Friday, January 27, 2017

Reasons Why I Didn't March on January 21

                         Is anything too hard for the LORD?  Genesis 18: 14


If you are like me, you are probably amazed by the way things appear to have turned around in our country in the last week. I am cautiously optimistic, but don't want to put my confidence in any man, only in the Lord. Yet I pray for our new President, that God would grant him wisdom and surround him with good counsel. Our nation deserves judgment but perhaps God has granted us another respite from it, though we certainly don't deserve it.

Yet I was dismayed by this big woman's march on DC. I believe that women are equal to men, but are different than men because God made us different. And that is OK. And I also believe that God made man both male and female, but not something in between. That is still my right to think so.

I had no interest in marching and I don't feel threatened by the new administration. I didn't like the old one but didn't protest against it either. Why? For it is God who
 ... changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. Dan 2:21 NKJV
 I am in this world, but according to the Word of God, I am not of it. So I don't need to fight for my so called lack of rights.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." John 18:36 (emphasis mine)
My citizenship is in heaven, and from that country I am awaiting with anticipation for Savior to come again and receive me to Himself.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [Phl 3:20 NKJV] who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. [Phl 3:21 NKJV]
In II Timothy we're informed that if we belong to Christ we should put our interest in Him and not  be consumed with this world:  
 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. [2Ti 2:3 NKJV] No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. [2Ti 2:4 NKJV emphasis mine] 

Finally, my real life isn't what I see all around me. This raging in the nations, confusion and madness was all predicted by Jesus to come in the days before He returns to this planet. 


"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Luke 21: 25-28
Don't those verses describe out world?  This is an unprecedented time, but if we are the Lord's we must look to Him. 

 The confusion of this world is not my life, but Christ is my life.


For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3;3
But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians  6:14 (emphasis mine)
Instead of marching for our rights, wouldn't it would be better instead to lift up our heads?  Our Redemption is drawing nigh. 

If you are not sure you are a child of God, you can believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sin debt on the cross, and that God was so pleased with His sacrifice that He raised Him from the dead.



"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3: 16-18

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Finding Pure Treasure

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times; And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure. Is.33:6


O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 

Psalm 34:8





As I took a walk on my Christmas holiday, my feet crunched upon the little round droplets of ice encrusted  snow. The little circles of ice droplets made a lovely pattern in my sister's yard. I thought about God's words to Job about the treasury of snow (Job 38:22) and the mystery of every different single snowflake. It looked so pretty I snapped a picture with my camera. Just one nanosecond of time that pictured a certain amount of molecules ordered together by a loving God who holds the entire creation together by His awesome power.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [Col 1:17 KJV]

God is the author of all the mysteries in the universe, both great and small. Whether it is staring into the Milky Way Galaxy from a ranch in Arizona (as I did in 2006) or staring at the crystals of snow on the ground in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania in 2016, I am reminded that my God is a God of wonders, a God of limitless treasures. And He Himself is the treasure that I will never grow tired of, or bored with, or become dissatisfied with.

He, and He alone, is the treasure.


Some things happened yesterday that helped to rouse me from the slumber I fall into so easily. Not only slumber but also spiritual doldrums  hit me hard at this time of year. How is it that my heart can wander away from God so easily? How is it so easy to want to find something that will replace what only God can give me?

Food and all the pleasures of eating cannot give me that satisfaction.

Friends and family members, no matter how near and dear they are, cannot give me that satisfaction.

Novels with great plots and great characterization cannot give me that satisfaction.

Being the girl with the most fabric and sewing projects cannot give me that satisfaction.

The Steelers winning against the Kansas City Chiefs tonight cannot give me that satisfaction.

Even the satisfaction of seeing my name in print cannot give me that satisfaction.

Still, the liar whispers to me that I will not find satisfaction in God.

But, all that enemy can do is to lie, and cheat us and steal from us all the abundant life that Jesus wants us to have.

Last night, I read a book called Taste: My Life Without Food by a pastor named Gordon Meier. I found it at  Goodwill, of all places . He suffers from a rare disorder that makes it impossible to eat food, and can only be fed by parenteral nutrition. A man who loved food in all its differing delicacies can no longer partake of one bite of it, but he praises God anyhow that he is learning how to really taste and see that God is good. I highly recommend it if anyone may struggle with looking to food to meet their inward satisfaction.

I took a long walk today and tasted that God was good as I just sang along a melody of praise to Him in my heart, telling myself I need nothing more than Him to be my happiness. If ever I think I might grow bored with God, that thought can be immediately dismissed for His depths are unlimited. He has no boundaries and He is not a man with feet of clay like all of us. He is the Perfect Man, the God Man. And the best news of all is that this wonderful God never gets tired of me coming to Him to fill up that needy cup that I have once again.


O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. [Rom 11: 33-36 KJV]

There is nothing I can do to stop this wonderful God from loving me. (Romans 8: 28-39) Even my sin will not separate me from His love. 


He is the treasure my heart is seeking for, both now and forever. I pray today you may also find Him as your most precious treasure.


Friday, January 6, 2017

But What About My Rights?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ... Ephesians 1:3


I have struggled with a certain area in my life for many years. Can you believe that I actually thought I was right?

Today it dawned on me that it would be easier just to agree with God and no longer hold onto my so-called right to be right.

I think of a commercial from, of all places, Kentucky Fried Chicken from many years ago. It had a little jingle to it as the commercial reminded us, "You've got a right to chicken done right!"

I used to laugh and make up my own little response, "You've got a right to chicken done wrong!" Now, of course KFC chicken should be done right, and is done right, but my point is, why do I think I should have a "right" for anything while I am living in this fallen world?


Maybe it's not popular, but I really have no rights, except to go to the lake of fire, which would be exactly my right, except that Jesus Christ took my place and received the due penalty for my sins. Because He did not take advantage of His own rights as God, He graciously gave me the golden opportunity to receive many spiritual rights, privileges, and a home forever in heaven.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Phl 2:5-11 NKJV]

It is not hard to homologeo, it is easy. It was hard for Jesus to make a new and living way for us. But for us, just to say yes and stop arguing with God is far easier than going the way of the backslider. When the Word says one thing and I say another, guess which one of us is right? (Hint: it's not me.)



 The word for confess is #3670 "homologeo,"  and in the Greek dictionary it looks like this: 


ὁμολογέωhomologeō


In the outline for Biblical usage, the first definition of homologeo (confess) is this to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent.

I found such a relief in that today. God really does know what is best for me. Just something little I thought I would share in case someone else maybe struggling with holding on to their rights.

I actually had one right. I thank God He did not give me that "right,"  but instead the free gift of eternal life. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23


https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3670&t=KJV