II Chronicles 32:24 - 33:25

July 21, 2014

After all Hezekiah did right, he ended up becoming prideful and arrogant. He didn't remember who was in control.

God

 ↓  

Man

Hezekiah no longer thanked God, and God became angry. When the people sought forgiveness God forgave, but how much better it would have been if Hezekiah had not become so full of pride. I pray that we never forget to thank God for all He has done. It is not about what "I" have done, it is ALL about what HE has done.

Hezekiah dies and his son Manasseh becomes king. Manasseh rebuilt the places for idol worship that Hezekiah tore down. He put idols in the temple. He totally turned against the LORD's teachings. "God's people" did more evil than the people God forced out of the land Moses led the Israelites to.

God spoke to Manasseh and "his" people but they refused to listen. Later, the king of Assyria comes to attack them. They captured Manasseh and bound him. This is the same army that came unprovoked to attack Hezekiah and God protected them and soundly defeated the army because of Hezekiah's faithfulness. This time because of Manasseh's unfaithfulness, God caused the Assyrian army to attack, and "God's people" were soundly defeated.

Our actions determines God's response. When we are faithful—He provides protection. When we are unfaithful—His protection is removed. 


Next Entry: II Chronicles 32:24 – 33:25 

I John 1:1–10

July 13, 2013

"When it comes to salvation, there aren't several roads... there is only one road... there aren't several ways... there is only one way... there aren't several paths... there is only one path. And that path is Jesus himself. Jesus is not one of many options. He is the only option or nothing at all. ~ From NCV Introduction to John

I John 1 is comprised of only ten short verses, but those ten short verses are packed full of TRUTH. If the only page you had of the entire Bible contained I John 1, it would be all you needed to understand God and the way to salvation. 

John knew Jesus. He was there. He heard Him. He saw Him. He watched Him. He touched Him. He knew about God through Him—and he couldn't keep it to himself. He had to tell others what he knew. He wrote it down and he announced to others who Jesus/God was/is and how we can be in fellowship with God and what prevents that oneness with God from happening.

Here is John's message (my paraphrase):

God has always existed. Jesus is the "Word" and the Word gives life. Jesus walked, talked, and lived among man. His life continues forever. Jesus is part of the trinity. He was with God before the world began. God was revealed to man through Jesus during His time on earth. The way to God is through His Son Jesus. Knowing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ brings joy to your life and unity with other believers. Jesus shows us that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. None. Sin puts a barrier between God and ourselves. Denying the barrier doesn't make it go away. To think sin does not cause a barrier is only fooling ourselves and calling God a liar. The only way to remove the barrier is to confess our sins. IF—we confess our sins, THEN—the blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin. We can trust God. We can trust God to do what is right. We can live each day in God's light.

You cannot have darkness (sin) in your life and also be in fellowship with God. I John 1:8 - "So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth." Continuing to live in sin is refusing to be a servant to Master Jesus. It is asserting your own will over the will of God.  It is self choosing to live in darkness while saying you are a follower of God who is light. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. Light is a symbol of goodness and truth. God is light. If God allowed darkness in it would alter the Light of God.

God cannot change and cannot be changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But, while God is eternal, man is mortal. If we have accepted God's Light into our lives and then allow darkness in, it doesn't change who God is but it does change us. Our light loses its brightness and if we do not get rid of the darkness, the darkness takes over. I John 1:7 - "But if we live in the light as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's son, cleanses us from sin." The only way to have fellowship with God (and others) is to live in the light of God's truth.

IF we say we have not sinned we make God a liar and we are fooling ourselves. IF that is our attitude then the bottom line is we have rejected God's teachings and His truth is not in us. But IF—we confess our sins, THEN—He WILL forgive us of our sins and He WILL cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But it all hinges on one thing: IF we confess.

"We cannot be in a right relationship with God unless we live humbly, honestly, and dependently on him." (Life Lesson Observation)

Max Lucado, in his book The Applause of Heaven says it this way:

"If we confess our sins..." The biggest word in Scriptures just might be that two letter one, if. For confessing sins—admitting failure—is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do.

Justification. Rationalization. Comparison. These are the tools of the jailbird. They sound good. They sound familiar. They even sound American. But in the kingdom, they sound hollow...

When you get to the point of sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your care on him, and when there is truly no other one that you can call, then cast all your cares on him for he is waiting."

Excuses. We are all good at making excuses and rationalizations. Well I'm not perfect but I'm better than so and so. I'm not that bad. It's not really sin... at least not the big ones. I do a lot of good. I'm certainly not worse than most. I read my Bible... sometimes. I put money in the offering plate... sometimes. I give the things I don't want to charities. I'm a good person... at least most of the time. I'm sure God is glad I'm part of His team. Excuses. Excuses. No more excuses!!

God is faithful with the THEN, but it all hinges on the IF. 

IF—we confess our sins... THEN—I will forgive. 

IF—my people who are called by my name... THEN—I will hear. (II Chronicles 7:14)

 "True repentance is not just confession of sin but a sincere willingness to not do that sin again." ~ From Life Lesson for Hebrews 9

Next Entry: I John 2:1–29

Hebrews 5:11 – 7:28

June 06, 2013

Hebrews 7 explains how Jesus is a priest forever like Melchizedek in the Old Testament. God (through Jesus) has done His part. Hebrews 7:27 - "Christ offered his sacrifice only once and for all time when he offered himself." Forgiveness is available to all mankind because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Hebrews 6 deals with what we do with the sacrifice Jesus gave. Christ's sacrifice was never intended as just a "get out of hell" free card. While freedom from eternal damnation is one aspect (and certainly an extremely important one), the sacrifice Jesus made was meant for so much more than saving us "from" something. His sacrifice should save us "to" something. Our salvation should be noticeable. It should change our way of thinking, our hearts, and our way of life. We are to be continually growing and maturing in Christ.

The writer of Hebrews talks about how the people "were slow to understand." They were still like babies, understanding very little when they should have learned enough to become teachers. Hebrews 5:14 - "But solid food is for those who are grown up. They have practiced in order to know the difference between good and evil." (See Philippians 1:9–11) To not learn and to not grow is to take God's grace for granted. It is an abuse of His sacrifice and puts you in danger of falling away from His true teachings.   

If you are not turning towards God and learning from Him, you are turning away from God and getting farther away from His will. Our lives should be changing to become more like Him. That is not something that just happens. We need to be intentionally seeking Him and following His teachings. Again, if you are not turning towards, you are turning away. Psalm 78:40–43 - "They turned against God... they grieved him... they did not remember his power... they forgot..."

Hebrews 6:4–6 records what I believe to be some of the most disturbing words in the whole Bible. It makes me incredibly sad to read it because I recognize this happening in people I know. May it never be said about me.

"Some people cannot be brought back again to a changed life. They were once in God's light, and enjoyed heaven's gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit. They found out how good God's word is, and they received the powers of his new world. But they fell away from Christ. It is impossible to bring them back to a changed life again, because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others."

Wow! What disturbing words to read. They were in God's light; they enjoyed all of God's gift of salvation; but they fell away; they lost it all; and there isn't a thing we can do about it. And because of their stubbornness and refusal to change, "they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and are shaming him in front of others."

Oh, how that brings tears to my eyes. The choices we make MATTER!! Be careful! There are consequences for the choices (both the good and bad) we make! Hebrews 6:7–8 - "Some people are like land that gets plenty of rain. The land produces a good crop for those who work it, and it receives God's blessings. Other people are like land that grows thorns and weeds and is worthless. It is in danger of being cursed by God and will be destroyed by fire." (See Psalm 1)

Be patient. God is fair. He will not forget the things you have done by helping His kingdom. It is through faith and patience that you receive what God has promised. There are two things that God cannot change:

1. God cannot lie when He makes a promise, and
2. He cannot lie when He makes an oath.

CANNOT! It's not that God doesn't lie or that He won't lie, HE CANNOT LIE! Hebrews 6:18–19 - "These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong."

God has promised us His protection and He cannot lie. We are sure of His promise. We do not doubt it in any way. We are especially grateful for the way He gave us the promise because it was not in a way we could have expected, concocted, or manipulated. We didn't look through the Bible to try and find something we could claim as God's promise. We weren't even anxiously looking for or seeking a promise. That is why His promise was even more special. It was totally unexpected. Who (even in their wildest dreams) could ever have imagined that God, in His Sovereignty, would choose to use an elderly woman with dementia in a nursing home as His chosen way to deliver His prayer of blessing, and His messages of Purpose (Psalm 8), Praise (Psalm 150), Protection (Psalm 140), Provision (Isaiah 30), Path (Psalm 1), and Promise (Jeremiah 33) to us? It was humanly impossible. It could have only been the Hand of God, and we are so grateful.

We didn't know we needed a promise, but we sure have appreciated ALL of the promises HE has given us these past six and one half years. It has been an encouragement just like the writer of Hebrews penned. God cannot lie when He makes a promise and He cannot lie when He makes an oath.  Hebrews 6:18 - "These things encourage us who come to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given."

Thank you, Jesus for your sacrifice given once and for all. Thank you for your grace and mercy. Thank you for giving us your blessings and protection. Thank you, LORD, for your promises and for your "rest." For all these things and more—we thank you!


Next Entry: Hebrews 8:1–13

Philemon 1:1–25

May 31, 2013

Philemon was a believer and a worker for the cause of Christ. A group of believers (church) met in his home. As was custom at that time, he owned a slave named Onesimus whose name meant "useful" or "profitable." Instead of being "useful" or "profitable" Onesimus betrayed his master, stole from him, and then fled to Rome. While in Rome he somehow encounters Paul, he accepts the truth of Christ, and it changed his heart and life. Paul understands that Onesimus has changed, but he also understands that he must go back and make amends for his evil actions. So Paul writes Philemon and tells him what has happened.

"In the past he was useless for you but now he has become useful for both you and me."  (Philemon 1:11) 

His name meant useful, but until he found his purpose in life (by surrendering to God), he was useless. Our names may not all mean that, but until we accept God's plan for our lives we are all "useless." It is only through opening our hearts, lives, and hands to God that we become "useful." Paul understood a very important truth. Not only did Onesimus need to go back to seek forgiveness, Philemon needed to give forgiveness. The Bible doesn't record what happened, but by the words Paul wrote about the kind of person Philemon was, we can know what happened—he forgave.

Forgiveness given is equally important as forgiveness asked. If Philemon would have refused to forgive, it would have had far reaching consequences. He would have lost his ability to be a worker for Christ; he would have lost his witness; and the church meeting in his home could not have survived. By forgiving, he modeled the way Paul lived his life and Christ's forgiveness of us. Philemon 1:18 - "If he has done anything wrong to you or if he owes you anything, charge that to me... I will pay it back, and I will say nothing about what you owe me for your own life."

Christ forgave us. We need to forgive others.

I've always said that forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. When you hold onto grudges and hurts it destroys you and harms those around you. Forgiveness can be given before it has been asked for, but it cannot be completed until there is a changed heart. We have forgiven my sister and brother-in-law and we hold no anger or resentment in our hearts. But it cannot be completed until they change their hearts and lives and seek forgiveness. The change has to be real and authentic—THEN— forgiveness can be completed. We experienced/modeled this with our daughter and son-in-law. When change was only "claimed," forgiveness could not be completed. When change was real, it was a done deal. It was over with and completed, with it never brought up or needed to be said again.

If a real change happens with my sister and brother-in-law the same thing will happen. If there ever is restoration, our relationship cannot (and should not) be the same as it was before. It was not based on truth and it was very unhealthy. But that does not mean a relationship cannot exist. When forgiveness is completed then a new relationship can be built on the foundation of Truth and upon God's principles. That's the only way.

Christ's death on the cross—forgiveness given. Surrendering our lives to his Lordship—forgiveness  asked and completed.

It is interesting to think about what kind of person Onesimus was. His name meant "profitable" yet he was a servant. By his actions we can surmise that he hated being a servant and that he felt he should be in charge of his own life. So he took matters into his own hands and stole money and ran away to his independence—or so he thought. When we try to be in charge we mess things up. When his heart changed he changed. It was no longer all about him and Onesimus became profitable FOR the Lord.

Before you can move forward you must FIRST go back and repent. 

***** 

Jane has the following notes written in her KJV:

Philemon – "the loving one"; Paul – "the little one"; Onesimus – "the profitable one"

Real imputation – "that which rightfully belongs to me" (Romans 5:12)
Judicial imputation – that which is reckoned unto one which is not rightfully his own  (II Corinthians 5:21)
     (a) God imputed to Christ the sin of the whole world
     (b) God imputed to (?)* righteousness of God

*Jane often used shorthand symbols (which I can't duplicate here and don't understand) in her writing.

Addendum: 1/16/17 ~ As I was reading this morning a statement in the Introduction for Philemon caught my attention. "As you consider how to respond, consider a higher law. A law which sets all men, slave or nonslave, free."

That statement reminded me of what the judge said during the Settlement Conference. In his opening remarks he said he didn't know why he was assigned this case, but then he went on to say things that made it very clear why he was given the case. He made the statement that even if you think you have been wronged and even if you think you have the right to avenge, consider following the King's law, and grant forgiveness.

He was speaking to my sister and brother-in-law and expressing this very same concept. Consider a higher law. Consider doing things God's way. Consider forgiving (and therefore dropping this lawsuit) even if you have the American right to sue and even if you think you have a case.

As we all know, his plea did not work. It was an amazing thing to watch a judge invoke Biblical teaching. Amazing. Thank you, Lord, for once again speaking Truth to my sister and brother-in-law.


 Next Entry: Hebrews 1:1–14

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

II Corinthians 2:5–17

April 04, 2013

In I Corinthians 5 Paul tells the believers to put an unrepentant sinner out of the church. In II Corinthians 2, Paul is telling the believers to forgive and accept the repentant person back into their lives. In the one instance the person was unrepentant—and they were to separate. In the other, the person was repentant—and they were to accept him back.

Forgiveness is such an important truth. Even in separation there should be forgiveness. To forgive doesn't mean you accept the other person's actions. To forgive acknowledges that we are not the judge and that Christ forgave us. To harbor resentment and anger only harms yourself and those close to you. It does nothing to the person who inflicted the harm. I've always said it this way, "Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself." Always forgive! Forgive always! You don't forgive by your feelings. You do—and the feelings will follow.

There is victory, and it comes from Christ. II Corinthians 2:14 - "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet smelling perfume." To those being saved we are the scent of life that brings life, meaning to fellow believers we are an encouragement and reflection of Christ. But to those who have chosen not to follow God's ways we are the stench of death. Christ didn't change and the smell didn't change. What changed was the way the person perceived it. To the believer it is encouragement. To the one who has refused Christ we are a reminder of what they are fighting against and we are repugnant to them.

Paul asks, "So who is able to do this work? We do not sell the word of God for a profit as many other people do. But in Christ we speak the truth before God, as messengers of God." (II Corinthians 2:16–17)

Again—TELL THE STORY! We must tell the story of what God has done. How interesting that II Corinthians 2:17 says they do not sell God's word for a profit. From the time we finally understood we were to tell HIS story and the story of Jane (Her Name Was Jane) we KNEW we were not to personally profit from it. The story isn't ours. The story is God's and God's alone.

*****

I wish I could remember the two songs running through my mind last night. Every time I awoke I would repeat it so I could remember to tell my husband in the morning. But alas, by the time morning came the songs were gone. They both were songs I have not heard in years, and they were both about God's protecting love. God has been reminding us of His faithfulness throughout this process. Jane; providing a buyer for our joint project (refused by my sister and brother-in-law); God's protection exactly one year from Jane's last God-given words of restoration; blessing our business; blessing our family; and that is just part of the list. HE is in control—and we trust Him. He did not separate the waters and have us walk on dry land only to drown us as we near shore. 

God, we continue to believe. LORD, rise up, face the enemy and throw them down. Save us, O LORD, by your sword. Save us, O LORD, by your power. Amen.

Addendum: 4/15/16 ~  I'm in II Corinthians already!! I only have two more journals to transcribe. How can that be? Everything seems to be moving along at break-neck speed. Our Praise Shelter is coming along. The structure is finished. The old street brick fireplace is finished. The engraved stones are finished. Now it is time for me to start laying the street brick and cobblestone "floor." On one hand it is very exciting to see everything coming together and close to completion. On the other hand, I want to yell SLOW DOWN!! There are mixed emotions as we realize this portion of our journey is nearing an end. What happens next? When do I uncheck the private box and check the public box instead on this blog?

Of course we want the lawsuit to be over, but we don't want the days of grace for my sister and brother-in-law to run out. This morning as I was walking and praying I said the same prayer we have prayed for years now: LORD, may my sister and brother-in-law understand that without you they are nothing, and may they desire nothing but you. As I prayed that last line, I recalled an article I read which they (my sister and brother-in-law) wrote for an online forum where my brother-in-law made the statement "living the lifestyle I desired so much." He was referring to wealth, success, exotic vacations and lavish lifestyles. What a contrast to what we have been praying for them these last nine years. What a chasm between their desires for wealth and our prayer that they would desire nothing but God. Goodness.

Francis Chan does a great illustration of what is truly important. Watch it here. Life is short—eternity is forever. 

II Corinthians 2:14–16 contains some very interesting thoughts. When we spread His knowledge we are like a sweet smelling perfume and it is an offering to God. It is pleasing to God like the smell of the burnt offerings of the Old Testament. It is also pleasing to other believers, but to the non-believer (or the religious unbeliever) we are a stench. This explains so much. It's easy sometimes to wonder why there are some people who just really seem to dislike you for no apparent reason. The answer is found right here—we are a stench to them! Not because of who we are but because of whose we are. It is the heart of the person that determines whether the aroma is sweet smelling or a stench. What is sweet smelling to God and His followers is repulsive to the world.  


Next Entry: II Corinthians 3:1 – 4:15

Romans 3:9–31

January 28, 2013

A lot of life (and death) has happened since I've last written. When the right time comes I will write about it. While we are exhausted, we are also grateful for the opportunity to serve and for the healing of hearts that took place. Our faith in who God is has increased, and our sorrow is over-shadowed by the joy in our hearts. My husband's brother has reached his eternal home. Blessed be the name of the LORD.

All people are guilty of sin—ALL! Jane's Scofield KJV Bible lists a summary of the Greek words and their meanings for sin. Sin is:

1. Transgression—an overstepping of the law... the boundary between good and evil
2. Iniquity—an act inherently wrong whether expressly forbidden or not
3. Error—a departure from right
4. Missing the mark—a failure to meet the divine standard
5. Trespass—the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority
6. Lawlessness—or spiritual anarchy
7. Unbelief—an insult to the divine truth

Sin originated with Satan; entered the world through Adam; incurs the penalty of spiritual and physical death; has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; and can only be availed by faith. Sin is summarized three ways  An act—the violation of or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; A state—the absence of righteousness; A nature—enmity toward God.

Salvation is a free gift from God.

"Money can't buy it.Man's righteousness can't earn it.  Social prestige can't help you acquire it Morality can't purchase it.  It is, as Isaiah said, "...without money and without price." " ~ From Day to Day with Billy Graham

Romans 3:23–31 - "All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory, and all need to be made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God gave him as a way to forgive sin through the faith in the blood of Jesus' death... God always does what is right and fair... A person is made right with God through faith, not through obeying the law... faith causes us to be what the law truly wants."

"To be" is not a one time act of seeking forgiveness. It is an active and continual state of living for Christ.


Next Entry: In Remembrance of a Brother

An Opportuity to SERVE!

December 13, 2012

I've been praying a lot for my husband's brother. His leukemia is progressing rapidly. My husband and I met with his brother (and his wife) Sunday night to try and explain the medical options that are left. In some ways he has been in denial, but in many ways he just isn't capable of understanding it on his own. As we were talking with them the thought came to me that I should tell him the train analogy that I've told my husband. I hesitated. Should I say it or just let him remain oblivious to his situation? I said a quick prayer seeking guidance and then strongly felt I was to say it. My husband's brother can understand things better if he can "see" it whether visually or pictured in his mind. I explained to him (and his wife) that his disease is like a train. The train has already left the station. It left when he was diagnosed with Blast Crisis in September of 2011 and that medically there is no going back. I went on to explain that what we have been trying to do these last fifteen months is to slow the train down, and we are running out of options to be able to do that.

You could tell that it was finally starting to sink in. The next day I went to his Doctor appointment with him. While we were waiting for the doctor my brother-in-law said, "It will be good to go home." I nodded my head. We sat in silence. I knew he was processing his feelings and I didn't want to interrupt. Then he went on, "It will be good to be able to see Grandma and Grandpa again. I loved Grandpa B... he was my favorite." I could have cried on the spot. I asked him to tell me stories of his Grandpa. His faced beamed as he shared some of his memories with me.

He is starting to understand and he is beginning to look forward to heaven! This is huge! He is so simple minded. Death is seldom easy but it is even more difficult when an adult has limited understanding and coping skills. Other members of my husband's family have voiced their hope that the dying process could happen without him even knowing he is terminally ill. Death from cancer seldom happens that way. We are the only ones who have spoken honestly with him in terms he could understand, we will continue to try and guide him (and his wife) through the dying process. 

We have been praying several things:

1. For peace that only God can give;
2. For acceptance of God's will—no matter what;
3. For my husband's brother to have an increased desire for heaven as this life wanes;
4. For as much as possible a peaceful passing;
5. For God to accept him with open arms.

As I was praying for him about 5:30 this morning another old hymn came to mind.

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know "Thus saith the Lord."

   Jesus, Jesus, How I trust Him!
   How I've proved Him o'er and o'er;
   Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
   Oh, for grace to trust Him more.

Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me,
'Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

I'm so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou are with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

Written by Louisa Stead 1882.  Listen to it here.

There is one more thing we do while praying. We thank Jesus for the opportunity to serve my husband's brother. Who would have ever thought we would be thanking God for the opportunity to serve someone who brought more stress, problems, and headaches to my husband than any other person ever in his life! That's how God works. He changes you from the inside out. He took what was a horrible situation and turned it into an "opportunity." Wow! And the havoc situations that were meant for harm does not harm you. Instead, it builds you up and strengthens you and you become more like Christ in your thoughts and actions. Again—Wow!

Bless the LORD, oh my soul
Bless the LORD, oh my soul
Let everything within me
Let everything within me
Let everything within me
I will bless the LORD.

At all times,
At all times,
At all times,
I will bless the LORD!

Listen to it here.


Next Entry: Acts 17:1–34

Acts 13:1–52

December 4, 2012

The Holy Spirit was continuing to guide the people and giving them clear directions. Acts 13:2 - "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do a special work for which I have chosen them." They were chosen for a special work; they were sent out by the Holy Spirit; and they preached the Good News. In their travels they met a magician named Bar-Jesus. He was a false prophet. He was also someone who wanted to look important, so he hung around the governor who was an important and smart man. The governor asked Barnabas and Saul to come to him because he wanted to hear about God. Bar-Jesus felt threatened by this. So he was against Barnabas and Saul and he tried to keep the governor from believing in Jesus.

Saul (who was also called Paul) was filled with the Holy Spirit. He looked directly at him and said, "You son of the devil! You are an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of evil tricks and lies, always trying to change the Lord's truths into lies. Now the Lord will touch you, and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light of the sun." (Acts 13:10–11) What Paul said would happen—happened. Bar-Jesus became blind. He was purposely trying to prevent God's truth from being told, but God's truth was told—and the governor believed.

Observations:

1. Paul wasn't afraid—he looked straight at him.
2. Paul wasn't afraid because of his own strength—he was filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit.
3. Bar-Jesus was against everything that was right—he was against God.  
4. Barnabas and Saul were targets because of who they represented—not because of something they did.
5. Accountability happens—and it is God's to give.
6. God's will—WILL be done.  
7. Bar-Jesus was held accountable. 
8. God's word went out and people were saved.

Paul and Barnabas continued their ministry:

"Please listen... listen!... You can have forgiveness of your sins through Jesus. The law of Moses could not free you from your sins. But through Jesus everyone who believes is free from all sins... listen." ~ Acts 13:16–39

But many of the Jews did not listen and became angry at Paul and Barnabas instead. They spoke boldly to the people, "We must speak the message of God to you first. But you refuse to listen. You are judging yourselves not worthy of having eternal life! So we will now go to the people of other nations. This is what the Lord told us to do, saying: 'I have made you a light for the nations; you will show people all over the world the way to be saved.' " Isaiah 49:6

And the message of the Lord spread to the whole country. People tried to bring trouble against them and they were forced to leave. Acts 13:52 - "But the followers were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit." Outward circumstances cannot prevent our inner joy.

But God!

Addendum: 2/28/17 ~ As I was reading this entry today (to add a link to The Path to Salvation) something jumped off the page at me. I've learned that when something jumps off the page it is usually the Holy Spirit letting me know there is something He wants me to see and learn.   

Saul/Paul told Bar-Jesus (a false prophet) that God was going to touch him and he (Bar-Jesus) was going to become blind. "For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun." Here is what jumped off the page at me.

The blinding of Bar-Jesus is the same thing God caused to happen to Saul on the road to Damascus, but the purpose and the results—were for entirely different reasons.

God blinded Saul so He (God) could get Saul's undivided attention and so Saul would change HIS heart and life. Saul was doing everything in his power to prevent the message of Christ because he was misguided in his beliefs. God stopped him in his tracks; he was blinded; he heard Truth; he believed; he repented; he obeyed; he was forever changed; and he went on to change the world for Christ.

God blinded Bar-Jesus for a completely different reason. Bar-Jesus was a false prophet and sorcerer. He too was trying to prevent the message of God from going out, but not because of a misguided belief system. He was a sorcerer and false prophet.

Serguis Paulus was the governor and an important man. He asked for Barnabas and Saul (Paul) to come to him because he wanted to hear the message of God. This threatened the power and authority of Bar-Jesus so, "he tried to stop the governor from believing in Jesus." And Paul looked right at him and said, "You son of the devil! You are an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of evil tricks and lies, always trying to change the Lord's truths into lies. Now the Lord will touch you, and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything..." Bar-Jesus was immediately stopped in his tracks, became blind, and walked around groping to find his way. Blinded. 

When the governor saw this—he believed—and was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

Nowhere in scripture (that I could find) does it say that Bar-Jesus ever changed his heart. Bar-Jesus had already made his choice. The blinding of Bar-Jesus wasn't for the purpose of saving Bar-Jesus. Instead, it was for the purpose of reaching and saving someone else—the governor.  

Two different people blinded by God for two very different reasons. Saul was blinded so HE would change HIS heart and life and then go out and change the world. Bar-Jesus, after a life time of choices to go against God's teaching and a refusal to surrender, was blinded so OTHERS would see truth, believe, and change THEIR heart and lives.

Goodness. What a difficult reality to think about. I want to live my life surrendered to HIS will so HE can change me first, and then use our story (which is HIS STORY) to impact HIS Kingdom.

I believe my sister and brother-in-law's lifetime of choices may have left them blinded to God's truth. I've been painfully reminded of this these last two weeks as I've went back over my "change your heart and lives" entries to add the link to the Path to Salvation. We have always believed they will either be like Saul of the Old Testament who stubbornly refused to change his heart, or they will become like Saul of the New Testament who chose to believe, repented, obeyed, and changed his heart. Our prayer has always been (and continues to be) that they will choose to be like Saul of the New Testament and radically change their hearts and lives which in turn would then radically impact God's Kingdom.

Unfortunately, the reality is this: not everyone chooses to change their hearts and lives. But, even if they don't, God showed me today that HE can use their blindness to impact others and reach others with HIS message. Either way, our response should be the same. Blessed be the Name of the LORD.

It brings tears to my eyes to even think about it.  But no matter what:

Blessed be the Name of the LORD.

Next Entry: Acts 14:1–28

Acts 8:1b–40

November 26, 2012

After Stephen was falsely accused and stoned to death the entire church began to be persecuted. All the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. On the surface that appears to be a bad thing, but it was actually used for good. Because they were scattered, they told the people where they were the Good News about Christ. Because! God can take what was meant for harm and use it for His (and our) good. The message of hope and forgiveness can and should be told wherever we are and in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.

Philip went to Samaria to preach about the Christ. When the people saw the miracles and heard him speak "they all listened carefully." God prepares hearts for His word. Philip cast out demons, and healed the weak and crippled. The people were amazed. They were used to seeing "magic" performed by a man named Simon, but this was different. Simon the Sorcerer performed magic tricks and was well-known throughout the area. He loved the attention and the power. "He bragged and called himself a great man." Everyone, the least and the most important, paid attention to Simon, thinking he must have "the Great Power" of God, and the people began to follow him. His power did not come from God and he was not pointing people to God. The glory was all for himself.

And then, along comes Philip. He was performing miracles not magic. In addition to performing miracles, he preached about the Good News; the kingdom of God; and the power of Jesus Christ. He was not seeking attention for himself, he was pointing people to Christ. Simon saw and watched Philip as well. He believed, was baptized, and stayed close to Philip. He who had performed "tricks" was amazed at the miracles and the powerful things Philip did.

When Peter and John heard the people of Samaria were accepting the word of God they traveled there and prayed that the believers would receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw what happened when the people received the Holy Spirit from Peter and John's prayers and laying on of hands, he wanted to be able to perform in the same way. So he offered Peter money saying, "Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands will receive the Holy Spirit." Give ME! He was used to being a performer and wowing people with his tricks and getting glory for himself. He was wanting the same thing here. He wanted to buy what only God can give. Peter said to him:

"You and your money should both be destroyed, because you thought you could buy God's gift with money. You cannot share with us in this work since your heart is not right before God. Change your heart! Turn away from this evil thing you have done, and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you for thinking this. I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and ruled by sin." Acts 8:20–23

I'm not sure if Simon ever "got it" or understood the

God

↓↑

Man

relationship. He asked Peter and John to pray to the Lord "so the things you have said will not happen to me." Peter had just told him that he needed to pray to the Lord, and here he is asking them to pray for him.Some things you cannot outsource—and this is one of them.  Submission is a personal choice. No one else can do it for you. I hope he "got it," but I don't know. As far as I know he is not mentioned in the Bible again. What we do know is that sorcery is clearly condemned by God (Deuteronomy 18) and that even after he said he believed, he was ruled by his own greed and selfish desires. In James it says faith without action is dead, and that even the demons believe there is a God. There appears to be no proof that a true change was made. Sad, but true in many lives.

Acts 8:26–27 - "An angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Get ready... Go...' So Philip got ready and went." Immediate obedience. You have to love that. Philip's heart was so in tune with God's that he could hear his commands and obey his voice.

Get ready—Go! And he went. Then the next instructions came. "Go to that chariot and stay near it." So Philip ran to the chariot. He didn't meander over when he had the time. He ran! When he got there he heard the man reading from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asks him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he replied, "How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?" He asks Philip to sit with him. This is what he was reading:

"He was like a sheep being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a lamb is quiet while its wool is being cut; he never opened his mouth. He was shamed and treated unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. His life on earth has ended." Isaiah 53:7–8

Philip explained the meaning to him and told him the Good New about Jesus. As they traveled down the road they came to some water. The officer said, "Look here is water. What is stopping me from being baptized?" (Acts 8:36) So they stopped, Philip baptized him, then Philip disappeared and the officer never saw him again. Philip continued to preach the Good News.

Divine appointments of God.

Philip:

• Philip was ready and available. His relationship with God was already established.
• When God said get ready and go he immediately went. Total obedience. 
• Philip listened for direction. When God said go to the chariot he ran.
• Philip was God's hands and feet. He explained the Good News.
• Philip's obedience put him in the right spot at the right time.
• When God's mission was complete he left and returned to preaching.

Officer:

• He was seeking God. God never turns away an honest seeker.
• He was an important man, but he humbled himself to ask questions.
• He was the recipient of a blessed event.
• He met the Savior.
• He wanted to follow God's ways and was baptized. Total obedience. 
• He continued on his way full of joy.

Divine appointments of God. Amazing experiences.  


Next Entry: Acts 9:1–43

Acts 7:1 – 8:1a

November 23, 2012

The leaders have just (falsely) accused Stephen of speaking against Moses and God. They went out and found people to lie about him. And now the high priests ask him, "Are these things true?" Stephen replied: Listen to me! Then he summarized their Jewish history that is found in the Old Testament. He started with the promise God gave Abraham. He talked about Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Stephen showed how repeatedly God blessed, and how repeatedly the Jewish people rebelled against God. Stephen pointed out that they were doing the same things as their ancestors. Acts 7:51 - "You stubborn people! You have not given your hearts to God, nor will you listen to him! You are always against what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, just as your ancestors were." He went on: "Your ancestors tried to hurt every prophet that ever lived. Those prophets said long ago that the One who is good would come, but your ancestors killed them. And now you have turned against and killed the One who is good." (Acts 7:51–52) Notice he said "is"—present tense not past tense. God had given them His words, but they refused to obey them.

The leaders were furious! How dare he point out their failures. Acts 7:54 - "They were so mad they were grinding their teeth at Stephen." Instead of accepting the message of truth from God's messenger, they chose to deny the truth and kill the messenger. Just like their ancestors before. They took Stephen out and stoned him to death. Stephen looked to the heavens and said, "Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God's right side." (Acts 7:56) Standing at God's right side—not sitting at God's right side. This is the only time in scripture that it refers to Jesus "standing." Jesus is actively involved in His followers' lives. Stephen was "full of the Holy Spirit" and Jesus wasn't just sitting around thinking, "Oh well, what will be will be." He cared, and He was actively involved, which is what gave Stephen the strength to face what he was facing, to see the Hand of God working, and to feel no anger or revenge. Acts 7:59–60 - "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit... Lord, do not hold this sin against them." After he prayed this prayer he died.

On May 01, 2008, Jane's POA, my husband and I were gathered around Jane's (Her Name Was Jane) bed. Jane was dying. Jane's POA and I were on the right side of her bed, and my husband was on her left. Earlier in the day (while it was just Jane's POA and I) Jane extended both of her arms straight up towards the heavens. Now it was evening, and my husband was standing on her left side. She kept pointing upward. She would look at my husband and then towards the ceiling, then back to my husband, then to the ceiling again saying, "Go up!  Go up!" I'm convinced that Jane—full of the Holy Spirit—was seeing the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, walking with her through the dying process until it was time for, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Addendum:  3/5/16 ~ The words of the song We Will Not Be Shaken kept running through my thoughts last night. Stephen was not shaken. That song was followed by How Great Thou Art. Stephen's earthly death took him into the very presence of his Savior and he was able to immediately experience the greatness of God.

We Will Not Be Shaken 

For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.  

Though the battle rages we will stand in the fight
Though the armies rise up against us on all sides
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.

For in the hour of our darkest days
We will not tremble we won't be afraid
Hope is rising like the light of dawn
Our God is for us HE has overcome.

For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken. 


All those against him will fall
For our God is stronger
He can do all things
No higher name we can call for Jesus is greater
We can do all things

For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken. 

Listen to it here.

Listen to How Great Thou Art here.


Next Entry: Acts 7:1 – 8:1a (Continued)

Acts 5:1–42

November 20, 2012

The sin and death of Ananias and Sapphira. Barnabas sold a piece of land and gave all the money to the church. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land as well. They wanted to "appear" committed to the cause and "religious" as well. So, they decided to say they were giving all the money to the church, but in actuality they kept some and gave some. Their sin was not in keeping some of the money—they could have kept all the money. There wasn't a rule where they were supposed to give all the money. It was their field. They had every right not to sell it. When they chose to sell their land they could have decided to keep all the money, give all the money, or give part of the money. Their sin was in planning, orchestrating, and living the lie of deceit. They wanted to "appear" religious. They wanted the glory of people looking up to them for being so generous. So, Ananias and Sapphira schemed and strategized together on how to pull off their plan. They misrepresented truth, and their deceit resulted in their deaths.

You can hide the truth from man but you cannot fool God. The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter their hidden actions and Peter confronted them. Acts 5:4 - "What made you think of doing such a thing?" NIV); "Why did you think of doing this?" (NCV); "How is it that ye have agreed together...?" (KJV) What? Why? How? I remember asking those exact same questions when we found out about the actions of  my sister and brother-in-law. Peter is saying—Don't you get it!?! "You lied to God, not to us!" Peter wasn't responsible for righting the wrong. God was, and their sin caused their death. Sin does that. The wages (result) of deceit/sin is death. In this case it was death of their physical bodies. It can also mean the death of relationships, everything you dreamed or worked for, your core governance, your relationship with God, your witness, etc.

Sin is deadly, and it will be dealt with. Sin is not just dealt with as a punishment to the sinner. It is also dealt with so the power of the Holy Spirit can be unleashed and the witness of His followers increased. After—AFTER the sin was dealt with, the ministries of the followers (church) of Christ exploded. ALL to bring honor and glory to His name. They gained respect; people were healed; and "more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the group of believers." (Acts 5:14)  A seed has to die before a plant can be born. Sin within ourselves must die before we can be fully used by God. And there are times that sin in a group must be revealed and removed before God's purpose can be fully realized. It would be easy to get hung up on what happened to Ananias and Sapphira and focus on the fact they lost their lives, BUT what happened was God SAVED THE CHURCH!! And for that you can't be sorry.

All that happened still wasn't enough to make all believe. The Sadducees and high priest became very jealous. They took the apostles and put them in jail. Acts 5:19 - "But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led the apostles outside." The physical walls or bars of a jail (or a lawsuit) could not (or cannot) prevent God's plan. The apostles were led out! They didn't fight their way out. No one even knew they were freed. It appeared they were still in bondage, but they were not! It appears we are still held in bondage by a lawsuit, but we are not!

Not only did the angel lead them out, he also gave them clear instructions. "Go stand in the Temple and tell the people everything about this new life." Go—TELL! That is our instructions as well. When the apostles heard what they were supposed to do they obeyed and went into the Temple and continued teaching. We know we are supposed to tell HIS story whenever we have the opportunity. When we get further instructions, we WILL obey and DO!

The Sadducees "think" they have the apostles right where they want them—in jail. They call a meeting and they sent some men to go and get the apostles from jail so they could question them and give them orders to stop teaching about Jesus. As the men arrive at the jail everything appears as they think it should. The jail was closed and locked. The guards were in position. But the apostles were not there. Man, with his evil intents, CANNOT circumvent God's plan. CANNOT! The apostles weren't in the jail. They were teaching the people in the temple about who Jesus was/is!!!

The Sadducees had the apostles brought to them. "We gave you strict orders" to stop this. (This sounds so familiar! My sister and brother-in-law's angry words; their accusations; and then later blaming us by saying, when are you going to stop this, for the sake of elderly parents, children, grand-children and generations to come. What?) The Sadducees were feeling guilty. They didn't want to accept responsibility or guilt for themselves so they projected it upon the apostles, and accused the apostles of trying to make them responsible for abandoning and ultimately killing Jesus by nailing Him to the cross. Hebrews 6 says our unbelieving actions causes Jesus to be nailed to the cross—again.

I love Peter's response. Acts 5:29 - "We must obey God rather than men!" We must! Jail? Threats? Orders? Lawsuits? None of that matters. WE MUST and  WE WILL obey God and not be fearful of man. Peter boldly preaches God's message, telling them it is through Christ that you can be saved; change your hearts and lives; and receive forgiveness. Peter, the man who had denied knowing Jesus three times, was now Peter, a man filled by the Holy Spirit, and no one was going to shut him up. He was going to speak boldly—No Matter What! He was a witness to all Jesus had done  Acts 5:32 - "We saw all these things happen." When you see the hand of God at work in your life it changes you and you cannot keep it quiet!

When the Sadducees failed at destroying Peter and his ministry, "they were furious and wanted to put them to death." A lawsuit doesn't try to kill someone physically, but the lawsuit my sister and brother-in-law filed against us is fueled by fury. It tries to destroy everything we materially own, which in their minds would therefore destroy us personally. They don't understand—our self value does not come from anything we own. They cannot remove from us the only thing that matters, and that is our relationship with Christ! A respected Pharisee stood up and cautioned the Sadducees about the ramifications of what they were wanting to do to Peter and the other apostles. He said: "Stay away from these men and leave them alone! Let them go. For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourself fighting against God himself." (Acts 5:38-39 NCV and NIV)

"But!! If it is from God, you will not be able to stop them; you will be fighting against God himself."

The Sadducees agreed with the respected Pharisee but they still had to try and remain (or at least appear to remain) in control. So they called the apostles in, beat them, ordered them again not to be speaking about Jesus, and then they let them go free. And the apostles response? Acts 5:41–42 - "(They) left the meeting full of joy because they were given the honor of suffering disgrace for Jesus. Every day in the Temple and in peoples homes they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ." They were beaten and given orders to shut up, but in the ugliness of their situation they understood they were part of a "blessed event" and they were full of joy. Day after day, and from house to house, "they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ."  Makes you want to stand up and yell "Hallelujah" while waving a white hankie! 😊 Blessed be the name of the LORD!

Nothing—can stop accountability
Nothing—can thwart God's plan
Nothing—can keep His message from being told

"No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand."~ From In Christ Alone by Natalie Grant (Romans 8:38–39)

Father, I thank you for allowing us to be the recipients of this ugly thing called a lawsuit which is actually a beautiful Blessed Event. May we always boldly proclaim that you are indeed the Christ.


Next Entry: Acts 6:1–15

Acts 3:1 – 4:37

November 19, 2012

There is so much in these two chapters! Where to begin?!?

Peter, who at one point in his life was afraid to stand boldly for Christ, was now filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and he was a changed man. He boldly spoke to the people in Acts 2 telling them they must "change your hearts and lives." Now in Chapter 3 he boldly heals a man who was crippled for 40+ years. Peter boldly speaks to the people again telling them, "So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins" and times of refreshing will come from the Lord. Peter and John were put into jail, but Peter boldly spoke to those who imprisoned them telling them, "Jesus is the only One who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save people. We must be saved through him." (Acts 4:12)

Acts 4:13 - "The leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak, and they understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed." They couldn't argue against the miracles Peter and John performed and they knew what they were saying was true, but still they did not (or would not) believe. They still did not want the truth about Jesus told. They instructed Peter and John to quit talking but Peter and John could not stop. Acts 4:20 - "We cannot keep quiet.  We must speak about what we have seen and heard."

It was the power of the Holy Spirit that gave Peter (an ordinary and uneducated man) the ability to speak boldly. The people wondered how they could heal a cripple. God allowed the people to see the miracles so they would believe. It isn't enough to just see, you must also believe and "change your hearts and lives." They were witnesses so they could KNOW it was the power of Jesus. But even when they could not deny the truth some still refused to surrender and believe.

While some were fighting against the truth, the believers grew even stronger and united together. They prayed and praised the maker of the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. (Reminds me of Psalm 8.) They understood that scripture was being fulfilled. They cried out to the LORD:

"And now Lord, listen to their threats. Lord, help us, your servants, to speak your word without fear. Help us to be brave by showing your power to heal. Give proofs and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus your holy servant." Acts 4:29–30

"After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God's word without fear." Acts 4:31

"And God blessed all the believers very much." Acts 4:33

Lord, we ask that you bless us, and bless us indeed. Enlarge our territories. May we see your hand working in our lives. Protect us from evil that we would harm no one. Amen.

*****

My sister and brother-in-law showed up at Mom's today totally unannounced, and are planning on staying until Thursday morning. Who shows up (from a western state) purposely unannounced and stays four days? Who does that? Especially to an elderly woman with whom you have a very strained (and almost non-existent) relationship with? That is just so incredibly selfish, rude, and disrespectful.


Next Entry: Acts 5:1–42  

John 3:1–36

October 17, 2012

Yesterday I wrote about what was said about Jesus in the last verse of John 2 - "He did not need man's testimony about man, because he knew what was in people's minds." Now in John 3:19–21 - Jesus says, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (NIV)  My NCV version says, "They are judged by this fact: The Light has come into the world, but they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. All who do evil hate the light and will not come to the light, because it will show all the evil things they do. But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done by God." Wow!

When you are in a lawsuit, words like "testimony," "verdict," and "judged" jump out at you. To write about John 2:25 ("He did not need man's testimony.") yesterday, and then moments later read John 3:19 - "This is the verdict... and they are judged by this fact," it grabs your attention and just really makes you stop and read carefully to understand what Jesus is saying.

Here is what I take from reading these chapters.

1. He doesn't need our help. He knows our hearts and he knows my sister and brother-in-law's hearts. He knows! He doesn't need anything proved in an earthly court.
2. We are known by our words and actions. John 3:11 - "We talk about what we know, and we tell about what we have seen." The truth about who we are eventually comes out, it will be known.
3. God wants to give grace. He provided the greatest sacrifice—His only son. We have the opportunity to have forgiveness and eternal salvation. But the choice to accept it is ours. God has offered it, but it is up to us to accept it. He will not and cannot force us.
4. People who believe are not judged guilty—in this life or in death. Man can try and accuse you of evil in a court of law, but when you have been made free by the creator of the universe you are free indeed.
5. The opposite is also true. John 3:18 - "Those who do not believe have already been judged guilty." The criteria has been set. The verdict is determined. People are judged by this fact:  
6. You cannot do evil, and continue to do evil, and be close to the Light at the same time. It cannot be done. Evil and Light cannot mix. It is like oil and water. Evil needs darkness to exist. Otherwise what has been done in darkness will be exposed by the light. And if it is exposed it will either have to be dealt with (confessed and made right) or it will have to be acknowledged as chosen purposeful sin.
7. Those who believe are drawn to the Light. They can't stay away. Their innocence is known. The want to bring glory to God. It is all about HIM.  

God doesn't need man's testimony and HE will declare the verdict. Judgment will be based on the facts.

Our life goal should be the same as John the Baptist. John 3:30 - "He must become greater, and I must become less important." It is not about us. It is ALL about Him. Twice in John 3 it says - "The One who comes from above is greater than all." The bottom line (and also the last verse in Chapter 3) is this:

"Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, but those who do not obey the Son will never have life. God's anger stays on them." John 3:36

He provided a way. The choice is ours.


Next Entry: John 4:1–54

Our Testimony: The Journey So Far

This is a copy of a letter I sent to acquaintances who were going through a health crisis. It is a testimony to where we have been and what we have learned.

September 14, 2012

We want you to know that you and your family have been in our hearts and in our prayers. Our hearts break when we think about the pain you are both experiencing. On one hand we are so sorry that you are facing this time of uncertainty and this horrible life changing situation. However, on the other hand, we have also come to accept (and believe) what God says in II Corinthians 7:10. "The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death."

We have learned that there are times that God either takes us into the deep water or He allows us to be taken into the deep. He doesn't take us there to drown us—He takes us there to cleanse us and prepare us for His use. Peter had spent the night fishing in his own power and came up empty. When Jesus tells Peter to go fishing again, He was very specific on where He wanted him to go. "Take the boat into deep water..." Peter responded by saying, this doesn't make sense Lord, "but you say to put the nets in the water, so I will." He chose to willingly do what did not make sense, and when they did as Jesus told them, "they caught so much fish that the nets began to break."

We have a choice on how we are going to respond when Jesus asks us to go to the deep water. We can fight it. We can deny it. We can try to avoid it. We can be angry about it. We can go unwillingly. Or, we can surrender and say—this doesn't make sense Lord, but I am willing to follow you even if it doesn't make sense. I will do what you ask instead of what I want. I surrender ALL to you. And when we get our hands out of the way, we can SEE the hand of God as HE works—and we are blessed by HIM. He takes us into the deep so He can change us, teach us, bless us, and use our stories to bring honor and glory to His name.

We've never had the opportunity to share with you what God has done in our lives and how He has changed us when He sent us into the deep and we submitted our will to His. We are just ordinary people, but God has chosen to do extraordinary things in our lives. As we look back we can identify those times of "deep water" and how God used them to shape our lives when we responded by seeking His will. Jesus has allowed (and continues to allow) situations and circumstances in our lives to change us from forgiven—to surrendered. The first time we really entered the deep was when my best friend was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer while in her 20's and died soon thereafter. We walked with their family during the fight for life and surrender to death. She left two very young children. I knew nothing on how to handle "living" while my friend was dying. God used that time to teach me about illness and the stages of dealing with death. He taught me about forgiveness. He taught me to not think "why my friend" or "why me" and instead took me to the understanding and realization of "why not me." What God taught me during that time has been used with countless classes of young people as I share with them the TRUTH of God's faithfulness in life and death.

Another deep water time in our lives came in 1995. My husband was in a truck accident and the C-2 and C-3 vertebrae in his neck were fractured in six places. His hip and his collar bone were also broken. However, none of the fractures were found at the time of the accident. His neck fractures were not discovered until weeks later. C-2 is the area of the spine that controls your breathing—and it had four fractures in it. It is called a Hangman's fracture because the fracture of that vertebra is what causes death in a hanging. He underwent surgery to fuse the vertebra together using bone from his hip and C-clamps to hold them together. The doctors told us the fractures were so precarious that at any time during the months he went undiagnosed, he could have died from just a sneeze or someone patting him on the back. Two families besides our own depended on my husband for their income. For four months he could do nothing. God taught us that we were too dependent upon ourselves and that our dependence was to be solely upon Him. When we learned to trust God, He built our faith up and we learned what it meant to depend on Him for our survival—physically, financially, and spiritually.

He used that experience in the deep to prepare us for the next set of deep waters—our daughter choosing to walk away from God's will for her life. God taught us perseverance as we surrendered our daughter to Him and stood firm on God's Word. It was a long ten year journey. What we learned during this time is what fueled my passion to teach and impact the lives of 7th grade girls.

As you know, we are currently in the deep again—and we have been here for almost six years. I wish we could have shared our story with you earlier, but maybe it was never shared earlier for such a time as this. How vividly I remember us wanting God to release us from the lawsuit early on. Now we can honestly say that we are SO grateful that God did not answer our prayers of desperation. We were praying the wrong prayer. He, in His Sovereignty, had us right where He wanted us. He wanted us to desire Him and nothing but Him. He took us to a place where we had no control so He could show us that HE is in control. He continues to teach us. There are some things you can only learn in the "deep." There are no short cuts, but along with the pain there are precious promises and blessings as well. Isaiah 66:9, "... I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born." God wanted to change us, and He continues to do so.

We would not change one single day of this long journey. Had He answered our early selfish prayers the way we wanted we would have missed out on seeing the hand of God at work in our lives and in those around us. Was it always easy? No. If my sister and brother-in-law are successful in pursuing their deceit and false accusations it will mean the loss of our earthly possessions, our home, and our family business. It would mean not only our livelihood but the livelihood of our son and his young family as well. Not many people know this because it is not something we talk about or focus on, but not only were we not paid for the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the work we did; it has also taken us hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend ourselves against their deceit and false accusation. We didn't (and don't) have that kind of money. We have watched God provide for us in amazing ways when we took our hands off, and opened our hands to God will. It took surrendering ALL—again. We literally drove a wooden stake in the ground where we would see it every day. That stake represents our fears, our pride, and our lives. We came to the place where we were willing to say (and mean) no matter what. LORD, we are serving YOU, we are following YOU, we are submitting to YOU, we are seeking YOU—NO MATTER WHAT. Like Peter, we have experienced His overwhelming blessings. We have seen a glimpse of the Almighty Lord and the mere human words of Holy, Holy, Holy, are not adequate to express our appreciation, love, and awe of Him.

We've learned the deep is not a place to avoid, it is a place to embrace. No matter what—life or death; earthly possessions or no earthly possessions; home or no home; family business that began in 1957 or no family business; the decision has been made and the stake is in the ground. We will not be moved. Our fears of the unknown are gone. Anxieties over our future are gone. Not through our own gifts, strengths, abilities, or power. We are just ordinary people who trust an extra-ordinary God as He reveals His will in and for our lives. Our faith continues to increase exponentially. We have come to realize that we are not victims of a lawsuit, we are the recipients of a Blessed Event, and that includes the lawsuit and the betrayal of loved ones.

To keep God's story to ourselves and to not share how He ministered to our lives through an elderly woman with advanced dementia would bring dishonor to His name. So, we share it with you in hopes it will encourage you while you travel this journey that God is taking you on. I am enclosing HER NAME WAS JANE: A True Story About God's Faithfulness. I am also enclosing a picture of Jane as I knew her so you can have a visual of who God used to minister to us. I hope it will be an encouragement to you.

Father God,
We come to you right now praising you as the maker of Heaven, Earth, and Mankind. Your Glory is above all, in all, and is all. Your mercy is never ending.  We are grateful Father that you have surpassing greatness. We acknowledge you LORD as Yahweh of our lives. We thank you for providing your son Jesus for our Salvation. LORD, we bring to you right now _____ and _______ and their entire family. You know the pain, suffering, and anguish they are feeling. We thank you for the way you have used their lives to minister to other people and to ourselves. We pray that you and others would minister to them. We thank you, Father for being their Savior. We thank you, for being their Hope. LORD, you have called them into the deep. We take comfort in knowing that you have not taken them to the deep to drown them but to reveal yourself to them, build them up, and to bring Honor and Glory to your name. LORD, we know that you have the power to heal _____'s body and to provide for him many more years on earth. That is our desire LORD.  But LORD, we also acknowledge that it is not our will that is important. It is only your will that we desire. So Father, we pray that you will reveal your will in and through _____'s life. LORD, you have given _____ the gift of teaching. We pray that the teacher would also be teachable. We ask Father that you would change ____, _____, and their family's hearts and lives to be more like yours as they seek your face. May their hope, strength, and guidance come from you and you alone. What we pray for them Father, we also pray for ourselves. We give them to your hands and we open ours. LORD, we ask that you bless them and bless them indeed. It is in your Almighty name that we pray. Amen.


Next Entry: Luke 18:1–43

Mark 11:1–33

August 15, 2012

Jesus gave specific directions. Go → find → loose → say → and bring. So they went → they found → they loosened → they said → and they brought. When God gives us a mission (role) He gives specific directions. We need to follow His directions.

Amazing that yesterday I finally came to the realization that I unashamedly need to accept God's role and His direction for me, and today I read about God giving specific directions and the importance of following His directions step by step. He wants us to bear fruit and not be like the fig tree that was barren. He wants us to keep His temple holy. And, he wants us to understand the power of prayer and the prayer of faith. Mark 11:22 - "Have faith in God." Not things, positions, abilities, wealth, self, or power. NO. Faith in God ONLY. Mark 11:23–24 - "And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, God will do it for you. So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you." 

The next verse is critically important. Mark 11:25 - "When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins."

Faith. Complete Surrender. Believe.

We believe!


Next Entry: Mark 12:1–44

Mark 5:1–43 (Continued)

July 25, 2012

Faith.

"You are made well because you believed." (Mark 5:34)  
"Don't be afraid; just believe." (Mark 5:36)

Jesus healed the woman with the blood disease and raised the young girl who had died.

Faith is tricky. There is a difference between having faith and the refusal to accept truth. Can God do ALL things? Absolutely. Will God always heal someone who is sick and dying? No. Death is a reality of life and there is no getting around it. We will ALL someday die unless we are alive at His second coming. No one lives forever. Psalm 139:16 says - "All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old."

Is it wrong to pray, have faith, and seek healing? Absolutely not. Is it misguided to feel as if God has let us down, or we didn't have enough faith if a prayer for a loved one was not answered the way we wanted? Yes. The key word is "we." What "we" should want is God's will and not our own. The prayers we are praying in faith should always be to seek HIS will. As Christians, if we truly believe there is a heaven and that is our destination, then how can we fear death and why do some people refuse to accept the reality of it? When it is our time to die it should not be feared, it should be embraced. Do we want to leave our loved ones? Of course not. Do we want to enjoy our families and this earth as long as we can? Of course. But the bottom line is: This earth is not our home!! We are only passing through. Don't delay. Don't put it off. DO TODAY what you need to do to receive God's free gift of Salvation.

My brother-in-law's (my husband's brother) CML is progressing rapidly. He is out of options. Except for a miracle from God, there is little to no hope and there hasn't been for a very long time. Everything we have done is to give him as much quality time as possible. I am very grateful for the ten months we've been able to help give him. Unfortunately, that time is probably soon coming to an end.

The kindest and best thing we can do for my husband's brother is to pray for a fast and peaceful passing. We need to be making some decisions. When do we tell my husband's Mom and Dad?  How much do we tell them?  When do we broach the subject of Hospice?  He is starting to use quite a bit of morphine. His legs especially are causing him a lot of discomfort. We are soon going to have to make decisions about his driving. We've already begun to talk to him about it. There is just so much he doesn't understand.

Oh LORD, please help him. LORD, I pray that his passing from this earth to your arms will be as peaceful and painless as possible. Guard his heart and mind. Protect his emotions. Give him the strength he needs to make it through these days, weeks, or months ahead. Give us wisdom on how to do what is best for him and his wife, and for my husband's Mom and Dad. May he feel your loving arms awaiting him. LORD, may my mother-in-law—for the very first time—release her fear of death, and LORD, may my father-in-law release his need for being in control. May they both surrender their son to you. LORD, may my sister-in-law trust you for her strength. Thank you, Father for giving us this time to serve my husband's brother to the best of our abilities. May you receive the Honor, the Glory, the Power, and the Praise forever. Amen.

And to think—we are thanking Jesus for the opportunity to serve when we (my husband and I) always swore we would NOT be left to pick up the pieces from what his parents created when they buried their heads in the sand and never got their younger son the help he needed.

Wow! What a change—in US!

Addendum:  1/10/16 ~ I am so glad I started keeping a journal. This entry brought everything flooding back. My husband's brother passed away less than six months after this journal entry. My heart is praising God today, for He absolutely answered our prayers. My husband's brother passed very peacefully and quickly. There was no pain or discomfort.  There was no anxiety.

Thank you, LORD. As I read this entry, I realized how completely you heard and answered our prayers.  We are so grateful Lord, we are so grateful. 

My husband and I poured our hearts and souls into taking care of his brother and trying to do the best for him. There was SO much water under the bridge. He had caused my husband SO many problems during his life. My husband's brother was a product of his parents refusal to accept that he was "different" and trying to push everything under the rug. He paid for it—and my husband paid for it.

And we, who always swore we would NOT be trying to pick up his parents pieces for the rest of our lives, jumped in with both feet and did all we could to help him. What a change—in us.  We are so grateful that we could serve him and help him through the last years of his life.

Thank you, LORD, for changing US. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve HIM, and YOU.


Next Entry: Mark 6:1 – 7:23