Loving Care

Yesterday we were at the racetrack. These races are for the year’s championship title. It’s our time with our oldest daughter and son-in-law and it’s also a great time to people watch.

That’s what I found myself doing during last night’s Xfinity race.

We had a family directly in front of us. Down about 10 rows was another family group. Then right before the race started a family with a small boy came and sat directly behind us. All three families caught my eye.

One family had two children about 8 and 10, the small boy was about 3 or 4 and the other child was a baby about 6 to 9 months. All the kids had the right ear protection, were dressed warmly and were happy.

Happy because mom, dad and extended family members were giving them the attention and loving care they needed. Although the adults came to watch the race, be part of the action and cheer for their favorite driver, their kids took priority.

There were several trips to the concession stand for food and drinks, and more than one exit to the restrooms. Even the baby was cuddled and rocked safely in loving arms. Not once did I hear a cross word or see one of the children being scolded.

No.

There were smiles exchanged between the adults as they would get up and leave the grandstands. Helping kids maneuver the grandstand seats, and not disrupting the other race fans, as much as possible, was their general concern.

Yes. They missed parts of the race, and maybe they missed seeing their favorite driver make an exciting move, but their attention was on the child who was dependent upon them.

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us.” Romans 8:31 ERV

I couldn’t help but think of the lyrics from an old song, “My heavenly Father watches over me”.

“Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 ERV

Our heavenly Father rules the universe, but we have His attention. He knows what we need, and He provides.

“The Father has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are his children. But the people in the world don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him. Dear friends, now we are children of God…”I John 3:1-2 ERV

My prayer is that you will know and trust God’s love just like those little children at the race track last night.

I am so thankful for our Father’s loving care!

Talking About Jesus

Really my favorite thing to do is talk about Jesus.

My day was hectic, but the bright spot was spending a few minutes talking about Jesus and His goodness. Well, you can’t talk about His goodness without talking about the sacrifice He made for all of us.

Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:2 CEV

His sacrifice took away my sins, your sins and yes, the sins of the whole world. No one was left out; no one needs to experience the punishment for sin because Jesus took it for us.

“But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God’s right side, 13 and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. 14 By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.” Hebrews 10:12-14 CEV

Christ willingly offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. That was His life’s mission while He was here on earth. It was His eternal destiny from the beginning of the age. He was born to die.

“The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.” II Peter 3:9 CEV

As my friend and I were talking we both said how amazing it is that God not only forgives our sins, but He chooses to forget them, as well. He doesn’t remind us of our sin, in fact, He wants us to be free of a guilty conscience.

“Then he says, ‘I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.’ 18 And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins.” Hebrews 10:17-18 ERV

 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.” Hebrews 10:22 ERV

As I child, I often sang a hymn without really understanding the meaning. “Calvary Covers It All” seemed to be a theme of our church. Now, that song has such great depth of meaning to me.

“Far dearer than all that the world can impart

Was the message came to my heart;

How that Jesus alone for my sin did atone,

And Calvary covers it all.

Chorus

Calvary covers it all,

My past with its sin and shame;

My guilt and despair

Jesus took on him there

And Calvary covers it all.”

No fear, no condemnation, no guilty conscience. Only forgiveness, confidence and peace. Yes, let’s talk about Jesus and how grateful I am for His everlasting love!

Sincere Prayer

Yesterday a friend reminded me that I need to write a short blurb about the prayer meeting nights we will have this season.

I’ve been thinking about that, even composing some thoughts in my sleep. When I woke this morning, I still hadn’t completely decided on what to share but after my Bible reading the Lord prompted me to focus on sincere prayer.

So, before I share it with them, I will share it with you.

“Everything the Lord does is good. Everything he does shows how loyal he is.
18 The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help. 19 He listens to his followers and does what they want. He answers their prayers and saves them.” Psalm 145:17-19 ERV

Prayer doesn’t need to be lengthy, and it certainly doesn’t need to be filled with Thee’s and Thou’s, but it does need to come from the heart. Our Father does appreciate honestly and sincerity.

 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

God has given us an open door. His desire is that we come to Him in time of need. He wants us to know that we will find the help we need when we come to His presence.

“We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. 15 He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.” I John 5:14-15 ERV

Prayer is more than just asking for things. Prayer is talking to the Father, getting to know His heart. Sharing our joys and our sorrows. Learning what He wants for us and who He wants us to become. He wants us to know His will.

How do we know His will? Good question. Glad you asked. His will is His word. Every time God made a promise that was His will and He does not lie. I love what Jesus said on the sermon on the Mount. (Remember, we studied that whole sermon verse by verse about a month back.)

Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.

“Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock10 Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not! 11 You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him.‘ Matthew 7:7-11 ERV

Our heavenly Father desires the very best for us. He knows better than we do, what we need. We can be confident that when we pray and ask for something He will never give us something that will be detrimental to our lives. His gifts are good.

And, to close, prayer must have an element of gratitude. We don’t just come asking but we must come with a grateful heart knowing we will receive.

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.” Philippians 4:6 ERV

Sincere prayer is a child (us), coming to the Father, asking for help. Thanking Him for all He’s given us and leaving our request in His hands, knowing He will work everything out for our good.

May all our prayers be sincere!

Steadfast & Immovable

I’m sure you’ve had those moments when something pops into your mind and you say to yourself, “Gosh, I haven’t thought about that in a long time”. This morning is one of those moments for me.

I was praying over friends and family this morning and I began to pray these words. “Lord, let them be steadfast and immovable. A solid representation of Your love. Not moved by the world’s opinions but standing firm on Your infallible word”.

It was then a flood of Scriptures came rolling in. Verses I had committed to my heart years ago, verses that have been my life-line both physically, emotionally, and spiritually for many years.

Today, I liked to share them with you. Verses of victory and strength.

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 NLT

Steadfast and immovable. Steadfast: resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering

“If you live to satisfy your sinful self, the harvest you will get from that will be eternal death. But if you live to please the Spirit, your harvest from the Spirit will be eternal lifeWe must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. 10 When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it…”Galatians 6:8-10 ERV

Don’t grow weary in well doing.

 To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 ERV

When you’ve done all to stand, STAND.

 Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say,

‘For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.’

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39 ERV

Complete victory: more than a conqueror.

“We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow.Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5 CEV

Overcome the world.

My dear friend, your struggle is not too great for God. His word is the solid rock foundation to build our lives on. Built on His word we can be and will be steadfast and immovable in the storms and we will stand!

Cleansed

The definition I found of this word is simple and succinct.

“make (something, especially the skin) thoroughly clean”

Thoroughly clean. What an amazing thought!

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death. The law was without power because it was made weak by our sinful selves. But God did what the law could not do: He sent his own Son to earth with the same human life that everyone else uses for sin. God sent him to be an offering to pay for sin. So God used a human life to destroy sin. He did this so that we could be right just as the law said we must be. Now we don’t live following our sinful selves. We live following the Spirit.

People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do. If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.” Romans 8:1-6 ERV

When we were in Greece last year, we spent a lot of time walking on the beach. The waves would roll in and when they receded our footprints had been completely removed. The seashore was once again cleansed of our trespass.

That’s what God’s love and provision of salvation does for our lives. It cleanses us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

 But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” I John 1:9 ERV

 He died to make the church holy. He used the telling of the Good News to make the church clean by washing it with water27 Christ died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be holy and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other thing wrong in it.” Ephesians 5:26-27 ERV

When we come to the Father, confessing our sin, He cleanses us. Washes us clean. His word says that He not only forgives our sin but He forgets it as well. God will never remind us of our past transgression. He removes it from us.

“I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18 ERV

God forgives and forgets however; we often dwell on the things we’ve done wrong. We need to have our guilty conscience cleansed so that we can live in the freedom Christ died to bring us.

“Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time...22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.” Hebrews 10:10 & 22 ERV

Because of Christ we can have a clear conscience and confidence in our relationship with God.

“And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God, because God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything.” I John 3:20 ERV

My dear friend this is the good news of the gospel – we are not condemned. We are cleansed – made thoroughly clean!

Don’t Be Discouraged!

I realized yesterday when I talked about hardships that some of those reading this blog may be discouraged by that thought. So, let’s continue on.

As I pointed out the Apostle Paul had many opportunities to become discouraged because his hardships were many. However, he never accepted defeat. Instead of going from battle to battle, he went from victory to victory. He had his mind set, like concrete, in the truth of God’s word.

“Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLV

When we come to Christ and begin to study God’s word there is a transformation that begins to take place in our minds. Instead of seeing limitations we see God’s intervention and His power.

 It is true, we live in a body of flesh. But we do not fight like people of the world. We do not use those things to fight with that the world uses. We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. Those things God gives to fight with destroy the strong-places of the devil. We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 NLV

The people Paul was writing to were used to seeing soldiers invading their lands; fighting men ready to conquer a weaker or diminished force. He pointed out that ours was a different kind of battle. Ours is a battle of faith – trusting and believing God to do what He has promised. Breaking down every thought that tries to diminish the power of God in our lives.

“This is the last thing I want to say: Be strong with the Lord’s strength11 Put on the things God gives you to fight with. Then you will not fall into the traps of the devil. 12 Our fight is not with people. It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world. It is against the demon world that works in the heavens. 13 Because of this, put on all the things God gives you to fight with. Then you will be able to stand in that sinful day. When it is all over, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:10-13 NLV

Still standing! Going from victory to victory.

Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victoryNo one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:4-5 CEV

“But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” I Corinthians 15:57 ERV

Hardships, yes. Victory? Absolutely, through Christ we always triumph!

Way Too Early

My watch said it was 1:30 a.m. That’s just too early to get up, so I laid there for another thirty minutes, hoping to go back to sleep but that didn’t happen. My mind was racing, so much to do in the next few days; I needed to write things down so I didn’t forget the little things.

Have you ever been there? I grabbed my robe and slippers, turned on the coffee, sat down with my notepad in hand and made my list. Honestly, I was surprised at what happened next.

After listing a few things that I knew had to be done, I sat quietly waiting for my next thoughts. These I will share with you. This list, that came to mind, is so much better than the chore list I had just written.

“Always be full of joy. Never stop praying. Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:17-19 ERV

Be thankful! So, I made a list of things I am thankful for at 2 a.m.

  1. New Life when I was spiritually dead – Romans 3:23-24 “God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. 23 All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.”
  2. Joy that replaces sorrow – Isaiah 61:3 “…I will give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. I will give them the oil of joy instead of sorrow, and a spirit of praise instead of a spirit of no hope.”
  3. Peace in the middle of the storm – Mark 4:37 “Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.”
  4. Strength when I feel too weak to go on – II Corinthians 12:9 “But the Lord said, ‘My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.’ So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me.”
  5. Hope when all seems lost – Romans 15:13 “ I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
  6. Guidance when I’m not sure of what to do – Psalm 119:105 “Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.”
  7. Victory in Battle – I John 5:4-5 “Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.”
  8. Forgiveness when I fall and healing from dis-ease – Psalm 103:3-4 “ He forgives all my sins. He heals all my diseases. He saves my life from the grave. He crowns me with loving-kindness and pity.”
  9. Never being left alone – Hebrews 13:5 “…for He has said, ‘I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

God is ALWAYS faithful to His word and because He is, it is always way too early to worry!

A Much Better Way

The word “better” kept going through my mind this morning. As I sipped my coffee, I kept thinking about better. Even the coffee I drink is called “Seattle’s Best”, but that’s not the better I am talking about.

The Apostle Paul teaches that each of us has a vital role to play in our Christian walk. He refers to us as a body with many parts; some are more attractive that others, some seem to have a greater impact but each cell in the body, each organ, muscle, bone, tendon, and tissue are important. Each of us are important but then he makes this statement:

31 I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better wayLove is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or 5 rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails!…12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 13 For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.” I Corinthians 12:31, 13:4-8,12, 13 CEV

Paul is only repeating what was seen in the life of Christ. Love is the better way. All the commands of the Bible can be summed up by what Christ said to His disciples.

” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

Just as I have loved you!

No misunderstanding that – His love is unconditional, His love is intentional. He came because He loves us. He died because He loves us. He rose because He loves us and wants us to live victoriously in Him.

“If we believe Jesus is truly Christ, we are God’s children. Everyone who loves the Father will also love his childrenIf we love and obey God, we know we will love his children.  We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow. Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:1-5 CEV

The better way for life here on earth and in eternity is to follow what Jesus said:

“Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” 37  Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39  The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.‘” Matthew 22:36-39 CEV

Now, go out and have a better day, a day filled with God’s love and a day of sharing that love with others.

Confrontation on the Road

Having lived in Idaho and Montana for many years we were used to confrontation on the road. Other places have traffic jams, so did we!

There were times we would wait for herds of deer and elk; at other times we would fall in behind a cattle drive. We’ve even experienced the occasional confrontation with a band of sheep but most intimidation came from the bison in Yellowstone and the grizzlies in Glacier.

The road to the cross didn’t have any of these but there were confrontations all the same. Yesterday we saw the people in Jesus’ hometown becoming so angry with Him that they dragged Him to the edge of a cliff.

Now that’s confrontation – but it didn’t stop Him for preaching.

“Jesus went to the town of Capernaum in Galilee and taught the people on the Sabbath. 32  His teaching amazed them because he spoke with power.” Luke 4:31-32 CEV

In Capernaum, He encountered a man possessed by a demon. The man was prompted to cause a scene; he yelled out at Jesus telling those around that this was God’s Son.

“Jesus ordered the evil spirit to be quiet and come out. The demon threw the man to the ground in front of everyone and left without harming him. 36 They all were amazed and kept saying to each other, “What kind of teaching is this? He has power to order evil spirits out of people!” 37 News about Jesus spread all over that part of the country.” Luke 4:35-37 CEV

Confrontation isn’t always a bad thing. God used this situation to show His power and His compassion.

When Jesus left this meeting He went to the house of Simon for dinner. Once again, He was confronted with a situation that needed His attention. Simon’s mother-in-law was running a high fever and lying in bed. Before doing anything else Jesus spoke to the fever and it left the woman.

 So Jesus went over to her and ordered the fever to go away. Right then she was able to get up and serve them a meal.” Luke 4:39 CEV

After dinner there was an even greater encounter.

 After the sun had set, people with all kinds of diseases were brought to Jesus. He put his hands on each one of them and healed them41 Demons went out of many people and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But Jesus ordered the demons not to speak because they knew he was the Messiah.” Luke 4:40-41 CEV

All who came to Jesus, He touched and healed. He silenced the demons. Don’t let this go unnoticed. Jesus didn’t want or need their affirmation. He didn’t want anything that would discredit the works of God.

 But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me.” John 5:36 CEV

Jesus said, even the testimony of John the Baptizer wasn’t as important to His calling and ministry as the works that the Father was doing through Him. His credibility and reputation were established by the Father. Nothing else.

We may not be confronted by a bison, or a demon possessed person, but we face other confrontations that are even more dangerous.

 Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father17 The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.” I John 2:16-17 CEV

When confronted we should do like Jesus, speak to the issue, and then go forward by God’s power and not our own.

Growing A Garden

About this time every year I begin to think about gardening. Where we live now I am unable to plant the gardens I used to. It makes me kind of sad; I so enjoyed watching the plants grow and tending to my flowers.

However, after my Bible reading yesterday I am encouraged to start planting again.

” I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. What matters isn’t those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow. The one who plants is just as important as the one who waters. And each one will be paid for what they do. Apollos and I work together for God, and you are God’s garden and God’s building.” I Corinthians 3:6-9 CEV

This is a different kind of planting. The plants that grow are not the temporal kind that die off each year – no, this is a garden with eternal beauty.

“But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news…28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature.” Colossians 1:23 & 28 CEV

When I was doing a search for an image to use this morning, I found two types of beautiful gardens. The first were images like the beautiful Butchart Gardens in Canada; well-manicured paths, bushes meticulously trimmed, flowers planted in beds of coordinated colors. The second images were more natural, free-flowing, unstructured gardens.

Oh boy, does that ever remind me of the body of Christ.

Some Christians and the churches they attend are formal, their worship is structured and their messages have three points and last no longer than 30 minutes. Then there are others, more free flowing with contemporary worship songs and the Bible teaching is more interactive with those attending. Neither is right or wrong; both serve a purpose in pointing people to Christ.

I imagine that Peter was more like a free-flowing garden, willful and less structured while I see John as the more structured and reserved. Both taught the importance of growing in Christ.

 Let the gift of undeserved grace and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 CEV

 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have power over the devil. I have written to you, young boys and girls, because you have learned to know the Father. ” I John 2:13 CEV

Over the next few days, we will plant seeds in this garden we are called to be. Some of us will be a little more spontaneous in our growth and others will be more deliberate but we will all grow in Christ, bringing glory and honor to Him.