Father's Day

We just celebrated Father's Day on Sunday, June 15th.

If you struggle with hurtful emotions and negative thoughts about your Dad, you are not alone. There are many people who don't have good memories regarding their fathers. There are some people who have awful memories of their earthly fathers.

If you are one of those...my heart goes out to you. But, more importantly, God's heart goes out to you. That was never what He intended to happen for you.

There are those who would say that God is sovereign and whatever took place in your life was God-ordained. No, I don't believe that. Our God is for us. He wants only the best for us. Our Father in heaven is the Author of Life. He says, "I came to give you life and give it more abundantly." John 10:10

He is the very best Father anyone could ever want to have. He loves us with an everlasting love. He loves us unconditionally. Does that sound like a Father who would intentionally put us through pain and misery? No, a thousand times no.

God, the Father, gave each of us a will of our own so that we would have the privilege of making choices in life. Obviously, there are some people who make very wrong choices and those choices, many times, affect other people. It certainly doesn't mean that it was God's will for our lives. It was a consequence of someone else's choice.

Every Dad has (and had) choices to make in how their children were treated and brought up. Some Dads made terrible mistakes or even intentionally hurt their children. It's unthinkable to me, but we know it's happened. And it's very sad, but don't blame God for that. His will is always for your good!

I praise God today for Dads who love the Lord and love their children unconditionally. They are a treasure. If you've been hurt by an earthly father, run to your Father in heaven. He's waiting to bring comfort to you. He's waiting to hold you.

FAITH OF A CHILD (2)

Ah, the faith of a little child...that's what we all need.

I think we need to remember where our faith comes from. The Word says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. If He is the Author, that means that our faith came from Him. It is His faith that we were given.

The Word also says that 'faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.' So our faith comes directly from the Word. John 1:1 says, 'In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.' So..our faith comes from the Word, which is God (Jesus).

Sometimes, people, myself included, get so caught up with 'Do I have enough faith?' or 'I wish my faith was stronger.' We need to remember that what we think is 'our' faith is actually His faith. So, do we have enough? You bet we do. We have the faith we need for healing or any other need that we are facing. Use your (His) faith today.

Moving

We are in the midst of moving yet again. If you have ever moved, you know how it is. I am typing this from the library, because we don't have internet service as yet. It's just one of the inconveniences of the move process.

I'm not complaining mind you. I see God's hand at work all around us as we endeavor to get our lives back in order. And I mean literally...in order! Life gets complicated when you can't find your toothpaste, or your slippers, or the toaster...haha

God has always been so faithful to us in us finding our next home. He gives us strength to do what needs to be done. He has provided a new part time job for me, as well. Moving is never a fun time, but with God all things are possible. He is my Hope and Song. He is my Deliverer, my Redeemer, my Everything.    Have a beautiful day.

See God

I titled this post 'See God' because I realized again today how important it is to see God in the everyday little things of life.

Our son helped us today in big way, and I saw God's hand at work in him. We are very proud of the man that he has become. Our daughter gave us some good news today that they still believe in us and are for us. She is a treasure. I saw God in her today.

I heard the birds singing today when we visited the Lake Superior shoreline. I saw the beauty of the area. The sun was shining, too. I saw God's handiwork in all of its glory today.

I saw the smiles of people, the smells of popcorn and hamburgers cooking, the joy of a little boy telling his mama he had never seen a lighthouse before! Then he challenged her to a race to the lighthouse. They both took off running. I saw God in that mother's love for her son.

It's seems like a cliche to say that God is all around us, but He is. He makes Himself so evident in our everyday lives...you wonder how some seem to miss Him. I think He takes great pleasure in the fact that we recognize Him as we go about our day. He wants us to enjoy ourselves in this world that He created for us.

Have you ever just sat and watched your children as they played or worked on some project? It gave you joy to observe them doing something they took pleasure in. It gave you joy to watch them grow and learn. You felt a sense of pride over them. I think it's the same with our heavenly Father. He looks at us and says 'That's my boy!' or 'That's my girl!' He is an amazing Father. Look to him today and just whisper 'thank you.'

Lose the Fear

Fear, in some ways can be a good thing. The fear of getting hit by a car can save you from getting hit by a car! You have been taught to know enough fear to stop and observe the traffic both ways before crossing a street or highway. The fear of getting burned keeps us from touching elements that we know either are or could be hot.

Babies, by nature, are only afraid of two things: falling and loud noises. They actually test babies on this when they are born. The medical professional will act as if they are going to drop the baby and instinctively the baby's arms flail outward in fear. They cause a loud noise to happen to test the babies hearing ability. A normal baby will either cry or jump in a startled way. I believe that the remainder of the fears we seem to embrace later on are taught to us by our parents or others.

The Bible talks about the 'fear of God.' What does that mean? It used to really confuse me when I read that in the Word. I used to think, 'Why should I fear God when He is telling me He loves me?'

I came to understand that the word for 'fear' in these passages is better translated 'reverence.' Now it makes much more sense. Sometimes we really need to understand the real meaning behind a certain word in the Bible in order to get the full effect of what is being said. I can, should and do reverence the Lord.
But, I don't ever need to 'be afraid' of Him. Now, I need to clarify that I'm speaking of a person who has been born again. The blood-washed person has no need to fear God in the 'scared' way.

But, a person who does not have a relationship with God through Jesus needs to have a fear of going to hell, because if you aren't trusting in the fact that Jesus took your punishment for sin, then hell is your eventual destination. Not because God is sending you there, but because YOU through your unbelief, have chosen to go there. You have rejected [made the choice] Jesus and His payment for your sin, which ultimately means that YOU must pay for the sin of rejecting Jesus' work on the cross for you.

The reality for a Christian is ~ He is my Daddy; my Abba Father. He is the very best Father of all. Worship and reverence Him, but please lose the fear factor when it comes to God. He is not standing over you with a club, waiting for you to mess up yet again so that He can pound you over the head. He loves you and He is for you. He promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you. He rejoices over you with singing...and this is Old Testament Scripture! How much more does He rejoice over you in the New Covenant of grace.

Zephaniah 3:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

17 The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing. 

Happy Mother's Day

Hi Moms...just wanted to say that we love and appreciate you today. You do so much for so many! Much of what you do goes unnoticed because you are not out there tooting your horn about it. You do so many things for your family each day to keep things running smoothly around the homestead. 

Thank you!

God sees and knows what you do each day. He knows your labor of love and He sees everything. He is pleased with you, not because of your works, but because you are in His Son. We hope you have had or are having a very relaxing day doing something you really enjoy today. You are SPECIAL!

A World in Turmoil?

Yes, it seems so. You certainly can't stomach a steady diet of the daily news these days. Some say, well, it gives us information about what we need to pray about. And I guess that could be true, but all of the bad news we hear on a daily basis is just not good for our souls. Jesus meant for us to have peace in our souls. Peace that passes all understanding...

That's why Jesus told us, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy~ meditate on these things." Phil. 4:8 NKJV

Do you think that Jesus knew we would be living in times such as we are? Of course he did. And He uses the Word to correct us, to teach us, to admonish us to think correctly; to think about the 'good.' He wants us to keep ourselves focused on Him and the wonderful future we have with Him.

There really is so much good in the world today, but you just would never know about it if you went strictly by what you saw on television or heard on the radio. Apparently good news doesn't sell, or so it seems.

I am preaching as much to myself as I am to you. Be aware of things that are going on in the world, yes. But don't focus and meditate on them. Let's be focused on the Word of God. Let's be focused on Jesus and His magnificence. Remember, we win! Jesus has conquered death, hell and the grave. So what do we have to be concerned about? Absolutely nothing. Keep looking heavenward. Keep the faith.