Tag: Bible

Choose Life

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Choose to be filled with joy.

Choose to be unafraid.March 7 2016 choose life

Choose to be content.

Choose to love God.

Choose to listen to His voice.

Choose to hold onto God’s promises.

Choose to obey Him so that he can shower his blessings upon you.

God tells us in Deuteronomy 30 that doing this is not too difficult or out of our reach.

It is not beyond our capability.

The Word is near us.  The Holy Spirit helps us put the truth in our hearts and minds so we may obey it.

God wants us to obey because, through our obedience, he is able to bless us.

He desires to be delighted by us.

It’s our choice.

We choose you, Abba Father.

I Will Send the Rain

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

If we were farmers, the right amount of rain for our crops would be critical to the amount of our harvest.

I grew up in rural Iowa and we would have standing-room-only extra prayer meetings in church if we needed rain for the crops.  We had no irrigation.

God provided the rain.March 6 I will send the rain

Today, we may not be farmers but we still depend on God to provide what we need.  He provides the jobs we have in order to buy food to eat and a place to sleep.  He provides his Word to us so he can guide us in making choices and decisions.

God provides the air we breath.  If he stopped, we would…….stop.

In Leviticus 26, God reminds us that, if we obey him, we will experience his blessings of obedience.  Notice this very important thing – obedience comes BEFORE the blessing.

After we obey, the rain (God’s blessing) will come down making our crops grow (our work and efforts will be successful).  The harvest (joy,  love, meaning) will be plentiful.

We will live safely in our land.

He will fight our enemies for us and bring peace to our lives.

When we obey, God will look upon us with favor.

And he will walk beside us every day.

He has promised and he always keeps his promises, so it will happen – after we obey.

Thank you for your blessing on our obedience, Abba Father.

Sword Fighting Class- Grace

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

We’ve begun the long journey of memorizing Romans 8.  We know God is going with us on this trek and he will make this possible.Romans 8; 1-9

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the power the spirit set me free from the power of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by sinful man, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin sacrifice.”

And the next verse:

“And so he condemned sin in sinful man in order that the righteous requirements of the law be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the spirit.”

Jesus paid the price.

The requirements of the law were met.

We don’t fully understand the righteousness of God so its hard for us to grasp the need for this sacrifice.  I was once told this ‘parable’ that helped me –

A man murdered another man so he was brought in front of the judge.  The judge found him guilty and gave him the death penalty.  The requirements of the law needed to be met.  But then the judge took off his robe and went down to stand next to the man.   The judge told the man he was free.  The judge was going to take the punishment for man’s crime.

This is grace.  Unmerited.  Given to a guilty person.  A person who should be paying the price doesn’t have to.  Because they have a Savior.

This is me.

This is you.

Thank you, Jesus.

 

 

His Daughters

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

This was a time when women were ‘sold’ to men in marriage.  Women did not own land or livestock  – they were considered part of a man’s belongings and wealth.

But God breaks through all of this false thinking thousands of years ago in Numbers 27 by letting Zelophehad’s daughters inherit their father’s land.March 2 2016 his daughters

God revealed what he really thought about the current cultural norms of treating women less than men.  That wasn’t how he saw these things.

Sure, the head of the family clan (male) didn’t like it.

So the women were instructed to marry within their clan so that the land would stay within their group.

Just imagine this – 5 young unmarried women who would normally lack any kind of position in the community are now land owners.  God’s love for his daughters is  shining through – challenging this old culture.

And, I’m sure, as landowners, these young women had no trouble finding husbands.  I wonder if these marriages were a little different because they began in a more equal position?

The culture did not treat women equally, but God did.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

Do Not Follow the Crowd

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

This is easier said than done.

We read these words of wisdom in Exodus 23 where God is directing us to tell the truth and give a fair testimony in a lawsuit.Feb 28 2016 do no followe the crowd

But these words are also a great description of how Jesus lived his life on earth hundreds of years later.

Counter-culture.

It didn’t matter to Jesus what the current religious cultural norms were.

He knew the truth.

He WAS the Truth.

He lived out the truth despite what ‘the crowd’ was doing.

And the crowd despised him for it.

Are we  willing to live our lives according to God’s truth without concern about what everyone else is doing?

It’s not easy.

Many years ago I was in a group of people who were all listening to one man explain how he ‘got over’ on his insurance company by falsifying information on a report and getting reimbursed for something that wasn’t covered by the insurance.

Really?  No wonder our insurance rates are so high!

I could tell that some of the people in the crowd were very interested in the details…….maybe they could get a ‘free check’ as well?  The peer pressure was significant so I didn’t speak up.

Later, I wasn’t happy about the fact that I didn’t say anything.  Some people understand silence as agreement.  And I didn’t agree.

Years later, a man I worked with shared how he ‘got over’ on the airlines by combining different tickets and ‘bending’ the rules.  He suggested this to our department’s leadership team as a tactic for saving money.

I realized that, if the crowd accepted this, I would be expected to do it.

So I explained that I would not be able to lie to the airlines in order to save money.

There was a moment of silence…….

and then we decided not to use this tactic.

It was uncomfortable.

And I had to deal with an ‘attitude’ from this on man whenever integrity topics came up and we disagreed.

But I was very glad I spoke up.  I’m very glad I didn’t go along with the crowd.

It’s not comfortable and there are consequences.

But Jesus role-modelled this for us.  He showed us how to do it.

Now its up to us to stand up to the crowd.  To speak the truth in love.  To offer a different perspective.  And then to handle the resulting awkward situation with confidence and maturity.

Because the crowd doesn’t like someone who puts truth over popular opinion.

But God does.

And his opinion is the only one that matters.

Thank you for showing us your Truth, Abba Father.

 

Blessed

On By Judy GlasserIn February1 Comment

We are blessed.

You, Oh God, watch over us.

You provide.feb 24 2016 blessed

You protect.

You teach.

And you show your love for us.

We feel you smiling down on our lives every day.

You shower your grace upon us.

We always have your attention – it never wanders.

You bless us with your peace.

And your peace is not like the fleeting feelings of peace we may experience here on earth.

Your peace quiets our souls and dispels our worry.

You remove our anxiety.

You place our feet once again on the Solid Rock of our Salvation.

And we are blessed.

Thank you, Abba Father, for the blessing of this benediction you gave to Aaron centuries ago.  

 

Who is Coming to Dinner?

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

One of my favorite hobbies is reading.

And I read a lot.feb 22 2016 fellowship with God

But I’ve never read a book more than once because, when I know the ending, there is no motivation for me to read the book.

The only exception to this is the Bible.  I am on my 6th time of completely reading the Bible, cover to cover and I am amazed at all of the new things God is still teaching me.  I love how God speaks so clearly through his Word.  The fact that I know the end of the Bible gives me peace and joy and confidence.  I love getting to the end where Jesus says he is coming again and then starting over “In the beginning”.

I am excited about the things God has to show me in 2016.  And I love sharing some of those thoughts with you.

Let’s face it.  If you’re like me, I like the historical accounts of the people in the Bible – Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and especially Joseph’s interesting relationship with God.

Numbers and Leviticus are much harder to read and try get something from.

But God always reveals tidbits about himself to me when I persevere through these chapters.

Like today – Leviticus tells us all about the various festivals the Israelites were supposed to celebrate and their required offerings.

Honestly, I used to skip a bunch of these chapters the first couple of times I read through the Bible because all the splashing of blood stuff and directions for animal parts turned me off.

Now, God points out to me pieces of his relationship with the Israelites that increase my understanding of him and what he desires from me.

Today, he pointed out the Fellowship offerings that the Israelites were to give him.  These offerings were given to praise God and to show their gratitude for what he had done for them.

They would all eat the meat and bread of their offering together like they were eating a meal with God.

A meal with God.

How would something like that work for us?

Instead of just praying grace over our food at the beginning of the meal, what would our meal be like if we dedicated the food to God in thankfulness for what he has done for us and then we eat the meal with him?

Maybe we should try it?

Dear Abba Father, Would you like to come to dinner?

 

Sword Fighting Class – For God So Loved the World

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

We are just starting the long trek of memorizing Romans 8.  I know God has some special things to reveal to us as we meditate on these words by saying them over and over and over.

‘Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because, through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

And this week we add the next verse,Romans 8; 1-9

“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.”

For God so loved the world…..

The law was never going to make us righteous.  It just pointed out how unrighteous we are.  How much we need a Savior.

There is a righteousness and a holiness and a justice part of God that demanded payment for our sins.  But we were never going to be able to pay that debt because of our rebellion and sin.

So God sent Jesus to die for us.

And God adopted us as his children.

For God so loved us.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

 

More Refreshed

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Would you like more time to rest?

I know I would.

Everything has gotten so fast…….

So immediate……

I remember being told that computers were going to make our lives easier….feb 20 2016 refreshed

Really?

Computers and technology have grown the demands on our time….

so many options…..

so much information…….

less time to rest.

God instituted a Sabbath rest in Exodus 31 because, prior to this time, the Israelites had been slaves and never had a day off.

Now, God commanded that they rest on the Sabbath day just like God had rested on the 7th day after he finished creating the world.

He commanded that they rest so they could be refreshed.

And God desires the same for us today.  He wants us to set aside a day to remember what he has done for us.  A day to rest in his love.  A day to be refreshed by extra time spent with him.

We can make this happen if we try.

We can do our errands and chores on Saturday.

We can avoid scheduling a full day of activities on Sunday like it’s any other day.

We can prepare for Sunday by not staying out late Saturday night.

Then, on Sunday, we can spend extra time with our Bible open on our laps, talking and listening and learning from God instead of vegging out in front of our TVs or computers.

We choose.

And our choices determine how we feel when Monday  rolls around.

God desires that we are refreshed and rested.  He made a plan to help make that happen.

The rest is up to us.

Thank you, Abba Father.

The Support Team

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

In every situation, there are people in the lead roles and then there are those whose job it is to support them.  We don’t hear as much about the supporters because they stay in the background, helping those in the lead roles to complete their tasks or purpose.Feb 8 2016 supporting cast a

I have a couple of favorite support team members from the Bible whose actions and loyalty resonate with me.  If I lived at that time, these are the people I would want to be like.

Caleb is one of these people.  Everytime we read about him in the Bible, he is being faithful to God and supportive of Joshua who had the lead role at this time.

Caleb was one of the spies God sent into the Promised Land and, when the people were afraid to go because of the other spies’ report, Caleb joined Joshua in pleading with them to go ahead and claim the land.  “The Lord is with us.  Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14: 10)

Unfortunately, the people listened to the other 10 spies which made God very angry and resulted in 40 years of wandering around in the desert so that their generation could die off.  They had walked through dry land in the middle of the Red Sea, they saw the Egyptians defeated, they ate quail and manna every day in the middle of the desert but they still didn’t trust God.  As a result, the older generation never got to see the Promised Land.

The 10 spies died right away from a plague.Feb 8 2016 supporting cast b

After the 40 years of wandering, Joshua would lead the way into the Promised Land with his faithful supporter, Caleb, at his side.  They would be the only ones from their generation and older to see God’s promise fulfilled because they had believed God would do what he said and they were willing to stake their lives on it.

God commended Caleb by saying, “he follows me whole heartedly.” (vs 24).

Most of us aren’t given the lead role in our faith communities.  We are the supporting team.  The encouragers.  Standing strong and faithful next to those who are called to lead.

S0…….how well are we doing?

Thank you, Abba Father.