Category: Encouragement

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No GPS or Voicemail

Have you ever gotten stuck in one of those phone trees – you know the ones, press 1 for billing, press 2 to change your address, press 3 for something else, press 5 for none of the above. They never give you the number to press to get a live person to talk too and then when you’ve been holding for 20-30 minutes you errantly get disconnected and have to call back and start the process over. Has to be one of the most frustrating things ever!

Or what about the GPS that you are depending on to help you navigate an unknown city. Turn here, turn there, recalculating, recalculating, recalculating!

The two verses that we are looking at this morning come from the book of Jeremiah. This book is a history of the Israelites being carried off as prisoners of the king of Babylon, their repentance while in captivity and their return to their Promised Land of Israel.

So what’s that got to with us? All Scripture is truly a letter to us from God. We can learn from what others did wrong to avoid the same pitfalls and failures that they experienced. As we look at these two verses this morning we will see that no matter how far the people of Israel went in their rebellion to God he was always reaching out to them in love.

“0 After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for seventy years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised. 11 I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:10-13 CEV

We can learn from the Israelites. God always had a plan for them to be a great nation, His people. He had promised to protect, provide and give them victory but they became distracted and disobedient when they began to worship the false gods of the nations around them. They forgot and then ignored the plan that God had set for them.

Do you remember the very first of the 10 commandments?

“Do not worship any god except me. 4 Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. 5 Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. 6 But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.” Exodus 20:3-4 CEV

God’s command to worship only Him was a command for their own good and protection. He knew that if they followed other gods if would be detrimental and He didn’t want to see His people destroyed or depraved as other nations were. But God didn’t want puppets serving Him; He wanted them to serve Him out of love and not because they had no choice. God gave them a free will – the right to choose. Theirs was a bad choice and it led to their captivity.

We have a choice too. It’s important that we make the right ones, when we do we live this life that Lord reminded the people about. It is a life with a future filled with hope and blessing, a future of success and not suffering. God was reminding the Israelites and us that His plan for us is good and if we ask for help He is there to answer.

We don’t need a GPS to follow the plan God has for us we just need to call out to Him and he will direct our path.

“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:3 NLV

When we call out to God we don’t have to go through press 1 for this, press 5 for that and we never get stuck on hold or go to voicemail. We are instantly connected to our loving, heavenly Father. He is always there and will provide the help we need. (Remember yesterday’s verse)

Rest assured God is always there and waiting for us to call.

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Up Early This Morning…

Up early this morning praying for family and friends. Trusting the Lord to meet needs where only He can and also asking Him to show me what needs I can meet on His behalf.

It’s important to realize that the Father loves each of us the same and He doesn’t compare us to others. He has one example He wants us to follow and that is Jesus. He is the one we are to imitate; only Jesus lived a life worth copying.
Jesus gave this teaching to some folks who were overestimating their own worth.

“There were some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One time there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. One day they both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or commit adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of everything I get!’

13 “The tax collector stood alone too. But when he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He felt very humble before God. He said, ‘O God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man finished his prayer and went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee, who felt that he was better than others, was not right with God. People who make themselves important will be made humble. But those who make themselves humble will be made important.”
Luke 18:9-14 ERV

Someone around you needs you to see them through the Father’s eyes today. Maybe it’s just a smile you give when others won’t acknowledge their existence or it could be a helping hand or a word of encouragement. Maybe you’ll have the priviledge to put your money to work for someone else…whatever it is be willing.

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Talk Too Much, Listen Too Little

Many times we talk too much and listen too little. We go on and on about our successes and complain about our failures; or we expound on our challenges and bemoan the routine and mundane. Let today’s verse be an admonition for all of us.

” 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

When we focus on the Father, when we are still, things seem to fall into a proper perspective and we find peace in the midst of a storm and reason to rejoice in the daily routine.

“God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea.
3 Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.
4 A river and its streams bring joy to the city, which is the sacred home of God Most High.
5 God is in that city, and it won’t be shaken. He will help it at dawn.
6 Nations rage! Kingdoms fall! But at the voice of God the earth itself melts.
7 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come! See the fearsome things the Lord has done on earth.
9 God brings wars to an end all over the world. He breaks the arrows,
shatters the spears, and burns the shields.
10 Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me.”
11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46 CEV

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Spending Time in My Yard

I find a great deal of pleasure spending time in my yard. I love pruning the flowers and taking care of the plants.

When we lived in Spokane, Hayden and Dillon we always had large yards and it was my job to do the mowing. Not a riding lawnmower mind you but a gas push mower. I said on more than one occasion that I didn’t need a gym membership because I had at least 3/4 of acre of yard.

And even earlier than that – when we lived in Buckeye and I lspent most of my day on a swather cutting hay or on a baler I realized that time was my own – it was my place to be with my thoughts.

In that time – mowing, I did fill my thoughts with conversation with the Father. Sometimes those were thoughts of complaint and others were prayerful thoughts of love and adoration. And now, the time I spend in the yard taking care of my flowers and providing for the hummingbirds is a source of strength as I listen for the Father’s voice.

Remember the old hymn, I Come to the Garden? Well I find that while I’m there it’s a perfect time to walk and talk with the Father!

I used to deal with feelings of unworthiness and insecurity. I couldn’t be good enough for the Lord to truly love me and I wasn’t talented enough for Him to want to use me. But these times spent with the beauty He created gave me a real connection with His great love.

I used to ask the same question as the Psalms “what is man that thou are mindful of him”.

Yes Father, who am I that you are mindful of me? Why do you think about me? What do you think about me?

You created man for fellowship. You wanted someone to hang with – someone to walk and talk with – someone to share your heart with and so you created man. WOW!

You became our Father and you really like doing stuff with us! Thank you! O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name – how majestic it is to hang with you today!

“Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful in all the earth! It brings you praise everywhere in heaven.
2 From the mouths of children and babies come songs of praise to you. They sing of your power to silence your enemies who were seeking revenge.
3 I look at the heavens you made with your hands. I see the moon and the stars you created.
4 And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you? Why do you even think about them? Why do you care so much about humans? Why do you even notice them?”
5 But you made them almost like gods and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You put them in charge of everything you made. You put everything under their control.
7 People rule over the sheep and cattle and all the wild animals.
8 They rule over the birds in the sky and the fish that swim in the sea.
9 Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!” Psalm 8 ERV

I encourage you today to find your quiet place – your garden and go alone so He can walk and talk with you and tell you of His great love!

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