God Makes The Seed Grow

1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT)

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

Our small group is studying the book of James. Tonight our leader asked a question something like this: When a person comes to you with a physical need, you should respond by meeting the need, but what do you do when a person comes to you with a spiritual need? My answer was...we meet the spiritual need because the command we have been given it to "go and make disciples." That doesn't just mean go and make converts. It means to teach them, train them, bring them along. It means jump into the septic system of their lives and help them spiritually. Then, I realized how hard this concept is for me. I am a "fixer." Therefore, I am tempted to look at the person and figure out what I think they should be and then expect them to become just that. For example, we have a plant in our dining room that I am convinced is a blooming plant.  I don't know anything about plants! Often this particular plant will show signs of new growth. It creates a bud-looking sprout-ish thing that is covered in beads of liquid. Every time that happens I rejoice for our plant is about to bloom. But it never does. Apparently, those sprout-ish things are only new leaves forming, because overnight they disappear or open into leaves or something. Clearly, I do not have a blooming plant. I believe in the plant and I offer encouragement by giving it fresh water and sunlight. This plant is never going to produce what I dream for it. The truth is: it is producing what God intended it to make...lovely green leaves. The plant is not falling short of what it was intended to do. Do you "get it?" It's important when we are called on to journey with someone in their spiritual walk that we allow them to bear the fruit they were intended to bear...to be the person they were intended to be. Sure God wants us to be a nurturing part of their growth, but only He can determine what kind of fruit they are to yield and the rate of the yield.  And let's face it, His plan is probably going to look different than the one we come up with! ...steppin' all over my own toes...

Set Your Focus on Jesus

John 6:16-21(NLT)

Jesus Walks on Water

¹⁶ That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. ¹⁷ But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. ¹⁸ Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. ¹⁹ They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, ²⁰ but he called out to them,“Don’t be afraid. I am here!” ²¹ Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

This is my favorite of all the stories in the Bible involving Jesus and the disciples out on the sea. I can relate to the guys in this story because often when a storm is raging in my life, I fail to recognize Jesus in the midst of it.  He promises to work all things together for my good so obviously He must be working. I have a tendency to get so focused on the storm that I don't see Him. He is good to make His presence known to me. Then when I get my focus off the storm and onto Jesus, I am able to see that I am right where He intended for me to be all along. What storm is raging in your life today? Will you ask Jesus to make His presence known and then choose to focus on Him?

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

³ You will keep in perfect peace
    all who trust in you,
    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Lord, I don't get it!

When was the last time you sent a text message or received an email that was taken the wrong way? It is easy to mis-communicate the written word. Tone and intention cannot always be transferred. Here's what I mean: In a text, my future son-in-law, Nate, asked my advice about a purchase he was about to make. He did not know, but I was in the doctor's office awaiting the orders for my younger daughter to have a STAT CT scan. In haste, my text back said something like, "You should wait." He did not ask me if I thought he should buy it. He asked how to buy it. Therefore, my text opened up a mile long list of questions in his mind. On top of that, the urgency of the situation at the doctor's office caused me to drop out of the conversation. Nate thought I was angry about his desire to make the purchase. In reality, I thought that if he let some people know about his need, someone would have one that they would give him or sell him for little cost. None of what I was trying to say communicated in the text I sent. I had to explain it all later. As it turned out, Nate's mom had exactly what he needed.
I discovered recently that Paul, Silas, and Timothy had a similar communication problem with the church at Thessalonica. Thus, a second letter to the Thessalonians had to be written to clear things up. "In his first letter, Paul explained that Christ could return at any moment, but apparently some believers misunderstood this to mean that they should stop working and simply wait for Christ to come back."~NLT Bible.
2Thes. 2:1 says,
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.
And  2:5 states,
Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?
2:15 goes on to say,
With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.
And then, 3:5
May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.
Can you think of a time when you read something in the Bible and did not understand it? We've all had times when like these people, we just did not get it. We need to be faithful each time we delve into His Word to ask the Holy Spirit to give us insight and wisdom regarding what we are reading. Ask Him to give clarity and answer your questions. He wants us to know Him and to know about Him. He will be faithful to answer our prayer.

One of Those Days!

Psalm 139:13-16

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹³ For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricatelyand curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

Have you ever had "one of those days" when you just didn't feel good (not sick, but not good either)? When you wished you could crawl back in bed and steer clear of all circumstances and people because you felt ill equipped for handling anything or anybody? A day when it wasn't that you didn't have anything to contribute, but just that you couldn't find the words to use to bring it? A day when you thought the best thing you could do for all concerned was to rest and regroup and try again tomorrow? I had a day like that recently. Just when I was about to call and say I can't come today, I realized it was really to late to back out. "But Lord," I reasoned, "Will my presence make that much difference? That's all I can contribute...my presence." I pressed on and made it through. That night, I sat before the Lord and surrendered the things that were hard about the day. I asked Him to help me to entrust them to Him and not give in to the temptation to pick them back up and worry or "stew" over them. In that moment with my Lord, I realized that He totally understood how I had felt all day. He made me with all of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. He made me flesh and bones with weaknesses and limits. He even came and dwelt here on earth in a body like mine. He totally "gets it." He knows what it's like to be tired, to want to get away from the crowd, and to handle frustrating situations. God's word says He was tempted in all things like I am. He knows what it's like to want to call-in sick and crawl back in bed. He knows what it's like to muster courage, strength, and discipline and go on. Whatever happens today, will you trust that He knows exactly how you feel? Let this truth bring comfort to your body and soul!

Gloria's Testimony

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

In February 2009, my mother-in-law, Gloria(see pic below), died after and intense battle with colon cancer.  Her suffering was incredible. Yet her attitude remained focused on her Lord. Her faith did not waiver. The last four months of her life, she spent almost entirely in the hospital. The cancer had moved into her hip and a fracture put her in rehab for some of that time. I remember one particular phone conversation when we talked about the labor of it all...the work it required from her. She said to me, "I ask the Lord every day to give me His strength." At that moment, I was brought back to reality in my own life. I had been so busy and worn thin in my own world striving to get by on my own strength. I had forgotten that my Lord's strength was available to me. Gloria's testimony was freedom to me. Comfort and peace washed over me as I asked the Lord to give me His strength for all that was on my plate. How could I have forgotten? All I needed to do was ask. In what area of your life do you need God's resources? Are you worn out from striving on your own? He has stored up for us the supply to meet all our earthly needs. Would you pray this prayer and fill in the blanks? Father, today I need your _________ to be able to _________________. I trust you for it! I put my faith in your ability and not my own. Help me to wait on you and not rush ahead. In Jesus Name, Amen 

Saturday in the Psalms (Psalm 42)

Psalm 42 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

¹ As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.
² I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?
³ Day and night I have only tears for food,
    while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

⁴ My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

⁵ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and ⁶ my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,
    but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
    from the land of Mount Mizar.
⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas
    as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
    and through each night I sing his songs,
    praying to God who gives me life.

⁹ “O God my rock,” I cry,
    “Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
    oppressed by my enemies?”
¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones.
    They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

¹¹ Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

Sometimes it is best to let scripture speak for itself. This Psalm touches me deeply. It exposes me. It is alive and powerful! I will get out of the way so it can have its way in you too. ~Christy

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (Heb. 4:12-13)

Truths from Jacob's Journey-Genesis 32-33

In Genesis 32-33, we find the account of the reunion of Jacob and Esau after years of separation sparked by deceit and betrayal. In preparation for the encounter, Jacob sent his wives and children on across the river and stayed by himself for the night. At least he thought he was staying by himself. Much to his surprise, Jacob had an event filled night of wrestling with a man who eventually left him with a disjointed hip and a new name. Jacob, now Israel, worshiped knowing for certain that it was God Himself who had come to him in the night. Humbly, he limped on behind the generous gifts of livestock he had prepared for his brother. It might have been fear that drove him, but it was love and forgiveness that met him in the arms of his weeping sibling.
Our Bible study teacher, Janice Gleason, brought out these truths...I have added the verses:

1) Face your fears with God for only He can enable you to focus on His promises.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me

he delivered me from all my fears. Ps.34:4(NIV)

2) Whether I like how God wrestles with me or not, He will always win.

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Phil. 2:12b-13(NIV)

3) God can change the things we perceive as impossible.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 

Mark 10:27(NIV)

I needed all of these truths this week. Which one speaks most to your heart? 

Click here to view Janice Gleason's full teaching on Gen. 32-33.    

Go and Sin No More

John 8:3-11 (ESV)

³ The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst ⁴ they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” ⁶ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷ And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰ Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

When have you been caught in sin and faced voices of accusation?  We can trust that only Jesus is able to determine our fate. When the accuser drops one of the redeemed at Jesus' feet for sentencing, it is by His authority that we are declared innocent and free. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus will scatter the enemies that cry out for us to be stoned, rejected, and bound forever. There is no condemnation for us in Christ Jesus. We are free! Go and sin no more!

When you pray...

Matthew 6:5-8 (ESV)

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

I have been asking the Lord to teach me to pray. With that aim, I am reading Rosalind Rinker's book, Prayer, Conversing with God. Her insights regarding talking with the Lord are worth noting. I hope they are as eye opening for you as they were for me. First, she defines conversation as a method which should provide communication between two or more people. Then, she lists 4 points about real conversation. 1) When we converse, we become aware of the other person, his rights, his privileges, his feeling, and if we converse long enough, his total personality. 2) Good conversation implies that we must take turn about it and do it gracefully. 3) It should be clear that to converse we must all pursue the same subject, and pursue it by turns. 4) To carry on a conversation of any significance or interest, each person must use his memory to recall, his patience to wait, his alertness to jump in, his willingness to get out, and above all his capacity to hold back the disruptive. In other words, he should be in tune.
I don't know about you, but I can easily get distracted in my prayers. I can get on a tangent about with is important to me and almost fail to acknowledge my Lord except for His ability to be the grantor of my wants and wishes. I can rush through and hardly give Him a chance to get a word in. I am glad for these reminders from Rosalind Rinker's book and from God's Word. I want to make a point of spending more time alone(in secret) with my Lord...savoring His presence, surrendering my needs and longings to Him, and submitting to His will. Like a long conversation with a friend on the couch, I want not only to be heard, but also to hear...not only to be known, but also to know...not only to be touched, but also to touch. I want to be in tune with my Heavenly Father!

Rosalind Rinker's book Prayer Conversing with God was published in 1959 by Zondervan Publishing House.

Hold Me Up, Jesus

 Isaiah 41:9-10 (NLT)

⁹ I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
    saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
    and will not throw you away.
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

So much encouragement can be found for the children of God in these two verses. First, we see Israel referred to as God's servant. Webster's defines servant as a person employed to perform services. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary points out that Israel had to be preserved because it was God's instrument to perform a task of worldwide importance. The task? It was from their line that Jesus Christ the Messiah would come. We learned a while back that in Christ we too are Abraham's children. Those of us from Gentile decent who are believers in Christ have been grafted into Israel's line. What privilege to be able to serve the ultimate Servant! "He has chosen us," the verse goes on to say. He has called us out of sin's darkness into His marvelous light and He will not throw us away. We have the assurance of knowing that we will not be cast aside as orphans. He has taken us in as His children and we have no need to fear for He is with us...nor should we be discouraged, because He is our God. He will strengthen us and help us. He will support us with His righteous right hand. Verse 10 is one of my favorites. I often cling to it trusting that my Lord steadies me, strengthens me, and helps me. Will you claim this truth in the areas of your life where you are afraid? where you are discouraged? where you are weak and need help? Sometimes, I write out specific needs in my journal and then write over top of the need the verse I am claiming wherein He promises to take care of me. There is no magic in that method, but it helps me to remember that He triumphs over my circumstances. Today, I need to be reminded of these truths! How about you?

God's Masterpiece for God's Purpose

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Let's make this verse personal:
* I am God's masterpiece/workmanship.
* He has created me anew in Christ Jesus...old things are passed away all things have become brand new. Sin can never have the hold on me that it had before because He has washed me.
* Long ago, God planned good things for me to do.
Masterpiece means 1.) a thing made or done with masterly skill; great work of art or craftsmanship.  2.) the greatest work made or done by a person or group. This reminds me of Genesis 1:26 when God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Man was made perfect just like the Creator. Then sin entered, but God made a way for us by sending Jesus to purchase our redemption with His shed blood on the cross. Thus, we are created anew in Christ Jesus. And here is our purpose that we do the good things He planned for us to do. Our enemy will be quick to tell us that we are worthless and cannot be used, but clearly this verse refutes that lie. God intends to use us. What purpose does He have for you and me today? Where is He calling us to go? Who does He intend for us to interact with, encourage, share the gospel with, invest in, disciple, assist financially? Whose cause does He want us to take up in the name of Jesus for the betterment of humanity? The master craftsman has formed us. Now where does He want to use us? It is incredibly exciting to know that this very day my steps are ordered by God. Let's seek His direction and embrace all He has for us today trusting He will provide all that is needed for the "good things" to be completed.

Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)

²⁴ A person’s steps are directed by the Lord.

The Jonah Attitude

Jonah 4:1-3(NLT) 

4 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. ² So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this,Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. ³ Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

Our Sunday school lesson this morning is about Jonah and this week our teacher emailed all of us to read the book of Jonah.  Yesterday I logged on to biblegateway.com to listen to Jonah's story. I recommend you do the same thing because in 6 minutes, you can hear Jonah's entire story told. In a nutshell, God called Jonah to go to Nineveh to announce God's judgment because of their wickedness. Jonah got on a boat going the opposite direction because the Ninevites were enemies of God's people. While on the boat, a storm arose and the others on board figured out the storm was on account of Jonah's disobedience. Jonah suggested they throw him overboard where he was swallowed by a big fish. After 3 days in the fish's belly, Jonah cried out to the Lord that he would obey and go to Nineveh. The fish upchucked Jonah. He went to Nineveh to preach and the people repented.
All's well that ends well, right? Wrong! The people repented and Jonah was mad. Jonah was mad because God acted according to His divine nature. He relented and did not bring destruction on the people. God would always rather have repentant hearts than show His power in mass destruction. He isn't willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
What about us? Are we quick to offer forgiveness when we have been wronged or would we sort of like to see the guilty party pay for it? Are we still keeping record of their wrongs? Like the Lord, let's be quick to offer forgiveness and restore the relationship.

Saturday in the Psalms (Psalm 16)

Psalm 16 (NLT)

A psalm of David.

¹ Keep me safe, O God,
    for I have come to you for refuge.

² I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
    Every good thing I have comes from you.”
³ The godly people in the land
    are my true heroes!
    I take pleasure in them!
⁴ Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
    I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
    or even speak the names of their gods.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
    You guard all that is mine.
⁶ The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
    What a wonderful inheritance!

⁷ I will bless the Lord who guides me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I know the Lord is always with me.
    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

⁹ No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
    My body rests in safety.
¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul among the dead
    or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
¹¹ You will show me the way of life,
    granting me the joy of your presence
    and the pleasures of living with you forever

Can you hear David's contentment in this Psalm? He asks for "safety" in verse 1, but in verse 9, he is certain of it. He knows beyond any doubt that safety is found in God, his refuge. David is not tempted to run after other gods to find security. His assurance rests in knowing God is his inheritance. His insurance, so to speak, is in having God guard all that belongs to him. We buy insurance policies to protect our valuables and to provide for those we love in the event of accident or tragedy. In Christ Jesus, we have all the insurance...all the assurance we need for the security of our soul. We can rest in whatever situation we find ourselves knowing that the safety of our soul will never be violated. Our inheritance remains secure. We will never again know the absence of Christ's presence. He is showing us the way of eternal life. We are free to live life to the fullest knowing our HOPE rests in the promise of living with Him forever. Who do you know who needs to be reminded of the contentment we have in Christ? Who do you know who needs to know about the hope for our souls that is found in Jesus?

Lord, open our eyes to see those who need a word of hope today.

For further study, notice the reference to Jesus' resurrection in verse 10. See Acts 2 where Peter refers to this passage and Acts 13 where Paul refers to it.

He's Holding It All Together

Colossians 1:15-23(ESV)

The Preeminence of Christ

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Nestled in this rich passage about our Lord Jesus is a truth I need to anchor myself to today. In Him all things hold together! I can think of several situations in which things/people seem to be falling apart. Friends are suffering in the face of turbulence and turmoil. There are health issues, job issues, church issues, financial issues, relational issues and all kinds of issues within those issues. We can trust in the fact that by the blood of Jesus, we are reconciled to the One who holds it all together. It is not my job or yours to see to it. He already has. What are the seemingly hopeless "issues" in your life and the lives of those you love today? Will you anchor yourself to this truth and trust knowing that the Creator will hold His creation together?
For further study: pull out the other truths found in these scriptures. What encouragement! I love that we are "holy, blameless, and above reproach" before Him.

Love is...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7(NLT)

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I Corinthians 13 is a favored passage for wedding nuptials and sweetheart banquets. We love to hear its familiar strain recited aloud in tender moments with photographers poised to capture the memory. What would the camera capture if the lens were zoomed in for a close up of our daily interaction with those to whom love should be shown? Would our love pass the criteria set forth in these verses? Was I patient when someone caused me to be late? Did I act in kindness when my order was wrong at the drive thru? Am I jealous of the time my friend is spending with another? Was I hoping everyone would hear I was going on a cruise? or got the raise? Did I take time to stop and engage her or just walk on by? Was I sweetly reasonable? Did I justify my grumpiness? Was I quick to remind him of the last time he did the exact same thing? Do I think "they probably did something to deserve it?" Am I willing to press on, wait it out, continue praying, keep on believing, and stick with him/her/them through it all no matter what? I hope this brings it into perspective for us...yikes! As verse 1 states, sometimes I am only a "noisy gong or clanging cymbal."

Lord, help me to LOVE!

As a Father Cares for His Child

Deuteronomy 1:30-31 (NLT)

³⁰ The Lord your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt. ³¹ And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’

Moses' words to the Israelites are full of truths we can claim. Look for the one that most speaks to your heart today:

* The Lord our God goes before us.

* He will fight our battles for us.

* He cares for us as a father cares for his child.

* He has brought us to this place.

* Remembering how He has cared for us in the past will help us trust Him in our present      circumstances.

The Lord is faithful to us! His father heart is always looking out for us, going before us, and leading us. By His Holy Spirit, He tenderly guides us. We are never left alone in our circumstances. Let's be quick then to let Him fight our battles and rest in the fact that just as He has seen us through before, He'll do it again! 

Red Light, Green Light

Romans 8:9-14 (NLT)

⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. ¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

In 1984 at First Baptist Church in Monroe, LA, in the 10th grade girls Sunday school class, my teacher explained these verses by using this simple example: When we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and He acts as a stop light. The green light stays on as long as we are walking according to the Spirit and behaving in a way that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. The yellow light will come on when we are tempted or get dangerously close to sin letting us know we need to prepare to stop. When we do sin, the red light of conviction lets us know we need to stop quickly.  I will never forget that moment when I realized I did not have the Holy Spirit living in me. On my knees in my bedroom, I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sin and become the Lord of my life. Twenty-nine years have passed since that day and the Holy Spirit has been faithful to be my stop light. He directs my path, teaches me and trains me, comforts me, strengthens me and goes along with me in my journey. He is my ever present help! I praise God for the gift of His Holy Spirit...truly we would be lost without Him! Will you take time today to celebrate all the Holy Spirit is to you personally? If it's been a while since you've tuned into His voice or His leading, will you heed the red light and stop right where you are, turn and go in the right direction? Is there an area of your life where the yellow light is warning you to prepare to stop?  If  you realize your need for Jesus as your Savior, I pray you will admit you are a sinner and accept His free gift of salvation. Then as a child of God, you too will know the joy and privilege of having the stop light, His Spirit living in you!

Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing

John 15:5 (ESV) I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Matthew 19:26 (ESV) But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In reading Catherine Marshall's Adventures in Prayer, I was struck by her grasp of the powerful combination of these two scriptures. Catherine points out in the book that it is beneficial when we reach the point of helplessness in the circumstances of our lives because only then will we completely turn our lives over to the Lord in faith. As long as we hang on and hope in ourselves, faith is not realized and we will continue to depend on our own "inadequate human resources" and delay seeking what the All Sufficient One has for us. When we come to the point of acknowledging that in and of our selves "we can do nothing," then by faith "with God, all things are possible." Marshall points out that the Lord Jesus himself admitted His reliance on the Father in John 5:30, "I can do nothing on my own...I will carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will."
In what areas of our lives are we relying on own abilities and resources?  Isn't it time to turn it all over to the Lord by admitting our helplessness and inadequacies? What freedom will come in that moment when we let go of it all entrusting Him to see to it!

So if your every human plan and calculation has miscarried, if one by one, human props have been knocked out, and doors have shut in your face, take heart. God is trying to get a message through to you, and the message is: "Stop depending on inadequate human resources. Let me handle the matter." ~Catherine Marshall

Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place

Genesis 28:10-19 (NLT) Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹ At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. ¹² As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.

¹³ At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵ What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷ But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
¹⁸ The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. ¹⁹ He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.

Sent away because of his brother, Esau's anger,  Jacob traveled alone on the way to Haran. I wonder if he only focused on the reason for his fleeing or if he thought as he journeyed of his father's words to go and take a wife from the daughters of his Uncle Laban. Either way, Jacob had no idea when he lay down to rest his weary head on a rock that he was about to have a dream that would serve as a spring board in his relationship with God. A spring board according to Websters is anything serving as a starting point or providing the driving force, motive, incentive, or impulse for something else. I'd say Jacob's dream was all that and more for it was full of promises specifically for Jacob...promises of land, descendants, and the Lord's presence. Jacob was not alone for surely the Lord was in that place! The blessing he previously swindled from his father paled in comparison to one spoken directly from God himself.  To mark the moment, Jacob stood the stone he slept on upright as a memorial and poured oil over it.
Where is your current journey taking you? Is it a lonely one? Are you fleeing serious circumstances? Have you been sent out to complete a task? Perhaps the place where you find yourself is more important than you realize. Could it be the Lord is in it and, like Jacob, you just haven't realized yet? Take a minute to ask Him to make Himself real to you today. This may be the spring board to a wonderful growing experience with the Lord. How will you remember/honor/mark what He is teaching you?

Saturday in the Psalms (Psalm 117)

Psalm 117(NLT)

¹ Praise the Lord, all you nations.
    Praise him, all you people of the earth.
² For he loves us with unfailing love;
    the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

This Psalm reminds me of my time last summer in Honduras. We had some beautiful moments with the women there under a tent in the extreme heat. Somehow when we started sharing the Lord, the heat didn't seem to matter anymore. One particular day, we were able to worship together. Someone translated a simple praise chorus we were familiar with into Spanish. "Gracias Cristo, Gracias Cristo, Gracias Cristo," the words rang out through the village! I don't know how to describe to you how full and beautiful the sound of our blended voices was. It certainly wasn't that we all sang on key or that our Tennessee accents blended well with their fluent Spanish. No, it was that our hearts were united in one accord. We were no longer a group from the US and a group from Honduras. In that moment, we were one group...the Body! What joy! What nation other than your own has the Lord led you to fall in love with? How is He leading you to pray for them today?

He Opened the Scriptures to Us!

Luke 24:27-34 (ESV)

²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

I have the privilege of spending this weekend with over 200 women in worship and the Word of God. There will be beautiful decorations, catered dinner, and even vendors selling their wares. Many hours of planning and preparation have gone into making every moment wonderful. However, there is one element we cannot plan, but we can pray.  And we have prayed asking the Lord to  honor us in a special way with His presence and teach us things concerning Himself from the Scriptures. The passage above from the book of Luke is one of my favorites. For in it these followers of Jesus suddenly realize it is the resurrected Lord himself teaching them from the Scriptures. Surprise! Jesus was present! He was in their house breaking bread with them at the table! "Didn't our hearts burn within us as He talked with us...?" In no time at all, these Christ followers were on their way back to Jerusalem to share what they had experienced in the Lord's presence. How will He surprise us this weekend? When our very special weekend is over and there are so many things to tell about, I pray we will be most eager to go and share with others what He  taught us and how His presence was real to us in worship, in the Word, and in fellowship with one another. Will you ask the Lord to make His presence known to you wherever you will go this weekend? You may be surprised where He shows up!