Category: Faithfulness

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A Few Good Men

A few good men – no, we’re not talking about the Marines.

Instead, I’m talking about godly men, husbands and fathers. Those who truly are willing to lay their lives down for their family and friends; those who sacrifice to provide for us and set an example for us to live by.

My husband and my father are and were both that type of man. My father was strict and believed in discipline, but he believed in laughter, fun and bear hugs. He loved me dearly and when my husband asked for permission to marry me, he said, “If you take her, you don’t bring her back.” He believed in working through problems and not giving up. His relationship with my Mom was living proof of that. My husband said my dad was the “manliest man he ever met”.

“Just as parents are kind to their children, the Lord is kind to all who worship him…17 The Lord is always kind to those who worship him, and he keeps his promises
to their descendants 18 who faithfully obey him.” Psalm 103:13,17 & 18 CEV

My husband is an example to me of God’s unconditional love. He has seen me at my worst, and he has never changed in his love for me. In fact, if you ask him – he can’t remember me at my worst. He has chosen to forget. He too is strict and believes in discipline but his children, sons & daughters, know that he is ready to support them at the drop of a hat. He tells them how very much he loves them and how proud he is of each of them. He’s honest and speaks his mind.

I see many examples of my heavenly Father’s love in each of these men and I am blessed that they are a vital part in my life. I love them both more than words can say.

“Parents, don’t be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 CEV

Dad has been in heaven for over seventeen years, but his love and his lessons are still a big part of my life. Dave and I will celebrate fifty years of marriage next April, I can’t imagine a better life’s partner.

I pray that you are blessed with this type of man today – give him the honor he is due.

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That Settles It!

Growing up I would hear preachers say, “God said, I believe it, that settles it”. They were saying this to affirm their faith in the Word of God, however, that saying isn’t quite true.

This is the truth – God said it, that settles it! Whether I believe it or not, God’s word will always be true and perfect. It has never failed, and it never will.

The world outlook is becoming increasingly dark. Calling good evil and evil good – it’s amazing! If someone doesn’t believe in God, He still is. If they don’t think the miracles of the Bible are true, they still are. If they don’t embrace the unconditional love of God, it still continues. Becoming hard-hearted, our world population is putting their love for self above the truths of God’s word.

We who are believers in Christ need to stand tall on God’s word!

“The Lord’s teachings are perfect. They give strength to his people. The Lord’s rules can be trusted. They help even the foolish become wise. The Lord’s laws are right. They make people happy. The Lord’s commands are good. They show people the right way to live. 9 Learning respect for the Lord is good. It will last forever. The Lord’s judgments are right. They are completely fair. 10 His teachings are worth more than pure gold. They are sweeter than the best honey dripping from the honeycomb. 11 His teachings warn his servants, and good things come to those who obey them. 12 People cannot see their own mistakes, so don’t let me commit secret sins. 13 Don’t let me do what I know is wrong. Don’t let sin control me. If you help me, I can be pure and free from sin. 14 May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19:7-14 CEV

Lord, you are my Rock!

We used to sing a song that’s been running through my head this morning. Part of the lyrics go like this:

“I go to the Rock for my salvation,
I go to the stone that the builders rejected,
I run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me;
When the Earth all around me is sinking sand,
On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend, I go to the Rock.” by Dottie Rambo

Thank you Father that your Word is perfect and trustworthy! Thank You that Your Word has never failed. Thank You.

Now that settles it!

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Come If You’re Thirsty

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

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

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

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

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

“ I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth much more than birds?” Matthew 6:25-26 CEV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Too Big To Handle

Do you have responsibility for a big project? Do you feel dwarfed by the responsibility?

Maybe it’s a massive system at work, possibly you have been given the task of raising a child? Do you have an inventor’s mind and need additional creativity? Are you training young men and women? Do you have the responsibility for growing crops and tending livestock? Maybe you are working on the next medical break through?

If the task before you is great I want you to know that our God is greater!

Let’s look at some big jobs in the Bible: naming all the animals and plants, building an ark and packing it with provisions, leading a million plus on a desert journey, building the tabernacle, building the Temple, conquering an entire civilization, bringing the plan of salvation to the world. Some pretty mind-boggling assignments, right?

“David said, ‘All these plans were written with the Lord guiding me. He helped me understand everything in the plans.’ 20 David also said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and brave and finish this work. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will help you until all the work is finished. He will not leave you. You will build the Lord’s Temple. 21 The groups of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on God’s Temple. Every skilled worker is ready to help you with all the work. The officials and all the people will obey every command you give.’”I Chronicles 28:19-21 ERV

God is into details and if you spend time listening, He will give you the direction you need. Come to Him, come with pen in hand so you can write down what He says. Listen, write and obey.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6 ERV

Come to Him in faith believing that He has the answers and that He will provide you with the answers you need. You won’t be disappointed!

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Deep Roots

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

We are looking forward to a wonderful summer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s plant our roots in Christ!

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Cleaning Toilets

Yesterday I had a friend email me after reading the blog about my refrigerator. She said she would be praying everything got taken care of today. That meant a lot and then she reminded me of a story from many years ago.

I was part of our church’s ministry team and had recently started a morning Bible Study for our women. Those teachings were very similar to the ones I share with you each morning. This particular morning, I was sharing that if we keep our hearts and our spiritual ears open the Lord will minister to us any time or any place.

Earlier in that week, while I had been doing my regular housecleaning, the Holy Spirit prompted me to keep my attitude pure in all that I did. See if you can relate. We had a large ranch-style home, three children (12, 10, 6mos), a dog, horses, and I worked full time. I was grumbling as I was cleaning toilets.

The verse that came to mind, I believe, was this:

“And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 AMPC

After Bible Study was over that morning one of the ladies, a new Christian and a new bride, came up to talk with me. She said she had never thought of me having to do all the things that wives and mothers do. Her next words made me chuckle, she said she just thought I sat home all day, reading my Bible and praying. She didn’t think that I would have to do the normal stuff.

That’s when I realized how important it is to share the way the Lord works in our everyday lives.

Jesus never came to separate Himself from us, He came to join us. He came to bring His power and provision to the mundane. He came to add his “super” to our “natural”.

“Follow my example: Even the Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.” Mark 10:45 ERV

Christ came to serve others, to serve us. Yes, He got tired. Who else could fall asleep during a storm at sea? But His heart was always centered on serving. He knew that whatever He did should bring honor and glory to the Father.

Cleaning toilets, rocking a baby, wiping up spilled cereal, folding laundry, washing dirty faces, kissing little faces good night. Mowing the yard, spraying weeds, washing the car, board meetings, shoveling snow, changing the oil in the car.

Waiting for a new refrigerator.

Whatever we do in word or deed, do it all with an attitude of giving thanks to God!

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Words, Words, Words

Yesterday morning Dave and I took an early morning flight to visit our son and his girlfriend. The people in the airport were so happy to have the choice of wearing or not wearing a mask. (I promise I won’t get political) Even the flight attendants were remarking that it was so good to see people’s faces.

Anyone who has flown knows that every flight starts with the safety instructions before the plane leaves the terminal.

Honestly, how many of us listen to their instructions? After a few flights, the things they are saying just become words, words, words. Only half of the passengers are even looking up to see their demonstration. However, the intent is for us to be as safe as possible should an emergency arise.

I think that’s how some people feel about sermons or reading the Bible. It just becomes words, words, words. After a while, they tune them out.

This morning I want to change our thinking just a little. Consider this, the Bible is a love letter. It was written by the Father to His children. His intent is to convey His love and all the wonderful blessings He has for us to inherit.

The Father is taking time to reveal the depth of His heart.

When God speaks He doesn’t waste words. Each word is filled with life changing meaning. Each story is packed with power. Each thought is a gift from God’s heart to our lives. It’s not just instruction for “in case of an emergency” but it is loving provision for every day of our lives.

“Praise the Lord! He is good.
    God’s love never fails.
2 Praise the God of all gods.
    God’s love never fails.
3 Praise the Lord of lords.
    God’s love never fails.

4 Only God works great miracles.
    God’s love never fails.
5 With wisdom he made the sky.
    God’s love never fails.
6 The Lord stretched the earth
over the ocean.
    God’s love never fails.
7 He made the bright lights
in the sky.
    God’s love never fails.
8 He lets the sun rule each day.
    God’s love never fails.
9 He lets the moon and the stars
rule each night.
    God’s love never fails.” Psalm 136:1-9, 232-26 ERV

Everything God does is to show us His love – the sea, the stars, the sun, the land, provision, health, protection – they are all indicators of God’s amazing love! And that love never fails!

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Complete Trust

As I sat down with my coffee this morning, I picked up my journal and wrote, “I don’t know what today has in store, but You do and I trust You. Thank You for being completely trustworthy”.

And then I began to meditate on two words – completely trustworthy.

Can someone be trustworthy without being completely trustworthy? No, I don’t think that’s possible. The word “trustworthy” means one thing – worthy of trust. If there is ever a situation when someone or something can’t be trusted, then they stop being trustworthy.

Knowing God’s character, knowing His heart, we know that He is always worthy of our trust. He does not lie; He does not change, He is always the same.

“That is, the Lord passed in front of Moses and said, ‘Yahweh, the Lord, is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He can be trusted.'” Exodus 34:6 ERV

The Lord said that about Himself. There is no one greater to give testimony of God’s faithfulness.

“God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised.” Numbers 23:19 ERV

Completely trustworthy.

When God gives us His promise, He keeps it. Many times, placing our trust in Him bypasses our understanding. We are limited in our scope of knowledge but His is infinite. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows our future and the path we should be taking.

“Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV

As all of this was filling my heart and mind, the words of a song came rushing in. It was written by Rita Springer, Josh Baldwin, Ethan Gregory Hulse, and Marcus R Harris. This song has become my anthem when worry and fear try to captivate me, “Stand in Your Love”.

“When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken

My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn’t stand a chance
When I stand in Your love!”

Fears, and we will have them, dissipate when I focus on the love of the Father. He has promised to never leave me or abandon me. He has promised to be my protector and my provider. He has promised to forgive all my sins and He has promised to adopt me as His own. He has promised that His love with never fail.

Fear doesn’t stand a chance when I focus on His love. He is completely trustworthy!

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…And Then Repeat

You ever have one of those mornings when you get up and wonder what the day will have in store? You’re wondering if you will have the strength to face it – will you have the answer for the day’s questions – in yourself you feel weak?

Here is the reality of our relationship with the Lord.

Each morning get up and thank the Father for His mighty acts; for His strength, peace, joy and His abundant wisdom. It’s not all about me – it’s about Him! My biggest challenge is to stay focused.

“Praise the Lord, because he is good! His faithful love will last forever! 2 Everyone the Lord has saved should repeat that word of thanks. Praise him, all who have been rescued from the enemy.” Psalm 107:1-2 ERV

Praise the Lord for His goodness and then repeat the praise.

“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

Thank the Lord for His love and all He does on our behalf and then repeat.

“He gave the command and healed them, so they were saved from the grave. 21 Thank the Lord for his faithful love and for the amazing things he does for people. 22 Offer sacrifices of thanks to him. Sing with joy about all that he has done.” Psalm 107:20-22 ERV

“Whoever is wise will remember these things and begin to understand the Lord’s faithful love.” Psalm 107:43 ERV

Sing a song of joy for all He’s done and then repeat. Praise, thank, sing and then repeat!

Throughout the day take “Praise Breaks”. It will certainly be more helpful than a coffee break. Praise reminds us of the Lord’s faithful love!

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Each New Day

Every day we have the opportunity to continue on the path of the previous day or to begin anew. Honestly, many days I am thankful for the opportunities to start over.

My hobbies include knitting, baking and gardening. They have taught me it’s ok to start over. Some knitting projects haven’t worked out the way the pattern indicated they would – I’ve ripped out rows and rows of stitches and with a couple of them I have started over with a completely new pattern that works better.

I’ve experimented with recipes in the kitchen that I won’t be repeating. I’ve made breads that didn’t rise and the whole batch had to be scrapped and I’ve started over. There’s no shame in that; it’s a learning experience.

Living in different climates my enthusiasm for gardening has also had some do-overs. Some plants thrived during the milder summers but couldn’t survive the frosty winters. So Spring was a time to prune and pull up and start over.

Life also challenges us to start over. New career, city, friends, relationships, financial plans, educational training, physical well-being can all lead to us on a path of beginning again. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed, and feelings of insecurity and failure try to take over.

One thing I am confident of is that God is the God of the second chance.

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends.23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ERV

We go to bed at night, heavy-hearted, because we have failed in some way or another. We had displayed an attitude that we thought we had conquered; we harbor a grudge or fail to resist a temptation that we swore we would never do again.

And then comes the promise of a new day. We can live with regret, wallow in our past mistakes or we can begin again trusting in God’s amazing love.

“The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. 23 The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning.24 Deep in my heart I say, “The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!” Lamentations 3:22-24 CEV

Yes, I know I repeated the same verses…and I would like you to read them again, and again, and again. The Lord’s kindness NEVER fails! His mercy is new EVERY morning!

“I was in trouble, so I called to the Lord for help. The Lord answered and made me free.
6 The Lord is with me, so I will not be afraid. No one on earth can do anything to harm me.
7 The Lord is my helper.” Psalm 118:5-7 ERV

Today is a new day filled with new hope; new mercy and grace; new strength. It’s time to begin again!

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