Marriage Witness

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,

and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.”

     Genesis 2:24 (KJV)

Jesus said “For this cause shall a man leave father and

mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain

shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain,

but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,

let not man put asunder.”

    Matthew 19:5-6 (KVJ)

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’d like to commend each of you who are married for bearing witness to God’s wonderful design for man and woman. Although this holiday focuses on romantic love, the Bible speaks of the relationship between husband and wife on a deeper and higher plane, even as a mirror of the relationship between Christ and His Church. 

 Although I haven’t personally experienced a godly marriage (and I admit to a bit of envy of those who have), I am blessed to know many who embody it, especially so many couples at church who have been married for many decades.  I’m sure it’s not always roses and chocolates, but what a wonderful testimony to other believers (and those in the world) that you remain faithful to each other and to God over the years. 

 Happy Valentine’s Day and may God richly bless each of you!

Thursday Devotional - Loving Believers

We all know we are to love one another. It’s often easier said than done. Sometimes it’s even extremely difficult to love fellow believers in our churches. However, I think those are the very people God especially wants us to love and help.  

When Jesus gave His new command to the disciples in John 13, I think He was specifically referring to them loving each other as disciples. They were quite a unique bunch of misfits!

John 13:33-35     ³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

If we have love for one another as believers, that can be attractive to outsiders. Sadly, outsiders often see the quarrels and divisions within the church and don’t want any part of it!

Let’s not be a part of that trend, but let’s allow the Holy Spirit to help us reverse it! What fellow believer will you and I especially love this week? Maybe it’s by giving a helping hand, a note of encouragement, or genuine prayers for their spiritual growth.  

Let’s love each other well!

Alice

Taking Care Of Itself

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?  Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”  Exodus 14:10-14

Who do I trust?  Where things are out of my control, I begin to ask myself that very question.  Do I trust in man or do I trust in God?  Sometimes, I trust in both.  When I first started my job at Thomson Reuters, there was a moment where I began to doubt if I truly fit.  Maybe I was not smart enough to do the job.  Perhaps at the ripe old age of 32, the world had passed me by.  I was having that discussion with a colleague who would become my mentor in a way.  Shortly after that day, he helped me get the opportunity to perform my tasks as everyone else, and over twenty years later, I find myself still helping others.  From then on, I trusted him, and even at times where he was critical of me, I listened and learned.  All this was before I gave my life to Christ.  As I look back, God was watching over me even then.  Why would he align me with someone who could help me the most?  How did He know exactly what I needed?  So, there are times where I am trusting someone, but it is not that I trust them over God.  Instead, I trust God leads my path where He puts someone there to help me.  To inspire me.  To teach me.  It’s like a prayer asking God to help me with the things I do know and to provide me with the people I need when I don’t.  The rest kind of takes care of itself.

We must always put our trust in God above man realizing at times God will give us people who will do His will for us.  In my journey through Exodus, the Israelites have reached the Red Sea, and Pharaoh has sent his army after them.  In reading this part, I happened to notice a subtle change in the complaints of the Israelites.  God had done all these amazing things that had both freed them from captivity and led them through the wilderness to the banks of the Red Sea.  Yet when the sounds of the Egyptian chariots had come, they trembled with fear, and began to blame … Moses?  “What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?  Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness,” (Exodus 14:11a-12) said the Israelites to Moses. What have you, why did you, and didn’t we tell you became the talking points?  Talk about killing the messenger!  Their trust in God had fallen down and shifted to Moses.  But this is why Moses was such a great man of God.  He trusted God over the voices of man.  As we previously discovered, he learned to trust God’s voice even over his own (I’m no great talker, remember?).  He made the bold proclamation, “The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.” (14:13b)  We often find ourselves putting our trust in the wrong people.  That is what happens when we look at the trees and not the forest.  God will provide us with vision to see what is possible, provisions beyond what our inner voice says, and faith to guide us to where we should go with or without someone.  All we need is faith in God.  He has never failed us.

We must always trust in God’s control of things.  We will often struggle trying to determine to either drive our lives or let Jesus take the wheel.  The reality is we need to trust Jesus already has the wheel and pray for wisdom that if we do choose to steer it, He is holding our hands guiding us.  So do not hesitate to linger or question God.  Trust that He has your back, and just move forward with the confidence Moses would lead the Israelites into the Red Sea.  Where are you trusting man where you should trust God?  How can you listen to God’s voice over your own?  My prayer is that we put our trust in God and let the rest take care of itself.  Amen.

Seasons Change

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,a time to kill and a time to heal,    a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,    a time for war and a time for peace.

Everything in life has a season.  Life it’s self is a season.  Sometimes those seasons are short (like a Michigan summer) and sometimes those seasons go on for what seems like forever (like a Michigan winter).  Through each of those seasons, we see ups and downs.  We connect with new people and loose others.  Sometimes we grow closer to God and sadly, other seasons we drift from him. 

This week, is the end of a season for me.  Next week will be the beginning of a new season for me.  During this current season of my life, I have grown closer to God.  I have meet some amazing Godly people and built relationships that will hopefully last for seasons to come. 

As we move through life and different seasons, it is critical to stay connected to the Lord.  To always make time for him.  Today, I want to encourage you to do just that as you go through seasons. 

I would also like to ask for prayers as I move to this new season of my life.  I have been here at Thomson for nearly 20 years and Friday will be my last.  It is a time of excitement and yet a time of fear.  I know this has been the Lord’s guidance therefore I am comforted about this season change.  I will miss sharing with all of you and hearing from you.  Thank you all for the encouragement and support through the years.

God bless each of you!