Words

John 1 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . ."

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

God's chose to reveal himself to mankind in a person (Jesus, the Messiah, the Logos, the very Word of God.)

In Hebrews 1 1-3 we read. 

"Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.  He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word"

It’s amazing to think about Jesus participating in the creation of this world, but think about this!   He sustains all things – keeps them running.  He keeps the sun in the sky.  He holds this world in place.  He brings rain to support our green earth.  He continues to be active in our universe, by his powerful word. 

Jesus, The Word, is the one who helps us to know what God is like, what God’s heart is like.  

John 1:18 says. 

“Jesus is God’s only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.”

We see the Word in creation. In Genesis 1 we read

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.   And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”

The creation narrative goes on.  It tells us that “God said” and He divided the waters.  And then, “God said” and there were trees and flowers and such.  And then, “God spoke” the sun, moon and stars into being.  Then after speaking everything else into existence, “God spoke” and He made man.

Words!

I thought about how I use words.  There are many instances in the Bible that God mentions our words.  He instructs us to use our words (our tongues) wisely and carefully. Do you remember reading in Ecclesiastes about a “Time for Everything?”  It starts out telling us that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.  The one I’m interested in today is

“a Time to be silent and a Time to speak,”

Sometimes I need to speak out, particularly when I see injustice.  But that doesn’t mean I need to say everything that’s on my mind. 

The Bible tells us that it’s smart to limit our words. In Proverbs 17 it says.

 “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint.”

and then a few verses later it tells us.  

“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”

Here’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln that says much the same thing.

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Words!

What about God’s word, the Bible? 

Over the ages the Bible has sold more copies than any other book ever written.  I looked this up on the internet and all of the resources agreed that it’s sold over 6 billion copies.

Do you know how many people read those billions of Bibles that are out there?  I found that only 59% of Americans said they read their Bibles occasionally.  Guess that’s better than I thought.  Only 37% read it at least weekly, and only 11% read it every day. 

Think about that – the Bible is a letter from God to us.  It tells us about Him, about His love for us, about the future and the past.  It gives us instruction.  It gives us hope and comfort – and it’s not read.  That’s really sad isn’t it?

Psalm 12:6 tell us

“And the words of the Lord are flawless, 
    like silver purified in a crucible, 
    like gold refined seven times.”

Isn’t that beautiful.  The words of the Lord – flawless, silver, pure pure gold?

Hebrews 4:12 says

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

It’s alive, sharp, penetrating, judging our thoughts and attitudes.  That sounds pretty important.  If we don’t pay attention to God’s words, our words will not glorify Him.

I really want to make sure mine glorify my Father, how about you?

Room in My Heart

In Luke 22:11, Jesus is talking to Peter and John about the Passover.  He told them to go into the city and find a man carrying a water jug.  They were to ask the man, "Where is the guest room in which the Master could eat the Passover with his disciples?".  Jesus said that the man would show them an upper room, all furnished, and that they were to make preparations there.

I wonder if Jesus is looking to meet me in the guest room of my heart.

There's a room in my heart God is wanting to use

for daily communion with me.

He is waiting for me to open the door

to the pleasure of His company.

But the landlord must open the door to his heart

He must sweep out the dirt of his life for a start.

He must clean out the cobwebs of worldly care

and dust off the stillness that needs to be there.

He must then close the door that shuts off the words

of the world that intrudes, and demands to be heard.

The room's ready now.

Preparations are made.

Now the hour is at hand

and the supper is laid.

In the stillness He comes,

Awesome God, gentle friend

to the room in my heart -

still small voice in the wind.

It's Spring

Lord it's spring

I saw a field one day 

and looked for signs of You.

I saw a fresh green sprout and early morning dew.

And then I saw the can, the box,

and old car part,

and wondered -

when You saw them ruin all Your art,

did You cry for beauty gone

for freshness ruined there?

Because dear God I know 

You keep even flowers in Your care.

Lord, today I saw that field again 

and lingered there so long

to gaze upon the trees and hills and listen to the song

of Your gentle creature of the sky as they greet the morning sun,

and I looked around again to see the damage man had done.

But today there's something different about what's in my sight.

The grass grown green upon the ground is covering the blight.

and

I thought about the blight of sin

and how You died to cleanse all man.

I thought of how that fateful day

You washed man’s guilt and sin away.

Unlike the grass upon the ground, which only covered up the mound

of can and box and old car part, - the things that marred creations art,

You took my life’s dark sin away

and brought a fresh new life today.

Thank you my wonderful Lord.

A New Beginning

Easter is next Sunday – I look at Easter as the dawn – a new beginning for this world.  When Christ died on the cross and rose again, He gave us all a new beginning, a brand new start.   I’m sure you remember many Easter’s in your life – so many New Beginnings.

But it didn’t start with Easter Sunday, did it?

Let’s talk a little bit about what happened prior to Jesus’ resurrection.  Mankind sinned and needed redemption – the price of sin is death and somehow that price had to be paid.  God planned for it to be paid by His Son dying on a cross, atop a hill, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. 

Think about that death.  Jesus knew it was coming.  So many times in our lives we know something is inevitable – it’s coming and we’re not thrilled about it.  Jesus didn’t look forward to dying on the cross for our sins.  He even asked His Father to keep it from happening.  He asked His Father if there was possibly any other way to bring us back to Him.  But it wasn’t to be – the price had to be paid.  The perfect, sinless sacrifice had to be made.

Yes, He asked for another way, but He was still willing to die for us.  He said, “Not My will, but Yours, Father.”  Jesus knew that, if His Father didn’t come up with another plan, He would have to pay the price for us all.  

That really humbles me.  You know, the fact that Jesus asked for it not to happen, but went ahead and gave His life up for me, touches my heart so deeply.  If He hadn’t asked God to take the cup away, if he hadn’t asked His father not to make Him suffer in the way He knew He would – I’m not sure I would have as good a grasp on His love for us.  Because, you see, He knew ahead of time.  He had time to think about just what would happen – the pain, the humiliation, the separation from His Father.  Even then – He was willing.

The price was higher than we can ever imagine. I’m sure you realize that. 

We've all seen the pictures of our suffering savior, so we have some idea of the cause of the pain He went through, but what about His loneliness, have we thought about that? 

Yes, there were people around, a few of His followers and His mother who cared about him.  There were soldiers and the two other men who were crucified at the same time.  But even then Jesus was entirely alone in this world.  Even His Father could not partake in that aloneness.  The price for our sin was not only death, but it was separation from His Father.  When He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me,” I believe that His Father God hurt like He had never hurt before in all of time and before time. 

I believe He could have stopped the suffering of His son, but He would not – He loved us too much.  I believe He could have protected Jesus from this terrible burden, from paying the price of salvation for us, I believe He could have made sure that His son knew He was there, but He did not.

 

And it did not end there!

Thank God it didn’t end there!  Spring was coming – a new day was dawning – God knew what He was doing. 

It was only a matter of days until the story made a remarkable change.  In only a short time, sorrow turned to gladness.   In the darkness of our world a new sun was shining.  In a blink of an eye in eternity’s time the whole history of man changed from darkness to dawn.  Christ burst from the tomb, and the heaven was filled with singing.  The whole world woke up to spring.  It was a new day, a new beginning.  

Jesus’ disciples changed from the timid, beaten down, men they were – from the fraidy-cats that ran away and denied knowing Him, to real men who spoke out, who were willing to stand up and be counted as followers of Jesus.  The world would be changed forever because of this one event in history.  Wrongs would be dealt with; hospitals would be built; charity would be given; children would be protected; slavery would eventually be ended, all because of this one event in history. Isn’t that exciting?

You see Easter isn’t over!

Easter isn’t over, and it will never be

Christ paid the price to bring the Spring – and set this captive free.

May your Easter this year mean more to you than it ever has before.  May you be more aware of how much God loves you than you ever have before and may that warm your heart and comfort you.  He loves you so much.  

Do You Know Him?

God is closer than a brother, a husband, a wife, a parent, a friend. 

He is higher than a skyscraper, a tree, a mountain, the stars, and the sun. 

He is more powerful than a thunderstorm, a tornado, an earthquake, or a hurricane and more rare and beautiful than a perfect diamond.

He is more - so much more,

than we could ever imagine.

He is loving.  He is kind. 

He is Father.  He is God - The God - The one and only God.  

Do you know Him?  

There is so much to know about God.  Do you remember hearing the story of the blind men who were able to touch and feel parts of an elephant and then asked to tell what it looked like?  They all came up with different ideas.  The one who touched the tail thought the elephant must be something like a rope.  The one who touched the ear, thought a fan.  The one who touched the leg, thought a stout pillar, the trunk, a snake and so on.  They were all right to some degree, but not being able to touch and feel the entire elephant, they had a very limited view of its physical attributes.

Sometimes we’re like that with God.  Some people see only judgment – when we read the Old Testament, there is a good deal of that on the nations that refused to believe in Him.   “Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?  Job 21:21-23

Sometimes when we look at our world, we see His power and might.  And when we look into the scriptures we see many instances where God displays His power and His people praise His power.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  Heb 1:3

The Bible tells us that He is our Father.   It talks about God – the Father of all.   But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Gal 4:4-5

Sometimes God's comfort shines through and we feel comforted with His word and the knowledge that He cares for us.   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, 2 Cor 1:3 

Or He is our teacher, His Spirit teaches us, through the Word, our conscience, and God’s people.  These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God 1 Cor 2:10 

Do we see Him as our savior?  When Easter time rolls around, we get a clear view of the price He paid for our sins.  We see Him on the cross and risen from the tomb.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

Do you feel His love, His judgment, His fatherly discipline, His Help, His might and power?  If we see Him in all of those facets, we get a clearer picture of the God we serve.

When I hear that word, facets, I always think of diamonds. 

There’s a saying - Diamonds are forever.  It’s partly true because they are the hardest natural material ever known to man.  Even though they are beautiful and expensive and mean a lot to people because of that beauty, they are also useful.  In some cases they’re used for cutting or polishing extremely hard materials.

Diamonds are known as a symbol of love. The word “diamond” came from the ancient Greeks – adamas – which is roughly translated as untamed or invincible.  Before diamonds began to be cut and polished, they were left uncut and mounted into their settings.  This gave each one a dark, deep mysterious look, unlike the polished look we see today.  I like that picture, deep and mysterious, it fits more closely the original Greek word “untamed.”  Would you want a tame God – I don’t think I would.

Since they’re so rare, they are also the most expensive gemstones in existence.  And isn’t our God the costliest and rarest gemstone to ever exist.  Just as the diamond, He personifies endurance and strength. He is dark and deep and mysterious, yet He shines brilliantly.   He is the diamond, the symbol of love.

Diamond facets are the smooth surface areas of a diamond which have been cut, polished and placed at different angles to allow light to enter and reflect back from the stone. The cut of these facets enable you to see the sparkle.

When we look at the different facets of God, His majesty, his love, his judgment, his fatherhood, his role as our savior, as spirit as comforter, we can see his brilliance and beauty.  We must see the whole picture of Him to really appreciate Him for who he is.  Diamonds come in all grades and clarity, from industrial to perfect.  Their colors range from totally clear to more cloudy and brown.  Some diamonds look wonderful when  mounted in a beautiful setting, but under a microscope you can see flaws. 

That’s not so with our Diamond of a God.  He has no flaws and there will be none found.  His facets: 

Dear friends. I received a note from my sis recently. I have edited the content just a bit, but I believe we all need to think about it. This is a vital election year. There are many issues to think about and no matter where you are on the political spectrum, you will want to ask God’s guidance in deciding who and what to vote for and who to support. Please don’t delete this just because you think I’m talking politics right now. It’s not politics; it’s our country and our lives and children’s lives. Will you join me in prayer each evening? I believe that God loves us and wants the best for us.

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT

We all need to be on our knees. Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders unfold.

2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us, as Christians, the ability to call upon God to heal our nation. The scripture states 'If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'

During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute, to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. This had an amazing effect, as bombing stopped.

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.

The United States of America, and our citizens, need prayer more than ever! If you would like to participate, each evening at 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time (8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific), stop whatever you're doing, and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the upcoming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land, and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.

If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along. Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Thank you.

Please pass this on to anyone who you think will want to join us as well.

God bless you,

Diane

Pride - It's a Bug!

Pride’s a lethal virus that affects each living man,

and we don’t often know the range of evil that is spans.

We don’t know that awful pride is there within our hearts

unless we look beyond ourselves,

and take our thoughts apart.

Or possibly we’ll find it tucked within our halo’d hair,

preparing to reveal itself, when we least expect it there.

Pride masquerades as many things. Its costumes are so fine,

that you sometimes even think it is humility divine.

Pride’s a lethal virus that affects our walk as well.

We stumble on our “I” and “me”

in the stories that we tell.

In tales of glory, we’re the ones that win the big grand prize

for deeds we’ve done and races run; our works are supersized.

Pride enters through a mirror that reflects a wish to shine,

and hear the words that puff us up; those words we underline.

You see –

When pride builds me and lessens you, I need to ask what I should do.

Whether searching for the spotlight or looking in the glass

If I am first, that pushes you to second or to last.

The Bible tells us just the way to act our parts and what to say

“Put others first – on the front row.”

That’s really all we have to know to keep ourselves from falling prey

to the virus that we fight each day.

Diane