Tag: God’s Word

What Happens When It’s All Gone?

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Her home was demolished.

Everything she knew was gone.

Her city was burned down by foreigners.

All of her friends and neighbors were killed, only her family was saved.

Things didn’t look good for Rahab.

She and her family were still alive but every one and everything else from her life was gone.  Burned. Demolished.  Now she had to live in the enemy’s camp.  What good could possibly come from this situation?

Well, we know the rest of the story.  Rahab’s name would later show up in the lineage of Jesus!  She was Jesus’ great, great, too many greats to count, grandmother.

God had unbelievable plans for Rahab when he saved her from being destroyed as Jericho burned.  She didn’t know it.  I’m sure there were times as she started up a new life in the camp of her former enemies when she wondered what – if any – good was going to come from this.  Everything that she had known before was gone.

Rahab had no way of knowing that God was going to bless all of creation through her lineage.

I’m just like Rahab.  I have no way of knowing what God is doing as I struggle through the twists and turns of life, trying to figure out how to transition from phase to phase.  Looking back, the pieces often make sense.  But it can be very hard to navigate through the maze of today.

I just don’t know.

But God does.  So I focus on him, trusting him to show me the way one day at a time.  Its often just one step at a time.  Me trying to control the world causes frustration and stress.  Me trying to control even my little space in the world is impossible.

This last 5 years after my son who was a Phoenix Police Officer was killed in the line of duty have made it crystal clear to me that any control I think I have is fake, a lie. My life before Davey was murdered is gone, crushed.  Everything I had known before is forever changed.  I  have ended up in a place I never thought I would be – never wanted to be.

But God is working good things out of the evil that is done.  I am already seeing some of the good things he is doing and I know there will be many more that I will never see.

Like Rahab.

So I will trust you, Abba Father.

 

I’ll Step In

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

I’ll step up.  I’ll make the first move in faith.

I often ask God to direct my steps.  My prayers regularly include requests for him to open my eyes to the opportunities he gives me to do what he wants me to do.

Because I’ll do it – I just want to know that its his direction and his timing.

And God responds.  Right before my eyes, he will give me an opportunity to do something he wants done or say something he wants said.

Every time one of these opportunities presents itself, I have to take the first step of faith forward, not knowing where my next step is and never knowing how this is all going to work out.

I just have to take that first step and obey.

So the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land is significant to me.  God told the priests carrying the Ark of the LORD to go first.  God told them he would make a way for them but, first, they had to step into the Jordan which was running at flood stage.

The overflowing water of the Jordan river was roaring down its path…..

and God told them to step in.

An act of faith.  An act of obedience.

“Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.  Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water  from upstream stopped flowing.  It piled up in a heap a great distance away…” Joshua 3:15.  The priests had to take the first step of faith and then they saw God respond.  They watched as God opened up a path for them to the Promised Land.

It’s important for you and I to understand how this process works.  Too often we want to see God move in our lives but we haven’t stepped out in faith.  We want the blessing first and then we’ll move but that’s not how it works.  We want God to invite us to do great things but we haven’t stepped up to the plate on the things we already know God wants us to do.

For example, Jesus told us clearly, “Love God and love others.”  These are the two main things I need to be about – I already know that.  No question about it.  I don’t need to ask God if he wants me to do this – he’s already told me to do it.  I find that when I’m focused on doing these things God has already told me to do, I see God part the waters for me.  He blesses my steps – one at a time.

But the first step of obedience is mine.

Where is God asking you to take that first step of obedience?  Go ahead – step into the water and watch it part in front of you.  It will be worth it.

I believe, Abba Father, so I’m stepping in.

A Second Chance

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

I’ve been there more than once – have you?

It’s the times where I wish I had a second chance – a redo.  When my heart is aching with regret and my head is rolling with things I shouldn’t have said or things I should have done but didn’t do, I wish I could go back.

If I had the chance to do it over, I would do it so differently!

With people, there is never a 100% redo.  The deeds are done, the words have been said.  Forgiveness is possible but wiping out the memory is not.

One of my favorite things about God is that he can redeem these situations.   He can and he does make something good come out of them.  He teaches me to grow through these times – helping me mature as he molds my character and thinking.  When I ask for wisdom, he always gives it to me which helps me avoid situations where I need redo’s.

As I read about Rahab in Joshua 2, I can visualize this huge headline on it –

God’s Power of Redemption.

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho when she met the two spies Joshua had sent into the city to check it out before the Israelites attacked.  Rahab made the courageous decision to put her life on the line for the spies when she hid them from the men the King sent to kill them.  She lied to the king’s men telling them the spies had gone out of the city so the kings men quickly went in pursuit just as the city gates closed for the night.

Meanwhile, the spies were safely hidden on the roof of Rahab’s house.  Rahab knew the Israelites were going to attack – everyone knew it and were very afraid.   When she begged the spies to save her family, they agreed because of her courage in hiding them.  Then Rahab helped them escape out of the city and sent them on a different direction from the men who were looking for them.

Later, we will read that Rahab and her family were the only survivors of the attack on Jericho.

It’s obvious that God saved Rahab for a purpose.  He had bigger plans for her.  After God saved her, she totally changed her direction, married, had children and became part of the lineage of Christ.  A prostitute was the great, great, too many greats to count,  grandmother of Jesus, God’s son, who came to save the world.

God is extremely serious about his redemption business.

Rahab’s story was obviously shared down through the generations as a popular redemption story because she shows up in the New Testament, “was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction.”  James 2:25.

A prostitute – used as an example of a righteous woman, related to Jesus.  If it can happen to her, it can happen to anybody!

God is still redeeming your life and my life today.  I don’t have to be stuck in my failures and rebellion of yesterday.  By putting my faith in what Jesus did for me on  the cross, all of that has been forgiven.  I don’t have to be weighed down by the mistakes I’m making today – those have also been forgiven.  I don’t have to be worried or afraid about the things I might mess up in the future because all of it has already been forgiven.

Today I live in grace provided by Jesus, unconditionally loved by my heavenly Father.   I am free.

I am redeemed.

Thank you, Abba.

Courage

On By Judy GlasserIn March2 Comments

What does courage look like in my life?  What does it look like for you?

What do I need courage for?  What is God asking me to do that’s a little scary and out of my comfort zone?

I know God is challenging both you and me – it’s his nature.  As our Good Father, he wants us to grow and develop a strong, courageous character.  So he provides opportunities for us to be stretched.

Where does he want to stretch you?  If you can’t think of any place he is trying to help you grow, I recommend spending several hours with him as you read and meditate and listen to him speak to you through his Word.  You will come away from that time challenged by something – I guarantee it.

God presented Joshua with a huge challenge by giving him leadership of the Israelite nation after Moses was ‘gathered to his people’.  The Israelites were finally ready to enter the Promised Land and they were facing the daunting task of conquering the land and taking control.

There seemed to be a lot of  valid reasons for Joshua to be fearful and worried – except God had already declared victory.  “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you where ever you go.”  Joshua 1:9.

God was in total control – there was no reason to be afraid.

Have you ever had a situation like this where you knew you didn’t need to be afraid because God had already declared victory?

I had a major experience like this several years ago when I thought I had just caught a weird respiratory virus on a trip to the Midwest but then found out, when I finally went to the doctor and then the emergency room ending up in ICU, that I had a dozen blood clots in my lungs.  While the doctor in ER was explaining to me that this was a life-threatening situation, God spoke into my mind.  He told me that he had already taken care of this – I was not going to die from it.  I was going to have to go through all the tests and days in the hospital and months of blood thinners but God was going to walk beside me, every step of the way.  I felt a blanket of peace come down over me and I was not afraid.  God had it all under his control.

My doctor was amazed at my attitude – she kept reminding me that I was going through a life-threatening experience.  I guess I wasn’t acting worried enough.  Four other doctors told me that this should have killed me within an hour of when it happened – they were afraid for me.

God had already declared victory – there was no reason to be afraid.  I obviously didn’t die from it and I realized that God had given me a new story to share about his faithfulness and love and care.  He is still doing miracles today!  I am here because it wasn’t the day he has already decided will be my last day here on earth.  He’s in absolute total control and I have proof.

It was a truly amazing experience to watch God’s victory play out in my life right before my eyes.

So I have some knowledge of how Joshua must have felt when God told him that he had to lead the way in conquering the Promised Land and God would give him victory.  Joshua was going to have to wake up every day and show up to do his part, but God was going to be with him, making it all happen.

Where is God challenging you?  If he’s asking you to do something, he will be right there beside you helping you accomplish it.

Be strong and courageous.  Experience God’s victory in your life today.

Thank you, Abba Father, for the miracles you are doing right now in our lives.

What Are We Doing With Our Excess?

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Do you and I have boxes of stuff we haven’t looked at in years?  Do we have closets full of clothes that don’t fit us anymore?

Are we just letting all this ‘stuff’ sit there and accumulate?

God tells us what he wants us to do with our excess in Deuteronomy 24: 19 &20. “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.  Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.  When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.  Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.”

This was unheard of at that time.  The farmers went over all their fields twice so they could keep the entire harvest for themselves.  Every.little.bit.of.it.

God wanted to make it clear to everyone that the Israelites were different – they were his.  One of the ways he did this was by creating laws to protect the weak, the poor and strangers.  Nobody else had laws like this.

The majority of us don’t have crops…..but we have a lot of ‘stuff’.

What are we doing with our excess stuff?

What does God tell us he would like us to do with it?  Are there poor people or strangers or widows who could benefit if we cleaned out our garages, sheds and closets?

I’ve never had the urge to keep a lot of stuff.   I’m on the minimalist end of the spectrum – always parked 2 cars in a 2 car garage, don’t like clutter.  Most of my adult life I have taken the time each year to go through each box and every closet in my house to purge things I haven’t used.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t have any extra ‘stuff’.  I have moved several times in the last 10 years so I am very aware of how much stuff I actually have.

I moved out of state a year ago and I decided to be extremely critical of what I packed because this was the first time in my life I was putting anything into storage and it would have to stay there until we got a place to live.  So I not only gave away things I hadn’t used in the last year, I also gave away things I had only used once or twice in the last year.  Sure – I might be able to use whatever it is ‘someday’ but could I find it when I wanted to use it?  And, most of the time, I still have something that works fine as a substitute.

It’s a year later and I don’t miss any of it.  It makes me smile to know that someone else is using all that stuff rather than having it packed into my house, taking up space and gathering dust.

It was all excess.

Please help us be generous with our excess, Abba Father.

Hold Loosely

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Stuff

Boxes of stuff.

Rooms of stuff.

Garages, sheds and basements full of stuff.

Stuff we’re not using but someone else would use it – if they had it.  Stuff that hasn’t fit us for many years but we still can’t give it away.  Stuff that’s broken and we’ve never found the time to fix it but we still keep it because we can’t part with our stuff.

God never meant for us to keep all of our stuff for ourselves.

God told the Israelites that their 50th year in the Promised Land was supposed to be a Year of Jubilee.  During this year, all of the poor people who had sold themselves as slaves were supposed to be freed and all property which had been sold was given back to the original owner.  It was intended to be a year consecrated for redemption and freedom.

Does it surprise you that my research shows that there is no evidence that the Year of Jubilee was ever observed?

I’m not surprised.  Many of us like to hold our belongings and our stuff very close. A lot of us  don’t want to give stuff away, if it has to go, we sell it.  We worked hard for these things.  We earned them.  Some of this stuff might be ‘worth something someday’.

Well, a lot of our stuff could be worth something to someone else who has less than us today if we could just loosen our grip on it and give it away.  Some of our stuff is broken and worthless and shouldn’t even be given away.  The bottom line –  we need to be able to let go of it.

The Israelites couldn’t do it, either, so they lost the chance to see God work in a supernatural way in their lives through celebrating the Year of Jubilee.  They didn’t experience the joy and freedom of having open hands when it came to their ‘stuff’.

God wanted the Year of Jubilee to be a holy year for the Israelites where they would see his provision for them as they gave the property back to the original owners and set the slaves free.

But there’s no evidence that it ever happened.

I was personally challenged by this many years ago when my husband and I decided to sell the house we lived in for over 14 years and go into Apartment Life ministry.  This meant we were moving from the 4 bedroom, two-story house with a pool where our two children grew up to an apartment.  We knew God was calling us into this ministry so it had to happen.

I remember walking through my big house packed with awesome memories and full of stuff crying with my hands open, pointed down, asking God to help me hold all these things loosely.  We sold and gave away rooms full of ‘stuff’ and moved into the apartment where the small amount of things we had left fit very nicely.  What a great lesson about how much I had that I didn’t need!  Since then, my hands hold onto people and God tightly but I hold onto ‘things’ very loosely,

It’s a great way to live – holding tightly onto God while loosely holding onto my belongings.  It’s awesome to see God obviously working in my life as I have more time and energy to spend loving him because my ‘stuff’ takes up less space in my life.

If your stuff owns you to any degree, take the challenge – start holding it loosely today.

Please help us hold loosely to everything that is not about loving you and loving others, Abba Father.

The Things I Didn’t Do

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

I don’t always take the opportunity to share my story about what God has done in my life with a friend.

I don’t always help others like God asks me to do – sometimes I’m too focused on my own to-do list.

I don’t always give God all the credit when his blessings are so evident in my life.

These are all things I should be doing but I don’t always do.

God calls these ‘sins of omission’ in his Word. “They must make restitution for what they failed to do in regard to the holy things.” Leviticus 5:16.

This verse is talking about the laws God gave the Israelites about how to take care of the Tent of Meeting and the various offerings they were supposed to make.  We no longer have all those laws – 

but you and I still have sins of omission.  These are things that God wanted us to do but we didn’t do.  Things God wanted us to say but we didn’t say.

We get lazy.  We are afraid of what people will think.  We get distracted.

We fill up our calendars with all kinds of things and there is no more room for God.  We don’t spend any time reading his word, talking with him, worshipping him.

Sins of omission.

When I put my faith in Jesus who paid the price for all of my sin for all time on the cross, I no longer needed to make the restitution that this verse speaks about.  This Journey Toward the Truth is about letting God transform my heart and mind so I gradually become more like Christ.  Out of gratitude for what God has done in my life, I want to avoid both types of sins – what I do that is wrong and what I should do but don’t do.

I have found, as I grow closer to God, I hear his voice more clearly and doing what he wants me to do has become easier.   As I listen with my heart and mind open to the Holy Spirit, I’m getting better at saying what he wants me to say and doing what he wants me to do.

As a result, regrets for what I don’t do are few and my joys for keeping in step with God each day are many.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Little by Little

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

One step at a time.

It can be difficult to trust God’s direction with my next step when I have no idea how this is going to work out.

It’s tough to persevere through each struggle, not losing sight of my Father God.

“Little by little”.  Moses uses these words as he is speaking to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land.  “The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.” Exodus 23:30.

Moses also said, “You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once or the wild animals will multiply around you.”  Exodus 23:29

God did not give the Israelites victory over all of their adversaries all at once because the wild animals would have taken over the empty land.

I would love it if God would just take my trials and problems away – all of them – all at once.  Take them all away, Father!

But God doesn’t do that.  Little by little, step by step, he leads me through the struggles.  He draws me closer as together we move through the confusing and dark times.  God does not eliminate all of my issues because then I would be very tempted to count on myself and not on him.  I need to remain dependent on him or wild animals (bad choices and wrong thinking) will multiply around me.

I have found that it takes a lot of trust to move forward when I don’t know what’s ahead.  I have had to learn to take one step at a time understanding that I’m not in control but my loving Father is.  He is working all things out for my good and, little by little, I have come to a point that I am 100% confident of that.  No questions.  No doubts.

I don’t ask him any more to take away all of my problems.  Now I ask him to please walk closely beside me as I go through them.  Each day I do my part by taking a step forward keeping my eyes focused on my Father God.

He does everything else.

Thank you, Abba Father.

The Transformation Continues…..

On By Judy GlasserIn February2 Comments

Reading.  Studying.  Listening.  Memorizing.

God has been seriously re-shaping my heart since I became a committed believer about 30 years ago.  When I was young, I had a close relationship with Jesus but it got lost in a season of rebellion and confusion about the truth in my young adulthood.  Six years of wandering and trying out all the things the world offers taught me how empty my life was without God.  I discovered that all the ‘fun’ and partying and working extra hard for ‘stuff’ was meaningless and a dead end.

So I re-committed my whole heart to God over 30 years ago and I’ve been on this Journey Towards the Truth ever since.

God tells us in Deuteronomy 10:16, “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.”  Looking back, I see all kinds of evidence that God has been working on my heart, circumcising the parts that needed to change –

  • He cut out the rebellious part of my heart.  This is amazing to me because I’ve always had a strong rebellious part to my personality.  Now, no matter what happens, my heart submits to God’s will.  He knows best.
  • God cut out the stubborn part of my heart.  I translate “stiff-necked” as being stubborn and God has softened my heart towards everything that is about him and comes from him.
  • God cut out any parts of my heart that were unbelieving.  I don’t have to understand it all to believe.  If God says it, it’s true.  God has taught my eyes to look beyond what is in front of me.
  • God has changed the part of my heart that wants to control things around me.  I know who is in total control and it’s not me.  I have learned to trust God with everything and I’m 100% confident that he is working all things out for my good.
  • My heart was shattered into a million broken, mangled pieces when my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police Officer was killed in the line of duty.  I can feel God molding a new heart inside of me out of the debris.  This heart is centered on God and has a strong focus on my forever home.

Circumcising my heart sounds painful but it has actually set me free from the lies and worries that the world around us tries to impose on us.

And the transformation continues…..

Thank you, Abba Father.

There’s No Question

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

What should I do first?

I can’t do everything so what should I make sure I do?  I know that setting the right priorities is my life is extremely important so I don’t miss doing the most important thing.

But what is the most important thing?

After reading God’s word, it’s clear to me – no question – that the main thing I was created to do has been the main thing since the beginning of time.  Over 3500 years ago, Moses told his people to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  Deuteronomy 6:5.

The main thing.

When I get this right, I put God in a position in my life where he makes me whole, gives me a purpose for each day and helps me with everything else.

That’s my reality.  When I seriously started putting God first, he helped me be a better mother, a better wife, a better employee, a better boss, a better friend…..a better person.

I know, it sounds like loving God with our whole self means more stuff to do – seriously studying the Bible, faithfully participating in worship, serving God with my spiritual family, developing a solid prayer life and regularly meeting with others to grow my faith and be encouraged.  When  I decided to obey and put God first in my life I didn’t need any more things to do.  God challenged me to get my priorities straight at a time when I was a young wife and a mother of two little kids who travelled regularly for work.  My calendar was over-stuffed!  It’s a good thing I’ve never been very excited about watching TV because I had no time to watch anything – for years.

I found out that this was the perfect time for me to put God first because, as I watched, he supernaturally worked it all out.  Very quickly, I felt less stretched, less stressed and more joyful.  God took away my worries and the heavy weight of my responsibilities which often kept me awake at night and gave me peace and purpose – he filled a hole in my life that I wasn’t even aware I had.

I had been a Christian my whole life but I had never let God have first place in my life. Putting God first made all of the rest easier – and more fun!

If you’ve made this commitment, you know what I mean.  If you’ve never done this, you want to go for it.  Try it.  It’s worth it.

It’s true – I still struggle sometimes and get my priorities mixed up.  But now I know where to go for peace and restoration.  My Abba Father is always waiting, ready to help.

Putting God first in our lives is not a suggestion from God, it is a command.  Like all of his commands, we are blessed when we obey.

May we be found faithful, Abba Father.