What shall we do?

Over the past several days the Lord gave me a passage to ponder and it really got me to thinking and I want to place it before you and ask you to share your thoughts with me please...

It is from Mark 15, when Jesus is standing before Pilate and Pilate states these words from verse 12 - 

"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?"

Pilate ask a very profound question and decided to reject him.  

What about us?

When Jesus comes into our life the question should also be put to each of us?  What shall I do then with the one called the King of the Jews?  After all, we also make the choice to allow Jesus to totally change our world, go along quietly without much difference, reject totally...we have the same choice!

It hit me that here stood a man named Pilate that made the choice to satisfy the crowd.  Is satisfaction so important to all of us that we reject Jesus?  

It is my prayer that we all allow Jesus to totally change our world and that everyone knows that we are satisfied, but only because of Jesus filling that satisfaction.  If we look to this world like the people begging Pilate and Pilate, himself satisfaction will never come to us.

So, I close asking you again -

What shall you do with the one called Jesus?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Hanging on ...

Genesis 31, 32, and Matthew 20: 1-16

Why do we hang on to things gone by or things we know we don't need in our life?  Today, reading about Jacob leaving Laban and returning to his own father I was once again shocked when I read about Rachel grabbing her father's idols.

Why?

Perhaps to cling to something from home or her father went through my mind.  But then I was thinking why?  One commentary said it could be about the day Laban died and that would mean they would receive the rest of his belongings.  I don't know it just saddened me to think about the one thing Rachel wants to grab are these awful idols, but then isn't that so like us?  We just can't let go of the one thing we need to leave behind the most!

Still when her father comes looking she hides them beneath her.  Why?  Is this the reason she had so much trouble having children?  Could Rachel never totally let go of the old way of life and lies?  I mean she is not telling the truth and she hangs onto them and what value are they to her?  Why can't she let go?

Why do we cling to things we know in our hearts we need to leave behind?  What are your thoughts?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

What quality?

Genesis 25, 26 and Matthew 18: 1-20

This morning I that keeps going through my mind is write about prayer.  It was as if the Spirit kept saying tell them to talk to me and then I read the passage from Matthew 18 and what grasp my attention was the story of the lost sheep.

Do you remember when you were little and questions just constantly flowed out of your mind to your parents, to your teacher, to anyone that would listen?  How?  Why? When? I mean it was constant.  You were learning and you were growing and you wanted more and more.

What happened?  Do you want more?  When you read the Word does it come alive with I want to know more about that story?  The Word tells us we must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God.  Well, what quality have you lost from your childhood?  Are you still curious?  Are you still filled with questions?  Do you wander off looking around?  Do you watch your friends that seem to not worry about time schedules and wish it was you?  

The Lord will find you wherever you wander off to and I love the words found in Matthew 18:13 ~

And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about the one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that nay of these little ones should be lost.

What do you need to recapture?  Is it awe and wonder?  Is it wow, did you see that?  Is it the time spot to wander off?  Well, carve out a moment  and let your mind flow...Talk to God about what's on your mind and allow the questions and the discussion to flow and wait with awe and wonder about what He will give you in return for pursuing this special time with Him!

Today, become like a little one and be curious!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

I will go

Genesis 23, 24, and Matthew 17

Well, I guess some of you realized that I wrote yesterday on part of what I was suppose to and part on today's...oh well!  I guess I was suppose to do what I did and truthfully I've shared I'm not worrying about the little things anymore...so if you come here one day and it's on a totally different subject - GO WITH IT!  If I feel lead to write about something else I will, if I don't write at all know there is a reason and I'll be back. (just thought I would share how this going with the flow thing is working so far)

Back to ...I Will Go

Today, the words that just jumped off the page at me were about Rebekah.  A strange man comes looking for a wife for the son of his master.  She meets him at the well and  she takes him to stay with her family.  He explains that his master sent him looking for a wife and they agree to this offer.  The next morning he wants to head back home.  The family wants a few more days, but they ask the girl and her reply is found in 24:58

I will go...

Now that is the Lord.  No other way around it than the Lord.  Otherwise, do you think this young girl is going to get on her camel travel with this older man about 85 years old across the desert to a foreign land  around 450 miles without God being involved?  I don't think so!  Only the Lord would have her reply with I will go!  What about her family?  Again, only the Lord would allow this mother to let her daughter go now this brother is another topic...we will learn more about him in a few days.  He would sell his own kids much less his sister for a dollar!

What about you?  Have you ever replied to something and you then wonder where did that come from?  or a little while later you think what did I just do?  Well, perhaps the Lord had you respond with yes!  Yes, I will step out in faith and do whatever it is...

When they arrived Isaac accepted her as his wife without seeing her beauty and we learn that he did love her.  Indeed, the story of Isaac and Rebekah is a love story.  Isaac loved Rebekah a lot!  We will be looking closer at this love story over the next few days as well.  

So, where will you be willing to go?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Humbled

Job 41, 42 and Matthew 17

Imagine, hearing God saying things such as He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.?  After God reminding Job and his friends exactly who He is and was...

Job is humbled and immediately confesses and repents.  He doesn't know why he had such terrible things happen to him, but he quit his complaining.  Perhaps if we remember exactly who God is we would quite complaining too!

After all God knows all and He does have a plan!  It may not be our plan, but He has got one and we may all be assured that it is way better than any plan we would come up with anyway.  God is sovereign and often times we forget this fact.  How because we are too busy with the focus being on ourselves rather than our Savior! 

Last night in Bible study, Job 42:5 was brought up for us to think about by Priscilla Shirer My eyes had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Is it perhaps that we not only want to hear with our ears, but we want to see?  Well, He is everywhere!  I know myself this week without a doubt that God gave me an answer and I am awed beyond words.  I know that God saw me and their is no other feeling like knowing in your heart that God sees you and feels your pains.  Take heart that indeed God feels every feeling with you!  He feels your pain, He feels your joy, He feels your tears, He feels your sadness, He feels your relieve, He feels everything.  I just read a posting on facebook of one of my friends saying she felt her daughters pain and how it hurt not be able to make her feel better.  Well, that is exactly how the LORD feels and look how many children He has ~ and we complain?

I love in Job 42 where we are told that the LORD blessed Job more in the latter part of his life and the daughters are named.  I learned this morning that the daughters names are names of restoration that Job gave them.  Look at the meaning of each of the names:  Jemimah means "daylight", Keziah means "sweet smelling," and Keren-Happuch describes a beautiful color that women used to paint on their eyelids.  Don't you love Job?  Job is so full of life again after the awful things that happened to him and the only way this could happen is with the LORD showing the way!

Job had it all, lost it all, and God restored it all!  God forgave the questions that Job ask, God forgave the rantings that Job shouted because the LORD is so filled with compassion and mercy!  Give thanks!

The Matthew 17 reading today was awesome as well with the 3 closest disciples getting to witness the glory of God!  Yes, the glory!

Place yourself in Peter's shoes for a moment.  Yes Peter, because I think he represents each of us so well at times.  So full of himself, so honest, so say without thinking sometimes...Anyway, just place yourself at the scene to witness Christ undergo this miraculous change into glory.  You are in awe of this and then all of the sudden two more men show up that you have heard about all your life the stories of Moses and Elijah.  The two men that represented so much to your history, your people's history and now they are here before you talking to Jesus.  Peter gets so excited that he wants to do something special so once again he shouts out let's build tabernacles for all three of these men.  Well...Peter once again should have waited to speak...but he was human and knew this was special, but he forgot or had not yet realized that Jesus was even more special than the other two men!  God reminds him immediately even before he got all the words out exactly who Jesus is...they all 3 immediately fell to their down on their face to honor the presence of God!

Wow, is all I am able to say when I imagine witnessing God's glory!  I still love Peter because he fumbles with words, he even fumbles a lot with his actions, but in the end he receives victory!  It gives all of us hope or at least I can tell you it gives me hope, because I fumble daily, I fumble in actions and words as well and it is my prayer that I learn daily like Peter did and I know that Jesus died for me so I will receive victory as well!

Be blessed today and everyday!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Will you forgive me?

The Lord has placed me on a path that truly isn't easy right now, but it is amazing about the things He is showing me through His Word and other people.  I give thanks that even in the times that I feel the Lord is teaching me through a little discipline that it still gives me chills that I know without a doubt it is Our Amazing Lord!

I need to ask forgiveness from many people today...Let me explain

When the Lord placed me on the present path with Journey of Sisters it was amazing, but at the same time very heartbreaking.  I was being called to step away from all that was familiar into a wilderness in which I was afraid and felt very alone.  In my heart I knew that God was going before me, but being human I wanted everyone to go with me!  Yes, I know life doesn't work that way, but that is what I wanted.  So, I didn't like it when that is not what happened and some didn't like it when I stepped into this path either.  I know I am exactly where I am suppose to be, but it wasn't without many tears, and a broken heart, but still with much love!  I felt God's love and I felt Him leading me, but I was holding on to my past.

I have realized over the past several months studying about the wilderness times of our life that God doesn't call each of us to the same path.  Now I know many of you are saying well - "duh Debbie".  No listen for a moment when someone steps into such an unfamiliar territory they want everyone they love surrounding them and helping them, but what I forgot to take into account and the LORD has been showing me is just because He called me to this path did not mean He called all my friends right along with me.  I've been reading about the Israelites and how they longed for the fish and cucumbers back in Egypt.  It blew me away I'm like what???  Seriously, you long for the fish and cucumbers you ate while the slave masters cracked the whip over you?  God has been amazing showing me the growth of standing on my own two feet taking the steps He desires for my journey and yet I was holding on to days gone by.

So I stand before you saying that I asked God to forgive me for not stepping with a pep in my step and almost with a run to see what would happen next, but I also ask forgiveness for those that I wanted to drag along with me on my journey.  We each have our own journey and I realize that, but it was purely out of love and trust of each of you that I wanted you to come with me.  I know God's plan is better, but I loved my fish and cucumbers...and I still do!  I just know in my heart now that God's ways are definitely not my ways, but His way is so much better!  Easy?  No.  But better for me.  I have a peace finally in my heart and it has been so long coming with Journey of Sisters.  Oh I love it, but to figure out exactly what it was that God wanted us to do was so difficult at times.  I wish and I'm hesitant to say it, but that He would have been very direct like with Jonah.  Jonah knew exactly where to go and he still ran the opposite direction.  I took a step and two back longing for days gone by, but finally I get it.  It was about me clinging to people here and not to God.  

Thank you Lord for being patient with me and helping me to grasp your plan for my journey!  Thank you Lord for the people you have placed on path all through my journey that have helped to teach me lessons that You desired that I learn and for the love that I always felt, but never totally get because it is such a huge love that I don't know if I ever will totally get how much you love each of us.  I thank you for the hard days that taught me valuable lessons, I thank you for the good days that taught me the "Light" will see me through and most of all I thank you for the Son that you sent for me that I never will deserve, but by your grace I accept.  I love you.  Amen

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Distracted beyond who knows where...

Have you ever realized that you are distracted and you don't even know where you've been distracted to?  

Thanks for all the sweet words of support after my last posting!  Friends offering words of encouragement always help to heal the hurts.  Also, being open and honest always break down the barrier to what is separating us from the LORD.  Finally, I heard from the LORD about what was going on with us and I am shouting thanksgiving.  

Over the past several months, I've been doing a little research on my to do lists, my study, my work, my family list and realized that what had happened to me was too much on all my list!  I've mentioned before that I truly believe we all wear it as a badge of honor and power the more we have on our list nowadays that we might throw into conversations or mention in our blogs or just plain complain about to others is important! BUT you know what God showed me, everyone of us  choose what we have on our to do list, what we actually do, and what we mark off.  It is our choice!  So why do we complain?  After all, we have free will to pick and choose and yet we put ourselves in overload and then we complain, complain, complain...I also realized that truly nobody cares, because we all feel like we are in overload.  Truthfully, we probably all are, but it is by our own doing!  We just don't realize that it is our own fault.  We blame our family.  We blame our friends.  We blame our job.  We blame the country and truthfully it is our own fault.  Maybe I should say MY own fault, but I work with women daily and I don't think I'm alone.  If I am okay, I am realizing my choices haven't all been good for me!

I am sorry for those of you that have listened to my complaints!  The distractions that have taken my eye off the LORD do not really matter.  Oh, don't get me wrong each of you matter, but He is going to take care of you and me.  I don't need to spend hours fretting about things, because He goes before me wherever I go.  Recently, studying about the wilderness and God sometimes leading us into the wilderness Himself I've realized  - it's true!  He does, but it is also very clear that He goes before us!  Read the words for yourself and listen to God tell you that He goes before us!  WE are never ever alone and He only wants to develop the relationship with each of us.  He has a very distinct plan for each of us.  My plan isn't your plan and your plan isn't my plan, He plans for each of us.  Each of us indeed as our own Promise Land that He offers us and I am so excited about where He is leading me.

So I've decided less distractions.  If I get to something fine, if I don't - oh well.  Anyway, unless I've told you how absolutely swamped I am and that I will never get everything done - how will you know?  You won't and even if you do - it doesn't matter!  I am finally getting it.  It doesn't matter!  None of that stuff matters except to me!

God doesn't care about our to do list, but He does care about our trusting Him with the next step into the plan for our journey!  So, if I miss a time or place that I'm suppose to be - please forgive me because I'm throwing away all my to do list and making life easier and more enjoyable!  Did you hear me?  I am allowing God to take my life back to His way instead of Debbie's way and to do list aren't on the agenda... Do I get a Hallelujah or Amen?

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Debbie

Father, please return my sparkle

No writing today from our reading together.  Nope just a little bit more of being vulnerable among friends and being open and honest about where I am right now.

I'm tired.  Okay, I admitted it out loud and now I'm going to say more...I let myself get so busy that I'm missing a big part of who I am and this morning reading from the Proverbs 31 Magazine Wendy Pope's article spoke exactly what I've been feeling for months...

I've been busy, problems arose, people were hurting, I got tired and I ignored His whispers...My prayer is from the NLT Psalm 13:3 - "Restore the sparkle to my eye or I will die."  Don't get me wrong my physical health is fine, but my spiritual life is not where I want it to be or should be.  I'm missing God and it's not Him that moved away it's me.  He is still there pursuing me, calling me, holding me, but I've got myself so bound up that it's a challenge to hear Him!  I've been taking care of me and JOS and not my relationship with Jesus.  So, my prayer today is that my sparkle return to my eye.  I miss the time spent only with Him and so if you hear me say no more often that is why.  I am returning my priorities to the right order God #1 and that might mean less of being that yes girl to others.

So if I don't write here daily from the reading...Know I am reading, but it was for just the two of us...Know that I am working on Debbie and I will be back...I ask you to pray this prayer for me...Oh Lord, please restore the sparkle to my eye that only you give me...

I love you all,

Debbie

Look!

Job 22, 23, 24 and Matthew 12: 1-23

Over and over in the Job reading we are taught that God is indeed sovereign, because he always returned to the fact that He was sovereign.  Job taught us that when things go bad and we don't understand all the reasons to trust God anyway.

Job didn't understand the whys anymore than we do, but he trusted.  Look at 24:1  Job ask a question that many of us might ponder.  Why do you allow such and such to go and while doing nothing it seems to Job?  Job believed that God knew the appointed time for everything to happen and he wished that God would just tell the rest of us.  Could we handle it, if God did?  I don't think so...God must be trusted in all things, at all times and we must know in our hearts that He knows all.

We turn to Matthew and once again, those Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus doing something He shouldn't be doing.  Imagine, how they went through life Look at him now letting those disciples eat the grain and on the Sabbath!  Well, there is no law about eating grain from the field on the Sabbath only working the fields for profit.  The disciples were hungry, so they ate.  They were filling an immediate need, which was okay!  

Again, they try to mess with Jesus about healing on the Sabbath.  What does Jesus do?  He heals on the Sabbath.  He explains how important mercy is and that it is always important to do what is good and right!  Yet the Pharisees can't see who it is standing right in front of them, because it is so important to be right in their own eyes.  The way they interpret the law rather than the miracles that Jesus is doing right in front of their eyes.  Instead, they are plotting and planning rather than growing and loving with Jesus!  Imagine Jesus right in front of you and missing out on the miracles, but most of all the relationship with Him.  Did they ever realize what they did?  Do we?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Come...

Job 20, 21, and Matthew 11

Reading Job today was difficult, in fact for me reading Job is difficult.  Here is a man that was doing things according the way God wants us to do and Satan wants a turn at him.  (like he does us)  The friends say things to Job and Job responds and with each chapter it gets harder and harder for me to read.  How could Job not wonder some of these words from Job 21 - v. 9, or verse 14 Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone! We have no desire for your ways.  Who is the almighty, that we should serve him?'  Job was human and he was suffering - truly suffering.  I love that Job knows he can say these things knowing that God hears and understands.  Job knows God loves him and that He can handle anything that Job wants to throw his way.  At that moment, do I think Job was thinking how big God was and wow He can handle it?  Probably not.  He was in the midst of his suffering and was sharing his feelings, his pain, his hurt.  What Job did know was that from his relationship with God before this happened was that God could handle it!

Job knew God before, he knew God during and he would know God after this part of his journey!  He had relationship with God!  In the Matthew reading today from chapter 11 Jesus shared some huge words with us ~ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

We are not able to save ourselves and we will only find rest in the LORD!  Give it up!  Admit it and fall into Jesus open waiting arms!  He wants to help you.  Until we realize that it doesn't matter what we do we will be emotionally, physically without until we realize that the only thing that will give us refueling is GOD!  It is only in Him will we truly find rest.  Search and eventually you will realize that the truth rest in Jesus!

Need refueling?  Need refreshment?  Run into Jesus and His Waiting Arms for genuine rest and love...

Resting in Jesus,

Debbie

Let's take a good look at ourselves

Job 11, 12, 13 and Matthew 9: 18-38

Are we Spiritually “Blind” and “Dumb”

I ask the question are we like the Pharisees that don’t really see and hear?  Reading today of the miracles that Jesus was doing and how the Pharisees refused to see – are we like this?

I believe with all my heart God is working all around us, but are we seeing Him work?  Are we sharing about the miracles He is doing?

People need to hear the stories, so that they will draw close to Him!  The reading today went on about the workers are few, is this partly our fault?  Do we make it welcoming or unwelcoming for others to join us in the harvest field? 

Today is about self reflection.  Let’s all take a good look at ourselves and ask ourselves are we helping to build the kingdom or not? 

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Being real will help to change others...

Being real will change others

Job 8, 9, 10 and Matthew 9: 1-17

Today, I am only going to write about a portion of Matthew.  The portion about Matthew being called to follow Jesus in verses 9 – 13.

I loved this portion today.  Matthew was very real in remembering and sharing when he was called to follow Jesus.  I want you to take a moment and turn to Mark 2:14 and Luke 5: 27 what name was used?  Levi.  Both of these men were using the former name of Matthew, the name he used while he was a tax collector.  Matthew used his name that he was known once he became a disciple.  We learn honesty, being real, open, humility by Matthew’s example right here in these verses.  He is teaching us to share truth with others to help others!

Tax collectors were looked upon as terrible, despised people in this day.  It’s not a happy day when they call today, but it is their job.  During Jesus days they performed this role for their own personal gain as well as collecting for Rome.  They did well for themselves in other words.

The Pharisees immediately pointed out that Jesus wasn’t in their own thinking hanging around with the right people.  After all, the Pharisees looked at outward appearances, the rituals, ceremonial parts of the laws and Jesus was looking at being transformed on the inside with thinking and actions.  Matthew was an example of transformation taking place in someone and he wanted everyone to know that Jesus changed him.

All of us should be like Matthew allowing “the Light of Jesus” to shine through our cracks! We must be humble and admit that Jesus is the reason for the change and yes that person was me and still is, but I’m different because of Jesus!  I am forgiven and look what Jesus did!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Remember who God truly is...

Job 5, 6, 7, and Matthew 8: 18-34

What does it cost to follow Jesus?

Reading Job this morning was difficult and then I turned to the Matthew reading and the section to begin the reading was entitled with the words “The cost of following Jesus.”  It is difficult to put into words when we think of the price Jesus paid for us, but yet the pain we sometimes find because we follow Jesus.  Oh is it worth it?  Definitely, but…it does not do away with pain.  We must trust.

Job had such a real relationship with God.  He could say exactly what he felt, what was weighing him down and know deep down that God knew him.  I believe Job trusted his relationship with God to speak truth to Him. 

Job was in pain and hurting and he told God.  If we can’t tell God our real feelings, who can we tell?  Do they really care?  We know God cares.

I love the story of the storm and Jesus sleeping right through it.  Recently, I heard Bro. Billy Crosby preach on this passage about Jesus just performing many miracles, people watching all of this and then the disciples quickly forgetting about who was in the boat with them.  Jesus knew they would be okay and was sleeping through the storm and yet they questioned whether they would live or not…

How often is this true with us?  God tells us He is with us, but we allow doubt to creep in the boat with us and we start shouting at Jesus help us.  He will help us, but we must remember exactly who God is and always will be.  He can handle anything and we must trust just how big He is and remember it’s not us handling anything it’s HIM!

Believing,

Debbie

Imagine traveling with Jesus...

Job 3, 4, and Matthew 6: 1-18

Imagine traveling with Jesus for a moment.  The crowds, the family members begging Him to heal their loved ones, the hurts that showed up everywhere He went, the love that He showed for the crowds to keep coming and building.  People knew He was special after all, many walked away from all they knew to travel with Him.  Everyone wanted to be a witness to all that this special man did and said, they wanted to be a friend to Jesus!

Do we still?  Do we want to be a part of something special?  He allows each of us to make this choice for ourselves.  Jesus allows us to travel with Him everyday, but do we get it?

I imagine all the hustle and bustle of everyone moving wanting as close to Jesus as they can possibly get and yet the little bit of awe that kept them back at the same time.  People are traveling with Jesus that He healed, the disciples, the women that are helping to pay the way for the ministry to continue.  They supported in the background; did you notice it?  Some of them are special enough for their name to be mentioned in God’s Word and I believe they knew they were special because of Jesus!

Jesus preached on good soil.  When it comes to you “hearing” from God are you getting a good signal?  Is it full of static?  The soil in your life is it producing fruit?  Are you helping build the kingdom by sharing what Jesus is doing in your life?

I encourage you to share what Jesus is doing right now in your own journey!  He is at work everywhere and once again you are special because of Jesus, just like the women in the story.  Because of Jesus, we are all special!

I ponder the Job chapters we read this morning.  Job was beginning to feel the pain of all he was suffering with and he was able to voice his pain.  I believe he was able to voice his pain, because he realized just how big God is and that God would understand where he was in the moment.   WE all have moments and always know in your heart that God is soooooo much bigger than any of us can grasp that it is okay to voice your true thoughts and feelings to Him.  He loves you and He knows already.  It’s not a big surprise to Him and He wants relationship with you.  In a relationship honesty is a must, so I believe God wants a “true relationship” with real thoughts and real feelings, the good and the bad and He will love us through the difficult times.

Did you find the friends words comforting and helpful or what?  I mean Job finally opened up about his pain and do you think this helped him.  Truly I am not sure how I feel about this and I’m going to leave it open for you all to respond.  I am going to ponder it the rest of the day, but I do know that we are all special and that we are God’s children!  He loves us through the good times and the bad.  Always remember that Satan is prowling around wanting to attack when we are down, when we are at our lowest, when we are vulnerable, and that God will hold our hand if we allow Him to see us through!  Take His hand and let Him lead you!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Foundation of rock or sand?

Job 1, 2 and Matthew 7

Job, a blameless and upright man, who feared God and shunned evil;  how many of us would be described in such a wonderful way?  I wonder would it be a lot or a few?

If I were to ask you to name a song that describes your house right now, would it be perhaps be one of the following:  Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Stormy Weather, or Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen?  Any of these fit where you are right now?  I wonder what Job would say?  I mean things were going along swimmingly until the devil got involved!  Isn’t that always the case?  I mean Job’s life was going really great and suddenly everything went out the window.

Isn’t that the way it is?  We are going along things are super dooper and suddenly your world collapses?  Job had to feel that way and yet in Job 1:21 these are his words –

…The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.

Did I read that right?  Praise?  How?  Job is such a wonderful man and God knew it in His heart, so He allowed the devil to play havoc.  Which seems odd to me in so many ways and yet what a testimony Job had for the world about how awesome God was and is in his life.  He was praising God and yet he had lost his children, his livestock, his servants and yet he worshipped God.

The devil still isn’t satisfied and in chapter 2 he gives Job sores from head to toe.  Covered and is no longer recognizable to his friends.  Job was so awful to look at that his friends wept and tore their robes.  Imagine it.  You wake up one day everything rosy and then everything in a moment is no longer the same…Chapter 2 verse 10, Job is speaking to his wife and he says these words –

You are talking like a foolish woman.  Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?  In all  of this Job did not sin in what he said.  I love Job and what he teaches each of us.  Always praise God and always remember who God is!  Job built his foundation strongly in the LORD!  He knew who God was and is and is foundation was not going to crumble.  Oh it might tilt, it might get a crack in the wall, but it would not come down!

I thought it was so appropriate that today we read from Matthew about our foundations.  Are we building our foundation on rock or sand?  Are we learning God’s Word, so that when our world seems to fall apart we will know in our hearts exactly who God is and will continue to be and that He will get us through.  We can call His Name and He will answer and take care of us.  Will He know us before the bad things happen?  Will we experience His mighty arms holding us tightly so that we remember exactly who our rock is?

Oh it is my prayer that we all will!  Difficult times are coming and we are not promised otherwise and the only way through is holding onto Our Savior.   We are told in this same chapter in Matthew 7, ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.  WE must ask.  WE must make the move towards God.  He wants us to pick HIM!  He wants us to KNOW HIM!  Choose God.  We must show our faith and believe God and Job is an example for each of us to follow and learn from about praising God even in those very awful, difficult times.

Allow God’s Light to shine brightly through you even in the difficult times like Job.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

I am picking joy, joy, joy, joy!

Everyday I am going to pick joy!  

I purchased Angela Thomas new devotional book called "Choosing Joy" and I love it!  It is about picking joy daily and is it easy - NO WAY!

How many days are we into the new year and I have to remind myself daily remember joy!  Someone says something and the last thing you want to show is joy or someone does something and the last thing you want to show is joy!  I am working on it...and yes its work to pick joy!

Sounds easy, it's not!  The world we live in makes it a lot easier to pick bad attitudes, sadness, oh it's okay, but joy?  Who wants anyone to delight in the LORD all the time?  WE should all want this for each other and ourselves!

Again, this devotional makes you think about joy daily and making a conscious choice to pick it moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day and how the whole world could change, if we all decide to pick joy!

Pick joy today!  Need a little help then pick up Angela's devotional.  We have them at JOS office,but I don't care where you get it from Lifeway, Amazon, wherever pick one up and choose joy today!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Weekends will vary...

Surprise!

No writing from our reading today.  Weekends will be about whatever topic I choose to write about or not write about...I believe that in some of my alone time I've been hearing the words to let go and spend more time alone with Him.  No stress to go along with His Words.  Sometimes the words are just for me and my relationship with Him!

Treasure your time alone with Our Savior!  Take the time and listen!

So, enjoy your weekend!  Share some special time with the ones you love and look for God everywhere!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Also, for those of you that might not know no meeting Monday it will be on Monday week at 4 or 6:00 Hope you make it!

No Perhaps be Certain!

Perhaps?

Genesis 16, 17 and Matthew 5:27-48

Perhaps?

Perhaps it’s this or it’s that, but deep in Sarai’s heart she knew!  I believe it with all my heart when I was reading the story this morning in Genesis 16 that Sarai knew not to send Hagar to Abram, but she did it anyway.  Ever been there?  You knew deep in your heart not to do something, but you did it anyway?  Well, I think that is Sarai’s story in chapter 16.  She tells Abram that the LORD has kept her from having children, so Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.  Well, if Sarai had learned anything this far along on the trip with Abram things could be certain not just perhaps. 

God had told them that Abram would be the father of many nations, so once again the little serpent began to seep into the heart of Sarai with doubt!  She would just help God out.  Well, I’ve been there too and His plan is always much better than me getting involved and helping out!  The case is definitely the same here.  I don’t know about you, but I’m just not that willing to allow another woman to help me out and I’ve been where Sarai is…not able to have children!  Women don’t forget things like this oh no they build and build!

Look at it from Hagar’s position she had no choice in the matter, she just had to do what her masters said and that was go sleep with Abram.  She was obedient and her attitude changed.  Could you blame her?  She didn’t have any say in a pretty big decision for her life.  Everything changed from the moment that Sarai said, Perhaps…

Don’t say perhaps; be certain in your choices!  Always know in your heart that God is leading you and we will not end up in situations like this with a threesome that God is not the third person!

No perhaps for this lady,

Debbie

God Makes Us Special!

Genesis 13, 14, 15 and Matthew 5: 1-26

Today’s reading spoke two very important things remember who God is all the time and we should look different than others!

What do I mean?

Well from the Genesis reading today, God reminds Abram exactly who He is…Look through these 3 chapters.  Arguments begin between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen and Abram called on the name of the LORD.  The Lord told him in verse 14 - 17– “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.  All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.  I will make your offspring like the dust of the east, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.  Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

Genesis 14

Lot got himself in trouble, Abram to the rescue.  Abram even made friends with the kings, they blessed him, and then Abram gave the king a tenth of everything.  How could this happen without God on your side?  Abram wanted to be sure everyone knew that whatever he got came from the LORD.  He wanted nothing from the king.  Well, that is only God my friends! 

Genesis 15

Verse 7

I am the LORD, who brought you out of UR of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.

Abram never forgot who God is, was, and will be…The LORD of all, the creator that was to be honored always.  He offered obedience constantly to the LORD, He honored the LORD with his walk and words, and He offered sacrifices in honor and remembrance of the LORD.

Abram teaches us to remember who God is always!

The reading from Matthew 5:1-26 is the beginning of Jesus teaching on the mountainside.  Picture the scene with me.  Jesus saw the crowd and He wanted everyone to see and hear the words He was about to share with them.  So, He goes up on the mountainside finds a good place and He sat down.  The disciples came and gathered around Him and you know the rest followed with Jesus being in the center.  Everyone wanted to see and hear, so the crowd would have gotten a spot where they could see what this special man wanted to share with them.  Thoughts about we need to “be” kind of…The Beatitudes…We need to have these kind of attitudes peacemakers, humble, those with mercy, those who care, those who shy, those who remember to rejoice and be glad!  Show your joy!

Have flavor, add flavor, add a zest for life, isn’t that what salt does to food?  Well, that is what you and I should be to the world around us.  We need to look different all while we honor God and remember who He is!

So what did the reading say to you this morning?

It reminded me that I serve a MIGHTY GOD, who is walking each step with me and guiding me along the way and that He wants me to look and act a little different so that others will want what He puts in me, what He adds to my life and they will ask what it is and I am able to say It is all God!  God makes me special!  He is what adds that new lighting effect to my life, He is the one that gives me just enough zest that others say how does she do it and I’m able to reply It’s all Him,  The Savior of the World.

Loving the Flavor,

Debbie

It's all in the timing!

God’s Timing

Genesis 10, 11, 12, and Matthew 4

It’s all about God’s timing!  It’s God timing and not ours and when we get this our world becomes a whole lot easier!

Genesis 10

Shows that Ham was the father of the Canaanites, Shem the Semite.

Genesis 11

Men began to build this tower and absolutely no where do we see where they talked to God about it.  No, they just moved right ahead on their own.  God confused the people because they took things into their own hands!  It wasn’t God’s words telling them to build this tower, so He messed it up.

Genesis 12

The call of Abram.  Leave all that is familiar, leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I show you.  Pretty specific instructions for Abram.  If you follow these instructions, I will give you the land, make your name great and bless you.  Abraham obeyed, but not exactly and some difficult things happened along the way perhaps because of the not exactly part. 

Do you find it odd that Abram went to Egypt and then told Sarai to say she was his sister?  I mean really!

Matthew 4

The temptation of Jesus.

Satan is cunning.  He knew Jesus had been fasting 40 days and He was hungry so what better to tempt with than food? 

The second was proof you are God’s Son by throwing yourself down and He will surely save you.  Next, showed Jesus the Kingdom of the world and all they had to offer.  Take them and they are yours if you bow down and worship me…

The devil left.  The world will offer us much, but it will only be temporary.  God’s angels came and ministered to Jesus after Satan left.  No shortcuts allowed it is all about God’s timing and God’s plan.  Don’t allow the devil to tempt you in to a shortcut that you know deep down will not work.  If we take a shortcut it will surely trip us up!

Two fishermen were casting a net trying to make their wage, when Jesus called out Come, follow me.  Does this not just amaze you?  They were busy trying to perform their job when this special man calls out come, follow me.  How did they know?  How did Jesus look that at once they threw down their nets and went with Him?

Immediately!  Immediately!  Abram and the disciples left to follow God’s timing for their life!  No hesitation they just left.  I wonder what their families thought when they took off with this man that just happened along the shore?  I wonder what Abram’s friends, family thought?  After all, either situation was calling for huge changes not only by these men, but by everyone around them, but yet immediately they responded!

Share your thoughts with us on God’s timing and responding immediately.  How do we know its God calling us and not our own desires?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Preparing the Way

God Prepares the Way

Genesis 7, 8, 9 and Matthew 3

Today, what strikes me with the reading is that God takes care of everything it is a matter of whether we believe or not!

Genesis 7

Noah followed all of God’s instructions and I always every time I read it love verse 16..the words that close this verse.

Then the LORD shut him in.

The Lord protected them and shut others out that did not trust and believe his words.  Noah had been sharing we are told in 2 Peter 5 that Noah had been the preacher of righteousness.  What do you think Noah was preaching while he was building that ark?  How did these people not realize that Noah knew something special, different and that he was taking drastic steps?  Why didn’t they believe?

Genesis 8

But God remembered

God’s grace and mercy once again shown in that He remembered Noah and his family. God blessed Noah and his family and the family worshipped God.  Immediately they worshipped God by building the altar and offering sacrifice.  Noah knew who God was and he was honoring God for His grace and mercy.

Chapter 9

What grasp my attention is that sin so quickly reared its ugly head after the blessing and deliverance from the flood.  Ham brought about a curse on himself and his family.  Shem was the son that the line of Abraham came from and this was because they showed honor and dignity.

Matthew 3

John the Baptist prepares the way for Christ.  John the Baptist was different, he looked different, and he acted different.  He made the people aware of their need for repentance.  He was honest, straightforward and didn’t mind calling people out.  John the Baptist was preparing the people for Jesus.  They were ready for Jesus and his words about God’s Kingdom.

I think what really spoke to me from the reading today is that we must be willing and prepare to look different, act different, do things God calls us to do that may look crazy to others.  WE must act immediately and be prepared by sharing relationship with God to be able to make it through because sin is still crouching waiting to pounce behind the door!

What spoke to you?

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Crouching behind the door

Crouching at your door!

Genesis 4, 5, 6 and Matthew 2

The words make me want to get up and go see what is crouching at my door!  Sin crouches at all our doors, it’s just whether we admit it or not…

Today’s reading in Genesis and Matthew deal with sin constantly.  Two verses just grasp my attention.  First is Genesis 4: 7 ~

…But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”   Sin is always right there and it is our choice to allow the sin around the door where it is lurking, waiting on us or slam it shut!  The words here remind me of the scripture where the Devil is described as a prowling lion waiting to grab makes sense that sin would be described as crouching and lurking and the maker of sin just prowls waiting.

The next verse is in Genesis 6 with the scripture about the flood and Noah.  The world is described as only evil all the time.  Lots of bad stuff happening with the people only concerned with their own agendas, their own desires with no thought of right or wrong.  Doesn’t sound too different from right now, does it?  Anyway, verse 6 tells us that The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 

Reading this verse just grabbed my attention.  I don’t know why I’ve not really paid attention to it before, but today it hit me right between the eyes.  God made humans in His own image and He rested because it was all good.  Remember, and He is God – He makes no mistakes, but here we learn he grieves because He made man and the choices that man made.  It’s hard for me to grasp other than to think of a parent and when a child makes a mistake it breaks their heart, but they don’t regret having them or maybe for a moment some do…God was broken hearted because He loved so much.

In verse 8, we see that Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  In the original language, favor in this verse means grace.  The world was undeserving, but God showed grace to Noah.  Noah was righteous and blameless, but he made mistakes.  God showed him grace.  We also see that Noah walked with God.  Imagine walking with God.  I wonder if this was physically somehow or like we walk with God by our actions?

The world was corrupt and God told Noah to build an ark.  Now this I always love thinking and pondering.  Did Noah immediately start to work on this massive boat in the backyard?  What did the neighbors say?  What did his family say?  Whatever was said and done didn’t seem to bother Noah because in verse 22 we are told that Noah did everything just as God told him to do.  Noah was obedient regardless of whatever anyone else had to say! 

Obedience is the key word for Noah and Joseph!  Joseph is again a central person in chapter two of Matthew.  The wisemen come to visit baby Jesus after they stopped by King Herod and shared about the star and the special baby that had been born with him.  Joseph again had a dream and he was obedient following the instructions to flee to Egypt immediately to protect Jesus.

King Herod is so filled with pride that he orders the murder of the babies in Bethlehem under the age of 2.  Talk about sin all from fear of a “New King” getting in his way!  Sin caused the death of innocent little boys. 

Today’s reading had men like Noah and Joseph that were obedient and trying to be aware of the crouching sin waiting to jump on them vs. the men that could not resist the temptation.  A world filled with allowing the crouching sin to come right on in; almost throwing the door wide open saying come on in and welcome!

The most fascinating part for me today was the scripture from Genesis 6:6; which I am still pondering knowing that God doesn’t make mistakes, but yet He regretted making man at this particular moment enough to want to wipe them out.  I am going to ponder on this some more…another fascinating thought to me is again found in Genesis 6:20 describing the animals…they will come to you.  God prepares everything.  He made the animals move toward this boat.  When you watch animals in the wild this just blows your mind, how this would happen?  Did He put them in a trance and they just walked onboard?  Wow, what an image of God’s awesome power of getting 2 of every kind of animal on that ark and all the food that will be needed!

My takeaway thought today is to be more like Joseph!  I want to be able to have the trust and obedience that I will immediately follow through with what the Holy Spirit tells me to do.  I don’t want to wait for months wondering am I getting it right, I want to know in my heart without a doubt that I am so in tune with the Spirit that I get up and leave immediately in the middle of the night just like Joseph!

Pondering,

Debbie

New Beginnings

Today, we begin a year long look at God’s Word!  It’s exciting and challenging to think about the study of God’s Word!  I love both excitement and a challenge, so let the fun begin!

Genesis 1, 2, 3, and Matthew 1

Each day I will post the scripture we are looking at give a few thoughts of mine and present a few questions and perhaps another scripture that will allow us to ponder the thought even more than the scripture for that day.

Genesis 1, 2, and 3

First and foremost, God!  God the Creator is the focus of chapter 1.  Do you know that the majestic name of God is used 32 times as an active verb in most cases?  I love this fact, right from the beginning we learn that we serve “a living active God”!  In Chapter 1: 1-3 God is forming and in verses 4 -6 He fills things.  God lays the foundation of exactly who He is in the very first chapter of His Word.

We learn that He creates, He speaks, He sees, He separates things, He makes, He trusts, He blesses, and He loves each of us so very much.  How do I know from the first chapter look at verse 27?  Who did He design to be made in His own image?  Yes, male and female!  Us! 

Another thought from chapter 1 is that God started something, He developed something and He will see it through.  God knows the whole picture.  He is telling us how He started the whole thing with the words – In the Beginning…a lot of people get sidetracked with the time element – don’t please.  Focus on God not whether the days were a day like ours or years.  What does it matter?  After all, God is capable of doing it in a day or a day representing a thousand years.  Check out 2 Peter 3:8.

Genesis 2

So much good stuff!  Be reminded that even God rested.  (Verse 2)  If God needed to rest, then we definitely need to rest!  It is a new year, so start a new tradition of setting aside a time of rest.

Everything was perfect at this point.  The world was perfection designed by God.  Everything in it was perfect.  Imagine, Eve the first woman before sin entered the picture.  So, she had the perfect eyes, the perfect figure, the perfect hair, everything was perfect!  Adam the same!  Also, I read about a Jewish thought on the fact that God made woman from the rib of man, not the foot to be dominant over or stomping on, but to live your life side by side.  Sounds logical, doesn’t it?  So leaving chapter 2 remember perfection was surrounding Adam and Eve before we get to chapter 3.

Genesis 3

The fall of man!  How?  Doubt entered the world from the lips of a serpent!  He still places doubt around each of us daily to cause us to sin!  WE are no different than Adam and Eve we allow a twisted word to place that small seed of doubt and immediately the trust goes out the window!  Look at verse 1 and chapter 3 and sin enters the world and perfection is gone – out the window! 

Sin brings consequences.  Verse 8 and 9…Adam and Eve suddenly realized they had messed up and they hid.  Does this sound familiar?  Does to me!  I hate to admit it, but I want to hide when sin rears its ugly head in my life, but instead of running and hiding we must run to God not away from!  Don’t run and hide!  Flee to Him for help after all look at verse 21 God makes garments of clothing for Adam and Eve.  Imagine, the Creator of the Universe made their outfits even after their failure.

Matthew 1

Matthew is a good Jewish man and He is going to make sure that the records of Jesus go back to Abraham and David.  He is going to fill in all the gaps and leave no room for questions that Jesus is the answer to the prophecies.  Jesus is the Messiah!  In the people listed in Jesus line look at the five women.  Five women! Four of these women had sins connected to sexual sins and yet they are listed in the lineage of Christ!  Talk about showing how Jesus shows forgiveness even through his birth history!

Joseph.  Joseph.  What an important man in this story of Jesus is this man named Joseph.  Why?  Because He believed.  Joseph teaches us to believe.  An important key to faith taught to us is verses 22 and 23!  WE must believe these verses to show our faith.  Do you agree?

I will ask you two questions at the end of each day to respond to in your comments ~

1)      What’s the most fascinating part of our reading today?

2)    What new thought did God give you today?

You read some of mine above.  I want to close by asking you to read Psalm 104.  The writer of Psalm 104 knew exactly who God was and is…Do we?  Praise God today remembering He set the earth on its foundation and it can never be moved. Verse 24 –

How many are your works, O LORD!  In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures…

Indeed, I sit in Colorado surrounded by the mountains and the animals of your creation and once again I am reminded of just how MIGHTY YOU ARE GOD!  I give praise to You and You alone!  I praise you LORD with all my might and I thank you Lord for the Gift of your Word!

Praising God,

Debbie