Tag: faith

What’s Happening with Our Excess?

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

God wanted to make it clear to everyone that the Israelites were different – they were his.  One of the ways he did this was by creating laws to protect the weak, the poor and strangers – this was unusual for this time.  And one of those laws told the Israelites what God wanted them to do with their excess crops in the field.

In Deuteronomy, God tells the Israelites to harvest their fields but not go back for anything that was missed, leaving the excess for the poor, widows and strangers.  He told them that, if they were obedient, he would bless all the work of their hands.march 5 2015 become ;unstuffed'

The majority of us don’t have crops……but we have a lot of ‘stuff’.

What do we do with our excess stuff?  Do we put it in boxes and stack the boxes in our garage?  Do we pile our closets full of excess stuff that we think we might need to use some day…..if we can find it?

What does God tell us he would like us to do with it?

Are there poor people or strangers or widows who could benefit if we cleaned out our garages and closets?

I was very convicted by this.  I’ve never been big on keeping a lot of stuff – I’ve always been able to park 2 cars in a 2 car garage.  But my closets and cupboards have gotten to the ‘stuffed’ stage.  So I’ve been giving a lot of ‘stuff’  away with the goal of getting my closets and cupboards at least half empty.

It’s all excess.  Sure – I might be able to use it someday.  But could I find it when I wanted to use it?  And, most of the time, I still have something that works fine as a substitute.

Someone else can benefit from this stuff rather than having it packed into my house, gathering dust.

I’m almost to my goal and one of the awesome side benefits is that I can actually find things when I need them now 🙂

Please open our eyes and our hearts, Abba Father.

A Theocracy

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

In a Theocracy, God decides the rules, the laws and how the governing of the people works.  He judges and decides punishment.  He directs the use of possessions and how they are bought and sold.  He decides how relationships between people should be handled and the consequences for not following his rules.  If there is a king, he is under the direction of God – just like everyone else.March 1 2015 A theocracy

As we read through the laws written in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, we see God addressing all areas of the Israelites life.  Because God was the head of everything.

Is that true of our lives?  We don’t have a theocratic government but we can choose to have a theocratic life.  This means God’s direction and desires govern ALL aspects of our lives, not just of some of them.

Most of us have the main commands of loving God first and loving others as ourselves pretty engrained in our heads.  As we read through God’s laws, its interesting to see that some of the details still translate into our lives today.

What does God say we should do if we find something someone has lost?

How should we care for other’s possessions – like the cars parking next to us in the parking lot?

What is the payment due if we argue with someone and emotionally hurt them?

If we’re selling something and someone offers us more than we know it is worth – what does God tell us to do?

Please help us look to you for direction in all parts of our lives, dear Father.

May the Lord Bless Us

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

God gave this benediction to Aaron to bless the Israelites thousands of years ago.  Today, God repeats this blessing over us as we read his Word:

The Lord Bless You and Keep you,Feb 24 2015 My the Lord Bless you

* Bless us with his abundance.

* Bless us with the constant knowledge of the Holy Spirit living with us.
* Keep us close to him, our lives resting in his hands.
The Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you,
*when God’s face shines on us, we feel the warmth of his love.  We see the light of his goodness.
* the freedom of God’s grace replaces our feelings of guilt, shame and regret.
* God’s grace gives us rebirth – we are new creations.
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
*when our relationship with God is good, his face is turned toward us and we are within his will, under his protection and guided by his hand.  The result is peace – peace that passes understanding because it’s not dependent on our circumstances.  We get this peace by being close to God.
Thank you for abundant blessings, Abba Father.

 

Sword Fighting Class – Our Anger

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting Class2 Comments

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind; that man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”James 1 1 -9

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  While the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, for he will pass away like the wildflower.  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.  In the same way, a rich man fades away even as he goes about his business.”

“When tempted, no one should say ‘God is tempting me’, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”James 1= 13-18

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, take note of this; everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Yeah!  We’re memorizing James 1 and we’re doing great!  If you’re doing this with me, I know you are being blessed.  I am.  I love having this portion of scripture etched on my brain.  God uses it all of the time in my life.  Here’s the next verse,

” because man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ”

Our anger is not right for us.

It makes us say things we shouldn’t say.  It makes us do things we shouldn’t do.  We are not quick to listen and not slow to speak when we are angry.

Our anger is often based on self-centeredness.  Something was done to us.  Something was said to us or about us.  It focuses our attention on ourselves, our emotions.

Away from God.  Away from the peace of God.  Away from the forgiveness of God.  Away from the unconditional acceptance that we only get from God.

James tells us in his third chapter that true righteousness is sown in peace, not in anger.

Dear Father, please help us deal positively with our anger and grow our righteousness.

What I Didn’t Do

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

When we think about our sins, we often focus on the things we did or said that we shouldn’t have.  These are our sins of commission.Feb 23 b 2015 what I didn't do

We don’t think about our sins of omission as often.  These are the things we should have done but didn’t:

* a word of encouragement to a leader at our church.

* a pat on the back to a co-worker.

* a special treat for a mother or father.

* a smile to stranger.

That last one reminds me of a recent Thursday morning when I was walking through a restaurant where my Bible Study small group meets bright and early at 6 am.  As I walked past a man sitting at the eating counter by himself, he looked at me and I felt a nudge from God so I made eye contact, smiled and said, ‘hi’.  Instead of greeting me back, he said, ‘Thank you”.

A thank you.

I got the impression that he really needed someone in this restaurant crowded with groups of people to acknowledge his existence and smile.  I’m really glad I didn’t miss that opportunity, that nudge from the Holy Spirit.

I wish I could say that I was always listening and responding to those nudges, but if I said that, it would be a sin of commission 🙂  Because it’s not true.

It was just a very small encounter at the start of a hectic day, but God has used it to remind me to be ready to respond to his nudges.  Who else in my world is looking for a smile and a ‘hi’?

Are there people in your world who need a smile and a ‘hi’?  Or a word spoken?  Or a door opened?  Or a text sent?  Or a card given?

Dear Father, please open our eyes to the things we might fail to do without your nudge.  We don’t want to miss the opportunity to be your light.

 

Blessings Come After Obedience

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

We obey,

and then we are blessed.

We read this in Deuteronomy 11 and we also see this same principle mentioned several more times through the scriptures.Feb 17 2015 Blessings come after obedience

God’s blessings come as a result of obedience.

It would be easier if it was the other way around, wouldn’t it?  “God, if you do this thing I want, then I will do what you want.”

We pray to God asking for his blessings on our life and on the lives of others.

But – are we obeying?

That’s the first step.  Then the blessings follow.

Moses told the Israelites to love the Lord with all of their heart and soul and strength.  If they did this,  THEN God would send the rain for their crops and their cattle.

Moses warns them against being enticed by other gods and disobeying.  In their time, these gods were wooden and metal statues.  In our time, it’s often money and possessions.  The god of More can often get more of our attention that the Master of Universe.

Moses told the Israelites that, if they worship other gods, the One True God would shut the heavens and they wouldn’t get rain.  They wouldn’t be blessed.

This leads to some very important self-evaluation for us today –

Are we experiencing the abundant raining down of God’s blessings as a result of our consistent obedience?

Or has God shut down the flow of blessings as a result of our disobedience?

Abba Father, please open our eyes to your truth.

The Main Thing

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

The main thing has been the main thing since the beginning of time.  Way back in Deuteronomy, Moses told his people to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

The main thing.

When we get this right, we put God in a position in our lives where he helps us with everything else.feb 16 2015 the main thing

That’s my reality.  When I seriously started putting God first, he helped me be a better mother, a better wife, a better employee, a better boss, a better friend…..a better person.

I know, it sounds like loving God with our whole self is even more stuff to do – seriously studying the Bible, faithfully participating in worship, serving God with my spiritual family, growing a solid prayer life and  regularly meeting with others to grow my faith and be encouraged.  And I decided to seriously put God first at a time in my life when there was NO extra time for any more things to do.  I was a wife and a mother of two little kids who travelled regularly for work.  My calendar was stuffed!  It’s a good thing I’ve never been very excited about watching TV because I had no time to watch anything – for years.

I found out that this was the perfect time for me to put God first because, as I watched, he supernaturally worked it all out.  Very quickly, I felt less stretched, less stressed and more joy.  God took my burdens which were very heavy and gave me peace and purpose – he filled a hole in my life that I wasn’t even aware I had.

I had been a Christian my whole life but I had never let God have first place in my life. Putting God first made all of the rest easier – and more fun!

If you’ve made that commitment, you know what I mean.  If you’ve never done this, you want to go for it.  It’s worth it.

It’s true – I still struggle sometimes and get my priorities mixed up.  But now I know where to go for peace and restoration.  My Abba Father is always waiting, ready to help.

A huge area where we need his help is identified in the next verses in Deuteronomy – teaching our children, passing this life of faith.  This command comes right after the command to love God first.

It’s our responsibility.

And not just to our own children but also to the children of our spiritual family – the next generation.  We all play a part in passing our faith down to those that are coming down this path of faith behind us.

There are lots of ways to do this.  We can lead classes at church, support and lead youth activities, participate in and  lead Bible study groups, disciple others and mentor others – just to name a few.

It’s not a suggestion from God.  It’s a command.

May we be found faithful, Abba Father.

 

Sword Fighting Class- Quick and Slow

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1 1 -9 If anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without fault and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  James 1= 13-18But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, for he will pass away like the wildflower.  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the plant; it’s blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.  In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.”

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because, when he has stood the test, he will receive the Crown of Life that God has promised to all who love him.”

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me’, for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.  And sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly light, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”

Awesome!  We’re memorizing James 1 with God’s help and we’re doing great!  God is doing most of it at this point, right?  Because it’s a lot and no way would we be this far without the help of the Holy Spirit!

Here’s the next verse:

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

It’s hard to listen – I need to get better at it.

It’s hard to be slow to speak – I need to get better at that, too.

Well, here’s one I don’t have a lot of issues with – anger.  One out of three 🙂

God is telling us that we should be all about listening to the word of truth.  Focused.  Committed.

Being slow to speak will help us keep away from the temptation to say things we shouldn’t say.  It will give us more time to listen.

And, when we are angry, we aren’t open to the truth.  We’re turned inward and only considering ourselves.  Not concerned about others.

Dear Father,  We ask for your help in being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  Please grow these qualities in us.

 

High Walls

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

When the Israelites entered the Promised land, its cities all had high, fortified gates and walls.  This was because the culture of the time was very destructive.  Wars included total extermination or enslavement of the men, women and children.  This was the culture that the people of the time lived in and understood.  Later, we will see God start to change this thinking with the Israelites as he made specific laws about how to treat each other and how to respect the belongs of other people.Feb 15 b 2015 high walls

So, when we see the Israelites totally annihilating a city, that was in line with how people dealt with these issues at the time.  It seems extremely excessive to us and hard to understand.  It was the only thing the Israelites understood and that’s why we see God using these methods to complete his will.

Getting rid of cultures that were committed to worshipping pagan gods should have also helped the Israelites avoid being enticed by the allure these other gods had…..but we read that often the Israelites still strayed and paid the penalty for their lack of commitment to the One True God.  God was trying to teach the Israelites to hold themselves separate from the pagans.  But they didn’t always get it.  Sound familiar?

All of the fighting and devastation in the Old Testament sounds gory and unforgiving to us…..until we remember the righteousness and holiness of God.  He is perfect.  He is always right.

Just because we don’t understand all of it doesn’t make it not true.  When we believe that God is in total control and that he is perfect, we can accept the reality of God working in this savage time as the right thing to do.

This is where faith kicks in.

Our 3 1/2 pound brain is limited.

God is limitless.

So we accept and believe….

OR we get all hung up on things that are beyond our comprehension.

Dear Father God, We believe you are perfect and righteous and holy.  Please help our faith grow in the areas where we don’t understand – in the areas where we will never understand.  We thank you for your truth.  In the redeeming name of Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

Not Listening

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Sometimes we’re just not listening.

We’re focused on ourselves,Feb 15 2015 listening

our plans,

what we want to make happen.

So we move forward,

in the direction we want to go.

Doing what we want to do,

when we want to do it.

With our ears closed to God.

Not listening.

Not really wanting to hear anything that could change the direction we want to go.

Because we know where we want to go.

We have big plans……this is going to be great!

So we march out to the hill country just like the Israelites did in Deuteronomy 1.

Without God’s direction.

Without God’s protection.

And we are chased back down the hill of failure – defeated by our own arrogance and rebellion.

How we wish we had listened!  The consequences of our own choices can be very severe – beating us down.

Unlike the Israelites, those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Savior have been redeemed and the Spirit of God lives within us.  He is always available – we just need to confess our rebellion and turn away from our sin.

Away from ourselves.

Our will.

We turn back to God.

And we recommit to listen….

very closely…..

everyday.

We’re listening, Abba Father.