Tag: faith

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On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

It can be scary when God starts doing something new.

It’s strange.  It’s different.October 30 2013

It takes us out of our comfort zone.

We have a choice – we can embrace it and move deeper into God’s will for us.

Or we can be afraid of this new thing and miss the opportunity to know God better.

In Matthew 8, Jesus releases a man from possession by a legion (a lot) of demons.  People from all over the countryside come to see what happened.  When they see this man who was a lunatic for so many years dressed and acting normal, they were afraid.

So they asked Jesus to leave.

They missed it!  They were in the presence of the King of the Universe and they asked him to go away.

This was too different.

It was too new.

It made them uncomfortable.

So Jesus left.

Of course he did.  He wants to be wanted.  When we choose him, he will come into our hearts and minds to help free us from our own demons.  And, if we give him more and more room in our lives every day, his influence on our life grows and it all starts making sense.  The journey begins to have an eternal purpose that makes it all worth it.

If we’re too afraid, we’ll miss the ‘more’ that God has for us.

Dear Father, please chase away our fears.

When…..

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

is God going to tell me what to do? 

How often do we hear this question coming out of the mouths of Christ-followers?

The fact is – God has already told us what to do.   In his word.  And its specific.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew is full of directions for everything.  Jesus tells us how to handle eating, what we wear, giving, praying, our treasures, our worries, our relationships, lies, grace, our enemies and our faith.

What else do we need to know?

At the end of the sermon, Jesus says, ” Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ but do not do as I say?”

Jesus is asking us that same question today.  He has told us what he wants us to know and do – are we doing it?  He’s not our Lord is we’re aren’t growing in our obedience to him.  We’ll never be 100% obedient this side of heaven BUT – do we have a daily desire to become more Christ-like?  Do we have daily disciplines in our lives that open up our minds and hearts to God’s transforming power? 

If our answer is yes, then we can call Jesus ‘Lord’.

You are the Light….

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

of the world, ” Jesus tells us in Matthew 5.

Our light should give light to everyone in our house.  It should shine out to the point that those who see it are impressed with our God.

So how bright is our light shining today?October 26 2013

It’s good to take an objective look at our faith journey at least once a year to make sure we’re still growing.  God has called us to shine His light right where we live so that others may be drawn to him.  And our goal should be to shine brighter and brighter every year until God brings us home to heaven.

To grow, we need to find more time and more ways to place our mind, body and spirit into God’s presence so he can transform us.  Worship, serving, prayer and Bible study with others and by ourselves are great ways for us to continue to grow into the people God created us to be.

Too often I see older Christians who have become discontent and crabby.  They don’t like what the pastor says or does.  They are extremely quick to point out anything and everything that’s wrong with their church and with their family.

I think God calls us to grow more Christ-like as we grow older, not more crabby.   As we walk this path of faith, we are supposed to be learning more patience and more compassion and more contentment and more wisdom so we can become an increasing blessing to the people around us and our church family.

That’s my goal – to become more Christ-like, not more crabby.

What’s yours?

If You Believed

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

The Jewish leaders are persecuting Jesus in  book of John chapter 5 because they think he is breaking the laws that God gave to Moses.

Jesus responds to them, telling them that he is just doing what his Father does and  his Father is the same God that gave the laws to Moses,  Then he says that, if they really believed in Moses, they would believe in jesus.  Because Moses wrote about Jesus.

The Jewish leaders still refused to believe.Oct 25 2013

Their minds were closed and their hearts were hard.  The Messiah they were waiting for stood before them but they wouldn’t believe.

It appears like the only things they truly believed in were themselves and their rules and their status.

Such a sad thing.  They were committed whole-heartedly to the wrong things.

It is my hope and prayer that many of these Jewish leaders came to believe and trust in Jesus before it was too late for them.  I like to think that Nicodemus and his buddies were part of the 3000 who believed when Peter preached at Pentecost.

It would be such a tragedy for them to have known it all in their heads but then miss it with their hearts.

Dear Father, please help us keep our minds and hearts open to you.

I Am Well Pleased

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

These  were the words of God coming out of the heavens during Jesus’ baptism.

This is one of my favorite moments in the New Testament because Jesus hadn’t started his ministry yet.  He hadn’t DONE anything yet to earn God’s favor.October 22 2

He just ‘was’.

He was God’s son and God was pleased with him.

Just like God is pleased with me because I am his daughter.  Through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, he made it possible for you and me to become children of God just like he was.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God adopts us as his own – his precious child – in whom he is well pleased.

It’s true……..and its a miracle!

Thanks you, dear Father!

Prepare the Way!

On By Judy GlasserIn October1 Comment

The voice of one calling in the wilderness.  Prepare the way for the Lord!

John the Baptist spoke truth into people’s lives and helped prepare their hearts and minds for the time when they would meet their Savior.

Whose voice is calling out now?  Who is speaking to the wilderness of lonely, broken and lost people all around us?

Who is preparing the way so that the Spirit of God can touch these people with the truth?

This is supposed to us …….our voice.October 22 c2013

God has called us to be his witnesses on our block, in our neighborhood, in our city and where ever we go.

He has lavished his love upon us so that it can overflow to everyone around us.

He has given us the opportunity to hear and believe the truth and it’s not just for us.  We need to share it.

He has washed us clean with his mercy and grace.  We know it, we feel it.  Now we need to share it.

Let every valley be raised up and filled with His Light!

And our mountains of problems and issues leveled out by God’s hands.

Our crooked and confused paths made straight.

The love of God will smooth the rough road ahead of us.

And ALL people will see and understand God’s Salvation!

Amen!

Hello, Wise Men!

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

We’ve read through the Old Testament – congratulations!

I’ve met many Christians who have told me that they avoid reading and studying the Old Testament and they have a variety of reason for this.  I have only one thing to say about that – they are missing out!

As we just witnessed, God has a lot to teach us in the Old Testament.  The treasure is plentiful.  And it’s obviously important to God because 3/4 of his entire revelation to us is in the Old Testament.

Chronologically, biblical history is silent for about 400 hears between the OT and the NT.  A lot of things were happening during this time but God must have decided that those things were not an integral part of his love story to us so they weren’t included in his word.

The New Testament begins with the four gospels and the story of Jesus’ birth.  Angels filled the sky as they announced the birth of the newborn king to the shepherds.  Simeon and Anna were blessed for their faithfulness by having the opportunity to personally meet the Baby Jesus.October 21 2013

And the Wise Men made a very long journey following a star – they knew something big was up.  When they saw Jesus they were overjoyed.  They laid down their treasure before him and worshipped him.

Everytime I read this, I am amazed once again at how the religious people of the time totally missed the whole thing.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were so wrapped up in all of their laws that they missed the fulfillment of prophecies made 700 years before.  We know they knew the scriptures – that was their life work!  They had all the head knowledge but they couldn’t see what was happening right in front of them because their eyes and hearts weren’t open to God.   If they knew God as well as they knew the scriptures, they would have been worshipping Jesus right along with the Wise Men.

They had it all wrong – knowing the scriptures but not knowing God is meaningless.  Our goal is to know and experience God through his word. 

Dear Father, please help us keep our eyes and our hearts open to you!

A Test……

On By Judy GlasserIn October, UncategorizedLeave a comment

that God always passes.

God tells us in Malachi 3 that, when we bring our whole tithe to him, he will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there won’t be enough room to store it.

Have you tested him?

If you have, then I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing that the rest of us who have done this have experienced.

God always keeps his word.  The blessings start rolling in, pouring out and multiplying.

Sometimes its actual money – an unexpected check, rebate or promotion.October 5 2013

Most of the time the blessings are things that money just can’t buy.  Things like joy, contentment, improved relationships with family and friends, a clear sense of direction and purpose.

And there’s an additional blessing of knowing that we are handling our finances in a way that honors and pleases God.

This is the only place in the Bible where God challenges us to test him.

He knows that it’s so easy for us to want to be in control of our money – even when it’s clear that we’re really messing it up.  Money can quickly become the god we are slaves to as the debt rises and the god of ‘more’ takes control.

God doesn’t want that for us.  He wants us to live a life filled with joy and freedom – freedom to serve him.  We can’t do that when we’re slaves to money.

So he challenges us to let him take control.  Because he loves us and he wants the best for us.

Thank you, dear Father.

For Such a Time as This

On By Judy GlasserIn October, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I am always inspired by Queen Esther’s story.  Lots of drama, lots of intrigue but she listens to her Godly Uncle and responds to God’s call upon her life.

God’s calls us to use the gifts and talents he has given us to meet a need in the world around us.

It’s true for all of us who love God.

When I was younger, I thought only pastors and missionaries received a calling from God.  I’m not sure where I got that from because it’s clear throughout the Bible that God calls each believer to faithfully respond to him with a ‘yes’ and fill a need around them.  Its not a vague, general calling – he has a specific need all picked out.

And it’s now.  For such a time as this.

God makes us aware of it at just the right time.  If we’re listening.  If we’re watching what’s going on around us.  If we’re meditating on his word.

As we walk down this path of faith, our callings also change.  We receive a new, ” For such a time as this.”  And then later we get a different “For Such a time as this.”

But there’a always a purpose for us.  When we have nothing else to do here, God brings us home to heaven.

If we’re still breathing, we have a calling, a purpose, something planned out by God for us to do.

For Such a Time as This.

Don’t Miss the Point

On By Judy GlasserIn OctoberLeave a comment

They refused to pay attention.September 28 2013

They turned their backs.

They covered their ears.

They hardened their hearts by refusing to listen to God.

This made the Lord Almighty very angry.

Then God said, ” When I called they did not listen,

so when they called, I would not listen.”

Our Father God is the same today as he was several thousand years ago when he said these words to the Israelites through his prophet, Zachariah.

He expects us to pay attention.

He expects us to open our ears.

He expects us to soften our hearts by listening to him as he speaks to us through his living word.

Then he will listen.