Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

The Wilderness Experience

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Something in my devotional this morning inspired this post so this is not my original thought, just my pondering on what I read.

When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea (remember the miracle of going over on dry land) they ended up in the wilderness for forty years. No, the journey should not have taken that long, but they sinned repeatedly against the Lord who had safely escorted them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. What are some of their sins? They whined and complained that God’s provision wasn’t good enough; they wanted meat instead of manna. They worshiped a golden calf while Moses was on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments. Some of them tried to overthrow Moses, Aaron and Miriam and ended up being swallowed up by the earth for their rebellion. Ultimately, when the spies were sent out and returned with the news that the land was full of giants, they didn’t want to go in and take the land that God had promised because of their fear. Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, said that God would help them win the victory regardless of the size of their foes. As a result, that entire generation had to wander in the wilderness until they had all died off, with the exception of the faith-filled Caleb and Joshua.

Now, fast-forward to the New Testament. Jesus has been baptized by John the Baptist and is ready to begin His ministry on earth. But first, He spends forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. (Note, 40 years, 40 days. God definitely sends a message with the use of numbers but I am not tackling that right now.)

The entire Scriptural reference is in Matthew 4, Mark 1 and Luke 4.

Remember that when Adam and Eve were tempted by food in the Garden of Eden, they succumbed to temptation and were cast out of the Garden. Jesus, however, turned away from the temptation, even though He was hungry after being in the wilderness without eating for forty days. Nevertheless, His food was from the Father and He knew not to accept the temptation of turning stones into bread and satisfying the needs of His flesh.

In this temptation, Jesus could forego suffering and dying on the cross and become a ruler in the world. Knowing Satan’s lies for what they were, Jesus turned down the temptation and answered with scripture from the Old Testament, just as He had done with the bread temptation. Jesus answers Satan with His Father’s Word.

The final temptation was on the top of the temple. Satan tells Jesus to throw Himself down and that if He is the Son of God, angels will save Him. Jesus rejects the temptation, knowing that God’s will is not to do such a foolish and prideful thing. Jesus was sent to earth to save people from their sins on the cross, not demonstrate His power over the laws of physics.

Note that in the gospel of Matthew, the second and third temptations are in a different order, but the temptations and the lessons we learn from them are the same.

Application: Some of us (me!) have been undergoing a wilderness experience. For myself, I feel sometimes as though God has left me in a wilderness of medical tests and doctors who have no answers. But God is showing me that He is right there. He never moved or changed. My faith did a deep dive for a while, but God kept right on loving and guiding me.

Just as Moses needed reassurance of God’s presence, I do too. God said this to Moses and left it for me to discover and hold onto.

Wilderness experience? Not pleasant but a necessary part of the Christian walk if we are going to grow and lean in more in dependence on God and not our own self or resources. God is bringing me through the wilderness. I am not staying here because I am choosing to answer Satan’s temptations to turn away from God with God’s Word. Jesus is a good teacher…the best!

Weariness

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

I must confess that I have been weary of daily fighting the battle with my body and its ever-declining health. The breathing is ragged at times and I just get so tired. But the spirit within me encourages me to look up and not in, to desire the things of God and not the wholeness of body that I sometimes think will bring me peace. There is no peace without God, is there?

This was a hard week for me. Breathing treatments several times a time (some days more than others), up early every day to start my medicine regimen so I get all the meds in on time before the next ones are due. And Tuesday I fell. Hard. A face plant that skinned my nose and bumped my head and we won’t even try to describe the black and blue that were once my knees. But in all this pain and frustration, there was a rejoicing that I didn’t break anything. Yes, I am sore, but I am not broken.

That is how I think of my body these days. I am sore, from being buffeted by all the years I have lived in an imperfect body. But I am not broken. God has held me together all of these years and He will continue to do so until He calls me home.

I read a news story this week that broke my heart about a grandmother in Canada who was euthanized under their new MAiD laws. The saddest part is that she had firmly told her granddaughter who had a durable power of attorney that she wanted to go home to the Lord when He called her home, not before. Physicians and nurses had tried to talk her into ending her life before, trying to persuade her granddaughter that it was best since her “quality of life” was poor. While her granddaughter was away on a ten-day vacation with her husband, the powers that be in Canada saw their chance, had her sign papers and euthanized her. I was appalled at their sheer audacity to end a life that wanted to keep on living until God called her home. They had decided to “play God.” This is the skewed moral compass of our society. Those without God in their lives murder the unborn (and in some cases the young born), the elderly and anyone who gets in their way of having what they want. I tell you this story not to make you angry but to open your eyes to how precious life is, so precious that we should appreciate every moment of life that we have on earth, even if it means spending those minutes in a less than perfect, falling-apart body.

All that to say that my health is not good but God is good. He says “Come” and I go before Him, ask Him to keep me during each day that He gives me and then try to do my best to represent Him and His gift of life to others. Life is indeed a gift, so I hope that you don’t squander it whining and complaining. Love the life God gave you and live it in gratitude for all you have, all you are and all you have yet to be.

Thursday Thoughts

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Reading my Bible daily is more than a habit; it’s part of helping myself make it through each day as I become more like Him. More importantly, it connects me to the Father who created me and who knows me best.

What does Bible reading do for you? Please tell me in the comments.

Have a blessed Thursday!

The Symbolism of the Cross

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture2 Comments

From Max Lucado’s He Chose the Nails Christian Book

“Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer, look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler: One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out—like God’s love. The other reaches up—as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of His love; the other reflects the height of His holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave His children without lowering His standards.”

Remembering What God Has Done

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

The Spiritual Habit of Remembering (Daily Refresh, 9-20-26)

Throughout the Old Testament, God delivers the people of Israel from many different situations. He acts miraculously in bringing them out of foreign nations. He even provides water and bread for them in the wilderness.

However, the nation of Israel grew disobedient and distant from God and His law. They ended up turning away from God, and part of the reason was because they failed to remember.

They failed to remember the great acts of deliverance God did for them. They failed to remember the miracles that He performed in their midst. They failed to remember that He was good and present and loving towards them. 

But thankfully, there were also people throughout Scripture who developed a spiritual habit of remembering God’s work from the past. When times became difficult, or when things seemed dark, they took the time to remember how God had previously acted toward them. 

The writer of Psalm 9 was one of them. The Psalmist begins this song by doing two things. First, the writer gives thanks to God, and expresses gratefulness for God.

Second, the writer recounts God’s wonderful deeds. Recounting these deeds from the past helped the Israelites remember His faithfulness and goodness toward them even in difficult times. 

And the same is true for us.

We are commanded many times in God’s Word to remember what God has done, because remembering what God has done fuels our hope for what He will do. 

So take some time today to remember what God has done for you. Think about a season of your life where you knew God’s goodness and love. Tell Him how grateful you are for His goodness and love in your life. Begin to let those memories of God’s love shape your hope for the future.

My Thoughts

In remembering what God has already done, I find hope for the future. When things look the darkest, the light of remembering God’s actions on my behalf in the past makes the darkness dissipate.

In 2015 when I had a stroke, I had a really hard time remembering. I would read a few pages in a book and not remember anything I had read. I would go to the kitchen, struggling to get there with my quad cane and uneven gait, and then forget why I was there. I do recall that when the kids would ask me if I remembered something, my general response would be that I didn’t remember because I had had a stroke. My reality was altered but the presence of God in my life was not.

So after that I made it a point to remember at the end of each day all the small things, big things, everything I could, that God had done for me that day. I enumerated them as I was falling asleep. That is a good habit to follow and I still try to do that every night. I also tell others what God has done, to help their faith to grow.

My stroke was a massive brain bleed, a 19 our of 21 on the stroke scale and my neurologist is always happy to see that I am still around and still moving, thinking and even reading with comprehension now. One of my therapists told me that we are so well made by God that when one part of the brain stops functioning, the brain re-routes those activities to another part. She encouraged me by telling me that “it just takes time” to detour to the new path. I had forgotten how to speak Spanish (and I was a Spanish teacher) but it came back to me slowly as I studied first and second year textbooks. I had forgotten how to walk, but my physical therapist helped me to retrain my brain to take steps. And on and on it went. Today, I can pretty much do all that I did before, just more slowly. And how is that possible? Because God showed up and began the process of healing me. In the ambulance when I could not speak, I was praying for God to be with me and with Harry and our children. I

Remembering what God has done is a good thing for me and I am confident that it will help you in your journey with Him. Journaling helps. Writing answers to prayers in your Bible helps. Whatever it takes, make remembering part of your daily routine so that you don’t forget and you can also help others remember God’s goodness too.

Thanksgiving and Worship

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

In giving thanks, we are thanking God for what He has done, is doing and will do in our lives.

In worshipping God, we are acknowledging who He is and why He deserves all the praise and glory.

This Sunday, let’s agree that we need to participate in both.

If our Heavenly Father never does another thing for us, just remember He has already done more than enough.

Worship the Lord-Ron Kenoly

Enjoy the Silence

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture3 Comments

I have learned since I had my stroke that I really like silence more than noisy environments. The cacophony of chaotic noise, whether it is a crowd of people, loud music or a loud television or radio, tend to annoy me. It hurts my brain and causes me to withdraw and look for a quiet place. I think that we all need to learn to enjoy silence. We fill our days with noise. Some of us wake up in the morning and immediately turn on the television or pick up our phones and watch a video. We go out to work in traffic, with honking horns all around us and music or a talk show blaring on the radio. If we are still working, we spend our days with people demanding our attention, some of them all at one time. There is no lack of noise all around us. Thus, I think that enjoying the silence is a good thing, so I practice it when I am doing my devotional and when I am reading. I used to read with the TV on, dividing my attention between the two. Now I can only focus if I read a book and that is all that I am doing at that time. It’s important to focus on God when you are spending time with Him, too.

We can better enjoy God’s presence in our lives if we are quiet before Him and wait for Him to speak to our hearts. He won’t talk over top of all of the distractions around us, or at least He doesn’t in my experience. I have to be quiet to hear Him.

One of the best ways for me to appreciate God is to look around me at the beauty of the creation He gave us to enjoy. And the best part of it is that He didn’t have to make everything so pleasing to our eyes, ears, nose and mouth. It was His love for us that had Him gift us with such delights. So, take a walk alone, look around you and listen for God’s voice talk to you. He created what you see just for you to enjoy. Enjoy the silence!

Taking the Next Step

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

If you have ever been around a toddler just learning to walk, you know that they don’t generally take the next step until they scope out the territory and see what they can grasp quickly if they need help to keep from falling. First, they hold tables or couches or chairs. Then, even when they get bold and let go to venture into the middle of the room, they are looking at the adult who holds out their hands or the piece of furniture that they just left behind. Jesus wants us to take the next step with complete faith that He will be there to meet us and catch us if we need it.

I read a devotional today from Jesus.net that I hope you will take the time to read and let it reach deeply into your mind and soul so that you can take the adventure with Jesus of taking the next step. I will admit that I am still fearful but I am choosing faith over fear and hope you will join me. Just click on the link above and read what Deborah has to say. Then take the time to ponder it and apply it to your life.

Jesus said, “Come.” With those words, He gives you all of the encouragement you want or need to step out of your comfort zone, let go of the furniture and move towards the task He wants you to do. I hope this is a good and profitable word for you today. It certainly was for me!

Passing the Baton

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He Will Lead the Way (Daily Refresh, 9-14-26)

Moses led the people of Israel for forty years. He led them out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, delivered the Ten Commandments from his time with God on Mount Sinai, and walked with them through the wilderness until they reached the edge of Canaan. 

But as he neared the end of his life, God showed Moses that it was time to hand off leadership to another. In a final address to the people of Israel, he shares these final words with his successor, Joshua:

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

This is the last record we have of Moses talking to Joshua. Notice he didn’t say, “Good luck, these people are exhausting,” or, “Here’s a situation going on, I would handle it this way.” Moses wasn’t telling Joshua about how to do something, but instead, how to see everything.

Moses drew Joshua’s attention to the most important part of the story: God. Moses had been a crucial leader, but it was only because of God that Israel could move forward. It was only because of God that they made it this far. And because God is the author of the story, His provision would continue after Moses is gone. 

Because God was with Israel, Joshua didn’t need to fear anything. And when God is with you, there is nothing to fear. He will lead the way.

My Thoughts

I think the most important legacy that Moses left for Joshua was the promise that God would be with him. That is also the most important advice we can leave behind for our children and grandchildren, for all of our friends and family really. As I have faced one health battle after another, the reality of my humanity and the inevitability of dying has become more real to me. I don’t mean that I expect it to happen at any moment, although it could. But the fact that we will all die is one that should prompt us to get our “ducks in a row” and spend time doing things that need to be done. The most important thing is to let our loved ones know that even after we have moved on to eternity with God, they are still here and God is still with them. Moses could have said something bitter like, “These stiff-necked people aren’t even worth leading. Look at me…they’re the reason I cannot go into the Promised Land.” He didn’t play the blame game or point out the obvious to Joshua. He gave him hope by pointing out that God was still with them. God isn’t the One who leads just one person faithfully; He leads each of us if we will follow, and that is a legacy worth sharing. Sharing in this case is more than caring…it’s offering hope for a future and a promise for a bright tomorrow when life on earth ends. No fear, no discouragement, just move forward with God. Several of my grandchildren participate in track and field events. And when they do the relay race, they don’t pass the baton and say, “It’s really tough out there, so I doubt you can do this.” They pass the baton and say things like, “Go, Fast! You can do it!” Thus they already know how a baton should be passed. Moses knew too. The question is: Do we?