Category: March

Always on My Lips

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Do you want to be prosperous?

Successful?

God tells us exactly how to do this as we begin reading the book of Joshua.March 10 2016 I forget the name.

Here is our one direction for achieving success and prosperity:

Be careful to obey God –

  •  do not turn from him to the right or the left.
  • keep God’s words always on our lips, meditate on them day and night so we are careful to do them.

What does it look like in my life when I obey God?

It has to be about what God wants, not what I want.

When I do what God wants and it’s not something I want, then I am submitting.

As we grow closer to God, we become more aligned with what God wants and obeying becomes a little easier because we start to want more and more of the things God wants.

Meditating on God’s word has become easier for me as I memorize it.  We have to be thinking about it, repeating it and going over it several times daily in order for it to stick.  Lots of meditating on it going on!

And with God’s truth stuck in our minds – renewing our thoughts – we are well on our journey of increasing our obedience.

As we memorize God’s scripture, his words are always on our lips – transforming the things we say with those lips.

This is success.

This is prosperity.

Thank you, Abba Father.

A Warped and Crooked Generation

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Warped.

Crooked.

Moses used these words in Deuteronomy 32 to describe the Israelites thousands of years ago.

These are great words to use in describing our culture today.March 8 2016 a warped and crooked generation

Crooked – our culture doesn’t think anything is wrong unless it hurts someone….and then its only wrong if you get caught.

Warped – how many of the TV shows we have recorded on our DVRs would we watch if Jesus walked into our living room to watch it with us?

Crooked – we run up our credit cards to buy stuff we pile into our garages so the new car we bought with the $600 a month payment sits in the rain out on our driveway.

Warped – our culture is addicted to everything.  We’re looking to fill the holes in our heart with drugs, alcohol, shopping, TV, food, sports, exercising….you name it, we’re addicted to it.

We are a warped and crooked generation which desperately needs a Savior.

The great news is that our Savior has come!

He has paid the price.

And he wants to redeem us from our emptiness and get rid of the lies that fill our minds.

He came to find those who were lost….and make them whole.

And when we believe, when we ask Jesus to save us and lead us, our eternal relationship with him begins.

This is the Great News of Jesus Christ who came to save this warped and crooked generation.

Thank you, Jesus!

Do Not Be Afraid

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

What keeps you up at night?

What are you afraid of?

Some of us have a long list of things we are afraid of.  Some of us often find our minds filled with fear.  This world can be a scary place if that’s what we focus on.

God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. ‘Do not be afraid’.  Moses said this to Joshua twice and God said it again in the first several verses of Deuteronomy 31.March 8 2016 a do not be afraid

Why repeat these same words so many times right in a row?

It’s pretty obvious that Joshua had a lot to be afraid of.

He was taking over leadership of the Israelite nation from Moses.  Moses!  This is the man who personally talked with God many times.   That’s a hard act to follow!

Joshua was being commanded to lead the Israelites into taking over land which was full of fortified cities and over-sized warriors.  Scary.

And we all know how fickle the Israelites were – they were bound to create all kinds of issues a long the way.  Have you heard the phrase, “herding cats?”

A large amount of courage was needed.

So this command – this message – acknowledged the challenges ahead for Joshua.  It also encouraged him because God promised he would be with Joshua.  God would go before him.  God would do this, Joshua just needed to be strong and courageous as he obeyed.

God gives us this same promise to us today.

What are you afraid of?

God tells us he will fight our battles.  He will never leave us.

We just need to be strong and courageous while we obey.

Thank you for taking away our fear,  Abba Father.

 

 

Choose Life

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Choose to be filled with joy.

Choose to be unafraid.March 7 2016 choose life

Choose to be content.

Choose to love God.

Choose to listen to His voice.

Choose to hold onto God’s promises.

Choose to obey Him so that he can shower his blessings upon you.

God tells us in Deuteronomy 30 that doing this is not too difficult or out of our reach.

It is not beyond our capability.

The Word is near us.  The Holy Spirit helps us put the truth in our hearts and minds so we may obey it.

God wants us to obey because, through our obedience, he is able to bless us.

He desires to be delighted by us.

It’s our choice.

We choose you, Abba Father.

I Will Send the Rain

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

If we were farmers, the right amount of rain for our crops would be critical to the amount of our harvest.

I grew up in rural Iowa and we would have standing-room-only extra prayer meetings in church if we needed rain for the crops.  We had no irrigation.

God provided the rain.March 6 I will send the rain

Today, we may not be farmers but we still depend on God to provide what we need.  He provides the jobs we have in order to buy food to eat and a place to sleep.  He provides his Word to us so he can guide us in making choices and decisions.

God provides the air we breath.  If he stopped, we would…….stop.

In Leviticus 26, God reminds us that, if we obey him, we will experience his blessings of obedience.  Notice this very important thing – obedience comes BEFORE the blessing.

After we obey, the rain (God’s blessing) will come down making our crops grow (our work and efforts will be successful).  The harvest (joy,  love, meaning) will be plentiful.

We will live safely in our land.

He will fight our enemies for us and bring peace to our lives.

When we obey, God will look upon us with favor.

And he will walk beside us every day.

He has promised and he always keeps his promises, so it will happen – after we obey.

Thank you for your blessing on our obedience, Abba Father.

Caving In

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Or should we call it making the ‘popular’ choice?March 30 2015 Caving In

In 1 Samuel, Saul disobeyed God by keeping some of the ‘stuff’ that they took from the Amalekites after defeating them.  When Samuel pointed this out to Saul, Saul rationalized the sin by telling Samuel that they did this so they could give the best of the sheep and cattle to God.

Samuel then tells Saul that the Lord didn’t want the burnt sacrifices as much as he wanted obedience.  As a result of Saul’s disobedience and rebellion, God was rejecting Saul as king.

Well, NOW Saul admitted that the real reason he kept the plunder was because he was afraid of how his men would react if he destroyed it all like God wanted him to do.

Saul didn’t trust God.  He didn’t believe God had his back.  He got all wrapped up in being a hotshot king that everyone looked up to and he didn’t want to put any of this hero-worship into jeopardy.

So Saul made the ‘popular’ choice rather than the obedient one.

Do we ever do that?  Are we ever more concerned about what other people think than what God thinks?  Do we fail to take the more Godly position on issues sometimes because it may not go over well with others?  What will people think?

We probably all do.  Maybe even without realizing it.

Our goal is that this happens less and less as we make obedience to God an increasingly higher priority in our hearts and minds.

God trumps popularity.

Every time.

We love you, Abba Father and we want to show you our love through our obedience.

Kind of Sad

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

As we read through the last chapters of Judges, we see that the Israelites were trying to take care of problems and issues but they were still making bad decisions. March 24 2015 Kind of Sad

The tribes were fighting against each other and almost anihilated the Benjamites.

After all the other tribes made a vow against the Benjamites, they quickly proceeded to figure out a ‘work around’ to the vow.

They were obviously struggling.

And its kind of sad.

But – think about it – they didn’t have the word of God written out for them like we do.  The Bible I have opened on my lap right now is a huge blessing.  I can read God’s word anytime I want.

They also didn’t have the Holy Spirit living inside of them like we do.  What a difference!  We have a constant companion who will guide us and comfort us and reveal the truth to us and correct us – we just need to listen and do our part.

I can’t imagine trying to live a life that pleases God without having the Holy Spirit.

It would probably look a lot like what the Israelites went through in the Old Testament.

Thank you, dear Father, for the blessings of your word and your Holy Spirit in our lives.

Caleb is one of my Heroes

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

I want to be like Caleb.  Every time the Bible mentions him, he is faithfully following God.

He and Joshua were in the group of spies Moses sent to the Promised Land.  They were the only men of the group that said the Israelites should take the land.  They believed that God would give them victory over the large warriors that inhabited the land and all of the huge fortified cities.  Because of their strong faith, Joshua and Caleb were the only 2 people from their generation who actually got to go into the Promised Land.March 13 2015 Caleb is my hero

Caleb is not mentioned often in the Bible but, when he is, he is always doing what pleases God.  He is always believing in God, obeying God and is willing to stand up for his beliefs against opposition.

What a great role-model!  That is why he is one of my heroes in the Bible.

He isn’t one of the main players in history.  But, when it counts, he could always be counted on.

We can’t all live the epic life of faith in the spotlight that Abraham and Moses lived.  They were central characters right in the middle of what God was doing.  Most of us are called to be like Caleb – on the sidelines but faithfully playing our part in what God is doing.  We need to consistently stay on course to complete the purpose God has given us – always ready to support the Abrahams and Moses’ of our time who are up on stage, leading and also just trying to obey the call that God has put on their lives.  We encourage them.  We pray for them.

As we travel this road of faith together…..

always ready to listen to God.

always ready to obey.

Faithful.

Please help us follow Caleb’s example, all for your glory, Abba Father.

Blessed When Others Give

On By Judy GlasserIn March4 Comments

Ruth, a Moabite woman, decided to go back to her mother-in-law’s homeland with her after both of their husbands died.  We read in Ruth 2 that, when they got back to Bethlehem, Ruth went to the field of her clansmen to pick the leftover grain.march 22 2015 blessed by other's extras

This reminded me of the section we read in Deuteronomy a couple of weeks ago where God commanded the Israelites to leave the excess grain in the field after harvesting – they were not to go back over the field.  This excess was for the poor, the strangers and the widows in their community.

Now we see Ruth and Naomi benefitting from this command.

How interesting!

Especially considering that Ruth would become the great-grandmother of King David and this puts her in the lineage of Jesus.  She was an important person in our family of faith.

And God provided for her through other people giving away their excess.

We know God still does this today.  When we give ‘stuff’ away, others benefit.  God provides for others using the stuff that we clean out of our closets or our sheds or our garages.

That reminds me – there are a couple of tubs of ‘stuff’ in my shed I really need to go through.  I haven’t thought of those tubs since we moved in 4 years ago.  There might be some good things I can pass along as a blessing to someone else.  We obviously don’t use it  🙂

Please open our eyes, Abba Father.

It’s So Easy

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

March 17 2015 Its so EasyIt’s so easy to listen to the selfish, sinful thoughts that come into our minds.  Satan’s team is also always there – encouraging us to focus on ourselves and what we want.

We take our eyes off of God.

We wander away.

It doesn’t take any effort at all.

This is what happened to the Israelites after Joshua died.  They didn’t finish the job of completely take over the Promised land.  Despite all of their promises to God, they let the pagans continue to live in the land.

It was easier.

Some of the pagans were forced into being servants for the Israelites but they stayed…

along with all of their idols and false gods.

This began a period of decline for the Israelite nation.

Yes, the idols became snares for them.

Yes, the false gods became traps.

The Israelites disobeyed God and began to experience significant adversity in their lives as a result of their bad choices.

Just like we do when we choose to disobey….when we make decisions without consulting God and his truth….when we focus on our own desires rather than God’s.

Fortunately, we read over and over in the Old Testament that the Israelites also recognized their rebellion and repented.  They turned away from the things that were trapping them.  They turned back to God – just like we need to do when we recognize our own rebellion.  Our own sin.

Dear Father, Please guide us back to you whenever we wander.