When reading Romans today I suddenly felt like doing handsprings! Of course, I never have done handsprings, but woulda if I coulda. Paul quotes Moses when Moses said, "The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest."(Deut. 30:12-14)and all Paul had to do was add, "It's the word of faith that welcomes God."
It's not difficult to become saved. Those of you reading this probably have experienced it. All we had to do is..believe! What we believe is the important thing. We believe the Son of God is Jesus Christ who came to the earth to reveal God the Father and to die on a cross as a sacrifce for the sins of mankind. We believe, as the Son of God, that he rose from the dead and is now enthroned on the right hand of the Father, The Creator of Heaven and Earth.
The alternative to Believing in God and in Jesus Christ is Not-believing in God and Jesus Christ. But one has to believe in something, and that something is usually.....ourselves. Oh, boy! How imperfect is that? Most of us would never risk betting on ourselves...the odds aren't that good, to tell the truth!
Believing the Son of God came into the world to reveal God and to die on a cross as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind may seem too much of a stretch. No bull or lamb was used. No fancy words given...except, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
It was a moment of triumph and the greatest of compassion and love. But, he did die. He was buried. And disappeared from the tomb three days later. Was he stolen by his friends? No. They were too busy hating the lack of faith in themselves.
Where did he go? Into the garden to instruct the women who loved him where his disciples might later find him. Yes, the Son of God and Son of Man died and rose again. Unbelievable!! Yes, with our human capacities, it is unbelievable. But with God, nothing is impossible!
If I with my ordinary mind can believe in this extraordinary event, so can others. At first, it may have caught in my throat as my belief was so small. Soon, I whispered, "I believe." My belief was not even as big as a "mustard seed." Finally, I wanted to shout from the rooftops...and someday you will, too..."I am saved. My faith has welcomed God. It is Jesus who prepared the way for me. I am saved. I am saved. Hallelujah! I am saved!"
My tongue and my heart finally spoke and welcomed God. Be in my life, Lord, my mouth and my heart...forever. Praise God, I am saved! Amen.
I may have to learn how to do handsprings! Your friend, jo
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Believing is Everything
Don't you love the story of Abraham and Sarah? Abraham, old as the hills and Sarah, coming up right behind him in age, hearing from God that they would be the bearers of a great nation, and even a multitude of nations, and it would continue under this covenant generation after generation, as told in Genesis 17.
Well, as you know, Sarah laughed, being 90 years old and Abraham 100. What a joke! But Abraham? Yep, he believed. He believed God. And he kept on believing even although the promise was not fulfilled for quite a time. Finally, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to do right by his own." (Romans 4:3)
Abraham couldn't do the job on his own. Sarah thought it was ridiculous. She even got her maid to get pregnant by old Abe. A big mistake that was. She should have put her trust in God, just as Abraham did at last.
This is a huge lesson for me. Some years back, Jerry and I were invited to help start up a newly planted church. We were really honored and stepped right up anxious to begin. Mostly it was a great experience, but I made a big mistake by excepting a role that was beyond my experience and so it didn't take much criticism to insure its failure. What was my problem? I didn't trust! I didn't believe God would take matters into His hands and prepare the way, teach me what I needed to know,and prepare the hearts of those I would be attending. Now, to be fair, I wasn't aware that I didn't trust. No, that was hidden from me until later. But, God can work miracles in anyone if he or she believes! And trust! And listen and learn!
So, I may never be put in a position of "who me?" again. But if I ever am.....I WILL BELIEVE... GOD WILL CLEAR THE WAY. Yes, I am a believer!!
Belief in God's promises will prove true, as God will not fail. Don't resist and don't argue. God's way is always the best way. Now I know and I press forward doing what He says to do, listening when He says to listen, and believing His Way is the only way to go. Don't reason; just believe.
God help my unbelief...Love, Jo
Well, as you know, Sarah laughed, being 90 years old and Abraham 100. What a joke! But Abraham? Yep, he believed. He believed God. And he kept on believing even although the promise was not fulfilled for quite a time. Finally, "Abraham entered into what God was doing for him and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to do right by his own." (Romans 4:3)
Abraham couldn't do the job on his own. Sarah thought it was ridiculous. She even got her maid to get pregnant by old Abe. A big mistake that was. She should have put her trust in God, just as Abraham did at last.
This is a huge lesson for me. Some years back, Jerry and I were invited to help start up a newly planted church. We were really honored and stepped right up anxious to begin. Mostly it was a great experience, but I made a big mistake by excepting a role that was beyond my experience and so it didn't take much criticism to insure its failure. What was my problem? I didn't trust! I didn't believe God would take matters into His hands and prepare the way, teach me what I needed to know,and prepare the hearts of those I would be attending. Now, to be fair, I wasn't aware that I didn't trust. No, that was hidden from me until later. But, God can work miracles in anyone if he or she believes! And trust! And listen and learn!
So, I may never be put in a position of "who me?" again. But if I ever am.....I WILL BELIEVE... GOD WILL CLEAR THE WAY. Yes, I am a believer!!
Belief in God's promises will prove true, as God will not fail. Don't resist and don't argue. God's way is always the best way. Now I know and I press forward doing what He says to do, listening when He says to listen, and believing His Way is the only way to go. Don't reason; just believe.
God help my unbelief...Love, Jo
Thursday, May 17, 2012
GOD IS THE BEST!
Hey! My heart is really full this morning as we walked our mile and 1/2 about 6:30a.m.! Still nice and cool, yet I was sweating by the time we returned. Such a great start to the day. Even Max the dog was impressed. Breakfast tasted wonderfully good. Again, Max thought so, too.
Got to my journal early and had a need to write about God. Strange, you say?...Well, of course I am.
I found just the thing for the day in the Psalms, #95, verses 1-3a to be exact. This is what it says:
"Come, let's shout praises to God! Let's raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into His presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!
And why? Because God is the BEST!"
There was no acknowledgment as to who wrote this psalm. Perhaps it was written by a choirmaster who wrote it particularly for those who walked with their villagers to Jerusalem on some special day God had set aside for them to come to the Temple. As they walked they sang psalms and hymns, preparing themselves for adoration and honor to the God they loved.
Not so different today. But most of us drive a car, and therefore, we need parking places--one of the problems of our churches today! But that's not important. It's the preparation of the heart that's important. And that may be the hardest part for us--not leaving the house in a rush to be on time with shoes un-laced and attitudes not calm and adoring. We need an "I can't wait!" attitude. Believe me, I remember trying to get kids to church without screaming at them. I have no solution. I just know that somehow we must show them-and ourselves-we, indeed, are excited about worship! Maybe singing a song of praise in the car, letting each child choose one he or she likes. Or talking about what a song means. Anything that gets an attitude of gladness.
The word "come" is the first word in the message today. That means, "you." If you say it to a neighbor, it means him or her. It's an invitation. "Come and see the best, our God." And see Him on the faces of those who love Him and one another.
Next, soon comes the words, "Shout praises!" This is not the time for silence before God. God loves our praises, and this is the hour for it.
God is "the Rock!" This the Rock on which we base our lives and we want God to know it, to remember it, and to help us to show it. We want others to know it, too.
Finally, His Presence..Oh, yes! We find God there. He is in the very aroma of the room. He is on our faces, shining in our eyes. He is always there in that room, in the rafters hung with banners, in the band leading, singing, and playing, and in us as we raise our hands in praises and Hallelujahs!
Because, God, YOU are the best!
(Who are you inviting? Who am I inviting?) Amen.
Fondly, Jo
Got to my journal early and had a need to write about God. Strange, you say?...Well, of course I am.
I found just the thing for the day in the Psalms, #95, verses 1-3a to be exact. This is what it says:
"Come, let's shout praises to God! Let's raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into His presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!
And why? Because God is the BEST!"
There was no acknowledgment as to who wrote this psalm. Perhaps it was written by a choirmaster who wrote it particularly for those who walked with their villagers to Jerusalem on some special day God had set aside for them to come to the Temple. As they walked they sang psalms and hymns, preparing themselves for adoration and honor to the God they loved.
Not so different today. But most of us drive a car, and therefore, we need parking places--one of the problems of our churches today! But that's not important. It's the preparation of the heart that's important. And that may be the hardest part for us--not leaving the house in a rush to be on time with shoes un-laced and attitudes not calm and adoring. We need an "I can't wait!" attitude. Believe me, I remember trying to get kids to church without screaming at them. I have no solution. I just know that somehow we must show them-and ourselves-we, indeed, are excited about worship! Maybe singing a song of praise in the car, letting each child choose one he or she likes. Or talking about what a song means. Anything that gets an attitude of gladness.
The word "come" is the first word in the message today. That means, "you." If you say it to a neighbor, it means him or her. It's an invitation. "Come and see the best, our God." And see Him on the faces of those who love Him and one another.
Next, soon comes the words, "Shout praises!" This is not the time for silence before God. God loves our praises, and this is the hour for it.
God is "the Rock!" This the Rock on which we base our lives and we want God to know it, to remember it, and to help us to show it. We want others to know it, too.
Finally, His Presence..Oh, yes! We find God there. He is in the very aroma of the room. He is on our faces, shining in our eyes. He is always there in that room, in the rafters hung with banners, in the band leading, singing, and playing, and in us as we raise our hands in praises and Hallelujahs!
Because, God, YOU are the best!
(Who are you inviting? Who am I inviting?) Amen.
Fondly, Jo
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
ONCE UPON A TIME A GOOD GIRL LIVED
Jesus loved stories. His parables to the people were told to help them understand the way and ways of God, the way God works, thinks and acts. These things had been hidden from the people; the laws of Judism called them to responsibility without telling the people "why"? Jesus came to change things, and it all started with the parables.
In Matthew 13:34,35, a prophecy is repeated, first appearing in Psalm 78:2. It says, "I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open....things hidden since the world's first day." Asaph wrote the psalm, but the prophet referred to is very possibly Solomon.
What is it about a story? Does it make something easier to remember? This blog is supposed to be about my new life in Christ. Yet for the most part, I seem to share some new revelation God reveals that has made me sit up and notice. So, I end up preaching to the choir!
Let me try to tell a story.
I must have been born angry as I have fought anger all of my life. Something has to happen to stimulate anger, something that doesn't change that causes pain, hardship, or weakness. I was born during the depression in Chicago, IL near where my dad worked as a barber, who didn't own his own shop. Due to circumstances, we moved to a tiny town of about 110 people, called Union Center, WI. where my parents, with the help of my maternal grandfather, opened a small grocery store. My dad rode the train weekly to his job in Chicago and mother ran the store during the week. Maybe I was about a year or a bit more and rode a kiddie car tied with a long clothesline to a pole in the center of the store. You made it move with your feet, but my hands were busy in the various bins of beans, potatoes and such, so they moved all of the bins out of my reach.
It was a long day for a little tyke, especially since all the fun stuff was a no-no. I think my anger may have been lustily expressed often enough to teach me that getting angry gets attention. As I grew, I had a little sister, and she had curly hair like mine. Much too much like mine, I must have figured, so the glue pot on my mother's desk was by then easier to reach than those old bins had been, and Miss Shirley got her curls glued fast to her head. An expression of anger? You bet.
A bit older, I don't know to this day what inspired me to do so, but I did a terrible thing. I bit my brother, Bob, in the back. He was two years older than I, and a good little boy. All they were asking me to do was to say, "I'm sorry!" ........ The words never came and spankings did no good, whatsoever.
So growing up, I fought anger. All I wanted to be was a "good girl." Was it never to be?
When I found Jesus, I realize I had been looking for Him all of my life. Each view I had of Him kept Him farther away from me, because I had never seen myself as "good enough for Jesus love." But Jesus Himself said to a religious leader, according to Luke 18: 19, "Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good." Of course, Jesus is the Saviour of the World, and the true Son of God. And He is Good.
Therefore, now I see....my goodness is God within me, through His Holy Spirit. Only God could have made goodness in me. Thanks be to God!
Thus, a story called Once Upon A Time A Good Girl Lived.
So it is today. Christ within. And I am so very thankful that I can take my sin and selfishness to Jesus and repent. He lives in me and therefore, I Live!!
May my story come to fruition in your life. Most sincerely, Jo
In Matthew 13:34,35, a prophecy is repeated, first appearing in Psalm 78:2. It says, "I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open....things hidden since the world's first day." Asaph wrote the psalm, but the prophet referred to is very possibly Solomon.
What is it about a story? Does it make something easier to remember? This blog is supposed to be about my new life in Christ. Yet for the most part, I seem to share some new revelation God reveals that has made me sit up and notice. So, I end up preaching to the choir!
Let me try to tell a story.
I must have been born angry as I have fought anger all of my life. Something has to happen to stimulate anger, something that doesn't change that causes pain, hardship, or weakness. I was born during the depression in Chicago, IL near where my dad worked as a barber, who didn't own his own shop. Due to circumstances, we moved to a tiny town of about 110 people, called Union Center, WI. where my parents, with the help of my maternal grandfather, opened a small grocery store. My dad rode the train weekly to his job in Chicago and mother ran the store during the week. Maybe I was about a year or a bit more and rode a kiddie car tied with a long clothesline to a pole in the center of the store. You made it move with your feet, but my hands were busy in the various bins of beans, potatoes and such, so they moved all of the bins out of my reach.
It was a long day for a little tyke, especially since all the fun stuff was a no-no. I think my anger may have been lustily expressed often enough to teach me that getting angry gets attention. As I grew, I had a little sister, and she had curly hair like mine. Much too much like mine, I must have figured, so the glue pot on my mother's desk was by then easier to reach than those old bins had been, and Miss Shirley got her curls glued fast to her head. An expression of anger? You bet.
A bit older, I don't know to this day what inspired me to do so, but I did a terrible thing. I bit my brother, Bob, in the back. He was two years older than I, and a good little boy. All they were asking me to do was to say, "I'm sorry!" ........ The words never came and spankings did no good, whatsoever.
So growing up, I fought anger. All I wanted to be was a "good girl." Was it never to be?
When I found Jesus, I realize I had been looking for Him all of my life. Each view I had of Him kept Him farther away from me, because I had never seen myself as "good enough for Jesus love." But Jesus Himself said to a religious leader, according to Luke 18: 19, "Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good." Of course, Jesus is the Saviour of the World, and the true Son of God. And He is Good.
Therefore, now I see....my goodness is God within me, through His Holy Spirit. Only God could have made goodness in me. Thanks be to God!
Thus, a story called Once Upon A Time A Good Girl Lived.
So it is today. Christ within. And I am so very thankful that I can take my sin and selfishness to Jesus and repent. He lives in me and therefore, I Live!!
May my story come to fruition in your life. Most sincerely, Jo
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