Tag: #armswideopen

So Good To Me

“…. [For] “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me,” declares the LORD.” – Isaiah 54:17 NIV

It is such a joy to get up in the morning to contemporary Christian music! Growing up, we listened to records (yep, real vinyl LP’s, with the occassional 45rpm), of mostly classical music. It gave me a love for the rich, complex sounds of an orchestra, and I find that fullness and beauty in many of the bands today. Combine that with the words of scripture, add in the real life struggles we all face, then put the reality of CHRIST in it – it gives me a constant reminder of how good my LORD is to me; to how much He LOVES me. The struggles of our lives are real, and the songs don’t negate that. They enhance the Power of GOD, and provide respite from pain and worry. I could refer you to so many artists and their songs! I am reminded of His Love, His Power, His Omnipotence. How GOOD is God to me? Let me count the ways! He has rescued me from countless (really; I’ve lost track) life-threatening situations. He has always provided ‘enough.’ He has opened His Arms to receive me back home through all of my rebellion. He has carried me through sickness and heartache and sorrow. He knows me better than any person, and He Loves me enough that in spite of me, He sent JESUS to be my personal Redeemer and Saviour. Amazing!

He is so GOOD to me!

Listen to No One Like Our God by Lincoln Brewster.

A Synopsis Of God’s Love For Us

Start in Genesis 1:26…

“Then God said, “Let US make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Genesis 6:5-6…

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled.”

And Exodus 34:5-7…

“Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed His Name, The LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, The LORD, the LORD, the Compassionate and Gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

And last, but very important, John 20:21-23

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” And with that He Breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

That’s a lot of scripture. The point is that GOD, the CREATOR of the Universe, Who made us in His Image and gave us free will, THAT God, Loves us enough to forgive us of our sins. This is not a white, old, man-god with flowing white robes, this GOD, looks like every man. He’s a colorful God! Look at us, and look at nature. Does all of this really make you think He fits only one picture of Himself? He knows our sins; all of them, whether it’s a “little white lie” or horrific torture and murder. Sin is Sin. In God’s eyes, it is ALL equally bad – and still, He Loves us so much that He is ready and willing to forgive us.

Then He (Jesus) said: “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

I have people I need to forgive. Thank GOD I have His help, because I couldn’t do it on my own! Praise His Mercy and Grace. One of my favorite songs is Victory In Jesus. Love to sing this!
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him,
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood
I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing power revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and brought
To me the victory.

His LOVE Heals My Heart

“Then JESUS said, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’ ” – Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 NLT

Do you have a heavy burden? Are you trying to carry it all by yourself? For years, I did just that. Sure, I can do it on my own. HA! Famous last words…. The reality is that I can’t do much of anything in my own strength. Like many, if not most, single people, I yearn for a companion to share my life on earth in the here and now. My ‘picker’, though, has proven to be broken. The single most important realization that anyone can have in their lifetime is that another person will not, cannot, complete me/us or carry our burdens. We can help each other, but the only One Who can actually lift the burdens off of our shoulders is our LORD. It doesn’t matter how ‘good’ or godly our companion might be, any man (or woman) will hurt and disappoint us at some point in our lives. No matter how hard we try to only do good, or to be good, we will eventually, and inevitably, fail. I can be content to have JESUS as my companion if I choose to be, or I can run around searching for that perfect guy for me.

Lay your burdens at the foot of cross and lift your arms – your heart, body, and soul – to JESUS. He stands there, waiting to shower His LOVE on you; to take your burdens off your shoulders and carry them for you. He’s ready to carry you, too, when you are unable to take another step on your own. He’s done it countless times for me. When I yank the burdens from His Hands, and take them in mine, He doesn’t argue or fight me. He lets me stagger under them until I finally remember He’s standing next to me, empty handed and willing to take them back. He usually has to carry me for awhile, too, while I gain strength from Him. Are you willing to let go off your burdens? Call on JESUS. He can hardly wait for your call!

“All Praise to GOD, the FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. GOD is our Merciful FATHER and the Source of all Comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort GOD has given us.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3‭-‬4 NLT

Listen to Fear is A Liar, by Zach Williams.

How Do You Pray?

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, Who sees everything, will reward you.

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!” – Matthew 6:5‭-‬8 NLT

Did you grow up in a house where prayer was the norm, or was cursing at God the only ‘prayer’ you heard? I was taught that the ‘correct’ way to pray was to sit with head bowed and hands clasped in front of me, or on my knees with eyes closed and hands clasped; praying out loud, beginning with ‘Dear Heavenly Father’ and always ending with ‘Amen’. This definitely helped with my focus as a child, but do you think this is the only way to pray? We want to be reverent and humble when we pray, but I submit that we can pray anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Prayer is simply having a conversation with the LORD. Prayer can happen while we are driving or working, in the classroom, or in any social setting, and I’m not talking about the ‘OH. MY. GOD.’ we frequently hear today.

Prayer; praying out loud, has its place, whether in church or out, but my focus here is really about conversing with GOD. Just talking. As I grow in faith, I realize that talking to GOD doesn’t need to be formal. I don’t need anyone else saying prayers for me in lieu of my own prayers (but I’m always happy to know that people are praying for me!) I just need to be having conversations with my LORD. Before getting out of bed in the morning, a quick “Thank You LORD for another day, Your Will be done today” helps my day start in the right direction. I whisper inaudible prayers all day – “LORD, I believe; help my unbelief” is one that I pray when faced things that are out of my control…. which is frequently! “Keep me safe on the roads.” “Bless [insert name]” ….. I actually try to pray this whenever my mind strays to someone who has hurt me. God knows quite well that what my human side really wants is to hurt that person back, but by asking Him to bless that person, I can receive God’s forgiveness and Grace.

Prayer shouldn’t be any more difficult than talking with your best friend. It shouldn’t stress us out, but thinking that we can only approach Him in a formal way, or through a priest or pastor, keeps us from knowing GOD and His will for us/me. Just talk to Him. I’ve started many conversations with Him by admitting I don’t know what to pray, that I don’t have any words. I know that’s okay, though, because even when we don’t have words, the Holy Spirit carries our groans, our needs to the Father. To teach us how to pray, JESUS gave us this, and we call it ‘The LORD’S Prayer.”

“Pray like this: Our FATHER in heaven, may Your Name be kept Holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly FATHER will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your FATHER will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:9‭-‬10‭, ‬12‭-‬15 NLT

There is tremendous power in prayer, whether it is you, alone by yourself, or together with fellow Christians, and regardless of whether words are spoken out loud or silently. Remember what JESUS said to His followers: “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, My Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as My followers, I am there among them.” – Matthew 18:19‭-‬20 NLT

My prayer is that my words today can help ease us all as we struggle through this life, because old or young or in between, prayer works. Don’t let selfish pride get in your way, thinking you’ll somehow do it wrong or embarrass yourself in your praying. That’s just the enemy trying to separate you from GOD! Amen.

Continue reading “How Do You Pray?” →

What Is Your Cross?

“Then He {JESUS} said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23 NLT

What is your cross? I feel like mine changes with the seasons of my life. For now, it seems to be a combination of things. Not having a companion, lack of financial stability, physical issues. Looking at my life, though, I know that these things that feel so heavy to me are really minor in view of the world. I know that these are more “crosses” because of my wants, not because of any real needs. I may not have a spouse to share my life with, but I have wonderful friends and family who love me (in spite of me!). My financial state is somewhat precarious, but in spite of my lack of preparation in life, I have a house – a warm, secure home – and somehow, I have enough to live, day by day. The physical issues are being addressed, and I understand that even though the pain and discomfort may never go away, nothing is life-threatening. So then, what is my cross?

My cross is insecurity and fear of the unknown of life here on earth; my cross is giving up the control I think I have over my life. News flash to self : there is NO control when I am in charge of things! Giving up control is at the heart of what JESUS said. “…. you must give up your own way ….”

But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard [for those who trust in riches] to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” – Mark 10:24‭b-‬25 NLT

That’s pretty clear, but we humans are hard-headed. We want, if not millions, then enough money and things to be comfortable on our terms, not God’s. Like the Apostle Paul, I have had plenty, and I have had nothing. Unlike Paul, I have not been very thankful in my circumstances! Followers of Christ need to recognize that our lives may be, probably will be, less than comfortable in this life, even difficult and painful to the end.

JESUS said “…. I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for My sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have Eternal Life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” – Mark 10:29‭-‬31 NLT

Listen to “Gracefully Broken” by Matt Redman

Thankful. Bah, Humbug!

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

Do you find it difficult to be thankful for whatever it is you are dealing with in your life? No companion/spouse/helpmate, no retirement, no job; chronic illness, disease, sick child/family member; death of a loved one? No power, no heat/AC, no transportation, no food ….. no home? Infested with fleas, spiders, roaches, snakes? I’m sure I have left something off!

Beginning at the beginning of human history; since Adam and Eve made the fatal decision to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, humans have had to deal with a plethora of hard circumstances. Just a few: Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. David was chased and persecuted by King Saul. Moses had some sort of speech impediment. The Apostles and disciples of JESUS have been beaten, persecuted, flogged, abused, and killed since the beings of their ministries. The persecution of Christians hasn’t stopped. Even in their agony, they have proclaimed JESUS, and thanked GOD for the privilege to be sacrificed for His Glory. There are hundreds, thousands, even millions of examples throughout our history of people giving thanks to God in the midst of depravation and trials. Very few of us today have any real reasons to complain, but we have plenty of reasons to be thankful. This is, to me, the biggest reason to be thankful:

“And I am convinced that NOTHING can ever separate us from GOD’s Love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from GOD’s Love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the Love of GOD that is revealed in CHRIST JESUS our LORD.” – Romans 8:38‭-‬39 NLT

If there is something big and ugly going on in your life, be Thankful for the little things .…. Remember toilet paper! ….. And remember JESUS!

Everything …. Or Nothing

“We do not wish either to be, or to live among, people who are clean or honest or kind as a matter of duty: we want to be, and associate with, people who like being clean and honest and kind.” – #CSLewis (Emphasis mine)

Whatever I do, and whatever I say, even whatever I think, I want to do because it is my choice, my decision – not because someone tells me. I am very aware of how utterly blessed I am to be born in the U.S.A.; to live in a Republic and not in a Socialist country or in a Dictatorship. Here, I can say whatever pleases me; good, bad, ugly, or indifferent. I can disparage the government without fear of reprisal; I can attend the church of my choice. America is still a land of opportunity for those who are willing to work. (Apparently, there are an awful lot of people who have made living off others and the government their “opportunity.” – but that’s another story!)

I can have the expectation that success and comfort and riches will be handed to me through no effort on my part, but for the vast majority of us, that will never happen. Those things only come through hard work and dedication. I know people who live a certain way as a matter of duty, but that is not me. I hope people who know me see that I am clean-living and honest and kind because it is my choice, my life; because it is how I want to be – not because of any rules or regulations or orders. It is not a duty that compels; it is not the ‘rules’ that require me to be this way. My devotion and my love for my JESUS, my LORD, makes me want to live that way. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” – Philippians 4:12 NLT

This is not an easy task, but it is not difficult, either. It is not easy, because we have to commit our lives to the Living GOD, and it is never easy as a human to let go of control. It’s not difficult, because through our surrender, we become free. Like the butterfly that struggles to get out of it’s cocoon, or the bird struggling to break of it’s shell, once we shed the confinement of our earthly wants and desires, we are free to fly! To soar with JESUS, above and beyond anything earthly. When we are with Him, it is easy to be content in our hearts, no matter the circumstance. We still need to be present in the world so that we can let JESUS shine His Light through the flaws and cracks in our earthly shell. We need to be present, both to give and to receive blessings.

Where do you stand today? Clean, honest, and kind because you choose, or because it is your duty?

Fake News

“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.” – 1 John 4:1 NLT

Fake News. I keep hearing this phrase, like it’s a new thing for people to be spreading false stories. Well, it’s not new. Since the beginning of time, we have been battling fake news, starting in the Garden with Adam and Eve. Remember this? God is speaking to Adam:

“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

Fast forward a few verses to Eve, who is having a conversation with the serpent, who was not the same as the serpent as we now know them. In fact, it seems to me that this serpent was probably beautiful to look at…. and aside from his beauty, did you catch that the serpent could talk? Do you imagine, like I do, that all of God’s creatures could converse in the Garden???

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “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.’” “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.” – Genesis 3:1‭-‬5 NLT

Wow. Talk about fake news! Does hearing the enemy’s lies about something you are considering evoke the feeling that it is okay to do whatever it is in spite of knowing it is wrong? Throughout the scriptures, we are repeatedly warned and admonished for following false leaders and listening to the lies of that serpent, the enemy of mankind. Just like with Eve and countless others throughout the ages, the enemy knows just what to say to entice us into sin. Have you ever said this to someone about the music you listen to? “I don’t listen to the words, I just like the music.” Really? I’m definitely guilty. Whether you are consciously aware of the words or not, they are soaking into your brain, so the obscenities and sex and violence are getting in, and that is EXACTLY what the enemy wants. Drinking to excess is glorified, as is adultery and sex outside of marriage. You are watching TV and a Victoria’s Secret fashion show or commercial comes on. Do you turn it off or let the jmages soak into your brain? Not only is it intended to arouse sexual feelings, they send a horrible message to our girls that these are the bodies they should strive for rather than loving the body God gave them. I’ve been caught up in all that garbage, and still struggle with my appearance and behavior because of all the lies. Most women and men are also in the battle.

Fake news is designed to evoke feelings so that we respond viscerally with our feelings instead of considering it for any truth it might contain. How do we ascertain that it is fake news? Research. Just because something is online or in the news doesn’t make it true. There are a lot of flagrant lies out there for us to hear and see. The best test is to know the scriptures and to stay in a conversation with the LORD. He won’t steer us wrong, ever, but we have to hear Him and listen to Him.

LORD, today my prayer is that we, your people around the world, will be more aware of Your Presence in our lives. I pray for our eyes and ears to be opened to Your guidance, and for less reliance on questionable news…. and I think all news is questionable until we test it through You. Thank You, LORD, for Your care and watch over us as we go about our days. I pray for the faith of a mustard seed that You will deliver me and continue to provide my needs in this time. You are Awesome, LORD. Amen.

Genesis

Have you ever just sat down to read Genesis? It’s fascinating to read how everything we know of came into existence, and I love the description of the garden. Sure, the chapters of “begats” can be a little tedius, but it’s a beautifully written history text. (As is the rest of the Bible!)

“Then the LORD GOD planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He placed the man, Adam, He had made.
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.
The LORD GOD placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 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.” “

{Note: Adam could eat from the tree of Life, but not from ONE tree out of all the many trees, only the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One tree forbidden, and that was one too many! He and Eve had to have the fruit of that one tree. Everything surrounding Adam was beautiful and good, and he – like us – just had to have that ONE thing that is off limits. WHY do we persist on, and INSIST on, the one thing we “can’t” have???}

“Then the LORD GOD said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
So the LORD GOD formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one.
He {Adam} gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals.
But still there was no helper just right for him. So the LORD GOD caused Adam 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 Adam.“At last!” Adam 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.
Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.” – Genesis 2:8-22,15-25 NLT

Like Adam and Eve, we continue to push the limits, to have that thing we know is wrong. Don’t know about you, but I’m getting anxious to see Jesus and live in that breathtaking garden with Him!

“Seek the LORD while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that He may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our GOD, for He will forgive generously.” – Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT

Yes, turn to God, and let HIM do the forgiving. As humans, we are incapable of the type of forgiveness God has. We try to forgive on our own (“I can do it!”) but the best we can do is to relegate the hurt to a dark corner of our minds, where it can resurface at the most inconvenient and inopportune times. In recovery, a very common phrase is “Let go and let GOD.” Not easy, but it is necessary – it is VITAL – in order to have inner peace.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.”

“It is the same with My Word. I send it out, and it ALWAYS produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in Joy and Peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the LORD’S Name; they will be an everlasting sign of His Power and Love.” – Isaiah 55:8-13 NLT

God always provides for His children. He provides for me on a daily basis, and He is always here to support me. He doesn’t always provide our WANTS; He will always provide our NEEDS, even though we often can’t tell wants and needs apart. One day, maybe today, and maybe in a hundred years or more, Jesus will return to live on earth again. This is why we share the Gospel. He said He will return when everyone has heard His Word; His Good News. When that day comes, there will be a reformation of the earth. I can hardly wait!