Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Left Behind

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

I have a phobia of being left behind. My husband will tell you that when he simply leaves the store to pull up the car, I get anxious about his remembering to come get me. No, he has never left me behind, but over five decades ago, my parents did and I was beyond distraught. I can laugh about the incident now, but I can tell you that I was not laughing then. You see, my parents had a big Cadillac and we were all busy loading the car for them to take me to my first day of college. The trip was about five hours and I was already excited and nervous about my new adventure. The car was packed “to the gills” with all of my clothes and personal items that were on the list that the college had sent. There was room for mamma and daddy in the front seat and a corner for me in the back. I told my mom that I was going to the bathroom one more time and went inside to do just that. Unfortunately, she didn’t hear me, so she and daddy got into the car and drove away to take me to college. Only I wasn’t in the car! This was before the days of cell phones, so when I came outside and saw the car gone, I cried inconsolably, thinking that they would get all the way to their destination before they noticed that I was not in my little corner. However, about an hour later, they pulled into the driveway and wanted to know why I had left the car. I explained what had happened and we all left together. Daddy told me that he or mamma asked me a question and when I didn’t reply, mamma turned around and noticed that I was not there. They had driven to Danville, about half an hour away before they noticed my absence, but thank goodness, they didn’t go even farther. Since that incident, I don’t like to let people that I’m riding with out of my sight. When I get to a place, I want to know that I will be included in the ride home, too. So, yes, I have a phobia.

One thing I don’t fear is being left behind my Jesus. His Word comforts me.

Jesus is not going to get distracted and forget me or His promises to me. He walks with me daily, reassuring me that He is right there beside me and I don’t need to fear being left alone. That helps me get through the anxious moments when my husband or daughter or whomever is my ride gets out of my sight. Jesus is always there!

There is coming a day when I definitely don’t want to be left behind. That is the day when Jesus returns to take us all to be with Him. Like the packed car going to college, we have to be prepared to leave, not running back inside to do something. Just stay and wait for Jesus! He is coming back and that will be a glorious day! I don’t get into the arguments about pre-tribulation, post-tribulation or even mid-tribulation return of Jesus. I just want to be ready whenever He returns and I hope that you want the same thing. We have to be faithful servants, immersing ourselves in His Word after accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. That’s the only way not to be left behind. The truth is that God doesn’t want to leave any of us behind, but He will if that is our choice, to live for ourselves instead of for Him. So, I wait, but I am not anxious like I am in front of a store waiting for my ride. Jesus has assured me that He won’t leave me and that when He comes back, I will get to go with Him. He won’t be turning around, realize I’m not there and come back again to get me. That’s why it’s important for me to be ready…we don’t know when He is coming, but we know that He is coming back and we don’t want to be left behind!

Overflowing Love

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

When I embarked on this unknown journey into blogging, I had no idea what to expect. Now, over four years in, I am comfortable in this place and appreciate all of the love and encouragement that you have shown me. As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was thinking about friendships and the ones that I have made here at WordPress. No, I have not met you personally, but I count you as friends and some as sisters and brothers in the Lord. My heart bubbled with joy at the hope that one day I will get to meet you all in Heaven and truly get to know you! And for that reason, I felt a love that is unexplainable for each of you, even though I can’t talk to you or see you right now.

I think it is the Lord who causes our love for strangers to overflow, because we are all part of the body of Christ and feel a deep connection there. For the ones who share beautiful photography, those who write poems that touch my heart, the songwriters and the ones who share truth from God’s Word that puts things into a different perspective for me. For each of you, I am thankful and for so many more. We may never see each other on this side of Heaven, but God is faithful and will one day welcome us all together and the rejoicing will resound around the universe.

My blessing for you today comes from God’s Word…Paul always has a word of encouragement that reverberates in the deepest part of me. May you take these words to heart because they were meant for each of you. God bless you!

What is Trust Like?

On By vickleaIn Scripture, SongLeave a comment
Image from bugwoodcloud.org

I want to think that I am like the tree by the water, just hanging around and growing, receiving nourishment from the roots that have dug deeply into the stream. That’s what I am supposed to be, totally trusting in God to supply al of my needs and not worrying about the next thing to come along that may disturb my peace. That heat that is coming cannot destroy me if I am rooted in the Lord and in spite of the circumstances all around me, I will continue to bear fruit. Is this true of my life all of the time? I could only wish that it were so. But it is what I aspire to…to be like the tree by the water, digging into the water that refreshes and keeps me growing. That’s what trust is. It is digging deep even when the circumstances seem to overwhelm us. It is knowing that the Lord is there to provide even when you don’t feel His presence or hear His voice. He has never left. Just like the stream, His presence is constant and will sustain us if we trust Him in all things. Having confidence in God doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen. It does mean, however, that when they do happen, we will be standing firmly in the assurance of His love and tender care. We stand…He cares.

Through It All by Andrae Crouch

Be blessed to be a blessing. Trust so that others can see your faith and believe in the God who is trustworthy!

Anxiety

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

When unexpected events happen in my life, it is then that I find out what parts of my life I have not yet surrendered to God. That is when the anxiety that is always lurking and ready to attack surfaces and I have to be ready to give it all to Jesus again. This week, I found myself anxious about our grandson Tyler’s appointment with the surgeon. But because God had reassured me repeatedly that He is taking care of Tyler, the anxiety did not get the best of me. Rather. I prayed and then waited for word from my daughter. Normally, I would have been texting repeatedly about the time of the appointment, the outcome of the appointment, the exact words of the surgeon. Instead, I rested in the assurance of the Lord. The results weren’t all that I wanted, but they were enough to let me know that God has the situation under control and He doesn’t need my help to manage it. The surgeon told Tyler that the fracture of his clavicle is severe and is taking a while to heal. He took him out of the brace and the sling but cautioned him that he cannot lift anything. He also gave him gentle exercises to do as he showers in order to get strength back into his left arm that he hasn’t used since August. Finally, he wants to see him again in a month. The clavicle has moved back into the correct position, so that is a big praise and a huge relief! God is good, even when we try to rush Him or move Him quickly towards our desired outcome. He moves in His time and with His purpose. So, the anxiety that I had felt before this week, leading up to the appointment, did not do anything but make me uncomfortable. I had to hand things over to the Father to handle and then I felt the “ahh” relief that comes from knowing that although I couldn’t do anything, God could and was working on Tyler’s behalf.

Letting go and letting God is freeing and brings rejoicing, maybe not immediately or during the circumstances, but in the end, the rejoicing comes.

Just as the ocean washes away the debris from the beach, so God is washing away my tendency to be anxious. He wants me to relax and trust Him and every day is a new day to try to do just that. Last week was Tyler’s appointment. Who knows what this week will bring? But as I texted Tyler, nothing is going to happen to me today that God and I cannot handle together. God is making sure that I know that and I’m looking forward to see where He will lead me next in my quest for total trust and assurance in Him.

Have a blessed day, filled with rejoicing and the knowledge that God has everything under control!

Boasting

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song5 Comments

The opposite of being humble is being boastful. I know you have met this kind of person, the one who walks around like “they are all that and then some.” This is the person who takes all of the praise that others offer but when someone has constructive criticism, it bounces right off of them. After all, they usually consider themselves perfection walking. I never wanted to be that person but when I was younger, I wore pride like a badge. I was proud of my grades in college, proud of my personal achievements, proud of what I had accomplished without a lot of parental support or encouragement. I can’t remember boasting outright, but if someone asked me how I did in college, I answered with my GPA and the fact that I was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. So, yes, it was boasting. It wasn’t long after my graduation from college that I was introduced to the Lord, so my foray into being a braggart was short, thank goodness! Nevertheless, it was something that was in my past that Jesus forgave me for, among many other things, of course. Since I wrote about humility earlier this week, I decided I should cover the topic of boasting, too. What does God say about boasting?

If you are going to boast, there is only one thing that is worthy to boast about and that is that you have the understanding to know the Lord. And, honestly, I don’t think you can really boast about that either unless you are using it as a testimony to the power of the Lord because even the understanding you have about Him as your Lord and Savior comes from Him. You haven’t done anything, you can’t do anything, and you don’t deserve anything…yet God in His great love and mercy reached out, opened your mind to understand Who He is and what He has done for you and even allows you to boast about having the understanding that He gave you. So, you have done a lot in your life to be proud of? Those crowns will one day be laid at the feet of Jesus, so you may as well begin practicing now by giving Him all of the glory for all that HE has done through you. It is freeing to be released from the burden of boasting, knowing that all comes from God and whatever you think you have done is a result of His power in your life. I could do nothing without Him and neither can you.

Let’s Talk About Jesus

May you have a blessed day as you talk about Jesus!

Humility

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

This is a word that is hard to define or even describe. It’s much easier to think about its antonyms than its synonyms. When I looked up the word in an online dictionary, I found that it is defined as lowliness, with an antonym being pride. Well, that wasn’t much help. Jesus was humble and I want to grow in that trait, but I don’t know how if I can’t understand the definition. In my struggle, I finally came to terms with the fact that if I am thinking of myself first, I am not showing humility. If I consider myself “more than” others, whether it is more intelligent, more talented, prettier, etc. I am not being humble. Our yardstick of measurement is always the Lord and I am always less than in His presence. So, what is the purpose of humility?

It is when we are humble that we are teachable. That is when the Lord can guide us, when we get off our throne of knowledge and self-sufficiency and admit that we are nothing without the Lord. There is nothing I am and nothing that I can do without His guiding hand and help. He teaches me daily the way I should go, the things I should say (or in my case, it is mostly the things I should not say) and the people that I should approach and offer encouragement. But God can only do that if I am willing to put myself out there before Him and listen to what He is telling me to do and say and be. That means starting off with being humble before the King of the Universe.

When we humble ourselves before God, we don’t stay in that position forever. God lifts us up if we will allow Him to do so. It is when we are “tooting our own horns” that we cannot hear God’s instructions and the encouragement that only He can give. The promise is that He WILL lift you up, but this is like a conditional promise. First you humble yourself and then He does the “good job” part. I have found that sometimes I get ahead of God and I’m patting myself on the back before He can even tell me what else I need to do or what I should have done instead. That is not humility in action but pride and God has had to show me numerous times that I need to take a step back and see things the way He sees them, including taking a good look at myself and my efforts. I may have the best intentions but if what I am doing is to glorify myself, I am destined to failure. Sometimes, it will look like success, but it will never be what God intended for it to be unless I learn His ways and practice the humility that will give Him all the glory, recognizing that I am a tool in the hands of the Almighty.

May you be blessed today as you go out and come in, as you meet others and as you are seen by God and by those you meet. May they see Christ in you, the humble servant of His Father.

Crossroads

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

God is calling us all to a relationship with Him but in our busy lives, we have turned aside and followed other paths. I believe with all of my heart that have passed the crossroads, much like the ancient civilizations of Israel and Judah. We have wandered down the wrong path, away from our roots of faith and God’s blessings. I don’t know if it’s too late to return to the original path, but I know that we, as Christians, need to be sounding the alarm that the path we are taking as a nation is the wrong one. We stood at a crossroads and went the wrong way. I don’t know when it happened. I just see all of the evidence that it did, and I fear for the future of our nation. God’s chosen people was Israel and yet, they ceased to exist for hundreds of years because of their stubborn refusal to repent and acknowledge God as Lord. Israel had the wrong leaders and their priests were not doing their job to keep the people focused on God. Is the U.S.A. on the same pathway to destruction? I fear that it is, but my hope lies in the Lord who will be with His people regardless of the judgment that is to come. We have passed the crossroads and are wandering in the wilderness of sin. All I can say is that we need to turn back, return to God and ask Him for mercy for our ungodly nation.