Cold Blessing

“He sends out His command to the earth;

His word runs very swiftly;

He gives snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes;

He casts out His hail like morsels;

Who can stand before His cold?”

     Psalm 147:15-17 (NKJV)

Here in the Midwest and other parts of the country, we have been greatly impacted this week by the dangerously cold weather. Yet the Apostle Paul exhorts us to  “rejoice in the Lord always.” (Phil. 4:4 NKJV)  Can we rejoice even in a polar vortex?  Yes indeed! 

Sovereignty:  As the Psalmist points out, the snow and cold and frost come from God, so we can have assurance that even in these weather conditions, God is sovereign, He is in control—and that is a blessing!

Salvation:  With some extra free time on my hand this week, I listened to some of the music from decades ago that I used to enjoy.  That flash from the past brought some good memories, but it also reminded me that back then, I was lost in the world and my sin, and I didn’t even realize it.  It brought such gratitude to my heart once again that God saved me and I praised Him for his amazing grace!  And in checking on one of the musical groups, I discovered that the lead singer is now a professing Christian—another blessing!

Provision: Yes, I’ve experience a bit of cabin-fever being inside all week. And yes, it was disappointing to have Wednesday evening church cancelled. But this enforced confinement has made me realize how much I depend on God and how gracious He is to provide so well.  I have a warm apartment, sufficient food so I didn’t need to venture out, and the much-appreciated ability to work from home.  Most of all, I’ve enjoyed His peace and presence with me.  Every good gift is from God (James 1:17) and I’ve been blessed with so much from His gracious hand!

Goodness:  In the midst of this extreme cold, the blare from the political divisiveness and cultural divide seems to have diminished just a bit for the time being.  It’s been so encouraging to read about communities and organizations coming together to help those needing shelter and other necessities, noting the bravery of first responders, bus drivers and others who needed to be out in the elements, and knowing that families have gotten some extra time to spend together.  These good things have brought a smile to my heart. 

So as this week and the polar vortex comes to an end, I rejoice in the Lord for He is good, all the time! If we know we're in the will of God for our lives, if we know Jesus and have His presence with us, we can be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.  I pray that is an encouragement to you today.

Thursday Devotional - If He'd Only Waited

Have you ever told a child (or yourself) “If you’d only waited…”?

I know I have many times!

God specifically told Joshua and the Israelites not to take any plunder from Jericho when He delivered it into their hands. As we saw last week, Achan disobeyed and took things anyway. He brought destruction on himself, his whole family and other Israelites. If he had only waited, God told Joshua they could take plunder from the next battle!!

Joshua 8:1-3, 27-28            Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. ² You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

³ So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night… 

²⁷ But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. ²⁸ So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. 

Where do you and I need to be obedient and wait? Maybe there is something we really want and haven’t gotten yet. I can’t say for sure we will get what we want by waiting, but I can say for sure that if we disobediently go after something it won’t end well. Going ahead of God’s plans and His timing never works. It may bring temporary happiness (a few days for Achan) but not lasting joy.

Let’s remember Achan the next time you and I want to make something happen or have something now. God knows best. We can ask for His help to wait. We can seek His plans and timing.

Alice

Blessed Assurance

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.  And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”  Jeremiah 1:6-8

What does it mean to have confidence?  As I mentioned previously, I can tend to worry about things and lose focus on what matters.  The other day, I had a challenge where for one reason or another, I could not seem to get a project done.  There were many distractions that prevented me from working on it, and before I knew it, I was hitting against a deadline.  In this case, there was this feel of calm that came over me as I began to work on the task at hand.  Deep down, I knew I would be able to get the job done because of the confidence in my abilities told me that as long as there was time the job would be done well.  And that is precisely what happened.

The word ‘confidence’ came to mind as I thought of how God is always there for me.  There were times where He seemed distant from me and others where I focused on things other than Him.  However, as I re-center myself and focused on Him things begin to align, and I felt comforted and assured.  One of my favorite hymnals from my early church is called ‘Blessed Assurance,’ which starts:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

We should have full confidence in God’s presence and His word.  In reading the beginning of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was called to serve by God.  Jeremiah spoke to God like many of us when a situation or circumstance overwhelms us.  We look at our obvious deficiencies or flaws.  In this case, Jeremiah’s self-describe flaw was his young age, which estimated by scholars was in his early or mid-teens.  Instead of focusing on his age, God simply reassured him (don’t say ‘I’m too young,’ don’t be afraid), and instilled in him confidence (I will be with you and will protect you) needed for His will to be done.  We all can fall into the trap of looking at our deficiencies in face of what God may ask of us.  We have many reasons such as lack of time, something we’ve never done, or that’s not our responsibility.  We must remember all God has done for us, and as listed in the verses today when God says, “(Y)ou must go whenever I send you,” it kinda leaves out the ambiguity, doesn’t it?  We should go forward with confidence that whatever we are lacking in, God will provide for us.

God is always there for us.  He intercedes in ways where we will never know, and He provides for us when we do not see a way for us to do so.  This is how Moses was able to free the Israelites from Egypt after once asking God, “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11)  It was how Peter walked on water when Jesus said ‘come.’ (Matthew 14:29) They, like Jeremiah, lacked the confidence to fulfill something, and God gave them all they needed to do the impossible.  Let’s us take from God’s word to have full confidence that He will always be there for us when we need Him.  Where in your walk of faith are you lacking confidence in Christ?  How can trust God more to fill in for what you see as a deficiency?  My prayer is that whatever troubles you today, you can have ‘Blessed Assurance’ that God will get you what you need.  Amen.

Be prepared for the storm

If you are anywhere near Michigan, you are likely being hit with a snowstorm today.  Pretty much all schools in Michigan closed last night.  Still as of this morning we hardly have any snow but we know it’s about to come and it would have made getting the kids home from school hard. 

When we have a heads up to a storm coming, we can prepare for it so much easier.  Our support team was able to tell reps that could work from home to do so.  Parents are better able to plan child care of the children with snow days.  People were able to make sure they had the groceries they needed.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We have been given a heads up that in this world we will have trouble.  So why are we not prepared when it comes?  We have been told that in this world we will have troubles.  As Christians, we know this is true.  Therefore, we need to be preparing ourselves for those times.  How do you do this?  You start with being in constant communication with God.  As we learn to draw close to him, we will be equip to handle the storms of life.

Are you prepared for the storm?

Yes and Amen!

“For all the promises of God

in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen,

to the glory of God through us.”

    2 Corinth. 1:20 (NKJV)

The Bible is filled with God’s promises and they are all true.  What a comfort that is to believers in Christ!  God and His word are not shifting sand, but a firm foundation for us to rest upon, an anchor for our lives.  At the church where I attend, our pastor is finishing up a Wednesday evening study in our identity in Christ.  We’ve studied promises of God that identify true believers in Christ.  Although there are more than are listed below, I thought it would be helpful to share these truths and the Scriptural basis for them:

               --Child of God (Romans 8:14-15);

               --Joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17);

               --Unconditionally loved (Romans 8:35-39);

               --Unconditionally accepted (Eph. 1:6);

               --Forgiven (Col. 2:13);

               --God’s temple (dwelling place) (1 Corinth. 3:16);

               --New creature/creation (2 Corinth. 5:17);

               --Free from sin’s dominion (Romans 6:6-7, 11-18);

               --Servant of righteousness (Romans 6:18-19);

               --God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10);

               --Christ’s friend (John 15:15);

               --Enemy of the devil (1 Peter 5:8);

               --Stranger/pilgrim in this world (1 Peter 2:11);

               --Will be like Christ one day (1 John 3:2);

               --Citizen in heaven (Eph. 2:19; Phil. 3:20);

               --Salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13);

               --Light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16);

               --Part of the true Vine (John 15:1-2);

               --Servant of God (Romans 6:22);

               --Have the mind of Christ (1 Corinth. 2:16);

               --Bought with a price (1 Corinth. 6:19-20);

               --Established, sealed and anointed in Christ (2 Corinth. 1:21-22);

               --Been made righteous (2 Corinth. 5:21);

               --Minister of reconciliation (2 Corinth. 5:18-19);

               --Ambassador for Christ (2 Corinth. 5:20);

               --Member of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9-10);

               --Seated with Christ (Eph. 2:6);

               --A saint (Romans 1:7);

               --Possession of Christ (1 Corinth. 6:19-20)

               --Expression of His life (Col. 3:4);

               --Blessed (Eph. 1:3);

               --Have access to Him (Hebrews 4:16);

               --Have a divine purpose (2 Corinth. 5:14-15);

               --Have the spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7);

               --Have God’s promises (2 Peter 1:4);       

               --Complete in Him (Col. 2:10).

If you trust in Christ as Savior, if He is Lord of your life, then this is your identity.  For God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). What glorious promises of God that we can know and take to heart! And all these promises in Christ are Yes and Amen! Meditate on them and let them bring you strength, assurance and joy.

Thursday Devotional - More Answers

After last week, did God help Joshua figure out who had sinned?

Joshua 7:16, 19-21, 24-26 ¹⁶ Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen…  ¹⁹ Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

²⁰ Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: ²¹ When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

²⁴ Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.²⁵ Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. ²⁶ Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

This seems harsh, especially after Achan confessed to his sin. However, this is what God instructed Joshua to do (Joshua 7:15 – all destroyed by fire).

Sin is serious and it doesn’t just affect us. It affects those in our family, community, work place, nation, etc.   

Similar today, we can’t expect God to support us, defend us, help us, and go with us if we choose to live in sin, condone sin, or try to hide sin. It won’t go well for us as a country or as individuals. It must be removed.

As Jessica talked about last Monday (1/14/19) about mourning our sins, let’s examine ourselves. Where might you and I be living in, condoning or hiding a sin? It can be very painful to remove the sin, but the benefits and blessings to ourselves and others are well worth it in this life and the life to come. God wants to help us in those areas, if we will truly repent and ask for His help to remove it and move forward in obedience.

Alice

How Am I With God?

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:4-7

My wife says that I worry about too many things.  When I was young, I was a worrywart.  As I have gotten older, I believe I have learned to worry about the big things instead of the little ones.  I focus on how my daughter’s schooling is, and how I can help her to perform better.  I look at my team and think about how I can help them get better.  I spend time with my wife, and ask how I can love her better.  There are things that I do not have control over that at times will overtake me and become one of those worries as well.  The political environment, a person afar who is struggling with something personal, and ‘are my grandchildren ok’ are all things that can float into my stratosphere of ‘worry,’ and it won’t let me go.  Notice all these things I mentioned, and there was one thing I did not mention; God.  How does that happen?  Shouldn’t my greatest worry be a simple question of, “How am I with God?”

We all need to add a level of intentionality where we can reconnect with God because with Him, we find true peace.  The dangers of worry are these: it takes time away from those things that matter most and prevents us from looking ahead.  In reading these verses, we are reminded of the importance of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  From Paul’s perspective, there are numerous keys to having a worry-free life.  “Being full of joy in the Lord,” speaks of knowing the Spirit of God flows through us.  Then pray.  It does not mean separate those things you control from those you don’t.  He says, “Pray about everything!”  Next, we are to tell God what we need, and be thankful for all He has done.  These must be done together.  If we are focused on just being thankful, we are not truly bringing everything to God, and if we only focus on what we want, we are not embracing all God has done to bring us to this point.  I read these verses over and over, and with each review, I felt closer to Him.  Furthermore, I felt I could earnestly go to God with the right heart and mindset (note the last part of the 7th verse).  Only there did I find my peace and connection with God.

In a world of chaos and mayhem, God is our oasis away from it all.  The prophet Isaiah said, “Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:2-3)  There are so many things that can subtly but certainly distract us from God.  If we focus on those things that worry us, we will be unable to see what God has ahead for us.  Let us untie ourselves from those things that hinder us from connecting with Him and trust our worries through prayer to Him.  What things are most troubling you today?  What is it that you need to let go of and let God?  My prayer is we find serenity and peace through Him so we can answer the question, “How am I with God?”  Amen.

Disguised Opportunities

“But I want you to know, brethren, that

the things which happened to me have

actually turned out for the furtherance of

the gospel, so that it has become evident

to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest,

that my chains are in Christ; and most of

the brethren in the Lord, having become

confident by my chains, are much more

bold to speak the word without fear.”

     Philippians 1:12-14 (NKJV)

Paul had an eternal perspective on his imprisonment, realizing that it fulfilled prophecy for the work God intended him to do (Acts 9:15). What may have seemed a hardship from an earthly viewpoint actually furthered the Gospel rather than hindering it.  Paul could have been depressed and discouraged when his plans seemed to go awry but instead he realized God was still at work and his chains were part of His plan.  So Paul changed his focus from missionary journeys to prison ministry and rejoiced in what God was doing through him.

The Bible is replete with many other instances of God using difficult situations to become great opportunities, for the good of His people and for His glory.  The stories of Joseph and Esther come to mind as just a couple examples. And that’s how God works in our lives too. The challenge for us is to see afflictions and trials as disguised opportunities for spiritual growth, to trust God's purposes for us are being fulfilled through them.

I have a dental appointment this morning.  God helped me so much in the past to overcome my fear of going to the dentist, and yet now that I'm in Minnesota with a new dentist, I’m anxious all over again.  Yet, I remember God’s faithfulness in the past:  I’ve felt His sure presence during procedures, calming and strengthening me, helping me through it all.  And I’m trusting He will be with me this time too.  This is a great chance for God's faithfulness to be proven to me once again, so that I will know His sustaining grace and my faith will be strengthen as a result.

What difficult circumstances are you facing?  I encourage you to adopt an eternal perspective and see them as disguised opportunities for God to work in your life.  Press in to Him and remember His past faithfulness. Trust the Lord to use the situation for your good and His glory.

Thursday Devotional - Distraught after Victory

Back to Joshua…

The first battle in the promised land, the battle of Jericho, was miraculous and significant, as we saw several weeks ago (11/15/18). God moved first and then made it easy for the Israelites to do their part. It also gave them confidence in God to move forward against the other people in the land. However, the Israelites’ very next battle failed. Joshua was distraught and confused.

Joshua 7:7-12           ⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

I can understand Joshua’s frustration, confusion, and distraught feelings. However, God had promised to defeat their enemies if they fully obeyed Him (Deuteronomy 28:7), but if they didn’t carefully follow His commands He would cause them to be defeated by their enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25). I don’t know why Joshua didn’t think about this, especially since God specifically reminded him of this on the 7^th day circling Jericho (Joshua 6:18  But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.). Maybe Joshua never dreamed someone would take things belonging to God after such a miraculous victory God brought at Jericho!!!

When you and I are distraught and confused by God, let’s remember that He doesn’t ever change. He doesn’t make a mistake. We’re the ones that don’t see the big picture and are missing something.

Joshua was ready to give up. However, he did the right thing by going to God with his questions and frustrations and God had the answers! Let’s remember to be like Joshua.     

Alice

Simple And Complex

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  1 Corinthians 13:11-12

A pastor challenged me the other day saying, “We all know that we sin because we are sinners.”  There is great truth to that, and I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.  However, it felt like for lack of better term ‘generic.’  The statement seemed hollow because it was too simplistic.  We are sinners, and thus, we sin.  But our issue with sin is much more complex than that.  I worried I was overcomplicating the situation, but that was not the case.  When we first came to know God, it was a very simple generic understanding of these simple truths: 1) There is a God, 2) we are not Him, and 3) He loves us unconditionally.  Today, I write 500 or so words on one facet of each of those truths He has taught me, and He connects with me through many different interactions.  The homeless man on the street, the woman holding her baby, a couple praying together, and even a phone call from my mom remind me that God is everywhere.  So, which is it?  Is our connection with God simple needing repetition, or is it complex in meaning and value as many of our relationships are?

Our relationship with God is both simplistic and beautifully complex.  The simplicity of it is as the pastor pointed out to me is God must be our provider.  We are like children; dependent on Him for everything and trusting that He knows what is right and just.  This concept is easy to grasp.  However, God is also beautifully complex.  I emphasize the word ‘beautifully’ because as we learn more of Him and grow in our faith, we build on our understanding of Him, and since God is good, what the relationship produces is the same.  It is what moves us to tears as we gain greater knowledge of His will, and it opens our eyes toward finding His purpose for us.  It is incredibly complex because while we are inextricably linked to Him and each other, no two pathways are the same.  That is His intention, and as one of my churches preaches, a mosaic of people cannot be obtained by everyone looking and thinking the same.  It is only through challenging and sharing that we gain greater understanding of His kingdom.  It is why we can look at verses like today and see both the child and adult in us.  The child harkens to Jesus’ teaching of one must be like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (see Matthew 18:3, 19:14).  Yet we must be foundationally solid to better recognize the innerworkings of our spiritual growth that makes us stronger disciples for Christ (see Hebrews 5:12-14).

God is our everything.  He is the foundation of our faith and light at the end of the tunnel.  He can help us get through the most difficult of times and keep us on the righteous path when we don’t.  Paul’s point in today’s verse is not to say we have all the answers.  Instead, it is to challenge us to seek them.  It is to not settle for where we our in our relationship.  It is to continue to push, struggle, and fight for it is only then that true growth is achieved.  Don’t overcomplicate the journey.  Trust that Christ is there to guide you through it.  How can God’s simple truths reassure you today?  Where can you embrace the beauty of your complex relationship with God?  My prayer is that we grow spiritually by understanding our simple and complex relationship with God.  Amen.