With God all things are possible - Matt. 19:26

 This is a very important day in our country.  Election Day is always important but there has been such insecurity and fear for these past nine months that really our choice today is not about person or party, it is about whether we choose to believe in the motto our country has had since 1956....IN GOD WE TRUST.

In my morning devotional today, this was the comment by L.B. Cowman:

"Our capacity for knowing God is enlarged when we are brought by Him into circumstances that cause us to exercise our faith.  So when difficulties block our paths, may we thank God that He is taking time to deal with us and then may we lean heavily on Him."

Today we are called upon to exercise our faith...that faith in the One who created all things (Col. 1:16).  None of the candidates running for public office today will fix anything apart from divine wisdom.  May the prayers of His people call upon Him to exercise His authority and His wisdom to work through these candidates and us to cause His perfect will to be done.

As our pillow says today:  "With God all things are possible".  He is our hope.  He is our peace.  He will give value to all people.  He will guide and reconcile according to His good purposes.  Can we continue to reject His word and His purposes and hope for peace?  I think not.

Do not despair, friend.  It is not too late to pray today for His purposes to be accomplished...for us to be a "blessed nation whose God is the Lord" (Ps. 33:12).

For further study:  2 Chron. 20:20,  Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 30:15, Jeremiah 9:24, Luke 1:45, Romans 13:1, Eph. 2:10, Col. 4:2, Hebrews 11:6.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word and VOTE!

Love,

Holly

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

 I'm a little embarrassed to find how many of my blogs over these past 10 years have been on this passage!  I'm afraid it tells you more about my needs than you would like to know!!  Truly, it is one of my favorite verses in the Bible and does show up on the walls of our home.

I love thinking how in the Martha and Mary story Martha was so busy and distracted and how Mary chose "what is better" when she sat at Jesus' feet to listen to his profound words.  Why, I ask myself, do I listen to what I listen to?  Sometimes my own inner voice and sometimes the criticism of the world  How very grateful I am for the Bible and how it teaches me that trusting God is better than trusting anyone or anything else.

The Hebrew word for "know" in this passage is yada and is more than knowing about someone, it is a personal and intimate relationship.  We can know the One True God intimately, if we will be still and listen.  Psalm 9:10 says:  "Those who know your name put their trust in you." Same Hebrew word.  Craig Denison says:  "Continual peace comes from continual trust."

John Piper says:  "He (God) loves to work for people who wait for Him."  I encourage you to read J.I. Packer's KNOWING GOD.  I think you will come away with a better idea of how rich and satisfying a "personal and intimate relationship" with God can be.  We don't have to strive to make life happen for us...if we will be still, wait and listen, He will direct our paths (Prov. 3:5-6)!

For further study:  Ex. 14:14, Psalm 23:2, Proverbs 1:7, Isaiah 26:3, Jer. 9:23-24, Luke 10:38-42, 2 Cor. 10:5, 1 Tim. 2:1-2,  2 Peter 3:18, 1 John 5:20.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

GIVE THANKS

 I love this time of year!  The air is cooler, the Fall decorations come out and our hearts turn toward Thanksgiving!  And what I love about Thanksgiving is being reminded of the source of all the good things in my life.  James 1:17 says: "Every good and perfect give is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

These have been a difficult six months...but we still have so much to be thankful for.  Gratitude is a choice we make...listen to Ann Voskamp:

Have you ever thought that happiness was tied to your gratitude?  I loved listening to Tim Keller preach on Psalm 103 a few weeks ago.  He talks about how important it is for us to "...forget not all his benefits" (v. 2).  In fact, he makes this rather bold statement:  "Every problem we have is that we don't internalize the good things (the Lord) has done."  What he's saying, I think, is that whatever is wrong with your life can be made better if we will keep our eyes on the goodness of God and say thanks instead of being critical or whining about what we don't have.

When we focus on pleasing the Lord who created us and are grateful to Him for what He has already done, we are not focused on what may be wrong or hard in our every day life.  The Bible study I am doing talks about living lives that please Him and one of those things is "...giving joyful thanks to the Father" (Col. 1:12).  Conversely, we see in Romans 1:21 that those who "...knew God but neither glorifed him...nor gave thanks to him" were darkened in their "foolish hearts".  He created us to have pure and grateful hearts...and to be in fellowship with him.

Giving thanks feels like a great privilege I want to embrace!  I make a choice today...and will make it several more times this day...to be grateful to the God who calls me His own, who gave me salvation almost 50 years ago, and is faithful to do His work in me every day...for His glory and not my own!

May you have the joy of being in fellowship with Him as well!

For further study: 1 Chronicles 16:34,  Psalm 9:1,  Psalm 100:4,  Matt. 10:8,  2 Cor. 9:15,  Phil. 4:6,  Col. 3:16-17, 1 Thess. 5:18,  Heb. 12:28,  Rev. 11:17.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

Love as God has loved you - 1 John 4:11

"A new command I give you: Love one

another.  As I have loved you, so you

must love one another."

John 13:34

These words in John 13:34 were said by Jesus during the Lord's Supper in what is called His "farewell discourse".  It was said after Judas had left the room, leaving everyone pretty vulnerable.  He was preparing His disciples for what would come in the next few days and weeks...soon He would surrender His life in "obedience even unto death" (Phil. 2:8).  The next verse, v. 35,  has such profound meaning, especially for us today:

"By this everyone will know that

you are my disciples if you love 

one another."

This kind of love that we are to exhibit is agape love (one of 4 different words for love used in the Bible)...a doing kind of love, not a feeling kind of love. That would mean it's a choice for us to love...or to not love.  The Bible says it's easy to love those we like...but not so easy to love the way God loves all.  But that is how we are commanded to love and love is the key to our witness.  Folks are watching Christians today...are we that kind of witness?  Or are we the grouchy ones finding fault with all who believe differently than we do?

Here are a few ways we can choose to exhibit agape love:

--forgiveness (Ps. 103:12)

--service (Eph. 6:7)

--generosity (Acts 20:35)

--be merciful (Deu. 4:31)

--show compassion (Eph. 4:32)

--be gracious (Isaiah 30:18)

--show no partiality (Gal. 3:28)

Beth Moore in CHASING VINES said she was once asked the question: "What is the knot in your rope?"...simply, what holds you together?  Without hesitation, she answered: John 15:9: Jesus speaking: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love."  His love holds us together...His love enables us to love others...His love causes us to love those who are different than we are...those who might believe differently than we do.  It's a choice, friends.  What are you choosing today? As our pillows today say, because "...God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

For further study:  Ex. 20:4-6, Numbers 14:18, 2 Chron. 5:13, Ps. 32:10, Prov. 3:3, Jer. 31:3, Lam. 3:22-23, Romans 5:8, James 2:8, 1 Peter 4:8.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

Whatever you do...work as for the Lord - Col. 3:23

You will find DIY stuff all over our home...when I get a thought of something I want to be reminded of, I do a craft!  Ask my people...they'll tell you!  I'm retired so I don't do REAL work, but this sign is in my sewing room.  I make Scripture pillows...not a huge contribution to the world, but it is something I can do.  I want to constantly be reminded my work is done for the Lord...not for me or for anyone else.

One of the dearest stories in all of the Bible is a story in Mark 14:1-10.  Mary, sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus' head with a very expensive oil...the others in the room were indignant with what they considered waste.  Jesus was not; he said in v. 8 "she did what she could".  I believe that should be true of all believers...we can all do something that pleases the Lord.  This was a service; an act of sacrifice.  There are many ways of serving in our world today and many are doing huge contributions.  But are we, as believers, doing what we can to serve the Lord?  Am I?

There are are great number of how to care for "one another" passages in the Bible...love, serve, give, visit, gather.  These commands are for us as believers.  Jesus, himself, taught us his last night on earth as he washed the disciples feet: "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."  True service comes from love that prompts action.  That love came to us first from God.  We pass it on...to all people.  All colors, all nationalities, all types.  Did we deserve that kind of love?  No, but by His great grace, it was freely given.

Our world is struggling...believers can begin to reach out to those people.  Can you do one thing today in service for another?  Maybe someone who doesn't look just like you.  If we in the church can begin to open our arms and "shine like the stars in heaven", others will be drawn to the Savior and we can begin to look like the world He created.

We can't do everything but we can do something.  Phil. 2:3-4 says:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain

conceit.  Rather, in humility, value others above

yourselves, not looking to your own interests but

each of you to the interests of others.

Whatever we do (whether it's what we post on Facebook, how we serve, how we give, how we drive, how we stand in line in the grocery store...whatever) it must be as if we were standing in front of Jesus doing it for him.  For, in fact, we are.

I must do better.

For further study: Deu. 10:12,  Joshua 22:5, Joshua 24:15,  Romans 12:9,  Gal. 5:12-3-14, Eph. 2:10, 

Eph. 6:7,  Phil. 2:7, 2 Tim. 2:24, 1 Peter 4:10, 1 John 4:7-12.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

Have faith in God - Mark 11:22

"...when the Son of Man comes, will he

find faith on the earth?"

Luke 18:8

In Luke 18, Jesus is telling a parable to his disciples "to show them that they should always pray and not give up".    If He were to return to earth today, I wonder if He would find faith...in us, His people.  Those who call Him Savior.  Would He find our hearts open to Him, the One to whom we put our faith and hope?  Do we believe in His words?  Do we trust His plans?

The picture of a faithful person (Hebrews 11:6) is one that believes He is sufficient for our every need.  The picture of a faithless person (Psalm 78: 8,32) is "stubborn, rebellious, sinful and non-believing".  The funny thing is, even though faith is a fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and a gift (Eph. 2:8), it is ours to grow and develop.  We see in the Scriptures references to "...continue in your faith".  Healthy fruit doesn't just happen, it is nurtured toward health.

Unspoken has a song out "JUST GIVE ME JESUS":

I work so hard, trying to open every door

Search near and far, turning over every stone.

I close my eyes, instead I find no rest

No rest for a restless heart.

All I've been chasing, putting my faith in,

Let it fade, let it break into pieces

JUST GIVE ME JESUS.

What has this pandemic taught you about self-sufficiency?  When all the pieces break, are you enough?  Can you make life happen the way you want it to?  Faith that pleases God will allow Him to change us to better reflect His image.  We must change our focus to trusting Him and His plans, not the things of this world.  I am a definite work in progress - I should wear a construction helmet wherever I go -  but I believe that the God who made me and has allowed this pandemic circumstance to happen will continue to do His sanctifying work in me and in others who have received Him as Lord.  How about you?

For further study:  Gen. 15:6, Psalm 86:7, Micah 6:8, Luke 7:1-10, Luke 17:6,  1 Cor. 3:6-7, Col. 1:23, 2 Thess. 1:3,  Hebrews 12:1-2, James 2:22.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

"Behold, I am doing a new thing, sayeth the Lord" - Isaiah 43:19

"And when the danger passed, and the people

joined together again, they grieved their losses, and 

made new choices, and dreamed new images, and

created new ways to live and heal the earth fully,

as they had been healed"

Kitty O'Meara, And the People Stayed Home

There seems to be some confusion on where this poem came from but my best understanding is that it is a recent piece and refers to our current pandemic crisis.  My thoughts and prayers these days are part of my journey to try my best to understand what the Lord is teaching me during this "time out".  Don and I have had so many good conversations about where we have been, where we are and where we are going.  Sometimes it takes a "timeout"...usually inflicted upon us, not one by choice, to help us break some old habits and establish some new ones.

I personally am so grateful for the wise words God has given us to help direct our thoughts.  These words are as relevant today as they were when they were first given.  God is calling us back to himself to remind us that His plans are still good and still better than our own plans.

Listen to Beth Moore:

The adrenaline's wearing off, saints.  So will the novelties

of assembling via screens.  Will we stick around?  We are

being tested by a God who is for us.  He's out to prove us, 

grow us, wean us off entertainment to produce in us pure

endurance.  Old-fashioned no-frills faithfulness."

Isaiah asks: "Do you not perceive it?"...the new thing that God is doing.  In these uncertain times, we can trust a "certain" (purposed) God whose plans and thoughts are higher than ours.  My commentary on this verse says: "Be ready to be surprised by God!".  Are you ready? When the danger passes, and it will, what will your new dreams be?  Will I make choices toward His way or will I still hold on to the old self-centered way.  My prayer is that when we join together again, His word will be what we seek.  The bigger dream will be about doing global kingdom work.

For further study:  Job 23:13, Psalm 33;11, Psalm 115:3, Jeremiah 29:11, Daniel 4:35, John 9:3,

Romans 8:28,  Galatians 6:7-10, Ephesians 1:11, Revelation 21:5.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

He is Risen!

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

HE LIVES  by Alfred H. Ackley

I hope you are encouraged by the words of this hymn.  During this very unique time of instability, we cannot allow our hearts to be discouraged.  Chuck Colson once said:  "Despair is a sin because it denies the sovereignty of God".  Another way to say that is John 16:33:  "..take heart! I have overcome the world."

The words on the pillow are the words of the angel speaking to the women at the tomb who were devastated to have Jesus be absent from the place He was left.  They, in fact, were in great despair.  But these words - among the most profound in the Scriptures - tell a very different story than a story of despair.

The Greek word for "to rise" is egeiro and is used 141 times in the New Testament.  When Paul uses it, referring to Christ's resurrection, the verb is in the perfect tense which describes a "past completed action with continuing effect".  I hope you get the importance of that - "he is risen" has a permanent effect and is as true today as it was 2000 years ago.  He is alive today (as our dear hymn already stated) and Hebrews 7:25 says "...he always lives to intercede for" those who love God.  Today, He is interceding for us and He wants us to rejoice, not to despair.  This world is not out of control...He is perfectly in control!

Do you remember the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10?  Martha was frustrated and angry about the way her life was going and she made sure everyone knew how unhappy she was with her sister.  But sweet Mary recognized this one opportunity she had to sit with Jesus and listen to Him.  We have the same choice today:  will we grumble and complain about how hard life is or will we rejoice that our Savior lives and is very present with us today.  He is sovereign...He is quite able to order our steps...and our family's!  Will we sit with Him in His word and in prayer rather than hours and hours on our phones? 

I grew up in the church and knew about God...sort of.  But as an adult in my 30s, I heard a testimony from some folks about receiving Jesus as my Savior.  You see, God sent Jesus to the earth to give His life in death to pay for our sins.  Until I acknowledged my sins, and received Him into my heart as Lord, I had no Holy Spirit to "guide me into all truth".  Since then, His power has done a work in me my flesh never could have done and I am so grateful.  That's good news! He will do the same for you.

I hope you will be preparing your heart to celebrate on Easter Sunday.  We have put a palm frond on our front porch - along with other believers around the world - to identify our home as one who rejoices this Palm Sunday with those who shouted "Hosanna" at the Triumphal entry of Jesus: 

For further study:  Psalm 73:26, Matthew 28:6, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6, John 20:9 and 21, Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:20-22, 1 Peter 3:22, Rev. 21:;6.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word!

HAPPY EASTER!

Holly

Trust in the Lord

"Don't worry about how things look.  

God is able." 

 Marshawn Evans

These are certainly uncertain times...to some they have never looked so uncertain!  We are all self-isolated, away from friends and family, unable to be in church, and find ourselves wondering who to really trust.  Isaiah found himself in a similar place.  He had just been commissioned to lead a fairly rebellious, stiff-necked group.  The people were conspiring and denying the existence of God and the Lord gave him instructions to lead them.  Isaiah was determined and told them: "I will put my trust in God." (Isaiah 8:17)  He didn't question what his job was and he didn't question how wrong it would be to put his faith in a world system that rejected God.  Why would we?

In this uncertain time, we must have "Godfidence"...confidence in a holy and powerful God...the one who created the heavens and the earth...is in control today.  So I will wear a shirt that tells people that is what I believe:

I want to have the faith of David standing before Goliath...a huge giant with metal armor and weapons.  David didn't shrink back and say he couldn't do something...he trusted the same God who had helped him in prior trials and used a puny rock and sling to slay the giant.  That is the same God who will help us today.  To trust in something is to believe in its reliability, to know enough about that person that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do.  His Word is full of reassurances that He knows the way we take, He will never leave us or forsake us and that if we will dwell with Him, we can rest in Him.   That will require us to make a choice to receive the Son He sent as our Savior and to follow Him and release our own control.  Someone once said: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  I don't have to know how this virus mess is going to end before I trust the God who holds the universe together.  He is able and He is good.

I'm reading A CONFIDENT HEART by Renee Swope and she says:

The only way we'll have a confident heart is if we move beyond

knowing about God to knowing and relying on Him - to depending

on His Word with our whole heart, mind and soul.

"Godfidence" is what we all need today to know that God is able to not only help our world in this current crisis, but His plans will not be thwarted.  If our leaders choose to use their own wisdom, God's will will be done.  That's my confidence today and in the future.

For further study:   Psalm 37:3, Psalm 75:3,  Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 40:28-31, Jeremiah 17:7, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 8:38-39, Phil. 4:6-9, Hebrews 11:1, 1 John 5:14

Be blessed in your understanding of God's Word.

Love,

Holly

Wait in hope for the Lord - Ps. 33:20

Spring has sprung here in Texas - even though it's not officially due for a few more weeks.  When I lived in Chicago for several years, the grey days of winter really took it's toll and could be a particularly depressing time for many of us.  We waited - sometimes not very patiently - for the first crocuses to appear along Lake Michigan.  But we always knew it would come eventually.  Bernard Williams says:  

The day the Lord created hope was probably

the same day He created Spring.

Dr. Michelle Bengtson has written a book called HOPE PREVAILS.  She is a Dallas neuropsychologist who for many years suffered debilitating depression.  And for many years prescribed in her practice various forms of treatment...many of which were very effective.  But when it came to her own illness, she said "...hope was elusive".  She tells about a friend who came by to see her in the midst of her worst days, and she shared a Bible verse with her.  At that moment, she says:

As I began to recite God's Word, especially his promises,

the dark cloud that had settled in my heart began to lift and I

began to feel more hopeful.

When you have faith in God and believe He is who He says He is, hope is possible and you can know one day things will be better.  Dr. Bengtson says "hope...is a belief in a purpose, the belief in something better" and Hebrews 6:19 says: "hope is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure".  Like a boat adrift on the sea, it holds steady and fixed when there is an anchor.  Jesus is that anchor.  It holds us secure and steady.  That doesn't mean we won't drift a bit, but the anchor holds.  She says: "I can offer nothing to my patients that heals unilaterally.  My words don't fix, and my suggestions don't heal.  God heals".

We must believe God is at work (Romans 8:28)  "...in ALL things" even when we don't see it.  But we don't have to see it to believe it...that's what faith is.  Hebrews 11:1 says "...faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."  Spring is coming!

For further study:  Psalm 62:5, Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations 3:21-23, Micah 7:7, Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 1:10-11, Colossians 1:27, Hebrews 6:18-20.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

LOVE ONE ANOTHER - 1 John 4:7

"Dear friends, let us love one another for love

comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born

of God and knows God."   1 John 4:7

Did you know that there are 59 "one another" references in the Bible?  Ways we are to care for those outside of self.  I am concerned that we are not doing well...we are such a self-centered society, our main focus is on "me" and what my needs are.  As you might imagine, the Greek word for this kind of love (there are 3 other Greek words for love in the New Testament) is agape which is the highest form of love...the way God loves us...selfless...charitable.  

Another place the same word is used is in Hebrews 10:24:

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on

toward LOVE and good deeds..."

Women:  are you dressing to encourage or entice?  Men:  is your language encouraging someone?  Children:  are you being kind to someone who snubs you?  We don't see "love and good deeds" as a worthy goal portrayed in movies or TV shows.  I would like to be viewed as a positive role model in Biblical terms and I would like to encourage someone today toward righteous living...not living to indulge self.  Unless we know God's word, we will listen to how the world defines that.

On this Valentine's Day, let us be part of the "Charitable LOVE gives" campaign.  How are you loving today?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

For further study:  Proverbs 17:17, Matthew 19:19, John 15:17, Romans 12:9, Romans 13:8, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Cor. 16:14, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 4:19.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's love.

Love,

Holly

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord - Jer. 17:7

Jeremiah, often called "the weeping prophet", was given by God a hard assignment to warn the people of upcoming judgment.  He was called to this task (1:4-5) by the LORD and when the LORD calls, he equips.  Jeremiah struggled most of his days to find joy in his task...and yet in Lamentations (his book of laments), we find the powerful and lifegiving verse:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not

consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lam. 3:22-23

Our verse for today's blog reminds us that the kind of blessings Jeremiah is talking about do not come to all.  Blessings come to one who puts his trust in the Lord...not trusting money, fame, success or family.  That would mean a total dependence upon the One who created us to do His work.  That would mean a giving up of self, of professing faith in Jesus Christ and being His witness wherever He calls us.  Trials will come but God will always always BLESS!

I think the part of this passage that I love the most...even the "weeping prophet" knew that when he put his trust in the Lord, he would be "...like a tree planted by the water"...he would flourish...he would not fear when the going gets tough and he would never fail to "bear fruit" (verse 8).  What a sweet, sweet promise.  Earlier in the chapter in verses 5-6,  it talks about a person in the wastelands, whose heart has turned away from the Lord and he was parched, poor and weak. 

We have the same choice today as Jeremiah did.  Will we seek to be obedient to the Lord who made us or will we waste away languishing in the wastelands?   I hope you are studying God's word to know what pleases Him.  Do you know: "...the Lord longs to be gracious to you" (Isaiah 30:18) and He has a wonderful plan for your life (Jer. 29:11)?

For further study: Deu. 30:16, 1 Kings 2:1-3, Psalm 1:1-3, Prov. 29:18, Matt. 5:1-12, John 15:10, Romans 8:28, James 1:12.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly