Category: Relationship

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Handwriting on the Wall

This morning I was looking for a document in my “documents” folder when I came across a picture I had taken when Dave and I visited the Petrified Forest this summer.

Petroglyphs are some of the earliest forms of communication. Unfortunately, it’s a language I do not speak. But it’s a language God has always understood.

“One evening, King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his highest officials, and he drank wine with them. 2 He got drunk and ordered his servants to bring in the gold and silver cups his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. Belshazzar wanted the cups, so that he and all his wives and officials could drink from them.

3-4 When the gold cups were brought in, everyone at the banquet drank from them and praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Suddenly a human hand was seen writing on the plaster wall of the palace. The hand was just behind the lampstand, and the king could see it writing….25-28 The words written there are mene, which means “numbered,” tekel, which means “weighed,” and parsin, which means “divided.” God has numbered the days of your kingdom and has brought it to an end. He has weighed you on his balance scales, and you fall short of what it takes to be king. So God has divided your kingdom between the Medes and the Persians.” Daniel 5 CEV

I encourage you to read the whole chapter of Daniel 5. King Belshazzar defied the Lord and defiled the sacred items of the Temple. The Lord got his attention by writing on the wall at Belshazzar’s party.

Handwriting on the wall.

Each one of us have been subject to the “handwriting on the wall”. All of our sins were written down as an accusation against us, very similar to a list of charges that are read before the judge in a court room. However, the handwriting against us has been blotted out – removed completely.

“Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.

15 [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].” Colossians 2:14-15 AMPC

The handwriting against us was nailed to the cross and wiped away. The blood that Jesus shed for us, covered our sins and cleansed us. Through His death, Christ defeated satan and his powers and we now share in His triumph!

Now, there’s something to be grateful for. All of my sins were nailed to the cross and because of His death I am forgiven…so are you!

We are no longer subject to the handwriting on the wall.

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Big Hugs

I’m a person who loves to give hugs! Plain and simple – I feel hearts connect with a hug.

My hugs aren’t those tiny squeezes with a pat on the back, those remind me of burping a baby. Hugs should be genuine, huggers should be bold and not timid. Yesterday was a good day for hugging. Family came, neighbors stopped over, dear friends visited and even some new acquaintances came.

I think the hardest thing for me during our last months of social distancing was not being able to hug. People were so cautious and even timid about touching. I understand…but for someone who loves to hug it was a very isolating time.

I want to tell you about a man who experienced a life changing touch. He was a man with leprosy. He wasn’t allowed to connect with society. In fact, he and others like him had to live outside the city and announce to all who came close “unclean, unclean”. It was his warning to stay away, social distance, as it were.

Can you imagine the loneliness and despair?

But one day something happened. A man came outside the city and a large crowd followed Him. He was teaching up on a hillside; His words were dynamic, His presence was inviting. One of the things this man said that day was this:

“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.” Matthew 7:7-8 CEV

The leper continued to listen and then this happened:

“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

This leper encountered a healing touch – no longer unclean, no longer an outcast!

You and I didn’t have leprosy but we were just as unclean as this man. Our disease was worse than COVID, our disease was sin. It separated us from a relationship with God, the Father. “Unclean, unclean”! But the Father wasn’t willing to accept our condition and made a plan for our redemption.

“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 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. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” Romans 5:6-10 CEV

” Now that we are at peace with God” no longer do we have to shout “Unclean”, we are redeemed!

Let me tell you, when I reflect on the depth of God’s love for me I feel Him giving me the biggest and best hug ever. When He hugs me our hearts connect and I know that I am loved!

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Once More With Gusto

Have you ever watched little kids when they sing their favorite song? Their whole bodies become animated – the big smiles, the hand gestures, the emotions.

When I was young I had a voice teacher who would assign me a song for the next week’s lesson and he would tell me “form your words, enunciate, tempo, pitch” – all the things needed for proper execution. Once I could perform these technical details to his standards then he would say “Now, once more with gusto! Let me hear you sing like you mean it.”

That’s what made it fun!

Sometimes we fall into the trap of executing our relationship with the Lord in a proper religious way and we forget to have fun. After all, we are just kids spending time with our Father, and He’s a good, good father.

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the Lord, 2  sing and praise his name. Day after day announce, “The Lord has saved us!” 3 Tell every nation on earth, “The Lord is wonderful and does marvelous things!” Psalm 96:1-3 CEV

I was talking with someone at Mom’s celebration on Wednesday and we were saying how our relationship with the Father had grown and developed through the years. I told them that when I was a kid I remember singing “Jesus loves me this I know” at the top of my lungs, over and over again. However, now when I sing it I sing is softly and the tears stream down my cheeks because I am so overwhelmed by the depth of the Father’s love that I have experienced.

For the next several days I am going to be taking some “Me and Jesus” time. I won’t say there won’t be a blog but if there is it will probably come later in the day. It will be just a brief break.

Until I return to pen my morning thoughts I want to encourage you to spend each day singing a new song to the Lord and tell Him thank you for the marvelous things He has done.

Give voice to your song and then sing it “Once More with Gusto”!

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No Time?

As you know I missed yesterday morning’s blog – no quiet time.

If you’ve ever done much camping you know that most, if not all, campgrounds have quiet time. It’s generally from 10 pm to 6 am; while at the racetrack camping with 10,000+ of our non-closest friends, quiet time was from midnight to 6 am. But it was a not so quiet quiet time.

Yesterday morning, trucks were backing up to their trailers at 4 am and some a bit earlier. Motorhomes were pulling out even before that, quiet time was disrupted and things got busy in a hurry. Kim and Austin were up and out the door by 5 am and Dave and I started in right away getting things wiped down and stowed away for the trip home.

I didn’t make any time for quiet…yes, I admit it. My favorite time of the day passed me. It was invaded by a cluster of activity and noise. No time.

I didn’t even take time to write down three things I was grateful for although my heart was filled with gratitude for the events of the weekend and spending time with family and making new friends. This morning I’m back in my favorite place – I’m in my rocking chair, with my cup of coffee, my computer and my Bible in my lap. My heart is filled with praise.

Quiet time should never be an obligation that we check off our daily “to-do” list. It is an intimate time of day when we close off every distraction and focus on spending time with the Father. If we miss a day do we feel God loves us less? I’ve had those thoughts.

However, I have learned over the years that the Father understands my circumstances and my human tendencies to jump right into the day without spending time with Him. I have also learned that when I do start my day with my Father it goes much smoother because I’ve prepared my heart to focus on His blessings and instruction.

I found these words which were spoken by King David shortly before he died. He was giving instruction to his son, Solomon.

“‘”Our Mighty Rock, the God of Jacob, told me, ‘A ruler who obeys God and does right
4 is like the sunrise on a cloudless day, or like rain that sparkles on the grass.’ 5 I have ruled this way, and God will never break his promise to me. God’s promise is complete and unchanging; he will always help me and give me what I hope for.”‘” II Samuel 23:3-5 CEV

Isn’t that interesting? The Lord compares our actions, those who do right, to the beauty of a sunrise or the refreshing of rain on the meadow. He reminds us that His promises are complete and unchanging – He is always with us to help.

Each morning we all have a sunrise. Each morning that sunrise should remind us that God has promised to be faithful to His word and in turn, faithful in His actions towards us. That is what fills my heart with gratitude and joy!

No time?

Let the words of an old chorus be a reminder to us all – “In the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise Give me Jesus”!

Let’s make time.

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In Need of Light

Those of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time know that I get up each morning, come to my rocking chair with my coffee, read my Bible, pray and then write.

However, that changed a bit this morning.

This is a picture of my surroundings this morning. You can see my chair, my coffee cup, my Bible sitting on my computer. What you don’t see is light. When the auto timer for the lamp clicked on there was no light. I manually turned the light on and off but still no light. The bulb had burned out.

The room was dim.

I hate to say it but there are times when we are spiritually dimmed. Our lifestyles cause us to hurry and worry too much. We don’t take the time to sit and read God’s word, which is a light to our path.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” Psalm 119:105 CEV

“Lord, you are my Light and my Savior, so why should I be afraid of anyone? The Lord is where my life is safe, so I will be afraid of no one!” Psalm 27:1 CEV

When the light is dim we don’t see very well. In fact, the shadows in the darkness can distort what is really there. I remember a fellow in the Bible, he was servant to the prophet Elisha. He got up early in the morning and when he walked out he saw an enemy’s army surrounding him. He went and reported it to his master.

“Elisha’s servant got up early that morning. When he went outside, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?”

16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the army that fights for Aram.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, I ask you, open my servant’s eyes so that he can see.”

The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and the servant saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. They were all around Elisha.” II Kings 6:15-17 CEV

When the Lord shed some light on the matter, Elisha’s servant could see things he hadn’t seen before. He saw the Lord’s deliverance and protection.

When we go through life, looking at the circumstances through our own dim knowledge and experience we see things in the natural but when we spend time letting the Lord’s word light our way we begin to see things from a spiritual perspective.

From God’s perspective!

I’m happy to say that Dave replaced the burned out bulb when he got up and now I have good light again.

When circumstances have dimmed our way, go the Father and in His word we will find that light we need. After all, didn’t Jesus say “I AM the light of the world”?

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Get Excited!

I was so excited when I picked up my Bible this morning because I knew I was going to be reading the chapter that contains my favorite verse.

“Balaam answered: ‘Pay close attention to my words—
19 God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises. 20 ‘My command from God was to bless these people, and there’s nothing I can do to change what he has done.'” Numbers 23:18-20 CEV

Balaam had been hired by a king, Balak, to curse the Israelites. He was fearful they would conquer his nation. Balaam told Balak that he could only say what God put in his mouth, and then he proclaimed a blessing over the Israelites. Balak was so angry but he gave Balaam a second chance to curse them. The words above are Balaam’s response.

The reason this is my favorite verse is because it attests to the faithfulness of God. God doesn’t lie; He keeps his word and no one, absolutely no one, can change what he has spoken.

Get excited! That means every promise that we find in God’s word is unchangeable! His promise of love, mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, peace, etc. are all unchangeable, irrefutable!

My prayer this morning was “Father, I want to be single-minded and focused on Your promises. There is only one thing I desire and that is to know You in a deeper way and never doubt Your word”.

“Armies may surround me, but I won’t be afraid; war may break out, but I will trust you. 4 I ask only one thing, Lord, Let me live in your house every day of my life to see how wonderful you are  and to pray in your temple. 5 In times of trouble,  you will protect me. You will hide me in your tent and keep me safe on top of a mighty rock” Psalm 27:3-5 CEV

His promise of safety and protection are constants; He is trustworthy! Get excited!!

The Bible tells us that a double-minded person is unstable in all their ways. One day they feel that point A is right; the next day they waver and side with point B. With God’s word as our absolute, we are stable and unshakeable because we are confident that it won’t change.

“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 10:39-42 CEV

Instead of worrying about the many things that need to be done, let’s sit down in front of Jesus and listen to His words of instruction. In other words, spend time reading our Bibles and let the Father speak to our hearts.

Get Excited! God’s word is unchangeable; He doesn’t lie. His promises are true and everlasting, Like the sunrise and the sunset, God’s word is dependable for each day!

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Everything? Yes, Everything!

Sometimes these morning blogs are a little disconcerting. I promised the Lord I would share with you the things He puts on my heart and that means I have to be honest with you about my victories and my failures.

We have only been down from the mountain for eight days and already I have allowed myself to become harried and hurried. Each day this summer, I would watch the sunrise, in all its splendor, and set, in unrivaled beauty. Each sunrise and sunset were a vivid reminder that the Father was in control and I could be at peace. This photograph is one of my favorite’s at end of day.

There has been so much going on since we’ve been home that I have forgotten to let my heart capture that glimpse of God’s glory at the beginning and ending of each day.

This morning my Bible reading took me to II Peter, chapter 1. That is a favorite chapter of mine – because everything, yes everything, that God has blessed us with is spelled out there in just a few verses.

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

3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.

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

Please take note – these verses are for everyone so that we can live in peace. We have everything we need because we have God’s great and marvelous promises.

Everything, yes everything.

And since we have everything, we should keep growing in goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to the Father, concern for others and growing in love.

That’s what taking those moments each morning and each evening reminded me to do! They reminded me to let the Father and His promises be my everything – there is nothing I need outside of Him.

Yes, these are all things that we know but sometimes we let them slip from our fore thoughts. So this morning, I took this admonition from the Apostle Peter and it’s one I will pass on to you.

“ You are holding firmly to the truth that you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things. 13 In fact, I think I should keep on reminding you until I leave this body. ” II Peter 1:12-13 CEV

I’m reminding us, and will continue to remind us, to hold firmly to the knowledge that in Christ we have everything we need.

Everything? Yes, everything!

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Never Run Out

I found this image of Niagara Falls and it intrigued me. Although, I have never been there and seen it personally I know it’s there – it has never run dry, the waters have never run out.

Each day, all day long, the waters continue to flow – spring, summer, autumn and winter – seven days a week, three hundred sixty five days a year. There are other places where creeks, streams and even rivers have run dry but not Niagara Falls and certainly not an ocean.

That’s the way it is with the ever-present, power and love of God. He brings aid and comfort, peace and goodness, even in our darkest and loneliest days.

“Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 AMP

Did you see that – He will not, He WILL not, HE WLL NOT fail us or leave us without support? Our Father is a 24/7, 365 day a year God of support and comfort! We cannot exhaust or deplete His loving care anymore that we can drain Niagara Falls by taking a cup of water from its flow.

Some people get hung up on the first part of verse 5 and lose the impact of the second half of the verse. Let me put it to you this way.

I have two gifts. The first is limited, it’s temporary, it will run out and be used up. The second is limitless, eternal, inexhaustible, constantly renewable. Which one do you choose? Moses said to the children of Israel,” I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose life”!

What this verse is saying is don’t go running after riches. Instead choose God who promises to never leave you because in Him is an infinite supply of whatever we need. God is better than earthly riches, although He does promise to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.

Now, let’s ask and answer the question in verse six. What can man do to me?

With God on our side as our comfort, our encourager, our helper we have a flow of grace that makes man’s attacks incomparable to God’s power.

The grace of God will never run out!

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God’s Heart

Recently I spent the day with a group of ladies from Desert Christian Fellowship. They had invited me to be their guest speaker. The theme for the day was Bold Women of the Bible – one of those women was Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I talked of how Mary stood at the foot of the cross and watched her Son die. Her innocent Son had been condemned to death, a horrible death . She was faithful and stayed by His side through it all. I was overcome with emotion as I talked to these ladies, I put myself in Mary’s place. As a mother, I could imagine the pain.

How her mother’s heart must have ached!

Now stop and think how much the Father’s heart must have ached while Jesus hung on the cross? A Father whose whole character is love saw His Son brutally murdered. He could have rescued his Son but He didn’t.

God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son, knew that a perfect sacrifice was required to redeemed mankind from their sin. That sacrifice would be Jesus.

“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.” John 3:16 ERV

His heart was aching as His Son was being tortured but because of His love for us He didn’t intervene.

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person. 8 But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:6-8 ERV

God’s heart, his character, is pure love. His heart ached because sin separated Him from those He loves, from us. Don’t ever think it wasn’t heartbreaking for the Father to experience His Son’s death, it was. He endured it because of His unconditional love for us.

“ Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.” I John 4:10 CEV

He made a way to give us new life, to see us redeemed, it was the way of the cross! That’s God’s heart!

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Dusting Things Off

After being gone for almost five months let me assure you that our house needed a good cleaning when we returned. I can write my name on nearly every piece of furniture and even on the tile floors.

First thing we did was tackle the yard and patio. Dave has been working on cleaning the patio and all that was on it, while I have focused my attention on pruning and trimming the bushes, pulling out flowers that didn’t survive the summer heat and monsoon rains and replanting. Each day has been consumed with getting things spruced up and dusted off.

I see a couple more days of work ahead but I also see that we are making headway.

So, as I sit here this morning, coffee in hand, I am grateful for the dimmed lights in my office because it keeps me from seeing the layers of dust on the desk, bookcase, table and lamps.

I am also grateful that this presents me with an opportunity to reflect on God’s grace.

How many of you know that life can get dusty? We seem to deal with the issues that are most urgent, bringing them to the Lord in prayer, asking Him for help and intervention but there are other “small” things in the corners of our heart that never truly make it to the light of day and it’s these things that the layers of dust build up on. These are the little things that we choose to ignore.

Selfishness, hurt feelings, small outbursts of anger, little exaggerations (white lies), pride, wanting to be recognized for a job well done and the resentment that comes when we aren’t.

The Apostle Paul gave us instruction in half the book of Ephesians on daily living, chapters 4 and 5, teach us to clean up our lives and imitate God in the same way children imitate their parent.

“Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say. 30 Don’t make God’s Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins.

31 Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. 32 Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.

1 Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. 2 Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.” Ephesians 4:29-5:2 CEV

Please don’t be condemned by what I’m sharing this morning. The Father loves us and His word is never meant to condemn but it does correct. Sometimes we need a reminder of how we are to act.

If we let love be our guide and do as our Father does, we will see the “dusty” places in our heart and by His grace, He will help us clean them up.

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