Category: Jeremiah

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Going South

Many in the continental U.S. like to travel south every year. We call them winter visitors. This year some of them stayed longer than expected because they felt it wasn’t safe to head home. There was so much uncertainty – would they be jeopardizing their health, would there be a safe place to stay while on the road, could they fly safely. So many questions.

We should all ask these same questions about life in general. Our daily routine needs to be taken to the Lord in prayer and He will guide.

Years ago when we were young in faith and learning to listen to the Lord’s voice we had a cowboy preacher, a dear friend, tell us this: “If God says go South, He will provide; If you go North you’ll think you died!”

Now that’s not scripture but it is Biblical. Solomon put it this way: “Trust the LORD completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the LORD and stay away from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.” Proverb 3:5-8 ERV

And then this one: “Turn to the LORD for help in everything you do, and you will be successful. 4 The LORD has a plan for everything.” Proverbs 16:3-4a ERV

God has a plan for each day – it doesn’t really matter what the activities are in the day He has a plan! Some days His plan is to change our plan, His plan is better.

When we listen, He speaks and when we follow His leading we are blessed! We have a choice – it would be silly to lean to our own understanding since following Him is the right way to go and His wisdom is perfect.

“Today I am giving you a choice. You may choose the blessing or the curse. 27 You will get the blessing if you listen and obey the commands of the LORD your God that I have told you today. 28 But you will get the curse if you refuse to listen and obey the commands of the LORD your God. So don’t stop living the way I command you today, and don’t follow other gods that you don’t know.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28 ERV

Trust the Lord today. He loves us and His desire for us is good!

“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.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 ERV

Go South today – He will provide!!!

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Are You Thirsty?

A number of years ago we lived in the panhandle of Idaho. We had one particular summer that was very dry. The catch ponds were drying up and the springs were only a trickle.

One afternoon the dogs put us on alert and when we looked out our windows, this is what we saw. A cow moose had wandered into our yard with her twins in search of water. Our sprinklers were running and they provided the much needed water that she was seeking. After they drank their fill, they rested in the shade of the tall pines. At first she was very cautious, looking about after every sip and then as her calves rested quietly, she found rest herself.

Have you been that thirsty, thirsty for God? Thirsty enough to “search” outside your comfort zone? To be willing to leave the familiar way of doing things and to find the answers you need in God’s word?

God asked Abraham to leave his family and his homeland. His descendants were the originators of the Jewish race. Ruth left all and followed after Naomi to a new land where God blessed her with a husband and a child. Christ was in their line of descendants. Peter left his fishing nets to follow Christ. Paul gave up his prestige as a Pharisee to follow Jesus and preach His word.

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2 ERV

When we seek God, we will find Him and we will find that He fills our lives with so much more than we ever dreamed possible.

“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 29:12-13 ERV

Jesus ministered to a crowd on a hillside one day and he told them. ““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. 8 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. 9 “Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? 10 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

God is loving, kind and gracious and when we seek Him we will find that to be true. He put all of our punishment and judgement on Jesus so that we could have a wonderful relationship with Him.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people.” II Corinthians 5:17-19. ERV

Someone needs to know today that God isn’t mad at you! He loves you and if you seek Him, you will find Him waiting with arms of love open wide. Seek for Him like that momma moose who came to our yard seeking water.

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Light in the Darkness

We’ve probably all heard about the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel”. And for some these last few months have seemed like an endless tunnel with the light snuffed out. This is a path we have never walked before but let me tell you there is Someone who has and He has promised to lead us through!

“Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.” John 14:6 ERV

We can put our hope, our trust, our faith in Jesus. He knows the way through and He promises to lead, to be our guide in every situation. Years before He came to earth the prophet Isaiah foretold what Jesus would do for us. Even when we feel we are walking blind we can trust Him.

“Then I will lead the blind along a path they never knew to places where they have never been before. I will change darkness into light for them. I will make the rough ground smooth. I will do these things for them; I will not abandon my people.” Isaiah 42:16 ERV

In times when we are frustrated, disappointed, angry and uncertain we can come to the Lord and tell Him exactly how we feel and He will answer us and give us direction.

“I gain understanding from your instructions, so I hate anything that leads people the wrong way. 105 Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” Psalm 119:104-105 ERV

The Lord’s instruction to us are written in His word. Fear Not – Trust in the Lord – Let Peace Guard Your Heart – Don’t depend on your own understanding. All of these words give light to our path today.

Many times I have felt like the Lord wants me to be a cheerleader for those who are discouraged. I’ve been through discouragement, disappointment, fear and anxiousness and I know this as sure as I am breathing this morning “God is faithful and He will not abandon us”.

“This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’” Jeremiah 33:2-3 MSG

Long before social distancing and streaming church services, Dave and I attended an on-line church. Living rural like we do it’s nice to have worship services come to our home. We can watch services from anywhere in the world, any day of the week and be encouraged by the songs and messages. One song that has been particularly uplifting lately is called Way Maker. I’ll leave you with some of the lyrics. I can’t think of a much better way to start the day. (Click the link and hear it for yourselves)

Way maker
Miracle worker
Promise keeper
Light in the darkness
That is who you are
Way maker
Miracle worker
Promise keeper
Light in the darkness
My God
That is who you are

Please let me encourage you – if you feel you are walking around blind, that there is no light at the end of this tunnel, there is hope and His name is Jesus! He is our light in the darkness!

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Social Distancing

Yesterday morning Dave and I took a hike in the open land near our home. Social distancing at it’s finest!

We walked down the dirt road, enjoying the wild flowers that have started to bloom. The hillsides were covered with tender green grass which popped up after the Spring rains we had last week. We walked over three miles, visiting the whole way and thanking God for His beauty. Not bad for a couple of senior citizens.

Did you know that social distancing is a Biblical idea?

It started in the garden of Eden. God called to Adam and Eve to walk with Him each evening. Abraham met with God; they walked and talked on many occasions as the Lord told Abraham His plans. Moses practiced social distancing when he left the Israelites at the base of Mount Sinai and met God at the top.

Daniel used social distancing three times a day when he left all the activities of the king’s court and went to his room, where he opened the windows and prayed. His practice of self-isolation got him thrown into the lions den – now that really is social distancing. On and on it goes; one person after another separated themselves from the populous and they prayed.

Jesus patterned that activity for us. After being with people all day, facing ridicule, harassment and personal demands, He would separate Himself and spend most of the night praying. He needed to come away from the virus that surrounded Him, a virus of jealousy and hatred.

“While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. Simon and those with him went looking for him. They found him and said, “Everybody’s looking for you.” Mark 1:35-37 MSG

“As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.” Matthew 14:22-23 MSG

Prayer is the epitome of social distancing. It’s the Lord and us talking, talking about our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and dreams. It’s ok to the tell the Lord about our disappointments and our anxieties. But we must never be the ones doing all the talking – we need to listen too.

Once we finish praying we need to be quiet enough to hear the Lord speak. To some that may be a new idea, the idea of God speaking to us. But He does and He wants to tell us more than what we sometimes want to listen to.

“Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” Jeremiah 33:3 MSG

When we get quiet and listen we might have something “just pop into our head” reminding us of something that happened before. Or, how many times have we heard someone say, “It just dawned on me” or “I knew I shouldn’t have done this or that”? What about the phrase “I just felt that on the inside” or “I had an intuition about that”?

The primary way that the Lord speaks to me is by reminding me of a verse I’ve read or a message I have heard preached. Not everything that pops into our head is from God; there have been times I’ve had thoughts that I should eat the whole bag of chips or finish off the last of the cake – unfortunately, that’s not God.

I am definitely into social distancing, even when it isn’t required, to prevent the spread of this virus. Every morning I self-isolate when I get up and have my quiet time. It’s my time to be alone; to pray, to read and to talk to the Lord. This type of social distancing will inoculate us from the infectious diseases of jealousy, bitterness, pride, anger and selfishness.

I hope you experience the joy of self-isolation as you and the Lord spend this time together.

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Word Search Challenge

While we are practicing our social distancing I have a way for us to pass the time. If you’re like me, you are probably tired of sitting on the couch. Don’t want to watch television, have seen enough movies and news.

I really enjoy “hidden object” games. Looking for things that are hidden and then remembering them for the next time you come back to that scene – it’s a real challenge and something I just like to do. But my all time favorite is Word Search. It’s a great way to improve your vocabulary and keep your mind alert. It was also one of my Dad’s favorites.

I also enjoy another kind of word search and I do it every morning.

When I first really got turned on to God’s word I began using it like my own personal hidden message from heaven. My goodness, that’s been over 40 years ago now. I had been raised in church all my life but never really got in and studied the Word for myself. You know, you go to church and listen to the minister or Sunday School teacher and you just accept what they say and never really give much thought to it the rest of the week.

But after we saw God do a miracle and heal our son, we started searching to find out what the Word said to us and how it would impact our daily lives. I remember so clearly sitting down at our kitchen table with our Bibles, a Strong’s concordance and a legal pad. We began to search out different words and how they had been used throughout the Bible. We would read a verse and then the verses before and after to make sure we saw things in their proper context. The search was on!

We asked the Lord for understanding of His Word and He gave it to us. One Scripture that I had always heard took on new meaning. I had always heard the verses “Eye hath not seen or ear heard what has entered into the heart of God and that no one can know God’s thoughts” but in reading, truly searching the Scripture with the Holy Spirit guiding, I found that there was more to that verse than how it had always been quoted.
“We teach wisdom to people who are mature, but the wisdom we teach is not from this world. It is not the wisdom of the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. 7 But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say,
“No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him.”
10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.” I Corinthians 2:6-12 ERV

What had been left out was the part about the Holy Spirit knowing God’s thoughts and He would give us the ability to KNOW all that God has for us. WOW!!! Talk about Hidden Treasures – we had a whole book of God’s thoughts right before us and all we had to do was search them out.

There is also this written by the prophet Jeremiah “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.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 ERV

Let me encourage you today to start your own “word search”. This one isn’t a game, it’s life, peace and joy. The verse above says we search with all our heart and then King Solomon gave instruction this way “The LORD is the source of wisdom; knowledge and understanding come from his mouth. 7 He gives good advice to honest people and shields those who do what is right. 8 He makes sure that people are treated fairly. He watches over his loyal followers. 9 If you listen to him, you will understand what is just and fair and how to do what is right. 10 You will gain wisdom, and knowledge will bring you joy. 11 Planning ahead will protect you, and understanding will guard you.” Proverbs 2:6-11. ERV

I didn’t have a photographic memory so I would write the verses that really spoke to me on an index card and I kept that in my back pocket until my bundle of verses got too big and then I put them in my purse, glove box and on the tractor so that I always had them close at hand until they were in my heart.

What is your quest? Do you need to search for peace, safety, joy? You’ll find them all in the “word search”. May I suggest you use the Biblegateway.com app? It has a wide variety of translations to make the Bible easier to understand.

God’s word will change your life!

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New Passwords

It was a long and tedious day. A day where I had scheduled my time to be at the computer, a day I was not looking forward too but it was a job that needed to be done. I had to change and/or update my passwords! Egad! I would rather clean the toilets or the oven, pull weeds or wash baseboards but there it was on my “to do” list. Change passwords…

Some sites require us to change our passwords more frequently than others and these always seem to be the ones that say you can’t use a previous password. Really? I haven’t used that password since 1927 but no, I can’t use it again. I’ve seen advertising for those password randomizers, I know nothing about them, but I don’t trust them. They would give me a series of letters, numbers and characters that are unrelated to me and that wouldn’t be good. So there I sat, all day, from midmorning until later afternoon.

Was I finished? I thought so but in the middle of the night I realized there were still a few more that needed my attention so I will be back at it again today. There is one thing that gives me hope; there is one site I access often and that password never changes.

“But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33 NLT

“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” Jeremiah 33:3 NLT

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” John 14:6-7 NLT

Access to our heavenly Father requires but one, never changing password

J E S U S

Whenever I have a problem or a special joy I want to share all I have to do is use that name and I’m in! Jesus, thank you. Jesus, help. Jesus, take the wheel. Jesus, I’m sorry. Jesus, I need ______.

I am secure! No hacker can enter. No one can counterfeit my personal data or steal my identity. He knows me. He knows my name and the number of hairs on my head. My life is protected and it’s not just for me it’s for everyone but we must all use the same password.

“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:21 NLT

Thank you Jesus!

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Honoring Our Mother & Father

We’ve had the pleasure of having my mother with us for the last ten days. She is ninety-six and lives about four hours away. It’s been so good to have her here. During her stay we were visited by our youngest daughter and her family on one weekend and this last weekend our son came to see Gram. Our oldest daughter wasn’t able to make it, she was out-of-state welcoming her first granddaughter into the world.

Mom was so blessed to be surrounded by her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She had a big smile on her face most of the time. (She got weary at times and took a nap, I did too.) Mom held the littlest one in her arms, watched the two and four year old play, told stories to the adult grandchildren of their childhoods and relived the milestones of her life with them. It was amazing!

It was truly a wonderful expression of one of God’s commands.

“You must honor your father and your mother. The Lord your God has commanded you to do this. If you follow this command, you will live a long time, and everything will go well for you in the land that the Lord your God gives you.” Deuteronomy 5:16 ERV

Mom will be with us one more day and I will miss not having her here. She lives with my sister and her family; they take very good care of her. I will miss tucking her in at night and praying with her. Very few adults my age are blessed to still have living parents.

But we all have a loving heavenly Father. He is our Father who lives forever and who is as close to us as our next breath. He desires to tell us stories of His past. In fact, He wrote them down and put them in a wonderful book for us to read, the Bible. He wants to tell us all about His plans for our life, the good things He has in store.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 NLT

There are several words in the Bible that can be interchanged for the word honor; praise and bless are just two of them. We honor the Lord when we obey Him; when we magnify or exalt His word above all others we honor Him.

“I will honor the Lord at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will be proud to tell about the Lord. Let those who suffer hear it and be filled with joy. 3 Give great honor to the Lord with me. Let us praise His name together.” Psalm 34:1-3 NLV

As long as our parents are living we should give them honor and as long as we are living we should give our Father honor and praise. It’s just the right thing to do.

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How Long Is Forever?

For many years of my life I lived with doubt that God truly loved me. I felt that any failure or shortcoming on my part would effect the love that came to me from God, the Father.

I felt that the love God gave was merit based. The church I grew up in had a long list of do’s and don’ts. As a teenager and young twenty year old, I failed continually no matter how hard I tried. I almost came to the point that I gave up on trying to live a Christian life.

Somewhere in the back of my mind was this gnawing feeling that I was misunderstanding God’s love. I mean, my mom and dad loved me. I knew that and never doubted it. Even when I messed up, I always knew they loved me. Why would God be any different? In my thinking, His love should be greater than what I received from my earthly parents. Things just didn’t measure up. I was so frustrated!

Fast forward eight to ten years.

Dave and I were at a Cowboy Cathedral and we heard the preacher say that God’s love was unconditional. We can’t earn and we can’t lose it! WOW!! That word was sent straight from heaven to my heart.

But…could he back that up with Scripture? Yes, yes he did.

“From far away, the Lord will appear to his people. The Lord says, “I love you people with a love that continues forever. That is why I have continued showing you kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 ERV

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Romans 5:6-9 NLT

Do you see that? God’s love for us continues forever. When we were at our worst Christ died for us because God wanted to show us how much He loves us. Amen!

Let that sink in – He loved us at our worst and His love will continue forever!

When this revelation of God’s love got passed my religious thinking and sank deep into my heart all my doubts about God’s love were gone. There is nothing I enjoy more than telling people about God’s love. Nothing better than that.

Most of the time when I think about how much the Father loves me (and you too) my heart overflows with so much gratitude that my eyes spill over with tears.

The Father’s love for you and me is forever – that’s a very, very, very long time!

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Nothing Is Impossible!

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time I hope you have seen one reoccurring theme – God is good and He loves doing good!

It is so easy to become weighed down with the circumstances of life. When we try to do things on our own we will come up short. We may accomplish success and achieve victories but when it’s done in our own power and strength we will also find ourselves stressed, exhausted and sacrificing those things that are most important.

“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! 18 You show unfailing love to thousands,” Jeremiah 32:17-18a NLT

“Now that I am old and my hair is gray, don’t leave me, God. I must tell the next generation about your power and greatness. 19 God, your goodness reaches far above the skies. You have done wonderful things. God, there is no one like you.” Psalm 71:18-19 ERV

My hair is gray so I guess that qualifies me to speak of God’s goodness and power!

It is the Father’s desire to show His strength on our behalf. He isn’t looking for us to fail; He’s not seeking revenge or retribution for the things we’ve done wrong. It is His desire to show us His unconditional love.

“For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. 9 It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. 10 We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

What challenges face you today? Give them over to the One who loves you and whose goodness reaches above the skies. With Him, with our loving heavenly Father, nothing is impossible!

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He’s Not Mad

As the year comes to a close many become introspective; examining their lives over the past year. They also become determined to make changes; to improve themselves in the coming year. Part of the self-examination is letting go of bitterness and also making amends with those who have been hurt.

Religion, man’s idea of how God is, tries to tell us that we have failed God and that He is angry with us. Maybe you’ve grown up with that concept of God, maybe you think there is nothing you can do to please Him so why try.

The angels message on the night when Jesus was born is this, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” Jesus came to show us how greatly God loves us. His whole life was spent doing good and displaying the compassion and unconditional love of the Father.

Jesus ended the war between God and man. God judged our sin by placing it on Jesus and He paid the price. He was convicted, found guilty and punished with death for crimes (Sin) He didn’t do. Our spiritual indebtedness was Paid in Full.

“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.” John 16:7-11 NLT

The Holy Spirit corrects people who don’t believe that Jesus was and is God’s Son and He is the sacrifice for our sins. He shows us that we are made righteous (in right standing) through relationship with Christ and that God’s judgment belongs to satan and those that follow him.

“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.” II Corinthians 5:17-18 CEV

New Year’s Eve is one of the prime times that people are plagued with depression and loneliness. It is our job to tell them that God has made a way of “peace” for them through Christ. The good news that was proclaimed in the angels’ message is still true. Peace on earth, good will to me.

I am doing my job of bringing this good news to you. I hope you will share it too.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

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