Guidance

Day 1
As Ivan and I traveled in Colorado and visited some historic geological sites we began to talk about creation and about faith.  Sometimes as we think about creation and we begin to reason, we try to make sense of it through our limited human intelligence.  It is however something that does not make a lot of sense when you simply use the reasoning of a human.  There is not doubt in my mind that this is all true even though I don't understand it, which is called faith.  Jesus says in Matthew 18:3 "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  What are little children like?  They believe, they have faith, just think of Santa Claus, somehow they believe this jolly old man can fly all over the world and deliver packages to all the little children all while they sleep.  They believe what appears to us to be the impossible.  

Day 2
One evening Ivan and I sat in on a ranger telling an old Indian legend about a little boy that went looking for the old man that could help his tribe through bad times.  It turns out that the little boy went into an underwater dwelling in which he was led to by a dog.  To make the long story short, the boy meets with an old man who then grants him a gift, any dog he wanted among a lot of dogs.  There were older dogs, younger dogs, athletic dogs and not so athletic dogs but the boy chose the dog that had led him to the old man.  He took the dog home and the dog, who was a puppy, grew to be a good hunting dog and helped his people survive.  One day the dog died and they buried it a few days later they went to the place of burial and found evidence that the dog had resurrected.  I don't remember exactly what he said about the resurrected dog but I think his spirit lived on even though he was not physically with them.    Does any of that sound anything like the story of God our creator or Jesus?  I am so thankful that my guide and my leader is not a dog but is our Lord Jesus Christ who came and was crucified and rose again.  Once He ascended into heaven His Spirit came to guide and direct those who believe and call upon His name.  Just think that a God who was always here, created the earth and all that is in it, during a six day time frame, and then rested on the seventh day, this God,
cares about you and me.  That is sometimes too much to fathom but faith allows us to do just that. 

Day 3
Today's lesson is on guidance.  Nehemiah 9:12 speaks about the time that God led the
Israelites in the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 
Even though He was leading them, He allowed them to remain homeless for 40 years.  Why?
  As I skimmed through the scriptures, it appears to me that they were not just out
wandering but the cloud and fire actually covered the tabernacle and if the fire or
cloud were descending upon it, they were not to leave the site but if it was lifted they
moved.  Exodus 40:38.  We always hear how the Israelites wandered in the desert but when I look up the definition of wander it reads: 1) "to ramble without a definite
purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray"; 2) "to go aimlessly, indirectly or causally; meander”.  Well I could say they went indirectly and they did stray from God but I do
not believe it was aimless, they were going to the Promised Land; it was not casual, they were being directed by God and there definitely was a purpose.  Could it be that God was teaching them during these moments of waiting?  Sometimes I feel as though I am wandering
in the desert and don't know where to go next, but just like the Israelites there is a purpose
in everything and everywhere I go.  Sometimes I try to figure out why God
is allowing things to happen because I have always dedicated my work to Him and have worked a
to serve Him not man, yet I remain without a job.  Hummm, if that was fully the case, I
wouldn't worry about what others think but would just understand that He wanted me somewhere else.  If that were the case I wouldn't be concerned when my life turns upside down
because I know who is in control.  It is easy to say that we know God is working in
someone’s life but when it is your life and you are going through turmoil do you sometimes
wonder if that is really true?  For me, I know it, but I don’t always feel it.  There are still times of frustration but faith keeps
me going.  Even thought I can’t make sense of it
through my very limited human intelligence, I know it is true.

Day 4
Wednesday Ivan and I walked in the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado.  It was really hard walking in the sand.  The sand was deep and it was not like the sand on the beach. 
I quickly figured out that I didn't have to work as hard if I just followed in Ivan's
footsteps.  He made the path so much easier for me.  So, I started following
him.  This was also the case when we went on a little hike and had to climb some rocks,Ivan was in front of me and I could see where I needed to step next by following his
path.  He would sometime turn around and help me up in some tougher spots.  I
thought of how our heavenly Father wants us to do that with Him.  Back to the sand,the
poem about the footprints in the sand came to mind as we walked in the Sand Dunes.  It talks about how God carried the person when the pathway was tough but I believe God doesn't
necessarily want us to walk beside Him, He wants us to follow Him.  There should always
be one set of footprints in the sand because we should be walking directly in His pathway.  He will sometimes need to reach behind and help us up as we walk through the
difficult times. 

Day 5
We don’t have the cloud or the pillar of fire that gives us our direction or do we?   If we know our Heavenly Father we have the
Spirit of God indwelling within us.  I
Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit
lives within you? I Corinthians 3:16.  We do have
a guide and He indwells us through His spirit, amazing!

I will close with one verse of a hymn I sang as a child:

Footprints of Jesus

“Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling, ‘Come, follow Me!’ And we see where Thy footprints falling Lead us to Thee.”

“Footprints of Jesus, that make the pathway glow; we will follow the steps of Jesus where e’er they go.”

I trust you will follow in His footprints and you will see His steps clearly, as you seek Him and find Him as you seek Him with all your hearts.

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

I am taking a break for a few days as I am on a trip and finding it difficult to post. I'll be back, Lord willing.

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

Miracles of all Miracles

Since I have been writing this blog, I have gone to bed each evening wondering what God is going to have for me to write the next day. I get up excited to find out what is going to be revealed to me in His word. What new thoughts or memories He might bring to my mind. It has been very exciting for me but I know it has only been a week and it is a new adventure that has put some life back into me that I haven’t had for awhile. I want that same excitement to come to the readers of this blog. It would be my desire that each one of you would be excited to see what God has given me to write each day but even more, it would be my desire that you go to bed each evening excited for what He has in store for you the next morning when you wake up, wondering what God will reveal to you as you seek Him with all your hearts. It is not the blog that excites me but being able to take the time to sit and listen to Him always seems to energize me.

Looking again at Nehemiah 9 we are now at verse 10 where we find that God is a God of miracles.
As a child I was always taught about God’s miracles. Sunday school stories and songs were filled with those wonderful stories about how God can do miraculous things. You can start with the story of creation and how God made all things. Move on to Abraham and Sarah and the miracle of a child and the promise of decedents more numerous than the stars. What about Moses and the burning bush or the miracle that God took a man of few words and made him the leader of the Israelites. Even before that, the miracle of God’s protection over him as a babe in the Nile river. There is nothing more exciting than David slaying the giant and the list goes on. In the New Testament we read of the miracle of God in flesh. All of the miracles that Jesus performed from the many miracles of physical healing, raising of the dead, spiritual healings of the demon possessed to the miracle of all miracles when Jesus raised from the dead and conquered sin. I believe all of those miracles in the Bible really did happen but where my faith sometimes sways is realizing that those miracles are meant for me today just as they were in the days of old. As a child I would hear the story in Sunday school about the little girl that Jesus raised from the dead and in my room by myself I would ask Him to bring Carol Beth back to life for just a little while so I could see her. I really believed He could but did not understand why He wouldn’t do that for me. Can you imagine the ruckus that would have caused if He were to grant that miracle?  Then as at age 25 I began to have some physical problems and our pastor told me that he knew that God was going to heal me from my physical problems and he believed it so much that he tried to find us to tell us that we wouldn’t need to make the trip to Wichita to see a specialist but we were already out of town. I wanted to believe and was comforted to think that God had revealed this to our pastor. I did get better after steroids but it wasn’t a quick miracle as in Jesus time. Then, my dear Mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and praying for her healing began. She really believed He could heal her and she went to healing services and each of us prayed for her healing. That healing took place when her battle here on earth was done and the ultimate healing of life promised by God became a life in heaven. Now it is really easy for me to feel sorry for myself at this point but let’s look a little closer at another individual that lived on this earth who desired to have a miracle but was told He had to wait, that was Jesus Christ.

Look in Matthew 26:38 Speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Have you ever felt overwhelmed to death, rest assured Jesus knows how you feel but times that by a 1,000 or more and that is most likely how He felt. Read on in Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Now when I pray that I am really hoping that it will be God’s will but generally it is my will that I am trying to please. Later, in verse 42 it tells us that He went a second time to His Father and prayed, “My Father, it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” We find the answer to why Jesus was willing to allow God’s will to be done in His life, as He is praying once again and He says in John 17: 1 “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” He goes on to say in verse 4 and 5, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Now, how many of us can say that to our Heavenly Father? So many times I pray for miracles for my own sake but not for the sake of bringing glory to God. How many of us pray for protection because we are afraid or for healing because we want to feel better? If you think about it a little while, we pray for miracles to satisfy our needs not to bring glory to our Father. Sometimes I think we believe he owes it to us when in actuality we owe Him everything and more. I remember in a study I did in the past that I was supposed to write down what I wanted God to do in my life and when I did, I realized that there was nothing that I could ask for that He had not already given me. My purpose on this earth is not to get my way but to bring glory to Him.

Who's Listening?

Today just before I woke up I had a dream. It was a dream I had the other day as well so I guess you could call it a reoccurring dream. It wasn’t terrifying or even dramatic but as I woke up this morning I wondered if I was suppose to use it as an illustration. Both times I was with a dog and it was not on a leash. Maybe it had to do with all the walks I have gone on in the park where I have seen dogs that were with their master but were not on a leash. This time I was in a parking lot and was trying to get the dog to come to me because it was about to get hit by a bus. I had remembered that the last time I called a dog someone had told me I was suppose to direct it in the opposite way that I wanted it to go and that it would go the direction I really wanted it to. Remember, the last time was a dream too. In my dream I was perplexed because I knew that if I directed it in the opposite direction and it obeyed me, it would run directly in front of the bus. If I commanded it to come to me and it went in the opposite direction it would still run in front of the bus. What I decided to do was to just start running and hope the dog would follow me and yes, the dream had a happy ending, the dog was not hit by the bus. The first thing I did when I started to look at what God wanted me to write today was to look at the next characteristic of God that I had written down. To my amazement it was from Nehemiah 9:9 “You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt, you heard their cries at the Red Sea.” I had written down that
God is a listener. The Israelites groaned long before they were at the Red Sea. If you look in Genesis 4:23 you will find the Israelites groaning to God about their slavery. Verse 24 and 25 tells us, “God heard the groanings and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”
The Psalms are full of verses where David said that he cried to the Lord and He heard his cries and there are verses such as Psalms 38:12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, as all my fathers were.” Do you ever feel that way, have you cried out for the Lord to help you and you felt like a stranger to God? Read on in Psalms 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.” Amy Grant sings a song about God hearing our cries and that sometimes it is better than a hallelujah. It is a song of reminder that God does hear our cries and wants us to come to Him. One thing we as humans so often forget though is that He wants us to come to Him in the good times as well as the bad.
As a teacher and a principal I have had to make some calls to parents that weren’t easy or pleasant to make. No one ever wants to hear negative things about their child. Even though they may know that their child has issues they generally don’t like being told that by someone else. I always found that if I kept in continual contact with a parent they would hear not just the bad but would hear of the milestones their child had made and they could more easily accept the setbacks that sometimes came their way. Do you think God could possibly be the same way? If we forget to thank Him during the good times but only come to Him in times of trials it could get to be a little frustrating.
Have you ever had something important to say and didn’t think anyone was listening? I would imagine that God is the same way. We have His words right in front of us. We cry out to Him to listen to our cries but we forget that it is a two way conversation and we need to be doing some listening as well. As I searched scripture this morning this verse popped up on my I-pad and stared me in the face, Proverbs 8:33-36 “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.” Proverbs 8:33 -36. You see, we all have a chose to make. We can seek Him and find Him and when we do we have found life in Him. We can be like the dog in my dream and not listen to what is being commanded, we can go the opposite direction or we can simply listen and follow. If it is good for the dog to follow the commands of his master it is so much better for me to follow the commands of my Master and have life. May God bless you as you listen, be assured He hears your cries. Seek Him now with your whole heart and you will find Him.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

Fogiven?

Read Genesis 4 today.

Recent happenings in this world have caused many people to talk and question our judicial system.  We wonder sometimes if people get what they deserve and often we try to be the judge over other people's lives when we really don't have the full picture.  We tend to think we know what is right and we even try to fix it when it not ours to fix.  The Casey Anthony trial is an example of this.  A woman was put on trial for the murder of her child.  It was not an ordinary trial but one that was televised and talked about extensively.  You could not listen to the news during the trial without hearing something about the case.  Most of us can get on facebook and see comments people have made about the trial and the verdict.  People are willing to pass their judgement on something they know little about although they think they know the entire story because of all the reports.  I, personally, did not follow the trial everyday but heard only what was reported on the news.  I did however, tune in to hear the verdict.  Why?  Partly because I wanted to hear the fate of this woman and partly because I was just a little curious to see if what I watch on "Law and Order" is anything like the real judicial system.  I have been fascinated by the judicial system since I was a senior in high school and in American Government class.  When Casey Anthony's verdict came in it was "not guilty" on all counts of murder and "guilty" of lying to the officials.  People being outraged over this verdict and thinking the justice system did not work has caused this person to go into hiding.  I heard on the news that she may have plastic surgery to change her looks and have to change her name.  Guilty or not her life will never be the same.  "What does this story have to do with a promise?"  you may ask, so, let's continue our study in Genesis 4 and find out. 

The story of Cain and Abel.  Let's first recap this account.  Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve.  They like Adam and Eve knew God, talked with God, and even walked with Him.  That sounds to me like a pretty amazing life!  What could go wrong when God is right there in your midst?  Now the story gets very interesting when it comes to them wanting to please God.  As you most likely know the fall of man resulted in God having to sacrifice an animal in order to clothe Adam and Eve after they had eaten of the fruit and realized they were naked.  Genesis 3:21.  That is what sin does, you can't hide from it, as it says in Numbers 32:23 "your sins will find you out".  It makes you vulnerable and makes you ashamed. 

Think back in your life time, have you ever tried to gain the attention of an important person in your life?  Maybe it was your parents attention that you felt you deserved but they were giving all their attention to a sibling rather than you.  It could have been a boss that you felt the co-worker always got more attention and all the promotions.  Maybe you wanted the teachers attention or a pastor's attention, the list goes on.  If you think about it, we have all probably been guilty of trying to gain someones attention.  How did you go about doing that?  Most likely we tried to outdo someone either in thoughts or actions.  I, myself, could never outdo one of my classmates.  She was more popular and more talented than I was and was always one of the first to be picked where I was always one of the last.  Oh, I wanted her life because everyone seemed to like her and she always got her way but I knew I couldn't be as good as her so I didn't even try.  I would rather search for her faults than go up against her in a competition.  It doesn't matter though, I was still just a s guilty as Cain because I wanted something I couldn't have.  I believe we are all, most likely, guilty of that and we probably don't realize that the other person is probably wanting to be someone they are not.  Simply stated, we don't know the whole story.

Now Cain and Abel set forth to please God.  Cain, as a worker of the fields brought a sacrifice of his fruits from the land that he worked to the Lord.  While Abel brought the fats of the firstborn of his animals that he cared for.  You might think those are both reasonable gifts to bring to the Lord, correct?  It states in Genesis 4:4b and 5a "The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor."  Now, you may think that it wasn't fair because both brought what they had to the Lord, both gave of their talents that God had given them and this should have pleased God.  Let's look at the second part of verse 5, "so Cain was very angry and his face was downcast."  As I thought about that, I began to wonder if God was not pleased because the intent of Cain's offering was to try to outdo his bother, not to bring a sacrifice of praise to God.  You see, God can see our hearts where we as humans only see the outward appearance.  Some people may give millions of dollars to the church but if it is for their own glory instead of out of a heart of love for God, it is not as pleasing to our God.  This is evident in the story of the offering of the widow as found in Mark 12:41-43.  "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said,  'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.'   Jesus looked past the amount of money that was given and looked straight at the heart.  That scripture brings to mind to me a hymn I sang as a child of someone else who gave it all.  The chorus goes like this, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin has left a crimson stain, He washed it what as snow."  Just as in the story of the widow and in the story of Cain and Abel, nothing we give will mean anything to the Lord until we have given ourselves to Him.  We can not please Him by the things we do but by what is in our heart.  What is in your heart?   What have you given to Him lately?  What was your motivation for giving?   I don't expect you to answer that in the blog but ponder that for a few minutes.  Remember, He wants all of us, not part of us.

Back to Cain and Abel . . . God knew that Cain had only given a portion of himself, he wanted more from Cain.  I believe this because if he had given to his full capacity with the the right heart, God would have been pleased and Cain would not have become angry when God looked upon favor at Abel's offering and not Cain's offering.  In fact, God would have looked upon favor of both offerings.  But, something was missing and the Lord knew it. 

As the story continues Cain did what he thought would solve the problem, he would just get rid of the competition and he would do this by killing his brother.  The world has not changed, we see this in today's society, people literally and figuratively kill people everyday because of jealousy or envy.  So many in this world would rather get rid of the competition than step up to the competition.  They feel that it will make them feel better, more important, it is all about themselves and their needs rather than about the Lord and His needs.  This killing can take place in many ways from gossip to shunning, to making someone jealous who or just flat out ridiculing someone just to make ourselves look better and to get our way.  Think about it, are you guilty of any of these?  I know I am. 

As the story continues, God seeks out Cain to ask Him where his bother is and Cain denies knowing.  He lied to the all knowing God just like his parents tried to hide from a God who is ever present.  God, the only righteous judge passed His judgement on Cain, verses 11 and 12, "Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.  When you walk the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.  You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."  Cain could not bear this punishment (vs. 13).  He responded further in verse 14 "Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."  It was still all about Cain, he is feeling sorry for himself but then God gives him a promise, verse 15. " But the Lord said to him, 'Not so; if anyone kills Cain he will suffer vengeance seven times over.'  Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.  So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden." 

The first sin, God sacrificed, the second sin recorded, God made a promise, and sin continues today.  Whether it is a hidden sin to others or an open sin televised for all the worlds to see, whether it is murder, a lie, or envy, we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God as we see in Romans 3:23.  If we look at the verse prior, we see that righteousness from God comes from faith through Jesus Christ to all who believe.  In other words, if we want to be right with God we need to have faith in Jesus.  If we want to be justified (forgiven, just as if we had never sinned), we can receive it freely because we were redeemed/forgiven because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  If you  need forgiveness, go to our Lord, thank Him for the promise given through the sacrifice on the cross for your sins.  He didn't banish you to be a wanderer, He made a way for you to come to Him.

If you need to forgive someone, remember that it is truly God who forgives and He is the one who knows the heart of those who have offended us, stolen from us, broken our hearts, He is the only one who can rightfully judge.  We are to forgive as we were forgiven, read Colossians 3:13.  Today, I pray that you will give it all to God, that you will hold to His promises, and that you will seek Him with all your hearts.

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

Is the music too loud?

I recently attended a beautiful wedding with a reception and dance following the ceremony.  Once the ceremony was over we were directed to go to the reception hall that was a few miles away, something that a small town girl just doesn't quite understand.  When we arrived at the reception hall it was just as beautiful as the wedding.  Tables were set and were ready for the guests.  As we sat and anxiously awaited the arrival of the bride and groom, we visited, each table carrying on their own conversations and enjoying the time together.  Once the bride and groom arrived our attention was focused on them and we were brought back to the reason why we were all there.  We ate a lovely meal, watched the first dance and the dances with the bride and her father and the groom and his mother.  We cried a little and laughed a lot.  It was a joyous occasion.  As the evening continued the dance began, the music was a bit louder and the conversations became more of a yell than a quiet conversation.  Don't get me wrong, the music was just right for dancing but not for carrying on a conversation, especially for this old lady.  I can hear perfectly fine when someone is talking about me in another room but with music going it was hard for me to hear what the person beside me was saying and impossible to hear across the table without yelling.  I think it would be fun to be a DJ and just cut the music in the middle of a song just to hear everyone yelling at each other.  But on with my point . . . Sometimes I think that is what it is like when we are trying to have a conversation with our heavenly Father.  His voice gets drowned out by all the music around us.  Sometimes I feel like we do not hear Him clearly because we are listening to others rather than to God.  I am not saying that we should not listen to others, we are messengers of God but sometime I feel that we become dependent on others rather than on Him and we let them study the word rather than searching it for ourselves.  I have been walking lately and I have been amazed at all the earphones I have seen people using.  I tried to use them one day but couldn't get it to work and I was glad because I would have missed out on the beautiful songs of the birds that God created for us.  I would have missed out on telling someone good morning or I would have missed the conversation with the lady in the park that stopped and visited with me for a few minutes.  How much are we missing from trying to find out everyones take on what God wants us to know rather than doing as the Psalmist recorded in Psalms 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  I don't want this blog to be a one sided study.  It is my desire that each of you will be still and know what God is saying to you.  Turn the music down, as good as it may be, and listen to what God is saying to you.  Put aside all the resource books and pull out the word of God and just start reading it.  Use the verses that I may give you or ask God to show you what He wants you to know in His word but be still and know Him.

Yesterday I listed some descriptors of God from Nehemiah 9.  The first one I listed was He is the creator so today I would like to focus on Him as the creator. 

We have all most likely heard the story of creation, how God did all of this in six days and on the seventh day He rested.  We have probably also heard many contradictions to this story by those who do not believe in a creator, which is sad.  I trust you all believe that God did create this world but have you ever asked yourself why He did this?  God is God and He could have created anything He wanted but He chose to create the universe, including the earth and He chose to put man on the earth, why?

Let's think about creation just a little further.  Genesis 1:2 tells us, "The earth was without form, and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters".  I have never really figured that all out but today I visualized slime.   That nasty stuff that has no shape but just a big glob that you can't do anything with.  The earth was just there but God took it and made something beautiful and He did it in six days!  Again, I ask why did He do this?

There are many answers to this question and we will most likely learn a lot about why He chose to do this as we study the word of God and as we seek Him with all our hearts.  One reason can be found in the words of Jesus during His triumphal entry.  Read through this passage Luke 19:28-44 and see if you can learn something that you had never seen before. 

As I read it I noticed that it wasn't all of Jerusalem that was rejoicing but those disciples, followers of Jesus who had seen His mighty miracles and they were all praising Him.  There were also Pharisees in the crowd who were not shouting praises to Him, rather they were telling him to rebuke these disciples.  But I love the way Jesus answered them, as recorded in verse 40,  "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  There is our answer for today, we were made to praise Him.  If we don't do it, the stones will.  Remember the verse in Psalm 46:10, read it again.  We are to be still so that He can be exalted upon the nations, so He can be exalted in the earth.  We are here to give Him Praise.  Luke 19:38 says it very well, "Blessed is the King who come in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 

We are created to praise Him, to exalt Him.  As you seek Him and know Him you will find it easy to praise Him and exalt Him.

Seeking to know Him,
Sheila

How would you describe God?

Think about it, if someone asked you to describe God what would your answer be?  Before you read any further, I would like for you to sit back and meditate on some adjectives, some words that would describe who God is?  I would really like you to post them but if you are not comfortable with that at least take a few minutes to do it on your own. 

 As I went for a walk this morning I asked the Lord what He wanted to share and several thoughts began to go through my head but when I came back to write I started doing a little research on my thoughts and that research led me to Nehemiah 9.  As mentioned yesterday in the blog comments, it is always good to look at the people of the Bible and see how God demonstrated His love to them as He does with us.  Could you relate to the story from yesterday, are you in captivity?  Write in a journal or share with us if you wish, what has kept you in captivity.  James 5 is a very encouraging passage regarding how we should respond to suffering and how we should respond to one another.  In verse 16 it encourages us to confess our sins one to another, so, if you feel as though you can share on this blog do so but if not, which I would not blame you, pick up the phone and call a friend or send a private message to someone you feel you can trust in the Lord but begin the process of sharing in order to receive support from your brothers and sisters in Christ.  God did not multiply the earth in order for us to stand alone but to have each other to relate to.  Keep in mind that each of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  So many times we try to measure up to someone who is trying to measure up themselves.  One warning though, yesterday I attended the Redemption Church at the Tempe, AZ campus and Pastor Riccardo Stewart was sharing that we need to have a sense of community and we need to humble ourselves one to another.  However, when we open ourselves up and we share from our heart, there are times that this vulnerability may lead to heartbreak and disappointment.  This however, does not mean that we should stop and not share with others it simply means that we are all human.  I for one find it very difficult to share when my words have been misinterpreted and thrown back on me to belittle me.  I want to just crawl up in my shell and not share again.  This blog is a gigantic leap of faith because I have become vulnerable and have been hurt very deeply but God tells me to continue and to share the words that He has for me to share.  Be vulnerable, be prepared to be hurt, be prepared for God's character to shine through all of that and give you peace.

As we begin our study on the character of God I would like for us to turn to the book of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah was written at a time when God's people found themselves again in captivity.  The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and His people were scattered exiles.  But now the walls were about to be rebuilt in order for the Israelites to once again worship the Lord, their creator as they had fallen away from Him and worshiped other gods. Once the wall was built and the exiles had returned to their home, it states in Nehemiah 8:1 that the people, "gathered as one" and "they told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel".  As I read further down, I see a true sense of worship when in verses 5 and 6, "Ezra opened the book.  All the people could see him because he was standing above them, and as he opened it, the people stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' They bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground."  So many times we make worship about the music or some great fanfare but there is no need for a fanfare as there is nothing greater than looking at who God is and worshiping Him through His word.

That is a little history behind the words that I now want to share for today.  If my account is in anyway incorrect, history scholars please correct me!  I would like for us to look at Nehemiah 9.  I asked you at the beginning of the study to write down some descriptors of our God.  What did you come up with? I would like for you now to read Nehemiah 9 and write down characteristics that you see listed about God and compare them to the list that you wrote at the beginning of this study.  I have listed ones that I found  in Nehemiah 9 but before you read my list I would encourage you to make your own list, you may find some characteristics that I left out and I want you to share those with us.

The Israelites are declaring the greatness of our Lord, following is a list of descriptors that I found, see if any of them match your descriptors:
9:6 - creator;
9:7-8 - covenant maker, promise keeper
9:8 - righteous;
9:9 - listener;
9:10 - God of miracles;
9:12 - Guide or in my words, a trailblazer;
9:13 - Maker of laws that were just and right;
9:14 - Establisher of the holy Sabbath;
9:15 - Provider;
9:17b- Forgiving, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love
9:19 - Compassionate;
9:30 - Patient;
9:32 - Covenant of love;
9:33 -Faithful;
9:37 - In control

In amongst the characteristics of God there are characteristics of the Israelites.  Are there any characteristics that you can relate to?  9:16-18 - stiff-necked; disobedient; refused to listen; failed to remember miracles; rebellious;idolater.   I think we can all relate to one or more of those characteristics throughout our lives but it goes on to say how God abounds in love and is forgiving.

Wow, this is the God we serve!  As the song goes, what a mighty God we serve!  Over the next several weeks I want us to explore our God and His character and to see how magnificent our God is.  I hope it will lift your hearts towards Him and that it will reveal to you ultimately that He loves you and wants you to trust Him and give Him control of your life.  May God bless you as you seek Him with all your heart!

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila

Captivity?

Yesterday I gave you an introduction about myself and I hope now that you have an understanding of why I am driven to do this blog. A few years ago I was complaining to God that I felt like I was in captivity because the job I was doing was not what I really wanted to do. I struggled that my passion had been taken from me and I was frustrated that I could not fulfill what I wanted to accomplish. I read a verse that has always meant so much to me and it was something much like Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. Now Paul, the author of this book had lived in captivity, had a thorn in his side, had to work to support his ministry by making tents and left a lifestyle that was safe and secure to become a follower of one he use to persecute. Doesn't really sound like God was working all things for good, not according to our standards. So, how did he know that God works all things together for good?

That question brings me closer to the verse that I discovered when I was complaining to the Lord. I was reading one of my very favorite verses in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. God was speaking to His chosen people when He declared this. They too were in captivity, enslaved in a country that was not their own. We so many times want to stop with that verse and dwell on what God will do for us but we need to read more. Jeremiah 29:12 tells us just why God would do this for the people of Israel and why He would do this for us. "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen." Jeremiah 29:12. What God wanted from His people was a relationship with Him. He promises that He would listen to them if they would only pray. When I worked as a consultant sometimes teachers would vent to me and I would simply listen. On those days I would think I had not accomplished anything but those were always the days that teachers would thank me for coming and would tell me how much I helped them. God was telling His people that He would listen to them but were they talking to Him?

Now comes the part of this passage that stood out to me and something that I am continually reminded of. This verse is the theme verse for this blog, it is Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11. Memorize this verse so that you will continually seek Him with all your heart. The passage does not end there though, Jeremiah 29:14 tells us the Lord's response to them seeking Him. "I will be found by you,"
declare the Lord, "and will bring you out of captivity. I will gather you from all nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord,"and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." Jeremiah 29:14.

Wow, God wanted a relationship with His people, He was always there to be found but they weren't seeking Him, they were just complaining. That was me, I am His child just like the
Israelites were His children. I was in a place I didn't want to be and I was continually
complaining about it to God and to anyone who would listen. That summer I decided to truly
seek God and find out as much as I could about His character, what He said, what He did, and how He responded to things of this world. I read the gospels and meditated on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. My place in the work site did not change but I was free from the captivity of that job. I had sought Him and found Him. Just as Paul said in Romans 8:28, He will work
things together for good. We are called with a purpose in life and that is to have a
relationship with our Lord. Everything else does not matter until that is established.

Are you living in captivity? Do you want to be freed? Join me as we study more about our
creator and seek Him with all our hearts.


Seeking Him,
Sheila

Introduction

I am very excited to begin this blog. My hope is that all those who read this will be blessed and grow closer to the Lord. I have been through some little trials lately and have felt the need to connect with other believers but even more to share the Word of God with those who do not believe. I have been so blessed to have had Christian parents and have lived a sheltered life, however, I have also been very close to people who have not had the same experience. I have such a desire to let them know the Love of Jesus. Below is an article I wrote several years ago. My purpose in sharing it is a little different from when I first wrote it but the message is the same.  It was originally written as a challenge for my church denomination but have sense discovered from others comments that is for the Church which God has established and for all believers so I made a few edits and have it posted below. 

No Child Left Behind—A personal testimony and challenge
By Sheila Koop


It was a beautiful bright summer day in 1966, a six year old little girl, and her eight year old sister stared into the blue sky and began a discussion about Jesus. They had been taught, early on, that Jesus who died and rose from the grave, and forgave them of their sins, was in Heaven, somewhere beyond those blue skies, and they began to dream about seeing Him some day. Now, the eight year old bragged that she would see Jesus before her younger sister. If you are not the youngest in your family, you may not understand but the youngest dislikes being last all the time so the six year old informed her older sister that she, the youngest, would be the first to see Jesus. The eight year old tried to explain that she was older so she would see Him first but the little one would not believe this.

Shortly after that discussion the two sisters got on one bike and headed to the firecracker stand. They both knew how to ride a bike but for some reason the older sister decided to pump the younger one. They purchased their fireworks for the soon to be blast and headed home because their mother had told them supper was almost ready and to hurry back.  As events unraveled the two found themselves going down a sandy alley which was very hard to pedal through but the two laughed and greeted a neighbor as he worked in his backyard. At the end of the alley they found that they could not stop and their bicycle headed out into the street and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. The six-year old found herself on the curb in front of a red-bricked home, crying for her sister. Her older sister lay dead on the street after hitting the windshield of the car. She, now in glory, was in the presence of her Lord and Savior.

This vibrant life, full of love for the Heavenly Father, and one who touched many lives in her short time on earth, was my sister, Carol. I was the six year old girl on the curb calling out her name. I must say, I was a little upset with her because she got to see Jesus first. I don’t believe that previous conversation was an accident. I believe the Lord was preparing me for a life without her and a hope that I would see her again someday. It was also no mistake that our parents took us to Sunday school every Sunday morning.

Another life was changed that day, the life of a teenage boy who did not see us and was the one that hit us. The little I know about him is from my oldest sister who went to school with him. Although my parents made sure to go visit him and let him know that they did not blame him, he held on to the guilt of this accident and had nightmares for many years to come. He did not and as far as I know still doesn’t have the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding. This is even more tragic than the death of a little girl, who knew Christ.

If it had not been for my faithful parents, who demonstrated their love for Christ everyday and who took us to church every time the doors were open, we would not have learned about a loving God who cares for His children and a place called Heaven. My parents did not stop taking me to church after the accident, rather, they showed me their faith by remaining faithful and taught me to always trust in the Lord through whatever life may bring. My sister and I learned at home, how to act right and to do good but at church we learned the stories of how God demonstrated His love to His people. I truly believe that we all need to have the experience of learning and growing with our peers. As an adult, we can love Christ, be a Christian, and never step out of our home. But, we learn more, love more, and grow more when we share His love with others and walk together in our Christian life. If you are a parent that does not see the need to take your children to Sunday school and church, I urge you to reconsider the impact it may have on your child’s life. If you are an adult that does not see the need to be in Sunday school, small group study or a worship service, I urge you to reconsider this decision. Scripture urges us in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

I learned that dreadful day that life is short. One minute we can be laughing and anticipating the future and in a blink of an eye that future changes forever. What are we doing in our churches to ensure that the future of our people will be one of delight whether here on earth or in the presence of our Lord? How are we teaching our children to seek His face or to even know that He exists? How are we teaching our adults to hold on to their faith in the midst of trials? How are we teaching the teenagers to trust in the Lord even in times of turmoil and strife?

There is, and always will be a need to focus on, in depth teaching of the gospel. In Sunday school and small groups, we have the opportunity to be fed what we need in order to grow in Christ. Children and babes in Christ may need milk while more mature Christians are on solid food but we are all the same, we need to be fed. Let’s not be like the Jewish Christians in Hebrews who should have been teaching but were still needing to learn “the elementary truths of God’s word” (Hebrews 5:12). In the worship service, the pastor is required to preach to a congregation with varying spiritual needs. If I would have spent my first years of life, sitting in the pew, counting the tiles on the ceiling (which I did often), I would not have heard the gospel in my church, even though it was being preached. I was privileged, along with my sister, to sing many songs about the love of Christ, letting my light shine, and building my house on the rock, then hearing the stories about His love in Sunday school. At home we had a loving family that put the words we were taught in Sunday school into practice. Carol did not accept Christ at church, she accepted Him at home in her bedroom. This does not negate the fact that her church experience had a huge impact on that decision. These experiences, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave her the ability to share Jesus’ love with many others in her school. She was not bashful and could share with anyone; I on the other hand, liked her to do the talking for me.

Many of you have heard the term, “No Child Left Behind”, some of you may agree with this philosophy while others of you shake your head at the concept of everyone scoring proficient on state standards. Well, I propose that we adopt the same philosophy for our churches, let’s make sure, through the ability that the Holy Spirit affords us, that no child of God be left behind but that we bring them in and teach them of the love and forgiveness of Christ our Lord. It is my hope, that the experience of my life will encourage you and your church to hold yourselves accountable to growing deeper in love with Him and sharing that love with others.  As you look at ways to do this effectively, I would urge you to share your tactics with fellow believers so that His love will spread throughout all of the Church.

May God bless each and every one of you who serve Him with gladness.

In Christ,
Sheila Koop
sheilakoop@gmail.com


Sheila is a graduate of Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA with a B.S. in Psychology. She received her M.S. degree in Education from the University of Kansas and Building Administration Certification from Fort Hays State University.  She is a member of the Ulysses Mennonite Brethren Church, Ulysses, KS where she has served with her husband as a deacon couple. She has also been involved extensively in the Sunday school and Mid-week children programs at the church. At the time this article was written she was serving as the Christian Education Commission chair of the Southern District Conference of Mennonite Brethren.

I will try to post daily and would encourage interaction in this study as we seek to know Him who created us and who we are called according to His purpose. I pray this will be a blessing to all who read and/or participate in the discussions as I know it will be a blessing to me.

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila