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!

The Blessings in Revelation 19

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

In our Sunday school class, we have been doing a three month study of the Book of Revelation. We made our way through the mazes of symbolism that is at times hard to comprehend, the visions of the bowls, seals and trumpets and finally arrived last week at the wedding of the bride. Our teacher, Dr. Gary Johnson (via video presentations), explained our the wedding is comparable to the events leading up to and the actual wedding in a Jewish ceremony. I cannot explain it all very well myself but there are three stages. Researching online, I found more than three stages, but here is what Dr. Johnson shared that really blessed me. Having looked up information online, I realize that this is simplistic and may not be totally accurate. (My apologies to my friend David Ettinger for anything I get wrong here. David, please feel free to chime in with truth and your own knowledge!)

The “Kiddushin” is the legal arrangement for two to marry. It is a contract that the parents may make long before the children even know each other. According to Dr. Johnson, God made a contract to marry the bride to Jesus as far back as Genesis 3:15. God had a plan and the entire Bible is His working His plan to fulfillment, beginning all the way back in Genesis.

The next part, the part that “blessed my socks off” is called the “Mohar.” This is like a dowry or a bride price that the groom pays in order to secure the bride for his own. Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross!

Finally, there is the “Huppah” (or “Chuppah” in some sources). This is when the bridegroom goes to the bride to bring her to his home. She doesn’t know when he is coming. Only the Father of the groom knows this and sends his son to get his bride and bring her to her new home with him. Following that is the wedding supper, a great feast to celebrate the long-awaited marriage. Jesus is coming back for His bride. Hallelujah!

If you want to read more about these traditions and fill in some blanks that I have omitted because of lack of time and knowledge, check out this website: Christian Truth Center

Finally, my devotional this morning had a verse that reminded me of last week’s lesson at church and made me want to try to share it with you all with the hope that you, too, would be blessed by God’s plan, His dowry price and the invitation to the wedding supper preceded by Jesus’s return for His bride.

God is faithful and is always working to bring us closer to Him. May we be found faithful when He returns for us!

Is God Silent?

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

The answer to my question is a resounding “no”! But sometimes, in the light of the daily headlines and the evil we see all around us, I wonder why God is holding back His judgment. Then He speaks quietly into my heart that He is watching and waiting for more to turn to Him.

Habakkuk was a very bold prayer warrior, not hesitating to ask God if he is being silent and knowing that God cannot stand the sight of evil. I have to wonder what Habakkuk would say about the evil that is rampant today? Is one generation’s evil worse than another’s? I think not. Evil is evil. Sin is sin. And God will not just watch us self-destruct forever. He has sent us as His messengers to warn the world of the judgment to come. They scoff and do not seem to listen, but God works on hearts. That is the thing…But, God…He is not winking or silent. He is pure and holy and will not withhold His righteous judgment forever. Man sins and laughs in God’s face. God doesn’t strut around and say, “Gotcha.” I think He is sad for our world and its desperate trust in the worldly powers. I know that I am sad each time I read a new headline glorifying sin. God, who sent His Only Son into the world to save us, must be heartbroken over mankind’s choices. But, He is not silent. He is working in the background to draw people to Him so that as many as possible may be saved before His wrath begins. But God…

Our Thinking

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

Over many years I have come to realize that I control what I think about. True, sometimes my mind wanders and seems to take me places that I don’t want to go, but it is up to me to rein it in and think about what I should be thinking. And what is that? God has the answer in His Word.

Heaven is a reality, not a pipe dream. Heaven may not be as I picture it or even as movies and books portray it, but it is real, just as Jesus was a real man who walked the earth and died for my sins. Christ is already in Heaven and the Bible tells me He is preparing a place for me there. The best thing that I can do while I wait is to think about the things of Heaven. How do I do that? I keep my focus on God’s Word, on His truths that He has spoken and is speaking into my heart. It’s easy to be distracted by all that is going on in the world around me, but I have found if I just take a deep breath and say to myself, “But God…” then I focus on how great God is in the circumstances and know that He will work all things out in the end.

Praising God with song is a great way for me to stay focused on Him, particularly if the song is based on Scripture and has helped me to memorize verses. Many years ago, one of the churches we went to had a pastor who was also a songwriter and guitarist and he set many favorite verses to music and played them during our worship time for us to join in with him. I remember many of those songs and have found others since then. A group called “Integrity Music” distributed a lot of cassettes with such scriptural songs and we had them playing in our car and home frequently. These days, the cassette has ceased to function, but I have discovered the music on You Tube and encourage you to listen and enter into His presence. Step away from the world and into the throne room of God. There we find our peace and our stability in a world that is rocking around us.

You Alone-Integritry Music

The Lord Reigns-Bob Moen-Integrity Music

Some May Trust In Chariots-Hosanna! Music

My Thoughts on a Potpourri of Verses

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

As I read my Bible and devotionals this morning, my mind kept returning to all of the chaos and evil in the world. I sought God’s help in understanding and the hope that only comes from knowing and believing His Word.

Fear tries to overtake my heart because of all of the rampant evil. But God continually reminds me that He is trustworthy and I need not be afraid.

God will always protect me from the evil that surrounds me. I can count on Him to be with me in the middle of the storm.

Our hope lies in the cross where Jesus stated, “It is finished.” He completed the sacrifice for me so that I can be with the Lord forever. Victory is assured…I just have to get through to the end of this present evil age.

It’s a scary thing to contemplate that the God of justice will judge our nations for their wickedness. Refusing to acknowledge God won’t end in anything good for those who turn their backs on Him. I’m blessed to be on the winning side but I am sad for those who flaunt their evil ways and taunt God with their worship of self.

God does not want to destroy nations or the wicked. He prefers that everyone join in accepting His free gift of salvation and come to Him as victorious servants, not continue to be seemingly free evil doers. The second death is the final and ultimate death, the one that determines whether we end up in the lake of fire with Satan or in Heaven with God for eternity. God prefers that we repent but He will not force us to do so.

God gets a lot of the blame for what happens on earth. My thoughts are that people get the consequences that they deserve for their foolish choices. Being angry with God is worthless because in the end, the one who is destroyed is the one who refuses to be wise and repent.

Out of all of my verses this morning, this is the one that stood out to me most and made my heart leap, not necessarily with joy, but with recognition of truth. One day, there will be justice. God’s final judgment will mete out justice to all. The godly will be rejoicing but the evil will be terrified. Sounds fitting to me…and a hope to look forward to. When I was growing up and didn’t know God as Lord, I was frequently bullied. Since I did believe in a higher power, I would pray that one day God would “give them what they had coming to them.” Little did I know that the final judgment is exactly what that will be…God has the final word, so fearing the Lord before judgment day is a must if you want to be in the group that is rejoicing.

Praise the Lord that the victory is already His!

A Word about “Sound of Freedom”

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Video4 Comments

Just the message that I sent out yesterday that my husband and I had tickets and were going to see “Sound of Freedom” evoked various responses. My liberal sons jumped on the QAnon bandwagon, ridiculing our choice of movie. My sister wanted to know which theater we were going to because there had been many glitches in the AMC theater chain. (We went to the Regal.) But I was not going to be thwarted from my desire to see this film, so after my medical appointment, we headed into town for the matinee.

I would like to encourage everyone to see this heartbreaking movie, not because of the heartbreak but because of the truth that is in it. No, it is not totally factual. It has been fictionalized to make a better story, but if you read the real story of Tim Ballard and his efforts to rescue children, you will see that there is plenty of truth in the film and that is what breaks my heart. Especially the part about our nation being the largest purveyor and supporter of child trafficking and pornography.

“Sound of Freedom” -Official Trailer from Angel Studios

If you cannot afford a ticket, then Angel Studios has provided a “pay it forward” program to help you to see the movie. Just go to their site and follow the links. Tickets for Sound of Freedom

The tagline for the movie is that “God’s children are not for sale.” Remember that Jesus took the little children into His arms and blessed them; He did not turn them away. The current problem with our border is not just drugs, though that is horrific, too. The cartels use the open borders to traffic children. See the movie. Pray hard for this evil to be exposed and that God will have mercy on the children and save them. See the movie. If you are like me, your eyes are already somewhat open to the evil that men do to little children in the name of profit and pleasure. But if you are like me, you have no idea of how extensive the problem is. See the movie. And then spread the word so that others will see it.

Difficult to watch and impossible to forget. See the movie!

The Present Tense

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

As a grammarian and a retired foreign language teacher, I am generally aware of the use of tenses in sentences. I notice present, past and future tenses and sometimes that makes all the difference in my thinking. Today in my devotional, it’s all about the present tense, where I am right now.

The Lord keeps me from all harm…right now. He is currently watching over me and all that I do. I consider that very comforting. God is not confined by the constraints of time as we know it because He is infinite, but He steps into my present and is carefully watching over me. Comforting, isn’t it?

The verb “is” means currently, present tense. God has been my refuge and strength in the past and will continue to be in the future. But for today, I can count on Him to be my refuge, to be my strength right now, right where I am and in the circumstances I am currently facing. Encouraging, isn’t it?

Every day, each of us faces new troubles, whether from our health, our family circumstances, our finances or whatever comes up. God is always present, right there with us, no matter what we face. He saves us, present tense, from whatever enemies may attack us. The promise is that He will protect us and the reality is in the present tense. His hand is already there, ready for us to grasp and be saved by His power and mercy and grace. Humbling, isn’t it?

Although my focus is on the present tense in this little blog today, I want to end with a view of the future. God is always trustworthy. He is a rock on which we can stand and take refuge. We can trust Him forever because He never changes and He never will. Powerful, isn’t it?

As you read your devotional today and spend time with the Lord, may He be ever present in your heart, mind and soul.

A Day for Praise

On By vickleaIn praise, SongLeave a comment

My husband and I have been traveling for most of the last month. Since our grandchildren are distant, we visited them for several weeks. We did come home for a few days to rest and repack, but then I set out again to visit my sister while my husband went to see his brother. All of the travels are over now, and I am so grateful for the safety that we enjoyed and also for being able to go to our church again. Our Sunday school teacher graciously sent us the video lessons that we were missing via email so we were able to continue the class study of Revelation. But nothing compares to being with our church family! So, today is a day for praise for me. Praise wells up in my heart each day as I ponder all of God’s goodness and blessings. May you be blessed with these songs that I am sharing and if you have other favorites, please share them with me.

What a Beautiful Name It Is-Hillsong

I Raise a Hallelujah-Hillsong Woship, Lauren Daigle,Casting Crowns

Holy Forever-Chris Tomlin

A Thousand Hallelujahs-Brooke Ligertwood

10,000 Reasons-Matt Redman

Inheritance

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Some people may dream of big houses and big cars, but I spent many years when I was younger dreaming of an inheritance that would take care of all of my financial woes. College debt? Gone! Car loan? Paid! Mortgage? Wiped out! Well, all of those things happened but not because of anyone leaving me a great sum of money. I paid off my college loans, my car loan and we are still working on the mortgage. Now my sites are set on a different kind of inheritance, having re-focused on what is truly important.

Since God is my inheritance, I don’t need to fret about the future, either here on earth or for eternity. God takes care of my needs, both physical and financial and the bonus is that He always takes care of me emotionally and mentally. My hope is in Him and who better to hope in than my Creator? I will never have a big house or a fancy car but that’s okay because I no longer care about those kinds of things. I just want to spend eternity with my Father in Heaven, rejoicing around His throne about the inheritance than no one can take from me. My future is secure with Him and I am thankful for it.