Tag: Love

Love Made Known

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John 17:20-26 Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Jesus was betrayed and led to his death on the cross, but right before that happened he prayed for all believers. He prayed for unity among believers and complete unity with himself and God. He said if we have this unity, then the world will know that God sent Jesus and the world would understand God’s love.

I wonder if we have missed the mark and this saddens me. I don’t know if we are united as a group of believers. I don’t necessarily see us all working together for the kingdom as much as working to make our own churches or ministries successful. We get so hung up on our doctrine that we forget lives are on the line.

Last weekend, I attended a memorial service for my uncle who was a Jehovah Witness. It’s my understanding that he believed Jesus existed but didn’t believe he needed him as a Savior. He didn’t believe in hell and didn’t believe he needed “saving” from his sin. He “worked” hard to achieve in that faith and believed his “good works” would allow him to be resurrected when Jesus comes to establish his kingdom on earth. Until then, he will be asleep like being under anesthesia is how it was explained at his memorial service.

I loved my uncle, he was my mother’s brother. There were approximately 20 Christ believing followers at his service among approximately 100 Jehovah Witnesses. We were definitely outnumbered but all of us were praying for them while they were trying to convince us of their belief system. You see the power of God and God’s love can and will transform hearts under any circumstances. Unfortunately, it’s too late for my uncle but it’s never too late for those who are still drawing breath.

Will you unite with me and join me in praying for those who need to know God’s love and saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? Because when Christ does return, my hope is that we can say we did all we could.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:13

Grow Your Faith

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If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10

As a believer in Jesus Christ, how much faith do you have?

Consider this, you have a friend who needs money. You loan your friend the money and your friend repays you. Trust has been established and you believe your friend is trustworthy. When your friend comes again for money, you don’t hesitate to loan it because you trust your friend to repay you. What if your friend did not repay you the first time around? Would you loan the money a second time? I know this seems like a simply analogy but I believe it works the same way with God.

As you spend time in the bible getting to know God and the character of God, your faith cannot help but increase. When God gives you a task or a challenge and you go through with it, God blesses your trust in him. He will increase your opportunities to trust him more. This is how faith grows and with each time God reveals more of himself to you. 

On the other hand, if you didn’t go through with something that you knew God was calling you to do, then you’ve not only missed an opportunity to serve God but you have missed an opportunity to grow your faith. We’ve all done this from time to time because of our imperfect sin nature. However, when you miss those opportunities or just refuse to take them, ask God for another one.

For example, one day I was at my local Sonic drive in ordering lunch. I saw a city trash worker sitting at a table. I knew God wanted me to buy his lunch but I didn’t. As soon as I drove away, I was feeling convicted. I asked God for another opportunity and purposely went back the next day. The same city trash worker was sitting there again and I had a second chance to buy his lunch! I have no idea why God put that on my heart but I was filled with joy and blessed beyond words when I saw his face light up. God knew his story, I didn’t need to know it, I just had to be faithful. This little faith step was one step toward bigger faith steps and I pray that it continues because the joy and blessings that come with an increased faith is remarkable. We serve a remarkable God who has big plans for us.

Will you allow God to grow your faith?

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

 

 

Dry Bones

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I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I will do it. This is the declaration of the LORD. Ezekiel 37:14

This passage is speaking of the Israelites and how God was going to resurrect them. God took Ezekiel to the Valley of Dry Bones and set him in the middle of the valley where it was full of dry bones.  The bones were very dry and God told Ezekiel that he was going to use him to prophesy concerning these bones to breathe life into them. He did just that, Ezekiel commanded the bones and at first he heard a rattling sound of the bones coming together. Then tendons appeared, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath verse 8 tells us. God directed Ezekiel to command the breath to come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so they may live and it worked! They came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army. 

There was a time when I felt like I had dry bones. I moved to Texas from another state where I had been very involved in my church. I was leading a bible study and felt very close to God. When we started looking for a new church home, it was not an easy task. I could not find church that felt like home and I felt myself drying up spiritually. Gradually, I began to shrivel and I remember telling my sister and friend, that I felt like I was drying up. I was reading my bible but I needed community and not just any community but a spiritual community. They prayed for me and shortly thereafter, we found our church home. It wasn’t long before life came back into these dry bones and I was leading a group of women in bible study. It was refreshing!

In verses12-14 God says the dry bones represent the whole house of Israel as dried up, hope has perished and they are cut off. God tells that a time is coming when He is going to resurrect the people of Israel, lead them into the land and they will know that he is Yahweh. He will put his Spirit in them and they will live and they will know He is their God!!

Since we live in New Testament times, we don’t have to wait to be spiritually alive. It’s a simple heartfelt decision and action to move toward God through his son, Jesus Christ. If we take one step, He meets us there, ready to breath life into us! 

What are you waiting for?

Sticking Tongue

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The tongue is a powerful tool and it can be sticky business at times. Ezekiel found that out when he was called by God at age 30. Ezekiel’s purpose was to warn the people of coming judgment and expose the nation of Israel’s moral depravity and absence of spiritual truth. We read in Ezekiel 3:26 that God made Ezekiel’s tongue stick to the roof of his mouth so he couldn’t talk. One time he couldn’t talk for 7 days (3:15) and another time for 7 years (33:21-22). During the 7 year period, God would only allow him to speak when he wanted him to give a message to the Israelites.

I find this fascinating and have been pondering this for a few days now. You see Ezekiel was a Watchman. The Hebrew word for watchman is zahar. A zahar is someone who is to warn or instruct, to shine, to be clear. A watchman was to warn cities against attack. Ezekiel was a prophetic watchman instructed to warn about divine judgment against sin. God made him a watchman over the house of Israel and told Ezekiel that when he heard a word from God’s mouth, then he was to to speak a warning to the people (3:17-18).

What if we all lived this way? I don’t know about you but my mouth gets me in trouble at times. Have you heard the old addage? You have two ears and one mouth in order to listen twice as much as you talk. There’s a lot of truth in that saying.

As New Testament believers, we are God’s watchman. We are to guide people toward Jesus and warn them about a life without Christ. If God only allowed me to speak when it was for his good, what would my life look like? What would your life look like? This is my challenge, the next time I want to speak and I know it’s not from God, maybe I will let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth until I clear it with God. Will you join me?

A Righteous Man

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Matthew 1:18-21, The birth of Jesus came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. But after he had considered these things, an angel of The Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

This morning I noticed something special about Joseph. We often talk about Mary this time of year and rightly so. However, I noticed something about Joseph’s character that really struck me. He was a righteous man! He didn’t want to publicly humiliate Mary. Most likely his peers would have exposed her obvious sin and why not, this was a heinous sin in that culture. But before the angel could appear to Joseph, he already decided to show compassion and mercy. He intentionally decided to show grace even though he was deeply hurt.

What a powerful lesson for us today. When we are hurt by someone, we naturally want to retaliate or defend our position because we have every right. Especially if we are right! But what I see in Joseph is righteousness that only comes from a right relationship with God. We can have that too if we want it. I’m thinking about the next time I’m offended, what if I immediately responded with compassion, mercy and grace. Would the end result be different? I would imagine so.

This Christmas season is a joyous one but also can be difficult for some. Maybe family or friends have hurt you and you have every right to be upset. However, what if you responded like Joseph and extended grace? A right relationship with God through Jesus Christ makes this possible. This is the very essence of righteousness.

Next time, how will you respond? How will I?

Waiting

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I waited patiently for the LORD, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. Psalm 40:1

As I am anticipating the anniversary of my mother’s death, I am reminded that The Lord hears me and my cry for help. When I am a mess, He is not. When I am sad, He is not. When I am angry for a death that came too soon, He is not. When I am tired, He is not. When I am weak, He is not.

So I wait patiently for the LORD in many ways and areas in my life. When I wait for Him, God is doing a work in me and is always faithful. He turns to me like a parent to a child and says, I am here and I hear you. I see you and I hear you, I am here and will never leave you.

Last evening my church held a Service of Hope and Healing for those who are experiencing grief during this Christmas season. It was a small, quiet and very meaningful service. The Stephen Ministers served Holy Communion, assisted those in lighting a candle in remembrance of someone and were available to offer a prayer. Our Pastor anointed those with oil who needed a blessing and gave a beautiful message of hope through Christ who is our light in the darkness. It was beautiful and I hope those who came felt the presence of God deep within.

In ministry, I see a lot of hurting people for all kinds of reasons. But one thing I have noticed is that all need Jesus. Jesus truly is the bread of life and without him, we are lifeless. Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Jesus not only wants to give you life for the hereafter, but also for the here and now. Only Jesus can do that for you and me. So if this holiday season is difficult, call out to Jesus. He sees you and hears you.

I close with this thought, in the first New Testament book of Matthew 1:23. The prophet Isaiah is quoted, “See the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel.” The name Immanuel means God with us. Glory to God, for He is with us. Know this dear brothers and sisters, God is with you.

Will you allow His presence to comfort you this season?

God Dependent by Tera Rabe

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Tera Rabe is my little sister. She recently wrote this devotion and it’s just too good not to share with you. I know you will enjoy.

This month marks 26 years since I accepted Christ. I can’t help but reflect on my journey with the Lord. We all look back and reminisce during lengths of friendship, marriage and employment. Why not stop and think about our journey with our Lord?

When I was fourteen, I had scoliosis surgery. I did not fear the surgery or the possibility of something going wrong. My trust was in the Lord.

In October 2001, my Mom got sick and needed constant care for a while. I left college during mid-semester of my junior year and moved back home. I knew God was calling me to do this. Looking back, I am so glad I obeyed.

Then, a year later, Mom passed away three days before Christmas and just three months after I was married. God carried me through that intense season of grief. It was during this time that I truly fell in Love with Christ. I felt such an emptiness in losing my Mom that He was the only one who could fill it. I was twenty five years old. I felt robbed. I still had so much of my life to live and she would not be there. My relationship with the Lord was never meant to be an after-thought and that’s exactly what it was until that moment I let him become my everything. That was fifteen years after I had decided to follow him.

There seems to be a common thread with those who allow Christ to be their everything. The reality of it is not IF they get to that point, but WHEN. The when is usually followed by a life changing, life altering event. I have often wondered why that was.

Then, this past January, I was at an all Women’s Night of Worship at church. A woman got up, told her story and an at the end, passed out index cards and told us to write down our “take-away” for the evening. I sat there silently, feeling like I didn’t have anything to write and then all of a sudden, I found myself writing “GOD DEPENDENT.” Be more God Dependent! It’s about being God Dependent! It all made sense. I now understood a little bit of why I had to go through the painful grief process and it also set the tone for what was coming later this year.

This past summer, I had another surgery for scoliosis and I knew that the only way to get through it was to be 100% God Dependent. He was there, every step of the way. I am so thankful that He is mine and I am His. My prayer is that you allow him to be your everything.

“I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.” Psalm 63:6-8 NLT

Self Evaluation

The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied. Proverbs 13:4

Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

Does anyone despise workplace self evaluations like I do? I really do not enjoy completing a form listing all my accomplishments over the past year. I understand the necessity, especially when the people you report to are new to the workplace. However, it just feels bad! And I am taught by God word’s to carefully watch my pride. Pride can swell up as I start thinking about all that has been accomplished through my work and it just seems like dangerous territory.

I was recently sharing with a friend that a few years ago I was cleaning houses. This was a good way for me to work part time making some money while my son was in school. I love to work and have always worked over the years even while I was a “stay at home mom”. I believe God had me cleaning toilets for six years to teach me a few things, one of which was to be humble and serve others. To appreciate all the jobs I held in the past from an Assistant Vice President of a bank to a Employee Benefit Coordinator of an insurance company as well as becoming a licensed insurance agent. I have always sought the highest position available to me in the companies I have worked for in the past. What position could I possibly accomplish in cleaning toilets? I found myself praying over the families I worked for and prayed for the children while cleaning in their rooms. As my heart was positioned in a place of humility, ministry birthed out of housecleaning. I had no idea this would be such a sweet time in my life and my walk with God.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for The Lord and not for men knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from The Lord.

What a good reminder to work hard for The Lord and not for men. God has the very reward needed to do the work before us so let’s go do the work with enthusiasm. And now that I have positioned my heart toward God and all He has accomplished through me, I am ready to complete that employee self evaluation.

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Divine Appointment

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Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

My 1:30 pm appointment was abruptly cancelled at 1:00 pm. I was perplexed because the person I was to meet with wasn’t the one who cancelled, it was a family member. The family member left a message that we had to cancel. It was strange. I tried to call back and didn’t get an answer.

At the exact time of 1:30 pm, a woman comes to the church to talk with me. So we spend some time talking about what is going on in her life. She has problems and is at the end of herself in trying to deal with them. After listening for some time, we have the following conversation.

Me, “Tell me about your relationship with God”.

Reply, “I don’t have one”.

Me, “Would you like to have one?”

Reply, “Yes, but I don’t know how”.

We spent the next hour talking about God and how she could have a relationship with Him. It was obvious God was calling her, or “wooing” her as I like to say, into a relationship with Him. God had been chasing her and she finally gave in to Him. He was not the only one chasing her and she knew it. I told her that I believed there was a spiritual battle for her soul and she could choose God to have the victory.

She did chose God that day and what a glorious day it was! I explained to her that her problems wouldn’t go away but they certainly would look different in the coming days. Why? Because she has a new perspective on life due to the Holy Spirit inside her. She now has “a hope and a future” and that hope and future is only found in God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So what are your plans today? Do you suppose you could be available to God when those plans change? Who knows, God may have an eternal reason for the plan change and someone’s life may depend on it.

Patterns

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Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. Judges 2:18-19

There is something profound to me about this Old Testament scripture. Here’s a quick breakdown:

*God raises up people to serve as a representative for him.
*God’s mercy and love for the oppressed and suffering.
*People forget God’s goodness and turn back to old ways.
*People refuse to follow God and give up their own way.

This is heartbreaking! This set of scriptures in Judges is referring to the Israelites and how God reached down and saved them over and over. He loves them so much and is trying every way possible to reach them. In the first part of Judges 2, we read about a pattern of sin and judgment. The people would cry out and God would raise up someone to deliver. Yet time and time again, they would do evil in the Lord’s sight.

When we read this, we think how can people do this again and again? May I suggest that we are no different than the Israelites? We do this in our current culture. Here’s the breakdown:

*God sends his son, Jesus, to save us from our sin.
*God sends the Holy Spirit to reside in us upon confessing Jesus is Lord.
*People forget God’s goodness when everything is going good and turn back to old ways.
*People refuse to follow God’s prompting and try to do life their own way.

Do you see the pattern here? God, God, People, People. We start with seeing God work and move in our life and the lives of others, then we see God when He pours out mercy and love. Then before you know it, we leave God out as He gradually disappears from our focus and we become the focus again. What if the pattern was God, God, God, God and we continually put Him first every day? How would our lives be different if intentionally set a pattern of putting God first all the time?

If you are in Christ, God has empowered you with the truth, the way and the life through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Now go live like it!!