PURIFICATION

Purification

 “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” Luke 2:22

            Jesus was born and according to the Jewish laws, any woman who gave birth to a male child had to wait 40 days before she was accepted as ‘clean’.  Then the parents would go to the temple and present their child to the Lord and give an offering of 2 turtle doves or 2 young pigeons.  This is what Joseph and Mary did as they were devout Jews.

            An elderly man named Simeon was at the temple that day.  He was a righteous man and lived his life expecting the promised Redeemer was coming any day.  When the Baby Jesus was brought there, God immediately showed Simeon who this child was and he took the baby in his arms and began praising God for the Messiah had come.  God had allowed this man to see Him before he died.  Thousands of babies and been brought to the temple over the years, but this Child was the only one sent by God to be a light unto the whole world.

            This might seem pretty strict compared to the same event today.  Purification isn’t even a common word; actually it’s only used when talking about a purifying water system.  What does purification mean?  According to numerous polls it doesn’t mean much to the average person today. Yet, it is one of the most important words for Christians.   (Numbers 19:9)

            Without purification you will not enter heaven!  I could go into those who practice sin, but I don’t want to repeat what Phil said on Duck Dynasty.  However, he did quote scripture from the Bible which is the Word of God. What do you need to do to be purified to enter heaven?         “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”   (I John 1:7)  This is called The Purification Process.  You see, it is the ‘Blood of Jesus’ that purifies us.  Without repentance for the sin in your life, one is denying Jesus and therefore you cannot be washed clean (purified) by the cleansing of his blood.

            Yes, Jesus died on the cross for you and for me, but that doesn’t mean your home safe. (James 4:8)  I think about the woman caught in adultery and the people wanted Jesus to condemn her, but he told her she was forgiven and to go and sin no more.  No matter what the sin might be, God wants you to be forgiven, but the key in this story is to ‘go and sin no more’.

James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”  We must be purified in order to be close to God.  Some think because they believe in God, they will have eternal life.  Did you know that Satan and his demons also believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  We already know they are going to end up in the Lake of Fire at the end of time, because it is recorded in the Bible.

            You will find that the word ‘pure’ is written 102 times in the Bible and numerous times the word purified and all refer to the repentance and purification of our soul. 

            Today, as we begin a new year, let us be ‘expecting’ Jesus to return for those who are purified and will take them home with him.  Don’t be deceived by those around you who think you can feed your lusts and still be saved.  Turn to him for forgiveness and the blood he shed on the cross will wash you clean.

            May this New Year bring you power, love and a sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

 

 

Go and sin no more!

 

 

O HOLY NIGHT

O Holy Night

 “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths

 and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:7

            The air was cold that night and the group of shepherds huddled together by the fire trying to keep warm.  It was an ordinary night in the hills outside of Bethlehem.   They talked about their families and the fear they held for King Herod. 

            In Bethlehem, the inn keeper was still grumbling about all the people he had to deal with.  He was happy to have so many staying with him, but now it was full and he had to turn away several.  The young couple stayed on his mind.  The woman looked so tired and it was obvious she was about to deliver a child.  Out of the goodness of his heart, he let them stay in the stable, but what a terrible place to give birth to a child.

            In the stable, Joseph piled clean straw as far from the animals as he could.  He then took off his cloak and laid it over the mound of straw.  Mary quickly lay down and Joseph covered her with her cloak.  He could see the tears in her eyes; tears of fear.  She was young and inexperienced; wishing her mother could be there.  She would know what to do.

            This is the way it was that first Christmas; everything was set in place for the greatest event in history.  The angels were gathered together in anticipation of what was about to take place. One angel was surrounded by a great light that shone all around them.  Joy was on the face of each angel as they sang praises to the Almighty One.

            Back in Bethlehem, out of the stillness of the night a baby’s cry rang out.  It woke the innkeeper from a restless sleep who smiled sleepily and fell into a peaceful sleep.  Other people in the inn woke up to a bright light shining in their faces only to look out at the brightest star in the sky they had ever seen.

Out on the hillside, the shepherds had just settled down by the fire when an angel appeared to them.  The Glory of God was all around them and they were so afraid they covered their faces with their arms and were ready to run when the angel called out, “Don’t be afraid.  I came to bring you the best news you ever heard.  A baby was just born in a stable in Bethlehem, who is Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.”

As the shepherds stood there, their mouths open in shock, the whole sky was suddenly filled with angels and they were all singing and glorifying God.  They sang about the earth being filled with peace and love for each other.  Just as quickly as they came – they left and the sky was dark except for a brilliant star shining down over Bethlehem.  Forgotten were the sheep as they shepherds hurriedly walked down the path towards Bethlehem.

In the stable, Mary held her newborn baby close to her breast. She had brought swaddling cloths to wrap her baby in.  Joseph had taken a small manger, filled it with fresh hay, covered it up with soft cloth and set it beside Mary for a cradle.  They had settled down when they heard voices outside the stable.  Joseph rose quickly and peered out the entrance.  There stood a group of shepherds; their faces filled with wonder as they told Joseph about the angels and their message.

Joseph went back inside and spoke to Mary who nodded and laid the baby in the manger.  Then he went back and asked the shepherds to enter.  When they looked in the manger and saw the baby, they all knelt down on the stable floor and worshipped the Child. Tears ran slowly down Mary’s face and Joseph looked on in wondered. They both realized, in that holy moment, that this child was truly the Son of God.  They were amazed that God had chosen them to be the parents of their Savior and they also worshipped the Lord. 

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come; let earth receive her King.”

 

 

                                              Have you received the King?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Gift of Christmas

The Gift of Christmas

 

“This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” NLT

 As a child, I knew only one thing about Christmas – Santa Claus!  Of course I knew the story about Baby Jesus born in a stable, but didn’t connect the two together.  It took a few more years for me to realize that the word, ‘Christmas’ was used to celebrate the event of the birth of Jesus, because it shows us the ‘Christ’ in Christmas.  Several years went by; years of joy and years of unhappiness.  There was always a yearning in my heart for something more in life and didn’t know what it was until the day he let me see what was missing; it was Jesus Christ.

He introduced himself to me 34 years ago and I would never be the same.  He took my sins and cast them in the depth of the sea, never to be remembered again.  I was forgiven of all the sinful things I did, or thought; I became a new person.  As time goes on I find myself being blessed over and over again.  I am so grateful that God sent His son to bring me out of darkness into His light.

You cannot experience Christmas for what it is, if you don’t know the Christ in Christmas.  Christmas morning, your heart should be full of joy and thankfulness for the gift of eternal life that he is offering.  Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life and he will stand by you in all circumstances.

Looking back, I can remember several special gifts I received at Christmas. The first one was my favorite doll, Ginger; white ice skates, my first skis, a stack of Nancy Drew books and my first lipstick.  I was very excited over all these gifts, but the greatest gift I ever received was Jesus.  When God gave his son, He gave the ultimate gift; his Son! We should really get very excited over this.

Let’s look deeper into this gift.  Why is it so great?

 Number 1: He promises that you will spend eternity in heaven while the alternative is eternity in hell.

 Number 2: We can live with abundant joy.

 Number 3: We can find peace and contentment.

 Number 4: We will never go without our needs being met.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.  When we accept the gift he has for us, all these good things will be given to us.  We read in the Bible about Joseph and Mary, who traveled to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.  The shepherds came and worshiped the Baby and the wise men came from a great distance to pay homage to the Child.  They fell on their knees before Him because they knew and understood who he was. 

That Christmas morning changed the entire world, whether others believe it or not.  It began with a tiny baby and will someday end with the King of Kings.  The Gift continues to give as it is passed on over the centuries.  The Gift is eternal! 

Won’t you think about this and when we accept the Gift; we must pass it on to others.  What other gift would last forever and ever?  What other gift would cost you nothing and yet be more valuable than any other thing this world has to offer?

 

Thank you, God, for giving me the Gift, your Son, Jesus the Christ.  He will be mine forever and I will also share Him with others.  Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Snowflake Christmas

 A Snowflake Christmas

 

Julia turned off the highway at the Whitehall exit.  Her eyes were drawn to the McDonalds on the right and she pulled in.  She was tired and hungry after hours of driving and a large hot coffee with fries and a cheeseburger would do the trick.  She didn’t usually indulge in fast food, but tonight was an exception.  Following her GPS she drove down Colby Street and turned left onto Mears.  She parked at the Inn; grabbed her suitcase and McDonald’s purchase and was soon settled in. 

            She always preferred staying at Inns which were generally warm and cozy compared to the cold generic hotels along highways.  She would have stayed at her Aunt’s, whom she had come to spend Christmas with, but her aunt lived in a senior housing apartment in Montague.  There was little room in those apartments for a guest.  This would work out better; she would spend all the time with Aunt Sarah and just come back to the Inn for the night.

            Julia heard the clock in the downstairs hall chime eight o’clock.  It reminded her that her hosts had said hot chocolate and homemade cookies were available.  So she headed downstairs.  She heard the soft murmuring of voices coming from the dining room and headed in that direction.  There was only one other couple and a lone man and they introduced themselves to each other making small talk about the weather and Christmas; all hoping for snow.  Bill and Joan were from Ohio and were visiting their daughter and her family who had several children and no room for them in their small house.  Brad was an intern from a large hospital in New York and single, as was Julia.

            Bill and Joan soon retired to their room, but Brad and Julia sat in front the fireplace and chatted for a while.  Brad traveled to White Lake for the holidays because as a child this was where he came summers to visit his grandparents at their cottage and had many happy memories here.  Now, there was no family left, but he needed a break from years of study and work to become a doctor, and he thought revisiting this peaceful area would help him relax.

            Julia came here for healing.  Two years ago her ex-husband had decided he wanted to move on in life and it didn’t include her.  She had trusted him completely and with broken trust comes a broken heart.  As a child she could always talk to her Aunt Sarah.  Aunt Sarah had the gift of listening without comment unless asked for one.  She was a strong Godly woman for never swayed from her faith and turned to God for everything.  Just being around her brought peace to Julia; peace she desperately needed at this time.

            Of course their brief meeting wasn’t a “tell all” conversation, but for two people who just met, they both felt very comfortable chatting together.  Soon, they said good night and headed to their rooms.

When Julia crawled into the big comfortable bed, her thoughts turned to Brad.  He seemed like such a nice man and to top it off, he was very good looking.  Then tiredness took over and she was soon fast asleep.

            Brad, on the other hand, lay in bed wide awake thinking about Julia’s stunning smile; long golden hair and the graceful movement of her hands as she talked.  He had met a lot of women, but this one had an effect on him like no other.  He hoped they could spend a little time together the next few days.

            The next morning dawned gray and wet.  Julia rose early and ate breakfast in the dining room and quickly left the Inn to go to her aunt’s apartment.  When she arrived, her Aunt Sarah was delighted to see her.  There were hugs and kisses and then a hot cup of Christmas tea while they visited.  Julia couldn’t help but see how her aunt had failed since she had last seen her. She needed to come here oftener.  Although Sarah was 84 years of age, she always kept her hair nicely done and wore bright clothing like today’s red Christmas sweater and little sparkly fir trees dangling from her ears. She had never lost her quick wit and great sense of humor.  

            They discussed Christmas dinner and made a list for Julia to pick up at the local grocers.  Finally, Julia broke down and talked about her broken marriage and how sad she had been since the time of the divorce.  She felt like her life was going nowhere.  She had a good job as an accountant for a large accounting firm, but it was the kind of job where she could keep to herself.  “I don’t know what to do with my life,” she told her aunt.  “I’m stuck in a rut and so lonely; what should I do?”

            “First of all, I hope you are praying about it, my dear.  God doesn’t want you to be unhappy, Julia.  Are you going to church?”

            “I’ve always went to church, Auntie, but I felt so defeated and worthless and I quit going and then I quit praying.”

            “Julia, sometimes God puts the answers right in front of you, but you have to in tune with Him in order to see it.  You’re young and one of these days you’ll be married again and have a family.”

            Time to change the subject thought Julia, “Well, I am going to go get the groceries for our Christmas dinner and there are a couple of gift shops I want to browse in.  Do you feel up to going along?”

            “No, Julia.  I think I’ll just rest and maybe watch some television.  You run along and take your time.”

            The store was pretty crowded and it took Julia a little longer because she was unfamiliar with the layout.  They had decided on ham for dinner so she was looking them over trying to decide how much ham two people need, when a voice behind her said, “Can’t decide?”  She jumped and turned around coming face to face with Brad.

            “Sorry I startled you,” he apologized.

            “Guess I’m a little jumpy,” Julia answered showing that gorgeous smile.  “What are you doing in the grocery store?”  It really wasn’t any of her business, she thought as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

            “Doesn’t look like anything around here will be open for Christmas dinner and I don’t really want to drive to Muskegon, so I’m picking up a TV dinner and the owners of  the Inn told me to use their Micro as they will be gone that day, besides I’ve got a good book I’d like to finish.”

            “Oh,” Julia’s mind went a little crazy and she almost invited this stranger to join her and her aunt for dinner.  She quickly regained her sanity; picking up a ham and depositing it into her cart.

            “By the way,” Brad asked, “Do you know of a nice church around here?  I really want to attend a Christmas Eve service.” 

            “Well, my Aunt Sarah goes to a lovely church in Montague and she asked me to take her tonight.  It’s at 7:00 o’clock.”

            “Great, I’ll see you there then,” Giving a little nod; he turned and headed down the aisle to the check-out.

            Julia finished her shopping and drove back to her Aunt Sarah’s.  What a shame, the sky had turned darker and everything looked so drab and ugly.  She really hoped there would be snow for Christmas.  It just wasn’t the same without snow. 

            The sky was already turning dark when Julia and her Aunt walked across the parking lot toward the church. From where the church sat on the hill, one could overlook the whole White Lake area and with all the Christmas lights on it was really a beautiful sight.  The only thing lacking was the snow.   The organ was playing traditional Christmas music.  Julia felt a peace come over her that she hadn’t felt in a long time. 

            They were barely seated when someone slid in the pew next to her.  She glanced over and there was Brad.  In one way she was glad he had come to the service but on the other hand his presence made her feel guilty about him spending Christmas alone.  They greeted each other and then she introduced him to her aunt who had a look on her face like she knew a delightful secret; then service began.

            At 8 o’clock sharp the service was over and as they went out the door, Brad offered his arm to Aunt Sarah, who immediately grabbed hold and invited him back to her apartment for eggnog and cookies, to which he immediately accepted.  Julia was shocked at her aunt inviting a stranger like that, but she could only politely smile in agreement. 

            Back at the apartment, Julia began to relax and actually enjoy the company and conversation. 

Finally the conversation got around to religion as it always did with Aunt Sarah.   Bold as brass, she asked Brad if he was a Christian.  He quickly replied that he was saved as a teen and loved Jesus ever since.  In fact this was one of the reasons he pursued a medical career so he could serve God by helping others.

“You know, Brad, I was telling my niece earlier today that God often puts opportunities in front of us and we should be ready to risk taking them.  Sometimes he even puts people together, when they need each other.  I call it “Divine Appointments”.  It may even seem to be magical, although it’s really the Lord.

            Julia knew what her aunt was getting to and felt rather embarrassed.  Brad spoke up as though he understood and said, “I had better be getting back to the Inn.  Thank you ladies for a lovely evening; you have helped me to appreciate coming back here.  God bless you.”

            “Just a minute,” Aunt Sarah spoke up, “Brad, I’d like you to join us for Christmas Dinner.  I know Julia agrees that sharing on Christmas makes it a perfect day.”

            “Are you sure you don’t mind,” Brad asked looking at Julia? 

            “Not at all, the more the merrier,” she said rolling her eyes at her aunt.

            “Good, now that that is settled, Julia, walk Brad to his car. Take your time and look across the bridge and the lake at the beauty of all the lights. I’ll see you both tomorrow; ‘Merry Christmas’ and pray for snow.”

            Julia was dumbfounded at her aunt’s obvious match-making, but grabbed her jacket and they both headed out to the parking lot.  Brad hesitated before getting in his car and asked Julia if she would like to walk down by the bridge like her aunt had suggested.

            “Well, I guess it would be alright; it’s a lovely evening.”

            As they walked along the sidewalk, suddenly Julia felt something wet land on her cheek.  Then another and another; snowflakes!  It seemed the whole sky was filled with big, white, fluffy snowflakes.  Every direction they turned to looked like a magical scene. 

            “Did you know that every snowflake is different; unique,” Brad asked her, “Just like God created each of us uniquely different?  Not every person is alike; some are kind and some are mean spirited.  Some are faithful and some aren’t.  You can’t put all people in the same category. As your aunt said, He also makes divine appointments. I believe He wanted us to meet; two strangers coming all the way from New York and Ohio to be at White Lake at the same time and the same place.”

            “We both wanted it to snow so much, and here it is coming down all around us,” Julia turned to face him.  “Do you think God sent the snow as a sign for us tonight,” Julia asked Brad?

            “Absolutely!” he answered.

            He put his arm through hers and they just kept walking along in silence of the newly falling snowflakes.

           

 

           

           

           

 

24 Days Til Christmas

24 Days Til Christmas

       

            She sat at her desk and glanced up to the calendar on the wall.  Oh, no!  She couldn’t believe it was December already, let alone only 24 days til Christmas.  She picked up her pencil began making a list of all the things she had to do before December 25^th.  The list went something like this: shopping, make a menu for dinner, send invitations for the Christmas  Eve get together, wrap gifts, do Christmas cards, make cookies and candy, buy a ham for dinner, go caroling to nursing homes, help with all the functions at church, and that was only part of the list.

            She knew she couldn’t possibly get everything done in 24 days.  Being an organized person, however, would help, so she rewrote her list in a manner so that she could accomplish two or more tasks at the same time.  She began day one by making a Christmas card list; on to the store to buy cards; to the post office for stamps and then home to address the cards. 

            With Christmas music playing on the radio, she drove through town.  Her cell phone jarred her back to reality.  “Don’t forget the Women’s Ministry tonight at 6:30 at the church and don’t forget to bring 3 dozen cookies. Bye.” She clicked off the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone. 

            “Well,” she thought, “There goes my evening of addressing cards.”   This was just day one.  What comes next?  Her organized lists didn’t leave much wiggle room.  She hurried home and stirred up a batch of cookies. 

            Day 2 left her feeling a bit frazzled; trying to address the cards while purchasing certain gifts on the internet. She wondered how she could have addressed her mother-in-law’s to ebay.com?  Even that wasn’t as bad as ordering a size 5X sweater for her best friend, who wore a size 10.  Then the unbelievable happened; she stamped and mailed a sympathy card instead of a Christmas card to a couple who just got back together after a split up. How did that card get in with Christmas cards?

            Day 3 was worse; the phone calls began.  The couple that got the sympathy card was angry beyond words and said with her sick humor that they would never speak to her again.  Her mother-in-law’s card was returned with “address not known”.   Also, she was trying to decorate the fake tree standing in the corner of the living room.  One of the main branches was missing; where could it have disappeared to?

            She guessed she would have to somehow fill in the space, but with what?  She could take a wire hanger and wrap green tissue around it; attach it to the tree and hang ornaments on it.  It was a longer task than she thought it would be; cutting and tying the tissue strips on the hanger.  At last finished, she hung it on the tree. Oh no!  She had no idea there were so many different color greens; mint green for a branch of a dark green tree made it stand out more than ever. 

            Time was running out and she had to have dinner in the oven and get ready for caroling at the nursing home within an hour. She started stirring up a casserole of leftovers; hoping the pieces of chicken in the refrigerator weren’t too old.  The recipe called for sour cream and she couldn’t find any.  Cool whip had the same consistency, so she stirred in half a container.  It also called for beans, but she was out of those too, so she chopped up a cup of dried prunes as a substitute.  Adding the rest of the ingredients, she stirred it all together and popped it in the oven.  If anyone asked she would call it her ‘Surprise Casserole’.

            Her family sat down for dinner as she waved goodbye; ran out the door and jumped in the car.  A loud ‘ding, ding, ding’ made her look at the gas gauge that was blinking to let her know she was on empty.  She was already running behind and everyone knows when it says ‘empty’ you can still drive a few miles.  She only had a few miles to go, so she was sure she would make it there and back.

            When she pulled off the ramp onto the highway, the engine started to sputter and she had to pull off on the shoulder of the road.  Oh, no!  She reached in her purse for her cell phone and after frantically searching through it; she realized she had forgot to bring it. What was happening to her; she was the person who didn’t even go to the bathroom without her phone.

            It was turning dusk when a car pulled up beside and a man tapped on her window.  She heard you never roll down your window if a stranger approaches you stalled car.  Was he a mass murderer on the look out for a lone woman, or maybe he was one of those who kidnapped people and sold them to be sex slaves. 

            He tapped the window again and yelled, “Can I help you?”  He looked more like one of those homeless men sleeping in the streets.  His worn jacket and a dark ski hat made up for a picture of ‘scary’.  She shook her head no and gave him a half smile, hoping he didn’t see the fear in eyes.  She waved and he waved back, got in his car and drove off.  She noticed his car was newer than hers; it was probably stolen.

            A few minutes later another car pulled up and a young man tapped on her window.  “Need some gas; I’ll go pick it up and put it in for you, but I don’t have any money.”

            Well, she could roll the window down and slip a ten dollar bill through it.  “Okay”, she nodded as she reached into her purse and realized she hadn’t put her wallet in this one; she had grabbed wrong purse by mistake.  She waved him away and he looked puzzled, but left.  Now what?  He could have escaped from a prison and was trying to get another car.

            One thing for sure, she was not getting out of this car unless she was taken out by force.  Just then, red lights flashing and sirens blaring, two police cars pulled up; one in front and one in back.  They jumped out with guns drawn.  One of the officers ordered her out of the car, with her hands in the air.  She was so terrified that when she pushed the ‘unlock’ button, she passed out in the seat.  As the swirling darkness washed over her, she heard the sound of a gunshot and it was the last thing she remembered.

            As she started coming to, she could hear them still shooting; no, someone was hammering.  “Stop, stop!” she cried out. She opened her eyes to see her husband came rushing in.

“What’s wrong,” he asked?  “I’m just putting up the spruce tree; you said you wanted a live one this year.”

            I jumped out of bed in a leap of joy.  It wasn’t real; I just had a nightmare. “Lord, thank you for waking me up to the truth, Christmas should be a time of joy and peace; not a nightmare of chaos and stress.” After all, she still had 24 days to enjoy preparing for Christmas.

 

Let’s celebrate the Reason for the Season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

The Patchwork Quilt

The Patchwork Quilt

            Making quilts has become a very popular hobby today.  In fact our church has a quilt making class where anyone can learn how to make quilts.  It’s a little different now than it was when I was a child.  No one used a sewing machine and every stitch was done by hand.  I recall a particular incident when I was about 5 or 6 years old. 

            My mother had sewn many small pieces of material together until it became the topside of a quilt.  Other ladies of the community came to our house and using 4 long boards, which rested on the backs of chairs, they tacked on the quilt top.  To me it seemed like a tent, so while the ladies worked on the quilt, I took my dolls and played on the floor underneath it.  I looked up on the bottom of the quilt top and could see all these hundreds of ugly strings hanging down.  It was really ugly and I didn’t see how that could be a quilt.

            However, by the end of the day, they took it off the boards and turned it over.  To my surprise, the quilt was beautiful with different pieces of material making pretty patterns.  I looked it all over and saw piece of material that was just like some of my dresses Mother made for me. 

            It’s been many years since I played under a quilt being put together, but I can clearly see how it is so much like a person’s life.  Many times our life seems to be ugly and ragged; without rhyme or reason and we wonder where God is in all of this.  Let me tell you: He is right there looking from above at the finished product.

            Just like a quilt has a pattern, God has a pattern for your life.  “For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB)  Even when things happen in your life that you don’t understand, God understands and is trying to ‘piece it together’ according to His plan.

            Even in the worst of situations God not only sees what is happening to us now, but He also can see the future for His children, if you are a believer.  Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  He sees the ‘finished product’ of our life.

            Why does God care so much about how I live?  He tells us in Psalm 139:13, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.  If you are a woman and have had babies, you know while that baby was growing inside of you that you already loved it.  It’s the same with God who formed us in our mother’s womb.  In the same scripture in verses 15-16, “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”  You can easily see how God has His hand on your life from the time you were conceived and every day of your life.  God has kept track of you each and every day until your time comes and His plan for you is complete.

Is it true that God knows how long our life is going to be?  King David knew that God held his life in his hands and knew we sometimes forget how quickly the years go by.  We seem to think we will remain on this earth forever.  “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.” (Psalm 39:4)  God gives us so many days to live before He calls us to be with him.  Remember in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die.”     

           God is our heavenly ‘quilter’ and keeps putting our life into his hands. We can plan to do all sorts of things, but God is still in charge if we allow him.  Just when we think we have it all planned out and our plans fall apart; we become disheartened.  Listen to this: “A man's heart plans his way; but the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)  When things don’t seem to go as we planned, tell the Lord, “Okay God, you take over.”  You will notice how much smoother the task when God has him way in your life.  One day you will understand and God will show you the finished product and you will praise God for how he put it all together.  Just like a beautiful quilt. Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You An Honest Person?

Are You An Honest Person?

           I was talking to some people the other day and we got on the subject of being an honest person.  My mother taught me as a very young child that stealing was wrong and to never, never take something that didn’t belong to you.  Not only did she teach me, but she was a great example to me. 

                
           If someone gave my mother too much change back, she never kept it but she always gave it back, even if it was a penny.  I never saw her try to take more than she paid for not was she dishonest in any dealings.  So I grew up to be a very honest person and taught my children the same. 

          As the years went by I was confronted by many opportunities to be dishonest, but to tell you the truth, I would have lost my job rather than cheat or cover up things for others.  In fact, one time I quit a long-time job because my boss wanted me to watch certain people and report to her about things they did or said.  I went to the CEO and was told, “You can’t fight the system.”  I did the only honest thing I could – I quit.

A few years later I was working at a new position and was manager of my department.  I was extremely busy, but I also was receiving a lot of personal phone calls.  One day someone from another department said to me, “You sure are making a lot of personal phone calls.”  At first I was a little upset because it really wasn’t any of that person’s business what I was doing.  Then I got to thinking about it and realized I was being dishonest; I was stealing time from the company and getting paid for it.  I changed my way of doing that.

          2 Corinthians 1:12 says, “We are so glad that we can say with utter honesty that in all our dealings we have been pure and sincere, quietly depending upon the Lord for his help and not on our own skills.”   Notice it says, ‘in all our dealing’.  This means is whatever we do from cheating, stealing, or being deceitful.  It means to not even taking a pencil that doesn’t belong to you.  Remember in whatever you do – you are being watched.

         Way back in Old Testament times, the people were warned to “Be fearless in your stand for truth and honesty.”  2 Chronicles 19:11 Trust is a very important thing in life.  It’s important to have people trust you because they know you are honest.  Others who trust you bring promotion, success and prosperity.  I think of Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th. President, 1860, was called, ‘Honest Abe’ because he was honest in all he did; he never cheated and never lied.  To this day the name ‘Honest Abe’ is who he is known by. 

          Who would want to be remembered as liar, thief and cheater?  I would rather be remembered as someone who never lied to anyone; who never cheated anyone and who never took anything that didn’t belong to them. 

         Why do we remember Abraham in the Old Testament, because he was a ‘Friend of God’?   Why did God call him that?  “He was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to God’s will.” Genesis 6:9 (TLB) Abraham was an honest man who obeyed God’s commands.  Dishonesty will get you nowhere, but honesty will take you everywhere.

            Be the example they can follow.  Your children watch you and they will do what they see you doing.

TRUST, DELIGHT, COMMIT AND REST

Trust, Delight, Commit and Rest

 

 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.                 Psalm 37:3-7 (NKJV)

            We all have our good days and bad days; days when were ready to give in and give up.  Depression can eat you up if you have no one to turn to for help.  You may feel like you’re no good for anyone and they would be better off without you.  You might even have thought about ending it all.

            STOP!  I really do know what you’re going through; I’ve been there.  Many years ago I was that person.  I felt like I had no hope whatsoever.  I hated myself and blamed everything and everybody.  When I was at my lowest point in my life; God came into it.  I wasn’t even looking for him; I didn’t call on his name or even pray for help, but He was there. 

            I don’t have space to write my whole testimony, but I will add a line from a very funny movie, “Pee Wee Herman’s Great Adventure”.  A girl named Dottie was telling him the sad story of her life and he said to her, “I know; I’ve lived it, Dottie.”  It was a very funny line in the show, but in real life, I can say, “I know, I’ve lived it, friend.”

            It’s hard to give encouragement to someone who is going through some ‘stuff’, if you haven’t been through it.  So – let me encourage you.  The grass really is greener on the other side.  There is hope and there is happiness waiting for you.  God is the only reason that I am alive today; not only alive, but happy and filled with joy.  I am walking in the favor of God because of 4 things I will share with you.  These 4 things come from Psalm 37:3-7

            The first thing that happened after I asked Jesus into my heart was reading the Bible and discovering I could TRUST God.  I was at a point in my life that I didn’t trust anyone because I knew they would let me down.  However, God was different.  I began to look back over my life and could see how I came through things I couldn’t have without divine help.  God literally saved me from myself a number of times.  I came to realize that a God who would sacrifice the life of his son for me was a God I could trust; a God who was faithful.  I also knew he had never let me go without; I didn’t always have my wants met, but my needs had always been supplied my whole life.  Praise God!

            The second thing I learned was to ‘DELIGHT in the Lord’; to find joy in my life because of who he was.  I found delight in the fact that God loved me beyond what I could even imagine.  He wanted the very best for me; he wanted me to be happy and to enjoy prosperity and good health.  I read in 3 John 2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”   This doesn’t mean that I would never get sick or not always have money, because we live in this world and things happen to both good and bad people.  But this is what God wants for me.

            It also says in that verse that God “will give us the desires of our heart”.  This is probably one of the most misinterpreted scriptures in the Bible.  We need to take in the entire verse because it says “IF” If we give our whole life to God, our desires will be godly things.  If our desires are to be rich or to have our own airplane or to take a cruise or have a big house, we are asking for selfish desires to be fulfilled.  If the desire of our heart is to become a missionary, or to see people set free, or to serve God more, He will give you those things.  It doesn’t mean to delight in our selves, but in Him.  He never fails.

            The third thing I learned was to COMMIT my life to Him.  When I was a new Christian, someone once asked me, “Can’t you talk about anything but God?”  I said, “Sure; let’s talk about Jesus”.  Why wouldn’t I want to talk about him all the time?  “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God.”   Psalm 40:2-3  

            These changes in my life didn’t all happen suddenly, but gradually as I gave more and more of myself to Him.  I was not financially secure and when I read in the Bible God wanted me to prosper, I realized I needed to let him prosper me and so I began tithing 10% of what money came into our household.  I could hardly believe it when even though our wages didn’t increase, we never ran out of money.  When appliances died, we were able to replace them.  They were not always new, but always supplied our need.  God has blessed us so abundantly that I can’t even count the times. 

            I’m still committed, even after all these years.  I can’t imagine not being committed to my church and to people.  I can’t play the piano for three services a week, like I once did; I don’t teach a Sunday School class like I used to and don’t go to all the retreats and conferences, but I do what I can.  This is what causes me to write these teachings on a blog every week, spending many hours of study.  God called me teach his Word and I will do that somehow because I’m committed.  Being committed to God is not just repeatedly do things like going to church every Sunday, or tithing your ten percent, its because its part of being faithful to God.  After all, He is faithful to me.

            The fourth thing is REST in Him.  What this means is to be ‘patient’.  We live in an ‘instant’ world and we have grown to expect things to happen immediately.  God is not one to be controlled by what people say and do.  He wants us to give our problems and trials to Him and then leave them there, resting in the fact that He will take care of these things in His own time and way. 

            Two or three years ago I had cancer and then broke my shoulder in four places.  I know my children thought I would never get out of my chair again, but I knew God was healing me and I was resting in Him.  He didn’t let me down, but gradually healed me and put me back on my feet.  Last month I went up in a balloon and rode in a helicopter.  I’m pretty proud of doing those things, but I give my heavenly Father the glory for giving me the ability to do it.  I never thought I had the patience, but it took a time of not being able to do anything to learn to ‘rest’ in Him.

            Trust in God, Delight in His ways, Commit your life to Him and Rest in His promises and your life will only get better and better.  The joy of the Lord is my strength and it can be yours if you let it.