First fruits?….giving Tuesday…

 First fruits?…giving Tuesday…

Fall sales have passed, Black Friday is over…cyber Monday has finished…oh, but some are extended for further bargains…

And now, by the way…let’s give something…it’s Giving Tuesday…last but not least…

Or maybe it should be first and the most…oh well, at least it is acknowledged….

I think this every year as this day approaches…I get multiple solicitations for “Giving Tuesday”, some with matches of funds to double the giving…it feels like an “add on” sale or last minute thought instead something planned…something CELEBRATED….giving is an act of worship…an act acknowledging Who really owns it all…Who really gives the ability to give…thank YOU…

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 

As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.

Exodus 23:16

and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

Numbers 13:20

And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 26:10

We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord;

Nehemiah 10:35 

Roots…

 Roots…

One of my cousins just sent me a video about exploring old homestead ruins from where our grandparents settled in the 1920’s.   There were some foundations of homesteads of former settlers from another era.  Bits and pieces of oak logs, rocks in rows or stacks from former foundations…pottery shards here and there…

As a small child, I remember some standing cabins we explored in the same area…scavenging through the old bottles and cans, even an old wood-burning kitchen stove filled with a pack rat’s home…

A homemade brick kiln…

Times gone by…

My cousin had taken some former neighbors, now in their late eighties, well known artists, to wonder over the meadows where grains had been coaxed out of the rocky soil, cows/pigs/chickens had once ranged…families long forgotten or moved on from the foothills of the towering Sierras near the giant redwood forests of central California…reminiscing of places and people they had known as youngsters…

He has written a book about the history of the area…filled with facts, humor, pictures of area…but is always looking for more info…meeting and finding more people from our heritage…

My own memories have taken different paths…not the facts and figures of townships and ranges, but the games, foods, family times we spent…recently, one of my children asked me to resurrect a game started in the lean times of newly married couples (my parents and their siblings)…we played it wherever we were able to get together for the holidays…it continued through the beginnings on my marriage…we played it again when my children were newly married…now to continue with grandchildren in college…

Identical closed boxes filled with groceries…the object is to guess what might be in the boxes…there were usually 20 items…some everyday items and some extra treats…whichever family who guessed the most items correctly got a jar of jam, the loser got an onion…but all got to keep their boxes…I think is was my grandmother’s way of fun giving of normal stuff and help with groceries …so now we are down to the fourth generation with a simple gift…

I make persimmon pudding from my grandmother’s recipe…it is drowned in lemon sauce which makes the dessert even more delectable…both fruits from the fall bounty of orchards nearby…

All this to say, we can hand down memories from generation to generation…we can be enriched by our spiritual heritage as well…their faith, their love, their stories…their steadfastness …

Or if our heritage is wrought with dysfunction…we have the choice to break from the bad and start a new cycle…not be hounded by broken relationships or people…but growing in grace, faithfulness…giving to future generations good foundations to build upon…good memories…relationships…

Reading through Genesis, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and further, there are some repeats of bad decisions and good ones as well…God’s continued patience and promises from which we reap still today…by example and blessing… that generation to generation…

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” 

Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 12:2,13:16,15:5-6 

Thank YOU….

Psalm 20

Thinking about all the prayer requests that come our way…thank YOU….

 Psalm 20

May the Lord  answer you in the day of trouble! 

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! 

May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! 

May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! 

Selah 

May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! 

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! 

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 

They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. 

O Lord, save the king! 

May he answer us when we call.

Psalm 20:1-9

The wicked…

 

The wicked….

Several of the psalms have descriptions of the wicked, especially 10 and 37…Proverbs has contrasts all the way through….there are 469 references to the word “wicked “ in the NIV version of the Bible…

It is not a subject that brings laughter and joy, but rather discouragement in one regard, that it seems like it is increasing in these days…and I don’t want to dwell in the negative….but wickedness is as real now as it has been over the centuries…we really haven’t gotten any better with time( as some would argue)…the descriptions are the same now as they were when God’s Word was written down…

There is a remedy…turning away from wickedness and turning toward God…it has always been open and will continue until the end…thank YOU….

“Why, Lord, do you stand far off? 

Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. 

He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. 

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 

His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. 

He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” 

He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” 

His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. 

He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. 

His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” 

Arise,  Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. 

Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? 

Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? 

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. 

The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 

Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. 

The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.”

Psalm 10:1-18

Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:12

Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him…..

1 Samuel 25:25a

The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the Lord.

2 Chronicles 28:19

When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. I

Job 9:24a

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Psalm 1:6

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:1-2,7

 The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings ruin. 

The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright. 

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. 

The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue righteousness. The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight. 

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Proverbs 15:6-9,26,28 

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 139:23-24

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”

Ezekiel 18:27,31-32

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Dysfunctions….

 Dysfunction….

I have heard that some people aren’t interested in the Word because it doesn’t address “real” life, “it has no help for me”,  and other similar opinions…

From beginning to end there are real people going through real life situations…there are

Prideful…

Murderers…

Adulterers…

Drunks…

Self-centered…

Doubters…

Thieves…

Jealousness…

Prostitutes…

Wicked…

Liars…

Cheaters…

Etc…

Etc…

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21 (written about 50 AD)

Centuries before the Ten Commandments addressed some of the same issues…

Just like today’s population…we really haven’t changed, just some new names on old situations…

Families today are going through the same dysfunctions that have happened for centuries…”nothing new under the sun”.

The words of encouragement are still the same now as then…

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law. 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 

Each one should test their own actions. 

Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 5:22-6:6,10

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:17 

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23

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

Romans 6:23

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 

Thank YOU that You have made a way…for all who seek You…

Notes on shoeboxes, Operation Christmas Child…written in 2018

 Notes on shoe boxes....November, 2018

Notes for Samaritan’s operation Christmas child shoeboxes....

This week is collection week for millions of Operation Christmas Child boxes...some thoughts about them.....

Reminds me of song...

 Song " thank you for giving to the Lord"  

“Thank You



I dreamed I went to heaven


And you were there with me


We walked upon the streets of gold


Beside the crystal sea
We heard the angels singing


Then someone called your name


You turned and saw this young man


And he was smiling as he came


And he said friend you may not know me now


And then he said but wait


You used to teach my Sunday School


When I was only eight


And every week you would say a prayer


Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer


I asked Jesus in my heart



CHORUS
Thank you for giving to the Lord
 

I am a life that was changed


Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave



Then another man stood before you
And said remember the time


A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry


You didn't have much money


But you gave it anyway


Jesus took the gift you gave


And that's why I'm here today



CHORUS (repeat)

One by one they came


Far as the eyes could see


Each life somehow touched


By your generosity


Little things that you had done


Sacrifices made


Unnoticed on the earth


In heaven now proclaimed



And I know that up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry


But I am almost sure


There were tears in your eyes


As Jesus took your hand


And you stood before the Lord


He said, my child look around you


For great is your reward



CHORUS (repeat)

I am so glad you gave”

Quote " you can't put a dollar value on generosity "

"What is Operation Christmas Child?

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. Our mission is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items, and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We ship these simple gifts outside the United States to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease; and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S.

Why shoebox gifts?

Shoebox gifts are a way to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ."

*******

Sometimes we may think a shoe box gift or gifts in shoe box are of little consequence ...we put in our balls, pencils, tablets, toys assembly line style from our abundance...but these are just temporal/tangible things...the heart of each box may be the intangible....

What can we possibly find in a shoe box?

    1. Love....john 3:16.  For God so loved...

    2. Laughter....walking and keeping and praising God...

    3. Wonder....amazement...

    4. Sharing...giving In our abundance to those in need...

    5. Playing.....fellowship...

    6. A livelihood.....crafts, a screw driver, a fishing kit...

    7. Help in schools with supplies...basic education supplies

    8. Help for young women/ men in personal hygiene

    9. The very Word of the Creator on the universe ....a chance to study God's Word...

    10.  A means to present the gospel

    11. An invitation that has the power to change lives in generations for eternity

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17

    12. Church planting, a potential to start a fellowship in a new area of the world

    13. Opportunity to bring people from various cultures together

    14. The gift of giving which can change the givers life....A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great....Proverbs 18:16

    15. Opportunity for all ages to give and receive...all ages can give and receive...

    16. Touching someone's heart

    17. The potential to build dreams

    18. A new path in life...because of the gospel

    19. A new song....He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.....Psalm 40:3-5

    20. A new life

21. Desert to lushness...

22. Dry to water...fulfills a thirst

23.  Hardness to brokenness and freedom through Christ...

24.  Death to life...

25. Darkness to light...

26. Unknowing to knowing Christ...

27. Hopelessness to hope...

28. Anger to joy....

29. Neglect to care ....

30. Frowns to smiles...

31. Hate to love...

32. Bad to good...

33. Transformation of a soul, family, village, country....the world...from a small gift given in love...prayers guiding that gift to the heart of the receiver...

Jesus' prayer for believers to come...

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 17:20-26

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians---

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Thank YOU for making such a difference in your world ....with a little shoe box....

I will go…

 

I will go….

Three simple words spoken by a young woman ages ago, leaving the comforts of home with a stranger, moving to an unknown land, to marry an unknown man…obedience…to join in the lineage of the Messiah…

Decisions we make may have lasting effects…just looking down through the ages at people who were obedient to God’s call…and I know I left some out…they heard and obeyed…some questioned …but obeyed…

Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Genesis 6:22 

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Genesis 12:1,4

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Genesis 22:5 

And they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

Genesis 24:58 

Exodus,  Moses and Aaron obeying what God has commanded…

Deuteronomy 28…blessings of obedience… cursings of disobedience…

Gideon…Samuel, David…Solomon, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, 

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8 

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” 

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” 

They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Jeremiah 1:4-5,7-10,19 

Each of the prophets…

Mary, mother of Jesus…Joseph, 

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

Matthew 1:24

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38 

The disciples…

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Matthew 9:9

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-22

Paul…Ananias, Peter, Cornelius…

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

Acts 9:10 

 But the greatest obedience…Jesus…

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,  being born in the likeness of men. 

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11 

As believers now, we have the Holy Spirit to guide, to call, to speak truth…do I listen and obey, do I question, do I rely on His Word to my heart and soul…how fast is my obedience….

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 14:26 

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

John 16:13-15 

Do I readily say, “ I will go”? Or “here am I”?  What level is my obedience? My attitude?….

Thank YOU for the reminder, the truth spoken in Your Word…

Fall smells, seasonal items…

 Fall smells, seasonal items…

Pumpkin spice, spiced apples, crisp apple, gingerbread, candy cane, Meyer lemon….kitchen smells?…no, candle scents wafting through the air near the checkout counter, reminding all of the fall smells…

Another aisle is concentrated on fall baking with supplies for pies, cookies, breads…pans for roasting the meats of the season…

Yet, another season sports a variety of items for Easter baking, or summer canning, Christmas decorations or Halloween candy…seasonal foods, seasonal activities…sometimes we tend to think in seasons of life, of the year…

Ecclesiastes speaks of seasons…

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 

a time to be born, and a time to die; 

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

 a time to kill, and a time to heal; 

a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

a time to weep, and a time to laugh; 

a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; 

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 

a time to seek, and a time to lose; 

a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 

a time to tear, and a time to sew; 

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 

a time to love, and a time to hate; 

a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

I realized that sometimes I tend to think of Jesus’ work in my life as in the past, seasonally…I was saved…past tense…seasonal…but, no…He is presently working, presently interceding, presently transforming….He is not seasonal….He is in the now all the time as well as preparing and working in the future…

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:8 

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Revelation 22:13 

We have the in dwelling Holy Spirit …who never leaves, forsakes…who teaches, leads, convicts all, all, all, all the time…we can’t go anywhere that he isn’t there…we can’t think anything that he doesn’t know…

What a wonder that is…God for all seasons, all times…all the time…

Thank YOU….

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; 

you discern my thoughts from afar. 

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 

Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalm 139:2-6

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! 

How vast is the sum of them! 

If I would count them, they are more than the sand. 

I awake, and I am still with you. 

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 139:15,17-18,23-24 

Faithful servants….

Faithful servants….

I read recently in a local newspaper that several service organizations are thinking of disbanding due lack of people to serve…these are well known organizations that have done good works both locally and internationally…people just aren’t taking time  to serve for a variety of reasons…or volunteerism is changing …or younger people have other priorities than their senior counterparts…I applaud these faithful servants who have held on for decades, faithfully serving in various capacities…

As I read the following passage about Abraham’s trusted servant, I was struck by the comment, “who had charge of all he had”…it is repeated again later about Joseph and his servanthood in a land far from his home and family…

Such trust, such a compliment of both men…I can imagine the first walking with Abraham through his life, watching his trials, his obedience, his faith, his journey…was he one of the servants left behind when Abraham took his son, Isaac, to the mountain for sacrifice, only to see them both return after God’s provision…had they shared conversations of God’s promises…did they sit around the nightly fire conversing about the daily tasks, the flocks, things to do….had he wondered about Abraham’s decision to give Lot the valley portion of the land…had he helped Abraham bury his wife, Sarah…

He was trusted with finding a wife for Abraham’s promised son…a precious and esteemed service…

Joshua asked the Israelites whom they desired to serve…to whom would they give faithful service…

We are asked as well…whom shall we serve…

Then, I read and think about Jesus coming to serve all, everyone, the “whosoevers”, by giving his life ….it is mind boggling…such servanthood,  such faithfulness to His  Word…we are the searched for Bride just as Rebekah…What will our answer be to the “Servant Jesus”…will we follow other gods as in Joshua’s times…will we be found faithful, taking care our Lord’s “household “ as Joseph or Abraham’s servant…where is our/my service….

Thank YOU….

And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 

The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord 

When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth before the Lord.

Genesis 24:2,26,52

So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate….

Genesis 39:4,6a

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .”

Joshua 24:15 

11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.

Matthew 23:11 

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

Matthew 24:45-47 

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:45  

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

John 12:26 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Romans 1:1 

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:4-8

 

Crisis of faith…

 Crisis of faith…

At the beginning of this current year, I started again through the Bible, only the Old Testament this time…the pastor started throwing Genesis this year as well . He is just finishing Abraham’s life.

I couldn’t help but compare our lives with Abraham’s…we are all on a journey , his was spelled and lived out with promises, obedience, challenges, decisions, faithfulness….

God said, “ go” and he “went”…he “passed through “, “looked”, “walked through “ and “bought” a portion of the promised land…but did not “possess” the promised land…his offspring would get it…his journey started at age 75 and ended 100 years later faithfully expecting the “promise” he received from his God… 

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Genesis 12:1-9 

But along the way there were various times that Abraham was “tested” and he fell short, but found God’s faithlessness to be all sufficient…

God gave him a son in his old age, Isaac, and gave him yet more  sons after his first wife died…Isaac was his “child of promise”, Sarah’s only child…

When i consider our journeys, there are times of distinct direction, times when we knew exactly the way to go…times of total stepping out into the unknown…there were trials which tested our faith exceedingly….there times of famine and times of plenty…there were emotional trials, physical trials….times of loss and times of gain…times of uncertainty and defining moments….times of waiting and times of going…times of praying through night and times of fasting…times of lack of prayer or not knowing how to pray…times of just waiting….

These all are times that we learn from the ancients…God was faithful then and He hadn’t changed…we change…we transform…

Thank YOU….

“God’s faithfulness to us is not dependent upon our level of faith in him.

-Teaching point one: A "crisis of faith" is a normal part of a mature Christian life.

-Teaching point two: God can use a faith crisis to develop a deeper relationship with us.

-Teaching point three: Trust and faith work together.”

https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/a/crisis-of-faith.html

https://www.boundless.org/faith/surviving-a-crisis-of-faith/

https://www.gotquestions.org/crisis-of-faith.html

“A place of promise”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Shechem-in-the-Bible.html

Shield…

 

Shield….

These last few weeks, I have been slowly cleaning out summer veggie plants, pulling the underlying weeds, washing off porches and patios, picking the end of the fruit….getting ready for fall and winter…under some of the veggies were these bugs covering the ground…they had backs that were hard and were in the perfect shape of little shields…crawling around like an army, “defending” their “territory”…they were gone in a few days…off for another conquest, I guess…

With that in mind, I looked up shields…finding that potentially they first ones were made of twigs or reeds, woven together, covered with a layer of skin..then they grew in size, decoration, harder materials, etc…some were small-bucklers, easy to maneuver….others were larger, man sized ones to stand behind, heavy…some requiring one person to carry and another to stand behind…some withstanding an onslaught of arrows, spears, rocks or whatever…

We still have shields…you see them on the news at various riots…armored trucks, tanks, boats, even cars…and lot of other places…

As I was reading Psalm 3 yesterday, this verse stood out…”a shield about me”…my protector about me…what a promise…

It is first said to Abram in Genesis…a man who left his country, family to follow God, the wait for God’s promise, was found faithful…God promised to be his shield…just think, God is our shield…the very Creator of the universe, the God of our salvation  is also our shield…He takes the arrows, the battles, the pain for us…thank YOU…

And then on down through the ages…the Word  speaks of “shield of your help”, “Shield of your Salvation”, “refuge”, “favor”…”shield of Faith”…

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

Psalm 3:3

Definition of shield…

: a broad piece of defensive armor carried on the arm

: something or someone that protects or defends …

: a device or part that serves as a protective cover or barrier…

: a protective structure …Merriam Webster…

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1,6 

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.”

Deuteronomy 33:29 

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:3

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.

2 Samuel 22:36

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:11-12 

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord  proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 28:7

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

Psalm 119:114

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

Proverbs 2:7-8 

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

Ephesians 6:16

https://womeninthebible.net/war-in-the-bible/shields/