My dear husband had a great mind and loved to study the Bible. He would sit for hours on the love seat in his little office and pour over the Scriptures with all sorts of concordances and dictionaries to help him understand. He would take notes and underline and star stuff. Frequently, he would ask me what I had studied that morning. I would always retort that I had not studied, I had only read the Bible.
Way back in the 90's I tried to read the Bible through in a year and was not very successful getting through it. Then came 9/11 and I determined to do it. I succeeded and every year since have done so. I just read it. I really don't love to study unless it is for a cause - cause I have to lead a class or prepare for Sunday School. I do research passages that speak to me during reading time and look words up from the Greek or Aramaic or Hebrew to gain a better understanding of what it meant back when it was written. I, too, underline and star stuff in my Bible.
We Christians have not been successful in communicating God's message to the world. We have not been good students of the Word and the world, because of our negligence, has steadily deteriorated in ethics and morals. I have been reading a wonderful book called "Love Your God With All Your Mind" by J. P. Moreland. He reasons that we must have some objective truth to believe in for the self is a very poor site for finding meaning. How can we "destroy speculations...raised up against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5 ) or develop a well-reasoned theology that helps us form our ideology unless we have studied.
In a way, we dethrone God when we do not take His Word seriously and use our minds to evaluate it and understand it and apply it. God values His Word and has said "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away." Matthew 24:35
What did you study, today?
Friday, May 24, 2019
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
#Anticipation
My dear husband was really good at surprises. We were dating and I lived in the nurses quarters of the hospital where I worked and it was a very hot summer. There was no air conditioning in these quarters. One day he walked, maybe three miles, from his home carrying a heavy circulating fan to bring to me so I wouldn't be miserable. I had not asked for it. I knew nothing about this fan until he presented it to me. I was struck by his care for me.
Years later, after marriage and kids were grown, he surprised me again. There were other times in between, but this time was notable. We were out of town for a wedding and the family gathered there gave him the opportunity for expert advice for which computer to get me. I had not asked for a new computer, but he had noticed some frustration on my part and had saved some money to buy me a new one. I don't know how he managed to save enough to pay for one, because our finances were snug and we kept close track of spending. I was totally surprised and thrilled that he had been planning this for me.
Anticipation means - a prior action that takes into account or forestalls or plans a later action. The prior action in my husband's case is love and that love led him to plan an action for the right time.
Where there is deep love, there is great delight in pleasing the one loved. Simply anticipating the delight created by unexpected pleasures given to the loved one is worth the cost.
Jesus is the lover of our soul and He takes great delight in giving. He knows us so well and has plans for the exact surprises to please us at just the right time. His love is perfect and pure and selfless and by all accounts this love deserves a response. It should ignite a passion in the recipient as we become aware of so great a love. It should cause us to want to please Him.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11
Years later, after marriage and kids were grown, he surprised me again. There were other times in between, but this time was notable. We were out of town for a wedding and the family gathered there gave him the opportunity for expert advice for which computer to get me. I had not asked for a new computer, but he had noticed some frustration on my part and had saved some money to buy me a new one. I don't know how he managed to save enough to pay for one, because our finances were snug and we kept close track of spending. I was totally surprised and thrilled that he had been planning this for me.
Anticipation means - a prior action that takes into account or forestalls or plans a later action. The prior action in my husband's case is love and that love led him to plan an action for the right time.
Where there is deep love, there is great delight in pleasing the one loved. Simply anticipating the delight created by unexpected pleasures given to the loved one is worth the cost.
Jesus is the lover of our soul and He takes great delight in giving. He knows us so well and has plans for the exact surprises to please us at just the right time. His love is perfect and pure and selfless and by all accounts this love deserves a response. It should ignite a passion in the recipient as we become aware of so great a love. It should cause us to want to please Him.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11
Saturday, May 18, 2019
#DrySpells
Gardening is so much fun. Getting my hands dirty is rewarding causing me to look forward to growing things. Fresh dirt smells so good and I think they should develop a perfume called "Dirty". When you spray it behind your ears, those who love getting dirty would love to give you a hug just to take a sniff!
It is a fact that when there are dry spells and it hasn't rained for some days, plants need water and the dryness stimulates the roots to grow longer reaching out for moisture deep down in the soil. Trees get stronger because their root base gets wider and deeper and strong winds cannot topple them over so easily. So, it is OK to let the dirt get dry as long as you don't wait too long.
We can experience 'dry spells', also. Sometimes, we can feel that God has moved away. We don't feel the closeness that we once had with Him. It may cause us to wonder if we have done something wrong. It may cause us to even have doubts as to our relationship with Him. We may even begin thinking He doesn't love us. This truly is a 'dry spell'.
Your spirit is alive and needy and God may be using this awareness of His absence to cause you to grow your roots. It is time to get into the Word and keep in the Word for refreshment. It is time to turn to Him, in faith, and talk to Him telling Him exactly how you feel. Your root base might not be wide enough or deep enough to take on the strong winds of adversity. These 'dry spells' can work for good IF you choose to seek the source of life and not let the doubts harm your progress.
It is a fact that when there are dry spells and it hasn't rained for some days, plants need water and the dryness stimulates the roots to grow longer reaching out for moisture deep down in the soil. Trees get stronger because their root base gets wider and deeper and strong winds cannot topple them over so easily. So, it is OK to let the dirt get dry as long as you don't wait too long.
We can experience 'dry spells', also. Sometimes, we can feel that God has moved away. We don't feel the closeness that we once had with Him. It may cause us to wonder if we have done something wrong. It may cause us to even have doubts as to our relationship with Him. We may even begin thinking He doesn't love us. This truly is a 'dry spell'.
Your spirit is alive and needy and God may be using this awareness of His absence to cause you to grow your roots. It is time to get into the Word and keep in the Word for refreshment. It is time to turn to Him, in faith, and talk to Him telling Him exactly how you feel. Your root base might not be wide enough or deep enough to take on the strong winds of adversity. These 'dry spells' can work for good IF you choose to seek the source of life and not let the doubts harm your progress.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
#JudgmentCalls
You go into the funeral home and walk past the casket and you know, you don't have to think about it, you know that man resting in the casket is dead. In life, most things are not so stark. People who cross your path on a daily basis act certain ways and you draw conclusions. You have to think about it.
A man checks his receipt every time he makes a purchase. He stands there in the middle of the aisle and takes time to go over the receipt with care, every time. Perhaps he is a tight-wad enters your mind. He doesn't look needy. He is well dressed. Never has there been a mistake on the receipt to cause him to go back and have it corrected, but he always checks.
Have you made a judgment call? If there was a trial and you were on the jury, your voice would need to be heard as a witness. But, you are not on a jury and no trial is proceeding. If your judgment call makes you, in real time, treat this man as tho he was a tight-wad and you mistreat him, you have made yourself jury and judge and dispensed the penalty. That is wrong on several levels. You don't know his history and no one gave you the right to sit in judgment on anyone.
Matthew 7:1 speaks about judging and tells us not to do it. A few verses later, verse 16, does say something that might seem contradictory; "by their fruits, you shall know them." It seems that we are allowed to check out the fruit of people's lives. We are not to judge them, but the fruit of their lives. You can know what kind of a tree is growing when you see it's fruit. You get to judge the deeds and words, not the person. God will be the final jury and judge of each of us, but you get to be a fruit inspector. You can partake or reject the fruit, but you must respect the person. It is imperative that we make judgement calls. Not to do so is irresponsible. It is dangerous to not know good fruit from bad fruit, good words from bad words. Fruit inspectors have studied to know good fruit from bad and that is your responsibility, to study. Your study book is the Bible. It will help you see the difference between good and bad words and deeds so that your judgment calls are more accurate.
A man checks his receipt every time he makes a purchase. He stands there in the middle of the aisle and takes time to go over the receipt with care, every time. Perhaps he is a tight-wad enters your mind. He doesn't look needy. He is well dressed. Never has there been a mistake on the receipt to cause him to go back and have it corrected, but he always checks.
Have you made a judgment call? If there was a trial and you were on the jury, your voice would need to be heard as a witness. But, you are not on a jury and no trial is proceeding. If your judgment call makes you, in real time, treat this man as tho he was a tight-wad and you mistreat him, you have made yourself jury and judge and dispensed the penalty. That is wrong on several levels. You don't know his history and no one gave you the right to sit in judgment on anyone.
Matthew 7:1 speaks about judging and tells us not to do it. A few verses later, verse 16, does say something that might seem contradictory; "by their fruits, you shall know them." It seems that we are allowed to check out the fruit of people's lives. We are not to judge them, but the fruit of their lives. You can know what kind of a tree is growing when you see it's fruit. You get to judge the deeds and words, not the person. God will be the final jury and judge of each of us, but you get to be a fruit inspector. You can partake or reject the fruit, but you must respect the person. It is imperative that we make judgement calls. Not to do so is irresponsible. It is dangerous to not know good fruit from bad fruit, good words from bad words. Fruit inspectors have studied to know good fruit from bad and that is your responsibility, to study. Your study book is the Bible. It will help you see the difference between good and bad words and deeds so that your judgment calls are more accurate.
Friday, May 10, 2019
#Accusations
It got ugly. She accused me of something that never entered my mind. I was taken aback as I just trying to explain the reasons and she did not want to hear. She was offended and then I made a mistake. I could have paused and asked God for some wisdom, but I didn't. I did the natural thing and counted on myself to come up with the right words. Wrong.
Looking back on the incident an hour or so later, I 'should' on myself. I began thinking of what I should have said. Then the thought came to me that this incident was so out of the ordinary, that it must have been inspired by my enemy and God had allowed it to help me see something important. That important thing was that my tendency to rely upon myself is strong. He was helping me see myself as He sees me and giving me something to work on, to change.
I don't know her motives, but I am to think good of her until her motives are revealed. As I prayed for myself, asking God to forgive me for leaving Him out of the equation, I prayed for her. There has been some changes in me over time, because I reached the place of confession much sooner than in the past. God is so interested in me being conformed to the image of Christ that He uses negative happenings to open my eyes. I had to thank Him for His loving kindness to me.
Jeremiah 17:9 and 10 tell us that "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord search the heart, I test the mind..." We cannot know all that hides within our hearts. God knows and sees the deceit. He loves us anyway, no matter, but being a good father, He must rear us and that includes opening our eyes to those faults. By His grace He gives us one more chance to grow up.
I expect there to be a test in this particular mode as I work on changing. Hope I pass.
Looking back on the incident an hour or so later, I 'should' on myself. I began thinking of what I should have said. Then the thought came to me that this incident was so out of the ordinary, that it must have been inspired by my enemy and God had allowed it to help me see something important. That important thing was that my tendency to rely upon myself is strong. He was helping me see myself as He sees me and giving me something to work on, to change.
I don't know her motives, but I am to think good of her until her motives are revealed. As I prayed for myself, asking God to forgive me for leaving Him out of the equation, I prayed for her. There has been some changes in me over time, because I reached the place of confession much sooner than in the past. God is so interested in me being conformed to the image of Christ that He uses negative happenings to open my eyes. I had to thank Him for His loving kindness to me.
Jeremiah 17:9 and 10 tell us that "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord search the heart, I test the mind..." We cannot know all that hides within our hearts. God knows and sees the deceit. He loves us anyway, no matter, but being a good father, He must rear us and that includes opening our eyes to those faults. By His grace He gives us one more chance to grow up.
I expect there to be a test in this particular mode as I work on changing. Hope I pass.
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
#Motherhood!
It was a hot July day and I was barefoot, on my hands and knees, scrubbing my kitchen floor. With kids running in and out the back door all day, the floor constantly needed scrubbing. A knock came on the door with a neighbor telling me that my kids were in a group up on the knoll playing with matches. I immediately dropped everything and went running out to find them. There was much clover in the grass and my bare feet stepped on bees as I ran. I came back with my kids and having four or five bee stings swelling on the bottom of both of my feet!
It was early in September and I was driving my Volkswagen Fastback to the university where my son was beginning his freshman year. He had won a Naval ROTC Scholarship and needed a special calculator that had arrived late and I was delivering it. On the way back home, this little car began making large thumping noised and the cylinders froze up. I slowed to a stop some sixty-miles away from home back in the days of no cell phones and walked to the nearest gas station!
It was in November in cold, snowy, bad roads Wisconsin. We were heading to Minnesota to see our son and his wife and new born first child. The roads were slippery as we headed north and my husband, being wise and cautious, decided to turn back. We did, but I, not being so wise or cautious and feeling a great need to go see my new grandson, decided to go all by myself. It is a six hour drive even in good weather, but I made the trip and back home again, safely and got to see my kids!
It was after a heartbreak that my daughter decided to learn to drive. She had not taken Driver's Ed and was, now, needing to get to her job. We went to the nice quiet cemetery and I sat in the passenger's seat as she practiced driving on the winding, narrow roads amongst the many tombstones. She learned to back up and when to put on her brakes and how to control the steering wheel as I learned more of what a wonderful daughter I had. We had been at odds for a while and now we were becoming best friends and it was a wonderful time!
It was in December with all the Christmas decorations scattered over the house. I was at the dining room table with my portable sewing machine sewing away when my two year old came to me with nose running and tears creeping down his cheeks. I got a tissue to wipe his nose and he winced. I checked his nose and found a plastic bead taken from an artificial poinsettia decoration was stuck way up one nostril. I could not remove it, so, off to the doctors and forget about sewing!
The joys of motherhood cannot be weighed! Children are a gift from God! Blessed is the man whose quiver is full!
It was early in September and I was driving my Volkswagen Fastback to the university where my son was beginning his freshman year. He had won a Naval ROTC Scholarship and needed a special calculator that had arrived late and I was delivering it. On the way back home, this little car began making large thumping noised and the cylinders froze up. I slowed to a stop some sixty-miles away from home back in the days of no cell phones and walked to the nearest gas station!
It was in November in cold, snowy, bad roads Wisconsin. We were heading to Minnesota to see our son and his wife and new born first child. The roads were slippery as we headed north and my husband, being wise and cautious, decided to turn back. We did, but I, not being so wise or cautious and feeling a great need to go see my new grandson, decided to go all by myself. It is a six hour drive even in good weather, but I made the trip and back home again, safely and got to see my kids!
It was after a heartbreak that my daughter decided to learn to drive. She had not taken Driver's Ed and was, now, needing to get to her job. We went to the nice quiet cemetery and I sat in the passenger's seat as she practiced driving on the winding, narrow roads amongst the many tombstones. She learned to back up and when to put on her brakes and how to control the steering wheel as I learned more of what a wonderful daughter I had. We had been at odds for a while and now we were becoming best friends and it was a wonderful time!
It was in December with all the Christmas decorations scattered over the house. I was at the dining room table with my portable sewing machine sewing away when my two year old came to me with nose running and tears creeping down his cheeks. I got a tissue to wipe his nose and he winced. I checked his nose and found a plastic bead taken from an artificial poinsettia decoration was stuck way up one nostril. I could not remove it, so, off to the doctors and forget about sewing!
The joys of motherhood cannot be weighed! Children are a gift from God! Blessed is the man whose quiver is full!
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
#ByAnyOtherNAME
"A rose by any other name is still a rose." That little statement is true of roses.You may call a rose something totally unrelated, but you will know it is a rose when you smell it. Inanimate objects can be called by any name you wish and it still remains what it is. This is not true with people or animals or God.
A dog knows when someone calls his name. He responds. If you call him by a foreign name, he will not. My cat knows her name and responds to it, but if I called her Fido I would get no recognition. Names are important to people. Something is triggered when a person hears their name used. I have seen many a smile on a people's faces when I say their name after they put their Rewards number in during a purchase. It is almost insulting to call someone by the wrong name, tho, I have done that when calling one of my children and using a sibling's name accidentally.
Names communicate something about the person's character. Names carry meaning. When Moses asked God what His name was after God told him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go, God said, "Tell the Sons of Israel that 'I AM' sent you." "The Lord, the God of your fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob has sent you." Ex.3:14 &15
"I Am" is YHWH in Hebrew. It carries the meaning of 'being'. It also carries the meaning of 'being at work'. This is comforting to me for it tells me that God is always working, never resting or sleeping or going on vacation. He is constantly at work. God also added descriptive words to further identify how He works during His relationship with the Israelites. Jehovah-jireh means - the Lord will provide and Jehovah-shammah means - The Lord who heals. There are nine of thee YHWH dash plus names and each one tells us something of His character.
God told Moses what He wanted to be called and it is impertinent and wrong to call Him by a name such as 'Allah'. It is wrong to use His name as a cuss word because His name is Holy, pertaining only to Him, and precious because it declares something about Him.
There is one other name by which God is known and that is the name 'Jesus' which means Savior. We are told to call upon that name for salvation. Romans 10:13 "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." He is waiting to hear you call His name.
A dog knows when someone calls his name. He responds. If you call him by a foreign name, he will not. My cat knows her name and responds to it, but if I called her Fido I would get no recognition. Names are important to people. Something is triggered when a person hears their name used. I have seen many a smile on a people's faces when I say their name after they put their Rewards number in during a purchase. It is almost insulting to call someone by the wrong name, tho, I have done that when calling one of my children and using a sibling's name accidentally.
Names communicate something about the person's character. Names carry meaning. When Moses asked God what His name was after God told him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go, God said, "Tell the Sons of Israel that 'I AM' sent you." "The Lord, the God of your fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob has sent you." Ex.3:14 &15
"I Am" is YHWH in Hebrew. It carries the meaning of 'being'. It also carries the meaning of 'being at work'. This is comforting to me for it tells me that God is always working, never resting or sleeping or going on vacation. He is constantly at work. God also added descriptive words to further identify how He works during His relationship with the Israelites. Jehovah-jireh means - the Lord will provide and Jehovah-shammah means - The Lord who heals. There are nine of thee YHWH dash plus names and each one tells us something of His character.
God told Moses what He wanted to be called and it is impertinent and wrong to call Him by a name such as 'Allah'. It is wrong to use His name as a cuss word because His name is Holy, pertaining only to Him, and precious because it declares something about Him.
There is one other name by which God is known and that is the name 'Jesus' which means Savior. We are told to call upon that name for salvation. Romans 10:13 "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." He is waiting to hear you call His name.
Saturday, May 4, 2019
#Fishing
Some people love fishing. My dad did. He tried to get me to like it when I was a kid. It just didn't take. On his day off, he would load up all his fishing gear and drive us to Horse Shoe Lake and find a nice shaded spot by the lake. Then he would hand me the can of worms and a hook and patiently wait for me to get that wiggly thing on the hook. We would sit with out poles in our laps and wait for a nibble. That was the part I did not care for. I didn't mind the worms or the hook, but the waiting would drive me crazy. Now, I love to eat fish, but, the fish someone else has caught.
Out of all the familiar sports there is one I dislike, intensely. Baseball. It is the most boring sport. You have to wait forever for any action. The pitcher stands, holding the ball and looking at the catcher for a signal that he agrees with before the ball leaves his hand. He nods or shakes his head and finally the ball is thrown. There may be foul balls and we wait. At last the hitter hits one and gets to first base. Then the process starts all over. Football follows close behind on my dislike list. There are so many time-outs and penalties that I cannot bear watching a game. I do root for a team and check the stats frequently, but it is plain torture to sit for three or more hours watching.
Fishing for men also takes patience, but, somehow this waiting for the right moment is more than worth it. There is preparation for this 'sport'. Prayer is the first item to place in your tackle box. Next, should be the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Then, you need the bait. Becoming a friend of someone makes it easier to ask questions and to talk about spiritual matters, but a good question to ask is "Do you have a relationship with Jesus?" to get the ball rolling.
Jesus told His disciples to become fishers of men. He came to seek and save the lost and as His followers, we are asked to do the same. This is so much more than a sport. Men and women and children need to hear the Good News and if we don't share it, we are partly responsible for people staying lost and the consequences that go along with being lost.
Something to think about - when you get to heaven will there be anyone there who wants to thank you for sharing Jesus with them?
Out of all the familiar sports there is one I dislike, intensely. Baseball. It is the most boring sport. You have to wait forever for any action. The pitcher stands, holding the ball and looking at the catcher for a signal that he agrees with before the ball leaves his hand. He nods or shakes his head and finally the ball is thrown. There may be foul balls and we wait. At last the hitter hits one and gets to first base. Then the process starts all over. Football follows close behind on my dislike list. There are so many time-outs and penalties that I cannot bear watching a game. I do root for a team and check the stats frequently, but it is plain torture to sit for three or more hours watching.
Fishing for men also takes patience, but, somehow this waiting for the right moment is more than worth it. There is preparation for this 'sport'. Prayer is the first item to place in your tackle box. Next, should be the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Then, you need the bait. Becoming a friend of someone makes it easier to ask questions and to talk about spiritual matters, but a good question to ask is "Do you have a relationship with Jesus?" to get the ball rolling.
Jesus told His disciples to become fishers of men. He came to seek and save the lost and as His followers, we are asked to do the same. This is so much more than a sport. Men and women and children need to hear the Good News and if we don't share it, we are partly responsible for people staying lost and the consequences that go along with being lost.
Something to think about - when you get to heaven will there be anyone there who wants to thank you for sharing Jesus with them?
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