Meekness Not Weakness

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Meek:  1. Patient, long-suffering, or submissive in disposition of nature; humble

www.thefree dictionary.com/meek

When I think of meekness and inheriting the earth one woman in the Bible immediately comes to my mind.  That women would be Ruth.  After her husband and father-in-law died she left her homeland and went with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to a foreign land.  We see that even though Ruth was meek she was also a very determined young woman and had her mind set on what she needed to do.  Sometimes I think people mistake meekness for weakness but it is quite the opposite.  Let’s look at Ruth and see what I mean by this statement.  In Ruth 1, Naomi decides to go back to her homeland after her husband and sons died.  At this point she had two daughter-in-laws both said they would go with Naomi.  I don’t know what prompted Naomi to tell her daughter-in-laws to return to their homes but she urged them to not go with her.  She may have thought it would have been more of a burden than a blessing to have them with her as she could not provide another son for them.  Ruth’s sister-in-law did as she was instructed by Naomi and returned to her family but Ruth had a different reply. 

Ruth 1:16-17 “But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.  Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.  (17)Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.  May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.’”

This does not sound much like a meek woman does it?  This sounds like a determined women and Naomi recognized this, verse 18 “When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

So, let’s not mistake meekness for weakness bur rather with strength because meekness is humbling ourselves and it takes strength to humble ourselves. Ruth went with Naomi and by doing this she humbled herself to her mother-in-laws way of life.  She believed in her God and she followed her ways. 

This story continues into a beautiful love story when Ruth humbled herself once again by sleeping at the feet of her master Boaz who gave her mercy.  In Ruth 3 we find the beautiful story and I would urge you to read it.  I will recap:

Ruth went to the threshing floor where Boaz was sleeping and lay at his feet (meekness).  When he stirred he asked who was there and Ruth replied, “I am your servant Ruth.” (Ruth 3:9).  And then, she made a request of Boaz, continuing in Ruth 9, “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” (courage/determination)  His reply in verse 10, “The LORD bless you, my daughter,” he replied.  “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier:  You have not run after the younger me, whether rich or poor. (meekness)  (11) And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid.  I will do for you all you ask.  All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character.”

As the story turns out, Boaz marries Ruth and the thus the beginning of the lineage of David in which Jesus Christ was born.  Wow, a woman displayed meekness and became a part of the lineage of Jesus. 

When we humble ourselves to our Lord and become meek before Him, we will be blessed beyond measure.  We can then say, as in Hebrews 13:6 “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?’”  Seek Him with all your heart and humble yourselves at His feet as Ruth humbled herself at Boaz feet and find favor with God.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Comfort

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” 

Have you ever lost someone very close to you and mourned?  Maybe you have lost someone through a death, a move, a broken relationship, or my most recent loss, the loss of a job, no matter the situation mourning occurred.  When you lose someone or something, people try to comfort you and give you words of encouragement but generally there is nothing that they can say or do that really helps much.  For me the most comfort comes from those that are in the situation with me and  fully understand what I am going through because they are going through it with too.  I think of the loss of my mother and my father-in-law.  I was comforted by other family members who were experiencing the same loss but I was also comforted by the Holy Spirit.  I know this because I had a peace that surpassed all understanding in both of those losses.  Being surrounded by those who loved them as much as I did also gave me comfort because I knew we would be there to uplift each other.  It seemed like if one was falling apart the other was strong and then the roles would reverse and the one who had been comforted was now the one being comforted.

When I lost my job though, I was all alone.  All of my co-workers found other jobs, my students found their place in another school setting, but I remained unemployed and uneasy.  I felt as though I was not wanted, needed, or cared for.  All of their lives continued but mine came to a complete halt.  As I began to write this blog, I began to feel like I had found a place for me during this difficult time.  I found a peace in having a women’s Bible study in my home where we could talk about the Bible and how the Lord could help us with our life issues.  I found joy in being unemployed, I felt comforted.  But, every time I apply for a job and get no response back, I begin to mourn again.  I become frustrated and uneasy.  I wonder where this comfort is that the Lord promises to provide.  It is not always an instant comforting feeling and then I have to think of Job. He lost his livestock and most importantly his children but Job did not blame God but rather praised Him.  He then became ill and his wife advised him to “curse God and die” but Job held firm to His faith that He should praise God in all situations.  His friends came and wept with him and sat in silence with him because he was in so much pain.  Throughout Job he struggles and he does not find comfort.  His wife cannot bring him comfort nor can his friends bring him comfort but Job does one thing, he holds on to the truth that there is an Almighty God.  He struggles and is in pain, he knows the truth, holds on to his integrity but he also feels useless and wants to die.  But he continues to wait and the Lord finally speaks.  When all is said and done the Lord speaks to Jobs friend, Eliphaz, and says, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken  of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Job 42:7b   As we read on, Job 42:10 - 117 tells us how his life changed through his trials and how he lived the latter part of his life,

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.  (11) All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. (12) The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.  He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. (13)And he also had seven sons and three daughters. (14)The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and third Kere-Happuch. (15) Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. (16)After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. (17)And so he died, old and full of years.

  

Job did not always feel the comfort of the Lord during his time of trials and even wanted to die to get away from those trials but he remained faithful to the Creator of this world, to the Creator of his life and he found comfort in the LORD.  He had heard of the LORD but now he had heard the LORD,

In this beatitude we are promised comfort but in order to have comfort pain must exist.  Life will bring about disappointments and hurts but the promise of comfort during those times comes from the Lord.  When hurts, disappointments, and pain come your way, remember comfort is not far behind.  In those times of distress seek the Lord for He is the one that provides comfort beyond measure. 

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila   

Who or What is Guiding You?

We will begin looking at the beatitudes today as found in Jesus words in Matthew 5.  Let’s look at Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

What do you think “poor in spirit” means?  Many times a Christian is portrayed as being very staunch and serious.  I think of an old lady with a frown and a snarling eyebrow when I think of “poor in spirit”.  I think many people view Christians like this because they think they have to “give up” everything that is good and fun to become a Christian.  That is not how I view the Christian life and didn’t think that I had to be like that to be able to say that I was going to heaven so I went to my handy dandy I-pad and looked up what “poor in spirit” means.  According to a sermon by Professor Finney, of The Oberlin Evangelist, in 1844, www.gospeltruth, I found my answer.  In short, it is the realizing that we are nothing without God.  It is being convicted that in the human state we have a tendency towards evil rather than good but through the grace of God we can be made whole. 

Contrary to the initial impression, poor in spirit doesn’t mean that we should walk around with a frown on our face or that we should be downcast, quite the opposite.  As a Christian we should be joyful because Christ gave us a way to be free from the hold on evil and has given up victory.  The ironic thing is that people who are not poor in spirit should be the ones walking around with downcast faces because they don’t have the hope in Jesus Christ.  But, sin is deceiving.  You have heard the phrase, “If it feels good, do it.”  That is the deception of sin, most generally, it feels good and we should definitely not “do it”.  When you are “poor in spirit” you recognize the hold of evil and cling to the firm grip of the Father’s hand.  You humble yourself to the only One who can save you from the grip of death.

Where does that recognition come from?  It comes from the prompting of the Holy Spirit that indwells those who believe and it will bring conviction to those who do not believe.  If we reject His prompting and depend on ourselves we are doomed to eternal destruction but if we recognize the prompting and obey we are considered “poor in spirit” and will inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Which would you prefer?

According to Professor Finney, those who are poor in spirit already have the kingdom of God in them, which is the Holy Spirit.  Many people put claim on their self-conscience to guide them but I contend that it is not our “self” that we should let guide us.  Those who believe in their “self” to guide them will find themselves in much trouble and turmoil, lets take a look back and see where that conscience came from.  Looking  at Genesis 2: 16-17  “And the Lord commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; (17)but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  The seed of our conscience came from a tree in the middle of the garden which set right next to the tree of life.  Adam was not told that he could not eat from the tree of life but he was instructed not to eat of the tree of good and evil.  Once he ate of that tree the sin nature was within him and those things that seemed right before became sin.  He was naked and had to be clothed, he had done wrong and had to hide from God, (which you can never do).  Sin was now in the world and we continue to be pulled by it.  Our conscience is that prompting of the Holy Spirit to not be swayed by sin but recognize the destruction that sin caused and will cause in our lives.

Are you living a life in which sin looks pleasant?  Are you being guided by your own self-conscience or the consciousness of God?  I pray that if you are reading this and you have not yet reached the place where you are “poor in spirit” that you will become that today, that you may recognize the holiness of God and begin living a life through His guidance and not your own.

As you seek Him and find Him, you will find Him in the place where you lay down your burdens at His feet and become poor in spirit.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Temptations

Have you ever been tempted by things that you knew you didn’t need?  Have you ever bargained with God or told Him how He should show His love to you?  Have you ever been tempted to do things you knew you shouldn’t do?  Did you resist the temptation? 

Jesus was tempted in this way and His words teach us how we should respond when we encounter such temptations.  After Jesus was baptized He went into the desert.  I find Matthew 4:1 very interesting, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”  Why did this have to occur?  I believe one reason is to teach us how we should respond when we are in the desert and we are being tempted.  Hebrews 2:18 gives us this reason for His temptation, “Because He Himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”  We are tempted because we have a sin nature in us as mere human beings but God provided a way for us to be free of temptation.  I also believe He was tempted in order to take the sin of mankind upon Him.  If He would have sinned in temptation He could have not provided a way for us through His sacrifice, He had to be a perfect lamb to be sacrificed for us.   But it is easy to be perfect when we are not tempted, so He had to prove His perfection through temptation.  Look at Hebrews 4:15  “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”

With that being said, let’s go back to Matthew 4 and see the example that Jesus gave us in how we too should respond to temptation.  Matthew 4:2 “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”  How often have you gone forty days and nights without food?  Most of us do not sacrifice anything for forty days but think about it, is there some material thing in your life that if it were taken away from you, you would be hungry for it?  Maybe it is television, your favorite soft drink or alcoholic drink, chocolate, cigarettes, and the list goes on and on.  If you are trying to be free from those material temptations let’s see how we should respond to the temptation of them.  Matthew 4:3  The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Now Jesus was hungry and it would have been very easy for Him to make bread from stones but remember, He is being tempted.  Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’  I can admit to you that I am guilty of running to the chocolate when I get stressed.  Next time when I am tempted by the addiction of chocolate that I should not have, I should pick up the word of God instead and dwell on it.  What about you?  Jesus took words from the Holy Scripture and used them to resist the temptation.  How well do we know our Bible that we could do the same thing? 

Doubting God’s love for us during difficult times is a sin that many of us have had at one time or another.  It is what I believe may have prompted the book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold S. Kushner.  We seem to think that if we are following God’s will that everything will be okay and we will be protected by Him.  Are we not putting God to the test?  In Matthew 4:6 Satan tempts Jesus by saying, “If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down.  For it is written:  ‘He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  What did Jesus say about that?  Matthew 4:7 “Jesus answered him, ‘It is written: “Do not put the Lord your God to test.”’.    Have you put God to the test by expecting to live a life without trials?

Has anyone ever promised you the world if you would come join their company?  Have you ever heard, “the sky is the limit!”  That is what satan promised to Jesus, Matthew 4:8 “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you, he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Right there it tells us that the devil has possession of this world.  When we strive to obtain worldly things and it becomes our priority over God, we are being tempted by satan.  What does Jesus say about that?  Matthew 4:10 “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, satan!  For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

When you are being tempted by satan, I trust that you will go back to the words of Jesus and fight satan off with the sword, being the word of God.  As we see in Matthew 4:11, “The devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”  What a wonderful image of the power we have through Jesus Christ if we only would seek Him more and resist the temptation of the devil our blessings would abound.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila  

The Righteousness of God Revealed

Yesterday as I sat and read the word of God I decided I would begin looking at Jesus words for my personal studying and for this blog. So, this next section of my blog will be regarded as the “Red Letters”.  I remember that a few years ago when I was seeking God I decided to do this very same thing and I drew so much closer to the Lord through it.  I am so excited to see what He will reveal to me this time.  Maybe some reminders and I am sure many new things.  I want to remind all of you to not just read my blog but go to His word and read it.  Reading your Bible is the most important thing you can do.  God reveals things to us that are pertinent to our lives and it is exciting to hear Him talk through His word.  Some people have told me how they have heard an audible voice from God, I have not had that privilege but I have heard Him speak through His word and into my very being.  I trust you will experience a new vision on life as you discover how amazing our God is.

The first recorded words of Jesus in the Bible can be found in Matthew 3:15a “Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’”  Jesus was speaking to John the Baptist who did not think he should be baptizing Jesus but that Jesus should be baptizing him.  John had most likely known Jesus since childhood, in fact before birth.   If you remember, Mary went to John’s mother Elizabeth, her cousin, after conceiving Jesus through the Holy Spirit.   Elizabeth was carrying John in her own womb and he leaped inside of her when Elizabeth heard her voice and then we are told that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41).  She then prophesied that Mary and her child within her were blessed and that she was carrying the Lord.  All of this account can be found in Luke 1: 29-45.  I would urge you to take a few minutes and read it.

Getting back to John and Jesus, let’s imagine that these two cousins played together as children.  What do you think those two cousins did when they got together and played as little boys?  I don’t imagine they were collecting frogs and putting them in their pockets or running and teasing all the girls.  I can see them sitting and talking about the things of God even as little children.  I would imagine Elizabeth spoke often of the account of how Jesus was the Messiah.  You might have thought that John was maybe somewhat jealous of Jesus but not so, John was a miracle baby himself and his parents had stories to tell him too. In Luke 1:14-15 the angel of the Lord was speaking to John’s father about his son who was to be conceived by his aged wife, the angel said, “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.  He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.”  John the Baptist wasn’t jealous because he had the Spirit within him.

Now they are grown men and John was preparing the way of the Lord.  The Pharisees and Sadducees that came to see John were rebuked and called to repentance.  He would baptize those who repented but would go on to tell them how there was one coming that would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  John knew this was Jesus and when Jesus came to be baptized John did not feel that he was fit to baptize but that Jesus should be baptizing him.  Then we get to how Jesus answered him.  Note, once again, what His reply to John was, Matthew 3:15, “Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now, it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented.”  This is when Jesus was revealed as the Son of God.  Luke 3:16-17 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. (17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”  The righteousness of God was revealed to us through that event and many others to come.  If Jesus had baptized John the event would not have changed a thing because John was already a minster of God but Jesus was just beginning.  Both of these men followed the will of God and did what they were being asked to do.  Tomorrow we will look at what happened after this glorious event and how Jesus handled it.

What can we learn from Jesus words today and how do we apply them to our lives?  I would encourage all of us to stop and think about how we are revealing the righteousness of God to others.  Are we on a journey of ministry or are we on a journey of living a life of survival.  Ask Him today to reveal to you how you can serve Him more and yourself less.  Seek Him and find Him as you seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Testing Our Actions

Yesterday we looked at the rich ruler who could not enter Heaven because he could not give up the things of this world and love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, and mind.  He had loving his neighbor down pat, probably because he wasn’t envious or jealous because he had everything he needed.  But when Jesus asked him to give it all up and follow Him, he was saddened and couldn’t do it because he had so much.

Let’s look at what Jesus said was the second of the greatest commandment.  Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

I have known people in my life time who say they love God but would not speak to someone because they offended them.  Come to think of it, there have been times in my life that I have been the same way!  We can all fall into the trap of not walking in the Spirit and we need to be careful when we find ourselves in that trap because it leads only to destruction, pain, agony, etc.  I have seen, through television ministries and personally how ministries have fallen away because someone did not show this type of love.  Let’s look in Galatians and see what the Word says regarding this subject.  First, let’s look at what a sinful nature is like,

Galatians 5:19-21 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:  sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; (20) idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, fractions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

We can all say that we have fallen into one of those categories before.  If not the first part or the last part, I am sure we have all, at sometime in our lives been a little jealous, thrown a temper tantrum, had our own selfish ambition first and foremost in our mind, had disagreements with others and were probably even a little envious at times.  But do you notice, they are mixed in with a lot of other things that I would steer far away from.  I believe that is there to show us that we are all alike in the sight of God.  We have fallen short of the glory of God. 

How do we know when something is of the Spirit or is our own fleshy desire?  We can measure it by one fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”  

I have been in situations where I had full intention to go into it with the fruit of the Spirit but instead my spirit was attacked and discord resulted.  That is not part of the fruit of the Spirit and I was wrong when I brought “me” into the picture. 

Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” 

Notice, if someone is caught in a sin, we need to help them, not shun them.  When the adulterous woman was caught in her sin the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, judged her and sentenced her to death by stoning.  But what did Jesus say about that? 

John 8:6b-7 “But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  

Jesus was the only one there that could have thrown the stone but He chose to do something else instead. 

John 8:10  “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman where are they?  Has no one condemned you?’  No one, sir, she said, ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus said, ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” 

Jesus recognized that she had sinned but He was gentle, kind, and patient.  He showed love to this woman and gave her joy.  He demonstrated self-control towards the Pharisees because He knew they were testing Him, wanting to accuse Him of something.  Jesus demonstrated how we should act and react to situations in which we find ourselves wanting to love but not knowing how we can do it in our own strength.

Next time you believe you are in the right, be sure to go to Galatians and test your actions against the fruit of the Spirit.  Remember the first part of the fruit that is mentioned is love, the core of the fruit. 

In closing let’s all etch these verses in our hearts, that we may remember why we are called to love and the result of not loving.

I John 4:19-21  “We love because He first loved us.  (20) If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  (21) And He has given us this command:  Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

As you seek Him and find Him today, search your own heart and see if there is any part of it that does not have love for your brothers and sisters in Christ.  How about your enemies?   How are you treating them?  Test the fruit of the spirit, begin with the core, love and work outwardly to see if you are walking in the fruit of the spirit or are being influenced by the things of this world.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

What is Your Treasure?

What is most important to you today?  What do you dwell on more than anything else?  What do you desire above all?  What are you working for?  What are your goals, dreams, and aspirations?

Today let’s look at Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus is speaking, and these are His instructions, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Let’s look at a scripture where a man’s treasure was more important to him than Christ.  Luke 18:18-20 “A certain ruler asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (19) ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered.  ‘No one is good—except God alone.  You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’ 

Let’s stop there for a minute and ponder what has been said so far.  First of all the rich ruler did not recognize who Jesus truly was.  He saw Him as a “teacher” not God and Jesus right away questions that.  Good is from God and teacher is from the world, the two do not go together.  Of course, Jesus knew the man’s heart from the start of the conversation but we are getting a glimpse of it as we read.  Jesus goes on to tell him something he already knows, but notice, Jesus only recites the last five commandments in which the ruler replies,

 (21) “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. 

If you will notice, each of these commandments relate to our relationships with each other, not with our relationship with the Lord.  This ruler wanted to make sure he lived a life of integrity and that he did.  As we look further in the scripture we find out where his heart is.

 (22) “When Jesus heard this, He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing.  Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.’  (23) When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.  (24) Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (25) Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’  

In this life we have choices to make and the most important choice we make is deciding where our treasure is. In John 10:10 we can see what happens to those earthly treasures when a thief comes in, again Jesus is speaking and He says,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

The rich ruler had no idea that his treasure was right before him.  Jesus was telling him to give away those earthly treasures that will be destroyed and to follow the One that could give him heavenly treasures that would never be destroyed or be taken away. 

So many times we get caught up in this life of ours.  We start out wanting to survive and we end up wanting more and more and more.  Before long our treasures are earthly rather than heavenly.  We get so caught up in earning money that we forget to read the word of God, we even forget to talk to Him.  If we do talk to Him it is saying, give me this, give me that and we forget to thank Him for the treasure of Himself.  Today, I hope you will stop and think about where your treasure is.  Is it in this world?  Are you following the commandments that teach us how to get along with each other but leaving out how to get in touch with God.  Let’s look at what Jesus says is the greatest commandment,

Matthew 22:37 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind.” (38) This is the first and greatest commandment.” 

The rich ruler remembered the second commandment that Jesus gave, to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39) but he was not willing to fulfill the first and greatest commandment.  So many times in this life we can forget that our goal is not to become rich and famous, or to have a specific house, or the newest car but our goal in life should be to store up treasures in heaven by loving our Lord, our God, with all our heart, soul, and mind.  Without this we have nothing.

As you seek Him and find Him may you grow closer to Him through His love and may you put Him first in your life and begin storing up those treasures in Heaven.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Is Your Name Written Down?

Isaiah 49:14-16 “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ (15) Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (16) See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

Have you ever written something on the palm of your hand so you wouldn’t forget it?  Maybe a grocery list or contact information such as a phone number?  It is kind of ironic to know that it is not a new thing but something God has even done!  But, wait, I have always written it in ink and then as soon as I could I washed it off.  I had to scrub but I got it off!  Look at that verse again, God has etched the tribes of Israel on His hands.  He has not just put them on there and then tried to wash them off but they are like the names inscribed on stone tablets in the palm of His hand. 

Stop and think just a little about what the Israelites have done in the past.  They grumbled, complained, built idols and worshipped other gods, did not obey God’s law or instructions . . .  But before you are quick to judge, do you know anyone that is not an Israelite that has lived any better?  It doesn’t take long to realize we are all the same, we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  If God etched the names of Zion in His hands He will never forget them but will they forget Him?  If He has remembered them in such a way, will He do the same for you? 

Looking in Revelation 3:5, there is another place where names are written down.  “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.  I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”  Q:  How do we overcome the trials of this world?  How do we have the strength to make it through trying times?   A:  We need to remember Him and draw our strength from Him. 

As I was reading Isaiah 49, I thought it was all about the Israelites and then some verses jumped out at me.  Isaiah 49: 6 “He says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’  Wow, God’s salvation is for all of us.  He sent Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb that we may all know Him.  His love does not stop with His chosen people but we too can be written down and not blotted out of the Book of Life.  Just as He told Joshua, Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous.”  We are called and we are remembered, there is not question about that!  But the question is, do we remember? 

Draw near to Him today and seek Him with all your heart and do not forget the One who saves you.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Dry Bones --Is There Hope?

Today, as I begin I have looked at verse after verse and the same thing keeps coming up and I am not sure why I am to write about it but here it goes.  May the Lord use these words to bless you today. 

As I began to read my Bible opened to Ezekiel 27, The Valley of Dry Bones. The Mennonite Men’s Chorus sang a I song that I really liked called Dry Bone. 

Dry Bones

Ezekiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”

Ezekiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”

Ezekiel cried, “Dem dry bones!”

“Oh hear the word of the Lord.”

Today I read the scripture concerning those dry bones, the Lord is speaking to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37: 1- 14

            Ezekiel 37: 1 – 6 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  (2) He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.  (3) He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘O sovereign LORD, you alone know.’  (4) Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!  (5) This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones:  I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.  (6) I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.  Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

Often times I lose heart when I see people that I think are a lost cause.  They might as well be dry bones in the valley because they have rejected the LORD and His ways for so many years.  They are most certainly dead in the Spirit.  I begin to think there is no hope for them, God must have hardened their heart years ago and now it is over for them.  But, as I read this scripture, I see that God is the only One who gets to decide when all hope is gone.  Ezekiel is looking at a whole bunch of dry bones laying on the ground all disconnected.  These are people who have rejected God time and time again.  They rejected God and they are dead.  Do you know anyone spiritually dead?  Remember that Ezekiel was called to prophesy to the dry bones and we too need to tell others of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

As the scripture goes on, these dry bones become connected but there is no breath in them. 

Ezekiel 37: 7 – 10  “So I prophesied as I was commanded.  And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.  (8) I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.”

Are there people in your life who seem to have all the right parts, everything is put together so nicely but there is no spiritual breath in them.  They are walking around dead in Christ but they need the breath of life through Christ Jesus our LORD.  So many times we fail to think about these people who seem to have it all together.  Are we ministering to them?  Are we calling upon the LORD to bring breath into their lives?  Have you ever stepped out from a stuffy room into a cooler area and took a deep breath and got some of that fresh air.  Oh, it felt so good!  That is the way it is with a life in Christ, you ask Him to breathe His Spirit into you and it a like a breath of fresh air, a hundred trillions times over!  That must have been how the disciples felt in John 20:21-22 when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection.  (21) “Again, Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ (22) And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

The Israelites today are still fighting for their land. Many of them know the Bible better than many Christians in America.  They believe Jesus has come to this earth and was a great teacher but most of them do not believe He is their Savior.  Their eyes have been closed, they have been blinded.  They do not have the hope and a future, or do they?  God wants all of us to know Him, He wants all of us to recognize Him and the people of Israel are no exception.  Because they rejected Him and the salvation through Jesus Christ does not mean that they will be dead forever but anyone who continues rejecting Him will be dead with no hope.  Christ came that all may know Him which includes the Israelites and the Gentiles. 

I have heard it said that the Jews are migrating back to their homeland even today.  Is God calling them home?  There is still fighting going on in the Middle East and battles over territory.  This is nothing new; you can read about it throughout the Old Testament.  But God is not done, He has a mighty plan and it is all about us recognizing Him as Lord.  Peace in the Middle East, we pray for it and someday when His people recognize Him as Lord, that peace will come.  Just like it comes to each individual who recognizes the LORD, the great I AM, and the breath of the spirit is breathed in. 

Ezekiel 37:11- 14  “The He said to me:  “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off. (12) “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘ O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  (13)Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  (14) I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land.  Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’

Miracles, are they there just to make our life better?  Note, Ezekiel prophesied that these things would come to pass but so that they would recognize the LORD and His mighty hand.  Do you ask for miracles to please you, to make life easier?  Or do you pray for miracles in order for God to have the glory?  It is clear in these scriptures that the LORD wants the people to recognize Him.  Is your life just dried up bones, with no hope?  Are you struggling to see any joy in life?  Have you recognized the LORD?    The breath of life comes from the LORD.  Ask Him today to breathe the breath of life in you.  The LORD will be glorified but you too will have a peace that can not be understood.  Do you know someone who has a life of dried up bones?  Be sure to share with them, the hope through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We should never give up and mark someone as a lost cause because God can take those bones, put them together and breathe new life.

Trusting that you will seek Him and know Him more as you seek Him with all your heart.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Do We Love?

We often talk about God’s love for us but sometimes I wonder just how much we love God.  Are we telling Him daily how much we love Him?  Before I get off the phone with my husband or my children I always say, “I love you”.  Even if we are frustrated with each other, we say, “I love you”.  Daily the Lord displays His love for us but often times we don’t recognize it and we don’t return the comment with an “I love you too”.  The very first commandments speak of how we need to conduct ourselves before our Maker, Deuteronomy 5 and in Deuteronomy 6:5 we are told, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  In today’s society I hear more of how God’s love for us is so important.  Some think that if there is a loving God why is there calamity.  I say, if we love God, why do we question His actions?  God is good all the time and all the time God is Good.  He loves us, yes, He demonstrated that on the cross but how do we demonstrate our love towards Him, that is the questions for today.

We can show our love for Him in many ways.

1)      We can tell Him daily in prayer.  When we pray we can let Him know how much we love Him and we will understand more clearly how much He loves us.

a.       Ephesians 3:16-19  “”I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, (17) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, (18) may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

2)      We can keep His commandments.

a.      Matthew 5:19 “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

b.      Deuteronomy 6: 6 “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  (7) Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  (8) Time them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  (9) Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

3)      We need to welcome and invite those labeled as the “least” in our society to sit with us and learn about our Awesome God.

a.      Luke 6:48 “Then He said, ‘Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.’” 

b.      Matthew 12: 34-40 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blesses by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. (35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, (36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. (37) Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? (38) When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? (39) When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ (40) “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’”

4)      We can show our love to Him by sincerely loving others.

a.       John 13:34-35  “A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (35) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

b.      Romans 12:9-10 “Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (10)Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.”

5)      We can show our love for Him by obeying His teachings.

a.      John 14:23  Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them.

As we seek Him and find Him, may we be careful to tell Him and show Him by our actions just how much we love Him.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Fighting Off the Enemy

Ephesians 6:10 - 18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  (11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  (12)For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (13) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the days of evil come, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  (14) Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (15) and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  (16) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (17) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  (18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints.”

As I was typing those verses out, I began to think of David.  In I Samuel 17 we find the account of David and Goliath. 

I Samuel 17:32 - 37 “David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine’ your servant will go and fight him.’ (33)  Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been fighting man from his youth.’  (34) But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep.  When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, (35) I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth,  When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. (36) Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  (37) The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.  Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you.’”

Just as in the scriptures in Ephesians, David had prepared himself for the enemy.  As I think about today, our Lions and Bears are those things that pop up in life and try to still the joy from us or our friends.  The sheep are God’s people.  We should be prepared for the attack of evil schemes and then when the big Goliath comes into our lives we will be able to not only fight him off but destroy him. 

Now, Saul had a plan, he would have David wear his armor.  Sounds like a pretty good thing to do since this giant was so much bigger, more experienced, and older than David.  But let’s see what happens when David puts the armor on. 

I Samuel 17:38  - 39 “Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic.  He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. (39) David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.  ‘I cannot go in these,’ he said to Saul, ‘because I am not used to them.’  So he took them off.” 

Using the analogy in Ephesians, if we do not daily but on the armor of God we,  like David, will not be used to it and end up taking it off.  David however, was already clothed with all that armor because he came to Goliath in the name of the Lord God Almighty. 

Look at I Samuel 17:45 “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

We always think that David used a stone to kill Goliath but he actually was armored with God.  He chose 5 smooth stones, why five?  Could it be that he had five stones that represented the armor of God?  1. Belt of truth; 2. Breastplate of righteousness; 3. Foot ware fitted with readiness; 4. Shield of faith; 5. Helmet of salvation?  But where did the sword come in?  Look at I Samuel 17:51 “David ran and stood over him.  He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard.  After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.”

Goliath had the sword in his hand but he never used it.  Do you have the sword, the word of God, in your hand? Do you use it? 

As you seek Him you will find Him in the Word of God.  Use it daily in order to know Him.  I pray that you will not find yourself on the side of Goliath with all the equipment readily available but unable to use it.  Or that you will feel weighted down with all the armor of God because you are not used to it.  Find time each day to give to the Lord in order to know Him better.  Ephesians 6:13 says “when the day of evil comes” not “if it will come” rest assured, even if you are satisfied today, there will be a day when evil will come, be prepared.   Some people say you can fight off  evil with 15 or 20 minutes in the morning, reading the word of God and praying but I say, seek Him all day long.  Yes, spend quality time with Him but wherever you are always be mindful of Him, remember His words as you work, remember His words as you play.  Pray continually means to praise Him if you are happy, if you are sad, ask Him for joy, if you are scared or frustrated ask Him for peace but always be mindful that He is there.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila