Tag: faith

Never Too Short

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

There are times when I am tired and discouraged and other days when I am sad and feel a little lost.   I also have hours of impatience and frustration.

When is God going to do something about this issue that is going on in my life?  When is he going to take care of this struggle?

How can God possibly work this out for my good?  I just don’t see how he’s going to do that.   Maybe it’s not going to happen.

Then God responds to me like he did to Moses thousands of years ago, ” Is the LORD’S arm too short?” Numbers 11:23.

I just have to smile.  This really sets me back in my place.  Because – of course, God’s arm is not too short.  He is the Creator of the Universe, the Great I AM.  He sees and knows everything.  Nothing is impossible for him.

When God said this to Moses, Moses was doubting that God could provide meat for all of the Israelites for a month.  The people had started grumbling about eating manna everyday and God responded by saying, “Tomorrow you will eat meat.”

As the leader of these complainers, Moses thought he had to ‘help God’ by figuring out how to get this done.  But he just didn’t see a way to make this happen.   It was impossible!

Yes, it was impossible for human hands.  But there are no limits for God.  His arm is never too short – it reaches across universes that we don’t even know about yet.

So we should not be surprised that the Israelites ate meat – they ate meat until they were sick of it.

God’s arm is not too short but sometimes our faith can be too small.  My faith can be too limited.

Do I really believe that God’s arm is never too short?

Do I really trust him?

Please grow our faith, Abba Father.

I Need a Reminder

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

You need a reminder.

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.

We could really use a reminder like God gave the Israelites.  ” The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at the tent of meeting.  If only one is sounded, the leaders – the heads of the clans of Israel – are to assemble before you.” Numbers 10: 1, 2.

God gave Moses a whole system of communicating to the huge crowd of Israelites with trumpets which included telling them when to go into battle, when and how they broke camp and even when it was time to celebrate.  Different trumpet blasts gave the different instructions but each blast reminded them that God was with them.  He was in charge.  He was taking care of things.

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

I have learned that developing good spiritual habits is the best way for me be constantly plugged in to God so I don’t forget that God is in charge and he is taking care of everything.

* Regularly reading and studying my Bible, applying God’s word to my life.

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

* Regularly participating in worship with my spiritual family.

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

Each one of these habits is like a trumpet blast – reminding me that the Spirit of God is alive within me and he is in the process of transforming me to be more like Jesus.

Thank you for your trumpet blasts, Abba Father.

Stirred Up Hearts

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

What can I do?  What can I give?  How much is enough?

Can you imagine what it looked like when the whole community of Israel went into their tents and came out with so many offerings that they had more than enough materials needed for the Tabernacle?  We read in Exodus 35: 21 that God moved their spirits and stirred their hearts.

And then God goes on to tell us that all of the people volunteered their skills. Some of the women were skilled in sewing while others were skilled in spinning. God gifted many of the craftsmen with the special skills that they needed in order to build the sanctuary.   “See, the LORD has chosen Bazalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.”  Exodus 35: 30-33.

I wish I could have seen that sanctuary – I bet it was spectacular!

This is still happening.  God is moving spirits and stirring hearts.  When I look around me, I see people everywhere that God is gifting with special skills to accomplish what he wants done today.

When our spirits are moved and we bring our offerings to God with a willing heart, he enables us to do his will – sometimes in truly spectacular ways and sometimes in special, small ways. But always in ways that bring joy to us and glory to him.

Please stir up our hearts, Abba Father, and move our spirits.

Is There a Difference?

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Do I act differently?  Do different words come out of my mouth?  Do I look different?

Is there an obvious difference in my life because I’m a Christ- follower?  More than just the fact that I go to church?

There should be a difference – right?  It should be all different – how I act and speak and look.  God is in the process of transforming me  – a big religious word for this is sanctification.  Believing in God, trusting in Jesus and obeying the Holy Spirit’s promptings and guidance should change my life from what it would be without God.

I’m reading in Exodus that Moses’ face was radiant after he met with God.  What would it take for my face to radiate after meeting with God?  What about your face?

I know Moses actually went inside the tent and ‘met’ with God but I also meeting-with-god‘meet’ with God every time I read and study his word.  I meet with him when I have a conversation with him in prayer.   And when I worship him.

Do my meetings with God change me?  Do I let him transform me from the inside out so that it’s obvious I have met with God?

What would it mean for us to genuinely radiate God’s love and mercy and truth in our lives?

Please open our eyes and our hearts, Abba Father.

Not a Democracy

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

We are blessed to be living in a country ruled by a democracy.   Never before in my lifetime has there been more attacks on our freedom and constitution, but it’s still a democracy.

Personally, I have chosen Jesus to be my Savior and King so I am living in a theocracy.  I pray for our country but my life is secured on my God, the Solid Rock.  He will not be moved or changed.

A theocracy means that it’s all about what God wants.  His desires.  His plans.  His will. His purposes.  In order for God to be the LORD of my life, I have to let go of my plans and desires and be dependent on him as I make decisions about my next steps.  I have to submit my will to his, trusting that his ways are right, his love is perfect and he wants the best for me.

As I read the book of Exodus, it’s amazing to watch God use Moses to transform the Israelites from a nation of slaves into a theocracy.  God himself led the Israelites with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. God fed them by sending manna from heaven.  When God gave them laws and commandments in order to teach them how to live as his people, they responded, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”  Exodus 24:3

This is the same commitment I have made in order to live in line with God.  Everything God says, I will do.  For me to day that, I have to make the choice each day to take myself off the throne of my life and put God on it.

Each hour.

Of every day.

Please help me make my life a true theocracy, dear Father.

 

Bringing Order out of Chaos

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Too much to do.

New things getting added to the list every hour.

It’s hard to focus.

I’m drowning!

Ever felt that way?  I used to feel that way pretty regularly – until I learned an important lesson about my Father God.  He is a God of order.  When I invite God into my chaos, he provides clear priorities and organization.

I love the historical account of Moses with his father-in-law, Jethro, in Exodus 18.   Jethro saw that Moses had large numbers of people coming to him all day every day to settle their disputes.  It was a great opportunity for Moses to teach them about God and direct them in the way God would want them to go.  The problem was that a crowd of people stood around Moses each day, waiting a long time to get help with their issues.  Moses was becoming tired and overwhelmed.

I know that feeling, Moses!

Seeing this, Jethro sat Moses down to share some of his experience and wisdom with him.  He told Moses, “What you are doing is not good.  You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out.”  There was a better way.  We would say today that the process Moses was using was not ‘sustainable’.  Moses was going to ‘burn out’.

Any of that sound familiar?

Jethro suggested that Moses pick some honest, capable men who feared God and ask them to take care of the smaller, more common issues.  Then these men could bring the more major cases to Moses.  So smart!  This way the men handling the smaller disputes would hear what Moses had to say about the more major concerns and they could gradually learn how to handle these more difficult issues as well.

Jethro also showed great wisdom when he told Moses to consult with God to make sure this is what God wanted him to do.  Super smart!  I have learned to always go to God for confirmation when I get Godly counsel from someone.   The people I am  talking to are just people with their own perspectives and bias’.   God always gives me confirmation if the advice I am hearing fits into his plan.

Moses asked and God confirmed, so Moses did what Jethro suggested.

Jethro and Moses were creating the process that we know today as our judicial system.  And it reveals to us that our God is a God of organization and structure.  He is not messy or forgetful.  He is not lazy or late.

God brings order to my thinking when I am confused.  He clarifies my priorities when I am overwhelmed.  He helps me focus on what he is asking me to do rather than all the other ‘good’ things I could do.  He shines a bright light on what is best, helping me make decisions and making it easier to say ‘no’ when something would distract me from the path he wants me to take.

Do you need God to create order in your life?  If so, ask him and listen.  Be ready to obey…..

and then blessed.

Thank you for bringing order out of my chaos, Abba Father.

It’s a Plague

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

“Let my people go.” God told Moses to say these words to Pharaoh several times throughout the book of Exodus.  But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he did not listen to God.  As a result, Pharaoh’s people experienced multiple plagues which built up to the painful and tragic deaths of all of their firstborn.

Looking at our culture, I can see a lot of hard hearts that are turned away from God.  I can see several modern-day plagues as well.

The Plague of Broken Families – the divorce rate just keeps rising and now large numbers of kids are being raised by single parents.  Many of these parents are trying their hardest but how much better it would be if they had a  loving partner to share the responsibilities so that their kids could experience all of the blessings of growing up in an unbroken family.

The Plague of ‘It’s All OK’ – it’s all ok as long as you don’t get caught.  Integrity is a lost value in our culture – we lost it at the same time we lost a correct sense of right and wrong.  Morality is a scary word to use these days.

The Plague of Emptiness – people are working harder and longer to pay off a mountain of debt that just keeps growing as they buy things they think will make them happy.  After buying the next thing and the initial happiness wears off, they start to look for the next thing that will make them happy, never really addressing the God-sized emptiness in their soul.  It’s not surprising that the list of things we can legally use to try to fill this hole is growing.

 The Plague of Fear – I have been truly amazed this last year by the level of constant fear I see in some people’s lives.  Yes, a worldwide pandemic can be a scary thing but God is in control.  He is good and perfect. He wants the best for those who have put their faith in him and he is working all things out for our good.  Yes, be careful.  Yes, be wise.  But those who trust in God don’t need to be afraid.

The answer to saving our families, bringing back the value of integrity, being whole and not living in fear is God.  The answer has always been God and will always be God.

Please soften our hearts towards you, Abba Father.

Do You Feel It?

On By Judy GlasserIn February2 Comments

In Exodus, we are witness to an epic battle between Moses and Pharaoh – actually God and Pharaoh – and Pharaoh is losing badly.

By chapter 10, God had sent 8 plagues causing wide-spread disease and hardship for the people, death and destruction for livestock and crops.  But Pharaoh continued to refuse to let God’s people go.  And the intensity of the plagues continued to grow.  It’s significant to read that the 9th plague – worse than the other 8 –  was darkness.  Darkness spread across Egypt for 3 days.  It was so dark, they couldn’t see anyone else around them.

Pitch black for 3 days.

Can you imagine the depression, anxiety and fear?  This plague affected their minds – it was worse than the rest.  Because we can’t go somewhere else to get away from our minds.   We can’t avoid thinking.  They couldn’t stop feeling the oppressive darkness – the void where light and warmth used to be.

Pitch black for 3 days.

I love the fact that during these three days God provided light where the Israelites lived.  I visualize a huge spotlight shining down from heaven onto the Israelites.my-people-live-in-the-light

The light of God’s love.

God’s care.

Light for God’s favorite people.

Bright, warm, good.

Those of us who trust in Jesus know how this feels because we live in this light every day.  It’s the light of God’s love and care for his favorite people – those who have accepted salvation through Jesus.  Through my relationship with God, I have watched him faithfully turn any darkness in my life into light.

He  wants to transform your darkness into light as well. He wants to fill any void in your life with warmth and goodness.

His spotlight of grace, strength and wholeness shines down on me everyday, filling my mind and heart with his love.  I feel it.

Do you feel it?

Thank you for your light, Abba Father.

What’s in Your Hand?

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

What do you already have?

Sometimes I don’t feel like I have the right skills or experience or knowledge to do what God is asking me to do.  That’s how Moses felt when God told him to go back to Egypt to free his people from slavery.

“What if they do not believe me or listen to me..?”  Exodus 4:1.   I can hear the worry and concern in Moses’ voice, can’t you?

And then God asked Moses to look at what he already had in his hand and use that to do what God was asking him to do.  Moses was holding his staff in his hand.  As the story of the Exodus unfolds we will read of Moses regularly using his staff in order to do what God is asking him to do.

Applying this to my life, I need to consider what I already have and figure out how to use it to serve God.  What is God asking me to do and what has he already given me in order to accomplish it?  I have a car.  I have a house with chairs.  I have leadership and writing skills.  If I turn off the TV and close down my computer and lay down my phone, I also have time.

When God asked me to start writing this blog, I was already writing a different blog.  So I had everything in my hands to do what he wanted me to do except for time.   I had to take a couple of things out of my already packed schedule to fit the new blog in but God blessed my efforts.  Here I am, 9 years later, still reading through the entire Bible every year and sharing the journey with you in my blog.

I have learned that it’s important to remember when God tells me he wants me to do something that I’m not doing it alone.  God and his supernatural power is working with me – making the impossible possible.  When I focus on what I can do, God takes care of the rest.

The questions God has for us today are – what is he asking us to do and what can we use that is already in our hands to do it.

Please open our eyes, Abba Father.

 

Please Send Someone Else

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

It’s true.

I’m reading Exodus 4 and Moses – one of the major ancient Patriarchs of Faith – asks God to “Please send someone else.”

What?  God has heard the cries of his people and he chose Moses to lead the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and Moses replies, “Send someone else?”  Moses went through the whole burning bush experience and he still says “Send someone else?”

Do I ever do this?

Do you?

I think one of the areas that many of us will ask God “Please send someone else” is when God gives us an opportunity to share our faith and share our story.  “Oh, I’m not sure what to say.”  “We might get into a complicated conversation and I won’t have the answers.”

“There is someone else who would be better at this than me.”

Nope.  All believers are called to be witnesses of what God has done in their lives.  All of us.  Not just Billy Graham or your pastors.

I love it when people around me start asking spiritual questions because that means God is moving in their lives.  He is opening their eyes and softening their hearts – making them think about him.  Even if the person expresses their searching aggressively like, “How could you possibly believe this stuff?”, God is moving in their brain, stirring things up.

By the way, I have to smile when someone tells me they are not ‘into organized religion’ because then I tell them I’m not, either.  But I’m totally into having a personal relationship with God.  And God is very clear in his Word that part of having a relationship with him is also having relationships with other Christians – a spiritual family.  These spiritual families can meet anywhere – not just in church buildings.  My closest spiritual families have been my Bible study small groups through the years.  I am still a part of one that has been meeting at 6 am on Thursday mornings for over 23 years.  Family.

When people around you or me show any type of interest in God or ask any kind of question, that is God inviting us to show his love to this person, be a witness to what God has done in our life and plant a seed.  We can be authentic when we don’t know all the answers and admit we’re on the journey of faith ourselves – seeking God and growing in our knowledge and love for him.  That’s where faith comes in – believing and trusting even when we don’t understand it all.

So the next time someone around one of us starts talking about ‘spirituality’ or God, let’s share a short, recent story about an experience we have had with God, trusting that the Holy Spirit will give us the right words.  God will be pleased and he will bless our efforts.

Let’s not say, “Please send someone else.”

Please help us be faithful witnesses to your power and grace and love, Abba Father.