Tag: God’s Word

Nothing is Impossible….

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

with God.

Such wonderful mysteries – how God works his will in our world!September 25 2013

Through God’s influence, Persian rulers helped to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.   They not only freed the Jews to go back to their country, the rulers paid for the restoration in full  through the royal treasury.

When God wants something to happen, it happens.  He is in complete control even of those who don’t believe in him.

You would think that finishing the temple would be easy at this point.

Not when the people of Israel themselves were part of the problem.

They were not working on rebuilding the temple because they were consumed with their own issues.  They were experiencing drought and famine so they were focused on themselves, not on God.

God tells them through the prophet Haggai that they were planting much but harvesting little because their priorities were wrong.  They were not caring about what God wanted them to do so God was holding back the rain and he wasn’t blessing their crops.  They could plant twice as much and they weren’t going to reap any more until they got their priorities straight.

Does this ever happen to us?  Are there times when we are working hard and then working harder and then even harder but we reap very little for all of our efforts?

Maybe these are the times we need to re-evaluate our priorities.

Are we in a drought because we’re neglecting to focus on God and his purpose for our lives?

God speaks to us today through Haggai just like he did so long ago to the Jews when he says, ” Give careful thought to your ways.”

There is good news about the Jews.  They responded positively to Haggai’s words and they changed their priorities.  The work began again on re-building the temple and they experienced God’s blessings on all of their efforts.

Please help us to respond in the same way when we are in a drought, dear Father.

 

The God of Daniel

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

September 22 2013It’s amazing how much Daniel and his faith influenced King Darius.

The king could easily see Daniel’s integrity and faith.   He didn’t want to put Daniel in the lion’s den.  He was tricked into it.

King Darius couldn’t sleep that night as he worried about Daniel and the lions.  He was overjoyed when Daniel was still alive the next morning and he made sure everyone knew it.

King Darius was so impressed by Daniel’s faith that he issued a decree telling the people in all parts of his kingdom that they needed to honor and fear the God of Daniel.

What a witness Daniel had!  The light and truth of God shown through Daniel so clearly that the King saw it.  And the King knew where this was coming from.

May our witness shine as brightly, dear Father!

I Can Read the Handwriting on the Wall

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

I had probably said this phrase over 100 times before I realized that this come from the book of Daniel in the Bible.

How appropriate!september 21 2013

I’m a strategic thinker so I have used this phrase in situations where I was connecting the dots of what was going on and I could predict what the outcome was going to be. 

I can read the handwriting on the wall…..in some situations.

Sometimes, with more complex issues, I would really love for a hand to appear on the wall next to me and write out the future.  Or even my next step.  Spooky, yes.  But directions clearly written out for me would be worth the goosebumps.

Oh, wait!

I already have God’s directions all written out for me, don’t I?  I have all of it in black and white (and red) and I hold it in my hands when I’m reading the word of God.

His guidance.  His revelation to me.

Everything he wants me to know.

So I’m on the right path when I’m reading and studying and meditating on his word.  It’s all here.

Thank you, dear Father.

Psalm 89, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn September1 Comment

September 18 b 2013There just isn’t enough time to sing about your great love, dear God.

We want to proclaim your faithfulness through all generations – our own and all of the generations to come.  We know all about your faithfulness because we experience every day.

We declare to all of those around us that your love is a forever love – established in heaven – and it will never be shaken.

Your plan of redemption started in the Garden of Eden after Eve decided she wanted to be ‘like God’.  We wish we didn’t relate so closely to that as we try to control everything around us – also wanting to be ‘like God’.

You established King David’s line forever in your plan of love, adding your own son who is now seated on his eternal throne.

We join with the angels in heaven as we praise you, Lord. 

Holy, Holy, Holy.

No one on the earth or in the skies above compares with you.

The wise and holy ones all fear and respect you for you are Most Awesome.

You are All Mighty and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the sea.  You crush your enemies.

Everything is yours – from the north to the south.

Your throne is anchored by your righteousness and justice.  Love and faithfulness flow out from you.

You bless those of us who walk in the light of your presence, dear Lord.  We feel your blessing upon us, dear Father.

We can rejoice all day long because we know you.  We experience your righteousness.

You are our strength and our glory.  You work things out for our good. 

Our lives belong to you, our king, the Holy One of Israel.

our

I’m Boasting…

On By Judy GlasserIn September1 Comment

about God.  He is my King and my God.

He organizes victories for me today just like he did for Jacob so long ago.September 18 2013

It is through his strength that I can push back my enemies and overcome my foes.

I can’t trust my thinking.  My strategies won’t bring real victory.

Only God gives me victory.

His truth and his righteousness are so powerful that it reveals the weaknesses and deceptions of my enemies.

In God, I can boast all day long.

I will praise his name forever.

Insanity!

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

It happens to me almost daily – I am amazed at the insanity in our world which is under the ever-so-strong influence of the Evil One.  The evidence of his trickery and deception is all around me.  Our world’s values are a testament to the Father of Lies.september 7 2013

Most recently I was surprised by the realization that I know grown, adult people who actually believe that things they do aren’t wrong unless they get caught.  It only becomes a bad decision for them when other people know.  Up to that point, it’s all okay. 

Insanity!

When I’m confronted by such obvious lies like that, I am filled with sadness for all the people who live their lives based on these deceptions.  They are confused and angry………and broken and lost.  They are consumed by their need to blame others.

So I come back to God’s word and I feel like King Nebuchadnezzar when he raised his eyes toward heaven and his sanity was restored.

I praise you, oh Most High.  I honor and glorify you who lives forever. 

You are eternal.  Your kingdom endures from generation to generation, never-changing, never wavering.

Amen.  Allelujah!

Fire!

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

If we  saw a fire starting and knew people’s lives were at stake, we would scream “Fire!  Fire!  Fire! at the top of our lungs until help arrived and the people were saved.  We would, wouldn’t we?

September 3 2013God tells us in Ezekiel that we are the watchmen.  And when the watchmen see danger and destruction coming, they need to blow their trumpet to warn the people.  That’s their job. 

If the people heed the warning, they will be saved.  If not, they will pay the price.

If the watchmen fail to blow the trumpet and people’s lives are taken, the watchmen will also be held accountable by God for the deaths of the people.

Do we see danger and destruction coming for those who have not chosen Jesus as their Savior?  Do we see a truckload of physical, emotional and spiritual anguish rushing towards those who haven’t already started their eternal life with Christ?  Is eternal separation from all good things and God a big enough devastation for us to stand up and scream “Fire”? 

Now  is the time for us to get out our trumpet to warn the people.

We may not have tomorrow.

 

Lamentations 3, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn SeptemberLeave a comment

Thank you, dear Father.august 30 2013

Because of your great love for us, we are not consumed by the culture that swirls around us, trying to draw us into it’s very popular web full of lies and deceptions.

Everyday we experience your compassion as you love us in spite of what we do, not because of anything good that we’ve done.  

As the sun rises every morning, we see your light and feel the warmth of your faithfulness, dear Father.  We take our next breath because you make it happen.

You are all.

You are everything.

You are our portion for today.  For this hour.  For this minute.

You lavish your goodness on us when we place our hope in you.  When we seek you, we find you,,,,,,,,, and we find joy and we find strength and we find peace.

It is good right now to sit quietly……

and to meditate on your word as you speak to us……….

the glory of your salvation is growing within us,

Great is your faithfulness, oh God my Father.

A Perfect Father….

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

disciplines us.

When we do things that aren’t right, God loves us and so he chooses to discipline us.  It’s for our good.August 23 2013

When we react well to his discipline by learning the lesson and not repeating our error, we grow more like Christ and our relationship with God is stronger.

But it doesn’t feel good to be disciplined.  It’s never fun. 

When God has disciplined me, it’s always been a tough lesson.  I have learned one very important thing about God’s discipline – I need to learn the lesson the first time.  Otherwise, the lessons grow bigger and more obvious and harder until we hit bottom and THEN we look up to God.  I think this explains many of the issues we see in our lives and in the world around us – people are not responding positively to God’s discipline and so the issue gets bigger and worse until people finally  turn to God.

I’m trying to avoid that situation by ‘getting it’ and repenting and changing my behavior the first time.  It’s not easy, but its  worth the effort.

I’ve been forgiven and I’ve changed but I still  experience the consequences of some of my old, bad choices.  I’m amazed how sometimes I’m still paying the consequences for bad decisions I made over 30 years ago.  It doesn’t seem fair until I realize that paying those consequences remind me of my need for a Savior.  They remind me of how much I have been forgiven making it easier for me to forgive others.  Dealing with the consequences for my old, bad choices reminds me of my continuing need for God’s redeeming power in my life.  It reminds me of how faithful God has been to me so far on this journey and it helps me trust him with my future.

And I am reminded that he disciplines me because he loves me.  He wants only the best for me.

Thank you, dear Father.

Out of our rebellion…

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Into a life filled with God’s blessings.

That is the restoration God promises to each of us just as he promised the Israelites in Jeremiah 32.

When we decide to stop fulfilling our personal will and desires and start listening to and living out the Words of Truth God has for us, we move from the land of God’s great wrath to the land overflowing with God’s goodness.

He will bring health and healing.August 22 2013

We will enjoy abundant peace and security.

Joy will return.

Prosperity will return.

We will dance again.

Our lives will be a well-watered garden – beautiful, fruitful, purposeful.

Let the dancing begin!