Where your treasure is will be where your heart is - Matt. 6:21

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, had much great teaching for his disciples.  He so wanted them to be able to carry on the work after His few short years of ministry.  He knew that they were as vulnerable to the flesh as were the unbelievers.  He wanted them to know the joy of not acquiring things, but to "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...".  Vicki Courtney in the EVER AFTER Bible study says the word "store" means "to live from day to day as to increase either the bitterness or the happiness of one's consequent lot".  In other words, what we store up is what determines "our emotional state".  She says to ask yourself this question:  what dictates your mood?  Isn't it usually what we get or don't get - in physical things, in friendship, in support, in ambition?  I can be so focused on something that I see nothing happening around me but the single vision of my goal.

So what does it mean to seek treasure in heaven?  I think the Christian group King & Country come pretty close to defining it in "Fix My Eyes":

Love like I'm not scared

Give when it's not fair

Live life for another

Take time for a brother

Fight for the weak ones

Speak out for freedom

Find faith in the battle

Stand tall but above it all

Fix my eyes on You

On You

 

What has captured your heart today?  We settle for the cheap imitations when the vast good of heaven is offered to us.  Listen to C.S. Lewis in THE WEIGHT OF GLORY:

 

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and

sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant

child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he

cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.

We are far too easily pleased.

 

I'm going to go see if I can't give a few things away.  How about you?

 

For further study:  Deu. 6:5, 1 Sam. 16:7, Job 22:21-22, Psalm 119:11, Proverbs 4:20-23, Isaiah 33:6, Jonah 2:8, Luke 6:45, Col. 2:2-3, Hebrews 11:24-26.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through

this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty,

Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven,

Bread of heaven.  Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

 

Sometimes you just need a good OLD hymn to remind you of who we really believe can lead us out of whatever predicament we are in!  William Williams, the son of a wealthy farmer, was on his way to becoming a doctor in the 1700s when he heard the gospel and his life was changed to become an itinerant preacher.  He considered himself a "pilgrim" and lived a very hard life, but wrote over 800 hymns, including our one for today.  This hymn, by the way, was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana of Wales.

 

Do you feel like a prilgrim in a barren land?  Do you feel weak and powerless?  Do you feel like nothing nourishes you, but only depletes?  Job, in the midst of a major predicament, said about God: "he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (23:10)  Some of our predicaments are His testing, some are our choices, some are just allowed for our growth or someone around us and some are just to draw others to Himself.  The question is: who are you letting guide you through them?  The world has lots of solutions:  strive harder, take more control, go shopping, buy a prettier car, build a bigger house...is that the path you are taking?

 

In last week's Sunday School curriculum on Ezekiel, this was written:

 

"God's Spirit can teach, guide and change us

only to the extent that we listen to and obey

His voice."

 

Not to sound weird, but sometimes the voices in my head speak so loudly I couldn't hear the Spirit of God if He shouted.  If we are to seek the "Bread of Heaven", we must be intentional about what we say yes to and what we say no to.  Isaiah 30:18 says "He longs to be gracious to you...", but it also says we must wait for Him.  Do we make decisions without waiting?  I'm afraid I do...I want to be more intentional about allowing His guidance to be my rudder and not allow the things I want to happen guide me.

 

For further study:  Exodus 15:13, Nehemiah 9:19-21, Psalm 48:14, Psalm 73:23-24, Isaiah 43:2,  Isaiah 58:11, ohn 6:48, John 16:13, 2 Cor. 6:16, James 4:8.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



Seek first the kingdom of God... - Matt. 6:33

What we see depends mainly on

what we look for

John Lubbock

Sometimes my "seer" - that part of me that gets obsessive about something I want - gets very misguided.  And that's probably a little more generous than I ought to be.  Regardless of what the world tells us we should be looking for, truthfully, "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9).  Unless we set our hearts on looking for righteousness, we will never find it.  And unless the Holy Spirit inhabits your heart, it cannot be set on anything good.

 

Jesus knew that would be the case so, in the Sermon on the Mount, he taught his disciples about seeking after important things and letting the other stuff come to us - things like food, our bodies and our clothing. He knows exactly what we need every minute of our lives.  Oh we have surely gotten offcourse, haven't we - or is it just me?  In another passage in Luke 12:15-21 Jesus tells a parable about a man building bigger barns to store all his his crops.   Does that sound familiar?  Do you see all the new storage places going up?  That man's life was taken in an instant and ours can be as well.  My desire is not that our children will have to get rid of the stuff in my barns!

 

Max Lucado in TRAVELING LIGHT says:

 

Heaven doesn't know you as the fellow with the nice suit

or the woman with the big house.  Heaven knows your heart...

When God thinks of you, He may see your compassion, your

devotion, your tenderness or quick mind, but He doesn't

think of your things.

 

So I have to honestly ask myself today:  "what am I seeking first today?"...because that is likely what I will find.

 

For further study:  Deuteronomy 4:29, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Chronicles 28:8-9, Isaiah 55:6, Matthew 5:6, 2 Cor. 7:1, Romans 14:17, 1 Timothy 6:6-11, Rev. 21:6-7.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

 



Seek the LORD while he may be found - Isaiah 55:6

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near

 

Our faithful prophet Isaiah had had many years of calling mankind to return to his sovereign God, the One who made a people for His own, the One who would have mercy upon His own and would have an everlasting love for His people.  But for many years those same people worshipped other gods, and sought to live independent and separate from their Maker. Later in Chapter 64, he talks about the clay and the potter and that "we are the work" of His hand.   I think we see in our verse for today that the time to receive this "indescribable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15) is not forever.  The clay becomes hard and unworkable after a while; we lose our sensitivity to spiritual things. 

 

The word "seek" is used other places (Deu. 12:5, Ps. 9:10, 105:4) to describe going to worship in the temple...but these were exiles and had no temple, so this was to seek God Himself and his way of life.  These people were complainers and grumblers...Isaiah wanted them to see the blessing that would come if they would repent and yield.  God wants a grateful and obedient following...He doesn't want resentful and grumpy people.  The choice is ours.  One day He will say to us: "is that your final answer?".

 

What are you seeking after today?  A thrill, a release from pressure, a bigger house, another pair of shoes...or the things of God?  This same Chap. 55 talks about God's thoughts not being our thoughts or His ways our ways.  In order to "think with the mind of Christ" (Phil. 2:5) we must receive this greatest of all gifts He offers us...today!  Our salvation is a gift from God...we have been given a choice to receive this gift or to reject it.  We say "no thank you" when we live according to the world's standards and not Biblical ones; we say "no thank you" when we harden our hearts to the people He has put in our lives; we say "no thank you" when we are sexually impure or idolize the things of this world.  We say "no thank you" when we do not receive the gift of Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.  It is only His indwelling Spirit that does that incredible work in us that we cannot do ourselves.

 

I don't want to be like the people in Romans 1 who God finally gave over to their own lusts...they "exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator".    The time ran out for them...I will choose TODAY to trust Him, to call on Him and to the best of my ability to discern and do exactly what He calls me to do.   How about you?

 

For further study:  Deu. 4:29-31, Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 27:1, Isaiah 29:16, Hosea 10;12, 2 Cor. 9:15, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 3:7-16, James 4:8, 1 Peter 4:17

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

LOVE - 1 Cor. 13

One of my deepest joys in life is to be a mother.  It wasn't something I always wanted to do and it took me several months to even feel the least bit comfortable with the role.  I remember days of saying to Don "my life is over" when he would come home from a very normal day of work.  Our poor Andrew was my guinea pig and he seems to have survived in spite of it!  Motherhood is a very current subject in our household since our youngest son and his wife will become parents later this year.  Of course pink purchases have also been one of my current joys as a future grandmother!

In a recent study on motherhood, I was delighted to discover that as women we are really all made to be mothers in that we are designed to produce life (Gen.1- 3).  Staci and John Eldredge in their book CAPTIVATING say:

All women are not mothers, but all women are called to mother.

To mother is to nurture, to train, to educate, to rear.  As daughters of Eve,

all women are uniquely gifted to help others in their lives become more

of who they truly are - to encourage, nurture and mother them toward

their true selves.  In doing this, women partner with Christ in

the vital mission of bringing forth life.

 

It is important to note that we do partner with our Lord in this role...I could have never done it without the LOVE that comes as a fruit of the Spirit.  Remember, "we love because He first loved us".  Three lovely examples of how faith in the Lord provides for mothers:

 

--Shiphrah and Puah (midwives) who rescued the children who were to die in Egypt because they feared the Lord and then were given their own families because of their faithfulness  (Ex. 1:15)

-- Hannah - prayed for a child and then, because "the Lord has granted me what I asked of him" gave him back to the Lord in service (1 Sam. 1:27-28)

--Mary - sweet mother of Jesus, who upon finding out she was going to be a mother was willing to face ridicule because it was a "word from God" (Luke 1:37).

 

Jim Brickman says in his song "A Mother's Love":

 

There is no power like it on this earth

No treasure equal to its worth

The gift of a mother's love.

 

In 1 Corinthians 13 we see that LOVE is patient and kind, not envious or boastful, doesn't dishonor or is self-seeking, not angry or spiteful, doesn't delight in evil but rejoices in the truth, always protects, always hopes, always perseveres.  Sounds like a mother's love...but it is really God's love at work in us...our greatest of all gifts!  Happy Mother's Day, friends!

 

For further study: Gen. 1:26, Exodus 20:12, Leviticus 19:3, 1 Samuel 1:27-28, Prov. 31:27-31, Isaiah 40:11, Isaiah 66:13, Matthew 23:37, Titus 2:4-5, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 5:2.

 

Love,

Holly







I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my GOD - Isaiah 61:10

Our church has what is called the "re-verse" theme for Sunday mornings...the texts taught from the pulpit and in Sunday School are identical (although the messages frequently vary quite a bit!).  We have been working through Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  This past week my sweet husband preached on Ezekiel 2 and 3 and the prophet's sorrow (affliction/struggles) and his joy (healing/surrender).  The beauty of his peace and joy was the process it took to get him there:  his vision of God, his call to service and the peace of his soul.  The same could be said of us, I believe.  When we recognize God and who He is, when we surrender to do what He has planned for us to do, we have great peace and joy in our lives, regardless of the circumstances.  Scripture is full of confirmation of this process.

Isaiah, another Old Testament prophet, knew this process well.  Our pillow today reflects Isaiah's praise of the Lord who led him, even when there were many difficult days and it was hard to surrender.  The joy was his nonetheless.

Big Daddy Weave (I know, my boys would roll their eyes if they read this!) sings "Heart Cries Holy":

Standing here in the presence of something more than merely real,

there are no words to describe you or explain the way I feel.

As you speak I find healing for my soul and your touch alone can make me whole.

And my heart cries Holy, and my spirit feels the change.

As my heart cries Holy, I will never be the same.

 

My question to you today is, what is your heart crying to?  Are you anxious and resentful over what you didn't get yesterday?  Or are you delighting in Jehovah Jirah and rejoicing in your Creator God?  What we speak and what we do comes from deep in our hearts...I want my heart to be healthy and whole to reflect His goodness to me.

 

For further study:  1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Chron. 28:9, Job 22:22,  Psalm 51:10,  Prov. 4:23, Habakkuk 3:18, John 14:27,  Luke 6:45,  Phil. 4:7, 2 Thes. 3:16

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Peace comes to those who trust the Lord - Isaiah 26:3

Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace

Over all victorious in its bright increase.

Perfect yet it floweth fuller every day

Perfect yet it groweth deeper all the way.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed

Finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

LIKE A RIVER GLORIOUS - words by Frances Havergal

 

"Perfect peace and rest" seem to be hard to find these days.  We are trying to find it in a lot of different places.  I enjoy all these new t-shirts and bumper stickers that are cropping up on finding "calm". 

It is such a mystery, a couple from England established a graphic company entitled "The Calm Gallery" to offer many suggestions of where you might find calm (Websters:  freedom from agitation or excitement).  I hope it's working for them.

Isaiah 26:3 tells us peace comes only to a mind that is steadily focused on trusting God.  After all, peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)...if He indwells us then we will have His peace (and develop more and more as we mature in our faith).  We are commanded in several places in the Bible to "not be anxious about your life" (Luke 12:22)...why do we lack peace?  Are our thoughts more focused on us and not on God...are we anxious because we are depending on our own abilities and not the King of all Creation?

A dear friend recently posted this on Facebook:

Anxiety or peace?

2 gifts

2 givers

One you simply say No to;

One you embrace and say thank you!

 

I don't believe I ever thought about anxiety being a choice or being from the devil.  Max Lucado says "anxiety is a fruit of sin, right along with shame, fear, disgrace and discouragement".  We do have a choice how we respond to the circumstances of life and the promises God gives us in His word.  We have a choice of where our minds go...are we grateful and trusting or do we doubt God has the ability to help us?  I am going to "carry on", but I'm going to do it in the strength the Lord Jesus provides me, not a cute slogan.  How about you?

 

For further study:   Numbers 6:24-26,  Neh. 8:10,  Psalm 34:14, Psalm 119:165, Proverbs 14:30, John 14:27, Romans 5:1-5, Philippians 4:6-7, James 1:13-15,  1 Peter 5:6-10

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly