Our God is Able

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

“Our God is able to deliver us.” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego told King Nebuchadnezzar as they faced being thrown in the fiery furnace, “But even if he does not, we want you to know, your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel  3: 17&18. )Sept 4 2015 our God is able

God is telling us today as we read this that he able to deliver us from any fiery furnace we are facing.  It was true for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and it is true now.  Our God does not change.  He will not change.

Every time I read this story,  I am struck by the words ‘But even if he does not’.  It’s one thing to put your life on the line if you don’t think you are going to die from it.

‘Even if he does not’ meant that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were totally trusting God with their lives and their deaths.  Either way, they were good.  They were committed.

They were willing to die rather than to be unfaithful to God.

Is our faith that strong?

Help us to grow our faith, Abba Father.

The Watchman

On By Judy GlasserIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Ezekiel’s warning to us, the watchmen, is one of my favorites from this section of scripture. And I loved the visual picture of that I received in the Nazareth Village last year in Israel and I shared in last year’s post. So here it is:

Judy Glasser's avatarCome with me on a Journey through the Bible

On my trip to Israel earlier this year, we visited a Nazareth village which is set up to show us what Nazareth looked like when Jesus lived there.

A watchman was placed high on the hill overlooking the village and the land surrounding it.nn watching over Nazareth

Ezekiel explains the watchman’s duties in his 33rd chapter.  He says the watchman needs to blow the trumpet to warn the people when he sees danger coming.  If he blows the trumpet and the people don’t heed the warning, they are responsible for their own deaths.

BUT, if the watchman sees the danger coming and doesn’t blow the trumpet, the watchman is responsible for their deaths.

What does this mean for us today?

We don’t have watchmen……or, do we?

We definitely have danger all around us.

When I read this, God reminds me that I am a watchman for the people around me.  I know the truth.  And…

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Sword Fighting Class – Keep to the Good Path

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

God is doing this amazing thing of writing whole chapters of his word on our hearts and minds!  Do you feel it?  Do you feel God’s wisdom soaking down into your thoughts, saturating them with what is true?  As we remain faithful in going over and over these words every day, God is also being faithful in making them stick.  I have a really bad memory so this is truly a miracle that I know and feel and repeat every day whole chapters of God’s word.  Unbelievable!  We’re almost to the end of Proverbs 2!Proverbs 2 1st page - this one

My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God. 

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Thank you, Lord!)  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.  He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. 

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

It will save you also from the adulteress, the wayward wife with her seductive words who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.  For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.  None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.’

Yeah!  We’re through that section and on to encouraging words:

“Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.”

Yes we will!  Because the wisdom and understanding and discernment and knowledge we get from keeping God’s commands in our heart will help us to avoid the wicked path, the perverse path, the crooked path and the paths that lead down to sin and death.

With God’s words firmly and forever planted in our minds, we will be able to keep to the path of goodness and stay in a right relationship with God.

Thank you, Abba Father!

Audio file of me repeating Proverbs 2:

No More Dry Bones

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

You have breathed life into us, dear Father.Sept 2 2015 no more dry bones

Your breath of love has filled our empty and hurting hearts.

Your breath of forgiveness has removed our burden of guilt and shame.

Your breath of redemption has given us a new hope…a new purpose.

You give us strength.  Your power lives in us through the gift of your Holy Spirit who guides us and speaks truth into our hearts and minds.

You have clothed us in new robes of righteousness which we did not earn.

You have released us from our slavery to sin.  We celebrate our freedom to gladly serve you!

You have given us joy.  You have given us peace.

Through you, we have been reborn!  Thank you, Abba Father!

We are no longer dry bones.

We Are Not Consumed

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

We are tugged in a hundred different directions.

Our ‘to do’ lists go on and on and on.  They keep getting longer, not shorter.

So many obligations.

Too many responsibilities.

Sometimes it feels like we’re literally being torn apart by it all……….

but because of the Lord’s great love for us, we are not consumed.August 30 2015 we are not consumed

Take a deep breath…..

and now, another one.

Feel the peace of our Father God seeping into your soul….

slowing your mind down…..

God knows everything about us.

And he cares about each detail.

We are reminded of his promises of renewal and forgiveness and joy each morning as the sun rises on his command.

Great is your faithfulness, Abba Father.

You are all I need.

You are my portion.

I will wait for you.  I will watch for your direction.

I will listen and obey.

Thank you, Father God.

Under Seige

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

Do we ever feel like we’re under siege?  Lots of things going wrong?  New problems piled on top of old problems with no end in sight?

In Jeremiah 32 we read that the siege ramps were built up around the walls of Jerusalem and the Babylonians were coming up over the city walls on these ramps attacking the Israelites on all sides.cropped-eedsc_03962.jpg

God said to Jeremiah,” I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?” (vs 27 )

In the middle of the battles, God promised restoration and healing to the Israelites.  Just like he promises restoration and healing to us today.eeeeeecDSC_0452

God told the Israelites that their joy would return.  And he is telling us that today.

As we look at our own situations, these promises of God might be hard to believe.  We just can’t see how God will heal our situations.  We don’t feel like our joy is ever going to return.  How can it?  Look at what’s happening in our lives!

God is asking us today – “Is anything too hard for me?”

Our answer to that can change our whole perspective on our situation.

God is in total control of it all.  He can do anything.  He loves us and wants the best for us.

If we believe this, then we need to live like it.  We can face today because God is here and he will be faithful to his promise of healing and restoration.  We can face tomorrow because we trust that God is there and he has promised that our joy will return.

Nothing is too hard for God!

Thank you, Abba Father.

(Pictures are from my visit to Jerusalem last year.  The second picture is of a model of what Jerusalem looked like when Jesus was there)

Sword Fighting Class – Tangled Webs

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

What an awesome thing God is doing!  We are reviewing our scriptures every day, several times a day…..and God is etching it on our minds so we can remember it.  So we can live it!Proverbs 2 1st page

My child, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God. 

For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.  He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.  

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair- every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perseverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Proverbs 2 -13-3-11

It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive ways who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.  For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

Thank you, God for helping us memorize your words!  Here is the next verse:

None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we go down the path of sin.  We get confused.  We lose sight of what is most important.  We get lost……

The joy we’re looking for will not be found on the path of sin.

The peace we’re looking for will not be experienced on the path of sin.

The purpose and fulfillment we desire will not happen on the path of sin.

The love and forgiveness and wholeness that only comes from God will not be a part of our lives when turn away from him and we choose to go down the paths of sin.

Thank you, Abba Father, for lighting our paths with your word of truth so we don’t have to wander.

Audio file of me saying Proverbs 2 from memory:

We Make A Mess

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

We can do what makes us happy.

We can focus on what we want.

We can fill up our calendars with commitments we have made and things that are important to us – maybe squeezing in a visit to church once in a while.

But when something bad happens to us, who do we turn to?August 22 2015 we make a mess

Who are we suddenly calling on to help us?

Now that this terrible thing has landed on our doorstep, we want God to get involved.  We want him to listen.

And he is.

Unfortunately, sometimes it can be too late like it was for King Zedekiah in Jeremiah 21.  The king had rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar which was not very smart.  Zedekiah’s army was like an ant facing the giant, fierce lion of Nebuchadnezzar’s army.

When this roaring lion of an army showed up outside of Jerusalem’s city walls, Zedekiah finally decided it was time to consult with God through Jeremiah.

God said it was too late.  God had set his plans of punishment for the people’s years of sins in motion and everything was going to be destroyed.

It was too little, too late.

The good news is that God no longer punishes believer for their sins.  Jesus paid the price for all of our sins – past and future – on the cross.

When I read the Old Testament, I am reminded what an awesome gift that is.  The Holy Spirit now lives inside of us – leading us into truth and life.

If we take the time to listen.

If we decide to obey.

We are no longer punished for our sins but God does let us experience the consequences of our bad decisions.  He disciplines and teaches us as any good father would do for the children he loves.

We decide how many consequences we’re going to experience by how many decisions we make without consulting God.  We choose how many messes we will create when we choose to do things our way instead God’s way.

Of course, sometimes things happen to us just because we live in a sinful world.  They are not a consequence of our choices.  But God can still use these situations to grow us and mature us if we’re listening.  If we’re submitting to him and obeying.

God is telling us that, either way, its much better to be listening and obeying daily than to wait until we have a roaring lion of a mess in our lives.

Please help us listen and obey, Abba Father.  Thank you for the miracle of your grace in our lives.

 

Standing in the Gap

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment
  • remaining faithful to God and his word through all of life’s ups and downs.
  • discipling and mentoring others as we walk this path of faith together.
  • praying and loving others, leaving the judging to God.
  • keeping our eyes on God instead of all the ‘attractions’ of this world.
  • sharing the Good News with others so they might believe.August 20 2015 standing in the gap

In Ezekiel, God told the people of Judah that he had looked for someone to stand before him in the gap on behalf of the people of the land but he found no one.

Not one.

Dear Father, you are a righteous and holy God.  Please help us walk in step with you, repentant and obedient.  When you look on us today, may you find us standing in the gap for others.  You have made that possible by your grace and the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us.  We love you!  In the redeeming name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Trying To Get Our Attention

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Attempting to cut through the din of noise that surrounds us.

Trying to squeeze into a small slot of time in our packed schedules.

Waiting for even just a few brief moments when our attention isn’t totally focused on ourselves.august 19 2015 trying to get our attention

This is how I imagine God spends a lot of his time – just trying to get us to focus on him for more than a few fleeting thoughts during our day.

He wants to guide us.

He wants to give us wisdom.

He wants to heal our brokenness and bring us joy.

If we would just let him.

Give him some space in our lives.

Give him some time.

As we read Ezekiel, we see God using the image of a polished and sharpened sword as he tried to get the people’s attention.  He described the slaughter and slashing and striking that was coming if the people didn’t repent and turn back to him.

But none of these warnings had any affect on the people of Judah.  They continued to ignore Ezekiel.

They continued to ignore God.

Any of us reading this story today would say they should have listened.  We have the benefit of hindsight.  They should have repented and got their act together.  Really bad things were coming their way – couldn’t they see they needed to get close to God?  Couldn’t they understand that God was reaching out to them through Ezekiel – trying to get their attention?

Just like God is reaching out to us today through Ezekiel?

He is trying to get more of our attention.

We know what the people of Judah did – they ignored God.

The question is – what are we going to do?