His Hair Became a Snare

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

David’s son, Absolom, had beautiful hair.  We read in 2 Samual that it was heavy and long and gorgeous.  He cut it once a year and weighed it.

April 14 2113I wonder how often Absolom stopped to look in the mirror to admire his hair?  (Did they have mirrors back then?  Maybe shiny pieces of metal that reflected back their image?)

If he made this big deal about his yearly hair cutting, I would image that he was extremely proud of his hair, don’t you?

I’m sure it was a constant source of compliments for him.

And then we read in 2 Samuel 18 that Absolom was riding his donkey under a tree in the midst of battle when his hair got caught in the tree.  He was pulled from his donkey and was left handing in midair while his donkey just kept on going.

Only really thick hair would be able to do that, right?

While Absolom was hanging there,  Joab plunged his sword into his heart and killed him.

If Absolom had thin hair or even regular hair, this wouldn’t have happened to him.

The thing he was so very proud of became a snare that caused his death.

So the question to us today is – what is the thing in our life that we are most proud of?

Do we need an attitude adjustment  before we find ourselves in a snare?

Are we already caught in a snare?

Dear Father, we are so blessed to have you in our lives lavishing us with your mercy and your love.  We confess our pridefullness.  We need you.  Please help us only be proud of you and what you have done for us.

The Battle Rages On

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

We all have them – issues that we battle over and over in our lives.

The same  problem rears its ugly head again and again.  It may start out looking like it’s something different this time but it’s really not.  The core of it is that same old problem.April 10 2 sam

In 2 Samuel 21, the Israelites had the Philistines that they were battling with over and over.  And over and over.

We have our own Philistines, don’t we.  These are areas of our lives where we just aren’t winning the battle.  We can’t seem to conquer this issue.

I thought it was really interesting to hear about the Israelites battling a huge Philistine in Gath who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.

Some of the things we battle can also feel like they have extra fingers.  They reach out these extra fingers to mess with other aspects of our lives creating more consequences and more issues.

God promises that he can give us victory in these battles.  Nothing is beyond the power of God.  Our role in this is to trust him and let him fight the battle for us as we obey him.  It’s tough to do but that’s what it’s going to take to find the victory that we’re looking for.

We forget.  We try to win the battle ourselves.  And we fail.  As long as we turn to God when we fail, we’ll keep moving closer to One who has the power to win these battles for us.  One step at a time.

Dear Father, please keep drawing us nearer to you.  We trust you to bring us victory over our personal Philistines.

Holy, Holy, Holy

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

We’re singing along with the angels in heaven as they surround the throne of God – that’s what I think about whenever we sing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy” in a worship song.April 9 this one 1 chron

Our voices rising to heaven in perfect harmonies with the multitude of angels who sing praises to God 24/7/365.

We need more songs with those words in them 🙂

As I read 1 Chronicles, I realize that King David organized the first worship services and we follow his directions every time we join with our family of Christ to worship God.

David told the priests to minister regularly, doing what was needed.

He told Obed-Edom, Hosah and the sons of Jeduthum that they were greeters at the gates.

He asked others to present the offerings regularly.

Heman and Jeduthun ( whose sons were also serving as greeters) were responsible for the band – the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments.  David told them they were to give thanks to the Lord whose goodness endures forever.

We re-enact David’s plans for worshipping together every week.

We join with our faithful ancestors from throughout the ages in worshipping our awesome God.

Love it!  Thank you, God!

Whatever Works for You

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Sounds good – let’s all do whatever works for us.   Then we’ll be happy.March 26 Judges 21

Or not.

Everyone did as they saw fit – this is how the book of Judges ends.  It may sound good until we scan back a couple of chapters and realize what they thought was fit to do. 

Family members were stealing from each other.  They obviously thought this was an ok thing to do.

Family members were kidnapping each other.  They thought this was ok as well.

Family members were killing each other to the point that they virtually annihilated one of the tribes.  I wonder how they could think this was ok but they did.  They could rationalize anything!

Their moral judgement was quickly spirally into total chaos and confusion.

Because they had no compass.

When we base what is right and wrong on what we think, we’re in trouble.  Then we’re just like these Israelites – doing what we see fit and letting our standards waiver in whatever direction the wind is blowing.

God has been very clear to us on moral boundaries.  We may not like them all or agree with them but that doesn’t make them untrue.  He has given us the choice to follow his compass or not.  What are we choosing?

Dear Father, we desire to walk in your path of truth.  Please guide us so that your moral standards become what ‘fits’ us best.

He Loves to Dance!

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Now he loves to dance for God.  It’s a beautiful thing.handsome micah (2)

We have been handing over my little 2 ½ year-old grandson to the Toddler room volunteers at our church every Sunday morning for almost a year.  Every time we left there was a possibility of tears because all of the different big people and the loud noises struck a note of fear into his tiny heart.  He was not happy to be going there.

Now everything has changed- he’s excited about going to church. His big blue eyes light up and he gets a huge smile on his face as he says ‘ Dance’.  Have you ever seen a pack of toddlers dancing and singing to God?  It’s amazing.  It’s inspiring.  It’s a beautiful thing.

And there’s more.  One of the young dancing and singing volunteers is a daughter of someone we know.  My husband and I are privileged to teach one of the Fresh Start classes at our church and the young volunteer’s mother, Maria, was in our last class.

Maria was one of the most engaged and faithful members of that class.  She always had great questions and was very open about wanting to figure out how to become a better follower of Christ.  She clearly had found what she was looking for when she found God and she was doing everything she could to grow in her faith, even against some stiff opposition from her Catholic family.

So, while we were serving and teaching and encouraging Maria, her daughter was serving and teaching and encouraging our grandson.  This is one of the truly beautiful things about a church family when it is centered on God and his truth.  As we all love and serve God together, he blesses us through each other.  And he just keeps on blessing us.

And now Micah loves to dance for God.

Great Distress

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

A new generation of Israelites grew up and they know nothing about God or what he had done for them.

We read of this happening during the time of the Judges and several other places in the old testament.March 17 judges 2

It is extremely hard for me to understand how this could happen.  How can a whole generation of Israelites grow up without hearing about God and his constant faithfulness to them?  They had awesome stories of God leading them and fighting for them and feeding them and freeing them.  What were those parents thinking when they didn’t take the time and effort to pass those along?  Now that I’m a grandparent I also wonder what the grandparents were thinking?

They obviously weren’t thinking.  This passage tells us that they were all wrapped up in their false gods.  They worshipped the various gods from the regions where they lived.

How could they do this?  If we’re honest, we know how easy it is to get distracted from what’s good and true.  Our world provides innumerable false gods that are worshipped faithfully by the crowds of people around us.  These are the gods of money, success, a big house, a new car – the list goes on.

These false gods entice us to spend our time and energy on things other than worshipping, serving and loving our God.

And our children watch.  They know what our priorities are by how we spend our time and money.  It doesn’t matter what we say – what we do has the most influence.

We are told that the Israelite’s lack of faith aroused God’s anger.  Woh.  Not a good thing.

And we are told that their children lived in great distress because of the actions or, probably more accurate, the lack of actions of their parents.

None of us as parents want our children to live in great distress because of things we have done.  Or not done.

If we’re not where we need to be in this area of our lives, today is the best time to start to make a change.  One step at a time.  We first need to get our own priorities straight – lined up with the Truth – and then we can teach our children by example.

Even when our children are adults, they are still watching our lives.  We can influence them by how we choose to live, how we spend our time and our money.  We can stop preaching at them –  they don’t listen anyway 🙂

When our grown children see the love and peace and grace of God shining out of our lives, they will want to check it out.  Because they won’t have it if their lives aren’t lined up with God.

Dear Father, help us to be good examples of fully devoted followers of Christ so that our lives along with our words show your goodness and your truth.

Make a Choice

On By Judy GlasserIn March2 Comments

Whether we realize it or not, we all make a choice about who we serve.March 15 Joshua 24

A lot of us serve ourselves.  Looking out for #1.  Do I like it?  Does it benefit me?  Do I wanna do it?  Do I feel like it?  What’s in for me?  Oh, yeah.  These questions come pretty easy because we use them a lot.  Maybe not out loud….

Many of serve our debts.  We have to work extra hours or extra jobs to pay for all of the stuff we already have.  We’re upside down on cars and houses.  When we’re not working, we’re worrying about paying the bills.  The best line about our money I’ve ever heard is – “The secret is not in how much you make.  It’s in how much you spend.”  Oh, yeah.

Some of us serve our hobbies –  like sports or gambling or shopping.  While we’re shopping today we’re planning about the next time we can go shopping.  Before the game we’re watching is over, we’re flipping to the next channel for the next game and then the next game and then the next.

We all choose who or what we will serve.

Joshua makes this very clear to the Israelites in Joshua 24 as he throws down a challenge.  “Choose this day whom you will serve…  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

We also need to make a conscious choice.  If we’re serving something or someone else, we need to lay down our ‘idols’ at the feet of the One, True, Living God and begin a new chapter of our life by serving him only.

There’s no better time than right now to make this choice.

It’s Cause and Effect

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

A promise made is a promise kept when it’s made by God.

In Joshua 21 we read about how the Israelites received all of the land that God had promised their ancestors.  Then God gave them rest – just like he had promised their ancestors.

Not one of their enemies could beat them.  They had God on their side.

And God was keeping all of his promises.March 15 Joshua 21

Just like he keeps all of his promises to us. The Bible is full of God’s promises to us.  He is working in our lives everyday to fulfill those promises.

God works things out for our good – have you heard that one?  Don’t forget the part of that promise that says he works things out for the good for those who love him.  It’s through us actively loving him that he can work things out for us.  While we’re showing we love him by studying his word, serving him and obeying him, he is working things out for our good.

It is through our faith that he is able to bless us.  It is through our obedience that he can bring us joy.  When we get our priorities straight and put God first – then he can give us peace. 

It’s cause and effect with some supernatural surprises thrown in.  Salvation is a free gift .  After that, when we do the things God asks of us, we get to enjoy all of the fun and benefits of sanctification.  Growing more and more like Jesus.

Until the day we get to actually BE with Jesus.  Hallelujah!

I’m a Caleb Fan

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

 Every time Caleb shows up in the Old Testament, he is being faithful, obedient and courageous.

When I get to heaven, I want to meet him.March 13 Caleb

He’s not a central character in the Bible – he doesn’t have a main story line.   He’s never the star but he does an awesome job in his supporting role.

Caleb shows up as Joshua’s sidekick a couple of times and every time he’s right on target.  He  is always choosing to believe what God has promised.  He is willing to take God’s word and act on it.  He’s brave.  He doesn’t forget what God has already done in his life.  He’s consistent.

Later in the Old Testament we see Caleb’s brother, Othniel, being chosen by God to be a judge who delivers the Israelites from oppression for over 40 years.

The parents of Caleb and Othniel really did a good job!  When their boys show up in Scripture, they are being noble and leading the way as they follow God.

I am encouraged and challenged by Caleb.  I’m encouraged because he was always faithful through many years in good times and bad.  I’m challenged by Caleb because I would like that same thing to be said, in some fashion, about my life.

I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.

It’s a Stretch

On By Judy GlasserIn March2 Comments

Strong and Courageous.

God tells Joshua over and over in Joshua 1 that he needs to be strong and courageous.

God had a big job for Joshua to accomplish and he didn’t want Joshua to wimp out, make excuses, take the easy way out or lose focus.  Be strong.  Be courageous.

Do you know what purpose God has for you?  If you’re breathing, there is one……otherwise you wouldn’t be breathing anymore.

If any of us doesn’t know our purpose, we need to figure that out.  God will tell us – he doesn’t keep it a secret if we really listen.

And when God shows us our purpose, we need to be strong.  We need to be courageous.  We need to focus on the goal and move toward it.  No excuses.  No easy answers.

As I’ve walked with God through many years, I’ve seen him change my purpose several times.  It’s always a stretch.  It’s always something different. It’s always a little out of my comfort zone.  A little exciting.  A little nerve-racking.

But it always ends up teaching me new things and helping me to experience God in my life in awesome ways.

I’ve hit what looked like the Promised Land several times……and yet the journey continues.

What’s next, God?