Willing to Endure All Things…

2 Timothy 2:10

For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

Am I willing to endure all things for those who are chosen? They are the lost sheep, the one that is missing, causing the Shepherd to leave the other 99 in search of the one. That is Calvary love. To love like Christ I have to be willing to celebrate when one of God’s chosen is found.

Luke 15:31-32 The Prodigal Son

“And he said to him, ‘ Son, you have always been with , and all that is mine is yours.

‘But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’”

 

In the Hand of the Lord…

2 Samuel 24

King David has sinned against God by taking a census of all the people of Israel and Judah. When David realizes that he has sinned, he confesses his sin to the Lord and asks for forgiveness.

Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the Lord says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”‘”

So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” vs. 10-13

What do you think David chose? What would you choose? My first reaction is to choose to flee from my enemies. Atleast I know there might be a chance of escaping them. If there is a famine you know that you are going to starve and many will die. If there is a pestilence, that too is certain death. That is how I think in the flesh.  This is what David chose, in the wisdom that the Lord gave to him.

Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” vs. 14

Praise the Lord for His infinite power and glory. I am so thankful to have His word so clear before me, which can only be through the Holy Spirit. Choose the Lord, trust in Him, and He shall direct your paths.

There was a great pestilence and 70,000 died when David begged the Lord to have mercy on the people, for it was he who had sinned. The Lord did have mercy. Through Gad, the Lord told David to make an altar to the Lord and offer a burnt offering and peace offering.

Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel. vs.25

The Lord has mercy, would David’s enemies have had mercy? No, they would not have been swayed from their evil intent. In our greatest trials, the Lord is the one on whom we must call upon. Make of yourselves a living sacrifice, a holy offering to the Lord. His mercies are new every morning.

Treasures in Heavan…

Luke 12: 15-21

“Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.

“And he began reasoning to himself, saying, “What shall I do since I have no place to store my crops?”

Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’

But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’

“So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Storing up treasure here on earth seems to be in my nature. I buy things I think I need, but every time we move, I find things hidden away that I didn’t even remember having. We are moving soon and our house looks so nice and uncluttered. All of our possessions are safely packed away, ready to be moved.

Deep down I know that my worldly possessions are not my treasure. This world will pass away. I need to be more concerned about the things above. Concerned about how I can serve the Lord for His Kingdom. But I am so easily distracted. One moment I am marveling at God’s word, the next moment I am worrying about what I am going to wear.

“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?” Luke 12:25

Lord, help me to seek Your Kingdom. I pray that my treasure will be of heaven. Help me to be ready Lord, and waiting with my lamp lit for Your return. Be ready…

The Lord is my Shield…

Psalm 3:2-3

Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.”

                                  Selah

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

When I am faced with temptations or trials, the first thought to cross my mind is “There is no help.”

In my weakest moments of self-pity this is how I feel.

But then, as if a gentle whisper were coming to me, (a pause) “But You, O Lord!”

I am awakened from the lies that had blinded my eyes and remember that My Lord is my shield.

I pray Lord that I would not believe the lie, “There is no help” and know the truth, “But You, O Lord!”

Thank You Lord for your glory.

God’s promises…

Today was the last bible study meeting with the ladies at church covering the book of Judges. I found my mind continuing to go back to the truth of God always keeping His promises.  By the end of the Judges, the people of Israel are no longer calling out to God to help them. But God helps them anyway, keeping His promise that he made so long ago to Abraham. He will make of them a great nation.  God is not a man. He will not break His promises. We can trust in Him, He will never let us down who call Him Abba, Father. All of His promises are yes!

Refiner’s Gold….

Psalm 12:6

The words of the Lord are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.

After reading about how gold is refined, I am more in awe of how God uses this process in the bible. I have read many times how God will refine us with fire. What I didn’t realize about the process though is how the heat is used. The first time the gold is put into the heat, the fire is not actually very hot. Each time the gold is put back into the fire, the heat is increased. Why is it done this way? The gold could not survive the hottest fire the first time it is tested. The gold would be destroyed. This is the perfect description of what would happen to Christians as we begin to carry the cross. The Lord is so merciful to me. When is this process of purification complete? When He can see His face in us. (Gold Cord pg. 86)

Thank you Lord for Your gracious, merciful love for me. I know there will be fire as You purify me.  But I also know that You will not destroy me in the process. The magnitude of it  is too awesome for me. I feel so small. Thank You Lord for Your tender care for me.

He Came to Serve…

Is any form of service to low for the Lord? There are all kinds of ways to serve the Lord, by teaching, praying, helping. Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to serve. When he knelt down and put aside his clothing, he washed the disciples feet. He did not find this kind of service to low for Him. How can I say that something is too low for me? The job of caring for children is not glamorous… I am glad to do it. My heart sings with joy each time they hug me. More importantly, when they tell me about the Lord and what He has done for them, then I know that God has given me the best. It would be foolish for me to ask if there is something more important He could have me do right now. And yet, I am often plaqued with doubts about my purpose in life. I see so many other women with children out there working, and I have to admit that it makes me feel inadequate some how. Should I find some kind of job?  What other occupation in this world is more honorable than being a mother? Do not doubt your calling in your home. The Lord would never waste your time. He is your Master, and you His servant. If He could come and serve, how can I not serve also?

The Treasure of a Seed Not Sown…

I wanted to write something today about my bible study in Mark this morning and was plagued with doubts about it. I was unable to see how to apply this passage at the moment to my own life. Do you ever feel such doubts? I think that they are the small nagging attacks of Satan, trying to keep me from doing something for the Lord. After reading a chapter in a book titled Gold Cord by Amy Carmichael, I am doubly sure that’s exactly what it was, his nagging attacks. She wrote, “He needs that precious thing which is wasted now, like the treasure of seed not sown, but only stored.” (Gold Cord, pg 29)

Mark 14:7-10

“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

The woman that came to Jesus and anointed Him with costly perfume will be remembered for her loving sacrifice. Contrast this with what Judas Iscariot will be remembered for.

“Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them.” vs. 10

One is remembered for love, the other for betrayal. The woman’s name is not given in Mark, but she is identified as Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus in John 12:3.  Matthew, Mark and John speak of her coming and anointing Him with oil. In Luke 7:37 there is a story of another woman. She came to Him, a sinner, crying, weeping at His feet. She was weeping and washing Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped the tears from His feet with her hair. The Pharisee looked on with contempt at this broken woman at Her Lord’s feet. He thought his prideful thoughts, and Jesus rebuked him and taught him the parable of the two debtors.

Judas was one of the twelve disciples. He was seen as a trusted man, part of Jesus’ select group. His sins were not known to everyone yet. Now everyone knows what Judas did to betray Christ, and now everyone also knows what these women did. One is remembered for hate, sin, and betrayal, the others for love, worship, and devotion.

Lord, I pray that I would be remembered for love, not hate. May I come to You, caring not what my reputation is among men, but what You my Lord think of me.

A Child’s Answered Prayer….

This evening while I was saying good night to my daughter, I asked her to say a prayer for her sister. Her little sister has a cold and was having a hard time going to sleep. So, she started to pray, “Dear Lord I pray that You will heal my sister sometime….” I stopped her and asked, “Why sometime, why not right now?” She said that if she prayed for God to heal her right now, it might not happen. So I asked her, “Is anything impossible for God?” Her eyes lit up and she said, “No! With God all things are possible.” I asked her to pray again, and to have faith and believe in what she is asking God, knowing that nothing is impossible for Him. So she did. Right away, her sister quieted down, so I looked down at her in her bed, and she was asleep. I told my daughter that her sister was asleep and she had this great expression on her face of someone whose prayer has just been answered by her Lord.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to share what I learned during my bible time with my daughter, and that she had no doubts that God can do all things.

With God all Things are Possible….

I had two thoughts this morning during my bible reading. The first comes from Mark 10:17-27.  Jesus is talking with a rich man about what he can do to inherit the earth. The man claims that he has kept all the commandments since birth, and Jesus “felt a love for him…said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” The man went away saddened. He could not give up all his wealth. That was impossible to him.

Jesus tells his disciples that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Well, the disciples were astonished! In their experience, if a man is rich, he is blessed by God and therefore he must be living a righteous life. So they ask Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered them “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

Thank you Lord Jesus for these great words of encouragement. If I try in my own strength, it is impossible. But in Christ, all things are possible.

The second thought comes a little further down in Mark 10 verses 46-52. Jesus has come to Jericho and is leaving Jericho. He is with His disciples and a large crowd. Along the road is a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. He hears (not sees) that Jesus is there and cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  “Many were sternly telling him to be quiet.”  Why were they telling him to be quiet? Were they embarrassed? Annoyed? Well, the blind beggar didn’t listen to them, he called out all the more. “Jesus stopped.” Now I know the blind man could not see that Jesus stopped, but to me that is a beautiful picture. The blind man is told “He is calling for you.” Bartimaeus throws his cloak aside and jumps up and comes to Jesus! Oh, this is so exciting! Would that I could see such a sight! Jesus asks “what do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight.” Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has made you well.” Here is another instance of an immediate healing. For the man “immediately regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”

Oh Lord, I pray that I would have such faith and courage. Help me Lord to call out to You and ignore those who are “sternly telling me to be quiet.”