Prepare Our Hearts

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  • Sit At His Feet

    Sit At His Feet

    The Israelites had been involved in intense idol worship, they would not turn from their evil ways, and they had become like everyone around them and God needed to deal with them so He sent Ezekiel, a prophet to get their attention. Listen to how God described their behaviors:

    “You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house” (Ezek. 2:7).

    “But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to Me; because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart” (Ezekiel 3:7)

    “Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not followed my statutes or kept my ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are all around you.” (Ezek. 4:7)

    “…altars on every high hill, on all the mountain tops, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered pleasing odor to all their idols” (Ezek. 6:13).

    You see, as God’s chosen people, the Israelites were a symbol for the nations. They were like the lighthouse on the shore, showing the way home for the lost at sea. However, their sin kept them from being devoted to God. And therefore, kept them from being the beacon of light God called them to be.

    “You have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.” -Deuteronomy 26:17-19, ESV

    Of course, in Christ Jesus, a New Covenant was formed. Christ, the Messiah, is the only way. He is the fulfillment of Scripture. In Him we have the Good News, He is our beacon of hope, our lighthouse on the shore. To follow Him means to become a part of a holy nation, a city on a hill. In Christ there is a plan for redemption.

    Read Ephesians 1-2:10

    The Church, a grafted in merger of two holy nations that become one, has also had a time where God sent someone to speak with them about their sins, but also about the plan for redemption. Let’s look at Revelation. While exiled on the isle of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea, by Domitian, the Roman emperor John wrote down the apokalypsis, or revelation. This writing would give the Church correction and guidance for future events.

    God always wants what any parent wants, connection with their children. Relationship. He wants to have time with us. Our lives without Him result in idol worship, which is a fancy way of saying loving anything other than God more than God. We can make idols out of just about anything. Before I got my Christmas present, a new and very large fish aquarium, I spent more time shopping for it than I did reading my Bible or praying.

    Billy Graham said, “One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough. I wish I had studied more and preached less. People have pressured me into speaking to groups when I should have been studying and preparing. Donald Barnhouse said that if he knew the Lord was coming in three years, he would spend two of them studying and one preaching. I’m trying to make it up. –Christianity Today, September 23, 1977

    The beauty of God’s plan for us is how He always wants to redeem us. Always wants to give us hope and be in relationship with us. When the Church has behaved badly, or the Israelites did not do their job, God still sent someone to tell them to turn around before He rained fire on their heads. He is always about redemption always about us being with Him.

    Right now with all that’s going on in the world, I think we have one of two courses. We can get all frazzled and worry, worry, worry or sit down, take a breath and seek the Lord.

    Let’s look at one last story:

    Now as they went on their way, Jesusentered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-42

    How does Martha deal with the stressful situation? What does Mary do?

    Just like Billy Graham said Mary did. We can too. As we see the stressful world around us, consuming us, we can be separate from it. We can just sit at His feet.

    Jesus said of the last days, “Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. What can we learn from the churches in Revelation, and the Israelites about our time with Christ? What can we learn from Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet?

  • Prepare Our Hearts For Him This Christmas

    Prepare Our Hearts For Him This Christmas

    How do you get prepared for Christmas? Do you find all the decorations? Put up the tree? Have any special traditions? How does a follower of Christ prepare for Christmas? Does it look any different from what the world does?

    In Luke’s Gospel we can learn about Jesus’ birth and how people were getting ready for it. In fact, even the heavens were getting ready for Jesus’ birth.

    Look at Luke 1-2:40 with me. Here’s a link to it: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A1-2%3A40&version=ESV

    Zechariah and Elizabeth, relatives of Mary, Jesus’ soon to be mother, learn they are going to have a son, in their old, old age. Their son is going to be a powerful prophet, just like Elijah from the Old Testament named John and he will prepare the way of the Lord.

    And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, or he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Luke 1:12-17 ESV

    What will be prepared in the passage? That’s right, a people prepared for the Lord.

    Now let’s look at Luke 1:26-35, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

    And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

    And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

    As we observe these passages we can learn about the way Jesus will arrive, what He will do and be. An angel Gabriel comes from God to Nazareth, to a virgin that’s engaged – there is scandal wrapped up in a miraculous yet humanly impossible virgin birth, but with God this will be possible, even holy. Mary will name her son Jesus and He will be great, called the Son of the Most High, of the throne of David, reigning over Jacob forever. There will be no end to His kingdom. Of what king have you read that’s kingdom has no end? The virgin birth will occur because of the Holy Spirit’s interaction with Mary, this us supernatural and out of this world. Jesus was to be called the Son of God.

    Matthew’s gospel has more details we can glean about the preparation of our Lord’s birth. Look at Matthew 1:18-25, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

    How beautiful! Look at Jesus’ name. Look at what was said of Him. He would “save His people from their sins.” His name, Immanuel, means God with us. God would be in the flesh, saving His people from their sins. And for all of us who know Jesus, and have a relationship with Him, we know Him as our Savior, the One who saved us from our sins, the One who is with us.

    Let’s take a look at Mary’s preparation for the coming of Jesus. Note how she responds to the news And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be bornwill be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servantof the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:36-38

    How does Mary respond to the news? Would you respond the same way? You want me to carry the Savior of the world in my womb? You want me to raise God’s Son? What if I mess up? What if I lose Him somewhere, or don’t feed Him the right vegetables, or get Him to the right synagogue every Saturday? What if His best friend is a bad kid? Will He know what I’m thinking?

    Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”.

    Notice the word servant. Jesus would be raised by a mother that considered herself to be a servant of the Lord. And Jesus would serve.  She would be a part of His preparation to be the greatest servant the world has ever seen. Which brings me to an important part of Christmas. As we get our houses prepared for guests, and Christmas light displays and wrap a million gifts, are we also honoring Christ by serving anywhere? With the pandemic it’s really a challenge to find ways to serve. So how are you serving this Christmas? Have you found creative ways to be the hands and feet of Christ this Christmas?

    Let’s look at some other parts of the Christmas story. As Mary and Joseph prepared for Jesus’ birth they were certainly in danger and in a vulnerable state. When Jesus’ mother rode through the Egyptian desert, so pregnant, she rode a donkey. Jesus’ beginnings of life on the earth were humble, vulnerable, and dangerous.

    As we follow Christ, our lives may also be full of vulnerabilities, even danger. As an American, Caucasian woman I rarely if ever have faced danger for being a follower of Jesus. So that can be hard to relate to. However if you spend even a moment in a book by Voice of the Martyrs or read Operation World, or take a Perspective’s course you will learn of all the many dangers most Christians in the 10/40 Window face. Though we are not acquainted with danger, our Lord was, and we can support and serve those who still are because of the name of Christ.

    Here are a few links to help you serve your brothers and sisters in Christ that are daily facing danger and vulnerabilities for loving Jesus:

    https://www.persecution.com/free-magazine/

    https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

    Welcome

    I love the way the Wise Men prepared for the Messiah’s coming. They brought Him gifts. Check out Matthew 2:1-12. The gifts they brought would help secure the family’s finances and celebrate the birth of Jesus. This is a great reminder for us to use our gifts for His glory and the growth of the Kingdom.

    Lately I have been reading a book by John Eldridge called Waking the Dead. Eldridge discusses the implications of living in a world at war, spiritual war. The thought of this war continuing daily all throughout mankind’s history and future until Christ’s second coming was mind-blowing for me. There is never a break from it. Satan is always waring with God’s people, fighting for the souls of our friends, our family members. He is always battling with darkness. In Matthew 2:13-18, we read about Jesus being a hunted man, even from birth. Yet He was the Savior that  came to us as a tiny innocent baby. He traded all the power of His throne to come and be with us, as one of us. He did not show up demanding this or that, riding the most powerful chariot, or driving a Lambo, He came as a humble Human. And some of those who knew He came were preparing to kill Him. In Matthew 2:13-18 we read of how Herod prepared death for Jesus. Danger has always been a part of the story.

    When I was a little girl in the summer months I played in an outdoor drama, that depicted the life of Jesus from birth to crucifixion to resurrection. During the Palm Sunday scene, the little children, myself included, all ran across the set waving palm branches and yelling “Jesus is coming! Blessed is the day of the Lord! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna!” The crowd almost always stood to its feet and joined in the excitement as Jesus, rode behind us on a donkey. A humble animal, a donkey, our King came to us riding on a donkey. In the play, the donkey’s name was “Stormy”. Stormy did not like to carry Jesus or do what Stormy was told on occasion. Whenever I helped care for the horses, I sometimes had to walk him up from the barn and he often would jet ahead ripping the rope out of your hands as you chased behind him. That donkey lived up to his name, and I would imagine most donkeys have a streak or ornery in them as well. Jesus came to His people riding on a donkey.

    Since we looked at the way Jesus came into the world and even into His ministry, so humble and lowly on a donkey, not a chariot built of gold, whipping at many horses and demanding people bow before him, we should also look at the way He will return one day.

    “Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna!”

    One day Jesus will return to this earth and He will come on a brilliant white horse according to John, writer of the Revelation.

    Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in[a] blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.  Revelation 19:11-16

    This year the Bethlehem star has shone once again. This has not happened since 1623. It happened on December 21st. As the star that brought the wise men to find the baby Christ, people were preparing for the Messiah. How will you get prepared? Will you be like Mary? And let it be according to His will in your life? Be a servant? Go to great lengths, like Joseph, to protect Jesus? Making room for Him, allowing Him in your life? Will you be like the Wise Men and use your gifts for His kingdom?

    There’s never a better time to share your extra coats with the shelter in your town, or take a bag of groceries to a shut-in, or pay for a sister’s car repairs. There’s never been a better time to support a ministry like Voice of the Martyrs. How will you prepare for Jesus this Christmas? There’s never been a better time to get your heart prepared for the Lord.

    Jesus came as a humble human baby boy. He calls us to live a life like this. Humble always regarding others as higher than ourselves. Our knees bow to Him. We serve Him.

    What about when we see Him again? I will leave you with this great passage from Philippians that can be a guide this Christmas as you get prepared for Christ.

    Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:4-11

  • Deep Roots

    Deep Roots

    The Oak Tree

    by Johnny Ray Ryder, Jr.

    A mighty wind blew night and day.

    It stole the Oak Tree’s leaves away.

    Then snapped its boughs

    and pulled its bark

    until the Oak was tired and stark.

    But still the Oak Tree held its ground

    while other trees fell all around.

    The weary wind gave up and spoke,

    “How can you still be standing Oak?”

    The Oak Tree said, I know that you

    can break each branch of mine

    in two,

    carry every leaf away,

    shake my limbs and make me sway.

    But I have roots stretched in the earth,

    growing stronger since my birth.

    You’ll never touch them,

    for you see they are

    the deepest part of me.

    Until today, I wasn’t sure

    of just how much I could endure.

    But now I’ve found

    with thanks to you,

    I’m stronger than I ever knew.

    What gave the oak tree those deep roots? The strong wind is something we are feeling right now. We are in a time of adversity. It is hard and we have never navigated it before. COVID has impacted us in a lot of different ways. I wanted to take a few moments and just acknowledge the troubles we are all facing. The changes, the way the wind is hitting us. The way this storm keeps on giving, though we all thought it would come and go.

    People feel like they are being held hostage by COVID. A friend of mine lost her dad this month in the nursing home. He had gone on a hunger strike because of being so lonely. Children and adults in group homes cannot leave and feel trapped. Suicide rates and substance use issues are going through the roof. It’s incredibly sad to see what is happening because of the virus.

    Yesterday at the post office I noticed how people were desperate for connection, the line was longer than I’d ever seen. An old friend and I caught up while the stranger behind us joined our conversation. Before we knew it people around us were joining with their body language and eyebrows. All of us wanted to share about how COVID had impacted us.

    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
        because he has anointed me
            to bring good news to the poor.
    He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
        and recovery of sight to the blind,
            to let the oppressed go free…”

    Luke 4:18

    In Jesus, there is freedom. Jesus sets the prisoner free. In Him we have good news, release, recovery, freedom! Jesus brings good news to us, He allows us to see the truth!

    Those who are with God are described as oak trees. If you look out my back windows the tallest trees you can see are the oaks. What I love about them is that they  keep their leaves the longest. They’re beautiful. If you ever try to dig up a little one to move, you will discover that though it’s only a foot tall, its roots go deep down about two feet. And it will be quite a challenge to move it, because it is so firmly rooted.

    The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
        because the Lord has anointed me;
    he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
        to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim liberty to the captives,
        and release to the prisoners;
     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
        and the day of vengeance of our God;
        to comfort all who mourn;
    to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
        to give them a garland instead of ashes,
    the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
        the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
    They will be called oaks of righteousness,
        the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
    They shall build up the ancient ruins,
        they shall raise up the former devastations;
    they shall repair the ruined cities,
        the devastations of many generations.

    Isaiah 61:1-4

    While we are in the midst of this COVID storm, or any storm for that matter, what can we do? How can we make it through it? We have to recognize that we have an enemy that is prowling around trying to get us worked up, worried, and wandering around. If we do not keep our focus on Jesus, our roots could lose their grip. “They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display His glory.” We are a part of His kingdom, and therefore the ones who display His glory, even in the storm!

    In the storm we have to remember who is in control. It may look like we are about to perish, that everything is about to be lost, but Jesus is able to use the storm to demonstrate His strength. This helps us trust Him rather than ourselves.

    On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

    Mark 4:35-41

    According to preservationists, Eagles do something really neat when it rains. They are the only bird that flies above the clouds rather than finding shelter and waiting it out (Rockland at Eagle Rest Sanctuary).

    We have work to do, while we face our storms. We cannot just go and hide in the bushes.

    Check out this scene from Forrest Gum. “I Gotta Find Bubba” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYWJcC023A

    People are dropping like flies around us, never being rescued, never finding the Truth. We have got be on a mission like Forrest, going back at all costs to save them. Fearless, full of faith, in the mission.

    Think back for a moment, what attracted you to the Kingdom in the first place? What people did God use to bring you to His Son? What attracts us now to the body of Christ, to the Church? What does that look like in scripture? Let’s look at the early Church…

    Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

    Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.  All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.  Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

    Acts 2:37-47

    Keep reading in the book of Acts, look at Acts 4:32-6:16, the Early Church was so attractional because all people had all in common, no one had need and great wonders were being done among them. Think of a time where you met other Christians that so greatly looked out for each other that none were in need! If one’s car was broken down, another fixed it, if a single mom needed help with daycare, another family watched the kids. The Early Church had this right, they were generous and giving to each other, always caring in practical ways.

    If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

    who, though he was in the form of God,
        did not regard equality with God
        as something to be exploited,

    but emptied himself,
        taking the form of a slave,
        being born in human likeness.
    And being found in human form,
     he humbled himself
        and became obedient to the point of death—
        even death on a cross.

    Philippians 2:1-8

    We are to be of one mind, without self-ambition, humble, regarding others as better than ourselves. This is a tall order, isn’t it? Yet, this is what attracts us to the Kingdom. I want to be with people who do not think they are better than me, I want to be with people who love me. Jesus was so humble, so obedient to the love He had for His Father that He willingly laid down His life on the cross. What a beautiful example He gave us, so that we would know how to love others.

    “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”

    John 13:14-15

    Jesus demonstrated a life of servanthood, so that we too would live lives of servanthood. So that the world would look at the Church and see calm in the midst of the storm, love in the face of hatred, light in the darkness.

    As we enter into life’s storms, remember how the eagle sores above, it continues its flight even in the midst of a storm. Remember how Jesus was in control of whatever happened to the disciples in the boat that day. Remember that Jesus laid down His life for us, and like the might oak trees, our roots are planted in Him, firm and deep, so that we cannot be moved.  If you are in the midst of a mighty storm right now, maybe It’s COVID complications, or maybe it is just the rough parts of life, remember that King Jesus prayed for you, He is with you always. Remember that is in the storm where we see His greatest strength. I will leave you with that prayer from John 17:  

    After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

    “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;  for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

    “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,  that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

    “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

    John 17

    *All Scriptures are taken from the NRSV.

    *All Scripture references are taken from the NRSV.

  • When You are Weak… He is Strong

    When You are Weak… He is Strong

    Do you remember the childhood song, “Jesus Loves Me” by Anna Bartlett Warner? It begins this way, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong”. It is such a timeless song. According to blogger Michelle Ule, it was written by Anna’s sister as a poem originally to a beloved child who near death and needed to know the truths surrounding a relationship with Christ. Even as adults we find ourselves in weakness, and at some point (which no one really likes to consider) we too will find ourselves near death. Yet, that is a part of the human condition, this body simply does not last.

    Just before high school graduation, I had a near death experience and needed the strength of Christ. Had it not been for the prayers of a neighborhood pastor in the emergency room, I would not be here today. God answered the prayers of my friend that day and my life was spared!

    “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

    Now as an almost 40 year old woman, I find myself in need of His strength on a daily basis, but it is not because I am facing death. It is simply because I want to love Him, and love others. Each day I am distracted and pulled in a million directions. It’s like the world is yelling at me and trying to keep me from following Him, to keep me from time with Him. I long to have a prepared heart for Him, but the email notification dings, the dog barks, the chickens need fed, the kids are hungry and when I finally finish caring for all the needs around me and fall into bed, I have a pain in my side that keeps me up all night. How do I keep my focus on Him with all that is going on around me?

    Yet, His grace is sufficient for me, His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I love what Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with Him and He with Me.” How beautiful is that? He is at my door, waiting to come in. Life looks different when I invite Him in to the busyness, into the care of the house, the transporting of the kids, the work meetings, and times serving others. We can see His strength instead of all our failures and weaknesses if we simply invite Him in.

    As I work with others who do not have faith, I am often perplexed and saddened by their circumstances knowing that if they had a relationship with Jesus they could cope so much better. I can never understand how they are making it. Faith matters! When I was in charge of my life, running the show I had literally almost killed myself, but in the arms of Christ I lived, I was saved, literally! But… I had to allow Him in! If I had spent my life worrying, or not forgiving, or continuing in substance use and self-hatred I would have missed the greatest adventure and blessing, a life with Jesus Christ.

    If we stay focused on our weaknesses we will miss seeing His strength.

    Will you pray for me as I encounter and serve many who do not know Him? Pray that I am able to be a light and to show His love, pray that I continually keep His strength as my focus. My prayer for you, is like this childhood hymn, that you know Jesus loves you and that when you are weak, know that He is strong. How do you need His strength today? Where and what part of your life do you need to invite Him into?

  • His Glory… My Mission

    His Glory… My Mission

    What is your mission, your calling, your purpose? As a Christian we often wrestle with these types of questions. In fact, we can wrestle so long with this that we feel like we have failed or missed some kind of mark with our lives. In Exodus we read of Moses’ interaction with God. Moses sought God, specifically His glory and presence.

    Exodus 33:7-23 (ESV)

    7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord[a] would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

    12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

    17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

    Notice in verse 11 how God would speak to Moses. It was “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Yet, later we read of how God cannot show His face to him, or he will die. This might lead us to think a separation took place, and Moses was no longer able to see him. Commentators Walvoord and Zuck (1985) explain, “God would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend that is, clearly and openly. Moses’ speaking “face to face” with God does not contradict the fact that he was not allowed to see God’s face as “face to face” is a figurative expression suggesting openness and friendship” (p.157).  You see, Moses was seeking God and God was answering him, on an intimate friend-like level. Moses was bold and this caused God to have favor on him.

    As we seek to serve God through our callings, through finding our missions, we must not forget that God wants us to be in communion with Him. He wants us to be so in touch with Him that we call each other “friends.” If you are worried endlessly about your “calling” let me assure you that the more you seek out God, the more you are in communion with Christ the more you will live your calling. Listen to what Peter wrote:

    2 Peter 1:3-4

    His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 

    He has called you, like He called Moses, to seek His glory. He wants you to partake in His divine nature escaping the sin of the world. That’s His purpose for you, that’s His mission.

    Dear Christian, be at peace today, knowing that the more you seek Him, the more you are living your mission, your calling and your purpose.

  • The Morning Sun

    It’s been a while. For the past few years I have been working outside the home, while going to school and raising kids. Time has not stood still. Instead it feels like time has been swallowed up. Enter COVID. Enter a giant pause button. As I considered the debt, I was taking to get a Master’s degree, I stopped… and it seemed even the world stopped.

    Why take all this debt to get a degree? Why swim in a direction away from what I was called? I had reasoned that I was on the right path pursuing an avenue to help people, but I never felt right about the student loan debt and certainly did not feel right about serving in a way that only allowed a few mentions of Jesus when I am called to declare Him at all costs, even from the rooftops. I had reasoned that counseling people would be something I could answer my calling through. COVID allowed me to work from home, caused me to lose work hours and commute time, suddenly I had time to read my Bible like never before. I have gained time to seek God.

    One day while feeling His intense call I asked God to give me wisdom on what to do with my life. He so faithfully answered that night in three distinct dreams. The first was the most incredible dream, so vivid and detailed. I was on my back deck surrounded by the Church, they were lying on couches and sitting waiting as I came around to them ministering to each one, connecting them with God, praying for them, and God was healing all their broken places. It was a place of deep unity in the Church family and communion with Jesus. All were being healed by His touch right there on my porch. When I woke up I immediately reached for the phone and tried to call them, then I realized it was a dream and tired to get back to sleep.

    The next dream was a nightmare. I was in a prison with my little daughter. We were brought in to offer help. Observation of this place revealed incredibly sad conditions. The cooks were putting all the food onto the floor and though the prison had eating utensils, plates and tables the prisoners ate from the filthy ground. I worked tirelessly to clean it up and get all the food off the floor. While I was cleaning however, some prisoners had taken my daughter away and were preparing to eat her for their meal. After getting everyone sat down to eat at the tables I had arranged and cleaned I was able to rescue my daughter which caused an immense uproar and riot. While I dragged her away from them towards the door, food began to fly all about the place and people were eating from the ground again. Just as we were leaving I saw the next set of people coming in to help and do the cleanup we had just done. This was the cycle, helpers arriving and going, never a bit of progress that would last.

    The third and final dream was of my house, and another nightmare. My husband and I had been working non-stop on projects to fix it up. It was like the 1986 film The Money Pit with Tom Hanks. As I was working on the outside, I could see a leak begin in the swimming pool. Walking along the side of the pool and balancing my weight to get to the leak, I fell into a flood of water as it rushed the side and flooded our basement. After nearly drowning I ran towards a neighbor’s house for help and was bitten by their dog. Looking back towards our house, I could see all our possessions floating away with the wall of the house crumbling. It was a total loss.

    Each dream stood for something. The Church dream was obviously the best place for me to serve, ministering and connecting people to Jesus. The second was about work. I can work all day trying to save people from their choices, but ultimately what I am doing only lasts so long and then another set of workers come and take over. Without Jesus people will return to their vomit like the dog, they need to be rescued from their prison, but He is the only real way. And work can swallow up my children, so I felt warned to protect them after this dream. The last dream was a warning that my home is not to be my focus, which it can be when there’s so much to take care of. This house will not last into eternity, nor will my work with imprisoned souls. The work in the Church has an eternal purpose, a meaningful purpose, it is a privilege and really the beat of my heart.  

    When the morning sun came up, I knew I had heard from God. He had spoken. Now, to find how and where and when I can answer that call is a whole other question. So, I keep praying for wisdom.

    “God use me somewhere, use me, use me, use me.”

    Until then I am in the Bible getting my heart prepared and working hard to stop making a shackle of debt. I am looking for the place where God will allow me the greatest opportunity to serve Him. And as each morning comes I enjoy time with the Lord, time allowing Him to search my heart.  

  • Is God 1st?

    Is God 1st in Your Life?

    Exodus 20:3-4

    You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth…            

    What does it look like to have another god before God, to have an idol?

    There are many examples from the OT but here are a few:

    Micah commits idolatry with an ephod, household idols, a carved image and a molded image (Judges 18:21-25).

    The tribe of Benjamin commits idolatry by their wickedness and sexual sins. They wanted to have their way with the man called a Levite. Instead they end up raping and murdering his concubine. (Read the story and the one before it in Judges 17-19).

    Pharaoh has said, “My river is my own, I have made it for myself” (Ezekiel 29:1-21)

    Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble (Jeremiah 11:12)

    The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them! (Psalm 135:15-18)

    All these have one thing in common: they put their own wants and fleshly desires before God’s will for their lives. They chose their own way. They satisfied the desires of their flesh. They did not turn back, turn away from, or repent and this brought the wrath of God to their front door.

    O Father, I pray that I would not be filled with my own ways. Teach me your ways so I will obey because I do not want my flesh to be stronger than the Spirit You have put inside me. Let your Holy Spirit dwell so richly in me that my flesh won’t stand a chance! I beg You for forgiveness and for mercy. Many idolatrous sins have I committed against You. Forgive me, I am sorry.

    • Idolatry distorts the truth and it will take you away from God.
    • In the OT (Isaiah 44 we can read about the people cutting down trees or the craftsmen shaping idols from metal).
    • In the NT we see sins become the idols.

    Gal. 5: Works of the flesh, covetousness

    Eph. 5: Covetous man, who is an idolater

    Col. 3: Covetousness, which is idolatry

    What is coveting?

    Wanting with great desire someone else’s stuff (stuff can include someone’s personality traits, good looks, or lifestyle).

    Exodus 20:17

    You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

    The Revell Bible Dictionary says, “In every case of covetousness in Scripture the passionate desire for material possessions brings personal and spiritual disaster”.

    There’s a great story found in 2 Kings 5 about a man named Gahazi who wanted something for the healing from his master Elisha that was done for a man named Naaman. Gahazi was so bent on being paid back for the healing that he chased Naaman outside the city secretly and demanded payment, even though Elisha healed him through God’s power and would accept no payment. Because of Gahazi’s sin he ended up getting snow white leprosy.

    If you are tempted to put an object before you and God, this is the day for laying it down. Sometimes my “object” is Facebook, or my heart to live in a foreign land (still here in the US), sometimes it’s been my house, sometimes it’s my hurt feelings, or my marriage – whatever it is, it’s not worth the sacrifice of your relationship with God. Lay it down today!

    Your homework: Find out what can happen when we trade our God for an idol at Romans 1:20-28.

  • be real…

    Matthew 7:17-27

    Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

    Does this mean that there are some in the Church, who will not enter the kingdom of God after this life, even though they professed they were Christ-followers, were witnesses to miracles, cast out demons? All because they kept one foot in the world and one behind Jesus, as they “practice lawlessness”, as they do not do what Jesus commanded?

    If you really have a personal relationship with Jesus, you will begin to do His will. You will live your life, seeking to please Him. You will obey God. What kinds of things would qualify as obedience and disobedience? What were the religious teachers of Jesus’ day doing that precipitated this word spoken to them? We know that they were leading people astray. But how?

    Matthew 23:27-35

    Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  (There’s that lawlessness word again.)  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” Fill up, then, the measure of your father’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth…

    We hear hypocrites, lawlessness, murder, outward appearances of righteousness but inward uncleanness in these verses. Have you ever been around someone who is incredibly good at helping everyone but at home they are ranting and raving and full of negativity? You might think of them that they are a hypocrite. You might also realize they are “who they want to be in public and who they really are at home” my friend Cheryl always says. The situation with the Pharisees was like this but to a much deeper degree. Their hypocrisy included murder and bribery and all forms of stealing and evil. They were lining their pockets as they took money from the desperate people trying to make sacrifices at the temple. Yet in the public they were appearing to help everyone, even teaching the Word of God.

    Every one of us suffers with hypocrisy. We all say we will do something and don’t follow through. We all put on masks and act like everything is fine when inside we are going through a nightmare. We save face. We come home from the meetings and cry, we yell at our kids, at our husbands and eat too many candy-bars. We all battle with being real.

    Yet Jesus was real. And we are called to be like Him. You know, some of the most satisfying and fulfilling relationships I’ve ever had are the ones where I am real, vulnerable and sharing what’s really going on in my life and people were doing the same with me. I’ve been part of a Bible study group of women for many years now. We laugh together, cry together, and tell the stories of life together. Had I never experienced the kind of intimacy I have with these women I feel I would really have never lived. We have something I am desperate for, we KNOW each other. We don’t always remember each other’s birthdays, or get in each other’s refrigerators without asking, but we know when one of our sister’s heart is broken. We are there for each other.

    Jesus wants us to have an even deeper intimacy with Him. He longs for the relationship with us. He doesn’t want us to pretend, or to hide anything and can handle whatever we need to say. He knows who we really are.

    I love this passage from Exodus 33, it says, “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” God wants all of you, face to face. He is your friend. He is there to hear you, to listen, to laugh and cry and be real together with you. He doesn’t want you to “save face” with Him, just be real.

    My old pastor that moved away put sermons on CDs, the one I have spoke of God’s grace and what it is. In the cd he talked about what keeps people from entering heaven. It’s not all your sins. It’s actually you missing the grace God wants to give you through the relationship with Jesus. It’s not sin that keeps you from heaven, it’s missing the grace God desperately wanted to give you! Don’t let your hypocrisy, your yelling at your kids, your impression that you’re not good enough keep you from God. He’s waiting on you today!  You can be real with Him!

  • When You Cannot Feel Him

    Have you ever felt like God was far away? Like He couldn’t hear you? It makes you desperate, doesn’t it? You cry out, “Oh God, where am I? Am I yours? Am I Yours? Can I be separated from You? I do not know if you hear me! I do not know if I’m in the right place or not! Can I hear from You again?”

    What it must have been like for Adam and Eve, to have known You and then to become separated from you. Even their son was cut off from you by his own choice. Yet You were gracious to them. You gave them Seth. And something different happened:

    Genesis 4:26

    At that time men began to invoke the Lord by name.

    They began to call You by a name; they began to proclaim the name of “Yahweh”.

    [Yahweh Yehovah (Strong’s 3068) the self-existent or Eternal; Jewish national name of God.]

    You cry out to God, “You have looked after me all my life, for every breath, every heartbeat. And now I cannot feel you, I think I cannot hear you. There has to be something You want me to learn from this.” What would God want you to learn from pulling back His presence? Could it be a test of your faith?

    Maybe it’s immediate obedience. Maybe it’s to call on Him alone. Maybe it’s to not allow our heart to stay angry and unforgiving. Whatever it is, we can only beg Yahweh, to be merciful.

    He is the Creator, the eternal One, He knows all things! If this is a test of faith know that while you walk through it, you should remain faithful, and keep looking for what He wants you to learn. Also know you are not alone, even Mother Theresa and many other giants of the faith have gone through such a time.

    Ask yourself, is it wise of me to trust my feelings in this moment? Or should I simply trust in the Word already spoken to me by my Father?

    Pray this prayer, “Dear Father, You know ALL things! You know what’s making this separation. I beg You remove it!!! I am begging! I am sorry for my sin, I’m sorry for wanting You to be a vending machine. If this is a test of my faith, I pray that I remain faithful to You alone and help me to stand on the knowledge and wisdom of your word, trusting it before I dare trust my feelings. I just beg Your presence to be back in my life, have mercy on me Lord!! Let a new thing happen, a new song be planted in my heart and a new blessing arise from this hard time. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

  • When Anger Comes

    Allowing your anger to control you is allowing Satan to master you. Who wants to be mastered by the enemy of God? Satan literally sets his sights on us, and waits for the opportune moment to strike. Why do we give him a victory?

    1 Peter 5:8 ESV

    Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

    God tells Cain, to be careful of his sin which was anger. He warns him about the way sin works, it will master you. How many days do I allow my anger, my disappointment, my broken heart to rule me? For years, since 2008 and even as a little girl I wanted to move to a 3rd world country to work among the impoverished. Though I long for this, my husband does not always have it on his radar screen. He is busily providing for our family, securing us with his 9-5 and finding activities to do around the house. This has driven a wedge between us. I’m excited for global missions and he’s on a mission to stay put. It can be a heart-breaker to long for something someone else doesn’t yet see. Having to trust in the midst of the situation can either lead to anger, frustration and brokenness or greater faith in God’s plan that I cannot see.

    At one point I really felt that I laid it all back on Jesus’ big shoulders, for Him to carry. Yet there are these days where I try to carry it around. It’s probably like Cain, I could take it all to God but I choose to let it fester in my heart. Oh God, I cry out to you, do not let my sin become my master! You are my master!

    Genesis 4:4-7 NEB

    The day came when Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as a gift to the Lord; and Abel brought some of the first-born of his flock, the fat portions of them. The Lord received Abel and his gift with favour; but Cain and his gift he did not receive. Can was very angry and his face fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you so angry and cast down?

    If you do well, you are accepted;

    If not, sin is a demon crouching at the door.

    It shall be eager for you, and you will be mastered by it.’

    We all know the rest of the story, Cain leads his brother out to the second location and hits him on the head with a fatal blow. God then hears the blood of Abel calling out to him from the ground! God banishes Abel from any good thing and sends him off to make it alone.

    Listen to what my favorite commentator says about Cain’s anger:

    “Cain was so angry he could not be talked out of his sin- even by God. Eve, however, had to be talked into her sin by Satan; but Cain “belonged to the evil one” (1 John 3:12). It is as if he count not wait to destroy his brother – a natural man’s solution to his own failure. God’s advice was that if Cain would please God by doing what is right, all would be well. But if not, sin would be crouching (“robes” is used here in the figure of a crouching animal) at his door, ready to overcome him. Sin desires to have Cain (these words show Gods interpretation of “desire” the same Heb. Word, in Gen. 3:16), but Cain could have the mastery over it. Here is the perpetual struggle between good and evil. Anyone filled with envy and strife is prey for the evil one.” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary. P.34)

    “Oh Lord, do not allow the envy, strife, and anger to fill me. Instead You fill me. Let me be overflowing with your love and grace, even when I am wounded and uncertain. Stitch me back together with extra healings of your peace I pray!! Do not let anger have the best of me. I am Your child and I long to please You, my Master! Amen.”