Remember that old song, from Lionel Ritchie? I love that song!
It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and my word - I have been a day late and a dollar short all summer. I can't keep up, having Samuel at home, all the projects I have in the air . . . so I'm making some changes, going back to my roots.
When I started this blog, it was just to organize my thoughts, pour out my love for God, and sometimes to study publicly (!) His word. Then I think I got a little forward with myself - hey, I'm not a scholar or theologian. I'm just me, a seeker, thirsting for God. What do I know?
Not nearly enough! So to try to expound on books like Isaiah - wow, there's just too much there and honestly, I'm a little scared to get it wrong! lol So, I'm just going to go back to sharing about me, not trying to teach anything, and document this journey through the gift of life.
Tomorrow is my 17th anniversary. There have been lots of times in the last 17 years when I've thought we weren't gonna make it. But we've endured. That sounds really . . . I don't know . . . un-romantic. But there have been times when life wasn't a fairy tale for us. And, there have been times when it absolutely has been a fairy tale. And then there are all the times in between.
All I know is that I'm grateful that my husband has stuck with me for almost 2 decades, and I'm grateful that God has blessed us with love and joy and peace. He has given us a wonderful child, opportunities for ministry, and blessings beyond what we could have ever imagined in 1993.
So much has changed. Yet God's faithfulness, His love for us has stayed the same. It's only because of Him that we've been able to persevere. Marriage is hard - relationships are hard - but they are worth fighting for, because our relationships with other are extensions of our relationship with Him. He is a relational God, intimate, loving, and caring. Can we do any less for each other?
Check out "Marriage is Worth Fighting For" at Facebook.com.
See you next week!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Look to the Day
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the LORD Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger. Isaiah 13:13
God is a powerful god. Scratch that. He's not A god, He is THE God. He is GOD. Period.
And He's not just powerful. He IS power.
We see His power all the time, in both good and bad ways. But Isaiah is talking about the day - THE day. That day in the future when God says, enough.
The thought of that day may scare you. And that's ok, because it will be a frightful day for many, many people. It will be the worst day for many people.
But for those of us who know Him, who have asked Him to capture our hearts and lives and to live in us and with us forever - it doesn't have to be scary. Yes, His anger will still burn. His wrath will still be felt. The end will still be the end.
But WE have hope for an eternity with Him, not separated from Him. An eternity of love, not of anger. An eternity of fellowship, not of isolation.
We have hope, because we have Him. Pretty simple, huh?
Let me just say now . . . if you don't have Him, this coming day will be terrible. God does not want you to experience that day. He wants you to come to Him, to choose Him, so that you do not have to face an eternal wrath.
Christians can look to the future with hope, and stand bravely in the face of uncertainty. If you don't have that hope, come to Him today. Here's a simple prayer you can pray:
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the LORD Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger. Isaiah 13:13
God is a powerful god. Scratch that. He's not A god, He is THE God. He is GOD. Period.
And He's not just powerful. He IS power.
We see His power all the time, in both good and bad ways. But Isaiah is talking about the day - THE day. That day in the future when God says, enough.
The thought of that day may scare you. And that's ok, because it will be a frightful day for many, many people. It will be the worst day for many people.
But for those of us who know Him, who have asked Him to capture our hearts and lives and to live in us and with us forever - it doesn't have to be scary. Yes, His anger will still burn. His wrath will still be felt. The end will still be the end.
But WE have hope for an eternity with Him, not separated from Him. An eternity of love, not of anger. An eternity of fellowship, not of isolation.
We have hope, because we have Him. Pretty simple, huh?
Let me just say now . . . if you don't have Him, this coming day will be terrible. God does not want you to experience that day. He wants you to come to Him, to choose Him, so that you do not have to face an eternal wrath.
Christians can look to the future with hope, and stand bravely in the face of uncertainty. If you don't have that hope, come to Him today. Here's a simple prayer you can pray:
Heavenly Father:
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the day's of my Life!. Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen.
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the day's of my Life!. Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thirsty?
"Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:2-3
The trouble with taking Isaiah a chapter at a time and spotlighting random verses is that sometimes you miss the flow. But for now, we'll deal with it! Isaiah has told the people that after the Messiah comes, they will praise God. They will be saying the words above.
You know, so often we go about our business, doing our stuff, and completely miss the things that God is doing around us. We might scoff at how the Jews - both then and now - completely miss the Messiah, right in front of them.
But I know I do the same thing. It's been a long time since I have had joy, and with that joy, drawn water from the well of salvation. I miss God, even though He's right in front of me. The good news is that Isaiah has told me exactly what to do!
Let's break it down, shall we? Well (pardon the pun) . . . let's remember that water is life. Nothing can sustain life without water. No planet, no plant, no person --- everything needs water to survive. And not just to survive, but to thrive!
So to draw water from the well of salvation means to draw life. And just as we, in our homes, had to find sources of water from which we could drill our wells . . . God is the same. To draw water from the well of salvation means to constantly be returning to God, to drink in Him, to allow Him to restore us, to refresh us, to rebuild us.
But sometimes we're so busy, we just miss it. And then we get tired, and sick, and run down. We find ourselves searching for life, for meaning, and end up realizing that we had it all along, right beside us.
Psalm 51 prays, "Restore to me the joy of my salvation." Sometimes we lose it. But all we have to do is return to the well, and find joy once again.
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:2-3
The trouble with taking Isaiah a chapter at a time and spotlighting random verses is that sometimes you miss the flow. But for now, we'll deal with it! Isaiah has told the people that after the Messiah comes, they will praise God. They will be saying the words above.
You know, so often we go about our business, doing our stuff, and completely miss the things that God is doing around us. We might scoff at how the Jews - both then and now - completely miss the Messiah, right in front of them.
But I know I do the same thing. It's been a long time since I have had joy, and with that joy, drawn water from the well of salvation. I miss God, even though He's right in front of me. The good news is that Isaiah has told me exactly what to do!
Let's break it down, shall we? Well (pardon the pun) . . . let's remember that water is life. Nothing can sustain life without water. No planet, no plant, no person --- everything needs water to survive. And not just to survive, but to thrive!
So to draw water from the well of salvation means to draw life. And just as we, in our homes, had to find sources of water from which we could drill our wells . . . God is the same. To draw water from the well of salvation means to constantly be returning to God, to drink in Him, to allow Him to restore us, to refresh us, to rebuild us.
But sometimes we're so busy, we just miss it. And then we get tired, and sick, and run down. We find ourselves searching for life, for meaning, and end up realizing that we had it all along, right beside us.
Psalm 51 prays, "Restore to me the joy of my salvation." Sometimes we lose it. But all we have to do is return to the well, and find joy once again.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Seeing the True Gifts
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist. Isaiah 11:1-5
Now obviously, these verses are talking about the Messiah, but can they also apply to our individual lives? I think so. I'd like to focus on verse two today.
"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
You know, here is Isaiah, writing about the Holy Spirit 600 years before Jesus promised Him, long before that crazy day of Pentecost. And I think this is really important, because our faith rests in the knowledge that God has always been God; the Trinity of God has always been the Trinity of God. God said in Genesis 1, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness."
In other words, God has always - since the dawn of time - yearned to make us like Him. And He has always been gifting the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit - the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord.
I've had a lot of gifts in my life. I've had plenty and I've had little. And I know - in my ripe old age - (shut up Stephen) that there are no better gifts than the spiritual ones, the gifts that come from God.
Tonight we took our little one to see Toy Story 3. (SPOILER ALERT!!!) Towards the end of the movie, Andy's mother realizes that he really truly is leaving for college, and she gets emotional. Cut to me, sniffling in my seat, thinking of myself there in 10 years.
So I vowed right then and there to take all the time with Samuel I could, to enjoy the little things, to be the best darned mother in the world. Patient, kind, understanding, sweet . . . you know, June Cleaver on valium and cough syrup . . .
Yeah right. The truth of the matter is that I want to be those things . . . for me. I want to be the best darned mother in the world for my own selfishness, not because of any deep or spiritual reason. So that others will name streets after me, my child will grow up to become President of the United States and write speeches about me . . . ummm, excuse me. Back to reality.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be the BDM (best darned mother, gotta love acronyms). But I gotta quit trying to be the BDM, and just focus on God and learning and understanding Him and knowing Him - allowing His gifts to pour over me. What kind of mother could I be if I have the gifts described above: "The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
That's right. The BDM. Because if I'm able to approach life and give to others as a wise and understanding woman, one who gives good counsel and is spiritually powerful, one who is knowledgeable and above all, who fears the Lord . . . I could be a BDM to many.
How about you?
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist. Isaiah 11:1-5
Now obviously, these verses are talking about the Messiah, but can they also apply to our individual lives? I think so. I'd like to focus on verse two today.
"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
You know, here is Isaiah, writing about the Holy Spirit 600 years before Jesus promised Him, long before that crazy day of Pentecost. And I think this is really important, because our faith rests in the knowledge that God has always been God; the Trinity of God has always been the Trinity of God. God said in Genesis 1, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness."
In other words, God has always - since the dawn of time - yearned to make us like Him. And He has always been gifting the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit - the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord.
I've had a lot of gifts in my life. I've had plenty and I've had little. And I know - in my ripe old age - (shut up Stephen) that there are no better gifts than the spiritual ones, the gifts that come from God.
Tonight we took our little one to see Toy Story 3. (SPOILER ALERT!!!) Towards the end of the movie, Andy's mother realizes that he really truly is leaving for college, and she gets emotional. Cut to me, sniffling in my seat, thinking of myself there in 10 years.
So I vowed right then and there to take all the time with Samuel I could, to enjoy the little things, to be the best darned mother in the world. Patient, kind, understanding, sweet . . . you know, June Cleaver on valium and cough syrup . . .
Yeah right. The truth of the matter is that I want to be those things . . . for me. I want to be the best darned mother in the world for my own selfishness, not because of any deep or spiritual reason. So that others will name streets after me, my child will grow up to become President of the United States and write speeches about me . . . ummm, excuse me. Back to reality.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be the BDM (best darned mother, gotta love acronyms). But I gotta quit trying to be the BDM, and just focus on God and learning and understanding Him and knowing Him - allowing His gifts to pour over me. What kind of mother could I be if I have the gifts described above: "The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
That's right. The BDM. Because if I'm able to approach life and give to others as a wise and understanding woman, one who gives good counsel and is spiritually powerful, one who is knowledgeable and above all, who fears the Lord . . . I could be a BDM to many.
How about you?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
(I'm skipping Isaiah 9 because I did it a few weeks ago. Moving on to chapter 10 today.)
For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding." Isaiah 10:13a
It's funny how things work. We were talking about just such a thing in Sunday School last week. We are studying Genesis, and we're just in the first chapter. Our discussions have been about how God's creation reveals God's character to us.
We were talking about how God sees the whole picture - not just the picture of the week of creation, but of how His creation would influence us 6,000 years later.
It's really all about Him, you know? Look at the verse, above. It's HIS strength. HIS wisdom. HIS understanding.
We think we have understanding, but we don't really. In Sunday School, we were talking about how we plan something, and then ask God to bless it. We're so smart, aren't we? We have every opportunity to tune into God, to His strength, His wisdom, His understanding. But too often we rely on our own, and then ask Him to come along and bless it. And sometimes fix it, because of the mess we've made!
Remember this week that He has plans for you and is working around you all the time. Look for it. Look for His strength. Look for His wisdom. Look for His understanding. And then go there, and join Him.
For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding." Isaiah 10:13a
It's funny how things work. We were talking about just such a thing in Sunday School last week. We are studying Genesis, and we're just in the first chapter. Our discussions have been about how God's creation reveals God's character to us.
We were talking about how God sees the whole picture - not just the picture of the week of creation, but of how His creation would influence us 6,000 years later.
It's really all about Him, you know? Look at the verse, above. It's HIS strength. HIS wisdom. HIS understanding.
We think we have understanding, but we don't really. In Sunday School, we were talking about how we plan something, and then ask God to bless it. We're so smart, aren't we? We have every opportunity to tune into God, to His strength, His wisdom, His understanding. But too often we rely on our own, and then ask Him to come along and bless it. And sometimes fix it, because of the mess we've made!
Remember this week that He has plans for you and is working around you all the time. Look for it. Look for His strength. Look for His wisdom. Look for His understanding. And then go there, and join Him.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Got God?
Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. Isaiah 8:18
Wow . . . chapter eight has so much meat in it!! I've been reading and re-reading it several times today. But I finally settled on verse 18 to share with you.
What courage it must have taken Isaiah during this time to say, not only am I a believer, but I am a symbol of God! I like that he doesn't say, I want to be a symbol, or I'm trying to be a symbol. He says, I AM a symbol.
Are you a symbol of the Lord Almighty?
Some symbols are easily recognized. We all recognize a circle with a slash through it. That's the symbol for don't. A red octagon is the symbol for stop. We know the Coke logo and the Windows computer logo. We identify certain sounds with their companies ("you've got mail!"). There are lines inked into our memories - Got Milk? Where's the Beef? There's even a symbol associated with Christianity - the fish.
But what about you? Are you a symbol of God?
Let me rephrase - if you have spoken about your belief in God, you ARE a symbol of Him. But are you the kind of sign He wants to be associated with?
How's your language? How are you spending your time? What do you spend your money on?
This is how you are a symbol of God. It's what you do linked with what you say.
So think about it. Your life is a symbol of something. Is it a symbol of God?
Wow . . . chapter eight has so much meat in it!! I've been reading and re-reading it several times today. But I finally settled on verse 18 to share with you.
What courage it must have taken Isaiah during this time to say, not only am I a believer, but I am a symbol of God! I like that he doesn't say, I want to be a symbol, or I'm trying to be a symbol. He says, I AM a symbol.
Are you a symbol of the Lord Almighty?
Some symbols are easily recognized. We all recognize a circle with a slash through it. That's the symbol for don't. A red octagon is the symbol for stop. We know the Coke logo and the Windows computer logo. We identify certain sounds with their companies ("you've got mail!"). There are lines inked into our memories - Got Milk? Where's the Beef? There's even a symbol associated with Christianity - the fish.
But what about you? Are you a symbol of God?
Let me rephrase - if you have spoken about your belief in God, you ARE a symbol of Him. But are you the kind of sign He wants to be associated with?
How's your language? How are you spending your time? What do you spend your money on?
This is how you are a symbol of God. It's what you do linked with what you say.
So think about it. Your life is a symbol of something. Is it a symbol of God?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Stand Firm
If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. Isaiah 7:9b
What is the key word in this verse? It's firm. It's not just about standing, it's about standing firm.
To me, this verse means this: it's not enough to believe in God. Satan believes in God. James 2:19 says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." So obviously simple belief isn't enough to stand firm.
So what is enough? It's taking that belief to heart and letting it change your life - letting it change everything! It's taking responsibility for your past and making and receiving restoration. It's being willing to live completely out of control - and loving it!
Because standing firm means that God is the one in control. He becomes the one who directs your path and your heart, and it's only because of that that you can stand firm in the first place.
So look at your heart and your life today. Are you standing, or standing firm? Because there's a difference! One more reference from James - this time chapter one: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (verses 6-8)
Standing firm is whole-hearted belief in God - in His character, in His ways, in His love. And unless you have that kind of belief, life will always knock you down. So stand! Stand firm!
What is the key word in this verse? It's firm. It's not just about standing, it's about standing firm.
To me, this verse means this: it's not enough to believe in God. Satan believes in God. James 2:19 says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." So obviously simple belief isn't enough to stand firm.
So what is enough? It's taking that belief to heart and letting it change your life - letting it change everything! It's taking responsibility for your past and making and receiving restoration. It's being willing to live completely out of control - and loving it!
Because standing firm means that God is the one in control. He becomes the one who directs your path and your heart, and it's only because of that that you can stand firm in the first place.
So look at your heart and your life today. Are you standing, or standing firm? Because there's a difference! One more reference from James - this time chapter one: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (verses 6-8)
Standing firm is whole-hearted belief in God - in His character, in His ways, in His love. And unless you have that kind of belief, life will always knock you down. So stand! Stand firm!
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