Tag: its a journey

Soaking it In

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Solomon gave us an enormous amount of wisdom in Proverbs but it’s in such small, short statements that I find it hard to make sure I’m absorbing it – not just reading it and moving on.  I want God’s Word to soak into my life – changing and transforming me.

One of the many things I like about the Chronological Daily Bible I read through every year is the proverbs are grouped by subject matter.  This helps me slow down and consider the overall message God is giving me about each topic.

For example, God talks to us often in Proverbs about the actions of fools versus the actions of the wise.  This list highlights the temperament of each.  As I read them and think about them, I see these comparisons:

The fool – 

*gets annoyed quickly.

*shows their insecurities through their quick temper.

*jumps in on mean and evil schemes.

*stirs up conflict and commits many sins.

*wants to control other people.

*hasn’t learned their lesson so don’t rescue them.  You’ll just have to rescue them again.

The wise –

*respects and honors God, avoiding thoughts and actions that aren’t consistent with God’s Word.

*does not encourage conflict, calms a quarrel.

*has self control.

*does not make friends with hot-tempered people.

*does not associate with those who are easily angered.

God is pointing out us that the wise are involved in the world around them while maintaining a focus on living out the word of God.  They are not quick-tempered because they have self control.  They don’t ignore quarrels, they calm them.  And they don’t regularly hangout with hotheads.

Wise.

Take an honest look – which list do you see yourself on?

Please help me be wise, Abba Father.

Proverbs 2 – Our Prayer

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Dear Father,

We thank you for the understanding you give us as we read your word – your direction feeds our souls. We open our ears to hear your wisdom, we seek understanding.

We call out to you – please give us insight!  We cry aloud for more understanding!

We search for wisdom – it is more precious to us than silver.  It is the hidden treasure of understanding and knowledge of you, dear God.

You are the key to all wisdom, Father.  You give success to us as we seek you.  You shield us as we walk closely with you.  You guard us when we act with integrity and you protect our way when we are faithful.

We desire to know what is right for us – the good path which you have planned out for each one of us.

We ask for wisdom to fill our hearts.  May our souls be complete with the knowledge of you. Please teach us to use discretion as protection and to use our understanding to guard our hearts.

Thank you, dear Father.

Living Right

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

I’ve reading through Proverbs right now on my journey through the Bible this year.  There is such a wealth of knowledge and great direction in this book, it is impossible to actually take it all in.   So I ask God to open my eyes and heart to what he is trying to teach me.

God regularly points out to me the Proverbs concerning righteousness.

Righteousness is an old-fashioned term that doesn’t seem to relate to my world today… until I remember it means ‘living right’.  Doing the right things.  Making the right decisions.  Saying the right things.

How do I know what is right?  God’s Word is right.  It’s the truth.  God himself speaks to me through the Bible, explaining it and helping me apply it to my life.  The Holy Spirit convicts me when my thinking gets off and my actions don’t reflect what I believe.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit uses other people to help us see where our thinking is going wrong.  I used to get very confused and disillusioned by people who said they were Christians but were not acting like what I thought a Christian should act like.  I was regularly disappointed with what people said and did – especially in the church.  I was in leadership positions in my church for many years and those of you who have been there know what that means.  Unfortunately, too many people in churches use their leaders as punching bags and complaint boxes.

I will never forget one day when I was talking to my husband about my frustration concerning someone we knew who was saying that God had healed them but they obviously were not healed.  “Why is she saying that when it’s not true?” I asked him.  He looked me in the eye and said, “Judy, you have to stop looking at people.  Focus your eyes on Jesus.”

That did it.  I stopped looking around the world for a role-model on how to ‘live right’ and put my eyes on Jesus.   This has helped me move past major issues with people in the church.  I realize that Christians are just people and we’re all struggling with our sin and weaknesses.  As believers, God has redeemed our lives but he is still in the process of helping each of us become more like Jesus.

When I focused on Jesus, my issues with imperfect Christians disappeared.

While he was on earth, Jesus gave imperfect Christians grace and love and spoke truth at the right time into their lives.  I’m so glad he still treats us this way, because I am imperfect and will not become perfect until after I leave this earth.

Speaking to other people with grace and love and truth.  Jesus did it – it’s the right thing to do.

Thank you, Abba Father.

My Greatest Treasure

On By Judy GlasserIn May2 Comments

My greatest treasure is not money,

or fame,

or any of my ‘stuff’.

My  greatest treasure is wisdom.  Wisdom – so I can navigate successfully through all of the valleys and hills  and blind curves of my life.  I’ve been memorizing wisdom scripture for many years.  I have a bad memory so it is really God who is etching his Word on my heart – I just faithfully get out my memory cards every day.  I found out why God commands me to memorize his truth 6 years ago when tragedy blew my life apart.  God used the words he carved into my brain to keep my soul from crumbling into a million painful pieces when my son was killed in the line of duty.

James tells us in his first chapter that God gives us generous amounts of wisdom when we ask for it.  I’ve been asking, I need it and I’m not going stop.

We read in 1 King 10 that the historically famous Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon.  She had heard about King Solomon’s extreme wealth but she was not interested in that — she was crazy rich herself.  She was not interested in his palaces or any of his numerous possessions.

The Queen of Sheba came to test Solomon’s wisdom.  That’s what motivated her to take a very dangerous 1200 mile trip on camels through a desert filled with thieves and criminals.

When the Queen of Sheba asked Solomon all of her many questions, he had an answer for everything.  She was surprised.  She didn’t think any man could have that kind of wisdom.

Before she left, she talked about how happy Solomon’s people must have been to be in his presence and hear his wisdom every day.

I can’t help thinking – is anyone who hangs out with you and me happy about all the wisdom they hear from us every day?

All wisdom comes from God and he generously gives it to us when we ask.  It is our greatest treasure.

Thank you,  Abba Father.

He is Good

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

As the sun rises each morning, I am reminded,

 God is good.

Every time I look at the faces of my grandchildren who start smiling when they are still super teeny, I am reminded,

 God is good.

My husband, Dave, and I are celebrating 41 years of marriage next week and I am reminded,

God is good.

My calendar is filled with good times and special moments with people I love and I am reminded,

    God is good.

I am completely confident in this truth –

   My God is good.

During the dedication of the Lord’s Temple in 1 Kings, we read that “The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord.  Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: 

    “He is good; his love endures forever.”  2 Chron. 5:13.

I smile when I think about how  my voice saying “God is good”  joins with an enormous crowd of people who have praised and loved God down through the ages.  When I say these words, I am joining with all believers through all of history.  I hear the angels praising God with us, filling the heavens with gratitude through all eternity.

These words were true back when King Solomon built the temple and they remain true today.  When I became absolutely convinced that God is good, peace filled my soul  The truth is, no matter how bad or crazy or painful things in my life or in your life look or feel, God is good.  Our circumstances do not change this fact.

   God is good; his love endures forever.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Psalm 27, 2022

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

LORD, you are the light of my life.  You have saved me – so I am not afraid.

You protect me from danger.  There is no reason for me to tremble.  When the Evil One and his team attack me, trying to tempt me and distract me, they will not win.  Your mighty army of angels surround me – I have nothing to fear.  Even when my path gets tough, my faith in you remains solid.

The one thing I desire most of all, LORD, is to spend my life with you, enjoying my time with you and listening to your voice.

You hold me close when trouble comes.  I can hold my head high even when trials come my way.

I praise you, LORD, with songs and shouts of joy!

I know you hear me, LORD.  You answer me, showing great mercy.  You say, “Come and talk with me”, and my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.”

I know that you never turn your back on me in anger – you are always ready to help me.  You never leave me or abandon me, O God of my Salvation!  When everyone else leaves me behind you are here, holding me close.

Teach me the right way to live my life, LORD. Lead me down the path you have prepared for me and do not let me wander. Help me avoid the pain and consequences of rebellion. Do not let me give into the temptation to act as the evil ones act.

I live with the confidence that each day you are walking beside me – loving and guiding me.

Thank you, Abba Father.

No Short-Cuts

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

I like to get answers to my questions quickly.  I don’t want to spend a bunch of time researching and trying to figure them out.

Who has the time for that?

Can you relate?

If some of the questions you have is “why don’t I hear God speak to me more often?” or “why can’t I ever hear God speak to me?”,  the answer is – it takes having a personal relationship with God to regularly hear him.  The closer I get to him, the louder and more clearly his voice becomes.

Yes, sometimes he will just speak out of the blue to someone who doesn’t even believe in him.  But, generally, getting our communication channels open with God takes time and effort.

We like to take short cuts by listening to the pastor for 20 minutes on Sunday morning so he can teach us something from God’s Word.  We like reading Christian books and devotionals where other Christians share what they heard from God.  Don’t get me wrong – this is good – I’m a Christian blogger, aren’t I?  The Holy Spirit can and does use all of these methods to reveal truth to us.

But I will never have a close personal relationship with God through someone else.  It’s got to be just him and me for many hours, many weeks, many months, many years.  If I really want to know and hear God, spending significant, serious time with him and obeying what I read and hear is the answer.

“God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”  Psalm 53: 2.

He’s looking down right now.  What does he see?

Please help us seek you with all of our hearts, minds and souls, Abba Father.

Need Directions?

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Ever feel like you need arrows pointing to the right decisions to make? How about a guide to light your path on this journey of life that we’re on?

I would be very surprised if any of us said no to either one of these questions.  I know I would like a personal guide for each day.  What would it be like to get ‘Judy’s agenda for today’ from God on my phone?  It would give me a plan for the whole day so I could do exactly what God wants me to do today and make all the right decisions.

The reality is that God has already given you and me a guidebook for our lives. The Bible.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path” Psalm 119: 105.

The Bible doesn’t have directions like ‘do laundry today’ or ‘buy groceries’. We can figure out those easy things on our own.

God’s Word tells me the important stuff like what my top 2 priorities are for each day – to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as much as I love myself.

When we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. One of his purposes is to guide us into truth and show us what is false. When we read and study the Bible with our eyes and our hearts wide open, the Holy Spirit highlights the sections of God’s Word that we need for guidance today and he draws our attention to the truth that we need to know to make the right decisions for tomorrow..

God wants you and me to plug into his guidebook each day so we know what direction to go. Through his word he provides a lamp for our feet.

This is my 11th consecutive year of reading the entire Bible and I don’t know how I would take my next step without it.

Thank  you, Abba Father.

Psalm 100, 2022

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

All of the earth shouts because you bring us so much joy, LORD!

We worship you with smiles on our faces!

We sing praises to you because of the joy you give us!

We know you are God.  You made us.  We are yours.  We are your people.  We belong to you.

We are so grateful that we have the privilege of having a personal relationship with you, God!

When we come together in your house, we are filled with praise!

Thank you, Father!

You are so good to us!  Your love will never end.

We praise you for your faithfulness to us and to our parents and our grandparents and everyone that has lived before us.

And we praise you for your faithfulness to our children and our grandchildren and all of those who are yet to come.

We know we can always count on you, dear God.

Psalm 40, 2022

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

When I became faithful in seeking you, God, you lifted me out of the slimy pit of my rebellion and sin.  You rescued me from the deep mud of my bad choices.  You pulled me out of the mire I created by trying to do things ‘my way’.

I am now solidly planted on you, my Rock.  I have a new song of  love and praise to sing to you.

I pray that many others will also decided to put their trust in you, God.

Father, you bless those who trust in you.  We are wise when we put you first in our lives and don’t follow the example of others who are only focused on themselves.

You have great things planned for us, the faithful.  You have done many awesome things – there is nothing and no one to compare you to.

You don’t want me to just read the Bible and go to church.  You want my eyes to be open to your truth.  You want my obedience.

You don’t want me to just give my money to the church – you want me to passionately care about the things you care about.

You don’t want me to just close my eyes to pray and start down my list of requests.  You want a relationship with me.  You want a conversation.  Most of all, you desire listening ears and a softened heart.

Here I am , Lord.

I desire to do your will.

Write your words upon my heart.

I love you, Abba Father.