To Make Him Smile
Colossians 1:16 NASB For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him
16 MSG For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels-everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him
The word invisible here intrigues me. Does it include atoms and all the even tinier particles, the air we breathe,the evil ones we do battle with daily, and the ones who protect us from those evil ones? I assume it does. When they’re invisible they’re mysterious. Should we try to find answers? To an extent we need knowledge about those we battle against. But even more important is the invisible Jesus. Our Pastor said Sunday that to know a counterfeit $100 bill the bank tellers spend time with genuine $100 bills. We need to know every detail possible about our Jesus.
My family just keeps growing. I love every member of my family. Since I found this verse I began to worry a little less. The Lord has rank after rank after rank of angels and bunches of them are guarding my family.
Sometimes, not often I wonder what a single girl’s purpose is. I heard a song that says girls with babies get weary and wonder what their purpose is. Men with jobs that get tiresome wonder what their purpose is. Then the song says as long as we do what ,we do for the glory of God He’s got a smile on His face. I want to make Him smile. I’ve got to work on giving Him the glory in my heart especially because that’s where it begins but with my mouth when called on. So we all find our purpose in Him… To glorify Him. It’ll make Him smile.
Add a comment July 12, 2011
Forgotten?
1Peter 5:13 The church in exile here with me-but not for a moment forgotten by God…
Many of us go through times when we’re aching and feeling empty. Maybe we’ve sinned, maybe it’s just a stretching time but it doesn’t matter. We’re alone, in exile, a little fearful maybe. It may get worse or better. Will it ever end?
The important fact is that we are in God’s heart. He hasn’t forgotten us for a moment. So any pain or fear or emptiness we can share with Him and He empathizes and has compassion on us. One Bible translates the compassion Jesus’ has is when His heart is broken. He doesn’t sit aloft and have compassion from a distance. He lives in our hearts and He moves close to help us and to be one with us. We’re not for a moment forgotten by God.
Add a comment July 8, 2011
Casual People
But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain people. 1 Peter 5:5
It’s wrong for us to snub someone or treat them with coldness. I stand guilty of this at times. God calls that pride and it doesn’t make Him pleased. God must be filled with irritation at us proud people. Whenever I say “I’ve had it” I usually run my hand above my head saying the irritation has filled me.
There’s a way out. It’s to be down to earth. It’s to be a plain person. In the movie, Kate and Leopold, Kate is a business woman in every way. Her job is the world to her. Then she meets Leopold. He’s gentle, he’s relaxed, he’s honest and he has principles that he holds to. Kate begins to fall in love and slows down and humbles a bit. Then something happened to cause her to be angry at Leopold. She almost lost her chance to live a life as a casual person who was down to earth and not proud and haughty. But her eyes were opened and her heart melted and she left her fast-paced competitive business world to marry gentle Leopold.
Sometimes a person will rescue us from our pride. Sometimes our Savior painfully but sweetly humbles us. That’s a good thing though because God gives grace to the humble. Pride is no fun but grace is precious.
2 comments July 7, 2011
Love Each One
Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. 1 Peter 2:17
Every individual is unique. They were created with and still bear the image of God. They’ve had experiences that have shaped them, some shaped into someone we may not approve of, but our God says they deserve dignity from us. We have no right to condemn. John 3:17 says “Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn the world…” Life has a way of harming all of us and we need to be respectful to each other.
Love your spiritual family…We should pray heartfelt for each other. We should have fun together and learn God’s word together. Common experiences make us one and even the fun helps us grow.
Revere God…Sometimes we want to blame Him for our heartbreaks and mistreatments. Life’s tragedies need to be blamed on someone, we feel. But if we even tentatively trust God He can make a bitter life fill with a little sweetness. That doesn’t make our heartache disappear but like Rod Stewart’s song says “ease my troubles, that’s what you do.”
Respect the government…It can be hard for all of us depending on our political view and who’s in office. In actuality whoever’s in office, whatever our opinion is we should respect the government. We are nowhere near fearing for our lives like Paul was and he respected and even complimented the government officials who were threatening harm to him. The politicians need and deserve prayer for their safety, for wisdom. For clarity because there’s a lot of blindness on both sides of the camp. And we have to follow the law unless it goes against God’s principles.
The theme of this verse from 1 Peter is that all people deserve respect. I would say that our Savior would love…other people, our spiritual family, especially our God, and yes even the politicians need someone with a heart praying for them.
2 comments July 2, 2011
A Fire of Faith Within
1 Peter 1: 7 Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.
This makes me think of a metal heated for purification how it glows with the heat and shines after the process. That’s our faith glowing as it’s tried and shining once it’s been proven.
8 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him-with laughter and singing.
We had a surprise birthday party for a friend the other night. We had fun and he and his wife showed a lot of affection to each other. It was a very sweet time. But what made it sweeter were the songs we sang together…about grace our cover, and He who sits on the mercy seat, our hands lifted high for the joy of the Lord is our strength. No party could have been more beautiful.
As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. 16 God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”
There’s that blazing again. I guess blazing with holiness or with faith tried by fire is when the Holy Spirit is uncontainable in us. It’s when you feel yourself burning inside to give, to love, maybe even to speak the Name. I haven’t been there in years and I really miss it. I want in me that fire. I want the Holy Spirit bursting forth from me.
25 God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
Because God’s word goes on forever, we do. One version of God’s word says our life is incorruptible. If we flub or sin it isn’t good but it’s not the end of us. We have eternal-by-God’s-word new life where God helps us to be purified by fire, have joy and laughter and blaze holiness.
3 comments July 1, 2011
The One Who Sweetly Heals
Exodus 15:22-27
The Israelites had gone a while in the desert without water. They found some finally but ironically it was bitter water, marah. They began doing what we usually do, murmuring and complaining about their leader, Moses, and their God, I AM. They made Moses cry but he cried out to God not about God or at God. Crying out to God when we’re frustrated or hurting is exactly what we’re supposed to do.
God told him there was a tree whose branch would make the water sweet. Kind of like Jesus changes and softens us when He knocks on the door and comes to sup with us. So Moses put the branch in the water and the people drank freely.
Then God led them to an oasis of twelve wells and bunches of palm trees. So the people had abundance. God’s abundance can do a couple of things depending on our attitude. It can heal the fear and create confidence and rest in Him. Or abundance can cause us to expect and even demand the best only and at all times.
God meant for this time of abundance to comfort and heal them as they were weary of the desert. And mainly it was to give them a trust in Him. He was their Healer and He was going to be beside them all the way.
3 comments June 26, 2011
He Sees To It
Genesis 22
God called Abe’s name and he probably didn’t tremble when he said yes, Lord, but his heart might of sunk. Sometimes we know when God has something hard for us to do. God called for Abe to sacrifice the son he loved, the son of his heart.
God said go to Moriah and I will point out a mountain for you to worship at. God was with Abe here before he left and He would be with him on the way. I would imagine Abe could tell God would be with him on that mountain of trembling.
He got up early next morning, chopped the wood for the sacrifice and saddled the donkey. My opinion is that while he was working he was praying and God was telling him, trust Me.
He set out for Moriah with his two servants, the donkey and the son of his heart. The whole trip I can hear God whispering to him, trust Me.
God lifted his eyes to ‘the’ mountain so Abe told the servants: The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you. There are some telling things about Abe in these lines. First, even though in his heart he’s sacrificing his son, in that same consecrated heart he’s going to worship his God. Then he says, we’ll come back to you.
Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. Hebrews 11:19 Abe believed with all his heart that God’s promises were true and Isaac, the son of promise, would be alive. But with all his heart Abe was going to be obedient.
So, Abe took Isaac and placed his all on the altar. He went to slay him and Jesus said “Abe! Abe!” and Abe lifted his eyes and there was joyfully a ram stuck in a thorn bush! So he sacrificed it rather than his son. God said I now know how much you love me.
Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That’s where we get the saying, “On the mountain of God, He sees to it.” He saw to it that there was a sacrifice in place of Abe’s beloved. And for God’s beloved, His sinful Ones He saw to it there was His Son, the Son He loves, the Son of His heart.
2 comments June 24, 2011
I AM Forgiveness
One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. 37 Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume 38 and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”
44 Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. 46 You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. 47 Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”
48 Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.” Luke 7:37-39, 44-47 MSG
The “town harlot” came and worshiped. She was hungry for forgiveness for her sin. So she worshiped with a sacrifice. S”he poured out very expensive perfume to soothe Him. She poured out herself by the tears that “rained” down. She poured out her love by the holy kisses to His feet.
.This woman wasn’t bored by her worship. She gave all she had and within everything she poured out was her heart.
Simon said something about the “Kind of woman this is.” …speaking of her being a harlot. Jesus saw more. He saw a woman who needed Him, a woman who needed grace and forgiveness, He saw a child He created. He saw that kind of woman.
Then a very beautiful exchange occurs. Jesus looks into the woman’s eyes while he’s telling Simon how he had neglected Him and how she had lovingly, warmly welcomed and honored Him. He returned the honor to her. Not in an awards night kind of way but in an “I love you. I’ve been blessed by your love for Me.” kind of honor.
Simon and Jesus had a conversation about forgiveness where Jesus told him “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful.” Who forgave her? Jesus did. He is our forgiveness too. There is great power in the cross that surpasses our sin and brings us cleansing and forgiveness and peace.
4 comments June 21, 2011
God of a Humble Request
And he called the name of that place Beth-el…20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God, 22 then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. Genesis 28:19-22
Beth – el = house of God
If You will clothe me and feed me and speak to my heart to love and guide me, I will come back to live near Your Name.
Jacob left to live in a foreign land. He married a man named Laban’s daughters,tricked by Laban into marrying one of them and was deceived by Laban and mistreated by him for more than seven years. But his God always prospered him which made Laban even more jealous of his son-in-law.
Genesis 31:4 4 So Jacob sent word for Rachel and Leah to meet him out in the field where his flocks were. And he told them what the Lord had said…
Genesis 31:12, 13 I know what Laban has done to you… 13 “I’m the God of Bethel where you consecrated a pillar and made a vow to me. Now be on your way, get out of this place, go home to your birthplace.”
“I have seen the way your father-in-law has cheated you. Jacob, I AM the God of Bethel”…
…the God that wants them near His Name and takes care of Those who love Him, those who are humble before Him.
And the girls agreed, “Jacob, let’s go to your land. Our dad has treated us as deceitfully as he has treated you.” So, Jacob, with a listening ear for his wives and his God, took everything he rightfully owned and went on his way.
1 comment June 17, 2011
He Ever Completely Is
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Genesis 3:14
I AM from conception to eternity for you
I AM everything you need from your next meal to a husband if you are without
I AM your leader,wisdom, grace, your loving chastisement, your laughter
I AM your Living water that bubbles up from within
IAM the wine, the blood, the bread, the body that was shed and broken for you.
Even when,like the children of Israel you say “You’re not.”, I AM
1 comment June 10, 2011
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