The Path to Salvation

February 10, 2017

All throughout scripture there is a recurring theme: Change your heart and life. But what exactly does that mean?

Our hearts are sinful by nature. Sin entered this world because of the actions of Adam and Eve. Eve chose to believe Satan's lie and she chose to go against the authority of God. Adam chose to follow her example and by doing so he also chose to disregard God's authority. They both chose to not listen to TRUTH and instead chose to listen to the lie. Because of their choices, all of mankind is now born with a bent towards sin.

You don't have to teach a child to lie, to take from others, or to say MINE! Mine—the original sin and the cause of most (if not all) other sin. I will be in control; I will get what I want; I will do what I want; and I want it so I will have it. Pride. It's all about "I."

P

R

S I N

D

E

Notice what letter intersects pride and sin. The letter "I." Notice also the shape created when pride and sin intersect. It is the shape of a cross.

In the Old Testament, God's very first commandment laid the foundation for all the others. Exodus 20:3 - "You shall have no other gods beside me." Nothing! Not ourselves, not others, not things—NOTHING. The first four commandments all deal with our relationship with God. The rest of the commandments all deal with our relationship with fellow man. Vertical commands: how we relate to God. Horizontal commands: how we relate to our fellow man. When you put a vertical line (｜) and a horizontal line ( ─ ) together you once again get the shape of a cross.

In the New Testament, Jesus gives us the Great Commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." Jesus teaches that it requires a change of heart and life to obey the Great Commandment. When our hearts are surrendered and when the sin which pride produces is confessed and repented of, we can then live the second part of the Great Commandment. Matthew 22:39 - "And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

P.r.I.d.e is what keeps us from obeying God's commandments and surrendering ourselves to His authority. Obedience requires a change of heart and life.

To change your heart and life doesn't mean you take a self-improvement course in an effort to become a better person. We can't do it on our own. No self-effort will ever be enough. The only remedy is the cross. God gave his Son Jesus to take the penalty for our sins. He lived, died, and was raised from the dead so that we might have eternal life.

To change your heart and life means:

• you understand you are a sinner;
• you admit you need a Savior;
• you repent of your sins and seek forgiveness; and 
• you surrender your life to Master Jesus. 

It's all about surrendering your life and being willing to follow HIS footpath wherever it leads. Salvation cannot be obtained through good works or by being or becoming a good person. There is only one path to Salvation, and that is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the price with His death on the cross. Because of His Grace, salvation is a free gift available to all mankind.

 

 

 

God's amazing gift of Grace can be yours. You don't have to change yourself. When you accept Jesus Christ as God's free gift of Salvation, HE will change your heart and life. HE will free you from the bondage of sin (which leads to eternal death); HE will give you the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation. When you follow the path God provided, you can be absolutely assured of your salvation.

Here is how you follow HIS footpath which leads to Salvation:

ADMIT you are a sinner and because of man's sinful nature you deserve eternal separation from God.  Romans 3:23 - "All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory."

ACKNOWLEDGE it is only by His sacrificial Grace that you have been offered the free gift of Salvation.  Romans 5:8 - "But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners."  

BELIEVE by faith that God took on human form in the virgin birth of Jesus, and that although He was innocent of any sin, Jesus took on your sin and accepted death on a cross so you could choose eternal life.  John 3:16 - "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life."

ACCEPT by faith that God provided the final sacrificial lamb and that He raised that Lamb—His Son, Jesus Christ—from the dead.  HE has the ability to save you from a life of sin and eternal death when you believe and call upon Him.  Romans 10:13 - "Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved."   

CONFESS that Jesus is Lord.  Confess your sins and believe by faith that you are indeed saved.  Because of your confession, Christ Jesus through His Spirit now lives in you.  Romans 10:9-10 - "If you use your mouth to say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.  We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God.  And we use our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved."  

LIVE your new position. You are a child of the King. You are no longer guilty of the sins in your past. You are free from the penalty of sin. You are saved.  Romans 8:1 - "So now, those who are in Christ Jesus are not judged guilty."  

If you have never followed God's footpath to salvation, why not do it now?  You simply follow the path. Here is a prayer of confession. Read it. Think about it. If you want to accept Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, consider sincerely praying this prayer. Make it your own.

Lord, I admit I am a sinner. I acknowledge it is only by Your Grace that Salvation is available to me. I believe You sent your Son Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin. I accept that Jesus died for my sins and that He arose three days later so that I might have eternal life. Lord, I confess to you my sins and I repent of them. Please forgive me by the blood you shed on the cross. Please change my heart and mind. Give me a new way of thinking through your Holy Spirit. With the Spirit's guiding, help me live my life in a way that is pleasing to you. I surrender ALL to you. I will follow you on Your footpath wherever it leads. Thank you, Jesus, for your promise of Salvation. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life for me.  Amen.

If you've prayed this as your prayer of confession then Hallelujah! By faith, you have accepted God's free gift of Salvation. Praise the LORD!! I John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done." God is a promise keeping God. When He says He will—HE WILL!!

Now what?   

REMAIN in Him. Read His Word. Continue to grow. Obey His commands. Continue to surrender your will to His will. Get plugged in to a local church where a body of Believers will encourage you and hold you accountable. Tell others. Do what His Word says. At some point you will want to follow God's instructions on baptism as a symbol of your new faith. Doing all these things is not what brings you salvation because we cannot earn our salvation. You do these things because of your salvation.

RESULT: You have a changed heart and your life changes. You are not who you once were. You have a new way of thinking. Your desire is to follow the Master and not your own selfish pride. You choose to turn from the sinful nature you were born with and instead make decisions which are God-honoring. If you fall, you pick yourself back up and confess your failure. You repent of it and make amends if necessary. Your changed heart produces a changed life.

The only way to salvation is by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. If you have any questions or would like help in any way please contact me. I would love to help you. If you have prayed a prayer of repentance for the first time, please let me know. I would love to pray for you as you begin your own personal journey of:

 Walking on His Footpath (Following the Master's Lead) 

Still on the fence? Still deciding? Why? What on earth is worth risking your destiny for all of eternity? Don't wait any longer. Do it today while there is still time. A day of accountability IS coming. There IS a heaven and there IS a hell. Eternity IS at stake. Nothing on this temporary earth is worth holding onto at the risk of your eternal soul.

Pride keeps us from wanting to surrender. But while you are deciding understand this: You WILL be a servant or a slave to something. You will either be a servant to Master Jesus—a kind, loving, faithful, generous Savior, OR, you will be a slave to Satan—a conniving, lying thief, and destroyer. There is no middle ground. It IS one or the other.

There are only two paths with two very different end results. The path you choose to take determines your eternal destination. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but the truth is the TRUTH. What would be harsh is for me not to tell you the truth and to stand aside while knowing you were following a path that WILL lead to your destruction.

It is a decision only you can make. Jesus is waiting—but time is of the essence. There is a year, a month, a day, and an hour planned for when accountability WILL happen. No one will escape it. There is coming a day when our lives on this earth will be over and eternity will begin.

Change your heart and life. Surrender your will to HIS will. Follow the Path to Salvation. Do it today. The reward is eternal life. Obedience is a decision you will NEVER regret!

If you have any questions please contact me: walkingonhisfootpath@gmail.com


Next Entry: Revelation 10:1–11

II John 1–13

July 22, 2013

The Truth:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."  John 14:6

"Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

You can deny it, try to ignore it, or even question it, but nothing changes the fact—the truth is the Truth—and it is the only thing that can set a person free.

I've often used the air in a beach ball as an analogy to teach this truth. The air in a beach ball represents God's Truth (the Trinity). If you try to push a beach ball down under the water it will put up a resistance and exhaust you as you fight to keep the ball (Truth) submerged. No matter how hard you try, it keeps popping up to the surface. It's a constant struggle. When you finally give up and allow the ball (Truth) to rest on the water, it goes from something you were struggling against to becoming something that saves you. As you hold on to the ball (Truth), you no longer need to work to stay afloat and it supports you and holds your head above water.   

Truth is the only thing that can set you free from the bondage of sin caused by selfish desires. 

In the Old Testament, the law commanded that we love. In the New Testament, Christ came to fulfill the law. Jesus is love and we are to love each other the way He loves us. II John 6 - "And love means living the way God commanded us to live. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: Live a life of love." II John 9 - "Anyone who goes beyond Christ's teaching and does not continue to follow only his teaching does not have God. But whoever continues to follow the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son."

"... The best way to keep the enemy out is to keep Christ in." ~ From Renewed Day by Day by A.W. Tozer

Next Entry: III John 1:1–15

I John 4:1 – 5:21 (Continued)

July 22, 2013

So, how do you love God?

You love God by obeying His commands. I John 5:3–4 - "Loving God means obeying his commands. And God's commands are not too hard for us, because everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith."

Faith. Believing all of what God said is true. Believing in the Trinity and that Jesus is the Son of God. Believing Jesus' life, death and resurrection was the sacrifice that fulfilled God's plan of redemption for a lost world. Believing His sacrifice was necessary for your personal salvation and accepting Him as your Savior.

Believing means action. It means confessing, repenting, and surrendering your will to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Believing by true faith and obedience. Not just a simple nodding of the head and saying, yeah... I believe all those things, while having no outward sign of a changed heart or life. Only giving lip service to God when His act of Love requires us to acknowledge Him as Lord and to accept His position as Master of our lives, is like spitting in the face of God and calling Him a liar.  

To believe—means to obey all His commands. If you refuse to obey His commands, then it means you really don't believe. I John 5:12 - "Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."  What does has/have truly mean? What is the definition of "has"?  I looked it up in my old 1957 Thorndike-Barnhart Dictionary.

To possess; be obliged; obtain; show by action; experience; allow; permit; maintain; keep; retain; know, understand; hold in the mind; be in a certain relation to, etc.  

We can't just say He is the Son of God, we must have Him as the Lord of our life. When we have Him as Lord of our lives we can "ask God for anything that agrees with what He wants" and we can know that He hears us. I John 5:15 - "If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him." When He is in us and our desires line up with His desires, then we can know that He hears our prayers, because our prayers are not selfish or self serving. It is ALL about Him and doing His will.

God has given us everything we need to understand and know Him. I John 5:20 - "We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we can know the True One. And our lives are in the True One and in the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the eternal life."

"God's holiness demands that all sin be punished, but God's love provides the plan and way of redemption for sinful man. God's love is the cross of Jesus, by which man can have forgiveness and cleansing. It was the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to the cross!" ~ From Peace with God by Billy Graham

God used these chapters, really the entire book of I John, to explain a lot of TRUTH to me. I John puts in condensed form the message of the entire Bible: the promises of blessings for obedience and the inescapable consequences for disobedience. It breaks my heart that people we know and love are missing out on the blessings God has made available to them and are instead living lives of consequences for the choices they have made. Instead of a life of joy, they appear to be living a life of punishment and torment.

Last Friday morning (July 19, 2013), as I was reading I John 4:1–5:21, I literally wept when I began to understand the meaning of what God's word was saying. It was a new Truth to me. It explained the "why" behind my husband's mom actions and the resulting issues we have been having to deal with—and I wept.

My husband and I have been both disgusted and frustrated with his mother's behavior. She is literally consumed by fear and has been for as long as we can remember. She is manipulative and uses "I didn't know" lies as a means to excuse her unacceptable behaviors. I personally had been getting more and more frustrated and even angry that she has gotten by (and keeps getting by) with that kind of inexcusable behavior—for years!

But then I read I John 4:18. It is punishment to live a life of fear. Punishment!! She isn't "getting by" with anything! She is living a tortured, tormented, punished life for the years she has refused to surrender all to God, and my heart broke for the consequences she is living and in compassion for her—I wept. There was no more anger. Just a broken heart for her.

How many times have we excused my mother-in-law's or my sister's behavior by saying, "Oh, that's just _____ (my sister) or "that's just _____ (my mother-in-law)?  NO!! NO! A thousand times NO! It isn't "just so and so," it is SIN!! Let's call it what it is—SIN! My sister is living a life of fear, anger, revenge, lies, and control because of SIN! My mother-in-law is living a tormented punished life of fear because of SIN!

What are we going to do about my husband's mom? We don't know yet. We are praying and asking God what, when, and how He wants us to do something. One thing we know. We cannot have this truth revealed to us and do nothing. Love requires action. Eternity is at stake.

When I quit making excuses for my sister's behavior and when I finally accepted the whole ugly truth it broke my heart. There was no anger, only a deep concern for her soul. I wanted to reach out to her because love does require action. But what could I do? We are in the middle of a lawsuit. There is no communication. It seemed hopeless.

When I felt led to begin this journal I had no idea God would use it to allow my voice to go to my sister as a witness to her of God's truth. It certainly wasn't anything I orchestrated. When the judge reopened discovery over some random issue and I realized I was going to have to send my private words and thoughts to someone who was seeking our ruin, it seemed like my worst nightmare. Yet, it was God's plan to reach my sister with HIS words and to free me from any responsibility for her ultimate choices. Now, we are seeking God's will for how He wants us reach out to my husband's mom. We will continue to seek His plan and wait on His leading.

Understanding scripture better has explained so much. I used to wonder why it would drive me crazy to be around my sister for very long. I've often wondered why there were times I found it difficult to even like my mother-in-law. I loved both my sister and mother-in-law, but there were times it was very difficult to like them. I've discovered it has nothing to do with a difference in personalities, it is because of the difference of who we are at our very core. It wasn't my sister's clutter, or the fidgeting, or the obsession with my brother that was driving me crazy; it was the difference in our core values that was separating us. It wasn't my mother-in-laws fears and unacceptable behaviors that was driving me crazy; it was the difference in our core values.

And my heart breaks and my soul weeps for both of them.

LORD, thank you for giving me an opportunity to share Truth with my sister. LORD, I pray that you will give us direction on who should speak Truth to my husband's mom. LORD, I pray that they will each understand that without you they are nothing and that they would both desire nothing but you.  LORD, may they surrender their hearts to Master Jesus, and change their hearts and lives. May they each live to see the day where they understand for the first time the fullness of your amazing Love.  LORD, we surrender them both to you. We lay our concern for them at your feet.

Addendum: 1/3/2017~  So, what happened? I wish I could say there was some sort of miraculous change in my mother-in-law's life. There wasn't.

I had two different opportunities to talk in depth with my mother-in-law. The first was in early 2014. We had recently moved both of my husband's parents to an Assisted Living facility. My mother-in-law developed an UTI which required a visit to the emergency room. While in the emergency room, the nurses wanted her to get up and walk a few steps before they released her. Even with two big burly men on each side of her, and even though their arms were wrapped securely around her in total support, my mother-in-law was paralyzed by the fear of falling and would not attempt a small single step. In the privacy of her room I talked to her about surrendering her fears. She didn't want to hear anything about it.

The last opportunity I had was shortly before my mother-in-law died in August of 2015. She would look up and smile whenever a nurse came into the room but she rarely ever acknowledged the presence of any of her family members. Knowing she could hear me, I went through all the steps of salvation even though I knew she grew up knowing them. I sang hymns to her, and I prayed for her. There was no visible response. While I believe her salvation was secure, I wanted to make sure she had every opportunity to surrender ALL.

The only thing we have any control over is our own personal response to Jesus. As for me, I choose to surrender—ALL.

All to Jesus I Surrender


Next Entry: II John 1:1–13 

I John 4:1 – 5:21

July 20, 2013

John continues to drive home the point: God is love and if we have God living in our lives, God's love will be reflected in us and through us. Love comes from God. He sent His son to die so that we may have life. Real love is not our love for Him, it is His love for us. Psalm 8:4 - "What is man that you are mindful of him?" Because God is love we can trust Him. When we confess Him as Lord (Master) we live in His love, and He lives in us. I John 4:17-18a - "This is how love is made perfect in us: that we can be without fear on the day God judges us, because in this world we are like him. Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear."

Our lives (actions) reflect the truth of who we are. If we have God's love in us, that is what we reflect. If we are instead fueled by our own desires (own = evil) we may try to mask it, but it IS what we reflect and it will be revealed. After John talks about there being no fear if you are living in God and in His love, He makes a statement I never noticed before. I John 4:18b - "It is punishment (KJV says torment) that makes a person fear." And why is it punishment? Because when someone refuses to surrender to God they do not have God's perfect love that drives out fear. The refusal to surrender becomes a punishment as fear runs rampant in their lives.  

God's perfect love is available to us. When we refuse to submit to it we are punished by living in fear. You would think people would "get it" and choose to live in God's love. But selfish pride (the very core of sin) gets in the way. They would rather live a miserable existence and think they are in control (and be punished for it) than to unconditionally trust God.

I used to think fear is what kept some people from trusting God, but my thinking was all wrong. My "aha" moment came when I finally understood what John was saying. Fear is not the cause that prevents someone from surrendering their life to the Lordship of Christ; it is the result of refusing to surrender your life. It is punishment received for choices made. How sad. What a waste of precious time, energy, and effort, and what a shame to live in fear when God has provided us His perfect love.  

John goes on. I John 4:19 - "We love because God first loved us." You can't say you love God and hate your brothers or sisters. The two actions cannot mix, and John says that person is a liar. I John 5:3a - "Loving God means obeying his commands." His commands are not hard to follow IF you are surrendered to Him, but they are impossible to follow if you are controlled by your own selfish desires.

As a child of God you can conquer the world. It has nothing to do with who you are. It has everything to do with whose you are. The ability to conquer the world comes from having faith in the One who created the world, sent His Son to save the world, and will return again to rule the world. God's Spirit, who is in us, is greater than the spirit of this world.

II Kings 6:16 - "The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us." I John 4:4 - "My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world."

It is God who gets the victory and God who gets ALL glory.


Next Entry: I John 4:1 – 5:21 (Continued)

I John 3:1–24

July 18, 2013

We are loved by the Father so much that we are called "children of God." And that is what we are—"children of God." There is a reason why we don't fit in with the world. It is because we are strangers. The world cannot possibly understand us because they don't know Him.

Christianity is a concept you really cannot understand without experiencing it. As Christians, we know we were made in the image of God; we are children of God; and when Christ returns we will be made like Him because we will see Christ as He really is. What a day that will be!! While we eagerly await that day, it is a foreign concept to people who have not accepted Christ as LORD.

Until that time, we have the responsibility to live as Christ taught.

• Christ is love—we must show love
• Christ is pure—we need to keep ourselves pure
• There is no sin in Christ—we cannot go on sinning
• Christ is all that is right—we must do what is right
• Christ is light—we cannot have darkness in us

Those who are God's children do not continue sinning because the new life from God is in them. I John 3:9 - "They are not able to go on sinning because they have become children of God." I John 3:6 - "Anyone who goes on sinning has never really understood Christ and has never known him."

Those two statements are very clear. If Christ is truly living in you, then He is Master and you are not able to continue in sin. The reverse is also true. If you do not change your hearts and lives and you continue to sin and live a lifestyle contrary to God's Word, then the truth is you never really understood Christ; you've never truly known Him; you are not a child of God; and He is not your Father. The narrow road is in fact—narrow. I John 3:10 - "Those who do not do what is right are not God's children, and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not God's children."

It doesn't get much plainer than that.

From the very beginning of the Bible there has been one clear message: you must love God and you must love others. And from the very beginning, both teachings were broken. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous of him. Cain was corrupt, his heart was evil, and he was out to destroy his brother who had done nothing against Him.   

Our actions reveal the truth about our hearts. Sin (darkness) and Truth (light) cannot co-mingle. It should be no surprise that people of the world (as slaves of Satan) seek to harm you and hurt you. However, it was shocking to us when our own family members purposely set out (using trickery and then this lawsuit) to seek our destruction, especially since we thought we were like minded with them. What we now know (by the evidence of their actions and by searching God's Word) is that my sister and brother-in-law's actions show the truth about their hearts. I John 3:15 - "Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderers have eternal life in them." Jesus taught in Matthew 5:21–26 that hating someone in your heart is the same as the act of murder.

Hatred. Is there another way to describe the actions of my sister and brother-in-law. I wish there was. To purposely deceive and trick us and then file a lawsuit to try and ruin us—is hatred. Oh, they've couched it as "business" or "unfortunate" or whatever, but the bottom line is that in their interest of self-promotion, everything is on the table and nothing is sacred even if it means the destruction of others. There is a whole of list of other family and friends (as evidenced by my brother-in-law's list of broken relationships) who were victims of the same thinking, and there are others who are still unaware of the truth behind the scenes. I'm sure my sister and brother-in-law don't see their actions as a hatred of others. Whatever happens to the other person is just collateral damage to what they want or think they deserve. But, it is hatred. I've witnessed first hand the clenched teeth, the pointed fingers, and the squinted eyes.

God in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament taught the same message. They commanded that we love one another. I John 3:18 - "We should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring." You cannot be a child of God and seek the harm of other people. Cannot. I John 3:23 - "This is what God commands (not suggests): that we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ (Him as Master and we as servants) and that we love each other, just as he commanded."  (Emphasis and comments mine.)

You cannot purposely and intentionally choose to go against God's teachings and Jesus' clarifications and still have the blessing of being at one with God. I John 3:22 - "God gives us what we ask for because we obey God's commands and do what pleases him." This verse isn't referring to selfish "things." When we do what He commands and when we do what pleases Him, THEN our desires align with His desires and God gives us what we ask for, and we are in fellowship with him. I John 3:24 - "The people who obey God's commands live in God, and God lives in them. We KNOW that God lives in us because of the Spirit God gave us." Reminds me of the old camp song, "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.... they will know we are Christians by our love."

Matthew 22:37–39 - Jesus said (quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18), "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second is like the first: Love your neighbor as yourself."


Next Entry: I John 4:1 – 5:21

I Peter 3:1–22 (Continued)

July 04, 2013

The phrase I wrote about yesterday—"God waited patiently"—keeps running through my mind. The world was full of evil; God warned them; He put in place a plan by which they could be saved; Noah by faith was obedient; and then I Peter 3:20 - "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat." The judgment had already been decided. The years of waiting was God's "day of grace." In the end only eight people took God's way of salvation. The rest of the people refused to repent and change their ways and they rejected God's plan for salvation. The "day of grace" was over; the rains began; and the people who rejected God's plan were destroyed. God gave them every opportunity. He waited patiently for them, and then the rains began.

For the last several years, whenever anyone has asked why we think the judge still has not made a ruling on the lawsuit, I have had one response—we believe it is God's "day of Grace" for my sister and brother-in-law. I didn't have a Bible reference to point to, I just strongly felt that it wasn't because a judge decided on his own not to rule yet. I felt the delay had to be God-arranged. Somewhere along this process we started to believe it was God's "day of Grace" for my sister and brother-in-law. I believe this scripture in I Peter 3 confirms that belief, and this time of waiting is indeed God's "day of Grace" while "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat."

As God reminded me in the shower (after the judge made a ruling on some insignificant motions several months ago) we are NOT waiting on a judge. We are waiting on the Lord.

July 05, 2013

I went back to read the account of Noah in Genesis. It talks about how God's heart was filled with pain because of the peoples' evil actions. That is what our sin does to the heart of God. God came up with a plan on how He was going to deal with the evil, and then He waited patiently. The people had a choice. They could have repented, changed their hearts and lives and climbed aboard the boat for safety, but they didn't do that. They ignored the warnings. They convinced themselves that Noah was a fool and nothing was going to happen. But there came a day when the opportunity for grace was over and the door of the ark was shut and the destruction began. Only Noah—who was a good man; who was innocent; who walked with the Lord; who obeyed God's commands; and who pleased the Lord—was saved. He and his family.

Will my sister and brother-in-law accept God's day of Grace? Will they repent and change their hearts and lives? Will they get on the boat provided for salvation? Will they disregard God's warnings? Will they continue to live the way they want believing nothing will happen? I don't know. What I do know is God is patiently waiting until something is completed. O Lord, may they heed your call and get on the boat.

From early 2007 to this day, we have often used the analogy of a boat to describe the lawsuit situation we are in. I never once thought about our boat analogy in comparison to the ark Noah built, but it all fits. The analogy we have always used is this: we are in the boat with the Lord; my sister and brother-in-law are in the water in danger of drowning; God is extending His hand for them to cling to so He can bring them safely aboard the boat; and my sister and brother-in-law refuse to grasp His hand.  Instead of reaching for His hand, they are intent upon grabbing our hands to pull us out of the boat, so they push His hand out of their way. God has offered them salvation, but He will not force them. They have to surrender their desires and reach for HIS hand.

As I went back to Genesis to look for the story of Noah, the heading for Chapter 9 jumped out at me—The New Beginning. The flood is over, the destruction is complete and there is a NEW BEGINNING. 

My heart jumped. What? New Beginning?? That is what it was called?? Let me explain. 

It was one year ago (July 2012), that my husband and I went back to hike the Appalachian Trail for the first time since the "the storm" began. We were hiking the A.T. in July 2007 when we found out my sister and brother-in-law were most likely going to sue us. Now here it was five years later, and we unexpectedly had the opportunity to return to the trail we love. On the drive out we spent the entire time reminiscing and recounting the incredible blessings God had provided for us. It was humbling and overwhelming as we began to realize anew how the Hand of God had been on our lives throughout this process. God has been so faithful, and the tears flowed in gratitude and gratefulness for His mercies so abundantly given.

We were staying in our favorite area of Carlisle, PA. We had been there for just a day or so when during the middle of the night I very clearly understood that we were to begin praying about a "New Beginning." It was a random thought out of nowhere, but I KNEW. The next morning during breakfast, I told my husband I felt we were to begin praying about a "New Beginning." We didn't know what that meant or what it was, but we began to include praying about a "New Beginning" in our prayers.

It was shortly after we returned from hiking the A.T. that I KNEW we were supposed to remove all "the storm" things from the house. It seemed crazy, but we purged our home of everything that had anything to do with the lawsuit. It was during this same time that I updated our written testimony of Jane to include the phrase "a New Beginning is coming." We didn't know what the "New Beginning" was, but we were praying for it; we were listening for God's directions; and we were being obedient to His leading.

Life went on. Another year passed. And now I am reading in I Peter 3 about Noah and how "God waited patiently for them while Noah was building the boat." God shows us this is indeed my sister and brother-in-law's day of Grace; the analogy of a boat available to them for their salvation is an accurate description; God is waiting patiently for them; and a NEW BEGINNING is coming.

I am just amazed. You can't make this stuff up. God is real. He is in control, and we trust Him. Our prayer remains the same. May my sister and brother-in-law understand they are nothing without God, and may they desire nothing but Him. I'm so glad that we serve a loving God who is willing to wait patiently in order to save those who will turn to Him.

I have come to understand an important truth. When God has a thought or phrase get "stuck" in my mind there is something more He wants me to learn. Thus was the case with "(He) waited patiently for them while Noah finished the boat." Thank you, Lord, for continuing to show me YOUR truth.

Addendum: 1/15/17 ~ Here is a link to what we've learned about the "New Beginning" since I originally wrote this entry. The New Beginning: The Path Unfolds

I clearly remember when the analogy of a boat began to form in my thoughts. It was almost ten years ago. I could take you to the exact spot. My husband and I were doing what we did every day; we were walking hand and hand and praying aloud as we walked together. It was dark outside. As we were just about to leave a wooded area and enter the clearing, the analogy of us being safe in the boat with Christ; my sister and brother-in-law struggling to stay afloat in the water; Christ leaning over the edge of the boat to extend His hand of salvation to them; and my sister and brother-in-law rejecting His hand while grabbing at and attempting to pull us out of the boat—visually came to my mind. I shared my thoughts with my husband. We stopped and stood there at the edge of the woods talking about this new thought, then we joined hands and once again prayed for my sister and brother-in-law to accept God's offer of salvation.

Seven years after the God-given analogy of a boat came into my consciousness, we became the grateful owner's of a beautiful antique wooden flat bottom row boat that is almost 90 years old. It was the summer of 2014. It happened in the most unusual way.

We were looking for a new "old" cupboard for our kitchen. I found one on Ebay that was located near where our daughter lived in northern Ohio. We drove out to take a look at it. The home was located towards the back of a subdivision. We found the home, loved the cupboard, and told them we would take it and left to get the cash to pay for it. On our way back out of the subdivision, we drove past a home we passed on the way in. In the yard, leaning against a tree was a wooden boat with a sign that said—FREE. Free? Really? We stopped, backed up, and got out to see it. It wasn't in the yard when we drove past the house just ten minutes before. 

The boat was beautiful and in almost perfect condition, and it was free. It turned out a family was getting ready to move their elderly parent into assisted living (something we had just done as well) and they were giving this boat away. They had just walked back into the house from setting the boat out when we drove past. It had been stored in the garage for years, but now because of the changing circumstances the family was ready to get rid of it.   

We live by a seven acre pond and we loved the boat. We weren't sure what we were going to do with it, but we were happy to have it. Maybe the best part was getting to meet the elderly gentleman whose boat it was. He was in his late 80's or early 90's and he remembered going with his father to buy this brand new wooden boat when he was only four or five years old. He loved that boat and recalled the many times he and his father would go fishing on Lake Erie. We took a picture of him standing beside the boat. He beamed with happiness knowing the boat was going to someone who loved it.

We brought it home. It amazingly is still float worthy. We stored it in our shop for several years still not sure what to do with it. And then last year, as we were finishing the Praise Shelter, we decided to take the boat out of storage to see what we could do with it. Maybe it would fit hanging under the shelter eaves, or maybe we could make it into a table—something. So, we got the boat down and took it to the shelter. It took up too much room to hang from the eaves. As we were talking and brainstorming other ideas we started talking about the analogy of the boat we had been given seven years earlier and how God has so graciously been our protector.

We finally decided it was crazy to keep the boat stored in a shop building where no one could see it. So, even though it is going to weather over time, we decided to display the boat as a symbol of God's faithfulness in front of a pine tree we planted by the shelter. The pine tree has special meaning to us. One of my life verses is Hosea 14:8 - "I, the LORD, am the one who answers your prayers and watches over you. I am like a green pine tree; your blessings come from me." (New Century Version) What a blessing to have this old boat beside the pine tree. Matthew 4:19 says we are to be "fishers of men." So, I am having a sign made that says, "Gone Fishing" with the reference of Matthew 4:19. The sign, along with an authentic old fishing net, will be hung on a post behind the the old boat.   

The boat fits perfectly with the simple timber peg construction Praise Shelter, the cobblestone path of God's promises engraved in stone, the fireplace/altar of praise, the pine tree representing God's blessings, and the boat representing His safety. I'm hoping we will have many opportunities to share our story—which is HIS story—with all those who come to our home. 

A beautiful old wooden boat—FREE! Set out along the road during the small window of time we were going to be driving by. What are the random chances of that? An old wooden boat symbolizing His protection and our purpose. "Follow me...and I will make you fishers of men." A NEW BEGINNING is coming.

Next Entry: I Peter 4:1–19

Hebrews 10:1–39

June 12, 2013

Okay, so yesterday I write about what this lawsuit is all about and how it isn't just about the money but it is also about either forcing our home (and business) away from us or taking our home for themselves. After I finished writing I did what I always do and I read the next chapter. Hebrews 10. And I read verse 34, "...and you even had joy when all that you owned was taken away from you, because you knew you had something better and more lasting." Hmm. "When all you own has been taken from you..."

Well, I have to tell you—that got my attention!!

Is God trying to tell me something? Is this insight into what is to come? Why am I reading this immediately after I write about the purpose behind my sister and brother-in-law filing this lawsuit and what the end result would be if they are successful? For a brief moment "what if" fears set in. But then truth and faith returned.  Praise the Lord!

Some things I KNOW:

• When this all started we opened our hands and surrendered ALL to God and His Will. ALL! Our home, business, lives—everything. A stake was driven in the ground (literally) and it remains there today. Our joy does not come from anything we possess. We could have nothing and still be happy individually and as a couple.
• We specifically sought (and still seek) God's plan for our lives. Was His plan to move us out of our home so we were available to serve Him elsewhere? We have listened carefully. When we went to Honduras we met a couple who gave up everything to go and volunteer at the farm. They talked about how God stirred in their hearts for months, as a couple and individually, and they knew God was calling them to this ministry. We have had no inner stirrings of God calling us to a different life and asking us to leave our home and business to "go." None. In fact, the exact opposite is true. He has given us additional ministries right where we are. He has opened our eyes to those around us. He has given us many confirmations that our ministries are effective and blessed by Him. He has grown and expanded our business. We have not sat on our hands and been idle while we wait for an official outcome to the lawsuit. We have worked hard in our ministries and we continue to work hard to improve our home and business.
• God gave us Jane. Meeting Jane can only be described as a God-ordained appointment. I met Jane on the very day the verbal attacks from my sister and brother-in-law and their plan to implement their hostile take over of our joint project began. During our very first meeting, Jane prayed an incredible prayer of blessing on my life. And then, even though I went to see her every Monday morning, there was nothing—for six months. During that same time period, my husband and I walked and prayed together every day; I went every week to visit Jane even though she was often not aware I was in the room; and my husband and I surrendered ALL. We were reading God's words, we were seeking godly counsel, we were praying, and we continued to live and love. We were open to whatever direction God was leading us. Then just three days after the lawsuit was filed (on my normal Monday morning visit with Jane), God gave us instruction (Praise me first); a promise (I will protect you in court); and an incredible second prayer of blessing on our lives. For ten more precious months, God continued to use Jane to speak words of instruction, encouragement, promise, and blessing to our lives.
• God closed the mouth of the lion and totally protected us exactly one year to the day that Jane spoke and gave us His last words. Jeremiah 33—A promise of release and restoration.
• God is faithful.
• God is just.
• God cannot lie.
• We are safe in His hands.

Those are all things I KNOW! I know... that I know... that I know. We can go to God with a sincere heart and a clear conscience. God is real. He is available to us, and we can draw near to Him. So, Hebrews 10:23 - "Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he has promised." That is our life. We have chosen to believe and to follow His leading—no matter what.

But, there is a flip side for those who have known the truth and turned their backs on it. Jesus is no longer their High Priest and there is no longer a sacrifice for their sins. Hebrews 10:27 - "There is nothing but fear in waiting for the judgment and terrible fire that will destroy all those who live against God." What an awful reality! The writer of Hebrews quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 - "I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them." and Psalm 135:14 - "The Lord will judge his people." Hebrews 10:31 - "It is  terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Hebrews 10:36–39 - "So do not lose courage... you must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. For in a very short time,

"The One who is coming will come and will not be delayed. The person who is right with me will live by trusting in me. But if he turns back in fear, I will not be pleased with him." Habakkuk 2:3–4 

But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved."

We believe! Just two words, but it says it all.

WE BELIEVE!!

Addendum: 11/30/16 ~ There are times when you read the Bible that something just jumps off the page at you. It happened today as I was reading this chapter. Actually, it happened twice.  

The first phrase is found in Hebrews 10:13 - "But after Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, forever, he sat down at the right side of God. And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power." I've never thought about it that way before. I obviously knew scripture talks about Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, but I never thought about Christ sitting there and waiting for His enemies to be put under His power and held accountable for their actions.  

The second thing that stood out to me is found in Hebrews 10:26–31.

"If we decide to go on sinning after we have learned the truth there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. There is nothing but fear in waiting for the judgment and the terrible fire that will destroy all those who live against God. Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was found guilty from the proof given by two or three witnesses. He was put to death without mercy. So what do you think should be done to those who do not respect the Son of God, who look at the blood of the agreement that made them holy as no different for others' blood, who insult the Spirit of God's grace? Surely they should have a much worse punishment. We know that God said, "I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them." And he also said, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (emphasis mine)

Hebrews 10:13 - "And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power."  

Hebrews 10:31 - "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Accountability is real. God is a God of amazing love and righteous wrath. We (people) tend to want to make God into someone who is warm and fuzzy and a god who just wants to bless our socks off. We (people) don't want to face the reality of judgment if we decide to insult God's grace by continuing to sin. There IS accountability.

I'd like to grab some people by their collars, shake them, and say—WAKE UP!! Don't you get it?!? God is a God of love and wrath!! Our choices dictate which attribute of God we will receive. A day of accounting WILL come!! Today, before it is too late, stop being stubborn and change your heart and lives. Please!

But yet, I know it is a decision only they/you can make. I cannot make it for them/you or I would. I have made my decision. I choose to believe. I choose to obey. I don't ever want to face the wrath of a righteous God. I want to hear the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

TODAY!! Before it's too late. Please listen! Please accept God's gift of Grace.   


 Next Entry: Hebrews 11:1–40

Hebrews 9:1–28

June 11, 2013

Jesus became the sacrifice—the perfect sacrifice. Hebrews 9:12–14 - "His sacrifice was his own blood, and by it he set us free... he offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God." Hebrews 9:26–28 - "But Christ came only once and for all time at just the right time to take away all sin by sacrificing himself. Just as everyone must die once and be judged, so Christ was offered as a sacrifice one time to take away the sins of many people. And he will come a second time, not to offer himself for sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

God is an "on-time" God. A friend of mine and our church choir used to sing a Black gospel song about God being "on-time."

"He may not come when you want him, but he'll be there right on time.  He's an on-time God... yes he is." (You can listen to Dottie Peoples singing it here.)

We are soon approaching the six year anniversary of my sister and brother-in-law filing the lawsuit against us. Six years. I look at the pictures of the special group of Sunday School girls who walked this journey with us and I think—Wow! What a change from when they were 6th and 7th graders to graduating seniors. Six years is a long time but God is an on-time God, and when "the storm" is supposed to be over it will be over.  I thought for sure it would be over before this special group of girls graduated. Even though it isn't over, I still had the awesome opportunity to meet with them one last time before they headed off to college and to share with them what God has done these last six years.

Six years.

We have made so many changes to our home and land during this time of waiting. As I was working outside today it just became clear all over again what this lawsuit is really about. More than the money they are seeking, my sister wants this house and our property for herself, or at the very least, she wants it away from me. That speaks volumes. Who could actually want to take something from someone else? I don't get that.

It's been six years, but I can still vividly recall what my sister said to me while I was standing in our kitchen. She walked up to me, put her thumb and first two fingers together, pointed them at my face, and then through clenched teeth said (while using her fingers to punctuate each word for emphasis), THIS.IS.MY.HOUSE! I remember saying, "excuse me"? My sister quickly back tracked and said what she meant to say was this is where she stayed when she visited. But her words revealed the truth and the hatred she was hiding spilled out. She wants what I (we) have.

This lawsuit is about more than just money. If money were the only motive it would have ended long ago. What they are doing just doesn't make logical or economical sense. They are spending far more than they could ever possibly recoup even if they "won." It can't be just about the money. Her Freudian slip, said at a moment of weakness through clenched teeth, revealed the truth.

Who could actually take something that belongs to someone else? They can. No one appears to be safe from their actions. Not friends, and not family. Nothing appears sacred or off-limits, and anything and everything appears acceptable if it benefits them.

What I know for sure is this: God cannot lie; and God is on-time. He will bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Addendum: 11/30/16 ~ God not only brings salvation to those who are waiting on Him, He also brings accountability and justice to those who are living for themselves.

"True repentance is not just confession of sin, but a sincere willingness to not do that sin again. If your conscience is not clear toward God in even one area of your life, repent, and ask God to cleanse you because of his shed blood." ~ From Life Lesson Application

Addendum #2: 7/28/18 ~  Five  more years have passed since I originally wrote this journal entry. It has now been eleven years since my sister and brother-in-law filed their ruinous lawsuit against us—and the lawsuit continues on. Our faith remains strong. God cannot lie and He is on-time. The lawsuit will be over when the time is right. Until that time, we rest on His promises and we wait on His timing.

When this journal entry was first written, I thought I was only keeping a record of my personal thoughts for myself and my family members so no explanations were necessary. But when reading this entry today, I realize an explanation needs to be written so a wrong impression is not given. When I wrote that my sister wants what we have (our house and property) it could give you the impression that we have a large expensive home/estate. That is not the case.

We choose to live our lives simply. We built a small cabin type home on a secluded piece of property we bought twenty years ago. This piece of property (which includes a woods and large pond) had been abused and neglected for years. We don't view our home and property as "ours." We understand we are simply the caretakers of what God has given us. For the past twenty years we've enjoyed working hard to respect the land and show the beauty of God's creation by landscaping, building stone walls, and planting hundreds of pines and other trees. It is a quiet, serene and peaceful place (partly because of the surroundings), but mostly because we are at peace.

When my sister and brother-in-law filed the lawsuit against us they owned multiple high end homes and properties. Wanting to take what we have wasn't fueled by their lack of possessions. Their actions can only be described as actions that are fueled by anger, revenge, and jealousy—wanting what someone else has. There is no other way to explain it. It's a twisted way of thinking, but my sister and brother-in-law's attempt to force us to pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars (and therefore lose what we have) isn't so much about achieving a monetary gain or the "value" of something. It's about trying to take away from us what they resent the most—our inner peace and happiness. It's irrational, but if they can "win" then they think they can project upon us in their position and they can take our position. What they don't understand is this: inner peace and happiness does not come from the things you "own" because money can't buy it. Inner peace only comes from knowing whose you are, surrendering your all, and putting your faith and trust in HIM.    


Next Entry: Hebrews 10:1–39    

Hebrews 1:1–14

June 02, 2013

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. It is all about you Jesus.

"God has chosen his Son to own all things, and through him he made the world. The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word. When the Son made people clean from their sins, he sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven. The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is much greater than theirs." Hebrews 1:2–4

A "name above all names." At the name of Jesus every knee will bow. He is King of all kings, and He is Lord of all lords.

After the writer of Hebrews explained who the Son was, he quoted Psalm 2:7; II Samuel 7:14; Psalm 97:7; Psalm 104:4; Psalm 45:6–7; Psalm 102:25–27; and Psalm 110:1. He quoted those scriptures from the Old Testament to show the Jews (and us) how scripture was fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Jesus and to prove that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. The writer of Hebrews wanted to make sure the people knew that Jesus came to fulfill the law. It isn't Jesus plus the law. It isn't Jesus plus anything.

Jesus and God are One. (See John 1:1–18)  By confessing Jesus is Lord you bring honor and glory to God. (See Philippians 2:5–11) The only way to be made right with God is by accepting the grace he gave through His Son. (See Romans 3:22–25) Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (See Revelation 21:13) Jesus is coming again. (See Revelation 21:20) His throne will last forever and He will rule with fairness. (See Psalm 45:6–7)

Jesus will remain:

• in all things 
• above all things    
• before all things, and
• after all things.

Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. It is ALL about YOU!

JESUS!


Next Entry: Hebrews 2:1 – 3:19

I Timothy 1:1 – 2:15

May 19, 2013

Get rid of false teachings and focus on what is important—LOVE. I Timothy1:5 - "A love that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a true faith." Paul goes on to talk about God's grace. He was the worst of the worst. He was "religious" but not a Christ follower. He was a religious unbeliever. But by God's grace he was saved and given the work of "serving him."

Serving God → serving others. We went straight from caring for my husband's terminally ill brother to caring for my husband's parents. I am exhausted and weary. I handle all his parent's medications (over fifteen different kinds each); arranged for and am the liaison for home health care; go to their house three times a day for his mother's insulin shots; handle all doctor calls and visits; develop and keep records to handle the results of their medications; do the grocery shopping; take them meals, etc. If you've ever been the caretaker for someone else you know what I am talking about. It is exhausting and overwhelming.

I always want to be sensitive to whatever it is that God is wanting me to do and I never want to stop doing the right thing just because I am tired. We have honored our Mothers' and Fathers' and we will continue to do so. But there comes a time when we are enabling and not "serving."  We are not honoring God if we don't speak truth and support lies no matter what the age of the person. We have had to confront some behavior issues which are not age related but good old fashioned sin and pride. God is slow to anger and has patience without limits, but He is never "done" with us and we are never given a pass to no longer be obedient just because we are 87 and 86.

We are to fight the good fight to the end. We are to die to self and live for Christ to the end. We are to understand that God is God and we are not to the end. It is not about us!  It is ALL about Him—to the end.

"To the King that rules forever, who will never die, who cannot be seen, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." I Timothy 1:17

There is only one way to God—Christ. We can choose to love God—OR—love self. It can't be both. We either die to sin or we don't.  


Next Entry: I Timothy 3:1–16

Colossians 1:1 – 2:5

May 09, 2013

"Jesus paid it ALL, All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow."

The old hymn has it right. It is ALL about Jesus. I like how Max Lucado says it in his forward to Colossians. "If we are saved it is because God rescued us and not because we learned to swim. God is the verb and we are the noun. God does the saving and we do the receiving." In Jane's NIV she has written: "Christ is Supreme through entire book."

It (everything) is ALL about Jesus. Nothing needs added and nothing should be taken away. We are saved because someone shared the Gospel with us. We need to pass it on and tell others so they too may receive Christ as Savior. We need to produce fruit and help strengthen those who are growing in the Lord.

I like how Paul always told the people (he was writing to) what his prayer for them was. I have started to do that more and more. Instead of just telling someone I will pray for them, I actually write out my prayer and give it to them. People have responded and said how much it meant to be able to read the prayer being prayed for them.

Here is what Paul prayed for the people of Colossae. He prayed they would:

• Have great wisdom (knowledge) and understanding (living it out) in spiritual things
• Live in such a way to bring honor and glory to Christ
• Produce fruit in every good work
• Grow in the knowledge of God
• Understand that it is God who strengthens them
• Not give up when trouble comes
• Be patient
• Joyfully give thanks to God

After his prayer, Paul reminds them of the importance of who CHRIST is.

• Jesus IS God.  
• Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God
• He ranks higher than everything that has been made
• Through His power ALL things were made. ALL things—in heaven and on earth; seen and unseen; all powers, authorities, lords, rulers—ALL
• ALL things were made through Christ
• ALL things were made for Christ
• He "was" before anything began
• He holds ALL things together
• He is the head of his body (the church)
• Everything comes from HIM
• He was the first to be raised from the dead
• In everything He is first.  
• He is Supreme.

Jesus is in all, above all, and through all. He is God and He is the only way to Salvation. Through His death we gained access to God. He took upon Himself our sins so we could be presented to God as holy people who are without wrong and who have nothing in our lives for which God can judge us guilty. That's what Jesus/God did for us. It is an available and unfathomable gift. BUT! In order to receive the gift of Salvation, we must accept it for ourselves and that means surrendering to the Lordship of God in ALL areas of our lives. Understanding HE is God—I am not. We go TO Jesus for forgiveness; salvation comes FROM God; and we SUBMIT to Him as Lord of our lives.

"Continue strong and sure in your faith. You must not be moved away from the hope brought to you by the Good News that you heard." Colossians 1:23

How to remain strong? The secret is in Christ himself. HE is in us; HE gives hope; HE gives wisdom and understanding; and in HIM we are safely kept.

Addendum: 10/2/16 ~ As I was reading these chapters this morning several things stood out to me.

Colossians 1:19–20 - "God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ. And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ's death on the cross."
Colossians 1:27 - "God decided to let his people know this rich and glorious secret which he has for all people. This secret is Christ himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for glory."
Colossians 2:2–3 - "I want them to be strengthened and joined together with love so that they may be rich in their understanding. This leads to their knowing fully God's secret, that is, Christ himself."

What a gift of love. God has given himself to us! The thing is, it is a secret that can only be known and understood when you accept Christ as your Savior. No wonder the world doesn't "get it." You have to FIRST by faith believe THEN God's secret is revealed and made known.

Thank you, Lord, for YOUR gift of yourself to us through YOUR son Jesus. 


Next Entry: Colossians 2:6–23

The New Beginning: Wait For His Justice

May 03, 2013

I am just totally amazed and stand in awe of God.

Last night an "in your face" moment happened. Nothing hugely upsetting, just something "in your face" that made us feel like life just wasn't quite fair. Sometime during the night I awakened and was thinking about how some things in life just don't seem fair, and immediately a response in the form of a question and a directive came to my mind and was pressed upon my spirit.

"Are you going to listen to truth or believe the lie? Read the chapter in Psalms. And read Habakkuk too."

My immediate response was—Okay, LORD—and I peacefully went back to sleep. I couldn't have told you the number of the chapter in Psalms, but I KNEW what chapter it was. I knew the chapter was on the left hand side of the page in my Bible. I knew where the chapter started on the page. I knew I had written a note beside it. 

When I got up this morning, I picked up my Bible, sat down, turned on the light, and started by reading Habakkuk. I then turned to the Psalms and started leafing through the pages. There it was on the page, exactly as I pictured it. Psalm 73.

In Habakkuk, the prophet is complaining about how life was unfair. God replies—I know what is going on, I will rise up, justice will be done. Habakkuk complains again. He complains that he even feels used by God. God replies—I am God, I can do what I want. Habakkuk says—Okay, God, I get it. You are in control, I am not. I trust you and I will wait for your justice. Even if everything goes wrong and there are no figs on the tree, no olives in the field, no grapes on the vine, and no sheep or cattle in the barns even then,even then I will praise the Lord, for He is the one who is my Savior and who gives me strength.

In Psalm 73, David is complaining about the same thing. He knew what the truth was but he had become discouraged and almost believed the lie. Accountability for the wicked just didn't seem to happen. Not until he went to God did David understand. God is God; HE is in control; I am not; and David became okay with that. Justice will happen when the Lord decides to rise up. And David says—Okay, God—I get it. I surrender to YOU, I want nothing but YOU. I may become weak but YOU are my strength, YOU are my protection—and that is enough.

I choose to believe the truth and not listen to the lies. Thank you, God for the reminder. I "get it." I will wait for your justice and freedom from "the storm."

In Habakkuk God tells him to write down what God was showing him. Habakkuk 2:2 - "Write it clearly on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others." In Psalm 73:28 David says, "I will tell all that you have done."

• God has promised
• He will deal with the wicked
• He is in control
• Write it down

 I get it, LORD. Thank you, for the reminder.

Addendum: 9/19/16 ~ I'm sitting here with a smile on my face. After a four month break, this morning I started transcribing my journal entries again. I've been curious.  Hmm... I wonder what is in my last one and one half journals that covers Philippians–Revelations.

So, on my very first day, the second post I come to is another untitled journal entry. We now understand my untitled journal entries were actually progressive steps in the New Beginning. The interesting thing is last night another "in your face" moment happened. But this time, my spirit responded in a totally different way than it did in 2013. This time there was no angst and no feelings that life was unfair. Instead, there was an immediate response of—"God's got this. He is in control." Immediate.

Oh, how we have grown in our faith and understanding over the years. We trust Him—period. I'm just amazed that an "in your face" moment happened late last night and this morning I am transcribing what I wrote about that very subject over three years ago. I'm so thankful we have grown in our faith and understanding. 

The other things that stood out to me today were the statements:

"Write it clearly on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others"; and "I will tell all that you have done."

In 2013, I had no idea my personal journals were anything more than that—personal. But then this happened:

LORD – What Am I to Do?;
The LORD Answers!;
I Didn't Know—BUT GOD DID!!

In my simple mind, I thought telling His story meant a pamphlet of some sort or a couple paragraph story in something like Guideposts. NEVER did I imagine (or could have imagined even in my wildest dreams) that God planned to use my personal journals to tell HIS story. NEVER. I don't know how "clearly" it has been written, but our story is HIS story.

LORD, take my simple words to bring honor and glory to YOUR name. May others be encouraged by YOUR faithfulness. LORD, if someone reading this does not yet know you as their own personal Savior, I pray your Holy Spirit would draw them to you and they would be willing to confess their sins and acknowledge you as Savior. LORD, I pray they would understand the importance of surrendering ALL and they would be willing to do so. Thank you, LORD, for this opportunity. Thank you, LORD, for allowing us to be YOUR recipients of this Blessed Event. We are forever grateful for YOUR amazing love. 


Next Entry: Philippians 1:1 – 2:30 (Continued)

Ephesians 3:1–21

April 25, 2013

We are the Church. Jews and Gentiles are no longer separate. We are one, and we are the bride of Christ. Ephesians 3:11–12 - "This agrees with the purpose God had since the beginning of time, and he carried out his plan through Christ Jesus our Lord. In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this through faith in Christ." Thank you, Lord for your unfathomable gift of love and grace.

In Ephesians 3:1421 Paul writes his prayer for the people of Ephesus and us.

"I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through His Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. And I pray that you and all God's holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ's love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God. With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen"

The prayer Paul prayed for them (and us) doesn't just magically happen. Only when we totally surrender to His Lordship in our lives can we stand strong, have abounding faith, and even begin to understand the awesomeness of God's love. Only then. Then stand back, and watch with amazement as God does "much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine." Stand back—and watch. Notice he didn't say we should get in there and try to control things ourselves. God is the One, and to HIM be the honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Addendum: 5/5/2016 ~ Oh, how we have seen this first hand. Do your part, then stand back, watch, and be amazed. There is SO much freedom in letting go. When we were sharing the throne with God there was "what if" thoughts and self-induced pressure and fears. I never want to live my life like that again. We had it all wrong. We loved God; we were good people; we had God-given capabilities and talents; we thought our hearts were right; but there were areas in our lives where we were sharing the throne—and that cannot be!

God wants our total submission. When He has it then, "With God's power working in us God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or image." There was another level of understanding and faith that we didn't even know was possible to attain and I NEVER want to live my life in any other way but complete surrender. We have seen a glimpse of the Almighty and I want to fall before Him and say Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God Almighty. Blessed be HIS name. May all we do (our thoughts, actions and deeds) bless HIS name. 


Next Entry: Ephesians 4:1 – 5:20

Ephesians 2:1–22

April 24, 2013

In the past.

In the past before you were followers of Christ, you lived the way the world lives "following the ruler of evil powers" and doing whatever your sinful selves wanted. But that way of living should be in the past. God's mercy is great. Because of His great love He gave us new life in Christ and we are saved through God's grace which was a free gift from God. Therefore, we are new creations, and we should not be living as we did in the past. 

We did not and cannot "earn" our salvation by our own efforts or by what we do or don't do. Christ alone is the One who can save us. But it doesn't stop there. He saves us and creates in us the desire and responsibility through Christ Jesus to do "good works." This was God's plan. It isn't good works that gives us salvation. Our salvation demands good works! And that in turn brings honor and glory to God and fulfills His plans for us. There should be a distinct difference between our past way of living and our new life in Christ. 

"But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away from God are brought near through the blood of Christ's death. Christ himself is our peace." Ephesians 2:13–14

Christ's message of peace was for "those who were far away from God, and to those who were near to God." (Ephesians 2:17) He is the cornerstone that our lives should be built upon. If He isn't the foundation then our lives will crumble. He is either the cornerstone (the first and most important stone in a building), or He isn't. You cannot live a life of deceit, lies, grudges, deception, etc. and have your life built upon Christ.

The Cornerstone demands a life of good works. 


Next Entry: Ephesians 3:1–21

Romans 8:1–39 (Continued)

February 12, 2013

Our future glory, and the hope we have in Christ Jesus:

"Everything God made is waiting with excitement for God to show his children's glory completely." Romans 8:19

E - V - E - R - Y - T - H - I - N - G! Everything was made useless so that ONLY through the blood of Christ "everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory that belong to God's children." (Romans 8:21) God's promises give us HOPE. Romans 8:24–25 - "If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. People do not hope for something they already have. But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently." The Spirit himself helps us. He goes to God on our behalf. He "even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain." (Romans 8:26)

If that doesn't bring tears to your eyes then I don't know what will. What a gift! What an unfathomable gift of love. God knows what is in people's hearts. HE KNOWS!! If your heart is pure—He knows. If the heart is wicked— He knows. The truth will reveal what God already knows. And because of that, we have hope! Romans 8:28–34 - "We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him... so what should we say about this? If God is with us, no one can defeat us. Who can say God's people are guilty? No one, because Christ Jesus died, but he was also raised from the dead, and now he is on God's right side, begging God for us."

Romans 8:35 - "Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can troubles or problems or sufferings or hunger or nakedness or danger or violent death?" NO! A thousand times—NO! Nothing can separate us from Christ's love! Not a sister's anger, deceit and relentlessness, not lawsuits, and not lies. NOTHING can separate us from God's love and the hope we have in Christ—NOTHING!

Romans 8:37–39 - "But in all these things we have full victory through God who showed his love for us. Yes, I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, nor anything else in the whole world will ever be able separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What a vivid description:

EVERYTHING—God has provided EVERYTHING we need.

NOTHING—NOTHING can separate us from what God has already provided for us.

There is no room for a misunderstanding in that description. You cannot argue against "everything" or "nothing." ALL we need HAS BEEN provided and no "one" or no "thing" can remove use from His love.

Addendum: 3/30/16 ~ Romans 8:21 jumped out at me while reading this passage today.  "Everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory that belong to God's children."

Set free from ruin!

The lawsuit my sister and brother-in-law filed against us is ruinous. There is no other way to look at it. They were offered so many opportunities to recoup their investment and they turned down every single one without even the slightest hesitation or any discussion. The sale of the entire project; our offers to buy them out for their actual and legitimate investment; our offers to sell to them; all flatly turned down.

If the courts award them a large settlement my sister and brother-in-law would see it as a win-win. They can ruin us by "making us pay," while "winning" money to rebuild their house of cards that crumbled because of their own bad choices. Our lawyer said it best when he said their attitude is, "We win, you lose—you choose." There has never been even the slightest hint of any kind of sincere negotiations. None. Their goal is to ruin us and nothing less then total ruin will satisfy them. (Actually, our total ruin wouldn't satisfy them either. They only THINK it would satisfy. NOTHING outside of God can fill the void in their lives.) They believe they are in control, but they are not. They are laser focused on revenge and our destruction.

BUT GOD!! God is a God of justice. His will—WILL prevail. We believe their ruinous plans will come to naught. We believe in HIS promises—and that is enough. Romans 8:21 - "Everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory that belong to God's children."


Next Entry: Romans 9:1–33

Romans 1:1–32

January 14, 2013

A whole week has passed and I haven't written a single thing. What a week! Our time has been consumed helping my husband's brother. The number of his days is coming to a close. We take comfort in knowing he is ready, and in also knowing we have done everything we could to help him. Thank-you again Father for allowing us this opportunity.

Acts 1:5 - "I do this work for him..."
Acts 1:12 - "Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you..."
Acts 1:17 - "It begins and ends with faith..."
Acts 1:17 - "Those who are right with God will live by trusting in him." (Quotation from Habakkuk 2:4)

Those verses sum up this past week. We are utterly exhausted, but everything we have done is work we have done for Him. It has been good to be able to help and encourage my husband's brother, and it has been good for my husband to hear the words, "I'm sorry" from his brother. Surrendering to God the number of your days is FAITH, it is not giving up. And when you are surrendered to God you can live by trusting Him, even under the shadow of death.

What Grace. What Love.

But oh, what anger—the wrath of God—when you refuse to surrender to Him.


Next Entry: Romans 1:1–32 (Continued)