Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Even There…Everywhere

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

When this was the daily verse yesterday, I was a little disconcerted that it seemed to take out part of the verse, so I went back and read the whole chapter. Yes, there were missing parts, but the verse that God had me focus on is this one, especially the words, “even there.” Where is that place that is called “even there”? It differs for different people depending on your current circumstances. It can be the nursing home that your family has place you into, it can be the infusion center where you are receiving treatment for cancer, it can be in the homes of your grandchildren whom you are visiting. When God is a daily part of your life, “even there” is everywhere you are and many times, God shows up to bless you when you least expect it. God is always present but sometimes our faith takes a walk and we need to catch up to it. This past week when I got the news from my cardiologist about all the testing I have to do, I must confess that I was not in a good place. I was feeling stressed and the pressure to “just be okay” in spite of all of the warning signs that perhaps I need some kind of medical intervention. Through this verse, God spoke to my heart clearly and told me that He will be with me through these tests and even when I get the results. I am not a patient person when it comes to health issues, so waiting over a month to get all of the tests completed and the results seems like a long time to me. However, God is there even in the waiting. I am so thankful for this “even there” verse because it reminds me that there is no place I can go and nothing I can go through in which God is not right there beside me, strengthening me and supporting me, giving me the comfort that I need just when I need it.

Wherever your “even there” is, take time today to thank God that He is everywhere present with you and has promised never to leave you. It’s a promise we can count on!

Have a blessed day wherever you are and in whatever circumstance you find yourself, confident that God is there with you!

Preparing the Soil

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Every year, sometime during the month of March, my dirt-loving husband goes out to the garden to get the ground ready to plant his new vegetables and fruits for the year. A hobby has almost turned into a job for him as he rakes, tills, hoes and tills some more. I watch mesmerized from my window at all of his work and remember when I used to think that gardening should be easy. My idea was that you go outside, throw some seeds out and wait for them to grow. My husband laughed when I told him my simplistic style of gardening and told me that very little would grow if the soil were not prepared first. He even takes soil samples to the local garden shop where they analyze how much nitrate he needs to add to the soil every year. He is serious about his planting and growing and wants his crops to do well. Friday was a beautiful day, almost in the 70’s, so Harry was outside raking away debris from last year’s garden and getting it ready for the other labor to come. And labor it is! Once he starts the garden, he is out in it daily, usually from the time after breakfast until time to make dinner.

Applying my husband’s gardening knowledge to the Word of God, it would make sense that before we can sow the seeds of life into someone’s heart, we must first prepare the “soil” of their hearts to receive it. How do we do that? I think it starts with building a relationship with the person with whom we are sharing. We need to first show how much we care about them physically and mentally before we can show them the spiritual truth that is in God’s Word and expect them to accept these seeds from us. Seeds produce in good soil. Good soil comes from prior preparation, not from aimlessly throwing the seeds out anywhere and hope that somehow they produce something worthwhile. We need to pray before we share the gospel message and we need to labor in the field of preparing that heart to receive. Sometimes someone else has prepared the heart of the other person to listen to us, sometimes we share and think that the person was ready but they walk away from us, only to return to the gospel message later when someone else shares it again and in a new way. We may never see all of the fruits of our labor, but we are still called to prepare the soil and to spread the seeds. God brings the harvest!

May all of your seeds of the Word be sown into prepared soil and may they richly produce a harvest that God will see and lovingly reward you for your labors!

Faithfully Serve

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Friday is a good day to remind myself that I am called to faithfully serve. No matter what else is going on in my life, my primary function is to faithfully serve God in whatever way He chooses for me to do so. Life is tough, but it is in the serving that one forgets one’s own problems and challenges and is able to focus on others.

During our faithful service, we should be thanking God for all He has done for us. It is hard not to be thankful for God’s provision when we are helping others who have very little and yet are still thankful. So, serving and being thankful go hand in hand.

May your day be blessed with faithful service and thankfulness as you serve!

Encouraging Each Other

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Everywhere you go, people will say things like, “Times are hard,” or “I wish things would change” or my favorite, “I can’t wait until God judges all of this wickedness.” From higher prices at the pumps and in the grocery store to absolute evil being promoted over the airwaves, most of us are tired of the direction things are going in our world today. So, what should be our response? Instead of bemoaning all that is wrong and wishing for God’s imminent judgment, I think that we need to be encouraging each other to hold on, be steadfast in our faith and to keep loving the unlovable. I think that is what God wants us to do…to “occupy until He comes.” We cannot do that if we are being like the other people in the world and focusing on the problem. We need to focus on what is good, kind, righteous and uplifting. Be a Tigger in a world filled with Eeyores!

We need to let others know when we see them doing something good and right, encouraging them to keep walking along that path. There are few in the world who hand out sincere compliments, but I believe that Christians should make it a point to do this daily.

My hope is that you are already encouraging each other, but this verse says to just keep on doing it. The times are tough and they promise to get tougher because Satan knows his time is short and he is pulling out all of the stops. Just remember that God is in control, He is greater and you need to encourage others just as they encourage you. Be sincere in your praise, but praise often and smile at those you encounter. You may not make a big difference right away, but the difference you make will be in your heart and in theirs. Feel like whining and complaining about the situation and the current state of the world. Tell God how you are feeling and tell the world how God has taken that burden and you are letting Him handle things in His way and in His time. Again, be a Tigger, not showing a fake happiness, but demonstrating the real joy that only comes from having spent time in God’s presence and laying down your problems before Him. Be joyful with a positive attitude that shows others that you trust that God will come through in the end. I hope that you are not wishing for God’s judgment to come right away. The Book of Revelation with all of the judgments to come is scary and awesome, but I am appreciative that God is delaying His final return in order that as many as possible will seek His forgiveness and repent. I want Jesus to return as much as anyone, but I want it to be in His perfect timing and according to His will, not according to how hard we whine.

Have a blessed day and as you encourage others, may you find encouragement yourself, in His Word and in the difference you are making in the lives of others.

Calming My Fears

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Yesterday was a difficult day for me since I had to go to the cardiologist for a consultation about some problems I have been having. The day started early, with the cat demanding to be fed and then knocking over a bottle of open water, leaving me a mess to clean up before I could settle into the rest of my routine. My husband got up and got ready to take me to see the doctor and prayed for me before I went in. My problems may or may not be serious, but anything dealing with the heart and circulation is scary for me. I couldn’t help but think of my best friend Heidi who had vascular surgery, got an infection, had a leg amputated and ending up dying of sepsis only a few years later. Not thrilled about the idea of any kind of surgery, I went into the office with trepidation and told my husband that I would call him if I needed him to come in and be with me.

Of course, God was with me all along, calmed my fears and is still calming me today as I face four different tests that will determine what is going on. All I know is that I have passed out a couple of times, without warning, and I am losing feeling in my lower extremities. The doctor wants to eliminate a heart issue, so I have to wear a heart monitor for a month, have an ultrasound on my heart, another ultrasound on my legs and a nuclear stress test. I am waiting for the Bio company to send the heart monitor which is supposed to arrive by next week. Meanwhile, my anxiety kicked in and I needed this Scripture verse this morning.

God assured me that He is right beside me. He is delighting in me, in spite of my doubts and fears and He is calming me. He is rejoicing over me while I rejoice in His love and His presence with me. Yes, it is a trying time for me, but there are many going through much worse and I am thankful that the doctors are willing to do the tests that can give them the information that they need to go forward. My heart has worked well for me for over seventy years and I know that the One who determines my future is in total control of my present. That being said, I would appreciate prayers from any of you who agree with me about God’s sovereignty.

May the Lord bless your going out and your coming in and may each step you take and each decision you make glorify Him.

God Is Mindful of Me

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

What does it mean to you that God knows your name? That He knows the number of hairs on your head? That He knows your thoughts and your dreams and desires? What does it mean to you that the God of the Universe is mindful of you?

For me, just knowing that God is always caring for me and watching over me gives me security. It also makes me feel worthy, knowing that He who controls all gave me a free will so that I can worship my Creator and establish a relationship with Him. I want to be mindful of God just as He is mindful of me. I want to wake up daily with a prayer of thanksgiving on my heart and spend my day aware of all that He is doing for me as I take each step into a new unknown. I want to go to bed at night knowing that He is alert and guarding me as I rest. God is an awesome God and He is thinks about me…and you! That is a mind-blowing thought.

I hope that you will spend some time today telling God how much your relationship with Him means to you. He reached out and touched my life and it has never been the same…I pray that you will allow Him to reach out to you today, too.

May your day be blessed with the knowledge of just how much God loves you!

Meeting Together

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

We are meant to be people with community, with fellowship with one another. The early church met daily and had communion and fellowship. These days, we meet once or twice a week and in order to be with other believers. While I was in Maryland, I attended virtual services. It wasn’t the same as being in church, but it was better than missing church altogether. Churches are not perfect places because they have imperfect people in them. However, we are told to get together with one another and I think that is for our own benefit. Being with other believers and sharing about my week or upcoming events helps me to focus on how God is taking care of me through everything.

It is for our encouragement that we get together, not to judge each other or to look for faults, but to see Jesus in each other and be aware that He is returning soon for each of us.

Have a blessed day and may you find somewhere and someone with whom to fellowship this week, to share your testimony and to encourage one another.

The Month of Love

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Before the month of February gets started every year, I see boxes of heart-shaped candies, ads for low-cost roses and cards depicting Cupid everywhere. I get ads in my inbox and see them online, too. In spite of this onslaught of advertising, I am thoroughly convinced that the world that doesn’t know Jesus doesn’t know what love is either. It saddens me that many people settle for a cheap substitution and never consider the real sacrifices that true love requires.

This Scripture verse goes along with what our pastor told us almost five decades ago when my husband and I were going through pre-marital counseling. He said, “Love is always choosing the highest good for the other person regardless of what sacrifice you have to make to do that.” His pronouncement has stayed with me through the years and has meant that in spite of our many difficulties and differences, Harry and I have stayed together for almost fifty years. We have learned to see things through each other’s eyes and make a concerted effort to make choices that will be for the good of our life partner. In today’s world, marriage has become a trial and error situation. If it doesn’t work out, you can always get a divorce and move on. That is not the way we approached our commitment to each other. We saw it as a covenant before God and have spent many hours praying about situations beyond our control that tested our relationship with one another. Regardless, we did not see marriage as a “if it doesn’t work out” proposition but rather as a promise before God to love each other in the way that our pastor described, choosing the highest good of the other person.

I don’t like all of the hearts, flowers and candy that attempt to romanticize a commitment that is taken seriously by God. Sure, they are nice surface things but the flowers die, the candy gets eaten, the card gets misplaced and the love that you felt for that one day or that one month fades quickly into the daily battles of everyday life. I prefer to think of love as a lifetime commitment, not a month of hearts and flowers, no matter how pleasant the latter may seem. I want the love that lasts through the mountains and the valleys, the one that says, “In spite of everything, I choose you.” My husband and I spent many years separated due to his military deployments, but not once did I doubt his love for me. His calls, letters and the cassette tapes he sent just so I could hear his voice when I was lonely showed his desire to fulfill his commitment to me and our children. So, a month of love is not for me. I prefer the kind that lasts forever, the kind that brings candy home “just because” or the kind that plants flowers outside of my window for me to enjoy for the entire season. Yes, the temporary things are nice, but the ones that are deeply rooted in God as the foundation withstand the storms of time, life and trials that we all undergo. It’s good to have someone to go through life with. Life is hard…it takes a lifetime of love to make it. Jesus set the example with His sacrifice and showed us the way to truly love.

May you each find the love that God has for you and the love that is meant to fulfill you in this life. Have a happy life filled with love!

Give Each Other Grace

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

We all want God to extend His grace to us, but when it’s time to extend that same grace to others, oftentimes we fall short. According to the dictionary, grace is unmerited or undeserved favor. Every day that I wake up, God extends grace to me. He gives me grace just to get though the day and to make good choices. He treats me like a favorite child. And then I come across a person who irritates me and I avoid them or cut them off in mid-sentence or treat them like they annoy me (because they do). I think of all of the times that I must have annoyed God yet not once did He withdraw His presence from me and turn away. I am ashamed to say that I need to practice more extending grace to others.

We need to practice the art of patience with each other. We are all works in progress, so we need to show each other love, humility and gentleness. There is a world of people out there waiting like sharks to devour us and to belittle us and our faith. We need to support each other, give each other the time needed to show encouragement, uplifting each other so that we can survive what the world and the enemy throws at us.

May you take these words to heart and be a blessing to someone today who needs a kind word.

Human Help

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

We need God’s help every day in every way, no matter what small or large challenges we face. God is our healer, our deliverer, our comforter, our refuge and our strength. Thus we need Him and need to acknowledge our need for Him in our lives.

May you recognize and accept the help that only comes from God and may your day be blessed with the knowledge that He loves you enough to reach out to help you.