Good Morning from Arizona!
Thank you for reading faithfully and giving me the opportunity to share God’s word with you each day.
“Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things.” Luke 16:10 ERV
Yesterday marked a milestone!
100,037 reads
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7.5 years of daily postings
Untold number of new friends made, and prayers prayed.
Thank you for deep within my heart.
The journey continues. Abraham and Sarah have both had name changes – God is calling them father and mother of many people and nations. Hearing this they both laughed; what was impossible in the natural was and is possible with God.
“So she laughed and said to herself, ‘Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?’
13 The Lord asked Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14 I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.’” Genesis 18:12-14 CEV
And so, it happened. I hope you will take time to read Abraham and Sarah’s story. It’s such an encouraging one. Neither of them was perfect but God used them anyway. In all of their waiting to have a child they had their share of missteps, but they continued to trust God. (Read Genesis 12-22, it’s a wonderful story)
“The Lord was good to Sarah and kept his promise. 2 Although Abraham was very old, Sarah had a son exactly at the time God had said. 3 Abraham named his son Isaac, 4 and when the boy was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded.5 Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, 6 and Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.” Genesis 21:1-5 CEV
Little did Abraham and Sarah know the plan that God had for their son. Their son would be a signpost on the road to the cross. Before he was ever born their son was a sign of God’s faithfulness.
When God makes a promise, He keeps it.
” Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly 100 years old. He knew he was almost dead and that his wife Sarah could not have children. 20 But Abraham never doubted or questioned God’s promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.
21 Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised. 22 So God accepted him, 23 just as we read in the Scriptures. But these words were not written only for Abraham. 24 They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life. 25 God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.” Romans 4:19-25 CEV
From Isaac’s cradle we can look forward and see God’s provision for our salvation. When we look at the cradle we can see the cross.
Disabled vehicle ahead. If you travel very often and use Waze or some other GPS navigation those are probably words you have heard coming from your travel assistant.
Is annoying because you know that you’ll need to slow down, possibly detour and then make a course correction.
We’re still walking the road to the cross with Abram this morning and we are about to encounter all three of the above.
“Later the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision, ‘Abram, don’t be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly.’ 2 But Abram answered, ‘Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own…4 The Lord replied, ‘No, he won’t! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.’” Genesis 15:1,2;4 CEV
That was the disabled vehicle. Neither Abram or Sarai were able to have children. Now here comes the detour.
“Abram’s wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, 2 and Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine.” Abram agreed, 3 and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife.” Genesis 16:1-3 CEV
This detour was a rough and rocky road. It had all sorts of bumps and hardships. Envy, jealousy, rebellion, contempt and desolation. Abram was 86 years old when this happened.
Now for the course correction.
“When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, 2 I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” Genesis 17:1-2 CEV
“4-5 I promise that you will be the father of many nations. So now I’m changing your name from Abram to Abraham. 6 I will give you a lot of descendants, and they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. 7 I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.” Genesis 17:4-5 CEV
God wanted Abram to remember this new road he was traveling on and so He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning Father of Many Nations. Abraham knew God could do anything but this, having a baby at their age, was a big deal.
“Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost 100 years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing…” Genesis 17:17 CEV
Now, jump ahead a few weeks and the Lord visits Abraham again, establishing his route.
“10 One of the guests was the Lord, and he said, “I’ll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son.” Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. 12 So she laughed and said to herself, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness? 13 The Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14 I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.” Genesis 18:10-14 CEV
Maybe life has been like that for you. At a younger age you had made a commitment to follow the Lord. You had been a “good Christian” but life had a way of taking you off course, leading you down a detour and far from what God had promised.
May I tell you, in spite of the detour God’s promises still hold true and He will bring you to a course correction and set you back on the right road!
Those were the words that were heard by a man named Abram. He wasn’t anybody special; he was one of three sons. He was nine generations removed from Noah and sixteen generations from Adam.
(I know this doesn’t sound very interesting but bear with me through this brief history lesson.)
What I need you to see is that God doesn’t give up on His plans. He is diligent, persistent, aggressive and determined. Love never fails!
Of all the people on earth God chose Noah and nine generations later He chose Abraham.
“The Lord said to Abram: ‘Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.’ 4-5 Abram was 75 years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran. He obeyed and left with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and slaves they had acquired while in Haran.” Genesis 12:1-5 CEV
God is looking for those who will believe Him and obey. Noah obeyed and built an ark; Abram obeyed and left his homeland.
“Abraham had faith and obeyed God. He was told to go to the land that God had said would be his, and he left for a country he had never seen. 9 Because Abraham had faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. He lived there in a tent, and so did Isaac and Jacob, who were later given the same promise. 10 Abraham did this, because he was waiting for the eternal city God had planned and built.” Hebrews 11:8-10 CEV
If you read the story of Abram’s life, and I hope you will, you will see that he wasn’t perfect. He lied to the king of Egypt about his wife and there was family friction between he and his nephew Lot and still God used him. In fact, the Bible tells us that Abram was called the friend of God.
I like that.
My friends are near and dear to my heart. I treasure those relationships; God’s affection is so much greater than ours. Because men like Noah and Abram trusted God and were blessed by Him, we too share in those blessings.
“The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith. 7 And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham. 8 Long ago the Scriptures said God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. This is why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him. 9 This means everyone who has faith will share in the blessings given to Abraham because of his faith.” Galatians 3:6-9 CEV
Abraham has left us some important steps to follow on our journey to the cross. Following the path that God has planned for us will always bring blessings!
“I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV
Just a few generations after Adam we find his (x7) great grandson Noah.
“The Lord saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil. 6 He was sorry that he had made them, 7 and he said, ‘I’m going to destroy every person on earth! I’ll even wipe out animals, birds, and reptiles. I’m sorry I ever made them.’ 8 But the Lord was pleased with Noah, 9 and this is the story about him. Noah was the only person who lived right and obeyed God.” Genesis 6:5-9 CEV
It’s important to see that even if there is only one person who is living for the Lord He will still provide and protect them.
“Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. 2 It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God…6But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him. 7 Because Noah had faith, he was warned about something that had not yet happened. He obeyed and built a boat that saved him and his family. In this way the people of the world were judged, and Noah was given the blessings that come to everyone who pleases God.” Hebrews 11:1,2,6&7 CEV
I’m sure you’ve heard it said that Hebrews, chapter 11, is the Hall of Fame of Faith. It records the deeds of those men and women who lived to please God. Each one had a personal encounter with God. None of them were perfect but their hearts were filled with faith.
The ark was a type of salvation. It provided everything that Noah and his family needed to live and thrive during the flood. God made a way to protect those who loved Him and were willing to follow His plan.
“Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood. 21 Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death.” I Peter 3:20-21 CEV
Noah and his family were taking steps of faith toward a cross they couldn’t see.
“Noah built an altar where he could offer sacrifices to the Lord. Then he offered on the altar one of each kind of animal and bird that could be used for a sacrifice. 21 The smell of the burning offering pleased the Lord, and he said: ‘Never again will I punish the earth for the sinful things its people do. All of them have evil thoughts from the time they are young, but I will never destroy everything that breathes, as I did this time.'” Genesis 8:20-21 CEV
The promise that God made to Noah is also for us.
“Again, God said to Noah and his sons: 9′ I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you...16 When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. 17 The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.'” Genesis 8:8-17 CEV
The safety of the ark and the promise of the rainbow lead us down the road to the plan of salvation that the cross provides.
I imagine some of you were wondering if I was going to miss a day with the blog; well no, it is just later than usual.
My Sundays are a time of reflection and of doing things that I’m not able to do during the week. Dave and I attend on-line church services, go for a walk together and if I haven’t heard from the Lord for a morning devotional I wait until I do. That’s the way it went today.
Realizing that Easter Sunday is the end of this month the Lord put it on my heart to share what I am calling “The Road to the Cross”. This may be a bit different than your used to but I feel it will be a time of reflection for all of us.
The first steps on the Road were taken in the Garden of Eden.
“The Lord God called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?” 10 The man answered, “I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!”
11 “How did you know you were naked?” God asked. “Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?” 12 “It was the woman you put here with me,” the man said. “She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it.”
13 The Lord God then asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The snake tricked me,” she answered, “and I ate some of that fruit.”
14 So the Lord God said to the snake: “Because of what you have done,
you will be the only animal to suffer this curse—For as long as you live,…15 You and this woman will hate each other; your descendants and hers will always be enemies. One of hers will strike you on the head, and you will strike him on the heel.” Genesis 3:10-15 CEV
Here, a perfect couple, living in a perfect environment, communing with perfect God, had a freewill and used it to go contrary to what God had said. Instead of wiping them off the face of the earth with a simple brush of His hand God made provision for mankind to be restored.
“21 Then the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife.” Genesis 3:21 CEV
An animal was killed, blood was shed and forgiveness was enacted.
“The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered.” Hebrews 9:22 CEV
There in the Garden, that perfect place, death occurred physically and spiritually. Spiritually, man separated himself from communion with His Father and Creator. Physically, an animal died to provide a covering for Adam and Eve.
It was an action that would have eternal consequences.
“Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. 13 Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. 14 Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did.
In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. 15 But the gift of God’s undeserved grace was very different from Adam’s sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God’s gift of undeserved grace to many people.” Romans 5:12-15 CEV
For the next several days and possibly weeks, we will be looking at God’s steps from the Garden to the Cross. From man’s rebellion to Christ’s restitution; from a beginning that was sin free to relationship restored.
I encourage you to walk this road with me. We’ll make stops along the way, we’ll see God’s patience, His mercy and His unconditional love all which add up to one thing – His Grace!
I’ve been up for quite a while now and have been unable to find just the right thought for the day until now.
Peace – the gift of God’s love!
Maybe you’re like me and things have been pretty hectic this week. Go, go, go. It’s time to stop, take a deep breath, say a quiet prayer and let the Father fill you with peace.
Imagine if you will a rolling meadow, green pastures, wild flowers and a gentle stream. What does that sound like?
Peace.
It also sounds like the very thing a young shepherd boy was describing in Psalm 23.
“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4 ERV
I was just telling someone this last week that the Lord doesn’t let me teach something I haven’t lived. I have certainly had years of learning to live in God’s peace in the most troubling of times. Each circumstance that was meant to cause fear, distress and dis-ease, when committed to the Lord has ended in peace.
“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
“And you will live safely in your land. 6 I will give peace to your country. You will lie down in peace. No one will come to make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country. And armies will not come through your country.” Leviticus 26:5b-6 ERV
“God’s love will come together with his faithful people. Goodness and peace will greet them with a kiss.” Psalm 85: 10 ERV
I don’t know what your day or your week has before you but God does.
“So you will go out from there with joy. You will be led out in peace. When you come to the mountains and hills, they will begin singing. All the trees in the fields will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12 ERV
“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV
You may not be able to go to the country and find a peaceful meadow so take a few moments to stare at the image I used this morning. Let God bring peace to your heart.
I’ll leave you with the words from an old hymn and then I will go out and sit on the patio and watch the sun come up. I’ll start my day with peace. I hope you do too.
“Peace, peace, sweet peace!
Wonderful gift from above!
Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace!
Sweet peace, the gift of God’s love!” from Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s Love
“I love you, Lord! You are my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place high in the hills.” Psalm 18:1-2 ERV
Have you ever stopped to look at the life of Peter?
Strengths: Outdoorsman, Co-owner of a fishing fleet. Tough, Outspoken. Born leader. Loyal, Committed. Determined. Repentant. Teachable, Usable.
Weaknesses: Overconfident, Speak First Think Later. Self-Promoting. Folds Under Pressure. Proud. Impulsive.
Peter cut off a soldier’s ear in the Garden when they came to arrest Jesus. He denied Christ three times in the courtyard. He was one of the first to run to the tomb and find it empty but then he went back to the disciples, and they locked themselves in. Fearful.
50 days later he was in the upper room when the Holy Spirit filled the 120 with God’s power. He spoke boldly to the crowds, pointing out that they were the ones responsible for killing Jesus. But he preached forgiveness and over 3000 repented at the first preaching.
Then in Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching Jesus. No denial here. In fact, Peter spoke boldly to the religious leaders.
“Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and you older leaders, 9 are you questioning us today about what we did to help this crippled man? Are you asking us what made him well? 10 We want all of you and all the people of Israel to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You nailed Jesus to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well. He is able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! 11 Jesus is the ‘stone that you builders thought was not important. But this stone has become the cornerstone.’” Acts 4:8-11 ERV
This man who had denied knowing Jesus to a servant girl now stood before the rulers and proclaimed openly that he was a follower of Christ.
“So the Jewish leaders called Peter and John in again. They told the apostles not to say anything or to teach anything in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, ‘What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? 20 We cannot be quiet. We must tell people about what we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:18-20 ERV
What made the difference in Peter? The Holy Spirit!
Jesus said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit baptized them. Power to be witnesses, power to be bold, power to heal the sick, power to preach!
Are there things in your past that you are ashamed of? Times that you feel you have failed, not just failed yourself or your family, but times that you have failed God? Those failures don’t disqualify you from service.
If Peter hadn’t of failed, he still would have been self-confident, prideful and not felt he needed a Savior. He wouldn’t have been willing to yield his life to the Holy Spirit.
We need to let go of the past and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with power.
Thank you, Father, for changing my life from self-confident to God-confident. Thank you for seeing me as usable and trusting me with Your message of love and forgiveness!
When the Lord wants to teach us a principal, don’t be surprised if we find it on every page in the Bible.
“A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. ” Matthew 7:17-18 CEV
We will always be in a state of fruit production. We are destined to be fruit producers. Sometimes are fruit can be a little sour because it is fully ripened but that doesn’t mean our fruit is bad. However, there are some trees that do produce bad fruit.
Take for example the ornamental orange trees that grow in Arizona. The branches are thorny, and the fruit is so sour that not even the wild animals will eat it. It looks beautiful hanging there on the branch, so inviting, but do not eat it.
Kind of reminds me of some people. They look good but once you begin to listen to them talk and see their actions you know they aren’t. Remember, we had already discussed the verses Jesus taught, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”.
The Apostle Paul had a similar warning in his letter to the Christians living in Corinth.
“Don’t be fooled: ‘Bad friends will ruin good habits.’” I Corinthians 15:33 ERV
Such good advice. We need wisdom in establishing relationships and business associations. The following words come from King David; he made these statements about his closest advisors and friends.
“I will sing to you, Lord! I will celebrate your kindness and your justice. 2 Please help me learn to do the right thing, and I will be honest and fair in my own kingdom. 3 I refuse to be corrupt or to take part in anything crooked, 4 and I won’t be dishonest or deceitful.5 Anyone who spreads gossip will be silenced; no one who is conceited will be my friend.
6 I will find trustworthy people to serve as my advisors; only an honest person will serve as an official.7 No one who cheats or lies will have a position in my royal court. 8 Each morning I will silence any lawbreakers I find in the countryside or in the city of the Lord.” Psalm 101 CEV
Such good advice.
“If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces.” Matthew 12:33 ERV
I am so thankful that God’s word has given us “good seed” and the Holy Spirit is in us to produce good fruit.
By now I hope your garden is well planted. Seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.
“God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. 24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires.” Galatians 5:22-24 CEV
Planting God’s word in a heart of good soil is always an effort that brings good results.
“The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 23 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as 100 or 60 or 30 times what was planted.” Matthew 13:22-23 CEV
I hope you have written down our “seed” verses over the last several days. We need to keep them fresh in our memory so that our hearts continue to bear fruit – some 30, some 60 and some 100 times as much.
The Apostle Paul tells us that there is no law against these characteristics that Christ develops in our lives. But his message stirred up hatred, jealousy, and anger in the hearts of some who heard it. No one was ever arrested or maligned for doing good and righteous things. However, Paul was beaten and imprisoned for sharing God’s love by those who were convicted by his stand for Christ.
“God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. 8 Don’t be ashamed to speak for our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, just because I am in jail for serving him. Use the power that comes from God and join with me in suffering for telling the good news.” II Timothy 1:7-8 CEV
Standing strong is the real test of the seed, or what God is developing in our lives. A tree withstands the storms of life. The rain, wind, lightning, hail, frost and snow. It stands resilient in the face of hardship. It’s rooted deep.
“ 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. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.” Colossians 1:23 CEV
We must stand guard so that the weeds – the cares and anxieties of life – don’t choke out the seed.
“ 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
Paul wasn’t arrested because of the good he did. Jesus wasn’t crucified because of the miracles He performed and the compassion He showed. Persecution and death came because of the hatred in men’s hearts.
Will we be tested and face trials in our stand for Christ? Yes, yes we will. But just like Paul, Peter, John, James and Jesus our fruit will continue to produce as long as we don’t let weeds of bitterness and self-pity choke it out.
There is no law against God’s love.