Tag: faith

I Am One of Abraham’s Stars

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Tonight, let’s all go outside and look up at the stars.

Most of the stars we will see are the same stars Abram (God changes his name to Abraham later) saw when God took him outside and told him to ‘count the stars’.

Then God said to Abram, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:5.

As we read the Old Testament, it appears like these stars represent the Israelites who became the Jewish nation.  In Galatians, Paul clarifies for us the identity of Abraham’s children.  “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7.

I am a child of Abraham!

I am represented by one of those stars in the sky on that night over 2,000 years ago when Abram looked up…..

and believed.

Are you one of Abraham’s stars?

Thank you, Abba Father, for your faithfulness to Abraham and your faithfulness to me.

The Unknowns

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

It has been hard in the past to make decisions about next steps when I don’t know how it’s all going to work out.  There have been times in my life when the ‘unknowns’ created anxiety and fear.

I love reading about Abram’s (soon to be Abraham) decision-making in Genesis.  First, God tells Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”  Genesis 12:1. 

No forwarding address on that one.  Just go.  I’ll tell you when to stop.

And the Bible tells us in verse 4, “So Abram went.” Wow! Abram is a good role-model here for how much he trusted God.

This is my 15th year of reading the entire Bible and it is comforting to realize how much my faith and trust in God has grown as I’ve read and applied God’s word to my life. I experienced something  similar to Abram’s 5 years ago when God told me to move from Phoenix to Denver.  What?  I had been living in Phoenix for over 40 years and had never once thought about moving to Denver even though my daughter and her family were now living there. 

I prayed about it overnight and knew that I needed to do what God was asking me to do.  I have learned from experience that the only way I can expect God’s blessings in my life is to be obedient.

Then I shared what God was saying with my husband who prayed about it and the next day he said, “We need to go.”  He has also learned the importance of obedience. 

We heard and we went.

We put our house in Phoenix up for sale and I heard God telling me not to buy a house in Denver until we actually moved.  So we moved while our house was under contract and arrived in Denver on March 17, 2020 – just as everything was shutting down because of the pandemic. 

We know you’ve got this, Father God.

We were ‘homeless’, living in an AirBnb, during the weeks of being sheltered in.  The first house we looked at in Denver was the right size and the right price and the right place and God said ‘yes’ so we bought it – getting a good deal on it since a lot of people were backing away from buying houses because of the uncertainty.

We knew you had something good waiting for us, Father.

These last 5 years, I have continually seen God’s hand on our lives.  There have been many situations – one after another – where I know God moved us to Denver ‘for such a time as this’.  He had a purpose for bringing us to this new city and he had blessings lined up if we would obey.

I have discovered that it’s not so hard anymore making decisions when I don’t know how it’s all going to work out.  God knows and I trust him.  I don’t experience the anxiety or fear I used to have because I know God is in control and he is working it all out for my good.  I just need to listen and do what he says.

Thank you for taking away my fear of the unknowns, Abba Father.

My Ticket to Ride

On By Judy GlasserIn January2 Comments

How close can I get to God? That’s a great goal, isn’t it?

I’d like to get as close as Enoch.  Enoch was Adam’s great, great, great, great grandson and we read in Genesis that he walked in close fellowship with God.  “Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.  Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”  Genesis 5:23-24.

Enoch never died.  God just took him home.  I don’t have any control over it, but that’s the way I’d really like to go.  Elijah was the only other person that we know of who God took up to heaven before he died.  Elijah rode a fiery chariot up to heaven.

How cool is that?  How many bonus points does it take to get a ride like that?

God has a huge sense of humor so he knows I’m just kidding.  I was once told that it’s ok to joke around with God and that makes sense to me.  He is always watching us so we might as well make him laugh once in awhile – or a lot.

I wonder how many more people have ‘disappeared’ or gotten a chariot ride up to heaven?  It’s a safe bet that we don’t know about them all.  I prefer the chariot ride because it’s more visible so the people I am leaving behind won’t have to wonder where I went when I disappear.

It is obvious that both Enoch and Elijah had a very close relationship with God.  That must be the ticket.  So I’m going to work on my relationship with God knowing he has already determined my last day and what my trip into heaven is going to look like.

But it never hurts to ask, right?

If it’s what you want, Father, please put me on the chariot list.

Two People = One

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Dating is fun. Being engaged is exciting. Weddings are a great big party that celebrates love and commitment.

Marriage is tough.  Good…..but tough.  Worth it…..but not easy.

I’ve been married to the same man for over 43 years.  I know how tough marriage is.  And he knows how tough marriage  is.  In order to stay married, we have had to work through it all.  And stuff just keeps coming at us. With God’s help, our marriage survived the most difficult thing that can happen to parents – the loss of a child.

Every year, as I begin reading through the Bible again, I pause when I read Genesis 3:20, “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.”

Adam named his wife Eve after they had both lived in the Garden of Eden with God for who knows how long.  This was after they had eaten the apple and sinned.

Up to this point, they were both called Adam.  Together, they completed the person of Adam.

man+woman = one.

How much would our perspective of marriage change if we sincerely considered ourselves – man and wife – to be one person?  It wouldn’t be, “I’m done dealing with his problems.” or “I’m tired of her behavior – I’m out of here”.

It would be more like when we say “my leg always likes to cramp up” or “my neck is often stiff and its driving me crazy”.  When our leg cramps up, we rub it and stretch it.  When our necks are stiff, we massage them and warm them up.  When a physical part of us is having a problem, we work with the issue, figure out how to help it and get help if we need it.  Sometimes we can replace the part like a knee or a hip but I have several friends who still have pain and issues with those new parts. We can’t replace our whole body so we have to positively deal with the issues.

VERY different than the ‘throw away’ attitude that many people in our culture have towards marriage today, isn’t it?

Sometimes married people joke about their ‘better half’.  How would our marriages be different if we acted like we believed that?

Please help us honor you with our marriages, Abba Father.

In the Beginning…..

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

A new page is turned.

New possibilities have opened up.

What’s going to happen?  I don’t know.

For some reason, many of us say that we don’t like change.  But then we usually like new beginnings.  When we make choices that cause our lives to change and we can call it a ‘new beginning’, we’re ok with it?  But we don’t like change?

Yes, we are strange and wonderful creatures.  And I am one of the strange and wonderful creatures who likes change.

Change is good.

I was taught to like change through my over 34 years of working for corporate Jack in the Box.  We were constantly moving and adjusting and changing.  If I didn’t like a specific change, I didn’t have to wait too long for it to change again.  As long as my strategic brain could see us improving – hitting goals and moving forward – I liked it.

This has really helped me keep up with our electronic age where things change so quickly and so often.  I have a goal to stay current on technology.  I don’t have to be at the cutting edge but I plan to stay in the middle somewhere, not behind.

One of the things I love about God is – he doesn’t change.

“In the beginning, God….”(Genesis 1:1)in-the-beginning-genesis

He was here before the beginning and he will be here after the world as we know it ends.

He has promised – it’s a fact.

In our crazy lives filled with unknowns, God wants to be known by you and by me. He gives us his Word.  He gives us his Spirit.  He gives us a spiritual family.

He wants us to know him and he guides us towards himself as we read, listen and respond to his Word.

I am excited to discover the new opportunities God is going to bring my way in 2025. As I start reading through the Bible again for the 15th year in a row, I am confident that God has new things to teach me and he also wants to highlight other truths that I need to be reminded of.

You are invited to take the journey with me and read the entire Daily Chronological Bible this year.  There are already about 20 of us on this journey together.  I guarantee that God will move in your life in a big way as he honors your commitment to know him and hear him better in 2024.

So, with anticipation and confidence that God has important things to teach me this year, I start again –

In the Beginning, God…..

Thank you for new beginnings, Abba Father.

Let’s Not Get Comfortable

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

I am almost finished reading the entire Bible for the 14th time and, as I begin to read God’s final Revelation to us, the Spirit is writing to the 7 churches through John.  Of these messages, the one that reverberates through my heart and mind are his words to the church of Laodicea –

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”  Rev. 3: 15 – 16.

The Spirit sounds pretty disgusted with this church.  They were rich and they were acting like they had everything they needed.  But the Spirit calls them pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

And then he offers them the truth – “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.”  Rev 3: 19-20.

 The Spirit tells the church of Laodicea they are blind because they don’t see how badly they need a personal relationship with Jesus. He tells them to repent and reminds them that Jesus is always ready to forgive them and redeem them.

It’s very obvious that lukewarm is not a good place to be.  Jesus came to earth to save us and transform us into beacons of light in a lost and broken world.  ‘Okay’ is not what we are called to be.  ‘Comfortable’ is not our goal. The Holy Spirit wants to set a fire burning within each of us as we seek to know and love our Abba Father.   As our love for God grows, he transforms our hearts so we can truly start to love other people like he does.

There is a fire burning in my heart.  It burns hotter the closer I get to God.  This fire keeps me passionate about following Jesus on this journey towards the truth.

What’s the temperature of your heart for God?  Is there anything or anyone you care about more than God? 

Are you lukewarm?  Or sold out?  

A Great Cloud of Witnesses

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

It’s an awesome mental picture!

A cloud of witnesses is standing at the gates of heaven cheering us on as we run this race of faith with perseverance here on earth.

My parents are in that cloud and so are my grandparents.  They are there with many more of my family who all lived by faith here on earth, passing their love of God on from generation to generation.

That’s what my cloud looks like!  What a blessing!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”  Hebrews 12: 1 & 2a.

As I read this passage, I can hear the faint cheers from heaven…

encouraging me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus.

Encouraging me to keep focused on running this marathon of faith well here on earth.

Encouraging me to avoid the sin that so easily entangles.  Entangles is such a great description of what sin does in our lives, isn’t it?

God has marked out a race for each one of us.  One step at a time.  Sometimes its baby steps.  And other times we slow down to a crawl.  But it’s very important to keep moving forward.

To persevere.

To keep our relationship God our first priority and let the Holy Spirit transform us.

Our cloud of witnesses is ready to cheer us on as we take our next steps toward a deeper love relationship with God.

I know one of my next steps in 2025 is to continue to memorize scripture.  I have been extremely blessed by how God has used the scripture etched on my heart and mind to guide me, comfort me and love me.  I will also be blogging through the Chronological Bible again in 2025. This will be my 15th year of reading the whole Bible and it has become such an important part of my life, I can’t imagine not doing it.

What is your next step?  If you want to hear God more clearly, memorizing scripture is a sure way to do that.  God speaks clearly through his Word, whether it is written on a page or engraved on my heart.  Are you going to read through the Chronological Bible with me in 2025?  I know that around 20 of you read it with me this year and, without talking to you,  I know you were blessed.  There is no better way of developing a deeper relationship with God than to read and listen and respond to his Word.

So let’s each make a plan of how we’re going grow closer to God in 2025.  We have a great cloud of witnesses watching.  Do you hear the cheers?

Please help us take our next steps closer to you in 2025, Abba Father.

Great Love!

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

Do you feel it?

I do.

I see it in the gorgeous sunrise as God once again declares his faithfulness to me with the start of a new day.  I feel it in my 4 year-old grandson’s hug.  I see it in the smiles of my friends.  I feel it in the ‘love you’ from my husband of over 43 years.

It’s the great love God has lavished upon me.

God tells me that I am his precious child and he proves that by showing his love for me in a multitude of ways, every day.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.”  1 John 3:1a

It’s very encouraging to realize that the closer I get to God, the more of his love I feel pouring out over me.  As I’ve been consistently memorizing God’s scripture these last 9 years, I also feel his wisdom pouring out from his Word.  More knowledge.  More understanding.

I am his child!  How much more love and wisdom and knowledge and understanding does he have available for me?

There is no limit!

As 2025 quickly approaches, I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for this next year.  New challenges.  More love.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Just Renting

On By Judy GlasserIn December2 Comments

I don’t own anything.  When I die, nothing is coming with me.

I know – I check the box ‘own’ when I’m asked about my house but I should really be marking ‘rent’ because my house is not coming with me when I leave this earth.

The Apostle Peter says it like it is, “Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” 1Peter 1: 17.

Do you ever feel like a foreigner here?  I certainly do.  

Living in this world is often disappointing and difficult.  It’s confusing and full of conflicts.  The moments of joy seem fleeting compared to the problems that hang on forever.  When I hear people talk about their ‘forever homes’ here on earth, I’m really glad to know that my ‘forever home’ is not here – it’s in a much better place.

The hole left in my life by the death of my son will only be filled in heaven.

So I’m good with my foreigner, renting status here on earth.  When my lease is up, I’m going home, where I belong…..forever.

I know you already have a place prepared for me, Abba Father.  Thank you.

Accomplishing the Impossible

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

Have you ever done something that you thought was impossible? I have.

I have a terrible memory and I’ve been like this for quite a while. Go ahead and shake your head ‘yes’ if you are with me on this. I don’t know my husband’s telephone number that he’s had for 25 years. I get confused about the address of my house where I have lived for almost 5 years. I was making cookies for Christmas the other day and stopped in the middle, looked down, and had no idea if I had already put in the baking soda or not. For you non-bakers, baking soda is VERY important. And don’t get me started on names. I forget names of people I have known for 40 years. If you know me and see me, I probably won’t use your name because…I can’t remember it. Sorry! Nothing personal, I’m like that with everyone.

So when God challenged me to memorize the entire first chapter of James many years ago, I laughed. Ha, ha! That was impossible. I had some success memorizing scripture earlier in my life but the older I get, the harder it has become. Not just hard, impossible from my point of view.

God told me he was serious and that he would help me. I’ve told you before that I have learned the hard way to obey God. Just obey. Don’t question. Don’t ‘pray about it’. Just obey.

So I told him I would try but that I thought it was impossible. He reminded me of Mark 10:27. It’s one of the few I could still remember from my early years. Look it up 🙂

I started with James 1. One verse at a time. I wrote them on index cards and added a card as soon as I could say the last one from memory. I took out my index cards every day – sometimes multiple times a day. I had told God I would do my part – get out my cards and say the verse a hundred times but he was going to have to do the rest. The actual etching of the words on my memory was his job. We were a team.

Imagine my amazement when the verses started to stick and I started moving through the chapter. I also researched and studied each verse as I memorized it which added a depth of understanding for this scripture that I had never had before. As I worked through it, I started to ‘feel’ the truth in James 1, not just say it. It buried itself deep in soul. When I actually could say the whole chapter from memory, I was totally amazed at how awesome it was to see God work like that in my life. He did the impossible!

I realize now that God was writing the whole chapter of James 1 on my heart and mind for a couple of reasons –

  • My life shattered into small, painful pieces on May 18, 2016 which was the year after I finished memorizing the chapter. My son, David Glasser, was a Phoenix Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty on that day and my world went very dark. My life continued to crumble around me as I experienced the reality of life without Davey and God constantly spoke to me through the truth I had cemented into my mind. He comforted me and guided me down the long, difficult path of losing a child. He was my Rock then and he is still my Rock today. When God told me to memorize James 1, he was preparing me so I could hear him clearly and know exactly what he was talking about when I experienced the most devastating thing that can happen to a parent.
  • He was also teaching me and showing me what it means to partner with him. I do my part, he does his part and impossible things happen. This has eliminated my list of things that I think are impossible. Nothing is on that list. Since I have learned this, I have watched God do many impossible things in my life. I do my part and he does his. Partnering with him on the first chapter of James was so awesome that I have also memorized the entire 2d chapter – with God’s help – and I’m starting on Chapter 3.

I still have a bad memory when it comes to telephone numbers, addresses and names. But I can memorize scripture because I’ve got a supernatural, powerful God working with me.

I challenge you to get rid of your impossible list and start a very tangible working relationship with all-mighty God. You obey and do your part and then watch him do his.

Nothing is Impossible with God.