God has called us to live in PEACE - 1 Cor. 7:15

30 years ago this month, Don and I married in Coral Gables, Florida.  We were in our 30s and not naive or unrealistic about what we were bringing to the union.  I can only speak for myself to say that I had a very "independent" streak that needed to be adjusted to live with my man!  God has been the strength of our marriage - He has shaped and molded and caused us to love and to submit to each other.  How grateful we are that His "grace was sufficient" for even us!  We do not pretend to be perfect parents, but we knew how very important a good and peaceful marriage was to our boys.  And, guess what, those boys are now gone with wives of their own and it is just my man and me!  Too often we spend more time giving attention to our children and then when they move on, guess what you have left in your home?

God's word has taught us every day of those 30 years.  Had we not yielded to it more than we fought it, I'm not sure where we would be today.  Paul, in our verse for today, spoke to a believing wife married to an unbelieving spouse, but the truth still applies:  "God has called us to live in PEACE".

There are many enemies to peaceful homes today.  A few are:  discontentment, selfishness, busyness,  too much ambition, stress, conflict  temptation...and I believe Satan is the author of them all.  He is doing his best to destroy the home today and I believe the home is the most critical influence in our world today...certainly in the lives of our children and many of our neighborhoods.  The opposite of peace is showing up in too many places.

Listen to Steve Stroope and Kurt Bruner in IT STARTS AT HOME:

The foundation of every stable home is a thriving marriage.  Is it

any surprise that our Enemy's chief strategy for undermining

lifelong faith is to undermine the sacred bond of marriage.

Happy homes echo the intimate joys of heaven.  Broken, 

troubled families, by contrast, imitate the loneliness,

isolation and anger of hell.

Jesus said in John 16:33: "...in me you may have peace".  Galatians 5:22 says: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...".  Ephesians 2:14 says about Jesus Christ: "...he himself is our peace."  Apart from making the Lord the center of our home, we cannot have a peaceful home.  Yielding all that we are to Him is the beginning of bringing peace to our homes.  What does your home - or mine - feel like today?

For further study: Gen. 1:27, Prov. 17:1, Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:18, Ephesians 4:29, Col. 3:15, Phil. 4:11-12, Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 3:1-4.

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly

BLESSED - Matt. 5:3-12

The word "blessed" has become a bit of an issue lately - the social media has given it more of a false-humility/self-promotion kind of meaning...people using #blessed to draw attention to their own accomplishments.  It grieves me to have such a treasured word or state of being be given such a tainted image.

Blessed is a word used many times in the Bible.  We see it used most often in Matt. 5:3-12 in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus spoke the message of the Beatitudes to his disciples...describing the kind of people they should be (the "be attitudes"):

Blessed are...
--the poor in spirit
--those who mourn
--the meek
--those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
--the merciful
--the pure in heart
--the peacemakers
--those who are persecuted

The Greek word for "blessed" is makarios, 'the happy state of those who find their purpose and fulfillment in God".  John Stott (one of my very favorites!) says

Happiness is a subjective state, whereas Jesus was making

an objective judgment about these people.  He is declaring

not what they may feel like...but what God thinks of them

and what on that account they are:  they are "blessed".

That surely takes away any idea of this being some worldly definition of great luck or accomplishment.  The very notion that He thinks of me as blessed challenges me to be much more of the descriptions above.  It makes me want to think less of me and more of Him; it makes me sad when I'm not sensitive to the needs of the world; it makes me want to be more holy, to be more merciful, to be a women of greater integrity; it makes me want to be a peacemaker in my home and neighborhood and to pray for those who are dying for the cause of Christ.

One more thought from Dr. Stott:

The Christian cannot be expected to be thanked for 

doing any of these things...but we can have

the approval of God and find self-fulfillment in that happy

state.

I consider myself "blessed" beyond all I could ever have imagined for my life.  Absolutely none of that blessing has anything to do with my accomplishments.  It has to do with what God's great love for the world and what Christ did on the cross for me...and for you.  Hoping you are feeling blessed today.

For further study:  Gen. 1:22, Numbers 6:24, Deu. 28:1-14, Psalm 1:1-2,  Psalm 32:1, Psalm 128:1,

Proverbs 21:18, Ezekiel 34:16, John 12:13,  Acts 20:35, James 1:12

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

Love,

Holly

The joy of the Lord is your strength - Neh. 8:10

A group of us recently went to the Fresh Grounded Faith conference with Jennifer Rothschild and Ann Voskamp.  Wish I could sit over a thousand cups of coffee with each of you to share the blessings of what these two precious women shared with us.  Jennifer, legally blind for many years, shared delightful words about how we are not defined about our feelings...we are defined by who we are in Christ.  Some day maybe I'll tell you more.  However, today I want to share with you what Ann said about joy. Much of this is taken from her book ONE THOUSAND GIFTS.

One of Voskamp's key themes comes from the word eucharisteo, the giving of thanks.  Charis means grace, chara means joy - very much related to each other and wrapped up together.   She said (in talking about Jesus' giving of thanks in all his hard days): "as long as thanks to God is possible, then joy in God is always possible".  Are you looking for joy today?  Where are you looking?  Are you allowing circumstances or relationships to rob your joy?   Ann says about our verse for today...

If you let someone steal your joy, they steal

your strength.  If you don't fight for joy, it's

your children, your husband...all lose because

of it.

She said we are going to have to pursue it, run afte it, chase it...joy will not come easily but because it is the gift of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), it is very much available to us.

Nehemiah knew this principle. Ezra had just read from the Book of the Law and the people knew they had not obeyed it...they were mourning and weeping over their sins.  Nehemiah instructed them not to mourn but to celebrate.  Are you celebrating your salvation today?  Your forgiveness?  His great love for you?  Or are you letting your own past rob you of joy?  Or the circumstances of your life?  The people who have failed you?

If, in Jesus' suffering, He gave thanks, I believe there is nothing in all the world that can rob me of my joy...and I simply will not let it.  He died that His joy might be in me and might be complete (John 15:11).

Philippians 4:4 says "Rejoice in the Lord always".  1 Thes. 5:16-18 says: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances..."  "The joy of the Lord is our strength".  Are you feeling pretty strong today?  If not, run after it.

For further study:  1 Chron. 16:27, Esther 9:20-22, Psalm 21:6, Psalm 51:12, Psalm 66:1, Proverbs 12:20, John 15:11, Romans 12:12, Gal. 5:22-23, Philippians 4:4-7

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love, 

Holly

The LORD is my Shepherd - Psalm 23:1

Our most precious of all psalms was written by a young David, a shepherd and a future king.  Can you just imagine his thoughts as he gazed upon his sleeping sheep and the glorious star-filled heavens.  In fact, he wrote many of his thoughts and we have such wonderful wisdom from what he learned from his job and from his God.  He had joys, fears, struggles, grief...every imaginable emotion was written from his time out in the fields and on the throne.  This was before the throne ever became a reality.


He knew what it was to be a shepherd - he came from a long line of them.  He knew they were responsible for every need of their flock.  He knew they needed to make themselves known to their sheep so they would recognize their voice.  He knew the shepherd would need to gently but firmly guide his sheep back onto the right path.  He knew if they were afraid, he would be the one to comfort them and restore them.  He knew their enemies would be his enemies.  He was their protector and would never leave them.  In fact, he may have been speaking as one who knew exactly what it meant to need a "shepherd".  For he knew who the "Good Shepherd" was and had a vital and committed relationship with Him.


Phillip Keller has written A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23 he says:

When the simple...statement is made...

that "The Lord is my Shepherd", it

immediately implies a profound yet practical

working relationship between a human being

and his Maker.

Do not miss John 10 where Jesus tells the Pharisees: "I am the good shepherd" (v. 11) and "...my sheep know my voice" (v. 27).  They could choose to follow Him or reject Him...but they couldn't do both.  Either He had authority and responsibility for them, or He did not.  Either they surrendered the control of their lives to Him or they did not.

I choose to call Him my Shepherd!  I give Him authority and responsibility to guide my life.  He is wisdom, I am not.  He is love, I am not.  He knows the future, I do not.  I am humbled by His leadership in my life and grateful.

For further study: Psalm 100:3, Psalm 119:176,  Isaiah 40:11, Isaiah 53:6, Jeremiah 31:10, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Matthew 9:36, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:4

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word,

Love,

Holly



LOVE - 1 Corinthians 13

I love restaurants that let you choose among a list of items: "Pick 2"...one from the salad list, one from the sandwich list...or better yet, one from the dessert list too!!!


Our pillows today come from another kind of list...a LOVE list!

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

Guess what?  We don't get to choose the ones that are easy, or comfortable, or ones that suit us.  This list was given to us to obey in full.  Paul is telling this body of believers that this kind of love (agape love, the kind that God has for us, unconditional-like...) is the solution to their problems within their church.  Max Lucado says about this list in A LOVE WORTH GIVING:

When we love someone we take the entire package.

No picking and choosing.  No large

helpings of the good and passing on the

bad.  Love is a package deal!

Here's an idea for your Valentine's Day celebration (and mine!).  List all the things that "love" looks like and find something in each area to love someone with.  For instance, if you find yourself getting impatient, go out of your way to give something back to that person.  Give them a gift or an action that shows them they matter to you.  The next day, go to the next item on the list.  No "Pick 2" this week.

For further study: Exodus 34:6-7, 2 Chron. 5:13-14, Psalm 32:10, Jer. 31:3, Lamentations 3:22-23, John 13:34, Romans 5:8, Galatians 5:22-23, James 2:10, 1 John 3:1-24.

Happy Valentine's Day, friends.  Be blessed in your understanding of God's love!

Love,

Holly



Praise the Lord - Psalm 92:1

It is good to praise the Lord

It is good to gaze upon His majesty

To proclaim His love in the morning

And His faithfulness at night

To worship and praise the Lord

by Lenny LeBlanc

The beginning of a new year is a wonderful time to examine the old year...what were your priorities, do you want them to be different, will you challenge yourself in the new year?  Personally, I am never terribly happy with myself as the old year closes...I have once again let the year get out of control with details and busyness.  I have no excuse...my husband likes quiet...prefers quiet.  I am guilty of thinking I can and should do more than is reasonable.  My times with the Lord become less and less about Him and more and more about what needs to be done with my day.

Listen to Lysa TerKeurst in her study WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN SAY YES TO GOD when talking about making the choice of worry or worship:

We all worship something.  We must choose whom - or what -

we will worship.  Will it be the opinions of others, our

fears, or even our own comfort.  Or will it be the One

who created our souls to worship.  Whatever we worship,

we will obey.

The psalmist in our psalm for today had seen the Lord work...he had been protected and guided by His hand (v. 11), and he knew that if he praised the Lord, he would "flourish like the palm tree and grow strong like the cedar of Lebanon" (v. 12) and he made a choice to do so.  Who or what will you praise today?  The world will be screaming for attention and distraction, I don't have to yield to it!  It is GOOD to praise the Lord!!

For further study: Deu. 32:3, 1 Chron. 16:29, Psalm 95:6, Psalm 150:6, Proverbs 27:21, Daniel 2:19, John 5:30, Romans 1:21, Hebrews 13:15, James 5:13

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly







Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always - Psalm 105:4

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow

strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace"

Hymn by Helen Lemmel

Happy New Year, friends!  Did you know that the above hymn was written by a blind woman?  She, of course, didn't need physical sight to look upon her Lord...neither do we.  We only have to recognize that there are good things to look upon and some not-so-good things to look upon.  What are you looking at today?  What are you looking for?  I've used this quote by John Lubbock before, but I think it bears repeating

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."

Ann Voskamp, in her Christmas devotional THE GREATEST GIFT, talks about Samuel as he was "looking" for a new king.  She says "always, always, first the eyes...", meaning, I think that she was agreeing with Mr. Lubbock that it is with our eyes we find what we look for.  Then she says:

Joy is a function of gratitude and gratitude is a

function of perspective.  you only begin to change

your life when you begin to change the way you see.

Oh I am so ashamed of some of the things I spend my time looking for...temporal and worldly things.  Everything in the world causes our eyes to look away from our wonderful Savior.  What we look for and how we see things affects everything we do...our lifestyle, our relationships, our goals, our joy.

Think about Peter (Matt. 14:22-36) and the joy and satisfaction of obeying Jesus in stepping out of the boat and going to Jesus on the water.  "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink...".  Oh is that not the story of our lives?

If we look for things that are wrong, we will find them.  If we "look for the Lord and his strength", we will find Him!  Our choice.

For further study: 2 Chron. 7:14, Psalm 34:5, Psalm 121:1, Prov. 4:25, Isaiah 55:6, Zechariah 12:10, Matt. 6:33, John 1:35-36,  2 Cor. 4:18, Phil. 4:8

Be blessed in your understanding of God's word.

Love,

Holly