I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
From the Holy Bible
Although there may be darkness all around us, we are not a part of it. Darkness does not penetrate light, but rather, light penetrates the darkness and causes it to shrink or to disappear altogether. I am determined to remember that I am part of the light of Jesus and I will not let the darkness overwhelm me.
Have a blessed day and be the light that a dark world needs!
We are all part of this multitude mentioned in the Book of Daniel and we will all face judgment. God warns us in the Old Testament and in the New Testament that we will go to everlasting life or everlasting contempt. We make a choice to live with God eternally or to be separated from Him forever. It is our choice, not God’s. He doesn’t want to condemn anyone, but He has established the Only Way to be saved. We must either accept His Son as our Savior or be judged for our sins and face eternal consequences. Yes, we are all part of the multitude, but we can choose to stand apart from the crowd and take a stand for Jesus, giving Him the glory for His sacrifice on the cross for each of us.
I have always been fascinated by the story of Hagar in Genesis. First of all, she was an Egyptian slave to Sarai and Sarah used her to accomplish a goal she wanted to achieve. She gave Hagar to Abram so that Hagar would conceive a child for him since Sarai when Sarai was barren. Instead of waiting for God to fulfill His promise, Sarai jumped the gun and inserted Hagar into the picture. Hagar was pregnant with a son who should be named Ishmael and Sarai became so jealous that she treated Hagar cruelly. Hagar then fled from her and out in the desert an angel of the Lord came to her and told her to return to Sarai and to have her son Ishmael there, that he would be a great nation, too. This story amazes me because Hagar was an Egyptian among the Israelites. She was not one of God’s chosen people, yet He took the time to reassure her of His presence and His plan for her. This is where the Scripture comes in that is my focus today.
God sees me all the time and I am thankful for His being there for me when I am feeling lonely or afraid, as Hagar was. I am an introvert and tend to withdraw into corners during large gatherings. Usually, after a while has passed, my husband will notice that he hasn’t seen me in the crowd and come to find me. But I know that the entire time, God was right there with me. When I felt alone all the times my husband was deployed, God was with me. Now that I am in Maryland while my husband remains in Virginia, God is with me. He sees all of my circumstances and meets me where I am, offering comfort, wisdom and help whenever I need it. It is not a small thing to be seen by the Creator of the Universe. I’m just a small speck down here on earth, and yet I know He always has His eye on me. That is a verse worth remembering, isn’t it?
‘Tis the season to remember why we buy gifts and celebrate!
Handel: Messiah: Unto Us A Son Is Given
I am spending most of my days lately watching a toddler try very hard to discover new capabilities and doing some very scary and perhaps dangerous things in his quest. I am thankful that God watches over me as I try to discover new things and likely venture into dangerous areas, too. I am very thankful for the Holy Spirit who guards me from harm and leads me away from danger and towards the right way. God is there to protect you, if you invite Him to be there in your life.
Even in my sleep, God watches over me and gives me gentle rest. As I watch little Nathan sleep in total peace, it is a perfect picture of the rest that God gives each of us. We are so busy, so very active, moving from one thing to another, just like an inquisitive toddler. Then, when it is rest time, we fully relax into the arms of the One who loves us and watches over us while we sleep. I used to say the “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer, and I must admit that I sometimes still do as I drift off to slumberland. The prayer comforts me, knowing that I can completely rest because God is still actively watching over me.
It’s true, even though many people who call themselves Christians don’t want to admit it. Wickedness is rampant in our nation that once called itself a Christian nation. To our great shame, we have turned away from the Creator and towards our own sinful desires. The laws that are being passed are lawlessness against God and He will not be mocked forever. I am appalled at the churches taking a stand for sin and against God and His Word. I am utterly devastated that there seems to be few who are taking a stand against the “woke” movement that is destroying the fiber of morality in our land. But my hope lies in the Lord because I know that His judgment is coming and in the end, righteousness wins.
One of my favorite holiday movies that I have watched since I was very young is “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Clarence, the angel, is my favorite character as he guides George Bailey into accepting the fact that he is important to others in his life. I just want to say that I haven’t needed an angel to know that I have a wonderful life. I have found the Lord and He has found me, and together we have made my life wonderful.
I was lost in sin and darkness, hopelessly facing a future that was scary and intimidating. Once the Lord came into my life, no matter what I have faced, I have felt loved and cared for. The challenges have been plentiful, but the Lord has always been up to the task of helping me through them. I am an overcomer because of my relationship with the King of Glory!
There’s a lot of “shaking” going on in this old world, but God is the mountain in my life that won’t allow me to be shaken along with everything else. With my eyes fixed on Him, I stand firmly and wait for the shaking to cease.
I love the word picture from this Scripture! A well-watered garden is exactly what I want to be and I go daily to the spring of life found in God’s Word in order to receive the water that I need for that day. It is in Him that I have found the wonderful life that I craved but dared not hope for in my youth. Now I am old and I can look back and see the battles that I have fought and won, with God’s help.
I struggled for a long time when I was a newly born-again Christian. I just did not understand the thought that Jesus paid everything for us on the cross and yet, there was still work for us to do here on earth. After many years of seeking an answer, I finally got peace when I realized that the work that Jesus wants me to do is not onerous or demanding but rather loving and kind and merciful. The work He has given me to do is the same that He did on earth, i.e. to spread the good news of salvation through grace.
Seeing others believe in Christ builds my own faith. Helping others to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior builds it even more and that is a living legacy worth having. God has given us all of the tools we need to share about Jesus in His Word. Some of us are better at using the Word than others, but all are supposed to be daily digging into the Word in order to share it with those who need it. The Bible is our spiritual food and just as you would not go days without eating (unless you are called to fast for a period of time), neither should any Christian go days without reading God’s Word and letting His Spirit speak to your heart. Then, once your own faith is built up by His Word inside you, then you can take what you have learned and share it with others. A hammer builds, but only in the hands of someone wielding it. Likewise, God’s Word saves but only from the mouths of those who speak it.
One of the words that is not used often in today’s world but is one that is active is ”scoffers.” These people, according to http://www.dictionary.com are those who make fun of or mock beliefs, especially moral and religious ones. If you don’t look around and notice a boatload of scoffers in the world today, then I don’t think you are paying attention. I am concerned for those who mock God and His coming judgment because the “Day of the Lord” is coming whether they believe in it or not.
Thinking that they are secure in their own worship of self and their own choices of evil, they mock God and are kind of saying, “Uh-huh. Sure. God is going to judge and Jesus is returning. Yeah, right.” Unfortunately for them, that day is coming. We don’t have to know when; we just have to believe and wait.
The Day of the Lord will be a fearsome and terrible day, coming when we least expect it. As one who likes to be organized and prepared for every possible eventuality, I have studied the Scriptures for years about that coming day and what I am supposed to do to be ready. The answer are simple and straightforward, summarized by Peter.
Did you hear that flourish of trumpets that played a “ta=dah” kind of note? Since everything as we know it will be destroyed, we should be living godly and holy lives. We are not to join in with the scoffers, the unbelievers who are digging their own grave to the pit of eternity separated from God. We are to choose rightly, stay close to God and trust that in the end, He will take care of us. He took care of Moses, Daniel, Noah and Abraham and He is no respecter of persons. He loves us just as much and gives us a guidebook about how to be living while we wait. Just as you cannot adequately create a new dish in the kitchen or put together a complicated toy for Christmas without directions, neither can you lead a holy and godly life without the directions that are contained in the Holy Bible.
I am one who likes to bask in my comfort zone and hardly ever choose to leave it. Recently, when we came to Maryland for a Thanksgiving holiday visit, I was faced with being thrust out of my comfort zone suddenly and without notice, and I was not happy about the circumstances. Once again, my son’s regular caregiver quit taking care of his children to take a seasonal job, so the family was left without a babysitter. I was aware that this might happen, but in the back of my mind, I had told myself that we had reached thanksgiving and the young woman had no job yet, so I was probably going to just go home with my husband. Alas! On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, that all changed and I have been called upon to care for grandchildren again. Now, that is not what the comfort zone was. I have cared for them before and didn’t have too many problems. No, the comfort zone I left behind was one of knowing and planning and organizing and having things with me that I think I need for a long stay. Nevertheless, I said that I would stay and God has been working out things for me to get my meds that I need, warm clothing and foods. In fact, there is a bonus to this year’s stay. I get to go home on December 10th for a week while the family goes to visit Disneyworld. Hurray! I said I would take on the challenge of gathering meds here, layering clothes and purchasing special foods and God met me where I was, holding out His hand to hold me up.
I’m sure that if you are familiar with the Bible story about Peter walking on the water towards Jesus, you know that he had to have the courage to step out of the boat before the confidence came that he could walk on water. Courage generally seems to precede confidence in the Lord. Later in the same chapter, Peter took His eyes off Jesus and began to sink. When we are in the middle of hard circumstances, that is when we are compelled to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, regardless of what is going on around us. Once Peter got his eyes back on Jesus, he was okay again.
There are many Biblical examples of those who showed courage and received the confidence that they needed. Noah started building a boat when God directed him to do so. It seems that it took him almost six years to build the ark and there was no sign of rain. One pastor told us, and it made sense to me, that there had been no rain on the earth until the time of Noah. So, when God told Noah it was going to rain and flood the earth, Noah had no idea what to expect, but he dutifully and with courage followed God’s command. As a result of his faithfulness, Noah and his entire family were the only ones left on the earth. One of my favorite Bible stories is about Daniel and his friends being thrown into the fiery furnace. They had courage to be willing to sacrifice their lives for their belief in God and God took care of them IN the fire. Both Noah and Daniel exhibited extraordinary courage which resulted in more faith in God, both for themselves and those they encountered.
My point is that when Jesus gives you the opportunity to step out in faith, go ahead. He will meet you and hold you up if He has to and as a result your faith will grow. What a testimony you will have from just stepping out and letting courage precede confidence!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 