For A Limited Time Only - Not!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace.  Hebrews 13:8-9a (NLT)

Ever hear these statements?

For a limited time only
Call today for the best offer (does this mean if I call tomorrow you won't give me your best offer?)
Can be finished in as little as one day (it probably won't be but it could be)
Change your apartment change the world (Really? If this were true I would have changed the world many times!)
Up to 70% off (and there is only one thing in the store that is 70% off - the rest are not on sale)

The other day I was cooking and I had the TV on in the background. I heard the line "Call today for the best offer" and I started thinking about how we are duped by all of the media, commercials, and twist on words that we hear. We are bombarded with information and with images that trick our souls. I started wondering why we never see a car commercial with a mom wearing no make-up driving the child who is screaming in the car seat because he wants to get out. And I wondered why we don't see a man sitting in his car who is covered with drywall dust because he was in the middle of a home project and the pipe burst and he doesn't have the right part to fix it or a woman who overslept and is putting her make-up on in the parking lot of a building because she's late for her meeting.

We look at the things we see on TV and we are subconsciously told that if you buy/own this particular thing your life will be all put together. And somewhere deep in our recesses, we believe it. But, it is a lie. Very good lies that Satan spins so we spend too much money and are always living in discontent. 

Ahhhh, but all is not doom and gloom. There are promises that are kept and statements that are made that are 100% true. They are found in the Word of God. No matter what, he does not change. Our verse today tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. When he says something, it holds. You don't have to call on the right day, it is not a limited time offer and there is not a bait and switch. 

Will you still have days when your child is screaming in the back seat as you are driving somewhere? Yes. Will you still break pipes during home improvement projects and not have what you need to fix it? Yes. Will you still oversleep and feel out of sorts as you try to catch up?  Definitely. But deep inside you will also have a peace that you are not in this alone and that there is something better waiting. That, is a statement you can take to the bank. 

A Minute In It - Promises, Promises

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and as you are reading, note how God says "If you do this, I will do this." What are some of the promises you find in this chapter? What one thing will you do to facilitate those promises?

1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
    Store my commands in your heart.
2 If you do this, you will live many years,
    and your life will be satisfying.
3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
    Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart.
4 Then you will find favor with both God and people,
    and you will earn a good reputation.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
    Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 Then you will have healing for your body
    and strength for your bones.

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the best part of everything you produce.
10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
    and your vats will overflow with good wine.

11 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
12 For the Lord corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Who Are You Fighting For?

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. Acts 9:3-5 (NLT)

Acts 8:1 says "Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen." And later, in 8:3 it says "But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church." This was Saul's job. The Bible doesn't say exactly why he felt this was his calling but we might assume he didn't like the new movement. Some of the beliefs were contrary to the Jewish traditions so many thought it was wrong.

Saul fought and fought for the cause he believed in. Then one day, on the road to Damascus he ran into Jesus, the Son of God. When Paul encountered the light of heaven and a Voice saying "Saul, why are you persecuting me?", what was his response? "Who are you?"

Saul was supposedly fighting for God but he didn't know who God was. Later in his life he regretted his actions and acknowledged the damage it did. How about you? Do you stand for something on behalf of God but don't know God himself? What are you fighting for? Better yet, who are you fighting for?

Up Close and Personal

Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.” Exodus 18:9-11 (NLT)

Moses had a lot of God stories. Jethro, his father-in-law, heard about the great things God had done. Think about that for a second. There was no internet, no telephones, just word of mouth as people traveled back and forth. The things God had done were being talked about. 

Jethro decided he wanted to hear it first-hand so he came to visit Moses. As he and Moses talked, Moses shared his stories about God and the things that he had experienced. No Bible Study, no quoting scripture, just telling what he knew about God personally. Because of these stories, Jethro said "I now know that the Lord is greater than the all other gods."

Do you have a God story? It may not be a story about parting a sea or bringing water from a rock but it is still just as significant. It's significant because it is your story and to the people you are close to, it's personal. To the people you talk to, it's real. Some of them have never experienced God up close and personal before.

So go ahead! Tell your story! God will take your story and use it to teach others about who he is, just like he did with Jethro. 

Not My Job

So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Exodus 17:10-13 (NLT)

As I read this story, I was wondering about what Joshua was thinking during this battle. Could he see Moses? Did he know that when Moses dropped his hands, he would start losing? Was he constantly looking over his shoulder checking out the situation? Maybe he'd see the arms sag and yell something like "Hands up! Hands up!" Was he trying to control something that was out of his reach? Somehow I doubt it.

When Joshua was on the battle field, I am sure he was focused on the battle. He was fighting with a bunch of unexperienced men who needed a leader that was engaged in what they were doing right then and there. That had to be Joshua's focus.

Moses was also doing what he what he was supposed to be doing at that moment. He was interceding. He was standing in the gap for Joshua and the Israelites. It's a good thing Joshua and Moses knew their roles and what they were supposed to be doing. And in the process they trusted God to do what he was supposed to be doing.

What about you? When God gives you a job, do you look around to see what everyone else is doing or do you look to God and trust that he is going to work it all out. Do you keep your focus on today's duties or are you trying to supervise God's plan for tomorrow?  I bet if Joshua kept looking back at Moses or if Moses kept trying to get into the fight with Joshua, things would not turned out as perfectly as they did.

I Can See You!

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

My grandson is just learning to play hide and seek. Recently, we were playing and we were hiding from my husband. He ran to the bed and buried his face in the comforter. As far as he was concerned, he was hiding. Later, we said "Hide" and he covered his face with his hands. He thinks that if he can't see us, we can't see him.

Of course, this makes us laugh because it is so cute but then, my mind wondered to our relationship with God. We often think of our relationship with God in this way.  Since we can't see him, we tend to lose sight of the fact that he is right there with us.

I remember once I was trying to break a habit. I knew God wanted me to stop. Every time I did what I was trying not to do, I stopped praying. Part of that was guilt and part of it was that I somehow thought that if I didn't pray, I could ignore it. Finally one day God said, "You know I can see you when you do that, why do you stop talking to me?" I realized that no matter what I was up to, he was watching so I might as well just be upfront and honest about it. I started praying through it and breaking the habit became easier.

The Bible tells us that instead of hiding from God, we should be hiding in him.

For you are my hiding place;
    you protect me from trouble.
    You surround me with songs of victory. Psalms 32:7

Next time you feel like you want to hide from God, go to him instead and work through whatever is making you hide. He'll be your safe place and he will never, ever hide from you.

A Minute In It - Our Good Father

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and as you are reading, take in all the ways God shows up and then Praise Him!

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
    though ten thousand are dying around you,
    these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
    and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
    you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

The Devil You Know

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NLT)

The other day I heard the phrase "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't." The phrase originated in the 1500s and was printed in a book of Irish proverbs. It basically means sometimes it is better to deal with something you don't like but know, rather than something you don't know at all.

In some cases, I agree with this statement. But in the case of Satan, I want to stick with the devil I know. Here are some of the things the Bible says about Satan.

• He deceives us. 2 Corinthians 11:3
• He is a murderer and a liar. John 8:44
• He is a thief. John 10:10

That definitely is not better than anything. No matter what, it seems like the devil you don't know would be better, right? Not if you read the rest of the story. The Bible also says:

• You can fight off his advances by choosing Jesus. Ephesians 6:11-16
• If you stand up to him, he flees. James 4:7
• He has already been crushed. Romans 16:20
• He has been conquered and defeated. Revelation 20
• Jesus put him in his place and if we choose Jesus, he is not a threat. Revelation 12:11

So you see, I will choose the devil I know. He's conquered. He's defeated. He's outta here!