Category: September

A Revolutionary

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

Jesus was a revolutionary.  He wasn’t conservative, he wasn’t quiet, he didn’t fit into the crowd, he didn’t follow the rules, he wasn’t intimidated by the religious leaders, and he preached a truth that was totally opposite of the culture that he was living in.

Jesus changed the world!

Paul tells us in Galatians 3 that we are the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  We have become new people who have put on new clothes.  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.  We are all one in Christ.

WHAT!!! 

Paul is saying this at a time that Jews looked down their noses at the Gentiles, they owned slaves who ‘slaved’ for them and the men also ‘owned’ the women – treating them like a piece of property.  Their culture was FAR from equal.

But it was true and IS true from God’s perspective.  We are all equally loved and cared for by God.  There are no boundaries and limits to God’s love and provision for us.  Jesus changed it all for all time.  He started a revolution that people are still trying to catch up with today.

Our Christian culture contiues to struggle with acknowledging that ALL people are equal in Christ.  Who do we look down our noses at?

Dear Father, we thank you for sending a revolutionary called Jesus to our world.  Please help us be part of his movement of love and truth.

Joy to the World!

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

As we’re reading through Isaiah, it amazes me once again how clearly and how many prophecies Isaiah gave us about Jesus.  And we haven’t even gotten to the awesome ones in Isaiah 53.

I was so inspired that I went Christmas shopping!  Those of you who know me well know that Christmas shopping in September is not unusual for me.  Christmas comes so fast that I like to prepare as much as I can ahead of time.  Reading the prophecies made me ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

We can do that everyday, can’t we?  Joy to the World, the Lord has come!

He has come to bring us peace!

He has come to bring us hope!

He has come to bring us love!

Glory to God in the Highest!  Peace on Earth!  Goodwill toward men!

In Disguise

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

Satan disguises himself as the angel of light.

Paul is talking with the Corinthians about false apostles who are trying to draw them away from the truth.  He says he’s not surprised that these deceitful workers are trying to disguise themselves as apostles of Christ because Satan himself tries to make himself look like an angel of light.

Satan uses disguises to make himself look like something that is good.

Does he ever catch us unaware?

Do we sometimes do or say things that cause a -twang- in our conscience but we come up with a good rationalization in our mind so we do it or say it anyway?  …….and Satan smiles.

Do we sometimes tell ourselves that the end justifies the means?  The end result is good – so what if we have to lie or cut some corners to get there?…….and Satan smiles again.

How do we know when we’re being lied to?

When we know the Truth, we also know what is a lie.

Thank you, dear Father, for helping us know the Truth as we read the Bible.

A Gracious Act

On By Judy GlasserIn September2 Comments

Paul talks to us in 2 Corinthians about the ‘gracious act of giving’.

When I read the word ‘giving’ in the Bible, I most often think about money and that’s the context Paul is using in this part of his letter to the Corinthians.

We know that it’s important to our relationship with God that we can generously give our money back to him. Today I am reminded of some other gracious acts that can support God’s message of love to the people around us:

*giving smiles to people we don’t know when we’re doing errands.  Will anyone be surprised when you do this?

*cleaning out our drawers, closets and garages so we can give away things we’re not using to people who can really use them.

*freely giving words of encouragement throughout our day.  This will surprise some people, too.

*giving people the opportunity to go ahead of us in line at the store or  go ahead of us as we drive down the road.

Any other ideas?

Never Enough? Or Busy Enjoying Life?

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

Wise King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that  ‘those who love money will never have enough.  How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness.”

Money sure LOOKS like it would bring us happiness, right?  We know we see rich people who aren’t happy but we wouldn’t be like that.  If we just had a little chunk more we would be happy.

But that’s what we said before we got that last raise or the last new job with a higher salary.  We just needed a little more.  We had more month than paycheck.

So – what happened?  We got a little more, so are we content now?

For most of us, the raise is quickly absorbed and easily forgotten while the quest for more money continues.

And King Solomon calls this meaningless.  That’s a good word for it.

Solomon goes on to tell us to enjoy our work and accept our lot in life – this is a gift from God.  “God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.”

Busy enjoying life – like it!

Thank you, dear Father, for Solomon’s wise words for us today.