Tag: faith

Celebrating The Creator of Love

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Our Father God created love for us.

He wants us to feel loved, all of the time.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:2.Roses 2..

The book of 1 John is jam-packed full of truth about love.  Reread it today as we celebrate the love that the Father of the Heavenly Lights lavishes upon us.

“This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” 1 John 3:16.

Thank you, Jesus.  That’s what real love is.

” This is how God showed his love among us.  He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”Roses 1

Thank you, dear Father, for showing us your love and giving us life.

God loves us perfectly and he desires to love others through us.

“No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

Please help us show your love to others, Abba Father, so they can feel it and be made whole.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18.

Please guide our actions and our tongue, Abba Father.  Let them be filled with your love.  And thank you for leading us on this Journey Towards the Truth.

 

 

 

Sword Fighting Class- Redeemed!

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.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without fault, and it will be given to him. James 1 1 -9 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like the 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.  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, for he will pass away like a wildflower.  The sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. James 1= 13-18 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 crown of life that God has promised to those 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 lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Awesome!  We are memorizing James 1 and we are doing great!  We are doing our part and God is definitely doing his part!  Here is our next verse:

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”

God has redeemed us with his grace.  His gospel is the truth which transforms us from creatures forever separated from God’s light into his adopted children, reborn and reconciled to him.

There is no better news than this!

Thank you, Abba Father!

 

 

Sound the Trumpet

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

The Israelites were reminded that God was with them when the trumpet sounded.  Different trumpet blasts were used to communicate various messages to them.feb 7 2015 Sound the trumpets

One of the blasts told them the leaders were supposed to gather.  Another told them the whole community was supposed to congregate.  A different blast told them to pick up their tents and start moving.  Another one was used when they were going into battle.  Or, at festival time, the trumpets were blown over their burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

In all of these situations the trumpet sound reminded them that God was with them.

Sometimes we could really use a trumpet blast today, couldn’t we?  We’d love a loud reminder that God is with us.

We forget.

We get distracted.

We start focusing on ourselves (again) and we forget that the Holy Spirit lives within us and that God wants to be involved in every part of our lives.

Developing good spiritual habits is the best way for us to be constantly plugged in to God so that we don’t wander into ‘me’ land.

* Regularly reading and studying our Bible, applying his word to our lives.

* talking with God often and then listening, expecting a reply.

* Regularly participating in worship with our spiritual family.

* Regularly meeting with other Christians – encouraging each other and growing together as we walk this path of faith.

Each one of these habits is  trumpet blast – reminding us that God is alive within us and he is very busy transforming us to be more like Jesus.

Thank you for our trumpet blasts, Abba Father.

Retiring

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

I’ve been told many times that God doesn’t talk about retiring in the Bible.

That’s not correct.  In Numbers 8, God tells Moses that male Levites 25 years old and older would work in the tent of meeting until they reach the age of 50.  Then they would retire and assist their brothers in doing the work, but not do it.Feb 4 2015 Retiring

The older brothers were to retire.  By retiring, they left room for the next generation to take the lead and do the work while the older generation was still around to help.  God didn’t tell them to retire and go play golf everyday.  The older men still had a role to play – just not the main one.

That’s how it should work today.

The younger generation needs to be taught how to lead and do the work so that the older generation can step back into a support role.  Sometimes the older team can struggle with this – they are used to being the ones in charge.  When the younger generation takes the lead, they will do it differently because God has gifted them with different talents and skills.  Sometimes it hard for the older generation to respect that and let the younger team lead like God is calling them to lead.

I am hearing of more and more churches that are closing their doors.   And a constant theme in these churches is that they had not let the younger generation take the lead so the younger people left the church in order to find someplace that would let them do what God was calling them to do.

And the old church dies – literally – as its old members die.

Sad.

Not what God desires from us.

The older generation needs to be obedient in passing down the torch of leadership even if it means things are going to change.  Our God is a God of change…of transformation.  Things should be constantly changing.  That’s what God is all about.

The older generation has a lot to contribute to the church – wisdom, experience and knowledge.  But only if they are willing to change.

If they are not flexible, they become an obstacle to keeping the church healthy and growing.  And more churches die.

Please help us always to be open to your change, Abba Father.

It Matters to God

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

God gives Moses specific instruction in Exodus regarding everything from the garments of the priests to how the curtains needed to be woven and hung in the tabernacle to what ingredients to use when making anointing oil.

All of these details mattered to God.Jan 29 2015 a details matter

This gives us an insight into God’s nature.  After reading these pages, I believe that he actually does know the number of hairs on my head.  He really does care about giving me the good parking spot I prayed for on a rainy day or a green light that I asked for when I was running to little late to an appointment.

He cares.Jan 29 2015 details matter b

Reading this also reminds me of his concern for the details of my relationship with him.  He cares about how quickly I obey.  He notices whether my mind and heart are open to his truth.  He is concerned about how much room I give him to live and work in my life.

Is God the King in all of the details of my life?  Or do I pick and choose?

What is your answer to that?

 

Sword Fighting Class – Everything Good

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 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.  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, for he will pass away like the wildflower.  The sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.  In the same way, the rich man fades 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.”James 1= 13-18

When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me’, for God cannot be tempted by evil or 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.”

Great job!  We’re memorizing James 1 and we are over half-way!  Thank you, dear God, for helping us write your word upon our hearts!  Here are the next two verses:

“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.”

I love this verse!  Everything good comes from God.  Everything that is true and good and fun and worthwhile comes from God.

This was driven home to me one year when my company had all of the top leaders attend a seminar to help us personally work through things in our heads and hearts because they knew we would be better employees if we were better people.

It was not a faith-based seminar but every main point they made was Biblical……..because all truth comes from God.  All good things come down from the Father of Heavenly light.

There is nothing good on earth that did not come from him.

I like the last part of that verse as well – God doesn’t change.  The rest of our world changes every second, shifting around like shadows that move as the sun moves.    God is our consistent Rock.  He is our only anchor.

Thank you, Abba Father!

Together, We All Win

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

I love the visual image I get as I read Exodus 17.  Moses is holding up his hands with the help of Aaron and Hur as the Israelites fight the Amalekites.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning.  But, when his hands got tired and he lowered them, the Amalekites started winning.  To help the Israelites win, Aaron and Hur stood on either side of Moses and held his hands up for him.

God’s message to you and I? Together, we win.

This is what our church families should be like.  God tells us in the New Testament that we are all different parts of the same body.  When we all show up and do what we are called to do, we all win.

When we hold each other up, encouraging each other, loving one another, and spurring each other on in this marathon of faith, we stand firm as the body of Christ.

The Kingdom of God dwells on earth for all to see when the people of his church are obedient.

So, let’s hold up each other’s arms and share the victory!

Glory to God!  Amen!  Hallelujah!

 

All We Need

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

God our provider.

And he gives us everything we need.Jan 27 2015 All We Need

Not all we want.

All we need.

He provides for us just like he provided quail and manna for the Israelites as they travelled through the desert in Exodus.  Each one of the Israelites had all the food they needed.

God provided for them….and he provides for us now.

Living in our materialistic culture, we can often be lured into thinking that we don’t have enough.  We start worshipping the god of More.

We can quickly be enticed by the need to have more.  We end up spending our time and energy on getting more instead of building a close relationship with our omnipotent God who created it all and would give us more if he wanted us to have it.  He tells us in Luke to be faithful with what we have – that is his provision for us.

Do we have enough faith to be content with what God has already given us?  Do we trust God enough to put away our lists of wants and live of life of contentment and generosity?

Thank you, Abba Father, for all of the things you have already provided for us.

Sword Fighting Class- The Choice is Ours

On By Judy GlasserIn Sword Fighting ClassLeave a comment

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you 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.  But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position because he will pass away like the wildflower.  For the sun rises with  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 as 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 those who love him.”James 1= 13-18

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me’.  For God can not tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own sinful desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 

Awesome!  We are memorizing James 1!  Definitely a God thing – writing this on my heart would not be possible if God was blessing this and making it happen.  Here’s the next verse –

‘Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.’

When we take the bait like  James 1:14 mentions, we make the evil desire our own and this leads to sinful attitudes and actions.  As a result, we move farther and farther away from God.

God uses this whole passage of James to speak to us about the benefits when we persevere with wisdom and faith through trials.  When we stand the test, God is pleased, he knows we love him and he gives us the crown of life.

Or we can choose to be drawn away by our own wants and desires.  This choice leads to separation and death.

Our choice.  The consequences are clear.

A Hardened Heart

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

We’re not listening.Jan 23 2015 ahardened heart a Jan 23 2015 a hardened heart b Jan 23 2015 c ahardened heart

We’re focused on doing our own thing.

We’re stubborn.

We want to control what’s going on.

We think we know what’s best.

Sometimes God will throw up a roadblock when we’re doing these things in order to get our attention and turn us in a different direction.

Other times, God just lets us follow our natural inclinations.  He knows we will have consequences to pay for the bad decisions we’re making and, hopefully, we’ll turn to him in our distress.  Hopefully we’ll ask for his wisdom and we’ll learn to become wise through the trials we are bringing upon ourselves.

Sometimes, God lets us do just what we want to do without trying to stop us.

That’s what he did in Moses’ epic showdown with Pharoah.  God let Pharoah follow his natural, stubborn, evil, greedy, self-centered inclinations.  God hardened Pharoah’s heart – he didn’t do anything to change Pharoah’s mind or open his eyes to the truth.

God let Pharoah do what he wanted to do and it led to the death of Pharoah’s firstborn son and destruction of his army.

When our ears are not open to the whispers of God, our hearts are hard.  Beware!

When we’re focused on getting what we want, when we want it – our hearts are hard.  We are on a path of heartbreak and destruction.

But our Father God is always near.  We just need to turn to him, confess our rebellion and get in step with him once again.

His grace is sufficient for us.

Thank you, Abba Father.