Month: August 2016

Downcast and Downtrodden 

​  Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” – Genesis 4:6‭-‬7 NIV (http://bible.com/111/gen.4.6-7.NIV)‬

Is this you today? Are you downcast, and at the mercy of the sin crouching at your door? I wonder if Cain’s parents had told him and his brother about the Garden; about how breathtakingly beautiful it had been, and why they couldn’t be there anymore. I wonder if perhaps he was a little bitter and envious that they had lived in the perfect place, and because of their sin, he had to work hard working the land to grow his crops. His brother Abel kept flocks, and has difficult as that can be at times, it feels so rewarding to see your labor grow into beautiful animals. Personally, I enjoy gardening and the harvest that comes from it, but having animals… They click within my soul and bring me a joy and peace, much more than my garden. Could that be why Cain was jealous of his brother?

It isn’t a contest. God loves us the same, whether we plant like Adam and Cain, or we care for our herds like Abel, or we nurture and grow our family like Eve. It seems that so many of us spend our lives looking downcast and searching anything around us that we can treat negatively and disdainful. We feel superior to others because they haven’t dealt with the horrible life we have. We are so unfair and judgmental in our thoughts and our words… But what do we know about that person, really? They could have recently received news of a parent or sibling or child dying. Maybe their spouse had an affair , or left unexpectedly; they could have been fired or had a wreck or lost their home through some disaster. Life continues, even when our world is falling apart. No matter what we are facing, 

  “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the Strength of my heart and my Portion FOREVER.” – Psalm 73:21‭-‬23‭, ‬26 NIV (http://bible.com/111/psa.73.21-26.NIV)

GOD will never leave us or forsake us – it is us who do the leaving and forsaking, every single time. It’s such a rush, and relief, when we finally get it.

Everlasting Love

​  “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s Love is with those who Fear Him, and His Righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep His Covenant and remember to obey His Precepts.” – Psalm 103:17‭-‬18 NIV (http://bible.com/111/psa.103.17-18.NIV)‬

Here we go again …. Obey God. But why?? I want to be in control; I want to be the “boss” and give orders; I want to be in charge. Oh, wait. All the bad choices, and rough decisions ? Those were my best thinking. Maybe I should let go and let God. After all, He has a proven track record of blessings and of eliminating and punishing those who deserve it. Look at Moses. (Start reading at Exodus chapter 2) He was incredibly blessed at crucial times in his life. He escaped a sure death as an infant because his mother trusted God’s words to her. He was raised as the privileged son of an Egyptian princess, alongside the boy who became the next Pharoah. As a young man, instead of using the proper channels, Moses killed an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave. As a consequence, Moses ran to save his own life – and again, God blessed him. Ultimately, Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt where they were slaves, and into Jordan, the land God promised them. Because Moses led a rebellious bunch of people, and because of his own rebellion against God, he wasn’t allowed to enter Jordan with the rest of his people. 

  “The LORD was angry with me because of you, and He solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the LORD your GOD is giving you as your inheritance. I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your GOD that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your GOD has forbidden. For the LORD your GOD is a Consuming Fire, a Jealous GOD.” – Deuteronomy 4:21‭-‬24 NIV (http://bible.com/111/deu.4.21-24.NIV)‬

Even so, Moses was blessed, and you can see many of the times he was blessed by reading Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The Hebrew people were blessed over and over again, and they were punished many times as a consequence of their sins. Consider the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Do you see how incredibly faithful and blessed she was? She became pregnant with the Son of the Creator God, yet she endured riding a donkey and walking around 90 miles while 9 months pregnant. She gave birth in a stable (probably not as idyllic as we show it every Christmas!), she had to escape to Egypt to keep her young son alive, and finally, she saw her beloved son beaten almost to death and crucified. I can’t begin to imagine how brutal that was for her, but she remained faithful. I’m not sure I would have, and judging from my past, I didn’t stay faithful. 

My choice today is to accept my blessings and to be thankful for them, even when they feel more like punishments than blessings. The key is to follow Jesus Christ and to keep His commandments as best as I humanly can. 

  “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is GOD in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep His decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your GOD gives you for all time.” – Deuteronomy 4:39‭-‬40 NIV (http://bible.com/111/deu.4.39-40.NIV)

We are no longer bound to the Ten Commandments, but then again, we are. Listen to how Jesus took the ten and summarized them into two:

  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD, the LORD is ONE.  Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:29‭-‬31 NIV (http://bible.com/111/mrk.12.29-31.NIV)

This is recorded in Leviticus, in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and in James and Romans. Think maybe there’s something important being said here? If we put God first in our lives, and that means spending as much time with Him as we do for our football and basketball and jobs and kids and animals and whatever other gods we have, then He can bless us abundantly. More than we could ever imagine in our wildest dreams. It can be incredibly painful at times to follow these commands. “Loving my neighbor” means so much more than the person living next door. The entire population of the earth is our neighbor, and that includes the people who hurt us (past, present, and future). Because “… from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s Love is with those who Fear him, and His Righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.” – Psalm 103:17‭-‬18 NIV (http://bible.com/111/psa.103.17-18.NIV)‬

EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING. That’s how big God’s Love is for us, for ME, and for YOU.

Perturbed 

​per·turbed

pərˈtərbd/

adjective

anxious or unsettled; upset.

perturb. v. late 14c., from Old French perturber “disturb, confuse” (14c.) and directly from Latin perturbare “to confuse, disorder, disturb,” especially of states of the mind, from per- “through” (see per) + turbare “disturb, confuse,” from turba “turmoil, crowd” (see turbid). Related: Perturbed; perturbing.

I am perturbed. You don’t hear this word very often anymore, but I like it. The definition, especially the “disturb” part, is very apt right now. I have a love-hate relationship with electronics and technology. I love the capabilities and opportunities they present. I hate it when they don’t work the way I think they should…

“Perturbed” is a good word to describe the way many of us feel about God. We have that same love-hate relationship with the LORD as we (okay, me!) have with electronics. He disturbs us, and we are confused about Him. We get anxious and upset with God. He unsettles us! I have a friend who has been struggling with this for years. She is definitely perturbed with God and I get it. I know there are thousands of people in the same state of anxiousness who are upset with God. There are multiple reasons for the way they feel, from past hurts to present hurts and worries about future hurts, and they don’t understand how or why an All-powerful, Omnipotent God allows the hurt and the pain to continue. I get it, because I’ve been there. Every situation is different, but ultimately they are all the same. Hurt is hurt. Physical and emotional scarring is so difficult to deal with. We are never going to be free of the hurt until we let go of it. I can’t punish the perpetrators in my life, and the people whom I hurt can’t punish me, either. Oh, we can provide physical, earthly punishment, but that is nothing – nothing – compared to the judgment God will pass down. He will pass judgment, make no mistake! This scripture is a section that I have highlighted and copied many times, because I need to see it and remind myself of the words. 

  “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” “ – Romans 12:9‭-‬20 NIV (http://bible.com/111/rom.12.9-20.NIV)

Take a look again at verse 19: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 32: 35-36:

  “ “It is MINE to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”  The LORD will vindicate His people and relent concerning His servants when He sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.” (http://bible.com/111/deu.32.35-36.NIV) 

Does reading all of this make me feel better? Not really, because my human nature wants to taste that revenge. I want to see my perpetrators hurt like I was hurt. Those verses finally soaked into my head and my heart a few years ago. I realized that by holding on to the hurt and the desire for revenge I was only hurting myself. Years ago, on one of my many trips driving from Albuquerque back to our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after visiting my {late} husband in the hospital there, a song by Steve and Annie Chapman (www.steveandanniechapman.com) came on the radio. It was called “The Secret Place,” and as I drove the realization of what they were saying hit me. The thing we do as humans is to take our secrets and cram them into places where we can’t see them. Given time, they will bust down the door they are locked behind and cause more pain in the remembering. We have a choice to make when it happens – give the “key” to Jesus and let Him clean up the mess, or stuff it back in and lock the door again. In New Mexico, I wasn’t ready to surrender all of my stuff. I got emotional in the car that night, and I did let go of the current baggage… but not the past. Before it all came tumbling out I slammed and locked that door, tight. Too much pain that I didn’t want to feel. 

I remained a prisoner to my hurts, hang ups, and habits for a long time.

God is patient. He doesn’t cause us to be hurt. That responsibility falls on Adam and Eve and their fall from Grace. They exercised their free will and chose to disobey God and eat of the forbidden tree. It also rests on Satan, the enemy, who gained temporary control over the earth through their disobedience. (Just until Jesus returns, and then our enemy Satan will be vanquished and thrown into the lake of fire; Amen!!)  There is so much wrong with the earth and everything and everyone in it because of the evil of the enemy. Satan makes temptation into a beautiful thing until you are deep in it; then you get to see the ugliness. He perpetrates evil. Even innocent children are drawn into the ugliness of sin. We get to deal with the consequences of this throughout our lives. Sometimes we see glimpses of the beauty God created in nature and in humans, and that’s a wonderful thing. For someone who is stuck in the cycle of sin, it’s so incredibly difficult to see past the darkness that threatens to overcome them. It can perturb you when you are trying to fight your way out of the darkness. 

Here’s the thing. We don’t have to fight it. Does that sound moronic to you? I can see why if it does, because I’ve been where you are. More importantly, JESUS has been where you are. The hurt you feel, the temptation you face, being unsettled and anxious about the Father… Jesus has been there. Look at the battle He faced in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying and pleading for His Father, the All-knowing, All-powerful, Almighty GOD to take away the pain He was facing. He ended His prayer with “THY will be done, not Mine.” Here is this man Jesus, a part of God, Who has the power to call in a thousand angels to deliver Him from what He knew was going to happen, and He prayed “Not My will, but The Father’s.”

That’s a bitter pill, a harsh reality, to swallow. He could have skipped the torture and the cross, but He didn’t. He willingly went in order to offer us eternal salvation from this hell on earth. Nothing we suffer here even comes close to what He suffered at His “trial” and the punishment He received before He was hung on a cross, which by itself is perhaps the cruelest, most devastating way ever to be devised by man to cause the most suffering before death. Belief in Jesus doesn’t take away the evil we deal with on a daily basis. If you believe and let go of the baggage – He will take it and give you freedom in your soul. When I FINALLY released my baggage, that bag full of grief and frustration and guilt, hurt and anger and desire for revenge, I was free. FREE. Free from the prison bars I had created to keep others in but in reality had me trapped while they were out there roaming free. I don’t have to carry all of that garbage anymore. That doesn’t mean that my perpetrators have been punished, but it their judgment and their punishment isn’t up to me. They might be prosperous by the world’s standards, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore. God will judge them. GOD will judge them.  I had to forgive them, and even today, when a thought crosses my mind to remind me of the evil, I have to forgive them again. It’s a lifelong process. Let me make something clear. Just because I forgive the person, it does not excuse them and it doesn’t mean I have to forget it. I have to follow what God says, though. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12)

That is NOT what I want to do! It takes a strength I can only receive from Christ Jesus, my Savior, to forgive and to pray for those people. My preference would be to curse them to a horrible death – and then I remember, God’s got this. I can let it go. Once we give Him the baggage, does it make ANY sense to take it back? Not sure about you, but when I am physically struggling with something, I welcome the help if someone offers, especially if they can take it over! Why, when it comes to God and His willingness to take the weight for us, are we so stubborn that we continue to shout at Him, “I CAN DO IT” when we KNOW we can’t? (NOT that I would know anything about that …. Hahahaa!)

I will continue to be perturbed by electronic devices, but I don’t need to be perturbed with God any longer. He has my baggage, and I have His assurance of a  lifetime together with Him. Bad stuff still happens. I don’t like it, but I don’t have to carry it alone. I now have an army of angels to help me! And sometimes out of stubbornness and pride I still cry out “I can do it!” – until I feel the weight and remember I’m not doing it alone anymore, hallelujah! We have to learn to trust God. He’s totally unlike any other being, and He is certainly not like any man on earth. He will never hurt us or lie to us or betray us. Man will ALWAYS do those things. No matter how good or honorable we try to be, sin always sneaks in and causes us to fall. Thankfully, once we accept God’s forgiveness for ourselves, and we begin to forgive others, keeping in mind it is a lifelong process, we can finally be at peace. By the way, the peace that God gives us, that “peace that passes all understanding” is 

indescribable. It allows joy into our lives, and when it happens, even our physical bodies can reflect it in fewer ailments and complaints. Kind of a bonus. Life is so good when we give up all of the baggage. We become free to enjoy life. It’s easier to let things go that used to just tie me up in knots. The person who cuts me off in traffic gets a wave (not the one finger wave, either) or I might call them an idiot, but I am not compelled to yell or cuss or chase them down. The person who cuts in line, I try to just smile and say go ahead. It’s much easier on me than getting upset. It also confuses people when I smile instead of frowning. This is only possible for me through the Grace of God, and it is possible for you, too. Listen to the song by Stephen Curtis Chapman “Jesus.” He tells us all we need to know.

Jesus. The sweetest Name I know.

God, Prayer, and Politics

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our GOD is near us whenever we pray to Him?” – Deuteronomy 4:7 NIV (http://bible.com/111/deu.4.7.NIV)

I found this online, and before anyone jumps me and claims it’s all propaganda and the words are twisted, just hang on. Maybe these words aren’t an exact quote for this speech, but she has made these and similar comments many times. Maybe worded slightly different, but her stance remains.

Hillary Clinton, speaking at the Women in the World Summit on April 23, made the statement:

“Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth, and LAWS DON’T COUNT FOR MUCH IF THEY ARE NOT ENFORCED.” (Emphasis mine) She continued: “Rights have to exist in practice — not just on paper. Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”

For once, she and I agree on something. NOT abortion, because that is morally wrong, it murders a living human being, and causes deep emotional scarring in the mother. Constitutional laws need to be enforced. CONSTITUTIONAL laws. So many of the laws on the books are fundamentally unconstitutional and are deeply oppressive to We the People. Our “deep-seated cultural codes” are what make us – excuse me, MADE us – such a great country. The world laughs at us now because of people like her who’s goal is to change us from a Republic and a world leader to an oligarchy or even a dictatorship. We are not a socialist or communist country, despite the changes that Washington is trying to force down our throats. Our “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases” don’t have to be changed. They need to be supported and emphasized by the people we put in Washington.

Make no mistake, friends. WE put them there. We did did by voting- AND by ignoring it all and not voting. Eldridge Cleaver said: “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.”

Are  YOU going to be part of the solution this November? We, as Christians and as Americans, need to be on our knees going forward and prayed for God’s guidance and His will. We have His promise:

“…If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV (http://bible.com/111/2ch.7.14.NIV)

NOW my rant is over….

Man vs. Woman

​  “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.

  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 

  “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” 

  This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” – Genesis 2:21‭-‬24 NLT 

Why did God have do go and do it that way? Creating us (women) From man? Wouldn’t it have been better done the other way around….since we women {ahem} are the “better” sex? I say this tongue-in-cheek, but the reality is this: “So God created mankind in His OWN image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” – Genesis 1:27 NIV

God created us in His image. Both male and female. One is not better than the other. We are equally special in God’s sight. Men were designed to be be providers through tilling the soil (i.e. gardening for you hard core “that’s women’s work” males) and hunting. Women were designed to be the keepers of the home; to raise up children to be productive adults. If you don’t believe me, read Genesis. Even though these are our core designs, it doesn’t mean that a man can’t- or shouldn’t – step in and assume the responsibility of keeping the home (and children) if necessary. The same is true of women. If/when circumstances require it, we are perfectly capable of taking on the “man’s” work. It isn’t chauvinistic to consider it right for a man to support his family, but it is definitely reverse chauvinism for a woman to expect to be waited on by the man. We are designed to provide for and to care for each other, doing whatever it takes to do so. Throughout the years since Eve took the fruit from the tree of knowlege and shared it with Adam, our roles and relationships and responsibilities have gotten twisted. In the corrupt world we have lived in since we were evicted from the Garden, men act as women and women act as men, and the regard for the family as defined by God is disrespected by millions of people.

I spent years supporting myself (and usually some man). There were periods where two of my husbands supported me financially, and a short period of spiritual leadership. I was in a desert of my own creation, because I had walked away from God. Let me put some emphasis on that statement. The desert was my creation,  because I had walked away from God. He did not walk away, He did not turn His back; it was all on me, and it was all about me. God doesn’t turn His back on us, and He does not cause bad things to happen to us. That’s all on us and our free will…. consequences for our choices. Sometimes, unfortunately, the sins of others that are perpetrated against us involve us in the consequences. Again, this is not God’s choice, but ours. If you are going to be angry and blame someone, claim it first for your own poor choices, then put it back on Adam and Eve. A much better choice is to lay it all at Jesus’ feet. Eliminate the anger and frustration and fury and discover what it means to have real peace for a change! It won’t change your circumstances, and it certainly won’t change the people around you. It takes crawling out of that rut we are comfortable in, in spite if the pain of getting out. Change is hard, and change hurts. Even happy change can mean more physical and emotional pain until we are out of the rut. God has great things to offer His people, and all we have to do is open our hands and accept His gifts! Why are we so stubborn?… 

You may never have the perfect spouse, or perfect, pain-free health; there may be serious consequences, even such as prison for our actions. That fancy mansion and expensive cars, and multimillion dollar lottery win probably aren’t going to happen, either. My past – and my future  – doesn’t have any of those things! I have had (very imperfect) spouses who loved me very much, and I am blessed to live in a better place now than I ever foresaw happening, with a (very imperfect) man who adores me…. and as a very imperfect female, I find that I adore Him, too. Life is not perfect. That’s a fact. God didn’t create man and woman to be at each other’s throats. It’s not Man vs. Woman. He designed us to compliment and to complete each other. He also has built in a sort of safety net for those people who are on their own. Jesus can be – is – the perfect compliment to a single’s life, if we only will allow Him in.

These are just my thoughts, and if you are offended…. I can’t – and won’t – apologize for speaking the truth.

(All scriptures are from the Bible app YouVersion.com) 

A Day Off

​  “On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested from all His work. 

  And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation.” – Genesis 2:2‭-‬3 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.2.2-3.NLT)

Just to be clear, the Sunday through Saturday calendar is something man came up with. God simply said to take the seventh day and rest. There are so many people who want to argue that Saturday is the seventh day and there should only be worship on that day. Others argue for Sunday, and I’m sure there are some who would argue for another day of the week. I personally don’t think it matters, as long as we take a day and dedicate it to rest and worship. If you put your mind to it, and look at the church leaders (regardless of the day of worship), you’ll see that our day of rest and worship is actually a pretty intense day of work for them. They have another day of the week set aside for their rest.

God wants our focus on Him, not on some rule that says you have to go to church on this day, and you have to dress a certain way, women have to cover their heads and men uncover theirs; and etcetera Infinitum. Let me repeat the first part of this paragraph: God wants our focus on HIM on our chosen day of worship. I like attending services on Sunday mornings simply because I was raised that way and it is the best for me. When dressing for public congregational services, I put more thought into it than I do for everyday use – not to impress anyone or to show off, but out of respect for my God, because HE matters. I like Sundays because they give me a chance to relax. Look back on the previous week, look forward to the coming week, and just enjoy being in the presence of communal worship and praise. It lifts me up and helps prepare my spirit for the new week. If you aren’t attending and participating in corporate worship, you are missing out on many, many blessings! 

  “Since you have been raised to new LIFE with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of Honor at God’s right hand. 

  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” – Colossians 3:1‭-‬2 NLT (http://bible.com/116/col.3.1-2.NLT)

“Think about the things of heaven….” If you have not been raised to new Life with Christ, you are missing out on so much peace and so many blessings. Most of my adult life was spent avoiding Christ in any way I could, having so much fun I could  (sort of) forget how miserable I was. It was all about me. I gotta tell you, it’s hell when you know Jesus and you decide to turn your back like I did. The enemy grabs control and the only way to take it away from Him is to give it to God. He defeated Satan as Lucifer in his bid to take over God’s throne, Christ defeated Satan again with His sacrifice on the cross and through His subsequent resurrection. The Holy Spirit defeats Satan and his followers every day when the followers of Christ ask for help. There’s another defeat coming, too, where Jesus will bind the beast (a.k.a. Satan) and throw him, bound, into the lake of fire with all of his followers. Got that? ALL of Satan’s followers. I do NOT want to go there, but I DO want to see it. I think.

  “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 

  And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. 

  Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.” – Revelation 19:19‭-‬21 NLT (http://bible.com/116/rev.19.19-21.NLT)

There is one thing I am certain of. On that day, I don’t want to see any of my friends and family in the company of the beast. I pray that everyone will be on Jesus’ side of the judgment. Each person has to make their own decisions, no matter how badly I want to intercede for them. Just being “good” won’t get you to His side. It has to be done by accepting Him as your personal Savior. It’s really not that difficult!

Daniel W. Whittle wrote this hymn that was published in 1883. (2 Timothy 1:12; Jude 1:24) It’s one of my favorites. Do you know God’s wondrous Grace?

  1. “I know not why God’s wondrous grace
    To me He hath made known,
    Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
    Redeemed me for His own.

    • Refrain:
      But “I know Whom I have believed,
      And am persuaded that He is able
      To keep that which I’ve committed
      Unto Him against that day.”
  2. I know not how this saving faith
    To me He did impart,
    Nor how believing in His Word
    Wrought peace within my heart.
  3. I know not how the Spirit moves,
    Convincing men of sin,
    Revealing Jesus through the Word,
    Creating faith in Him.
  4. I know not what of good or ill
    May be reserved for me,
    Of weary ways or golden days,
    Before His face I see.
  5. I know not when my Lord may come,
    At night or noonday fair,
    Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
    Or meet Him in the air.”

And Then, Man.

​God created the heavens and the earth… He created every living thing, and every inanimate thing. Yes, I believe in an Almighty, Omnipotent, Infinite God. The Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

In Genesis 1, throughout the creation story and up until verses 26, God is simply referred to as God, or He or Him. Singular, as you would refer to an earthly king. Then, in verse 26, His true nature is revealed: US. He made humans in “OUR” image, the image of the Triune God. We are created to be three in one, just as He is: father (or mother), Son (or daughter), and spirit, which is our soul.

Can’t say for anyone else, but that creates a beautiful picture. We may not procreate on this earth for a multitude of reasons, but that fatherhood, or motherhood, is deep in our DNA. Our “children” could be a pastoral flock, a life of service to the old or young, the sick and dying, those with difficulty living in society, even caretakers of the earth and her creatures.

  “Then God said, “Let Us make human beings in Our Image, to be like Us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals in all the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

  So God created human beings in His Own Image. In the Image of GOD He created them; male and female He created them.

  Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” 

  Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.”

  And that is what happened. Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:26‭-‬31 NLT (http://bible.com/116/gen.1.26-31.NLT)

He loves us so much! Even now, as I sit on my little patio in the early August Oklahoma morning, I am in awe of His creation. It is quite easy to praise Him, even in the middle of a typical subdivision with other houses and yards around me. Just look up. Here, the clouds are covering the sky – but not quite thick enough to keep out the blue sky from peeking through. Streaks of clouds where the upper winds are pushing and pulling make such fascinating pictures. Freshly mowed yard, flowers blooming, dogs at my feet. How can I not feel humble and blessed? God’s Creation is right in front of us, whether you live in the inner city or in an isolated.cabin high in the mountains. He gave it to us with all that He included to manage and care for. How are we doing? 

He also created us humans to be His companion. That hole in your heart that you are trying so hard to fill up with shopping, sex, alcohol, drugs, work, even family? Nothing will fill it except God. Worshipping Him is what we are made for. Sarcasm, negativity, hate, jealousy, worry, frustration… this things are all from Satan. He thought he could do a better job than the Creator God, so he rebelled and was cast from heaven with his followers. In retaliation, he went to Garden in the guise of a beautiful serpent to temptation Eve. Because she fell for his promise and assurance instead of remembering God, we now live in a fallen world and get to deal with the devil every minute of every day. 

There is a way out of the destructive cycle Satan has manufactured for us. His Name is Jesus, and He sacrificed His life as a once and done atonement for our sins – past, present, and future. All you have to do is accept His sacrifice and allow Him to be Lord of Your life. Just open the gift!!

Remember we are made in His image. He created ONE race, the human race. We have split into many cultures and our skin colors have changed along with the split. I don’t know the physical appearance of Adam and Eve, but it doesn’t matter. We are ALL God’s children, subject to the same judgement in front of the Most High God when we die. I am so thankful to know that Jesus died for me and that He rose from the grave in order to cleanse me. He did it you, too. I’m not very good at following His commandments, but I keep trying. Not because I have to, but because I want to. Sure makes for a peaceful heart!

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” – Ephesians 5:1‭-‬2 NLT (http://bible.com/116/eph.5.1-2.NLT)

Thank You, Jesus! (Artwork by my friend John Lawton- thank you,  John!)


Nothing New

Solomon wrote “​History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9‭-‬10 NLT (http://bible.com/116/ecc.1.9-10.NLT)

There really isn’t anything new under the sun. All of the discoveries and inventions, while new to us, are just finding and putting together the information and materials God provided for us from the beginning of time. Perhaps we should be a bit crestfallen that it has taken us thousands of years to figure it all out….. go back and read Genesis 1. Consider the order and the precision. First, we have the heavens, the stars and the planets. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” – Genesis 1:1‭-‬2 NLT

It strikes me that here is where God, the Creator of this incredibly complex universe, chooses the earth to be His focus. The earth?? This little, unassuming planet on the edge of this incredible thing He has just created. Not the center of the the universe, and not a big, impressive planet. Just a little thing, off to the side. I need to ask about that when I see Jesus. 

So here He is, “hovering over the surface of the waters,” and He decides to light things up. “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.” – Genesis 1:3‭-‬5 NLT

WOW. He just flips the switch, and there it is. Light; day. If you continue to read carefully, you’ll see that the author is describing a world full of mists and fogs. There doesn’t seem to be any dry ground at this point, until verses 9-10. It’s still a barren planet; no plants or bird or animal life, but that’s coming. 

“Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day. Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.” – Genesis 1:6‭-‬10 NLT

So far, the difference in creationists and evolutionists is how the beginning happened. And “accident” of the cosmos (although I challenge any evolutionist to explain where the “space particles” that presumably collided to generate the earth and life came from) or creation by God? 

Day 3 – God creates the vegetation to cover the earth; grasses, flowers, trees of all varieties. He called it good and completed the day. Now, this part is fascinating to me. Day 4, God makes lights. Do you realize what this says? Before this day, all of the light was from…what? He doesn’t make the sun or moon or stars until the fourth day. Before that, HE is the light. There is nothing new…. before He created the universe, He was the Light. During the creation of the earth, He was the Light. He provided us with the sun and moon and stars to give us separation of light and dark, and to give us hope when we are in dark times. Just like I believe the sun will rise every morning to light the earth, I know that Jesus rose the third day to Light the world through the darkness.

Things were starting to get exciting.”Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.” – Genesis 1:20‭-‬23 NLT

Sea creatures; fish, mammal, vertebrae and invertebrate, reptiles, all things of the water, God created them all. He made all of the birds on the same day. The earth was coming alive with His creatures. I especially like verse 21: “So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries or swarms in the water…”

Imagine! The whales and the other water creatures we now call dinosaurs, spouting water and diving and leaping, frolicking with their Creator. Can’t you just see it? The fifth day, He creates the land animals. “Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.” – Genesis 1:24‭-‬25 NLT

He saw that it was GOOD. He made ALL of the animals, great and small. From the Titanosaur to the pygmy shrew, He created them all. ALL. (I mean, really, looking at the incredibly diverse numbers of animal, plant, insect, fish, etcetera….. it just happened spontaneously? REALLY?)

Okay, so I got a little off track from the beginning of of today’s thoughts, but what’s new? It’s all about God, anyway. And wait until later when I get started on the rest of the story! (I sincerely hope I am meeting Einstein criteria….) 

Thank GOD for His Grace

​”But the GOD of ALL Grace, who hath called us unto His ETERNAL GLORY by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” – 1 Peter 5:10 KJV (http://bible.com/1/1pe.5.10.KJV)

Sometimes the King James version of God’s Word is just the perfect words. Beautifully put. “The GOD of ALL Grace…..” It is only through His Grace that we can truly live. Not only is it through His Grace that we get to spend an eternity with Him, but it gives us freedom from fear of what can happen on this earth. It gives us a deeply felt peace.

Are you fearful today? The quest for freedom goes on for many. On the surface, the worry can be so profound that it steals our peace. God knows this. He is ready to comfort us and carry our fears anytime we ask Him to. Here on this earth we will have struggles and sorrows. Deep sorrows that try to overwhelm us. Those things, the fear, sorrow, weakness….. these are not from God. They all come from the enemy. From the first sin, from the willingness of Adam and Eve to defy God’s one command to not eat of the tree of good and evil:

  “The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” ” – 

Genesis 2:16‭-‬17 NLT

  “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

Even in the beginning, we don’t really hear what God is saying to us. He said don’t eat from the tree, but He didn’t tell them not to touch it. I think that’s how we have produced so many rules and religions. We seem to think we can add to or adjust what God tells us without any consequences. 

  “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

  The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. 

  So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

  At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. – Genesis 2:9; 3:2‭-‬7 NLT (http://bible.com/NLT)

Immediately after disobeying God, Adam and Eve became fearful. Because of their disobedience, God gave the rule of the earth over to our archenemy, Satan. We bear the consequences of sin every day in our lives.(Thanks guys!) 

But!!!! We don’t have to deal with the consequences for eternity, thanks to God’s Mercy and His Grace. Hallelujah and Amen. I don’t need to worry over anything. It’s all been mapped out ahead of time, and I have a choice. Embrace the situation and thank God for whatever it (the good, the bad, and the ugly), or I can kick and scream and deny and worry myself sick. See? We always have a choice. Many, many times throughout my life I have chosen the second option. I have literally made myself sick with worry on multiple occasions. Did it help, or do any good at all? Nope. Not a dab. I’ve also been learning to turn a few things over to God, and the difference is amazing. I still have to do my part to resolve the situation, but I can do it with an ulcer or migraine. Absolutely amazing. 

Have you experienced God’s Grace in your life? It’s really simple to get. Receive the LORD Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Accept the peace He offers.