Category: January

Growing

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Mistakes.

We all make them as we travel this road of faith.Jan 5 2015 Growing

The important thing is to learn from each mistake and grow from it.

We see Abraham making a big mistake in Genesis 12 when he shows a lack of trust in God.  He asked Sarai to lie to Pharoah, saying that she was Abram’s sister, not his wife.  Abram was worried that Pharoah would kill him in order to marry Sarai if he knew she was Abram’s wife.

Abram didn’t trust that God would protect him.  He still had to learn that God is in total control of everything – even Pharaohs.

Because of the lies, God had to step in and get Sarai out of Pharoah’s household.  He had to fix the mess that Abram had made.

And we’ll see later that Abram does the exact same thing later.

What?

We’ll even hear him rationalize away his lies – trying to make them not sound so bad.

When is he going to learn?

Does any of this sound like us?

Do we ever make the same mistake twice?  Or 3 times?  We didn’t learn the first time?

Fortunately for us, God has patience with us just like he had patience with Abram.

The good news for Abram is he eventually learned to trust God with everything – even with the life of his promised son, Isaac.

Please help us trust you, dear Father.

They were Both Adam

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

In Genesis 3:20 we read that Adam names his wife Eve.

Up to that point, they were both Adam.Genesis 2 2015 they were both Adam

Male and female.  Both parts of Adam.  Each part made in God’s image.

What a striking picture of what God created marriage to be!

They shared the same name because they were 2 parts of the same being.

Sin changed that.

Just like sin creates the marriage issues we see all around us today.

We marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons at the wrong time.

The grass always looks greener on the other side – because we’re too selfish to fertilize our side.

Temporary lusts fueled by sinful pleasures become marriages that fail while hurting everyone involved ……especially the children.

Our picture of marriage is so different from what God created it to be.

Two bodies making one complete being.

Even in today’s world saturated with sin, a marriage like this is still possible if God is in the middle.  He promises to work all things out for the good of those who love him.  Our marriages are one of those things.  He has promised.  We just need to trust him.  And do our part by obeying.

He will always do his part.

Thank you, dear Father.

In the Beginning

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

The Spirit of God hovered over a formless, dark, and empty world.

Then God created light.  The sky.  The land and the sea.  Plants and trees.  The sun.  The moon.  All living creatures – on the land and in the water.Genesis 1 2015 in the beginning

And he saw that it was good.

Then God created male and female in his own image.

He created US.

He was looking forward to the relationship he would have with Adam and Eve – walking through his beautiful garden with them every day.

He knew they would eat the apple – in defiance of his one restriction to their use of his garden.

God knew Cain would kill his brother.

He knew he would destroy all of the rebellious people with a flood, saving Noah and his family to repopulate the earth.

God knew he was going to grow Abraham into a Father of Faith.

He knew Joseph needed to go to Egypt to save multitudes of people including his family from starvation.

He knew that his people would be enslaved and would need a reluctant hero – Moses – to set them free.

God knew all about the whining Israelites wandering through the desert.  And brave Joshua who would step up to lead them into the Promised Land.

God knew about all of the issues with idols and other gods.  Of sins heaped upon sins.

He knew about David, a man after his own heart, who would be a beacon of light in the darkness even while battling with his own sins.

He knew that his prophets saying his words to his people would be ignored….ridiculed…..killed.

He knew about the heart-breaking exile that would happen to his people and their struggles to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.

God already knew he was going to have to send his son in order to save the people he had created in his own image.

He knew that this son he dearly loved would have to die an excruciatingly painful death on the cross as the sins of all the world were placed on him.

God knew that the worst part would be when he had to turn away, separating himself from the sin….while his son cried, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”

God knew all of this before he created us.

And he did it anyway.

Because he thinks we’re worth it.

For God so loved the world…..

 

Coming Soon

On By Judy GlasserIn January3 Comments

“I am coming soon”, Jesus says to us in Revelations 22 as God’s holy word to us comes to completion.

Jesus is coming back soon.dec 31 2014 coming soon

And he has told us to ready because he can come anytime.  All of the predictions of man will be wrong because Jesus told us when he was here on earth that it’s not for us to know the date and time that the Father has chosen for his return.

So we focus on our preparation.  We prepare by reading and meditating on his Word.

And then we obey.

Today we celebrate as we begin another year of preparation.

What new adventures is God planning to take us on in 2015?

Who is he planning to bring into our lives so we can share the Good News?

How many opportunities will he be giving us to encourage others who are on this path of faith with us?

What awesome new thoughts and understandings is God going to reveal to us as we once again read through his Word to us?

I’m very excited to find out!

I’ve decided to read the chronological Bible again in 2015 – I really love how the historical context is so evident when we read God’s Word in chronological order.  And, I’ll admit it – I really like reading all the laws of Moses together just once along with some of the other sections that are repeated several times in the Old Testament.

Thanks to all of you who are taking this Journey Towards the Truth with me!

Happy New Year!  May God richly bless us in 2015!

With a smile and a growing feeling of anticipation of what God’s going to say, we flip back to page one and read,

“In the beginning……”

It Takes Teamwork

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

You could say that Moses won the battle with the Amalekites because the Israelites were winning when he stood on a hill nearby with his hands raised and they were losing when his hands got tired and he lowered them.  They couldn’t have won without him.Jan 27 2014

But they also couldn’t have won without Aaron and Hur who stepped up beside Moses when Moses’ arms got tired and they held his arms up for him.

And its pretty obvious that they wouldn’t have won without Joshua and all of the men who were actually fighting.

Each person had their purpose and, when each person did their part, they all won.

This is also how our churches are successful.  As the body of Christ, we each play a part.  We all need to do our part in order to win the battle we’re fighting against the forces of evil and darkness here on this earth who are trying to claim people’s souls.  Each of us need to be strong and courageous and faithful in fulfilling our duties as soldiers in God’s army.

So let us put on the armor of God every day and do our part to fulfill God’s purposes for us and to his Glory.

Amen.

What’s in Your Hand?

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

What do you already have?Jan 22 2014

Sometimes we don’t feel that we have the right skills or experience or knowledge to do what God is asking us to do.  That’s how Moses felt when God told him to go back to Egypt to free his people.

What if they don’t believe?  What if they don’t listen?

And then God asked Moses to look at what he already had in his hand and use that to do what God was asking him to do.

So – let’s look at what we already have – what God has already given us – and figure out how to use it to serve him.  Do we have a car?  Do we have a house with some chairs in it?  Do we have a couple of hours we could turn off the TV and computer and serve him?  Let’s not focus on what we can’t do – let’s just figure out what we can do.

What do we already have in our hands?

Dear Father, we thank you for how you have so richly blessed us.  Please open our eyes and hearts to how we can use what you’ve already given to us  in order to fulfill your purpose for us here on earth.  In the redeeming name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Blessings

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

May the God who has been my shepherd all of my life to this day bless you….jan 21a 2014

May the Angel who has delivered me from all harm also protect you.

May the strong hand of the Lord be on your life each day.

May the Almighty God help you and bring blessings to you from  all directions – from the skies above and the deep springs below, blessings in your heart and mind and blessing to those you love.

May your faith be a blessing to your family and to every life you touch.

Jan 21b 2014And our final blessing here on earth will be when we draw our feet up into our bed, breathe our last and are finally gathered to our people….

our people and our God who are already in heaven, waiting for us.

Amen!  Hallelujah!

He Prospered

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

‘The Lord was with Joseph so he prospered’.

Just like Joseph, God is with us and, at every opportunity, he blesses us and prospers us.Jan 18 2014

Sometimes it feels to me like I did all of the work so I prospered myself.  But then I’ve also had times when I’ve worked really hard and I didn’t receive any obvious ‘prospering’ from it. 

So it makes sense to me that it’s not the work itself that is prospering me – it’s the favor of the Lord – his will.

I’ve had several very clear instances recently where God clearly prospered me – just because he wanted to, not because of anything extra special that I did.  If you have been on this journey with me very long, you may remember a year or so ago when I felt that God was telling me he wanted me to go to the Holy Land.  It was very clear to me that he wanted me to go – he wants to forever change how I read and study his Word through this trip.

But I didn’t have the money for it so I asked him how I was going to pay for it.  And every time he reminded me that I was supposed to go, I reminded him – show me the money :). 

A couple of months later I won an award at work that I didn’t even know I had been nominated for.  It came with a check that was the amount of the trip (plus a tithe, of course).

Nice!  The trip has been rescheduled a couple of times and now I am less than 60 days away from going to Israel to experience all that God has planned for me!

I feel like a very rich woman when I think of my little grand-daughter  who is on her way – she’ll be here at the end of March.  I’ve wanted a grand-daughter for a very long time and I feel very prosperous in ways that don’t involve money as I think of all of the ‘girl’ fun we will have in the coming years.  She is definitely a very precious gift straight from the heart of God.

God prospered me again several weeks ago when I found out my position at work had been upgraded.  Out of the blue.  I’m doing the same thing I always do – giving it 100% and adding value.  It’s all God – he decides when the awards and promotions come.

And we prosper according to His will.

Thank you, dear God!

 

It’s Going to Be Good

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

We mess up. We make a bad choice. We wonder down the wrong path. Someone does something nasty to us and things go south.

Isn’t it a huge relief to know that God promises to work it all for our good?

Jan 13 2014This is the theme that keeps running through my head as Jacob deceives Isaac and Esau threatens to kill Isaac who runs away to live with Laban and then spends many years involved in a mutual game of deception with Laban.

Trickery….unkept bargains…..secret plans…….hidden sins.Jan 14 2014

Then Joseph’s brothers sell him as a slave and tell their father that he’s dead.

The treachery goes on – page after page.

Yet, in each instance, God works it all out for their good as they turn back to him, time after time.

On the right path,

Off of it.

On the right path,

Off of it.

Reading this brings me peace. God was patient with  them –  he’ll will be patient with me. God was always there for them – he’ll always be there for me. They sinned and rebelled but God worked it all out for them just like he works it out for me.  And he’ll be patient and work things out for you, as well.

Because we all love him.

Thank you, dear God

He Laughed

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

How awesome that the Bible tells us about real people and clearly shows us some of their warts and issues! It’s very clear that we have a lot in common.Jan 6 2014

When God tells Abraham that Sarah hs going to have a son, Abraham laughs. He asks how a son is going to be born of a man who is a hundred years old and his wife who is ninety?

So Abraham showed his humanity and had a moment of unbelief. It’s ok – right after this he did everything God asked him to do.

Abraham had a moment and then he got right back on track. He wasn’t perfect. He was still in training to be the Father of Nations.

He was a work in progress- just like us!

Thank you, dear God!