Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

God Rejoices

On By vickleaIn Admonition, promises, ScriptureLeave a comment

We have a lot of different kinds of celebrations during our lifetime. We celebrate birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and holidays like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. Each time there is a new celebration, we enjoy the food, the fellowship with others and the general well-being that we have. One of my morning routines is to review scripture verses that I am memorizing and this morning, my focus was on Zephaniah.

Zephaniah is a very short prophetic book but it has a strong message of repentance and turning back to God. According to Biblical scholars, Zephaniah was from the lineage of Hezekiah. If you recall this king’s story, he repented and God added years to his life. Zephaniah probably served as a prophet during the time of Josiah, a time when the people were repented after the reign of the wicked king Manasseh. The storyline of the Israelites seemed to be come to God and repent, turn from God and commit sins, then repeat. Their walk with God was not a steady and committed one, depending on who their king was and how closely they followed him.

This is one of my favorite verses in Zephaniah. Personalize it and it will mean even more to you. “The Lord MY God is with ME, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in ME; in His love, He will no longer rebuke ME, but will rejoice over Me with singing.” I am not one who likes correction, but I am happy that God loves me enough to correct me and set me back on the right path when I stray. If I stay on the right path, He doesn’t need to “rebuke” or correct me, so I need to make right choices to stay on the straight and narrow and keep my focus on following the Lord. The result is amazing! God rejoices over us with singing! Can you imagine the heavenly choir all together singing a song of rejoicing because we are making right choices and delighting the Lord in going the right way? God rejoices over His children who delight Him with right choices. He gives us the ability to choose, but then He steps back and leaves our final decision to follow or to go our own way up to us. And when we choose to follow, He rejoices. Such is the great love of the Father. He is a Mighty Warrior, but He is also our Creator, our Father who loves us so much that He breaks out into song when we do what is right.

This verse shows God’s love, His character and His steadfast presence in our lives. I know that when I make a wrong choice, I can pick myself up, ask God for forgiveness and move on, with Him right there with me, cheering me on to reach for the better way, the life with Him that I strive for daily.

Choose God…choose life…choose to have God rejoice over you!

Forgetfulness

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, testimony5 Comments

Never Forget (YouVersion Daily Refresh)

As humans, we tend to forget things all the time. Our car keys, our friends’ birthdays, our passwords… those things we tend to forget on accident, and it’s usually pretty frustrating when we realize what we’ve forgotten. But we can also forget good things that have happened to us.

When faced with hard things, we often beg God for miracles or plead for His provision. But when we don’t get what we prayed for, we can tend to forget what God has already done for us. If you’ve done that before, you’re not alone—the Bible is full of stories about people forgetting the good things God has done.

God has hand-crafted this breathtaking world and chosen the unique times and spaces in which we show up. And even though the world seems to get crazier and scarier by the minute, God is always at work in the mess.

We can fight against forgetfulness today—right now—by remembering that it was God who created this world and filled it with good things—including His people! It was God who offered us mercy when we didn’t deserve it. It was God who gave us real purpose: to love Him and love others; to know Him and make Him known.

So how have you seen God show up in a way that you never want to forget? Thank Him for what He’s done, and worship Him for who He is.

My Thoughts

I was reminded of the old song “Count Your Blessings” as I read this devotional this morning. I was also reminded that yesterday as we drove to our Monday Bible study group, my husband and I were talking about possibly having to get another car. He took our car into the shop yesterday and we had an $800 repair bill for regular maintenance and a valve cover gasket that was messed up. I told Harry that I never imagined I would live long enough to need to get another car. Then, I was reminded to be thankful that I am still alive.

Ten years ago when I had a massive stroke, I did not expect to live longer than a few months, perhaps a few years if God was particularly gracious. Ten years! Ten years and a bonus of four more grandchildren that I have gotten to know and love. The bonus of more years with my husband and family members like my brother who just had cancer surgery yesterday. (The doctor said he got all of the cancer and he has clean margins, so that is another blessing.) Ten years of going to the beach with our daughter and her family, celebrating birthdays with children and grandchildren. Ten years!

I recently had a pretty serious bout with lung issues, and it has just been in the last few days that I was able to not have to use my nebulizer regularly every day. A month of struggling to breathe, of having to walk a few steps and rest because the air just wasn’t there. But…God came through again! I am well again, or as well as someone who is asthmatic during pollen season can be. I am thankful that I could record a storybook for Evie’s seventh birthday. Honestly, I was fretting about how I would be able to do that when I was choking and gasping constantly. Then, God touched me in my weakness and I started improving. Last week, I read the storybook and sent it off to Evie for her birthday next week. God doesn’t work on our timeline, but He is always, always right on time!

So, as you face another day with all of its challenges and blessings, count the blessings first and the challenges won’t seem so insurmountable. I don’t want to suffer from forgetfulness where God is concerned. I want Him to be so much a part of my daily life that He is the first person I turn to when things get tough and the One I thank when the waters of life are calm. Forget is what God does when He forgives us of all our sins, not what we should do when He is blessing us with every breath we take.

Hymn: “Because He Lives”

On By vickleaIn Song, Video2 Comments

This is one of the first songs that I learned as a new Christian over five decades ago. To this day, the song brings back wonderful memories of all of the people I met in the first little church I attended and then the small country church in South Carolina. I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane and that this song brings you the hope that is so evident in its verses.

Lyrics

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I’ll cross the river,
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Words: Bill & Gloria Gaither

(https://www.hymnlyrics.org/mostpopularhymns/because_he_lives.html)

And now the song performed by the Gaithers:

https://youtu.be/s1omW3FWRXY?si=-Tlmfw6cSC1h1E8P

Jesus Is the Source

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

The Source of All (You Version Daily Refresh)

Look around…

Everything’s been masterfully designed: The skies, the trees, the mountains, the oceans. The animals, the people, the seen, and the unseen. 

You can breathe because you’ve been given lungs, oxygen, and an environment that sustains life. You can move because you’ve been given muscles, tendons, and a brain that instructs your body. You can think, dream, plan, design, create, build—because you’ve been given the desire, ability, and some raw materials.

So if you want to live a life that matters, a life that leaves an eternal legacy, you must stay connected to the source of life. Jesus said it like this, using an illustration that was familiar to His listeners:

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When Jesus says, “I am the vine,” He’s making a statement. He’s saying that He is the source—that anything that’s made is because of His life-giving power. 

So if you long for real truth, for genuine wisdom, or to make a lasting difference in this world, stick close to God—because anything worth being or doing starts with Him.

My Thoughts

I have somehow become the one in our household of two who knows the most about technology these days (our sons and daughter are in their own households, so we lost our tech experts). So when my husband came to me upset that his phone had been plugged in all night and had not charged, I put on my investigator cap and went into the bedroom to find out what the problem could be. It didn’t take me long to discover that the phone was indeed attached to the cord, but the cord itself had come out of the outlet, so it wasn’t really attached to anything that would provide power. That was an easy fix and I followed it with a reminder to my husband to check to make sure that the connection is complete.

Our connection to Jesus is not something we need to take for granted, thinking to ourselves, “Well, I was plugged in yesterday, so I should be good to go today.” Life with the Lord doesn’t work that way. We have to stay connected all the time if we expect to receive His power and His wisdom and the fruits of the Spirit that we need to operate properly in a lost world. If you take the batteries out of your flashlight, I don’t care how many times you click the “on” button, the light will not work. Jesus is our energy source, the one who provides the roots for our plants to grow and for us to help others to grow, too. When we take ourselves away from our source, we are left powerless and fruitless. So, check your connection before you venture out into the world. All connected? Prayed up? Fed yourself with God’s Word? Ready, Steady, Go!

Trusting in the Source

On By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony6 Comments

Blessed in Trust (YouVersion Daily Refresh)

Jeremiah 17 begins with a rebuke. God is calling out the Israelites for their idolatry, for trusting in other gods and forsaking Him and His teachings. Like a parent with a child who’s made a terrible choice, God makes it very clear that these choices have led and will lead to consequences. And yet, rather than only focusing on all that’s been lost and will be lost because of Israel’s terrible choices, Jeremiah takes a moment to bring a refreshing reminder:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” 
Jeremiah 17:7 NIV

He calls those who trust Him “blessed,” even as chaos, sin, and idolatry reign around them. He says that people who trust in God “will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:8 NIV)

We get to choose who and what we worship. Who is your confidence in? Who do you trust? If it is the Lord, take heart knowing that in this you are blessed. An abundant life in God, full of fruit even when sin is all around, is the mark of having chosen to trust Him. What an incredible thing it is to be able to make this choice!

My Thoughts

I am not one who trusts easily. In fact, it is difficult for me to trust people. You see, I had a rather traumatic experience in my early adulthood and that has colored my world a deep shade of wariness. My husband and I had been married a few years and had a new baby when I got a call in the middle of the night from my grandmother. She was frantically insisting that I get in the car right away and drive from SC to VA because my parents were leaving and I would never see them again. What?!? I awakened my husband, we prayed, talked to Nanny again and then packed and headed to Virginia, with my husband on emergency leave. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, my parents and siblings were gone. Truly gone! The sheriff’s office took over the house, daddy was apparently wanted by several law enforcement agencies and I had no idea for over two years where my family was. I was devastated and struck by such a feeling of despair. My father who had always protected me and shielded me from my abusive mom was some kind of criminal and he had left with my family for parts unknown. So, trust? Not happening. If my father could do something so bad that he had to run and hide, then who could be trustworthy?

The fortunate thing for me was that I was already a Christian, so I prayed a lot and gave my anxiety to God. He became my “go to” for all things that I would normally talk to my dad about, like a noise the car was making or whether to look for a house or just keep renting. I found out that God is totally trustworthy and when my confidence is in Him, I can relax and know that He is handling things.

Even the strange events with my parents was in God’s hands. After several years, out of the blue, I got a letter from my mom telling me where they were and asking if we could visit so she could see her granddaughter. Yes, daddy was still in trouble and he ended up in and out of different prisons due to his involvement with drugs. But I did have my mom and siblings back and my father occasionally. I didn’t trust daddy ever again, but I did forgive him because God led me to do that and to restore the family ties that had been beyond broken. But that’s another story for perhaps another day. The bottom line is whether you have lost trust because of events in your life or you never really trusted anyone or anything before, I can attest to the absolute truth that God is trustworthy. When your whole world seems to crumble in a matter of hours, God is still there, waiting with open arms to hold you up.

Love the Unlovable

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, testimony2 Comments

None of us has difficulty loving the people who are always pleasant, smiling and just plain lovable. Unfortunately, my experience has been (and probably yours, too) that the majority of people are like Grumpy Cat, just waiting to pounce on the next thing I say that they can disagree with. But you know what? I am called to love them anyway. Love is a choice, not one where you get to pick and choose who will benefit from your love, but one where you are supposed to choose to love everyone. All of us has at least one difficult person in their lives, the one that you make yourself spend time with, knowing that the best you can hope for is not to get into a verbal sparring match that will destroy our testimony for Jesus. I personally have relatives that cause my blood pressure to rise and my body to exhibit symptoms of high stress whenever I am around them. But rather than avoid them, I put on my armor of God and enter the battlefield, knowing that the words I say need to speak life and love into their hearts that have been hardened.

I am not the judge and jury of their actions, words or even their attitudes. I am their friend, family member and the one that they judge first when they see me start to waiver a little in my faith walk. They are not my encouragers, but they are the ones who need my encouragement. If I cannot love them with the love of Jesus, then I am the one who has failed them. Love is sometimes hard and often challenging, especially if you go into a situation with a preconceived idea of how everything will play out. I have learned through experience to hope for the best but pray as if the worst might happen so I am prepared to give the answer they need to hear. Love is telling the truth and loving the other person when they refuse to hear it. Love is accepting the barbs of rejection and knowing that it isn’t really me that they are rejecting but the Lord. Love is unconditional, not expecting anything but ready to give everything. Love is…you tell me. What is love to you?

Choosing Our Clothes

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture3 Comments

I have a closet full of clothing, including many items that I seldom if ever wear. There’s the suit dress that I wore to our son’s wedding, almost two decades ago. It is a lovely suit, but too dressy for every day and I don’t go to many weddings. I have a super heavy coat that a dear friend gifted me after she found out that I had knee replacement surgery and she wanted me to have a long coat to keep my knees warm. It is so heavy that I feel weighted down when I wear it, so I don’t wear it often, but it’s there for the really cold days when I need it. Finally, I have my wedding gown. Over fifty years old and I still have it. I won’t fit into it, and it’s nothing expensive or fancy that cost hundreds of dollars. In fact, I got it on sale at a now defunct department store, watching my pennies on a tight budget and knowing my parents weren’t chipping in for any of my wedding expenses. My veil cost more than the dress and I couldn’t tell you where that even is. I like to just see the dress sometimes and remember what that day was like for me.

Most of us have clothes that we don’t wear much but which we don’t want to give up. I have downsized my closet several times since my retirement, donating all of the professional teaching outfits that I know I don’t need now. There are some articles of clothing that God urges us to wear daily, and the good news is that they don’t take up any room in a crowded closet.

These are the attributes of someone who maintains a close relationship with God and who strives to be more like Jesus. Opening Jesus’s closet is free to us but it cost Him everything. Today, as I sit quietly in my pajamas (my daily outfit since retirement), I am pondering whether I am properly dressed for the day. I don’t have to wonder about whether things match or are appropriate for the activities for the day. What I put on each morning for the Lord always goes with whatever I am wearing outwardly and they are always just what I need to get me through the day. Being tenderhearted, showing mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience not only ministers to those around me, but they also make me feel better about any challenges during the day. After all, God wants me to face the world with the same empathy and compassion that His Son showed to all whom He met. The outward clothes I wear will wear out (or more likely stop fitting properly), but the clothes I put on for the sake of the Lord will always fit just right and be the exact qualities I need at the exact moment I need them.

So, what are you wearing today?

Created to Love God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony, YouVersion App2 Comments

The Most Important Thing (YouVersion Daily Refresh)

When Jesus was asked by the religious leaders what the most important command was, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5. This verse contains one of the most important commands in all of Scripture.

The starting point for all of our lives is wrapped up in loving God. We were created to love God and have a relationship with Him. This relationship means that we were also made to be loved by God as well.

Amidst everything that you have to do in life, the most important thing is that you love God with everything that you are. If we become successful in life but do not love God, we’ve missed the most important thing.

God instructed the Israelites in Deuteronomy to constantly keep this command in their hearts and minds. They made physical reminders to help them remember to love God in everything they did. They taught this command to their children as the foundation of all other commands in Scripture.

Take some time to consider your life as well. Is loving God the primary motivation? Spend some time thinking about how good and merciful God has been in your life. Maybe create a physical reminder that you will see everyday to help focus your thoughts and heart on loving God.

Remember that God loves you more than you could ever imagine. The best motivation to love God is to constantly remember how much He loves us first.

My Thoughts

I grew up in a home in which I was not shown a lot of love, so when I found out that the God of the entire Universe loves me, specifically me, just the way He made me, I was overwhelmed. I remember that I cried, I praised, I cried more and then I sat silently and just soaked in all of that love that I had been missing.

The really good news is that God’s love is not fickle. It doesn’t depend on who I am or what I have done for Him. It just depends on His character. He is love and He desires to teach me how to love and be loved. I don’t have to get good grades, excel in all I do and shout to the heavens, “Hey, God, are you seeing this?” He sees me all the time and loves me just as I am.

In return for His devotion, God only wants me to love Him in the same way that He loves me, wholeheartedly and unashamedly. I can be quiet about my love for God or I can be loud. The way I love isn’t as important as the fact that I love Him with everything in me. I want to please Him, not because His displeasure would cause Him to withdraw from me, but because He shows me more every day how to love. The thing missing from my childhood has become the center of all of my adult life. I am loved, always and forever, by the God who accepts me just the way I am.