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When I Consider

As you sit alone with nothing but your thoughts what do you consider?

Maybe your life is so busy that you are never alone with just your thoughts. Please stop, just for the next few minutes and consider.

Consider this. God who made heaven and earth loves you!

“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

Consider this: We were created to be like Him!

“ So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28 ERV

Consider this: From the beginning of time, God, our Father, creator of heaven and earth, has filled His heart with love for us. His plan from the beginning was to have relationship with us.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.” Ephesians 1:3-5 ERV

Spend time considering that God chose to make us his children and to lavish His love on us. Make sure to take time to thank Him for His amazing love!

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Time to Reset

If I say the words “manual override” do you know what I’m talking about?

We had a watering system in our previous home. Dave put it in and most of the time it worked without a hitch. But periodically I noticed the plants in the back yard would look a little wilted.

I would check the timer and find that it wasn’t working correctly. The plants hadn’t received their scheduled water. I would reset the clock on the timer, reset the watering schedule and then pushed the manual override, twice. The plants would show immediate signs of relief.

My morning quiet time was regularly interrupted by the sound of the watering system turning on and off. It was working correctly. However, there were those few times when the timer would malfunction. It needed replacing. It was time for a full reset.

I think sometimes we are like that. We have the clock set…going to accomplish this or that by the time I’m 30 or 40 or 60.

We schedule all the events to kick in at the right time…college, marriage, kids, retirement. We even schedule our spiritual lives…prayer time, Bible reading, church services, small group, Bible study.

Then without noticing our timer malfunctions and we begin to wilt – physically, emotionally, professionally, financially and spiritually. We get dry. Things heat up. We feel like we are dying. Stuck in a dead-end job, relationships begin to wither, emotionally we become hard and spiritually we are parched. Sometimes we need a manual override to refresh us and sometimes we need to reset the clock completely.

“Young men get tired and need to rest. Even young boys stumble and fall.31 But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.” Isaiah 40:30-31 ERV

One version of this Scripture says we are to “wait” on the Lord, expect, look for, and hope in Him.

A reset with the Lord, waiting on Him, renews us just like a manual override on the watering system renews the plants.

“Lord, you are the hope of Israel. You are like a spring of living water. Those who stop following the Lord will have a very short life. 14 Lord, if you heal me, I surely will be healed. Save me, and I surely will be saved. Lord, I praise you.” Jeremiah 17:13-14 ERV

If you’re feeling dry today check your timer. Is it functioning properly? It might be time for a reset!

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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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Working Together

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, “I love my RV home”!

Each week we are feeling more settled. It does take time to adjust, though. When we first moved in the biggest adjustment for me was the kitchen space.

You all know that I love to cook, bake, and create in my kitchen. I’ve learned to place everything at my fingertips and have become quite comfortable with the limited counter space. When we first saw a video on this model, the man doing the walk-through called this an “OBK”, or one bottom kitchen.

He was right.

I was preparing sour cream enchiladas for lunch yesterday and Dave was going to make his fresh pico de gallo. It’s so yummy! He had to wait until I cleaned up the counters and had the enchiladas in the oven. We couldn’t both fit in the space. We make a good team – working together.

He finished with the pico and guacamole just about the time the enchiladas were done. Perfect timing.

“Two people are better than one. When two people work together, they get more work done. 10 If one person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ERV

Working side-by-side in harmony is a blessing from the Lord. There is someone to share the load and the joy.

As I read through the New Testament writings of Paul, in particular, I take note of the number of times he mentions those who have helped him in ministry. He calls them by name and asks the readers of his letters to pray for them and to encourage them.

Paul also tells us that we should work together as members of one body, the body of Christ. When one hurts, we should all come to assist; when one rejoices, we should participate in the joy.

“Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. 13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in what we believe and in what we know about the Son of God. Our goal is to become like a full-grown man—to look just like Christ and have all his perfection… we will speak the truth with love. We will grow to be like Christ in every way. He is the head, 16 and the whole body depends on him. All the parts of the body are joined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This causes the whole body to grow and to be stronger in love.” Ephesians 4:12-16 ERV

If we see someone who is isolated and hurting, try to help. Don’t become offended if help is refused. It could be they are too wounded to let anyone come close but don’t quit trying. Keep reaching out in love.

Working together, each of us doing our part, makes us grow strong in Christ.

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Imperfect & Usable

After reading yesterday morning’s blog were you consciously aware of the many opportunities you had to be humble?

I was.

One of the things I find most humbling is God’s desire and ability to use us in our imperfection.

He used Adam in spite of his disobedience. Abraham was a man used mightily by God but he had times that he lied to protect his own life instead of trusting God to defend him. David served the Lord faithfully for many years and then committed adultery and murder. Samson was used by God to destroy the Philistines but had anger issues.

Peter denied the Lord and Paul persecuted the Christian believers. Each of these men had issues with humility, however, they repented and were forgiven.

How many times have thoughts from our past side-lined us from doing what we felt God wanted us to do?

Thoughts of failure, fear, unworthiness and shame.

“Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’

17 Jesus heard them and answered, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.'” Mark 2:16-17 CEV

Jesus didn’t come to the religious elite; He came to those who knew they needed a Savior. He came to people like you and me.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It’s a day that commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The people who had heard Jesus teach, been healed by his touch and seen the miracles that he performed were lining the streets, awaiting His arrival.

“The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. 8 Many people spread clothes on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. 9  In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,

“Hooray!
God bless the one who comes
    in the name of the Lord!
10 God bless the coming kingdom
    of our ancestor David.
Hooray for God
    in heaven above!” Mark 11:7-10 CEV

Now it’s our turn to praise Him!

We have been made new, by His grace. Our imperfections don’t disqualify us. In fact, it is those very things that make us recipients of His grace.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

Fully aware of our imperfections, Father, we say thank you for your grace. Thank you for making us new and giving us a life filled with good things. Amen!

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Hard to Be Humble

Those of you who remember the country music of the 80’s will remember this song by Mack Davis:

Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble
When you’re perfect in every way
I can’t wait to look in the mirror
‘Cause I get better lookin’ each day

Humility is lost to a great many in today’s society. Taking sole credit for the good and putting all responsibility for things going wrong on someone else seems to be the norm.

Yesterday we found a list of qualities that the Father wants us to add to our lives. Qualities that will reflect His DNA (divine nature attributes) and when displayed will show that we are like the Father.

“Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.” II Peter 1:5-7 CEV

Goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion, concern and compassion could all be used as descriptive terms for a person of humility. These are the characteristics of Christ; they show that we are conforming to His image.

“God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:12-13 ERV

Oh yes, it’s hard to be humble; to respond like this when we are treated poorly is often a monumental task. To be kind and forgiving when we are maligned is not easy but it is Christlike.

“Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Care about them as much as you care about yourselves 5 and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: 6 Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. 7 Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.” Philippians 2:3-7 CEV

Jesus never compromised on the Word of God. He never apologized for His hatred of sin and evil but He never retaliated in a selfish or unloving way. His mission was the message of forgiveness and reconciliation to those on earth and He did that by becoming one with us.

Everything He did, He did to honor the Father. His life is our example.

“In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes everyone who is proud, but he blesses all who are humble with undeserved grace.’

7 Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you… 10 Be humble in the Lord’s presence, and he will honor you.” James 4:6-10 CEV

Humility is a lifestyle that reflects the Father. He gives us the grace we need to live in such a way and honors us for our obedience.

Be humble!

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Knowledge Is the Key

Yesterday we began to unpack the wealth of knowledge in II Peter 1, but we only scratched the surface. In the King James Version of the Bible, Peter uses the word knowledge five times in the first eight verses of this book.

His letter to us is short and to the point. This fisherman, who followed Christ, is doing exactly what Jesus commissioned him to do. He has become a fisher of men.

We left off at the end of verse three yesterday and so we’ll pick up with verse four.

“God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:4 CEV

Read that again. I don’t want you to miss it.

Many believe that the Bible is just a list of rules; things we can do and things we can’t. If that’s the only concept we have, we are severely lacking in our knowledge of God. His word is filled with great and precious promises, each one given to empower us to be victorious in this life. Each promise is part of our inheritance as God’s children, transforming us by His divine nature, (His DNA).

“Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God’s own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.” II Peter 1:4 NLV

Honestly, these verses were life-changing for me. Realizing that every promise in the Bible is mine revolutionized my thinking about God’s love and acceptance of me. My Father wasn’t wanting me to fail, on the contrary, He has given me His promises for my success. This was new knowledge.

“ Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. 9 But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.” II Peter 1:5-9 CEV

The word “understanding” can also be translated knowledge. Knowledge is understanding God’s amazing plan for our future, a plan for our success.

“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 29:11-13 CEV

My hope is that these morning blogs build a desire in you to know more of God’s word; to experience more of His promises and to discover all the Father has for each and everyone of you.

“You are holding firmly to the truth you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things.” II Peter 1:12 CEV

I will continue to remind you of the Father’s promises because knowledge of Him empowers each of us to be who He created us to be!

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Unpacking Knowledge

This morning I’m going to ask you to use your unpacking skills. There are a few verses we will be examining closely and we’ll need to unpack them phrase by phrase to understand the depth of their meaning.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him, now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 ERV

We grow in knowledge of Christ the same way we grow in all our relationships. Dave and I will be celebrating 49 years of marriage next week. Oh my! Has it really been that long? When we first met, I was eight years old. I have certainly grown in my knowledge of all things Dave over those years but there is still much more to learn.

When we love someone we want to know all about them. Our relationship with God should be no different. The Apostle Peter, in his second letter, is encouraging us to do just that.

“From Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. To everyone who shares with us in the privilege of believing that our God and Savior Jesus Christ will do what is just and fair. 2 I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus.”

This book of II Peter is written to everyone who shares the privilege of believing that God and Jesus are just and fair. If you believe that then this book is written to you. God, our Father, is kind and gives us peace.

These are the first things we learn about Him. This was the message the shepherds heard when Jesus came to earth. The angels gave a proclamation of the Father’s intentions – Peace had come to the earth in the form of a babe and the Father’s good will, kindness, would be revealed through Him.

There is so much to learn about our relationship with the Father and His Son.

I realized when I embarked on this teaching that it will take a couple of days to unpack these verses. I hope you don’t mind.

“We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.” II Peter 1:3 CEV

Our Father wants us to understand Him. He wants us to know Him better. He isn’t trying to be mysterious and aloof. In fact, the verse above tells us that God has given us everything, not just partial information, but everything we need to live a life that is pleasing to Him. If we aren’t sure if He’ll be pleased by a certain action, all we have to do is ask and He’ll provide the answer.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NKJV

I once told a young woman that if she would like I would teach her to cook. I invited her to our home. She came and I supplied everything. We worked together, side-by-side. I shared my knowledge and she shared in the goodness.

We learn from the Father by His invitation. He has invited us to share in His goodness. He has supplied all we need.

Enough unpacking for today, we’ll do more tomorrow. Ask the Father to share something new about Himself. He will – He wants us to share in His goodness.

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Getting God’s Perspective

A few weeks back I was reading the story of Gideon and how God used him, even when Gideon doubted his own worth.

Something in Gideon strikes a cord in me.

Meet Gideon. We find him threshing grain in a wine press, a very impractical endeavor. Part of winnowing the grain requires it to be thrown in the air, letting the chaff be blown away and the grain heads remain. But there is no breeze in a wine press. A counterproductive effort at best. Gideon was living in fear.

The Lord sent an angel to encourage Gideon and look what the angel says:

“The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord be with you, brave soldier.” 13 Then Gideon said, “Pardon me, sir, but if the Lord is with us, why are we having so many troubles?… 14 The Lord turned toward Gideon and said, “Then use your great power and go save the Israelites from the Midianites. I am sending you to save them.” Judges 6:12-14 ERV

The first thing the Lord did was give Gideon His perspective. Gideon saw himself as timid and afraid but God called him brave. Then the Lord commissioned Gideon to save the nation.

Much is said in Judges 6-7 between Gideon and the Lord. God proved to Gideon that He could be trusted and He would empower Gideon for whatever battle he faced.

Gideon started out with an army of 32,000 men and God reduced the size to 300. Gideon sent home everyone who was afraid to fight and also those who weren’t alert enough to watch for danger.

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will use the 300 men who lapped the water like a dog. I will use them to save you, and I will allow you to defeat the Midianites. Let the other men go home.’” Judges 7:7 ERV

Greatly outnumbered and out skilled, Gideon and his small band of soldiers faced overwhelming odds but he had a promise. God had promised him victory.

“Then all three groups of Gideon’s men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars. The men held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands. As they blew their trumpets, they shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and a sword for Gideon!’

21 Gideon’s men stayed where they were. But inside the camp, the men of Midian began shouting and running away. 22 When Gideon’s 300 men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the men of Midian to kill each other with their swords.” Judges 7:20-22 ERV

Was Gideon someone special? Not in the natural. Gideon said of himself that he was the youngest son of the most insignificant family in his tribe. But, God saw someone who would trust Him.

“The Lord answered Gideon and said, ‘I will be with you, so you can defeat the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.’” Judges 6:16 ERV

How do you see yourself? Do you doubt your value and abilities?

I’ve said it before but I will remind you again. The greatest ability that God is looking for is availability. God is still looking for those, like Gideon, who will trust Him in spite of their own shortcomings.

Let God give you His perspective!

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Loving Service

These two words were on my heart when I woke up this morning, loving service. What a wonderful combination.

I think each of us can relate a story of being served by a grumpy or unenthusiastic waiter or waitress in a restaurant. Their attitude was curt, sharp-tongued and even down-right rude. Even though the food may have been good we probably walked away not desiring to return anytime soon.

Now compare that with a kind and attentive server. One who anticipated your needs and greeted you with a smile and pleasant demeanor. They made your mealtime more enjoyable because they genuinely cared.

Our attitude makes a difference. We choose joy or grumbling, peace or turmoil.

Our daily chores – washing dishes, doing laundry, fixing meals, buying groceries, cleaning house – can be acts of love or drudgery. We can be grateful for opportunity to provide for those we love, or we may be tempted to feel taken for granted and unappreciated. I strongly advise against the second.

“ Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. 45 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 10:44-45 ERV

Jesus is our perfect example. He could have expected to be waited on hand and foot, after all he was God’s son. But He laid all that aside and came to lovingly serve those He encountered. Each act of kindness pointed to the compassion of His Father.

Embrace each task with an attitude of loving service.

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