21 June 2016
Getting Some Rest
Psalm 91:1
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Real rest comes from God. It is only for those who choose to “live under his shelter.”

Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

God provides every kind of rest for me physically and spiritually. Sleeping pills and positive thinking might provide quiet for a little while, but real rest and peaceful slumber is what God gives to those who trust in him.

Dear God,
Thank you so much for taking away my guilt and shame so that I can enjoy real rest. Thank you that even in sleepless and restless seasons of my life you are here with me and providing rest when there otherwise shouldn’t be any. I think of the time when Rob was very sick and in the hospital and I had an unexplainable time of rest in the waiting room. Only YOU can do that! I’ve experienced it firsthand and appreciate it so much, and I thank you for giving me rest in every way a person needs rest every single day. I love you so much and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​20 June 2016
Smoking is bad for you
Mark 8:36
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

We all have free will. And it makes sense to use our own free will for our own benefit. People are certainly free to smoke cigarettes, for example, but they shouldn’t complain when they turn up with lung cancer in a few years. Smoking is a freedom, but isn’t beneficial. Smoking is bad for you.

The Apostle Paul talks about freedom being beneficial not only for ourselves but for others too...
You say, “I am allowed to do anything” but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)

No one is stopping me from doing whatever pops into my head, but consequences surely do! I don’t want to lose my relationships, go into debt, or get lung cancer, so there are lots of things I am free to do that I will use my free choices to NOT do. And these same truths can be applied spiritually. I find that following Jesus and living how he prescribes is completely beneficial. I certainly am free to repay an insult with an insult in return, but God’s Word says not to do that (1 Peter 3:9), and God made me; he certainly knows what is beneficial for my heart. And, I must say, the times I have used my free choice to insult others did not turn out to be beneficial for me at all. I found that getting mad just makes me madder. God really does know what he’s talking about, and it’s always for my benefit. Insulting others is bad for me.

Dear God,
Thank you for your Word instructing me. I choose to follow your Son, Jesus, because of the incredible benefits. Thank you for peace and comfort, love and protection, wisdom and joy. I love you so much and thank you for my free will. Help me to use it to please you because that really is what I want to do. And I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​17 June 2016
Helping the Helpless
Psalm 68:4-5
Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord— rejoice in his presence! Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy. 

This is why God is to be celebrated; he is not mean. This is God: Father to the fatherless and Defender of Widows. He is concerned for those who are left out and cannot take care of themselves. He is full of compassion. Without God, the world wouldn’t even know what compassion is. He is the one who displays it and requires the same for all who follow him.

Psalm 103:8 Describes God...
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

Ephesians 4:32 Describes God’s instruction to us...
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

James even summarizes Christianity like this...
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. Christianity can be consolidated into just three things? Wow! And LOOK! Two of the three things is being concerned with what concerns God. 

But why orphans & widows? I think it’s because that is something EVERYONE can do something about. I get overwhelmed by the news because I have no voice. I get overwhelmed by missionary news letters because I have no money to travel. And I get overwhelmed by our embarrassing government because I have no authority to make any logical changes for them. God MUST take care of these things for me because I am powerless to do so. But, we do not have to spend a lot of money, travel to another country or win all the wars in order to help the helpless. They are right next door, in my own town, or a friend on Fb – a discouraged person with no hope, a widow with no defender, or an orphan with no love. What is most precious to God’s heart and what he wants from me is actually something I can do... Care for orphans and widows and refuse to let the world corrupt me. I’m glad solving all the world’s problems is not on this list!

Dear God,
I love your character. You want to bring everyone together into your Family, and so PEOPLE are your priority, not government and taxes. And you want me to extend love and compassion like you do because that’s what I’m meant for. Thank you for the relief that comes with knowing I am perfectly capable of doing what you want me to do, and that you don’t expect me to right all the wrongs of the world. Please bless and sustain Shirley, JoAnn, Donna, Betty, and Sandra today. Please provide for them and protect them, encourage them, and help them not to be lonely today. I love you and thank you, my great and compassionate Father, and I pray in your Son’s name, according to your good will. Amen.

​14 July 2016
As much as they do
2 Corinthians 10:7-8
Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority.

Paul is talking about spiritual authority in this passage. He is correcting some Believers who have misunderstood him and mistaken his motives, but his words just jump off the page at me in light of what happened in Orlando 2 days ago.

I remember a time when American tragedies were cause for calling for a moment of silence and praying for the families of the victims. Nowadays, tragedies are platforms for the president to present his ideology that does absolutely nothing to comfort families or solve problems. A self identified enemy of our country wiped out a nightclub. The root of this problem is not about guns or mentally unstable people. The root of this problem is that we have an enemy that our leadership ignores. That is the root of every problem. We have an Enemy, and we should not ignore that fact; we should confront it.

Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do... A Believer who has misunderstood something or someone should not use scripture out of context to suit their argument in order to try and shut the other side down. The one who corrects another based on the whole truth of God’s Word provides solutions that actually builds people up not shut them down in order to ‘win’ an argument.

Those who misinterpret the Constitution and say they believe American Freedom is protected by restricting innocent citizens must recognize that Conservatives are Americans just as much as they are. And we disagree. Which side of the argument makes people more free, and which side just wants to shut the other side up? Which side of the argument address the root of the problem that we have an enemy that needs to be dealt with, and which side denies the root of the problem and uses distracting techniques to further their own agenda instead?

We are relying on Americans to use common sense these days, and we’re getting nowhere. We must rely on Believers everywhere to use their spiritual authority and speak the truth. Believers know the truth about the Enemy; he comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). And nowhere in all of scripture are we ever instructed to make ourselves weak and give in to the Enemy and let him take over.

Dear God,
I pray for this country and the illogical ideologies at play. I pray for the families of the victims and for our whole country to turn to you in this time of tragedy and not shift blame or further a liberal agenda. Thank you that we have the right to defend ourselves in this country. Help more people be bold and use that right so that we can defeat our enemy. Thank you for protecting my family in these dangerous times. Help godly leaders to emerge even though I do not see that happening. That’s why I put all my hope and trust for life, wisdom, and protection in YOU. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

9 June 2016
Dorothy Barton
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for You are with me.

This is my Gramma. She will be 97 tomorrow! Can you believe it? 97! When I think about her longevity, it could be due to her content nature and that she doesn’t worry often or complain. She’ll eat anything, talk to anyone, and plays games. She is also always very thankful. These personal attributes have done well for her these many years. But mostly when I think of her accomplishment of years, I think to myself, “Wow! Gramma must’ve really honored her parents!”

“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:2-3. 

The funniest conversation I ever had with my gramma was when I was 17 and she told me I could get away with being in a bad mood because I was a pretty girl. If I weren’t so cute, I couldn’t do that. Ha!

I admire my gramma because of how she raised her sons. She always immersed herself in everything her sons ever did. She knows everything about the orchestra because she put my dad in violin lessons from the time he was a little guy. Then she became an expert in jazz bands because of her twin sons, Donny & Ronny. And finally, she’s a rodeo expert because of Uncle Tim, who is 18 years younger than my dad. She was into what her kids were into, and each one excelled professionally in their area. Amazing.

These last few days, though, she sleeps a lot, and now she has a hospice nurse. My parents are with her, and her days are coming to a close now. My mom texts me updates all day, and the updates are that she sleeps, gets agitated in her sleep, my dad holds her hand and calms her down, and then she goes back to sleep. It’s common for a person in Gramma’s condition. But my mom also texted me what she thinks is going on with Gramma right now, and it makes sense to me.

My mom texted Psalm 23:4 to me. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me. My dad is just reassuring her that Jesus is with her. Death is scary, and no one is ready for it no matter how old you are. But God is with her because, even as old as she is, she is his little girl. And he wouldn’t send her through anything scary alone.

So that’s why we sit with our dying loved ones even when they are not conscious. We hold their hands and reassure them for Jesus until the moment he is ready to take her hand himself and take her to be with him forever. She may have some agitated sleep right now because that's how the Bible describes death, but she’s going to wake up with HIM very soon. And I am so thankful.

Dear God,
I thank you for my Gramma. Thank you for her example of thankfulness and contentment. Thank you for my parents’ example of honoring her too. I will miss her. I like hearing her say, “Well, Good” and “Hi” with her Texas lilt in her voice. She is fun to play cards with and hear stories from, and she traveled to be at my wedding and to meet my kids. Thank you for blessing her with good health and a long life. Thank you that my dad is holding her hand till you’re ready to take it yourself. And THANK YOU that your promise of eternal life is REAL and I will indeed hear her “Well, Good” and “HI” again. Amen.

PS
Turns out my Gramma is an artist and no one knew it! Here’s what she’s been up to the last couple years...

​1 June 2016
My Future
Revelation 21:3-4
Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

To those who live with hurt feelings, depression & illness, this slice of hope is for you. To those who don’t; this hope is for you too in that your future is not one that will be overwhelmed by these things either for the one who puts her trust in Jesus. Our reward is Jesus. HE is the great prize we are eagerly waiting for! And he mixes no sorrow with it.

God himself will be with them... God himself physically lived with humanity once before (Matthew 1:23) long ago to show us how to live and then to pay the price for all sin (1 Peter 3:18). When he lives with us again, it won’t be to prepare our future but to BE our future. Our future is that we will be with him forever with none of the things that cause us pain, for the One who has the power to take sins away forever also has the power to take ALL of our sorrow & pain away forever too! That is what Believers know will happen. He’s been here once before, and over 500 eye witnesses saw him alive again after he was crucified (1 Corinthians 15:6), If he says he will come again, he will surely come again.

When sharing their faith, some Believers don’t know what to say, and they encourage people to trust in Jesus because he makes their life better. That’s true, he does. But the reason people need to believe in Jesus is because God decided that is the only way to be right with him and to be forgiven from sin and rescued from death (Romans 3:22). People need to believe in Jesus now so their sins will not be held against them later. Believers are not whisked away from troubles now so others will be able to see God sustaining us and blessing us in ways that are not dependent upon circumstances. And later, he will INDEED make life better!

When he comes again, it’s not to do what he’s already done, so those who don’t trust in him now should hurry up and deal with that before he comes again. Because the next time he comes is for a different purpose...

... Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

And he adds no sorrow to our future with him (see Proverbs 10:22). In fact, he has promised to take all the sorrows away for good!

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for intending to be with us again really soon. And thank you so much that our reward is YOU! I look forward to personally being comforted by YOU! I love how you have told us these things ahead of time so that every day is filled with hope and lots of joy over what you promise. And I thank you that all your promises have always been good and true. I love you so much and thank you, and I just can’t wait! And I pray in your name, amen.