Tag Archives: Christ

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Carry Or Be Carried

JESUS CARRIES ME[1]

Isaiah 46:1-9 (NIV), “Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary beast. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; they could not rescue the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth and have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you. “To whom would you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me, that we would be alike? “Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh silver on the scale hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down, indeed they worship it. “They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; they set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress. “Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressor. “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,”

God is explaining to His people the difference between Him and the god’s of others. They were made into images of animals and had to carried into battle. They were heavy and burdensome. After being captured, they were even a heavy load for the beasts of burden to carry into captivity, with the people. Our God, the one true God, however reminds them that He has carried them since they were in the womb! He goes on to promise that He will continue until into their old age. He doesn’t change. He carries us. He delivers us. It would behoove us to remember what He said, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,”

So choose today, do you want to carry your god, or be carried by God?
It’s a choice.

Whatever we allow to take God’s place is an idol, a heavy burden that will weigh us down. Eventually it will lead us into captivity.

Idols take, in the days of Isaiah; people were even sacrificing their own children. Idols demand everything you have, never giving back. God gives, He is generous and loving.

Sounds like a simple choice, really.

I choose God.

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God’s Character Never Changes

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Hebrews 13:8 (NIV), “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Malachi 3:6 (KJB), “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

I love learning the names of God; they tell us who He is. He revealed most of them while His chosen ones wandered in the wilderness. There are great books out there that tell us His names and what they mean. Reading through Isaiah this week and one of the names that God calls Himself is “Redeemer.” I love that name. He has redeemed us from the curse after all!

In Isaiah 47 God is telling His people, thru the Prophet, how He is going to punish their rebellion and adultery and in the midst of it all, He calls Himself Redeemer. They had disobeyed His commands, ran away, and did the opposite of His will, sold themselves over to idol worshipping, and pretty much snubbed their stuck up noses at God, yet none of their (bad) behavior can change who God is! He remains Redeemer.

Let’s move on to chapter 48 (NIV):
“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before me.”

I don’t know about you, but to me that is such good news. No matter how much a screw up, how many times I fall, forget Him, put my needs first, this list goes on…if I return to Him, repent, He has to forgive, He has to love, He has to show mercy, He has to redeem me from my sin, because that is WHO HE IS! I can’t change Him, don’t want to in fact. I like Him just the way He is thank you very much!

So look up some names of God, read your Bible and think about who it says He is, then remember, He will never, ever change, ever!

I happen to think that is pretty amazing.

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Don’t Limit God

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Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV), “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

We have all been in that place at one time or another, or maybe some of you are there now, where we just think our “thing” is too big for God. Sometimes we think that God can do it for someone else, just not us. There is also the thought that asking for more (healing, money, favor, etc) is greedy and we shouldn’t. I am sure we can even come up with even more ways and reasons to limit God.

However, let’s not take our own perspective or worthless word on the subject, let’s look at Ephesians again. To “Him who is able to do immeasurably more,” more than what? More than we can ask or even imagine. I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty huge and vivid imagination, after all I am a writer, it kind of comes with the territory. So the things I can imagine are pretty out there, but God says He is able to do even more. He has the power to work those things in us.

Here are a few more translations of verse 20:
(NLT), “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
(KJB), “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us-”

That is pretty straightforward. God told Abraham, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” When Sarah laughed about conceiving at an old age. I think we all have to answer that same question. Is cancer too hard? Is owing no man (being out of debt) too hard? Is the salvation of our family too hard? How about recovering from divorce, death, or disease? Think of the hardest thing you can imagine and ask yourself, “is that too hard for God.” If your answer was “yes,” then you don’t really know who He is. It’s only our lack of knowledge of Him that prevents us from receiving from Him. Now, I know He is sovereign and His plan is perfect, we also live in a fallen world, and we have to go through some junk, but the key is going through. He is able, that is never the issue.

There are plenty of us who have finally gotten this revelation, only to get stuck in the mud. Usually it is because we aren’t standing in our authority. For example: if God says we are healed and we believe He is able to heal, that He in fact already took care of that thousands of years ago when He took those stripes on His back. So in our authority, which He Himself gave us, we command sickness to leave and healing to come. We tell our bodies, or our minds, to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Then we thank Him for what He has already done. We aren’t begging Him to do something. That is sort of pointless don’t you think? If a child of our continued to beg for a toy when we had already purchased it and placed it in his hands, we would get annoyed. Thank God, He has more patience than us.

Our God is also our Father. He made everything. Take a look around you, think about the ocean, a baby giraffe, a bumble bee, a sunset, or take a look at some of the pictures from the Hubble space telescope, He is limitless. His mercy and love know no bounds. His power is unending. He never sleeps nor shuts His eyes. He is forever watching you with eyes of love. All good and perfect gifts come from the Father and He has wonderful things in store for you.

So don’t put Him in a box, don’t limit the God who made the universe.

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Lose Control

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Philippians 1:6 (Douay-Rheims Bible), “Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.”

Most people have control issues. Some need to feel in control of every situation and every person in their lives. After my drug and alcohol use of my young adult years and years of prescription drugs for anxiety, I now hate anything that makes me feel like I am not in control. No gas at the dentist, one glass of wine, or one apple ale is enough, and never hard alcohol for me. My husband after several bad car accidents as a passenger, including one that broke his back in seven places and left him in a body cast for six months, likes to be the one behind the wheel. He hates giving over control of the vehicle to anyone else.

I know people who try to control their spouses, their children, and even their pastors. Wrong or right, they are always right and they know best. Sometimes this ends in abuse, divorce and church splits.

I think most of us will admit that not losing control to drugs, alcohol, or other people isn’t a good thing. We than can also agree that trying to control others, also aren’t a good thing. If you have an overly controlling person in your life, it is like being in prison, and if you have a need to control everything, much of your life is spent in worry, or feeling out of control. That behavior can end up being obsessive, not healthy to yourself or to others.

So when is it ok to give up control? Who is faithful enough for us to give our control over to?
The only answer is God. He knew us before we were born and He knows our end, in fact He knows every second and every minute of our lives. He was our beginning and He is our ending. He orchestrated it all for our good and His glory.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJB), “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

He is the author and the finisher of our faith.

Acts 27:23-25 (NIV), “Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

We can have confidence that if He said it, it will happen that way, as long as we submit to Him and let Him have control.

I know, we have all heard the argument that God is a control freak that says it’s “His way or the highway.” Who wants to be a slave to a hard taskmaster?

First off, I’d have to say why does someone want control? In God’s case, it’s because He knows it all, everything, the end from the beginning. So He knows what we need to do in every situation. He doesn’t tell us what to do for His good, it’s for our own good. Secondly, God is good. Evil can’t be found in Him. Do I want to serve an evil dictator, no! Would I willingly give myself over as a love slave to Him who loves me best? Of course! His “control” protects me, provides for me, heals me, sustains me, encourages me, and sets me free from all other masters!

This is the analogy God gave me about control: Picture yourself of the biggest scariest rollercoaster. You know the ones that go upside down and loop the loop. If you have ever been on one, the first thing they do when you sit down is buckle you in, or lower the safety bar. If the person next to you refused to be buckles or constrained shouting “You can’t control me, I can do this on my own,” and proceeded to try and hold himself in the car, you’d expect to witness a death, a very messy one at that. We easily give up our control for something that keeps us safe or protects us from pain.

I mentioned before that I won’t take gas at the dentist. How foolish would I be if I refused anesthesia during a major surgery? Sometimes giving up control is the best thing for us.

So what do you say? Can you lose control?

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Do You Yearn For Him?

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Isaiah 26:9 (NIV), “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.”

Psalm 42:1 (KJB), “To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

Psalms 63:1 (NIV), “A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

Psalm 84:2 (NIV), “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

Psalm 119:20 (NIV), “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.”

Psalm 119:131 (NIV), “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.”
Psalm 130:6 (NLT), “I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.”

There is more of that all throughout the Bible. People who really knew who God was, so they desired Him more than anything. Do you long for Him? Does your soul pant for Him? If the answer is “no”, then you don’t really know Him. You can’t long for a stranger. “As the deer pants for the water,” it’s a need. Do you need Him more than the air you breathe? More than food, fun, and fame?

God longs for you.

You are His desire.

He loves you so much that He gave Himself to buy you back from the slavery you lived under.

Song of Solomon is all about God’s love for His people. Listen to what He says:
“I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me.” ( 7:10)
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:” (6:3a)

If He doesn’t have your heart, He will never have your mind, your attention, your time, your thoughts, or your life. That is the simple truth.

He desires your love more than any sacrifice, or work.

Do you love Him?

He loves you.

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Communion

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When I was younger and I read in my bible how the people turned away from God, how Elijah ran scared from Jezebel, or how the disciples messed up, I would think to myself “if I had been there I wouldn’t have done that.” I also used to day dream about how wonderful it would have been if Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned. I thought that somehow my relationship with God would have been so much better. I was jealous of them for getting to walk in the cool of the evening with Him. That had I been there, my choice would have been different than the one they made. That’s easy to say living on this side of the cross. We see the consequences of their actions all laid out for us in Scripture. Now that I am a little older, I am pretty confident that had I been there, at that time, I too would have fallen for the serpent’s lies. While thinking about all of this one day, the Lord spoke these words into my heart, “He who has been forgiven much, loved much.” So I looked that verse up and found it in Luke 7:41-48 (ESV),

(Jesus said,) “A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do ou see this woman? I entered your house: you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave m no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

This woman, of less than a perfect reputation, had come into the home of Simon the Pharisee where Jesus was eating. They all knew who she was, or what she was. Yet, she went anyway, uninvited. Why would she put herself in this embarrassing, humbling position? Because she loved Him much! He had forgiven her so much and she was extremely grateful. After reading this scripture I realized that I couldn’t have loved God any more than I do now, even if I had lived in the Paradise of Eden, because like that woman, I have been forgiven much.

That marvelous love, the love that caused the Father to give His only son, the love that drove that Son to the cross and held Him when no earthly nails could have, that is the love that drew me to Him. I love Him because of His merciful forgiveness, for what He has done on the cross, for how much my life has changed, and for the simple fact that despite my shortcoming, my failings, and yes, my sin, He still loves me.

Next time you join together in communion, as you remember His broken body and His shed blood, remember His love. Remember for just a minute who you were, and who you are now. He did that!

Father, I thank You that I was born in this time and in this place. I didn’t miss out on anything by not being born into paradise. Jesus, thank You for Your great love, the love that poured out as freely as Your blood, the blood that washed away all of my sin. I am grateful and because I am grateful, I love you and I choose to accept all that You purchased for me by Your shed blood and Your broken body.

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What is in a Name?

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Amos 4:13 (KJB), “For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.”

Amos 5:8 (International Standard Version), “Seek the one who fashions the Pleiades and Orion, who turns the deep darkness into morning, who darkens day into night, who calls out to the waters of the sea, pouring them out onto the surface of the earth— the LORD is his name.”

Amos 9:6 (ESV), “who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the LORD is his name.”

God revealed Himself to Amos in all His Glory and Splendor, in His Power and Might. In the Hebrew language, every name means something. Abraham means the “The father of a multitude,” Adam means “man,” and Eden means “place of pleasure.” Ichabod means “no Glory,” or literally, “the absence of God,” Methuselah means “”his death shall bring,” and we know that the flood came after Methuselah.

So the names of God are important. It would benefit you to do a name search. Start with Jehovah. For right now, I just want to look at how God describes Himself. Not just in the form of a name or a title, but in His character and His attributes. From the scriptures in Amos we can see that God has a pretty high opinion of Himself, and rightly so! He is clearly the Creator of the universe, He leads the Host of Heaven’s armies, and He is Lord of all.

Revelations 1:8 (NIV), “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Isaiah 44:6 (NIV), “This is what the LORD says– Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”

He is the first and the last. He is Eternal and He is Mighty. He is our King and has redeemed us from the curse and there is no other God!

At any time if you feel like you are getting too familiar with God, like He is at the same level as us, or that He is “Bubbu” the kid you grew up with read Job. Here is just one chapter.

Job 38 (ERV), “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb; When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And prescribed for it my decree, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, and caused the dayspring to know its place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed as clay under the seal; and all things stand forth as a garment: And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm is broken. Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? declare, if thou knowest it all. Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and as for darkness, where is the place thereof; That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof? Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great! Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, or the east wind scattered upon the earth? Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, or a way for the lightning of the thunder; To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; To satisfy the waste and desolate ground; and to cause the tender grass to spring forth? Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hidden as with stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? or canst thou guide the Bear with her train? Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth? Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, When the dust runneth into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together? Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat?”
So, I think it is safe to say that God is a “know it all,” “made it all,” “own it all,” kind of a God. No wonder He tells us His thought are not our thought and His ways are not our ways. Of course Job couldn’t answer any of these questions God placed in His lap. We, like Job, need to simply say, “You know best, Lord. I love You and will follow You no matter what.”

Because He sees the big picture, lives outside of time, knows the end from the beginning, don’t you think He is the best one to lead us? I do. Is it always easy? No. Do we always have the courage? No. As one man said, “do it scared, just do it!” We need to get a hold of just a few simple truths.

God is good. He loves us. He knows what’s best. Period. Everything else has to line up with that.

My favorite name for God? “Lover of My Soul.”

What’s yours?