Author: Judy Glasser

Life is a journey. Sometimes I'm coasting downhill and, other times, its a tough road uphill. My journey has been straight uphill since May 19, 2016 when my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police Officer was killed in the line of duty. When my life and dreams blew apart, I only had one option - to hold on tightly to my Rock, my Father God. I have a new understanding of just how short life is and how important it is to take loving each other seriously. God is love and all love comes from him. I have seen love do supernatural things since my son was killed. I have published a book, "Then I Looked Up: Losing a Child, Finding His Legacy of Love." about my tough and painful journey since my son was killed. You can order it from Amazon or you can get an autographed copy by contacting me on messenger. I am sharing some of my experiences as a survivor of a line of duty death in MYFAMILYBLEEDSBLUE.COM. Please feel free to share these blogs with anyone you know who might find them helpful. My other blog - JOURNEYTOWARDSTHETRUTH.COM - has been a work of love for many years as I read through the Chronological Daily Bible each year and share what I hear from God when he stops me. I am inviting you to come along on one or both of my journeys. Please share as often as you'd like. Thanks so much for reading!

The Time is Now

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

“For such a time as this”.  God challenges me with these words as I read the story of Esther in the Bible.

Now.  This next step.  Today.

Esther’s story is a very good example to me of how God orchestrates opportunities and invites me to be a part of what he is already doing.  Queen Esther faced the possibility of being killed if she stood up for her people, the Jews.  Mordecai, her uncle, told her, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (vs 4:14)  So Esther asked all of the Jews to pray and fast with her for three days before going to the king.  God gave her the wisdom and courage to risk her life and save her people.

For such a time as this.

I would be missing an important point if I thought this is the only opportunity God ever gave Esther.  There were many more, this is just the one he told us about because it’s a significant example of how he worked to complete his will through her.

And how he works to complete his will through me.

And through you.

Today.

For such a time as this.

Today I will be given opportunities to partner with God in what he is accomplishing in this world.  He has made it clear to me that this blog is one of my assignments.  So I continue reading the Bible every year, listening to him and sharing with you what he says.  And I’ll do that until he tells me to stop.

Recently, God has started sharing with me insights into how he is pursuing some of the people in my life who haven’t chosen to accept his free gift of salvation yet.  It’s very interesting to watch him work.  I know he’s opening my eyes so I am more aware of my role and better prepared to plant a seed of God’s truth when the ‘time’ comes.

There is a reason I’m still breathing today.

There’s a reason you’re still breathing.

For such a time as this.

Open our eyes, Abba Father.

Telling My Story

On By Judy GlasserIn October2 Comments

I have so much to be thankful for!  God is good and he loves me with a never-ending love.  God tells me in Psalm 107 that I need to tell my story.  And you need to tell your story.

“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.” We all have a unique story to share.

Some of us have wandered, looking for a place to belong. We were hungry for love, starving for a purpose. When we cried out to God, he drew us closer to himself – to the place where we belong. He gave us a purpose to get up every morning.

Let us tell our story, giving thanks to God for he is good.

Others of us lived in darkness, bound by chains of rebellion, stumbling through life with no help in sight. But we cried out to the LORD and he brought us out of the utter darkness, breaking all of our chains.

Let us tell our story, giving thanks to God for he is good.

Some of us made very foolish decisions and were suffering through the consequences of those to the point of thinking that death might be an option.  But, instead, we turned to God for help and he healed us, rescuing us from the living death we found ourselves in.

Let us tell our story, giving thanks to God for he is good.

Others of us have experienced violent storms in our lives as huge waves of pain and grief washed over us. When our courage and strength were gone, we finally cried out to the LORD and he “stilled the storm with a whisper”, calmed the waves and guiding us home to him.

Let us tell our story, giving thanks to God for he is good.

My story is that I have known Jesus as my Savior my entire life but I decided to wander in my young adulthood – trying out all the ‘fun’ things the world had to offer. It seemed great at first but gradually my life because very empty and filled with darkness. So I called out to God who made it very clear to me that he had never left me. When I turned back to him, I found him waiting for me with open arms.

God has been gradually drawing me closer to him as I daily travel this Journey towards the Truth. I have left the emptiness and darkness behind, finding meaning and light as I put God first in my life. 

I will continue to tell my story for the rest of my life, giving thanks to God for he is good.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Carefully Consider

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

My priorities are important to God.  When he tells me, “love me first”, he means it.  If I miss that, I can expect consequences.

God explains this to me in Haggai when his people had their priorities messed up. “Give careful thought to your ways.  You have planted much but harvest little.   You eat but never have enough.  You drink, but never have your fill.  You put on clothes but are not warm.  You earn wages only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

God’s people were selfishly putting their own work in front of finishing God’s temple and they were paying the consequences.

Painful consequences.

I don’t want these words to describe my life so I need to carefully consider my priorities.  I need to choose God first and prioritize his purposes and his plans.  That’s the only way I’m going avoid harvesting little or feeling like I never have enough.

When I can change my self-centered thinking to God-centered thinking, it’s not hard to stay in line with his priorities.  I know he loves me with a perfect love.  He wants the best for me and nothing is impossible for him.

After careful consideration, I choose God.  I choose his priorities.

Amen, let it be so, Abba Father.

Nothing is Impossible

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

I have to smile.

God tells us in the beginning of Ezra that he ‘moved the heart of Cyrus, King of Persia.’  I love this because Cyrus was not a believer.  He was a pagan king.  But he moved when God moved his heart.

Cyrus released the Israelites to go back to Jerusalem so they could rebuild the temple of God.  The king was also gave back 5400 articles of gold and silver that had been taken from the temple of God before it was destroyed.

God moved the heart of a pagan king who then orchestrated and sponsored the rebuilding of God’s temple.

That’s my God.  He uses everyone and everything to accomplish his will.  Even those who don’t believe in him are under his authority and direction.

His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And I want to make sure I’m right in the middle of that – don’t you?

Nothing is impossible for you, Abba Father.

Do You Feel It?

On By Judy GlasserIn October2 Comments

What does it feel like when God ‘moves’ my heart?

When I understand something I never knew before as I read his Word, I can feel God moving my heart.  When I have an idea or motivation I have never felt before as I read his Word, I know God is moving my heart.  When I see a situation more clearly today as I read his Word, I realize God is moving my heart and giving me insights I never had before.

All of these and more describe experiences I have had as God moves my heart to more closely align with his.

While reading the story of the people of Israel  in the book of Ezra as they prepare to end their exile and go back to resettle Israel, the words, “everyone whose heart God had moved” jump out at me.

God had chosen those who he wanted to go back to rebuild his temple in Jerusalem.  And they knew it.

They felt it.

And they obeyed.

It wasn’t going to be an easy task but they had been picked by God to do something big for him.  So they went.

Because they were listening and watching, they knew when God moved their hearts.  That’s what it takes to hear God and be a part of what he’s doing in our world.

God has a purpose for me today.

He has a purpose for you today.

Please move our hearts, Abba Father.

Right Away

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

I’ve never seen this before.

I’m on my 9th time reading through the entire Chronological Bible and I don’t remember noticing this detail.  God is obviously stopping me here today to bring this to my (and your) attention.

God is telling me through the book of Daniel that he heard Daniel’s prayer and sent the angel Gabriel to earth to give a message to him while Daniel was still praying.

“As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have to tell you.” Gabriel told Daniel.

Wow!  As soon as Daniel began to pray, God was responding.  Right away.  Daniel hadn’t even finished praying before God was taking action on his request.

Love it!

God is telling you and me that this is still happening today when we pray.  Before I have finished praying, God is moving, responding, orchestrating things for my good – every day, all day.

When I turn to God and pray, recognizing my dependence on him, he takes action.  I might not see him moving, but I trust that he is.  I don’t need an angel to tell me that God is listening, I have his Word on it.

Thank you for always listening and responding, Abba Father.

 

What?!

On By Judy GlasserIn September3 Comments

A human hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall.

What?!

Daniel tells us this actually happened in the middle of King Belshazzar’s huge banquet!  If I saw it today, it would definitely get my attention.

This is where we get the saying, ‘I can read the writing on the wall’.  Many of us don’t know that this comes from the Bible.

King Belshazzar could not understand the handwriting on the wall so he consulted with Daniel who was well-known for being able to interpret things when no one else could.  Daniel read the writing and told the king that God was bringing his reign to an end because the king had not acknowledged God as sovereign over all the kingdoms on earth.

That very night, the message on the wall was fulfilled and Belshazzar was killed.

One part of the message on the wall was ‘Tekel’ which means you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

The bad news for all of us is – our scales don’t look any better.  Our rebellion.  Our need for control.  Our self-centeredness.  Our busyness which causes us to ignore God.

The writing on our wall would have the same message…..

except for the fact that God loved us so much that he gave us an ‘out’.

He sent his perfect son, Jesus, to save us from the eternal separation from God.  The entire Bible is a love story about how God created us in his image and desires to have a close, personal relationship with us.

Jesus offers a gift of grace to each one of us – that’s his part.  Our part is accepting his free gift which makes the scales move in our favor.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, we can become precious children of God who are never ‘found wanting’ because Jesus did it all for us….

for all time,

for all who will believe and receive.

It is finished.

Thank you, Jesus.

 

My Heart’s Response

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

As I read the beginning of Psalm 106, this is my heart’s response –

I’m giving thanks to the LORD today for how good he is!  It’s impossible to describe with words the magnitude of his greatness!

I feel his blessing and his smile of encouragement when I do what is right.

You constantly show me how much you love me, Father, by giving me your guidance and help.  I find joy in knowing I am your adopted child – a daughter of the King!

Please help me make the right choices and avoid straying into rebellion.  Touch my mind, Father, when I need to remember your goodness and kindness.  Help me to always remember how you have saved me and are walking beside me.

I believe all of your promises, Father.  Your Word resonates with the core of my soul and I know what you tell me is true.

I am staking my life on it.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

It’s a Plan

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

I know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.

As I read Psalm 89, my plan jumps right off the page- ” I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever.”  I will tell everyone I know about how I have experienced your faithfulness all my life, Abba Father.

I will talk about your perfect love for me and the abundant blessings you have showered down on my life.

I will walk with you each day, Father, until the day we walk into heaven together, hand in hand.

I will find my peace in your strength.  I will find my joy in your love and faithfulness.  I will find my strength in your righteousness and justice.

I will walk in the light of your presence each day, Father. 

And I will continue to sing of your great love forever.

Amen and Amen.

So Many Mysteries

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

I will never understand.

For me, one of the keys to having peace and contentment is realizing that there will be things in this crazy world that I will never understand.  There are “things too wonderful for me to know” which is how Job described it at the end of his story in the Bible.

Remembering truths which are very clear and have been etched into my soul by the Holy Spirit helps me be okay about the mysteries that are beyond the ability of my 3.5 pound brain to comprehend.

Here are some of the truths that I review in my mind when I start to worry or doubt or question –

God is good, all the time.

God is all-powerful – nothing is impossible for him.

God is a perfect Father who loves me with a perfect love.  He is always walking beside me.

God is working all things out for my good.  He wants the best for me.

God’s timing is perfect.

Being confident of these truths, I know the best response to whatever happens to me is to trust God.  I can ask ‘Why?’ and God is patient with me, but there is wisdom in making trust my first response, not questions.

I have discovered that my life stays more closely aligned with God when I automatically and genuinely trust him with everything – because there is so much that I will never understand.

I trust you, Abba Father.