Scapegoat

Such was God's original love for man that He was willing to stoop to any sacrifice to save him; and the gift of a Saviour was the mere expression of that love.  Albert Barnes

The term "scapegoat" is of ancient Hebrew origins and it usually refers to someone who is unfairly punished or denounced for the errors and shortcomings of others. The term refers to a practice where Aaron brought two goats and lots would be cast for each goat.  One goat was for the Lord and another for the scapegoat.  The first goat would be given as a sin offering to the Lord.  The second goat or scapegoat would be brought live before the Lord and would be used as atonement for the people’s sin.  The goat would then be sent out into the wilderness carrying the people’s sin with it. 

If you have a hard time imagining the kind of love God has for us, we need look no further than Jesus.  The reality is Jesus was our scapegoat.  He was a sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.  That was an extreme price to pay for an unthankful people.  Instead of using an animal for the sacrifice, Jesus took its place.  The thing about this is Jesus didn’t just get to run into the wilderness carrying our sins with Him.  He died as a sacrifice to save you and me. 

How many of us would give our life for someone else?  We might do it for a family member, but how many of us would give our life for people we don’t know or who weren’t even born yet? And how many of us would give our life, knowing that some of those very people you were giving your life for would deny you and ridicule you. How many of us would pray to God that He forgive them for they know not what they do?

When we decide to accept Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, we need to remember the amazing sacrifice that occurred when He hung on a cross as atonement for our sin.  

   

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I am in awe of Your sacrifice for a lowly sinner like me.  I will never deserve Your sacrifice, but I am forever grateful for it.  I praise You and give thanks to God for providing me a way back to Him through You.  Forgive me for the times I have disgraced and failed You.

 

Scripture: “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. Leviticus 16:6-10

Your Identity

The major strategy of Satan is to distort the character of God and the truth of who we are. He can't change God and he can't do anything to change our identity and position in Christ. If, however, he can get us to believe a lie, we will live as though our identity in Christ isn't true.  Neil T. Anderson

Have you ever felt insecure?  I grew up a shy introvert.  I always felt like I never quite fit in with any crowd.  My insecurity was worse when it came to conversing in a group.  I thought if I said anything it would not come out right and everyone would make fun of me.  One of the biggest struggles I had was I hated to be embarrassed in front of other people. 

One of the interesting things about insecurity is that it can bring out our worst qualities.  My insecurity brought out my tendency to withdraw from others.  If I didn’t say anything then how could I be embarrassed by what I didn’t say?  The irony of this is that when I didn’t say anything it made others walk away from me.  It’s kind of like walking up to a stone statue and starting a conversation with it.  No feedback.  You’d be better off talking to the bird on the statues head.  Have you noticed that some people’s insecurity brings out anger?  When they feel they are losing control they get angry.  Then there are the ones who are insecure and become jealous of others. I could go on and on about insecurity.

I learned something over the years.  I was insecure because I didn’t really understand what it meant to belong to God and I didn’t fully understand what Jesus did on my behalf by dying on the cross.  If I build my identity on what the world thinks, I will be insecure for the rest of my life. How about if I build my identity on my looks or my spouse or the things I own? If I build my identity on anything but how God loves me, then I am doomed to a life of insecurity. 

When we let hurt, frustration and fear into our life, we will know insecurity.  It will surround us and take over every aspect of our life.  God wants more for us.  When we are secure in the knowledge that He loves us and places great value on His children, we will begin to understand what it means to be secure in the love of the Father.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I spent many years of my life being driven by insecurity.  Even to this day I still find myself falling back into those old patterns.  It is at those times that I need You most.  You are the One I trust in and only You can give me a true picture of what love means.  When I become insecure, please remind me of Your love and that if I place my trust in You, I don’t ever have to feel insecure again.

       

Scripture: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:14-16

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.  Proverbs 29:25

Getting On My Knees

Getting on my knees puts me back on my feet again.  Jonny Lang

I find it interesting that in Jesus’ time on earth, the majority of that time was spent either on His knees or with people no one else had time for.  In Jesus’ darkest hour he spent time with God.  Jesus knew He would be betrayed and would give His life for us, but He prayed anyway. Matthew 26:39  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

When we are at our weakest we should be on our knees.  When troubles come our way there is no better place to be than on our knees.  When Jesus was hurting the most, He didn’t turn to His disciples for comfort.  He turned to our heavenly Father.  The One who can get us back up on our feet again.  Jesus even asked some of his disciples to stay and watch with Him.  When He came back He found them sleeping.

Too many times I start thinking I am not worthy of going to God and asking Him for anything.  I am a sinner and why would He want to hear from a lowly sinner?  The thing is I’m not worthy and that is exactly why I need to go to Him.  If there was ever a time that I needed to go to Him on my knees, is when I am at my worst. 

God redeems us and offers us relief from what the world deals out to us on a daily basis.  I need to be on my knees with the Father so that I can get back up on my feet again and move forward.  Keep Your eye on the prize and spend time on your knees. 

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, I would like to think that if I had spent time with You, I would have been able to stay awake while You were on Your knees with the Father.  The sad reality is, I don’t think I would have been any better than the disciples; sleeping when You needed me most.  Help me to remember that God is an amazing Father who comes to us in our time of need, but we must first get on our knees and remember that we aren’t worthy and deserving of His grace and mercy. 

     

Scripture:  The Prayer in the Garden

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”  Matthew 26:36-46

Five Loaves & Two Fish

The pharisees minded what God spoke, but not what He intended. They were busy in the outward work of the hand, but incurious of the affections and choice of the heart. So God was served in the letter, they did not much inquire into His purpose; and therefore they were curious to wash their hands, but cared not to purify their hearts. Jeremy Taylor

I love finding wisdom in the Bible.  To me it is like the best treasure hunt ever.  Sometimes it takes a great deal of reading and searching, but when you find a nugget of truth it is like the search was worth all the time involved.

I was reading about Jesus and the feeding of the five thousand.  Remember how the apostles told Jesus to send the people away so that they could find provisions and lodging.  I love Jesus’ response.  “You give them something to eat.”  What was their response?  We only have five loaves and two fish.  The apostles decided that they couldn’t feed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish. 

Have you ever thought about how frustrating it would have been to be Jesus trying to teach the apostles in the short time he was here on earth?  These guys had Jesus in their midst and sometimes they just didn’t get it.   There are times when I don’t get it either, so I understand how trying we humans can be at the best of times. 

Jesus told the apostles, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”  As the apostles stood around talking amongst themselves about how they forgot to bring bread, Jesus interrupts them and tells them He is not talking about bread but the corrupt doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

Leaven consisted of dough that had fermented.  Jesus used the term as an illustration of the growth of the kingdom of heaven in the individual heart and the world.  Leavening of dough has multiple characteristics.  It is an outside source, it operates secretly, it spreads by contact just like a germ and it changes what it comes in contact with and multiplies. 

As the apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.   

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, you give examples in the Bible of how we are to live out our days here on earth.  You remind us not to become like the Pharisees and Sadducees filled with malice and wickedness but to be filled with sincerity and truth.  I need Your help to become more like You.  I praise You for giving me examples to follow that I can apply to my daily life.

  

Scripture:  The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:5-12

Whitewash Won’t Hold Up a Fence

Whitewash won’t hold up a fence.  Woodrow Kroll

I bet you wonder where I get topics for my devotionals.  I first start with thinking about God and what He might want me to learn and then I use the “One Thing Leads to Another Devotional Research Method or OTLADRM.  The great thing about the internet is you can click on one topic and there will be a link in the middle of that topic that will lead you to another. 

So I was on the internet and found the quote “whitewash won’t hold up a fence.”  I found the definition of whitewashing is a metaphor meaning to gloss over or cover up vices, crimes, or scandals through biased presentation of data.  Another related word called sockpuppeting is an internet slang term that refers to an agent abandoning their tarnished identity and recreating a new blank one. 

What did I learn from all this extensive OTLADRM research?  If I took these definitions and applied it to people and what the Bible says, several things came to mind.  People have become adept at whitewashing and sockpuppeting.  We gloss over and cover up the sin inside us.  We want people to see us for what we are not.  Deception has become a normal form of behavior in society because we don't want others to see our tarnished side. 

We don’t want others to see us for what we really are, so we cover up our badness.  We create a whole new persona that doesn’t resemble who we really are.  We lie when the truth would sound better; we try to keep up with the neighbors and our friends in the cars we drive and the houses we live in when in reality our hearts and souls are bankrupt. 

When we learn that what the world thinks doesn’t matter we stop hiding.  We are literally free to be who God created us to be and it opens the door for Him to do great work through us. Deception leads to more “D’s”.  Danger, disappointment, dissatisfaction and it destroys whatever we touch in life.  God knows who we really are, so when we give up trying to hide our true selves, God will do amazing work in us and through us.  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I could have a Masters degree in deception.  The majority of my early life was spent trying to be something I was not.  You knew all along who I really was, but I spent a good deal of time creating a lie that showed others a poor image of what a Christian is and should be.  Thank you for having patience with me and drawing me back to You.  I am forever grateful for Your mercy on me.      

Scripture:  Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.  Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:6-10

People Get Ready

There ain't no room

For the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just
To save his own
Have pity on those
Whose chances are thinner
Cause there's no hiding place
From the Kingdom's Throne

Lyrics by Curtis Mayfield

I was listening to a song by Curtis Mayfield called People Get Ready.  This song has been recorded by various artists over the years. I love the meaning behind the song. It is a redemption song about being ready.  Will we be ready when we hear the diesels humming and the train pulls into the station?

There is a parable that discusses being ready.  The Parable of the Wedding Feast is a great example of what it means to be ready.  In Matthew 22 Jesus tells the story of a king who arranged a marriage for his son.  The King is God and the Son is Jesus.  He has prepared a wedding feast for everyone who loves the Lord and all are invited to come to the feast.  Those who are ready are the bride of Christ.  The problem is there are a lot of people who are not willing to come or are too busy to come to the feast.  Many who were invited ignored the invitation and seized His servants, treated them spitefully and killed them.  The King hearing about it was furious and sent out his armies and destroyed those who killed His servants. Then He said to His servants, (those who believe in Him), the wedding is ready but those who were invited were not worthy, so go out and invite as many as you can find.  The hall was filled with guests and when the king came out he saw one who did not have on a wedding garment so He cast him into outer darkness.  For many are called, but few are chosen.

So the question is, “will we be ready when the train pulls into the station?”  Will we be left standing on the platform when the train pulls away from the station? We don’t need luggage or the things we’ve accumulated here on earth.  We need faith in Him.  We need to accept Him as our Lord and Savior.     

Will we be that person who boards the train and as God walks down the aisle making sure everyone onboard is qualified to be there, will He step up to our seat and see that we don’t have on our wedding garment? Will we be the one he sends to outer darkness and leaves standing on the platform as the train pulls away?

God gives each of us the opportunity.  No one is excluded from getting on the train unless we are not prepared.  He’s promised us He is coming again.  Will you be ready?

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, you are the bridegroom and if we want to be, we can be part of the wedding party.  The invitation is open to anyone to accept but we must be prepared.  I want to get on that train and bring others with me.  Help me to invite all to come to the wedding feast.  I praise You for inviting me to come and be part of the wedding feast. 

   

Scripture:  The Parable of the Wedding Feast

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”  Matthew 22:1-14

People get ready
There's a train a-coming
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord

People get ready
For the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers
From coast to coast
Faith is the key
Open the doors and board them
There's room for all
Among the loved the most

There ain't no room
For the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all mankind just
To save his own
Have pity on those
Whose chances are thinner
Cause there's no hiding place
From the Kingdom's Throne

So people get ready
For the train a-comin'
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
You just thank, you just thank the Lord

Lyrics by Curtis Mayfield

Change Our Way of Thinking

If an ass goes traveling he won’t come home a horse.  Thomas Fuller

When I first read this quote it made me laugh.  Then I started thinking about how this applies to my life.  One day we decide we want to be more like Christ so we get baptized and then reality sets in.  We figure out that being like Christ is hard work, maybe because our human nature is so opposite of what being Christ like means. 

Too many times I go traveling and expect to come back different with little effort on my part.  When I go traveling as a sinner in search of salvation, I can be guaranteed hardship.  There will be people who don’t agree with my beliefs and don’t hesitate to tell me so.  Temptations are strewn along the road of life and it is so easy to step off the side of the road right into a ditch. Then there is the whole sin thing.  I mean this gets me in trouble more than anything else and it comes from every direction. 

I heard somewhere recently the saying that youth is wasted on the young.  Isn’t that so true?  I mean, if I knew then what I know now I might be a horse.  If we can ever get it in our head that we are saved by grace, not by anything we do, this is the first step to understanding what Christ did for us.  We aren’t going to come back different if we don’t change our way of thinking. 

  

We can be baptized and never be different for the rest of our lives.  If we don’t feel changed after baptism how can we expect to be more like the One who saved us?  Did you rise up out of the water changed? It took two times for me to fully understand what it means to be saved by our Father’s grace.  I am forever changed. 

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, you suffered and died for my sin.  I had to change my way of thinking when I was baptized.  It didn’t happen overnight and I am still working on me.  I can be more like You, but it will mean giving up things of this world and following You without question.  Thank You Jesus for saving me.  Grateful doesn’t even begin to cover it.  

   

Scripture:  Remember Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”  Luke 9:23-27

Rider On the White Horse

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Matthew 13:44

I was studying Revelation after listening to a song called Beautiful Rider by Jake Hamilton, (for me this is one of the most confusing and frightening books in the Bible).   The song talks about the rider on the white horse and how beautiful is the Lamb that was slain.

Maybe because of the symbolism of this Book, I don’t always understand the meaning of it.  It intrigues me and draws me in because it is like a book of puzzles.  The more difficult the puzzle the more I want to solve it.  I believe that is why it is written as it is.  Remember the Parable of the Sower.  God expects us to search for the truth.  If we don’t spend time studying it we won’t find the treasure hidden there. 

The Parable of the Sower Explained

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:18-23

If you have never studied Revelations you may not know that in this Book are two white horses.  The first one on a white horse rides in and he has a bow, a crown and he goes out to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2.  Satan is a great deceiver isn’t he?  He even makes himself look like the Lamb of God on a white horse.  He is a master of disguise. He will do anything and everything in his power to make us turn from God.  He wins if we do.

In Revelation 19:11-16 appears the true Lamb of God on a white horse.  The One on this horse was called Faithful and True.  But on this One’s head are many crowns.  His name is called The Word of God.  But this One doesn’t come out alone.  He has a heavenly army and they are clothed in fine linen and are also riding white horses.  Another difference in the two is that this one has a name written on His thigh, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Which rider will you choose?  Will we be drawn in by a poor imitation or will we accept the Lamb of God on the white horse.      

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, as I studied Revelation, it brought up more questions than I have answers to.  I need Your help to reveal the hidden treasure in Your Word.  I am not a biblical scholar and I haven’t had formal training in Bibleology.  Help me to read and study the Bible, meditate on it and gain understanding of Your amazing Word.  I want to be more like Jesus so that when the day comes, I will to stand before Him and Praise His Holy Name above all others.

 

Scripture:

First Seal: The Conqueror

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.  Revelation 6:1-2

Christ on a White Horse

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16

In the Sweet By & By

God loves to hear your singing - so sing. Rod Parsley

When I was a little girl I would spend time with my grandmother.  Granny was the kind of grandmother that all kids want to have in life.  My dad has an old picture of her and when I see that picture it reminds me of how much I favor her in many ways.

 

My grandparents didn’t have much but what they had they would give to you.  I had the opportunity every summer to spend time with them every year.  It was always an adventure when you went to their house.  You know the saying that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  That was the way my grandparents were with their grandkids.  If we messed up or misbehaved they took care of it and my parents never heard about it so you never got in trouble twice.  There was just this unspoken rule that we all knew.

When you went to my grandmother’s house there were always homemade cookies.  She had several different cookie jars and you always knew there would be cookies in each jar.  There would be chocolate chip in one, oatmeal in another and sugar cookies in the third.

My grandparents had a lot of grandkids.  One of the things I remember was around my birthday I would always receive a check in the mail.  It was always $10.  Looking back now I realize that was a lot of money for them.  In today’s world $10 isn’t much.  I can still remember my grandmother’s handwriting on that check. 

One of the most important things my grandparents taught me was the importance of a relationship with the Lord.  There is a song by Bart Millard from Mercy Me that reminds me of my grandma.  The title of the song is (MawMaw’s Song) In the Sweet By & By.  In the song he sings about how he would sit on his knees in the pew at church trying to see his grandma sing In the Sweet By & By.  He also sings about how it wasn’t the sweetest thing he’d ever heard, but the way she sang stirred something up inside.  To see her grin from ear to ear, one thing for sure was very clear, it wasn’t just a song, it was her life.  In one of the final verses he says that times have changed and her voice is just a memory, she’s on that shore and looking down on me, I hope she’s proud of what she sees, cause thanks to her I’m walking with the Lord. 

So as the song says, “In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore, there’s a land that is fairer than day, by faith we can see it afar.  For the Father waits over the way, to prepare us a dwelling place there."  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, my grandparents played an important role in my life.  They helped teach me what it means to love You.  They also taught me that you didn’t have to have much in worldly possessions to love others.  Thank You for blessing me with grandparents who believed in You and gave me a glimpse of You when I spent time with them.

         

Scripture: Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:1-5

There Is More To Life

Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.  Augustine

Over the years as I walk along my Christian journey I have found that there is more to life than what I can see.  This one statement describes who God is.  We can’t see Him or touch Him in the physical sense.  You aren’t going to be walking down the street one day and see God in all His glory. First of all, we would be blinded by His amazing glory, and second that is what faith is all about.  “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

When we decide to take this amazing journey with the Lord, we aren’t going to schedule a meeting with Him in person so He can evaluate our capabilities or qualifications.  First of all we aren’t qualified so we can take that off our resume.  It is not going to matter if we are tall or short, fat or thin, smart or rich.  Our worldly qualifications don’t matter.  You can be a Harvard grad and still not be qualified to be a Christian.

I read the book “Not Many Mighty” where the author talks about how truly unqualified every person in the Bible was except Jesus.  David fought a giant, Noah built a boat, Peter denied Jesus, three times no less, and still God used each of these unqualified individuals for His service. 

When we finally realize that we are not qualified, that is when we finally understand that “There is more to life than what I can see, so I believe.” 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I don’t always exercise faith in You. Remind me that there is more to life than what I can physically see.  The one thing I do know is that it is not necessary to physically see You for me to believe.  Some people may call me crazy, but I know I have seen You at work in my life even though I can’t physically see You or touch You.  I praise You and want to be Your faithful servant.  I place my hope and faith in You and that is all I need in this life. 

   

Scripture: By Faith We Understand

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Faith at the Dawn of History

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.  Hebrews 11:1-7

A Product of the 70’s

Our songs are not the cause of our loss of the sense of God's greatness, though songs are surprisingly influential. No, our songs reflect this loss. Singing God-centered hymns is desirable, but more than that is needed. We sing what we feel, what we believe. When once we rediscover the greatness of God, we will sing it. Our song will echo our conviction. Tom Wells

I am a product of the 70’s.  I often wonder why people say that.  Maybe because those were my formative years where outside influences are the things that stick with you because the world is in your face.  Some of you may have heard of the things I am going to list about the times of the 70’s and others will have to Google it to figure out what I am talking about. 

The 70’s  were a time of parachute pants and earth shoes, Farrah Fawcett hair, platform shoes and eight track players.  The Trans Am was the favorite muscle car and video games like Pong and the Atari were the rage.  There were no cell phones so you had to depend on a stranger for help if you got stranded on the road.  DOS was the operating system for those who even owned one. 

Music was different then.  Everything centered around peace and love.  Joy to the World was a big hit and One Bad Apple wouldn’t spoil the whole bunch.  We all wanted to go to Sweet Home Alabama to find out How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.  Everyone wanted to do the Crocodile Rock and the Monster Mash.  For those of us who couldn’t spell there was ABC and YMCA.  Then there were the love songs.  I’m All By Myself, Pickin Up the Pieces.  Don’t Go Breaking My Heart was a common theme but we then sang Love Will Keep Us Together.

   

If you think about it things haven’t changed much.  We still get broken hearts and we still look for love in all the wrong places. One of my best memories from growing up during these formative years was singing in church.  Songs from church weren’t about the angst of life.  They were about turning to the One who made us for deliverance.  We could Have a Little Talk with Jesus, I Saw the Light and A Closer Walk with Thee.  There was Power in the Blood, In the Sweet By and By and Precious Lord Take My Hand.  There was Victory in Jesus, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms and What a Day That Will Be.  

The thing about the old hymns is that I remember the words to all the songs.  When I return to listen to them it is like I am returning home.  Bart Millard from the group Mercy Me has a CD that contains just old hymns.  It is one of my favorites because it brings back those long ago memories of Jesus my Lord and Savior and reminds me of how much I owe Him.

 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I thank you for blessing me with parents who knew the value of a Christian life.  When I was in church all those years ago, I can still remember the songs of praise for You.  Thank You for reminding me of the importance of worship and loving You.      

Scripture: For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him.  You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.  Psalm 32:6-8

Seeing Clearly

Gradual growth in grace, growth in knowledge, growth in faith, growth in love, growth in holiness, growth in humility, growth in spiritual-mindedness - all this I see clearly taught and urged in Scripture, and clearly exemplified in the lives of many of God's saints. But sudden, instantaneous leaps from conversion to consecration I fail to see in the Bible.  J.C. Ryle

Do you ever think about how you see yourself spiritually?  When I was baptized I didn’t all of a sudden know everything I needed to know about leading a spiritual life.  Yes my sins were cleansed but that was just the beginning of the journey.  If we clearly see our need for God’s grace we will pursue Him above all else.

If leading a spiritual life were easy, everyone would be doing it.  Jesus was the only man who lived that was without sin.  So here is the question. How do we pursue a truly spiritual life in a world that is constantly trying to bring us down?

I am like each of you.  I lead a busy life.  I have responsibilities to myself and my family but first and foremost I have responsibility to God.  If God saves me from a fate worse than death, what do I owe Him? I owe Him my life.  Everything I have is His because He gave it to me as a blessing that I don’t deserve.  So if I want to be what God wants me to be, I must value what He values. 

It is so easy to get side tracked by the world.  Pursuing a spiritual life worthy of our Heavenly Father is hard work.  I determined a long time ago that I am selfish in many ways.  If I want to see God clearly I must put him first.  When I put myself first I lose.  If I learn to deny my wants and focus on God’s I am on the right path.  A continuous flow of conversation between us and our Heavenly Father is one way to become spiritually healthy.  The second is we must spend time in His word.  If we don’t we will never know what He expects of us.  Being a child of God is the hardest job we will ever have but it is worth the cost.  Pursue Him with your whole heart.

Prayer for the Day: Father, I am guilty of pursuing things of the world.  In my selfishness I sacrifice my relationship with You.  I ask You to help me keep my focus on You so that my spiritual life will reflect You.  Seeing You clearly and following your commandments are the most important things I can do to build my spiritual life.  You are worth any sacrifice so I give my life to You.  I will fail over and over again, but I know You are with me.  I praise You above all others.

  

Scripture:   We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.  We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.  1 John 5:18-21

Redemption in Christ

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:3-14

Held

Anger and bitterness are two noticeable signs of being focused on self and not trusting God's sovereignty in your life. When you believe that God causes all things to work together for good to those who belong to Him and love Him, you can respond to trials with joy instead of anger or bitterness. John C. Broger

I have a song on my iPod that I was listening to this morning.  Music is one of the many ways that my relationship with God has grown.  This song never fails to make me cry.  So as I am driving down the road listening with tears rolling down my face, I decided to share this song with you.  This is not a song with a happy ending.  I normally try to lift others up with my stories of childhood and experiences throughout my life, but there is a reality that we all face on a daily basis.  The reality is we will all suffer and there is no easy answer for why terrible things happen to us in this life.

The song I speak of is by Natalie Grant called “Held”.  This song was written by Christa Wells and it is based on three women in her life who lost someone in their life.  One was a mother of three children who lost her husband, another was a mother who lost her son and the third was her mother-in-law who carried her daughter, Erica, to term but never got to take her home. Her mother-in-law said she heard a still small voice in the delivery room that said the following:  “You have to choose how you will carry this loss after this moment. You can choose bitterness or you can choose to let me wrap you up in peace that can't be explained and that will lead to hope. You can choose to trust that you are not alone, and that everything you suffer here will someday be redeemed."

When my husband and I married I received one of the greatest blessings in my life, a beautiful stepdaughter.  Kaylie is this amazingly beautiful young woman.  We are also blessed with two beautiful grandchildren. 

The heartbreak in this story is that Jerry had another daughter Kara.  Kara never got to go home in the sense of a worldly home.  She had a heart defect and died shortly after her birth.  It was many years later that Jerry and I met and married but I still think of this little girl that God created.  I will never know this side of heaven, why He chose to take her to her heavenly home early.  What I do know is that God does redeem even the worst circumstances.  How we deal with the pain and sorrow of this world can make us bitter and angry or we can turn to the God who created us and be held in His arms. One of the things I admire most about my husband is that he didn’t allow pain and sorrow from the loss of his daughter to color his world in bitterness and anger.  This is what it means to be held by our Heavenly Father.

Christa said the following of this song.  “No person of faith since the beginning of time has ever lived without suffering.  The fact is those who are students of Jesus have been promised to expect pain and suffering in this life. But, in the middle of that heartache, at every lonely, dark, lost moment ...the Truth. That in those moments, especially then, we are held, held up, held together, by the One who has walked here and knows the pain, and who also holds all of time, every story, my story, your story, the Greatest Story in his hands.”

  

Below are the lyrics to Held:

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we'd be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We're asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it's unfair

[Chorus]
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow

[Bridge]
If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our savior

[Chorus]
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held
We'd be held

This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held

This is what it means to be held.....

Prayer for the Day: Jesus, You suffered and died in a world full of sorrow.  You are the Man of Sorrows.  No one told us we would be rescued from the sorrows of this world.  When we start to think that when we are saved by Your grace, that we will be free from sorrow we will be disappointed.  Help me to see the pain and suffering on this earth as a blessing from God.  You never promised when I died to live, that I would live an easy life thereafter.  I praise You and thank you for holding me through the sorrows of this life.   

Scripture:  Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.  The arrogant mock me unmercifully, but I do not turn from your law.  Psalm 119:49-51

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  Isaiah 53-2-4

Looking Back

We need to follow our Lord's admonition to remember Lot's wife, for she was one who did not forget her possessions even in a time of the greatest peril. She was not guilty of having retraced a single step towards Sodom. All she did was look back. But how revealing was that backward glance! Does it not speak volumes concerning the condition of her heart? Watchman Nee

I was thinking about Lot’s wife this weekend.  Sometimes people of the Bible come to my mind and when they do I take that as a clear sign that I need to study that person to understand what God may be trying to tell me. 

So as I thought of Lot’s wife I remembered how she looked back.  As I was studying the story of Lot I read how Abram and Lot had their herds in the same area and there was not enough land to sustain them all so Abram told Lot to choose where he would live.  To one area were trees and verdant hills and to the other were the crowded centers of commerce and trade. 

Lot chose to head down to the crowded centers.  He pitched his tent toward Sodom.  The sad part is that where he chose to live would be the end of a good portion of his family.  Living close to the evil city of Sodom, his wife and children became enamored with the city and all of its evil. 

Lot’s wife came to a tragic end because of a divided heart.  When she was told not to look back on Sodom when God destroyed it, she did anyway.  We are often guilty of the exact thing that Lot’s wife was guilty of.  We love what the world can provide and in doing so our heart becomes divided.  We think we can have both; what the world has to offer and what God offers. 

       

When I think about how God handles disobedience it scares me. I am often drawn into the very thing that Lot’s wife was guilty of.  When my heart is divided I am not following His will.  If I had been Lot’s wife and I was walking away and leaving some of my family behind, I probably would have looked back too.  In some ways I think it would be because I doubted God would do what he said and in other ways I think it would be the sorrow of leaving family members behind to be destroyed. 

God wants our wholehearted obedience to Him.  He doesn’t mince words with us and if our heart is divided, we are living in disobedience.  The difference in our circumstances and Lot’s wife is that we will not be turned into a pillar of salt.  We will live for eternity in a place much worse.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am often guilty of having a divided heart.  I look at what the world can give me and think it is what is best for me.  You are the One who can provide what is best in my life and the only requirement is that I obey You with all my heart and soul.  Help me to remember this when the world tries to draw me away from You.  I want to live in complete obedience.  Help me to not be tempted to look back, as that can be my downfall.  

   

Scripture: Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”

Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:18-26

The Road Less Traveled & Two Forks

There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.  Blaise Pascal

I was driving to work this morning and a thought popped into my head.  “The Road Less Traveled”.  As will often happen when I allow my mind to wander out on its own, this thought came up.  I then started thinking about it in the context of Christianity. 

We often don’t want to take the road that is less traveled.  If we come to the fork in the road and we see one side that has no grass and the other is lush and green where no footsteps have walked, we come to the conclusion that the beaten path must have something interesting at the end.  Why else would it be beaten down?

Christianity is very much like that untraveled road.  If you have been on your Christian journey for very long, you begin to understand that Satan is a force to be reckoned with.  He can throw more boulders, landslides and all around chaos into our path the more we try to be like Christ.  If you look at it from a simplistic standpoint, it is easier to take the trodden road. Sometimes we want the easy way.  It reminds me of Staples and the Easy Button.

 

Sin is easy.  Have you noticed that when you sin the next time the opportunity comes up to sin again, it gets easier?  Once it gets easier we convince ourselves that it’s ok to do it again and again. The odd thing is that Satan is celebrating victory.  Why would he throw out roadblocks when he has us where he wants us to be?  In the midst of sin.  Maybe that is why the grass is trodden because there are two people on it.

The other fork in the road is not so easy.  Why is it that way?  Because Satan wants us to fail and when we choose to be more like Christ and decide to take that fork in the road, I promise you that Satan is on that road making it harder for you to be Christlike.  He throws in doubt, discouragement, disappointment and any number of other things to make us give up or throw in the towel. 

There are two forks in the road of life.  One leads to an eternity in heaven where there will be no pain.  A home has been prepared for us in a glorious place.  The second fork brings heartache, sorrow and pain.  When we begin to doubt God’s goodness and His best for us, we are taking the wrong fork.  Which fork will you choose? 

      

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I understand that taking the road less traveled can lead to hardship, sorrow and pain.  It means that I will be called to give up the sinful things in my life and follow You.  What may seem fun and exciting in this earthly life is often my downfall.  Help me to always follow You, even when I don’t understand it.  I will cling to You when the road less traveled gets rough because I know You are with me.  

Scripture: “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15-20