"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." - Ps. 111:10

"...wisdom begins with a humble acknowledgment

of the reality of God"

John Stott

The kind of "fear" we are talking about in our verse today is a reverence and awe of God...it means yielding our way and honoring God's way.  I love that when Solomon was made king, God told him to ask for whatever he wanted.  When he asked for a wise and discerning heart, this pleased God.  When we understand who God is and who we are, that is where our wisdom begins...and it pleases God.

Jennifer Rothschild says "...wisdom has nothing to do with what we know or don't know and everything to do with Who we do know!"  Do you surround yourself with "wise" people?  It is a choice we get to make.  Proverbs 13:20 says: "...walk with the wise and become wise...".

James 1:5 tells us the solution to being wise is to simply ask God "...who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you."  I hope you are praying for our leaders in Washington that they would seek wisdom from God, the only source of true wisdom.  After the MOAB was dropped on Syria by the US, our president said: "We must all seek wisdom from God".  No matter what you think of him or his actions, his words here indicate he believes wisdom is from God.  Be praying for salvation of our leaders that they would  all do the same.

We must teach our children not to be competent in themselves, but for God's wisdom to make them competent.  Truly, that is our hope for today and every day in the future.  Have you spent time in God's word today to know what His instructions are?

For further study:

Job 1:8, Psalm 34:9-11, Proverbs 2:1-15, Proverbs 31:30, Ecc. 2:26, Jeremiah 8:9, 1 Cor. 1:18-25, Colossians 2:2-4, 2 Tim. 3:14-17, James 3:17.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

The peace of God will guard your heart - Phil. 4:7

"God's promise is not for moments

of peace, but for lives of complete peace...

peace with Him, peace within, peace in

every circumstance, peace at all times and

in all our days.  The command is to

choose prayer over anxious tendencies

so that our minds will be saturated and

guarded.  In short, He intends for us to

have the mind of Christ."

Christian Unity Ministries Newsletter 2/17

This quote came from Blake Coffee, Executive Director of Christian Unity Ministries, one of the most relevant ministries of our time, in my humble opinion.   He and his staff work with churches to make them as strong as possible for kingdom work.  The unity of the church is one of the brightest rays of hope in our country today...God has chosen to do much of His work through healthy churches...at a time when peace is hard to find in our world.

I am encouraged that God's promises are as true today and they were when they were written so many years ago.  I believe the only way we will have hope for a better tomorrow is by clinging to God's word and His promises.  1 Corinthians 14:33 says "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace...as in all the congregations of the Lord's people".  Therefore, I believe it is the Lord's people that must be equipped to recognize what the enemy throws at us and not buy into the disorder that is so prevalent in our country today.  Be praying for our nation's leaders that they will seek wisdom from God.

Be encouraged.,..He has promised you that His Spirit will develop in you peace (Gal. 5:22-23).  So be filled with His Spirit (by receiving Jesus as your Savior), study and cling to His word, pray daily for the redemption of souls and be willing to share with those lost souls around you the hope that comes from only Him.  We have been given a message only we can give...I don't want to waste another minute!

For further study:  Numbers 6:24-26,  Psalm 119:165, Proverbs 14:30, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 26:3, John 16:33, Romans 5:1-2, Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:15, Titus 3:1-2

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

Create in me a pure heart, O God - Psalm 51:10

Psalm 51 is a beautiful prayer of King David after being presented with the truth of his sin with Bathsheba.  I encourage you to read 2 Samuel 11-12 to see how devastating this "distraction" was in David's life and the life of his family.  As we close out 2016, I think it is worth considering those things in our lives that keep us from a flourishing relationship with the Lord.

Recently I flew out of Tulsa, OK on a dark, cold, gloomy day.   As we flew through and above the clouds (light and fluffy though they looked from above), lo and behold, blue sky and sunshine!  I took a picture to show you:

Those innocent looking clouds completely blocked the light. They didn't look like they could be destructive, but they certainly were.   Maybe they started out small, but eventually they completely blocked the sunshine from entering in.  Listen to one definition of a pure heart:

A pure heart is one that is devoted singularly

to God.  It is one that has no idols or competitors

to God that are set up to take God's place.

It's a heart that refuses to allow distractions

to block our view of God."

What might be some of the things that may be blocking your view of God?

--quest for success

--greed

--worldly possessions

--family

--unforgiveness

--food

--career

--popularity/acceptance

Genesis 1:26 tells us God made mankind in His image.  In Leviticus 11:44, He tells us to "...be holy because I am holy".  It is clear that if God is pure and holy - which He is - then His desire is for us to be pure and holy. We were made to be like Him.  Nothing can distract us from our devotion to Him and to His principles.  As I begin 2017,  I would like to say "no" to myself more and say "yes" more to God.  Will you join me in saying to our Creator:  "Create in me a pure heart, O God"?

For further study:   Leviticus 11:44-45, Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 24:4, Matthew 5:8, Ephesians 5:3-5, Philippians 4:8, 1 Thess. 4:7, Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9.

Happy New Year, sweet friends!

Love One Another for love comes from God - 1 John 4:7

When love broke thru

You found me in the darkness

Wanderin' thru the desert

I was a hopeless fool

Now I'm hopelessly devoted

My chains are broken

And it all began with You

Toby Mac "Love Broke Thru"

Toby Mac is speaking the truth about the darkness and hopeless fools.  We need for love to break through in the world today!  Our pillow verse says "love comes from God"...so in essence we need more of God.  He has freely offered us His Spirit (Acts 2:38) but we have chosen independence and cheap thrills instead.

I believe one of the major things in our society that has contributed to its decline is our lack of love for one another.  In some ways I think much of that devaluing began in shows like Saturday Night Live that make fun of people and call it entertainment.  I love this picture of Michelle Obama and George Bush...they CHOSE this moment to exhibit LOVE!

David Brooks wrote a recent article about another family that has chosen love.  They have taken vulnerable teenagers into their home (from homelessness, poverty, sexual abuse) to sit around a dinner table and to crash in their bedrooms.  They have started a charitable foundation called AOK (All Our Kids) to provide hope for young people who have none.  Brooks says about them: "Love is the necessary force" to affect change in these kids and their relationships.  They are making a difference in Washington, D.C.

1 John reminds us that "all love comes from God"...if we have received love, we can choose to give love.  We might just make a difference in the world!  Hope you will vote on November 8th!

For further study:  Psalm 32:10, Proverbs 3:3, Lamentations 3:22, Daniel 9:4, Romans 12:9, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Galatians 6:22, Ephesians 2:4, 2 Thess. 3:5, Jude 21.

Love,

Holly

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS - Phil. 4:4

Lord, I do not honor you merely by

obeying you.  The way to glorify you the most

is to enjoy you.  Help me...to revel in all you are

and have done for me until it awakens joy in my heart.

The Songs of Jesus

Is your joy awake?  Do others see your joy?  Does it take getting what you want to be joyful?  Do you find the circumstances of your life robbing you of joy?

Debra Fileta in RELEVANT MAGAZINE says "there are a few things truly happy people don't ever do."  Do you want to know what they are?

1.  Comparing - "looking at what others have is a recipe for disaster".

2.  Complaining -  "When the enemy tempts you to dwell on all that you don't have, defeat him by praising God for all that He's given".

3.  Competing - "Happy people don't live their life with others as their measuring stick".

4.  Controlling - "Letting go of control only becomes a reality when we grasp the truth that the moment we do, Someone greater takes control."

5.  Criticizing - "People who put others down the most are the ones who are struggling the most within themselves."

Fileta says "Happiness as the world defines it may not always be possible, but no matter where you are in life, you have the ability to choose joy."

I remind myself often that "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23).  No matter how I try to convince myself otherwise, when I became a believer (July 3, 1981) the Holy Spirit began developing within me His fruit.  How healthy that fruit is depends on how much I depend upon Him.  How are you feeling today?  What are you depending upon today?

For further study:  1 Chron. 16:27, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 40:16, Psalm 118:24, Isaiah 55:10-12, Luke 2:10-11, John 15:11, Romans 12:12, 1 Cor. 13:6, James 1:2-4.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

Great is the LORD and most worthy of worship - Ps. 145:3

Do you ever leave a worship service and completely forget being there...or at least take nothing away or not be changed in any way?  It's taken me a lot of years and lot of Spirit-guiding for me to realize that the quality of my worship depends on my view of the LORD.  I particularly love this verse because it reminds me who is great...and it's not me or anything I worship besides Him.

The dictionary definition of worship is "the act of showing respect and love for a god...excessive admiration for someone or something".  The Biblical definition says that God alone is the only person or thing worthy of worship.  I don't have to give a list of the things the world is in awe of...those are the things they worship. Frankly, those are the things that exhaust us.  The Bible says in Deu. 6:5: "Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart...soul...strength".  What are the things that are stealing your heart...your soul...your strength"?

Tim Keller says: "Only through worship are we restored to vigor from the exhaustion and burnout of seeking our own glory".  It is the Spirit of God that renews and fills...anything else we fill our hearts and minds with depletes.  I know that...I am reminded daily that the world is changing, God is not.  His word, which also doesn't change,  tells us that we will find rest in Him alone.

What is depleting you today?  What is restoring you?  Lysa TerKeurst says: "Whatever we worship, we obey."  Who are you obeying today?

For further study:  Deu. 32:3, 1 Chron. 16:25, Psalm 89:1 Psalm 111:10, Matthew 19:17, John 4:24, Hebrews 13:15, 1 Peter 4:10-11, James 5:13

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

THY WILL BE DONE - Matt. 6:10

I know you see me

I know you hear me, Lord

Your plans are for me

Goodness you have in store

So, thy will be done

THY WILL   by Hillary Scott

Nothing gives me more hope than knowing God has a plan for my life and it is a good one.  Nothing discourages me more than to think I am in charge of my life.  Hillary Scott has it right to say that life is confusing but not hopeless.  Broken hearts may come into our lives, but as Louie Giglio says, "In ALL things, God works..." (Rom. 8:28).

Jesus, fully human and fully God, knew God's plans were the right plans.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He was crucified,  He knew that submitting to His Father's will was necessary - oh so hard, but necessary.  We were never intended to live our lives without submitting to the One who created us...who knew us before we were born and does know what is best for us.  He has spoken to us in His word..what a treasure we have before us to listen to.  I love the new "Dare to Listen" campaign...a very necessary step for us to take to begin to communicate to each other about what we are feeling.  But there is One who has been beckoning us for ages...One who is worthy of listening to...worthy of honoring and obeying.

Isaiah 55:6 says "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near".  I fear He will stop speaking to us if we do not respond in faith to His call upon our lives.  Whose will will you do today?

For further study:  Psalm 40:8, 143:10; Isaiah 53:10, Jeremiah 10:12, Matt. 26:39, John 7:17-18, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Cor. 8:12, Eph. 5:17, James 4:15.

Be blessed in the understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly