Our desire is to be faithful to you today and every day. We want to be anchored to you so that we don’t drift away.
Please help us understand your wisdom and directions. Reveal the truth to us. Make the lies and traps that surround us clear to us so we can avoid their snares.
Your’s is the only voice we want to follow – please make us deaf to all others.
Your prophet Hosea reminds us that it is wrong to make other things more important in our lives that you, Father. “My people consult a wooden idol, a diviner’s rod speaks to them. The spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.” Hosea 4:12.
We don’t consult wooden idols or diviner’s rods anymore but we regularly give large amounts of our time and energy to things in our world which have no eternal value – making money, buying things, building our careers, looking for a good time.
Why do we so easily let these things take a higher priority in our lives than you do, dear God?
We’re disappointed when our children follow our lead and get drawn into the mess of our culture. They are simply following our example. They see all of the ‘gods’ in our lives so they develop their own.
I only have so much time here on this planet – I shouldn’t waste it. If there is one lesson that has been engraved on my mind these last few years, it’s ‘Life is short”.
I truly never knew how extremely short life can be until my son was killed. One moment he was here and the next he was gone.
My life flipped upside down in that one moment.
Life is short – I have no time to waste.
Just like Jonah – he had no time to waste. So it’s a little frustrating to read about Jonah going through his big drama of disobeying God’s direction to go to Ninevah. Jonah decided to go the other direction, got caught on a ship in a big storm, was thrown overboard by sailors and spent 3 days in a huge fish at the bottom of the ocean. It was there that he repented and reached out to God. (bottom of the ocean, end of our rope – sound familiar?)
Jonah used a bunch of time running from God before finally deciding to obey him by going to Ninevah. “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” Jonah 2:2. When Jonah turned back to him, God ordered the fish to spit Jonah out on the beach so Jonah could go ahead and do what God asked him to do in the first place.
That whole first whale trip was just a big waste of time and energy!
Wait a minute – do I do this?
Do you do this?
I have to admit that I’ve wasted a lot of time in the past disobeying God. I ignored what I knew was right. I did what I wanted to do and gained nothing from it. It was useless – a waste of time.
One of my life goals now is to obey God the first time. I want to stop wasting time and energy while disobeying.
I want to avoid getting hit by the 2×4 that eventually comes our way when we ignore the lessons God is trying to teach us. God. The issue or problem doesn’t go away when we disobey – it grows. And it continues to grow until it’s too big and bad to ignore any longer.
Have you ever been hit by God’s 2×4 as a consequence for avoiding his directions? Have you found yourself at the end of your rope? Or stuck at the bottom of the sea like Jonah?
I have. It’s a wake up call. An enormous red flag pops up and starts whipping through my life. It seems like everything starts going wrong at the same time but, in reality, this issue has been gradually building steam while I prioritized other things. Because he is a good Father, God doesn’t ignore me when I’m trying to ignore him. He lets the consequences of my own actions grow until it’s just like getting hit by a 2×4. By then, the issue has become too enormous and too awful – I cannot continue to look the other way. Newsflash from God – attitudes and behaviors and priorities need to change – and they need to change NOW!
I got it, God! I have learned my lesson and I intend to obey right away from now on. No more 2×4’s in my life if I can help it!
I have also learned that obedience up front, the first time, brings additional blessings of peace and strength that come from being in line with God and in step with the Spirit.
Obeying right away is never a waste of time.
Thank you for teaching me this important lesson, Abba Father.
There are times when its a major struggle to open my spiritual eyes…
open my mind….
open my heart…
to the truth….
to a different reality – God’s reality.
Sometimes I can be just like Elisha’s servant in the Bible who was afraid of the huge enemy army which surrounded the city they were in. Elisha wasn’t afraid. He knew something the servant didn’t know. Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so he may see.” 2 Kings 6: 17.
And when the Lord opened the servant’s spiritual eyes, he looked up and saw the hills around Elisha full of horses and chariots of fire. God’s army.
Elisha was not worried – he knew the truth. God had his back and there was no cause for alarm. Elisha understood and trusted in the power and faithfulness of his Father God.
His eyes were open.
When my eyes are open, I can see God moving around me. I can feel the strength he gives me to face each challenge that comes my way. I can rest in the knowledge that he has his army fighting my battles and he is working all things out for my good. I can see his light guiding me towards the next step of my journey.
God is never tired, he is never impatient, he is never distracted, he is never busy.
We are made in God’s image – little glimpses of him show up in each of us.
But he is not like us.
This fact brings me a lot of peace and confidence. I desire to be more like Jesus. I am eternally grateful that he is not like me. He has none of my weaknesses or failings.
Sometimes God tell us about his emotions in the Bible – anger, sadness, and joy. All of his emotions are perfect – for the right reason. They are not like our emotions which are self-centered and can often cause us to say and do wrong things.
When Elijah mocked the priests of Baal in 1 Kings, he was trying to point out the godlessness of their gods. When Baal didn’t respond to their requests, Elijah said, “Shout louder! Surely he is a god. Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18: 27. This kicked the Baal prophets into a frenzy of shouting louder and slashing themselves with swords and spears. They often did this trying to get a response from Baal.
I grimace when I imagine this scene of four hundred and fifty bleeding prophets of Baal – crying out to a manmade statue. Looking for answers. Looking for hope.
How futile!
How wrong!
How lost.
When I take a look at the world which surrounds me today with overwhelming violence and lies and confusion, I can say the same thing –
How futile!
How wrong!
How lost.
Jesus came to bring his light of truth, grace and salvation to everyone who would believe. He is the only answer.
He lives within each believer and he has commissioned each of us to be his light in our part of this dark and broken world.
Dear Father, Please help us shine your light brightly right where we live, work and play.
How big is my God? How much does he want to bless me?
God stopped me this week as I read the story in the Bible of the widow whose son was going be taken as a slave because her husband had debts he didn’t pay before he died. She asked Elisha for help saying she had nothing left except a small jar of olive oil.
Elisha said, ” Go around and ask your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” 2 Kings 4: 3 – 4. She did exactly what Elisha said and she just kept filling the jars until they were all full. The oil stopped flowing when her last jar was full. Then she sold the oil to pay her debts and had enough money left over to live on.
Now that I know the end of the story, my automatic response is – too bad she didn’t get more jars! Then she could have blessed others as well through this miracle that happened to her.
Did you go there? It was great that she had enough money to live on but how much more did God have for her if she had had a bigger view of her God?
And then I wonder how many times God was willing to bless me abundantly but I didn’t bring enough jars? I didn’t bring enough faith? Enough trust?
How often do I short-cut God’s attempts to lavish love and care on my life because I don’t ask?
The message I’ve been consistently receiving lately from God is that there are some mountains he will move if I will boldly ask. He’s stirring up a wind of his Spirit that he is inviting me to take part in if I will ‘bring enough jars’.
Have I shared with you that God has asked me to write a book and share my experiences of surviving the death of my son who was a Phoenix Police Officer killed in the line of duty 6 years ago? Writing a book is a new mountain for me to climb. In obedience, I have started it and I’m counting on God to guide me to the end.
Nothing is impossible for my Father God so I am boldly asking him to write this book through me – telling the story that he has been writing in my life these last 6 years – and I’m expecting to watch God-sized things happen.
I’m an achiever. I like to get things done. I’m also a planner and organizer so I can make sure they get done.
There have been situations in my life in the past where I have struggled and worked and persevered to make something happen only to discover that it wasn’t the right thing. It didn’t work out.
So disappointing. Have you been there?
As my faith in God has grown, I have realized that I want God’s plans for my life to become reality, not my own plans. The truth is he knows everything, he has the power to do anything and his plans are perfect.
Mine aren’t.
So now I talk to God about what he wants, watch to see where he is moving and then join him in what he is doing. Does it surprise you that great things happen when I do this?
I’m not surprised.
Does it surprise you that sometimes I forget to do this?
I’m not surprised.
As I’m reading King Jeroboam’s story in 1 Kings, I am reminded of some of the disappointments I had when I was trying to do things my own way. Jeroboam was setting up his own kingdom in Israel without asking God what he wanted and Jeroboam was making a lot of bad decisions. But he persevered and made everything happen just like he wanted it.
Then, one day, the king stretched out his hand to command to his men to seize the prophet of God (another bad decision) and his hand shriveled up.
Wow! That got Jeroboam’s attention!
Jeroboam knew exactly who shriveled up his hand so he said to the prophet of God , “Intercede with the LORD our God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” 1 Kings 13: 6. This was a good decision – God instantly restored the king’s hand.
God doesn’t usually make hands shrivel up today but he is constantly trying to guide us down the right paths so we make good decisions. Since I’m a planner and organizer and doer, I have to be careful to listen to God and not just use my own skills to make stuff happen. Even when I’m sure I’m on the path where God wants me, if things just aren’t working, I’ve learned to stop and look to God – is he trying to redirect me? Did I misunderstand? – before I just push through to make it happen.
Years ago I decided that, before putting a big effort into climbing a wall, I’m going to make sure it’s the right wall.
When I am keeping my eyes on God, studying his Word and spending time with him, he shows me when I’m getting off track. I ask him to open doors or close doors – somehow show me if I’m going down the right path or not.
And he does. There are times when he opens my eyes to a different next step than I was planning. In other situations, he encourages me and I know I’m supposed to keep moving forward even when the going gets tough.
By focusing on what God wants – not what I want – God doesn’t have to try hard to get my attention. It’s a great way to avoid climbing the wrong wall and experiencing nasty consequences.
No shriveled hands here.
Thank you for your truth and guidance, Abba Father.
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.
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.
What does it mean to be ‘like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and who leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers.”? Psalm 1: 3.
This sounds really good.
I want to be like a tree planted by a stream – constantly being fed, never feeling empty,
I want to yield my fruit in season – do all the good things God has planned for me to do, always feeling right on target with the purpose God has for me here.
I want to avoid having my leaves wither – how can I live this marathon of faith well all the way to the end? No burnout, no wandering for me?
And I want to prosper – only in God’s eyes. I don’t need money, fame or people’s acceptance. I’ve got an audience of One. He’s the only one who counts.
God is very clear about how to make this happen in my life. Blessed are those “whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night.” Psalm 1: 2.
When God translates this in my brain I hear his encouragement, telling me to continue to read, study and memorize his Word. I’m in my 11 consecutive year of reading the entire Bible and he’s telling me to keep it up, I’m on the right track. I just don’t read the Bible, I blog about it so I have to think about what I read and apply it to my life. I find his truth as it applies to my life truly ‘delightful’. It’s just what my soul is looking for.
I also participate in 2 to 3 different Bible studies every week so I’m meditating on his word on my own in the morning and several times ‘day and night’ with other people during the week.
God has given me a life-long goal of memorizing scripture. It’s taken me over 6 years because I have a really terrible memory, but God and I partnered up and he has written 2 entire chapters of the book of James on my heart. He uses these words constantly to guide me and let me know he is right beside me.
No wonder I have lost that ’empty’ feeling I used to have! I’m blessed as I watch God grow his fruit in my life. I plan to be reading the entire Bible each year for the rest of my time here on earth so I can end this journey well.
And today, I can feel my Father God cheering me on.
Come with me on a Journey through the Bible 