Insanity!

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

It happens to me almost daily – I am amazed at the insanity in our world which is under the ever-so-strong influence of the Evil One.  The evidence of his trickery and deception is all around me.  Our world’s values are a testament to the Father of Lies.september 7 2013

Most recently I was surprised by the realization that I know grown, adult people who actually believe that things they do aren’t wrong unless they get caught.  It only becomes a bad decision for them when other people know.  Up to that point, it’s all okay. 

Insanity!

When I’m confronted by such obvious lies like that, I am filled with sadness for all the people who live their lives based on these deceptions.  They are confused and angry………and broken and lost.  They are consumed by their need to blame others.

So I come back to God’s word and I feel like King Nebuchadnezzar when he raised his eyes toward heaven and his sanity was restored.

I praise you, oh Most High.  I honor and glorify you who lives forever. 

You are eternal.  Your kingdom endures from generation to generation, never-changing, never wavering.

Amen.  Allelujah!

Fire!

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

If we  saw a fire starting and knew people’s lives were at stake, we would scream “Fire!  Fire!  Fire! at the top of our lungs until help arrived and the people were saved.  We would, wouldn’t we?

September 3 2013God tells us in Ezekiel that we are the watchmen.  And when the watchmen see danger and destruction coming, they need to blow their trumpet to warn the people.  That’s their job. 

If the people heed the warning, they will be saved.  If not, they will pay the price.

If the watchmen fail to blow the trumpet and people’s lives are taken, the watchmen will also be held accountable by God for the deaths of the people.

Do we see danger and destruction coming for those who have not chosen Jesus as their Savior?  Do we see a truckload of physical, emotional and spiritual anguish rushing towards those who haven’t already started their eternal life with Christ?  Is eternal separation from all good things and God a big enough devastation for us to stand up and scream “Fire”? 

Now  is the time for us to get out our trumpet to warn the people.

We may not have tomorrow.

 

Lamentations 3, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

Thank you, dear Father.august 30 2013

Because of your great love for us, we are not consumed by the culture that swirls around us, trying to draw us into it’s very popular web full of lies and deceptions.

Everyday we experience your compassion as you love us in spite of what we do, not because of anything good that we’ve done.  

As the sun rises every morning, we see your light and feel the warmth of your faithfulness, dear Father.  We take our next breath because you make it happen.

You are all.

You are everything.

You are our portion for today.  For this hour.  For this minute.

You lavish your goodness on us when we place our hope in you.  When we seek you, we find you,,,,,,,,, and we find joy and we find strength and we find peace.

It is good right now to sit quietly……

and to meditate on your word as you speak to us……….

the glory of your salvation is growing within us,

Great is your faithfulness, oh God my Father.

Dear Shepherd

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

You have searched for me and you have found me.September 1 2013

I was lost in darkness behind a barrier of trees made from bad decisions.  I was stuck in smelly mud made by doing whatever I wanted to do.  I had boulders of guilt and unforgiveness weighing me down so I couldn’t move.

You found me and you rescued me.

You have guided me to a good pasture where I can feed on your Word and be content.   You have guided me to a land high in the mountains – closer to you.  Every direction you give me guides me farther up the mountain where the pasture grows greener and thicker and deeper and wider.  Peace is here.  Joy is here.  You are here.

And you ask aa of us to join you in your search for other lost sheep.  We have found the good pasture and now we can show others the way.  You ask us to join you in binding the injured and strengthening the weak.

And we obey – in your name and for your glory.

Thank you, dear Shepherd.

A Perfect Father….

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

disciplines us.

When we do things that aren’t right, God loves us and so he chooses to discipline us.  It’s for our good.August 23 2013

When we react well to his discipline by learning the lesson and not repeating our error, we grow more like Christ and our relationship with God is stronger.

But it doesn’t feel good to be disciplined.  It’s never fun. 

When God has disciplined me, it’s always been a tough lesson.  I have learned one very important thing about God’s discipline – I need to learn the lesson the first time.  Otherwise, the lessons grow bigger and more obvious and harder until we hit bottom and THEN we look up to God.  I think this explains many of the issues we see in our lives and in the world around us – people are not responding positively to God’s discipline and so the issue gets bigger and worse until people finally  turn to God.

I’m trying to avoid that situation by ‘getting it’ and repenting and changing my behavior the first time.  It’s not easy, but its  worth the effort.

I’ve been forgiven and I’ve changed but I still  experience the consequences of some of my old, bad choices.  I’m amazed how sometimes I’m still paying the consequences for bad decisions I made over 30 years ago.  It doesn’t seem fair until I realize that paying those consequences remind me of my need for a Savior.  They remind me of how much I have been forgiven making it easier for me to forgive others.  Dealing with the consequences for my old, bad choices reminds me of my continuing need for God’s redeeming power in my life.  It reminds me of how faithful God has been to me so far on this journey and it helps me trust him with my future.

And I am reminded that he disciplines me because he loves me.  He wants only the best for me.

Thank you, dear Father.

Out of our rebellion…

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Into a life filled with God’s blessings.

That is the restoration God promises to each of us just as he promised the Israelites in Jeremiah 32.

When we decide to stop fulfilling our personal will and desires and start listening to and living out the Words of Truth God has for us, we move from the land of God’s great wrath to the land overflowing with God’s goodness.

He will bring health and healing.August 22 2013

We will enjoy abundant peace and security.

Joy will return.

Prosperity will return.

We will dance again.

Our lives will be a well-watered garden – beautiful, fruitful, purposeful.

Let the dancing begin!

 

You are Amazing!

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

No words can adequately express our praise to you, Almighty Creator!

It is by your power that the earth was created.August 14 2013

Your wisdom is the foundation of the world.

Your understanding is what stretched out the heavens farther than any one can see.  There is no end – only you, our Alpha and Omega.

When you thunder, the waters in the heavens roar.

The clouds rise from the ends of the earth at your command.

You send the lightning with the rain.

The wind whips out from your heavenly storehouses.

It’s all about you.  Always you. 

Thank you, dear Father!

If….

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

you will call on me and come and pray to me, I will listen, ” God tells  us in Jeremiah 29. “When you seek me with all of your heart, you will find me.”August 11 2013

The big IF.  The big WHEN.  This is the part we control.  This is our part of the deal.  God guarantees that he will listen.  God promises that we will find him.  IF we call on him.  WHEN we seek him.

The verse right before this is very well-known.  It is a promise of God that we desperately hold on to when our lives are crumbling around us.  We often recite it in our prayers for our children and families.

God tells us that his plans for us are to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future.

Amen!  Bring it on God!

THEN he tells us how he is going to do this.  He will do it IF we call on him.  WHEN we seek him, he will be found and he will be able to do what he has promised – to prosper us.  He wants to give us a hope.  He has a beautiful future planned for us.

IF.  WHEN.  Our choice.

If?  How about we start right now?  When?  Now would be a great time to re-committ.

Knowledge and Understanding

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

God gave Daniel and his friends knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.  Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.August 8 2013

I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking for knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature – just the Bible.  I have a deep desire to know the Truth and the Truth is only found in God’s word.

This has been a core motivation for me as long as I can remember – I just want to know and understand the truth.

When I realized that the only real truth is what God says to me through his Bible, it changed my life.  I don’t care to understand most of the other stuff that is out there.  Show me the Truth, help me understand the Truth and help me apply his Truth to my daily life – that’s all I want.

Sometimes the truth hurts and that’s okay.  At least it’s the truth.  At least it’s not some lie that our culture has made up and tried to pawn off as the truth.

And I have been hugely blessed.  As I have saught God and his Truth, he has given me knowledge and understanding of his Word.  Almost every time I pick it up, God reveals something new to me.  And I’m convinced that it’s my problem when I don’t have a ‘a-ha!” moment when I’m reading the Bible – I’m distracted, I’m not listening and, sometimes, I just don’t want to hear it:)  When I hear it and understand it, I’m responsible for it, right?

The Truth has set me free!  And I am free indeed!

 

We Have So Much More

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

King Josiah was very busy in 2 Kings with cleaning up the messes that the unfaithful kings before him had made.  One of his projects was getting the temple of the Lord back into shape.Aug 2 2013

In the middle of doing this, the priests found the Book of the Law that God had given to Moses.  The first thing they did was read it.  Then they took it right to King Josiah and read it for him.  The King understood that this was God’s word and tore his robes as an outward sign of the repentance he felt regarding his behaviors and the behaviors of his ancestors.

He recognized that the Lord had been angry with them because they had not been keeping the Word of the Law.

After reading the limited version of the Word of God that they had, they immediately changed.

How much more is our responsibility as we hold the entire revelation of God in our hands?

Or even worse – as God’s revelation to us sits in a pile of books somewhere in our house gathering dust?

We not only have the entire old testament, we have the incredible new testament.  God’s became flesh and came to dwell among us.  We have seen God and it is Jesus.  The new testament tells us everything God wants us to know about Jesus.  It completes God’s revelation of his Love Story for us.

King Josiah got it right.  He read, he believed, he applied it to his life and he exerted all the influence he had on the world around them to help them also see the Truth.

Now, what about me?