threatening.

“I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me.” Psalm 16:8 ERV

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need.” Psalm 23:1 ERV

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

“Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” Hebrews 13:5 ERV

“Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 ERV

Does God know? Yes. Does He care? Yes. He will always be with us, He will never leave us. That is for certain!

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