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How Far Is East From West

I’d like to pose a question to you this morning. How far is the East from the West?

If you start to travel north from where you are now, how far will you go before you are heading south? You will only go north until you come to the North Pole and then you will head south to the South Pole. Once at the South Pole the process of going north will repeat again. Now, how far east do you have to go before you begin going west? Picture a globe of the world in your mind, head east, keep going until you start going west and then stop. Unlike north/south travel east/west will continue on. A remedial example but it’s pertinent to today’s verses.

“With all my heart I praise the Lord, and with all that I am I praise his holy name!
2 With all my heart I praise the Lord! I will never forget how kind he has been.

3 The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick, 4 and protects us from death. His kindness and love are a crown on our heads.
5 Each day that we live, he provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle.

6 For all who are mistreated, the Lord brings justice.
7 He taught his Law to Moses and showed all Israel what he could do.

8 The Lord is merciful! He is kind and patient, and his love never fails.
9 The Lord won’t always be angry and point out our sins; 10 he doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve.

11 How great is God’s love for all who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth!
12 How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!” Psalm 103:1-12 CEV

This is one of my favorite Psalms and I’ve only listed about half the verses in the Psalm. I encourage you to read the whole Psalm and have provided a link for you here. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+103&version=CEV

Each morning I spent time thanking the Father for His goodness and blessings. Look at this, forgiveness from all our sins – healing all our diseases – protection – strength – justice.

I had grown up with teachings on forgiveness. After all that’s the reason Jesus came. He died so I could be forgiven. But I wasn’t as familiar with these other blessings, not familiar at all. In fact, I had heard it said that God would make you sick to teach you a lesson and that He might cause your business to fail to keep you from becoming greedy. God, the Father, has been blamed for so much that He has never done.

He is patient, kind, his love never runs out. He’s not angry with us and He doesn’t give us what we deserve. In fact, He removes our sins from us. That means when He forgives, he forgets! The worse thing that you’ve ever done has been forgiven and removed. Amazing!

God wants relationship with us; he’s not holding us at arm’s length. Just the opposite. He is drawing us in, welcoming us, embracing us. No matter or circumstance He is here to provide us with what we need. Yesterday I needed strength, today I need protection, tomorrow I may need healing – whatever my need the Father wants to take care of it.

No wonder King David said with all my heart I will praise the Lord. God hasn’t changed since David’s time so let’s join in on that praise today!

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Strength Training

This day is starting very early!

I woke at 1:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. I know when that happens it’s time to pray. Stopping in the kitchen to start the coffee, Glory by my side, I came to the living room, cuddled up on the couch with my blanket and began to pray for those who are near and dear to my heart.

Through the years I have learned to be obedient and pray when the Lord is prompting me. I remember years ago when we were farming that a friend and her family came to mind as I was swathing alfalfa. You’ve heard the expression “my heart was heavy”, well that describes perfectly how I was feeling. I began to pray, right there on the swather. And I continued praying until I felt lighter. It took me over a week before I was able to contact her and ask what had been going on. She told me that her young son had gotten terribly ill and had been hospitalized. There in his room she told the Father “I need strength. I need support. I need prayer.” It was at that very time that I began to pray. I know I wasn’t the only one but I’m glad I was obedient.

There have been numerous other occasions like this one through the years. Sometimes I haven’t always known who I was praying for or what the need was but I knew that’s what the Lord was having me do. At times like this I have to trust the Holy Spirit to direct my prayers to the need.

But this morning’s devotional is not on prayer – it’s on strength.

“Surely you know the truth. Surely you have heard. The Lord is the God who lives forever! He created all the faraway places on earth. He does not get tired and weary. You cannot learn all he knows. 29 He helps tired people be strong. He gives power to those without it. 30 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 40:28-31 ERV

These are verses I learned years ago while we were farming. Our days were tremendously long and physically exhausting. I was the mother of 2 small children, a homemaker and my husband’s #1 farm hand. He needed me to be strong and alert. It could be dangerous if I wasn’t. Many days and many times each day I would read these verses off my index cards, until I knew them by heart, and trust the Lord for the strength that I needed.

Another verse that went right alongside of these was

“I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.” Philippians 4:13 NLV

Mostly it was physical strength and stamina that I needed. But you all know that when you get tired physically it also affects you mentally and emotionally. I learned that no matter the situation, I could trust the Lord to give me the strength I needed to keep going.

I will be using these verse again today. It’s going to be busy around our house for the next few days, we have guests coming to stay at our BnB. There’s still quite a bit to do and so no time for a nap but I know that I will have all the strength I need.

Maybe you’re feeling weak right now. You’ve been going for days in a row with a child that’s sick or perhaps it’s a project at work that’s had you burning the candle at both ends, you’re exhausted. It could be that things at school are overwhelming. Have you been given the responsibility of caring for an ill and/or aging parent? Have you been battling a debilitating illness? No matter what the situation God promises to provide strength.

“He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me. 10 I receive joy when I am weak. I receive joy when people talk against me and make it hard for me and try to hurt me and make trouble for me. I receive joy when all these things come to me because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:9-10 NLV

Today Lord I come to you for strength training – You’re all I need!
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Can You See It?

Our sight is one of our strongest senses. We depend on it for so much of what we do. In fact, we go to great links to make sure we are able to see things clearly. We expend time and money on eye exams and getting our vision corrected. Lasix, contacts, glasses – all big business.

However, from God’s perspective, our physical vision isn’t nearly so important as our faith vision.

“Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” II Corinthians 4:18 CEV

Over the years I have learned to walk by faith, trusting God’s word more than I trust the things I can see with my physical eyes. To some that is foolish but we need to realize that we all trust things we cannot see each and every day. We trust that there is enough oxygen in the atmosphere for us to keep breathing properly but we’ve never seen the oxygen. We trust that there are sound and picture waves being transmitted but we can’t see them until we have the right receiver.

We experience gravity and thrust all without site. And electricity exists even in places where they have no power plants or knowledge of how to conduct it. You see there is so much in our lives that we “take for granted”. Why then, does it seem so far fetched to put our faith in God’s word and believe it even when we can’t see it?

“Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.” II Corinthians 5:7 NLV

Learning to live a life of faith in God is like learning to walk. No child ever just stood and moved across a room confidently, without wobbling, the first time they were upright. No, there’s the pushing up, standing for seconds then sitting down. This is followed up pushing up and holding on to something; then learning balance and after great encouragement from Mommy and Daddy, letting go and taking those first treasured steps.

Scripture tells us that faith is a continuous growth process. Faith comes from hearing God’s word.

“As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.” Colossians 2:6-8 NLV

God operates in faith. Did you ever stop to think about that? He had faith that what he said would happen. Let there be light and there was light! Our faith pleases God and He rewards us for our faith.

“Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. 2 God was pleased with the people who lived a long time ago because they had faith like this.3 Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen…6 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 11:1-6 CEV

I’m going to tell you one story about a man who put his faith in God and it changed the world. This man’s name was Noah. God told him that he needed to build a boat. A huge boat. This was a foreign concept to Noah; he wasn’t an experienced seaman. And then the instruction continued; build the boat, gather the animals, it’s going to rain. The earth had never experienced rain at that time. This wasn’t just going to be a rain, it was going to be a world wide flood.

By faith, Noah built the ark. He and his family and the animals were saved.

“Noah was warned by God about things that he could not yet see. But he had faith and respect for God, so he built a large boat to save his family. With his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong. And he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.” Hebrews 11:7 ERV

I’m sure Noah was ridiculed by his neighbors for being stupid or senseless, an old fool, but he believed God’s word and was obedient.

When you believe God and have faith in His word there will be people that think the same of you but believe God anyway! You can trust Him just like Noah did.

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What’s Better Than a Mama Grizzly

I’m sure by now most of you have heard the term Mama Grizzly. It’s been used around quite a bit in the last few years. Of course the meaning can be construed to fit a number of situations and refers to taking a strong defensive stand.

I want you to look at it this morning in light of our relationship with the Father. When Jesus was on this earth he faced constant criticism from the religious leaders and rulers of his day. His own family didn’t understand Him. People followed him out of selfish motives; they wanted to see the next miracle and have a free meal.

No one other than Jesus has ever lived a perfect life. He was pure, even when angry he was righteous. He looked at people and was moved with great love. He championed the weak, healed the sick, brought comfort to those with broken hearts and restored relationship to those who had been outcast. He even forgave the ones responsible for his death. He came with a single purpose – defeat the power of sin, providing a perfect sacrifice for our forgiveness and restoration to God.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 CEV

When things looked the darkest and hope was almost gone, God stepped in with the ultimate victory.

“We have seen and heard everything He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And yet they killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. 40 God raised Him to life on the third day and made Him to be seen.” Acts 10:39-40 NLV

When we accept what Jesus has done for us personally is when we truly become God’s child and can call him Father.

“He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name.” John 1:12 NLV

Once we are in God’s family he defends us, we can be confident of that.

“If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us. 32 He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things. 33 Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right.” Romans 8:31-33 CEV

God, our Father, makes it his personal business to provide for our well being and our defense. He will not, WILL NOT, leave us to struggle through things on our own. It’s his promise!

“’The mountains may disappear, and the hills may become dust, but my faithful love will never leave you. I will make peace with you, and it will never end.’ The Lord who loves you said this.” Isaiah 54:10 ERV

Our loving Father is the one who kept Noah safe in the ark; gave David victory over Goliath; delivered Daniel safely out of the lion’s den; and sent an angel to release Paul from prison. He protects and provides for “his kids”. He’s much better than a “Mama Grizzly”.

One last verse.

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.” 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. 4 You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” Psalm 91:1-4 ERV

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It’s About Relationship, My BFF

I want you to take a minute and think about your best friend.

They could be your mate or someone you have known for years, even since childhood. You can see them in your mind’s eye. You know what colors they will be wearing because you know the colors they don’t like. You know their hobbies and where to find them in their leisure hours. You know what types of things they like to watch on television and what kind of books they read. You certainly know the names of their children and probably their birth dates.

I make it my goal to know my friends favorite desserts because I like to make it for them on their birthdays or when they come to visit. I also like to know how they take their coffee. I want to have it ready for them when they get up and I like to make them feel at home. (Except my dear friend makes her own coffee because she does too much with it and says she doesn’t want to bother me with the details.)

Now stop and think about your friend again. How did this relationship begin? Were they someone you worked with, someone from school or maybe someone from a social gathering you attended, possibly from church? Wherever you met, the relationship only continued to develop because of your investment of time and effort.

The same holds true in our relationship with the Lord.

I was thinking this morning about the different names I use when telling you about God. Let’s see there’s God, Lord, Father, Friend. Each name has meaning and is tied to relationship. Some folks talk about God and you can just hear in their voice that they think He’s aloof, far off and unconcerned about them personally. You hear others and you can tell that they feel God is harsh, judgmental, condemning and cruel.

But then there are those who speak His name and their tone softens, a smile comes to their lips and you know they are talking about their “Dad”, their closest friend, their deepest love! Oh yes – that’s relationship!

That’s the kind of relationship that comes from spending time talking to Him and listening in return. That’s the kind of relationship that comes from knowing His promises and believing that every word He speaks is true. It’s impossible to have a deep and lasting friendship with someone if you don’t think you can trust their words or believe what they say. That’s why my favorite verse in the Bible is

“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

Jesus knew how important relationship was. He trusted his Father with his life. Jesus had God’s word that when he died his Father would raise him to life again in three days. Jesus had God’s word that when he prayed for the sick they would be healed; when he spoke to the storm it would be calmed; when he prayed over the loaves and fishes it would be enough to feed the crowd. We, too, have God’s word.

Look at the prayer Jesus prayed for us. He was in the Garden and knew his death was eminent. One verse tells us that Jesus was in such anguish that he sweat drops of blood. But in that hour he wasn’t praying for himself alone. He talked to His father about their relationship and then Jesus talked to our Father about us. Yes, he was praying for the disciples that were with him and had been following him but then he added you and me to that prayer too.

“Holy Father, I am no longer in the world. I am coming to you, but my followers are still in the world. So keep them safe by the power of the name that you have given me. Then they will be one with each other, just as you and I are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one who had to be lost. This happened so that what the Scriptures say would come true.

13 I am on my way to you. But I say these things while I am still in the world, so that my followers will have the same complete joy that I do. 14 I have told them your message. But the people of this world hate them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t.

15 Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They don’t belong to this world, and neither do I. 17 Your word is the truth. So let this truth make them completely yours. 18 I am sending them into the world, just as you sent me. 19 I have given myself completely for their sake, so that they may belong completely to the truth.

20 I am not praying just for these followers. I am also praying for everyone else who will have faith because of what my followers will say about me. 21 I want all of them to be one with each other, just as I am one with you and you are one with me. I also want them to be one with us. Then the people of this world will believe that you sent me.

22 I have honored my followers in the same way that you honored me, in order that they may be one with each other, just as we are one. 23 I am one with them, and you are one with me, so that they may become completely one. Then this world’s people will know that you sent me. They will know that you love my followers as much as you love me.” John 17:11-23 CEV

Now this is the relationship that my Father wants with me and with you, “they will know that you love my followers as much as you love me”. WOW!!

Let me ask you this. Is this a relationship you feel you can invest your time and effort into? It has certainly been worth my time, that I know.

So tomorrow when you get up and have your coffee or tea why not ask the Father how he takes his? I’ve found He likes his the same as I do mine.

May your day be blessed beyond measure today as you realize how much God really loves you!

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Peace Beyond Comprehension

While looking through my index cards of verses I have come across several there that are promises of peace.

 

“ Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy! 5 Let all people see how gentle you are. The Lord is coming again soon. 6 Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NLV

How well I remember the first time I was truly blanketed with peace. Dave and I had just moved back to Arizona from living in New Mexico for two years. The kids were little, 2 and 4, and I had recently had a miscarriage.

We were back home and I was glad to be here. Getting reacquainted with old friends, Mom and Dad were close but my heart was heavy. We had received a cold and chilly rebuff to moving to this home.

One neighbor, who wanted to live in a Senior’s Only neighborhood, came to the door as we were unpacking boxes and told me that she was circulating a petition to have our lease nullified…really!

Oh Lord, my heart was overwhelmed and I felt no peace. I was really in turmoil and for the next few days I kept busy unpacking boxes, helping the kids get settled in while Dave went off to work. Agriculture work in Az is in full force in the Spring and so he had some pretty long hours.

The anxiousness grew and peace was gone. One night after the kids were in bed, I went out into the backyard and sat on one of the kids swings. It was a clear night and when I looked up the sky was filled with stars. I began to cry.

Don’t you love it! Crying is such a good thing especially for us women. It allows us to release emotion that we really can’t do any other way. With tears running over my cheeks I said “Lord, I want to trust you but my heart is aching and I really don’t know why. I need to be a good mom and wife. I need to be strong and I feel like I’m falling apart.” Transparency with the Lord is best; He’s knows what in our hearts.

And then that verse I had known since I was little came rushing into my thoughts.

“My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 ERV

What I needed was peace! Looking up at the stars I was also looking up to God for his strength. I began to think of all those people I knew from the Bible. God had Abraham look at the stars and it was there he received a promise from God. David, as a young boy, tended sheep at night under these stars and God was there. Jesus would go out at night and pray under these stars and His Father would meet him there.  As long as there had been stars God had been there and He was in control.

“You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever. For the Lord God is a Rock that lasts forever. ” Isaiah 26:3-4 NLV

It was like a blanket fell from the sky. A warm comforting blanket and I was wrapped snuggly within it. The tears were gone, the anxiousness was gone, joy was there. Not a laugh-out-loud kind of joy but a settled peace.

Circumstances hadn’t changed but my outlook had. I knew I could trust God and He would take care of my worries. It was His peace that wrapped around me and I felt His presence. Everything was going to be alright!

As I’m finishing up this morning, this verse just came to mind (another good one for you to write down).

“God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.” I Peter 5:7 CEV

Was that the last time I worried or was overtaken by anxious thought? Not hardly! But it is a mile stone – it is a place in my life that I mark with calm assurance that God revealed his loving character and met my need.

I hope you don’t mind me sharing these life experiences with you. I feel it’s important that you know that God’s word is trustworthy – He does keep his promises. If He will meet me like this, He will do the same for you!

Moses gave instruction to the people of Israel to remember what they had seen God do and to teach their children and grandchildren so they wouldn’t forget the Lord.

“You must be very careful not to forget the things you have seen God do for you. Keep reminding yourselves, and tell your children and grandchildren as well. 10 Do you remember the day you stood in the Lord’s presence at Mount Sinai? The Lord said, “Moses, bring the people of Israel here. I want to speak to them so they will obey me as long as they live, and so they will teach their children to obey me too.” Deuteronomy 4:9-10 CEV

When worry comes, and it will, let peace guard your heart! Keep your mind focused on God who always was, who is and who always will be!

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If You’ve Ever Been in Need – This is a Must Read!

Years back when I began writing verses on index cards and really began to trust God to keep His promises, I needed to know that God loved me. I knew that He loved the whole world; I knew that Jesus died for me but I needed to know that God loved me enough to think about me each day, to be concerned with what was going on in my family and I needed to know that He truly wanted my life to be good.

Maybe you’re not there but I was. I was desperate to experience God’s love every day!

We were in a real hard place financially. Not sure how many of you have ever been there but it’s not good. We were working hard, trying to make ends meet but we were falling short, way short, every month. We had two pre-teen kids and a new baby. We lived in AZ where our monthly summertime utility bill was more than our house payment. And we knew that the Bible said God would supply all our needs but we definitely weren’t experiencing it.

One day, in the midst of all this, our son came, looked in the refrigerator and it was empty. Not much more than the condiments in the refrigerator door. He looked at me and say very matter of fact-ly, “Mom, you need to go grocery shopping. We’re about out of everything.” He closed the fridge and headed back outside to play.

With that, I walked into the other room where I wouldn’t be seen, sat down on the floor and began to weep! I was devastated. My son was right, we needed groceries but I knew that we had no money and no way to buy any. I cried out to the Lord. “Lord, you HAVE to do SOMETHING. I need to have food for my kids.” Dave and I had learned to fast but the kids needed food.

And then I heard in my heart, “Kristi, come to me with the same confidence that Koy came to you. You don’t need to complain or cry or be worried about any of it. I’m your Dad, just ask confidently, like your son did, and watch me provide.” I was stunned! I had been going to God like some undeserving beggar and He wanted me to ask like a child, making a request to my Father.

“Because you are the sons of God, He has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. The Spirit cries, “Father!” 7 So now you are no longer a servant who is owned by someone. You are a son. If you are a son, then you will receive what God has promised through Christ.” Galatians 4:6-7 NLV

It was then those verses I used a few days ago came flooding back into my memory.

“Do not worry. Do not keep saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘What will we wear?’ 32 The people who do not know God are looking for all these things. Your Father in heaven knows you need all these things. 33 First of all, look for the holy nation of God. Be right with Him. All these other things will be given to you also.” Matthew 6:31-33 NLV

And these:

“A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” (spoken by Jesus) John 10:10 CEV

“Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLV

Yes, I know I used these verses in the last few days but you see, if you’re going to live victoriously in God’s word the verses have to be the first thing that come to mind. You need to be confident that God won’t lie and that He will keep his promises! If not, worry will overwhelm and fear will prevail.

I’ve heard it said that you won’t truly learn a foreign language until you are no longer translating your conversation in your head. It has to roll out without thinking about it. That’s the way it is with learning God’s language, His word, it has to be so ingrained that it’s the first thing we think of in any given situation. And if not the first, then it needs to take precedence over that first thought. The Apostle Paul calls it a renewed mind.

“Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:1-2 CEV

Now back to that conversation in my kitchen. My son didn’t tell me all that he had done to “deserve” me going to the grocery store and buying him some food. He didn’t say, “Mom, I’ve cleaned my room, been nice to my sisters, I helped Dad in the yard so would you please, pretty please, go to the store and buy some groceries”. No he was just confident that if he told me we needed to fill the fridge I would do something about it.

So as I sat there I gave the Lord my grocery list. I told Him everything we needed. We could use some bread, eggs, milk, meat, veggies, butter, coffee, cereal. And then I said, “Lord, I don’t know how you’re going to get this but I know you’ll come by it honestly. Thank you for providing.” And I got up, went back to the kitchen and finished the dishes.

The next day shortly after breakfast there was a knock on our door. Friends who lived over 30 miles away had come for a visit. “We’re just in the neighborhood” is what they said. Then our friend told Dave he had something in the car he needed help with. His wife and I sat in the kitchen and began to visit. The next thing I knew, they were coming through the door with bags of groceries. Everything that was on my list and more! Even now as I’m telling you this my eyes are filling with tears!

God is good – God is faithful – God can be trusted!

I would love to tell you that was the end of our financial struggles but it wasn’t. It has been a lifetime of trusting God to provide. Sometimes worry has gotten the upper hand, sometimes we have tried to “fix” it ourselves and only made matters worse. But every time we have returned to confidently trusting in the Lord and His promises He has provided.

Is it important to get God’s word in your heart? Absolutely! Is God’s word true? Unequivocally!

Now you have a little more insight into who I am and why I trust God – He loves me and He has provided for my family!

You can trust Him too!

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No GPS or Voicemail

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you remember the very first of the 10 commandments?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Solomon Building the Temple

Was reading about Solomon building the Temple. David had always wanted to build it but his life was spent in securing the nation and the project of building the Temple was given to Solomon instead. 7 1/2 years and billions of dollars – over 100,000 workers – amazing!

But the most amazing thing is this.
“This is what Solomon said to King Hiram: 3 “You remember that my father, King David, had to fight many wars all around him. So he was never able to build a temple to honor the LORD his God. King David was waiting until the LORD allowed him to defeat all his enemies. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me peace along all the borders of my country. I have no enemies, and my people are in no danger.” I Kings 5:2-4

Solomon spoke of David wanting to build a temple for the Lord his God but now he, Solomon, was going to build a temple for the “Lord my God”.

That really struck me – as a parent David had many children that didn’t grow up to serve the Lord “their” God but Solomon did and he gave personal testimony that the Lord was his God.

What kind of heritage are we living before our children? Do they see the God we love and serve as antiquated and irrelevant to their lives? Or is our God loving, full of strength, power and peace and someone our children desire to have personal relationship with as well?

God doesn’t have grandkids – we aren’t in His family because of our parents relationship. Each one of us need our own personal relationship with our heavenly Father. I’ve heard it said before that being born in a christian family doesn’t make you a christian anymore than being born in a garage would make you a car.

We need to live lives that cause others to hunger for the same peace, joy, victory, strength and reliance on the Lord that we have. We pray for our children every day that God will reveal himself to them in a way that they can see and know it’s God.

“Then all your children will be taught by the Lord, their prosperity will be great, 14 and you will be established on a foundation of righteousness. You will be far from oppression, you will certainly not be afraid; you will be far from terror, it will certainly not come near you.” Isaiah 54:13-14

No one can be forced into salvation – it’s a free gift to be received. But one of the greatest things we can do for this world is to raise our children to honor God and follow His plan for their lives.

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How Generous are You?

How generous are you? Think about it for a minute, this morning’s devotional will possibly challenge and stretch you a bit. Generosity and trust go hand in hand.

Some people are stingy and miserly because they are afraid they won’t have enough for themselves. Others react that way because they feel everything they have is a result of “their” own hard work and sweat and so they have no desire to share.

But a truly generous person realizes that everything they have is a blessing from the Lord and that they can trust God to provide ALL their needs. When the Lord instructs us to give He provides!

I was really challenged by the story of Elijah and the widow woman of Zarepath this morning. Oh, I’ve read it many times – many times but this morning I was challenged.

“There was no rain, so after a while the stream became dry. 8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you.”

10 So Elijah went to Zarephath. He went to the town gate and saw a woman there gathering wood for a fire. She was a widow. Elijah said to her, “Would you bring me a small cup of water to drink?” 11 As she was going to get the water, Elijah said, “Bring me a piece of bread too, please.”

12 The woman answered, “I promise you, before the Lord your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.”

13 Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me. Then cook some for yourself and your son. 14 The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”

15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And Elijah, the woman, and her son had enough food for a long time. 16 The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord said through Elijah.”
I Kings 17:7-16 ERV

There had been a drought in the land. Food was scarce and people were starving. Elijah was a servant of God and He was used to listening for the Lord’s voice and obeying it. However, we have a widowed woman in a town who is down to her very last morsel of food and she probably isn’t accustomed to the Lord speaking to her too often. And she is presented with a life and death challenge.

This preacher walks into town and requests her last bit of food. “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me.” Really? That’s pretty bold!!

Don’t forget verse 9. God had already commanded the woman to take care of Elijah. Now she has a choice – obey God and feed the prophet or make her bread, feed her son and starve. I’m sure she struggled a bit in making her decision. Maybe her struggle came when the Lord first spoke to her or maybe it was when she was confronted by the prophet. A mother who has already seen her husband die and now she knows the life of her son is in danger – her instinct is to protect her child.

She chooses to obey God! Struggle over – victory comes.

What are you struggling with today? Has the Lord asked you to be a blessing to someone – maybe even a stranger? Be obedient, follow the Lord’s instruction, His provision is always enough!

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