Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Arrogance in Speaking

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I must honestly admit that I did not listen to President Biden’s speech last night, mostly because his rhetoric and pandering to the liberal left sicken me. However, I do subscribe to “The Daily Wire” and received a copy of Tim Scott’s rebuttal on my SafeChat newsfeed this morning. His entire speech can be found here, and he shows that he “gets it.” He understands that a nation divided against itself cannot stand and that America needs to be united, not torn apart.

Tim Scott’s Rebuttal in The Daily Wire

I’m not going to debate politics here, but I do want to point out what the Holy Bible says about speech, specifically in relationship to actions. Note that in this verse we are admonished not to be arrogant in our speech. In what ways do we show arrogance when we are speaking? I think we do this each time we rush through a conversation with someone whom we don’t consider important in our lives. We just want to move on to the next thing that we consider critical or meaningful, and if the person to whom we are speaking is not part of that plan, we rush our words and turn away. Sometimes, we don’t even listen to them. I think that we show arrogance when we insist that our opinion is the right one and there is no other. There is only One Way to Heaven, that is true. But all of the rest of our opinions are just that…our own opinions. Even my statement about Joe Biden’s rhetoric is only my opinion, and I sincerely believe that you are entitled to your opinion as well. I think that we show arrogance when we don’t take time to listen. We interrupt, talk more loudly and insist that our conversation partner listen to us when we refuse to take the time to listen to them. A wise pastor once told me that we need to listen twice as much as we speak. I have found that I can learn a lot about people just by listening.

All knowledge comes from God and we need to give Him the credit for that instead of pontificating with our own views. The only knowledge that is important is about God and leading people to God and away from sin. After all, God is going to examine all of our actions and I have found that most generally, my actions follow my speech. If I am irate at a certain person for taking my time, my actions are to walk away from them as quickly as I can. Is that what Jesus would have done? How would Jesus act in the current political climate of divisiveness? Would He have taken sides or would He simply have continued to do as the Father instructed Him, teaching and healing and just being the example that we need to follow? If you believe that the latter is true, should we all not be examples for others to follow, leading others to the Father and to eternal life?

One of the reasons that I appreciate Senator Scott’s speech is that he seemed to give it with humility. He didn’t pretend to know everything; however, he did give insight into his own humble beginnings so that I could relate to him as a person instead of one of 100 Senators governing us. He called for unity, a real cry of my heart. Finally, he made the point of saying that you cannot fight discrimination with more discrimination. Shaming white children for being white is no better than shaming others for their skin color. As I told my students when I was teaching: “We are all kin to each other because we are all descended from Noah, regardless of our skin color. Skin color is just melatonin. It doesn’t make me who I am. That’s my choices which form my character.” I liked that Tim Scott knows God’s truth and acts like it. His actions have shown me that he does care about others. He tried to get a common sense police reform bill passed. He has fought for justice in the Senate during the time that he has served and has been an outspoken advocate for the people. Finally, he has not enriched himself on the backs of the people whom he claims to serve. I point out these actions because I want to remind people that God hears the speech, and He judges the actions.

May each of you have a blessed day with God guiding your footsteps and putting a watch over your mouth as He opens your ears to hear.

What Is Right

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/jdg.21.25.mev

When the Israelites left Egypt, their leader was Moses, a man who connected directly with God and who led the people just as God told him to do. Years passed, generations passed away and the Israelites turned again and again away from God. They would repent and then God would send them a judge who would assist them in defeating their enemies. Once they found peace again, they went their own way, which was generally not the way of their Lord. They did what was right according to their own opinion. That is at the very core of humanism, a plague more disastrous and destructive than the pandemic we have just been going through.

Humanism is destructive because it is an insidious enemy, drawing people to its beliefs through words that are appealing. Just as the serpent tempted Eve and she gave the forbidden fruit to Adam, that is how this whole philosophy that denies the rule of God spreads. It makes man his own ruler, not answering to any power greater than himself.

As Christians, we know how the story ends. We know that Christ triumphs in the end and all evil is wiped out. It’s the waiting that is hard, isn’t it? The waiting for Christ to return while we watch one group after another declare that they can do what they think is right because they are the only ones who matter. The waiting for sanity to return, for unity to return and for people to declare that God is Lord and there is none other. Unfortunately, like the Israelites, we have a hard lesson to learn and the price for our lack of repentance is a heavy one.

We cannot do what we think is right in our own eyes because God has set the standard in His Holy Word and He expects nothing less than reverence and obedience. After all, He paid the highest sacrifice imaginable, the death of His Only Son, so that we could have the choice of salvation. Yes, it is a choice. That is what is doing right in a true sense. Not the current wave of. “Look over here at this group! It’s a good one to follow!” It is our heart that we follow and our heart needs to have a true compass pointed directly at God. We cannot each do what is right in our own eyes because that leads to the eternal destruction of all society. We are seeing the beginning of that destruction today as brother turns against brother based on skin color or beliefs.

We were meant to know that we are one in Christ. Without Him, we are divided by our own brains telling us that we can do whatever feels good. Drugs? Sure. Sexual promiscuity? Okay. Killing, raping, maiming? No problem. Abort a baby who is an inconvenience? That’s fine, too. Everything in our minds that we want to do is fine, that is until God gets hold of our hearts and resets our compasses. Then and only then can we truly know what our choices should be. We don’t need a king because we have one, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

I pray that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and that each day you ask God what you should be doing that day that is a right thing to do. Otherwise, you may be following the road to humanism and destruction. God bless you with a true compass and the wisdom to make choices and say words based on God’s truth.

God Is Our Help

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Every day, there is more bad news. Another criminal shot and more riots. A President who is seemingly unaware of the chaos he is allowing at our border. A pandemic still raging and vaccines with heavy prices to pay if you take them and if you don’t. It’s all bad news. But the good news is the promise that God is always our refuge, always our strength, always the one to whom we turn. Nothing that is happening has caught God by surprise. He’s still there, caring for His people.

I look at everything happening and I say, “But God…” I guess I’m really questioning my own faith at times. Where is God when all this is happening? Still there, still quietly waiting for all of us to acknowledge Him and ask for His wisdom and guidance and protection.

Andrew Murray: “Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what he can do.”

This quotation, along with the Scripture, spoke to my heart this morning. We don’t want to limit God by thinking that we know what He can and is doing. We cannot see all of His work, but we do know that He is still working on our behalf. We cannot imagine all that God can do, even if we tried. It is in our limited scope of mind that we try to think about solutions. It is our Infinite God who has the solution.

I listened to a song during my devotional this morning. It is by Steven Curtis Chapman, the last artist that I went to see before my stroke. Now, I cannot go to concerts because somehow loud noises reverberate in my brain and I have to wear noise-cancelling headphones frequently in loud settings. Anyway, that being said, SCC is still one of my favorite Christian musicians and one of his latest songs spoke to my heart, especially today. Everything is God’s. Everyone is God’s. With that in mind, it is easier to pray for our nation, its people, its unrest and its sinfulness. God is aware and is working, maybe openly or behind the scenes, but He is always working.

Yours by Steven Curtis Chapman

“When you feel lonely and wonder where God is, know that He is about you, above you, after you, amidst you, around you, among you, before you, behind you, beneath you, beside you, beyond you, by you, for you, inside you, near you, and over you. He is everywhere, all the time. Always and forever, He is near us.” From Devotional: “Good News: Encouragement for a World in Crisis.”

“When fear knocks on your door, let faith answer.” -Joyce Meyer

Blessings today and every day for a faith that faces fear, knowing that God is always there for you.

Possess What God Has Given You

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/jos.18.3.mev

I am doing devotionals daily and as I read, I am keeping my eyes open for God’s promises. They are so numerous that I cannot begin to name them all, but finding this Scripture reminded me that reading God’s promises is not enough. I have to actually claim them. They are already mine. And, guess what? They are yours, too! How often have I sat and whined that things are not happening the way I want them to and then God shows me that He is indeed moving. What I have discovered in my journey with God is that sometimes He wants me to step out into the promise, believing that it is mine. Now, I am not a proponent of “fake it until you make it” or “Claim it” no matter how selfish the desire you have in your heart is.

God’s promises have to do with establishing His kingdom in your heart and in the world. For example, Psalm 84:11 says: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” What “good thing” is this talking about? Riches, a huge mansion, a luxurious car? No! Of course not! Good things are God’s grace and mercy and salvation. He has already provided these good things for us. We just have to know that it is promised and walk with that promise in our hearts.

Can I see God’s Heaven here on earth? Not really. But I know that I know that the Promised Land exists for me, just as it did for the Israelites. I may face many enemies here on earth, most of them in my own heart waging battle against sin. But I have to step into the knowledge that each day I face, each step I take to advance God’s kingdom brings me closer to the Promised Land, the land in which I will spend eternity with Him. I can sometimes imagine God just looking at earth and its inhabitants and shaking his head in disbelief at how stubborn we get sometimes. He tells us to do something that will lead to the fulfillment of a promise and instead we hesitate and want all kinds of confirmation and assurances before we move forward. God’s promises are “Yes! Amen” and “Go for it!” But they are not meant to fulfill selfish desires, but to establish His kingdom.

May you be blessed by a promise today from the Lord that you find as you read and study His Word. Hold it in your heart and stop forward in belief that it will be fulfilled because God does not lie, ever.

Praising God in the Hard Times

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/psa.42.11.mev

Months have gone by without being able to travel and see our grandchildren, with our regular visits every quarter. Today is our youngest granddaughter’s third birthday, and I have to say that I started the day with sadness over not being with her to hug her and celebrate her life with her. After all, in a few short months, she will have a baby brother, so a lot in her life is changing. Instead of rejoicing as I should have been, I threw myself a wee pity party this morning.

Then I read my devotional, and here was this verse. It was already highlighted for me since I read through the Bible annually and this verse has spoken to me before. But never have these words spoken so directly to my heart as this morning. So many small things have been going wrong lately…my phone stopped working and I have to set up its replacement today, for example. Not a big thing for the techies out there, but I am not one and the thought of having to set it up, even with tech help on the line helping me is daunting. Nevertheless, I will persevere.

My problems are so small compared to that of others. My daughter’s friend has spine cancer and is suffering through two different kinds of chemo in order to hold in in check. She has children who love and depend on her and a husband who loves her dearly. Please say a prayer for A. Neighbors had a recent tragedy last week, losing a loved one suddenly. Please pray for them. Finally, a dear friend from church had open heart surgery and is still building his strength back from that ordeal. So, I would appreciate those of you who pray to keep him in your prayers. So many problems, large and small, have been weighing on my mind lately and affecting my heart.

Then, today, God spoke to that heart and basically told me that my hope is in God. How could I forget that, even for a moment? We just went through the Easter season and had a phenomenal service at our new church. And yet, I walked away still discouraged and crestfallen. No real reason for it…just so many months of bad news. But Jesus brought the Good News. He brought the hope! I have only to reach out to Him and tell Him what is troubling me and my load is lightened, just in the sharing. In writing this blog this morning, I am not asking you to join me in my pity party. No, I want you to join in my celebration of the hope that lives in me because of Jesus. Yes, sometimes I get discouraged. But God doesn’t let me stay that way for long…He reminds me of who I am and what I am supposed to be doing. I am His child and I am supposed to tell others about His love, grace and mercy. Others will not listen if I am being an “Eeyore” because they will not see a reason for hope. Thus, I am now smiling, knowing that my Heavenly Father loves me, forgives me and wants me to have hope.

I pray that today will be a good day for you in all ways, that you will see a reason for hope and for smiling. Smile at a stranger today and let them know that you see them. Oh, yes, you say, but you have a mask on. How will they know that you are smiling? Did you know that if you are really smiling, your eyes shine in a special way? So smile and let the world and God know that you still have hope. I do. He is my Savior and my God, and yours, too, if you will allow Him to be.

Saturday: A Day of Waiting and Despair

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

So, this week we had Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and now it’s Saturday. What do we celebrate on Saturday? On the day after His crucifixion, Jesus lay in a tomb, for all intents and purposes, dead. All hope seemed to be lost. Today, we know that He arose on the third day. But, put yourself in the place of His followers when He walked the earth. They knew what He had told them, but did they really believe it? Did they remember that He said He would arise on the third day? I know myself pretty well and I would have been pulling an “Eeyore” attitude, with a, “Now, what? Our leader is dead and we could be in trouble with the authorities ourselves.” This is what Saturday is about…waiting. Perhaps despair and lack of trust. But, definitely waiting. No signs and wonders. No great miracles or preaching from a boat or a sea shore. Just waiting. Take a deep breath and imagine how you would have felt. The Lord has been crucified and is in a tomb. As Christians today, we have the Holy Bible that tells us that Resurrection Day really happened and that Jesus is alive. But, the disciples and other followers did not have the luxury of centuries of Easter Sundays to look back on as we do or the New Testament to read. Imagine their despair, if you will. Let us hope that they dared to believe that what Jesus said He would do would happen. We don’t know. We do know that it is Saturday and perhaps we should spend some time reflecting on what it would have been like to be a follower in the days of the crucifixion. We are waiting, perhaps with expectation, perhaps only with despair. But we are waiting.

In our faith journey, we spend a lot of time waiting. We wait for the answers to prayer for healing. We wait for the Lord to give us wisdom about a decision that we have to make. We wait for God to speak comfort and peace to our churning hearts when things don’t happen the way we think they should. But we are NOT waiting for news that Jesus has arisen because we know it happened. We know that He lives and we have eternal life because He left that tomb empty. But today is Saturday, and so we wait. We wait for the celebration that we call Easter, but we wait with total expectation and hope. There is no despair in our hearts because we know that He kept His promise and arose from that grave. Yes, it’s Saturday. We face the day with an expectation of a believer in Christ the Lord. Let’s do our best to share this Good News with someone today. They don’t need to despair. They don’t need to worry about waiting. Their hope lives, in the person of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

May you have a blessed Saturday and a really special Resurrection Sunday, celebrating the life of our Lord who loved us so much that He died for us. Hallelujah! He lives and reigns forever!

Forever by Kari Jobe (Easter video)

Thoughts

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/php.4.8.mev

If we think negative thoughts consistently, then our whole being becomes focused on the negative. The news is famous for saying, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Negative most of the time, the news on any network is not teaching us to be positive and believing people. I would rather focus on God’s Word and the good things that are happening. I challenge you today to think positive thoughts all day. I know that for me this is quite a challenge, especially on this rainy day. But rain is needed, just as the sun is. So I am thankful for the rain that is watering the peas and turnips that my husband diligently worked to plant yesterday. I am thankful for each of you who reads my blog daily and makes comments to encourage me. Mostly, I am thankful for the privilege every day of being able to read God’s Word and to find His love and encouragement there.

May you each have a blessed day, thinking on the things that are pure, lovely, admirable, true, noble and right. As my mom used to tell me, “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Jesus wasn’t a negative “Eeyore” type of person, and neither should we be. Is the world all that we want it to be? Absolutely not! But this is God’s world that we inhabit for only a short time, so let’s touch the world and its people with positivity.

Obeying God Rather than Men

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Having been told not to preach about Jesus, this was the reply of the Apostles. Can we do any less?

Wise words from Gamaliel, a leader of the day. The Gospel has survived for centuries and I know that it will survive the current onslaught of a culture that denies God.

Here is what Dr. Denison had to say about what Don Lemon (a liberal broadcaster on CNN) had to say about the Pope’s calling homosexual marriages illicit.

Dr. Denison on You Tube

No matter what men may say is correct, we answer to a higher authority. God’s Word will stand! It’s just a matter of deciding whether we will stand with God or not.

I pray for you to have a blessed day, remembering that today is St. Patrick’s Day. It’s not all about wearing green and shamrocks. St. Patrick risked his freedom and his life to preach the Gospel. Think about that as you wear your green today and wish each other “the luck of the Irish.” The Irish were blessed to have such a Godly man be so burdened for their souls. May each of us remember that it is our sacred duty to preach the Gospel to the lost, particularly those who do not know that they are lost.