Category: March

Snares and Traps

On By Judy GlasserIn March1 Comment

Do we have people in our lives who create snares and traps for us?  Do they influence us to do things we shouldn’t do?  To say things we shouldn’t say?

Joshua warned the Israelites in Joshua 23 not to associate themselves with the pagan survivors who still lived in the Promised Land.  He reminded them that God would not accept this behavior and it would cause them to perish.March 15 2015 snares and traps

These relationships would become whips on their backs – causing them pain and anguish.

These relationships would become thorns in their eyes – clouding their ability to see the truth and walk in the light.

The decisions we make about who to associate with are just as important today.  These relationship can either encourage us to grow on our path of faith or they will become stumbling blocks to our growth.  These relationships will either push us onward as we run this race of faith or they will ensnare us, holding back the transformation God has planned for us as he molds us to become more like Jesus.

We make the choice.

Please help us choose wisely, dear Father.

The Sun Stood Still

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky for almost an entire day so the Israelites could have more time to battle and win over the Amorites.March 12 2015 the sun stood still

The sun stopped.

So the earth had to stop revolving.

And the universe stopped its regular course.

The Creator of the Universe said “stop” and everything stopped.

I love these instances in the Bible where God exercises his total control over all things.  It is such a clear reminder of who he is.  How omnipotent he is.

Later in the Bible, we will read about how Jesus calmed the storm.  The wind and the waves stopped when he gave the command.  Because Jesus was in control.

We will also read of Jesus walking on the water.  Because he created the water and he can make it do whatever he wants.gdtDSC_0639

Last year at this time, I was in Israel – on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when the wind started picking up.  It whipped through the open boat bringing a shimmer  of excitement.  How easy it was to imagine the King of the Universe calming the wind or walking out on the water to our boat!

Thank you, Abba Father.

Our Father God is in total control of our day today.

Thank you, Abba Father.

The earth continues to revolve because that is his desire.

Thank you, Abba Father.

The bright sun rose in the sky this morning because of God’s love and faithfulness to us.

Thank you, Abba Father.

I will take my next breath because my Father God is making that possible.  He provides the air.  He provides life to this body.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

 

It’s Our History

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

At this time last year, I had the privilege of visiting Israel.  Other people who had taken the trip told me that it would change how I read the Bible for the rest of my life.

They were so right.

As we’re reading this famous story of the walls of Jericho falling down, I remember how it felt to be sitting on a hill in the new Jericho.  The old Jericho was cursed so the new Jericho was built close to the old city but not at the same place.aaaDSC_0310

Our tour guide was Dr. Woodrow Kroll who was leading his 50th group through Israel.  He stood in front of us on a hill with his back to the city (picture) so we could look down at this land promised to the Israelites thousands of years ago.  He read from the Bible the historical account – the marching, the yelling, the trumpet blowing and, finally, the walls tumbling down.

Sometimes when we hear about the ‘stories’ of the Bible or read one of these historical events that have become a well-known Children’s Bible story, we can start to think that these stories are folklore, handed down through the generations.

That’s not true about the Bible.  The Bible is a historical account of events that happened.  The miracles in the Bible actually took place, they weren’t computer generated like they are in the movies.aaDSC_0307

Archeological findings continue to prove the historical truth of the Bible.  The amount of conflicting archeological findings is growing smaller as more and more things are being discovered that verify the historical accuracy of the Bible.  They just haven’t found everything yet.  When they do, there will be no more conflicts.

The Bible is not filled with ‘stories’.  It is history – our history as children of Abraham.  Children of the faith.  The places are there.  The proof is there.

If you ever get a chance to go, pack your bags.  It will change how you read the Bible…forever.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

 

Faithful Leaders

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

March 10 b 2015 Faithful leadersAs Joshua was giving directions to the fighting men of Israel, they committed to do whatever he commanded them to do and then they finish their statement with some very important words – Be strong and courageous.

Didn’t we just hear God say that same phrase to Joshua several times?

God has just told Joshua that his strength and courage would need to come from God himself.  Joshua would not be able to do what he was going to need to do on his own.

Now the Israelites were telling Joshua that they needed him to be strong and courageous.  He was their leader.  They needed him to be relying on God so that they could all be successful.

We need the same thing from our spiritual leaders today.  We count on them to be in-line with God so they are hearing his voice and doing his will.  Some of us are in positions of spiritual leadership and this reminds us of our huge responsibility to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.  It is never about what we want – it’s all about what God wants.  When our faith is strong, we are hearing and we are following.

If we’re not in this good place with our faith, we should not be in a position of spiritual leadership.  If we’re not listening, we become an obstacle to God’s will being done here on earth.

When we’re relying on God, he makes us strong and courageous – qualities that are required for spiritual leadership.

Those that are following us are counting on it.

Thank you for strength and courage, dear Father.

Where Do I Find My Strength?

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Our to-do lists are long.

And they keep growing.march 10 2015 where is my strength

There are so many challenges ahead.  It can be overwhelming.

Where do we find the strength?

Joshua must have felt completely overwhelmed when Moses turned over leadership of the Israelites to him.  He was going to have to lead them into battle – over and over – in order to claim the Promised Land.  They could see the Promised Land.  They could also see the fortified cities that were already there and the crowds of people who inhabited them.

The book of Joshua begins with God giving instructions to this new, young leader.  ‘Be strong and courageous’.  God repeats this phrase three times in his first set of instructions to Joshua.

3 times.

Why?  Because Joshua was going to have to remember that he needed God’s help to do this.  This was way too big of a mission to try to pull off on his own.  Joshua by himself is not strong enough for what he is going to have to do.  Joshua by himself is not brave enough to face the challenges that lie ahead for the Israelites. So God is telling Joshua what he will give Joshua strength and courage – as long as Joshua depends on God.

God is telling us the same thing today as we read his words.  He will give us strength and courage for the journey we are on – the purpose we are here to fulfill.

We can be strong –  it comes from God.

We can have courage – God has our back.  There is no reason to be afraid.

We find strength and courage when we’re living close to God.

Listening and obeying.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Blessings of Obedience – Leviticus 26, 2015

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

If you are careful to obey my commands, I will shower my blessings upon you.

You will be fruitful and prosperous.March 6 b 2015 blessings of obedience

I will keep you safe.

I will bless you with peace.  You will sleep well – not fearful of anything.

I will remove all threat to your safety from your life.  Your enemies will fail.

Don’t worry about being outnumbered by the evil ones – I am on your side.  I will look upon you as my favorite child – providing for you and always being faithful.

My blessings will overflow in your life – one on top of another.

I will walk with you and live with you.  I will be your God and you will be my child.

I am the Lord your God who sent my only son to die for you so you might believe and live with me forever.

I gave you freedom so you can choose to stand faultless before me.  You can choose to walk closely beside me everyday.  You can choose to love me and listen to me.

You can choose to obey.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Tassels of Remembrance

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

God told the Israelites to put tassels of blue cord on the corners of their garments.  When they looked at these tassels, they would be reminded of all of God’s commands and that they were supposed to obey them.  I bought a prayer shawl for my husband when I was in Jerusalem last year and it had several tassels on it.  Devout Jews still wear tassels every day – to remind them to obey.

Where are our tassels?March 6 2015 a tassels of remembrance

What are we doing to help us remember God’s commands so we can obey him?

A lot of people post scripture in their homes – on mirrors, on walls, on refrigerators.

Many of us have scripture in frames or on plaques hung on our walls.  One of my favorites is a picture of several hot air balloons going over some mountains and its hung in my office at work.  It reads  “Faith is holding onto God’s dreams and watching your own come true.”  It’s not a scripture but its a blessing that God has made happen in my life.  It reminds me of the many years God has been faithful to me – in all situations.  And it challenges me to ‘press on’ with obedience in anticipation of what God has planned for me in the future.

Another very effective way to always have scripture available to help change our thinking and change our behavior is to memorize it.  For those of you who are taking on the challenge of memorizing James 1 with me, I know you are feeling the blessings like I am.  We aren’t quite done – we have a couple of more verses to go.  But I already can say that I not only know James 1.  I also feel James 1.  The wisdom in this chapter is woven through my mind.  It has become a part of my thinking process.

How amazing!

What a blessing!

And its all because I did my part and God showed up and did his part.

What are your tassels of remembrance?

Do you need some more?

Please help us remember, Abba Father.

What’s Happening with Our Excess?

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

God wanted to make it clear to everyone that the Israelites were different – they were his.  One of the ways he did this was by creating laws to protect the weak, the poor and strangers – this was unusual for this time.  And one of those laws told the Israelites what God wanted them to do with their excess crops in the field.

In Deuteronomy, God tells the Israelites to harvest their fields but not go back for anything that was missed, leaving the excess for the poor, widows and strangers.  He told them that, if they were obedient, he would bless all the work of their hands.march 5 2015 become ;unstuffed'

The majority of us don’t have crops……but we have a lot of ‘stuff’.

What do we do with our excess stuff?  Do we put it in boxes and stack the boxes in our garage?  Do we pile our closets full of excess stuff that we think we might need to use some day…..if we can find it?

What does God tell us he would like us to do with it?

Are there poor people or strangers or widows who could benefit if we cleaned out our garages and closets?

I was very convicted by this.  I’ve never been big on keeping a lot of stuff – I’ve always been able to park 2 cars in a 2 car garage.  But my closets and cupboards have gotten to the ‘stuffed’ stage.  So I’ve been giving a lot of ‘stuff’  away with the goal of getting my closets and cupboards at least half empty.

It’s all excess.  Sure – I might be able to use it someday.  But could I find it when I wanted to use it?  And, most of the time, I still have something that works fine as a substitute.

Someone else can benefit from this stuff rather than having it packed into my house, gathering dust.

I’m almost to my goal and one of the awesome side benefits is that I can actually find things when I need them now 🙂

Please open our eyes and our hearts, Abba Father.

A Theocracy

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

In a Theocracy, God decides the rules, the laws and how the governing of the people works.  He judges and decides punishment.  He directs the use of possessions and how they are bought and sold.  He decides how relationships between people should be handled and the consequences for not following his rules.  If there is a king, he is under the direction of God – just like everyone else.March 1 2015 A theocracy

As we read through the laws written in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we see God addressing all areas of the Israelites life.  Because God was the head of everything.

Is that true of our lives?  We don’t have a theocratic government but we can choose to have a theocratic life.  This means God’s direction and desires govern ALL aspects of our lives, not just of some of them.

Most of us have the main commands of loving God first and loving others as ourselves pretty engrained in our heads.  As we read through God’s laws, its interesting to see that some of the details still translate into our lives today.

What does God say we should do if we find something someone has lost?

How should we care for other’s possessions – like the cars parking next to us in the parking lot?

What is the payment due if we argue with someone and emotionally hurt them?

If we’re selling something and someone offers us more than we know it is worth – what does God tell us to do?

Please help us look to you for direction in all parts of our lives, dear Father.

Wow!

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Wow!  Wow!

That’s the best word I can find that describes my experience in the Holy Land last week.

Wow!

I was trying to think of how to describe what has happened to me and I realized that I have experienced this before in my life.  I grew up in northwest Iowa where we had snow 6-7 months a year and only about 6 weeks of summer.  I had heard of places that didn’t get snow and I believed they existed, but it wasn’t until I moved to South Carolina that I actually ‘experienced’ a winter with no snow.  It totally changed my perspective.  I had believed that there were places that didn’t get snow but now I felt it, I lived in it and I loved it!  That’s the reason I live in Phoenix today:)

This is exactly how I feel about the Holy Land now.  I always believed it was there but now I have felt it, I have lived in it, and I have experienced it.  And I have a totally different perspective.

One of our praise songs in worship this morning was asking God to grow our faith so we would ‘walk upon the water.”The Sea of Galilee(2)

I was there – at the beautiful Sea of Galilee (pictured).  I cooled my feet in its waters, I took a boat ride on it and felt the wind pick up as a small storm moved in….

as it often does on the sea of Galilee….

as it did the day that Jesus calmed storm.

I was actually there – the same sea that Jesus and then Peter walked on.

Wow!

I also walked down a steep path on the Mount of Olives.  I saw the Garden of Gethsemane and the Kidron valley.  I floated in the Dead Sea and visited Jericho.

Some of the sites actually had excavations of buildings dating back to Jesus’ time – where he lived and where he walked.

We visited the Upper Room.  We walked down the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering…. the path Jesus took as he dragged his own cross to his crucifixion.

We spent the afternoon at the Garden Tomb.  Descriptions in the Bible all point to it being Jesus’ tomb.  Of course, he’s not there because he is alive!  And he lives inside of us!  Hallelujah!

We visited Bethlehem which has a cave and a manger which, by descriptions in the Bible, is like the one Jesus was born in. 

We went to the Nazareth Village in Nazareth.  It’s an area the size of a small park that is set up like it would have been in Jesus’ time with people dressed like they would have been dressed and doing the things they would have been doing – shepherding sheep, carpentry and spinning wool.  The lunch we had there was food that was close to the things Jesus would have eaten at a feast.  Wow!

I dipped my feet in the Jordan River and climbed to the top of the Mount of Beatitudes.

We visited beautiful Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

And  much, much more.

I have felt it and experienced it and it has changed me.

Just like God planned.

Thank you, dear Father!