Category: Relationship

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Shadows on the Road

When I went to Bible College our professor, Dr. Mitchell, taught about the types and shadows in the Old Testament that pointed to Christ. I remember well his class on Isaac.

“The Lord said, ‘Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar.’ 3 So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and set out with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go. 4 Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place.”

Imagine, if you will, that you are Abraham. God promised you a son and you waited patiently for 25 years for that son to be born. Now, your son is probably a young man in his teens and as you talk with the Lord in your morning quiet time the Lord gives you the instruction to offer him as a sacrifice.

Shocking! Disheartening! Unsettling for sure!

Three days they walked. Three days the thought of Isaac’s death was weighing on Abraham’s heart.

“He told his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back.’ 6 Abraham put the wood on Isaac’s shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, 7-8 Isaac said, ‘Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?’

“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.” Genesis 22:5-8 CEV

Now they walked, just the two of them, on the path to the mountain top. Much like the walk Christ took on the way to the hill of Golgotha. Isaac had wood on his shoulders, Jesus had a wooden cross.

“God will provide the lamb”.

They walked on and when they reached the mountain Abraham had Isaac help him build the altar and place the wood on it.

“Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. 10  He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. 11 But the Lord’s angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” Genesis 22:9-11 CEV

Jesus was nailed to a cross and Isaac was tied to the wood. Abraham was willing to be obedient to God even if it meant he gave up the one he loved the most in this life. God gave up his Only Begotten Son.

” Abraham had been promised that Isaac, his only son, would continue his family. But when Abraham was tested, he had faith and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, 19 because he was sure that God could raise people to life. This was just like getting Isaac back from death.” Hebrews 11:17-19 CEV

Here’s what God did next.

“Don’t hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place ‘The Lord Will Provide.'” Genesis 22:12-14 CEV

God provided a lamb for Abraham and He provided the Lamb of God for us.

“When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, ‘Here is the Lamb of God!’ John 1:36 CEV

When Abraham left the servants at the bottom of the mountain he said the boy and I will return.

“Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham’s home in Beersheba.” Genesis 22:19 CEV

On Jesus’ last night with His disciples He said He was going to His Father’s house but He would return.

We are all now waiting for that to happen. The shadow of Christ is on the road and we who love Him will see Him soon.

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THANK YOU!

Thank you for reading faithfully and giving me the opportunity to share God’s word with you each day.

“Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things.” Luke 16:10 ERV

Yesterday marked a milestone!

100,037 reads

45,888 visitors

2,418 posts

408 FB followers

143 blog subscribers

7.5 years of daily postings

Untold number of new friends made, and prayers prayed.

Thank you for deep within my heart.

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An Ark on the Road

Just a few generations after Adam we find his (x7) great grandson Noah.

“The Lord saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil. 6 He was sorry that he had made them, 7 and he said, ‘I’m going to destroy every person on earth! I’ll even wipe out animals, birds, and reptiles. I’m sorry I ever made them.’ 8 But the Lord was pleased with Noah, 9  and this is the story about him. Noah was the only person who lived right and obeyed God.” Genesis 6:5-9 CEV

It’s important to see that even if there is only one person who is living for the Lord He will still provide and protect them.

“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. 2  It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God…6But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him. 7  Because Noah had faith, he was warned about something that had not yet happened. He obeyed and built a boat that saved him and his family. In this way the people of the world were judged, and Noah was given the blessings that come to everyone who pleases God.” Hebrews 11:1,2,6&7 CEV

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that Hebrews, chapter 11, is the Hall of Fame of Faith. It records the deeds of those men and women who lived to please God. Each one had a personal encounter with God. None of them were perfect but their hearts were filled with faith.

The ark was a type of salvation. It provided everything that Noah and his family needed to live and thrive during the flood. God made a way to protect those who loved Him and were willing to follow His plan.

“Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood. 21 Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death.” I Peter 3:20-21 CEV

Noah and his family were taking steps of faith toward a cross they couldn’t see.

“Noah built an altar where he could offer sacrifices to the Lord. Then he offered on the altar one of each kind of animal and bird that could be used for a sacrifice. 21 The smell of the burning offering pleased the Lord, and he said: ‘Never again will I punish the earth for the sinful things its people do. All of them have evil thoughts from the time they are young, but I will never destroy everything that breathes, as I did this time.'” Genesis 8:20-21 CEV

The promise that God made to Noah is also for us.

“Again, God said to Noah and his sons: 9′ I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you...16 When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. 17 The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.'” Genesis 8:8-17 CEV

The safety of the ark and the promise of the rainbow lead us down the road to the plan of salvation that the cross provides.

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The Road to the Cross

I imagine some of you were wondering if I was going to miss a day with the blog; well no, it is just later than usual.

My Sundays are a time of reflection and of doing things that I’m not able to do during the week. Dave and I attend on-line church services, go for a walk together and if I haven’t heard from the Lord for a morning devotional I wait until I do. That’s the way it went today.

Realizing that Easter Sunday is the end of this month the Lord put it on my heart to share what I am calling “The Road to the Cross”. This may be a bit different than your used to but I feel it will be a time of reflection for all of us.

The first steps on the Road were taken in the Garden of Eden.

“The Lord God called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?” 10 The man answered, “I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!”

11 “How did you know you were naked?” God asked. “Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?” 12 “It was the woman you put here with me,” the man said. “She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it.”

13  The Lord God then asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The snake tricked me,” she answered, “and I ate some of that fruit.”

14 So the Lord God said to the snake: “Because of what you have done,
you will be the only animal to suffer this curse—For as long as you live,…15 You and this woman will hate each other; your descendants and hers will always be enemies. One of hers will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.” Genesis 3:10-15 CEV

Here, a perfect couple, living in a perfect environment, communing with perfect God, had a freewill and used it to go contrary to what God had said. Instead of wiping them off the face of the earth with a simple brush of His hand God made provision for mankind to be restored.

“21 Then the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife.” Genesis 3:21 CEV

An animal was killed, blood was shed and forgiveness was enacted.

“The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered.” Hebrews 9:22 CEV

There in the Garden, that perfect place, death occurred physically and spiritually. Spiritually, man separated himself from communion with His Father and Creator. Physically, an animal died to provide a covering for Adam and Eve.

It was an action that would have eternal consequences.

“Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. 13 Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. 14 Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did.

In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. 15 But the gift of God’s undeserved grace was very different from Adam’s sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God’s gift of undeserved grace to many people.” Romans 5:12-15 CEV

For the next several days and possibly weeks, we will be looking at God’s steps from the Garden to the Cross. From man’s rebellion to Christ’s restitution; from a beginning that was sin free to relationship restored.

I encourage you to walk this road with me. We’ll make stops along the way, we’ll see God’s patience, His mercy and His unconditional love all which add up to one thing – His Grace!

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My Rock & Defense

“I love you, Lord! You are my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place high in the hills.” Psalm 18:1-2 ERV

Have you ever stopped to look at the life of Peter?

Strengths: Outdoorsman, Co-owner of a fishing fleet. Tough, Outspoken. Born leader. Loyal, Committed. Determined. Repentant. Teachable, Usable.

Weaknesses: Overconfident, Speak First Think Later. Self-Promoting. Folds Under Pressure. Proud. Impulsive.

Peter cut off a soldier’s ear in the Garden when they came to arrest Jesus. He denied Christ three times in the courtyard. He was one of the first to run to the tomb and find it empty but then he went back to the disciples, and they locked themselves in. Fearful.

50 days later he was in the upper room when the Holy Spirit filled the 120 with God’s power. He spoke boldly to the crowds, pointing out that they were the ones responsible for killing Jesus. But he preached forgiveness and over 3000 repented at the first preaching.

Then in Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching Jesus. No denial here. In fact, Peter spoke boldly to the religious leaders.

“Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and you older leaders, 9 are you questioning us today about what we did to help this crippled man? Are you asking us what made him well? 10 We want all of you and all the people of Israel to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You nailed Jesus to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well. He is able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! 11 Jesus is the ‘stone that you builders thought was not important. But this stone has become the cornerstone.’” Acts 4:8-11 ERV

This man who had denied knowing Jesus to a servant girl now stood before the rulers and proclaimed openly that he was a follower of Christ.

“So the Jewish leaders called Peter and John in again. They told the apostles not to say anything or to teach anything in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, ‘What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? 20 We cannot be quiet. We must tell people about what we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:18-20 ERV

What made the difference in Peter? The Holy Spirit!

Jesus said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit baptized them. Power to be witnesses, power to be bold, power to heal the sick, power to preach!

Are there things in your past that you are ashamed of? Times that you feel you have failed, not just failed yourself or your family, but times that you have failed God? Those failures don’t disqualify you from service.

If Peter hadn’t of failed, he still would have been self-confident, prideful and not felt he needed a Savior. He wouldn’t have been willing to yield his life to the Holy Spirit.

We need to let go of the past and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with power.

Thank you, Father, for changing my life from self-confident to God-confident. Thank you for seeing me as usable and trusting me with Your message of love and forgiveness!

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Say What?

Oh boy! This morning we are going to open a big package of “self-control” seeds.

 “But the fruit… 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.” Galatians 5:23 NLV

One translation that I looked at today shows self-control as continence or self-restraint. Ruling over our own desires. So, let’s jump right in and get some seeds planted.

“O Lord, put a watch over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 NLV

Our words can be devastating, harmful and destructive. Wrong eating habits can destroy our bodies the same way that wrong behavior can harm our souls.

“We all make many mistakes. If anyone does not make a mistake with his tongue by saying the wrong things, he is a perfect man. It shows he is able to make his body do what he wants it to do…5 The tongue is also a small part of the body, but it can speak big things. See how a very small fire can set many trees on fire. 6 The tongue is a fire. It is full of wrong. It poisons the whole body. The tongue sets our whole lives on fire with a fire that comes from hell… 9 With our tongue we give thanks to our Father in heaven. And with our tongue we speak bad words against men who are made like God. 10 Giving thanks and speaking bad words come from the same mouth. My Christian brothers, this is not right!” James 3:2-10 NLV

Not a lot of explanation is needed here. If we control our speech, we show maturity and restraint. If we don’t, it’s just not right.

“ And keep Your servant from sinning by going my own way…14 Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.” Psalm 19:13-14 NLV

“The words of his mouth are sinful and false. He has stopped being wise and doing good. 4 He plans wrong-doing upon his bed. He sets himself on a path that is not good. He does not hate what is bad.” Psalm 36:3-4 NLV

These two passages compare and contrast the life of someone with self-control and someone without it. Pleasing words, pleasing thoughts versus sinful and false words.

Jesus said that out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks. If we want to change what we say and how we say it, we need to change our hearts.

“Christian brothers, keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of. If there is anything good and worth giving thanks for, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 NLV

Speak the truth with love.

“Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head” Ephesians 4:15 CEV

“ When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.” Colossians 4:6 ERV

Weeds of sarcasm and criticism must go. Destructive words that burn the heart must be quenched. When we have self-control, our words will be seasoned with love!

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Peace Reigns

“But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.” Galatians 5:22-23 NLV

Today’s image is the International Peace Garden in North Dakota. I think everyone wants peace – peace in our soul, in our hearts, in our families and communities. There’s really only one way to peace, true peace, and that’s through trusting the power of God to be at work in our lives.

 Jesus said: “I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

The Christian life is not free from struggles or difficult circumstances. All we have to do is look at Jesus’ time with His disciples to see that. They were ridiculed by the religious leaders; they faced mobs that sought to destroy them and then they dealt with physical storms as well.

“‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:38-39 NKJV

“And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.” Matthew 13:22 ERV

Jesus does care! He doesn’t want us to perish; He doesn’t want us to be in turmoil, chaos or confusion. He doesn’t want the cares of this life or fear to choke out our peace.

“I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” John 14:27 ERV

“Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: 14 “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.” Luke 2:13-14 CEV

“ 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

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

“ 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

Christ came into the world bringing peace on earth and good will from His Father. He left earth leaving us with His peace to overcome the attacks we would face. By trusting Him completely, by keeping our thoughts centered on Him, He will stand guard over our hearts and bring us perfect peace.

Because of Christ we have peace. These verses are seeds worth harvesting. Happy Planting!

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Growing Joy

I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

Where?

Down in my heart, down in my heart.

I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

Down in my heart to stay!

That’s a chorus I remember singing as a young girl in Sunday School. Little did I realize that the stories I was learning about Jesus and His love for me were planting seeds of joy in my heart.

“But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.” Galatians 5:22-23 NLV

Joy: to experience great pleasure or delight : REJOICE.

I can hear someone asking, “Kristi, do you expect me to be happy all the time? That’s just not possible.”

Let’s let the Bible answer that question.

“Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy!” Philippians 4:4 NLV

“Or the one who hates me will say, ‘I have power over him.’ And those who hate me will be happy when I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in Your loving-kindness. My heart will be full of joy because You will save me. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has been good to me.” Psalm 134:4-6 NLV

“Our hope comes from God. May He fill you with joy and peace because of your trust in Him. May your hope grow stronger by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLV

“ The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. See! I bring you good news of great joy which is for all people. 11 Today, One Who saves from the punishment of sin has been born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 NLV

“You will show me the way of life. Being with You is to be full of joy. In Your right hand there is happiness forever.” Psalm 16:11 NLV

“ The Lord is my strength and my safe cover. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. So my heart is full of joy. I will thank Him with my song. ” Psalm 28:7 NLV

We can be joy-full when people hate us or when they treat us badly. Joy is not predicated on our outward circumstances. It is a condition of the heart.

“ For every tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns. They do not gather grapes from thistles. 45 Good comes from a good man because of the riches he has in his heart. Sin comes from a sinful man because of the sin he has in his heart. The mouth speaks of what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:44-45 NLV

When we plant seeds of joy because we belong to the Lord and dwell in His presence, our heart will produce joy no matter the circumstance.

I looked up the word joy in the NLV, New Living Version, this morning and found 444 verses on joy. That’s a lot of seed and it will produce a big harvest. Time to start planting.

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Let’s Grow Some Fruit

We’ve just finished almost 6 weeks of teaching on love and yet it’s going to be the first seed we’re going to plant in our garden.

“But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.” Galatians 5:22-23 ERV

Before we look at planting seeds of love, I want us to examine what type of seed we are putting into the soil of our hearts.

Fruit trees are a perpetual seed meaning each season they produce fruit. Some seasons they will produce larger fruit but there will be less of it. Some seasons they produce a lot but the fruit is smaller. Perpetual seed.

Vegetable seeds are annuals. They grow for one season; produce a crop and they die. We don’t want to be producing annuals in our lives.

Then there are the perennials. Technically, fruit trees and bushes are perennials but most often that term refers to flowers that bloom all year round or that go dormant and come back year after year.

I like that the Scripture doesn’t say that the “vegetable” the Spirit produces is…, no, the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives. Big difference.

Love.

“So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 ERV

Since the Bible names love as the first fruit and calls love the greatest characteristic we shall start there.

“Fill us with your love every morning. Let us be happy and enjoy our lives.” Psalm 90:14 ERV

“What I teach will give you a good, long life, and all will go well for you. 3 Don’t ever let love and loyalty leave you. Tie them around your neck, and write them on your heart. 4 Then God will be pleased and think well of you and so will everyone else.” Proverbs 3:2-4 ERV

“He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”

37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’” Matthew 22:36-39 ERV

As I pointed out the other day, God’s word is the seed we are given to plant in our hearts.

“And what about the seed that fell on rocky ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and quickly and gladly accept it. 21 But they do not let the teaching go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.

22 “And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.” Matthew 13:20-22 ERV

The verses above are good seed and they WILL produce but they need to be protected. All the seeds of God’s word do.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Now, let’s start planting and watch the seeds grow!

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Seed Planting

I hope you took some time to crumble some of the big dirt clods you may have identified in your life. Selfishness, easily offended, short-temper, anger, gossip, insecurity – yep, these are just some of the things that may have surfaced as you were tilling the soil. They will block the proper development of the seeds we are about to plant if they are broken up and removed.

Let me say before we go any further that identifying and breaking up these hard places is a positive thing. We can only remove what we know about it – ignorance is not bliss.

All through the Bible we have examples of seed planting. It starts in the Garden of Eden.

“God said, “I am giving you all the grain bearing plants and all the fruit trees. These trees make fruit with seeds in it. This grain and fruit will be your food. 30 And I am giving all the green plants to the animals. These green plants will be their food. Every animal on earth, every bird in the air, and all the little things that crawl on the earth will eat that food.” And all these things happened.” Genesis 1:29-30 ERV

The process of planting seed and producing a harvest was enacted at the very beginning. God created the earth out of nothing but after that original creation every thing has been supplied by the planting of seeds.

It’s important to realize what the seed is that we are asked to plant.

“Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours. 10 “Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don’t return without watering the earth
that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. 11 That’s how it is with my words. They don’t return to me without doing everything I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:9-11 CEV

The seed God has given us for life-changing harvest is His word. He says, confidently, that His word will not return to Him without accomplishing EVERYTHING He sends it to do. God provides us with good seed!

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:21-22 KJV

“Again Jesus said: God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. 27 The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn’t understand how. 28 It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain. 29  Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.” Mark 4:26-30 CEV

So let me repeat how important it is that we have good ground for planting. God won’t force us to make a good field free from stones, hard dirt clods and weeds but He does tell us the seed won’t grow well unless we do.

Before I ever gave this teaching to you the Lord dealt with me on some hard soil in my heart that needed to be broken up and made ready for planting. Our garden can be as large as we want, we just need to prepare the ground.

I think it’s best to start with a small plot – watch the seed grow and then plant more. Make your ground ready, we’ll start planting some seeds in tomorrow’s teaching.

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