Days of our Lives

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary and tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength: They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary."
Isaiah 40: 28-31

I recently traveled to the Midwest to visit with my relatives. I accompanied my elderly parents, riding  for two days straight both ways, with about 4 days for visiting. When I was a little girl, I made this trip many times during the summer with my parents and two sisters. We girls loved it as it always seemed an adventure, sitting on tractors, watching the cows and chasing the barn cats. This trip made me think about the quick passing of my life, and the benefits of having God for my strength for each day.

God faithfully bestowed safe travels and good times with our beloved relatives. Even though our legs cramped and backs ached, God renewed our strength. As I am in midlife now, I see things so much differently than way back then. Mainly, I have been thinking about the passing of time, and how quickly one red letter day fades into the next. We visited the graves of our departed relatives, who are only in our memories now.

It made me think about my own life. We talked about relatives that had passed away. What might people of what people  say of me when I pass away, what will I  be remembered for? Do I really believe that there is a day appointed for me to die as well as them? How then should I live today as if I might depart and go and be with the Lord tomorrow?

 God is always faithful on His part. I only hope and pray that He will find that I have been faithful unto Him as well. Each day His promises seem to grow more precious. Each day I must make choices each day on whether to spend time doing things that entertain me, or make deposits that end up with heavenly rewards.

While the world laughs and carries on as if there is no God, we who believe know that one day this life, this world of iniquity that we live in will be dissolved in an instant.  In yesterday's sermon, my Pastor Scott Warne reminded us that the time allotted us is given to help us gain momentum in our spiritual life. It comes from learning His Word and results in us being a blessing to others. There is a day approaching, even after being guaranteed my salvation through faith in Christ, I will give an account to the Lord for what I did with the time He gave me while I lived on Planet Earth.

Now is the time of opportunity. Tomorrow will be too late.

If you aren't sure you have eternal life, you can choose today to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died bearing your sins to the cross and that God the Father was satisfied with His payment so He rose Jesus up from the grave three days later. See John 3:16, and II Corinthians 5: 20-21. In believing this, you will receive eternal life as a totally free gift. It is the one crucial choice each human being must make, and to put it off means to say no to it.

Eternal life is waiting, will you answer the call?

And for those of us that believe,God will help us to learn the precious truths in His word while we have our life and vitality, if only we are willing.

Seeking His Face

Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! I Chronicles 16:11

In a ladies Bible study I attend, we discussed seeking God's face and what it really means. The "face of God" denotes His manifest presence in our lives. It is a sign of His favor and acceptance. God's face toward His children is always to give them His undivided attention like no person on this earth could do for another. And yet, He is always waiting for us to seek His face, for when we do, that is when He can really bless us like no other material gift or relationship could on this earth.

In seeking His face, we find all our souls are really longing for, something no person on earth can fill. God showed me anytime I expect any human being, (whether husband, child, sibling, parent or friend) to fill the void that only He can fill I am actually living in idolatry. Oh, I may not have a little Buddha on my mantle that I bow down to but if I put anything or any person ahead of the Lord's rightful place in my life, I may as well have a statue to worship. He wants me to run to Him instead!


Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11


All God wanted to say to us, He really did say through the Person of His Son Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 1:1-4, it tells us:

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

He also says in Colossians 1: 15-18:

"15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."

When He has preeminence in my life, my soul is finally at peace. And as I seek His face, He promises to take care of all the little details of my life, the things that occupy so much of my everyday worries, like how I will continue to survive in a world that grows darker by the day. Jesus offers me a different way to think in Matthew 7:31-34:

“31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6: 31-34

The most incredible thing about seeking God's face, to me, is that we are limited only by our own choices in this life as to how much we will seek Him. There is no point at which He would ever say to us, "That is enough seeking for you!!" No, we choose how much we want to know this wonderful, giving God who is the focal point of all human history. This is something we discussed at our study. All believers will appear before His Bema evaluation seat one day. He has given us His Word in its entirety, the Holy Spirit within, pastors and teachers plus the witness of creation all around us and the testimonies of those who have gone before. We have no excuse not to seek Him. And when we do, we find out who we really are, a brand new person who is given a fresh clean slate every day.

Galatians 6: 14-15: 14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Now is the day of salvation, now is the time to seek Him, for He is patiently waiting for us. Let us somberly consider God's warning to Solomon, who, though he received more wisdom than anyone on earth, somehow forgot how important it was to seek God's face. I Chronicles 28:9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever."

Let us humble ourselves and say to God, along with David: "When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8