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Read All About It!

This morning Facebook gave me a reminder of where I was and what I was doing nine years ago today.

I was in Waterloo, Iowa with appointments at several doctors’ for follow-up visits after my release from the hospital. I had never been so sick and there were moments that led up to my hospitalization that had me uttering words that I hope I never need to repeat again.

“The Lord’s arm is raised in victory. The Lord has shown his great power again. 17 I will live and not die, and I will tell what the Lord has done.” Psalm 118:16-17 ERV

I praise God for His healing power and His protection over me, not only in moments of crisis but in the everyday times of life. He is my constant source of strength, joy, health and peace.

“Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.” I Samuel 12:24 KJV

My relationship with the Father isn’t one that is casual or that I take for granted and ignore. It is foundational, the core of my being. I am dependent upon Him and His word.

There is a chorus that is running through my mind this morning, one we can all sing:

“How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God. How great, how great it our God!”

He is great in the good times and in the struggles. He is great in large crowds and in solitude. He is great!

I love the story of the man Jesus restored to his right mind. This man was demon possessed and he lived in the countryside where he ran naked and was surrounded by a herd of pigs. His life was spent in total chaos until He had an encounter with Jesus.

“People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man sitting there at the feet of Jesus. The man had clothes on and was in his right mind again; the demons were gone. This made the people afraid.” Luke 8:35 ERV

Jesus changes lives! He did then and He does today. He is always the same – yesterday, today and forever.

“The man he had healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 ‘Go back home and tell people what God did for you.’ So the man went all over town telling what Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39

You may not have been healed from a life-threatening illness or been restored to a right mental state but every one of us has a story to tell. It is our personal story of God’s goodness and His love.

Go “publish” the news of God’s greatness! Extra, Extra Read All About It!

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Too Much

Yesterday evening some campers were returning from a walk to the lake and they stopped to tell us what they had seen. When they were standing at the lake’s edge, they had five or six osprey fly directly overhead.

They had told us, just the night before, they had hoped to see some and then tonight there they were. Their comment was “it was almost too much to take in”.

Too much!

Our Father is the God of too much.

“From far away, the Lord will appear to his people. The Lord says, “I love you people with a love that continues forever. That is why I have continued showing you kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 ERV

“So remember that the Lord your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations,” Deuteronomy 7:9 ERV

“This faith and knowledge make us sure that we have eternal life. God promised that life to us before time began—and God does not lie.” Titus 1:2 ERV

Too much! Too much love – it continues forever. Too much – His kindness extends to a thousand generations. Too much – He gives eternal life and He is always truthful, He cannot lie.

“Lord my God, you have done many amazing things! You have made great plans for us—too many to list. I could talk on and on about them, because there are too many to count.” Psalm 40:6 ERV

“There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I think the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.” John 21:25 ERV

“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

Too many great plans, too many miracles and good things; unending kindness, always trustworthy, daily mercy. He is ALL we need.

Too much – like the mountain skyline. Each day I stare, sometimes breathless, it seems impossible to take it all in.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need…You honor me as your guest, and you fill my cup until it overflows. 6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23 CEV

We will never exhaust the mercy, the kindness, the provision or the love of our heavenly Father or of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

They have no end. They are simply too much!

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Encouragement & Hope

When I read the Bible, I look for God’s love and I find it in the life stories of its many characters. When I read the Bible looking for evidence of God’s love, I find it manifest to flawed humans who need encouragement and strength, just like the former leper in yesterday’s blog.

Today I would like to introduce you to another one of my Bible friends. His life has had many up’s and down’s. I share quotes from him all the time; he is a shepherd, a song writer, a refugee, a father of wayward children, a husband, an adulterer, a hero, a king and a man who has a heart for God.

His name is David. A man like us with human weaknesses, disappointments and facing tragic circumstances.

“All the men in the army were sad and angry because their sons and daughters were taken as prisoners. The men were talking about killing David with stones. This upset David very much, but he found strength in the Lord his God.” I Samuel 30:6 ERV

David’s wife and children had been stolen along with the wives and children of his men. His men were so distraught they were considering killing David because they felt it was “all his fault”. David needed someone to encourage him but there was no one so he encouraged himself.

Maybe that’s how you feel today. Maybe all seems lost. When David had no one else to count on, no one to encourage him, he found strength and courage in the Lord.

If you need to encourage yourself today start with these verses. Look in the mirror and read them to yourself.

“You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way. I know how amazing that was! 15 You could see my bones grow as my body took shape, hidden in my mother’s womb. 16 You could see my body grow each passing day. You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing. 17 Your thoughts are beyond my understanding. They cannot be measured! 18 If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand. But when I finished, I would have just begun” Psalm 139:13-18 ERV

This should put a smile on your face and hope in your heart!

God formed you and He saw to it that nothing was missing in your development. He is still with you promising to never leave you or abandon you! You’re not alone!

After David spent time with the Lord, He was able to encourage his men. They went out and defeat the army that had stolen their families and their goods. They recovered all.

“David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing. They found all the children and old people, all their sons and daughters, and all their valuables. They got back everything the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.” I Samuel 30:18-19 ERV

Let’s learn from David. Take what the Lord has done for us and give hope to others. It’s wonderful to know that we can be used even in our toughest moments!

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A Touch

I’ve started reading through the Gospels again. Since we are supposed to be Christ’s ambassadors on earth, I think it’s important to study his life, the miracles He did and the way He dealt with people. This way I can better emulate Him.

One of my favorite miracles is in Matthew 8. The healing of the leper.

For probably fifteen plus years now I have read and reread this man’s story. The first time I truly read it, I was brought to tears. Oh, I’ve heard the story since I was a child in Sunday School. But there was that one day when it came to life.

Jesus had been preaching on the mountain. Many had come to hear him teach. The whole teaching can be found in Matthew, chapters 5 to 7. He gave an example for prayer, the “Lord’s Prayer”, He gave instruction on character – blessed are the meek, the peacemakers, the righteous, etc. He gave us instruction on how to change our world, we are to be salt and light.

And He gave insight into the Father’s character and how He treats us. Jesus told us to ask to receive, to search and we would find, to knock so that we would see doors open. He went on to say that the Father gives good gifts to His children.

Many were on the mountain with Jesus, listening. As He descended the mountain side He was met by this man, a leper. This man who had heard His teaching, this man was unclean and by Jewish tradition was forbidden to be in close contact with any other human. This man was an outcast and left to rot, literally.

But this man had heard the words of Jesus and it filled his heart with faith. This man ignored the traditions of religion and came to the Savior.
“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.” Matthew 8:1-3 ERV

Jesus also ignored religious traditions and touched this man.

I have no idea how many years it had been since this man felt the touch of another human. How long had it been since anyone had hugged him or kissed his cheek? How he must have longed for someone to simply touch his hand or pat him on the back.

He heard Jesus say “ask and it will be given you” and of all the people on the mountainside that day – he asked and then he received.

That’s what Jesus has done for each one of us who have asked. He has touched us – our lives have been changed. We are no longer ravaged by leprous cells of past sins, no longer an outcast.

Again, the tears are falling. My heart is filled with thanksgiving and the words of a song come to mind:

He touched me, oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole

One touch of the Master’s Hand and now we’ve been made whole!

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Time for a Chat

Yesterday we had the opportunity just to sit and chat with new friends. It really touched our hearts.

One of the things that kept entering our conversation was our trust in the Father, even when plans change or don’t go according to the way we thought they should. We talked of times when things caught us by surprise and/or times when we had to adjust and change course. Never once was God surprised or taken back. He has never had a morning when He woke up and said “boy, I didn’t see that coming – I wonder what I should do now”.

No, He always has a plan. God’s plan B is always better than our plan A.

“I was still being held prisoner in the courtyard of the palace guards when the Lord told me: I am the Lord, and I created the whole world. 3 Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out.” Jeremiah 33:1-3 CEV

I can’t imagine being held in a physical prison, but I have been incarcerated both emotionally and financially and those were dark places. However, I was never alone; the Father was there with a plan. Those were times for a Father/daughter chat. I told Him my heart and He told me His.

The blogs of the last few days it seems apparent that the Father is wanting us to remember to talk with Him. Just look at a few of the verses we have covered.

  • “Ask and it will be given, seek and we will find.”
  • “Behold I stand at the door and knock, open it and I will come in and have fellowship with you”
  • “I know the plans that I have for you – plans for a hope and a future”

Now look at these verses:

“ ‘I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow. 19 ‘If you listen to what I say, you will get the good things from this land.'” Isaiah 1:17-19 ERV

“Come, let’s discuss this”, once again here is an invitation to come and talk to the Father.

Sit down with Him and have a chat! He sees things differently than we do and His way of seeing and doing is always right.

“ A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

Others might see us through our past and all of our mistakes and failures. But God, sees us cleansed through the blood of Jesus. We see insurmountable problems, but He sees us eating the good things in life.

When we talk with our Dad, He’ll sort things out and let us see them from His perspective.

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Showers of Blessing

I slept so well last night and when I woke, later than usual, this morning I asked the Lord what I could share.

Gratitude, praise, thanksgiving – those were the words that came to mind.

We have had rain nearly every day for almost 6 weeks. That’s summer in the mountains! When our campers come, they always comment on how green the mountains and the meadows are. Even now, I look out my window and see a camper who has come to look across a meadow, as the morning fog is rising and take in the beauty of the beginning of the day.

Oh, there are some who want to complain about the afternoon showers and “it would be nice to have ONE day without any rain” but those are also the same ones who complain when we have fire restrictions in place because the forest and meadows are too dry.

It’s better to sing in the rain than grumble in a tent!

“ I will bless the sheep and the places around my hill. I will cause the rains to fall at the right time and will shower them with blessings. 27 And the trees growing in the field will produce their fruit. The earth will give its harvest, so the sheep will be safe on their land. I will break the yokes on them and save them from the power of the people who made them slaves. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 24:26-27 ERV

Shower them with blessings!

Look around you right now. What blessings do you see? Quickly, pick five and thank God for them. He is the One who brings the blessings.

“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

Ultimately it is the Father who gave you the favor you needed to secure your job. He is the one who blessed you with wisdom and creative ideas. You may have gone to the store and purchased a new item or even the house you live in, but it is gift of the Father’s provision.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 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.” Jeremiahs 29:11-13 ERV

The Father has planned for us to have hope and a good future. When we ask, He listens, when we search, we find. Knowing that fills my heart with gratitude!

Instead of grumbling about the rain, let’s go out and dance as the showers of blessing fall all around us!

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Trust in Time of Trouble

Monday, Monday.

Do you have a smile on your face as you start this day and this week? As a new day dawns the birds are singing, and the hillsides are showing their green and wildflowers are blooming. The sun is about to rise above the mountain to the east and the sky is clear. It is a good day to praise the Lord.

But I also had to stop and consider the opposite start to the day I have just described. What if you woke this morning, having overslept, there’s a stain on your favorite shirt, the car won’t start, your coffeemaker quit and your cell phone died?

Maybe the problems in your path are more serious than the menial annoyances I named above. It could be health issues, a crumbling relationship, financial upset and your company just announced they’re moving to another location and work-from-home is being phased out.

How do you start your day with those issues facing you?

Trust in a Time of Trouble.

“Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant—18 but I will still celebrate because the Lord God saves me. 19 The Lord gives me strength. He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer, and he helps me stand on the mountains.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 CEV

Being a Christian doesn’t mean we will never have problems, not at all. However, it does mean we have the constant attention of the “Problem Solver”. It is the Lord who comes to our rescue and saves us. He gives us strength and makes us able to stand on the rocky ground of the mountains.

When we trust Him, He takes us to a higher place. A place our adversary can’t reach. Make today a day to stand on the mountain tops!

Thank God for His faithfulness and protection. Trust Him in Time of Trouble!

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Which Box?

Do you have a tendency to compartmentalize your life?

Family, work, health, friends, finances, social activities. Everything has to be kept in its own little box, not touching or interfering with the others, like vegetables on a dinner plate, we don’t let them blend.

Many people do that with the Lord. It’s ok for Him to have their Sunday or days when times are tough, but they aren’t ready to allow Him to permeate each area of their everyday lives.

Yesterday’s blog dealt with opening our heart’s door and letting Jesus in. Welcoming Him in a warmer way than we do with family and friends. Today, we need to look at giving Him full access to every area of our lives.

I found an interesting assessment of the Lord in the book of I Kings. Benhadad, a foreign king, had attacked Ahab, king of Samaria. The Israelites had gone to aid in the fight. King Benhadad was defeated, his officers needed to find a reason for his defeat and this is what they told him.

“King Ben-Hadad’s officers said to him, ‘The gods of Israel are mountain gods. We fought in a mountain area, so the Israelites won. If we fight them on level ground, we will win.'” I Kings 20:23 ERV

God won’t be kept in a box. God won’t be limited. This was the Lord’s reply to their attempt to confine his involvement.

“A man of God came to the king of Israel with this message: ‘The Lord said, “The people of Aram said that I, the Lord, am a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys. So I will let you defeat this great army. Then all of you will know that I am the Lord, wherever you are!’” I Kings 20:28 ERV

The same holds true in our lives.

The Lord wants to show that He is the Lord, wherever we are. God wants to be involved in every aspect of what we do. He has the knowledge, the plan and the power to bring us through in victory. He wants to be Lord over every area of our lives.

“Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:16-17 CEV

Our lives should be completely filled with the message of Christ, letting Him have every area, holding nothing back. Then whatever we say or do will be done to honor Him.

We have all given the Lord limited access in our lives at one time or another. Isn’t it time to let Him have it all? No more putting Him in a box. Let the Lord bring the victory we need in every area.

“Then all of you will know that I am the Lord, wherever you are!”

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Open the Door

The other day I made mention of some verses in Matthew. They are part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount.

“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks…11 As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.” Matthew 7:7-8, 11 CEV

Jesus said that the Father is ready to give us good things when we ask. He isn’t an evil or angry Father. He’s a good Father and He loves his children. He says ask for what we need, search for the things of value and knock on doors that we need opened.

The image I am using with this morning’s blog is a modern adaptation of several paintings that were done in the early 1900’s. I’m sure you’ve all probably seen one of those. It’s a picture of Jesus standing at the door to home knocking.

The artist based the picture on a verse from the book of Revelation.

“Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” Revelation 3:20 CEV

In these verses, Jesus is speaking to Christians who hearts have grown cold. They are people who had a strong relationship with the Lord at one time but life got busy, worries increased, too many cares and distractions and as Jesus said they were now lukewarm in their love for Him.

Here Jesus is repeating the message of knocking, only this time it’s not us doing the knocking but it’s Him.

He spoke those words ” Knock, and the door will be opened for you.”, and now He’s knocking. He is putting His Father’s promise into practice. Jesus doesn’t want to lose relationship with any of those He loves.

He pursues us with a loving heart.

“ Then Jesus told them this story :4 If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.” Matthew 15:3-6 CEV

I, for one, am glad that Jesus came looking for me when I had closed the door to my heart. He didn’t give up on me, He kept knocking on my door until I opened it and our relationship was restored. His love for me had never grown cold even though mine had.

Now, the door is no longer closed. It’s always open to Him and His leading.

If you’ve closed the door to a daily relationship with the Lord I encourage you to open your heart. You’ll find Him knocking, waiting there for you to open the door and He will come in for fellowship.

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Big or Small

Do you remember teaching your children the concepts of big and small? A watermelon is big, an orange is small. An elephant is big, a mouse is small. A bus is big, a VW bug is small.

We taught them how to categorize and distinguish between the two.

The small things you can handle on your own but with the bigger things you need to ask for help. You need to ask for help when learning to mow the lawn, but you can put your shoes on by yourself.

We do that with the issues in life as well. The small things we can handle, no need to ask for help but the bigger issues, the life-changing things, we take time to pray and/or ask others to pray about so that we can get God involved.

What I find interesting is our perception of big or small. What, if anything, is big to God? He is the one who created the universe – He set the planets in orbit and the placed the tides that control the seas. He gave man the wisdom to split the atom and the vision to create a laser beam that could be used in intricate surgeries.

Yesterday I was reading one of my favorite passages in Matthew. It’s Jesus’ teaching of the sermon on the mount. Jesus was talking about the weighty issues of life.

“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?

27 Can worry make you live longer? 28 Why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work hard to make their clothes. 29  But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn’t as well clothed as one of them. 30 God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. God will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?

31 Don’t worry and ask yourselves, “Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?” 32 Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all of these. 33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:25-33 CEV

The things that seem monumental to us, the things that cause us to worry, are commonplace to the Father and He has a plan for taking care of them. He wants us to bring everything to Him.

The birds don’t wake up in a fret each morning wondering if there will be enough bugs or worms. No, they start their day with a song and then head out to find what God has provided.

The flowers don’t have anxiety attacks when producing their beautifully colored petals. They just bask in the sun, take in the moisture and grow.

Big or little?

The Father knows the very number of hairs on our head, now that is the little and He also says He will supply for ALL our needs. That’s big!

He promises that when we seek Him and His ways, “put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well”.

Trust Him. The big and the small – it’s all in His hands!

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