Tag: blessings

I WIll See It

On By Judy GlasserIn February2 Comments

Standing firm – what does that mean to you?

When I think of standing firm, I see this picture of a lighthouse in my mind.  The lighthouse is being beaten by enormous waves but it can’t give up, it has a job to do – especially in the middle of a dark, dangerous storm.  This lighthouse is built on a rock, its foundation is solid.  So it is able to keep shining it’s light no matter how high and how strong the waves get.  And, yes, the lighthouse is more worn when the waves stop.  It is scraped and bruised from the ravages of the storm.  But it stands firm, ready for the sunshine or the next storm – whatever comes.

That’s how firm I want to be as I stand on my Rock, my Father God.

In Exodus 4, Moses told the Israelites to “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.”

God is telling me this same thing today as I read and meditate on his Word.

I need to do my part of standing firm – trusting him, obeying him and loving him  first.  Then, as I watch, God will fight my battles.  I will see my Father fit the puzzle pieces of my life together to fulfill his purposes.  I will experience his blessings as his plans unfolds.

I will see it.

So I’m going to stand firm.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Stop! Don’t Do It!

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Where I decide to go matters.

Who I hang out with matters.

How I use my time matters.

Where I spend my money matters.

When I make good choices, even better things come by way.  When I make bad choices, I experience the negative consequences.  And that is never fun.

It’s interesting to me how God forgives my sins but he doesn’t take away all of the negative consequences of my sins.  He is a good Father and he wants me to learn from my mistakes – so he doesn’t take away the bad consequences but he helps me deal with them.

Why do you think he tells me to ask for wisdom in James 1?  Because I really need it!  Please give me more wisdom, Father! 

I have paid the consequences for some of the my bad decisions for a very long time.  And I have learned –

I have learned that there is a direct correlation between bad choices and bad consequences.  It’s not luck.  It’s not someone else’s fault.  I did it to myself.

I have learned how quickly bad decisions can become nightmares which can follow me around for a long time.

My mistakes remind me just how bad my choices can be and they keep me more humble.  No one is exempt.

Lot’s story in Genesis 13 has me wanting to yell, “Stop!  Bad Choice!  Don’t do it!”

Abram (later renamed Abraham) and Lot were nomads travelling around together at this point with their families and their herds of animals.  Their group got too large for the amount of food and water available so Abram talked to Lot about splitting up.  Abram gave Lot first choice of land.

Of course, Lot chose the fertile ground of the Jordan valley leaving the less desirable hill country of Canaan for Abram.

Bad decision, Lot!  Lot settled his family and flocks by Sodom which was such a wicked city that God later rained fire on it and destroyed it.  Lot’s decision to live there eventually caused him to have to flee, losing his wife along with everything he owned.

On the surface, it looked like an easy decision to live in a great location.  But the consequences of this decision were monumental.

It shouldn’t have been that easy.  There were lots of flags telling Lot that was not the best place for him.  He either chose to ignore them or didn’t even think that hard about it.

Lesson learned – many of our decisions should not be as easy as we think they are – especially if we want to avoid the negative consequences of a bad decision.

Please give us wisdom, Abba Father.

Don’t Miss It

On By Judy GlasserIn August2 Comments

Confidence that everything will work out.

Trust that this journey ends in my heavenly home.

A future that is successful in God’s eyes.

We love to quote Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, ” declares the LORD, ” plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future .”  We hang this verse on our walls and we write it on our coffee cups.

I want these things in my life, especially because I know God’s prosperity is not about money, although money can be a part of it.  God’s prosperity includes things like peace and purpose and love – the things money can’t buy.

Too often, we stop at verse 11 and we miss the rest.  The next sentence tells us ‘how’ God is going to fulfill his plans.

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12.

 

If I miss the ‘how’ of his promise,  I’m going to miss the whole thing.

God is clearly telling me that I have a part in making this promise come true.  When I’m diligent in going to him, praying and seeking him with all my heart, I can be confident that he will make his plans for me happen.  A confident hope and a great future are mine when I follow his directions.

That’s my part.  It’s your part, too, if you want this promise to be true in your life.

Let’s not stop at the first sentence and miss what God has planned for us.

Let’s not miss the ‘how’.

I’m praying and seeking you with all my heart, Abba Father.

A Sad Story

On By Judy GlasserIn May2 Comments

Do you hear about people who are very successful in doing all of the right things and then they blow it?

Such sad stories!

They had it all together at one point…but then they lost it.

I think one of the saddest stories in the Old Testament is how King Solomon let himself be negatively influenced by the foreign wives he let into his life and they led his away from his One True God.  The wisest man who ever lived started worshipping made-up, detestable, wooden gods.

A pitiful ending to a life that started out so well.

Do any of us want our lives to end up that way?  I don’t think so.  I know I don’t – I want to end well.

So I’m making a plan to ensure that my life stays on track with God.  I’m going to make sure I don’t get lazy about my spiritual habits of reading and memorizing Gods Word, talking with him, and building relationships with my spiritual family.  I’m going to be careful about the people I let into my life who influence me.  And I’m going to quickly turn back to God if I see myself wandering  down a path that doesn’t bring me closer to him.

What’s your plan?

Please keep us close to you, Abba Father.

Not A Spectator Sport

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

It takes an effort.

It takes action.

It takes committment and perseverance.

Living a life of faith is not a spectator sport.  God tells me in Proverbs 2 to turn my ear to wisdom, apply my heart to understanding, call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding.

I must look for wisdom and insight like it is silver and search for it as I would search for hidden treasure.

How would I look for hidden treasure?  I would research information about the person who hid it which would help me figure out where they would hide it.  I would look for a map or any guidance that might be available.  And I would search for the tiniest spark, the smallest glimmer which could lead me to the treasure itself.

This is how God wants me – and you – to pursue him.

Seriously.

On purpose.

Taking advantage of every opportunity.

When I do that, I will find him and will be filled with his wisdom and knowledge of him.

Then, I will understand the right and just and fair thing to do and I will find the right path he has prepared for me.

This filling will not happen one hour on Sunday morning.  It will not happen in a 5 minute morning devotion.

Living a committed life of faith is not a spectator sport.

Thank you for how clear your word is to us in this area, Abba Father.

 

Psalm 20, 2017 – Be Blessed

On By Judy GlasserIn May2 Comments

May the Lord always answer him when you call his name.

May he send help and support to you.

May he always remember your faithfulness and service.

May he give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Then we will all shout for joy for you and give thanks to our Father!

For this I know – the Lord helps the faithful ones succeed.  He answers from his heavenly throne with his powerful hand.some trust in chariots

Some only trust in what they can see….and they will fail.

We trust in God so we will always stand firm.

You give us victory, Lord!

Thank you for answering our prayers, Abba Father.

Psalm 19, 2017

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

The heavens declare your glory, Father!

Every time I look up into the brilliant sky, I see the work of your hands.  Day after day, the skies tell us how huge and magnificent you are.  Night after night, they reveal your power and glory.

The skies don’t talk, they make no sound.  But their voices go out to the ends of the world, telling us about you.

The sun rises every morning at your command – filled with joy and anticipation as it makes its way across the sky, spreading your gift of light and warmth.

Your law is perfect and it refreshes my soul, Father.

Your word is trustworthy, it is able to make me wise.

Your directions are always right for me – they bring joy to my heart.

Your commands give light and open up my eyes.  They are more precious to me than money, fame or success.

You speak through your word to warn me and you reward me with many blessings when I walk closely with you.

Please forgive my sins – known and unknown – and keep me from willfully straying from your path.

May these words and the attitude of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my Rock and My Redeemer.

Psalm 5, 2017

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

I know you hear me, LORD.  You listen when I call to you.

You hear my cries for help, God.  Every morning, when I lay my concerns and requests at your feet, I know hear me.

And I watch – expecting your answer.

You hate evil.

You hate lies.

You hate deceit.

You do not welcome evil and proud people into your presence.

Because you love me, I can come near to you and bow before you.  Please guide me on the right path, LORD.

Keep me safe from those who do evil.  I can’t trust one word they say – their hearts are filled with hate.  They are liars.

You are the judge and my revenge, O God.  Declare them guilty.  Let their evil and rebellious ways become their punishment as they choose their own path – separate from you.

But draw all who love you close to you, God.  Give us joy as you spread your protection over us.

We know you show favor to those who walk closely with you, LORD.  You cover us with the umbrella of your blessing.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Before He Finished

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

I wonder what’s next.  What’s the next step?  Where do I go from here?

And I sometimes forget that God has a plan.  He has a map.  He knows the way.

I imagine a field stretched out in front of me that represents my life.  In that field, there are many landmines.  The land mines represent bad choices and wrong in my life.field-of-landmines

What if I knew someone who could guide me through my field so I could avoid these landmines?  Would I ask for their help and listen to them?

Definitely.

There is someone like that and he is God.

He knows where all of the landmines are and he wants to show me the way around them.  He doesn’t just want to guide me, he wants to walk through my field – the rest of my life – right next to me, giving me hope and love and joy.

In order to do that, I need to ask, listen, obey and trust.

In order to do that, you need to ask, listen, obey and trust.

God tells us in Genesis 24:15 that he answered the servant of Abraham’s prayer before he finished praying.

Before he finished.

I bet God does this all the time and we just don’t know it.  But has he ever done this for you and you knew it?

Last April, I was praying about whether or not to retire soon.  My company was reorganizing and I had a small window of time to take advantage of a ‘special offer’ and retire early.

Big decision.

I wasn’t sure.

I needed guidance from God.

On the last day before I had to decide, I was praying saying, “I need an answer” and, as I said Amen, the phone rang.

I knew it was my answer.  That conversation confirmed the direction I was leaning – to retire early.

And now I can clearly see God’s hand guiding me around a couple of landmines and onto the next step for his plan for me.

I wish it were always that clear.

I think it can be if we ask and listen, obey and trust.

What do you think?

Thank you for your guidance, Abba Father.

I’m Laying By The Healing Waters….

On By Judy GlasserIn November6 Comments

fDSC_0489waiting to be healed….

wondering when its going to happen…

wondering if its going to happen.

All of us have some part of our life that is bruised or broken.

It’s not always a physical thing.  Many times its emotional or spiritual.

And so we lay next to cripple at the Pool of Bethesda….hoping to be healed.

I had the privilege to visit this tranquil, beautiful place 2 years ago.  The peace I felt in that spot was magnified by the conflict and tension that defines the city of Jerusalem.  If felt like nobody living there liked anybody else.  The air was filled with ‘you don’t belong here’ hatred.

But not at this pool.

It was quiet.

Smaller than I had imagined from reading about it in John 5.fDSC_0490

I wish I could go back there now – to lay at the side of the pool, waiting for healing.  A tragedy in my life this last year has taken away a big chunk of my contentment and joy.

And I want it back.

I know I can’t go back to the pool right now – maybe some day.  But I know where to go to be made whole again.

My Abba Father is in the process of healing my brokenness.  It’s not easy and not something I thought I would ever experience.

I am thankful for my healer.

I am waiting by the pool, Abba Father.