Category: Luke

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Come & Sit

Do you know what I love about my mornings? It’s the quiet.

The only sounds I hear are the quiet hum of the air conditioning and the tick of the coffee maker. Other than that, it’s completely silent.

The first thing I do each morning is write my heart’s impressions in my journal, only a couple of sentences of gratitude and love. Then I say a short prayer for guidance before I open my Bible and begin to read. Many days during that writing and that prayer the Holy Spirit prompts me with what I should share with you, sometimes that comes once I begin reading.

This morning as I was writing, these four words were what I penned on the page. “Come sit with Me”. Oh, how I love that – time just sitting here, coffee cup in hand, when it’s just the Father and I. He bringing Scriptures to mind and flooding me with His presence.

Those of you who have read my writings for any length of time know that one of my most favorite old hymns is “In the Garden”.

  1. I come to the garden alone,
    While the dew is still on the roses,
    And the voice I hear falling on my ear
    The Son of God discloses.
    • Refrain:
      And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
      And He tells me I am His own;
      And the joy we share as we tarry there,
      None other has ever known.
  2. He speaks, and the sound of His voice
    Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
    And the melody that He gave to me
    Within my heart is ringing.

I know exactly what the writer of this hymn experienced.

“You will show me the way of life. Being with You is to be full of joy. In Your right hand there is happiness forever.” Psalm 16:11 NLV

Come, sit with me.

“Martha had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to all He said. 40 Martha was working hard getting the supper ready…42 Only a few things are important, even just one. Mary has chosen the good thing. It will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:39-42 NLV

“Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and gave thanks to God. He broke the bread into pieces and gave them to his followers. He told them to give the bread to the people, and they did as he said. 7 The followers also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and told them to give the fish to the people.” Mark 8:6-7 ERV

Sitting with the Lord is a good thing!

Something to be chosen above all else. It’s a place of learning, of resting and refreshing. It’s a place of miracles.

Listen with your heart. When you hear the Lord say “Come sit with me”, take time to stop and enjoy His presence. It will fill you with joy!

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Divine Interruption

This morning, I woke up with these words on my heart, “but with God”. I’m not certain but I think God may be setting me up for a divine interruption.

Time for a brief English lesson. The word “but” is a conjunction and is defined liked this: “used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned: ‘he stumbled but didn’t fall'”.

But is used to join two contrasting ideas. I had my day planned but God…

I wrote in my journal “We seem to have it all planned, but God, Your plan is better. Thank You for interrupting my life”.

The Bible is filled with but God moments. That’s how it all starts.

“The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.” Genesis 1:2 CEV

And we all know what happened after that. A world with no form of life is a stark contrast to the Spirit of God who is the giver of life. From His interruption life thrived and covered the earth.

God had made a promise to Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son. Years passed with no heir so Sarah decided to take matters into her own hands and sent her maid to Abraham and a son was conceived. Man’s plan followed by God’s interruption.

“But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.” Genesis 17:19 CEV

Young Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was falsely accused of molesting his master’s wife and then sent to prison. It seemed as if that would be the end for Joseph but God interrupted and used Joseph to save the lives of all his family.

“You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.” Genesis 50:20 CEV

The brothers had a plan to get rid of Joseph but God had an interruption. Joseph went from slave to second in command in Egypt.

A young Jewish girl had a plan of marrying the man of her dreams. She would have a wonderful life as a carpenter’s wife. It was all planned. We don’t have the words “but God” but this was definitely a divine interruption.

“and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus… 34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen? I am not even married!”… 37  Nothing is impossible for God!” Luke 1:31-37 CEV

When God makes the plan, nothing is impossible.

I have one final “but God” moment that involves each of us personally.

“No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. 9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger.” Romans 5:7-9 CEV

Realizing the love that God has for each of us should be our “but God” moment. He reaches out to us. Our sinful lives are contrasted with His amazing love and forgiveness. When we recognize that God isn’t angry with us, that His plans for us are for our good, an abundant life, we can welcome His interruptions and confidently trust that He will work everything out for our good.

Welcome divine interruptions.

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Just Breathe

How are you going to spend your day? Do you have a list of projects that need to be completed? Are you travelling to far away places? Do you think your activities are mundane and uneventful? Or do you possibly have a “big” appointment that could be life changing?

As you hurry through your morning or stop to have a quiet cup of coffee and reflective moment, I want to encourage you to start your day praising God for the blessings in your life. You have breath, you have a computer (if you’re reading this), you slept in a bed, you have some degree of health and wealth and you have God’s promises to never leave you or abandon you!

Yes, so much to be thankful for. Just breathe!

I was reading the last chapter of Luke. Jesus disciples and apostles had followed him for 3 years. They thought he was going to set up an early kingdom, overthrow the Roman oppression and bring peace to their nation. He had died, they were dejected – He brought them hope after His resurrection and now he was leaving them again but this time they had new prospective.

What did they do?

“Jesus led his followers out of Jerusalem almost to Bethany. He raised his hands and blessed his followers. 51 While he was blessing them, he was separated from them and carried into heaven. 52 They worshiped him and went back to Jerusalem very happy. 53 They stayed at the Temple all the time, praising God.” Luke 24:50-53 ERV

They spent their time praising God!

What a great way to pass the time while you’re waiting in traffic, while in the checkout line that seems to be at a standstill, riding on a bus or commuter train, waiting to be served in a restaurant or on hold waiting for a live person to take your call.

Wherever you are waiting today, wait on the Lord – praise Him and He will fill your life with joy and just breathe!

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Jesus Wept

As Christians we aren’t immune from heartache and grief. No, but we do have the Promised Holy Spirit to comfort and to console.

The last few days I have experienced a personal grief that I have only shared with my family and a close friend. What do we do when the tears flow and our hearts ache? How to deal with loss?

Jesus wept!

His friend had died and now Jesus was with the sisters and friends who were in mourning, and He wept. This wasn’t the only occasion that we see Jesus weeping. He wept over the residents of Jerusalem and their rejection of Him. He wept in the garden knowing His life would be given as a sacrifice for sins and He would experience a temporary separation from the Father.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5 KJV

Jesus wept.

When His disciples were facing their greatest time of sorrow, He promised them a Comforter.

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—17 The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.” John 14:16-17 AMPC

Jesus says another Comforter. He had been the One to comfort and encourage them for the past three years. He had calmed their fears, healed their family members, showed them how to face adversity and verbal persecution.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has put His hand on Me to preach the Good News to poor people. He has sent Me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent Me to tell those who are being held that they can go free. He has sent Me to make the blind to see and to free those who are held because of trouble. 19 He sent Me to tell of the time when men can receive favor with the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 NLV

Now, He would be leaving but He would not orphan them. He sent them, and us, a Comforter who would live with them constantly, individually and collectively. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion.

God doesn’t ignore or discount our heartache and grief. He carries it and He heals it.

“You have kept record of my days of wandering. You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.” Psalm 56:8 CEV

One of the things that will make heaven, heaven, is that there will be no more tears, no more sorrow and no more pain.

“Yes, God will make his home among his people. 4  He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever. 5 Then the one sitting on the throne said: I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted.” Revelation 21:3b-5 CEV

Until then, remember Jesus wept. He knows our sorrow and grief and He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter.

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Wonder of Wonders

This morning, I just needed to start my day by telling our heavenly Father and Jesus just how wonderful they are. And no, I’m not leaving Holy Spirit out – He is the One who prompts us to bring glory to God.

Years ago, many years ago, we used to sing a worship chorus.

“Jesus, what a wonder You are.
You are so gentle
So pure and so kind
You shine like the bright morning star
Jesus, what a wonder You are.”

Gentle, pure and kind. Oh, do we need that in this day and age.

When John the Baptist was born, his father prophesied these words over him. He knew his son would be the one to announce the coming Messiah.

“You, my son, will be called the prophet of God Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord
to get everything ready for him. 77 You will tell his people that they can be saved when their sins are forgiven. 78 God’s love and kindness will shine upon us like the sun that rises in the sky. 79 On us who live in the dark shadow of death this light will shine to guide us into a life of peace.” Luke 1:76-79 CEV

God’s intentions toward us have always been to show us unconditional love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

“ Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another. 17 The Law was given by Moses, but Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.” John 1:16-18 CEV

Wonder of Wonders that God would love us so much and create a way, THE WAY, for us to be in relationship with Him. It is because of His kindness and love. And when Jesus left this earth, Holy Spirit came to guide us, comfort us, and defend us.

  “The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. 14 The Spirit will bring glory to me by taking my message and telling it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I have said that the Spirit takes my message and tells it to you.” John 16:13-15

Pure, gentle, kind .

If some mornings you get up and are bombarded with the opposite and feel “what’s the use”, I can guarantee that your day will take a turn for the better by taking time to focus on the kindness and goodness of God.

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Just One Thing

The other day someone said to me, “You are so good at multi-tasking, I wish I were more like you”. Those words stopped me in my tracks. For years I was wife and mother, home-school teacher, homemaker, ministry administrator and Bible Study teacher.

I would make breakfast, get the kids ready for school, draw up a teaching lesson, design fliers, put in a load or two of laundry, get dinner in the crock pot and all of this was before lunch.

Multi-tasking became a swear word to me. I wanted to find my “one thing”.

Jesus told Martha that she got too busy with the things of “life” that she forgot too truly live. One thing is needful Jesus told her; her sister Mary had found it in listening to Jesus words instead of being busy with all the responsibilities of running a home.

“The Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41-42 CEV

The Apostle Paul said he found that “one thing”.

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.” Philippians 3:12-14 ERV

King David found that “one thing”.

“Even if an army surrounds me, I will not be afraid. Even if people attack me in war, I will trust in the Lord. 4 I ask only one thing from the LORD. This is what I want most: Let me live in the LORD’S house all my life, enjoying the LORD’S beauty and spending time in his palace. 5 He will protect me when I am in danger. He will hide me in his tent. He will take me up to his place of safety.” Psalm 37:3-5

Finding our “one thing” is what gives our life meaning and purpose and we will truly be blessed.

“What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:33 ERV

Father, thank You for being our one thing. We rest and trust in You. You deserve to be our primary focus. You are the One who gives us everything we need and more. AMEN!

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Tiny Things Matter

This past weekend our oldest daughter and I flew to San Jose for a baby shower. Our oldest granddaughter is expecting her second child, another girl, who will be born in September.

On Saturday evening we sat in the living room separating baby clothes that had been stored away after her first daughter outgrew them. The clothes need to be freshened before the new baby arrives. We separated them into newborn, 0-3 months, and 3-6 months.

Tiny babies, tiny dreams, tiny faith all grow.

This morning, I was thanking the Lord for the way He had directed the small details for our flight home (that’s another story) and for all the little things He had led me through at work.

The other day I asked you, what do we bring to God that is too big for Him. The answer is nothing. But we get that same answer when we ask, what is too small to bring to our heavenly Father. Nothing!

Our God created everything we see and the things we can’t – atoms, neutrons, protons and even smaller. He is the God of details. The tiniest of things don’t escape His notice. He sees it all.

Jesus own disciples overlooked the small things. They felt Jesus was too important to be bothered with them.

“Late in the afternoon the twelve apostles came to Jesus and said, ‘Send the crowd to the villages and farms around here. They need to find a place to stay and something to eat. There is nothing in this place. It’s like a desert!’

13 Jesus answered, ‘You give them something to eat.’

But they replied, ‘We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish. If we are going to feed all these people, we will have to go and buy food.’” Luke 9:12-14 CEV

Just a little boy’s lunch. What good is that among so many? But God is in the details of multiplication.

He’s also concerned about people who are often overlooked.

“Be careful. Don’t think these little children are not important. I tell you that these children have angels in heaven. And those angels are always with my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 ERV

Little children aren’t overlooked by the Father.

I’ve counselled different ones who were looking for their place in “ministry” to start in a children’s Sunday School class. Our Father has a heart for children, all children. They are a blessing from the Lord and their faith isn’t jaded, it’s innocent. Their hearts are good ground to plant the seeds of God’s word.

Jesus had just given his disciples a teaching on seed being planted in the ground. He said if it was planted in good soil, it would grow and produce a harvest. Even if we don’t know a lot of Scripture, if we just have SMALL mustard seed knowledge it will grow and produce a great harvest.

“Jesus told them another story: The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. 32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32 CEV

From the tiniest of seeds, our faith will grow and our Father will be honored. Give God the tiny things in your life, they do matter!

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One Thing Is Needful

I’m so glad to see that many of you were able to click through and find yesterday’s blog. I hope everything posts correctly this morning.

It was a long weekend for most of us. It’s nice to have the time to visit with family and friends and be involved in activities outside of our normal realm. BBQs, fireworks, swimming, boating, roasting hot dogs, eating watermelon and enjoying small/large town parades and celebrations in the park. We are blessed to have these kinds of celebrations.

Now, it’s Monday morning and a full week of the routine ahead. I asked the Lord what He wanted me to focus on as I started this new week. How long should I make my “to do” list? What needs to be accomplished?

“The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40 Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!’

41 The Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42 CEV

I used to be such a Martha and I have to be very watchful of not letting myself fall into that trap. There’s always one more thing to be done, but those things will keep me from the one thing that is needful (necessary), from what is best and that is spending time listening to the Lord’s words.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend on the phone and she told me that sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night with thoughts running through her mind, robbing her sleep and her peace. She said “it’s then that I start thanking the Lord for all the things I have been blessed with – my comfortable bed, the air conditioning, the soft covers” and then she said “I fall asleep, no longer worried but praising God that He is able to take care of everything”.

“Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. 5 Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Philippians 4:4-7 CEV

May I encourage you to do what’s needful. Think on God’s word. His promises are unbreakable; don’t worry, be glad. Be blessed with peace – choose the good part!

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Cracked or Shattered

For the last few days, the Lord has been reminding me of how He sees sin. (Please don’t quit reading, I think this will be a real encouragement to you.)

You see we often have a tendency to categorize sin. Big sins, little sins. God doesn’t do that. In fact, the first sin in the Garden of Eden wouldn’t rank very high on some people’s scale because it was only pride and something as insignificant as disobedience. Definitely not one of the big sins.

However, God’s perspective is sin is sin. The Apostle James puts it this way:

“One law rules over all other laws. This royal law is found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ If you obey this law, you are doing right. 9 But if you are treating one person as more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law.

10 You might follow all of God’s law. But if you fail to obey only one command, you are guilty of breaking all the commands in that law.” James 2:8-10 ERV

And Paul, the apostle, tells us that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the mark of God’s standard.

“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.” Romans 3:23-24 ERV

Whatever our sin is, it has separated us from God. However, God provides us with the way of salvation, and He gives it to us as a free gift.

“One man sinned, and so death ruled all people because of that one man. But now some people accept God’s full grace and his great gift of being made right. Surely they will have true life and rule through the one man, Jesus Christ.

18 So that one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people. But in the same way, Christ did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that brings them true life. 19 One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right.” Romans 5:17-19 ERV

Jesus gave us strict warning about judging others.

“Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy. 37 ‘Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.'” Luke 6:36-38 ERV

A few years back we had a window in our house that had been broken when the weed eater threw up a rock. It was only a small round hole but nonetheless the window was broken. It was just as broken as if it had been shattered.

We need to realize that it isn’t our place to judge, that’s God’s job. Ours is to give others the same love and mercy the Father has given us. We are all guilty of breaking the window of God’s standard. However, we are all invited to receive His free gift of restoration.

Let’s pray for one another from a heart of love and let God fix what is broken.

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What’s It Worth?

I’m wanting to stay on topic from yesterday’s blog.

Did you copy the verses I gave you? Are they in your phone or on your computer so that you can read them again and again? Well, if not, here you go again.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.” Ephesians 1:3-5 ERV

Yesterday friends came to visit and in conversation they mentioned a movie they had seen, Worth. If you haven’t seen it, it deals with compensation for those families who lost loved ones on 9-11. Their biggest struggle was in determining how to compensate families fairly.

This morning, I woke thinking about my worth or value and the verses above came back to mind. My second thought was these verses from the Psalms.

“I look at the heavens you made with your hands.
    I see the moon and the stars you created.
4 And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you?
    Why do you even think about them?
Why do you care so much about humans?
    Why do you even notice them?”

5 But you made them almost like gods
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You put them in charge of everything you made.
    You put everything under their control.
7 People rule over the sheep and cattle and all the wild animals.
8 They rule over the birds in the sky
    and the fish that swim in the sea.
9 Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:3-9 ERV

God made man, us (male & female), in His image. He saw us as having value and worth. Remember the first set of verses this morning, from before the foundation of the world He decided to make us His children.

Our worth and value to God the Father is so great that He sent Jesus to die for us.

“ Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” John 3:16 ERV

If you think I’m trying to make a point, you’re right! I want you to see yourself as God sees you. You are priceless, no expense was too great to purchase our redemption.

“Christ sacrificed his life’s blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God’s gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding,” Ephesians 1:7-8 CEV

I need us to go back to the story of the prodigal son again. Look at the son’s mindset.

“ I will go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like one of your workers.’ ” Luke 15:18-19 CEV

That phrase in other versions says, “No longer worthy”. Sin causes us to look at our unworthiness but love, the Father’s love, shows us our value.

“…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… ‘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.” Luke 15:20-24 CEV

God determined our value before the world began. He established our worth and determined we are priceless!

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