Category: Relationship

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Always Enough

This morning’s blog we are going back to the basics. The bottom line.

All through the Bible God reveals Himself to us. However, we get so busy and distracted that we forget to see that He is there.

When the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He told Moses that he would deliver the Israelites from the bonds of slavery that they were in. God told Moses he wanted him to go to the pharaoh and present him with this message off deliverance. Moses had so many excuses as to why God should chose someone else. Moses asked the Lord what he should tell people qualified him for this task. This was God’s response

“But Moses said to God, “I am not a great man! How can I be the one to go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 God said, “You can do it because I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, you will come and worship me on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “But if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me,’ then the people will ask, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”

14 Then God said to Moses, “Tell them, ‘I Am Who I Am.’ When you go to the Israelites, tell them, ‘I Am’ sent me to you.” 15 And God said, “Tell the Israelites that you were sent by Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This will always be my name. It is how I want the people to remember me from now on.” Exodus 3:11-15 ERV

I Am Who I AM!

I AM is more than enough. God hasn’t changed since He spoke his name to Moses. He is still I AM. Whatever it is we need, God is I AM!

Jesus repeated this name of God when he ministered to the people. He told them I Am the bread of life, the light of the world, the way, the truth, the life, the resurrections and the door. I AM.

“Jesus answered, ‘The fact is, before Abraham was born, I Am.'” John 8:58 ERV

He is still the same today. His word promises that He is the same; yesterday, today and forever. He is still the great I AM and I AM is more than enough.

I AM – I love that God is I AM! He isn’t I was or I will be – but He is always in the present tense, always here, always near.

“10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Today, if we are still; (some days that’s a miracle in itself – finding time to be still) we will see that I AM is here. He’s waiting to be I AM direction, wisdom, peace, joy, love, hope, understanding, merciful, provision, strength, deliverance, salvation, healer.

Jesus came and touched people where they lived and brought answers to their daily problems. Then He told them that He came not just to meet their daily needs but to provide salvation for the spiritual needs as well.

So I encourage you, us, to be still today and know that I AM still IS!

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Identity Crisis

Good morning. I’m so glad to be back with you today. My recovery is just starting but now on morning three I am feeling better than I did on morning one. Thank you for your prayers and I appreciate you continuing to pray for me over the next few weeks as well.

This morning I was reading in Matthew 16 where Jesus asked His disciples who the people were saying Jesus was.

“Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “Who do people say I am[a?” 14 They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Others say you are Elijah. And some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16 ERV

The crowds had been following Jesus for quite sometime and had seen many miracles. The Pharisees and religious leaders were very upset by the things Jesus was doing and they were doing all they could to get rid of Him. They knew the longer Jesus associated with the common people the harder it would be to remove Him from public life. They had to try and discredit him.

Jesus wanted to know who the disciples believed Him to be. They were the ones who had lived with Him and associated with Him on a daily basis. Did they believe that He was God’s Son? Were they willing to follow Him without hesitation? Jesus had a mission from the Father. He was sent to reconcile the relationship between God, the Father, and mankind.

He came to earth to be the Savior of all.

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!” John 3:17 CEV

The last few days I have had a lot of time to sit and think about that truth, what it means to be reconciled with God. Some of the people of Jesus day were confused about who Jesus really was. Was He the Messiah or just a man? There are many of us now, after His death, burial and resurrection, who recognize Jesus as God’s Son. No confusion here.

However, there is still an identity crisis that needs to be addressed. Let me paraphrase Jesus words and ask “who do we say that we are”? Do we overestimate our own potential by thinking that it is our hard work and superior intelligence that has gotten us the good things in life? Or do we underestimate our value and see ourselves as unworthy of being loved and ill-equipped in life?

When we accept Christ as our Savior we become new; we take on a whole new identity, we become the children of God Almighty!

“The Word (Jesus) was already in the world. The world was made through him, but the world did not know him. 11 He came to the world that was his own. And his own people did not accept him. 12 But some people did accept him. They believed in him, and he gave them the right to become children of God. 13 They became God’s children, but not in the way babies are usually born. It was not because of any human desire or plan. They were born from God himself.” John 1:10-13 ERV

The Apostle Paul, who wrote a large portion of the New Testament, spent most of his time instructing us on who we are in Christ and how we should live to reflect our relationship with our Father.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin[b] so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 ERV

We should be humbled by the fact that God has chosen us to be His children. He has made everything new. Jesus spoke boldly about His Father, we should too. How is it possible for us to be accepted by God as His children? It’s only possible through our relationship with Christ. This life we have been given isn’t mission impossible.

The mission, my friend, should you choose to accept it is entirely possible through Christ.

“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26 KJV


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Ham It Up

We were having dinner with friends last night and talking about old wives tales that carry forward as fact. I was reminded of a story I heard about a young bride. It was her first Easter with her new husband. She had purchased a ham for their Easter dinner. She took the ham and cut off the ends before putting it in her roasting pan.

Her husband asked her why she cut off the ends. After much prodding, she replied “I’m not sure. My mom always did it that way.” At her husband’s encouragement she called her mother and asked “why did you always cut the ends off the ham before you put it in the pan?” Her mother was silent for a moment and then replied “because your grandmother always cut the ends off her ham”.

With this answer sitting hard in her thoughts, and at the prompting of her husband, she called Grandma. “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham before putting it in the roaster?” Grandma replied “Oh dearie, that’s simple. My pan was too short so I had to trim the ends to make it fit.”

The young bride and her husband laughed heartedly. For years three women had been cutting the ends off the ham because at one point the roasting pan was too short.

“So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have, which you pass on to others. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13 ERV

How many things do we do religiously that have nothing to do with God’s truth but are fashioned by man’s tradition? We say that God can’t love us if we go to certain places or don’t give up certain habits. We are told that if we don’t spend so many days during the week in church or hours in prayer that God will be unhappy with us. He won’t love us.

Maybe you have been told that God won’t love you because of what you have done. You’ve been too bad or you’ve had too many failures or one too many divorces. All of these things are traditions. It is the traditions of men that make the Word of God of no effect.

As long as people are feeling condemned for not being good enough for God they will run from God instead of to Him. Jesus heard this criticism often. This was His response.

“When some teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with such bad people, they asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.” Mark 2:16-17 ERV

We will never be good enough to be acceptable to God outside of our relationship with Jesus. We can’t do enough good works. Our own efforts can’t buy us salvation. There is only one way that we can be saved.

“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

We don’t clean up to take a shower and we don’t try to keep enough rules to be accepted by God.

I don’t know what religious laws you are trying to keep. I do know the ones I thought were right but I never succeed in keeping them. We have to come to a point where we give up on religious tradition and accept God’s grace at face value.

“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. ” Romans 5:8-9 CEV

God has so much more for us than we are experiencing. Religious traditions keep us from receiving all God has in store.

It’s time we quit cutting off the ends of the ham and enjoy the whole thing. God’s blessings are so much greater than we imagined.

“I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 CEV

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Make A Request

I hope you don’t mind but we are going to spend some more time with Abram this morning. There’s so much that we can learn from his relationship with the Lord. Yesterday we focused on his obedience. Today we’ll look at the beginning stages of his friendship with God.

“It happened as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They say, “Abraham put his trust in God and he became right with God.” He was called the friend of God.” James 2:23 NLV

There are several mentions throughout the Bible where Abram is referred to as God’s friend. I love that! God wants us to have relationship with Him; not only is He our heavenly Father but He also desires that we become friends. Friendship takes time to develop, a true friendship is built on trust. God wanted Abram to trust Him and have confidence in what He said.

I would really like to encourage you to take time to read Genesis chapters twelve through twenty-five. This is the account of the one hundred year relationship between God and Abraham. In chapter 15 of Genesis, Abram has just returned from rescuing his nephew, Lot, who was captured in battle. Here is what the Lord says to Abram.

“After all these things happened, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. God said, “Abram, don’t be afraid. I will defend you and give you a great reward.”

2 But Abram said, “Lord God, there is nothing you can give me that will make me happy, because I have no son. My slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die.” 3 Abram said, “You have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will get everything I have.”

4 Then the Lord spoke to Abram and said, “That slave will not be the one to get what you have. You will have a son who will get everything you own.”

5 Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky. See the many stars. There are so many you cannot count them. Your family will be like that.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and because of this faith the Lord accepted him as one who has done what is right.” Genesis 15:1-6 ERV

The Lord told Abram that He would protect him and give him a great reward. Many people would be very excited to hear the words “great reward”. It didn’t seem to faze Abram, he was already a very wealthy man. Abram told God that the thing he desired most was to have a son. God heard his friend’s heart and made him a promise that he and his wife would receive the thing they desired most.

King David had that same confidence in his relationship with the Lord.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed. 4 Be happy in the Lord. And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Give your way over to the Lord. Trust in Him also. And He will do it.” Psalm 37:3-5 NLV

This type of relationship with the Lord isn’t exclusive to people who lived long ago. Jesus was teaching to the people of His day and giving them instruction on trusting God and believing in His word. Here’s what He said.

“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. 9 Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? 10 Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? 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 7:7-11 CEV

Did you notice that Jesus points out the loving relationship that His Father wants to have with us, His children? He desires to give us good things just like He did with Abram. He wants us to trust Him and He wants us to ask.

Before I end today’s blog I’ll get you reacquainted with a man I’ve introduced you to before. This man was there that day when Jesus was teaching on the hillside. There was a multitude of people but this man stood out in the crowd. He was a leper. He had to be segregated from all the others. He was considered unclean and couldn’t have human contact. When Jesus came down the mountain, this man who heard Jesus say “ask and you will receive”, walked up to Jesus, risking all, and he asked.

“As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. 2 Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.”

3 Jesus put his hand on the man and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” At once the man’s leprosy disappeared.” Matthew 8:1-3 CEV

Every time I read this it brings tears to my eyes. This man, who was an outcast, had probably gone years without anyone touching him. No hugs or handshakes, no pats on the back, no physical contact, no expressions of love and kindness UNTIL Jesus reached out and touched him and showed him the Father’s love.

The Bible doesn’t tell us of anyone else in that crowd asking Jesus for something but this man heard the Word of God and asked. Just like Abram, this leper believed that God would keep His word and so he asked for what his heart desired. He was healed and Abram received the promise of a son.

I’m not sure what you are needing but I do know that God’s Word is still true. He loves us as much as He loved Abram and the leper. He wants us to have the relationship of Father/child and the closeness of trusted friends.

“Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 CEV

Don’t be like the people in the crowd who walked away and didn’t act on what Jesus had said. Be like the leper and Abram and ask!

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Get Ready!

I’m doing something this year that I haven’t done in a number of years. I am using a Daily Bible Reading plan and when the year is complete I will have read through the Bible. Most of the time I pick a book in the Bible to read and study. Then I add to that a chapter from Proverbs and also from Psalms. This way I read through multiple books in the Bible each year but I don’t necessarily make it through the whole Bible. I’m excited about accomplishing this.

This morning I was reading about Abram. God asked Abram to go to a new land and then He promised to bless him there.

“The Lord said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.[a

4-5 Abram was seventy-five years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had gotten while in Haran.” Genesis 12:1-5 CEV

Abram was an ordinary man. We aren’t told that he had any great talents or abilities. He was a descendant of Shem, one of Noah’s sons but other than that we don’t know much about him. We really have no insight as to why God chose him. What we do know is he was obedient when the Lord spoke to him.

That is my heart’s desire! Lord, when you speak I want to be quick to obey. I don’t want to try and force my own agenda. I don’t want to hold a committee meeting to see if this is the right time, place or financially feasible; I just want to willing obey.

“4 You bless all of those who trust you, Lord,  and refuse to worship idols or follow false gods. 5 You, Lord God, have done many wonderful things, and you have planned  marvelous things for us. No one is like you! I would never be able to tell all you have done.

6 Sacrifices and offerings are not what please you; gifts and payment for sin are not what you demand. But you made me willing to listen and obey. 7 And so, I said, “I am here to do what is written about me in the book, where it says, 8 ’I enjoy pleasing you.
Your Law is in my heart.’” Psalm 40:4-8 CEV

Abram was not a perfect man. He had his shortcomings and failures but God used him because He was obedient. All of the people that God used in the Bible were men and women just like us. They came up short in life; some had temper issues, some had problems with pride, others had moral failings and still others felt they were too insignificant to be used.

But what God saw was men and women who loved Him and were willing to be obedient. They had a desire to know God and make His word their first and final authority.

When Jesus came and started his preaching ministry He told the people the same thing. He gave them, and us, instruction on right living. He had a lawyer ask him what was the most important law that God wanted us to keep. I think he was startled by what Jesus said.

“One of them was an expert in the Jewish Law. So he tried to test Jesus by asking, 36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” 40 All the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:35-40 CEV

When we love God with all our heart we want to obey Him. We want to please Him. We don’t do this to earn His love; we do it in response to His love, it’s unconditional. God desires to provide for us and to bless us.

“Be faithful in obeying the Lord your God. Be careful to keep all His Laws which I tell you today. And the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these good things will come upon you if you will obey the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NLV

Our motive for obeying the Lord shouldn’t be to get His blessings. No, that motive is called greed. But when we obey with hearts filled with love, the Father’s blessings fall on us. As we live in willing obedience we are blessed.

Get Ready!

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Living With Purpose

So many people spend a great deal of time searching for their purpose in life. The movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” comes to mine. George Bailey, Jimmy Stewart, gets to see how the lives of those he loves would have been drastically changed if he hadn’t been around.

About thirty years back,  society became aware of a new condition,  the mid-life crisis. People were disillusioned, ending marriages, acting irrationally, searching for their purpose. I wish I could say that Christians aren’t effected by such behavior but we are. Everyone wants to know why we’re here and how our lives can make a difference. 

“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.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ERV

There are so many in the Bible who thought they really had no purpose – Esther, a young Jewish girl ended up saving her people from annihilation. Gideon, a fearful farmer, defeated a vast army with only 300 hundred men. A young boy had Jesus use his sack lunch to feed a multitude. 

Shepherds, possibly feeling they were unappreciated and unacceptable to society, were given the responsibility of spreading the news that the Messiah had been born. Joseph was just a carpenter but he was called to bring up Jesus in a loving home. Mary, a young girl, dreaming of her marriage to a carpenter was asked to be the mother of God’s Son.

Jesus, God’s Son, was asked to give up heaven so that He could bring salvation to all mankind. 

“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 ERV 

Each one was willing to live a life of purpose. They all had to trust God, overcome obstacles and self-doubt to fulfill the plan God had for them.  We too, have a call of God on our lives. 

“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. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 CEV

Our purpose is almost identical to the one the shepherds received. We have been given the work of sharing God’s message of peace with those around us.  I’m so thankful that someone shared that message with me and that I can now share it with you. 

I have a song to share with you this morning that may be unknown to many but the story is one of purpose. I believe it was written by Barbara Mandrell, I know she is the one who recorded it. 

Born to Die

Shepherds gaze in wonder
While angel voices sing
This night of nights has come
And brought the world the long-awaited King

The earth is filled with gladness
And yet the heavens weep
For heaven’s eyes can see
He was born to die for me

Jesus
Baby Jesus
Is that a tear in your eye
Jesus
Baby Jesus
You must know you were born to die

It must have broken God’s heart
For the future He could see
Yet He formed His hands and feet
Knowing one day they’d be nailed to a tree

So all the world could know it
A gift came from above
For God so loved the world
That He gave His only Son

Jesus
Baby Jesus
With a tear of love in your eye
Jesus
Baby Jesus
You knew you were born to die

Father, thank you for giving me a purpose. Thank you that my life is important enough that you sent Jesus to bring me salvation!

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PBJ Spells Love

The littlest grandkids and their parents arrived yesterday. It’s so nice to have them close, only a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house to theirs. Hugs for everyone. Merry Christmases said. Bags brought in. It didn’t take long for their laughter to fill our home!

The giggles and squeals that came from Sam when he discovered that there were new toys in the toybox since his last visit and the big smile and giggles that emanated from Kristine were infectious. 

Love!

I imagine the joy experienced at the manger was all this and so much more. Mary had just given birth to her first child, the shepherds had just seen the angels and heard God’s message, Joseph had been the birthing coach and delivery team…Oh the joy!

A small bundle of love.

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!” John 3:16-17 CEV

Because of God’s great love He sent His Son to save the world. Do we really think there is anything that our loving, heavenly Father would deny us when He was willing to give His own Son? 

“So what should we say about this? 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. 34 Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us.” Romans 8:31-34 CEV

Because God is for us, we can be as carefree and joy filled as our grandchildren were yesterday. We are enveloped in God’s love. Our grandkids never gave it a second thought, they knew they were at a place where they were loved. All was right in their world. God loves us so much more than this – all should be right in our world as well. 

What’s all this have to do with a PBJ? Plenty. Last night I saw a true example of  fatherly love. Sam woke shortly after midnight, he was “starved”. Since he and his sister were sharing the same room, she woke up too. When I came out to see what was going on, there they were – Dad, Sam and Kristine sitting at the kitchen table. Dad had left his warm bed, come to the kitchen and found something for Sam to eat. That’s what loving dads do, they provide for their kids. 

God, our loving Father, provides for us!

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

Love Came Down At Christmas. written 1885

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, Love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.

God is the kind of father who gets up in the middle of the night to provide for us! He never leaves us to flounder on our own. Love isn’t spelled PBJ, it’s really spelled G-O-D!

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Making Room

When you bring out your Christmas decorations where do you put your everyday stuff? Am I the only one who has to figure that out or do the rest of you have the same issue?

This is our fifth Christmas in this home and I’m still working on putting everything in a proper place so that we can get around the tree without knocking off the ornaments. Then there’s finding a place for the dining room table centerpiece and the things that had been on the coffee table. Everything has to go somewhere so we can enjoy the Christmas decorations. 

This morning the grandkids will  come for the weekend. The toybox will need to come out of the closet and we’ll make room for the race track, the puzzles and the blocks. I wouldn’t change one little thing, not for a moment, but there is some preparation involved. 

As important as it is to prepare our homes it’s more important that we prepare our hearts. Things get cluttered and hurried. New things are added and they seem to crowd out the old. It can be stressful to say the least. Everything seems to be jostled and rearranged. 

“Make Room. Prepare the space.”

There is an event recorded in Luke that I find really speaks to my heart. 

“The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40 Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”

41 The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 CEV

I was such a Martha. Always scurrying about making sure everything was ready; the house was clean, the food prepared, bedrooms ready, porch swept, etc. So much to do and if it wasn’t all done I was stressed and couldn’t enjoy the company. 

I learned from this story that it is more important to prepare my heart than it is  my home. No one is really coming to see if the floors are clean and the house has been dusted. They are coming for a visit, a time of loving conversation, so I need to prepare my heart to welcome them in the same way I would welcome Christ. 

For Mary, everything that was going on in the kitchen paled behind her focus on the Lord, the guest of honor, and what He was saying. She had prepared her heart to receive from Him. Jesus said that she had chosen the best part. 

I want to receive the best that God has for me and I want to give His best to those around me. The Lord doesn’t want me stressed out and panicked. He wants me rested and trusting in Him. I’m learning to do that much more easily than I used to. 

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.” Revelation 3:20 ERV

When we hear Jesus calling our name, knocking at our hearts door, and asking for our time let’s make room immediately. Forget our agenda, drop everything and make time. That’s the response of a heart that has prepared room for the Lord. 

Joy to the world
Joy to the world
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature singJoy to the world
Joy to the world
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joyJoy to the world, now we sing
Let the earth receive her king
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the angel voices ring
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let men their songs employ
Joy to the world, now we sing
Repeat the sounding joyOh oh
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The light of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His loveJoy to the world, now we sing
Let the earth receive her king
Joy to the world, now we sing
Let the angel voices ring

I pray that every heart prepares room for the One who came to bring joy to the world. 

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With Is Better

For the last several days we have been with our son, Koy, and his girlfriend, Kym, in California. We knew that we wouldn’t be together at Christmas so he flew us out a couple weeks early.

We’ve had a great time of  being with each other. Phone calls and video chats are good but actually being with the ones we love is the best. 

God enjoyed being with Adam and Eve each day in the garden; they would walk and talk – it was a special relationship. But when Adam sinned  that fellowship was broken. However, God had a plan for restoring what had been lost. It was important to Him to be with us.

“Joseph was a good man[a and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.

20 While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21 Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23 “A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” Matthew 1:19-23 CEV

God wanted a way to be with us so He sent His Son.  One of the things that means the most to us as parents is knowing that our kids want to be with us. God is no different. 

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world.[a The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people.” II Corinthians 5:17-19 CEV

It’s a whole new world when we have life with Christ. We aren’t alone. God is with us – in the car going to work; in the kitchen baking cookies; helping our kids with their homework; Christmas shopping; sitting beside the bed of a sick friend; sitting alone looking at the checkbook and the bills that need to be paid.

God with us – His purpose in coming was to be “with us”. In fact, Hebrews 13:5 tells us that He will NEVER leave us or abandon us.

We are also told that He promises to provide all our needs, heals all our diseases and forgives all our sins. Psalm 103 

I didn’t always realize that God wanted this type of relationship with me  but I can say that when I realized  “God is with us” it has certainly changed the outcome of my life for the better – the best.

When we focus on all “we” have to do and how it’s all up to us, we become self absorbed. We make a very small package. When we realize, truly realize, that God’s purpose is to “Be with us”, when we unwrap the present of His presence in our daily lives, our world changes dramatically.

” What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?” Romans 8:31-32 CEV

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11

The Christmas carol today is one that was written in the 12th century. 

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times did’st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

I know the Old English is a bit hard to understand but the basic message is one of God’s desire to be with mankind, who He created, and  bring them deliverance in each situation.  Just remember, He’s a loving Father who wants nothing more than to be involved in His children’s lives.

God wants to spend time with us; with is better!

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Tired & Cranky

You understand what I am saying here, tired and cranky? We all have those times when we just want to throw a fit and get away with it. Right?

Monday morning I received a text from our youngest daughter telling me that our little granddaughter had just cut 3 new teeth. My first response was “that explains her mood on Thanksgiving, she was hurting”.

We excuse some crankiness when children are little and don’t  know how to tell us what’s going on. But we should be giving them instruction that selfish actions aren’t right. The problem comes when we are teenagers or adults and we have these same outbreaks of self-centered frustration.

“Remember this: There are some terrible times coming in the last days. 2 People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. They will abuse others with insults. They will not obey their parents. They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God. 3 They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone. They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. 5 They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to  let that “devotion” change the way they live. Stay away from these people!” II Timothy 3:1-5 ERV

These verses are a description of many of the attitudes and actions that are going on in society today. There’s an entitlement mentality that says I deserve it; I should have more and better things, not because I have worked hard or sacrificed but because I’m entitled to better.

I really wanted to be cranky yesterday. I did. I was tired, hadn’t slept much the night before and I “felt” that I deserved to be treated with more consideration. I wanted to be entitled. I was being selfish. I was thinking about me and what my needs were and what I wanted.

It only took a few minutes for the Lord to step in and correct me.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, keep looking for the good things of heaven. This is where Christ is seated on the right side of God. 2 Keep your minds thinking about things in heaven. Do not think about things on the earth. 3 You are dead to the things of this world. Your new life is now hidden in God through Christ.” Colossians 3:1-3 NLV

and

“ Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. 28 Do as I did: 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.” Matthew 20:27-28 ERV

Pity parties have a very small guest list; me, myself and I. When we look at Jesus and how he lived, keeping our minds focused on how things are done in heaven, we will see that we have been given a higher assignment. We are to be an example of self-control and self-sacrifice.

“ God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. 24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. 25 God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. ” Galatians 5:22-25 CEV

Probably no one else has to deal with keeping their feelings, emotions and thoughts in line but just in case you are like me I thought I would share this with you today.

Let’s live like the Apostle Paul said here in verse 25. Let’s follow the Spirit. Life will certainly be better.

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