May The Spirit Of God Rest On You

If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1 Peter 4:14 

If you have any religious beliefs you too may experience being hated because of your beliefs.  As a Christian, I have had this experience. 

It is never pleasant. I had a philosophy class in college and the instructor publicly called me out. He said, “You’re the only Christian in here.” I replied, “No, there are others. They are stealth.” I was an old lady who was working on an associate’s degree, and I had the gall to ask him questions, while all the children sat silent, and this irritated him. I never once mentioned my Christianity, yet he knew I was a Christian and hated me for it.

After that I wore my “What Would Jesus Do?” t-shirt to class every day. Day after day the instructor insulted the Christian Church. I didn’t say anything because lots of people don’t like organized religion. Then one day he insulted Jesus, and I walked out. After that he kept his insults directed at the church and I tortured through and finished the class.

Several months later, I was dropping my teenage daughter off at a youth meeting when a young woman came up to me and asked, “Were you in that philosophy class at Owens?” I nodded. Then she said, “Remember that day when you walked out? Well, I walked out, too.”

I knew the Spirit of God rested on me.

God Stands At The Right Hand Of The Needy

With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;

And in the midst of many I will praise Him.

For He stands at the right hand of the needy,

To save him from those who judge his soul.

Psalms 109:30-31

We all know them: Needy people. They may be the victims of situations beyond their control or they may be victims of their own stupidity. They may be us. It is easy to beat up on ourselves and other people when things go wrong. God does the opposite. When everyone is running away from us, He stands with us. When things are at their worst, God is at His best.

Thank God for rescuing us.

Love Your Neighbor

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

Some of the simplest commandments from Jesus prove to be the toughest. All of us are neighbors and all of us have neighbors and all of us can be downright unlovable at times. You know what I mean. This scripture urges us to look beyond petty and not so petty annoyances and to look to God’s unconditional love for us so that we can love our neighbors.

Now go say something nice to your neighbor who just blew leaves all over your yard.

Coming to Grips With Fear

 

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10.

Fear and anxiety can grip us at the most unexpected times. We may be doing something we have done a hundred times with success, when we begin to question our competence. This may be brought on by a boss who micro manages us at work or by critics who take delight in under minding our efforts.

We are not left alone to face conjured up fears. God is with us and He will help us overcome all obstacles.

God will strengthen you.

God Goes With You

 

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord Your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Spare A Prayer

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.

Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.

So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 1:3-6

Jonah was running away from God. The captain and the crew did not know this. They believed that there were many different gods and that to get things done; they needed to appeal to the right god. Since it was still storming they knew that they had not appealed to the right god.

Jonah apparently was the only man on board who was not yelling to a god, and therefore, the captain thought perhaps that Jonah’s God was the right God.

In the end, Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. But the other story is that “Then those men feared the Lord greatly….”

When we encounter people who have huge problems, our first instinct may be to run away. A more merciful course of action is to say: I don't know what you should do, but I will pray with you.  Prayer calms and comforts, and heals the brokenhearted.  Prayer changes things and people like the sailors who were with Jonah.

Spare a prayer for someone in need. It may be all it takes to bring a soul to Jesus.

Have Faith, Take Action

 

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Ecclesiastes 11:4

Every time a farmer plants a seed, he is taking a risk. He is relying on rain and sun and weather so that he can harvest a crop and make a profit. If farmers did not have faith, they would not be farmers.

Life is a risky business. Choices we make don’t always turn out the way we think they will. Sometimes things are much better and sometimes they don’t go so well.

Fear should not paralyze us. We know God is on our side and no matter what happens God is with us.

And, sometimes when we think things have gone terribly wrong, it turns out that it was for the better in the long run.

Have faith and take action.

Begin A New Life

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

It is never the wrong time to come to God. As long as we have life in our bodies, we can come. It does not matter what our sins are or if we are rich or poor or if we are bad or think we are good, God is waiting for us to return to Him.

God is the court of final appeal and He will pardon us.

Come to God and be forgiven. Begin a new life.

Time For A Time Out

 

Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it away.”

1 Kings 19:9-10

I heard a pastor say that if Elijah had someone ministering with him to encourage him, he would not have been in the cave but would have kept going and doing what God called him to do.

I am not so sure about that. Elijah called the fired down from heaven just prior to this and then he shook off Jezebel’s threat to kill him. Elijah might be viewed as chicken for not facing up to Jezebel but I think he saw the threat as having no teeth because he had just called the fire of God down from heaven and nobody in their right mind would mess with him after that.

That brings me to why Elijah was in the cave. Elijah needed to rest. Calling the fire down from heaven took a lot out of him. He was physically and spiritually drained. God knew this and that is why he did not say, “Get back to work.” but asked, “What are you doing here?” God knew what Elijah was doing and He wanted Elijah to say why he was there. God let him rest a bit and then when Elijah was revived He sent him to crown a king.

The point is that when we are tired, worn and irritable, we need to take a rest. We are no good to God or anyone else if we are exhausted.

So, go to the beach or for ice cream or for a walk or take a nap and be revived.

The Lord Surrounds Us

 

Those who trust the Lord

Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the Lord surrounds His people

From this time forth and forever.

Psalm 125:1-2

God surrounds us with love and protection.  We are not alone,

because we have His constant care.  

We are strong in the Lord. 

What To Do, What To Do

 

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present day.

Titus 2:11-12

We are “to live sensibly, righteously and godly” lives, but the question remains: How do we learn to do this?

The Bible is our handbook for life. It is filled with information and instructs us how to live godly lives.

So, no matter what our lives are like or what we have done, we can come to God and asked Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior and commence to live a new lives, cleansed of sin and filled with God’s love. And, by reading the Bible we can learn how to be all God wants us to be.

Take the first step: Ask Jesus to be your Lord, Master and Savior. Then dive into the Bible and see what God can do for you.

A Round of Applause

 

It is good to give thanks to the Lord

And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

To declare Your loving-kindness in the morning

And Your faithfulness by night,

With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,

With resounding music upon the lyre.

For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,

I will sing for joy for the works of Your hands.

Psalms 92:1-4

Many years ago, I attended a church where the worship leader encouraged us to get out our ten-stringed instruments – our hands – and give the Lord a round of applause for all He does for us.

It sounded corny, but the act of applauding God brought a spirit of joy into the worship service.

When we thank God for whatever our circumstances are, we release His power into our lives, and He blesses us with joy. The next time you feel like God has abandoned you, get out your ten-stringed instruments, give God a round of applause, and see what happens.

Forevermore

You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

Sometimes we do not feel happy.  We feel sad or forgotten or left out of the good life.   

We can stay as we are, or we can claim God's promises for us, including but not limited to: joy and pleasures forevermore. 

Remember most of life's problems are temporary, but God's love and care for us, for forevermore.

 

Give Of Yourself

 

Now this I say; he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

This is about money, but it also applies to other things. Opening our wallets and handing out money is easy, but opening our hearts and giving encouragement to others is more difficult because it requires something personal from us.

We have so much more than money that we can give. We can give a smile to a stranger. We can greet a new acquaintance with enthusiasm and interest. We can throw the ball back over the fence at the playground. We can offer kindness to the hurting and we can celebrate with those who are joyful.

Money helps but the real cure all for a hurting world, is human interaction. If we see each other and share with one another and reach out with Christian fellowship to those in need, we truly share in the ministry of Christ.

Be brave. Be kind and caring. Reach out.

Soul Building

 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1

We work hard to build our bodily strength. We want to be physically fit and look good.

The grace of God builds our spiritual and emotional strength without which our physical strength would amount to nothing more than a soulless mess of muscle.

We are strong in body and spirit in the grace of God.

Rivers In The Desert

 

Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19

There is nothing like thinking about past bad times to sink us into a feeling of hopelessness.  Dwelling on what went wrong and the pain it caused does nothing to help us today.  The past can cause us to put too much emphasis on minor problems rather than getting through them and moving on with life.  

God promises us a better future, and we need to take that promise and run with it.  Look for the rivers in the desert.

If It Does Not Look Right

 

A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, the naïve proceed and pay the penalty.

Proverbs 27:12

Think before you act.  If a something does not look right, it probably is not right. 

Pray if you are unsure. And, err on the side of caution. There is no glory in evil, no matter how harmless it seems.

God Is With You

 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.

Isaiah 43:2

When things are not going well for you, don't give up.  God never abandons us.  He is right there to comfort us in the worst five minutes of our lives, and everyday of our lives.  

Trust God. He is with you.

You Are Good Enough

 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither …thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

For some reason we all like it when the preacher unloads on someone else for their sins. That’s what it sounded like the Apostle Paul was doing, and then he added, “Such were some of you….”

God does not rank sin by degrees. The drunkard who goes to work every day is a drunkard the same as the drunkard who is passed out on the street. No better and no worse are any of us in God’s eyes. We are all sinners and we all are sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ. God looks at us and we are squeaky clean.

God says you are good enough to come to Him. Ask Him into your heart today.

Happy Mothers' Day

 

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.

Exodus 20:12

Give your mom a kiss and a hug. It’s the best gift of all

The Goodness Of God

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Isaiah 55 is rich with encouragement for us. The message is that God will never abandon us and that He wants to bless us and fill our lives with joy which can only come from knowing Him.

Read the whole Chapter and savor the goodness God has for you.

Good For You

 

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

For some unknown reason, happy people are out of style. I first observed this several years ago when I worked at a small business populated by sad people. I do not know why they were sad. They had good paying jobs in nice offices, nice families, boats, houses and leisure time to enjoy all their stuff. Yet, everyday they arrived at work looking like their world had collapsed. 

Even Taylor Swift, who has it all, reveals her sad state with her album, "Tortured Poets Department."  It must be terrible to be so rich and famous and be so sad.  

I tend to lean the other way. I am generally happy and when things are really awful, I get funny. I say things which make people laugh. So, even if things are crappy, all this joy tumbles out. I do not know why. All I can think is that my faith in God, keeps the blues away. He has said, “… I will not leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) 

God is on your side.  Look and you will find happiness. And, remember happiness is good for you.

 

God Never Stops Loving Us

 

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel,

“Seek Me that you may live.”

Amos 5:4

God never stopped loving the Israelites even when they wallowed in sin. God wanted the Israelites to turn from their sin and return to Him. Some would say, “How can that be true when again and again the people of Israel suffered so?”

Yes, bad things happen to good people, but we don’t have to help evil along. The Israelites opened their hearts to evil. And, evil brought death and destruction.

God brings life. God never stopped telling the Israelites that He loved them and He asked them again and again to seek Him. God promised them life.

We too can have new life by acknowledging God’s Son, Jesus, as our Lord, Master and Savior. When we turn our hearts away from sin and to God that is when real life begins.

Be Strong

 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1

We all become tired and worn out. Life can beat us down to a point where we think that we are beyond hope. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are under God’s grace and that grace makes us strong through Jesus.

We need not struggle with our burdens; we need only to turn them over to God and be strong in the grace of God.

Don't Give Up, Shape Up

 

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

Whoever is discerning, let him know them.

For the ways of the Lord are right,

And the righteous will walk in them.

Hosea 14:9

Hosea again and again preached doom and gloom to the Israelites. And, the Israelites had it coming because they refused to give up idolatry and return to the one true God.

In all this there is the undercurrent that in spite of the Israelites unfaithfulness, God was ready to welcome them back if they would repent of their sin and come to Him.

No matter how far we stray from God, He is still there waiting to welcome us back. God is merciful and all we have to do is ask forgiveness for our sin and accept His mercy.

God Is In Your Midst

 

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

We all have times when we think we are all alone in life.  We think no one, even those closest to us, understands or cares how we are doing.  

We can take comfort knowing that God is right there with us to offer comfort and encouragement.  He does not walk away when we are troubled He runs to us.

God will quiet us and let us know He is with us.  Listen. 

White As Snow

 

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

 

Isaiah 1:18

The good news is that God wants to forgive us of all our wrongdoings.  He is not waiting with a hammer to punish us, but with open arms to welcome us.

 

Come to God and be forgiven.  God loves you.

Find Mercy

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance that Jesus Christ came to into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.

Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16

The Apostle Paul is speaking honestly when he declares that he was “foremost of all” sinners. Paul was a religious man, whose religious beliefs led him to do horrible things. Yet, when God called Paul, he was transformed into one of the greatest leaders of the Christian Church. Jesus did what religion could not do; Jesus changed Paul’s heart. And, even at that, Paul still struggled with sin.

We slip. We fall. We stumble. We bumble along trying to do the right thing and sometimes we fail. We may condemn ourselves and others may condemn us, but God is patient, always forgiving and caring for us.

Take courage, we are forgiven and God is patiently working on us.

Wherever You Go

 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

God does not want us to live in fear, yet, fear grips us when things go wrong.  We are scared because we are human and human nature is to panic.  

God's message to us is that we can be strong and courageous because He has everything under control.   

So, get a grip on it, God is with you wherever you go.

Run To Them

 

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into this harvest.”

Matthew 9:35-38

There is so much to do to help people.  When Jesus went out He saw the people who were sad and broken and sick and He ministered to them.

When we meet someone who is having a rough time, we are not to run away, but to run to them.  We need to listen to them and encourage them.  If we know where they can get help, we need to offer that information to them.

And, above all we need to remember their names and pray for them.  

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

 

Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.

They will mount up with wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow tired.

They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31

If you want to soar with the eagles don’t run with the turkeys.

Unfortunately, time has overtaken everything else. We are so busy running that we can’t wait five minutes without complaining. We never want to wait: not in the checkout line, not for the car at the garage, not at the drive up window, not for the kids, or the wife or the husband. We are so busy running that we don’t have time to do anything else.

That is not the way it is with God. God is patient and long suffering. God does not lead us astray, He welcomes us. He wants us to soar like eagles.

We need not rush headlong through life, we need to heed the words of God, and wait upon the Lord.