God's Love For God

"God's love offends us because the greatest object of God's love is God, not us."
The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love by Jonathan Leeman

Romans 11:36 "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

The statement above by Leeman surprised me in two ways. First, offended by God's love? Who would be offended by God's love? Second, God loves Himself supremely!

Let's talk about the second first...God's love for God. When God looks at the world He sees His beautiful creation and He calls it good. When He looks at us He sees those He has redeemed and He calls us children - John 1:12.  But when He looks within the Godhead, God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit see within their gaze the most, glorious, holy, pure, majestic, powerful being that has no beginning and no ending. There is no one greater to love than God. God would commit idolatry if He loved anything more than or as much as Himself.

The Father declares, "This is My Son, whom I love.." Matthew 17:5.  Jesus says before He dies "the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me." John 14:31

Everything is for God, about God, because of God. It's not about me.

When we read that, does a little voice say..."Hey, wait a minute. I'm important, too." Here is where the first surprise came in. I realized that I was jealous that God loved someone else more than me.   I was offended that the world did not, after all, evolve around me.

And yet, this is a great comfort to me.

He doesn't need my love to be contented, because He is totally complete in the joyous, rich love in Himself. God is fulfilled by God. I do not have to worry about disappointing God. He is not up in heaven wringing His hands over what I am about to do. I don't have to fear failure. His happiness is not disturbed by it.

Most certainly you and I experience God's love! But it streams first out of His love displayed in the Trinity. "Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39    The love of Christ for us is wider, longer, higher, and deeper than we comprehend. (Ephesians 3:19)

Years ago, after a busy day with people, my seven year old daughter came to me and said, "Do you have enough love left for me, Mommy?" I could grow weary, I could fail to love. But God can never run out of love for you because His love is so satisfied and complete within the Trinity. He will for eternity have enough love left for you.

 

Devotional 135 - Sovereignty and Zombies

“If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.” 
― R.C. Sproul, Chosen By God: Know God's Perfect Plan for His Glory and His Children

God is sovereign. That's a fact. Meaning nothing happens apart from what He has determined.

Psalm 115:3 Our God is in heaven, He does all that He pleases.

Isaiah 45:7 I am the Lord, and there is no other. I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

Proverbs 16:33 We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they will fall.

Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

The second fact is that we are all spiritually dead men and women.

We are zombies. That's right. We are dead men walking. And as you know, a zombie wants nothing but to serve up the flesh on a silver platter. Zombies are as free as you and I to make their own choices. His choice will always be wrong, because his nature is dead.  So something outside of the zombie must enter in and give him a new nature. He will not go for it first. The first move will have to be another source. We all start out spiritual zombies.

Ephesians 2:1  And you He made alive, who were dead...

John 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you..

Now after He touches our zombie hearts and takes the cataracts out of our eyes, then we can have the right faith and make the right decision.  And all who are touched by God WILL come to Him.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me...

So the question is: Does He decree for everyone to be saved?  The answer is: No.

Acts 13:48..and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Romans 9:18 Therefore he has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

John 6:65...no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to Him by My Father.

This is enough to take in for one reading. This is not a complete answer. You should have more questions that will naturally arise and I welcome them.

Devotional 134 - Joy

If you have no joy, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere.
    Author: Billy Sunday

Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride.
    Author: Richard J. Foster

The aim of God in creating and redeeming us is the delight He Himself enjoys in seeing His creatures delight in Him. In other words, the purpose of the knowledge of God is the enjoyment of God because "God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him."
    Author: John Piper

Joy is the serious business of Heaven.
    Author: C.S. Lewis

Psalm 4:7 "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."
Psalm 21:6 "...You make him glad with the joy of Your presence."

The sun is out today as I write this. I make note of it because we have had several weeks of cloudy, dreary weather. I have had more than one person express their low spirits because of this. Rhett sleeps poorly and this affects his emotions. Charissa has some pressures with insurance companies and medical bills and this momentarily affects her happiness. I fret about past mistakes, and the ones in the future I have yet to commit, but know they are just around the corner.

But none of this is a good enough excuse to be joyless. Because weather does not give me joy. Good sleep does not give me joy. Material wealth and health do not give me joy. Sinless perfection does not give me joy. The Bible teaches that joy comes from the Lord. It comes from being loved by Christ and treasuring Christ. It comes from His glorious and wonderful presence in our lives.

Jesus told us right before He went to the cross that if we obeyed His commandments we would abide in His love, and that love would fill us full of joy. John 15:10, 11.

My prayer for you and me is that we would be so aware of our Savior that joy spills out even in our imperfect lives.

Devotional 133 - Thank You, God

"Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy.    Joyce"

"Dear God, please change the taste of asparagus. It is grass. Thanks. Sarah"

"Dear God, Thanks for loving the whole world. I have four people in my house and I can never do it. Neil"

Psalm 107: 1 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"

I like waking up when it is still dark. I like the crisp air, even cold air when I open the door and step outside and take a deep breath. Some early mornings the moon still lights my way and other mornings are covered with gray clouds.

In the days leading up to Christmas this is my moment to pause with God and be thankful. Thankful for what? That all my prayers are answered the way I want? Thankful that I have health? Thankful that my family loves each other? Thankful that I am not alone?

 Yes, these are good things. But like the children above, if God doesn't answer my prayer, if I am surrounded by disease and turmoil, what am I to be thankful for?  Let me give you three reasons.

1. Psalm 118:1 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good..."  We live with a good God. He is not moody like we are. We never, ever have to fear He will make a mean or vindictive decision in regards to us or the world. He is good and whatever He does is good.

2. Psalm 7:17 "I will give to the LORD the thanks due to His righteousness..."  "God is always consistently “Godly.”  God is not measured or defined by the standard of righteousness; God sets the standard of righteousness"... (Bob Deffinbaugh). He always does what is right. He can be trusted to make perfectly holy, just, right decisions for us and the world. As wars and rumors of wars occur we can be assured that He is working out of His righteousness even in this.

3. Psalm 107:21 "Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love..." A love that can never be lost is the love we have from the LORD. God's love for you and me does not depend on how good we are at loving others. We fail everyday at being like Jesus and yet His steadfast love remains. Isn't this something to be thankful for? Christmas love is a demonstration of how far God will go to redeem His people.   We should thank Him everyday for this marvelous, unchanging love.

"The way out of despair and loneliness is to give God thanks." Jonathan Bernis

Devotional 132 - Anxiety

"Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God...All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God." Having a Merry Heart in a Martha World  by Joanna Weaver

Proverbs 16:20 "Who so leaneth on the Lord, happy is he."

Our pastor gave a sermon entitled "The Cure for Anxiety". He used the text, Matthew 6: 25 - 34.  I never tire of hearing these sermons. I need the constant reminder of confessing this sin of worry that so easily crops up.

In the Amplified Bible, verse 25 states "Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life." Isn't that an exact way to describe it - perpetually uneasy. It's like a drag on our soul, a thought that won't go away, a nagging fear. As Proverbs 12:25 says "An anxious heart weighs a man down..."  

When we are weighed down we are not fully experiencing the joy of the Lord. We are missing out on Him. We are missing out on life! Stop living like God is not trustworthy! That's what we do when we insist on coddling anxiety. We should rebuke it! Refuse it entrance into our thinking. We should say when worry threatens to ruin our joy: "Let God take care of it!"

100 times a day we should repeat: "God is in control". That should be our mantra. My God lives. My God loves me. My God is good. My God is in control. What should I fear?

Not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father's will as we read in Matthew 6:29. He has His eye on us and He is able to take care of things.

"Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven and in the earth, in the seas and in all the deep places." Psalm 135:6

We have a cure for anxiety.

Devotional 131 - Fear

"We have one, and only one, reason not to fear---the presence of Christ in our circumstances; but He is more than enough reason." Beth Moore Living Beyond Yourself

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."   Matthew 14:22-27

What do I fear? I am afraid of man's opinion of me and I am afraid of failure. As I keep my focus on Christ He can help me not to be afraid of failure in job, as a friend, as a parent, as a wife. With Christ ever present I can handle the distance of misunderstandings or differences. Jesus cries out to His men: "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Why should the disciples not be afraid in so great a storm? Because their Lord, their eternal friend, the Creator of the storm was near.

Notice Jesus was "walking" on the stormy sea. There was no hurry or worry to His gait. What must that have been like? If I was unafraid, I would have walked leisurely also, to soak in all the majesty and power of the moment. I love the dark and rumbling clouds, the wind whipping my hair back, the spray of water on my face. The dark swirling pool beneath my feet and the great swirling sky above.  I imagine the water felt soft and padded around Jesus' feet. He walked because He was enjoying His creation, because the storm was His will, because He had a purpose which was being worked out to the smallest degree.

Remember this when I am tempted to fear.

What do you need to remember when you are afraid?

Devotional 130 - Free Again

"Oh what freedom, the Word of God and the love of friends."  Carol Totten

"How much more will the blood of Christ... cleanse our consciences...so that we may serve the living God." Hebrews 9:14 

"Dear friends, since God so loved us , we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11

I had returned from eight days on a tree-studded island in the middle of a cool spring-fed lake in Canada with a burdened heart instead of a refreshed and joyful spirit. I was ruminating like a cow on her cud about a mistake I had made. I had asked the Lord's forgiveness but kept getting the bad taste of the moment regurgitated back up into my mind.

The island was just as moss covered and fragrant with the smell of pine and jasmine, the sunrises continued to glow golden, the loons made their morning and evening music, the water shimmered and reflected the sun and clouds, but my heart wasn't free to enjoy it. My conscience accused me over and over. The last three days I saw the beauty with cloudy sight.

Not until I joined a few sisters-in-Christ in Bible study, right here in my small town in Kansas, did I find freedom again to let the joy return. 

Our study in Hebrews 9 clearly reminded me of the complete forgiveness of Christ. It is a done deal for all eternity. His blood cleanses my accusing conscience. It shuts up the whispers of Satan that wants to keep me chewing on dirt. Jesus cleanses.

And my friends...well they just loved me. They spoke encouraging words to me. 

Somedays we need to be encouraged by our friends. Somedays we are called to be the one who encourages. But everyday we need to replace our thinking with the Bible.

Oh how wonderful the Word of God and the love of friends! I pray you experience both today!

Devotional 129 - Just Be There

"The thing we must understand is that God did not choose us to "use" us....No, the Bible makes it clear that God created us because he longs to have fellowship with us."  Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World  ... Joanna Weaver

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1Corinthians 1:9

While on vacation with my son and daughter-in-law we began to discuss what it is that people do that make us feel loved. My husband and son like encouraging words. I feel loved when my daughter vacuums or my husband washes the car. Acts of service make me feel loved.

Thus it is understandable that I believe God feels loved by me when I do acts of service. Sometimes I get myself in a frenzy of busy-ness to prove my love and devotion to God.

But my daughter-in-love quietly said I feel loved when you spend time with me. She explained that I don't even have to be talking to her, just quietly enjoying each others presence while reading or crocheting. She shares best when I am quiet.

Hmm...is that what Mary did when she sat at the feet of Jesus and just listened in Luke, chapter 10? God has called us into fellowship with Him. He wants us to be with Him. He did not mainly choose us to use us, though in His grace He does, but to have us with Him.

Wouldn't life be a bit more simple and free if the main thing I needed to accomplish today was to let my heart be with Jesus. What joy!

O God, help us to understand what a great privilege it is to be in your presence with a God who loves us, keeps us, comforts us, guides us, fellowships with us. We have been called to have fellowship with God Almighty. I cannot totally comprehend this greatness!

Think on this today and have joy in this meditation: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"

Devotional 128 - Fruit

"To be sure, we are saved by faith, not fruit, but we won't be saved by fruitless faith."  Burk Parsons Table talk

Jesus said; "I am the vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15: 1, 2

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me." John 15: 4

I woke up this morning and before I stepped out of bed I had already thought three negative thoughts, worried about something, and used a sarcastic tone of voice with my husband. As a few more moments passed, I began to get my Christian bearings back and I felt guilty for my behavior. 

I had to confess that I woke up totally ignoring God. When I do that I let fear and anger dominate my mind instead of the love of God. So immediately I repented and remembered that I live by grace moment by moment. It was grace that brought me to the cross and grace that keeps me in the arms of Jesus. No matter how long I talk the talk, all day long I fail to walk the walk. 

I need Jesus! I need the goodness of Jesus to want to do good. I need the love of Jesus to want to love Jesus. I need the patience of Jesus to want to be patient. I need the forgiveness of Jesus to be forgiven. 

The more I realize my need for Jesus, the more my attitudes and behaviors conform to Him. ....not by trying harder, but by treasuring Him longer. 

As I treasure Jesus Christ, I will bear fruit, not perfectly, not without some pruning, but nevertheless fruit will be produced. Christ promises it.

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none on earth that I desire besides You." Psalm 73:25

Devotional 127 - Listen to the Music

"We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music." Max Lucado

"And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Galations 4:6 NLT

"...through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit..."  Romans 15:30

Rhett and I were taking tap dancing lessons online. First the instructor told us the name of the step, then he demonstrated it, and after much practice, he added the music. We needed all of it together to dance. Without the music I was just a bunch of robotic steps that very often had no rhythm.

I do not have a trained singing voice. On occasion I have tried to sing a song, without music, to my five year old granddaughter. It always ended with a plea..."Stop singing, Nana."  I sing much better when I sing with music.

So to learn to tap dance or sing a pretty song, I need it all...the instructor, the example, and the music.

There is such beauty in the way God works in our lives. The Father gave us His precious Word to guide, direct and encourage. The Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, gave us His life as an example on living the Word out in the world, which included dying for us. The Holy Spirit is the wind beneath our God-given sails and the music in our hearts to not only know His presence and comfort, but to feel it.

Yet there is never a separation between the Father, or Son, or Spirit. All three are one, working together as one in our lives. When we remember this, we can have confidence that God's purposes for our lives will come to pass. How could it not, when such awesome power is at work!

The Holy Spirit makes what you know about Jesus come alive in your life. He lifts your heart up in joy and praise. He is the music in your life, the gentle breeze, the whisper that comforts and convicts.

You don't have to try so hard to be good if you will just listen to the music, to the whispers of the Spirit in our lives, the Spirit who wants to infuse our whole being with Christ.

Devotional 126 - Blessed Easter

"...the Aramaic word for "rejoice" is the same as the word for "dance", leading one to wonder whether Jesus was actually telling people to experience the joy of  living or to get into the dance of life."  Soul Salsa  Leonard Sweet  pg. 14

Psalm 33:1-3   "Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy."

Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy: At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Spring always brought tornadoes to the Kansas prairies. When I was little my parents would send all of us kids to the storm cellar while they stood outside at the top of the stairs like sentinels scanning the sky. We children sat deliciously huddled in the dark looking up and out the cellar door as the black sky boiled and twisted above. But none of us were afraid or sad because our mother and father were near and treated it as an adventure. We were happy during a storm because we trusted those who were near to take care of us.

Isn't that what this Psalm is about?  Even in a crisis, we can still always find ways to joy because we trust in His presence.

In His presence is fullness of joy even when the sky is dark.

Oh lovely, blessed Easter...a time to rejoice, a time to dance! Even when a storm blows in, the resurrected Lord is always there. His blood has served the sentence passed by the Father for my crime. I was under a death sentence and my dear Savior paid the full penalty for my crime by His own blood. His resurrection declares that He continues to intercede for me. This is a time to lift up our hands in grateful praise.

Rejoicing in the Lord can take many different forms -smiling, singing, playing instruments, painting, speaking words of adoration, hugging my kids, cooking a good meal, forgiving and asking forgiveness....and dancing.

Obedience to Christ includes rejoicing in Him. 

How are you doing in the "joy" department?

Devotional 125 - March Madness

Daniel 4:30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built...by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

"...constantly thinking little of ourselves is still thinking constantly of ourselves."  Beth Moore

Do you know what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar after making the "I am great" statement above? He went completely mad. He was driven out into the field with the beasts, eating grass like an ox. "His hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws."  Daniel 4:33

We all know as Christians that pride is sin because it takes our eyes off of Jesus and on to ourselves. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance..." Proverbs 8:13. We have read that pride comes before a fall. "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18 

But it was an eye-opener to me the day I was in the pit and moaning about my failings, that my husband pointed out the pride involved in feeling inferior.

 

"Really? How so?" I questioned. "I hate myself right now. How could that be pride?"

"Because," he said, "it is still about you."  Once again in my obsessive lowly thoughts about myself I was still taking my eyes off of Jesus. 

Beth Moore, author and speaker, wrote: "Nothing like priding yourself in hating yourself. Beloved, let's let this one sink in deeply: constantly thinking little of ourselves is still thinking constantly of ourselves."

Let us be women so in love with Jesus that He maintains a more prominent place in our thoughts than we do. My life is out of kilter when the focus is on me. God has a solution.

"I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever." Daniel 4: 34

Look up and praise!

Devotional 124 - God Bless America?

"God Bless you and God bless the United States of America." President Obama - State of the Union Address - 2015

"If you fully obey the LORD your God by keeping all the commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will exalt you above all the nations of the world....But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey...all these curses will come and overwhelm you."  Deuteronomy 28: 1, 15

President Obama ended his annual State of the Union Address the same way as all the presidents before him.. Ever since 2010 He has ended every State of the Union speech with "God bless you and God bless the United States America".

We have been a nation so blessed. There is no other country in the world I would rather live in. I am thankful daily for the safety and freedom I feel living in America. BUT......

It ain't goin' keep on happening. Why? Because our national policies are in direct opposition to God's word. God will not bless a nation that opposes Him.

Our legalized abortions and our legalized gay marriages make our nation ripe for a God take-down. Our national policies are in a wrestling match with Heavenly policies and we all can predict who the winner is going to be.

Please understand, I am not advocating for hateful, ungracious behavior towards sinners (of which we all are). I am advocating for boldness to call behaviors sin that our Lord calls sin, because this is loving. It is loving to direct people to Jesus, to their need for forgiveness, to the great joy of being in right relationship with the awesome and beautiful creator of the universe.

Whether you are gay, or have had an abortion, or are greedy, or a drunkard, or in an adulterous affair; whether you are hot-tempered, or a liar; whether you ignore God, take pleasure in anything more than God, doubt God; or whether you think you know how to run the world better than God; in all these things the most loving thing a person or church can do for you is call you to repent of your sin and come running back to God.

"We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." Romans 3: 22  New Living Translation

So when our nation legalizes sin and restrains righteousness by its rules and regulations, we can not say "God bless America", we can only cry out "God help us one and all!" God will abandon a nation who abandons Him.

"Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator Himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires."  Romans 1: 25, 26 New Living Translation

I don’t think it will be long–perhaps in my own lifetime–that we will have a President who fails to include the traditional “God bless America” line in his presidential speeches. In my estimation, this might, lamentably, be a more virtuous act than asking God to bless what our Union has become.  Jared C. Wellman - Pastor at Mission Dorado Baptist Church in Odessa, Texas. 

Devotional 123 - January Interlude

Psalm 3: 8 Victory comes from You... Your blessings rest on Your people.  Selah (Interlude)

 Psalm 24: 10 Who is the King of glory? The Lord Almighty - He is the King of glory.  Selah

 Psalm 32: 7 For You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with
 songs of victory.  Selah (Interlude)

ʺThe moment we set ourselves to be quiet and to seek our God in stillness, there is a clamor about us; we remember things we should do, or have forgotten to do; we are disturbed in a hundred ways - anything to break into that Selah.ʺ Amy Carmichael  - Missionary to India

Some commentators on the meaning of Selah, used frequently in the Psalm, say it means to pause and think about. Others say it means praise. Still others have declared it a musical interlude. Whatever the exact use of Selah is, we can be sure God wants us to consider deeply what we have just read in the precious scriptures. Take time to think about and look at Jesus. Take time to praise His name by declaring His goodness and beauty. Sing to Him.

To be sure January for me needs this reminder. No matter how hard I prepare my heart, I always feel a little down when l begin to put away the Christmas decorations. Christmas is over. The excitement of extra family time, extra baking and eating, extra gift giving and receiving... over.

But joy upon joy, the time with Jesus is never over. Time to pause in His Word, to reflect on the great privilege to be in a relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords. In the verses above we can pause and praise God for victories, for rest, for protection.

Let us commit ourselves to be quiet and seek our God in stillness. Let us have a daily Selah, a pause, a praise, an interlude.... everyday. It will be our ʺJanuary joyʺ to have a ʺJanuary interludeʺ.

ʺLet us then fill our pauses with praise,... pure adoration, the loving worship of the grateful heart.ʺ 
Amy Carmichael Thou Givest... They Gather

Devotional 122 - Christmas Wonder

The coming of Jesus is more exciting to kids than Santa Claus, IF the adults feel it is and act like it is. I’ve seen this.   John Piper

 More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!"John MacArthur

"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15

I just knew he was real. I mean I knew it. You know, the big, white bearded, jolly fellow, dressed in red. I knew because every Christmas morning there was a present I had never seen, wrapped in pretty paper I had never seen, under our Christmas tree with my name on it.  And the kicker was, it said "from Santa". It would be a very bad Santa to lie, so it had to be true. Santa was real.

I needed Santa to be real because I needed magic in my young life. I needed a moment when life wasn't about making your bed, eating your breakfast, and racing to school--- hoping I could avoid being teased about my newly permed frizzy hair, or being fearful I would disappoint my teacher by giving the wrong answer.

There were other presents under the tree from Mom and Dad, but it was the one from Santa, all the way from the North Pole, coming quietly while I slept, awaiting me when I opened my eyes in the dark morning hour, that thrilled me.

Then on December 12th, 1959, while walking home from school with a group of older, horrible classmates I heard one say, "I don't believe that baby stuff anymore. You know, SANTA ISN'T REAL."

"Yeah," the others all laughed loudly. "He's not real! Only babies believe in Santa Claus."

My heart was stricken with utter fear, like just mentioning the possibility was being a party to his murder. I had to get away as fast as I could. I ran like a jack rabbit all the way home. I burst into the door holding back tears.

"It's not true! Mom will tell me."

"Oh, those silly children. What do they know?" Mother casually replied.

I realize now, Mother lied because she needed magic and wonder in her life.

What could be more wondrous and magical than to have the attention of God Almighty, the One who created the pink/ purple sunrise I saw yesterday, the One who placed every star in the black sky for my gazing pleasure while I breathed in the crisp air, the One who placed the mountains and the oceans side by side? What is more magical than being raised from the dead to eternal life? What is more wondrous than God being born as a baby...to be cuddled and nursed? (Even the powerful demons, though they tried, could not kill the child.) That this child now our Savior is sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us? Is this not wonderful?

Christmas, for us today, is a grand reminder that you and I have ever been living in the realm of magic. Santas all cease and die. They come to an end. Our great Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace lives forever! Isaiah 9:6

"Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1Corinthians 2:9

Devotional 121 - Tough As Nails

"...God's decrees are putting iron in our souls..."   Beth Moore

Psalm 119:175 "Invigorate my soul so I can praise you well, use your decrees to put iron in my soul." The Message

Psalm 119:175 "Let my soul live and it shall praise You; and let Your judgments help me."  NKJV

I read about my "tough as nails" brothers and sisters every month when my periodicals arrive...Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, and International Christian Concern. I hear the stories of my sisters in Iraq who watch their husbands refuse to deny Christ and are beheaded right in front of them. I read about Kallol, his wife, and his two teen daughters who, this summer, were beaten by Hindus because they had been sharing the gospel with their neighbors and friends. How about this three year old Nigerian boy, Joel, who valued his little Bible so much, that after it was thrown in the fire by Muslim extremists, ran over to scoot it out with a stick, and was thrown into the fire also? He survives and is being helped to recover by Christian medical workers.

These are ones whom God has put iron into their souls...my "tough as nails" brothers and sisters. They are all over the world. They are out there and they are here. Let us not forget them! Pray for them! Hebrews 13:3 "Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also." 

And may we be so invigorated by His word, so enamored with praise for His beauty, His sovereignty, His loving justice, His holiness, that we, too, will be "tough as nails" for Jesus Christ. May God put iron into our souls. May you and I be ready in life or in death to live for Jesus.

" And they overcame Him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."  Revelation 12:11 NKJV

Devotional 120 - Live Between the Steps

The young man told the professor about his tour of duty in Vietnam, about how he served with a mine detection unit whose job it was to clear territory of mines left by the Viet Cong. He spoke of how he had witnessed some of his buddies blown apart or maimed for life.

“I learned to live between the steps,” he said. “I never knew whether the next one would be my last, so I learned to get everything I could out of the moment between when I picked up my foot and when I put it back down again. Every step I took was a whole new world, and I guess I’ve just been that way ever since.” Told by Mark Fox

“Uphold my steps in Your path, that my footsteps may not slip.” Psalm 17:5

“Direct my steps by Your word...” Psalm 119:133

“Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?” Job 31:4

“See the that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15

I want to be like the young soldier above who having seen his buddies blown up because of a misstep on a land mine became sensitive to how he lived his life. He became sensitive to the needs of the people around him. As he walked out his door he looked for ways to serve and protect those in his path.

But I want to go a “step” further (no pun intended). When we go out the door and move about our home or business why not have every step we take be an opportunity to love God more.

As I step out to water the flowers I praise him for His creation. As I step into the car to grocery shop I thank Him for His provision. As you step into the baby's room for a midnight feeding you ponder the strength He has given you to accomplish the task. As you step away from an argument you pray for the one with whom you have conflict. As you step away from your critical spirit you rejoice that His living, refreshing Spirit flows through you.

You see God has numbered our steps so let us learn to get everything we can out of the moment between when we pick our foot up and lay it back down again.

Devotional 119 - Christ in you today!

"...people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there."  John Piper

Colossians 1:27 God wanted His people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery-- which is Christ living in you the hope of glory."

Good morning, dear sisters, I am sitting here writing instead of packing for our trip to Canada. We will be getting a later start because of it, but wanted to continue to encourage you in the Lord.

Walking into my home last night I felt a little down. I always hear from others that coming back from a high mountain experience often takes you down before rising back up again.

I plopped my luggage down on the kitchen floor and tried to make my brain work at organizing for the next trip. My peaches on the counter were going bad. I had garden tomatoes that needed something done with, laundry to do, a package to wrap for a relative we would see, etc. Then my husband reads a series of texts he had from our daughter (not good).  So I sat down in my comfy chair and turned on the TV. And began to feel like the same-old, same-old person I had always been. I don't want to do anything, I don't want to think anything, I just want to numb myself. And a heavy sadness began to penetrate my heart. Until the Holy Sprit began to pierce it.

"But you still have Me. I am still with you. You still have me, Carol. Your name is still in my book. Doesn't matter if you have to throw those peaches and tomatoes out, you still have your ticket to heaven. It doesn't matter if you give a gift to that newborn baby, you will always be gifted with my grace and mercy. And your daughter's marriage may end in divorce, but my marriage to you will never, ever be dissolved. When this short life is over You will always have Me."

So whatever Satan or God places in your life today YOU STILL HAVE JESUS!

“Do you feel loved by God because you believe he makes much of you, or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of him?” 
― John Piper

 Christ in you, the hope of glory!!!!

Enjoy your precious Savior today

Devotional 118 - Fasting

"If I am soft to myself and slide comfortably into the vice of self-pity and self-sympathy; if I do not by the grace of God practice fortitude, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
Amy Carmichael      If  
   
Amy lived for over 50 years in India, died there, without seeing her homeland again. Raised hundreds of babies to adulthood in her orphanage. It was hard, dreary work, with no air conditioning, no running water, no screens on the windows to keep out bugs or tigers. She watched many babies die because there were no life saving drugs. She took no vacations from her work and the last 20 years she spent in bed, in pain, after a back injury.

"...I humbled myself with fasting..."Psalm 35:13

"The Lord is near to those whose hearts are humble..."Psalm 34:18

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!..They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."   Psalm 36: 7-9

Reasons for our fast.
1. It humbles us.
2. The Lord is near when we are humbled.
3. We learn to treasure Him more.
4. We become more thankful.
5. It strengthens us. As Amy said, we must by the grace of God practice fortitude.

Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life..2 Timothy 2: 3,4  When we fast from something we love, in order to be with God, it strengthens us. And each of us need His strength for the task He is laying out for us.

Whatever fast you decide to do is between you and the Lord. But however you are denying yourself, God is better! In all of our fasting may we each be drawn into closer fellowship with the Lord who abundantly satisfies. And may we learn to fight the good fight of faith.

Accompany your fasting with prayer. I pray for you, pray for me. And if we do our fasting days imperfectly, we go to God in prayer seeking forgiveness and He covers all our sins. O, what a great Savior we have!

Devotional - 117 Stop Fretting

"I can't think. I can't think. My problems are so big they take up all the room in my head and I have no space for you."    Anonymous

"Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with an evildoer who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes. Let go of anger, and leave rage behind. Do not be preoccupied. It only leads to evil."  Psalm 37: 7, 8   GWT

I read these verses after a distressing phone call from my daughter. I was fretting over and over about her situation. What should I have said or not said? Who is at fault? Is there sin? What verse? What rebuke? How to love like Jesus? My stomach was in knots. I was preoccupied with her, him, me, but not Jesus or others in the body of Christ.

And then Psalm 37 gives me comfort and guidance and a way back to peace and a home that has room for others. Look at the formula.
Vs. 3 "Trust in the Lord..." He is good. He is sovereign. He has a plan. He is love.
          "...and do good things."  Keep praying for others and doing acts of service. Don't hole up in your little dark house of problems, but continue to press outward and upward.
          "Live in the land and feed on His faithfulness."  Remember Christ came so that you might have life and have it abundantly. So stay right where you are. Don't run away. You can count on Christ to take care of things. You do not have to fret.
Vs. 4 "Be happy with the Lord..." GWT  "Delight yourself also in the Lord..." NKJV  Be preoccupied with Christ and His love for you and His all-sufficiency to take care of your problems. He desires your joy to be complete in Him in spite of your circumstances. As you delight in the most important thing the problems fade to their rightful place. Keep the main thing , the main thing.
Vs. 7, 8 "Surrender" and "wait". Let it go! Give it to God! Every time your mind starts to fill up with worry, say out loud, "God, this is Yours." Surrender it and wait for God to work.

So before our week is over I have a hunch each of us will have an attack in some way. We will feel like we have no energy for anything or anyone else but our own problems, but there is always a way out. Turn your eyes upward, our hope is in Him.

I am praying for my children and their spouses but I am not preoccupied or consumed with them only. The Lord keeps reminding me where my focus should be. Be encouraged, delight in Him!!!