I AM WHO I AM

God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." Exodus 3:14, HCSB

In his book, “No More Secondhand God”, Buckminster Fuller said, “God is a verb. I wonder if Mr. Fuller came up with the idea of God being a verb after reading Exodus 3:14. As one of the great thinkers of the 20^th century and an author who wrote of God, Mr. Fuller surely pondered the thought of the Uncreated One; the Eternal One; the One who is unchanging and absolute; the “One who is, who was, and who is coming,” (Revelation 1:4).

Since the beginning of time man has attempted to describe our great and awesome God. However, try as we might, our descriptions are always inadequate. Why? Because God is so much more than we our earthly minds can fathom.

God reveals Himself through nature; He has revealed Himself through historical events and people and through His unerring word, the Bible. And yet we are able to come to know Him intimately through trusting in Jesus Christ His Son. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16, HCSB

If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to come to know God through reliance upon His Son. Come to know the extravagant love of the Father through the Son. Enjoy a personal relationship with God both now and throughout eternity.

“You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9, HCSB

God Bless!

Standing in the Gap

“I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30, HCSB (also see Isaiah 41:28; 59:16; 63:5)

Standing in the gap before God means interceding on behalf of someone or a group of people, such as a country or nation, in prayer. This resonated with me deeply, very recently, when I realized how little time I spend in prayer for my country.

I’m never able to read through Isaiah or Jeremiah without thinking about the United States and how closely the sins of our country today resemble those of Israel and Judah. It has been said that what one generation tolerates, the next accepts and we have tolerated ourselves right into the muck and scum of depravity and immorality.

What are we to do? Pray. We are to pray; we are to stand in the gap before God and pray on behalf of our nation. In Ezekiel 22:30, God searched for a man to pray on behalf of the land and found no one. Isaiah 59:16 says God was appalled there was no one to intervene and again in Isaiah 63:5 it says that God was amazed that there was no one to give support.

We are to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says we are to pray continually; without ceasing. We are to stand in the gap before God on behalf of the land and on behalf of others.

The Apostle Paul in giving instructions to Timothy on prayer said:

“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4, HCSB

Notice the “why” of the above—we’re to prayer for others so that “WE may lead a tranquil and quiet life” and because it pleases God. Increase the boundary of your prayers to include your nation as a whole and others individually for this pleases God whose desire it is that ALL be saved. So be faithful in praying for others as the Holy Spirit directs and then watch expectantly as God answers those prayers in mercy and in grace.

God Bless!!

Accepted

When I was growing up I felt different. I felt I didn’t belong. I not only wondered if I was adopted but I also hoped I was adopted. For if only I were adopted, I could rationalize why it was I was different and be okay with it.

By nature I am reclusive. I was very shy as a child. My mother, my brother, and my sister always enjoyed being around people and blended in easily with the crowd. I never cared for crowds. As a child birthday parties, trick or treating on Halloween and Easter eggs hunts were well outside my comfort zone; not to mention big family gatherings.

As an adult I felt rejection. I was primed for it of course. What an easy transition from feeling different to feeling rejection; it really is a small step. I felt rejected by my father because he was around so seldom when I growing up—he had demons of his own he was battling. I felt rejected by my husband—again, a man battling demons of his own. I felt rejected by my maternal grandfather—after all; I was so very different from everyone else in the family. These men said they loved me; it was me who judged their actions to be in conflict with their words.

By way of explanation—I am a person who has always looked at the world as black and white; no grays allowed. That viewpoint does help to keep you out of trouble—I have always been an honest person. The downside of the black-white viewpoint is that it tends to make you somewhat rigid—someone is either right or wrong—there are no allowances for pre-existing conditions, situations or circumstances.

I grew up in a Christian family. (God has always been so good to me!) I grew up in church. I accepted Christ as a teenager and I have known without a doubt since that time that Christ lived within my heart. I interject this because there are people who believe that when we accept Christ as Savior we suddenly become fully spiritually mature—but spiritual maturity is a process. Why did I feel rejected and unloved? I was spiritually immature and placed blame on others when it was not theirs to bear.

A few years ago I was reading a passage of scripture that no doubt I had read before when the Holy Spirit spoke to me…and this time I listened…I really listened. And this is what I learned: I am loved and I am accepted because He loves me. Reading from the New King James Version, Ephesians 1:3-6 says this:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

It does not matter how others may feel about me, I am accepted in the Beloved. I am adopted, a joint-heir with Christ and I became that when I repented of my sins and asked Him to come and live in my heart. God loves me—HE loves me…even me! For someone like me who felt different—who felt acutely rejected—that knowledge is monumental! The acceptance of that truth allowed me to forgive others completely; that knowledge destroyed the bitterness that I had allowed to build up inside of my heart; that knowledge instilled within me an ability to love others more completely. That knowledge allowed me to take another step toward spiritual maturity!

We often hear it said, “Let go and let God.” It is a simple statement but simple does not equate to easy. What are you harboring in your heart today? Is it anger; bitterness; self-pity? What I want you to know today—whether you are a Christian or non-Christian—God loves you. He really, really does. I pray with all my heart that you believe that statement. GOD LOVES YOU!

If you are a Christian, you have already been accepted in the Beloved. And if you are not a Christian, God loves you and gave His Son to die on the cross for your sins. Jesus died, was buried, and arose victoriously—conquering death—for you. Come to Christ today. Pray and ask Christ to come into your heart today and become accepted in the Beloved.

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16, HCSB

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13, NIV

“…God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” Romans 4:17b, NKJV

Have faith in God!

God bless!

Deep Roots and Spiritual Growth

We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing [to Him], bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9b-10, HCSB

This spring I planted five new shrubs. At the time I was unaware we would experience a drought situation in our area. In the beginning I kept the plants watered but then I was away from home during the hottest portion of the summer and the plants suffered greatly without the appropriate amount of water to sustain them.

Recently I pulled up the five shrubs and threw them away. The root structure of the plants was very shallow, having never become fully established, making it easy to pull the plants out of the ground. Without a proper root structure to provide the required nutrients the plants were doomed.

This reminds me of how very important it is to be deeply rooted in the word of God so that we may experience proper growth and maturity. If we are firmly planted in God’s word we will receive the vital nutrients needed in order to thrive and therefore not be doomed to fruitless living.

In explaining the parable of the sower to His disciples, Jesus said this: “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:19-23, NIV

When we are faithful and obedient to God’s word in our lives we allow the Holy Spirit to move freely within us—teaching, guiding, and directing our walk of faith. Feed on the Word and be obedient to it—walk worthy—grow, mature, and be fruitful!

God bless!

The Ministry-Bug

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. Galatians 2:20, NIV1984

I don’t know what the ministry-bug looks like but I do know what it feels like and I also know there is no cure for it. Oh, there may be times when you are attacked and because of those attacks you briefly think, “I’m-just-not-going-to-do-this-any-longer.”  But inevitably you feel that stirring in your soul and before you know it you’re doing it again. Once again, you are completely engrossed, obsessed, and occupied with spreading the Good News and the love of Jesus with others. You are down on your knees asking God, “Fill me Lord with Your Spirit. Send me where You would have me go. Speak through me; saturate me with Your Being. Allow me to see others as You see them. Teach me to love others as You love them; use all I am for Your kingdom’s cause; let all my passion always be for Your glory. Amen.”

I confess the ministry-bug term is not original with me. My pastor used it last night in his sermon and I thought, “What a great term; I love it; I’ve got to use that!”

The point I’d like to get across to you today is that there is no such thing as the average Christian life. You’re either living a Spirit-filled-life or you aren’t. Going to church on Sunday morning, occasionally reading your Bible and quickly saying your prayers before you fall into bed every night may seem adequate to you but it is not the Spirit-filled life that God seeks for you. It is not the abundant life God has in store for you. There is SO MUCH MORE and it lies outside the walls of your church building.

Our Lord desires to have an intimate-walking-talking relationship with each of us. Open the door to His presence and His power. Be filled with His wisdom, courage, and strength. Become fully dependent upon Him.

When you invite Jesus into your life daily to live His life in you and through you may expect the remarkable. Expect the abundant life. Expect to be bitten by the ministry-bug and expect an exciting adventure and complete joy…even through the trials.

“You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”. James 2:24, 26, NIV

God bless you!!

Comfort for God's People

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31, NIV1984

I LOVE to read Isaiah 40 and it happened to be a part of my daily Bible readings this morning. I don’t believe I have ever read this chapter without my heart leaping for joy. How can anyone not be completely moved by these words?

Let me quickly remind you of some other familiar passages within Isaiah 40. Verse three was quoted by John the Baptist in the third chapter of Matthew—the voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way of the LORD. Verse 40 is a favored memory verse for teachers—flowers and grass may fail but the word of the LORD stands forever. Verse 11 speaks of our good and loving Shepherd. And backup to verse 10 which speaks of the Sovereign LORD coming in power and His reward being with Him; and there’s much more—read it—stop—read it now!!

Isaiah 40 contains feel-good-comforting-amazing-exciting-stuff for those who know and love the Lord. This chapter serves to remind me that not only is God still in control but also that He always has been and always will be in control...for He is the eternally Sovereign Lord God.

Yesterday I went to the doctor and he told me something I didn’t want to hear and I was upset. I called my husband and then I wanted to call my sister but I knew I’d start crying…and then I stopped! I said, “Kaye is God suddenly no longer in control because you received what you consider bad news?” Certainly not! Suddenly I felt very silly. Yes, confession is good for the soul and communicating in prayer with Almighty God who loves me and forever holds me in His hand is even better.

Enough said. Before I leave you with a closing scripture just let me say—briefly upset yesterday; privileged this morning to discover one of my favorite, comforting passages as a part of my daily Bible readings…God is so good; so loving. He loves us extravagantly and knows us intimately. I know it does get better than this because the Bible tells me so but this is really good too!

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36, NIV1984

May God richly bless you!

God Bless the Broken Road

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14, NIV1984

Several years ago Marcus Hummon along with Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna wrote a song called, "God Blessed the Broken Road". It’s been recorded several times by different artists; the one with which I’m most familiar is by Selah. The song, although written as a romantic one, just as easily pictures a person progressing through life on the straight and narrow walk of faith.

Consideration of the straight and narrow road is familiar but considered less often are the detours, the potholes, the steep hills, the deep valleys one incurs along the way. Many seem to believe that once you make it through the narrow gate onto the road called Straight it is smooth sailing the rest of the way. Nothing could be further from the truth for no one grows to maturity without growing pains.

"I set out on a narrow way many years ago…I got lost a time or two…I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you…"

The process of maturity is not an easy one. We tend to get a lot of bumps and bruises along the way because we make poor choices. But even through that difficult process, the Holy Spirit is always there speaking to us, leading us in the way we should go if we would just recognize and listen to His pleadings. The bumps and bruises happen when we pull so strongly against the lead in order to go our own way. Only in retrospect do we realize we should have listened more carefully to the gentle voice of God, (I Kings 19:12-13) tugging at our heart, mind, and soul.

"I think about the years I spent just passing through; I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you…"

Unfortunately, the process of spiritual maturity can take many years and regret of what we may consider time lost is ridiculous. God works continually shaping us into the person He wants us to be; He is the Potter, we are the clay, (Isaiah 64:8).

"…You just smile and take my hand, you've been there you understand; it's all part of a grander plan that is coming true…"

In James, chapter 1, verses 2-4, we find these words: "Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing, (HCSB). My dear friends, God not only blessed the broken road but more importantly He continues to bless it!