Category: January

Choices

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

The choices we make determine the direction we take.  We may ‘intend’ to go a certain direction but we won’t go there if our choices take us in a different direction.

We watch Lot’s future unfold in Genesis 13 as he chooses to live in the garden-like land near Sodom.Jan 5 2014

Yes, he chose to live by Sodom which already had the reputation of being filled with wicked people who were rebelling against the Lord.

What do you think of his choice?  If Lot wanted to live a life of faithfulness and obedience to God, why would he literally pitch his tent next to a place dedicated to the opposite values?  We’ll see later that this proved to be a very bad choice for Lot and he will experience some very hard consequences from it.

Do we ever do this?  We intend to do something good but end up making choices that take us in a very different direction and it all ends badly.  Our choices each day determine the path we are on.

And God as given us a new day today to make different choices if we need to change our direction.  His grace covers our old bad choices.  When we ask, he gives us wisdom and strength to make changes….

Starting today…..

Starting right now.

Thank you, dear God!

It’s Hard to Find

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Innocence.

Adam and Eve lived in a time of innocence.  There was no shame in their world, no immorality, no darkness.

They were naked and they walked with God every day – innocent.Jan 1 2014

No sexual undertones, no bawdy jokes stepping on the line of inappropriateness, no snickers and side-ways glances.

Sometimes, when I look around at our culture, it really feels like the innocence is gone.  I happened to catch about 3 seconds of the Star Trek crew watching Miley Cyrus’ video on somebody’s post on Facebook.  I bet I don’t even have to say which one – if you have seen it, you know what I’m talking about.

Apalled.  That was my reaction.  Our culture has hit a new low.

It reminds me of how I visualized the Baal worship in the Old Testament when they had temple prostitutes.  After the Baal worshippers became desensitized to all of this sexual activity, they started sacrificing their babies to their gods.  What’s next for our culture? 

The continuing saga of Sodom and Gomorrah.

How marvelous it is to turn away from all of that and dive back into our Father’s word to us.

His truth.

Where his light shines through the darkness and his grace covers the rotting smells of our culture’s immorality.

Jesus has already triumphed over evil.  It just doesn’t always look like it here on earth.

Thank you, dear Father, for helping us stay focused on you through your word.

Our Longing

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

We are longing for a better country – a country of our own.

When Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham died, all they had was their faith in God.  They had not yet seen the promised Messiah.

We now know Jesus.  His life, death, resurrection and ascension have transformed our lives.

Even so, every day we join with these spiritual patriarchs as we long for a country where we truly belong.

Dec 25 2013A heavenly country.

A country where every knee bows to God.

A country completely filled with all of the good things that come from the Father of Light.

A country where Satan no longer prowls like a lion looking for something to devour.

A country were we can lay down our armor of God because there are no more battles with the Evil one.

A country with a Holy and loving and Righteous King.

A country wrapped in the loving arms of a heavenly Father.

God has prepared this place for us and – someday – we’ll be going home.

Thank you, dear Father.

Hello, 2014!

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Do you feel it?

Do you see it?

The sun rose again this morning – bringing us light,

bringing us warmth.

Reminding us that our faithful Father has once again given us another day.

A day to talk with him.

A day to love him.

A day to serve him.

Another beginning.

What new things is he planning for us this year?

What turns and curves is our journey going to take?

We know that God is going to help us know him better.  He promised that we will find him when we seek him.

Dear Father, We are excited to begin another year of our relationship with you.  We look forward to this year with high expectations.  We know you have so much more to teach us!  You also have so much more love to lavish upon us….and we’re ready!  We begin again with a renewed committment in our journey towards the Truth – towards you..  We will face the challenges of this year with confidence because you will be right beside us.  We thank you in advance for the wonderful things you have planned for us.  In the awesome name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Note: I have some posts left from the end of our reading in 2013 which I’m going to post on my blog throughout today but not on Facebook.   If you usually check these out on facebook, you can catch them on my blog if you’d like.

It Felt Like Years

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Two years, in fact!

Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharoah’s cupbearer and all he asked for in return was that the cupbearer remember Joseph when he got out of prison.  Just like the dream, the cupbearer was released from prison and given back his job,

but he forgot about Joseph for 2 years.Gen 41.2

Two years of sitting in prison, waiting to be remembered!  Will it ever happen?  Joseph had already experienced hatred, betrayal and treachery coming at him from all angles and now this!

Throughout Joseph’s story, we continue to hear that God was with him.  We know that God was with him in prison – he helped him interpret the dreams. God has told us that he has a plan and a purpose for everything.  So God must have had 2 more years worth of things to teach Joseph in prison – hence, the delay.

But we don’t like delays.  Patience in the face of diversity is a tough challenge.  We don’t like it.  It feels like God is not answering our prayers. 

It’s the trust factor, again.  It’s knowing that, contrary to my circumstances right now, God has the best planned for me.  He is working things out for me.

Right now……..even if it takes 2 years.

Driving a stake….

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

into the ground.Gen 31

In this passage, we see Jacob taking a stone and setting it up as a pillar to commemorate the agreement between himself and Laban, his father-in-law.

We often see people in the Bible setting up pillars or altars to remind them of an event or an agreement.

From this day forward…..

and here is the reminder.

I think we might do a better job of keeping our commitments if we would set up pillars to remind ourselves.  Well, not exactly pillars :), but reminders.

When I decided that I was going to get serious about reading my Bible, I started putting it out in the family room where I saw it all the time.  It was a very helpful reminder and I ended up reading it a lot more often because whenever I saw it, I remembered my committment to God and myself.

Some people tape special Bible verses onto their bathroom mirrors so they see them every day and are reminded of God’s promises.

Simple, but effective.  What are some other things we can do to help remind ourselves of the committments we have made to God?

It’s So Easy…..

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

to satisfy our immediate needs and give up something that would be a big benefit to us in the future.Gen 25

Esau does this when he sells his birthright for some food because he was ‘famished’.

What do we sell when we’re famished?  When we feel like we really need something…..and we really need it now.

Many of us have sold ourselves to our creditors when we get into a lot of  debt to buy things we really, really need right now.  As a result, we have to work too much and stress too much, losing our joy and sacrificing precious time with our family.

Many of us have sold ourselves to sports, hobbies and recreation to the point that we don’t have time for God.  We give up all the blessings God wants to lavish upon us when we make no time for him in our schedules.

Whenever we feel short-changed by life or are experiencing a  lack of joy in our lives, we need to remember that we can do something about it.  We can turn back to God and set our eyes on him.  We can choose the ‘better’ things that are available to us through a solid relationship with him. 

We won’t feel ‘famished’ when we have a strong faith in God.

Insanity

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Abraham  does it again!  He tells another king, King Abimelek, that Sarah is his sister!Gen 20.2

He got caught and was ejected from the town the last time he did this – why is he doing it again?

We would never do that, would we?

We would never make the same mistake over and over like Abraham…..

or would we?

If we’re honest with each other, we’ll admit that we do this regularly – especially when we’re dealing with relationship issues or parenting issues.  We just keep hammering the same nails over and over and wonder why the situation doesn’t improve.  We’re really in trouble when we blame the other person each time.  It’s really easy to blame someone else – then we don’t have to own our part.

I was told many years ago that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different outcome 🙂  Realizing the insanity can help motivate us to spend some extra energy is thinking of new ways to approach an issue.

Try something different.  It might work!  At least it won’t be the same old mistake.  It might be a new mistake but we can learn from it and try something else.

Will Abraham learn his lesson this second time God told on him and he got caught?  We’ll have to read the rest of the story and find out!

Passing the Test

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Dear Heavenly Father,

We ask you to grow in us the faith and trust that our Father Abraham had in you.

You tested him and he trusted you.Gen 22

He knew you would provide….in some way.  He didn’t know how.  You gave him no clues.

But he obeyed.  He was willing to sacrifice his only son because he loved you.

Like your sacrifice of your only son, Jesus, for us……because you love us.

When we experience trials, dear Father, we want to trust you.  We know that you are working all things out for those that love you.  We can’t see the end.  You rarely give us any clues.  It’s so easy to become anxious and try to take care of things ourselves…..

Until we lift up our eyes and focus on you.  Then we know the answer.  Your word lights our path.  Trust paves the way to peace.  Your peace, dear Father.

We love you.  Please keep drawing us nearer.

Don’t Look Back

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

No one in the Bible teaches us this lesson better than Lot’s wife.Gen 19.1

Out of his infinite mercy, God answered Abrams prayers to save Lot and his wife from the rain of fire and death coming down on Sodom and Gomorrah.  They were saved! 

Yet Lot’s wife disobeyed and looked back.  As a result of her disobedience, God turned her into a pillar of salt.

Can you commiserate with Lot’s wife?  I can. Isn’t it hard sometimes not to be tugged backward to maybe a time we felt safer?  A time we felt happier?  A time we were more comfortable or maybe our lives were closer to what we thought they should be?

Yet God has saved us for a purpose….and that purpose is always for now and  the future.  We won’t find it by looking backward.  And we definitely won’t fulfill that purpose by looking back.

How easily we can find ourselves comparing what’s going on today with how things used to be.  This is a pattern that become easier and easier as we get older.

What about if we start comparing today to how it could be tomorrow if we fulfill our purpose in God’s plan?  How much better could it be if we encouraged each other to be all that God wants us to be?  He has big plans for us – what would happen if all of us jumped into those plans with no holds barred?

The best if yet to be!