Forever Faithful

I've heard many times before the song "Forever" by Chris Tomlin. I've joyfully sang the upbeat tune, knowing the depth of God's faithfulness to me. But as I sit here typing and remembering my recent journey through Jeremiah's writings, I can almost feel the depth of His love, that no matter what I do or where I am, He will be here with me. (Lam 3:23)

OUR THANKS

Give thanks to the Lord
Our God and King
His love endures forever

I am so thankful that I began my walk with the Lord before I had any real problems. Sure, I became a Christian when I was 13, but really didn't start walking with Him until ten years later. Sometimes I think we take for granted how faithful God's love is to us. I know I have before.

OUR FAITH

Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever and ever

I know that God is forever faithful, forever strong and forever with me, but how strong is my faith? Do I have the faith that God can move my "mountain"? Most of the time, I think I have that kind of faith, but sometimes I admit I have my doubts. That is why God tells us in His word to put on that "whole armor of God" in Ephesians 6:10-17. We cannot forget our "armor" each day, "above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." (Eph 6:16 NKJV).

"Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." (Eph 6:10 NKJV)

Lost and Found

As a child, I grew up learning the concept of "fairness". My parents made sure that my brother and I always got equal treatment at Christmas, birthdays, etc. and we were always encouraged to watch out for people that would take advantage of our generosity (giving of our time, etc.).
Consequently, in reading Luke 15 and the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son, I can't help but have "flashbacks". I am amazed at the concern Jesus has for the "lost" in each of these stories. Wouldn't it be cool to have that kind of compassion?

My favorite is the parable of the lost son - no, not because of my brother :) , he's always been a good guy - because of the wonderful picture of grace to the repentant sinner who humbly comes back to God (Luke 15:11-31). Think of how much inner strength it took for the father in this story to forgive his son for squandering all of his inheritance on worldly pleasures and welcome him back with open arms. How often do we see this sort of compassion and forgiveness displayed in our world today?

Deliverance!

No, I'm not talking about that old movie, nor the fact that I finished Jeremiah yesterday and Lamentations today, but the fact that only God can restore our souls to peace and joy.

Reading through Lamentations this morning and through Jeremiah this past month has really made me think about God's grace to both me personally and to people in general, believers and non-believers alike. After all of the "destruction" in our lives, whatever the cause, God is there each morning with His unfailing compassion, mercy and faithfulness (Lam 3:23).

God alone can restore our strength if we only would focus on Him instead of ourselves and our lots in life. "Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old" (Lam 5:21). I pray that more people would realize the power they have through God for restoration in their lives and that they would tap into it. Just think how many lives could be changed if more people really internalized this concept and sang a "new song" of praise to God.

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me , and
heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry
clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our
God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

Promises, Promises...

Finally I have completed my journey through Jeremiah. It definitely has been more enjoyable this time through it since I've been taking a few others with me with this blog.

Today, I read through two whole chapters (50-51) focused entirely on describing God's judgment against Babylon. I find it interesting how at one point in history God had used Babylon to punish the people of Judah/Jerusalem only to destroy Babylon later because of their idol worship and pride (don't worry, I'm not focusing on pride this time!).

Isn't it great how God always keeps His promises? Back in Jeremiah 25:11, it is prophesied that Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem would serve Babylon for 70 years. However, after that 70 years, Babylon would be punished (Jer 25:12). The God I serve will never forget about me, even if He has to correct me from time to time. (Jer 51:5).

Wouldn't it be cool if God would give us timelines (I'm thinking of months here, not 70-year timeframes) of when our lives would change just like He gave to Jeremiah? But I guess then that would affect our learning of patience and we would be proud that we knew His plans! :) God sure knows how to work us, doesn't He?

O Lord, It's Hard to Be Humble...

...but are we really doing the best that we can? I remember that old song by Mac Davis entitled "Its Hard to Be Humble". I believe that if the Moabites could have known that song, they would have been singing it in Jeremiah 47-49. I'm sure God gave them a new tune later after His judgment upon them was fulfilled.

Pride. The bane of human existence. We know that God hates it because he says it numerous times in his Word. From Jeremiah 49:16, God says:

Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.

How high is your nest? I'll end with this. Pride can also be one of the most subtle sins to those who are prideful. I'm not sure that we even recognize it in ourselves most of the time. Consider this quote from chapter 7 of Andrew Murray's "Humility":

Let all teachers of holiness, whether in the pulpit or on the platform, and all seekers after holiness, whether in the closet or the convention, take warning. There is no pride so dangerous-because there is none so subtle and insidious-as the pride of holiness. It's not that a person actually says, or even thinks, "Keep to yourself. I am holier than you." No, indeed, the thought would be regarded with abhorrence. Unconsciously, however, there grows up a hidden habit of soul that feels self-satisfied with what its attained, and which cannot help seeing itself as beingfar in advance of others.

Believer, let us beware! Unless in each advance in what we think is holiness, we make the increase of humility our study, we may find that we've been delighting in beautiful thoughts and feelings, in solemn acts of consecration and faith, while the only sure mark of the presence of God, the disappearance of self, was all the time lacking.

Lip Service

Does anyone out there like it when someone says they will change or will do something, but in their hearts they really had no intention of doing what they said they would do? I doubt it. Surprise! God doesn't like it either.

In Jeremiah 42:1-3 the people pleaded with Jeremiah to pray to God for them and then to tell them what they should do so that they could obey God's Word. Can you guess what happened? Jeremiah spoke against what they had already made up their minds to do (they wanted to go to Egypt) and consequently, the "proud men" called Jeremiah a liar (Jer 43:1-3). Then, God threatens them again in the next chapter. Same story, different day.

Why were the people in Jeremiah's day so stubborn? I think that we all know the answer to that question. At least I know I do ... and the answer is "pride". For some reason, we ask God for help after we have already made up our minds what we are going to do. In our prayers we pray for God's will, say we will do it, and then when the time comes for action on our part we "conveniently" forget that we said we would accept God's plan.

Is anyone else ready for me to stop reading out of Jeremiah and the prophets? I'm ready for the New Testament! :) Until next time...

To God Be the Glory

Week 2 of my song reflections. It has actually been pretty cool the past week to really meditate on and put verses to the words of the songs we sing. I haven't done this since I was in the choir! Today, the song that really stood out to me was "Not To Us" by Chris Tomlin. The first few times I heard the song, I wasn't too crazy about it, but like always for me, once I really examined the words, it became my prayer. Now I actually like it!

Our hearts unfold before Your throne
The only place for those who know
Its not for us
Its all for you.

How often do we humbly go to the throne of God to worship Him by telling Him how glorious and worthy of praise He is? If we are going to sing this song as a prayer to God and really mean it, we need to understand that for us, the most blessed place we can be is to be at our Master's feet. I doubt that any of us go to His feet often enough.

Not to us
But to Your name be the glory

Worshipping God requires that we understand who He is. Since God is the only One capable of creating anything from nothing, He alone is worthy of glory. Revelation 4:11 says "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. (NKJV)

"He has made the earth by His power,He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. When He utters His voice there is a multitude of waters in the heavens and He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasures. (Jer 10:12-13 NKJV).

Hmmm...God has quite a resume. Who am I to take credit for anything? (I Cor 10:31)

How Well Do You Know Him?

As I read Luke 13 (see vs 22-27)today and thanked God that I knew Him and He knew me so that He would let me into His presence one day, I thought about how well I really knew Jesus. I mean, I know Him, but do I know Him like I would know my best friend?

Anne Graham Lotz, one of my favorite Christian authors and speakers has spent her lifetime pursuing an intimate knowledge of Jesus. In the introduction of her book My Heart's Cry (page xii-xiii), she says the following:

"Like John and the other disciples, I have known Jesus personally. Their knowledge was face to face while my knowledge is by faith, but mine is a personal, direct, experiential knowledge nonetheless. And it has increasingly grown, from the time I was a little girl when I confessed my
sin and asked Him to be my Savior, to the time as a teenager I made the commitment to live my life for Him alone, to the time I drifted from Him in the busyness of being a young mother and returned to Him through the disciplined study of His Word, to the time I answered His call to teach a weekly Bible class, to the time I stepped out in faith to follow him in an itinerant international ministry, to the time I picked up my pen and wrote my first word to be published, to the time when my heart's cry - under unbearable pressure and pain- has been, just give me Jesus!

Yet somehow, like John, I feel that all this time in His presence, all this devotion to His service, is just not enough. I have concluded that it will never be enough until my faith becomes sight and I know Him as fully as I am known by Him. Until that day, I find that my yearning for Him is ravenous, and it has once again led me to immerse myself in the pages of His Word - in particular, the eyewitness account of His life and ministry that was recorded by the disciple with whom I most identify: John."

Do you have a heart for Jesus like that? Anne Graham Lotz is inspiring in her pursuit for more of Jesus. After reading her book and seeing her speak, I'm now reading the gospels in a new light - in pursuit of really knowing Jesus..

What Will Make Us Hear?

Truthfully, we are no different today than the people of Israel and Judah back in the times of Jeremiah. How many times do we hear the truth of God's Word, either in a sermon or spoken in love to us by a friend, only to cast the words aside in our minds and go our own ways? I know I am guilty at times.

In Jeremiah 36, Baruch the scribe reads a scroll of Jeremiah's prophecy to the king only to have it thrown in the fire. In the next chapter, Jeremiah is thrown in prison because king Zedekiah doesn't like what he says. I have to admire Jeremiah's perserverance here in speaking the truth. I know that he didn't like prison! In chapter 38, Zedekiah gets scared enough for his own personal safety that he secretly drags Jeremiah out of prison to meet with him. Finally, he listens to and heeds the words of God.

So what is it that finally causes us to listen and do what God asks of us? And why is it that all of us in our own ways at times, tend to prefer the hard way instead of God's way? Thankfully, God waits for us to turn back to Him. And thankfully, as we grow in our spritual maturity, we start listening for God's voice sooner than later.

Fear Not, Little Flock

God touched my heart today in a little verse in Luke 12. Although I could write about hypocrisy, priorities, worry or leadership responsibilities from this rich chapter, I cannot get my thoughts off of one statement said by Jesus:

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

Can you hear the compassion and love in Jesus' voice as he says "Fear not, little flock"? I think it is the term of endearment 'little flock" that touches me. I've mentioned it before, but I am still awestruck to think of the depth of God's love for His little lambs like us. We purposely stray, we wander around aimlessly sometimes, we get consumed with our own wants and desires, but yet God still finds pleasure in blessing us.

What am I doing to bless God this week? After all, He wants to give ME His kingdom!

If You Want To Be Blessed...

...then "hear the word of God, and keep it." (Luke 11:28).

Sounds so simple doesn't it? Honestly, the hearing part is easy but that keeping it part is another story. This verse reminds me a little of all of the schemes out there to get rich. We can buy many different books that tell us how to make money and truthfully, if we followed them, we just might make our fortune. But, following a plan takes discipline and effort and thus, we fall short.

God tells us how to be blessed many times in scripture and the ones that stand out to me the most concern our love for God's word. We have been given the roadmap to "riches", but those little obstacles of discipline and effort get in the way.

Questions to think about:
1. Am I following people or God? (Psalm 1:1-3)
2. Do I meditate on God's word day and night? (Joshua 1:8)
3. Am I seeking God with my whole heart? (Psalm 119:2)

Trading In Our Sorrows

I got a bright idea yesterday (look out!) that I was going to take a break from posting my daily reading excerpts on Sundays to bring you some of my reflections on the songs we sing in Sunday worship. To me, true praise through song occurs when I know what I'm singing about and can honestly sing the words back to God as a prayer to Him. Here I go.

Trading My Sorrows

I'm tradin' my sorrows,
I'm tradin' my shame,
I'm layin' them down for the joy of the Lord.

Psalm 30:5 says that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning". Just as the song says, we have a promise from God that our sorrows won't last forever but will be replaced by joy. I thank God for that promise, but God also requires something from us in order to fulfill His promise. We must be willing to give our sorrows and problems to Him.

"...Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and
let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto
Jesus..."(NKJV Hebrews 12:1-2).

Why is it so hard for us to truly turn over our problems to a God who loves us so much that He gave His Son for us? Is it fear of change, even a good change, because we have gotten so accustomed to living in our familiar circumstances that we don't want to leave them? Is it lack of understanding of who God really is and how NOTHING of ours is too big for Him to fix? (Jer 32:17).

I pray that we all can overcome our obstacles in trading in our sorrows for God's joy. May we seek God and be able to sing with confidence the words of "Trading My Sorrows":

I am pressed but not crushed, persecuted, not abandoned; struck down but not
destroyed.
I am blessed beyond the curse, for His promise will endure
That His joy's gonna be my strength.

Think Before You Speak

Jeremiah 28

Whew! Now this one will make a person think about what they say. Hananiah, a prophet, spoke supposedly good news to to the people. Apparently, it wasn't true and he was subsequently told by God through Jeremiah that God would cast him "from the face of the earth (NKJV-v16)" within the year for teaching rebellion against God.

I wonder, did Hananiah know that he was teaching rebellion or did he speak with a clear conscience?

MORAL OF THE STORY: Think before you speak or things may just turn out bad for you.

Same Story, Different Day

Jeremiah 26. Once again I feel as if I'm reading the same things again and I guess that actually I almost am as this chapter is very similar to Jer 7:1-15. Our friend "Jer" is not making the people of Judah happy by his words from God once again and this time his life is threatened by some quick-speaking princes. He is saved from death by his own defence and the reminder of an elder to the people that maybe, just maybe, Jeremiah might be relaying God's message after all.

There are lots of lessons to be learned here. Aside from the common theme in this book of "change your ways or you will be destroyed", I have noted the following:

1) God doesn't really want to punish His people (including us). Otherwise why would He keep warning us to change our ways? See v 26:3 for God's hope that we will change so He doesn't have to act.

2) Who are we listening to for guidance? Discernment is key in what advice we take. Just because someone is telling us what we want to hear, doesn't mean they are right! 26:7-10.

3) Older may be wiser. We need to value the life lessons learned by our "elders". They have valuable information that may save us from a lot of unnecessary challenges if we will just listen and learn. 26:17-19.

Choices

We have so many choices in this life - what we eat, what we drink, how to spend our money, how to spend our time, etc., etc. But do we always make the right ones and if we don't do we accept responsibility for our decisions?

The one verse out of my reading today that stuck out to me was the following:

Jeremiah 25:7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

Hmmm...what a concept in today's society that sometimes the works of our own hands can cause hurt to ourselves! That reminds me of the people that have sued fast food companies for their health problems. When did we as a culture stop taking responsiblity for our own actions?

Well, I could go on and on here, as you can tell. For me personally, I just need to weigh carefully the good and bad of each choice I make and how it can affect both myself and the people around me. We need to start with ourselves first.

Today's Judgment, Tomorrow's Mercy

I resumed my reading in Jeremiah today and decided when I read the first chapter (21) that I would continue reading until I had something pleasant to report. Fortunately, I came to chapter 23 after two more chapters of warnings and more warnings to the various kings of Judah. I didn't have time today to read to the end of the book! :)

In Jeremiah 23:1-8 (note: I stopped at v.8 because after that came warnings to the prophets!) we see some end to God's judgment upon Israel/Judah as He declares the following:

Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking saith the Lord.

I am so thankful to God that no matter how many times we disappoint Him or have disappointed Him, we still get that extra chance to return back to Him and be blessed (see Deut 30:1-10).

I wonder how many people forget this and continue living their lives in regret rather than accepting God's gift of mercy and pressing forward?

Who Am I, Really?

I have always been amazed at how much God, the Creator of the universe cares about what I am doing here on earth when I am seemingly so small in the scheme of things. (Ecc 5:2) I guess that is why in my study of Psalm 8 tonight, my favorite passage was this one:

Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

I still sometimes look up at the stars at night and marvel at God's creation and my place in it. David must have been doing that when he wrote this Psalm.

Following is a link to a commentary on a Chris Tomlin song about how indescribable God is that I thought was pretty cool.

http://www.solidsounds.org/song_detail.php?sid=298

Happy reading!

More Real Life "Samaritans"

Luke 10:2 Therefore he (Jesus) said unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send labourers into his harvest.

What a verse! Although we as the body of Christ need more able-bodied workers to accomplish all that needs to be done for the "harvest", we need to remember to be thankful for the few laborers we do have. I thank God for the men that helped my mom and stepdad move this weekend. You truly were a blessing to both myself and my family. Being God's hands on this earth is what life is all about.

I know this post was short, but it has been a long weekend! :)

Real Life "Good Samaritans"

Another day, another post to the blog. This is kind of fun now that I got started! Today, I took another break from Jeremiah and continued on my New Testament path at Luke 10.

I just love the stories about Jesus and the stories that Jesus tells. Once again, I am amazed at God's timing of how He brings passages to our minds to remind us how cool He is. I had just had some plans postponed because a friend of mine needed to tend to the needs of a hurting "sister", so I sat down to do my daily reading. I know, it wasn't first thing in the morning, but it got done! :) And, wouldn't you know that my reading was about the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37?

If we just look for them, there are good examples everywhere of what it is like to act like Jesus. Jesus, tells us to be like that Good Samaritan (v37), but how many of us have too much packed into our lives to be able to cherish God's interruptions and be a blessing to someone in need?

Shooting the Messenger

Well, I'm back to Jeremiah today in chapters 18-19. One of the things that stuck out to me today was that even though Jeremiah was saying what God wanted him to say, the people didn't like it and rather than heeding God's warnings, they chose to plot against Jeremiah. (Je 19:18).

How many times when I have been told what I didn't want to hear by either a friend or by God did I just not listen and choose to continue in my own ways? It is not always pleasant to hear the truth sometimes, but we need to remember that we are the clay in the Potter's hands and not the other way around.

How many times have I been the "Jeremiah" and told someone the truth in love only to be pushed aside? I'm sure we've all been there too. Standing for God isn't always easy, but it is definitely a must and is always worth it in the long run.

Are We Counting the Cost?

How many times are we all asked to do something but have not REALLY counted the cost of doing the project BEFORE we say "Yes"? I'm getting better at prayerfully considering new opportunities, but have to admit that I've been quick to help in the past when it might not have been the best thing for me.

On the contrary, many of us say we will follow Christ, but when we feel that too much is being asked of us we bail out. Consider Luke 9:57-62. In this passage three different individuals who appeared ready to follow Jesus bailed out on Him when he asked them to just come with Him. They were either afraid or had something else that was more "important" to do. They were too good at counting the cost. Are you?

Where We Lead, They Will Follow

Happy Fourth of July! On this day where we observe our country's independence, I thought it was interesting to read about leadership in my daily reading.

In Jeremiah 15:4, God says that He will punish Judah because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem (2 Ki 21:9). Is that fair? With a closer look, I find that it is fair. Jerusalem followed in the steps of their new king, Manasseh, in spite of what they knew was right (Hezekiah had them on the right path). So, they weren't innocent either. Personally, I can't imagine looking to a 12 year old king for wisdom - thankfully I live in a different age of history!

In my current reality, I must reflect upon this passage because of the responsibility I have as a leader to follow God so that anyone (my dog-kids, co-workers, friends, church family) who looks to me for guidance will not be led astray.

Ps 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Pray not?

Whew! Jeremiah gets exhausting sometimes! I may have to take a break and read some in Luke where I'm also reading. But for now, back to business.

I find it interesting that in the last few chapters of Jeremiah I have found verses where God tells Jeremiah specifically not to pray for Israel/Judah ('this people"). (Jer 7:16, 11:14, 14:11) What? Not pray? Because of "this people's" unrepentant sin, God must be implying that Jeremiah would only be wasting his time. After all, God says He won't hear the prayers and is ready to exact His judgment.

What a scary place to be, in a place where God has said "Enough of your attitude". Fortunately, our Lord gives us many chances to repent, does not expect perfection and is extremely patient with us. Thank You, Lord, for accepting my sincere apologies and giving me those many "second" chances!

So Be It.

What a statement. "So be it." Honestly, I have to admit that when I think of how I've used the phrase before, the act of humbly submitting to God's calling isn't what comes to mind. :)

However, in Jeremiah 11:1-5, I see the following:

vs 1-5 God asks Jeremiah to relay His message to the men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem

v 5...."Then answered I, and said, so be it, O Lord. ---> Jeremiah willingly submitted to God, regardless of what it would cost him personally. As a result, in v6, God gave Jeremiah more words to say.

I wonder how many times I question God when I should be just saying "So be it, O Lord."? What blessings do I miss out on?