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.
The United States is in a big mess, not that we didn’t make the mess, just an observation that it exists. Of course, we made the mess, so we might as well own it. For years, we have rested on our laurels, knowing that we are the best, the most powerful, the peacekeeper of the world. And then, things started to change. First, with a President who wanted to put America first. Now, we have a President who wants to put America last. Neither attitude is right. The correct attitude is to clean up America and put her at the feet of Jesus, submissive to the will of God.
“And Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he was king for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was correct in the eyes of the Lord, and he walked in the ways of David his father and did not turn either to the right or left. And in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a young boy, he began to seek out the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from high places, Asherah poles, idols, and carved and cast images. So they tore down the altars for the Baals, and he cut down the incense altars that were above them and smashed the Asherah poles and carved and cast images. And he crushed them to dust and scattered them before the graves of those who sacrificed to them. In the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, he broke down the altars, beat Asherah poles and the images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.” 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 6-7 MEV https://bible.com/bible/1171/2ch.34.1-7.MEV
An eight-year old ruler of Israel was wiser than any of our 500 + Congressmen, our President and our Supreme Court. He recognized that the way back to prosperity and peace was by cleaning out the sin and the idols and following only God. My prayer for our nation is that we turn back to God.
It broke my heart yesterday when I saw what was happening in Afghanistan. No, I do not think that we could or should stay there forever, but whenever a vacancy is allowed to happen, evil has a tendency to sweep in and take over. That is what is happening in Afghanistan. Evil is reigning there, and we are powerless to stop it. The plan to leave the country in the hands of their own military failed because they were not ready. Do you leave your three year old to cook dinner after showing her how it is done? And when she gets burned or destroys the house, do you then say, “I thought you were ready for this responsibility. I guess I was wrong” and then walk away? How sad that this is exactly what the U.S.A. did to Afghanistan!
My prayer today:
Have a blessed and safe day. Please keep the Afghanis in your prayers.
Our world these days seems to be spiraling downward quickly into the abyss of sin. We wring out hands and look up, expecting that Jesus will return soon to save us from this crazy mess. But what if He doesn’t come back, today or tomorrow or even imminently and we are stuck with people who seem to have turned their backs on God and on us, His namesakes? We are representing Christ on earth, so who is to say that those who are devouring each other because of their own unbelief will leave us alone? That is a lot to ponder today and I’m up early to think about it. No, I didn’t arise earlier than usual eager to head off to my recliner and my Bible. I got up early because I was gasping for breath. It started as a little wheeze, progressed to a lot of coughing and wheezing and ended when I got out of bed, using my inhaler and came into the den to sit in my chair. Every breath is a struggle sometimes when you are asthmatic and this was one of those days. I never know when I may have a problem breathing. It has been months, and then this morning, without warning or any triggers that I am aware of, I awakened with my throat closing and wheezing breaths coming from my shallow breaths. It’s scary sometimes, but it isn’t as scary as thinking about the fact that our world as we have known it is ending and we are faced with ungodliness everywhere we turn.
I belong to various online book groups since reading is a favorite pastime of mine. But they are changing to accept the current cultural norms, norms that do not pass the standards set by God. Just about every book that I pick up these days has a character who is gay or just discovering their propensity to be gay. I try not to judge the author too harshly but when I am reviewing, I cannot help but be influenced by the fact that many authors seem to be delving into political correctness because their only goal is to sell books. For the first time ever, I received a book from an author, an autographed copy no less, and threw it in the trash. I wouldn’t dare pass on garbage like that to a friend or relative, so the book went where it deserved to be before being published, into the garbage. The only really safe books to read these days come from Christian publishers like Revell. The same is true of television shows. It is much more satisfying to watch old shows from decades ago than the new fodder that glorifies self-gratification and sin. Turning off the TV has become more common in our household than watching it. My husband, an avid sports fan, has been disgusted with the recent lack of patriotism displayed by major sports teams and athletes at the Olympics. I am one of those who was actually happy that the U.S. women’s soccer team lost to Sweden. After all, it couldn’t happen to a more arrogant and self-serving bunch of women who claim to represent our nation. Like the former football star Herschel Walker, I want to know why they are even in the Olympics representing the U.S. if they don’t love our nation. I also wonder if they have tried to live in another nation that does not offer the freedoms that we do. China and North Korea come to mind. Does anyone really believe that the athletes from these countries would be allowed to display the antics that the American athletes proudly boast about (without ending up in a prison somewhere, that is)? Thus my husband who used to watch all the baseball and football games possible is watching golf and hockey, the sports in which the athletes act as though it’s a privilege to play and don’t “take a knee” or disrespect our nation and the sacrifices of those who gave them their freedoms.
So, entertainment these days is a big old bust. What are we to do? We are to stand and wait for the salvation of our God. If we are under the illusion that the world has never been this bad before, then we have forgotten the history of other great empires like Rome. God has a tendency to humble those who stand proudly before Him and mock His name and His laws. The Roman Empire fell, much to the surprise of all of the jubilant party-goers who thought life was one big party and the only rules were those they made for themselves. God established the rules for living a holy life long ago when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments; Jesus came and died for each of us so that we can stand holy before the Lord. But we cannot fool ourselves into believing that no matter what we do, we are our own little gods. Same sex marriage, that’s okay and even encouraged. Drugs are legal. Living with your boyfriend or girlfriend is accepted. I just completed forms for a new doctor and one of the questions is marital status, including “living with a partner or significant other.” And don’t get me started on what bad examples some churches or pastors are being with their acceptance of the whole gay/transgender agenda! My prayer is that all of these people, including pastors, church boards, authors, television producers, news reporters, everyone who has bought into the great lie of Satan that sin will not kill you, will come to the knowledge of the power and sacrifice of Christ before it is too late for them.
What do I do in the meantime? I worship. I pray. I wait. I found a song on YouTube this morning that I have not sung in a long time and hope that it encourages you as it encourages me. Jesus has not changed. His charge to the church He left behind to continue His work has not changed. The task may seem harder, with more people turning against God daily, but Jesus didn’t say it would be easy to follow Him. He said to follow and that the way would be narrow. We have to navigate our way through a morass of people attempting to divert our attention from what is truth. Calling a lie the truth does not make it one. God’s Word is truth and He does not compromise His stand on things like homosexuality or any other kind of ungodly behavior. We just have to recognize our need for our Savior daily in order to make it through to the end of the race.
Each time I read this verse, I question myself, “Who is my enemy?” Is it the person who cut us off in traffic? The disagreeable or rude person in the store? Or is my enemy the radical leftists who are trying to change the country that I love from the inside out? My conclusion is that all of these may be an enemy at some time or another, depending on my own frame of mind. You see, we choose how we see others. If we see them as an enemy, then we may treat them differently than we treat our friends or family members.
How many of us walk into a room filled with people and seek out those that we don’t know well or whom we never really wanted to get to know well? No, if you are like me, when you are in a social situation, you seek those who are like-minded, those with whom you feel the most comfortable. But was that the pattern that Jesus established for us? Of course not! He was chastened for eating with sinners and for his choices of companions everywhere he went. The Pharisees would never have thought of going to a tax collector’s home to eat and fellowship. Nevertheless, that is what we are called to do. Jesus said clearly that the well don’t need a physician, so He chose to hang out with those who needed Him the most.
As a disciple of Christ, I would like to say that I also choose to hang out with those who need Him the most. But that would be untruthful. Like most of you, I tend to gravitate towards those with whom I feel most comfortable. The God of the Universe tells us to love our enemies and the best way that we can love them is to show them the love of Jesus and to invite them to get to know His saving grace, too. Of course, we must be wise in approaching others, especially in these times when Christians are seen as rabble rousers and instigators of rebellion. Is today any different than in the days of the early church? I don’t think so.
I am choosing to love my enemies, to seek out those who need a touch from the Master and to allow Jesus to lead me to them. The rude woman in the store may not have enough money to buy the food that she needs for her children. The man cutting you off in traffic may be rushing home because of an emergency there. We just don’t know. People are not our enemies. Our only enemy is the enemy of our soul who would destroy us if he could. Thus, we must treat others the way we wish to be treated. We must reach out a helping hand, extend grace and mercy and say kind words ourselves. We must be the example that we want others to follow. After all, that is what Jesus did. He didn’t just preach loving your enemies; He lived it, even when He was on the cross and asked for His Father’s forgiveness on the crowd there to crucify Him.
Final note: I have been absent from the blog lately because we were traveling and visiting children and grandchildren. What a special family time we had! We got to meet our new grandson Nathan, a month old, and attend the graduation party of our grandson Tyler. Those special times were ones that we were blessed to be able to attend, especially since we were in a car accident the week before we were supposed to leave. Our car is still being repaired and we are using a rental. The other insurance company extended grace to us after I told them that we had made plans for this trip back in March and told us to feel free to travel to wherever we needed to go, to just let the repair shop know that we would be out of town. The accident was bad, but God is good and my heart is filled with God’s graciousness and mercy toward us in allowing us to visit family after almost a year of not seeing them.
May each of you be blessed with a special touch from the Lord today and may you know deep in your heart that it is the Savior who has touched you. For it is for such a time as this that we were born. It is no accident that we are here during these turbulent times. We just have to ask God to help us to reach out to others just as He would do. After all, we are His hands and His feet, His eyes and His mouth here on earth. May you each be blessed with the knowledge of how much God loves you!
Today is the day that we celebrate freedom here in the United States, freedom that came at a high price for the patriots who fought and many who died for it. These men and women had only known the subjugation of living under the thumb of British rule. When the tyranny became too much to bear, fighting the oppression became the only wise choice. So, the “shot heard round the world” that began at Lexington began the Revolutionary War that formed this great nation.
Since the 1700’s the U.S. has been engaged in other wars, including the Civil War and two great world wars. All were at a devastating cost of life and livelihoods. But I would like to say that freedom is not ever really free. Someone paid for your freedom, an ancestor or maybe even a friend.
With all of the problems that some say the U.S. is covered in, there is no greater nation to live in, nowhere in which you can have the freedom to speak your mind and to say how you feel without fear of repercussions. Lately, the media has tried hard to stifle the voices of Christians like me who believe that America is worth the price that our ancestors paid for it. Nevertheless, we have a constitution that guarantees liberty to us: freedom of religion and speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom to gather together in peaceful protests.
Now, to a topic more dear to my heart. My freedom from sin was not free either. It was bought with the price of Jesus’s precious blood. The sky turned dark, the earth shook and Jesus died on that cross for you and for me. Since our freedom from sin is not free, how can we then turn back to that sin again and again, not thinking of the cost? Would Jesus have died for just one man? My answer is a resounding “yes”! But He died for all, so that we can come before God’s throne of mercy and grace, knowing that we are accepted as His children.
As I age, my fond desire is to see my grandchildren grow and prosper in this great nation and to love and appreciate the freedom that they have here. But, even more, I want each of them to come to the saving knowledge that they are sinners and need the grace of God provided through the blood of Christ to reconcile them to their Creator. I want this for each of my friends, neighbors and even those who don’t like me or share my views. I want them to know Jesus because He is the only way to salvation and the price that He paid for our freedom cannot be measured.
There is a lot of division in our world today. When I was growing up, it seemed to be a case of the “haves” versus the “have nots.” Today, there is racial strife everywhere you turn, stirred up in large part by political parties whose aim is to win elections regardless of the cost to our nation. I kept telling my students when I taught high school that we are all kin to each other someway. After all, we are all descended from Noah. God does not look at the color of the skin, so why should I? The strife caused is not totally external. It is also an internal struggle with accepting who you are as God made you and knowing that He doesn’t make mistakes. It is allowing others to live peacefully, just as each of us desires to do. It is forgiving for the past and moving forward to a bright future. Politicians and the men in power now will not be there forever. But, one thing will stand the test of time. God’s Word! We have sown to the wind in the U.S. and seem to now be reaping the whirlwind. Does that mean that we are beyond redemption, beyond the reach of the hand of our mighty God? Of course not! Jesus paid the price for our freedom and His desire is that we accept His free gift of salvation. Once we are free from sin, no matter what happens to us on earth or in politics, our story will end well.
This is the way we should each see each other, not as enemies, but as relatives. We are all part of the family of God.Ask yourself how you are showing love to others on a daily basis.
In my devotionals this week, I read about the word “Selah” that is in the Bible almost one hundred times. The writer of the devotional (entitled “Mornings with Jesus 2021”) said that this word really means to pause, focus and praise. I liked that, along with the suggestion that followed. I set my alarm for three different times during the day and each time my watch alarm went off, I paused what I was doing, focused on Jesus and praised Him for something specific. Simple, yet so profound!
The day that I started my “selah” moments, my husband and I had an appointment to see my ortho back specialist. It was just a routine follow-up, so not a really big deal. However, on the way there, we were in a car accident. We were shaken up but not injured, our car was towed from the scene and we are getting a rental car today. Praise God! We were okay! I had to climb over the seat into the back seat to get out because my door was jammed shut. The police officer and my husband assisted, so I got out okay. The other driver could not have been more concerned or kind. He even called yesterday to check on us and drove to his insurance office to expedite the claim and the rental car. That’s God’s mercy and grace at work, folks! My husband and I are fine except for a little soreness and I think that’s to be expected. I’m just so thankful! Life and its plans change so quickly, but God never changes and we were never out of His loving care.
As an added blessing, I talked to the other driver’s insurance agent and told her our dilemma. We have plans to visit our new grand baby next week and our grandson who graduates from high school the following week. She said to just take the rental car and go…we can worry about getting our car back when we return since it will likely take several weeks to get it back on the road again. God is good! All the time! Never have I ever been so glad to be totally dependent on God’s sovereign power. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone makes it one day without Him!
May the Lord of all grace and mercy bless and be with you today as you seek His face and how to be His ambassador.
I am working on conquering my fears and feel so much better after constant reassurances from the Lord, like the one above.The latest blessing to our family. Meet Nathan Henry Watts who was born yesterday morning and is a healthy seven pounds eleven ounces. Welcome to the world. Dear Grandson!
My medical saga continued this week as I went for a follow up appointment with the foot and ankle specialist after the MRI last week. The news was not good because my only options seem to be to live with the pain or to have surgery. I fell nine months ago, in September, and after a month of constant pain back in the fall, I finally got in to see a specialist who found a break along the side of my foot. Thus, I ended up in what I called a robo-boot, then a laced-up stability boot and finally physical therapy for nine weeks. The first specialist proclaimed that my bone was healed and I should be able to resume normal activity after PT. Not so fast! My ankle continues to throb and swell and awaken me at night with the pain. So, I went to see the orthopedic specialist at the hospital closest to me. He ordered the MRI and the results are that I have a fractured heel bone and a torn tendon. I can’t take NSAIDS for inflammation because of allergies, I can’t take pain pills because of allergies, and I can’t walk well right now. Thus, I have now been referred to an orthopedic surgeon and have an appointment at the end of the month. My eyes filled with tears as the doctor explained my limited options, but I took the appointment slip and left discouraged. I had done what I was told to do. I have been hobbling around for the better part of a year already. I didn’t rail against God, but it just seemed to me that this little broken bone was hiding all along and I was unaware.
Look at the pain that this tiny fracture has caused me! I don’t know what I will do about the surgery yet, but I was praying and reading my Bible yesterday and God spoke to me about how little sins enter our lives like that little broken bone. The sin causes tremendous damage in the whole body, just as this little bone has. (Little sleep for months has definitely affected my well-being. I have found myself in desperate need of a nap almost daily these days.) But, I was unaware until the specialist did the test and pointed it out to me. Unless we spend time with God, our Great Physician, we are all unaware of the little sins that can overtake us and slowly destroy pieces of us, and perhaps ultimately destroying the relationship we have with God. Meeting with God regularly opens the door for His Spirit to speak to our hearts about where and how we have strayed and need to get back on the narrow path.
Today’s devotional was all about God encouraging me. I really needed today’s time with the Lord, I can tell you! I have had eight surgeries in the last three decades and each time is the same. I get afraid. I don’t think I’m afraid to die, but I honestly fear the pain. I cannot take any kind of pain pill at all, so whatever I have been through has been with the help of prayer and Tylenol. Lots and lots of prayers! So facing another surgery is a huge decision for me. As I was talking it over with my husband, I told him that I have already lived almost seventy years and don’t know how much longer I will live, telling him that I’m prepared to live out my days hobbling around and in pain. But is that God’s best for me? My husband wants me to be able to walk around and enjoy life, spending time having fun with grandchildren and enjoying our remaining years together.
These are the Scriptures that God gave me this morning during my devotional. I may be feeling weak (and my foot definitely is), but God is strong. He knows exactly what is happening and has the solution. Do I believe in His healing power? Absolutely! But I also know that sometimes the Great Physician uses doctors here on earth to accomplish His healing. We will see what the new surgeon says, and I will be listening carefully for that still, small voice that tells me that surgery is the choice that I should make.
As I said, fear of the pain has been taking over my brain lately. Not the fear of the current pain, but the fear of the pain after surgery. The fear of how in the world I will walk on a bandaged foot after surgery. I cannot walk on crutches as I am a klutz on terra firma. I have a walker and a quad cane and yet I still fell in September. You get the idea. So…FEAR. And the gracious Heavenly Father spoke one word to me…FAITH. I know that He stands beside me, no matter what I have to go though and He is protecting me daily. After all, I fell directly on my back with my foot curled under me, so I could have broken my back. But I didn’t. I broke a couple of small bones in my foot and tore a tendon (which according to my husband is probably what is causing most of my pain). Anyway, God is faithful and if I prayerfully decide to have the surgery, He will be with me in the OR and during recovery, too.
Finally, the third Scripture spoke directly to my discouragement. You know the kind. You sit in a little corner and say, “Poor me!” Then you wait for everyone who comes along to agree with you. That image brings to mind Job, a man greatly afflicted by Satan (with God’s permission) but who did not turn away from God. I’m not saying that I’m comparable to Job by any means, but I am saying that my tendency is to withdraw into the pain and just let it overtake me, crying out to God for a reason, a purpose for this new suffering. I know that God is there. I know that He is my strength and that I should not fear or be discouraged. I know that in my mind. Now, I have to meditate on it daily and get those words deep into my heart so that I truly believe them. It’s easy to preach to others about God’s control and His caring for us when all things are going well. It’s when the little bones break, the ones we walk on for months unaware that there is an injury there; it’s then that it’s imperative that we continue to cry out to God. He hasn’t changed. God hears and answers prayers.
I apologize if I have bored you with my current medical saga. I just want to testify right here and now that I am choosing to believe that God will take care of me, regardless of surgery or no surgery. God, who is no respecter of persons and does not think that I am any better or worthy of His love than any of you reading this, wants you to know that He will meet you wherever you are right now. In the middle of discouragement and fear? He is right there! Just be honest with Him and let Him know how you are feeling and how much you need Him. That’s what I’m doing and I feel better already. I’m ready to slay the giants of fear and discouragement and move on with the Lord.
For well over a year now, God’s Spirit has been speaking to me to focus on what is important. Today puts a real point on this Scripture. It is my oldest grandson’s graduation day from high school. Isaac has always been a blessing, a shy creature who prefers solitude to company but who will gladly debate points in the Scripture about which he needs clarification. I got up at 4 this morning so that we can drive to his graduation, but before I could start getting ready, the Spirit spoke to me and told me to gather photos of his childhood. I know that many will have slide shows with all of the bells and whistles, but I’m using what I have and hope that these photos of how much he has been cherished will be enough. You see, Isaac is joining the USAF. He has excelled in school and could go to college on a scholarship. But what he wants most is freedom. He has worked hard and should be able to pursue whatever dreams he has. I am wishing him all the best, but mostly, I want him to know that life is short. Life is a shadow and God is eternity. Throughout his childhood and young adulthood, his grandfather and I have sowed those seeds. Now we want them to be brought to fruition in the best possible ways. I will miss the boy, the young man and now I will miss the young adult. But he will forever be in my heart, and I pray that I am in his.
Okay, so I confess that lately I have been in what my grandmother used to call the mulligrubs. Yes, my friends, that is a real word and it means that I have been bad-tempered and grumpy. Most people who don’t know me well would not have noticed because I hide my feelings, but I am certain that my poor husband has felt the brunt of my dissatisfaction with life in general. Anyway, this morning started as most do, with morning meds, feeding the cat and then sitting down with a heating pad against my back while I start reading my devotionals and my Bible. Zing! Right between the eyes!
Well! This verse really spoke to my heart today! I have been in the mulligrubs since I found out two weeks ago that once again I have to give up foods that I enjoy because of a health condition. This time, I have to eat only low potassium foods and believe me, from one who reads labels constantly, that is no easy thing. Gone…all of the canned soups that I enjoy, even the low sodium ones that I have eaten since my stroke. Gone…the clementines that I had daily just because I like their sweetness. Gone…all tomato products, including tomato sauce and catsup. And gone…milk chocolate! You get the idea. I was feeling bad for me. Poor me! I have a kidney that is not cooperating and as a result, if I want to continue to live (which at points during the last two weeks I was not sure I did, to be honest), I have to follow these new restrictions. I’m sure that God has tired of my whining, and in His grace and mercy He spoke to me this morning with this verse.
I may not get to enjoy certain foods, but God is still right there with me. God is carrying me through this current valley and one day I will be delivered from it. I personally think that day will come when He carries me to Heaven to be with Him eternally, but the Scriptures don’t really say. I just needed the hope that comes from believing that all in my life may change, but God does not. You would think that after almost five decades of walking with Him I would have already known this. In my heart of hearts, I’m sure I have known it, but I needed a reminder, a gentle push in the right direction, if you will.
This was an eye-opening verse for me. I wanted things to stay the same. After all, I had gotten used to my low sodium diet and was almost content with it. Then I was zapped with the new diet and the complaints began. Nothing tasted good or enticed me to eat much. But God tells me in His Word that He is doing a new thing. My wilderness right now is a new diet and I sincerely believe that God is going to create something good and new in this situation, like rivers in a desert. I don’t know how He is going to do it; I just know that He is because He loves me and wants me to know that He is right there with me, in my wilderness, taking care of me through this valley.
My question to you, my friends, is what wilderness are you in today that you need to trust God to supply water for you? In what way does God need to carry and deliver you? God supplies our needs: physically, spiritually and emotionally. I may not like where I am, but that is just what it is. Did the fact that my kidney function is going down surprise God? Of course not! Did He already know that I would need to change my dietary habits in many significant ways? I’m sure that He did, but He wasn’t at all bothered by it or by the fact that I have been in the mulligrubs. He has brought me out of the mulligrubs into a place of new thankfulness for His loving care and provision. As I eat my blueberry cheerios with almond milk today, I will be thankful that there are things that I can still eat. Perspective changes when God gets hold of you; instead of thinking of all that I can no longer eat or drink, I am thankful that I can eat or drink some things and that God has provided us with enough funds to buy those things.
www.bible.com/1171/psa.144.3-4.mev
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 