Category: Hebrews

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“The Present”

Are you thinking about “today”?

Living in the present can be a real struggle; the past is always calling us back – back to better times or trying to hold us in bondage to our failures. And then there’s the future and its promises and hopes but it too is filled with what if’s. What if I get a better job, what if we get a bigger house, what if the kids go to this college, what if, what if, what if…

Living in the present. I know you’ve heard it said before but it bears repeating. The”present” is a gift from God so we need to unwrap it and cherish it.

“My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. 13 You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called “today.” If you don’t, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. 14 We were sure about Christ when we first became his people. So let’s hold tightly to our faith until the end. 15 The Scriptures say,

“If you hear his voice today, don’t be stubborn like those who rebelled.” Hebrews 3:12-15 CEV

We have so many opportunities in Today. We can help those around us; we can give a smile, a kind word, a hug, a prayer. If we are caught up in the past or in looking too far down the road we will miss the same things that are waiting for us today. Jesus promises to never leave us. Since He’s with us today, it’s going to be a great day.

“Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:7 CEV

Enjoy today – God’s grace and strength are yours!!

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Always the Same

I took Glory out this morning and there it was, that big full moon. Yesterday morning I saw it from Rio Rico, this morning I see it in Yuma. Wherever you are I’m know you are seeing it too unless there are too many clouds or your view is obstructed for some reason.

That full moon will rotate in cycle and although it will be gone for a few days, there is no worry but that it will be back again. Same with the sunrise, very shortly the sun will start to crest the horizon and the process of daylight will start again.

Astronomers count on things being the same. We have a calendar built on the sameness of the stars, planets, sun and moon.

Shouldn’t we trust the sameness of our God?

Life brings us changes. It may be leaving an old job and taking a new one; children becoming more independent; neighbors and friends moving on or maybe you are moving; school changes; weddings; funerals. So much can change and our lives always seem to be in a state of flux. However…

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

Amen!! Have you seen what Jesus did when he walked the earth – He is the same now and He will be the same in our future. Our responsibility is to put our faith in His faithfulness.

The Lord tells us we can put our trust in Him. He is the one who brings good to our lives.

“Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” James 1:17-18 ERV

Look at what Jesus said about His purpose on earth.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19

Let His faithfulness meet you where you are & make things right.

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Lost and Found

Have you ever lost something valuable? A ring, money, your keys…

I remember when our youngest daughter was in preschool. Her class took a field trip to Sea World. I’m not sure how many mothers and fathers went along to chaperone but we had a large group and I’m so glad we did. There were two pre-school classes, teachers, helpers, parents and kids.

We had a wonderful day! After we had gone to several of the scheduled shows we broke up into smaller groups and visited the aquariums and tide pools. We were all to meet back at the main gate by the fountain at a particular time, ready to go home.

When we arrived at the fountain we asked the all important question, who has to go potty before we start back. Several hands were raised and so some of the moms and dads escorted the students to the bathrooms while others of us waited back at the fountain with the rest of the children. And then the unthinkable happened.

One of the mother’s let out a frantic cry – my kids are gone! She had brought her two younger children on the field trip with the rest of us and while she was looking after a couple of the students, her children had wandered off.

She called their names over and over again, we prayed and gathered up the rest of the children, had them sit down on the ground by the fountain under the watchful eye of 2 of the chaperones and all the rest of the adults spread out to find the missing two.

It seemed we searched for an eternity but in reality it was probably only 15-20 minutes and there they were. Hands dipping in one of the tide pools to touch the star fish. Not frightened, not worried just playing as children do!

The relief, the tears, the joy, the lecture…what was lost had been found!

Have you lost your relationship with the Lord? Maybe you’ve just wandered away for a bit – looking for something fun to do? Not realizing that you could be in danger out there in the big world all by yourself. The Bible promises us that if we seek the Lord we will find Him and that there will be a reward for seeking Him.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6 ERV

I encourage you today to search for God, search His Word and you will find that He’s right there waiting for you.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. 14 I will let you find me.” This message is from the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 ERV

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Coming Home

Home! There’s something comforting in that word.

When I got up this morning there was a big prompting on my heart. We’ve been on vacation for the last week and had a wonderful time but today we’re heading home.

Today I want to write this for those who believe they have wandered too far from God. For whatever reason you have been living life your own way. You have completely forgotten about God and may have even wondered if God is truly there.

You want to go home but you’re scared!

Now in the midst of trouble and difficult times you want to pray, you want to reach out, you want to ask God if He is really there for you but you’re afraid.

Afraid that He won’t answer. Afraid that He will reject you. Afraid that He doesn’t really care!

God is there for you – be honest. He knows your heart before you call. He knows your doubts and your fears. He knows your weaknesses and your failings. He knows everything there is to know about you and He LOVES you!

“We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way. 17 Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God.” II Corinthians 5:16-20 CEV

The reason God sent Christ to this earth was to make a way for us to have be reconciled to God. Reconciliation is to make right, to put in balance. In Christ we are put in balance with the Father.

God, the Father, is waiting for us to come to him and when we do He rewards us with His love and grace.

“Without faith no one can please God. Whoever comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who sincerely try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6

God isn’t mad at you. He’s not holding your past against you but instead He is waiting for you with open arms. He’s here to welcome you home!

“20 The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.

21 The son said, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.”

22 But his father said to the servants, “Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” And they began to celebrate.” Luke 15:20-24 CEV

Come Home! The Father’s waiting…

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Spending Time with the Kids

As parents, you all know how good it is to see your kids after a long separation – what a joy to hug their necks and be able to give them a kiss and just see them face to face. I can only imagine how our heavenly Father must feel when we chose to be separated from Him.

The joy He must feel when we come back to His presence must be unspeakable. And how it must light His day when we take time to stop throughout the day to check in and say hi. I so appreciate knowing that my Heavenly Father is always wanting me to come to presence and spend time with Him.

Take time today to make your Father smile – give Him a hug and tell Him you love Him.

“We are telling you about what we have seen and heard because we want you to have fellowship with us. The fellowship we share together is with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We write these things to you so that you can be full of joy with us.” I John 1:3-4

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16

“The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, (Daddy) Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-16

Spending time with the Father sounds like a good way to spend the day.

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God Is Faithful

God is faithful. That’s His nature, His character! When we stop to wonder “if” God will come through this time – remember His faithfulness. “Will” he be there for me?

Not sure who woke up this morning questioning and wondering if God was still there, if He could still be trusted, but whoever you are let me tell you that He is – He is the great I AM.

““So remember that the LORD your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations, ” Deuteronomy 7:9

So many changes in our modern lives, it’s hard to imagine that God is ALWAYS faithful, He is ALWAYS the same.

” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8


God is not a liar – His word is always true, you can count on Him! You can depend on His promises.
” God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises.” Numbers 23:19 CEV

Since the beginning of time the sun has come up every morning and set each evening, the tides ebb and flow, the seasons change but as constant as those things are they won’t last forever but God’s word will always remain the same.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

You can depend on God’s faithfulness. He has always been there and will always continue to be!

“The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.[b] I am the one who is, who always was, and who is coming. I am the All-Powerful.” Revelation 1:8 ERV

Trust in Him today!

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In Your Presence

I don’t often go places by myself but yesterday I had a hair appointment so I drove down to the salon. Before I pulled out of the drive I found an old CD that I had purchased years ago on one of our trips to Phoenix.

The artist was a worship leader at a church in Mesa. The songs were fresh and powerful. Her voice is strong and inviting and I had forgotten what an impact they made in my heart.

One song in particular reminded me of the devotional a few days ago of building our relationship with the Lord. It’s called In Your Presence.

How comforting it is to know that we are invited into the presence of our heavenly Father. He desires to spend time with us, He’s waiting for us to come to His throne. He wants us to know Him.

“I am the Lord, the only God.
There is no other God except me.
I put your clothes on you,
but still you don’t know me.

6 I am doing this so that everyone will know
that I am the only God.
From the east to the west, people will know that I am the Lord
and that there is no other God.

7 I made the light and the darkness.
I bring peace, and I cause trouble.
I, the Lord, do all these things.” Isaiah 45:5-7 ERV

Our relationship with the Heavenly Father is a loving, kind and miraculous one. His purpose from the beginning, from the garden, was to have this kind of relationship. One where we could walk and talk to each other, one where we are in His presence and not afraid.

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.”
Hebrews 4:16 ERV

Things bothering you today – life presenting you challenges – joys you want to share? Come boldly to His presence!

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HELP!! HELP!! August 13, 2017

HELP!! HELP!!
Do you ever feel like screaming at the top of your lungs, “I need help”? In our self-sufficient, self-reliant world it’s considered a sign of weakness and even failure to cry out for help. We can’t admit that we aren’t able to “handle it”, whatever it is but in our spiritual walk, its completely the opposite.

“I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the LORD, who created the heavens and the earth. 3 The LORD is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.” Psalm 121 CEV

“Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth” Psalm 124:8 KJV

While doing a search on the word help, I found that it is listed 166 times in the King James version of the Bible and most of those times it is used in context of the Lord being there to help; the others generally refer to us helping others.

It’s easy to get caught up in relying on our intellect, money, position, our government and even our family to be our basis for support and help. However, it’s important that we realize where our help truly comes from.

“ Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,
“I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.”
6 So we can feel sure and say,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. People can do nothing to me.” Hebrews 13:5-6 CEV

Look up! You’ll find the help you need!

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Impatience

Impatience is a destroyer of faith. When we become impatient we begin to try to work things out on our own – we wonder if God is ever going to come through – what’s taking sooooooooooo long? Those kind of thoughts come from doubt and bring fear – fear that it is never going to work out right. Doubt and fear will choke out the promises of God’s word – they can out weigh faith, if we let them. We must stand with confidence in God’s word if we expect to see God’s promised fulfilled.

” But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:6-8

Abram followed God from his home out into the middle of nowhere because God made him a promise. A promise that he would possess great land and be the father of many nations. But Abraham never really took possession of the land he had been promised – he lived the life of a nomad – moving from place to place but all the time he held fast to God’s promise.

What is it that God has promised you? What have you left to follow God? No looking back – keep your eyes on the prize of the high calling of God. Don’t give up – don’t fall back. Move forward – continue to follow in obedience to what God has put in your heart.

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him…By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she[f] considered that the One who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.” Hebrews 11:6, 8-12

Keep going – A friend of ours told us once “If God says go north He will provide, if you go south you’ll think you died”. Follow God and He’ll lead you to your promised land.

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