Category: August

Trying To Get Our Attention

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Attempting to cut through the din of noise that surrounds us.

Trying to squeeze into a small slot of time in our packed schedules.

Waiting for even just a few brief moments when our attention isn’t totally focused on ourselves.august 19 2015 trying to get our attention

This is how I imagine God spends a lot of his time – just trying to get us to focus on him for more than a few fleeting thoughts during our day.

He wants to guide us.

He wants to give us wisdom.

He wants to heal our brokenness and bring us joy.

If we would just let him.

Give him some space in our lives.

Give him some time.

As we read Ezekiel, we see God using the image of a polished and sharpened sword as he tried to get the people’s attention.  He described the slaughter and slashing and striking that was coming if the people didn’t repent and turn back to him.

But none of these warnings had any affect on the people of Judah.  They continued to ignore Ezekiel.

They continued to ignore God.

Any of us reading this story today would say they should have listened.  We have the benefit of hindsight.  They should have repented and got their act together.  Really bad things were coming their way – couldn’t they see they needed to get close to God?  Couldn’t they understand that God was reaching out to them through Ezekiel – trying to get their attention?

Just like God is reaching out to us today through Ezekiel?

He is trying to get more of our attention.

We know what the people of Judah did – they ignored God.

The question is – what are we going to do?

False Words

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

Wrong interpretations.

Using scripture out of context.August 17 2015 false words

Changing one word in the verse which changes the whole meaning.

Using an interpretation of a Hebrew or ‘original word’ which is not accurate.

We’ve all heard or read these words that are false.  They are not true.

But do we know scripture well enough to know they are false when we hear them?

Or do we believe everything we hear from pastors, prophets and teachers?

Ezekiel had a hard time getting people to listen to him because there were so many false teachers at that time who were sharing messages they said came from God.

God told Ezekiel that these people were prophesying out of their own imaginations.

Their own imaginations.

Scary.

The reality is that people are still prophesying and teaching out of their own imaginations today.  If we don’t personally know God’s truth, we are open to believing these phonies.  We could believe their lies.  Their false words.

Please give us wisdom and discernment, Abba Father.

They Were Free…

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Free from the protection God gives to those who are faithful to him.

Free from the shield God places over those who are walking closely with him.

Free from the hand of God which guards the path of those who listen to him and obey.August 15 2015 we are free

The Hebrews had made a promise to God to let go of their fellow Hebrews who had become slaves.

But then they changed their minds and took their slaves back.  They probably realized when they started to do all of the work themselves that this deal wasn’t going to be as easy as it sounded.  When it became inconvenient, they decided it was too much, too hard, not something they wanted to do.

So they ignored the promise they made to God.

Do we ever make a promise to God….and then change our minds?

When the going gets tough, we decide we really aren’t going to do what we told God we would do?

It’s too hard.

Now that the crisis is over, it just doesn’t seem important.

Or any number of other excuses we give ourselves for backing out of our committment to God.

We change our minds.

Break our promise.

And we step out from under the umbrella of God’s protection and blessings when we do this.

Then we experience the pain of the consequences of these decisions.

God has given us freedom of choice.  As a result, we are ‘free’ to make some very bad decisions.

Unless we’re reading God’s word,

and listening,

and obeying.

We know the way, we just have to use our freedom of choice to choose it.

Thank you, Abba Father.

A Hope and a Future

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

We love this famous passage in Jeremiah 29 where God tells us he has a plan to prosper us – to give us a hope and a future.  We often stop quoting this section of scripture right there and we miss it!August 11 2015 a hope and a future

We miss the ‘how’ God is going to do this.

Because God goes on to say that, when we call on him and come to him and pray to him, he will listen.

When we seek him with all of our hearts, we will find him.

THIS is how he plans to give us a hope and a future.

Our part of this equation is to call on God, to pray to him and seek him with all of our hearts.

He asks us to do this because this will bring all of the success and joy and purpose we are looking for.

Today and on into eternity.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Maybe We Will Understand

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Maybe we will turn away from our bad choices.

This is what God wants for us. August 7 2015 maybe we will get it.

He wants to forgive us.

He wants us to know him

– to feel his love.

– experience his peace.

– live in his joy.

– rely on his strength for each day.

– and anticipate all of the good things that are coming to us tomorrow because he is already there.

God wants all of this to happen in our lives.  That’s why he had his wisdom and guidance for us written down in the Bible.

As our Bibles lie open on our laps with our minds actively seeking God, his truth is soaking into our souls, changing us, renewing us.  Helping us make better choices.  Enabling us to build better lives.

This is what God wanted for the people of Judah in Jeremiah 36 when he had Baruch write down all of the words he had given to Jeremiah.  Maybe when the people heard all of these directions and predictions together, they would actually get it.

Maybe they would understand it.

Maybe this would help them decide to turn away from their sin and turn toward God.

God wanted this to happen for the people of Judah and he wants this same thing to happen today.

Right now.

For us.

As we read his word.

Please open our eyes, Abba Father, so we can turn away from our sins and turn to you.

They Found the Book

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

The Book of the Law.

Moses’ book.

God’s words.

King Josiah knew it was time to repair the temple of the Lord.August 2 2015 They found the book

So he made it happen.

While they were cleaning and fixing the temple, they discovered “the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses.( 2 Chronicles 34:14)  The book was read to the King who immediately tore his robes and asked the prophetess Huldah to tell him what God wanted to say to him.  Her message from God can be boiled down to on word, ‘disaster’.

The king reacted immediately by having the Book read to all of the people and then leading them in renewing their covenant with God.   The king cleared out all of the idols from the temple along with the idolatrous priests.  He destroyed all of the places for idol worship and altars.  He got rid of the mediums and spiritists along with all other ‘detestable’ things.

When everything was done, they celebrated the Passover which had not been celebrated properly for hundreds of years.

Is it true that some of us need to ‘find’ the book of the Lord?

Are there ‘things’ in our lives that we put a higher priority on than our relationship with God?  These are our idols.

Do we look at sources other than God for our guidance and direction?  These are our mediums and spiritists.

Is our Bible sitting on the shelf more than its been sitting open on our lap?

We need to read it.

And let God transform our lives through it.

King Josiah’s cleansing of the land of Judah was a high point in their history.  He heard God’s word, he listened and he obeyed.

King Josiah found the Book.

The book led him to God.

God led him to renewal and celebration.

Is it time for some renewal and celebration in your life?

Maybe its time to REALLY find the Book.

Thank you for revealing your truth to us, Abba Father.

In the Wastelands……

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

dwelling in the parched places of the desert,July 31 2015 in the wasteland

in a salt land where no one lives.

Since I live in Phoenix, these verses from Jeremiah 17 have a special meaning for me in the summer.  It’s a killing heat if you get lost out in those parched places where no one lives.

God is telling us that we are choosing to live in the wasteland, in the parched places when our heart is turned away from him.

And he promises, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,” (vs 7 ).

When our confidence is in God, not ourselves, we become like a tree planted by the eternal stream of living water, sending our roots deep into God.  When we live there, we have no reason to fear when the heat comes.

And we know the heat will come – unexpected issues, problems and crisis.

When our lives are planted firmly in God, our leaves stay green – even when the heat hits.  We have no worries about a drought because God is always faithful.

And we never fail to bear fruit because God is with us….

and we are drinking deep……

as we live firmly planted by his stream of living water.

Dear Abba Father, please help us grow our roots down deep into your truth and your grace.  We love you!

They Said No

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Why did they ask if they weren’t going to listen?

The remnant of Judah pled with Jeremiah to ask the Lord for direction.  They said, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we don’t act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tells us.” August 31 2014 They said no 1

So Jeremiah asked God and he told the people of the remnant to stay where they were – do not go to Egypt.  They would die by the sword there.

The people went to Egypt anyway.  And the swords of their enemies killed them.

If they were just going to do what they wanted, why go through this ‘big show’ of asking God?

We see a clue to their behavior when they tell Jeremiah that they will do everything the Lord your God tells them to do.

Later they changed that to ‘our’ but – which one is it?August 31 2014 They said no 2

We can tell by their actions that our Lord God is not their Lord God.  They didn’t listen to him.  He told them exactly what to do and what not to do and they did what he said not to do.

He obviously was not the Lord of their lives.

The proof that Jesus is really the Lord of our lives is when we say, “Yes, Lord.”

If we say anything else, we are not making him Lord of our lives.

It’s as simple……and as challenging…..as that.

Please help us always make you Lord in our lives, dear Jesus.

Tossed by the Wind

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

August 27 2014 Tossed by the windKing Zedekiah went to Jeremiah several times to find out what God wanted him to do.  The King even promised to protect Jeremiah with an oath which included, ” As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath.”

King Zedekiah knew about God and he obviously believed God had power.  He searched for God’s direction.  But then he still didn’t do what God told him to do.

James described a double-minded man in the beginning of his letter in the New Testament.  This man is like a wave, blown and tossed about by the wind.

This man sounds just like King Zedekiah.  Yes, there were big waves of conflict and deportation and death crashing around Zedekiah.  He responded to this by constantly checking in with Jeremiah to see what God was saying.

But then he went off and just did his own thing anyway.

Does this sound familiar?  Do we check in with God on Sundays and then go do our own thing the rest of the week?  Do we ever have serious thoughts of obeying what we hear from God?  Letting God change us?  Transform us?

Do we take significant action in order to get our faith solidly anchored on God, our Rock, so we’re not longer influenced and moved by the waves of our culture and the circumstances around us?

God promised to help us become single-minded people who know the truth.  All we have to do is ask.  We need to seek him with all of our hearts, souls and strength.  And we will find him.  Because he is always there.

Thank you, dear Father.

Frightening Words

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

“The time as come for me to act.  I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent.  You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions.”August 21 2014 Amazing grace

These words send a shiver down my spine.  God spoke them to the people of Jerusalem as the Babylonians attacked and the siege which would send the Israelites into captivity began.

I am SO grateful to be living in the time of God’s grace.  Jesus’ sacrifice now covers all of our sin, shortcomings and failures.

When God looks at us now, he sees us as his children and he lavishes his love on us.

We don’t have to pay for our sins like the Israelites did because Jesus died for our sins- once and for all.  By his wounds, we have been healed.

So the right response for us is to live in a perpetual state of gratitude for what God has done.  We all have circumstances and situations in our lives which aren’t perfect but our redeemed identify in Christ is secure.  Our future is already decided.

The end of our story goes like this,

“And they lived happily ever after in heaven.”

Amen!

Hallelujah!