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.
I don’t know about you, but I was beyond excited on the day that I first got my driver’s license. Like Pinocchio, I felt like a real person, with a real identity card for the first time. As the years progressed, my photo aged with me, but the identity stayed the same.
Fortunately, we don’t need to renew our ID card with God…we accept His free gift of salvation, our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and we are headed to Heaven. At least, that is the way I have always thought of it. But God has been talking to me lately through His Word about bearing fruit for Him, being a real disciple instead of just a card-carrying imposter.
I want to do all I can whenever I can to further God’s kingdom, just because I don’t want others to experience His final judgment and wrath. So, my new ID is the photo above. What does your ID look like?
Sometimes in the midst of the storms of life, we forget that God is always the same and is always a strong advocate for us. This weekend was such a time for me. Our daughter was visiting from PA and I got up early on Saturday to do laundry and get it all finished so we could spend time together. The load in the wash finished, I put the towels in the dryer and set the timer. When it dinged, I went to get the clothes, but they were still as wet as when I put them in there. After multiple attempts and checking the vents, I decided that the heating element is broken. So, no dryer. Thus, I ended up going to the laundromat with my daughter and a granddaughter to get the towels dry. Today, my husband explores options of repairs or replacement. The storm of a dryer not working seems small and insignificant, but to me it was a big, unexpected event that tried to throw me off kilter. I prayed, asked God what to do and decided to go to the laundromat and take my daughter and granddaughter to lunch while the clothes dried. We enjoyed our time together and celebrated our birthdays that are this week. God didn’t let us down because He never does. Yes, we are still dealing with that niggling little problem of no dryer, but we will ask God for wisdom and provision and then trust that He will follow through because that is who He is.
When I am faced with little obstacles that seem big, I need to remember this verse and stand in awe of God who faced death and came out victorious!
We make choices every day, starting from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we close them to go to sleep at night. Think about it. You choose to praise God for a new day before your feet hit the ground, or you choose to get out of bed grumbling because it’s a new day. You choose to have a devotional time with God or you choose to sleep later and rush around and out the door with a quick acknowledgement that He is there whenever you call out to Him. And so it goes all day long. How do I know this? Because I, too, have made wrong choices and had to turn around, confess and start again making right ones. But one choice that I made many years ago was absolutely the right one and I never have turned from it.
I like the wording of this verse, especially the word “refuse.” That shows a choice to me…it is up to me daily, all day, every day, to take up the cross and to follow Jesus where He leads me. Only in constantly and consistently making that choice am I considered worthy of being His child. He does not insist, require or punish me when I refuse…He just lays out the truth of the consequences. The choice is clear for everyone, sinner and saint. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is just the beginning of our way to the cross. We need to daily commit ourselves to following Him and then do it. God is always there to pick up the pieces, comfort and forgive me when I fail, but it is up to me to make the right choice to begin with. The choice is up to each of us, individually and daily. God is waiting for us to make the right choice, so let’s try very hard not to disappoint Him.
In the current political climate wherein those of us who are conservatives and Christians are being ridiculed from all sides, it’s hard not to become defensive. Sometimes, I feel like shouting out to everyone that I see that they are going to hell and need to repent. Not a good idea, however, not because it’s not true (there are probably some around me who will go to Heaven), but because their ears are not going to hear me anyway. I wouldn’t be saying anything they want to pay attention to me and the best way to pretend that all is fine in their world is to ignore me. God, in His usual timely manner, had a Scripture verse for me to apply to my level of frustration.
Since I am not a ruler then shouting wouldn’t do any good anyway. But since I am sometimes wise, depending on how much time I have spent with the Lord and His Word that day, if I speak in a quiet voice, then others might be still just so they can hear what I am saying. I found that worked well in the classroom. It is a well-known and accepted fact that one teacher cannot possibly talk over two dozen or more chattering students. I had a bell that I rang to get their attention to begin with. If the chatter didn’t stop or started again, I learned to sit down on my stool in front of the class and start teaching the lesson very quietly. Ending each sentence with something like “if you can hear me and can show me your notes at the end of this lesson, I will allow you to use them on the next quiz.” Or, a really dramatic conclusion, “The quiz will be tomorrow” said in a regular voice. The students would usually alert instantly to the word “quiz” and complain that I couldn’t give a quiz because I hadn’t taught the material yet. I would then firmly explain that I did teach it; they just were not listening. After a few times of that happening, the students learned to listen when I got quiet, knowing that what I said would affect their grades and ultimately their all-important GPA. Thus, I think God is telling me to wait until the right time (the Holy Spirit will prompt me) and then quietly say what I need to say about God, salvation, His Word and how the events today line up with the Bible. No shouting is needed because God says that quiet voice is better (more effective) than shouting.
How do you deal with those who are too stubborn and lost to listen? Have you tried speaking quietly?
In my morning devotional, I have been reading the book of Jeremiah and pondering how much alike Israel was compared to the U.S. today.
God continually warns us to make right choices. If we study His Word, we will know the Godly way that we are supposed to take. Unfortunately, many people in the U.S. don’t know God’s Word and don’t want to read and find out what it says. As a result, instead of finding the rest and peace that their soul needs, they are continuing on the “road to perdition.” Satan generally makes his way look attractive, the “easy way” or the “way to riches, fame and glory.” We (and when I say we, I am referring to the people in the U.S.) typically choose any way but God’s way these days. Thus we are lost on a road of our own choosing.
As Christians, we are not lost but we are seeing more lost people every day. At least, I know that I am. I see them in the stores, on the roads and on the little snippets of media that I watch. They are all going their own way. What can we do? Put God’s Word out there for them to read. They may pay no attention to it, but at least they have been warned. Speak God’s Word into their hearts. Again, they may pay no mind to it, but at least they have heard. We cannot change people’s hearts; only God can do that. So, as we sow the seeds of His Word, we need to make sure that we have prayed and asked God to open hearts and minds to Him and to his Godly ways.
As I continue to read Jeremiah, I tend to get discouraged over the state of our nation and how comparable it is to Israel. False gods, a pretense at religion and a lot of pride. But I trust that God knows what He is doing and will make all things right in the end. After all, God has a plan and He is working to fulfill that plan. Jesus already died. Now we are awaiting His return and praying for as many people as possible to take the right path to God. We have to do our part; God has already done His.
As I age, I have become forgetful at times, but I have not forgotten all that the Lord as done for me and I hope that I never will. However, there is a Scripture verse that says that Israel seems to have forgotten the Lord and it is heartbreaking to realize that this is even a possibility.
It seems that those of us who have been so blessed by the Lord here in the USA have also forgotten where our blessings come from. Would that we would start remembering again! The end result of forgetting about God’s intervention on our behalf is not pretty nor is it surprising. How long will God continue to suffer the insults of His people whom he has cherished? We don’t know the answer to that, but the days of His patience seem to be coming to a close as the evil of mankind seems to be flourishing.
I repeat what I began this post with. May the Lord help me to remember and to tell others so they, too, are reminded of His grace and mercy.
For those of use looking aghast at all of the sin that is being touted as normal in the world today, God has a response already given in His Word. You want to know why these things are happening? Read the Bible. You want to know the end result of all of this sin? Read the Bible. You want to know what God thinks about what is going on? Read the Bible. I have found myself turning to God’s Word not just for comfort but also for a hope for the future when things all around me look hopeless.
Are we a nation calling on the name of the Lord? Sadly, the answer is “no.” We are a nation lost in our own glory instead of depending on God and His glory. We are a nation that isn’t looking for God at all. God hasn’t moved. He is ready to answer our cry, ready to be found. But, as a nation, we are not calling on Him. Of course, there are a few of us who are calling on God, but the tumult of the many who have turned against Him resound so loudly that we are being ignored. Not by God! We are never ignored by God! We are ignored by the powers in D.C. and in each state capital who could actually change the direction in which our nation is going, if they would just call on the Name of the Lord. We are ignored by the media (unless they are vilifying Christians as an evil and divisive force). We are ignored by those who need Christ in their hearts.
The end result is not a good one. God will not sit back and patiently wait forever for men to call on Him and turn away from their sins. Look at God’s response to Israel’s sin after calling on them to return to Him over and over. The nation was destroyed, the people were taken captive and led away to Babylon, a symbol of sin and unrighteous living. These were God’s chosen people and He did not allow them to continue in their sin, their mocking of the One who had led them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land to begin with. Can we honestly say that God will deal differently with America? Judgment Day and the wrath of God is coming. Before that day comes, may we open our eyes and turn to God and sincerely repent and ask for His help. I am not seeing this happen. I am not prophesying that it will. I just have a little grain of hope inside me that someone in power somewhere will be stirred to call on the Only One who can make a difference in this chaotic and topsy-turvy world that is controlled by sin and darkness. God wants to answer…He is waiting for the call. As Christians, we need to pray for mercy but also for God to reply to our prayers. Perhaps judgment will be the answer; I can’t say because I don’t know. But I do know that what is happening in the world today is an abomination to the Holy Lord and it will not be allowed to stand without consequences.
This morning in my devotional, God was dealing with me about my words, particularly the words I use with my spouse. I am very careful to choose my words with people whom I don’t know well or those I want to make a good impression on. But with my husband, I just say what I think and I am not always kind.
For example, when we went to the beach, Harry brought along a huge fishing cooler. Of course, he had put it into the back of the SUV and I didn’t even see it until we arrived. I was actually shocked to see it there and asked him why he would bring it, full of his clothes like a weird suitcase. He said he brought it to take to the beach with us. Well, I exploded, mostly from embarrassment at the laughable idea of him dragging that across the beach with us. Nevertheless, he took his clothes out of it and packed it daily with his towels and other things he wanted to take along to the shore. That thing is heavy even empty, so he only carried it a short ways and then truly had to drag it across the sand. I was berating and not at all kind as I followed him to the place where our daughter and her family had set up chairs and an umbrella. Then, he pointed out that he as dragging it in front of me and making a smooth path for me to walk across the sand so I would not fall. How foolish I felt about all of my unkind words! I had chosen to speak without thinking and to express my honest frustration instead of noticing his commitment to safeguarding me.
We didn’t really argue about the whole cooler thing, but I was not happy and I am sure that everyone knew it because I don’t hide my feelings well. If only I had seen Harry’s genuine acts of kindness and shared kind and appreciative words with him! They would have cheered both of us up!
I don’t mean to have a “deceitful tongue” but sometimes I confess that I do not tell the entire truth. I make excuses that I am doing it for the benefit of the other person because I don’t want to offend them. What I am really doing is saving face for myself. God wants me to be completely honest if I am going to say anything to others. Or, the other choice is to just be quiet! I don’t want to go around being deceitful, then the other person finds out what I was really thinking (or others tell them the whole truth), and they are crushed because I wasn’t honest to begin with. God is honest with me. He tells me when and how I need to change. He doesn’t mince words or tiptoe around so He doesn’t offend me because He has my best interests at heart. If that is my real motive, can I do any less towards others?
Words matter. They show the condition of my heart and places that are raw inside me and need to be healed and changed. Sometimes, they show what I am really feeling and sometimes they show a parody of what I feel because I don’t want to be offensive. I end up offending anyway more often than not, so my plan to not do so doesn’t usually work out for me. Kind words…gentle words…think before I speak and speak as the Spirit leads. My lesson for today, and I hope that it helps you, too.
The Scripture is very clear that one day every knee will bow before the Lord and give Him the worship and glory He deserves. Read that again and think about it. Every knee! Those who are in power, the rich, the poor, the homeless, the famous and the infamous. All will bow before the Lord. So my thought is that we should be practicing our worship now and get ready for that day. There are so many who are still lost in their sins, so many who will be bowing in fear of the judgment to come, so many for whom it will be too late for them to repent and confess Jesus as Savior and Lord. For those of us who already recognize God’s sovereignty, mercy and grace, we should spend time on our knees praying for those who do not yet acknowledge their Creator.
I would like to think that this verse means that everyone will be saved, but I know that is false thinking. Everyone will bow before God, but not everyone will have acknowledged Him as their Savior. We will all face Judgment Day, some of us with Jesus as our Advocate. Thus when God opens the Book of Life and finds our names written there, we are safe from the lake of fire. But others are not and that breaks my heart. Therefore, while there is still time, we need to practice our worship, practice our faith and practice telling the gospel to others. We don’t have to be perfect at it…we just have to do it. We are rescuing people from eternal flames of hell, and that is worth whatever discomfort we face in order to tell them the truth about how to be saved. Every knee! The whole earth…
Many years ago, back in the 70’s actually, my husband and I attended Youth with a Mission. There we studied the Bible in preparation to share the gospel with others wherever we went. We also studied the works of some great theologians. One such book was by Norman Grubbs and was entitled Rees Howells: Intercessor. If you are interested, you can get a copy here:
The Bible says that each one of us who has accepted the Lord Jesus has an intercessor because He intercedes for us.
Jesus’s death on the cross was a “once and done” action, but His intercession for us is constant because although we strive to be like Him, we have not achieved perfection.
What is our role in the world if we want to be intercessors like Jesus and plead for the souls of friends and loved ones? We are standing in the gap for them, asking God for mercy and as David Ettinger said in his blog today, we are to realize that they are blinded and need to pray for their eyes to be opened. David Ettinger on WordPress
For more information about Rees Howells, check out this video,
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 