A Minute In It - Enduring Love

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then fill in the blanks with your personal story praising God for his enduring love in your life.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.

4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
9 and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever.

10 Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
11 He brought Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
12 He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love endures forever.
13 Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
14 He led Israel safely through,
His faithful love endures forever.
15 but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
16 Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness.
His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1-16 (NLT)

Give thanks to him who ___________________.
His faithful love endures forever.
He brought _______________________.
His faithful love endures forever.
He acted ____________________________
His faithful love endures forever.
 Give thanks to him who made _____________________.
His faithful love endures forever.
He led ____________________,
His faithful love endures forever.

A Minute In It - Who Is God?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

1-2 I love you, God—
    you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,
    safe in the granite hideout.

3 I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,
    and find myself safe and saved.

4-5 The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;
    devil waters rushed over me.
Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;
    death traps barred every exit.

6 A hostile world! I call to God,
    I cry to God to help me.
From his palace he hears my call;
    my cry brings me right into his presence—
    a private audience!

7-15 Earth wobbles and lurches;
    huge mountains shake like leaves,
Quake like aspen leaves
    because of his rage.
His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke;
    his mouth spits fire.
Tongues of fire dart in and out;
    he lowers the sky.
He steps down;
    under his feet an abyss opens up.
He’s riding a winged creature,
    swift on wind-wings.
Now he’s wrapped himself
    in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness bursts through,
    spraying hailstones and fireballs.
Then God thundered out of heaven;
    the High God gave a great shout,
    spraying hailstones and fireballs.
God shoots his arrows—pandemonium!
    He hurls his lightnings—a rout!
The secret sources of ocean are exposed,
    the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered
The moment you roar in protest,
    let loose your hurricane anger.

16-19 But me he caught—reached all the way
    from sky to sea; he pulled me out
Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,
    the void in which I was drowning.
They hit me when I was down,
    but God stuck by me.
He stood me up on a wide-open field;
    I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

20-24 God made my life complete
    when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
    he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways;
    I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
    I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
    and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
    when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

25-27 The good people taste your goodness,
The whole people taste your health,
The true people taste your truth,
The bad ones can’t figure you out.
You take the side of the down-and-out,
But the stuck-up you take down a peg.

28-29 Suddenly, God, you floodlight my life;
    I’m blazing with glory, God’s glory!
I smash the bands of marauders,
    I vault the highest fences.

30 What a God! His road
    stretches straight and smooth.
Every God-direction is road-tested.
    Everyone who runs toward him
Makes it.

31-36 Is there any god like God?
    Are we not at bedrock?
Is not this the God who armed me,
    then aimed me in the right direction?
Now I run like a deer;
    I’m king of the mountain.
He shows me how to fight;
    I can bend a bronze bow!
You protect me with salvation-armor;
    you hold me up with a firm hand,
    caress me with your gentle ways.
You cleared the ground under me
    so my footing was firm.
Psalm 18:1-36 (MSG)

How does David describe God?
What are the character traits that stand out to you?
Do you see God this way?
What character traits would you use to describe God?
Are they similar to David’s?
Why or why not?

Can I Do Both? Puuuulllleeeeessseee?

I have loved you with an everlasting love—
        out of faithfulness I have drawn you close. Jeremiah 31:3 (VOICE)

I was scheduled to go out of town to a training conference for my church. The conference had been scheduled for a year and I was so excited to be able to attend. Something else had been scheduled for a long time, the birth of my second grandson! My daughter was due 2 1/2 weeks after my conference.

In the months leading up to the conference I was praying. A lot. I was praying the baby wouldn’t come early and that I could do both the conference and be there for the birth (I was there for my first grandson’s birth.) At one point during my prayers I felt convicted that I was not doing to be there. I felt convicted that the baby was going to be born while I was away. Honestly, I started crying. This is not what my heart wanted. After some more time in prayer though, I submitted and told God that I knew he knew best and I would follow his lead.

The day I was to leave for the conference came. My daughter started having contractions. And I thought “Well, it’s early and the last delivery was quick so maybe I can be there and get on the plane this evening.” I packed my bag and waited. And prayed.

The day continued with the contractions getting closer and closer together. At about 3 (my plane was leaving at 5:45), I texted my daughter that I was going to stay and take a flight out in the morning. She called me and said “Mom, right after you sent me that text all my contractions stopped. I think you are supposed to go.”

Oh my. Now, my heart was truly torn. As I prayed about it some more (lots of praying this day), I felt very convicted that God had told me his plan before and nothing I did was going to change that. I felt that I needed to obey what I heard and go to the conference and leave it in his hands. So, I said to God that I was going to leave but that if her water broke before I got on the plane, I would like to stay and fly out in the morning. I texted my daughter and told her I was going to go.

We got to the airport in the middle of a snow storm. Our plane was delayed 45 minutes so we decided to get dinner. As I sat there, my heart heavy but at peace, I started to enjoy the idea of being able to go to the conference and accept where I was. We decided to head to the gate because the boarding process had started. We were about to leave the restaurant and my phone rang. My husband said “Her water broke.” I looked at my Pastor (and traveling companion) and she said “Go!” I walked her to the gate and they said “Get on the plane! We are getting ready to leave.”

On the way to catch a cab to the hospital, I changed my flight to the next day. In the cab I cried again, thanking God that I could both be there for the birth of my grandson and serve him by also going to the conference.

In the big scheme of what is happening in our world and in people’s lives, this event is inconsequential. But, it was not inconsequential to me. In this moment God showed up in my life by allowing me to have the desires of my heart - both to serve him and be there for my family.

God doesn’t reach us through someone else’s encounters. Sure, we may be amazed at what God does in someone else’s life but he really shows us who he is and how much he loves us is in ours. Look for him in your life. He is alive and well and talking to you through your circumstances, your friends and through his Word. He loves you.

More Than Doing The Right Thing

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. Romans 13:8-10 (NLT)

Do no harm. That’s what I think when I hear these verses. What does that mean exactly? If I don’t steal, murder, cheat on my spouse, is that enough? I don’t think so.

When it says love does no wrong to others, it doesn’t mean doing the right thing to the people I love. It means truly loving, beyond my circle. It means doing no harm to anyone. Because God’s love casts a much wider net than my love does.

So, when I think that snarky comment about someone I just met, I need to squash it and not say it out loud. It means when I am about to comment to someone about their friend that I don’t know, I need to zip it. It means when I am asked my opinion, I need to be quiet until I’ve prayed and can offer an opinion that builds up and does not tear down.

God is still growing me in these areas. I am not good at it. But, if I keep talking to him and asking him for help, he will be faithful to continue to change me. He will keep working on me until one day, by his grace I will lean more in that direction than in the direction of my human tendencies.

That’s a promise he gives me that I hold onto.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

What Does Grace Look Like?

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

As I read through the Old Testament, over and over again it says things like “He did evil in the Lord’s sight” or “They followed the sins of their ancestors” or “They refused to follow the Lord.” After a while, I start thinking “Of course they did.” It makes you wonder why they can’t keep themselves on the right path.

And then, I start to wonder why God keeps putting up with them. Sure, he let them face their consequences. And sometimes they were severe. But the Bible also tells us when Israel repented and cried out to God that he responded to them. “But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them.” 2 Kings 13:23

I began to marvel at a God who would continually step in and rescue the very people who got themselves into trouble because they ignored what God told them. I began to see the unconditional love that God has for us. Over and over again, we do the same thing that the Israelites did. We know what God wants but we do what we want instead. We get into trouble and then cry out to him. And he shows up.

Sure, we may have consequences to face because God is just and fair….until it comes to our future. What we justly deserve is death. What would be fair is that we are never rescued. But Jesus died for our sins so that we do not get what is just and fair.

As I read the stories of the Israelites and their continual failure to follow God, all I can do is praise him. I praise him because in reality, I am just like that. And when I call on his name, when I cry out to him, “The Lord is gracious to me and has compassion on me and turns to me.” He does the same for you.

Won't You Ever Learn?

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them.  So there was peace in the land for forty years. Judges 3:7, 9, 11

I decided back in May to start listening to my Bible. Listening instead of reading gives a different perspective. I use the YouVersion app and picked a bible plan that parses it up into a daily structure that is easy to follow. Some days I listen to it a lot, some days not so much depending on the level of chaos each day. I highly recommend this. It's amazing to be in God's Word. 

Anyway, I am in Judges right now.  WOW!  That is a gory book. I am only up to Chapter 5 and I've had a couple of moments where I wince, groan and say ewwww. It was a very violent time for Israel. But here's is a pattern I've noticed so far. 

1. Israel does evil in the Lord's sight forgetting him and worshipping idols.
2. They are captured and forced into what amounts to slavery by another nation. After they do this for a few years they cry out to the Lord to save them.
3. The Lord rescues them and they live in peace.....until the cycle starts all over again.

I could spend some time talking about how amazed I am that they are so clueless but since I know I am sometimes clueless, I'd like to focus on the other aha moment I had.

God, even though they turned from him to fulfill their selfish desires, keeps showing up. You'd think after a couple hundred or so years of this childish, selfish behavior he would just walk away. Isn't that what we'd do?  

If we were in a relationship with someone and they kept doing stuff to hurt us and themselves and then they got themselves into a real pickle and asked us to bail them out, how many times would we bail them out? How many times before we said "That's it. You are not learning from this. I'm done."?

I'm thinking we wouldn't tolerate it for too long. But, not God. He keeps responding to their call, he keeps showing up and helping them time and time again. And this is why I worship him. Because he also does that for me.

What Do They See When They See You

Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”  Daniel 6:19-22 (NLT)

The King decreed that anyone who bowed down before another would be killed. Daniel continued to bow before God and pray. Back in those days, there were no pardons. As much as King Darius did not want to do it, Daniel had to be thrown into the Lion's Den. King Darius paced all night long unable to sleep because he was worried about this friend, Daniel. The next morning, as soon as he was able, he ran to the Lion's Den and said "Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?" 

Did you notice that? Darius was distraught about what was happening to Daniel. It was personal for him and the first question he asked was "Was your God able to save you?" Yeah, we notice that right away but we gloss over the statement "Whom you serve so faithfully." In all of the commotion, the stress of the situation and the drama, Darius noticed that Daniel was faithful to God. Daniel did not deviate from his relationship with God for any reason. He didn't compromise on what God called him to do and Darius took notice.

In verses 26-27 Darius puts out a decree that says:

I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God,
    and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
    and his rule will never end.
He rescues and saves his people;
    he performs miraculous signs and wonders
    in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

Daniel's relationship with God and God's power convicted Darius about who God was.

So often in our lives, stuff happens. Things don't go the way they should. We, as Christians, face trauma and problems just like everyone else.  What sets us apart? Our trust in God and the way we handle our messy lives. Just like in Daniel's life, the people we know and love watch what we do and they take note. Who is in charge of our lives? What motivates our decisions and our reactions? If you looked back over the last week or so, how do you think people would answer that question?

Facing The Lions

Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.  Daniel 6:23 (NLT)

The story of Daniel in the Lion's Den resonates with me. First, the part of the story where people are trying to find a way to destroy him because they are jealous sounds like our news stories every day. People attacking each other and scheming against them.  Can you tell I live in Washington DC?

But that's not the part that resonates with me. Can you imagine how Daniel felt when he was arrested and thrown in the Lion's Den? Do you wonder if he, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, said "I know you are able but even if you don't I will not stop worshipping you." Did he wonder if the Lion's would kill him? And when he realized they were going to lay there and cat nap while he waited, oh the praise that must have come from that den.

There are mornings that I wake up and my mind is full of worry. Not because someone is going to seek to destroy me or throw me into the Lion's Den but because I am not sure I am smart enough or making the right decisions. I am worried about finances and next steps and a too-full schedule. But then, I remember.

I remember that the same God that rescued Daniel is alive and well today. I remember that he has spoken to me in the past and convicted me when I am walking the wrong path. I remember that he is in charge of my life, my work, and my ministries. And as I kneel there, I submit. I submit it all to him and trust, like Daniel did, that he who shut the lion's mouths can also lead my life.