Category: God’s Love

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Better than Anticipated

I know everyone reading this has probably ordered something on-line, sight unseen. When the package arrived there was an anticipation of what the contents would be like. Was it better than anticipated or was it disappointing?

I wrote these words in my prayer journal this morning, “better than anticipated, Lord, You do not disappoint”.

From those words of heartfelt appreciation this verse came to mind.

“Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 ERV

Four hundred years before Christ was born Isaiah the prophet wrote these words.

“But the Lord will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 CEV

“A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 CEV

For hundreds of years the nation of Israel anticipated the Child who was to be born. This was a promise from God and He was coming sight unseen. There was no estimated delivery date, no Amazon tracking that said “you package is 10 stops away”.

But there was a growing excitement. There was faith in God’s promise, hope for the Messiah.

“…The shepherds were very afraid. 10 The angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” Luke 2:9-12 CEV

Delivery of the package! A gift that changed the world.

Not a dictator with a strict list of rules. Not a tyrant but a Savior. Not a thief but a Shepherd.

“ I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. They will be able to come in and go out. They will find everything they need. 10 A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good. 11 “I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” John 10:9-11 ERV

This gift, this life, that we celebrate at Christmas came sight unseen, but He does not disappoint. He came bringing abundant life to all who receive Him.

Yes, He’s much better than anticipated!

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Seek for What’s Lost

Have you ever lost anything?

Maybe it’s your car keys, glasses, a special dish, jewelry, a family heirloom, money, a child! Each one of these items probably brought a different reaction in your thinking – a smile when thinking of losing your keys or glasses, a sense of gratitude at finding an heirloom or something of monetary value but an absolutely overwhelming peace and relief at finding a child!

When Kaci, our youngest daughter, was in pre-school they went on a field trip to Sea World in San Diego. I went along as one of the parent helpers. Another parent helper was my friend Theresa. She had 2 children in the preschool but she also had 2 other little ones that were younger than that. We had a wonderful day – the kids had a ball. All was well!

It was getting time to leave and each parent was responsible to see that their group had gone to the bathroom and had all their belongings before we started on the hour’s drive north to the school. Suddenly, there was a frantic movement in one of the other groups. It was Theresa’s. The twins were gone! They had just been there at the fountain with all the others and now they were gone. We got all our kids to sit down out of the way of foot traffic, left a couple of parents with the group and began searching, praying and searching, for Luke and Lizzie. It seemed like hours but was really only about 15 minutes and they had been found! Relief, tears, joy, peace!!

I was reminded of this story this morning as I thought of a verse in Luke 19. Jesus was walking through town and Zacchaeus had climbed a tree to get a look at this man that everyone was talking about. Jesus spotted him and called him down from the tree. Then Jesus said that he wanted to go to Zacchaeus’ home.

The Pharisees, the religious rulers of the day, were critical of Jesus for associating with “such a low life”, my paraphrase of Zacchaeus’ character. You see, Zacch worked for the IRS and had just been in hearings in front of the Senate committee for misappropriating funds and lying about how much taxes the folks owed. Oh, wait – no that’s another story. But by his own admission, Zacchaeus had taken money wrongfully from the citizens. The Pharisees felt justified with their criticism of Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Now hear Jesus words:

” For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 ESV

He, Jesus, came to seek and to save the lost! That’s the reason He came on that Christmas morning.

With the same singleness of purpose that we searched for Luke & Lizzie, Jesus “just happened” to walk down a road by a big tree – He just happened to look up and call to a man that others would ignore. Zacchaeus went to see Jesus, but Jesus was seeking to touch and save Zacchaeus.

I want to ask a personal question. If we lived in Jesus’ time and saw Him hanging out with the IRS agents, hookers, liars, politicians, etc. would we be critical of Him for making association with people of such low degree? Or would we realize that He was on a mission from the Father to find and save a lost child?

May the love of God flow through us today and allow the Father to use us to seek out, befriend and find the lost!

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Everlasting Father

“For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” “The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 TLB

God the Father, revealed His character through His Son. His nature; “God is love” was reflected in all that Jesus did. Even when he chastised the scribes and Pharisees, his words were true to his nature. When people were fearful, Jesus was there to bring peace, He righted the wrongs. He spent time with the Father so that He would always know the Father’s heart’s desire.

I shared these verses last night at prayer meeting.

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:2-3 ESV

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV

Our loving heavenly Father wants us calling on Him. He wants us to learn from Him. He wants to show us the great and mighty things He has planned for our lives – plans for our good and not for evil.

He is our everlasting Father!

Jesus lived a life rich in prayer. He would go out early in the morning to a solitary place to pray. He would stay up late at night, after He had sent the crowds and the disciples away, to pray. To talk with His Father.

And in His darkest hour, He prayed.

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” John 17:9-11

“ I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me… 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26 ESV

Jesus prayed that we as believers would be one as He and the Father were one. The Father living in the Son and now the Son, living in us.

The everlasting, eternal Father wants to show us the great and mighty things He has planned for us. Amazing things.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

Our job now is to spend time with Him, just get to know him and we’ll begin to look like our heavenly Father as Jesus did.

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Where’s the Baby Jesus?

We used to live near the artisan community of Tubac, AZ. Dave and I loved shopping there – so many beautiful handcrafted items – silver, copper, terracotta and talevera pieces.

One shop we frequented had lovely nativity sets. My favorite.

Most of my decorating at Christmas is done with nativity sets and angels. I would study each figure in the set; their smiling faces, their clothing, the shape of the stall and then I realized there was no baby Jesus! Where did He go? What happened to Him? 

In this shop all the Christ child figures were missing. And then I saw the handwritten sign…If you buy a nativity, ask for Jesus. 

Ask for Jesus!

Wasn’t that the Father’s intent from the beginning? He wanted us to recognize that our lives were not complete without Jesus. 

Ask for Jesus?

When I asked the shop owner why there were no baby Jesus figures he told me this. We never have any problem with theft in this shop except for the baby Jesus. We keep Him in the back until a nativity is sold and then bring Him out and add Him with the rest of the pieces. 

Who would steal the baby Jesus? That is completely counter to the reason He came. When Jesus was born, the angels filled the heavens with the announcement. The shepherds were told to go find Him. The wise men saw and followed His star. Everyone was welcome to come see Jesus!

Jesus came to forgive the sins of all men, even the ones who would steal the baby Jesus.  Jesus wasn’t born in a palace where only a few of the elite would be allowed to enter. He wasn’t born in a monastery where only the religious and the holy would be. No, He was born in a barn; anyone – man, woman, child, elite or poor, educated or unlearned was welcomed at the manger. 

“Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” 13 Then a huge army of angels from heaven joined the first angel, and they were all praising God, saying, 14 “Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.”

15 The angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this great event the Lord has told us about.’ 16 So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box.” Luke 2:11-16 ERV 

I want to encourage you to put Jesus on display. Don’t hid him, let the world see that He lives in you. Love the way He did; reach out to everyone the Father brings your way. The sign on our lives should be “if you want Jesus, just ask”. 

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Be Overwhelmed by Love

During the night I awaken several times and began to pray for those who feel overwhelmed. Holidays and life in general can do that to you. If we don’t stand guard over our soul the enemy will try to overwhelm us.

Finances, health issues, family, new jobs, finals, relationships, scheduling, legal threats, loneliness…these things can be overwhelming.

“o·ver·whelm – bury or drown beneath a huge mass.

negative synonyms: swamp, submerge, engulf, bury, deluge, flood, inundate, defeat completely.

I’ve been there more times than I would like to admit but that was a long time ago! You see I have found the answer to being overwhelmed by the negative influences of life.

Being overwhelmed by God’s love is positive and uplifting.

positive synonyms: conquer, vanquish, be victorious over, triumph over, overcome, overthrow, give too much of a thing to (someone); leave speechless

God’s love causes us to triumph; to overcome, it leaves us speechless when we view the depth of His love. The purpose of Christ’s birth was to bring God’s love to earth – to us. It was to bring us overwhelming peace.

“Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.” Luke 2:14 ERV

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! 2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help
when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, 3 for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.” Psalm 61:1-3 NLT

Jesus is our rock or a firm foundation! It’s in and through Him that we will be able to defeat those things that seem overwhelming. It’s His love that gives us the victory, through Him we are more than conquerors in every situation.

“31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?…37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:31-32. CEV

So. Was it you I was praying for in the wee hours of the morning? Trust God to be your defense. Faith in His overwhelming love will crush the attacks coming against you!

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The Gift of Correction

I had never thought of “correction” as being a gift until I read these verses in Proverbs this morning.

“Don’t ever let love and loyalty leave you. Tie them around your neck, and write them on your heart. 4 Then God will be pleased and think well of you and so will everyone else.

5 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. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first part of your harvest. 10 Then your barns will be full of grain, and your barrels will be overflowing with wine.

11 My son, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be angry when he corrects you. 12 The Lord corrects the one he loves, just as a father corrects a child he cares about.” Proverbs 3:3-11 ERV

The Lord will lead us in the way that is right. He can be trusted and when He corrects us, it’s because He loves us!

I saw it like this.

Where we live there are a lot of hiking trails. I am not an experienced hiker, and it would be foolish for me to offer to the lead the local hiking group. I could take them on the wrong path, get lost or worse, get someone hurt.

The person to better lead is the one who has gone this way before, the One who knows the trail like the back of their hand. The One who can keep me from going off trail, the One who has the expertise to lead even in adverse circumstances.

Why would I follow such a person? Why would I listen to their correction? Why would I follow their instruction?

The answer to those questions is because that Person loves me and is trustworthy!

God’s gift of correction is not for my detriment; it is for my benefit!

Open the gift of correction that God is offering. It will keep you on the right path!

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Our Beautiful Lord

When I woke this morning, I was weary. My body ached and I felt weak. I felt vulnerable; there was only one thing to do.

Focus on my beautiful Lord and Savior.

“ 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

“So we should be thankful because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And because we are thankful, we should worship God in a way that will please him.” Hebrews 12:28 ERV

I thank Him for saving me, for His healing, joy, hope, peace, strength, rest, forgiveness, adoption, kindness, patience and understanding. In my thankfulness I heard the melody and the lyrics of this praise song.

Oh Lord, you’re beautiful,
Your face is all I seek,
For when your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.

Oh Lord, please light the fire,
That once burned bright and clear.
Replace the lamp of my first love,
That burns with Holy fear.

I want to take your word and shine it all around.
But first help me to just, live it Lord.
And when I’m doing well, help me to never seek a crown.
For my reward is giving glory to you.

Oh Lord, you’re beautiful,
Your face is all I seek,
For when your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me. by Keith Green

And then this one:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

You see, when we rise each day we have a choice. We can look at our circumstances and the day ahead through our own understanding and conditioning or we can see it through the eyes of Christ who has called us to be victorious, overcomers, always triumphant through Him.

Today, I chose the latter. I choose to look into the face of my beautiful Savior and draw my strength from Him.

I pray you will do the same!

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Let It Shine

Last night I went out after dark to take inventory of our path lights. We live on the edge of a wash so it’s important that things are well lit. We don’t want anyone getting too close to the edge.

I told Dave that we have four lights which need to be replaced. He said he would check them because sometimes they just need to have the sensors wiped clean and they’ll be ok.

When he said that I was reminded of my collection of oil lamps that I used on a regular basis. They weren’t just for decoration; they provided much needed light when we lost power. I cleaned the chimneys of those lamps regularly, so they were always ready to give light to the room.

It made me think – do I need to have my sensors wiped or my chimney cleaned?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-15 ESV

Grumbling, murmuring, complaining, criticizing, fault finding and finger pointing will mess up our sensors and muck up our chimneys. Our light will be diminished, instead of protecting others from getting too close to the edge of danger.

Gratitude, thankfulness, appreciation, kindness, compassion and constructive instruction light the way for others to give glory to our heavenly Father.

“God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 ERV

God has placed His treasure of light in us. Take inventory. If necessary, wipe off the sensors or clean the chimneys.

He wants us to shine brightly with His love.

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Filled With Blessings

Here we are just a few days before Thanksgiving and other than the grocery store commercials not a lot is being said about this day that was set aside for giving thanks.

Our hearts should be overflowing with thankfulness.

God has been gracious and kind. There may have been disappointments and even heart aches in the last year but God remains faithful and trustworthy.

He continues to bring blessings and benefits into our lives. He loads us up with blessings!

” Do not be misled, my beloved brothers and sisters. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow [a]cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]. 18 It was of His own will that He gave us birth [as His children] by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a prime example of what He created to be set apart to Himself—sanctified, made holy for His divine purposes].

19 Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; ” James 1:16-19 AMP

He is the giver of every good and perfect gift and He does not change. We need to listen more and murmur less. This will definitely bring us closer to thankful hearts.

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day, and you rescue us. 20 You always protect us and save us from death.” Psalm 68:19-20 CEV

One translation of this verse says ” Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

Daily, He loads us up with benefits…Selah (stop and think).

“My soul, praise the Lord! Every part of me, praise his holy name! 2 My soul, praise the Lord  and never forget how kind he is! 3 He forgives all our sins and heals all our sicknesses.” Psalm 103:1-3 ERV

Today as you get ready to go about your day Stop and Think about the ways the Lord has been good to you. I guarantee it will make you thankful!

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Not the Turkey – The Lamb

Thanksgiving is coming soon and there is so much preparation still to be done. Groceries to buy, miles to be driven, pies to bake, turkey to prepare and cleaning to be done – but in all of this it’s important that we don’t lose sight of why we celebrate on the 4th Thursday of November.

“Father, you so graciously brought those pilgrims through a year of hardship and struggle in this new land. They came with a desire to worship freely, seeking to build a land where men were equal. They willingly faced the perils of sea and land; weather and wild but they persevered with Your help and the help of their newfound allies. Our hearts are grateful that because of their sacrifice we are able to call this land home.

We are also grateful that because of the sacrifice of Jesus we can call heaven home and spend eternity in Your presence. We are dependent on You and Your direction for our lives as much as those early settlers that came to Plymouth Rock. We come to our Rock, the solid rock, Christ Jesus and in Him we find life.

Our desire is to let the light of Jesus shine from us so brightly that the world may see your great love.” Our prayer to You, in Jesus name.

The Apostle Paul desired that the light of the gospel, the good news, shine through him and through us.

“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. 8 We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. 9 In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. 10-11 We face death every day because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us. 12 This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.” II Corinthians 4:5-12 CEV

Paul experienced the death of his fleshly desires – comfort, security, safety, freedom; so that he could bring the message of new life in Christ to the world. Jesus sacrificed the desires and needs of the flesh to provide salvation, and Paul was willing to crucify his flesh to continue to take that message around the known world.

When we’re tired, hungry, inconvenienced by long lines and irritable people, let’s let the light of Jesus shine through us to bring the power of God to others. In us is the light of God waiting to shine for all the world to see!

As we finish our preparations for time with family and friends, let’s remember it’s about The Lamb of God, not the turkey.

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