Monday Meditations ~ Evil

Sometimes I can forget that our fight is not of this world. The Word says that, "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

We go about our day to day lives and often don't think about this 'unseen world.' That is, until it is seen...or felt. I have always been sensitive to things in the spiritual realm...I just didn't understand it until about 5 years ago. This can be quite scary to someone who doesn't understand it...trust me.

Anyhow, yesterday, I began sensing something not right. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This morning, that feeling is still there...but stronger. The only thing I can do right now is pray. Seek direction from God. Seek counsel from godly friends. And pray some more. Pray that whatever it is, isn't as bad as it's making me feel.

Monday Meditations ~ Rest

Sometimes life can seem so busy. Even if the things you fill your life with are 'good' things, it can at times seem overwhelming. Sometimes you just need to stop and rest...rest in His perfect peace. Rest in the fact that He loves you and He has called you to do His work on this earth.

I think we all need to sit back every once in a while and rest in Him. I know I do. Take some time today and rest in His arms. That's what I'll be doing.

Think about it...

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Monday Meditations ~ Missions

You know, I'm not sure that the words 'mission trip' are found in the Bible . . . but the concept is there . . . and the command. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus says, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Sure, He was talking to the 12, but are you and I not disciples as well?

I fully and completely believe that some are called to GO and some are called to SEND. At this point in my life, I know that I am not called to go. Okay, so what then? What can I do? What can my family do to participate in this mandate?

We can pray

We can support, financially

We can send.

And we do. Currently we are supporting a dear friend of ours as she completes a call on her life in Vietnam. She will be returning home in July of this year. (Yay for mom and dad!) It has been really heavy on my heart to begin searching for a new missionary to support. But not just one that I pick. One that we all pick . . . Daddy, Big Girl, Angel and me. Someone that we can connect with. Someone that we can pray for.

I'm not sure how we are going to choose, but I know God will be faithful to show our family who He wants us to support . . . and pray for. Would you join us in praying to find our missionary family?

I will update more as God reveals to us His plan! :)

Monday Meditations ~ Family

I'm pretty sure you all realize how very important family is. I know I do. I don't want to take one minute I have with them for granted.

Which is why my posts this week may be sporadic, at best. My girlies are on spring break this week and, well, I'm busy spending as much time with them as I can. I'll do my best to get a few pics of our fun up, but I hope you understand if I don't. :)

"then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10,12

Monday Meditations ~ Jesus' Words

Right now, I'm rereading the book of John. I love the gospels because we get to read so many of Jesus' actual words that He spoke while here on earth. That's pretty amazing.

Anyhow, I love how simple, yet profound His words are. Today, we Christians tend to try and complicate the Gospel, when in all actuality, Jesus made it very simple. "Come follow me." "Go back home, your son will live." "This is the only work God wants from you. Believe in the One he has sent."

Some of His other messages are more wordy, but still with a simple concept: Love Me, Love God, Love others. It couldn't get much easier than that. Why do we make it so difficult? Why do we try to pray these ridiculously long prayers when He tells us exactly how to pray? Why do we try to do life on our own instead of leaning on Him?

My prayer for myself is that I get back to the basics with God . . . to try and uncomplicate my relationship with Him.

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” Luke 10:26-28

Monday Meditations ~ Restoration

Have you ever been hurt by someone? I know that's a dumb question, because we all have. But what I mean is, has someone really hurt you . . . to the point that you aren't sure if you can ever forgive them? I know I've been on both sides of that situation. I've been the one hurt and the one doing the hurting. I'm human just like you.

But think about this . . . God has only ever been on the receiving end of that hurt. His children in Israel. You and I . . . and the rest of humanity. We've all hurt God. Any sin we commit hurts God. And yet we (humanity) continue to hurt Him . . . daily, hourly. And how does He react? Of course He is saddened, but He is also right there waiting for us to repent and come back to Him.

Man . . . I am so grateful that He is so merciful and full of Grace. I am also grateful that once He restores us, He forgets all those sins we've committed. He doesn't continue to beat us up over our past sins . . . we (and the devil) do a good enough job of that!

I was reading in Joel this morning and I love the way the Lord relayed this message to him.

. . . Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Joel 2:13 NLT

Isn't that great!?! "Eager to relent," I just love that. How eager are we to relent when someone has sinned against us . . . and we feel the retaliation is justified?

I challenge you to try and be 'slow to get angry' and to be 'filled with unfailing love' toward those around you today.

Monday Meditations ~ Biblical Prophecies

I just finished the book of Daniel. And I must say . . . wow! First Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and now this . . . I'm so completely blown away. You see, God took these men of faith on journeys that you and I could probably never imagine. He gave them visions of the future . . . the future that is now our present. (or at the very least, our not so distant future)

I don't know why I'm so surprised to see all of these things coming to pass, after all, this is GOD we are talking about here. Reading all of these books by the major prophets just makes me even more eager and hungry to read the things that God revealed to John . . . the book of Revelation.

There are so many things in these books of prophecy that are almost exactly word for word the same as in Revelation. I just hope that more people begin to see the signs as they are happening instead of after . . . when it's too late. Besides, that's why God showed these men . . . for mankind to turn and repent before it is too late . . . before He has to pour out His wrath on this sin-filled world.

Think about it . . .

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9

Monday Meditations ~ Love

What is love? No really . . . what is love? Is it some feeling you get when that someone special looks at you that way? Is it that feeling between a parent and a child? Well, yes it's all those things and more.

Love can be summed up into one simple yet profound statement . . . God is love. It even says so in the Bible. Check out 1 John 4:8.

Ok, so what to do with that? Well, He wants us to be more like Him . . . to love like Him. That's a toughie though. I mean, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for you and I . . . because He loved us. I'm not sure I could sentence my child to die because I love someone.

So, on this Valentine's day . . . let us all try to remember what love really is . . . and Who it came from. As you celebrate the loves in your life, try not to forget the most important Love . . . God.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Monday Meditations ~ God's Gifts

I don't know about you, but when I read I tend to get transported to a different time/place. If the author is really good, I feel every emotion, cry every tear and laugh every laugh right along with the characters of a book.

This is no different with the Bible. While reading in Ezekiel yesterday and today, I began to  wonder how the author felt while experiencing all these visions and prophecies first hand. I mean could you imagine actually experiencing something like this?

Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me. Ezekiel 1:26-28

Now I know things in the Old Testament times were different from now, but could you imagine? I have personally been given a Word to encourage someone else and I've also been prophesied over, but I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like what Ezekiel writes about. How amazing/exhilarating/terrifying must that have been for him!?

I do love to be used of God. It is an amazing feeling. I'm certain this is exactly how Ezekiel felt. How about you? Are you making yourself available enough to be used of God? Trust me, there's nothing else on Earth that can make you feel the way you feel when God uses you to do His work!

Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 97:10

Monday Meditations ~ What if Jesus were here today?

Ah, Monday . . . my dear friend. We meet again.


I decided about 6 months ago that I wanted to read the entire Bible so that I could finally read and understand Revelation. I have finished the New Testament, except Revelation. I still have about 13 books of the Old Testament to finish . . . many of them are quite short. I'm excited to be nearly finished. To be able to actually see the end of the road, so to speak, is quite inspiring.


As I have been reading, I've been flipping back and forth from OT to NT. Well, the only NT book I have left to read is Revelation and I'm saving that for last. So, I decided to re-read the Gospels.


As I began reading Matthew today, I began to think about what it must have been like to live when Jesus lived. To have Him walk up to you as you sit in your boat prepping for a day of fishing and say to you . . . drop what you are doing and follow Me. What would you do if Jesus were to walk up to you today as you were prepping for your day of work or school and say to you . . . drop what you are doing and follow Me? I'd like to think that I would drop what I was doing and follow Him . . . but would I? Would you? Think about the sacrifice that the 12 made to follow Him. They left their families, their livelihoods, everything they knew . . . to follow this man, who claimed to be the Son of God. I'm sure there were just as many skeptics then as there are now. Can you imagine what the disciples' families thought as they watched them give up everything to follow around this guy? I'm not too sure many, if any, of them knew exactly who they were dealing with. I mean . . . hello!?! Jesus was God in human form walking around the Earth He created! Do you think anyone really understood the depth of that? Do we?


So, as you go through your day today trying to prioritize the things on your to-do list, think about what you would do if Jesus walked up to you and asked you to drop it all. Is He high enough on your priority list to be able to do that? What/who is first on your list? What can you do today to make sure Jesus is #1?

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalm 86:5

Monday Meditations ~ How much was your debt?

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that we've all sinned. Yep, all of us. Me, you, your pastor, your most admired person. . .every one of us. If you have taken that leap of faith, as I have, to make Jesus Savior and Lord of your life, those sins are forgiven. Isn't that great!?!


I could end this post here, but what fun would that be? Ok, so we've all sinned and if we chose Jesus, we've been forgiven. So, what's the problem? Why are there so many Christians running around with that 'holier than thou' mentality? My theory? They got comfortable. Yes, comfortable. . .with their faith. Humor me for a minute, would ya?


Think back to that day when you first accepted Christ. Do you remember how you felt? I know for some of us it can be difficult to remember, because it was so long ago. But try. . .try to remember how you felt. Wasn't it amazing? I know it was for me. I was 24 when I began to follow Christ. I had lived in the world quite a bit. So, I had a lot to let go of. . .a lot to place at the foot of the cross. The burden that was lifted from me was tremendous, and I was certainly grateful. As time passes, we can sometimes begin to forget all those things that were forgiven. It's just like any other relationship. We get comfortable and can sometimes take for granted all that has been done for us. We begin to expect the grace and mercy that God shows us.


One of the things I pray on a regular basis, is that I never get so comfortable with my relationship with Christ that I forget where He found me and brought me from. The Word says that (paraphrased) we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. (Revelation 12:11) I think that is so we won't forget where He brought us from. I mean, think about it. How difficult is it to forget about your testimony when you are sharing it all the time? Hello!?!


Yesterday during worship at church, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. God, ever so gently, reminded me of all those things He forgave me of. The big things, the small things, all of them. Not that I can really forget, but it's kinda nice to be reminded how much He loves me.


It's like that story of the woman with the alabaster box of oil found in Luke 7. Jesus goes over to a Pharisee's for dinner. This 'immoral woman' breaks into the dinner and sits at Jesus' feet and begins to weep. She washes Jesus' feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. Then she pours out expensive oil on his feet. Now this is pretty significant because in Jesus' time they walked around in sandals. There weren't any paved roads or sewer systems. . .so you can imagine the filth that was on His feet. The Pharisees He's dining with kinda freak out that Jesus is letting this 'immoral woman' touch Him. So Jesus decided to tell them a little story. He asks them if there were someone with a $500 debt and someone with a $50 debt, and both debts were forgiven, which one would be more grateful. Well, duh. The $500 debtor of course, right?


Here's the thing. Your $50 debt may be a $500 debt to someone else and vice versa. So don't judge. When you see that 'fanatic' jumping around during worship, don't scoff. You don't know what God has forgiven them of. Don't judge other people's sins against yours. . .or anyone else's for that matter. The only One we should compare to is Jesus. Are we living like Jesus? Focus on yourself instead of others. How much was your debt? And how grateful are you that it was forgiven?


Here's a song that is just amazing in depicting this story. Take a listen and let me know what you think. I'm eager to read your comments!

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:47-48

Monday Meditations ~ Grace

Author's Note: Everyone being off today totally threw my schedule off...hence the late post. Anyhow, I decided to start each week off right with Monday Meditations. This is where I will choose either a Bible Scripture or biblical subject to meditate on for the day or week. Comments are, as always, welcome and encouraged. Let's get a good discussion going!


Here's my favorite definition of grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. (you can find more definitions here)


What does grace mean to me? Without God's grace, well, I would be going to hell in a handmade hand-basket. Romans 3:23 says, that "we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 says, "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." I interpret that to mean that without Jesus, I would never be able to go to heaven. I would never be able to have any sort of relationship with God. I would go to hell.


In reading elsewhere in the Bible, I have found that really and truly, none of us deserve anything but death and damnation. Now, I know we as humans categorize the severity of sin, but, God doesn't. Sin is sin, no matter how big or small. Sin separates us from God...period. I don't know about you, but being separated from the One who created me and sent His ONLY SON to die in my place doesn't sound like all that much fun.


Without grace, life wouldn't be worth much...to me anyway. I don't deserve it, but He loves me enough to give me His grace...WOW! How many times do we as humans fail to show even an inkling of this same grace to others...who either deserve it or not?


My challenge to you? Work at showing Grace to others. Those who do deserve it and those who don't. Those you love and those who drive you crazy. Those whose story you know and those whose story you don't know. You never know how much a small amount of grace can change a person's eternity.


I'd love to hear how God's grace has changed your life and how you showing grace to others has changed either you or them.


Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16