Category: July

Pass It On

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

“It only takes a spark to get a fire burning.”July 4 Pass it on

Anyone remember this old camp song?

The words echo through my mind as I read in 2 Chronicles about the ‘spark’ provided by King Hezekiah.

He cleansed the temple, assembled the Levites, reestablished service in the temple and invited everyone to Passover – even his estranged brothers in Israel.  The holy festival had not been observed for quite a while.

Because of Hezekiah’s efforts, a large crowd gathered to celebrate Passover.  Many people in the crowd couldn’t participate because they hadn’t consecrated themselves.  They weren’t prepared – they had gotten out of the habit.

Hezekiah prayed that God would pardon all of them even though they could not participate.  And God answered his prayer.

The crowd celebrated and rejoiced for 7 days.  Hezekiah encouraged the Levites by telling them what a great job they were doing in leading the people in worship.

Everything went so well that they decided to celebrate for another week.  There was great joy in Jerusalem and all were blessed by God.

It only takes a spark and Hezekiah provided it.  He organized an opportunity for people to put themselves into the presence of God.   And they found joy.  They found forgiveness.  They found love.

The same is true for us.  Whenever we seek God, we find him – he promises us that.  And we find joy.  And forgiveness.  And love.

Could you use a little more of any of those things today?

Draw us nearer, dear Father.

Where Do We Find It?

On By Judy GlasserIn July, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Peace.

Do we find it when our To-Do lists are done?

When we have some extra money in our bank account?

Do we really ever find peace from the thoughts….. Bethlehem sign

the plans….

the fears….

the regrets….

swirling around in our heads?

The prophet Micah tells us that Jesus is our peace.

I always find it amazing that, over 700 years before Jesus was born, Micah and Isaiah prophesied so clearly and so accurately with so many details about the Messiah.

In Micah 5, we read that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  There is very little peace in Bethlehem these days.  On my recent visit to Israel, one of the shopkeepers in Bethlehem asked us to pray for freedom for Bethlehem.  It is a very depressed and oppressed city.

Micah also told us that the Messiah would be a shepherd who would care for his flock with his strength and majesty.  The Messiah’s flock would be secure because of his great power over all the earth.

And Micah tells us the Messiah would bring us peace.

Please give us your peace, dear Jesus.

Jeremiah 16, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

You are our strength and our fortress, dear Lord.

You are our refuge when we are distressed.July 31 2013

For so long we have been worshipping and chasing after false gods.  Many of us learned this from our parents and others around us as we were growing up.  We are ready to sacrifice everything to the god of MORE.  We are consumed with getting MORE of whatever we think will make us happy –  money, big houses, having ‘fun’, the latest and greatest of our favorite things.  We’re confident that the god of More will make us happy – at least for a little while.

The reality is the god of MORE is worthless – only bringing unhappiness and discontent because there is never enough.

We ask you to teach us, dear Father.  Teach us your truth, teach us about the things you value, teach us about the things that you want us to have in our lives because they are good for us.

We want to experience your power in our lives.

We want to know the might of your redeeming love as it transforms us in the people you created us to be.

You are the Lord God Almighty.

We praise your name!

Let’s Boast

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

We aren’t boasting about our wisdom, dear Father.

Any wisdom we have comes from you.

We aren’t boasting about our strength, Holy God.

Our strength to even breathe comes from you.  It all comes from you.

We aren’t boasting about our riches, Omnipotent Creator.

Whatever we have has all come from you.

We only boast about knowing you.

You have chosen us, we are yours.July 29 2013

You have opened our eyes so we can see you.

You have opened our ears so we can hear you.

We experience your kindness in our lives every day.

We depend on your justice as you rule the universes.

We claim your gift of grace and become righteous in your eyes through the death and resurrection of your Son, our Savior, Jesus.

We boast about you, dear Father.  We delight in you.

Don’t Be Fooled

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

It’s all around us.

DeceptionJuly 27 2013

Lies

Our culture is in a huge state of confusion. 

Is this right?

Is that wrong?

Or is everything right?

And nothing wrong….

Unless you get caught?

Such confusion.

We have a barrage of voices spewing their opinions, perspectives and misinformation out across our world every day, all day.  They tell us there is peace when there is no peace.  They tell us something is right when it clearly isn’t right.  They tell us something is wrong when it simply doesn’t match up to their lifestyle and choices.  They tell us what they want us to think.

How does anyone know the truth?

There is only one way to know the Truth and it’s through God’s Word to us.

There is no confusion when the Holy Spirit guides us into understanding God’s Word.

The Bible may not be super-clear on all of the less important issues because they are less important.

The important items are crystal clear.  We may not like to hear it, but it’s crystal clear.

And these truths don’t change.

Just like God doesn’t change.  The Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End.

Jesus called himself the Truth – there is no confusion about that. 

Thanks for coming along on this journey with me – our Journey Towards the Truth.  This Journey will end some day when we are face to face with the Living Truth.  Amen!  Hallelujah!

Watch…

On By Judy GlasserIn July1 Comment

and pray.

Watch and pray.

Watch and pray.July 20 2013

God tells Jerusalem in Isaiah 62 that he had posted matchmen on it’s walls and these watchmen were never silent, day or night.

I know of a specific time in my life when God posted watchmen on my walls.

The watchmen were not silent. 

They watched.

And they prayed.

These watchmen were my mother and mother-in-law.  They were both Godly women who lived thousands of miles away from us but they knew my husband and I needed prayer.  So they prayed. 

They didn’t know the details but they prayed.

It was a time when my husband and I were making a lot of very important, life-changing decisions….

but we weren’t consulting God.

It was a time when we thought we were in control and we had a plan…..

but we never considered God’s purpose for our lives.

When I look back on that time, I am amazed at how well those HUGE decisions worked out.

And then I am reminded of the watchmen on our walls.  They were praying.  God was answering the prayers of our mothers in response to their faithfulness. 

We received the blessings of God through our mother’s prayers.  I still believe that God has a special interest in the fervent prayers of a faithful mother.

God calls each of us to be watchmen for others at different times through our lives.  To watch and pray.  To lift the cares of others up and lay them at the feet of the Father – knowing that all things are possible through him.  We don’t need to know the details because our Father knows them all.  And he cares about them all.

May we be found faithful, dear Father!

Thirsty?

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

We come to you, dear God, for we are thirsty….July 18 2013

thirsty for the water that only comes from you.

We have no money, nothing of value except what you have given us.

We can come to you through your gift of grace and you take care of all of our needs.  Everyday.

But sometimes we still get tempted by the distractions of this world.  And we spend our time and our passions and the resources you give us on things that don’t satisfy us.  They never will.

Only you, dear Father, can satisfy the desires of our soul.  We want to listen….and then listen some more.

We want to eat what is good – all of the good things that come from you.

When we focus on you, we are delighted by the richness of what you provide.  More than we ever dreamed.

We give you more than just an ear, dear God.  We lift up all of our heart, mind and soul to you today.

We desire to live in your will.

Please quench our thirst, Holy Father.

Do You See It?

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

God is doing a new thing.

It is springing up!July 14 2013

He is making a way for us even when it doesn’t look like that’s possible.

He has always been faithful in the past

and he will be faithful in this new thing.

God tells us in Isaiah 43 to forget the former things.  He tells us not to dwell on the past.

Because he has created a new day for us.  It’s today!

He is creating a new song for us,

a new perspective,

a new hope,

a new and renewed purpose.

Do you see it?

Yes, We Know!

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Yes, we have heard.

It has been told to us from the beginning – since the earth was founded.July 12 Isaiah 40, 2013

That God sits enthroned above the earth.  So high above us that we look like grasshoppers.

Each day he stretches out the heavens once again  like a canopy.  He provides this tent for us to live in.

Rulers on the earth are reduced to nothing.  They think they are powerful but God blows on them and they wither away only to be swept away like chaff in the next whirlwind.

There is no one and nothing that can be compared to our Holy God.

Nothing ever has been or ever will be equal to him.

We lift up our eyes, dear Father, and look to the heavens.

You created everything!

You bring out the stars every night – one by one – calling them by name.

Because of your great power and mighty strength, there is never one missing.

We praise your name, most Holy God!

He Reached out…..

On By Judy GlasserIn July1 Comment

He took a chance.July 4 2013

After restoring the temple and reconsecrating it, King Hezekiah sent word out to his estranged brothers in Israel inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover with them.

Second Chronicles tell us that they had not been able to celebrate Passover in large numbers for a long time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.  Hezekiah was not only leading his own people in Judah back to God, he was also taking a huge risk by inviting the people of Israel.

But we read that he felt it was the right thing to do, so he sent couriers throughout Israel and Judah with a proclamation which started:

“People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that he may return to you…..

Yes, some people in Israel ridiculed him.

But others came. 

And we’re told that God gave Hezekiah’s people unity of mind so that they followed the word of the Lord and carried out the decree of the king – welcoming their brothers and celebrating Passover together as the people of God.

The first week of the celebration went so well, everyone decided to celebrate for another week.  We are told that there was ‘great joy’ in Jerusalem for those who were assembled.  All of the people were blessed by the priests before they went back to their homes.

We know the people were changed by this experience because we are told that, when they got home, they smashed their idols and the shrines.  They cut down the Asherah poles and destroyed the high places.

Hezekiah had been obedient.  He did what God asked him to do even though it was risky.  As a result, he started widespread religious reforms not only in his own country but also in Israel.

Please help us follow Hezekiah’s example, dear Father, as we reach out in your name.