Author: vicklea

I love to read! I’m a retired teacher with a spouse of 45 years, three amazing children and nine wonderful grandchildren. I am blessed!

Do You Have the Mark?

On By vickleaIn YouVersion App5 Comments

The Mark of a Disciple

Jesus says that everyone will be able to recognize us as His disciples by our love for one another. That means loving one another the way Jesus intended is a way of identifying ourselves as Christians. It is also one way to share the love of Jesus with others.

While culture promotes a selfish way of living, where we look out for ourselves first, God’s Word encourages us to be counter-cultural in how we love others.

We should be selfless instead of selfish.
We should do what we can to put others before
ourselves.
We should look for ways to help one another.

When we choose to love others, we show them Jesus’ love. And through loving others, people will recognize that our lives differ from the world around us. We will be able to share the message and hope of Jesus through the love that we show.

Take time during this season of Advent, to reflect on your own life. Do people know you as a disciple of Jesus Christ through the way you love others? If not, what steps can you take to build a habit of love?

Do

Representative of Christ

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

I don’t know about you but I am a little fed up with people who say that they represent me in Congress or in the state legislature, but infrequently have they actually asked me how I feel about things and voted the way that I would vote. Maybe it’s because they don’t really know me?

As Christians, we are called to be representatives of Christ to a lost world. We can do that because we know Him through His Word and He knows us because we are His. If we are truly Christians, He communicates with us daily and we should be communicating with Him all day long. Then, we go out into the world and open our mouths and our representation of Christ may not be so obvious. In today’s world of technology, we can just sit at home and represent Christ, or not represent Him well, as the case may be.

Look at this verse carefully. It doesn’t say, “and when you know the Father is listening” or “when you are around other believers.” It says whatever you do or say. That means in person and online. I used to post a lot of things on Facebook that would offend some people because that particular meme or graphic represented my beliefs. Now, I post scripture and about books and family. Not politics to a random audience online who only sees what I post and judges me by what I am posting. I ask myself now before I speak (online or in person) if what I am saying is a good representation of Christ or if I should just keep my mouth shut. More often than not, the Spirit tells me to clam up and keep my personal opinions to myself because they are not edifying Christ.

How about you? Are you ready to make a commitment to be a good representative of Christ wherever you are and whatever you say or do? A new year is coming and it would be a great resolution to make, and one you could actually keep with the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We are called to be good representatives of Christ, not the ones whom He will one day turn His back on and say He never knew us.

God’s Covenant Is Forever

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture1 Comment

If you are reading this and think that you don’t know what a covenant is, I am almost sure that you do, but you may not have used that exact word. A covenant is another word for a binding agreement, a contract or a promise. Anyone who is married has entered into a covenant relationship with their spouse, for example. God entered into a covenant with Abraham when He promised that his seed would be as numerous as the sand. He entered into a covenant with David when He promised that someone from his lineage would be on the throne forever. And He entered into a covenant with us when He sent Jesus to die for our sins; our part of that agreement was to accept the sacrifice. God does not make promises lightly because he always keeps them. Always and in all ways!

God has promised us unfailing love…we cannot escape this promise if we just hold on to it. We have to listen to find life. To what do we listen? To God speaking to us in His Word. Within the cover of the Holy Bible is where all of His promises and His covenant agreements with us can be found. You cannot know what they are unless you read and study His Word. What if you suddenly discovered that you owned valuable property but had never been shown the contract so you were unaware of it? That is what it’s like to never claim the promises of God’s Word. They are meant for each of us, His children, but we have to know them and know that God’s love has provided them for us.

God is faithful. We look around at mankind and see few examples of faithfulness. Most people who call themselves public servants are actually just serving themselves and their own desire for glory, fame and riches. God doesn’t need our worship. We need Him because He is the One we can count on to always be faithful and to always keep His covenant. God is still working out His purpose in our lives every day. We need to help Him fulfill the best for our lives by getting in step with His plan, not insisting that He bless the plan that we have come up with ourselves. God is a faithful, covenant-keeping God and for that I am eternally grateful.

To Be Like Christ

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Growing To Be Like Christ

We imitate those we love. As all of us grew up as kids, we imitated those around us so that we could learn and grow. During that process of growing, we naturally gravitate towards certain people we want to be like.

Jesus says something similar in John 14:21: those who love Him are those who obey His commandments.

Now, let’s be clear. Jesus is not saying you must obey Him before you can love Him. We see elsewhere in Scripture that Jesus loves us freely before we do anything for Him. But what this verse is saying is that the ones who love Jesus are the ones who will obey Him.

If we truly love Him, then we will desire to follow Him. More than that, we will strive to be like Him. Jesus never commands us to do something He wouldn’t do. Most of Jesus’ commands are grounded in His actions and character.

So, in order to grow into maturity and Christ-likeness, we should follow Him and obey what He says. And in order to obey what He says, we should start with loving Him.

As you spend time reflecting during this Advent season, how can you better love Jesus?

As we continue loving Jesus and keeping His commandments, our lives will be transformed.

Come, Because He Already Came To You

On By vickleaIn YouVersion App1 Comment

Come…

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or exhausted, come.
If you’re feeling grateful or expectant, come.
If you’re feeling joyful or grievous, confident or doubtful, encouraged or frustrated, come.

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
Psalm 95:6

There’s something about falling on our faces before the One who created us—and everything that exists—that reminds us of who He is and who we are not.

When was the last time you stopped—in your car, in your kitchen, in your rushing, in your humanness—to simply come to God?

When you notice a gorgeous sunset, come.
When you can’t see through your tears, come.
When you’re captivated by a child’s smile, come.
When you’re overwhelmed by bad news, come.
When you’re motivated to make an impact, come.
When you’re deflated beyond words, come.

Come to the Lord, your Maker.
He has already come to you.

Make a Lifestyle Change

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Acknowledge Jesus

The average person makes over 35,000 decisions a day. That’s an average of 1,500 decisions an hour (if you were awake for 24 hours). From opening your eyes and getting out of bed to choosing to read this sentence, your life is composed of thousands of seemingly small decisions that shape the course of your day.

Every decision we make matters, but the most important decision we will ever make is whether we choose to follow Jesus Christ. Believing in Jesus not only changes our life on earth but also determines our life for eternity. Those who believe and follow Jesus will join Him in heaven one day.

Choosing to believe and follow Jesus changes everything. We are not only saved for eternity, but we also get to have a relationship with God today. We have this assurance because God lives in us, and we live in Him. God’s Word says that when we believe in Him, the Spirit of God lives within us, empowering us to live according to God’s will.

Wherever we go and whatever we do in life, God will always be with us. Since we have a relationship with Him, we can talk with Him anytime. His Spirit will grant us peace when we’re fearful and grace when we mess up.

This Advent season, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate His birth, let’s ponder the profound impact of acknowledging Jesus Christ in our lives. May our acknowledgment of Jesus not merely be a proclamation but a lifestyle—an embodiment of the love, grace, and hope He brings into our lives and the lives of those around us.

Trust the Provider

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From Worldly Worries to Spiritual Anticipation

How much time do you spend thinking about what to eat or worrying about what to wear? Do you obsess over having—or being—enough?

While there’s nothing wrong with meal planning for the weeks ahead or creating an annual budget, Jesus explains that worrying doesn’t help:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus never said not to think about your basic needs. He did say not to worry about them.

God knows what you need before you do. God knows your prayers before you pray them.

Recognizing your physical needs can remind you of your spiritual needs—an invitation to trust your ultimate Provider.

Later in the same chapter, Jesus reminds His disciples that if God provides for the birds and the flowers, He will provide for His people that much more. Then He adds, “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬)‬‬.

So, let’s seek Him first. During this season of Advent, reflect upon the work entrusted to us while trusting in Him for provision. And let’s not waste another second on worldly worries!

A Path through the Wilderness

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Fulfillment of God’s Promises

In the Old Testament, while the nation of Israel was scattered across the land in exile for their disobedience, God was still actively working through the prophets to speak to His people. And in Isaiah 40, God tells Isaiah to comfort the people because God will return to save them.

The people of God were called to prepare themselves for the return of the Lord. It was foretold that there would be a prophet who would lead the way for God in the midst of the wilderness.

This wilderness imagery is important because God had previously led His people out of Egypt through the wilderness. This was the place of God’s great deliverance of Israel and also the place of God’s next great deliverance.

In Matthew 3:3, we find Isaiah 40:3 quoted as John the Baptist is in the wilderness preparing the people of God for the coming of Jesus. John is the voice calling out, asking the people to turn from their ways and prepare for the coming King.

The long-awaited promises of God from Isaiah and the other prophets are fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus.

When we read Isaiah and the Gospels together, we learn how God continues to be faithful to His people. He follows through on His promises. He doesn’t leave His people; instead, He makes a path through the wilderness to bring them new life.

Take some time to think about your own life. Consider during this season of Advent and time of reflection: How has God been faithful to you?

Hosanna!

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

All the World Awaits (Hosanna)-Chris Tomlin

I am so happy that today I finally feel well enough to put up and decorate our Christmas tree! The lights on the tree represent the lights that shone in the Heavens when the angels announced the birth of our Savior. The angel on top represents the heavenly host that came to earth to proclaim His birth. The ornaments represent the gifts that were given to baby Jesus. And the green tree…that is the best of all! It represents never dying, eternal life is now possible because the Messiah was born and came to save us from our sins. Hosanna in the Highest!