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Faith: confidence in the testimony of another.1

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

As children of God, we believe that He watches over us as we go through each of our days. We know He stands alongside us as we go through the mundane tasks of living: caring for our children, doing the laundry, shopping for necessities-food, clothing, and paying bills. When God orders our days, we trust Him to allow us to do the important…  ( Click for more )

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

God told Jeremiah to deliver a letter to those Judeans exiled in Babylon. God has told them they would be in bondage for 70 years. The exiles were to establish themselves in Babylon, raise families, and work in the marketplace He told them that He had plans–good ones–for them. Two verses later the Lord speaks of what the Judean people would have to do in order to seek Him. Those exiled could seek Him only if they sought God with all their hearts. How else can we…  ( Click for more )

Praising God

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.”

Psalm 89:15 (NIV)

The act of praising God is a learned response. As we learn of his goodness, we feel the need to give back to God. We don’t say “praise the Lord” to impress those around us. We say it because we feel thankful to Him for what He has done for us in our time of stress- emotional, as well as financial- a need, or physical illness.

As we go through life, we walk paths assigned to us. We are not alone as we…  ( Click for more )

Daniel –A godly man: Daniel wanted to obey God even during his exiled in Babylon. The person who had charge of the young men being trained for the king’s service told the entire group to eat from the king’s table. Daniel thought about it and requested that he not be made to do it. He suggested that he and his friends be allowed to eat vegetables and drink water for ten days and then be compared to the others being trained.

Daniel and his three friends were given Babylonian names. Each of the group had names that had special meaning to the Jews. Their new…  ( Click for more )

The Bible, God’s Word, promises us hope. Through the words of those inspired by God, we learn of God’s desire for us, his children. Hope is defined as the reliance on God’s blessing and provision; the expectation of future good.1It is hope in the Lord that keeps His children going during times of financial strain, loss of occupation, health crises of ourselves and our families, and emergencies that enter our lives.

Biblical Views about Hope

In his first letter to the Corinthian believers, The Apostle Paul speaks of the qualities that remain in morally…  ( Click for more )

“Abide with Me”

KJV-

“Abide in me and I will abide in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” John 15:4-5

NIV-

“Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain on the vine. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” John 15:4-5

This conversation takes place in the upper room, shortly after Jesus Christ and His disciples ate their last supper together.…  ( Click for more )

Two days ago we celebrated Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus. Historically, however, it has been a time of depression for some people. Life events seem to carry more weight during this time. When we hear of a person’s demise, we say something about how hard it is to lose someone especially at this time of the year.

We hear of people being diagnosed with illnesses that can bring a person’s mortality to the minds of those who love them. Having experienced some dark times in life, I find it best to follow the advice of Paul:

“Be…  ( Click for more )

God’s requirements of Us

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

And to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (NIV)

This message from the prophet Micah gives us a very succinct template to form our Christian lives. We humans always try to make things more complex. Consider the number of rules the Old Testament people had to adhere to. The impact of the words of our focus passage makes us stop and think on them.

Act Justly

Micah relates God’s thought…  ( Click for more )

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

Each day is a gift from God. He designs every one specifically for us. Sometimes he allows circumstances into our lives that are not easy. At times, he brings us events that cause us to settle ourselves down to rest.

As I write this I am resting on our living room sofa. I am dealing with a sinus infection. Last week I was preparing for a Christmas play, practicing Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Dress Rehearsal was Thursday. Performances were Friday night, Saturday…  ( Click for more )

We have now entered the Advent season. Across the U. S. as well as the Christian world, people spend time getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Why do we go through this time of advance work?

Church choirs work to make themselves ready to sing Christmas cantatas. Children’s ministries departments prepare a children’s play to present to their churches. Churches decorate for the season. Some plan a special service-Hanging of the Greens- in order to accomplish the task. Other churches have committees that work to make their churches beautiful for the season…  ( Click for more )

“He restores my soul” Psalm 23:3a

I read Psalm 23 recently and found myself focusing on this phrase. King David penned these as a testimony to the greatness of God.

My husband and I live in what is called an economically depressed town. Two divisions of an automobile corporation closed down in the early part of this 21Century. These two divisions were mainstays of our city’s economy. As we drive through town we see houses empty due to foreclosure, and vacant business buildings. A lot of these businesses are closed because their clientele has had…  ( Click for more )

Christians are people who believe in Jesus Christ; and yet, they also can be people in great need. Our first and foremost need is a vital relationship with the Lord. People of Jesus are not from any walk of life; they come from all parts of society. I met a gentleman at our church who had been homeless. He was diagnosed with Cancer and lived in a nursing facility. He was faithful to be in church on Sunday and on Wednesday nights. As the congregation ministered to him, the people learned from him.

We need to learn to learn that all we can do is nothing in the eyes of…  ( Click for more )

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Father of mercy and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV)

This past summer, I learned a new term-Eucharisteo. It means He gives thanks and comes to us from the Greek and has as its root word-charis, meaning grace1. This goes along with my choosing the word grace as my word for 2013.I have learned things about praise and about God’s…  ( Click for more )

“But when time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman,” Galatians 4:4 (NIV)

Sometimes we, as children of God go through times of trial that seem to hang on forever. We want the tough times to go away but they don’t. We pray and ask God to take them away from us. But this might be the wrong thing to do.

From time to time, God allows hard events to happen to us because He uses those trials to foster our spiritual growth. When we ask Him to take that issue away from us, we might impede some work He wants to do in our lives.

Likewise,…  ( Click for more )

Back in the 1960’s, a comedian on television had a sort of a trademark line he used in his monologues; he’d look into the camera and say, “What you see is what you get.” When he uttered his phrase the audience, those in the studio and the TV watchers, would laugh.

In our present day world, we hear preachers speak of authenticity. One of the associate pastors we had spoke of our need to be ‘the real deal.’ In living the life God desires for us, He spells out how we are to live our lives. God gave us Ten Commandments to try to shape our…  ( Click for more )

What kind of faith is mustard seed faith? Mustard seeds are very small but Jesus tells us those tiny seeds grow into trees.

What does the mustard seed have to do with our faith? Our faith sometimes is small. Jesus tells us that even the smallest amount of faith will become stronger if we obey the Father.

What does faith involve? We have to trust the Lord with everything we have, we are or we want. In order to learn to trust, we have to learn to surrender our wants to the Lord.

When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him, “What must I do to inherit…  ( Click for more )

Choices

“. . . choose this day who you will follow . . . for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

Joshua called together the twelve tribes of Israel at Shechem. He reminded them of all the things God had done for them as a nation.

He gave the people a choice. They could serve the gods their forefathers served across the river or the gods of the Amorites in the land they were at that time. OR, they could serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and, Jacob as he and those in his household would do.

In our 21Century, we have…  ( Click for more )

What do we mean by intercession? When we pray for others, we go before the Lord on their behalf. This is intercession. The one who prays feels a burden to take others before Jesus; then He takes those needs before the Father.

A prayer warrior senses a need someone has and commits to pray for that person. Sometimes the prayer is said right then. Other times, the one praying will wait and include that request in their nightly prayers.

Jesus interceded for his disciples and for us in John 17:6-19,20-25. “He prays for protection for his disciples. They will need…  ( Click for more )

As we go through life we might decide we are on a journey. We don’t get to pick where it takes us. But, we must walk that road that God has laid out for us. When we accept the direction of that road without grumbling, it is easier to travel.

Our road may take us through difficult times during our childhood. We may or may not become rebellious during our teen years, making bad choices. Self-destructive habits may take root and cause us to have serious health issues as we mature.

We marry and have families of our own. What might happen is we go through…  ( Click for more )

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him.” Exodus 15:2 (NIV)

As a child, whenever I felt weak, I wanted to give up. I found myself just ignoring things that pertained to the particular activity I had been pursuing; I craved lots of encouragement.

As a young mother, I attended an area meeting of the church I attended. My church hosted the sister churches in the county and one or two in the next county to the north. The meeting was set up with small workshops. One of the titles referred to a Spiritual…  ( Click for more )

Do we realize that we represent Jesus in our daily activities? Do we realize that people watch how we handle ourselves in times of crisis? Yes, we are representatives of Jesus Christ when we go to the bank, the grocery store, pay our car insurance, by gasoline, and eat out in restaurants. God expects us to represent His Son.

Can we teach new Christians and our young people that they represent Jesus to others? We should be training new Christians and our young people how to be disciples for Jesus. We are the only Bible some people read. People don’t always remember what…  ( Click for more )

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 3:3-4

Our focus passage reminds us to always act from our love and compassion for those around us. We should have these qualities in our hearts. King Solomon, the smartest man in the world, penned these words. We have times where it is difficult to react in love to our surroundiings, but that is how we are to react.

In our 21Century world, we need to…  ( Click for more )

“I am the almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1 (KJV)

The word holiness seems to have fallen into disuse in our 21Century world. It has roots in both the Hebrew and Greek languages. When we speak of holiness, we speak of being separated from the world, set apart for God. Unger’s Bible Dictionary explains: “Holiness is a general term used to indicate sanctity or separation from all that is sinful, impure or morally imperfect; it is moral wholeness.” We can apply the word to persons, places, or things.

The Sanctuary--…  ( Click for more )

Prayer, Trust, and Guidance

One of my closest friends loaned me a book entitled, Hudson Taylor God’s Venturer by Phyllis Thompson.2She and I received different messages from this book. She realized that we are never too old to be used of God in a way He chooses. Its message to me told me I don’t pray enough about my personal circumstances. I also found myself caught up in Taylor’s last words, “We should trust Him fully.”

I am an intercessor-I find it very easy to pray for others. My prayer lists are filled with names of those on our church’s…  ( Click for more )