Tag: its a journey

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.

 

I Can’t

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

I can’t – it’s too hard.

I can’t – it’s too much.

I can’t – I don’t know how.

I can find a lot of reasons why I think I can’t do something that’s going to be difficult.  But I have learned if God wants it done there is no “I can’t”.  “I can’t” just doesn’t apply when the Creator of the Universe wants to do something through me.

Have you learned that yet?

The Israelites obviously hadn’t figured that out yet when the spies came back from the Promised Land and said, “We can’t attack those people, they are stronger than we are.” Numbers 13:31.   They didn’t get it.  God had said he was going to give them the land, he was going to give them victory.  “We can’t” was true but God could.  And he promised that he would.

Joshua and Caleb got it.  Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  Numbers 13:30

Yeah, Caleb!  He was so right!  Yes, they could certainly do it because God had promised and he always keeps his promises.

It’s not about us having enough strength or enough money or enough time.  God enables us to do the things he wants us to do.  Do you believe that?

So I have to ask myself – are there any “I can’ts” in my life that I need to change to “I can’s” because God wants to do it through me?

What about you?  Any “I can’ts” where you need to trust God and step out in faith because “God can”?

Thank you for being our God of the Impossible, Abba Father.

 

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.

Keep Watching…..

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Every morning,

looking….

What’s in store for me today?  Do I move?  Do I stay?

I’m imagining what it was like for the Israelites as they began their journey through the desert.  When the Cloud of Guidance covered the tabernacle, they stayed.  When the cloud lifted above the tent, the estimated 2.4 million Israelites packed up and moved on.

There were times they stayed in the same place for months and other times when they were moving again the next morning.

Every morning, they would look to the tabernacle to determine their direction for that day.  Everybody could see it – not just the priests and the leaders.  God made this visible to everybody – he wanted all of them to be able to see that he was the one leading them.

What would our lives be like if we had that clear guidance from God for each day?

Great news!  We can!

I know I can  look to God and his Word for guidance each day just like the Israelites did.  “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

He wants me to look to him before I stay or go….

before I agree to something….

when I’m trying to choose what words to say in a conversation about a difficult subject….

as I take steps forward on my journey towards the truth.  I know I need to keep moving forward and growing in my faith.

And I know I’ll stay on the right path when my eyes are focused on God.

I see your light, 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.