KNOWING GOD THROUGH THE PSALMS

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Every new semester of Bible Study I ask the girls in my group 3 questions... "tell us your name"... "tell us about yourself" ... and "what is your favorite book of the bible TODAY".

In the fifteen + years I have been teaching, the hands down favorite book of the bible is Psalms.

I find this so so interesting. What makes this book written over 3,000 years ago still so very popular?

Here's my guess at the answer...

LOOKING AT THE REAL CHRISTMAS STORY

I often think God is a God of few words... He writes and reveals for a purpose! To me, He does not often give lots of colorful background, the thoughts and feelings of the people in history or a flowery description of life and the culture of the times.

God is purposeful... He has a message and wants us to clearly understand His main points. It is literally a matter of eternal life for eternal death!

Today we are adding some cultural background and human thoughts to the real, raw and unrated Christmas story...

DRAW YOUR LINE... WITH INDELIBLE MARKER!

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Before my children learned how to drive, they were a captive audience.

Because they were very active in sports and ballet and cheerleading and church and drum lessons and the sort, we spent A LOT of time in the car! Lot and Lots of time! 

There they were, safely strapped into the back seat ... a captive audience. We talked about everything under the sun and I imparted my very best wisdom to them from the driver's seat...

DON'T EAT YOUR SEED

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For the last four weeks I have been sharing the Universal Truths Of Sowing And Reaping.

How GOD literally shows us examples on earth... practical everyday examples... of great spiritual truth. Jesus was the master at this when He walked the earth. He called these earthly stories with heavenly messages parables.

Today I want to share a parable with you too.

This story is called

DON'T EAT YOUR SEED...

THE PROBLEM WITH VOLUNTEERS~ SUNDAY SCRIPTURE

I live in the beautiful farmland of Lancaster County Pa... Heart of Amish Country! The word most often used to describe this area is BUCOLIC... 

byo͞oˈkälik

adjective

1. 1. of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.

   "the church is lovely for its bucolic setting"

   synonyms:

   rural, pastoral, country, countryside

   We have rolling fields and beautifully kept farms as far as the eye an see... and in the summer we have corn... lots and lots of corn...

WHY IS THE BIBLE SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?

Let's get very practical today... and honest!
Have you ever said or thought, "Why is the bible so difficult to understand?"

As a bible teacher I hear this all the time! And let's be real...the bible IS often hard to understand and grasp!

Let's talk about that...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ WHAT WE SAY SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT US!

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I have  something my family calls my "driving word".  Although I have not used it for many many years... my children still remember it...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE JUNE 2, 2013

Almost every morning... just before daybreak... I am awakened to the sound of a Mockingbird singing his little heart out near my bedroom windows.

He sits on the top branches of our weeping cherry tree and shouts out his song. It's not even that pretty! No obvious melody... just  strings of squacks and calls and shrill whistles. He doesn't seem to care at all... he just belts it out with every thing his dear soul has...

Not the most gentle way to wake up. Some mornings it's comical... but some mornings it's very very annoying!!!!

Not long ago a fragment of scripture popped into my head.... something about the trees of the field clapping their hands. What a great word picture!

Can you see the wind blowing through the trees making them "clap". 

Although this verse is taken out of context I love to think that all the earth is singing a song of great worship to the LORD! Yes, even my mockingbird friend!

SING TO THE LORD ALL THE EARTH

SING TO THE LORD, BLESS HIS NAME;

PROCLAIM GOOD TIDINGS OF HIS SALVATION FROM DAY TO DAY...

LET THE HEAVEN'S BE GLAD AND THE EARTH REJOICE

LET THE SEAS ROAR AND ALL IT CONTAINS

LET THE FIELDS EXULT AND ALL THAT IS IN IT

THEN ALL OF THE TREES OF THE FOREST WILL SHOUT FOR JOY

BEFORE THE LORD, FOR HE IS COMING

Psalm 96:1,2, 11-13

All the earth in it's own way knows and gives glory to the Lord! Nature know it's Creator... and in a great and wonderful act of corporate worship does exactly what it was created to do...it shows who HE is. Now that is a great act of worship, indeed!

Even my noisy little mockingbird is singing with all that is within him and doing his little birdie things... just like God created him to do... and it pleases and is a great worship to the Author of the Universe! He  sings each morning for only God to hear!

Nature cannot wait for the  Lord to come back. Even it knows the mess this world is in and waits with immense anticipation for Jesus' return.

But here is a startling thing... God's most prized creation does not necessarily feel that way! Unlike the rest of creation, it praises itself and acts independently of it's wonderful Creator.  It's songs and deeds are self driven and much of it is an abomination to the Lord! 

We were made to have the most intimate relationship with the very God of ALL! Our being and living was created to be a great praise to the Lord... just like the rest of the created world.

This morning I got up and took a lesson from my little birdie friend... I started my day with my own song to the Lord. 

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD

Psalm: 118:24

Let's all join creation and praise our Maker and worship Him!!! Let's live IN HIM the way we were created to be!

WHAT DOES FAITH MEAN... SAVING FAITH?

I am a pretty concrete thinker.

 "Christian" words like sanctified, glory, salvation, hallelujah, atonement, propitiation and faith are words that, for me, seem to float around my head cloaked in an ethereal cloud. I have a general knowledge of what they mean... but their true and deep meaning is lost in the mist of church speak. 

It's important for all of us, believers and seekers, to know these types of words.  We need to de-MIST-ify them and let their true meaning sink right into the marrow of our bones.

Faith is one of those words. Do we really know what it means? Let's work with the Holy Spirit to blow the fogginess off of it and get to a real and meaningful definition of FAITH...

When I think of the word FAITH... I also think of the word BELIEVE.  They are somewhat synonymous.  Faith is the noun and believe is the verb.

Let's put it like this... faith is the "person, place or thing" and believe is the "doing word".

To talk about a saving faith we need to look closely at the word believe. 

Believe is the Greek word PISTEO. It is a word that signifies a past action that continues to go on into the present. It means to have trust or faith in something... to accept something as true...to accept the word or evidence.

But Christian belief carries an even greater and deeper meaning... the definition cannot stop there! There must be something more!!!

James 2: 19 says ...

YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD IS ONE. YOU DO WELL: THE DEMONS ALSO BELIEVE AND SHUDDER.

Here's what James is saying... When we believe that God is the only and true God we are right in our thinking. Even the demons believe that and it makes them shake in their fiery shoes!

And here is the really important part... they BELIEVE in God but that belief does not save them from hell!!!!!

Just acknowledging and having a firm assent (belief) that God is real and He is... well, God does not save them!

There is more to saving belief or faith.

Here is a good working definition of believing that leads to salvation...

1. A STRONG CONVICTION OF THE TRUTH

Believing that the gospel is true... 

That Jesus, God incarnate, came to planet earth for the purpose of taking on our sins and dying in our place for them. That He lead a perfectly sinless life and that He died on the cross and spilled His perfect blood accepting the punishment of death instead of us. That He was buried because He was dead,  but after three days (Jewish days) He arose from the dead... alive. The grave could not hold Him! Then after 40 days he ascended to heaven... to the Father.

Even the demons recognized Jesus and believed (intellectually knew it was true) in the gospel... but that is where their belief stopped!

I'm afraid that so many of us think that we are Christians, yet our faith... what we believe in... stops there too!

2. A PERSONAL SURRENDER

In light of believing in the gospel and all it says we can now see ourselves as we really are... sinners! Falling so short of what God had intended us to be. Being rebellious... being out of God's will!

Repentance (turning back to God and asking Him to forgive us) begins our personal surrender.

We call Jesus LORD... and so He is. LORD means Creator/Owner.

Once we  repent of our sins we can ask the LORD to take and use our lives... We can hand over our lives and ourselves to Jesus. Only in His nail scarred hands can we begin to really live!

This is the point of belief that the demons are not willing go! They are prideful, wanting their own sinful way. They will never repent of their sin and hand rightful authority over their lives to Jesus! They run from Jesus in the scripture... we need to run to Him!!!!

3. A LIFESTYLE THAT REFLECTS THAT CHANGE

This step in saving faith is amazing!!!! Once we have a firm conviction in the truth of the gospel and we have asked God to forgive or sins and we give up the right to lead our lives for ourselves ... we will begin to change!!!

It's nothing we DO... God does it to us and through us!!! We will begin the lifelong process of SANCTIFICATION... becoming holy (set apart from common things). What that really means is we will, little by little, look more and more like Christ! God will work on us!!! We just have to keep believing and surrendering... being obedient. God will change our lives!!!!

I became a Christian at the age of 33. I can hardly recognize that girl, before I believed, as myself! I did not change myself... it's God's work in me that changed me!

I just kept believing the truth of the gospel... surrendering my will to Jesus (obeying) and God began to change me! Little by little!!!! It's a life long process!!!

THIS IS A FAITH THAT SAVES! Not just knowing the truth, but surrendering to it and being changed by it!

It is not accepting the truth and then never thinking about it again. 

There is nothing we DO... we don't have to be "good" to spend eternity with God... it is a gift! A free gift!  

It is our choice... do we accept the gift or not?

God will never force us to believe... to have a faith that saves... but He offers it to ALL!

 John, "the disciple who Jesus loved" lived with our LORD during His public ministry on earth. He saw the miracles Jesus performed. John called them signs... signs that pointed out that Jesus was the one who would save us from an eternity without God.

He wrote about these miracles and believing in Jesus and said...

MANY OTHER SIGNS THEREFORE JESUS PREFORMED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DISCIPLES, WHICH ARE NOT WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK: 

BUT THESE (signs) HAVE BEEN WRITTEN THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD; AND THAT BELIEVING YOU MAY HAVE LIFE IN HIS NAME.

John 20:30-31

In these two verses John wrote about true belief... a saving faith in Jesus what would lead to life... eternity with God!

I hope that this definition of Faith has helped you as it helped me... giving me a deeper understanding of the beautiful faith I have... the faith that saved me! The same faith that our great and good God offers to you too!

May God be glorified by this post and may you be richly blessed today!

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE TROUBLE IN YOUR LIFE, PART II

This week we are still talking about what to do when trials come knocking at our door. One thing is for certain... they will!!!

Last week we discussed the WHY of  a trial. If you missed that post, click HERE.

This week we will discuss the HOW of getting through them...

Most of us, when faced with a trial, can become worried, upset, distracted, angry, frustrated, annoyed, snarky,baffled, moody, and a whole lot more.

Trial, even little ones, can be very uncomfortable. The really mess up our plans!

We learned last week that a trial is a test. It is an indicator... it indicates FOR US what our faith looks like... and in WHOM we have faith in... ourselves or God!

We also found out that if we go through a trial, big or small, there is something to be joyful about. A trial, if done God's way, can mature us and make us more Christ like. If we try to flounder our way through it, most likely it will break us down!

Then, how does God want us to go through troubling times in our lives?  This is a very important question that we should be asking... and it is life changing if we know and OBEY what God tells us to do in those hard times.

To find out how to go through a trial we need to go back to the book of James.

James 1:5 says...

"If any of you lack (deficient) in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God Who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly without reproach or faultfinding, and it will be given to him".

My son Christopher hated school projects. And our school loved them and assigned them liberally! Sometimes, instead of doing them in a timely manner he would put them off to until the last minute. And then, when he could not put off the dreaded task any longer, he would panic... he was in BIG trouble!

You see, we had a rule in our family... if you did not do homework you could not play sports. And Chris was all about sports!!! And we were all about being consistent!

He would eventually come to his Daddy or me asking for help. Because we loved Christopher we would help him... but not do his work for him. When he was young that usually looked like helping him make a plan... and then sitting up late into the night until he got the project done.

God is our Heavenly Father... or Abba... Daddy! He loves us and wants to help us.

James 1:5 starts out with the word "IF". The Greek word for IF really means..."KNOW FOR SURE". It really does not mean IF.  So God is saying... KNOW FOR SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO LACK THE WISDOM TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM THE WAY I WANT YOU TO.

Most of us can handle a trial OUR way... but that is not the way God wants us to handle them. He want us to seek Him out... to seek out our Father... and ask HIM for the wisdom to handle each trial.

And God says that if we ask Him for His wisdom in times of trouble that he WILL give wisdom to us... and give it to us liberally and ungrudgingly... without fnding fault with us or disapproving or discrediting us! Now doesn't that sound loving? It sure does to me!

He is waiting with open arms... God lovingly wants to pour His wisdom over us, and give us the tools to come through a trial His way.

The question now is... Do we believe God can give us wisdom to get us out of trouble... and... do we want to get out of trouble God's way?

James 1:6-7 says:

"Only it must be in faith (believing) that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating or doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates or doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the sea.

For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything (he asks for) from God".

As Christopher got older, he go better at coming to his Daddy and me to ask for help. He learned to come  to us as soon as he got a school project.  We would help him map out a plan of success... one that, if he would work on his project a little bit each night, would have the project done right and in time AND with much less stress!

Sometimes he would follow the plan and sometimes, well... not so much!  When he would follow our wisdom he was successful.  But, when he fell back into into his old habit of putting off a project until the last minute... I called that his default setting... he would find himself in a familiar mess again!

I remember one night about 1:00 in the morning, Christoper came up to our bedroom in a panic. Shaking me awake he moaned, "Mom, I need your help... I'll have to stay up all night to get this project done".  Before I could answer, his Daddy, who was awake by now, answered.  "No son, we gave you a plan. You will have to work it out for yourself. We are going back to sleep."  That was it! Christopher left the room without another word. He knew his Daddy meant business! Bobby turned over and went back to sleep. I stayed up and in the dark of our bedroom worried about my precious son. I knew Bobby was right, but I still hurt for my son!

God, our Father is ALL Wise! He knows the trials you are in and just what you need to get through them and become mature in the process.  HE  has a plan!

He promises us that if we go to him he will lavish us with His wisdom! But we MUST... let me say this again... MUST believe that GOD will do this... and believing we must follow the plan He gives us.

Just like our son Christopher... if we follow God's plan we can get through our trials and come out better in many ways.

But please hear this... God's plans are not always our plans! We might have our own ideas how WE want a trial handled... we might not want to go through a trial and do it God's way. 

God's wisdom in a trial is available for all. But if we doubt and waiver... if we fall back into our comfortable "default settings" God says we will receive nothing. He wants the best for us. Many times our way of handling things are the easy way out... the way of least resistance... the path of destruction. Our plans in times of trouble don't grow us! God's wisdom does!

We could have done the projects for our son, or run to help him when he disregarded our original plan... but how would that have helped Christopher in the long run?  Chris learned a very valuable lesson when he had to stay up all night working on his project.  The next day he went to school exhausted and with a very poorly done homework project. He also came home sick that day and could not go to football practice! Although my heart ached for him... I knew we had done the right thing for him. 

We were teaching him. Teaching him to obey... to find the way of wisdom... we were teaching him that actions have consequences. All valuable lessons!

God is our great teacher too! He wants to teach us into Christian maturity. Move us on the right path... the path of looking more and more like Christ. So each trial can have a positive, although sometimes painful, effect on us.

Let's review what we have learned...

* Come to God in trials and ask Him for His wisdom in handling it.

* ASK!

* Don't doubt that He WILL give you wisdom... a plan!

*Believe in God... don't waiver! Believe in the wisdom He gives you!

* Stay with God's plan no matter what. Don't let a trial's circumstance have power over you.

*Know that if you do waiver and do things your way God will have no part of it.  He has nothing to do with self destruction!

Now it's time for homework... don't put it off! Start today!!!!

Memorize James 1:5-7. Read it every day... three times a day.

James 1:1-7 needs to be a part of all of the very fiber of our souls!!! God's word is so wise and practical and  helpful to us.

Again, I will not be checking homework... that is between you and God!

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE TROUBLE IN YOUR LIF, PART I

I am NOT a drama queen! NO, NOT ME! 

I try to avoid stress and stain in life.  However sometimes it finds me.

We have all had trouble of one sort or another in our lives... God calls them trials.

The bible is VERY clear about how to handle trials and get through them.  And not only get through them... God promises that if we go through a trial HIS way we will not only get through them but come out better and more mature... more complete... than before the trial! What a promise!!!

Doesn't that make you want to know what God has to say ...

DON'T BE A STENCH!

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We live in a sanitized world. We have clean water to bathe in... deodorants for our bodies... laundry soap for our clothes... dishwashers for our dishes...Mr. Clean for our countertops...flushing toilets....air fresheners... car fresheners... pet fresheners... carpet fresheners... and that's a good thing!

But not long ago the world smelled like a very different place...

I was struck with a thought on one of our Christmas trips to Williamsburg...before electricity, everyone must have smelled like smoke. Fires were the primary way of keeping warm... of cooking... of heating water... even the street lights were big baskets of burning wood. And if you have been camping for a weekend, you know how the smell of smoke seems to sticks to everything!

In our culture and day we don't often come across horribly bad smells... like rotting rats or rotting teeth or sewage flung out in the streets.  If this is making you a little squeamish or makes you say "eeeeeuuuuu"! then  you are making my point!  We live in a very sanitized world!

Not so in the days of the Bible. Bad smells were a part of life. And good smells a wonderful relief!

The ancient Hebrews used this concrete image of "smells"... both good and bad.. to get across an abstract concept, something they often did as their language was very poetic and vivid.

The Hebrew word ba'ash (pronounced bah-AHSH) means "to be a stench or to emit a stinking odor"

This word was used to describe the odor of the Nile when all the fish died as a result of God turning it into blood.

The word ba'ash and it's visceral imagery was also used to describe a person that was despised because of something horrible he or she has done.

As dead flies give perfume a stench, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Ecclesiastes 10:1

In other words, our odious deeds will outweigh honorable ones. So we must be on our guard to not let the stench of bad choices stick to us.

I think this is a verse we should all memorize! Bad behavior is not soon forgotten... it lingers like a stench! And that stench can often be transferred to those we are associated with.

Now this is why it is important to Christians. To a non-believing world, Christ smells like us! Our actions can have a direct effect on how others see Christ. We are His ambassadors to a lost and hurting world.

This gives me a very concrete way of looking at my behavior and the way others look at it too.

Maybe if behavior actually did "smell" we would be much more aware of it!  On the other hand, thank God for his grace in that area!

So, here is my question for you to think about today... as I will too..

HOW DOES YOUR BEHAVIOR SMELL?

WHY DO WE NEED A KING?

Every morning (well almost) I meet with God and we study His word together.

Right now I am studying the book of Matthew.

This book is so full of the imagery of the "kingdom of God" and what this everlasting kingdom will be like... no wonder the theme of Matthew is "behold, the KING OF THE JEWS"... for every kingdom needs a king!

The Jews of Jesus day knew that there would be a time when they were no longer under the bondage of another nation and they would have a kingdom that would have no end... and that it would be ruled by a great KING. 

I think it is hard for us as 21st century modern western philosophical thinkers to relate to the words and customs of the 1st century ancient oriental orthodox world that the book of Matthew was written in.  So much of the history, background, and mindset of the time needs to be understood to fully get a grasp the weight of why the Jews... and all of us need a king...

 In the world of Jesus' time and before all nations were headed by a king or queen or someone who was in complete charge. A king was responsible for the people. The kings word was final. The decisions about war and allegiances and taxes and land rights and slavery and justice and judgement and the minutiae of the day to day was in the king's hands. Life itself was in the king's hands!

How well the people of a land fared was directly related to how the king ruled. There were some good kings... but mostly kings gave themselves over to their wanton and selfish ways. When things got so bad in a kingdom the people could not "vote" their king out... usually when things got to the tipping point the king would be assassinated or occasionally booted out of the country.

But a bad king was better, most of the time, than no king at all. Anarchy is a more than horrible thing...worse than having no king. Without a king a country would fall easy prey to another country's king and their lot was unspeakable!

People were always longing for a just, merciful concerned king. One who would be a champion for the little people of the nation! There was no such thing as "upward mobility" or a "self-made man". A woman's lot in life was more grim yet. The masses needed a king who would put them first and elevate their station and situation.

They needed a king who would rule with a fist of iron in justice and pour mercy and love out to all the people of the land! One that would rule a kingdom in which everyone would do well and serve the king out of their grateful hearts. A trustworthy king... a faithful king... a servant king!

God has just the "man" for the job!

He is called the MERSSIAH... and CHRIST!

 He called himself...

 "THE SON OF MAN".

He was and is the SON OF GOD... Jesus!

He is EMANUEL... GOD WITH US!

Jesus has the authority, the lineage, the right, the will and the desire to be this great KING.

He is coming... and will rule and reign on planet earth. HE will set things straight, the way God had originally intended! He will be completely just and completely merciful and completely loving... perfection in every way! All the subjects of the kingdom will live in complete peace, having everything they need, not in fear of war or want, serving the king with unending joy!

He is KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS! (Rev 19:16)

A king needs a kingdom.. and a kingdom is filled with people. Are you one?

My very very favorite description of this  KING is from Dr.SM Lockridge. He describes MY KING in a way that pierces my heart. I cannot watch it without being a puddle of grateful tears. It brings me to my knees in love and allegiance...

Please, please I  beg you to take time to watch this video and share it if you are moved to... DO YOU KNOW MY KING? I pray that you do!

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ BLESSING THE LORD

This morning I woke up to a frosty covering of snow on the ground. The world around me was white and peaceful and calm.  What a blessing! God had blessed me with one of my favorite things...snow!
This made me think about "blessing".

I understand God as the one who blesses... not man. He is the one with the storehouse of goodness and in His grace rains (and in this case, snows) those good things down on us.

I wondered... how can WE bless the Lord, isn't He the One who blesses us... like He blessed me with snow?

Then why does David say in the Psalms...

bless the Lord,O my soul: and all that is in me bless His holy name...

The word "bless" comes from the ancient Hebrew word "BERAKHAH" (bra-KHAH') . This word is related to the Hebrew word for "knee" and the verb "to kneel". The ancients had a wonderful everyday visual image for this word. "BERAKAH" is the action of a camel as he knees down (Genesis 24:11).

It carries the idea that when we "bless" the Lord we mentally and spiritually bow down on our knees and worship Him, acknowledging that He is the source of all blessings.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:20 that we should be...

"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything".

This sounds like an overwhelming task ... "to bless God for everything".

 For the the ancient Jews and the Jews of Jesus' time "blessing the Lord" was entwined into their daily life. They would say a brief prayer honoring God as the source of everything good.

In Jesus' time these prayers began with "Blessed is He..." or "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe".

They would bless God upon waking and bless God that each part of their bodies were working properly. They would bless God when they got dressed saying, "Blessed is He who clothes the naked".

When they would see the change of the seasons, or new grass, or the flowers blooming on trees in the spring they would pray, "Blessed is He who did not omit anything from the world and created within it good creations... like the changing of the season, or this good new grass or good trees... for people to enjoy".

When they would hear thunder it would remind them to thank God, "Blessed is He who's strength and power fill the world".

Praying in this way brought God close to them. He became a very center of their daily lives. It also reminded the Jews that God was good and the source of all blessings.

In good times and in bad they prayed.  When a happy, long awaited event like a wedding or a birth happened they would pray, "Blessed is He who has allowed us to live and sustained us and enabled us to reach this day".

In times of grief, the Jews would bless God. They would spiritually bow their knee in worship. They would say, "Blessed is He who is the true Judge".  This was a reminder that God would not let any bad deed or evil go unpunished. He IS the judge and has all things in His just hands.

We might think, Wow! that's a whole lot of prayer! And we would be right.  In filling our lives with blessing the Lord, something miraculous happens! Our point of view changes and so does our attitude about almost everything... for the better!

When we bless the Lord... when prayer gets entwined in our daily lives we begin to see...

"THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS FULL OF HIS GLORY". Isaiah 6:3

We will see God's presence everywhere... and see His bountiful hand in all things!

It also reminds us that He is keeping a watchful eye on us, like a loving parent watches over His precious child. It is a reminder that we are under His constant care!

"BLESS THE LORD,O MY SOUL: AND ALL THAT IS IN ME BLESS HIS HOLY NAME"!

Bless the Lord, for the beauty and wonder of the snow he provided this morning out of His love and goodness! Amen.

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ A FRESH NEW START!

I look at the New Year as a time to push the "reset" button. A time to sorta start over... a fresh new start!

It is a time to put all bad habits and the disarray of life behind me and begin again!  I'm a New Year resolution maker. Many of my resolutions fall by the wayside before spring... but some have stuck and made major difference in my life.

I always feel hopeful at the beginning of the New Year...

God has a reset button for us too... a way to have a clean slate... a way to start fresh and new...

Just like a year of bad habits and bad choices can wreck our lives and leave it in a jumbled mess... so sin can severely damage our relationship with God and God's power in our lives!

And relationship is the very reason God made us! We were all created to have a deep, intimate and real relationship with the very God of the universe.  A relationship so close that we would call him "ABBA" (Hebrew)... Daddy!  He waits with open arms and heart for us to run to Him!

It is sin that chokes off  this relationship and makes us blind to our heavenly Father... so blind we don't see His open arm of love!

Sin has always been our problem! Some of us don't even know the seriousness of sin! So, what is sin?

The Greek word for sin...hamartia... gives us a very useful picture of what sin really is!  It means to "miss the mark"... literally!

Hamartia, is the idea of stepping up to shoot an arrow into the bulls-eye of a big round target... and that arrow totally "missing the mark".  Sometimes we don't even want to hit the mark! We want to shoot the arrow in our own direction! This can be dangerous and the fall out often hurts others!

Our lives are the arrow and the bulls-eye is God's holiness. God made us to live holy lives.  Lives that glorify who He is...lives that are like mirrors reflecting His great worth!

But sadly, the arrows of our lives so often... miss the mark. That is sin! Sin keeps us out of the LARGE bulls-eye of a relationship with God! It keeps us from so many of God's loving blessing and the great joy and peace we would have in our lives!

Whether you accept this truth or not... sin is sin! We don't have to believe this fact for it to be true.

We who believe in Jesus as the sacrifice that totally took away our sins and the sins of the whole world no longer have a problem of eternal destination because of sin.  We are His children... we are in union with Him... we are heaven bound! Sin no longer has the power of eternal death over us!

But what sin does affect is our relationship right now... it weakens God's ability to work in our lives!

If you are like me, I need and want a strong relationship with God right here on earth! I want to be a channel of His blessings and love and power. I want my life to be BIG for Him!

When I sin and hurt my relationship with God I have a... sorta... reset button. A way to have a fresh start.  I am very grateful about this because I need one!

1 John 1:9 says...

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Here is another...  much longer... way of saying this... 

If we talk to God and tell him about the ways we miss the mark AND acknowledge His better way... God will ALWAYS choose to forgive us! The consequences of repentance is always forgiveness!

 The ancients had a wonderful picture for forgiveness. They said that God "remembers not our sins". Of course God cannot forget anything... ever! But it is the beautiful  idea that God puts our sins behind His back and never looks at them...or acts on them. He will not credit our sin to our account.  

God does this because of HIS character and not because of who we are. He is righteous... always does the perfect and right thing! And it is in His character to forgive us because He is merciful and loving.

1 John 1:9 says that God will cleanse us... He will scrub away all the mess of sin  that clogs up our relationship... and GOD does this!  We make the mess and He cleans it all up... He will scrub away everything that is unrighteous... not in right standing... or that stands in our way back to Him and an open, blessed relationship with Him!

That is how much God loves us and wants a relationship with us! He literally can't wait to set thing in order for us!

How could we not love a God that loves us this much? How can we not want to push the reset button and have a fresh start?

I might have to confess my daily sin and push the reset button many times a day... but here is the very remarkable thing... the more I recognize my sin and ask for forgiveness... the more God pours His light into my life and the better I can see sin!

 The more I am made aware of sin, the more desire I have to avoid it. I want to do things God's way. It's the best way for my life!!!

I marvel at God's capacity to love and forgive. I tell you the truth... God is waiting...He is waiting for the permission to set things right. If we confess our sins with a sincere heart... He does the rest!

What a God we serve!!! Thank you, my Father!

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ DEC 23, 2012

Church of the Nativity~ Bethlehem, Israel

Part of the Christmas story is the fact... and tradition... of the Thee Wise Men.

These exotic men of great wealth and wisdom have always intrigued me!

What motivated these men, of great mind and means, to travel such a far distance to look for a King? How did they know? Of what importance was this King to them...

When we unravel tradition and look at the biblical and historical facts... the real life search of the Magi is so much more fascinating than the story most of us know...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ DEC. 2, 2012

Christmas is coming... it it right around the corner. Are you ready yet... getting there... thinking about it... or haven't a clue?

We all know that it comes every year... December 25th ... like clockwork!  Most of us spend a good deal of time and money getting ready for the BIG DAY!

There is another day that is even more special... and much bigger than Christmas... it is coming... are you getting ready?

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent runs from today until Christmas. It starts four Sunday's before Christmas. It is a time to "get ready"... a time to prepare!

Sorta like we prepare for Christmas! We decorate... buy gifts... clean... cook ... and PREPARE for Christmas Day. 

But Advent is also very very different!  During advent there is very little physical preparation. The preparation is mostly spiritual! It is a matter of our HEART! During Advent we get ourselves ready.. we get our heart (mind, will , emotions, intellect) ready!

Advent means "COMING". 

So, what is coming  and how do we get ready?

Let me take you back in history... far, far back.. about 700 BC. The Israelites were in a terrible mess! Their kingdom was fractured... they were ruled by a horrid and ungodly king... and they had turned away from their God... the only God! Their very existence was being threatened with total destruction from Assyria!

They needed a great ruler, someone who could lead them out of the mess they had gotten themselves into!  They had been expectantly waiting for his COMING for so long. However, during this time in history much of the nation had forgotten about this promised Messiah... this great anointed KING!

But God had not forgotten His promises.  He again, through a prophet, brought good news to this terribly disobedient people...

"BEHOLD, A VIRGIN WILL BE WITH CHILD AND BEAR A SON, AND SHE WILL CALL HIS NAME EMMANUEL (meaning: God with us)." Isaiah 7:14

This was not the first time...nor the last that God would speak about promises of His coming KING!

God spoke over 300 times about this heavenly KING that was coming... that He would send.

Israel had been waiting for this KING for so so long!!! 

Finally, He came! Born to the young virgin... just like God had said hundreds and hundreds of years before.  He was GOD... "God with us"! THIS is the reason we celebrate Christmas! 

During Advent, we prepare ourselves spiritually by remembering the birth of our KING! But that is just part of it!

There is more preparation... there is another COMING! 

Another prophet told of this second coming...

..." AND THE LORD, WHOM YOU SEEK, WILL SUDDENLY COME TO HIS TEMPLE; AND THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT IN WHOM YOU DELIGHT, BEHOLD, HE IS COMING, SAY THE LORD OF HOSTS." Malachi 3:1b

Again, the bible is full of prophesies of the KING coming back... coming as a conquering KING to rule and reign planet earth!

THIS is what we as Christians are to prepare for. This is the Advent we are to be thinking about!!!!

During this time of year... we are to remember Jesus' first coming... His birth. And why He came! He came to die and to redeem (buy back with a price) us from the slave market of sin and death.  And through His death and resurrection, we... everyone who believes...become part of His holy and forever kingdom!

We are to remember that we are God's children. That we belong to Him! And we are to prepare for this  eternal KING'S inevitable coming back to rule... and set all things straight! We are to prepare for an eternity with Emanuel... God WITH us!

How are we to prepare?

First, make sure you belong to HIM!  Repent! Repent for not living your life God's way. We don't like that word as a culture. Well, we really don't understand it! It's hard to say that we are wrong... but in our hearts we know that we are not perfect.

Repent has such a beautiful meaning!!!! In Hebrew the work is nicham... it's idea is... "go towards God".  When we repent... we tell God what He already knows... ways we have moved away from him...ways we have sinned... and by recognizing THAT we spiritually make a U-turn and move towards Him... right into God's waiting, loving and OPEN arms! The arms of love!

If you have not made the decision to give your life back to it's original owner... Jesus... do it! Tell Jesus that you want Him to be the LORD (creator, owner) of your life! Some Christian's describe this as asking Jesus into your heart... what it really means is asking Jesus to take over your "cardia"... a Greek word for heart that means your mind, will, emotions and intellect... YOUR LIFE!

If you belong to Jesus... the Author of Christmas... and the coming KING... prepare your heart and spirit by reading Scripture, praying and even fasting during Advent.

There are many Biblical Advent calendars and devotional books to help you PREPARE for the KING!!!

HE is coming... are you ready?