Tag: #Gratitude

What’s In A Name?

What name do you have? Daughter, son, sister, brother; Mother, Father, aunt, uncle; spouse, friend, enemy, boss, employee… there are many names to choose from, and many – most – of us have multiple names. There’s the name we were born with, and for some, there is the name, or names, we changed to later. I am a daughter and a sister; aunt, friend, partner. I have been a wife and a mother (although I think that any woman who has carried a child, even for a few days, is always thereafter a mother); I have been homeless; I have been an employee; and I have been a business owner and partner.

I have been a thorn in the side to many people, sometimes with deliberation and sometimes inadvertently. I am one of “THOSE” people.

Some of the names we carry will always stick with us. I will always be my parent’s daughter, and I will always be a sister. Being an employee, or even a friend, can change. We can lose the name of wife or husband through death or divorce. We can be disinherited by our earthly My favorite name is one that will never – got that, NEVER – change. I am a child of God, daughter of the Most High LORD. Despite the bad choices I made throughout my life, I made some good ones. The best was when I accepted the salvation of Jesus Christ. At that moment, I became the daughter of The King, and that will never change. Even though I turned my back on my earthly family, and my heavenly Father, I remained a daughter. God did not let go of me, ever. In the depths of my misery, deep in my heart I knew my Savior was there. The darkest nights, the deepest black you can imagine, there was a tiny flicker of hope that came through the darkness. No matter had hard the enemy tried to extinguish it, no matter how suffocating, that tiny flicker remained. It was difficult to see, but I knew it was there. Somewhere.

In recovery, we say you have to be sick and tired of being sick and tired before you will make a change. I like the way Billy Graham says it, too:

“In God’s economy, you must go down into the valley of grief before you can scale the heights of spiritual glory. You must become tired and weary of living alone before you seek and find the fellowship of Christ. You must come to the end of “self” before you can begin to live. The happiest day of my life was when I realized that my own ability, my own goodness, and my own morality were insufficient in the sight of God. I am not exaggerating when I say that my mourning was turned to joy, and my sighing into singing. Happy are they that mourn for the inadequacy of self, for they shall be comforted with the sufficiency of God. Lord Jesus, I know that apart from You I can do nothing of lasting value. Help me to come to the end of self and allow You to control the reins of my life.”

Psalms 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

All we have to do is ask… Jesus said: “ANYONE who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from His Heart.’” John 7:38

Are YOU sick and tired of your situation? There is only ONE answer, and ONE Healer. His Name is JESUS. Choose the Name above all names. Become a daughter or son of God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light, and it is only Him Who can dispel that darkness. I pray we’ll see you in the Light!

Stormy Times!

I am not Paul; I do not have his eloquence, but I can relate to him. My prayer, though, is that a little of what I have learned from my earthly Father and from my heavenly Father is worth sharing and reading.

1 Corinthians 2:1-10 “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about GOD. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s Power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on GOD’S Power.
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare GOD’S Wisdom, a Mystery that has been hidden and that GOD destined for our glory before time began.
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the LORD of Glory. However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – the things GOD has prepared for those who love Him – these are the things GOD has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches ALL things, even the deep things of God.”

My testimony is not about me, but rather about Jesus and His healing power, just as Paul’s is. The hurt, the broken, the addicted, the hopeless. We have the power of healing at our fingertips. Jesus said in Luke 17:6 “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”

I don’t even have that much faith!

Even though my faith is miniscule, it is enough. My God is enough. He is bigger than my faith, and He is bigger than my doubt! He is able to answer and He provides for my needs. Always.

He is here for YOU, too. Jesus. He is more powerful, more fierce, and more loving than anything we can imagine. Right here, right now, let Him have the battle with your demons. I cannot defeat mine, and you cannot defeat yours…. Not on your own and in your own strength. Only Jesus. ONLY JESUS.

Just say Jesus.

Love God, Hate Evil

I love that when I go to Facebook to put my thoughts out there, it always asks “What’s on your mind?” This is on my mind: Loving God, Hating evil; Living as God would have me to. Put another way: Love God, Love people, Love yourself…. Hate evil.

“As I learn Your Righteous regulations, I will thank You by living as I should!” – Psalms 119:7 NLT

How does that translate into our lives today?

“Jesus replied, “My Light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the Light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the Light while there is still time; then you will become children of the Light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.” – John 12:35‭-‬36 NLT

But, WHERE is the Light? How do we find it? It is so simple, many people can’t accept it. They want to make it complicated, but here is the simple, unadorned Truth: There is ONE source for the Truth; one source for the Light. That source is made available to anyone – ANYONE – who wants it. That source, the Handbook for life, is called the Bible. God-breathed, God inspired, God given. Paul gives us great instructions on sharing the Light of Jesus.:

“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” – Romans 12:9‭-‬10‭, ‬13 NLT

It’s all about Love, Light, and freedom from an eternity in hell – and yes, Virginia, there IS a hell, an actual physical place that bleeds over into the world. I have seen glimpses, and it literally almost destroyed me, physically, mentally, and especially spiritually. Just as that evil still tries to destroy me, Satan, who embodies pure evil, strives to destroy us all. “HATE what is wrong.” (verse 9b)

The ONE thing that God is adamant about is the LOVE Him; to accept Jesus Christ as the One Way, the ONLY Way, to true contentment. If we love Him, and give HIM the priority in our lives, we are more likely to recognize evil. If we read His Instruction Manual, we are more likely to recognize the “wrongs” in our life.

Are you willing to turn your back on the things the world deems acceptable? Are you ready to have friends and family tell you that what they are doing is all in fun, and not at all sinful, in order to justify their actions?

Loving God and following His Word is often difficult because of the people around us, but the joy and contentment He provides is well worth it! Jesus taught His disciples and entrusted them with His profound message, which they shared with the world through their teaching and preaching. Most importantly, they wrote it all down, so that all further generations would have the Words of Jesus to follow, too. We have heard the Gospel; now, what will we do with it, in light of the current state of the world?

“Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My Name, for they do not know the One who sent Me.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.
If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father.
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
When the Advocate comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of Truth Who goes out from the Father – He will testify about Me.
And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.” — John 15:20‭-‬27

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Pretty powerful stuff…….

Greater Things

What a contrast. As I was watching a newscast of the destruction in Puerto Rico from the latest hurricane, Chris Tomlin came on the radio with this song. Take a moment, and in light of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and the floods in the floods in India and Pakistan; the massive earthquakes in Mexico, and the threat of war from North Korea, really focus on his words.

God of This City

Chris Tomlin

”

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city

You’re the God of this City
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater…”

As the darkness descends in our world, we are seeing record storms and record famines and record floods. We have dictators who seem bent on world destruction. In the United States, we have violence and looting of our neighbors, conflict between the police and the people, and we are being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants who have no desire to come into the country legally. We have politicians who are more concerned with their personal gain than the care of the people who elected them. Politicians and pro athletes and Hollywood actors who blatantly disrespect our flag and our country.

Do you believe that the Bible is the Word of God, given to us for our instruction? I do. After you read these verses, tell me, does it sound like what’s happening on the earth now?

“When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.” – Revelation 6:3‭-‬8 (http://bible.com/116/rev.6.3-8.NLT)

As frightening as these predictions are, there is hope for followers of Jesus Christ. Check out these verses!

“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:9‭-‬10 (http://bible.com/116/rev.7.9-10.NLT)

Salvation only comes from the Lamb, the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Promises, Promises

Our lives are full of broken promises. When I turned 5, I was supposed to get a pony for my birthday…. in my mind, at least! Instead, my Dad accepted the pastorate in a small town miles away and we had to move away from our little farm. How dare he! I’m very proud of my Dad for doing this, because he had to stand up to hisparent’s very strong objections. I didn’t get my pony; I got a father who had courage and conviction and a strong faith. People continued to disappoint me as I grew up. My first boyfriend went away to college and ended our relationship. At my college, my first roommates lied and snubbed me – I was naive enough to believe that they were going to welcome me and we would be friends. Not a promise, per se, but definitely an expectation. I broke, have broken, more than my share of promises. A marriage vow is a promise, and I went into my first marriage having received the promise of a faithful husband who would care for me, protect me, and stand by me.

With those promises all broken, it broke me, for many, many years.

Look at Cain and Abel, Noah, Enoch, Abraham and Sarah. (Read Hebrews 11 for the background). Issac, Jacob, Esau…. Job. The list continues, through the entire Bible.

“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. ….. It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command. How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.” – Hebrews 11:13‭, ‬23‭-‬23‭, ‬32
(http://bible.com/116/heb.11.13-32.NLT)

God has promised that anyone who believes on the LORD Jesus Christ will be saved from eternal damnation and the fires of hell. Why should we believe that God will honor His Promises? The next time it rains, look for the rainbow. God created the rainbow as a sign to signify His promise to Noah that the world would never again be completely flooded, and it hasn’t been. God promised the prophets of old that He would send the Messiah to bear our sins, doing away with the need for a blood sacrifice. He sent Jesus, His Son – His SON – as the Messiah to die for the sins of the world, and to conquer death forever.

When I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired, I accepted that I couldn’t fix me. I had to let Jesus and the Holy Spirit into my heart to begin the healing process. I’m not “fixed” by any measure, but I am getting better. In this world, I accept that life will continue to be a struggle, BUT I know, through faith, that whatever happens here, I will spend eternity with Jesus and many loved ones.

It’s HARD to keep our faith during struggles with broken promises. Broken marriages, lies and cheating, test our faith. Bosses and friends who lie and backstab, betrayal from all sides… these things are so difficult to see past when they are happening. All I can tell you to keep faith is to look UP, not down and certainly not around, and place your trust in God. We will be hurt in the life. We will be lied to and cheated on and betrayed by other people. We will lie and cheat and betray people at some point; it’s inevitable as humans. (Thanks, Adam and Eve!) The LORD will never let you down. He doesn’t lie or cheat or betray us – those honors go to the enemy, Satan.

Be thankful for the little things. Do you have food to eat? Toilet paper? Plenty of things to be thankful for if you just look. Pray. Pray often, praising God for our blessings (remember, LITTLE things count!) Pray, Praise, Thanksgiving.

Waste Not – Or, Let Me Offend You Today….

“God blessed them {That means US, His human creations} and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.” Genesis 1:28‭-‬30 (http://bible.com/111/gen.1.28-30.NIV)

“When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ” John 6:12 (http://bible.com/111/jhn.6.12.NIV)

I’ve had this conversation so many times. As Americans, we are so wasteful that at times I am ashamed to be called one. When I had the opportunities to go to Europe, I was able to see firsthand how restrictive their laws are regarding waste. The result is that people are much more aware of their habits. Rather than throwing everything into one trash receptacle, it was sorted by what could be recycled, what could be composted, and what could be fed to the chickens. My grandma taught me that we should respect the earth, and her garden and root cellar were a wonderful place for a kid. I realize that really, very few Americans get to experience the beauty of rich earth and growing things, and it is such a shame. We grow up watching television and glued to social media, with ads shouting at us that we “NEED” all of these things…. shipped in from other countries, wasting resources. Yes, this is my opinion. We are horribly wasteful. When I moved into my house, the city provided me with two – TWO – large waste bins, and one small recycling bin. ONE recycling bin. Isn’t that a little backward?

Think about what you trash that could be recycled. Paper. Actually, shredded paper is an excellent mulch… but we would rather trash it and create more waste to dispose of instead of sending it to be recycled. Plastic! Oh, I could rant for hours on plastic, but I won’t. It is one item that is easily reused and recycled…. but it’s EASIER to just throw it away. I’ve been told (quite strongly, actually) that it is the JOB of the trash men to sort out the trash. Maybe that was true years ago, but not any longer. I remember going to the dump and seeing where the appliances and other usable items were put out where you could retrieve them, if you were so inclined. Watching the trucks lined up at the modern dumps – excuse me, “landfills ” – you can see how impossible that would be now.

Do you know that you can take in your aluminum and get paid for it? Also other metals?

Then we have glass. I love glass containers. They are non-reactive, so anything can be stored in glass safely. I’d love to see the deposit put back on glass bottles so that we could exchange them. We have a new shop here that sells spices, and she’ll use your glass bottles to put them in for you. Pretty cool, because it saves us both money, and eliminates waste.

Finally, let me touch on water. Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink… how dependent we are on water! Without water, there is no life, yet we squander it daily as if it is limitless. There is another water that we desperately need, too, even more than we need the water that flows from our taps. I’m talking about the Living Water of Jesus Christ. Do you know that water?

“In GOD, Whose Word I praise— in GOD I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 56:4 (https://psalm.bible/psalm-56-4)

We can only reach this fearlessness the psalmist talks about by accepting Jesus’ Living Water. To do that; to never be thirsty again, we have to believe and receive the gift Jesus is offering. Just like the woman at the well, we have to be willing to take it.

Jesus told her, “If you knew the Gift of GOD and Who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you Living Water….. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the Water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the Water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to ETERNAL Life.” John 4:10‭, ‬13‭-‬14 (http://bible.com/111/jhn.4.10-14.NIV)

Rant over.

The Law

The LAW. Civil, criminal, or spiritual, we love to hate the law.

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is Life and Peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to GOD; it does not submit to GOD’S Law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please GOD….. [But] those who are led by the Spirit of GOD are the Children of GOD. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “ABBA, FATHER.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are GOD’S Children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of GOD and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:6‭-‬8‭, ‬14‭-‬17 (http://bible.com/111/rom.8.6-17.NIV)

“If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” In jails and in prisons across the world, the inmates all claim they are innocent (Really. Just ask them!). Christians, and those claiming Christianity, the “religious,” are no different from the worst criminals. We don’t like looking at our (constant) sin – and regardless of what any leader or preacher might say, we are ALL guilty and WILL be held responsible for our sins. Thank You, Jesus, that we have an Advocate Who will defend us when God the Father sits on the Judgement Seat and looks at our lives!

“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. CHRIST JESUS Who died—more than that, Who was raised to Life—is at the right Hand of GOD and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of GOD that is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD.” Romans 8:34‭-‬35‭, ‬37‭-‬39 (http://bible.com/111/rom.8.34-39.NIV)

Verses 38-39 hold ALL of our hope for our souls. Nothing – NOTHING – can separate us from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing. Paul wrote it so eloquently and completely! If there is nothing else that I have ever said is worth remembering, these verses should capture your heart and your mind. Once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we are safe from the eternity of fire. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal; once saved, always saved. Do you want Jesus to suffer the cross again, every time we tell a “white” lie (a lie is a lie, period…. and I am guilty) or every time we sin? I think anyone would say “NO!”

We are not slaves, to be crushed by the world. Instead, we have received ultimate freedom through His suffering and pain. We are also not immune to the trouble the world (i.e. Satan, the enemy) will dump on us. No, as Paul reminds us, “As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psalm 44:22) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who Loved {LOVES} us.” Romans 8:36‭-‬37 NIV http://bible.com/111/rom.8.36-37.NIV

The Truth of those words is staggering! “Jesus Loves me, this I know, For the Bible tells me so.” Still true; Amen.

Challenge

I challenge you to study God’s Word! Even though it was started 4000 years ago and finished 2000 years ago, it is as true and applicable today as it was then! Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth, but they are also directed to us today:

“…. to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be His holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our LORD Jesus Christ—their LORD and ours: Grace and Peace to you from GOD our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ. …. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our LORD Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our LORD. …. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel – not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the Power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:2‭-‬3‭, ‬8‭-‬9, 17-18 (http://bible.com/111/1co.1.2-18.NIV)

George Orwell nailed it in his statement. As Christians, we must – we MUST – speak truth. I don’t mean we should go stand on the street corner with signs, shouting “the end is near!” No, it’s within our families, among our friends and coworkers, to our neighbors we need to be speaking. These are the people we need to speak God’s truth to. Our freedom is in Jesus Christ, and I will not give up my freedom lightly! I will do all I can to protect yours, too, as I stand with Christ.