Category: August

Trusting in Lies

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Our culture is full of lies.

We are constantly barraged with wrong information, manipulated ‘facts’ and skewed perspectives.

We truly can’t just believe what anybody tells us.

This is why I am so determined to build my life on the truth of God….and not what people/the media tells me.

I need to read and hear the truth from God through his Word myself.

As we read through Jeremiah, we see him dealing with many false prophets.  These prophets are saying they have heard a word from God but God tells Jeremiah that he didn’t send them.August 2016 trusting the lies

The reality is that our pastors and religious teachers can do the same thing.  They can tell us ‘truth’ in the name of God but it isn’t from God.

This is a scary thought.   How do I know if my pastors and teachers are speaking God’s truth?

I’ll know if its God’s truth when I know what God has said in his word.

Everything we hear – even from our pastors and teachers – needs to be put through the filter of what we know to be God’s truth.

We know it because we read it, we study it, we memorize it, we meditate on it and we pray in line with it.

I need to know the truth so I don’t believe the lies.

What about you?

Please open our eyes to your truth, Abba Father.

 

We Stop Too Soon

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

We love reading God’s promise that he has a plan for us – plans to prosper us, to give us hope and a future.

Awesome!  We’re feeling great as we read this in Jeremiah 29.August 11 a 2016 we stop too soon

But, if we stop there, we stop too soon.

Because God goes on in the next verses to tell us HOW he is going to do this.  He goes on to tell us our part of this plan.

He tells us that, when we call on him, when we come and pray to him, he will listen.

When we seek him with all of our hearts, we will find him and he will fulfill his plans to prosper us.

He will give us hope.

He will give us a future.

God has a part in this plan and we have a part.

Too often we focus on God’s part and fail to do our part.

Or we can just become lukewarm about doing our part……and then wonder why we have such a unfulfilling relationship with God.

Let’s ask ourselves a tough question today – are we faithfully doing our part of God’s plan?

What would our lives look like if we were seeking God with all of our hearts?

Are there changes that need to be made?

Please open our eyes, Abba Father.

 

So Many Mysteries

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

We are surrounded by mysteries –

things we don’t understand.

Some of them we can figure out…..

and others we will forever remain a mystery to us.August 8 2016 mysteries a

Daniel calls God the ‘revealer of mysteries’.August 8 2016 mysteries b

How appropriate!

God knows everything.  Nothing is a mystery to him.

As we grow our relationship with God by studying his word and talking with him, he begins to reveal some of the simpler mysteries to us.  We can begin to understand more of why he created us.  His purpose for putting us here on earth becomes more clear.

And – a big one – we gradually figure out who is really in control.

Not us – no matter how hard we try.

God is so huge and unfathomable that we will never understand all of his mysteries.

Its comforting to know that God knows and he’s in charge.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Not Everybody

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

It may seem like everybody’s morals and ethics are disintegrating today.  It may seem like nobody has any respect for anyone anymore.

If you feel that way, you are probably watching too much “news” on TV and on-line.

What you are hearing about and seeing is not ‘everybody’.

There is a solid core of people in our country that still have morals.

And respect for others.

And integrity.

In Jeremiah 35, God tells us about the Rebakites who were obeying all of the commands of their ancestors while, all around them, the general culture of the Israelites was rapidly decaying into idol worship and disobedience.August 7 2016 not everybody

The Rebakites were standing their ground and refusing to jump on the popular band wagon of rebellion and selfishness.

The unfaithful.

The faithful.

Which group are you in?

Please give us wisdom, Abba Father.

Knowing God

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Sometimes we can be pretty proud of ourselves when we reach a goal, get a promotion, or get special recognition.

We worked hard.

We persevered.

And we like to make sure people know about it.  We might  get a little boastful.

In Jeremiah 9, God tells that the one thing we should boast about is our knowledge of God.  July 29 2016 knowing God

I find this interesting because, the more I know about God, the more I realize how much more there is to know about him.  My 3.5 pound brain just can’t handle the reality of an eternal, omniscient, omnipotent Creator of the Universe.

Don’t ask me to explain the Trinity – my definition will fall very short of how it actually works.  Don’t ask me how Jesus could be fully God and fully human while he was here on earth – I will have to say that I don’t know.  Don’t ask me about the end times.  I’m hoping either I’m in heaven by then or that there is such a thing as the Rapture and it happens before any tribulation.

But I can boast about how awesome God is.  How faithful he is to me.  How gracious and loving.

God goes on to say in Jeremiah that he is the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness here on earth.

“For in these I delight.” (vs 24)

How does God exercise kindness, justice and righteousness here?

Through us…his children.

We are his hands and feet.

Our reason for living is fulfilling God’s purpose for us here on earth.

His will be done.

And he accomplishes his will through us…

  • when we’re tuned in and listening.
  • when we obey.

When we tell other people about God’s love and grace, we are boasting about the right things.  We are helping to push back the darkness when we spread the light of Jesus.

So let’s get serious about our assignment!

It’s why we’re still here.

We love you, Abba Father.

Which Way?

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

Which way are we going – forward or backward?

Some of us are stuck in the past and we’re going backwards.

Others of us don’t want to change and, as the world changes around us, we are automatically going backwards.

Many of us would like to be going forward but we’re often not sure what that means.  What does going forward look like for me?  For you?  How do we make that happen?

Jeremiah tells us in his 7th chapter that obeying God is moving forward.July 28 2016 which way

When we stop focusing on ourselves and ignore our stubborn inclinations of rebellion to God, we can start moving forward.

Paying attention to God and his truth + applying his truth to our lives + letting God transform us = moving forward.

When we stay in line with God, we can’t go backwards.  God changes us.  He renews our minds.  He continues to redeem more and more of our thoughts and our actions as we walk closely with him.

When we obey God, we are moving forward.

Into his light.

Into his love.

Thank you, Abba Father. 

We Are Not Consumed

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

We are tugged in a hundred different directions.

Our ‘to do’ lists go on and on and on.  They keep getting longer, not shorter.

So many obligations.

Too many responsibilities.

Sometimes it feels like we’re literally being torn apart by it all……….

but because of the Lord’s great love for us, we are not consumed.August 30 2015 we are not consumed

Take a deep breath…..

and now, another one.

Feel the peace of our Father God seeping into your soul….

slowing your mind down…..

God knows everything about us.

And he cares about each detail.

We are reminded of his promises of renewal and forgiveness and joy each morning as the sun rises on his command.

Great is your faithfulness, Abba Father.

You are all I need.

You are my portion.

I will wait for you.  I will watch for your direction.

I will listen and obey.

Thank you, Father God.

Under Seige

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

Do we ever feel like we’re under siege?  Lots of things going wrong?  New problems piled on top of old problems with no end in sight?

In Jeremiah 32 we read that the siege ramps were built up around the walls of Jerusalem and the Babylonians were coming up over the city walls on these ramps attacking the Israelites on all sides.cropped-eedsc_03962.jpg

God said to Jeremiah,” I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?” (vs 27 )

In the middle of the battles, God promised restoration and healing to the Israelites.  Just like he promises restoration and healing to us today.eeeeeecDSC_0452

God told the Israelites that their joy would return.  And he is telling us that today.

As we look at our own situations, these promises of God might be hard to believe.  We just can’t see how God will heal our situations.  We don’t feel like our joy is ever going to return.  How can it?  Look at what’s happening in our lives!

God is asking us today – “Is anything too hard for me?”

Our answer to that can change our whole perspective on our situation.

God is in total control of it all.  He can do anything.  He loves us and wants the best for us.

If we believe this, then we need to live like it.  We can face today because God is here and he will be faithful to his promise of healing and restoration.  We can face tomorrow because we trust that God is there and he has promised that our joy will return.

Nothing is too hard for God!

Thank you, Abba Father.

(Pictures are from my visit to Jerusalem last year.  The second picture is of a model of what Jerusalem looked like when Jesus was there)

We Make A Mess

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

We can do what makes us happy.

We can focus on what we want.

We can fill up our calendars with commitments we have made and things that are important to us – maybe squeezing in a visit to church once in a while.

But when something bad happens to us, who do we turn to?August 22 2015 we make a mess

Who are we suddenly calling on to help us?

Now that this terrible thing has landed on our doorstep, we want God to get involved.  We want him to listen.

And he is.

Unfortunately, sometimes it can be too late like it was for King Zedekiah in Jeremiah 21.  The king had rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar which was not very smart.  Zedekiah’s army was like an ant facing the giant, fierce lion of Nebuchadnezzar’s army.

When this roaring lion of an army showed up outside of Jerusalem’s city walls, Zedekiah finally decided it was time to consult with God through Jeremiah.

God said it was too late.  God had set his plans of punishment for the people’s years of sins in motion and everything was going to be destroyed.

It was too little, too late.

The good news is that God no longer punishes believer for their sins.  Jesus paid the price for all of our sins – past and future – on the cross.

When I read the Old Testament, I am reminded what an awesome gift that is.  The Holy Spirit now lives inside of us – leading us into truth and life.

If we take the time to listen.

If we decide to obey.

We are no longer punished for our sins but God does let us experience the consequences of our bad decisions.  He disciplines and teaches us as any good father would do for the children he loves.

We decide how many consequences we’re going to experience by how many decisions we make without consulting God.  We choose how many messes we will create when we choose to do things our way instead God’s way.

Of course, sometimes things happen to us just because we live in a sinful world.  They are not a consequence of our choices.  But God can still use these situations to grow us and mature us if we’re listening.  If we’re submitting to him and obeying.

God is telling us that, either way, its much better to be listening and obeying daily than to wait until we have a roaring lion of a mess in our lives.

Please help us listen and obey, Abba Father.  Thank you for the miracle of your grace in our lives.

 

Standing in the Gap

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment
  • remaining faithful to God and his word through all of life’s ups and downs.
  • discipling and mentoring others as we walk this path of faith together.
  • praying and loving others, leaving the judging to God.
  • keeping our eyes on God instead of all the ‘attractions’ of this world.
  • sharing the Good News with others so they might believe.August 20 2015 standing in the gap

In Ezekiel, God told the people of Judah that he had looked for someone to stand before him in the gap on behalf of the people of the land but he found no one.

Not one.

Dear Father, you are a righteous and holy God.  Please help us walk in step with you, repentant and obedient.  When you look on us today, may you find us standing in the gap for others.  You have made that possible by your grace and the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us.  We love you!  In the redeeming name of Jesus we pray, Amen.