Tag: truth

Faithful, Obedient and Courageous

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Every time Caleb shows up in the Old Testament, he is being faithful, obedient and courageous. When I get to heaven, I want to meet him.

He’s not a central character in the Bible – he doesn’t have a main story line.   He’s never the star but he does an awesome job in his supporting role.

Caleb shows up as Joshua’s sidekick a couple of times and every time he’s right on target.  He  is always choosing to believe what God has promised.  He is willing to take God’s word and act on it.  He’s brave.  He doesn’t forget what God has already done in his life.  He’s consistent.

“I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.”  Joshua 14:8.  This is how Caleb described himself when comparing his actions with those of the other spies who brought back a negative report about the Promised Land.

Wholeheartedly.  What a good word!

Even though he was surrounded by other Israelites who lacked trust in God and were weak in their faith, Caleb never waivered.  He stood strong.  His faith in God defined his life.

I am a Caleb fan. I am encouraged and challenged by him.  I’m encouraged because he was always faithful through many years in good times and bad.  I’m challenged by Caleb because I would like that same thing to be said my life.

When I leave this earth, I want this to be true of my life – that I walked closely with God for a very long time.

Just like Caleb.

Gathered to My People

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

He died.

She passed away.

He was killed.

Before Moses died, God told him, “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession.  There on the mountain you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.” Deut. 32: 48-49.

I like that.  It makes great sense when someone is a believer.  Moses’ people were in heaven.  His Father was in heaven.  And his Savior was in heaven.

This makes me ask the question – where are my people?

God has blessed me by giving me a family with a very long lineage of Christ-followers.   Many generations of my people are in heaven.  My son who was a Phoenix Police Officer killed in the line of duty is already in heaven.

The people I identify with here on earth are also Christ-followers.  These are my people.  They will be with me when I am gathered to my Father – when I am gathered to my people. 

I’m thinking about starting to use this phrase with believers instead of ‘died’ or ‘passed away’.  Some people wouldn’t get it but that’s ok – some people don’t get a lot of things.

How about you?  Are your people in heaven?  Is your Savior in Heaven?  If so, then he has prepared a place for you.

Will you be with me when all believers are gathered to our Father in Heaven?

I hope and pray that you will.

On the day you have already determined, I will be there, Abba Father.

Then I Looked Up

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Then I Looked Up: Losing a Child, Finding His Legacy of Love

That’s the title of my book! I’m celebrating the one year anniversary of publishing it on Amazon! This year has been a challenging year for me – full of discussions with grieving people about their tragedies and pain. It has also been an extremely rewarding year as those who read it shared with me how my story helped them in their journey to find hope. 

Now the Kindle version and the Audible version are also available on Amazon. I did the audible version so here’s your chance to hear me read my book to you.

It’s the story of my journey since my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police Officer, was killed in the line of duty on May 18, 2016. Losing a child is the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. My life is different now. There is a hole that can never be filled.

I am not an expert on grief, but I am an expert on my personal journey of grief. It have been long. It has been tough, and it has forced me to look at my life through new eyes and make important decisions along the way. These decisions have helped me move forward.

During my son’s funeral, I discovered that David said, “love you’ to everyone he cared about instead of good-bye – even the tough cops he worked with. Since his death, many of us have adopted this habit and discovered the magic of David’s legacy of love.

I give God and David’s legacy of love the credit for the joy that has slowly returned to me. God has been my rock. As I lean on him, I have watched God reconnect the shattered pieces of my life, giving her purpose and meaning.

If you have lost a child or someone close to you, one of the most important messages that will fill your heart while reading this book is that you are not alone. It is my prayer that you will see yourself in my story and it will give you the hope that you have been searching for.

_______________________________________

Please share this news with other people you know who could benefit from reading it.  Thanks!

Looking for Guidance

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave 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 time they stopped, they set up the tabernacle right away because God wanted his presence known first and foremost.

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 your life be like if you had that clear guidance from God for each day?  What would it feel like to know for sure you were on the path God had designed for you, confident of God’s presence beside you each step of the way?

Great news!  This is all available to you and to me.  God’s guidance through his Word is available for us each day.  It’s much easier to feel his presence when we’re reading his Word, letting it soak into our hearts and minds.

“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….

he wants you to check with him on a decision you are making to ensure that’s its going to be the best for you…

he wants me to look to him for help when I’m trying to choose what words to say in a conversation about a difficult subject….

and he wants to be our leader on this journey towards the truth.

I know I need to keep moving forward, growing in my faith and trusting in God.  And I’m confident that I’ll stay on the right path when my eyes are focused on him.

I’m watching and I see your light, Abba Father.

In the Beginning

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

So I begin again.  Genesis 1:1.

This will be my 14th consecutive year of reading through the entire Bible.  I’m anticipating many great mornings of hearing God’s voice as he speaks to me through his Word.

It’s also fun knowing that there is a group of over a dozen of you who are reading the Bible every year with me.  After each of us did it the first year, we realized that we couldn’t imagine not doing it every year.  It’s a spiritual discipline that feeds our souls all year long. If you haven’t read the entire Bible before, this would be a great year to start. I read the Daily Bible arranged chronologically by F LaGard Smith.

One of my favorite things about reading the entire Bible is I get a good understanding of God’s overall message on important topics.  Like God’s love – reading the Old Testament and then the New Testament gives me a knowledge of God’s love that I’m not going to get reading a verse here or a chapter there.

I am also hooked on reading the Chronological Bible for several other reasons – here are a few:

  • The Old Testament prophets are placed in the story with the king they talked to and in the correct time in history.
  • One of my favorite reasons – the psalms David wrote are placed in his story when he wrote them.  So I read the psalms David wrote while he was hiding from Saul in the cave when David is actually hiding in the cave.
  • The several different and extremely detailed accounts concerning the tabernacle and the temple are combined into one reading on each.  As a result, what I read makes much more sense to me.   All of the laws are combined into one reading instead of repeated in various places.  I used to skip over all of these sections because they were too repetitive and uninteresting.  Now I actually enjoy reading them because I’m only reading them once.
  • The New Testament gospels are combined so it doesn’t feel like I’m reading the same story 4 times.  It’s interesting to see the differences in perspectives.

The Chronological Bible is not good for in-depth Bible study but it’s great for reading and getting the big picture.

Once again, I start reading this first day of 2024…..

knowing God will open my eyes to more truth this year and he will focus my eyes on truth I already know but need to be reminded of.

In the Beginning.

Making a Plan

On By Judy GlasserIn December2 Comments

It is coming very quickly – 2024.

New Year’s resolutions have gotten a bad rep because so many of us break them within a day or two of making them.  I’m a goal-oriented person so I like them as long as I limit them to things I REALLY want to do.  I try to stay away from making resolutions that sound good but I’m not really committed to making them happen.

Here’s one that I’m totally committed to making happen in 2024 –

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” 2 Peter 3:18.

These are the words Peter uses to close out his second letter.  There are several other things I would like to accomplish in 2024 but I’m not as committed to them as I am to this.  And I have a plan.  Please feel free to join me in any or all of these –

*I’m going to read the entire Bible again – for the 14th year in a row.  I have found that reading the entire revelation of God feeds my soul much more than skipping around in various chapters or verses.  I love the chronological Bible because the natural progression through history makes more sense to me and helps me understand what God is saying to me.  It’s not a Study Bible because things that are mentioned more than once in the regular Bible are condensed into one spot. The changes in the Chronological Bible make it much easier to read the entire book but I always keep a Study Bible handy if I want to know specifics. I also use a Daily Chronological Bible which has dates on the top of the pages. I get ahead and I get behind but the dates give me enough structure to be able to finish Revelations at the end of December, ready for “In the Beginning” on January 1st.

*I’m going to continue to memorize scripture.  My long-term goal is to memorize the entire book of James.  Yep, all of it.  Yep, it will take years, especially since I don’t have a good memory. It’s a God-sized task and I know he’s up for it.  So far, God has helped me memorize the entire first and second chapters of James and I’ve begun to work on the 3rd chapter.  He constantly blesses me by speaking to me through these words that he has etched on my heart and mind.

*I have couple of people in my life that I am spiritually mentoring. I’m praying that God will open my eyes to anyone else he is bringing into my life who I can walk beside on this journey of growing our faith.

*My husband and I are on the leadership team for a new Community Fellowship that has been started in our 55+ neighborhood. I see God’s spirit moving through our community – there has been a sudden spike in the number of people joining our neighborhood Bible studies. God is doing something good here and its going to be fun to be a part of what he has planned in 2024.

I’m committed to this plan. I know that I need to consistently put myself in God’s presence and he will grow my faith in 2024.

What are your spiritual goals for 2024?

Do you have a plan?

Please help us be intentional in growing our faith, Abba Father. 

Audience of One

On By Judy GlasserIn November2 Comments

The world is watching.

It’s listening to what you say. It’s observing what I do. It’s constantly judging both of these things for all of us.

But there is only One perspective that counts. One opinion that matters. It’s God’s. He knows our hearts. He know our intentions and motivations. He sees our confusion and doubts. He cares about our problems and discouragements.

Paul says this so clearly in 1 Thessalonians, ” You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.” vs 2: 1 – 6.

“Not looking for praise from people”. Does that describe me? Does that describe you?

I would love to say that I have this all figured out, but that wouldn’t be true. Most of the time, when I start to seek approval from the world around me, I can remind myself that is not my purpose and it gets me back to having an audience of One. I realized in High School that I was not the same as many of the people around me and I was going to make much different choices in my life. I stopped trying to please people when I realized I’d never please everyone. I started saying, “I march to the beat of a different drum” and that helped me be okay with who I was when I was unusual, not the norm. (Those of you who know me can put joining the Army in this category.)

But I still experience situations where I find myself lost in self-doubt, seeking popularity and acceptance from people instead of God. Have you been there?

I don’t like the feeling of wanting to be someone that everyone likes. It’s frustrating when I focus on how many people like me because it’s so fleeting. I know next week I’ll probably say something you don’t like and I’m suddenly at the bottom of your ‘favorite people’ list.

Can you relate?

When I turn to God for approval, I find his immeasurable love and grace. He is my perfect Father who only wants the best for me. When I seek to please him, I am doing what is best for me. It’s how he created this world.

That’s where I want to be – looking only for approval from my Audience of One.

Love you, Father.

They Were Astonished

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

They were unschooled, ordinary men.

But the religious leaders were astonished as Peter and John stood in front of them, telling them what they knew about Jesus.  These fishermen were eloquent and compelling.  They were passionate and knowledgeable.

It was clear to those listening to Peter and John that these men had been with Jesus  –

and Jesus had transformed them.  Something was significantly different about Peter and John.

* Jesus had redeemed their lives from sin and death and given them the power of the Holy Spirit who was now living inside of them.

* They spoke with authority about their personal experiences with Jesus.

* They had courage beyond that of a normal person.

The religious leaders didn’t know what to say or do so they let Peter and John go with a warning not to speak of Jesus again.

“But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you or to him?  You be the judges!  As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”  Acts 4: 19-20.

Brave.

Committed.

Not intimidated by the those in positions of power.

Nothing was going to stop Peter and John from sharing their personal experience with Jesus.  We know the truth about Jesus today because they did not stop talking about what they had seen and heard.

You and I also have a story about our personal experience with Jesus. We don’t know everything about the Bible but we are experts when it comes to our personal relationship with Jesus. We know the love and peace and strength Jesus gives us. We have felt the grace he pours over us. We have seen him moving in our lives, orchestrating the plan God has for each of us.

This is what we need to share.

This is the story we can’t stop talking about.

Dear Father, Please help us be as brave and committed as Peter and John with sharing what we know about Jesus.

It Burns

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

Do you feel it?

As I read God’s Word, the truth burns through the mountains of lies and confusion that our culture is busy building up all around me.

I’m a thinker, not a feeler so reading and studying God’s Word rocks my world.  God’s word feels true.  It feels powerful.  It feels right and good.

The ‘feeler’ in me wakes up as God speaks to me through his Word.  My ‘feeler’ confirms for me that this is my Father God teaching me what he wants me to know.  As I listen, God’s words burn into my brain.  I feel the truth etching itself on my soul, creating a desire inside of me to know God better and love him more.

I know what the two men were talking about when they walked with Jesus after his resurrection on the road to Emmaus .  They didn’t know who he was at first, but when their eyes were opened, Jesus disappeared.  And they asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us when he talked with us on the road and opened the Scripture to us?” (Luke 24:32)

I can relate.  God’s truth has burned down to the center of my being and I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot!  This Truth gives purpose to all the craziness in this world.  This is Truth that I can hold onto as the storms of life rage around me.   This Truth is filled with light and love and grace and peace.

Yes, it burns.  And it is good.

Do you feel it?

Today

On By Judy GlasserIn NovemberLeave a comment

It should have been me.

The thief on the cross next to Jesus was sentenced to die for the bad things he had done.

That was me….before I put my faith in Jesus.

My rebellion, self-centeredness, and lack of compassion are a few of the reasons I should have been on that cross.

The Great News is Jesus was up there on the cross for me…..and for you.  He who knew no sin became sin for us.  He bore the weight of all of the world’s sin – once and for all.  You and I can be redeemed from spiritual death by accepting the free gift of salvation that only Jesus can give. This is one of my favorite things about reading the Chronological Bible every year. Each Thanksgiving, I am reading again about how Jesus gave his life for me.

There is nothing I am more grateful for than my Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I read this account in Luke 23, I visualize Jesus turning to me, looking me in the eye and saying, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” vs 43.

For the thief, it was that day.  Oh, glorious day!

For me, it probably won’t be today – although it could be.

And I’m ready.

There will be come a day for me when it is ‘today’ I will go to paradise because I have committed my heart and life to Jesus.  This passage in the Bible reassures me.  The thief did nothing to earn his way into heaven.  He put his faith in Jesus and it was done.  He didn’t say a prayer or any specific words and he was never baptized.  Jesus knew the thief’s heart just like Jesus knows my heart.

This passage also tells me there is no waiting – no purgatory, no additional steps.

Today.

In paradise.

Thank you, Jesus