Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

God Meets Us

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Have you ever had to go on a long trip and the person at the other end generously offered to meet you halfway? I did that when I was a teen and going to visit my aunt in North Carolina. And I am doing it in the present time in order to visit my sister who moved to NC last year. My niece meets me and my husband half way, making the trip less arduous for us.

But, did you know that God meets you right where you are? You don’t even have to go halfway! When the Israelites were wandering around in the wilderness, God was right there with them, leading the way in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When they built a tabernacle according to what the Lord told them to do, God inhabited it. When Moses visited God there, his face shone with God’s glory. Then, Solomon built the Temple and God was right there, His presence with His people. So, where is God meeting us today?

We are His temple, so He is right here with us always. He gives us His Holy Spirit who dwells in us from the moment that we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to be witnesses for the Lord, to face the challenges of daily life and to live a life that honors God. We don’t have to look for God…He is right here inside us. That boggles my mind, and I confess that I don’t totally understand this truth, but I do know that it’s true. I only breathe a prayer about needing comfort or assurance and God is right there. He helps me to help others because I am part of His plan to spread the Good News to mankind. If you are a Christian, you, too, are part of God’s plan and you, too, are His temple on earth until Jesus returns. No more wandering in the wilderness or building huge, fancy buildings. God’s pinnacle of creation was each of us, and we need to do the jobs He left us to do and recognize the power He left for each of us to tap into in order to fulfill His desires for ourselves and others.

Blessings

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song5 Comments

When I was small, my grandmother used to complain a lot. I mean, a lot! She was the one that if it was a sunny day, she would look for clouds. Nevertheless, she used to tell me a lot that I should count my blessings. Now, I seldom attended church when I was young. My mom took us on special days like Easter, but otherwise, Sunday was just another day of the week for me until I met my new neighbor Sharon and she started inviting me to go to church with them. I enjoyed the Sunday school classes and the way the church service followed the same pattern week after week. That is the first time I heard about God and I was in my teens. But I still didn’t know what it means to count my blessings as my grandmother had told me to do.

When I went to college, I was busy, overwhelmed really with new things. I was away from home for the first time and got involved in my studies and my campus job. I dated some, but not much because I was really shy. I didn’t attend church, but I was aware that God was around somewhere because my roommate attended church regularly and seemed to like going. Again, I don’t recall counting blessings. I was more likely to count the days until I had an exam or a break at home.

It was after I finished college and started my first job that I began to see how alone I was and was feeling discouraged, even though I had a new fiancé and a new job and my own place to live. When my apartment neighbor introduced me to Jesus, I began to see that He was what I needed all along. Finally, finally, I began to count my blessings! The blessing of being loved by a good man, the blessing of finding a good church and making new friends, the blessing of having a neighbor who befriended me. I was beginning to understand what my grandmother was telling me. Life is hard and throws some real curve balls sometimes, but God is always good and you can always look for the blessings and find them.

Now that I am much older, I see blessings everywhere. I see them in the garden outside my window, in the beautiful sunrise and sunset, in the faces of my children and grandchildren, in my husband’s patience with me. The list goes on and on. There isn’t enough time to enumerate all of my blessings, but God continues to bless me, every day in more ways than I can imagine.

I don’t know why my grandmother complained so much, but I do know that somewhere inside her, she recognized that all the good in her life came from God. She told me to count my blessings and that advice has remained steadfast in my heart for over six decades now. I think of nanny and I smile, knowing that she loved me enough to tell me a truth about life. When you are busy counting your blessings, you don’t have time to complain!

Count Your Blessings

Are We Listening?

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I think that God speaks to His people. Perhaps His words are not audible, but His message is. For me, He speaks to my heart when I am sitting quietly, especially when I need comfort or encouragement. He speaks through the words in the Holy Bible and He speaks to me through praise music that I have heard and that is in my heart. He tells me about His love for me and consistently tells me that all will be okay.

I was in the office of my retina eye specialist on Friday, waiting for his diagnosis of how the macular degeneration that started last year is my left eye is progressing. I confess that I was feeling anxious about what he would tell me, so I started to pray and asked for God to be very near me no matter what the diagnosis was. Then, a song came to my mind that I had not sung or heard in a very long time. “Thank you, Lord, for saving me.” From that song, I started singing to myself, “How Great Is Our God.” Those songs calmed my fears and helped me to put everything into God’s very capable hands. He spoke “peace” to my heart through songs from many years ago. I recognized that it was God speaking to me and thanked Him for His love and the calm spirit with which He filled me. When the doctor came in, I was expecting bad news, but the news was good. No change in my eyes at all! The macular is still only a trace in my left eye and nothing in my right eye. Good news, even after all the fear and anxiety that seemed to be preparing me for the worst. God was preparing me for the best news and giving me worship songs to Him before I even had the report from the doctor!

This morning during my worship and devotional time, I was reminded that God used to walk and talk with Adam and Eve. It was a common thing for them before their exile from the Garden. One of the consequences of their sin was separation from God. Jesus gave us the path back to God and a relationship with Him, but because of the fall of mankind, we have to listen carefully to hear God speak and to be ready for Him messages to us.

When Samuel was only a small child, the Lord audibly called to him. His reply should be what our response is to God every day. We have to be ready to listen in order for God to speak to us. Sometimes we are so busy, with lives cluttered with busyness, that we may be vaguely aware that God is saying something to direct us. But we are so focused, so intent on doing what we want to do, that we don’t pay attention and miss the opportunity to hear God’s instructions for us. It would be good for each of us to just sit quietly for a while each day and tell God to speak because we are listening. Not too busy. Not too distracted. Just ready to listen to our Creator and our Father, the One who will guide our steps if we will take time to listen and then follow His words to us.

Foolish or Wise?

On By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Have you ever met anyone who thinks that they know everything and try to convince you that they do? I have and it’s very annoying. Nowadays, there are those who think that they know everything because they can “google it.” Well, if Google were in tune with God’s Word, that might help, but that’s not knowing everything, is it?

The foolish person is determined to go his/her own way and declares that it is the right way to go. We are seeing a lot of that in today’s society, one in which gender is determined by saying what you are instead of accepting how God made you. Unfortunately, many follow along behind the foolish and are also led down the wrong path.

The wise, on the other hand, are willing to listen but I would caution that the counselors need to be godly people. When I need advice or wisdom, I first seek the Lord by praying and reading His Word. If I need a person to talk things over with me, I call a Christian friend whom I trust. I don’t call someone that I know will agree with me…I call someone who will ponder with me and pray with me as they listen to my dilemma.

Listening is a skill that we all need to develop, but we also need to know the heart of the one to whom we are listening. Are they sold out for God and His truth? Or do they buy into the lies of Satan that truth is relative and there are no absolutes? Listen, but beware of who your advisers are listening to for their counsel. And once you have listened, go back to God and pray some more.

Wait Quietly

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

I have always been one to wait quietly, reading a book or observing those around me. But I have to admit that sometimes as my body waits quietly, my heart is racing and I begin to perspire. I have to give myself a quiet God-talk sometimes, reminding myself that God is in control and He will continue to take care of me until He calls me home. Today is a day that I need that reminder. I am once again going to the cardiologist, hopefully to resolve the fainting issue once and for all with a change in medication or dosage. I felt myself getting anxious as I dressed and prepared for the day, during my devotions, even. Why? I know that God always hears me but I’m not so sure about the physicians that I see. Many of them nod and go ahead and do what they had planned before I spoke. They seem to get irate with me when I won’t fall in step with their plan and question it. Their irritation generally means that I fail to be bold and resolute in my quest for a solution. Today, I need that boldness. It has been four months of doctor visits and I am ready for it to be done and to start feeling better.

This is my prayer for myself today. My hope is in God and no matter what the doctor decides, my healing lies with the Lord.

Family Fiction is a resource that I subscribe to via email and on Twitter. They are proponents of good, clean fiction and publish quotations daily that are inspirational. Today’s quotation jumped out at me, so I am sharing it with you. I know that I am loved by God and therefore I have nothing to fear about going to the doctor today, or even tomorrow. Tomorrow is my appointment with my retina eye specialist and the technologist was rude and condescending to me at my last visit, so I have to gird myself to love her in spite of her.

So, I wait, sometimes patiently and sometimes not, but I wait, knowing that God is sending the answer. It may be through a physician, or maybe not, but I know with all that is within me that God holds the hope for my future and He loves me. That is all I need to know to face the day!

Praise and Relationship

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, Song1 Comment

Remember the first time you started a relationship with someone? If the relationship is going to last, the two of you need to communicate with each other and trust each other. One of the ways to build that open communication is to honestly say kind words of appreciation to each other. Gary Smalley calls it “The Love Language.” The Bible tells us to build each other up, to encourage each other. Some days, after my husband has done one irritating thing after another, it’s hard to find something kind to say, but I look and there it is! Kindness leads to communication which leads to more kindness, appreciation and love.

Did you know that God desires us to worship Him? Not because He needs our worship but because our praise opens the doors of communication with Him. After all, our relationships on earth are a small mirror to what our relationship is supposed to be with God. So, praise should be a natural outpouring of our love for Him. We show our appreciation to the Lord for all He has done and our love for Him in our words of adoration and praise.

If you can’t find your own words to praise God, read the Word. It is filled with praise for our Mighty Creator. No one is like Him and no one deserves the praise that is His just because of Who He is.

A creature is a created being, one created by God. The creatures in Revelation know to praise God, the One who was in the time of creation and all of the patriarchs, the One who is fully present in our lives today and the One who is coming again to rule and reign forever.

Holy, Holy, Holy-Audrey Assad

Need a Do Over?

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Do you recall when you were a child and playing a game and something happened to cause you to perform badly? Maybe a leaf blew across your field of vision or a small child was yelling on the swing set and distracted you. So, when you tried to kick the ball, you missed because you were not paying attention. That’s when you would call out loudly that you needed a “do over.” Usually, because you were playing a game meant to be fun and with friends, they would grant your wish and you would get to do the whole thing again, this time with better results.

Sometimes, in our Christian walk, we need a “do over.” We need to press into God and appeal to His mercy and grace, deeply and sincerely repentant for messing up and asking for the grace to do that thing you messed up again. Maybe it was the opportunity to speak to someone about the Lord and you blew it. Maybe it was the chance to be kind to someone in need and you ignored the whisper of the Holy Spirit to reach out. Whatever you missed out on, God is the God of second chances. He is the God of the “do over” , not because we deserve it but because of His great love and mercy for us. He shows us grace, His unmerited favor, and allows us to try again, and again, and again. We just have to be willing to admit that we have blown our chance, missed an opportunity or sinned once again when we really didn’t want to. Distracted by the things of this world, it’s hard sometimes to stay focused on the important things that God has for us to do and the changes He wants to make in us so that we become more like Him. But when we straggle behind or go in the wrong direction, God is right there, waiting for us to request a “do over” so that He can lead us back on the path He wants us to be on.

Just when we think that God cannot possibly still love us and continue to forgive us, He does. We confess, repent and He is always faithful to His promise to forgive. Even better, He grants us a “do over” so we may get the chance to see that person again and tell them about Jesus or do participate in a ministry that we neglected previously. Whatever it is, God is in the business of providing grace to His children. It’s one of the ways He instructs us and expects us to extend that same grace, mercy and forgiveness to others.

I don’t ever want to get to the point where I cannot receive instruction from God and His Word. I have had a lot of “do overs” in my lifetime, but none has been as important as the ones when I know for sure that I have disappointed God and I need to go back and try again. I have learned a lot from those experiences, mostly about being more aware and striving to do things right the first time. Nevertheless, because I am still a disciple in training, I still need His grace and mercy every day. I need a “do over” more frequently than I would like, and I am always thankful that God graciously provides those opportunities for me.

Watching Over Me

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

When I was a new mother, I found myself frequently just sitting and watching my new baby breathe, assuring myself that she was indeed okay. As she grew, I continued to watch over her, guiding her away from cars that she didn’t notice or other possible dangers. Now my children have all arrived safely at adulthood and no longer live close to me so I cannot watch over them as I once did. However, my prayers go with them wherever they are and Someone much more capable than I am watches over them and over me.

God is always watching, always attentive to what is happening in our lives. He knows when our hearts need to be strengthened and when we need encouragement and He sends it, at just the right time. It may be a call from a friend or a note from someone new. This week, after months of medical tests and no real answers, I got an Encouragement Card from a new online friend. With a poem that is meaningful and scripture verses encouraging me to persevere. How did Sara know that I needed this? Because God is watching and He whispered to her heart.

We need to be as attentive to others and their needs as God is to us and our needs. We need to listen carefully when He calls. He may not be sending an answer to our prayer, but He may want to use us to help answer the prayers of someone else. Fully committed to God? Yes, with all of my heart and mind and soul! And I know without a doubt that He is watching over me, saw my discouragement and decided I needed a push back into positivity. Sometimes I encourage others and sometimes others encourage me. That’s how this Christian walk of faith works. God is leading and we follow His lead.

Watching Over Me-Jason Upton

A Tribute to Mothers

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture5 Comments

My hope is that we all have a mother somewhere in our lives, whether it is our biological mom or someone who nurtured us. May each of us remember to honor that special person today.

The best thing that can happen to a mother is to have her children appreciate her. Show your appreciation today for all of her sacrifices. My mom was sometimes harsh and not always loving, but she was my mom and even twenty years later, I miss hearing her voice. I know that she would have loved meeting all of her grandchildren because she did love little ones. If your mom is still alive, cherish your time with her because one day, when you least expect it perhaps, she will no longer be here on earth with you.

Be a mom first so that you can be a good friend once your children are adults.

Out of the Land of Egypt

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I have been praying a lot lately about the circumstances in our nation and all of the rampant sin. This morning, in my devotional, God directed me to this verse. Egypt represents the sin that God took us out of, the salvation He freely offers to all through His Son Jesus Christ. But instead of moving forward with God, our nation as a whole has turned from God. We are worshipping other gods: money, technology, success, pleasure and self. So when we look around and see all of the problems in the United States, it is because we have sinned and have refused to repent. I, personally, do not think that God will be mocked forever and I am waiting for Him to act. I don’t know when that will be, but I do know that we need to repent and get out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land of hope, restoration and forgiveness.