30 Days of Cultivating Thankfulness Day 14 – The Word of God

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

It is in the faithful daily reading of Scripture that a relationship with God is built.

Scripture of the Day:

Matthew 4:4

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The Word of God is precious to me and I am beyond grateful for the gift of Scripture, but it has not always been that way. Even as a Christian there were times in my walk where my Bible sat and gathered dust. It felt like a duty, void of relationship. Thank God that He has shown me the living treasure that His word is!

I can hardly read Scripture without being overwhelmed with the presence of God as truth washes over me. It is in the faithful daily reading of Scripture that a relationship with God is built.

This daily habit of reading God’s Word will have to be guarded and fought for tenaciously, as our flesh does not want it. When we apply God’s Word to our lives, our flesh dies. When the church lives according to God’s word, quarrels and fleshly pursuits go by the wayside.

His Word is a lamp to our feet, His precepts at the core of our salvation. He communicates His love and grace, commands and purposes to us through His Word. He gives wisdom to the simple, understanding to those who were once far off. His Word is alive and able to humble us with its piercing, loving truth. Amazingly, time and again the Holy Spirit applies our daily reading into the context of our daily lives.

Although the Bible is such an amazing gift from God, many neglect it and pursue religion instead of the relationship garnered through the study of Scripture. For the God of this world to communicate through pages carefully preserved is a miracle.

Don’t let fleshly excuses keep you from God’s Word – it is your very life. Don’t let the enemy keep you from it, as well. His Word is our daily bread – we get daily inspiration and empowerment to live for God when we bask in His Word. Who knows what God can accomplish through a people yielded to Him and abiding in His Word?

If reading the Bible is intimidating, try a reading plan. I choose from this website every year. In this relativistic world, it is so encouraging to know that God has not left us without instruction. His Word is absolute truth. This article discusses the authenticity of Scripture and how the amazing sovereignty of God worked to preserve His Word.

Oh God! I cannot thank You enough for Your precious Word! Open the eyes of all who might read this blog to see their need of consistent time in Scripture. Draw us nearer to You and may we rightly apply Your Word in our lives.

30 Days of Cultivating Thankfulness Day 8: Election Night – Suffrage

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

More than the right to vote is the incredible duty and privilege to pray to the God of this universe on behalf of our leader.

Scripture of the Day:

1 Timothy 2:1-2

“First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

I had to interrupt my plan for thankfulness today in honor of the right to vote. Amazingly, it has not been quite 100 years (August 18, 1920) since women were granted the freedom to vote in the United States. I am so very grateful for this privilege that we have to cast our vote for a candidate who would grant us freedom and life.

Over the pages of history, man has been enslaved and freed, kingdoms have risen and fallen, and God has been sovereignly in control of it all. Democracy has paved the way for the Gospel to be spread and served the purposes of God. We get to exercise our will to play our part, and God takes it all and uses it for good. What an honor.

Our church held a worship and prayer service this past Sunday and Pastor Gabe Turner delivered a message I wish everyone could hear. Vote because it is our responsibility and our privilege, and pray earnestly for the leader, whomever he may be. Here is the news coverage of the event.

Politics are not more powerful than our God. More than the right to vote is the incredible duty and privilege to pray to the God of this universe on behalf of our leader. People, let’s get to praying and see what God does in our President and nation for His glory!

Lord, thank You for Your sovereign reign over all! We trust You and are grateful we get the freedom to vote, all for Your glory!

Mundane Monday: While We’re Waiting

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Sometimes we struggle to trust God because we base our view of God as if He was like us.

Scriptures of the Day:

Genesis 50:20

“As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day.”

Genesis 52(b)

“Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Exodus 6:9

“Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and hard labor.”

Perspective.  Trust.  Faith.  Hope.  We can say that we have these character attributes, but it is not until we are in the fire that we see what we are made of.

Scripture provides beautiful snap shots of God’s faithful leaders as they faced kidnapping, betrayal, imprisonment, abuse, fear and testing to follow and obey God when the task at hand seemed insurmountable.

God told Joseph ahead of time through dreams that one day he would lead his brothers.  He did not know what it meant at the time, but He knew God had spoken.  Joseph knew his brothers intended to harm him.  He was right, but he did not stop there.  Even while in prison, He credited God with any wisdom that He was given and hoped beyond hope that somehow God would make sense of it all.  It would take two years for the cupbearer to remember his promise to not forget Joseph. While it seemed like Joseph was forgotten and rotting in prison, God’s promises and plan still stood.

God told Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh would be stubborn and hardhearted.  He promised that ultimate deliverance was His plan.  Moses fretted and feared, but he kept on putting one foot in front of the other and doing the next obedient thing God called him to do.  He kept reciting the promises of God and kept on keeping on.  Even though Moses told the people of God that God was going to rescue them, their focus was on their suffering. They could not have hope, for the abuse and hardship extinguished their faith.

God told Daniel what He was going to do ahead of time, too.  Daniel’s example of faith even when it went against the law of the land resulted in beautiful fruit and God’s ultimate deliverance.

God consistently has given amazing promises and prophecies and fulfilled them all.  That is Who He is. Sometimes we struggle to trust God because we base our view of God as if God was like us.

God is not a man that He should lie, yet when we are waiting for His promises to be fulfilled, we often lose sight of His goodness and promises and begin to give in to fear and despair.

But maybe some would say that God’s promises are not for them.  Not according to God’s word.  All of His promises are yes and amen for those whose hope is in the LORD, to those who have been called children of God.  God is able to help us to overcome our discouragement when we feel forgotten.   Those who went before us modeled how we should wait.  Being obedient.  Meditating on God’s promises.  Hoping at all times.  Radical faith.

Maybe you are in the desert right now, waiting for God to deliver you.  He is able to make a bloom in the desert and to make you fruitful in your suffering.  He said it and He will do it as we seek Him in that place and look to our faithful Deliverer!  As we look to Him, we begin to forget our troubles and recognize that the deliverance we seek is not all about us. God’s purposes touch the lives all around us, and as we seek His comfort, a testimony is written to help the ones who come behind us to look to their God in times of trouble.

Lord, help us to wait expectantly for You, knowing who You are and trusting in You at all times.  You are faithful!  You are good!  Thank You for your strength and grace in the fire and please encourage all who are waiting now to look to You, for their hope will never be disappointed.

The Context of Promises

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Jeremiah 29:10-11 “For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you.  Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore your homeland.  11  For I know what I have planned for you, says the LORD.  I have pans to prosper you, not to harm you.  I have plans to give you a future filled with hope..'”

Jeremiah 30:10 “So I, the LORD, tell you not to be afraid, you descendants of Jacob, my servants.  Do not be terrified, people of Israel.  For I will rescue you and your descendants form a faraway land where you are captives.  The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.  They will be secure and no one will terrify them.  11 For I, the LORD, affirm that I will be with you and will rescue you.  I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you.  But I will not completely destroy you.  I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure.  I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.”

We all fondly cherish God’s promises, in particular the very popular verse found in Jeremiah 29:11.  We all want to believe, especially in dire times, that God does have a future and a hope for us.  Yet we often ignore the context of such promises.  Just before the wonderful promise of Jeremiah 29:11, God is letting Israel know that they are about to get a big spanking (ok, that is greatly minimizing being made eunuchs and taken into captivity 70 years).  In that moment of promised retribution, He also injected encouragement and a promise of good things to follow the hardship about to visit His chosen people.

This reminds me of how much I detested punishing my children when they were young, but the folly bound in their hearts had to be purged, in order to get to the blessings in store for a child who would walk in wisdom.  My heart deeply desires blessings for my children, but sometimes the road to blessing is paved with discipline.  The one who disciplines is often viewed in a harsh light.  Why can’t sin just be overlooked and we still get our reward?  Because God knows that treasuring sin will ultimately destroy us.  If we excuse sin, we allow it to live in our members and grow.  Dealing with sin as it should be dealt with is actually a kindness and brings life.

Discipline is never meant to be rejection, but rather restoration of our relationship to God.  Living in the moment, we can neglect to see the larger picture of God’s activity in the lives of His people.  Perspective of hardship is altered when we recognize it is but one piece of fabric in the large quilt of our lives.  Herein lies a bittersweet truth: We cannot claim the promises of God without claiming what precedes and follows them.  Will we be a sunshine Christian, only praising God when blessings come, or a faithful follower, during blessings and hardships?  Trusting His character, we can have eyes to see that what He permits is truly always for our good and achieving something far greater than what we see on the surface.

This morning, I was contemplating the fourth poor soul awaiting execution by ISIS, displayed for the world to see.  Wanting to cling to God’s promises through this crisis, I asked my children to pray with me for this man and for God to show Himself strong in this situation.  I asked that God would strike the executioner dead and inject a fear of God in this vile enemy.  My daughter then injected a prayer of her own – “can we pray that they would be saved, too?”  I was at once humbled.  Could I pray that?  Is it possible that even this wicked organization could be saved?  God knows.  But while we wait for God’s deliverance, we have to trust that even these difficult times serve a purpose – God will not waste this suffering.  On the other side of every atrocity in history, there is a plan of redemption all for God’s glory.  That is where I place my hope this morning – in the context of God’s promises.

Oh Lord, just as You were sovereign and Almighty when Paul was murdering Christians, You are the same All-powerful, All-seeing, All-knowing God who can convert a murderer into a man of God used by You to save many.  Lord, I want to see You glorified in these times.  Help us to understand and endure all hardship as discipline from a loving father.  Please defend your people all for Your magnificent glory!!

The Secret Treasure Within

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Ephesians 1:7-9, 3:1-6, 8-12

7 “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.  9 He did this when he revealed to us the secret of His will, according to his good pleasure that He set forth in Christ.

3:1 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you gentiles 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.  3 that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote about briefly.  4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ.  5 Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it now has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit.  6 Namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.  8 To me – less than the least of all the saints – this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.  9 And to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan – a secret that has been hidden for ages in God Who has created all things.  10  The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.  11  This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  12  In whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness.

In today’s day and age where people have a McDonald’s mentality, I must apologize if the scripture reference is a bit lengthy – ok, I do not apologize – I really wanted you to see the key verses in context!  Take a deep breath and take 5 minutes to bask in His Word.

We’ve all been there – curious with wonder over a supposed secret being kept.  In our self-absorption, we contemplate that perhaps the secret is about us.  Or perhaps it will change our lives forever.  Some secrets break your heart but unbeknownst to you, deliver you in the same moment.  I don’t much care for secrets; it is much more peaceful to not hide things, rather than participate in the tantalizing glory of the image of secrecy – perfection – only to have your own folly exposed later.

When I was a child, (ok, as an adult, too), I loved watching movies that were about adventures various explorers were on, as they were uncovering some amazing secret.  Indiana Jones’ discovery of the lost ark was probably one of my favorites, with the National Treasure movie series close behind.  There was something about being the keeper of a secret – the privileged one to whom a secret was entrusted that made you feel special, chosen.  Rather than merely living a mundane existence, you were part of an amazing plan.

I remember when I was first told the greatest secret of my life.  I was 19.  The year before, God had sprinkled people across my path who were born again.  Odd people, I felt at the time.  Suddenly, my eyes were opened to the secret of God’s plan – and I was to be part of it!  Me – why me?  Usually a secret keeper is charged with keeping the coveted hidden treasure unknown to anyone else.  Sometimes the secret keeper serves as a safe place for someone to share their burdens, and sometimes a confidant serves a malicious purpose of sharing slander.  But the secret God shares with His people is completely pure and has now been made evident to mankind and all spiritual beings.

Just like Paul, it takes revelation by God for us to be able to see the treasure.  The treasure is laid out for all to see, but unless God opens our eyes, we cannot fathom, understand or see it at all.  The vessel for the secret?  The church.  Now I begin to understand why the enemy has attacked the church so very much.  She holds the most precious secret of all time, and if her character is in question, people will not be able to see.  If there is a legalistic mentality, or a denominational preference, people who do not fit into those categories will be left outside, wondering what is so special about the secret.  We, the church, share the greatest mystery of all – that God predestined from the beginning the Jewish people to be His and grafted the gentiles into His plan.  The entire world can know the living God! 

This secret was first hinted at in the garden of Eden, but the people could not fully comprehend God’s plan, nor did He reveal it completely to them.  Now, here we are, recipients of this amazing grace and I daresay we have grown so familiar with it that we do not see it for the treasure it is.  Perhaps our eyes need to be opened again, afresh, so we do not lose our zeal in being the secret sharers – not keepers – with any who will listen.  The revelation of this secret was set forth in Christ – a couple thousand years ago – but many tripped over that revelation, and many refused to believe it.

That is the second crucial piece to secret keeping and telling – belief.  We can errantly believe a secret that is a lie, but sometimes we can be blind to see the validity of a true secret, when it is right in front of our eyes.  To hear the secret is not enough, no, we must apprehend it, believe it, accept it and apply it to our lives.  How we live will display whether or not we have truly believed and understood the greatest secret of all time.  Not perfect vessels, God in His infinite wisdom chose broken pottery to display His beauty.  But it is in our recognition of this fact that His secret becomes all the more precious.  We, the recipients, are not worthy, will never be, but He lavishes His love and grace on us so we can lavish it on someone else.  What a loving God!

So, secret bearer – you have been grafted into the greatest club of all – the body of Christ!  You have been trusted with a secret that is life changing.  Don’t let the weight of this world keep you so preoccupied that you forget that this secret has been entrusted to you for the purpose of passing it on!

Lord, thank You for sharing Your secret plan of salvation with me and so many others.  Please open the eyes of all who read this blog and help us all to share Your most Holy, magnificent secret with all who have ears to hear.