Category: Faithfulness

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No Broken Promises

The last few days I have been reading in the Old Testament. King David has aged, and the Lord told him to set his son Solomon on the throne. Solomon had been given the task of building the Temple of the Lord.

King David had amassed a great treasury of gold, silver, bronze, jewels and cedar which he left for Solomon to use.

When the Temple was finished and the people were gathered for the dedication, Solomon prayed a prayer of thanksgiving honoring the Lord for His faithfulness and for His promise to “dwell” with His people. And then Solomon prayed over the people of Israel.

“When Solomon prayed this prayer to the LORD, he was on his knees in front of the LORD’s altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up. 55 Then, in a loud voice, he asked God to bless all the people of Israel. Solomon said,

56 ‘Praise the LORD! He promised to give rest to his people, Israel. And he has given us rest! He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them! 57 I pray that the LORD our God will be with us, as he was with our ancestors. I pray that he will never leave us. 58 I pray that we will turn to him and follow him. Then we will obey all the laws, decisions, and commands that he gave our ancestors. 59 I pray that the LORD our God will always remember this prayer and what I have asked. I pray that he will do these things for his servant, the king, and for his people, Israel. I pray that he will do this every day. 60 If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the LORD is the only true God. 61 You people must be loyal and true to the LORD our God. You must always follow and obey all of his laws and commands. You must continue to obey in the future as you do now.’” I Kings 8: 54-61 CEV

This is Solomon’s reminder to the people. “He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them!” God keeps His word. He kept it to Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon and the Israelites and He keeps His word to us today.

And here is the key – it isn’t so we can walk around bragging and arrogant.

“If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the LORD is the only true God.”

God gives and keeps His word so that all the world will know that the Lord is the only true God!

Plain and simple, so much in this world changes – you’ve heard it said “everything is relative” but that doesn’t apply to God’s promises and plans.

He is the same – yesterday, today and forever!

The word of the Lord stands forever. In our Father there is no variableness or shadow of turning. God’s love, his truth, his mercy and his grace will endure – His promises never fail.

Thank you, Father! Heaven and earth may pass away but Your word, your promises, will remain forever. They will never be broken.

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Every Morning

The picture folders on my computer are filled with images of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. There’s just something about the handiwork of the Lord that puts me in awe!

In my almost seventy years of life there has never been a morning that the sun hasn’t risen or an evening when it hasn’t set. “Of course, it does”, you say. I think that all too often we take the routine for granted or ignore it completely.

This morning I was making my day’s list and I wrote call and postpone the appointment. That’s when my thoughts turned to the Father’s mercy and peace. He has never once postponed or canceled His daily goodness.

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him. He is good to those who look for him. 26 It is good to wait quietly for the Lord to save them.” Lamentations 3:22-26 ERV

We should be looking for signs of God’s love every morning. He has something new to show us.

In just the same way that we search out the Lord’s loving kindness we should be canceling tomorrow’s worries.

“ Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 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. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries.” Matthew 6:31-34 ERV

Did you go to bed worrying last night?

We have instruction from Jesus not to focus in on the problems of tomorrow. He reminds us here that the Father knows everything we need, everything that concerns us. He has provided for all that would be worrisome. We are to let those worries go.

As surely as the sun set last night and will rise again this morning, we have the Father’s promise of faithfulness.

“Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. 3 From dawn until sunset the name of the Lord deserves to be praised. 4 The Lord is far above all of the nations; he is more glorious than the heavens.” Psalm 113:2-4 CEV

Embrace the sunrise and welcome a new day of God’s faithfulness. Celebrate the setting of the sun by praising Him for handling tomorrow’s problems.

Never postpone an opportunity to praise the Lord for His goodness!

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One More Time

Every couple of years I am reminded of “one thing” and you know if the Lord reminds me, I’m going to remind you.

We’ve just completed the first month of the year and before we advance another week, I want us to stop and focus in on the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha.

“As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

41-42 The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” Luke 10:38-42 MSG

Martha wanted Jesus to be comfortable, well fed and rested. Extending hospitality can be a lot of work – everything has to be perfect. The bread, the wine. Cheese and olives. Cakes to bake.

And where’s Mary?!

Looking out from the kitchen, wiping flour from her face, counting heads to know exactly how many need to be served, Martha sees Mary sitting in front of the guest of honor, hanging on His every word. Martha would love to be sitting there too but there’s just too much to do.

When Martha can stand it no longer, she complains. She actually makes a bit of a scene, complaining publicly about her sister. Surely, she thought Jesus would understand her plight. He would have Mary get up and join her in the kitchen to finish the meal but no.

Instead, Jesus addressed Martha’s busy-ness, pointing out her fussing and frustration. Martha had the Master Teacher in her home and instead of honoring Him with her time she complained.

Just a few days before, Jesus had taught his disciples on sowing seed and good ground. Jesus was teaching (sowing seed) and Mary’s heart was good soil for those seeds to be planted in. Martha, on the other hand, had thorny ground filled with the weeds of distraction and care.

Jesus’ words are clear, “One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

I can identify with both these sisters. I want to hang on every word I read but sometimes I get distracted. There are mornings I sleep a little later than normal and feel rushed to get through my Bible reading. Other days I may be distracted by making my list for the day, doing some quick research on the computer, read a couple of emails and before I know it the day has taken me captive, and I’ve missed out on those moments of quiet communion, peaceful prayer and joyful conversation with the Lord.

That’s when I hear those words, “Kristi, Kristi – only one thing is essential, choose the good part”.

Join me in putting aside the busy-ness for these morning moments and spend time listening to the words of Jesus.

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Mountains & Valleys

When I was a girl I would hear the people in our church talk about “mountain top” experiences in their walk with the Lord. It was wonderful to hear those testimonies. However, quite often they would also say, “we can’t always live on the mountain top, we have to accept the valleys too”.

Frankly, that was confusing to me. It sounded like they were saying that we couldn’t always have that closeness with God in the valleys of life.

This morning I was reading in I Kings 20 and that was what the enemies of Israel were saying about God. They had gone out to make war against King Ahab. King Ben-Hadad had the armies of 32 other kings with him, the Israelite army had 232 valiant rulers and a marching army of 7000. It appeared the Israelites would be easily defeated.

But God…

“Now the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Israel’s gods are gods of the mountains. So they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and for sure we will be stronger than they. 24 And do this. Take each of the kings from his place, and put captains in their places. 25 Gather together an army like the army you lost, horse for horse, and war-wagon for war-wagon. Then we will fight against Israel in the plain. For sure we will be stronger than they.” And Ben-hadad listened to them and did so.” I Kings 20:23-25 NLV

So, at the beginning of the following year King Ben-Hadad went out against Israel again, this time in a valley. The description given of the Israelite army is they looked like two little flocks of goats while the Arameans covered the land. Once again, they were greatly outnumbered.

“Then a man who spoke for God came to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says. ‘The Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys.” So I will give all these many people to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”  I Kings 20:28 NLV

Whether we are experiencing mountain-top victories or the battles in the valleys God rules. He promises us that when we walk through the valleys of the shadow of death, He is there with us and we have no reason to fear.

God is not limited by location or by circumstance! There is nothing too hard for the Lord. When we keep our eyes on Him and follow His leading, we will see the same thing that the Israelite king saw and “Then you will know that I am the Lord”.

There’s a song that I used to sing years ago, and it came to mind this morning as I was reading these verses.

“For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night”

Mountain-top or valley – we will experience both, but we will never be alone for God is with us!

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Motherless Child

This morning I woke up feeling heavy hearted. To be truthful, it can be a hard calling to walk in.

I’ve been sitting here in the dark for the better part of an hour praying. Praying for those who feel helpless and alone. Praying for friends that I know battle with depression, as I once did. Praying for those who realize that their marriage is over and the family they have fought for so many years is crumbling.

Praying for those who have heard that a loved one is dying and their passing is eminent. Some went to bed hungry last night, others faced the destruction of war and some feel that no one cares, no one even knows who they are.

“Sometime I feel
Like a motherless child
Sometimes I feel
Like a motherless child
And sometimes I feel
Like a motherless child
A long…long way…from home” sung by John Legend

My heart breaks!

Maybe as you have read the last few paragraphs the names and faces of family, friends and acquaintances have come to mind. May I encourage you to stop right now and pray. The Father wants us to be ready to be used.

Years ago, I got up in the middle of the night crying. I was crying for a friend’s daughter, I didn’t know why but I knew I needed to keep praying until the Lord gave me a release that things would be okay. Later I found out she had stolen a car, was involved in an accident and had tried to take her life.

Another time I was driving a piece of farm equipment and just started praying, out loud, for a friend and her family. I didn’t know why. I didn’t have phone service and neither did she but when we saw each other again I told her what had happened. It was at the precise time that they were rushing her three-year-old son to the hospital in ambulance with an unknown life-threatening illness.

And probably the most unique call to prayer was when I woke from a dream. There was a little girl from India in my dream, in the dirt streets with no food, no parents, no one to care. I prayed for her for the next hour. I honestly believe that one day I will see her in heaven.

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:37-40 NLT

Never take your heart’s cry to pray as trivial. The Father wants to use you to reach out and touch the world with His love and power.

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Surprised by God

Remember a few days back I told you of Elijah, a man like us, who prayed it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t for 3 1/2 years (James 5:17-18). Well today, I’m going to give you some more of his story.

After Elijah told King Ahab that it wouldn’t rain, he hid in the desert. The Lord led him to a brook. There he had plenty of water and ravens would come morning and evening bringing him food to eat.

Elijah wasn’t surprised by God sending ravens with groceries or that He was led to a place where there was still fresh water while the rest of the nation was in drought.

But after a while the brook dried up. The Lord told him to go to a town called Zarephath and there would be a widow who would feed him. When he got to the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks.

This surprised him!

“So he arose and went to Zarephath. Now when he came to the town gate, to his surprise, a widow was there gathering sticks. So he called her and said, ‘Please bring a little water in a jar that I may drink.’ 11 As she was going to fetch it, he called her and said, ‘Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’” I Kings 17:10-11 TLV

Elijah was a prophet of God. He had seen and done miracles but here when he encountered a woman, whom God told him he would meet, he was surprised. I find that so encouraging!

There have been times in our life that Dave and I have known that God was leading us to a place and when we got “there” we were surprised. Surprised by God’s favor and provision. It was better than we could have imagined.

“Now to Him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or imagine, by means of His power that works in us, 21 to Him be the glory in the community of believers and in Messiah Yeshua throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 TLV

The “far beyond all that we ask or imagine” is referring to the previous verses that tell us we can know the width, the depth, the length and the height of God’s love.

It was God’s love that sent Elijah to the woman in Zarephath. His love for the widow, her son and for the prophet. His sustaining love.

“…’Now look, I am gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.’ 13 Elijah said to her, ‘Fear not! Go and do as you said, but first make me a little cake from what you have there. Bring it out to me and afterwards, make some for you and for your son.'” verses 12-13 TLV

Once again, we have a story where God steps in and says, “fear not”. God’s plan is one of provision and not lack or fear.  The woman thought she only had enough for one more small meal. But God…

This widow was surprised by the prophet’s words and God’s supply.

“So she went and did according to the word of Elijah—and she and he, and her household ate for many days.” verse 15

Follow the Lord’s leading today – you just may be in for a surprise!

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Rough Roads

We had a great time taking the family to the Polar Express in Williams on Tuesday. It was one of those “memory makers” that we, grandparents, hope to make with our grandchildren.

We had hoped for some snow so the kids could also make their first snowballs and possibly a snowman. When we woke yesterday morning the cars in the parking lot at the hotel had a nice little covering of snow. What we didn’t realize was that the road which led to home was snow packed.

Making snowballs in the parking lot was fun for them. They giggled as they made their slushy projectiles, lobbing them at their mother and siblings. All the while Pappy and their Dad were making plans on how to navigate the roads.

The weather and road apps didn’t give us the full story. We talk with the hotel desk clerk, and she said her managers had come from Flagstaff and they didn’t report any problems, so we loaded the kids in their car, we got in the truck and headed out.

The first several miles were fine. Driving slower than normal but nothing too concerning. And then – well the roads got worse, no ice but snow packed ruts narrowed to one lane and it was very slow going. It was that way for the next hundred miles. (The picture was taken when the roads got better.)

As we reached the lower elevations the snow turned to rain and the roads were open again. Our daughter text me saying, “This is why I’m glad we no longer live in the snow”. Amen to that.

Those roads reminded me of a Scripture.

“A voice is calling, ‘Make the way ready for the Lord in the desert. Make the road in the desert straight for our God. 4 Every valley will be lifted up and every mountain and hill will be brought down. The turns in the road will be made straight and the bad places will be made smooth. 5 Then the shining-greatness of the Lord will be seen. All flesh together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” Isaiah 40:3-5 NLV

These are the words of prophecy that were given about the ministry of Jesus.

When life seems to be full of twists and turns, rough and rocky places, we can depend on the Lord to make the bad places smooth. The power of God in our lives will make crooked places straight; turn struggles into strength and battles into triumph.

Keep going even though the path narrows and the way seems constricted. It may be a difficult road to navigate but when we keep your eyes on Him we will see the path clear and His shining-greatness will be revealed.

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A Son Is Born!

Merry Christmas!

Those of you with little children have probably been up for hours, putting together those Christmas toys or answering the middle-of-the-night questions, “has Santa come yet?”. Maybe your home is filled with family, and you are just as excited for the events of Christmas morning as they are and that excitement stole your sleep. I’m excited too!!

Merry Christmas, a Son is born!

Because of Jesus homes and hearts are filled with peace and joy. Because of Jesus forgiveness and unconditional love is ours. Because of Jesus we have hope for all our tomorrows.

“The angel said, ‘Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. 21  Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ 22 So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23  ‘A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means ‘God is with us.'” Matthew 1:20-23 CEV

A Son is born, and his name is called Immanuel, which means God is with us!

As you are reading the words of this blog, God is with you. When you go to the kitchen and start breakfast, as you open the presents under the tree, when you gather round the dinner table God is with you. He has placed Himself at the ready – some of you have invited Him into your hearts but He is still patiently waiting for others of you to extend that invitation.

Tonight, when all is quiet, and the dishes are done, and children are in bed Immanuel will still be there. Tomorrow morning, He will be a constant companion who has promised to never leave or abandon you. I pray that the abiding presence of Immanuel will be more than just a pleasant thought on Christmas. I pray that it will be a life-changing experience.

Because a Son is born, God is with us! Merry Christmas.

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Renovations at Christmas

Last night we flew in after dark. The Christmas light display from the air was beautiful. Once on the ground we had quite a drive to get home, again I was taken by the lights. Someone, many some ones, had gone to great effort to renovate these homes into winter wonderlands.

That got me to thinking about our theme of yesterday, “Mighty God”.

“…and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV

When you think about who God is and think about that phrase “mighty God” what comes to mind?

I think about the millions of lives that have been changed.

“On one of the days while Jesus was teaching, some proud religious law-keepers and teachers of the Law were sitting by Him. They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them. 18 Some men took a man who was not able to move his body to Jesus. He was carried on a bed. They looked for a way to take the man into the house where Jesus was. 19 But they could not find a way to take him in because of so many people. They made a hole in the roof over where Jesus stood. Then they let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus.” Luke 5:17-19 NLV

Here was a man who was paralyzed. He had four friends who knew if he could get to Jesus something miraculous would happen. In comes the “home reno”. Not being able to get into the house where Jesus was, they went to the roof and began to dismantle it. They removed enough of the roofing material to lower this man, on his bed, to the floor below, just in front of Jesus.

I’m sure the homeowner was less that thrilled. Debris began falling on the religious leaders as the demo started. Jesus knew things were about to get real, someone was exhibiting great faith in Him, after all, He was Mighty God.

That man was completely healed, and his sins were forgiven. The vestiges of his old life had been completely demolished and a new life of walking free had begun.

Throughout the life of Jesus, we’ve seen many examples of renovated lives. A prostitute had the shame she had been living in destroyed and a new life of respectability was built. A rich man named Zacchaeus had his high-rise penthouse renovated, all greed removed, and compassion filled each room.

The demoniac who was living in a shack of fear, torment and disassociation saw his home, his life, rebuilt where there was no room for mental torment, anxiety, fear and humiliation.

All of these people, and more, were touched and changed by the one called “Mighty God”.

“ For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.” II Corinthians 5:17 NLV

Be open to renovating this Christmas. The “Mighty God” reconstruction company comes to work as soon as a prayer is made. He’s willing to change the home, the heart, of anyone who asks.

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Willing to Wait

Well, this morning we are on our way to visit with our son and his girlfriend for a few days and then with our granddaughter and her family.

It seems I’ve been waiting forever for this day to come.

Waiting is hard, especially at Christmas time. Do you remember being little and having to wait for Christmas morning? Tell me ,why do parents put presents under the tree 3 weeks in advance? Why are we told grandma and grandpa will be here, 2 weeks before they arrive? For little ones that seems like an eternity.

Now, imagine if you will, being Mary on the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was about 120 miles. Each night of the trip she waited for a comfortable bed but there was none. She waswaiting, hoping in all earnestness, for a warm and comfortable bed upon their arrival. But there was none.

Never in her wildest dreams do I think she imagined that she would be giving birth to her first child, God’s Son, in a barn!

“ I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLV

These words were written by King David but I think they must have also been the words of Mary’s heart.

But Mary wasn’t the only one who had waited for the day of Christ’s birth. God, the Father, had been waiting too. He had been waiting since the days of Adam and Eve in the garden.

“ Then the Lord God said to the snake, “Because you have done this, you will be hated and will suffer more than all cattle, and more than every animal of the field. You will go on your stomach and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will make you and the woman hate each other, and your seed and her seed will hate each other. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 NLV

These were God’s words of prophecy to the serpent in the garden. The seed of the woman, Christ, would crush the head of the serpent, Satan. Satan’s fate had been sealed! God would have the final word but He had to wait!

Are you waiting for something big to happen? A clear doctor’s report? A new promotion? A vindication among your peers? A restored relationship? Retirement? Graduation?

Don’t get tired in waiting. Don’t try to rush the plans of God. Be patient. Be willing to wait for God’s best, don’t settle for Satan’s counterfeit.

“ I wait for the Lord. My soul waits and I hope in His Word. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than one who watches for the morning; yes, more than one who watches for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For there is loving-kindness with the Lord. With Him we are saved for sure.” Psalm 130:5-7 NLV

When we’re willing to wait good things happen. After all, it’s almost Christmas!

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