Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

A Testimony and a Praise

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture6 Comments

These last few months, I have felt as though I knew what it was like to be the desperate woman who reached out to touch Jesus for her healing. I have been to specialist after specialist and had more medical tests than I knew existed, but the answer to my fainting and dizziness has been elusive. Then on Thursday, I saw a Balance Specialist. If you are blinking and looking again to see if you read that right, I can assure you that there is such a thing although it’s a totally new concept to me, too. My cardiologist had done innumerable tests and suggested I see my ENT to check for an inner ear problem. My regular ENT referred me to a Balance Specialist, a physician’s assistant who is actually a specialized physical therapist. I must admit that I went to the office with a little trepidation, wondering what in the world the new test would be like. This likable thirty-ish young man spent about half an hour with me. First he used some goggle like instrument that made me feel as though I were playing a video game in total darkness. He said that was checking my inner ear and there was no problem there. Then he had me lie down on a table, took my blood pressure, sat me up suddenly and took it again. Voila! An answer! It seems that the med that I am taking for my high blood pressure is a Beta blocker that keeps my heart from speeding up as it needs to do when I change positions. As a result, I get dizzy and if it doesn’t correct quickly enough, I faint. So, I was given instructions to talk to my cardiologist about changing or modifying my medicine. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But apparently it wasn’t since I have been to five different specialists since February and not one of them picked up on this problem. Anyway, I still have a few more tests to undergo to satisfy my neurologist but I am delighted to have an answer that seems to be something that can be easily addressed. What amazes me is that God knew all along what has been happening and has kept me right in the palm of His hand. I haven’t been frustrated, angry or discouraged as I am accustomed to getting when faced when plans that had to change. God has comforted me and encouraged me that everything will be okay if I am patient.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my “word” for the year is TRUST. I set out at the beginning of the year with the goal in mind that I will learn to lean into the Lord, trusting Him no matter what. God took me at my word and is helping me to fulfill that promise.

I would like to think that the worst is behind me, but even if that is not proven to be true, I know that I can completely trust God’s love for me. My health may not be what I want it to be, but my soul is thriving with God.

This is a quotation from a devotional that I read this week. Hudson Taylor had a lot of challenges in his life, yet he could still write these words and mean them with his whole heart. I plan to copy this and put it on a card on my bathroom mirror, just to remind myself that I am still moving forward and God is still with me, fulfilling His promises to me.

What has God done for you lately? What is your testimony of His greatness in your life? Small things, big things, all things. Give God all the glory!

Thank You, God, for Spring

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Spring has arrived in all of its colorful glory and I am so thankful to see the beauty all around me. God has provided awesome displays of His handiwork everywhere we look. We just have to take time to appreciate it.

It’s the season of hummingbirds, flowers, blooming trees and blossoming roses. It’s the season when God makes all things new. Although sometimes the winter seems long and never-ending, we have to remember that spring is coming. Even as the snow covers the ground, the plants that will come forth in the spring are already getting prepared to come out and up and astonish us with their beauty. It’s all part of God’s plan…a stage of dormancy and then an eruption of beauty. I think that says something about God’s plan for us, too.

To Gain Peace, Be Steadfast

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Most who know me well are amazed that I have not been “falling apart” lately as I go through multiple medical tests weekly, all without really coming to an answer for my medical problems. However, those who know me well also know that I have put my trust in God and my eyes remain fixed on Him. He knows the root of the problem and He has the answer. If He reveals it to a doctor and there is a treatment for it, that’s good. If not, that is okay, too, because He is in control.

That is not to say that I have been enjoying being poked, prodded, stuck and next week, I get electricity coursing through me as the doctors study my brain. No, no enjoyment here, but rather peace in the process. My mind is focused on the Lord, trusting Him to bring this all to an end in His time. I have had to postpone visits with grandchildren and other family, an extended trip with my husband to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary and other plans that I had looked forward to with great anticipation. That is all of little importance to me these days. I know that God is holding me in the palm of His hand and He knows what needs to happen for me to feel whole again. So, I wait, I trust and I keep my eyes on Him. I don’t want to be like Peter and lose my focus so that I start to sink into the deep waters; instead, I am spending more time in God’s Word, talking to Him continually and asking Him to show me what to do next. Trust is an easy thing when there are no tests or trials, but the more trials that come along, the harder it is to trust. I am determined to be steadfast in my pursuit of the Lord, regardless of outward circumstances. I hope that is where you find yourself, too…peacefully waiting for God to act and trusting that in His time, He will.

Don’t Give Up

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I have heard a lot of discouraged people bemoaning the state of the world and the rampant sin that is taking over. God told us that this was coming, so we shouldn’t be surprised. Neither should we give up on the mission that He left for us to do.

The “he” in this Scripture is Jesus (read all of Hebrews 12 for the context). Jesus endured all kinds of spiteful treatment even before He was nailed to the cross. The Pharisees and Sadducees kept trying to trap him into saying something that would turn the people against him. They were incensed at his popularity and wanted to find a way to discredit him so kept asking him “trick” questions. For Jesus, though, they were like little bugs biting at him to no avail. He did not give up on the mission that God had sent Him to complete, i.e. the salvation of mankind and the establishment of a new covenant. Jesus gave His life for our sins and the author here points out (perhaps somewhat prophetically) that the readers have not yet given their lives for the cause of the Gospel. Of course, many early believers were martyred for their faith later; that’s why I say this could be prophetic. Nevertheless, we are called upon to be like Jesus and not to give up. When the world gets darker, we are to shine brighter. When the world seems to have lost their way, we are to show them the only way. When all seems lost, we are to remember that Jesus was and is victorious! No matter what ridicule or condemnation we face in this life, it will be worth it in the end because we will see Jesus and live with Him forever. The MSM paints Christian conservatives as a fringe group, but we are the Army of the Victorious Savior, and we are not giving up on the fight to win souls for Him. We will never give up, never turn away, never stop fighting in His Name for righteousness and truth!

A Source of Life

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

When the woman at the well was thirsty, Jesus said that He had living water that would always refresh her. We have that same living water living in us and we are called to pour it out to others.

The words that we speak should be a source of life for others, giving them hope and encouragement and love just when they need it the most. The wicked, however, spew words of death and discouragement and hatred. They plot to destroy, not to build up. It is up to those of us who know the Lord to be a source of life to others, to speak boldly and proclaim with courage that our hope lies in the Lord and in His plan for salvation for the world. Let’s be a source of life together!

Dependent or Independent?

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

For all the years that my husband was in the military, I was known as a dependent. At first, I resented the terminology, saying vocally and emphatically, that I was not really dependent on anyone because I could take care of myself just fine, thank you. After all, I had graduated with honors and had a teaching job and career in front of me. But, for the purposes of the military, I was a dependent. And you know what? I learned that it wasn’t such a bad thing. My husband’s status as active duty got me into the commissary to shop for groceries, the exchange to shop for other things, the Officers’ Club for luncheons and housing on the base at a lower cost and at a convenient location. So, maybe being a dependent wasn’t so bad.

I have since been schooled regularly by the Lord about the necessity of my losing my independent streak and being willing to submit myself to Him. Unless I am dependent on Him, I can’t grow, learn and teach others.

No matter what I try to do on my own, it really doesn’t work out well unless I first invite the Lord to be the leader. He is the chief everything…He is the one who gives me my identity, just as my husband provided my military ID for me that is still available for me to use today as a spouse of a retiree. My entire being is wrapped up in who I am in Jesus. I am independent in my choices because He lets me make them, even when I make bad ones. But He is also always there to help me out of the situations I get myself into because of those wrong choices and to help me back onto the path that I was supposed to take all along.

When I admit that I can’t do anything all alone, then Jesus steps in and it is His power that works in me to complete the task that He has given me to do. Sometimes I need His help and intervention more than others, but I am always thankful that I know that He is right there, ready to offer assistance, guidance and strength.

So, dependent or independent? I choose to be dependent on the Lord Jesus, grafted into His vine so that I can produce quality fruit for Him. It’s nice to let go of the wheel and know that Jesus is steering me in the right direction as I depend on Him to take me safely to my final destination!

Secret Things

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

I have so many questions to ask when I get to Heaven, don’t you? Like how God chose colors when there weren’t any. And how does he work on men’s hearts to get them to turn to Him when they are so stubborn? And where did Enoch disappear to? So many questions that will all be answered in Heaven. Trivial, sure, but I’m still inquisitive.

God has an answer to the questions already in His Word. They are the “secret things”, the ones that we are not meant to know yet. However, all that He has revealed we are to share with our children; they are our legacy forever on this earth. Once we get to Heaven, then we can perhaps know the secret things, if they even matter to use any longer once we are in the presence of the Lord Jesus. I’m content these days to know what I know…God is in Heaven, He is the ruler of the universe, and He loves me. And He loves you, too!

Choose Life

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

I hear these words a lot in referring to abortion, but just so it’s clear, God used these words first and they did not refer to murdering infants but to our choice for our eternal destiny.

God gives us the choice and it is up to us to make the right one. Notice that the verse shows that God yearns for us to choose life, not just for us but for our descendants that follow us. Our choices make a difference, not only for us, but for those who come behind us.

The Goal Is Restoration

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Many Christians today think that their mission in life is to point out the sins of others and insist vocally and emphatically that the sinner needs to get back on the right track with God. Now, I am not against evangelism, but the goal is always restoration, not turning the person against God for all time. In the same way, when we see Christians sinning, we are not to get that haughty “holier than thou” attitude, being supercilious in our approach to them. Rather, the goal is restoration!

There are some really important words in this Scripture verse, most notably another believer, gently, humbly and careful. Let’s examine these words together. This verse is directed towards helping out another believer, not evangelizing and striving for new converts. It is almost impossible to get someone to follow Jesus by pointing out how sinful they are. Generally, their response is to walk away. But when talking to another believer, you should be honest about the sin you have noticed and I think what you should be pointing out is how it is affecting them mentally, physically and emotionally as well as spiritually. But you have to do this gently, with a kindness and love that only comes from the Father after many days of thoughtful prayer. Finally, you have to be careful because the temptation to sin is there for everyone, so you don’t want to fall into the trap of sin while you are trying to restore your brother to a right relationship with God.

We don’t forgive the sin; God does. We are called to forgive the person who sins, thus restoring our relationship with them just as they need to restore their relationship with God. Our relationships on earth are vertical (with God) and horizontal (with each other). Thus the cross is an excellent symbol of the restored relationships that we are supposed to always have.

It isn’t hard to see the sin in others, but it is very difficult at times to see your own shortcomings. That’s why it is imperative that you spend time in prayer, clean yourself up from your own sins and then, when God tells you the timing is right, approach your fellow Christian in humble love and tell them what you see happening. Remember that the goal is restoration, not to chase them farther away from God!

A Prayer to Start the Day

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture2 Comments

Before I pray each day, I praise and worship, so let’s start with giving God the honor and glory due His Name.

Just take a few minutes to sit quietly in God’s presence and worship Him, not for what He has done but because of who He is.

My prayer for you today is from God’s Word. May it touch your heart and soul and burrow down deep into the places that you need it most.

Understanding all that God has done for you is key to establishing a relationship of glorifying Him. We can have confident hope that we are His!

But there is more! So much more! The same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is there for us to tap into once we understand it. We can only get that understanding by spending time with Him. I pray that an urgent desire to spend time with God, understanding His great power and love for you, fills you today. Time with God is precious. Spend it wisely and well, and have a great and blessed day!