Matt. 9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Matt. 9:33-34 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.
Today, as I read these verses and one thing really stood out to me. In verse 24 Jesus is about to heal Jairus's daughter, but first He tells them that the girl isn't dead, she's sleeping! This must have been funny to those at the house, because they began to laugh. In fact, they laughed Him to scorn. They mocked Him. A few verses later, we see Jesus has just cast out a demon. Yet, not all the people were willing to see Jesus has a healer and a miracle worker. The Pharisees accused Him of being a cohort of Satan - the prince of devils! Now, that hurts, doesn't it?
I have not suffered the way our dear Savior did, not by any stretch of the imagination- not even close. But, the persecution and trouble that I have faced has been hard. It's been very discouraging at times! When I read this, I took comfort that Jesus had been there too, and He was perfect! I noticed what Jesus did after He faced the laughter and the criticism of those who did not believe in Him:
Matt.9:345 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
He continued on! He went on teaching and preaching. He didn't stop. He didn't quit. He didn't have a pity party (as I am prone to do!). He didn't gripe. He didn't write a hateful letter to them, or begin slandering them to his followers. What an amazing example Christ is! I'll never be exactly like Christ, because I can never be perfect. But Jesus certainly gives me something to shoot for! Whether people laugh at me or criticize me, I hope and pray that I will continue working and serving my King. After all, Jesus knows my motives and my heart, and He's the only one I need be concerned about! He's the one I need to please- and that will keep me busy for the rest of my days.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Happy Birthday to a Very Special Person!
Dixie with her family: Brice, Courtney, Carrie, Bret and her hubby, Brian.
Dixie,I could never thank you enough for all the joy you have added to my life. Thank you for being my best friend! I hope you have a blessed day and a wonderful year! I miss you, and I love you.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Studying God's Word
I want to read God's Word everyday. I may not get to blog everyday, and that's a bummer for me, since I love blogging! However, blogging will always take second place to my own devotional time. I not only want to read God's Word, but also to study it, to break it down, memorize it, and meditate upon it. Through God's Word, I can know my Savior like never before. I can read the Bible and walk away and forget it soon thereafter, but studying it helps ingrain His truths into my mind and heart. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. Prov. 7:2-3
I want to share these tips for studying God's Word that I believe are really going to help me this year.
When you're studying scripture ask yourself these three questions about the passage:
1. Observation: What does it say?
2. Interpretation: What does it mean?
3. Application: What do I do?
The next time I'm studying out a specific book of the Bible, or a topic, I am going to ask myself these questions. I thought this was a concise way to study God's Word in our daily devotions.
May we know Him better this year than ever before!
Happy reading! :0)
I want to share these tips for studying God's Word that I believe are really going to help me this year.
When you're studying scripture ask yourself these three questions about the passage:
1. Observation: What does it say?
2. Interpretation: What does it mean?
3. Application: What do I do?
The next time I'm studying out a specific book of the Bible, or a topic, I am going to ask myself these questions. I thought this was a concise way to study God's Word in our daily devotions.
May we know Him better this year than ever before!
Happy reading! :0)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
His Love Covered My Sin
Prov.10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
I sure am glad that Jesus' love was available to me. I was never an alcoholic, a thief, or a drug addict, but I was rebellious, selfish and lazy. In God's eyes, sin is sin. There is no hierarchy of sin. If you have sinned in any way - even if you've just told what we call a "white lie" then you are guilty of all! James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Guess what! I'm guilty!
I can recall many times when I failed my parents, and others. I've developed an almost automatic response of "I'm sorry!" when something goes wrong! I've had to go to lots of people, young and old alike, and apologize - usually for something I've said that came out wrong! Not one time has anyone said "No, Valerie, I can't forgive you." Everyone has said "It's okay. I forgive you." You know, at that moment, when someone forgives me, I just feel like a ton of bricks has been lifted from my shoulders! It's wonderful! That's what love will do for you - it covers up your mistakes. It frees you from guilt, anger or resentment.
If you love someone, then you'll forgive them, you'll free them from guilt or maybe you'll only be freeing yourself from the bondage of bitterness. Either way, you win.
Love received - such as Christ's love - will free you from guilt, sin and an eternity in Hell. Again, it's a win/win situation.
I recently heard a song called "To Rescue A Sinner Like Me" and man, was it great! I want to get the music for it. The words spoke to my heart. It talks about how unworthy we are and yet Jesus came and died to rescue a sinner like me! Folks, that's really hard for me to understand, because I know what I am. Yet His love covered my sin.
Praise the Lord.
I sure am glad that Jesus' love was available to me. I was never an alcoholic, a thief, or a drug addict, but I was rebellious, selfish and lazy. In God's eyes, sin is sin. There is no hierarchy of sin. If you have sinned in any way - even if you've just told what we call a "white lie" then you are guilty of all! James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Guess what! I'm guilty!
I can recall many times when I failed my parents, and others. I've developed an almost automatic response of "I'm sorry!" when something goes wrong! I've had to go to lots of people, young and old alike, and apologize - usually for something I've said that came out wrong! Not one time has anyone said "No, Valerie, I can't forgive you." Everyone has said "It's okay. I forgive you." You know, at that moment, when someone forgives me, I just feel like a ton of bricks has been lifted from my shoulders! It's wonderful! That's what love will do for you - it covers up your mistakes. It frees you from guilt, anger or resentment.
If you love someone, then you'll forgive them, you'll free them from guilt or maybe you'll only be freeing yourself from the bondage of bitterness. Either way, you win.
Love received - such as Christ's love - will free you from guilt, sin and an eternity in Hell. Again, it's a win/win situation.
I recently heard a song called "To Rescue A Sinner Like Me" and man, was it great! I want to get the music for it. The words spoke to my heart. It talks about how unworthy we are and yet Jesus came and died to rescue a sinner like me! Folks, that's really hard for me to understand, because I know what I am. Yet His love covered my sin.
Praise the Lord.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Lessons from Abram ~
Genesis 14:21 -23 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
When I read the above passage earlier this week, it surprised me. The Bible is full of surprises, by the way. No matter how often you read it, you can always find something new in its pages. I had never noticed that Abram turned down the gifts that the King of Sodom had offered him, after he rescued the king and Lot from the hands of Chedorlaomer (please don't ask me how to pronounce that...I'm sure the way you say it is right).
Abram doesn't take gifts from the King of Sodom because the King of Sodom was not living right - remember, he was the King of Sodom, not a good place - and Abram did not want that wicked King to receive any praise for what God had done in Abram's life. Abram only saved the King because Lot was with him, and he loved Lot.
I saw several great things in this passage. First of all, I find it amazing that Abram would save Lot. Lot wasn't doing right with his life or with his family. Abram certainly was doing right by his. Lot wouldn't have been in that situation had he not been rubbing elbows with the people of Sodom. But, Abram didn't get full of pride and say "Well, you created this problem, you deal with it." No, he went to Lot's aid, even to the point of risking his life for him. How many times have I wanted to just leave a person in the midst of their problems because I think to myself "Well, they created that mess, so let them deal with it." Abram sets a different example here. We should love and help everyone, whether the problem is of their own making or not.
I also see that Abram was being careful to see that God received the praise for his life. He didn't want a wicked king to steal God's glory because he gave him some little reward for his trouble. I want to be sure that God receives the praise for everything good that happens in my life. It isn't because I'm so smart, or because I have so much wisdom, or any other reason. It's because of Jesus. He's everything He says He is, and so much more. Try Him and see for yourself if you haven't already.
Also, we see at the end of the story, that God is proud of Abram for his decision to turn down the riches of the world and take God's riches instead. I make brownies often for my kids. They're easy. They're good. So, I make them. I also purchase Chips Ahoy! or Oreos sometimes. After supper, I sometimes offer them a choice: mom-made brownies, or store-made cookies? When they choose the brownies, I am most pleased. They picked what I had made! I feel so happy and useful when they do that. I think that's how God viewed it too. He was so happy that Abram chose Him, over the world. He was most pleased. "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Gen. 15:1
Wow! That's pretty good, isn't it? I hope that I can love others no matter how they live, or how they treat me. I hope that I will always choose to give God first place in all that I do. I want to always deflect any praise I receive back up to the One who deserves it all. Because without Him, I would be nothing.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
When I read the above passage earlier this week, it surprised me. The Bible is full of surprises, by the way. No matter how often you read it, you can always find something new in its pages. I had never noticed that Abram turned down the gifts that the King of Sodom had offered him, after he rescued the king and Lot from the hands of Chedorlaomer (please don't ask me how to pronounce that...I'm sure the way you say it is right).
Abram doesn't take gifts from the King of Sodom because the King of Sodom was not living right - remember, he was the King of Sodom, not a good place - and Abram did not want that wicked King to receive any praise for what God had done in Abram's life. Abram only saved the King because Lot was with him, and he loved Lot.
I saw several great things in this passage. First of all, I find it amazing that Abram would save Lot. Lot wasn't doing right with his life or with his family. Abram certainly was doing right by his. Lot wouldn't have been in that situation had he not been rubbing elbows with the people of Sodom. But, Abram didn't get full of pride and say "Well, you created this problem, you deal with it." No, he went to Lot's aid, even to the point of risking his life for him. How many times have I wanted to just leave a person in the midst of their problems because I think to myself "Well, they created that mess, so let them deal with it." Abram sets a different example here. We should love and help everyone, whether the problem is of their own making or not.
I also see that Abram was being careful to see that God received the praise for his life. He didn't want a wicked king to steal God's glory because he gave him some little reward for his trouble. I want to be sure that God receives the praise for everything good that happens in my life. It isn't because I'm so smart, or because I have so much wisdom, or any other reason. It's because of Jesus. He's everything He says He is, and so much more. Try Him and see for yourself if you haven't already.
Also, we see at the end of the story, that God is proud of Abram for his decision to turn down the riches of the world and take God's riches instead. I make brownies often for my kids. They're easy. They're good. So, I make them. I also purchase Chips Ahoy! or Oreos sometimes. After supper, I sometimes offer them a choice: mom-made brownies, or store-made cookies? When they choose the brownies, I am most pleased. They picked what I had made! I feel so happy and useful when they do that. I think that's how God viewed it too. He was so happy that Abram chose Him, over the world. He was most pleased. "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Gen. 15:1
Wow! That's pretty good, isn't it? I hope that I can love others no matter how they live, or how they treat me. I hope that I will always choose to give God first place in all that I do. I want to always deflect any praise I receive back up to the One who deserves it all. Because without Him, I would be nothing.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
It's a Wonderful Life ***** (Five Stars)
I have a great book (no, this isn't another post about the movie!)to recommend to everyone! It is geared for those serving in full-time or part-time ministry work, but it's great for anyone! It is called It's a Wonderful Life (of course, I would love a book with that title, right? ;o) It is written by Terrie Chappell, wife of Dr. Paul Chappell, pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, California. My Mom bought it for me, and it has been both convicting, and encouraging. I will probably read it over again, this time marking and highlighting as I go along.
If you need a boost to your spiritual life this year, or just some encouragement that you're not alone, then please click here and get this book!
Have a wonderful day! :o)
If you need a boost to your spiritual life this year, or just some encouragement that you're not alone, then please click here and get this book!
Have a wonderful day! :o)
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sharing Some Blessings ~
I'm sorry it's been a while since I've posted here. We got back from our anniversary trip on Friday afternoon, and then Mom had to be at the airport early on Saturday. We also had our first "In Service Saturday" this past weekend, and then, poor Lauren got a stomach virus Saturday night! She is better now, praise the Lord, but still battling a fever. :o( Anyway, without further ado, here are some photos of our San Antonio trip! It didn't go exactly as planned, because the main thing we wanted to do was ride the boat on the River Walk, but, the River Walk was closed for cleaning until Jan. 11th! I was so disappointed. But I'm trying to look on the bright side...maybe I can come back for my birthday!! :) We still had a great time. We did get to walk along the River Walk (there's a great mall there where I bought several books at a Brentano's bookstore!), and we went through the Alamo for the fifth time, but this time, there were no children with us to constantly need something, so it was nice. BTW, if you need to know anything about the Alamo, well, after five trips, I'm your girl! :0) We also went through some museums and enjoyed our wonderful Grand Suite at the Holiday Inn Express! We ate at Olive Garden (YES!) and enjoyed being together. I was torn though, as I also wanted to be able to spend time with my Mom, who was home babysitting. Between getting root canals and my trip, I feel like I hardly saw her. The kids spent lots of quality time with her though!
Me at the River Walk - you can see it's low from being drained!
Terry at the River Walk
Hello, I'm your Alamo tour guide...just step this way to see a lock of Davy Crockett's hair!
The sacred Alamo - where over 250 brave men gave their lives for Texas liberty!
Our suite was named in honor of David Robinson - a former Spurs player.
It had two rooms! Here is the living room.
Here I am in the kitchen. The cabinets had real dishes in them!
Me at the River Walk - you can see it's low from being drained!
Terry at the River Walk
Hello, I'm your Alamo tour guide...just step this way to see a lock of Davy Crockett's hair!
The sacred Alamo - where over 250 brave men gave their lives for Texas liberty!
Our suite was named in honor of David Robinson - a former Spurs player.
It had two rooms! Here is the living room.
Here I am in the kitchen. The cabinets had real dishes in them!
It was so nice! We had two TVs, a King size bed, and a hot tub! It was heavenly.
Our first In-Service Saturday was a huge success! I went soul winning with Mrs. Caroline, and we got to see a young lady accept the Lord as her Savior! Praise the Lord! I was wanting to at least get to see one person accept Christ this year, and I did on January 5th! I hope that she is the first of many souls saved this year. The people had a great spirit. We had 12 show up to be involved. I made Taco Soup for lunch, and I think it went over well. Thank you to those who are praying for our work here. It has been slow by our time-table, but the Lord has been working according to His schedule, and that's the best timing of all!
As I was out visiting, I couldn't help but be heart broken over some of the situations we encountered. So many folks are wealthy, but unhappy. Some are so poor, and bitter! Some are just trying to survive and are so weary. I have days when I battle depression, but overall, I have a joyful spirit. Why? What's the difference between my life, and the lives of those listed above? One word: Jesus. Jesus makes all the difference. Now, some people get saved, but continue in sin or refuse to grow. They are not letting Jesus have all of them. When you trust Him for salvation, and give Him your life here and now, He will do great things!
What is the difference between me and the beggar on the street? Jesus.
What is the difference between my home, and a broken home? Jesus.
What is the difference between an alcoholic and me? Jesus.
What is the difference between my marriage and an unhappy one? Jesus.
What is the difference between my soul and a lost soul? Jesus.
Jesus has given me all I have. I can't take credit for not being a beggar, or an alcoholic, or divorced or anything. I am not in those situations because of Jesus. He makes all the difference.