Forgiven

This morning my Bible reading took me to two distinct places in Scripture; both of them dealt with forgiveness.

Not our forgiveness to others, however, the Bible is filled with teachings on forgiving but these two dealt with the forgiveness that we have received from God, our Father.

Forgiven!

I don’t have to ask you to remember because I’m sure, like me, you remember the most awful thing you have ever done. But it’s forgiven…Jesus died to pay the price for our sin and the Father has forgiven us!

He’s even forgotten our sins – He chose too. He wants us to forget too so that we can become the powerful person He has designed us to be.

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,  whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,  whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin,  my body wasted away,  and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude

Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place;  you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule  that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” 10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. 11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
    Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!” Psalm 32 NLT

Forgiven – we should tattoo that on our hearts!

This Psalm, which was written by King David, should be one we read often. The devil will work to remind us of our sin. He wants us to feel unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness; if we buy into that thinking we stay focused on ourselves and not on God and we become useless when it comes to telling others about the Father’s wonderful forgiveness and amazing grace.

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” I John 2:1-2 NLT

Jesus IS the sacrifice that atones for ALL sin! He is the only one who could be the perfect offering for our salvation. In Him, we are not only forgiven but we are made completely new. Our past, present and future transgressions are blotted out and we are restored to relationship with the Father.

If you are struggling with your past re-read Psalm 32 and then shout for joy because your heart has been made pure by God’s forgiveness!

Now share the message of forgiveness with those around you, I just did.

Importance of Light

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night in a new place and everything was pitch black? You walked carefully across the room, stubbing your toes more than once, wishing there were a night light that could give you some assistance in your journey. I have. As a child Dave was a sleep walker and would wake up lost, so needless to say, we have night lights in our home. Very helpful indeed.

But what about those times when you need a “night light” walking through life?

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” Psalm 119:105-106 KJV

It would be silly to ask someone for help or directions when we don’t know the way and then ignore what they say. The same holds true for mental and spiritual direction in our lives.

When we have God’s word to light the way and give us direction we shouldn’t be second guessing or ignoring the instruction we receive.

“If we live in the light as He is in the light, we share what we have in God with each other. And the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, makes our lives clean from all sin. ” I John 1:7 NLV

“Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.” John 8:12 CEV

“I am under an agreement with You, O God. I will give You gifts of thanks. 13 For You have set my soul free from death. You have kept my feet from falling, so I may walk with God in the light of life.” Psalm 56:12-13 NLV

When we walk in the light of God’s Word our way is smoother! Walk well today!

Under The Circumstances

This morning I will admit that I have been under the circumstances for the past few days. The circumstances of low cell service and internet connection. We are here, lakeside, in the early morning when I found that I can get a signal strong enough to up load this post.

I am an overcomer!

Too many times people become overwhelmed by the circumstances that surround them. I remember once I taught a ladies Bible Study on “Are You Under the Circumstances or A World Overcomer?” This was a six week study so suffice it to say that I won’t be doing the full teaching here…

However, I continually find myself going back to these verses and principles, putting myself in remembrance of what God says my life should be.

“I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

“4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NKJV

“4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:4-5 CEV

So when you are feeling overwhelmed or under the circumstances do what King David said.

“God, hear my cry for help. Listen to my prayer. 2 From a faraway land I call to you for help. I feel so weak and helpless! Carry me to a high rock where no one can reach me. 3 You are my place of safety, a strong tower that protects me from my enemies.” Psalm 61:1-3 ERV

I can almost hear someone say, “that’s fine and good for you but my lifestyle isn’t close to God. He probably doesn’t want anything to do with me and wouldn’t help me if I asked.”

Let me remind you of a young man who felt that way about his father. He had squandered his money – lived with prostitutes, gamblers and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Then when he got to the bottom, he thought he would try to go home and work as a hired hand.

The Father had other plans. He saw his son coming from a long way, ran to him, hug and kissed him and restored him to right standing. And so He WILL do it for you too.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the world but overcome it in Jesus!

I Love Your Hot Tub

This morning’s blog isn’t based on deep spiritual truth. It’s the words of my four year-old grandson.

“I love your hot tub, it’s nice and warm.”

He just said this to me and then flashed a big smile. Yes, he’s up! There is no quiet time for me…but that’s perfectly ok. I slept in a bit and woke to the smell of my coffee; it was on the automatic timer. I got up, fed Glory and poured my self a cup to find that just as I sat down Sam was also awake.

“Good morning Besta, is it time for breakfast?”

“No, not quite yet. We need to be quiet a little while longer so everyone else can sleep.”

He crawled up on the couch next to me and I got him a blanket and he’s laying down waiting patiently. Every few minutes he has something else to say. Yesterday, he and I were in the hot tub together. We played quite a while – not sure who had more fun, him or me.

Last night after we said bedtime prayers, Sam looked at me and said “This has been the best day!”

What would happen if we had that same attitude and ended our day by telling the Father “this has been the best day”? I think we would make Him smile and I can almost feel the kiss He would put on our cheeks as He leans forward to tuck us in.

“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 un-derstand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him.” I John 3:1 ERV

How sweet it is to have a living example of a trusting, loving child sitting on my couch with me this morning. I hope you start your day with the realization that the Father loves you – dearly loves you!

He’s waiting to play with you in the hot tub!

More Than Shadow Boxing

Remember, years back, all the Rocky movies?

Cue theme music, roll tape, see Rocky running through the streets and up the steps. Now he stands at the top and raises his arms above his head in triumphant victory! And the crowd goes wild!!!

I have to be honest, I only saw the first one; it was good but it didn’t entice me to see the sequels. The thing that I took away from that movie was the heart’s desire of the underdog. The never give up, never quit determination that can consume some one’s life.

Long before Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed there was someone else who knew the importance of never giving up.

“You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! 25 All who compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a prize—one that doesn’t last. But our prize is one that will last forever. 26 So I run like someone who has a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something, not just the air. 27 It is my own body I fight to make it do what I want. I do this so that I won’t miss getting the prize myself after telling others about it.” I Corinthians 9:24- 27 ERV

The Apostle Paul compared our lives in Christ to a athletic competition.

We’ve got to be disciplined. We’ve got to train with someone who will challenge us to be our best and won’t allow us to quit. Victory is not the result of an overnight success; it comes from dedication and hard work. We don’t run a marathon in our first week of training and we don’t get the champion’s belt after our first sparing match.

Of course not!

The same holds true with the battles we fight with our physical desires that don’t honor the Lord. The Apostle Paul says that we are to crucify (deaden, kill, destroy) our fleshy desires. John writes the same thing.

“Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father. 16 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 Father. 17 The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.” I John 2:15-17 CEV

We all know we shouldn’t be doing those “big” sins. It’s the little ones we need to conquer. Things like gossip, the little white lie, loosing our temper, saying something unkind or critical, laziness. These are the conditioning races or shadow boxing. Perfecting our technique and skills. We need to conquer the small things.

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:1-3 CEV

We have the best coach and trainer, we have Jesus. He came and faced every temptation that we do and He was victorious every time. If we follow His instruction, we will also be victorious!

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 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 4:14-16 ERV

Cue the music – We are the champions!

My Best Friend

I know there are some of you who read my postings each morning and you wouldn’t call yourself a religious person or even a Christian. I want to talk to you for a minute. Several years ago, I was leading a weight loss small group and it was attended by people from many different walks, some were church people and some weren’t. At the end of each class I would close in prayer. This one particular night I had a woman say to me in front of everyone, “I’ve never heard anyone pray like you do; you talk to God just like he’s your friend.” I smiled and said, “He is.”

Each morning I spend time talking to Him. We share coffee and He talks to me from His word. It’s not something I “Have” to do. It’s something I “Get” to do. The Father desires to spend time with me and you.

This is Easter weekend and amidst the baskets and bunnies, the lilies and the eggs you will find an empty cross and an empty tomb. This is the place where my friend died.

John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, saw Jesus walking up the road and he made this comment to those around him “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus came all those years ago to be your sacrifice, a lamb, pure and spotless as was required by Jewish tradition for a sin offering. He came to take away our sins and not just the sins of those who have already believed on Him and received Him as Savior but the sins of the WHOLE world.

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

God knows more about your sins than you do. You have probably forgotten a lot of the ones that happened a long time ago but God made sure that they were all covered by one sacrifice.

John 3:16 says God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus, that whoever would believe on Him (believe that He was the perfect sacrifice for sin) would not perish but would have eternal life. And then the next verse goes on to say that Jesus didn’t come in to the world to condemn us but that through Him we might have eternal life.

If you don’t know that you really have received God’s free gift – the forgiveness of your sins and His promise to make you an adopted child in the family of God then I encourage you strongly to do that today. Not a lot of fanfare or bells and whistles but just simply a believing heart, accepting God’s gift of mercy and grace. God loves you unconditionally – He knows all about you, He’s always there for you and He’s reaching out to your know.

Just come to Him and say, “Father God, you gave your only Son to die for my sins so that I can have a life and relationship with you. I believe that Jesus died for me and I accept His sacrifice as payment for my sin. I receive Your precious gift of eternal life and I thank you for it. In Jesus Name.”

If you prayed that prayer I encourage you to tell someone about this wonderful gift you have received and I encourage you to get to know Your Father. He desires to be your best friend!

Through the Looking Glass

Do you remember getting to use a magnifying glass when you were a kid? My grandmother had one on her desk and I remember her showing me how to use it when I was in first or second grade. It was amazing the detail you could see…

There was a time I used a magnifying glass as a part of everyday life. I had a job once and it was my responsibility to examine an item for flaws or essential markings. I would go over the piece with my naked eye and then with a glass and list everything I saw on it. Very often I would find maker’s marks that no one else had seen. The people I worked with called it “Kristi Vision”.

Just a few days ago Dave and I were looking at something and he asked for the magnifying glass. Out it came and our examination of intricate details was in full view. This kind of magnification is a good thing. However there are some Negative Nellies out there who like to examine and magnify their problems. It’s as if they want to see only the worst and their tunnel vision excludes the best. That can be disastrous.

The last two days I have focused on, magnified, Psalm 40 and I would like us to finish up there today.

“I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart; I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I have not hid away Your steadfast love and Your truth from the great assembly. 11 Withhold not Your tender mercy from me, O Lord; let Your loving-kindness and Your truth continually preserve me! 12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about; my iniquities have taken such hold on me that I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me and forsaken me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!
14 Let them be put to shame and confounded together who seek and require my life to destroy it; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish me evil and delight in my hurt! 15 Let them be desolate by reason of their shame who say to me, Aha, aha! 16 Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified! 17 [As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me. You are my Help and my Deliverer. O my God, do not tarry!” Psalm 40:10-17 AMP

You’ll notice King David pointed out the problems he was having and there were quite a few but in verse sixteen he changed his focus. Let the Lord be magnified. It is always appropriate to magnify the Lord and recognize that He truly is our Help and Deliverer! He centered in on all that the Lord had done for Him in the past. He stopped looking at his circumstances and looked at his deliverance.

God has not changed – He remains the same yesterday, today and forever. His word has promised to bring us out with victory when our enemies attack – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NKJV

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:57-58 NJKV

When we place Him in priority, when we focus on God’s word, His love and provision above our circumstances, we magnify the Lord. In looking up we find the answer to life’s most difficult problems and there we find our deliverance and our help!

Get out your glass, clean the lens and focus on the goodness of our God. Let the Lord be magnified!

Look up today. Magnify the Lord!

Who Do You Serve?

I read about the final days of Moses this morning. He had led the Israelites through the desert for forty years; he was one hundred twenty years old. His first forty years were spent in the pharaoh’s court because he had been adopted at three months of age. The second forty years of his life were spent in Midian herding sheep and raising a family. That’s where he saw the burning bush and the Lord called him to go back to Egypt and lead his people to freedom.

Moses was not a perfect man, not even close, but he had a heart for God. He spent his finals days preaching and teaching, encouraging the Israelites to keep their faith and trust in the Lord, their God. He told them as long as they served and honored the Lord things would go well for them. His life was over and theirs were just beginning.

It really made me stop and think. Here I am sixty-five, soon to be sixty-six. What does the Lord have for my future? Will I still be writing morning blogs ten years from now? Will my family and people around me see me as an old woman who has lost touch with the “normal” things of life because all I want to do is garden, bake, knit and tell people about Jesus?

Moses repeated over and again that the Israelites should never forget their God and how he had always provided for them. He was promising to go with them into this new land and give them victory over their enemies.

“Be strong and be brave. Don’t be afraid of those people because the Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 ERV

Jesus said the same thing to His disciples.

“Listen to me. A time is coming when you will be scattered, each to his own home. In fact, that time is already here. You will leave me, and I will be alone. But I am never really alone, because the Father is with me.

33 “I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:32-33 ERV

Cheer Up! Jesus, our Saviour, has defeated the world. The Apostle John heard and lived that message so he wrote this to in his letter to Christians everywhere.

“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 5:4-5 CEV

We have been promised victory, not because we are so talented, wise or gifted. The victory comes because of our relationship with the Lord! I never get tired of telling people about the victory that is our in Christ.

An old hymn has special meaning to me, especially at this time of year. As we approach Easter it’s so important that we remember the battle fought and victory won when Jesus left the tomb. Jesus hasn’t forgotten us. When he died, rose and ascended to the Father, He lives each day to make intercession for us. He is our source of strength and our example of victory.

He Lives

I serve a risen Savior He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living, Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him He’s always near.
• He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
• In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair;
I know that He is leading, Through all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing Will come at last.
• Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs To Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, The Help of all who find,
None other is so loving, So good and kind. Lyrics by Alfred Ackley

As Moses reminded the children of Israel I want to remind us, our Saviour is risen! Serving Him brings us into a place of victory.

Sibling Rivalry

Anyone who has kids knows from time to time they will bicker and squabble. Parents offend wonder “why can’t you guys just get along”. It hurts our hearts when our kids, who we love so much, have times when they fuss and say hurtful things.

The scripture tells us that God wants us to get along with our brothers and sisters also. He is our loving heavenly Father and He doesn’t like it when His kids quarrel. Doctrines, traditions, rituals may be different but that doesn’t have to be a reason to sever relationship or to talk badly of one another.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

Jesus spent a lot of his final hours and days talking to his disciples about loving one another. And for good reason – one of them was going to betray Jesus, one was going to deny him and the rest were going to scatter. I think Jesus was trying to prepare them for what was ahead. He wanted their hearts set on forgiveness and not blame; for them to walk together in unity and love so that they could draw on strength from one another.

“I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:34-35

A real sign to the world around them would be the love Jesus disciples had for one another. The love Jesus was talking about is supernatural – the unconditional, never ending love of God in their lives would be a sure sign that Jesus had impacted their lives. There is verse after verse written about our loving one another, letting the love of God flow through us; Jesus spoke many of them and then the whole book of I John is devoted to our loving one another.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” Jn 15:12

“These things I command you, that ye love one another.” Jn 15:17

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” Romans 12:10

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” I John 3:23

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” I John 4:7

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” I John 4:11

Anytime God, the Father, puts this much time and teaching into a subject you know it’s important. These are but a few of the verses that I found on love. I’m not sure what any of us will encounter today but I know God’s message for sure – He wants us to walk in love.

Heart To Heart

Technology is wonderful. We can send an email and receive a response in a couple of hours. Better yet, we can text and get an answer in a matter of minutes. These forms of communication are fine but nothing can compare to hearing the voice of a dear friend.

Video chats are nice, phone conversations are great but sitting and talking face to face is over the top!

Face to face conversations involve touch, eye contact, voice inflexion and quality time. These times are the best when building and keeping a relationship. That’s why I love my morning quiet times so much. I get to sit and talk with my heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In my heart and through God’s word, I can hear them speak to me. There’s nothing that compares to these intimate moments of personal communication.

Heart to Heart!

The Father wants to hear what’s on my heart and He wants to share His loving thoughts with me. The depth of that is almost incomprehensible but it’s true. Loving, Almighty God wants to speak with me.

“Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 NLV

The Creator of the Universe is waiting to talk to me and show me the wonderful things that He has done and that He desires to do! And then, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to remind us of the things that Jesus had taught while He was here. He knew that sometimes we have memory failure and forget so He sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper.

“I have told you all these things while I am with you. 26 But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.

27 “I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” John 14:25-27 ERV

When we find ourselves worrying over a particular situation; work, children, health, finances, relationships, if we pray about it and ask the Lord to remind us of what we need to do, He will be faithful to give us the answers we need. He will bring peace to our lives.

We can talk heart to heart.

I’m sure we all have those close friends whose word we trust. We know they will tell us the truth, they won’t lie. We can place even greater confidence in what God says to us. In all of time, He has never lied and He never will. I remember the first time I read these verses written by John. They seemed too good to be true.

“We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important. And this is what God told us: He told us the truth about his own Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. But people who do not believe God make God a liar, because they do not believe what God told us about his Son. 11 This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. 14 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 5:9-15 ERV

When we place our confidence in Jesus and believe that God sent His Son to be our Savior we receive new life in Him. And if we know that we have new life in Christ, God’s word says we can come to Him, with no doubts, and ask Him for the things we need and He will give them to us. God isn’t looking to withhold things from us; He wants to provide for us and fill our lives with blessing.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4 ERV

When we talk to the Father, heart to heart, we won’t be asking for things that are selfish or displease Him instead we will be asking for things that will make our relationship with Him stronger. That pleases Him greatly.

I want you to look at the face of the woman in this image. Do you see the contentment and joy? She is at peace spending time with Jesus. This sense of well-being doesn’t come with a quick text, a short email, a brief call; it comes from spending time face to face and heart to heart.

I’ve prayed for you this morning that you will know that same peace.