Tag: faith

Here Come the Arrows

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

“Take up the shield of faith in order to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”,  Paul tells us in Ephesians.

Oh, yeah.  The arrows.

These flaming arrows definitely come at me when I least expect it.  I’m confident Satan plans it that way.dec 15 e 2013

Here’s an arrow that comes at me – I get an opportunity to say something bad (but true) about someone I don’t like or who has done something unkind to me.  My shield of faith has to be up and in place if I’m going to keep my mouth shut on that one.

Another arrow comes my way!  Satan loves to arrange it so that I don’t pay for everything in my cart at stores.  I hate to waste the time to go back and pay for something when I realize that it was missed in the check-out process. I need my shield of faith in place to help me remember that my integrity is more important that the inconvenience.

Another arrow – sometimes I feel surrounded by people who are lacking morals and good judgement in their personal lives.  My shield of faith needs to be up and ready so that I can accept these people and love them with the love God gives to me.  Satan would be pleased if I would judge them and forget to be compassionate.  My shield of faith helps me dodge that arrow.

These are flaming arrows which can really hurt me if my shield isn’t up.  They can make my behavior not pleasing to God.  They can also make me look more like a servant of Satan than a beloved child of the One True God.

So I need to have my shield of faith up and ready every day. 

I never know where the flaming arrows will be coming from.

Thank you, dear Father, for my shield of faith.

Blown Back and Forth

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

Let’s grow in maturity in Christ so that….

* we are no longer infants.Dec 15 d 2013

* we are no longer tossed back and forth by the waves of this life.

* we are not blown here and there by every different wind of teaching.

*we are not influenced by the cunning schemes of deceitful people.

Instead, as we speak the truth in love, our faith with mature and we will become the body of Christ with him as our head.

Christ holds our body of believers together in love as we each use our spiritual gifts to do our part.

Thank you, dear Father.

More to know

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

We could study God’s word all day everyday and there would still be more to know about Christ. 

After our purpose on earth is ended, we’re going home (YIPEEE!) to heaven where we will live with Christ into eternity.  I’m confident that we will continue to grow in our knowledge and experience of Christ in heaven – forever – and we will never know it all.   There will still be mysteries.

Wow!dec 15b 2013

I’m comforted by the fact that I don’t understand it all here on earth.  I only have a 3 1/2 lb. brain – if I could understand everything about God, he wouldn’t be much of a god.  I like that fact that I can’t fully comprehend

* his omnipresence

* his holiness

* his righteousness

* his omnipotence.

I’m trying very hard to understand his grace so that I can live it every day.

We struggle to try to understand the Trinity – how complicated!

And I can visualize God smiling on us as we confuse ourselves by trying to fit his ‘Otherness’ into our human box.  He knows he’s only told us Trinity 101 – it’s actually much more intricate and supernatural – we’ll never understand it.  Ours 3 1/2 lb. brains just aren’t going to handle it.

So, this is where faith comes in.  We believe it because we trust in God.  We know God is perfect.  We know he wants the best for us.  He proved this by sending his best – Jesus- to die for us AND to show us how to live.

So we believe.  And we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yes – we gradually unravel some of the mysteries of Christ.  And there are so many more to go!

This brings me to share my decision to continue this journey with you through God’s word in 2014.  I have learned so much these last 2 years by blogging through the Bible – I don’t feel like I can stop!

The Joy!

The Comfort!

The Truth!

The Value of taking the journey.

I have also really enjoyed the ‘story’ feeling of the Chronological Bible so I’m going back to the beginning with this one.

I hope you will continue on the journey with me!

God has a lot more to say to us in 2014 and I’m REALLY looking forward to it!

Put On Love

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

Dec 14b 2013As God’s chosen people,

Put on compassion,

Put on kindness,

Put on humility,

Put on gentleness,

Put on patience,

Put on forgiveness – how much has God forgiven us?

And over all of these virtues, put on love which makes it all work in perfect harmony.

How do we do this?

* By letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts everyday.

* By talking about God and sharing with each other what we have learned and experienced.

In your name and for your glory, dear Jesus.

The Eyes of My Heart

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

Enlighten the eyes of our hearts, dear Father, so we may really know and experience the hope you have called us to.

Please help us understand the riches of the glorious inheritance we have received as your holy people.Dec 15 2013

We want to experience more of your incomparably great power in our lives.  We know we were spiritually dead in our sins, following the ways of this world and helping Satan with his plans and schemes by living in disobedience.

But we now know your great love for us.  Your great mercy, dear God!  You have made us alive in Christ, showing awesome grace and kindness to us.

We now know and believe that we are your precious children, redeemed by Christ and called to fulfill your purpose for us here on hearth before we come home to live with you in heaven.

Amen, Hallelujah!

Is it Worth It?

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

How much of our time do we spend working?  Watching TV?  Playing games on our various devices?  On our hobbies?

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that, when the day of Judgement comes, whatever we have accomplished will be tested by fire.  The fire will reveal the quality of each person’s life.Nov 30 2013

Things that were done in Christ’s name and for the glory of God will survive. 

All of the other things we have done will be burned up because they have no eternal value.

If a person has accepted salvation through Jesus Christ, they will be saved even though everything they’ve done in life will be burned up.  They will be like ‘one escaping through the flames’.  They will have nothing to show for their time on earth because they will have wasted their lives on things that just weren’t worth it.

So – all of the things we spend our time on……

Are they worth anything?

Just Ordinary People…..

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

who have been with Jesus.Nov 21 2013

Peter and John are witnessing to the Sanhedrin – the chief priests –  about who Jesus really was in Acts 4.

And the Sanhedrin were astonished by what Peter and John said to them.  Peter and John were just ordinary men but it was obvious to the chief priests that they had ‘been with Jesus.’

There are powerful words!  They point directly to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Peter and John had been with Jesus and now they were forever changed because the Holy Spirit was living inside of them.

And the Sanhedrin could tell.

Dear Father,  It is our prayer today that people around us can tell by  what we say and how we act that we have ‘been with Jesus”.

We want our lives to be an obvious testament of the redeeming power of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Please let the words that come out of our mouth be courageous and pleasing to you, Dear God.

Help us to shine out of this dark world by letting your love flow through us to others.  We desire to overcome evil with good and we can only do that with your help.

We have the Holy Spirit living in us so we are no longer ordinary.  We are your extraordinary children who are overwhelmed by the blessings you have lavished upon us as we continue on in our journey towards the truth – towards you.

We pray all of this in the awesome name of Jesus who has saved us.  Amen.  Hallelujah!

Clothed with Power…..

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

Nov 19 2 2013that’s what we are.

That’s who we are when we’re born again, washed clean by Jesus’ sacrifice for us and recharged by the divine power of the Holy Spirit living within us.

This power clothes us on the inside.  It covers our hearts so we can really know and experience the unconditional love that God has for it.

It covers our minds as the Holy Spirit transforms old, hurtful habits into new, Godly habits.  Impossible hopes that we had before now have become possible because of God’s ability to intervene in our lives.

This power covers our souls as each new day of our eternal live with our Father God begins.

We have been clothed with the power of our Living God and Jesus asks us to use this power for his purposes here on earth. 

Who will we meet today that needs to experience some of God’s love flowing through us?  Or do they need to hear a part of our story about how the Holy Spirit has transformed us?  Or do they need to accept salvation today so that their eternal life with God can start?

We have the power. 

God asks us to use it today.

Thank you, dear God.

Comparisons……

On By Judy GlasserIn November1 Comment

Sometimes we can really get wrapped up in comparing ourselves to others, don’t we?

We compare our kids, our careers, our marriages, houses, lifestyles – everything.Nov 19 2013

With our church family we try to compare our levels of faith, what version of the Bible we use, frequency of church attendance and service – everything.

Peter does this same thing in John 21.  He is talking with our Risen Lord Jesus who had just asked Peter to pledge his love for Jesus three times.  Jesus tells Peter that he will glorify God in his death.

Peter then looks back at John who is following them as they walk down the shoreline and he says, “Lord, what about him?”  Peter is wondering how John is going to glorify God – what’s John going to b doing?  How is John going to die? 

And Jesus replies, “What is that to you?”

WITTY

The WITTY principle – God treats us all as individuals.  He gives each of us unique gifts and unique purposes.

Comparing ourselves to others is wasted effort and not what God wants us to do with what he has given to us.

Anytime we’re temped to start the comparisons, it’s good to remember this WITTY principle.

And then focus our eyes back onto Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus.

Only By Faith

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

The thief on the cross uses one of his last breaths on earth to ask Jesus to remember him when Jesus goes to his kingdom.  And Jesus replies that today the thief would be with him in paradise.

This one sentence in the crucifixion story explains so much.Nov 18 2013

Today the thief was going to paradise.  There was no purgatory, no waiting.  The thief had never gone to church.  He had not done one good thing in the name of Jesus.

He just believed

and he was saved.

This is such a clear-cut picture of how grace works.

It’s a gift.

A gift that this thief chose to accept with this last, dying breath.

It’s awesome when we hear of people today who finally accept Jesus’ salvation on their deathbed.  Their eternity is secured!

I always feel a little sad for them, though.  They missed all the joy and purpose God gives us during our lives here on earth.  They had to do this long, hard journey without the love, strength and comfort that only comes from God.  Their life on earth had been a lot harder than it needed to be.

We are so thankful for the gift of grace you have given us, dear Father!