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Shameless

Some years back Billy Joel wrote a great song that Garth Brooks recorded, Shameless.

When I read the lyrics I make it the prayer of my heart, an expression of love to the Father and believe it or not, I can hear the Father singing those lyrics back to me. His love for me is Shameless.

“ Well I’m shameless When it comes to loving you, I’ll do anything you want me to, I’ll do anything at all…You see in all my life I’ve never found What I couldn’t resist, what I couldn’t turn down. I could walk away from anyone I ever knew, But I can’t walk away from you.    And I’m shameless…”

God is always there; when we succeed and when we fail. He doesn’t abandon or desert us in the rough times! He is always there to hold us close, pick us up when we fall and lift our burdens.  His love for us is Shameless.

When we’re embarrassed or have lost our way the Lord is the “lifter of my head”. Someone who is embarrassed finds themselves looking down, not making eye contact but God takes His loving hand, cups it under our chin and lifts our head.

“3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3

With head lifted  up, the first thing we do is look into the loving eyes of our Father. He, more than likely, has a smile on His face;  accepting, inviting, understanding and forgiving. He is there to be a shield for us.

“I come to you, Lord, for protection. Don’t let me be ashamed. Do as you have promised and rescue me. 2 Listen to my prayer and hurry to save me. Be my mighty rock  and the fortress where I am safe. 3 You, Lord God, are my mighty rock and my fortress. Lead me and guide me, so that your name will be honored.” Psalm 31:1-3

When we put our hope and trust in the Lord, depending upon Him for His direction and His protection we will have no need to be ashamed. We are secure in His love and it really won’t matter what anyone else says about us or thinks about us. We are the apple of His eye.

“I went to the Lord for help, and he listened. He saved me from all that I fear. 5 If you look to him for help, he will put a smile on your face. You will have no need to be ashamed. 6 As a poor, helpless man I prayed to the Lord, and he heard me. He saved me from all my troubles.” Psalm 34:4-6 ERV

Take a look at the times that Jesus showed “shameless” love to folks in the Bible. The first one that comes to mind is the woman who was caught committing adultery. She was dragged by her accusers through the streets to Jesus. She was shamed publicly.

“The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses brought in a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn’t her husband. They made her stand in the middle of the crowd. 4 Then they said, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband. 5 The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?…

Jesus stood up and asked her, “Where is everyone? Isn’t there anyone left to accuse you?” 11 “No sir,” the woman answered. Then Jesus told her, “I am not going to accuse you either. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.” John 8:3-5, 10-11 CEV

Then there was the time when an  leper encountered Jesus and asked to be healed. This man’s life was void of human touch because the laws of the day prohibited him from having contact with anyone. He was unclean. It was shameful!

“As Jesus came down the mountain, he was followed by large crowds. 2 Suddenly a man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, you have the power to make me well, if only you wanted to.” 3 Jesus put his hand on the man and said, “I want to! Now you are well.” At once the man’s leprosy disappeared.” Matthew 8:1-3 CEV

Jesus was not ashamed to associate with this man, to touch him, to heal him. Jesus was shameless!

Just one more example – there are so many. But this is the story of a man who was a crooked “IRS” agent, a tax collector. He wanted to see Jesus but he was too short to see over the crowd so he climbed a tree to get a better look. He was hated by society. His action of climbing the tree opened him to even greater ridicule. It was shameful.

“Jesus was going through Jericho, 2 where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. 3-4 Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree. When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down! I want to stay with you today.” 6 Zacchaeus hurried down and gladly welcomed Jesus.

7 Everyone who saw this started grumbling, “This man Zacchaeus is a sinner! And Jesus is going home to eat with him.”

8 Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated.” 9 Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “Today you and your family have been saved, because you are a true son of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10 CEV

The shameful actions of a tax collector were changed that day because of the SHAMELESS love of God’s Son!

Let’s take a close look at our lives. What things have we done that are shameful? What is it that has us looking down? Jesus came to lift our head – to provide forgiveness and restoration.

I’m going to close with one more verse.

“Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God’s children to be saved and to share in his glory. 11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10-11 CEV

God’s love for us is absolutely SHAMELESS!

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How Big Is Our God?

As we start the day I need to ask, “how big is our God?”.

Do problems and stress keep us awake at night? Do we find ourselves in turmoil over the day’s situations? As we raise our kids and provide for our families are we undone by the pressures that surround us?

So, how big is our God?

“I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so that you can do what he wants. God is the one who raised from death our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of his sheep. He raised him because Jesus sacrificed his blood to begin the new agreement that never ends. I pray that God will work through Jesus Christ to do the things in us that please him. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:19-21 ERV

Do we see God the Father as a God of peace or do we see Him as someone we need to be wary of because “we just never know what God’s going to do”?

I hope it’s the first, because through Jesus’ sacrifice, he made the way for us to be reconciled to God. To be made sons of God so that we could call him “Abba Father”.

Abba was a term of endearment like daddy or papa.

“Since you are now God’s children, he has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. The Spirit cries out, “ Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are not slaves like before. You are God’s children, and you will receive everything he promised his children.” Galatians 4:6-7 ERV

Did you notice that this verse says since we are God’s children we will receive everything He promised us? God has not lied in the whole of eternity and I can guarantee that He will not start lying now.  If God has promised it, He will come through every time!

Sometimes, we don’t even know what we need! We become so exhausted and overwhelmed that we lose perspective. That’s when we pray like the Apostle Paul did and God steps in with the answers.

“I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus! ” Philippians 4:19 CEV

We are also told in Hebrews that we can come boldly to His throne to find help in time of need. I can see it now – like little kids we are invited to come running in, climb up on the throne and sit in the Father’s lap and tell Him we have a need and He by grace provides the help we are looking for.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16

So let’s take time to thank Him today for his grace and mercy and if you have had a misconception of God and His love for you ask Him to show you just how much He loves you today. He will!

My God is big!

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Go Eat Worms

As a kid, I’m sure you all said this little chant once or twice. “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms. Big fat juicy ones, little tiny scrawny ones, oh, how they do squirm.”

Eating worms is ok if you’re a bird or a fish but I imagine it leaves a lot to be desired if you’re a person. Believe me, I’m not going there.

I hope the verses from yesterday’s devotional are still in your heart and your mind. To God you ARE good enough and He loves you deeply.

However, the feeling that we’re all alone and that nobody really understands us or loves us is a major issue in the life of many adults! It can be overwhelming. We’ve all had people let us down, turn against us or just ignore us as if we don’t exist. But! There is One who promises to never leave us or forsake us.

I’m about ready to start a week of studies on people in the Bible who had a true friendship with God. They were all often ignored or criticized by family members and friends. They found the Lord was that friend that they could always depend on. 

Even Jesus faced relationship issues. He was followed by hundreds and thousands. He had many that came to listen to his teachings, see his miracles, and even speak out their adoration. They were part of the crowd. Then there were the 12 apostles. One of those sold him for 30 pieces of silver, one denied knowing Him and they all fled when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the garden. 

Jesus had three who were a part of His inner circle, so to speak. These men, Peter, James and John, were with Jesus constantly. They were His closest confidants but John, the Bible says, the one that Jesus loved, was who Jesus asked to care for his mother when he was hanging on the cross. 

1000’s – 12- 3- 1.

Yes, people will let us down even those who love us most. That’s why I love Hebrews 13:5b so much. 

“God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.”

Now that’s good news. This is how that verse reads  from the Amplified version. This version shows us the emphatic sense of commitment that God has to us.

“for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down [relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6

Now read that again. This is how God feels about us – He’s there for us. He will not leave us!!!!

His love never fails.

Be blessed today because God loves you, what can man do to you that could possibly compare to that!!

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Good Enough?

What if I’m not good enough? Do you ever have thoughts like this?

Do you have that “one special someone” in your life? The one who knows your deepest secrets, your biggest fears, your worst failures and loves you still? That one who has been behind you for every success, cheering you on, encouraging you, applauding you, being there at the trophy ceremony to celebrate your victories?

That someone who will never leave and who will always support through thick or thin, good times or bad, that One is none other than our loving heavenly Father.

He loved us before we were born. He loved us when no one else knew our name. He loved us when we failed and disappointed Him and He loved us when we reached the pinnacle of success!

He can do no other. He IS love! He had His Son die for us. That’s who He is and what He does. It’s absolutely amazing to be in relationship with Him!!!!

“But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.” Romans 5:8 CEV

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us.” Romans 8:31 CEV

God isn’t waiting for us to fail so He can humiliate us or punish us for what we do wrong. He’s always with us – loving us, encouraging us to try, helping us to grow.

If you’ve ever battled with being “good enough” like I have and then come to a realization that there’s nothing that I can do to make God love me less and there is nothing I can do to make God love me more than you know what a wonderful joy (doesn’t even describe) it is to wake up each morning and say, “Father I love you. Jesus, I love you. Holy Spirit, I love you. And then to hear them say back, “We love you too!”

“Who can say that God’s people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble or problems or persecution separate us from his love? If we have no food or clothes or face danger or even death, will that separate us from his love? 36 As the Scriptures say,

“For you we are in danger of death all the time.
People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.”

37 But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. 38-39 Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:34-39 CEV

Nothing can separate us from His love. Good enough? We are for Him!

Now that’s a good way to start the day!!!

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Hand in Hand

What’s on your schedule today?

It’s important that we keep our priorities focused. One way to do that is to see how someone you admire schedules their day.

Have you ever asked yourself what’s on the God’s to-do list for the day? I have, “what ya doin today Father? Can I tag along?”

The answer is always the same. “Sure Kris, I’d love to have you spend the day with me. I have some wonderful adventures planned and I’m glad that you want to go with Me.”

“God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 ERV

He planned out ahead of time the “good things” He’d like us to do and He sent Jesus to show us how exciting spending time with Him can be.

“In Christ we are made free by his blood sacrifice. We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace. 8 God gave us that grace fully and freely. With full wisdom and understanding 9 he let us know his secret plan. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. 10 God’s goal was to finish his plan when the right time came. He planned that all things in heaven and on earth be joined together with Christ as the head.

11 In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people. God had already planned for us to be his people, because that is what he wanted. And he is the one who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.” Ephesians 1:7-11 ERV

From the beginning of time, my Father made a plan for me and He’s stuck with me to see His plan work in my life. I love that about Him! He desires that we walk hand in hand through life.

“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.” Jeremiah 29:11 ERV

He’s definitely a good Father with a good plan. I’ll spend time with Him today!

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Two Sides to the Coin

Do you ever struggle with the size of your faith? The disciples of Jesus struggled with theirs.

I often hear folks say, “I wish I had more faith or I wish my faith was bigger or stronger”. This morning I would like to share a couple of thoughts on faith and unbelief.

Imagine we are holding a coin in our hand right now. One side of the coin is faith and one side is unbelief. The outcome in the situations of our life are directly affected by the side of the coin that we are looking at.

There are many Scriptures when Jesus addressed unbelief in the hearts and minds of those that he was ministering too. In Matthew 13 it says that Jesus couldn’t do any mighty works in his own hometown because of their unbelief. In Mark 9 the man who had a demon possessed son brought him to Jesus for healing. Jesus answered if you can believe all things are possible to him to you. The father responded Lord, I believe – I need you to help me with my unbelief. After Jesus set the boy free his disciples came and ask:

“Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21 NKJV

Jesus didn’t say that it was because of their “little” faith or even lack of faith but because of unbelief. He then goes on to say that if their faith was the size of a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to them. And as a side note when Jesus said “this kind” goes not out but by prayer and fasting, He was talking about the unbelief.

Faith, simply put, is our belief that God not only can do but will do those things that He has promised. Abraham is our walking example of this. He had a lifetime of evidence to support his unbelief in being able to have a child. Barrenness for both he and Sarah. If they had gone to the fertility clinic, everyone would have laughed at them and sent them home. But thank God, Abraham didn’t listen to all the unbelief (his own or that of others) he was strong in faith.

“Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly a hundred years old. He knew that 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.” Romans 4:19-21 CEV

When we give our life to Christ and are born again, we are given faith as a part of our new nature. Romans 12 says that God has given all of us “the” measure of faith and then in Galatians 5, Paul tells us again that faith is a fruit of the Spirit.

We can all agree it takes faith to get saved. “For by grace are you saved through faith”.

Faith, believing that God will do what He says He will do, and grace, God giving us what we don’t deserve and can’t earn on our own. This was the time in our life that our faith in God was the smallest and yet it was enough to create the greatest miracle – salvation.

If we focus on the situation or problem in our lives that is causing us to worry, unbelief with win over faith. But if we go to God’s word, find His answer, feed our faith (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God) and it will cause our unbelief to shrink.

We must keep looking at Jesus, he is the one who shows us what faith in God can do. He is our example.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 ERV

As we look at Him and all that He did our unbelief with decrease and our faith with grow. It’s like putting weights on a scale – we simply decrease the unbelief.

We have God’s word that “mustard seed” faith is more than enough to move mountains. So go move some mountains.

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The River of Life

This morning I found myself praying for my children and grandchildren as I do each morning. Praying for their health and safety. Praying that they will have wisdom, peace of mind and joy.

 

Trusting the Lord to reveal the depth of His love to them – showing them that His Mercy is new everyday and that there is no end to His loving kindness to them!

I feel a bit like the mother of Moses. The Pharaoh had given a vicious order. All the Hebrew boy babies were to be killed. He feared that the Hebrew slaves would increase in population so greatly that they would rebel against him and his rule.

Moses mother made a basket of reeds and tucked Moses safely inside and placed it in the  Nile River but she had someone standing close by to ensure his safety.

“A man from the Levi tribe married a woman from the same tribe, 2 and she later had a baby boy. He was a beautiful child, and she kept him inside for three months. 3 But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar. She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s older sister  stood off at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5 About that time one of the king’s daughters came down to take a bath in the river, while her servant women walked along the river bank. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent one of the young women to pull it out of the water. 6 When the king’s daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby and felt sorry for him because he was crying. She said, “This must be one of the Hebrew babies.”

7 At once the baby’s older sister came up and asked, “Do you want me to get a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby for you?”

8 “Yes,” the king’s daughter answered. So the girl brought the baby’s mother, 9 and the king’s daughter told her, “Take care of this child, and I will pay you.” Exodus 2:1-9 CEV

Moses mother had to trust God to keep her son safe. There were all sorts of perils to deal with. Crocodiles, snakes, the basket sinking or the baby being found by an Egyptian soldier.

It’s a hard thing to put our kids in this river called “life”. So many dangers but we can stand back watching, praying and planning to protect. Thank God that this isn’t a job of our own effort.

“16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps. He helps the people who are from Abraham. 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:16-18 ERV

Jesus is the one we can trust to provide that much needed salvation from life’s dangers. In common speech He’s been there, done that, nailed it. We don’t send our kids out on their own. They are under the watchful protection of a loving heavenly Father.

“God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.” I Peter 5:7

As we send them out the door this morning or perhaps they are grown and live far away, we can put our trust in the Lord. He provided for little Moses and He’ll do the same for our children.

Thank you Father for blessing me and trusting me with these lives and thank you that You, in Your great love, are faithful and well able to protect them and give them victory.

” 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.” Jeremiah 29:11 ERV

 

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Can You Hear Me Now?

Everyone in America and maybe around the world know what cell phone company used this slogan.

But before it was used by Verizon, millions of people in eons past have stood out in the open sky looking up toward heaven and they have all asked the same thing.

In the days when Ahab was king, the people of Israel were serving the false god Baal more than they were serving God. In fact Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, had many of the prophets of God killed.  Elijah was the best known of the prophets. He was tired of God being ignored so he challenged the prophets of Baal.

If Elijah had been a cowboy this challenge would have been as big as the gun fight at the OK Corral.

Anyway, Elijah told Ahab to bring 450 prophets of Baal to the top of Mount Carmel.

“ Elijah answered:  You’re the troublemaker—not me! You and your family have disobeyed the Lord’s commands by worshiping Baal.

19 Call together everyone from Israel and have them meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.

20 Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the Lord is God, worship him!  But if Baal is God, worship him!” The people did not say a word.” I Kings 18:18-21 NLV

Elijah’s challenge went like this. You call out to your god. Ask him to send fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice. If he answers we will know that he is the true God. But if he doesn’t I will call on my God and ask Him to send fire. If He does then you will know that He is the true God.

“Elijah said to Baal’s prophets, “There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don’t light the fire. Then pray to your god.”

26 They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, “Answer us, Baal!” But there was no answer.

27 At noon, Elijah began making fun of them. “Pray louder!” he said. “Baal must be a god. Maybe he’s day-dreaming or using the toilet or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he’s asleep, and you have to wake him up.”

28 The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped, 29 and they kept it up all afternoon. But there was no answer of any kind.” I Kings 18:25-29 NLV

I love it.

Elijah was taunting them and poking fun at their god and they fell for it. Then it was Elijah’s turn to call on his God, the Lord Almighty.

“He told the people, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood.” After they did this, 34 he told them to do it two more times. They did exactly as he said 35 until finally, the water ran down the altar and filled the ditch.   36 When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed:

Our Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Now, prove that you are the God of this nation, and that I, your servant, have done this at your command. 37 Please answer me, so these people will know that you are the Lord God, and that you will turn their hearts back to you.

38 The Lord immediately sent fire, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch. 39 When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”                   I Kings 18:33-39 NLV

“Please show these people who You are. Let them know that you are the true God!” Elijah’s prayer “hear me now Lord” received an immediate response from heaven.

We don’t have to wonder if God is going to hear us. We have the promise of His word.

“I have called to You, O God, for You will answer me. Listen to me and hear my words.” Psalm 17:6 NLV

“Hear my cry, O God. Listen to my prayer. 2 I call to You from the end of the earth when my heart is weak. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For You have been a safe place for me, a tower of strength where I am safe from those who fight against me. ” Psalm 61:1-3 NLV

“I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my prayers. 2 I will call on Him as long as I live, because He has turned His ear to me.” Psalm 116:1-2 NLV

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart. ” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLV

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

What I hope you are seeing from all these verses is that God is there when we call. He is waiting for us to come – come when we need help and instruction but also to come and just visit.

As parents we desire to provide for our kids. When they ask for something they need we don’t ignore them or ridicule them, no we lovingly help. But we don’t just want them coming only to get stuff – we want to have time to talk with them, listen to their dreams and have them spend time with us.

If we listen we can hear the Lord calling out to us.

 “Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. 29 Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLV

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

The Lord is always waiting for our call!  He CAN hear us now.

 

 

 

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Green Stamp Redemption

A while back there were a number of “Do you Remember” items on FB posts. One of them was “green stamps”.

Do you remember green stamps or maybe it was gold stamps that you saved? Each time we went to the gas station or the grocery store, the attendant would give my folks green stamps and they would bring them home and we put them in a savings book.

We had a green stamp catalog and we would save our books until we had enough to go to the redemption center and get what we had been saving for. That was so much fun, we walked out with something we really wanted and then we would start collecting for the  new item that we wanted. 

Do you know that we have been “redeemed”? The word redeemed means to rescue or to ransom. Our lives have been redeemed; not by collecting our good works and sticking them in a book for all to see but by the precious blood of Jesus.

“You were rescued (redeemed) from the useless way of life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don’t last forever. 19 You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.” I Peter 1:18-19

All our good deeds cannot begin to measure up to the price Jesus paid for our redemption. Can’t you see it now, Jesus walking into the redemption center and God the Father asking “what would you like to take home today”?

Jesus says, “I would like Kristi for my own”.

And the Father says, “Well, are you sure you wouldn’t like something better? She has done some pretty foolish things.”

“No,” Jesus says, “I would like her.”

“And what will you give for her redemption? It has to be something very valuable.” says the Father. And he shows Jesus all the charges of my shortcomings and sins.

Jesus stretches forth His hands revealing the nail prints and says, “I think this should cover it.”

“Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.” Colossians 2:14 Amplified Version

Hallelujah! I have been redeemed. I have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. All my sins have been blotted out, covered by the blood of Jesus!

He’s done the same for you. He’s paid the price for your redemption.

 

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Advice From My Professor

I had a professor in college that would say, “If I say it’s significant, if I repeat it once it’s important, if I say it a third time write it down, it will be on the test”.

He was true to his word. We learned quickly.

You will notice that these morning writings follow a theme. Generally they will deal with our relationship with God the Father, his character (love, kindness, protection) and I always try to bring a message of encouragement and hope which dispel worry and fear.

When it’s important I will be repeating it time and time again.

When we lived in Montana we lived about 15 miles from town. Kaci would call to tell us she was off work and headed home. She would ask if we needed anything before she left town. Her dad would always tell her “remember to slow down through the willows, you never know if a deer is going to jump out onto the road”. This wasn’t an occasional reminder, it was daily.

She asked me once if he thought she wasn’t being careful. I told her no, but  as her dad he felt it was his responsibility to keep her safe and so as long as she drove that road he would be reminding her to slow down and be alert. The reminder was the expression of a loving father.

You know God, our heavenly Father, does the same with us. In the Old Testament He gave his message through prophets. In the New Testament the message came through Jesus and the apostles. The messengers were different but the message was the same.

“I love you and I want relationship with you. Listen to and obey my words. Life will go better when you use My wisdom.” Now that’s the Kristi paraphrase but Scripture says it like this:

“Be faithful in obeying the Lord your God. Be careful to keep all His Laws which I tell you today. And the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these good things will come upon you if you will obey the Lord your God. 3 Good will come to you in the city, and good will come to you in the country. ” Deuteronomy 28:1-3 NLV

or

“Listen to and obey all the Laws I am telling you today. Love the Lord your God. Work for Him with all your heart and soul. If you do, 14 He will give the rain for your land at the right times, the early and late rain. So you may gather in your grain, your new wine and your oil.” Deuteronomy 11:13-14 NLV

Listening to the Lord and obeying always came with blessings.

“Only be strong and have much strength of heart. Be careful to obey all the Law which My servant Moses told you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left. Then all will go well with you everywhere you go. 8 This book of the Law must not leave your mouth. Think about it day and night, so you may be careful to do all that is written in it. Then all will go well with you. You will receive many good things. 9 Have I not told you? Be strong and have strength of heart! Do not be afraid or lose faith. For the Lord your God is with you anywhere you go.” Joshua 1:7-9 NLV

We’re his children and His Word is his loving reminder of what’s important.

Let me ask you, when your kids were little how many times did you tell them to brush their teeth before they went to bed? Or how many times did you instruct them to say please and thank you; yes sir and no sir? How often did you instruct them to wash their hands, eat with their mouth closed, look both ways before crossing the street? Over and over again we repeated parental instruction.

Jesus used words like “verily, verily” which meant I’m telling you a truth, listen up. He also repeated the concepts of God’s kingdom by telling parables. A parable was a practical story with a godly principle as its basis. Remember the one of the prodigal son?

The son wanted to go off on his own. He made mistakes. He squandered his money and when he hit rock bottom he went home. The Father was waiting, waiting with open arms. Waiting to embrace his son and make his life good again.

The Apostle Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament. The books were letters to churches in different areas where he had preached. In each letter he was reminding the believers of the things he had taught them while he had been with them personally. One of the major themes of Paul’s writings was joy and peace.

“Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy! 5 Let all people see how gentle you are. The Lord is coming again soon. 6 Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7 NLV

How appropriate it is for us today. Be full of joy, pray, don’t worry, be guarded by peace. Yes, that’s worth repeating!  I can guarantee life will test us daily to see if we come up with an answer to be joyful, pray, don’t worry and have peace.

Let me close with these words of repetition from the book of Psalms. I will encourage you to read chapter 118. The repetition in these 29 verses is overwhelming. This whole chapter has one purpose and that is to remind us that God’s loving kindness lasts forever. When we are mindful of that fact, it makes it easier for us to be full of joy, free from worry and bathed in peace.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. 2 Let Israel say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.” Psalm 118:1-4 NLV

I hope you learn to love the repetition of Scripture. God is making a point!

His loving-kindness will last forever! Amen.

 

 

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