Friday, July 29, 2011

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Okay, so this is one of those days when my mind just goes here, there and yonder. Bill will tell you that is how my mind has always worked. At least, it is still working!

Trying to figure out what to write, I looked in my prayer journal and I thought, “That sounds good. So does that. That is good but short. Great, now what?”

So, today you get random thoughts.

The church building can be beautiful, a work of art, but if the Spirit of God is not there, it is just a building.

I can have a healthy body, but if the Holy Spirit is not there, what good is it?

Seems we always have a good reason for missing a Sunday here and there. Wonder if God thinks they are good reasons.

There are so many ways to thank God for being an ALWAYS God. If you break the word and add an ‘l’, God becomes an ALL WAYS God.

I am becoming older but God is already ancient! Daniel 7:9 calls him “Ancient of Days.” At least no one has called me ancient. Yet!

I am to be a light. Sometimes I feel like I need new batteries!

God, would you consider deleting patience and obey?

Yes, I know we prayed for the rain to end so we could get crops out, but now we need rain.

SCRIPTURES

HEBREWS 4:12 (first part) -- For the word of God is living and active.

Philemon :6 -- I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

FINAL RANDOM THOUGHTS --

God is a verb: I AM! That means HE IS living and active in our lives.

We are a verb: ACTIVE! That means we are to share our faith. Then, not only will we have a full understanding of all we have in Christ, but others will also.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

So what thoughts enter your mind as it goes here, there and yonder?

Now put those thoughts into a prayer.

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!

Friday, July 22, 2011

THERE ARE WOMEN IN THE BIBLE?

Did you notice the question mark at the end of the title? I first had an exclamation mark, but decided that most people would ask this as a question. “There are women in the Bible?”

How many women can you name? ------- Okay, times up. How many did you come up with? Mary - 1. Martha - 2. Sara - 3. That other Mary - 4. Elizabeth - 5. Getting harder? Oh - Esther - 6. Ruth - 7. Keep going! You are only thinking of the good women. Bathsheba - 8. Potiphar’s Wife - 9. Come on, you can make it to 10. Yes, Eve - 10.

For a program, at church, I was going to look in the concordance and list all the women. Hit a snag real quick. It is hard to tell the difference between names of men, women and cities. And do you realize how many women are not even given a name? Is Basemeth the name of a mountain or a woman? Noah? Male? Wrong! Numbers 27: 1 - …. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.

When I googled, the list of major women numbered 114. That is only the major names! Time to rethink the title: THERE ARE WOMEN IN THE BIBLE!!!

The big problem is that, when we read the Bible, we so focus on the men that we overlook the lessons the women have for us. It is time to stop skimming over those lessons and READ! Take time to think about what the woman was going through. What her life would have been like.

One of the resources I found was Women of the Bible at www.womenofthebible.com

Anita Gutschick pointed out:

  • Lot’s Wife looked back - Are we always looking back and therefore not able to look forward?
  • The Woman at the Well - One of those “not so nice” ladies without a name meets the Messiah and what does she do? She left her water jar (essential to her life) and ran to tell others about the good news. From this woman we need to answer the question: What are we willing to leave behind and who are we willing to tell?
  • How we behave is more important than how we look.
  • There are consequences to our actions.
  • The kitchen is a busy place when Jesus and his friends drop in for lunch.
  • You can stand up to the Pharaoh.
  • We should not play favorites and should not interfere in others affairs.

My favorite discovery? Sisterchicking began a very long time ago.

SCRIPTURE: LUKE 1:39-40, 56

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Can you imagine the conversations Mary and Elizabeth had? Can you picture Zechariah over in the corner, listening but not being able to join in? Can you picture the women comparing bellies? (Yes, they would have! They were women.) Can you picture them as Mary leaves to return home?

What have you learned from a woman in the Bible?

LET US PRAY

In your own words, tell God how thankful you are for the female role models He has placed in the Bible.

-----------

PS - If you are a man and made it to the end of today’s blog, please let me know. I want to congratulate you.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

STONES VERSUS DOORS

TODAYS SCRIPTURES

Joshua 7:20, 25b - Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel." Then all of Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.

John 8:7, 9 - When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

Please also read Matthew 7:7, Acts 14:27 and Revelations 3:20. Oh, go ahead. It will do you good to look them up.

STONES VERSUS DOORS

Our Sunday School class was studying Joshua 7 and a comment I made has been on my heart.

Cliff notes: The Israelites defeated Jericho but then got thoroughly trounced. Why? Well, thinking themselves undefeatable after Jericho, they planned the next battle instead of following God. Joshua also failed to notice God was no where to be found. You see, God was more than a bit upset with them. He had told the Israelites to take nothing for their own out of Jericho. As usual, one guy saw a few items he liked so he took them and hid them under his tent. No one knew except God. When they were defeated, Joshua called God and asked, "What gives?" God says, "Did you even notice I was no where to be found? Here is what you are going to do to fix things." Each tribe and person was judged innocent until only Achan remained. The punishment was severe. Achan, his family and everything he owned was stoned, burned and buried under a pile of rocks.

The discussion was great: How would you feel waiting to see if the guilty person was in your tribe? Your family? Why punish the whole family? How does one person's sin cause others to suffer? How would you feel if you were Achan? How would you feel as you threw stones?

It is hard for us to understand much in the Old Testament. One man sinned and the whole family stoned. Why the whole family? Why death? Why did the whole community have to participate? But we are New Testament people and we see sin through the Cross. We like the time Jesus said to throw the stone if you are free of sin. We know no stones will be thrown because we have ALL SINNED. We no longer throw stones or punish a whole family - or do we.

At the end of class, I commented, "Today we do not throw stones, we just shut doors."

We shut the door on:

> the person that has funny colored hair

> the person that doesn't like our style of music

> the person that has really sinned unlike our teeny tiny sins

> the person that has paid the price (jail time, etc.) for their crime

> the family of the person that committed crimes or those really big sins

> the person that doesn't wear the right clothes

Do you get the idea? Do we throw stones? No, we do something worse. We shut the door and deny those we judge, as not up to "our" standards, the opportunity to know Jesus.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Would you shut the door on someone?

(As you are thinking on this, I want to make a further comment. Please do not think I have some better-than-thou attitude. I am very guilty of judging people and am sure I have shut doors. My goal today is to help us see that we do not have to throw a rock to injure someone. We can shut the door to our church, to our compassion, to our understanding of God. When we do that, the person on the other side of the door will never learn about God's love and forgiveness.)

LET US PRAY (Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.)

Forgive me Lord. Forgive me when I feel smug because I do not throw stones, but feel it is fine shutting the door on people who do not live up to my standards. Move through me and be the force that gives me the courage to open doors in my church and in my life. When I see someone that has sinned, let me open the door of forgiveness. When I see someone that doesn't look quite like me, let me open the door and invite them in. When I see someone who is suffering because of the actions of another, let me open the doors of understanding and compassion. When I see someone looking for you, let me open the door before they even have a chance to knock. Amen

Friday, July 08, 2011

THE GIFTS OF GOD -- #4

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: John 4:6-14 (Please go back and read the entire scripture. Here is a bit of those verses.)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

THE GIFTS OF GOD -- #4

Living Water - Oh, my friends, that is only the beginning of the gifts God has for us.

Welcome to week four of The Gifts of God. Nine gifts down and one to go. Have you given thought to those nine gifts? Trials. Gentleness. Hiding Place. Delight. Tears. Called. Warning. Rest. Walk with head held high.

What gift could be in the box for us to open this week? What gift could top resting in God?

FOREVER

Now what can that mean? I know I'm not going to live forever? I know that nothing lasts forever. What kind of a gift is forever?

In the beginning God Genesis 1:1

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

Forever - Thank you for the gift of knowing YOU are forever.

God wants you to know HE is forever. He will never abandon you. That is a gift. He wants you to know that you may have no family here, but he has adopted you. He has adopted us all. We are God's children. We belong to God. That is a gift. God has given us the gift of an advocate. God is on our side. That is a gift.

God wants you to know about all his gifts not just those "normal" gifts that we can name so easily.

So many gifts. So many blessings. There. Right in front of us. Really so many no altar is big enough to hold them. So many gifts. Waiting to be taken. Waiting to be opened.

And there is no one gift limit. God's gifts just keep coming and coming.

Everyday comes bearing its own gifts and God has prepared wonderful, amazing gifts for each of us. We do not have to wait for Christmas. We do not have to wait for our birthday. We do not have to wait.

God does offer the gifts? He does offer them, but he does not make us take them. God offers. But we have to accept.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:

What gifts has God prepared for you? Will you accept them?

LET US PRAY (Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.)

Thank you God for all you have given me. Thank you for the unique gifts you have prepared, because only you know what I need.

Lord, take away my hesitation. My fears. My doubts. Let me humbly accept your gifts. Courageously unwrap. And joyfully celebrate each one.

Amen & Amen

Friday, July 01, 2011

THE GIFTS OF GOD -- #3

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: John 4:6-14 (Please go back and read the entire scripture. Here is a bit of those verses.)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

THE GIFTS OF GOD -- #3

Living Water - Oh, my friends, that is only the beginning of the gifts God has for us.

Welcome to week three of The Gifts of God. We have learned about the gifts of Trials, Gentleness, Hiding Place, Delight, Tears and Called. Some of these just didn't fit into our usual idea of Gifs of God, but have you thought about them? Do they make sense now?

What will this week bring? Three more gifts! Oh, the Gifts of God just keep piling up and up and up and up and up and up!

WARNING: This is an unusual gift but one I should have opened. More than once. What a blessing it is when we receive a warning that something just isn't right. That feeling in our stomach. Those times when our conscious kicks in. The warning that makes us stop. A warning that makes us stop and think.

(speaking of Israel's history) Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11

The Bible is so full of lessons on how we should live, but it is also full of warnings that tell us what not to do.

REST: A gift we can all use. So busy. Work. Family. Too many phone calls. Too many committees. Too many times of saying yes. Too many -- Too many demands on our time. And each comes with -- Tired. Not enough hours. Not strong enough.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-29

Where can we find rest? In God!

WALK WITH YOUR HEAD HELD HIGH: As I searched the scriptures to find those unusual gifts God wanted pointed out, I found this one. That's a gift I didn't understand. Why wouldn't we walk with our heads held high?

Maybe because we are sinners. Maybe because we are afraid of something in our past. Maybe because we feel unworthy. Psalm 44:15: My disgrace is before me all day long, and my face is covered with shame.

(God speaking to the Israelites) I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. Leviticus 26:13

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 1 John 2:28

We are forgiven children. Walk with your head held high. What a wonderful gift!

Nine gifts. Although God's gifts are unending, I only one more to tell you about. Come back next week to find out what it is.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Have you ever been ready to do something and had a warning? Have you ever been so tired you just didn't know what to do? Have you ever had trouble holding your head high?

LET US PRAY: Today, please talk to God about his warnings. Thank him for breaking the bars of your yoke. Thank him for rest.