My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior - Luke 1:46-47

Have you ever been in trouble?  Realized you were in pretty hot water and not sure what to do?  Unfortunately I have and I did a lot of maneuvering before coming to the realization I better own what I did.  Our sweet Mary, mother of the Savior of the world, found herself in a very unexpected place...through no fault of her own.  We get our first clue that this is really big when the angel of the Lord says to her: "you have found favor with God" (Luke 1:9).  Whew...at least she's not in trouble with Him!  It was a mystery, but she took this sudden turn of events and took it for what it was...a tremendous privilege and gift from God.   Nancy Leigh DeMoss says about her:

What gave her life significance was her relationship

to Jesus...and it is what makes all the difference in

our lives as well.

Listen to Max Lucado:

Christ grew in Mary until He had to come out.

Christ will grow in you until the same occurs.

He will come out in your speech, in your actions,

in your decisions.

Mary didn't try to cover this up or change the circumstances.  This ordinary woman took an extraordinary assignment and rejoiced!   Have you made a place for Him in your life?  Have you "treasured in your heart" (Luke 2:19) His gifts to you and yielded to the plans He has for you?

Listen to Ann Voskamp:  "There is no need to produce or perform or perfect - simply become a place for God.  That is all."

You don't have to make Christmas happen - He has given us His Son as a gift - receive and treasure!  Merry Christmas, sweet friends, and rich blessings on your 2015! 

For further study:  Ezekiel 36:26, Job 23:12, Psalm 46:10,  Psalm 51:10, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:13, John 3:27, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:27, James 1:17.

Love,

Holly

Always GIVE THANKS to God for everything - Eph. 5:20

Good morning and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  I have been trying to send this blog for weeks now...and I think the Lord finally has my heart where He wanted it -- VERY GRATEFUL!  I think that's where Paul was when he wrote this message...I think that's where his heart was throughout all his writings.  If there was ever someone who had a reason to grump, it would have been him.  He was writing many of his letters from prison...hungry, cold, lonely, destitute...but he wasn't grumping...what was he doing?  Praising God and thanking him with a joyful heart.  That's where I am today - and desire to be every day!  To be fair, it is not always my "default" position.

ALWAYS - This is not a moment-by-moment state - the word means "at all times".  Even when things are not going right...in fact, especially when things are not going right.  I believe gratitude is the defining mark of a believer - one who has hope in an eternal God and Savior.  Martin Rinkart wrote the hymn "Now Thank We All Our God" when he was surrounded by death and destruction. As a 17th-centry Lutheran pastor, his ministry was hard and yet he still found many things to be grateful for.  Nancy DeMoss says "True Thanksgiving comes at a cost".

TO GOD - Paul knew to whom he was thankful.  He was a brilliant man and his faith was strong...He knew the circumstances of his life were not an accident.  In 2 Tim 4:17, he said "...the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength".  He was grateful to God and God alone for that which was hard and that which was good.

FOR EVERYTHING - Listen to Billy Graham:

Thanksgiving for the Apostle Paul was not a once-a-year celebration,

but a daily reality that changed his life and made him a joyful

person in every situation.  Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied

people more quickly than un ungrateful heart.  And nothing

will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation

than a true spirit of thankfulness.

 

Recently I have seen a number of articles on Facebook giving the characteristics of toxic or unhappy people.  Most of them have to do with an ungrateful heart.  Don't read them if you don't want to be convicted about your grumbling, self-centered lives.  But if you want to have a heart of joy like Paul, acknowledge the ingratitude of your heart and the worldly pursuits we let define our lives.  "Always GIVE THANKS to God for everything" and let the life of Paul show you a way to live that brings joy to your heart and glory to your Father.

 

By the way, I have even more things to be thankful for this week than last - my sweet husband, who recently lost his mother, developed a pulmonary embolism and he has just returned home from the hospital, by the grace of God.  I am among the most thankful.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

For further study: Psalm 69:30, Psalm 100:4 (notice how you enter His presence), Romans 1:21,

1 Cor. 15:57, 2 Cor. 9:15, Eph. 5:4, Phil. 4:6, Col. 2:6-7, Col. 3:15-17, 1 Thes. 5:18.

 

Love,

Holly

To the one who pleases Him, God gives WISDOM KNOWLEDGE HAPPINESS - Ecc. 2:26

I remember reading Gail MacDonald's HIGH CALL HIGH PRIVILEGE when I was a new pastor's wife and a bit overwhelmed with ministry, marriage and babies.  She had a chapter in there entitled "Serving an Audience of One" and it relieved me so much to know that I would never please everyone - and would probably collapse trying - but there was only One worthy of my devotion.  When we do what pleases Him - as Heb. 11:6 tells us - we are rewarded (I just love rewards!):

And without faith it is impossible to

please God, because anyone who comes to him

must believe that he exists and that he rewards

those who earnestly seek him.

 

Simple faith in who He is is what pleases Him...Isaiah 64:6 says "our righteous acts are like filthy acts"...no, Jesus said in Matt. 17:10: "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you."

 

Our passage today reminds us we get some very big rewards when we please Him:  WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE HAPPINESS.  Is there anything you long for not in those three categories?

A.W. Tozer in THE PURSUIT OF GOD says:

 

Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise

himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers

of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility,

and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner

and weaker days.

 

Who have we spent time trying to please today?  Have we been rewarded?  If not, we maybe ought to examine the object of our affection and our devotion!

 

For further study:  Psalm 104:34, Proverbs 15:8, Matt. 6:33, John 8:29, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Cor. 5:9, Col. 3:23-24, 1 Thes. 4:1, 1 John 3:21-11

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

AMAZING GRACE

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

 

The author of this beloved hymn knew the grace that he was praising.  He had indeed been a "wretch" until the Lord had, in his words, "...come from on high and delivered me out of deep waters".  He later became one of England's most evangelical preachers and hymn writers.  A life changed...truly that is "amazing grace".

 

In the doctor's office the other day, I noticed a magazine cover that was reporting on "The Life of the Amazing Joan Rivers".  With all due respect to a popular comedian, her public face...in my opinion...was anything but amazing.  Maybe she was considered funny...I found her to be rude and cruel.

 

Here is a better description of amazing.  Max Lucado in THE GRIP OF GRACE tells a story of a young monk with a troubled soul.  An older monk came alongside him and said:

 

We'll enter the abbey together and together we'll confess your sin.

No one but God will know which of the two of us fell.

 

That's amazing; that our Lord would pay the price of our sin that we might stand before our God blameless and clean.  He offers it to us free...generously...without limitation.  Why are we so stingy with the grace we extend to others?  Why do we honk when someone cuts in front of us on the highway?  Why do we come back with sassy one-liners when someone criticizes us?  Why do we teach our children to not let anyone cut in front of you?  By the way, that is the enemy who would keep us so rigid that we can't see beyond what we want rather than what we could give.

 

If the grace we receive is so amazing - and it is - then surely we can be more amazing (by His Spirit!) about the grace we extend.  Our world is waiting and watching to see if we will.

 

For further study:  Numbers 6:25, Pr. 21:26, Isaiah 30:18, Matthew 10:8, Luke 6:38, John 1:17, Acts 20:35, 2 Cor. 6:1, Galatians 2:21, Hebrews 12:15

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



 



What God promises he has the power to do - Rom. 4:21

Standing on the promises I cannot fail

Listening every moment to the Spirit's call

Resting in my Savior as my all in all

Standing on the promises of God

 

Sometimes I wonder how courageous I would be if I really, really, really believed in the promises God gives to us in the Bible.  Do we even know what those promises are, let alone know the power given behind those promises? Paul was reminding the believers in Rome about the great faith of Abraham and how because he believed in God's promises he was considered righteous by the only One that can judge our faith.  There is no other explanation for a father being willing to sacrifice his son (Gen. 22) other than faith that the one who made a promise to him would be faithful to carry it out.

 

I have often been insecure in taking driving trips alone...I'm sure it stems from being a single woman and having car trouble.  We have AAA, I have a cell phone, I don't travel at night...I do all the right things, most of the time.  Several weeks ago, Don and I were going to a wedding outside of our city;  I was driving so he could review his notes...often the case with my preacher-husband!  All of a sudden a tire pressure warning message came on that said I was quickly losing pressure in a tire...19, 16, 14, 9, 6, 2...barely time to get off the highway.  I'm telling you my heart was pounding - and my man was with me!!  By God's goodness, immediately we came to an auto service place and they quickly took care of us. God had certainly provided!  My point is if I had ever taken the time to read the car manuel, I would have known my car had power to warn me of impending danger...in all different places in my car.  I think I would have spent a lot less time worrying about what would happen if I had a flat tire if I knew there was a warning system in place.

 

God gives us hundreds of promises in the Bible...because of His great love for us.  Not only does He gives us those promises, but as we learn from Paul, He has the power to carry them out.  In Hebrews 11:17, the author tells us "Abraham...embraced the promises" when he was about to sacrifice his one and only son.  Was that a courageous thing for him to do...you better believe it!

 

Have you read God's instruction manuel to us?  Do you know how many promises He has made to you about how much He loves you, how he will be with you ALWAYS, how He will comfort you, forgive you, guide you, bless you and hundreds more.

 

I believe I'm going to worry less about things that probably won't happen and memorize more of His promises!  How about you?

 

For further study:  Joshua 23:14, 2 Chron. 32:7, Psalm 147:5, Acts 1:7-8, Romans 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:18, 2 Cor. 12:9, 1 Thes. 5:24, 2 Tim. 1:7, 2 Peter 3:9, Hebrews 10:23.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Shout for JOY to God, all the earth - Ps. 66:1

Cindi Wood, in her Bible study "DESPERATE: Seeking Simplicity...Finding the Cross," honestly admits she is sometimes desperate for her morning coffee.  She tells a story of being in a hotel room and having her coffee maker not work, sprinting down to the lobby to find the hotel's was not working and feeling terribly obsessed only with getting her morning java.  I get that way sometimes...I see only what I want and nothing else.  Sometimes I can live my life that way for a very long period of time...way too long obsessing over something...something other than my Lord.  Cindi says:

You were created with a hungering in your spirit not only

to need God but also to want Him - to want

Him more than you want anybody or anything.  He put

that craving there; it's from Him.

 

God created us to look to Him for all our wants and needs.  When we begin to look to lesser things - even sweet and good things - we will begin to experience lesser satisfaction.  We "shout for joy" for a lot of things - a new granddaughter (we have one!), an NBA championship (we have one!), new houses, new cars...but are we shouting for JOY to Him?  Our psalmist today went on in the following verses to rehearse all the good things he was "shouting for joy" about...all things God had done.  What are you "shouting for joy" about today and to whom are you shouting?

 

For further study: Deu. 4:24, 1 Chron. 16:27, Neh. 8:10, Ps. 37:4, Ecc. 3:11, Jonah 2:8, Habakkuk 3:18, Matt. 6:33, Luke 9:23-26, Phil. 4:4-5.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom - Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

wisdom; all who follow his precepts have

good understanding...

 

One of my prayers for my leaders is that they would seek wisdom.  In fact, I find it difficult to vote for anyone I think would not seek wisdom from God, because I believe what Proverbs 2:6 says

 

For the Lord gives wisdom and from

his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

 

Bob Deffinbaugh says in his article on "The Wisdom of God"

 

Wisdom is based on knowledge...and cannot exist without a knowledge

of all the facts pertinent to any purpose or plan...God knows everthing...His

omniscience undergirds His wisdom.

 

There is no other person that that can be said of.  I think of Him as our GPS (God's Protection System).  He knows what has happened before I got here and He knows what will happen after I leave this earth.   Like our personal GPS systems, without His wisdom we can do nothing...nothing works without it.  I used to have only partial knowledge when I traveled...now, because I am committed to using my GPS, I can be in middle of a mess and it will lead me home.  It has happened many times...my directional faith comes from the history I have with this little black box.  I can choose to follow it or I can choose to go my own way...it's a choice I must make.  I believe God will guide me into wisdom because He has infinite wisdom...enough for me and all of you!

 

James 1:5 says "if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask of God".  Now why do we need any other invitation than that...if I want "good understanding" He is my source.  Our verse today indicates a fear or awe of God is the beginning of wisdom.  Simply, that would be an acknowledgement of who He is, what He has said and done, and what He calls us, as His children, to do. If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Savior, His Spirit does not dwell within you and cannot guide you. My choice is, in humility, to consider His wisdom the only way to gain understanding and not to walk independent of Him.

How about you?

For further study:  1 Kings 3:5-14 and 4:29-34, Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 31:26, Jeremiah 10:12, Daniel 12:3, John 16:13, Colossians 2:3, 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love
Holly

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord REJOICE - 1 Chron. 16:10

Much of the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles give history and geneology for this period, but there is some very rich material regarding King David and his reign.  One of his first tasks, after being crowned, was to restore the ark of the covenant to its rightful place of honor, and it was no small task.  David and his people identified this as a place of God's presence and they were eager to be in fellowship with Him there in a proper place.  There was cause for great thanksgiving and celebration when the journey was complete.  Read Chapters 13-15 for all the details!

Chapter 16 is a beautiful song of praise to the Lord for His provision and His presence.  When we give thanksgiving to the Lord, our joy is contagious.  I love Psalm 51:10-13 - another of David's writings.  But this time it was after a great moral failure and he was contrite before the Lord.  He still understood that only by seeking the Lord with his heart, could he "teach transgressors" the ways of God.  Who we are before the people around us determines our witness.  Our hearts are revealed by our actions.  Do we rejoice or grumble?  Do we gossip or hold confidences?  Are we content or striving for more?  Do we sacrifice or fill our barns fuller?

Will Bowen tells this story in his book A COMPLAINT-FREE WORLD:

A man drove past a tattered sign on the side of the road that said

"HONK IF YOU'RE HAPPY".  On a whim,  after ignoring the

sign several times, he decided to honk.  Oddly enough for a moment after

he felt lifted a bit...and every time then he would honk - actually

feeling better just thinking about it.  One day he stopped at the

farmhouse close by to see if there was a story behind the sign.

Sure enough, the farmer explained his wife had a terminal illness

and he wanted people to not take life for granted.  His wife

began to hear the honking horns and it was like medicine to her.

She heard the horns and knew she wasn't alone in the world.

 

 

What will my "honk" say about me today?  Will it encourage or will it tear down?  Will I be seeking the Lord with my heart, or will I have a worldly list of things to accomplish?  I'm grateful to know David wasn't a perfect man, but his heart sought the Lord and his rejoicing proved it!

 

For further study: Deu. 4:29, Psalm 118:24, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 61:10, Ezekiel 36:26, Matthew 6:33, Luke 6:45, 2 Cor. 8:2, Phil. 4:4.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Hollly

God's word is a lamp for my feet - Ps. 119:105

This is the longest psalm in the Bible and the primary theme is the importance of God's word and obedience to it.  There are over 80 references to law/word/statute/commands.  Each of the 176 verses is exhorting believers to honor, understand and let the Bible be our roadmap for life.  This psalmist had a great love for and a delight in following God's inspired message.  We cannot live the life God has prepared for us without making His word "a lamp for our feet" - it protects, purifies, transforms, renews, inspires, guides, comforts and a host of other benefits.  A fun challenge would be to go through this psalm and list all the benefits to those who follow His inspired word.

Why do we feel we have to defend this standard we choose to obey?  I believe His word is a gift, not a burden.  I respect those who base their lives and their businesses on this firm foundation.  Hobby Lobby (I whistle to the piped-in Christian music when I'm in there!) risked their existence by refusing to do something they believed violated Biblical principles.  Steve Green, the President of the company, said, when asked what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled against them:

We are just going to do what God would call us to do,

what he teaches us is right and trust him to do

what is out of our control.

 

This family puts its money where its mouth is. They are so dedicated to the preservation of God's word that they are in the process of building a Bible museum in Washington, D.C. to house 40,000 Biblical texts.  Now that is commitment to a standard!  I would pray to be half that courageous in standing up for what I believe.  The very foundation of our faith is that His inspired word is true.  If we believe that, then we will let it be our guide - publicly and privately - in all that we do in our families and in our businesses. We have a choice to hold onto principles that "last forever" (v. 152) or to the shifting sands of a changing society.  I am grateful for people who example the strength of letting His word be a "lamp" for our feet.

 

For further study:  2 Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 30:5, Isaiah 55:11, Matthew 24:35, John 1:1-5, Philippians 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 3:15-16, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:22.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's precious word!

 

Love,

Holly

Rejoice always; pray continualy; give thanks - 1 Thes. 5:18

Rejoice always, pray continually,

give thanks in ALL circumstances...

 

Really?  ALL circumstances?  Ann Voskamp tells a story in her ONE THOUSAND GIFTS devotional book of watching her farmer husband plant seeds and thanking God for it not to rain until they get them all planted.  Her daughter, standing next to her, was thanking God for the rain drops if it did rain.  The mother looked at her daughter - as if she were being disobedient - and realized her daughter's faith was greater than her own.  She says this:

 

I have held dying babies.  Eaten with those who live in the town

garbage heap. Wept with women who've been violated, with

the bankrupt, the heart-crushed, the terminal.  And this

never stops being true: neglecting to give thanks only deepens the

wounds of the world...Giving thanks makes the canyon of pain

into a megaphone to proclaim the ultimate goodness of God.

 

Satan is never happier than we can only give thanks in our bounty.  He is denied his joy when we can recognize that God is good ALL the time and that by giving thanks we give Him the honor and glory only He deserves.  Our pain draws us into His presence in a way no bounty ever could...that pain is a vessel that fills up with peace when we acknowledge His goodness and not our poverty.

 

I have used this Elisabeth Eliot quote before but it bears repeating:

 

It is always possible to be thankful for what is given

rather than resentful over what is withheld - one

attitude or the other becomes a way of life.

 

What way are you taking today?

 

For further study:  Job 2:10, Psalm 95:2, Psalm 100:4, Habakkuk 3:17-18, 1 Cor. 15:57, 2 Cor. 2:14, Ephesians 5:19-20, Philippians 4:6,1 Tim. 4:4, Hebrews 12:28

 

May God richly bless your understanding of His word.

 

Love,

Holly

 





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



God makes all things beautiful in its time - Ecc. 3:11

The book of Ecclesiastes is a rather controversial one...and I would not dare to weigh in on a theological debate over its acceptability.  My privilege in life - and in my pillows - is to offer a word of encouragement, to exhort my friends to seek the Lord and His hope and to give a taste of what I find to be His utterly profound and rich message to us for today.  I will leave the theological debate to others.

Our author does ask some hard questions (some of which we still ask today) and may be rather unsure himself of what happiness is.  What the author seems fairly certain of, however, is that he believes God is eternal, wise and sovereign. That's where we will camp for a moment.  I believe from this one verse you can see that:

1)  God will be the one doing the creating.  He was "in the beginning", He is today and He will be forever.  When we recognize the work is His, we will be more hopeful about the purpose and the result.  When we recognize His work is good, we will open up our clenched fists to receive His grace.

2)  His idea of "beautiful" will be different than ours.  The word originally meant "appropriate or fitting".  That means things will make sense eventually...however, the picture of "beautiful" will not be Hollywood's picture!

3)  His timing will be different than ours.  "In its time" will mean He determines when and how...not us.

Listen to Ellie Holcomb in "The Broken Beautiful":

Your love will never change...there's healing in your name.

You can take broken things and make them beautiful.

You took my shame and you walked out of the grave.

So your love can take broken things and make them beautiful.

 

So whatever may be broken in your life and mine, know that He is working, that we can trust Him to do the right thing and in the right time.  I can be patient if I know the burden is His and not mine.

 

For further study:  Genesis 1-2, 2 Chron 20:20,  Psalm 31:15, Psalm 62:8, Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:16, 1 Tim. 4:4, 1 Peter 3:4

 

May God bless you in the understanding of His word.

 

Love,

Holly



Praise the Lord...who daily bears our burdens - Ps. 68:19

Every day the Lord Himself is near me, with a special mercy for each hour.

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me. He whose name is Counselor and Power.

The protection of His child and treasure, is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As your days, your strength shall be in measure," This the pledge to me He made.

Hymn "Day by Day" by Karolina W. Sandell-Berg

 

The hymn writer of this song knew well the mercy of God.  She and her pastor-father were boating in Sweden when her father was tossed overboard and drowned.  She held on tight to the Lord and His word and she wrote many poems during that time about the strength the Lord provides. This poem was made into a hymn.

 

The strength she wrote about is the same strength our psalmist, David, wrote about.  He knew his God was merciful and powerful and even in trials He carries our burdens day by day.  Are we "day by day" grateful for those mercies...as Charles Spurgeon says about "common mercies":

 

Let us daily praise God for common mercies - common

as we frequently call them, and yet so priceless that when deprived of

them we are ready to perish.

 

Ephesians 6:20 says we should "...always give thanks to God for everything...".  Can you right now give thanks for a hundred "common" things that have been provided for you today?  Like a roof over your head, like a warm shower, like cereal, like holding a Bible in your lap, like green grass, like the promise of a meal tonight?

 

He has made provision for so many things in our day.  We wake up burdened by a child who has gone astray - He bears that burden for you.  We wake up wondering about our husband's health - He bears that burden for you.  We wake up wondering if we can pay the rent this month - He bears that burden for you.  We wake up depressed and sad - He bears that burden for you.  It is my opinion that when we can praise Him for His presence in our burdens, His blessings will pour down on us.  Were your last words to Him a praise or complaint?  I want to be like our hymnwriter and our psalmist that we praise Him and believe in His promises to us.

 

For further study:  Exodus 15:2, Deu. 33:25, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 46:1, Lam. 3:23-24, John 1:16,  Romans 9:14-15, 2 Cor. 12:9, Phil. 4:13.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

God's plans are...to give you hope; seek Him with all your heart - Jer. 29:11-13

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord,

'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and

a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me

and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart.'"

Jer. 29:11-13

 

Our friend, Jeremiah, had a difficult task...in fact it never really got any easier.  He had to speak truth about judgment to a people who continued to oppose him.  In fact, the book of Lamentations, following the book of Jeremiah, is purported to be his "lament" over the people and their refusal to listen.  Jeremiah, in our verse today, is trying to tell them the good news if they would only listen and respond.  His plans for them and for us today are that we would trust in Him and His word.  He has given us the standard for His blessings in His word.  Jeremiah was determined to live the life God had planned for him to live.

 

I recently read a story in DECISION magazine about a Christian couple who owned a bakery in Oregon.  They had been very successful and were steadily growing.  One day they didn't accept business from a family that would cause them to violate their Christian beliefs.  There are times that I have declined business from someone who wanted me to embroider something other than Scriptures...there are others who can do those...I choose to do only Scriptures.  That was just my covenant with the Lord.  The couple began to get protestors, very bad, dishonest reviews and threats against their small bakery and family.  They have been threatened with fines and business has declined.  He says: "What is happening is hostility toward righteousness.  I'm not saying I have a righteousness of my own, but I am trying to live according to God's word...The Lord can and will deliver us through this.  Even if the state throws the book at us, and we lose everything, we will be OK."

 

I have chosen to make God's word my standard.  Jesus died to set us free and not to be forced to live bound up by a changing society.  God's plans for us are good...He loves us with an everlasting love...He will never leave us or forsake us.  He calls us into a relationship with Himself...the only way we can have the power to do anything right...and says He will walk with us through every day of our lives.  I want to be as courageous as this couple in Oregon.  Listen to a stanza from "I'd Rather Have Jesus" by Reah Miller:

 

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause; I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;

I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame.  I'd rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway.

I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.

 

For further study:  Judges 21:25, Psalm 33:11, Isaiah 46:10-11, Daniel 4:34-37,  Matthew 16:24-27, Romans 1:21-32, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 4:8-9, Colossians 3:17,  James 1:17.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

"Clean hands and pure hearts bring blessings from God" - Ps. 24:4-5

This psalm of David is a beautiful celebration of God, who He is, all that He has done, why He is  the only one worthy of worship and the blessings that come from those who keep Him as the center of their worship.  I'm afraid we have become misguided about the true nature of blessings.  Even those of us who honor God with our lives seem to indicate that "blessings" may be more about health, financial security or success.   I believe this psalm says those who exalt Him (those with clean hands and pure hearts; those who do not trust idols or false gods) are the blessed ones.

Look at Matthew 5:1-11- who are the "blessed" ones in this passage? ...those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers...was that what you were thinking?  Is that what the world thinks?  These words are from Jesus as He was teaching His disciples to "repent, for the kingdom of God is near" (Matt. 4:27).  When we exalt Him - because He is the only one worthy - we are blessed.  When our focus is on us and what we want, the blessings are long in coming and fleeting when they do.

Listen to A.W. Tozer in THE PURSUIT OF GOD:

While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves -

good riddance!  The man who has struggled to purify himself

and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief

when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the Perfect One.

While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do

will be getting done within him.  It will be God working in him

to will and to do.

 

In Bible study this morning we sang "God Moves in Mysterious Ways".  "You fearful saints, fresh courage take.  The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head".  We don't look for our blessings in the clouds (or the trials)...but maybe we should!

 

For further study: 1 Samuel 2:30,  Psalm 1:1, Psalm 33:12, Psalm 51:10,  Psalm 112:1, Ezekiel 34:26,

Romans 12:1-2, 2 Cor. 6:16-17,  2 Cor. 7:1, Phil. 4:8, Hebrews 12:14.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

Be still and know that I am God - Ps. 46:10

Listen to The Message translation of this verse:

"Step out of the traffic! Take a long,

loving look at me, your High God,

above politics, above everything."

 

When was the last time we took a "long, loving" look at our Father?  There is not much stillness in our lives...we fill each day up with busyness; when we're not talking or texting, we're planning to.  We prefer to be in the midst of chaos rather than to sit quietly and thoughtfully and gaze upon the One who has given us "blessing after blessing".

 

God did a huge work in His creation of the world and everything in it.  It was, however, exhausting work and He chose to make the 7th day of Creation a day of rest.  The Layman's Commentary said He rested just "from the work of bringing the world into being to mark the successful completion of the creative event".  We see throughout the Bible references to God not "slumbering or sleeping", but He did almost in celebration of the work completed.  The 4th of the Ten Commandments tells us to "observe the Sabbath (rest) Day by keeping it holy."  He wants us to have a day of renewal, celebrating and worshipping His work in our lives.  Why do we fill it - the day He wants us to set aside for Him alone - with work, shopping, entertainment, sports...and no special time set aside for Him?  Is your Sunday just another 24 hours to fill with stuff?

 

It is key to knowing the Jesus of the New Testament to see many times he went off  by himself to be still.  That was how He kept in communion with His Father.  How He knew the work God wanted Him to do.  It was the quietness of the Garden that inspired Him to know and yield to the sacrifice He would make on the Cross.  Do we have any pictures of Him rushing here and there filling every hour with busyness?  I think we see from the verse today that it is in the stillness that we can "know" God.  If we never are still, how can that knowledge occur?  What do we say to our children when we overbook and overschedule?

 

Just for fun, let's do a chart on our week...time spent to eat, sleep, work, shop, quietness....see if Sunday wouldn't be a good day to begin a new chapter of stillness. It might be amazing to see what we can know about the great "I am".

 

For further study:  Genesis 2:2-3, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Psalm 23:2, Isaiah 30;15, Isaiah 32:17, Jer. 6:16, Jer. 24:7, Zec. 2:13, Matt. 6:33, Matt. 11:28-30, Mark 8:36, 1 Timothy 2:11, 1 Peter 3:4

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

The Lord your God is with you..." - Zeph. 3:17

This may be one of my very favorite promises in the whole Bible!  It is a word of hope and encouragement for those who fear and doubt.  The prophet Zephaniah had no easy task to warn those in Judah of impending destruction and yet offer them ultimate victory and hope.  His name, oddly enough, means "the Lord hides" or "the Lord protects".He wanted those who believed - especially the humble ones - to know they would be protected and rejoiced over by the Lord.  There was still time for all to "call on the name of the Lord" (v. 3:9).

The story of Joseph in Gen. 37-45 is a wonderful picture of how the Lord protects.  Many times in those chapters we see "the Lord was with him" in the various predicaments he finds himself in.  I'm wondering if his confidence that the Lord would help him caused him to be used in such a mighty way in the kingdom of God.  Would we be more humble, more obedient, more faithful if we truly believed that God was with us.  But then that's the mystery of faith, isn't it?  God wanted us to believe that so much He gave us his Son, Jesus - Immanuel which literally means "God with us"!

Max Lucado in YOU'LL GET THROUGH THIS says:

God surrounds us in the same way the Pacific surrounds an ocean

floor pebble.  He is everywhere - above, below, on all sides.  We

choose our response - rock or sponge?  Resist or receive?

Everything within you says harden the heart.  Run from God;

resist God; blame God.  But be careful.  Hard hearts never heal.

Spongy ones do.  Open every pore of your soul to God's presence.

 

John Wooden says:  "Things turn out the best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."  How about you?  Are you resisting what God promises you?  He is with you, He saves you, He delights in you, He quiets you.   Let us live as if we really believe that!  There is still time!

 

For further study:  Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 34:7, Psalm 46:7, Psalm 125:2, Isaiah 7:14,  Isaiah 58:11, Joel 2:32, Matthew 1:23, Matthew 28:28

 

Be blessesd in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



The Lord bless you and keep you - Numbers 6:24

We have just finished the study of Ruth in our women's Bible study and it was a rich study.  One of the sweet things I learned was about blessing others...about showing kindness to others.  Ruth was a daughter-in-law of a bitter woman...but she chose to go with her and help provide for her care.  She went into the fields of a man named Boaz and was to "glean" or pick up the leftovers from the workers who were his.  It's a very exciting love story (and you will have to read for yourself), but there is a much deeper meaning to it.  In fact it is a picture of our redeemer, Jesus Christ, who cares for us and takes responsibility for His people, the church. 

Back to the love story, Boaz, on Ruth's first day in the field, greeted all the harvesters with this greeting:"The Lord be with you" and they returned the greeting with: "The Lord bless you".  When was the last time you went to work and you were greeted that way?  The Hebrew word for blessing in the second phrase (barak) is the same word as 'bless" in our pillow scripture today.  It is a blessing from those who are blessed.  Boaz blessed them and they blessed him...what a great combination!  Last night on the Olympics, Shaun White lost a very important - maybe his last - race to another athlete.  When the other athlete found out he had won, Shaun was the closest to him and he just required a huge celebration hug - from the man who had lost the most!  But Shaun just hugged him back...hard, not in a wimply way, but returning the blessing.  I want to be more like that.  I want to bless because I have been so blessed!  Boaz went on to be a very important player in the lineage of Jesus...read Matthew 1 to see why.  His obedience and response to being blessed was a big step toward our blessing today.  Is it possible He has kingdom work for us to do today?

Today, think about how you have been blessed.  This Numbers blessing was from the priest to those who were the Lord's people.  Are you His and have you received His blessings?   Think about how you can go out today and bless someone else.   We might be the ones used by the Lord to further His kingdom...wouldn't that be a blessing as well as a privilege?

For further study:  Gen. 12:3, Psalm 41:1-2, Psalm 121:7-8, Ezekiel 34:26,  Matt. 5:1-12, Luke 6:35, Romans 12:14,  Ephesians 4:32, 2 Tim. 2:24.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,
Holly

LOVE - 1 Corinthians 13

Love is patient; love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

As you probably are already aware, the Bible speaks of three kinds of love: agape (Godly love), phileo (brotherly love) and eros (romantic love).  For our upcoming holiday, what you see advertised tends toward the eros kind of love.  Our pillow today speaks strictly of a Godly love.  John Bisagno in LOVE IS SOMETHING YOU DO describes that kind of love as:

 

"...marked by total absence of any selfish motive.

It is love because God is love.  It loves because the

object of love is there and that is enough...that is the kind

of love which He gives to us and which He desires that we

should give to others."

 

John 13:34 uses this same word for agape love:

 

A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I

have loved you, so you must love one another."

 

He has loved us unselfishly and that's how he wants us to love others!  A tall order, but by His indwelling Spirit we have His fruit:  "The fruit of the spirit is LOVE...". Guess what kind of love?  AGAPE!  What an amazing gift!  Anything else is not patient nor kind; it's jealous and boastful and proud.  It dishonors others and is self-seeking.  It is easily angered and keeps track of wrongs.  It delights in wrong and does not rejoice in the truth.  It does not protect nor trust. 

 

Ann Voskamp tells a story about being in a pretty funky mood - easily angered, frustrated and stressed beyond belief.  She was walking with a friend - someone who probably had a few needs of her own - when she stopped cold.  There in the middle of the sidewalk was this graffiti:

 

HEY, BEAUTIFUL.  YOU ARE LOVED!

 

She realized God had been shouting from the heavens to her about His love...but she was so frustrated with the things that weren't going well, she never even heard Him.  His sweet and precious grace comes to us in every size and shape, but this day, it came in the form of graffiti!  So they started shouting it to the wind and to each other:  "Hey, Beautiful.  You are Loved!!".  And the mood passed.  She was grateful and patient with those around her.

 

Jeremiah 31:3 says: "I have loved you with an everlasting love...".  We can ask for no better kind of love than His kind of love.  And we can give no better kind of love, than His kind of love.  This Valentine's Day, think of shouting to someone in need:  "Hey, Beautiful.  You are loved!" And while you have their attention, tell them about the Greatest Love of all!

 

For further study:  Proverbs 3:3, Proverbs 17:9, John 15:12-17,  Romans 12:9-10, 13:8-10,  1 Cor. 8:1, Phil. 1:9, Col. 3:14, 1 Thes. 4:9, 1 John 4:7-21

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY,

Holly

 



 



May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace - Rom. 15:13

Great verse!  What isn't shown here or on my pillow is the end of that verse that says:

 

"...so that you may OVERFLOW with hope by

the power of the Holy Spirit."

 

Therefore, whatever fills us overflows from us.  Did you think no one noticed what you were cherishing in your heart?  Did I think no one knew there was a criticial spirit within me?  Matt. 12:34 says: "..for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."  So what is filling you today?  Are there fears, doubts, resentments, jealousies, disappointments?  Or gossip, texts, Facebook?  Or is it the GOD OF HOPE who promises you only His good and wonderful plans?  We do have a choice.

 

Here are a few promises the God of Hope offers you:

 

"...those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Psalm 34:10

"...he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107:9

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jer. 31:3

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matt. 5:6

"...and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

 

Hope is impossible to find in anything other than the One True God.  He is the only One who promises to provide everything we need.  If anyone else says that, they are not telling the truth.  Like the ship in the night who can put down their anchor and trust in its ability to hold them secure, so the God of Hope is our security.  Whatever the circumstances that may come our way, His indwelling Spirit is enough, His grace is sufficient.

 

Our 4th Grade Sunday School lesson this past Sunday reminded me we used to carry around rabbits' feet?  Do you remember?  Somehow we thought that would protect us from the ills of life...not true.  But the God of Hope...you better believe He will comfort us and protect us in ALL things.

 

What is filling you today?  And what is pouring out of you?

 

For further study: Psalm 62:5,  Proverbs 27:19, Isaiah 49:23,  1 Cor. 13:7,  Ephesians 5:15-20,  Phil. 4:8, Colossians 1:27,  1 Thes. 4:13, 1 Tim. 6:17-19, Hebrews 6:18-19.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly 

 

 

 

 











God's plans for you are good and full of HOPE - Jer. 29:11

 

The prophet Jeremiah was desperate for his people, who were in exile, to believe the Lord Almighty rather than the wicked false teachers who were deceiving them.  The LORD spoke to Jeremiah to reassure him that the plans He had for them were good...however, they were going to have to wait for them and not take "quick fixes" that might be tempting to take.   Today, not only is waiting hard to do but we are encouraged to seek after some pretty dangerous things.  We long for things we don't have; we're not grateful for what we do have and we envy the person who does have them!  Maybe that's just me...

 

The LORD Almighty tells us His plans will prosper us - they won't harm - and they will give us HOPE and a future.   Why do we settle for the cheap and worthless?   I am in a women's study on the book of RESOLUTION FOR WOMEN by Priscilla Shirer.  In it she says that the things we long for greatly affect the people around us.  If the things we long for are plans that we have made up - not the plans of the Lord - just think about how that affects our families.  If we are believing that what we want is what we are entitled to, we are believing a lie.  The world will tell us to fight hard for what you want; the Bible tells us to ask God for wisdom (Jas. 1:5).  The world will tell you society is changing and we must change along with it; the Bible tells us "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" and "my words will never pass away" (Matt. 24:35).  The world will tell you your body is your own; the Bible will tell you "your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit...you were bought at a price" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).   Just think about how our decisions affect those you love.

 

I learned a long time ago if my plans come from my flesh, they are not worth pursuing.  Now His plans...that's a different story.  I resolve to spend the rest of my life seeking those. How about you?

 

For further study: 1 Sam. 2:1-3, 2 Sam. 22:31, Psalm 33:10-11, Psalm 119:68, Luke 1:37,  Romans 8:28,  1 Cor. 2:9,  1 Tim. 4:4,  Hebrews 11:39-40.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word (which endures forever!!).

 

Love,

Holly



Commit your way to the Lord... - Psalm 37:5

"Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward

shine like the dawn, your

vindication like the noonday sun."

 

Our psalmist, David, was encouraging those under him to do the right thing and they would be blessed.  The wicked would not in the long run prosper.  However, he often wrote about how much he was suffering for doing the right thing, so he wasn't always as confident as these words would indicate.  He had seen the miraculous work of the Lord and his faith was strong.  We must be just as faithful today.

 

Matthew West has a song out entitled "Do Something".  These are his words:

 

I woke up this morning, saw a world full of trouble...

thought how'd we ever get so far down?

How's it ever gonna turn around?

So I turned my eyes to heaven, I thought:

"God, why don't you do something?"...

He said, "I did, I created you."

 

The trouble is, we have all this other stuff going on.  We're all about our kids or our jobs or our exercise and not enough about "committing our way" to Him and His plan.  Do you remember doing Henry Blackaby's EXPERIENCING GOD and his premise that "God is at work and we need to join Him there"?  How would our fears for this world change if we truly believed He was at work and that we were his hands and feet on earth?   Read Psalm 37 and be encouraged by the number of positive statements David makes to those who do the righteous thing.  Let us be all about letting Him do the leading.

 

For further study:  Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 6:8, Jer. 29:11,  Matthew 9:37-38, Romans 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:4-7, Eph. 2:8-10,  Eph. 6:7, Phil. 1:3-6, Col. 3:23, Hebrews 6:10

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly



The Lord is My Shepherd - Ps. 23:1

This is one of my favorite verses - in fact I wrote on it just this past July - and it is frequently made up in my pillows.  As the New Year begins, I am trying to be honest with myself about who I listen to, who I yield to and who I honor with my behavior and habits.  Don spoke last night in our Wednesday Bible study on the Eph. 5 passage on women submitting to their husbands.  I had to say to myself..."do you show him that you are joyful about your yielding to him?".  In other words, who is my leader...who do I follow...do they see a stubborn or cheerful heart?

Our society as a whole today tends to not want to be led...the role of President, CEO, Director is much harder because we tend to want to be independent...we can be our own bosses, we think our opinions are smarter than our boss.  The truth is we are not much different than those adorable (and stubborn) sheep...we need to be led.  David, the shepherd, knew that and that knowledge, I'm sure, came in handy when he became the King.

Phillip Keller says our view of our Lord is "too small"...

"..too cramped-too provincial-too human.  And

because it is we feel unwilling to allow Him to have

authority or control - much less outright ownership

of our lives."

 

 

Christ's power can't rest on us (2 Cor. 12:9) without His having ownership of us.  His redeeming work in our lives has entitled Him to be our Lord and we - who have been bought at a price - ought to be grateful and follow wherever He leads.  I am in need of my Savior and He is most worthy of my praise and my thanks.  Who will you follow today?

 

For further study:  Psalm 25:5, 100:3, Isaiah 40:11, 53:6, Jer. 31:10, Matt. 9:36 John 10:1-18,  1 Pet. 2:23-25, 1 Peter 5:4

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly

 



Taste and see that the Lord is good - Ps. 34:8

Happy New Year, friends!  I hope and pray your holidays were sweet and meaningful.  Unfortunately, for many of us, some things were done excessively...this won't be my most popular blog...within our home or others!  Our psalmist, David, wrote this psalm during a time of great anguish...he was writing while being pursued by Saul.  Often, during our times of anguish, turmoil or busyness, excesses crop up.  Commonly referred to as "one of the seven deadly sins", gluttony is often associated with eating or drinking too much, but the truth is it could be the "overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste".  I think of some of my cravings...what does my refrigerator hold?  Or my closets?  Or our garage?  I believe there is a lot of waste there.

A popular Facebook post lately has been an article written by Jason Todd called "The Socially Acceptable Sin".  He says gluttony is the "soul's addiction to excess.  It occurs when taste overrules hunger, when want outweighs need."  Yikes, he's really getting to the heart of America today.  He says:

"...the desire for "more" is not inherently bad, but it is often

misdirected.  What we need is a relentless appetite for the divine.

We need a holy ravennousness...There is only one infinite source

of satisfaction that can satisfy our bottomless cravings.  A taste

of His supreme grace is enough to lure an appetite long held

prisoner to lesser portions."

 

I have started Nancy Leigh DeMoss's THE QUIET PLACE for this year's devotional book.  This was her question to me today:  "If you had to boil down the greatest desire and longing for your heart to just "one thing", how would you summarize it?" (Ps. 27:4)  What does your checkbook show is a priority?  What does your calendar show?

 

I have written our verse for today on the chalkboard in our kitchen.  I want to be reminded that the things I crave, the things I taste, need to reflect my love for the Lord.. not my love for myself or my belly.  This is a good time for us to reinvest in good habits...Godly habits.  I, for one, want to be able to recognize gluttonous behavior and turn away from it.  Want to join me?

 

For further study:  Deu. 4:29, Deu. 6:5,  1 Chron. 28:9, Prov. 23:1-3, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 1 Cor. 10:31, Gal. 5:24, Phil. 3:18-19, 1 Peter 2:1-3.

 

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

 

Love,

Holly