Category Archives: Heavenly Placed

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

—by grace you have been saved—

and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:4-7

What wonderful news to us who have accepted God’s gift of redemption! When we find out that we have already been placed in Heaven with Christ (not physically, but spiritually), we are exposed to several encouraging truths:

  1. Our position is eternal

  2. We are joint heirs with Christ

  3. We have been delivered out of Satan’s realm and

  4. We have been placed into God’s realm

  5. We are dead to sin, so we can overcome it

  6. The Holy Spirit lives within us, directing our footsteps

  7. We can approach the throne of God with our praise, prayers, and petitions

I love sharing God’s story of redemption, and would love for you to follow along as I record some of His truths here on this blog—not just follow, but join the conversation with me.

As a Christian, I hope you will be encouraged and inspired (maybe reproved at times, as talked about in 2nd Timothy) and I hope you will share in the comments section.

If you are not sure of your position in Christ, please consider following this blog and also sharing your thoughts. We would love to have you join the conversation.

*Scripture quotations used:

  • ESV-from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, by Crossway Bibles a division of Good News Publishers
  • KJV-vested in the Crown (United Kingdom), King James Version, printed and published by Cambridge University Press
Romans 8:26, 27

Knowing How to Pray

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Do you ever experience the feeling that your prayers go no higher than the ceiling? That you are not being heard, or maybe you feel like you are not using the right words.

When I feel like that, I usually stop praying. I feel like it’s a waste of time. I reason with myself saying if God isn’t going to hear, why do I keep talking?

But as Christians, our prayers never stop at the ceiling. They soar up to the throne of God. Because when we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27 (NASB)

Someone once said, “Praying is the only human endeavor where trying to do it is doing it.” To try to pray is to pray!

Even when I don’t feel like I’m praying, I am. God hears me, no matter what I’m feeling. Praying is an act of obedience, the hearing of and answering of prayer is God’s job, not mine.

So, when I don’t feel like I’m praying, I remind myself that it is just a feeling and I can change that.

Through the isolation of the recent COVID flu, I encountered a deeper connection with God and the joy of communicating with Him as my Father.

Praying through Bible verses and passages is one of the techniques I used, which has prompted me to be more committed to my Bible study. 

I would encourage you, if you feel like your prayer time is lacking, to try this technique. It’s not new, by any means, but it is simple, effective—and enjoyable! I genuinely love it, so here it is:

Take any verse of the Bible. Literally, any verse or passage (you can even use Leviticus!)

  1. Read it.
  2. Pray it.

Recently, I did this with Matthew 6:

  1. I read verse 9, “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” 
  2. Then I prayed, “Heavenly Father, I thank You that You have adopted me into Your family and that I now belong to You. You have made me to be a co-heir with Christ Your Son and have given me the privilege to call you Abba Father.

Then I went to verse 10:

  1. I read, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
  2. I prayed, “Thank You for Your promised kingdom that Jesus brought to us when He was here on earth. I ask You to help me to be alert in doing Your will, following Your way, and obeying Your word as sincerely and completely as Jesus did the work You had given to Him while He was here. 

This is the framework. Two simple steps. 

Read it. Pray it.

In doing this, you can read and pray for as long as you desire, knowing that the Father hears every word you utter.

Let me know in the comments how this works for you.

Knowing How to Pray

-be blessed!

Romans 8:26, 27
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous

Be Strong and Courageous

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I know you are out there. I’ve talked to you, and I’ve seen your posts on FB, received your videos in Messenger, and gotten your tweets on Twitter. I know you are feeling frustrated, fearful, or maybe just irritated about this Corona/Covid catastrophe.

I am, too. In fact, the whole world is feeling it! Not just our neighborhood, or our state, or our country, but the whole world has been affected by the upheaval.

Recently, I was surprised to find out just how much I have been affected by it. You see, I’m an optimist by nature. My favorite song is by Louie Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”. My other favorite is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, so you can see how hopelessly hopeful I am.

When the lock downs first started, I was completely against it. Giving up freedom to any degree goes against the grain (it’s an American trait!). And although I wanted to kick and rebel and defy, I felt the Lord was telling me to sit down and be quiet. Unfortunately, if you look back on some of my news feed you will see that I wasn’t completely compliant with those orders either (but I have worked that out with Him).

After the 2 weeks turned into 3 weeks, my frustration kept peaking, but I could hear the Lord gently rebuking me with the verse found in Jeremiah 12:5 (loosely translated), “if the footmen tire you, how are you going to race against the horses?”

Day after day confusing reports filled the air. You heard it; conflicting reports about wearing masks, going out, staying in, keeping your distance, daily reports of people who “probably” died of Covid-19. But as it happens, things become “the normal”, and I began to settle into the benefits of being quarantined, with an occasional outburst of irritation to the Lord. (I’ll spare you the details).

Then something changed. My frustration became compassion, my irritation became empathy, and my occasional outbursts to the Lord about the world going crazy, became an endearing quest of seeking a deeper, intimate relationship with the God of the universe.

I can’t tell you everything that I have gone through, it would take too much time, but there will be evidences of this journey that you will see here, and if you know me personally, I hope you will also observe them in my every-day walk.

So, let me go back to the beginning: I know you are out there. You who are frustrated, irritated, anxious, fearful, upset, annoyed. But let me encourage you to stop listening to the flash-in-the-pan news flooding the airwaves, trying to get us all worked up. 

Instead, read your Bible. A Psalm a day, a Proverbs a day, the book of John or Romans – it doesn’t matter where you start.  There are 66 books to choose from, just pick one. 

Get into the Word and be encouraged. Work through a devotional or a gratitude journal. Or start a prayer list and pray often. Listen to preaching on the radio, instead of the constant drip, drip, drip of shock radio.

After God’s gentle rebuke to me a few weeks ago, He encouraged me with another verse which is found in Joshua 1:9:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

So, if this world and all that is happening has you confounded, I challenge you to not allow your heart to be troubled. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, be encouraged by the fact that although this world is going through some crazy changes, we serve a God who never changes. And He cares for you like a mother hen cares for her chicks.

Be Strong and Courageous!
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous

The Sound of Silence

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Sounds come at us all day long. People talking, children laughing (or fighting), conversations with our spouse, traffic passing by, doors opening and shutting, food cooking, birds, bullfrogs, and buzzings outside. No matter where we are or where we go, there is noise. And yes, if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it, it still makes a noise!

Do you ever just need to hear silence? I mean, maybe you’re not as desperate as I am, but I find it so hard to find a time alone; a quiet place where I can—you know—hear silence.

My world is so crazy, so busy, so crowded, (like many of us, I’m sure) that I find myself always looking for an opportunity to not talk, not interact. Don’t get me wrong, I love people, I love spending time with my family and friends. But sometimes I just need – Silence.

When I wake up early in the morning, sometimes I hesitate to breathe because I’m afraid someone will hear, and all the noises of the day will begin; distracting me from what really is important to me the first thing in the morning—listening to God.

Small Still Voice

With all the noises in life, it’s hard to hear the small, still voice that is God’s.

When my kids were small, if I had something important for them to hear, I would wait for them to quiet down, and when I was sure they were listening I would try to clearly explain to them what I wanted them to know, or what I was expecting of them.

If they were distracted in any way—watching TV, playing a video game, reading a book—they usually would not hear me correctly, completely, or not at all!

Sometimes, if I really needed them to listen to me, I would get on their level, put my hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and in a hushed tone (sometimes through gritted teeth, depending on the situation at hand) I would tell them what was expected of them.

And it’s usually during our quiet times together when I tell them how much I love them, or that I’m proud of them, or that I think they’re doing a terrific job being a human being.

Take Time to Listen

I believe the Lord speaks to us in the same way. I mean, yeah, He could boom His message through the clouds, or shout something out like the rumble of thunder, but He chooses to speak to us in hushed, loving tones as we seek to find His will for our life.

He lovingly tells us that He has a plan for our life, and if we are willing to listen, He will show us the paths to walk.

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

He whispers to us when we are afraid or unsure or have something hard to face.

In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:11 (NIV)

Have I not commanded you? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

He lays His hand upon our shoulder and assures us that we are not alone, and that no matter how lonely we feel, He is always there.

…He is not far from each one of us:

Acts 17:27 (ASV)

… For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)

…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Matthew 28:20 (KJV)

And as His children, it’s so important that we turn off the TV, the radio, the phone, the world, the noise, and find a place of silence where we can look into the Father’s face and listen to what He is longing for us to hear.

…He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God…

1 Chronicles 22:19 (NIV)

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

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Oswald chambers was a preacher/teacher from the early 1900’s. His book “My Upmost for His Highest” is one of the most popular devotionals to date. Below are some of his books, including “My Upmost for His Highest”.

mom and daughter sitting on a park swing

Passing On The Praises Of God

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mom and daughter sitting on a park swing
passing on the praises of God

One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4

When my children were small, the first prayer they learned to pray was,

God is great,

God is good,

Let us thank Him

For our food.

Typical, right? I’m sure this is probably the #1 “first prayer” that all children learn.

However simple the words in this child’s prayer may seem, they are quite profound in meaning.

Continue reading Passing On The Praises Of God →
bible with pen

Teach Me Your Way

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Psalm 119:13 ESV

[clickandtweet handle=”” hashtag=”” related=”” layout=”” position=””]Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Psalm 119:13[/clickandtweet]

 

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart,

who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways!

You have commanded Your precepts to be kept diligently.

Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping Your statutes!

Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all Your commandments.

I will praise You with an upright heart, when I learn Your righteous rules.

I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!

Psalm 119:2-8

 

 

Life can be a struggle. Making difficult decisions can lead to undesirable consequences. Sometimes we feel lost and confused about the direction our life has taken us. Indecision, uncertainty, and doubt regulate our thoughts, at times.

Well, navigating through life can be tough, and to quote President Obama, “This is just really hard.” (1) (I guess he found out that it was harder than it looked.)

However, we do have a Plan Book available to us–the Bible, God’s Holy Word, the Scriptures…whatever you choose to call it.

God has graciously given us a written account of how we are supposed to live our lives. The problem is that the Bible doesn’t have a topical index that we can turn to and look for the solutions to our problems—wouldn’t that be nice.

But the solutions are there; the plans are there; the instructions are there, and all we have to do is dig them out. We cannot know God’s wisdom and understanding unless we study—not just read, but study, His Word.

Is it important to study God’s Word?

Of course it is! In the Psalm above, law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statutes, and commandments all refer to God’s Holy Word. To live a less hectic, more God-loving, people-loving, self-loving life, we must find His plans for us.

 

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (AMP)

 

 

 

 

1. Obama on Middle East peace efforts

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

 

Isaiah 40:25

Who Is Comparable To God?

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“To whom then will you compare Me, that I should be like him?” says the Holy One.

Isaiah 40:25

Who is comparable to God? There is no one like Him. There is no one comparable to Him. Have you ever tried to explain God to a young child? It’s hard to do; a child’s world is full of magical characters like:

  • Santa Claus, who “sees you when you’re sleeping”,
  • The Tooth Fairy who sneaks into your room and exchanges money for a forgotten tooth underneath a pillow
  • The Easter Bunny who hides plastic eggs on the lawn
  • The boogeyman who will get you if you “sing at the table or whisper in bed”

But these characters, and others like them, are not comparable to God and His greatness.

As we grow older, these fantasies are replaced by super heroes who have their own legends to live up to. Today most super-brave, over-accomplishing, fictional characters have complete historical backgrounds built around their super-ness, which kids of every age thrill to discover.

However, these super characters pale in the light of our powerful God.

As adults we may lay aside the whimsical heroes and felons of our childhood, but often we replace these fanciful feelings with idolization of those who we consider to be great in their own rights. We try to compare man and his accomplishments to God and His greatness. Maybe it’s because it’s easier for us to quantify man, because God is immeasurable, but no one is comparable to God.

  • Man can be placed in time and space, but God is omnipresent–He has the power to be everywhere at the same time
  • Man can be awarded with certificates and mark off his learning achievements, but God is omniscient–He has unlimited knowledge and understanding
  • Man’s authority, influence, and power is measured by those who follow him, but God is omnipotent–He has infinite power and authority

No one is comparable to God; no fictional character we can imagine, no person who has achieved the ultimate pinnacle of success, and nothing we create with our hands can compare, either.

To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol!

A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.

He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot;

he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.

Isaiah 40:18-20

Who is comparable to God? No one… there is no one comparable to God. There is no one else who has immeasurable power, unending authority, boundless mercy, and everlasting love.

God’s love cannot be compared to any other love we will ever know.

Isaiah 40:25
Isaiah 40:25 ESV

God Created Everything

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“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And God saw every thing that he had made,

and, behold, it was very good.

And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Genesis 1:1, 31

Some people have a hard time believing that creation of the world took only six days to complete. Some say that there is a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. {And then other things happened for billions of years} (2) And the earth [became?] without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

While they teach that God created all things, the gap comes from the efforts of men to coincide the scientific faith, that the earth is billions of years old, with the spiritual faith, that God is the Creator.

They propose that supposedly billions of years ago when God created the earth, it was somehow filled with all the living life forms—including the cave men and dinosaurs— that our geologist are now finding in ancient ruins, hidden caves, and on top of uninhabited mountain tops.

However, (according to their theory) this age came to an end shortly after Lucifer and his entourage of fallen angels were banned from heaven and cast to the earth. It was then that the earth was—or to use their word—“became” without form and void.

There are many arguments out there for and against the gap theory and you can study and believe what you would like. However, if we take the Bible literally, then God created the heaven, the earth, the universe, and everything that exits (and continues to procreate) in six literal days—24 hours—morning to night.

In the beginning, God created:

Day 1—God created light

Day 2—God created the sky and seas

Day 3—God separated the sea to create dry land and created vegetation

Day 4—God created the sun, the moon and the stars

Day 5—God created the swimming creatures and the flying creatures

Day 6—God created the land creatures and man (and woman)

For six days God’s Spirit breathed on our universe creating everything from the smallest thing seen through the lens of a microscope to the largest thing seen through the lens of a telescope. 

What an amazing God we have the privilege to serve!

Resources:

Christian Answers

Christianity About

Answers in Genesis

Who Is Jesus

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Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

My faith is the most important aspect of my life. At age twenty-one, I accepted God’s provision for my sin debt and made Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of my life and soul. From that point on, I have never looked back nor have I ever regretted my decision. Jesus is my Redeemer.

One of my favorite episodes in the Bible is found in Mark 8. Jesus asked His disciples a very important question

“Who do men say that I am?”

The disciples gave various answers, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and some say you are one of the prophets”.

Jesus then asked the most important question, “But who do you say that I am?”

What a great question! What a great way to make it personal. Jesus is not interested in hearing our theology of –anything; He wants to know what you think, what you believe.

Who do you say Jesus is?

That’s a personal question; one that is answered in your heart—in the deepest part of your being. It’s an answer that, no matter what your words say to others, your answer will be known at the end of time (at the end of your time here on earth).

Who do you say Jesus is?

Peter answered the Lord rightly when he said, “Thou art the Christ”. The Bible says He is the Son of God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, The Bright and Morning Star, The Lion of Judah and The Lamb of God; He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He has been given a name above all names, and that all will eventually bow before him. His name is Jesus, the only begotten of the Heavenly Father. He is our Mediator, the Rock of our Salvation, and the propitiation for our sins.

Who do you say Jesus is?

Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Who do you say Jesus is?

Mark 8:34 says that Jesus called His disciples and the people who were with them together, and said,

“Whosoever will come after me, let him take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever shall save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

So, do you have an answer?  Have you ever considered it before?

Who do you say Jesus is?

Delight In The Law Of The Lord

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“Blessed is the man that

walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…

But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psalm 1:1-2

Blessed is the man that

walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3

Psalm 1_1_2

Want to be happy? Want to be blessed? Want things to work out in your personal situation?

Then stay away from people who will give you bad advice!

Simple, huh?

The world is full of people who want to tell us how to run our lives. In fact, advice is about the only “free” commodity there is anymore. And although at times we may need another head or two to bump together to come up with some different tactic, we are cautioned to stay away from advice given by people who don’t care to know God.

If we do take ungodly advice, we inadvertently become comfortable with those who are disrespectful of things that are holy.

This psalm shows the progression of bad advice…walking-standing-sitting…which eventually turns into sin. It doesn’t matter what sin it is, it could be a bad habit, a bad attitude, or a terrible action. But let’s imagine bad advice, or sin, as walking along our life’s road.

Yep, there it is, we turn around and look, and there we see ‘sin’ over our left shoulder (notice it’s not the “right” shoulder). It sneaks up behind us—because sin is usually sneaky. We look back again and then turn our eyes back towards the front and keep walking, but it’s not too long down the road until sin steps up right next to us.

Now we’re walking with Sin (counsel of the ungodly)

Oh well, I’m strong, we think, as we continue our walk with Sin keeping up with us. But then Sin starts to whisper something. At first we may disagree; we may even vehemently disagree, but then Sin starts to lull us into its way of thinking…we think these are our thoughts…we begin to like what Sin is saying. Wait, let’s stop and think this out together, we say.

Oops…now we’re standing on our life’s road with sin.

We soon find ourselves thinking the wrong things, doing the wrong things, and going to the wrong places. Sin has taken us off our road and now we are sitting along the path complaining how badly things have turned out for us. We criticize others, because we are miserable; we mock those who do good works, because our work is so unpleasant to us; we are intolerant of others, because we can no longer tolerate our life with Sin.

Now we sit in the seat of scorners…

So what preventive steps can we take to escape this downward spiral? We meditate on God’s Word!

Yes, it’s important to read the Bible. Maybe you are a disciplined person who reads through the Bible every year (wow! brownie points for you, I’ve never been that consistent). But this is talking about reading, then reading again, and thinking about it, and considering all that God has said about it, over and over again.

Maybe it’s because I’m a farmer’s wife, but I love this quote from Sprugeon:

“Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and life…It is not only reading that does us good; but the soul inwardly feeding on it, and digesting it.”

Meditating is taking God’s Word and reading it with our lips, thinking about with our minds, and allowing it to sink into our hearts, so our spirits can feed on it and grow to produce godly fruit. (Galatians 5:22-23)

This Is The Day Which The Lord Hath Made

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“This is the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day which the Lord hath made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:23-24

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:

because his mercy endureth for ever.

The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

Open to me the gates of righteousness:

I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:

This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.

I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

This is the LORD’S doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:1, 14, 19-21, 23, 24

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made...
Psalm 118:24

As a young girl, I remember one morning coming into the kitchen where my Mother was fixing her morning coffee. She greeted me with a semi-cheery, “Good morning”, which I countered with a rhetorical question, “What’s so good about it?” (I probably had a test that day, or something else of equal misfortune).

But her sincere reply stopped me in my contemplating tracks, and has directed my thought pattern over the years.

“Any day that God gives you is a good day,” she wisely replied.

How true are those words! Isaiah talks about our lives being one snip of a chord away from death. None of us know when we will take our last breath. None of us know if we will see tomorrow. None of us know if we will even see the next moment; only the present moment is assured.

Life is a gift from our eternal and loving Father. He created each of us individually. No one, no matter what the circumstance, was “accidently” given life. It’s an ongoing gift that is renewed for us daily.

But another gift has been given to us also, and that is the gift of salvation. The special “day” that is spoken of here in these verses is the day that Jesus redeemed man back to God, after the sin of man thrust all of us into eternal separation.

We can find occasion every day to rejoice in the fact that Our Lord has given us the gift of life. It can be celebrated, appreciated, and spent for God’s glory.

But even more so, we can celebrate the fact that Jesus is our Redeemer, and echo the psalmist by saying,

[ctt template=”3″ link=”Nrpza” via=”no” ]“Oh, let’s give thanks to our Lord; He is so good: His mercy endures forever!” Psalm 118:1[/ctt]

Without The Christ

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Hope you all had a blessed Resurrection Day!
poem_Without the Christ

Without the Christ

Without His birth, where would I be?

In a stable stayed the three

Angels announced

Shepherds observed

Wisemen came to worship the Lord.

 

Without the Cross, where would I be?

All my sins on top of me.

Full of guilt

A price to pay

My sins would not have been washed away.

 

Without the Christ where would we be?

Dying for all humanity.

His blood removed

Our guilt and shame

He took our place, we took His name.

 

Without His resurrection where would we be?

Death is swallowed up in victory

Buried three days

He snatched Death’s key

 

And rose with life eternally.


                                                                                -Cindra Enloe

The Christian’s Low-Carb Diet

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loaf of sliced bread

Matthew 16:5-2

“And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.’

 

And they reasoned among themselves saying, ‘It is because we have taken no bread.’

Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, “O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?’

Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

Bread has been a long time no-no in the low-carb diet world, and it appears here that the disciples thought Jesus was warning against bread, too. However, historically, leaven has been synonymous with sin, which is the context in which Jesus was using it.

I find it a little humorous when I read these verses. Jesus had just lambasted the religious leaders for being hypocrites, and then he and his disciples sailed over to the other shore where Jesus admonished them not to be like the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, not understanding the Lord’s lesson (this is the part that makes me chuckle J) , their thoughts centered on the provision of food, or lack of.

Can’t you see them? Jesus, in his concern for the spiritual lives of his friends and disciples, lovingly warns them not to allow sin to taint their beliefs, as the religious leaders were doing. And here may be where the problem originated…”they reasoned among themselves”. Well, that is always a danger, but maybe they were hungry and food was the only thing on their minds at the time?

However, we know that’s not what Jesus was talking about. The Lord was warning against leaven, or sin in their lives. He was cautioning his followers not to be like the religious leaders of that time, who knew the law, but didn’t recognize the Truth. He did not want them to allow sin, hypocrisy, complacency, and self-righteousness to hinder them and to influence what he had taught them.

Aren’t we like that, too? How much time do we spend considering the spiritual world? How often do we meditate on the temporal (our physical needs) instead of the eternal (our spiritual needs)? We Christians are always fussing over the food. Some would not even have a prayer time if they didn’t say “grace” before a meal. Then of course, all of our church programs revolve around food. We have a birthday dinner for the preacher, an outdoor BBQ to celebrate the founding of the church, an ice cream social on the 4th of July, VBS snacks, fall festivals, Thanksgiving dinners, and Christmas cookie parties. Sometimes our priorities get so mixed up, like the disciples, we allow our physical needs to take priority over our spiritual needs, or like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we allow some leavening to infiltrate the truth we have learned in God’s word.

Jesus reminded his disciples that they had no need to think about what or when they were going to eat…ever, because he was more than able to provide. He cited the two occasions when he miraculously provided food for thousands of people out of a few loaves of bread—and had leftovers!

Heeding the warning taught by our Lord, we should think less on what is provided for our temporal existence and be careful not to allow leaven in our lives that hinder our spiritual walk.

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…”

Matthew 6:31-33