Read Mark 5: 24-34
Ever feel like you have to fight the masses to get a word in edge-wise? Ever feel like you are always last, always unheard, always forgotten?
I think the woman in Mark 5 :27 felt that way. Yet, she knew she had to get through. She felt ostracized for many years because of illness. No one cared about her for fear of getting sick themselves. She heard about Jesus but had yet to see him. She told herself if she saw Him she would press toward Him for healing. She had to.
So the day arrived. He came.
Verses 27-29: When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
Do you think maybe she hesitated? She saw the crowd around Him and thought (maybe) "I am not good enough to get through to Him. People need Him more than I do."
At the same time a man came for healing for his young dying daughter. Had she, this woman, thought about turning and saying "Just forget it."?
Have you?
Have you neglected asking God for something because you feel it is not important enough? Or because you feel unimportant yourself?
Here's the thing. When Jesus comes your way there is no time for hesitation. You go. You press. You push onward toward Him with such vigilance that He will sense -- He will KNOW your heart's desire. Whatever you are keeping from Jesus, He already knows. He will answer you only if you press. Press in, friend. PRESS.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark5:24-34&version=NIV
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Refresh fear
I am re-sharing a devotion I did for The Hummingbird online devotional in 2011. This one spoke to me again since the Connecticut massacre...the fear that envelops us as parents. THis past week one of our little triplets had an MRI on her brain. Praise the Lord she is fine. I felt the howling wind, but the storm was calmed. So here is a refresher on fear...
READ -Matthew 14:13-36
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” –Matt 13:30
Howling wind beat against the mobile home and the windows of my bedroom seemed as though they were going to pop out toward me as I lay shaking in my bed. I hated storms. I hated the wind even more. From birth until age 15 I lived inside a trailer with my parents and younger sister. The wind storms that blew on top of our hill nestled against the mountain terrified me. I convinced myself a tornado would spiral into our yard and sweep us away. I hated “The Wizard of Oz”’s opening scene of Dorothy running from the twister. I slept on the floor of my parents’ bedroom during thunderstorms.
Fear had enveloped me.
I recalled praying with all intensity as I sweated through the night clenching my fists for the Lord to please, please make it stop. Some even laugh when I tell them how fearful I was even up until age 15, the year I was saved. We moved into a sturdier home six months before I was 16. I felt safe. There was a basement below and the wind didn’t seem as loud. Even though actual wind no longer scares me, I sometimes let storms of life distract me from the horizon. So did Peter. Jesus asked him “Why did you doubt?”Good question.
Reach out in the storm and take his hand. You may get wet, but you won’t be swept away from His embrace.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14%3A13-36&version=NIV
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Spring rains in December
So here it is December and it's pretty warm. The weather man says it could reach 70 degrees. Wow. It feels like spring. A cold front will bring rain later on.
Aw, the rain.
Our family is in the middle of a cloud of rain right now; it hovers like the fog we had this morning. Not really raining, but no sun peeking through either. Will there be a storm? If so, will it be tsunami-size? Or will the sun break through and have mercy on us?
In Deuteronomy 11 we are commanded to love and honor God. Verses 13-15 speak to me so clearly as I wait in the mist and fog...
"So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied."
The rains are meant to help us grow. As we sit in this mist and gray we are growing...as the showers begin when I feel tears of anguish and fear, I am growing as I draw nearer to Him. I must obey and not seek answers on my own. Just trust. This is a life-changing thing -- to just trust. And the verses go on to warn me -- and you -- if you can relate to this -- that when we choose to try to run from the fog and rain and build up dams of emotion by seeking other means of escaping God's rain . When we do this we are looking for trouble.
Verse 16 says --" Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them." This could be the many ways we seek to cover up our pain -- whether it's a drink or a smoke or food or the internet. For me, when I am depressed I hide in sleep. I want to hide in a dark room, go to sleep and forget it all. But God wakes me often and reminds me I need to draw to Him -- talk to HIM.
Wherever you are with the weather in your world, obey and trust God. Take this time to let HIM be your umbrella and your shelter. He will bring the Son.
Read Deuteronomy Chapter 11 : http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2011&version=NIV
Aw, the rain.
Our family is in the middle of a cloud of rain right now; it hovers like the fog we had this morning. Not really raining, but no sun peeking through either. Will there be a storm? If so, will it be tsunami-size? Or will the sun break through and have mercy on us?
In Deuteronomy 11 we are commanded to love and honor God. Verses 13-15 speak to me so clearly as I wait in the mist and fog...
"So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied."
The rains are meant to help us grow. As we sit in this mist and gray we are growing...as the showers begin when I feel tears of anguish and fear, I am growing as I draw nearer to Him. I must obey and not seek answers on my own. Just trust. This is a life-changing thing -- to just trust. And the verses go on to warn me -- and you -- if you can relate to this -- that when we choose to try to run from the fog and rain and build up dams of emotion by seeking other means of escaping God's rain . When we do this we are looking for trouble.
Verse 16 says --" Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them." This could be the many ways we seek to cover up our pain -- whether it's a drink or a smoke or food or the internet. For me, when I am depressed I hide in sleep. I want to hide in a dark room, go to sleep and forget it all. But God wakes me often and reminds me I need to draw to Him -- talk to HIM.
Wherever you are with the weather in your world, obey and trust God. Take this time to let HIM be your umbrella and your shelter. He will bring the Son.
Read Deuteronomy Chapter 11 : http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2011&version=NIV
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
When the Word makes you say "Whoa."
I was reading the first couple chapters of Malachi the last few days and it struck me to write about something that made me go "whoa."
When a verse makes you go "whoa" you know you have been hit in the gut and you want to just bow completely head to toe and say "Lord, I am so sorry," or "Lord, if I have done that -- please, please forgive me."
Here is the whoa moment.
Chapter 2 conludes this way in verse 17 : "You have wearied the Lord with your words.
'How have we wearied him?' you ask. By saying, 'All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them' or 'Where is the God of justice?'"
It made me think immediately of two specific things. When I hear pastors or proclaiming Christians say God is ok with homosexuality -- that it pleases him... Whoa. How wrong. I could write a book on that one, but I will not go further. Look up scripture on that one yourself. It's wrong because the Bible says so (I Timothy 1:10 is an example pure and simple).
Secondly the "Where is the God of Justice?" Whoa. I imagine this one has found me at fault at some point in my Christian walk. One person recently looked at a sick individual in her youth and said to me, "This is the only time I question God."
I have learned to not make that statement anymore. When we ask why -- it may feel normal, and it is. We are human and God says so. Read Malachi 2 and see the verses before this last one about the adulteress situation and the tears of "why." But God is mighty and sovereign. We must, we must believe it. We can ask why -- but not question his justice. He is just. When that murderer goes free from a sentence -- God is just. When that pedophile manages to escape the law, God is just. When politics control everything we do -- God is just. It makes him weary to know you believe otherwise. When you have an intimate relationship with the Creator through His Son, the last thing you want to do is make him weary. You honor Him. You may question. But You honor him. Dig deep into the Word today. Don't be afraid to dig deep. You will draw nearer to Him if you do. And you will find more of those verses -- as you grow -- that make you say "Whoa."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi%202&version=NIV
When a verse makes you go "whoa" you know you have been hit in the gut and you want to just bow completely head to toe and say "Lord, I am so sorry," or "Lord, if I have done that -- please, please forgive me."
Here is the whoa moment.
Chapter 2 conludes this way in verse 17 : "You have wearied the Lord with your words.
'How have we wearied him?' you ask. By saying, 'All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them' or 'Where is the God of justice?'"
It made me think immediately of two specific things. When I hear pastors or proclaiming Christians say God is ok with homosexuality -- that it pleases him... Whoa. How wrong. I could write a book on that one, but I will not go further. Look up scripture on that one yourself. It's wrong because the Bible says so (I Timothy 1:10 is an example pure and simple).
Secondly the "Where is the God of Justice?" Whoa. I imagine this one has found me at fault at some point in my Christian walk. One person recently looked at a sick individual in her youth and said to me, "This is the only time I question God."
I have learned to not make that statement anymore. When we ask why -- it may feel normal, and it is. We are human and God says so. Read Malachi 2 and see the verses before this last one about the adulteress situation and the tears of "why." But God is mighty and sovereign. We must, we must believe it. We can ask why -- but not question his justice. He is just. When that murderer goes free from a sentence -- God is just. When that pedophile manages to escape the law, God is just. When politics control everything we do -- God is just. It makes him weary to know you believe otherwise. When you have an intimate relationship with the Creator through His Son, the last thing you want to do is make him weary. You honor Him. You may question. But You honor him. Dig deep into the Word today. Don't be afraid to dig deep. You will draw nearer to Him if you do. And you will find more of those verses -- as you grow -- that make you say "Whoa."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi%202&version=NIV
Monday, November 19, 2012
Content in a Christ-less world
Read Philippians Chapter 4
"Cry out, 'Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.' " -- I Chronicles 16:35
I admit I wasn't happy with the election a couple weeks ago. But before all of the supporters of our President throw bricks at me, let me say this is not a political blog.
I prayed for God's will and I am satisfied with whatever answer that may mean. Scripture talks about being content no matter what (Philippians 4:11). And so I must stick by that.
I could list all of the ways our country is failing -- my own home state is considering actions that will giving marriage a new definition. Nowhere in scripture is marriage defined the way so many states are changing it.
Still, I am content.
I know my Redeemer lives. I know my King is on the throne. I know who rules. And I know He will make justice one day and we will all -- even I -- will be judged for every action and decision and opinion. That is so very humbling. So because of that I will be content and trust in He that is within me.
What are you complaining about this week as we enter Thanksgiving? I know we addressed this in the last blog, but it must be a real problem for some of us because it keeps getting placed on my heart (I must be at fault for my own complaints!). So as I encourage myself here, I encourage you. I still do not want to complain. We may live among the God-less, but we have so much to thank God for. We may feel life is unfair, but this IS life. Our mothers chose life. Be thankful for that. You may feel alone and tired of being alone and tired of doing everything on your own. Philippians 4:13 says we can do all things THROUGH CHRIST. There is no other way, friend. So keep complaining as long as you depend on yourself. Read what Paul said to the Philippians and apply it to yourself.
And.. " Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." -- Philippians 4:8
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204&version=NIV
"Cry out, 'Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.' " -- I Chronicles 16:35
I admit I wasn't happy with the election a couple weeks ago. But before all of the supporters of our President throw bricks at me, let me say this is not a political blog.
I prayed for God's will and I am satisfied with whatever answer that may mean. Scripture talks about being content no matter what (Philippians 4:11). And so I must stick by that.
I could list all of the ways our country is failing -- my own home state is considering actions that will giving marriage a new definition. Nowhere in scripture is marriage defined the way so many states are changing it.
Still, I am content.
I know my Redeemer lives. I know my King is on the throne. I know who rules. And I know He will make justice one day and we will all -- even I -- will be judged for every action and decision and opinion. That is so very humbling. So because of that I will be content and trust in He that is within me.
What are you complaining about this week as we enter Thanksgiving? I know we addressed this in the last blog, but it must be a real problem for some of us because it keeps getting placed on my heart (I must be at fault for my own complaints!). So as I encourage myself here, I encourage you. I still do not want to complain. We may live among the God-less, but we have so much to thank God for. We may feel life is unfair, but this IS life. Our mothers chose life. Be thankful for that. You may feel alone and tired of being alone and tired of doing everything on your own. Philippians 4:13 says we can do all things THROUGH CHRIST. There is no other way, friend. So keep complaining as long as you depend on yourself. Read what Paul said to the Philippians and apply it to yourself.
And.. " Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." -- Philippians 4:8
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204&version=NIV
Saturday, November 10, 2012
I want to stop complaining
Read Exodus 34:5-7
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
I sometimes make a growling noise when I have had enough. When children fail to finish their meals or clean up their rooms...when someone repeatedly criticizes me or my work...when it rains and I have to carry loads of grocery bags in the house...when the phone won't stop ringing...when my to do list is longer than I like and their are STILL only 24 hours in the day...
Yes, I get angry.
I often find myself shouting in frustration. It seems to make me feel better. But do we ever consider anyone else when we get THAT angry? You know what I mean...the kind of anger where the warm air begins to filter inside our nostrils and ear canals. The kind that may began with a sigh and end with the slam of a door or someone crying.
In essence anger is disappointment in the unfulfilled. Someone was supposed to do something. Something should not have happened.
We are --as it says in Lamentations 3:42-- "contrary." How often do we shout at God because of displeasure in our current circumstances? The big stuff makes us angry. Our marriage failed. Our bank account is empty. Our job is gone. Our health is poor. So we get mad at the one we think made this possible or perhaps the one we think should wave a magic wand and "Poof!" it's gone.
How patient he is with us. He had every reason to get mad at the people in Exodus 34. All they did was complain about unmet expectations. Every time the Lord provided for them. We think our moment of peace and happiness must happen NOW. We are stiff-necked. Read the last verse in this passage...He still makes a way for them and they should have no choice but to praise Him. Do they? Read further into Exodus and see. Then ask yourself, how am I complaining to God? He is so good to us.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
I sometimes make a growling noise when I have had enough. When children fail to finish their meals or clean up their rooms...when someone repeatedly criticizes me or my work...when it rains and I have to carry loads of grocery bags in the house...when the phone won't stop ringing...when my to do list is longer than I like and their are STILL only 24 hours in the day...
Yes, I get angry.
I often find myself shouting in frustration. It seems to make me feel better. But do we ever consider anyone else when we get THAT angry? You know what I mean...the kind of anger where the warm air begins to filter inside our nostrils and ear canals. The kind that may began with a sigh and end with the slam of a door or someone crying.
In essence anger is disappointment in the unfulfilled. Someone was supposed to do something. Something should not have happened.
We are --as it says in Lamentations 3:42-- "contrary." How often do we shout at God because of displeasure in our current circumstances? The big stuff makes us angry. Our marriage failed. Our bank account is empty. Our job is gone. Our health is poor. So we get mad at the one we think made this possible or perhaps the one we think should wave a magic wand and "Poof!" it's gone.
How patient he is with us. He had every reason to get mad at the people in Exodus 34. All they did was complain about unmet expectations. Every time the Lord provided for them. We think our moment of peace and happiness must happen NOW. We are stiff-necked. Read the last verse in this passage...He still makes a way for them and they should have no choice but to praise Him. Do they? Read further into Exodus and see. Then ask yourself, how am I complaining to God? He is so good to us.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
If You're Happy and You Know It....
Read James 1:1-17
You know the song. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands."
How about this?
"If you're happy and you know it, pinch your thigh"? OR "If you're happy and you know it, twist your nose."
Ouch! What on earth?!
I read a quote in a Billy Graham book the other evening that made me think on a deeper level. It was about happiness.
The quote was from King George V and it said, "Happiness is not doing what you like to do. It is finding you like what you do not have to do. "
Here is a valid example. I hate to exercise. Haaaate it. Yes, the extra "a's" are there for a reason. Read it again. But my tummy was getting wobbly. My gut was protruding. The rolls were looking like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Get the picture? Good.
Anyhow, I knew I had to work out. So what do I do? I get a video of the most difficult exercise trainer in the universe. I can do this. I get to end of the "warm-up" and fall on the floor. This woman is a wacko. (Yes I said wacko in a devotional). I then get up and try to do more. I then collapse on my couch and sob. I will just keep growing. I will just inflate to look like Michelin Man. Why not? I can't do this. I don't like to do this!
Know what?
I did it anyhow.
I have not lost a gazillion pounds and I still have some fat around my waist. But my arms are stronger. I could not do one push up four months ago. I now easily do 20. Go, me. :)
And I started running. I once again feel like I am going to die, and I hate it. But I will do it because I know ultimately it will make me healthy.
In James, the author says in verse two and verse three: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."
Yes, there is joy in pain. I mean real pain. Emotional pain, too. When you are at your lowest, who do you cry out to? When you are at your highest who do you forget? Most people ignore God when things are great. When we hurt we say "God, help me."
Here is something to chew on.
A man who is rich with things -- albeit material or lots of food, lots of friends -- he is happy, right? Or is he? I am not talking necessarily about money, though that is some of it. He ultimately feels empty and unsatisified and unfulfilled.
Look at James 1:10-11 "But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business." It is temporary. When we seek happiness in any area but with God it is temporary. Flowers are beautiful but they are not eternal. If the only way we get to God is in our misery how often do we need to rejoice when we are there? Every single time. We don't want to readthe Bible. We don't want to go to church. We don't want to do more than pray now and then. BUT -- if we do what we think we don't want to do the reward is greater. It is not a reward of having all your bills paid or meeting Mr. Right. It is a reward in knowing fulfillment.
I pray you will join me in the coming weeks as I write about this in this blogger devotional. I will put a link to the Bible verses at the conclusion. You too will see it hurts to "work out" but you will want to continue on when you see your arms are stronger and you can do those emotional "push-ups."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:1-17&version=NIV
You know the song. "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands."
How about this?
"If you're happy and you know it, pinch your thigh"? OR "If you're happy and you know it, twist your nose."
Ouch! What on earth?!
I read a quote in a Billy Graham book the other evening that made me think on a deeper level. It was about happiness.
The quote was from King George V and it said, "Happiness is not doing what you like to do. It is finding you like what you do not have to do. "
Here is a valid example. I hate to exercise. Haaaate it. Yes, the extra "a's" are there for a reason. Read it again. But my tummy was getting wobbly. My gut was protruding. The rolls were looking like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Get the picture? Good.
Anyhow, I knew I had to work out. So what do I do? I get a video of the most difficult exercise trainer in the universe. I can do this. I get to end of the "warm-up" and fall on the floor. This woman is a wacko. (Yes I said wacko in a devotional). I then get up and try to do more. I then collapse on my couch and sob. I will just keep growing. I will just inflate to look like Michelin Man. Why not? I can't do this. I don't like to do this!
Know what?
I did it anyhow.
I have not lost a gazillion pounds and I still have some fat around my waist. But my arms are stronger. I could not do one push up four months ago. I now easily do 20. Go, me. :)
And I started running. I once again feel like I am going to die, and I hate it. But I will do it because I know ultimately it will make me healthy.
In James, the author says in verse two and verse three: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."
Yes, there is joy in pain. I mean real pain. Emotional pain, too. When you are at your lowest, who do you cry out to? When you are at your highest who do you forget? Most people ignore God when things are great. When we hurt we say "God, help me."
Here is something to chew on.
A man who is rich with things -- albeit material or lots of food, lots of friends -- he is happy, right? Or is he? I am not talking necessarily about money, though that is some of it. He ultimately feels empty and unsatisified and unfulfilled.
Look at James 1:10-11 "But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business." It is temporary. When we seek happiness in any area but with God it is temporary. Flowers are beautiful but they are not eternal. If the only way we get to God is in our misery how often do we need to rejoice when we are there? Every single time. We don't want to readthe Bible. We don't want to go to church. We don't want to do more than pray now and then. BUT -- if we do what we think we don't want to do the reward is greater. It is not a reward of having all your bills paid or meeting Mr. Right. It is a reward in knowing fulfillment.
I pray you will join me in the coming weeks as I write about this in this blogger devotional. I will put a link to the Bible verses at the conclusion. You too will see it hurts to "work out" but you will want to continue on when you see your arms are stronger and you can do those emotional "push-ups."
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:1-17&version=NIV
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