Category: Relationship

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A Love For The Ages

About this time every year I began to reminisce, remembering where I was in 1973.

Next week, Dave and I will celebrate our 46th anniversary and when I got up this morning, I sat in my chair for a long time thinking of what I was doing 46 years ago – with only a week left before the “big day”, what was I focused on? Putting the finishing touches on the dress I was making, double checking on the flowers, helping Dad finish the wedding arch. There were many more details I don’t remember but I do remember how excited I felt to be marrying my best friend and the love of my life! 46 years – many of you haven’t even been alive that long…

As I sat there thanking the Lord for what He’s done in us and for us over all those years, my heart filled with song – yes, a song. I heard the words “I will sing of Your love forever, I will sing of Your love forever, I will sing of Your love forever”. Thankful for the love of my husband and that of my Heavenly Father.

Then I remembered so many verses that tell us that the Lord’s love will endure forever. His love is so great – amazingly unconditional and eternal!

“I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.” Psalm 89:2

“Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1

“For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117:2

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34

“I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.” Hosea 2:19

Did you get that last one? I will betroth you to me forever, the Lord has chosen us as His beloved! Wow – amazing!!

Paul tells us in Ephesians that the loving, godly relationship between a husband and wife is really an example of Christ and His love for us.

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:22-31 NIV

We became His betrothed and He gave up His life for us. He loves us as His own body, He covers us with His strength and protection, He presents us spotless to His Father.

So now, look back and remember the preparation for your wedding day, the excitement, the anticipation, the LOVE. And put that in context to your relationship with Christ and join with me…

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” Psalm 89:1

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Sight Reading, Auto Correct & Life

A friend of mine made a post on Face Book the other day that I thought was so good. It went something like this: I always proof read my texts, normally after I hit send.

Isn’t that the truth? We input something, knowing it says exactly what we want to say, hit send and it auto-corrects and we can’t get it back. We are left to send another text trying to explain what we meant in the first one. Ridiculous.

Thank God, he isn’t that way! His word is true and it doesn’t need to be corrected or changed.

“Grass dies and flowers fall, but the word of our God lasts forever.” Isaiah 40:8 ERV

When our youngest daughter was in first grade she learned something called sight reading. The teacher was trying to get the children to read in a smooth and flowing way. Each night they were to read out loud for 20 minutes. If they came across a word they didn’t know they could substitute it with a word that started with the same letter. The intent was to keep them reading in a constant cadence.

We laughed about the way the word substitutions changed the meaning of the text. Some things were ridiculous. The intention was good but the meaning of the story had been completely misconstrued.

It should be our goal to see that God is honored and pleased by the things we say and do. Our words and our actions should reflect what’s in our hearts. We don’t want those around us to get a wrong message like those that come with faulty auto-correct or the word substitution of sight reading.

“Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.” Psalm 19:14 NLV

“Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 CEV

“People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-16 ERV

Lord, I desire that the message I live and speak is clear, concise and easy to understand. I want to be a messenger for you in all I do and say.

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Heart To Heart

Technology is wonderful. We can send an email and receive a response in a couple of hours. Better yet, we can text and get an answer in a matter of minutes. These forms of communication are fine but nothing can compare to hearing the voice of a dear friend.

Video chats are nice, phone conversations are great but sitting and talking face to face is over the top!

Face to face conversations involve touch, eye contact, voice inflexion and quality time. These times are the best when building and keeping a relationship. That’s why I love my morning quiet times so much. I get to sit and talk with my heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In my heart and through God’s word, I can hear them speak to me. There’s nothing that compares to these intimate moments of personal communication.

Heart to Heart!

The Father wants to hear what’s on my heart and He wants to share His loving thoughts with me. The depth of that is almost incomprehensible but it’s true. Loving, Almighty God wants to speak with me.

“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 NLV

The Creator of the Universe is waiting to talk to me and show me the wonderful things that He has done and that He desires to do! And then, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to remind us of the things that Jesus had taught while He was here. He knew that sometimes we have memory failure and forget so He sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper.

“I have told you all these things while I am with you. 26 But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.

27 “I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” John 14:25-27 ERV

When we find ourselves worrying over a particular situation; work, children, health, finances, relationships, if we pray about it and ask the Lord to remind us of what we need to do, He will be faithful to give us the answers we need. He will bring peace to our lives.

We can talk heart to heart.

I’m sure we all have those close friends whose word we trust. We know they will tell us the truth, they won’t lie. We can place even greater confidence in what God says to us. In all of time, He has never lied and He never will. I remember the first time I read these verses written by John. They seemed too good to be true.

“We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important. And this is what God told us: He told us the truth about his own Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. But people who do not believe God make God a liar, because they do not believe what God told us about his Son. 11 This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. 14 We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. 15 He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.” I John 5:9-15 ERV

When we place our confidence in Jesus and believe that God sent His Son to be our Savior we receive new life in Him. And if we know that we have new life in Christ, God’s word says we can come to Him, with no doubts, and ask Him for the things we need and He will give them to us. God isn’t looking to withhold things from us; He wants to provide for us and fill our lives with blessing.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4 ERV

When we talk to the Father, heart to heart, we won’t be asking for things that are selfish or displease Him instead we will be asking for things that will make our relationship with Him stronger. That pleases Him greatly.

I want you to look at the face of the woman in this image. Do you see the contentment and joy? She is at peace spending time with Jesus. This sense of well-being doesn’t come with a quick text, a short email, a brief call; it comes from spending time face to face and heart to heart.

I’ve prayed for you this morning that you will know that same peace.

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Do What’s Right

Last night I went to bed knowing that I couldn’t have any coffee this morning. You see I need to go to the lab for blood work. Nothing’s wrong, it’s just a “fasting” blood order. All of my dreams last night had coffee in them. Isn’t that the way it is?

We’re told not to do something and that’s all we can think about, the “not”. Now the simple thing would be not to make the coffee this morning and then I wouldn’t be tempted. I can’t do that to Dave. He likes to have his coffee as soon as he gets up each morning, just like I do. So the coffee’s made and I’m trying to stay away from it but I will be taking a travel cup with me to the lab.

Why does it seem so hard to follow instructions at times? If they contain the words don’t or can’t there is a real challenge. When we are little there are all sorts of instructions; don’t put rocks in your ears, don’t eat the candy, don’t run with scissors, don’t get out of bed, don’t talk with your mouth full…the list goes on and on. Most of us have violated these rules at one time or another.

Moses gave laws to the children of Israel in the Old Testament. We know them better as the 10 Commandments. They were laws that focused on the negative, “thou shalt not”, and they reveal the failure of mankind. They couldn’t keep the laws on their own, we can’t either!

The Apostle Paul addresses this in the book of Romans. Most of that book is a comparison and contrast of the Law of the Old Testament to the grace of God in the New Testament.

“What the law says is for those who are under the law. It stops anyone from making excuses. And it brings the whole world under God’s judgment, 20 because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.

21 But God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. He has now shown us that new way, which the law and the prophets told us about. 22 God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. 23 All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:19-24 ERV

Religion gives us all sorts of rules, a long list of don’ts. These won’t make us love God more nor will they compel us to live better lives. Relationship with Jesus will!

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. 2 That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death. 3 The law was without power because it was made weak by our sinful selves. But God did what the law could not do: He sent his own Son to earth with the same human life that everyone else uses for sin. God sent him to be an offering to pay for sin. So God used a human life to destroy sin. 4 He did this so that we could be right just as the law said we must be. Now we don’t live following our sinful selves. We live following the Spirit. ” Romans 8:1-4 ERV

We know the “don’ts” don’t work well with little kids. The positive approach works much better – You can go outside to play once you’ve eaten your dinner. You can have a treat when your room is clean. You can watch TV when your homework is done. All of these build a positive image and mindset.

God does the same with us. When we renew our minds using His word we see all the good things He has in store for us.

“Christian brothers, I ask you from my heart to give your bodies to God because of His loving-kindness to us. Let your bodies be a living and holy gift given to God. He is pleased with this kind of gift. This is the true worship that you should give Him. 2 Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 NLV

God isn’t looking to make our lives miserable. No, instead He has promised us forgiveness, joy, peace, unconditional love, acceptance in His family. God’s not mad at us. He’s brought us life, abundant life.

Let God show you the good life He has for you! He is a good, good Father!

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I’m Going Fishing

Have you ever been through a time of crisis? I mean the gut wrenching, heart breaking, all hope is gone, kind of crisis.

It could be the death of a loved one; the end of a marriage you were trying to save; an attack that devastated your health and physical well-being or perhaps it was a financial situation that left you destitute.

Seeing the news of the last few days, I find myself praying for those who are losing everything to the floods, tornados, and snow storms. Homes are gone with everything that was in them; the livelihood of farmers and ranchers are lost; entire towns are being evacuated. What to do?!

I hope you will find comfort in this. I want to tell you about a man who had lost all and was fearful that he would be arrested and possibly killed. He went fishing. Yes, fishing! He went back to what he knew before his life was turned upside down. He went fishing. Some friends went with him.

“3 Simon Peter said, “I am going out to fish.”

The other followers said, “We will go with you.” So all of them went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.

4 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore. But the followers did not know it was Jesus. 5 Then he said to them, “Friends, have you caught any fish?”

They answered, “No.”

6 He said, “Throw your net into the water on the right side of your boat. You will find some fish there.” So they did this. They caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.

7 The follower Jesus loved very much said to Peter, “That man is the Lord!” When Peter heard him say it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself. (He had taken his clothes off to work.) Then he jumped into the water.” John 21:3-7 ERV

You know the background to this story. Peter and the others had been following Christ for three years. They left everything to be one of his disciples. They saw Jesus do miracles; they did miracles. They believed Jesus was the Messiah, God’s Son, and then they saw Him die. The Pharisees and religious leaders hated Jesus and his disciples. They were on the “Most Wanted” list.

Jesus had appeared to the disciples a couple of times after His death and yet, here they were. Floundering from their loss. They were emotionally undone. Where should they go from here? In true Peter fashion he declared “I’m going fishing”. I’m going back to the familiar, back to what I know. I’m finding something that will distract me and I’m going to a place of comfort.

Wow!

Some of us crawl into bed and pull the covers over our heads. Some find comfort in alcohol or drugs, they need to forget. Others find consolation being with others who have also experienced the same type of loss.

I want you to notice something from this story. In their loss and desperation the disciples didn’t go seeking the Lord. They went fishing and the Lord found them. He not only found them, He helped them catch a boat load of fish, cooked them breakfast and served them hope!

“The other followers went to shore in the boat. They pulled the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about 100 yards.[b 9 When they stepped out of the boat and onto the shore, they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire and some bread there too. 10 Then Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish that you caught.”

11 Simon Peter got into the boat and pulled the net to the shore. It was full of big fish—153 of them! But even with that many fish, the net did not tear. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” None of the followers would ask him, “Who are you?” They knew he was the Lord. 13 Jesus walked over to get the bread and gave it to them. He also gave them the fish.

14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his followers after he was raised from death.” John 21:8-14 ERV

We can trust Jesus to meet us in our time of crisis. He sees the hurt and brings comfort. He sees our fear and brings peace. He hears our cries for help and comes quickly to our aid.

“Jesus came to Nazareth where He had grown up. As He had done before, He went into the Jewish place of worship on the Day of Rest. Then He stood up to read. 17 Someone handed Him the book of the early preacher Isaiah. He opened it and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has put His hand on Me to preach the Good News to poor people. He has sent Me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent Me to tell those who are being held that they can go free. He has sent Me to make the blind to see and to free those who are held because of trouble. 19 He sent Me to tell of the time when men can receive favor with the Lord.” Luke 4:16-19 NLV

This was Jesus life mission; healing, saving, restoring and forgiving those who were without hope and purpose.

“For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering].” Hebrews 2:18 AMPC

Maybe you have “gone fishing” because of the overwhelming circumstances in your life. If you look around, you’ll find that Jesus is there. He’s come to bring comfort and assistance.

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Friendship with God

Years ago Dave and I met a man by the name of David. It was after church on a Sunday evening and we stopped in at a restaurant on Central Avenue in Phoenix. We were there with friends for coffee and a snack before heading home. The restaurant was full.

We noticed a young man going from table to table. He stopped and visited for just a moment and moved on. We were told his name was David. David had a speech impediment that made him difficult to understand and his leg had been damaged so he walked with a shuffled limp as he moved from table to table. That evening we noticed that he had scratches and bruises that were fading from his face. Finally, he arrived at our table. David smiled at everyone who was sitting there. We said hello and then he delivered his universal message, “Jesus loves you and I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

We were told that at times customers would complain and so management would ask him to leave the restaurant. At other times he would be beaten up by street thugs or pushed off the sidewalk and into the street. Thus, the bruises and scratches. But none of the abuse changed David’s message. No matter how badly he was treated, his remarks were always the same. “Jesus loves you and I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

David had a friendship with the Father. He knew the depth of the love that Jesus had for him and he wanted to share it with everyone. Not just those who were nice and polite but also to those who took advantage and abused him. He truly lived the message of yesterday’s blog. He loved God and he loved others. He was a man with a message.

I imagine that Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was a man like this. He was chosen by the apostles to serve the new converts, especially the widows, along with six other men. This way the apostles could continue in prayer and the study of the Scriptures each day.

“The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew). 6 Then they put these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.[b

7 The word of God was reaching more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. Even a big group of Jewish priests believed and obeyed.

8 Stephen received a great blessing. God gave him power to do great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 But some of the Jews there were from the synagogue of Free Men, as it was called. The group included Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia. They started arguing with Stephen. 10 But the Spirit was helping him speak with wisdom. His words were so strong that these Jews could not argue with him…13 The Jews brought some men into the meeting to tell lies about Stephen. These men said, “This man is always saying things against this holy place and against the Law of Moses. 14 We heard him say that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change what Moses told us to do.” 15 Everyone there in the council meeting was staring at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like the face of an angel…

When those in the council meeting heard this, they became very angry. They were so mad they were grinding their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up into heaven and saw the glory of God. And he saw Jesus standing at God’s right side. 56 Stephen said, “Look! I see heaven open. And I see the Son of Man standing at God’s right side.”

57 Everyone there started shouting loudly, covering their ears with their hands. Together they all ran at Stephen. 58 They took him out of the city and began throwing stones at him. The men who told lies against Stephen gave their coats to a young man named Saul. 59 As they were throwing the stones at him, Stephen was praying. He said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He fell on his knees and shouted, “Lord, don’t blame them for this sin!” These were his last words before he died.” Acts 6:7 – 7:60 ERV

I hope you will take the time to read chapters six and seven of the book of Acts. When the men brought lies to the council about Stephen, he boldly stood and preached the message of Jesus to all of them. This is what made them so angry – this is why they stoned him.

Stephen’s message made an impact on one young man standing there that day. He was holding the coats of those who were executing Stephen. The man’s name was Saul. Saul felt that he was honoring God in trying to annihilate the Christians. He had many of them arrested, imprisoned and even killed. Then he, too, have a life-changing experience when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus. His name was changed to Paul and he spent the rest of his life telling people about the love and the grace of God. He wrote over two-thirds of the New Testament emphasizing God’s grace, unmerited favor, and unconditional love.

When we have a true encounter with the love of God it will be a friendship like no other. Not only is God our father but Jesus becomes our Savior and our dearest friend. It’s only natural to tell people about our best friend – that’s what David would do as he walked from table to table.

I hope you have the opportunity to tell someone about your Friend today. The love of God is unstoppable!


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Proper Input

Last winter while I was working on my book, The Best Gifts of Christmas, I had a time of keyboarding that reminded me how important it was that I pay attention to what I was doing.

I had some handwritten notes and I was reading that text, inputting it word for word, or so I thought until I looked up and saw that my hands had been on the wrong keys. Seriously? I had several pages of jibberish! Absolute nonsense, not one word made any sense.

Our minds are much like the computer I am using to message with right now. They can only produce on screen or in memory what we input. Our minds can be our most valuable ally or our worst enemy, it just depends on how we use it.

God won’t force us to do things against our will. He won’t force us to accept His wonderful gift of salvation, even if it means we will eventually go to hell, and He won’t force us to accept His blessings that He is pouring out in this life either. We must willfully accept all of His provisions for them to work in our lives.

It becomes our responsibility to input the correct information. We move our minds from an adversary to an ally by what we consider. We can think on things that can make us angry and bring fear or we can focus on God’s promises and be filled with peace and joy.

“So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way. 2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 ERV

The Apostle Paul instructs us to give ourselves over to the Lord and He will change us from the inside out. By changing our input and our minds will be renewed.

We should be considering what life will be like in heaven and all that Jesus did to provide this for us – if that’s our focus, we won’t have time to be “considering” thoughts that are contrary to God’s way of thinking.

“You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. 3 Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. 4 Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 ERV

It’s imperative that we guard our minds more than we guard our wallets. The damage caused by wrong thinking is more detrimental than loosing our cash. In fact, it’s very similar to spiritual identity theft. Thinking like the world thinks will keep us from realizing all the wonderful blessings that God has provided.

“We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. 4 The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, 5 and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 ERV

Counteract the world’s influence today and live with the proper input.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7

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Nervous About Change

The last few weeks Dave and I have been making subtle changes around the house. We’re excited but our little Aussie is unimpressed and in fact, it has made her very nervous.

Last Fall when I started working on the book, The Best Gifts of Christmas, I realized that I didn’t have a quiet place to write. The desk was right out in the middle of all that happens in our home. I kept eyeing this big, under-utilized space called the dining room. In the five plus years we have lived in our home the dining room has only been used about 5 or 6 times. Most of our friends and family would rather eat outside on the patio instead of at the dining room table.

I asked Dave if we could sell the table and convert the dining room to an office. He agreed that was a good idea. Neighbors called one day and wanted to know if we would like an antique roll-top desk. Yes! And so the transformation began.

Two weeks ago the dining room table finally sold. Out it went! In came an oak file cabinet, down went a horse hair hide for the rug and Monday we came home with an oak cabinet that we found in Mesa while visiting Kim and Austin.

Tuesday was the day to move end tables, lamps, books from the bedroom bookcase to the office. So much activity. Vacuuming baseboards and corners. Dusting books and arranging shelves. Trading out tables and lamps. Which one looked best where?

But Glory doesn’t like change!

It makes her nervous. She wants things to stay the same. When things get moved around she has to find a new place to lay. Where does she belong? In all the moving, her favorite place becomes the couch, on my lap when I am sitting down. She has to be close – it’s her comfort zone. I think she feels she is going to get left.

Aren’t we like that?

Change can be unsettling. A new job or school. A new neighborhood or town. A new relationship or marriage. Little kids can be unnerved by a new baby. How do we react when we are emotionally and physically uprooted?

“The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 ERV

I think we are a lot like Glory. We need comfort, we need reassurance. We need to be close! Close to the Father. We need to know that we haven’t been left on our own to flounder and find our way. We need a place of security – a place to find love and comfort!

“Protect me, God, because I depend on you..5 Lord, you give me all that I need.
  You support me. You give me my share. 6 My share is wonderful. My inheritance is very beautiful. 7 I praise the Lord because he taught me well. Even at night he put his instructions deep inside my mind. 8 I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me. 9 So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety, 10 because you will not leave me in the place of death. You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave. 11 You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16 ERV

That place of comfort is right next to the Father. When we are in His presence we have fullness of joy. He never wanders off or leaves us alone. There may be times that we wonder where He is but it’s because WE have left Him to do our own thing. If that’s the case, then we need to take a lesson from Glory. Jump on the couch and get close.

“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

Don’t let change make you nervous. Draw close to the Father and let Him show you the adventures ahead!

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Coming In First!

Don’t you love being first? It is such an honor – being the first to get a phone call or text with really important news – getting the first piece of cake on your birthday – the first dance at your wedding – the first lick of an ice cream cone – the first ride on a motorcycle – the first kiss… I could go on and on.

Most of us will probably never be first in the Olympics or first in the Daytona 500 or first at the NFR but we all celebrate the “first” we have in our lives.

Did you know that the Lord celebrates “first” too? We worship on the first day of the week, the day Jesus was raised from the dead. We bring Him the first of our offerings because He deserves to have first place. And in Exodus we find that there is another first.

“The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Dedicate to me the first-born son of every family and the first-born males of your flocks and herds. These belong to me.” Exodus 13:1-2

When the first is dedicated to the Lord he knows He has the heart of the family. It’s a way of showing honor to the Lord for the blessing of life and the first of the flocks (our livelihood) represents our well-being and prosperity. But there’s more…

“Each year during the month of Abib, celebrate these events in the following way… Then on the seventh day you must explain to your children that you do this because the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

9 This celebration will be like wearing a sign on your hand or on your forehead, because then you will pass on to others the teaching of the Lord, whose mighty power brought you out of Egypt. 10 Celebrate this festival each year at the same time…

12 From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him…
14 In the future your children will ask what this ceremony means. Explain it to them by saying, “The Lord used his mighty power to rescue us from slavery in Egypt…
16 This ceremony will serve the same purpose as a sign on your hand or on your forehead to tell how the Lord’s mighty power rescued us from Egypt.” Exodus 13:1-16 CEV

The dedication of the first-born was a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by delivering them from Egypt.

We too have been delivered from an evil king and the slavery of his rule.

“I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.” Colossians 1:12-14 CEV

So celebrate today – Remind your children and yourself that there is One who deserves to be first in all things – your heart, your decisions, your focus!

“Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 ERV

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You’re Being Followed!

Have you ever had that feeling that someone is following you? It can be a bit unnerving if you are in an area that isn’t familiar to you.

God promises to see that we are followed wherever we go.

This morning I had a bit of a dilemma. I was reading the lesson of the prodigal son in Luke 15 and also reading Psalm 23 on the goodness of the Lord. Both of these Scriptures stir my heart each time I read them. I wanted to share them both. I can’t read them just once and then go on; I re-read these verses and ask “Lord, what do you want me to learn today?”

As I was praying about which Scriptures to share I kept coming back to Psalm 23.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.
2 You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water,
3 and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths. 4 I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.

5 You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honor me as your guest,
    and you fill my cup until it overflows.
6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23 CEV

I like reading this version because it’s so personal. “You lead me”. Everything about this psalm is personal. It’s not about they or them – what they say – it’s about You and me.

Jesus is the you and I am the me!

Did you notice what it says in verse 3? You are true to your name…in the Old Testament, at different times, the Lord would tell the Israelites about the diverse attributes of His name. He is the Lord but He described Himself as our provider, our healer, our present help in times of trouble, our shepherd, our mighty God, our banner, the I AM, our peace, and the One who is always there. That’s why King David could start this psalm with “You are my shepherd. I will never be in need”. Whatever it is we need and whenever we find ourselves lacking, the Lord is there.

If I walk through dark valleys, valleys as dark as death or if I am face to face with my enemies I have no reason to fear because Jesus, my shepherd is right there with me.

His love and kindness is with me each day of my life, following me and then when my life is over I get to live in His house forever!

Love and kindness each day! In other words, words that we are more familiar with, this is translated goodness and mercy shall follow me. God doesn’t send us out on our own. He follows us with His unfailing love and infinite power of forgiveness.

There’s an obscure verse in Isaiah which tells us that God is keeping watch behind us. He protects us from a rear assault – goodness and mercy as there to be the rear guard.

“But you will not go out in a hurry. You will not leave as if you were running for your lives. For the Lord will go before you. And the God of Israel will keep watch behind you.” Isaiah 52:12 NLV

I pray you will be very aware that you are being followed today. Goodness and mercy are always there.

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