Wonderful Jesus!

A Letter of Encouragement

1 Timothy 1:1-2 -Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, to Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. NKJV

I’m beginning a study on 1 Timothy. As a matter of fact, I already started it, and I decided it would be great to share some of the things I am learning.

The books of Timothy are considered to be pastoral epistles, or letters because Timothy was serving as the pastor in the church at Ephesus. Paul’s introduction to the letter informs us that Timothy held a very special place in the heart of Paul, so much so that Paul refers to Timothy as his true son in the faith. As we get into the heart of 1 Timothy, this relationship will be key to us understanding many of the things that Paul shared with Timothy. It will also be important for us to note that the things Paul shared with Timothy are crucial for pastors and leaders of today.

Before we begin unpacking 1 Timothy, I think it is important that we back up for a few minutes and discuss the relationship that Paul and Timothy shared in more detail.

Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.
Acts 16:1-2 NKJV

Paul journeyed to Derbe and Lystra to preach the gospel. While he was there, he met a young man named Timothy. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were Jewish believers and as such, Timothy was raised to believe in Jesus (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s father was a Gentile, but we are not told what his dad believed or even if he was in Timothy’s life. Timothy was held in high regard by the community of believers in Lystra and Paul was drawn to this young man of faith and desired that Timothy should become a part of his ministry team.

For Timothy, this had to have been an honor. Timothy obviously had been serving the Lord in Lystra, and his community loved him, but Paul was offering him an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. That would be similar to your favorite pastor or evangelist inviting you into their inner circle and grooming you for ministry. For young Timothy, this was huge! Timothy saw it for it was, a chance to be discipled by Paul, and he took it.

Because Timothy traveled with Paul, some of the things that Timothy did for him are found in other books of the bible. Paul wrote in the book of Acts that Timothy ministered to him:

So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.
Acts 19:22 NKJV

I am pretty sure that this is one of those verses that pastors refer to when thinking of armor bearers. An armor bearer is a person who serves the pastor, minister, or leader as he or she focuses on the work God has called him or her to do. That was one of the ways that Timothy served Paul. This could have been as simple as making sure Paul had a meal after preaching or finding lodgings in new cities. Whatever the task needed, Timothy had come alongside Paul to take care of it. Timothy also worked with Paul in the ministry:

Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, greet you.
Romans 16:21 NKJV

I’m sure this included a multitude of duties. Praying for people, setting up times for people to meet with Paul, getting things prepared for Paul in other cities, and making travel arrangements. The list can go on and on. And all the time Timothy was following Paul around, serving him and helping in the ministry, he was gleaning from Paul how to serve God, how to pray, how to minister to the people, and how to lead. And then the day came when Paul allowed Timothy to preach the word:

But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.
2 Corinthians 1:18-19 NKJV

Paul and Timothy spent a lot of time together. Timothy saw Paul when things were going great and when Paul was under attack. Timothy got to see ministry and the sacrifices necessary to be a great leader while serving and working with Paul. Paul took the time to disciple Timothy. The two of them became so close, that Timothy became a son to Paul.

As we go through life, we will either be a Timothy or a Paul and if we do it right, we will find ourselves fulfilling both roles. Pastor Meeks, pastor emeritus of Salem Chicago said it like this: Every Timothy needs a Paul, and every Paul needs a Timothy. We should find ourselves discipling someone in the faith or being discipled.

In the book of 1 Timothy, we will discuss a variety of topics: false doctrines, mentoring others and being mentored, how to conduct oneself as a leader in the household of faith, and what makes a great leader, to name a few. I look forward to sharing what I learn in the book as I go through 1 Timothy in the weeks to come. I hope you join me as we discover the words of encouragement that Paul wrote to Timothy in his letter. Wonderful Jesus!

The Invitation

John 15:4-Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. NKJV

Recently, I attended the 50th wedding anniversary of a couple in my church. I was excited when the save the date was sent to me, and later when the invitation arrived. I felt honored that they would want us to attend their special celebration and that we call them friends. However, as we have gotten older and have so many family and friends, we’re not always able to accept the many invitations that come to us. As I was thinking about a blog for today, I thought that even Jesus sends us invitations, and we have the option to accept or reject them.

The first invitation that Jesus sends to us is an invitation to come to Him!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NKJV

The most important invitation we can ever receive is from the Savior to us, to leave the world and come to Him. Jesus sends this invitation to those with heavy burdens and those who are weary of life as it is, and He promises to give them rest. I said yes to this invitation and I am sure that most of you reading my blog also said yes!

Jesus also invited the poor, the broken-hearted, the blind, the lame, children, and others whom the world rejects to come to Him. For centuries this invitation has been sent out, and countless individuals have accepted it, while many have rejected it! There is no one of greater importance who could invite us to celebrate with them. No one! Yet Jesus, the Son of God, extends this invitation as freely to us as He did when He walked the earth, knowing that some will reject Him.

But that’s not the only invitation that Jesus extends to us! Inside the invitation to come is another invitation from the Savior and that is an invitation to stay with Him. The invitation to come to Jesus is not just an invitation to come to Him and avoid eternal damnation, but an invitation to remain or stay in fellowship with Him.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me
John 15:4 NKJV

The invitation to abide in Christ is often an invitation that is missed by so many believers. Many Christians can attest to enjoying their lives in Christ when they first get saved. The sky seemed bluer, life was full of hope, the church was a wonderful place to attend, and any task asked of us was easy to complete. Then one day we looked up and the thrill was gone. What happened? Maybe the invitation to abide in Him went unnoticed!

Jesus cautioned us that if we didn’t abide in Him and allow Him to abide in us, we would be fruitless! So the life that once was full of promise and hope seems far away or unattainable because we are often guilty of forgetting to abide or continue in Him.

With this being the desire of Jesus that we abide in Him, why is it that so few people enjoy His abiding presence? It could be that some have allowed sin to keep them from abiding in Jesus. Others may have not realized how to abide in Jesus and therefore it escapes them. Whatever the reason given, few realize the joy of abiding in Christ.

Jesus clearly stated that if we are not abiding in Him, then we are not bearing fruit, comparing this relationship of abiding in Him to that of a vine and branches. If a branch is cut off the vine, it soon withers and dies without bearing fruit. If a branch stays connected to the vine, it bears fruit! Such is the case of the believer who doesn’t recognize the importance of His invitation to abide in Him. Abiding results in bearing fruit, and not abiding results in not bearing fruit.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing
John 15:5 NKJV

I think this point is the point! Without Jesus, we can do nothing of any lasting value in the kingdom of God. Many people believe in their programs, gifts, talents, or their good works; but things done without Jesus are nothing in comparison to what can be done with Him.

As we abide in Jesus, we have the pleasure of knowing that He abides in us. As this relationship is cultivated we find ourselves daily seeking to abide in Him, and our lives become more fruitful. As we seek to understand exactly what abiding in Christ means, let us remember His invitation and seriously consider our need to respond to it with a yes! Wonderful Jesus!

The Whole You!

1 Thessalonians 5:23-Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV

I’m excited about today’s blog! If your week has been as busy as my week has been, then you can understand my excitement at spending time with the Lord through this blog. In today’s blog, I want to address the issue of sanctification.

In his letter to the church of Thessalonica, Paul prays that the God of peace will sanctify them completely, or as some translations state, “through and through”. The Greek word “hagiazdo” is translated “to make holy”, to set apart for God. We see this happening in the Old Testament as they are preparing the tabernacle of God in the wilderness, where they sanctify clothing, vessels, oil, and even Aaron and his sons for God. However, in this context in the New Testament, Paul is praying that the saints in Thessalonica are set apart to God in their entire being: spirit, soul, and body.

Christians readily agree that their spirit man is sanctified at the onset of salvation. Jesus sanctifies the believer through His blood:

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
Hebrews 13:12 NKJV

Jesus took on humanity in order to redeem humanity for God, to restore the relationship between God and mankind. Through Adam sin entered the world, and through Jesus (the second Adam) we are able to enter the presence of God after receiving salvation.

As a whole, Christianity is seen as a weak imitation of Jesus. Jesus lived free of sin, was able to walk away from temptation, and lived a powerful life before the world as a representative of God. Yet believers today, often spend the vast majority of their Christian existence struggling with one or another.

When Jesus returned to heaven, He left us as God’s representatives to the world. Yet, our witness often reflects more of the world than it does of God. Sanctification of our entire being will enable us to better represent God in this world. It’s not enough for our spirits to be sanctified (being born again) if we want to live a life of victory. In order for us to be a stronger, more effective witness for God, He must have the entirety of us: spirit, soul, and body.

Sanctification of the soul (or mind) happens as we are transformed in our thinking. In the book of Romans, Paul wrote:

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 NKJV

Conforming to this world is easy. We all have to be aware of the ways in which we conform to the world. Paul wrote that when our minds are renewed, we are able to be transformed, or changed into the person that God sees us capable of being. A sanctified mind refuses to linger on things that are not wholesome. Paul tells us to cast down vain imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. We are told to have the mind of Christ. My personal favorite verse on a sanctified mind is found in Philippians:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Philippians 4:8 NKJV

Just like our spirits are changed through the Blood of Jesus, our minds are transformed through the word of God. God doesn’t drop the word into our spirits unless the word of God has already been deposited. His word enables us to be transformed, sanctified, or set apart for the glory of God. In Ephesians, Paul wrote:

That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word…
Ephesians 5:26 NKJV

This verse references the point that Christ gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse us, and He uses His word in the process of sanctifying our minds. I think we all understand that! It’s our responsibility to make the decision to trust Jesus for salvation. It’s our responsibility to renew our minds. And it is our responsibility to take dominion over our bodies.

As we commit our lives to Jesus (by getting saved), and we commit our minds to Him (by renewing it with the word), we must commit our bodies to Him. Paul told us that we are the temple of the living God. And he also told us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him. The sanctification of our bodies is up to us! We can be saved from our sins and live a weak life before others because we refuse to sanctify our flesh.

In Galatians, Paul wrote these words:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Galatians 6:7-8 NKJV

Don’t walk in deception. You have a greater control over your flesh than your flesh wants you to believe! But only if you are allowing your life to be led by the Spirit of God! I know what modern theology teaches us about “everybody struggles with their flesh” and therefore none of us can have victory over our flesh! I understand that many have fallen, so much so that we all believe that we will! Once I asked God about this very thing. I wanted to know how could I avoid the entrapment of sin when so many people who were more spiritually matured than I was could not. I clearly remember what He said:

The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour. Don’t be the one he devours!
A word from God

I saw that as a warning that meant that in order for him to devour me, I had to give place to him. The New Testament is filled with scriptures that encourage us to crucify our flesh, to take dominion over thoughts, to walk in the Spirit and yet many believers think this is an impossible task. Many still believe that sin has a greater influence over us than we have over it. That’s not scriptual!

Because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 NKJV

Jesus lives on the inside of us. It should be easier for us to live this life for God than it was for any generation before the cross. The same Jesus who enabled Paul and the early believers to live a life set apart for God is the same Jesus we have given our lives to! The same God who empowered Jesus to resist temptation, is the same God who redeemed us! The same way Jesus walked in victory is the same avenue we have to walk in victory. It is being fully committed, fully submitted to the God who is able to keep us in every area of our being until He comes again! When we do our part, He promised to do His part! Wonderful Jesus!

Loving the Father!

Deuteronomy 6:5- “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…”

I saw a man wearing a tee shirt with the scripture from Isaiah 54:17:

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.
Isaiah 54:17 NKJV

That was on his front, and of course, since it’s a favorite scripture of mine, I secretly cheered! But as he passed me, on the back of his tee shirt was “God’s got my back!”

The next thing in my spirit was, “But does He have your heart?”

Interestingly, the Lord can get our attention from simple interactions in this life. That stayed with me, and I wanted to share it. If the Lord asks a question, it’s best to see if you can answer it. Was the question about the young man, me, or people in general?

Speaking to the children of Israel, Moses declared that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NKJV

Can I be honest with you here? I love God dearly, but I’m not sure that He truly has all of my heart. After all, I have a husband, children, a job, family members, and friends that crowd my mind and heart. So how can I really say that God has all of it when I have to share it with so many others? Why would Moses even say this? Is it even possible to love the Lord with all of my heart?

Someone stopped Jesus and asked Him, testing Him, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus replied,

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Matthew 22:37 NKJV

In both the Old and the New Testaments, we are told to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts! What does that even look like? Can I just say that I am not completely sure, because I am not going to say that I am there! But oh, how I want to be!

Now any reader of the Word of God can tell you that we are not to compare ourselves to one another, so I won’t. But for this example of loving the Father, I will use Jesus.

What did this undivided heart of love look like in Jesus’ life? Well…

*Jesus absolutely enjoyed spending time with God. He prayed so much that His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. Not how to perform miracles, not how to teach the word, but how to pray! I know a heart totally bent towards loving Him is a heart that is in communion with Him through continuous prayer!

*Jesus fully obeyed the Father! He said whatever God told Him to do, He did it! As a matter of fact, one soldier said to Him:

For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Matthew 8:9 NKJV

The centurion recognized that Jesus lived a submitted life to the Father! Obeying Him is a given, but a heart that is totally His not only obeys but does so willingly.

I know obedience is a sign of love because Jesus said:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:15 NKJV

Therefore, Jesus demonstrated His love for God, by obeying Him.

*Jesus wasn’t interested in fitting in with the social scene or religious groups of His day! If anything, He was constantly challenging their thinking about everything as He shed Light on how God sees and operates! He never tried to fit in, He never whined about being different, and He never cared what they thought of Him. He loved God with all of His heart, and nothing else mattered more than that! He was sold out!

*Jesus knew He was fully loved in return! At His baptismal, God spoke from the heavens:

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17 NKJV

He trusted in God’s love and operated from that love! And because of His undivided heart toward God, there was nothing that God wouldn’t do for Him because He was so pleased with Jesus!

No one mattered more to Jesus than His Father! No one’s opinion mattered more to Him! And no one’s will, not even His own, mattered more than the Father’s!

When I compare my heart to Jesus’ heart, I truly fall short! But the good news is because I have Him as my example, all I have to do is follow Him! As I grow in my relationship with Him, I know that there is no greater place of joy than His Presence. When I spend time in prayer, I feel a peace that nothing else can give me. I don’t always pray the same way at the same time, but spending time in prayer with the Father is important to me! I know it is not always easy to keep your prayer life from becoming rote and vain repetition, but it is so necessary for a vital life with Him!

Learning to fully obey God the first time is an area of challenge for us. We have to not only be committed to fully obeying the logos (written) word of God but those promptings that say: forgive her, apologize to him, don’t open your mouth, give her this, go visit that sister, go to church, encourage that person….these words from Him have to also be obeyed. This has always been a challenge for me because I have to step out of my comfort zone and interact sometimes with strangers. I typically stop and say, Is this the Lord, or is this me? What if I’m wrong, and God isn’t nudging me to do this? Or something on this line. But yet, I make great efforts to do it anyway. And time and again, it has been something that person really needed. Not to mention the joy it gives me to be used by God!

Not fitting in!! We are a peculiar people, so that should be no surprise to anyone that there will be times when we will not fit in. I’m not talking about being weird people, but different in all that we do! It’s sometimes hard for Christians to be different without being weird. It is also hard sometimes to accept that we can’t always fit in. To be the only Christian, to be the only one standing up for Jesus, can get lonely! To be the only one not drinking, not cursing, not sleeping around, not cheating, etc., can cause others to ostracize you. But when Elijah complained about being the only one, God told him that He had 7,000 prophets reserved for Himself! So you are not the only one! Maybe you need to be the one bold enough to stand out for Him so that others will follow!

Lastly, understanding the love that He is giving us! Paul prayed:

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

God’s love is so complicated that we can spend the rest of our lives learning to love Him completely. Loving God will never be a bad investment, so there’s nothing to fear in His love. It’s worth the time it takes to develop our love relationship with Him so that we can be rooted and grounded in His love!

Does He have my heart? Yes! Is it fully engaged? It’s the thing that I want more than anything else! And as I live my life, I live for it to be an expression of His love for me and my love for Him! I want to be as confident about Him having my heart as I am about Him having my back! Does He have your heart? Wonderful Jesus!

Remember the Rainbow!

Genesis 9:16-The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” NKJV

We were driving down the highway, headed to Bible study when we noticed this rainbow in the sky. It was gorgeous, and I just had to take a picture, although the picture didn’t do it justice. The colors were so vibrant! Then my husband began to share his scientific knowledge of rainbows, and after he finished, I told him that Genesis explains all I need to know and understand about the rainbow. Needless to say, his explanation was way over my head!

In the book of Genesis, we see the first mention of the rainbow. The Hebrew word “qešet” is translated as “rainbow” in only three books of the Bible: Genesis, Ezekiel, and Revelation. Qešet means “a bending,” and in all honesty it is exactly as my husband was trying to explain to me, a bending of light as it passes through the water droplets.

God sent a storm on the earth because man was so wicked He had decided to destroy it. The storm lasted so long that it rained for forty days and nights, destroying everything and everyone on the earth except Noah, his family, and the animals that were in the ark. After the flood, God said to Noah:

“And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you,and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Genesis 9:9-11 NKJV

So, although light might bend through the water droplets, the rainbow appeared after the storm was over because God gave it as a sign of the covenant that He made with Moses and all creation that He would never destroy the earth again in this manner.

Right after the conversation with my husband about rainbows, I was reading a book where the author recounted a sermon about rainbows. And if you follow me, you know that if something blesses me, I have to blog about it! So to avoid copyright infringements, I have to put my spin on the verses.

God promised Noah that he and all on the ark would be protected during the storm lasting for forty days and forty nights. That’s a long time to hear the rain pounding on a house, let alone on an ark. Since they had never experienced a rainstorm, and they had all of those animals on the boat with them, and they realized they were the last living people on the whole earth, this had to be a challenging time for them. But one day, the rain stopped, the waters receded, and they all poured out of the ark.

Then God gave Moses the sign of the rainbow to establish His covenant. In this situation, the rainbow was seen after the storm. There will be storms in our lives where we will only be able to see the faithfulness of God when it is all over, but if you remember that rainbows come after the storm, it will remind you that God is faithful and can bring you out of the storm!

Then Ezekiel saw a rainbow, but it was in the midst of a storm.

Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Ezekiel 1:4 NKJV

This whirlwind was similar to a tornado, according to the commentators. Ezekiel saw a great cloud coming out of the north, which was symbolic of the judgment of God through their enemies. But amid the whirlwind was fire and brightness that caused Ezekiel to think of a rainbow.

Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
Ezekiel 1:28 NKJV

Even though God was bringing judgment on the children of God, Ezekiel understood that God would be in the midst of the judgment. Some storms happen in our lives because of our actions, and others occur because the enemy attacks us. No matter how the storm comes, sometimes we will see a rainbow in the midst of the storm. While we are going through the storm, the enemy is raging, and things seem out of our control; God can show up in the midst of the storm!

This is no new revelation to those who have lived for God for any great length of time. We already understand that as we go through the storms of life or come out of the storm, we can find evidence that God was with us! I was just moved by the illustrations that were provided through the rainbow. Ezekiel’s situation reminds us to remember the rainbow during the storm because God is with us!

Lastly, in the book of Revelation, we see another rainbow mentioned.

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
Revelation 4:2-3 NKJV

John was on the Isle of Patmos. His enemies thought they had done something terrible to John, exiling him as they did. But it was during this time that John probably had his most significant experience with God! He received a revelation that ended up having its place in the word of God.

John was in the throne room of God, and he saw a rainbow that circled the throne. This is the first rainbow mentioned as a complete circle since it went around the throne, and John compared it to an emerald. I gather that all rainbows are not multi-colored, but all rainbows are symbolic of God’s commitment to us!

After John sees the rainbow, he hears the sound of thunder:

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
Revelation 4:5 NKJV

Flashes of lightning and thunderings are indicative of a storm! In this instance, the rainbow was seen before the storm! Isn’t that wonderful! God reminds us of His presence, His faithfulness, and commitment to us before the storm!

Something about this imagery truly spoke to my spirit when I read that sermon! It was another confirmation to me, that when the storms of life are raging, God is in the midst of the storm! When the storm settles down and ends, God is at the end of the storm! Even before the storm begins, God is right there with us!

My brother-in-law, Pastor Eric, would say to the congregation, “You’re either in a storm, just coming out of a storm, or getting ready to face a storm!” The first time I heard him say this, I had a “huh” moment! I had to think about that because it was like realizing that life is about storms! I didn’t like that picture!

But looking back over life, I can see how this could be true! We have a real adversary who constantly seeks for ways to interrupt our peace! But by remembering the covenant of the rainbow, that God is committed to keeping us, the storms of life don’t matter or seem all that significant! No matter where we are, God is right there with us! For me, nothing is more encouraging than getting something from the word of God! The message I read resonated with me, and writing this blog has encouraged me even further! Our God is God, and besides Him, there is no other! I’m including a song today that has been a source of encouragement. I trust you will be blessed! Wonderful Jesus!

Remember the Dream!

Genesis 42:-Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them…” NKJV

On Sunday, our pastor was reading from the 42nd chapter of Genesis when this verse jumped out at me:

Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
Genesis 42:8 NKJV

Then I heard the Spirit of God say, “Remember the dream”! I knew I would be blogging on this topic this week!

In this particular situation in Joseph’s life, his brothers are bowing before him and he remembers that in his youth, he had a dream of them bowing before him. The dream was so distasteful to his brothers that they plotted to kill him, making this interesting comment:

Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
Genesis 37:20 NKJV

Yet, here they were bowing before their brother Joseph, and surely his dreams were coming to pass! After all of their interference and all of their attempts to stop the dreams that God had given Joseph, they actually assisted in the process of making it happen.

When I think of the phrase “remember the dream” in relation to Joseph’s situation, I think of how Joseph handled this situation. As he remembered the dream, he could have allowed bitterness and unforgiveness to rule in his heart and he could’ve destroyed his brothers. He could have kept his identity from them and never acknowledged them. Basically, he could have reacted in his flesh.

But if Joseph was immature when he had the dreams, his response to his brothers demonstrates that he had matured when he remembered the dreams. I think this is so important to point out. God gives us assignments in life, whether through dreams, a prophetic word, or however He deems to speak to us. At the time of getting the assignment, we may be too immature to handle it. But if we trust Him and His timing, we will handle it with grace and maturity at time of fruition.

Think about Moses. God gave him an assignment to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage. We don’t know if God had spoken to Moses’ spirit before the burning bush, but we have evidence that he wanted to put an end to what was happening to the Israelites:

Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
Exodus 2:11-12 NKJV

Moses had the right concept, the right dream, but lacked the maturity and God’s timing! He got ahead of the dream. But at the burning bush, he remembered the dream to see his brethren free and was in the position to listen to God!

The other aspect of “remembering the dream” that I am sure Joseph had to reflect upon was all the stuff he endured before the dream came to pass. I’m sure it didn’t feel good to have his brothers hate him, but they hated him because of the dreams!

And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Genesis 37:8 NKJV

It wasn’t Joseph’s fault that God gave him those dreams! So maybe they hated God because of the dreams He gave Joseph! It wasn’t Joseph’s fault that God and his father favored him above his brothers! And while he might have been immature in sharing his dreams, he couldn’t help that God had chosen him! Just like it’s not your fault, or my fault when God places a dream, a burden, or an assignment on us that others think they should have gotten. Who wants to fight against God?

The sad truth about life is sometimes, the people we should be able to count on to support our dreams are the very ones trying to sabotage them! We had dinner with my husband’s cousin when we went to San Diego a few weeks ago. He told us how he wanted to go to college when he was younger but a relative told him he wasn’t going to go to college. However, he actually did go to college, something that was uncommon in his youth! She may not have even realized that she was trying to sabotage his dream and his future; she was just speaking from what was familiar to her. But that’s the thing about dreams; they are bigger than our present and our past and can cause others to feel uncomfortable with their lives! You have to move past the naysayers and remember the dream!

Another thing Joseph had to deal with was the delay or, more accurately, what looked like the death of his dreams. In the reality of his life as a slave, there appeared to be no way possible that his dreams could ever come to pass. Not only was he a slave, but he was a slave to foreigners, far away from his family. Joseph probably didn’t even want to think about those dreams in his present circumstances because they only would have mocked him and caused him to become shipwrecked in his faith!

I think Joseph’s situation made him forget his dreams. I think survival and honoring God were on his mind, not ruling over his family. I believe every day, he chose to be the best person he could be for God, irrespective of what he had once dreamed. And as he continued to live and honor God, he matured in the things of God. Sounds like advice for those of us still waiting on the dream!

Then one day, without realizing it had happened, Joseph stood above his brothers and they bowed to him. Then he remembered the dreams. God had done it! God had proven that the dreams were from Him, and nothing that had happened to Joseph was able to stop the dreams from coming to pass. As a matter of fact, God used it all: hatred, jealousy, slavery, lies, and being forgotten! All those things that the enemy threw at Joseph to stop the dreams were catalysts to the dream!

As I sat in the service on Sunday, I had an epiphany, a sudden realization about my personal dreams. I have placed some things out of my mind because I am getting older, and they seem even further out of reach than they did when I was younger. But I heard God say, “Remember the dream!”

Maybe as you are reading this blog, there are some things that you have forgotten that God has promised you. Maybe the situations and circumstances of your life are so far away from those promises and you don’t see how they can ever come to pass. Maybe like Joseph, like me, you have put them out of your mind and have chosen to just live for God to the best of your ability! Well, this moment could be your epiphany! Maybe it’s time for you to remember your dreams! Wonderful Jesus!

Family Matters!

Acts 16:31-32-So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. NKJV

I’ve been reading through Genesis again. Something that stands out to even the casual reader of Genesis, are the people we encounter from Adam to Joseph. With Adam and Eve, God establishes the first family, long before He establishes a church, a government, or any other institution on the Earth. This tells me that families are on God’s heart! They are important to Him! Families matter!

Recently, I was conversing with a family member, and we were talking about family dynamics. Like a lot of families today, he doesn’t have a typical family, but he noted that his children’s lives would have been so much better had he raised them in a typical household. It was so close to the conversation that I had with a man on the job that it has had me pondering as to why? Both men were full of regrets for not having typical families, not being there to raise their kids as they should have been.

Now when I mention a “typical family”, I am referring to God’s plan for a family: a male husband, a female wife, then children. I say this, because with all the definitions of family we hear today, (and I get it), I just wanted to be clear about God’s definition. But if your family doesn’t fit this neat summation of a family, know that your family still matters to the Father.

God understands, better than us, that things happen in life to change our situations. Divorces, separation, death, affairs, abandonment, crime and a host of other dynamics have left their mark on the family portrait. And because of that, when we speak of God’s definition of a family, people can feel ashamed, condemnation, and even hopelessness. But that’s not God, and that certainly isn’t my intention today. Every family, regardless of what it looks like today, matters to God.

God chose Abraham with plans to bless him mightily. Abraham was all for God’s plans, but he wanted a son more than he wanted the wealth of the land. Before Abraham had a single child to his name, God spoke these words about him:

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”
Genesis 18:17-19 NKJV

God saw in Abraham a person who would teach his children and all those around him to honor God, to conduct themselves in righteousness and to extend justice. Family mattered so much to God that He initiated His chosen people with a man who would honor Him with his family. Abraham instructed Isaac in such a manner, when they went to the mount to make a sacrifice, Isaac didn’t resist his father binding him as a sacrifice!

Abraham’s family wasn’t perfect! They had their issues! But today, God is still referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! God isn’t looking for perfect families, but He does expect us to honor Him within our families and to teach our children to honor Him. Hear the words that Moses spoke about our responsibility to our children:

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV

I believe it’s important to have a family structure that resembles God ideal family. But what’s more important, is how you treat the family that you do have! Whether it’s a single parent family, grandparents raising grandkids, an elder sibling raising younger siblings, or a foster home, the most important part of being a family is honoring God!

Eli was a priest of the Lord. However, he didn’t teach his children to honor God, although they were also priests. A real eye-opening statement was made about them:

Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:12 NKJV

Here is Eli with his sons and they were evil men who did not know the Lord! Somewhere along the line of raising his sons, something went wrong because they didn’t fear God, nor did they honor Him with their actions. Eli tried to talk to them, but maybe it was a little too late:

So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them.
1 Samuel 2:23-25 NKJV

It doesn’t sound like he commanded them to stop it, he just tried to get them to see that what they were doing was wrong. Things had gotten so out of hand, that the judgment of God was already settled on their destruction. Our families matter to God, but it is our responsibility to train our children in righteousness, to teach them to honor and respect God and us! God won’t do that for us!

When I started this blog, I wanted to address the importance of leading our family to Christ. It’s not just enough for us to be saved, we must be concerned about the salvation of our family because God is a household salvation God!

I think about Rahab as an example in the Old Testament. When she helped the spies from Israel, she wanted a guarantee that she would be helped in return. But she wasn’t just concerned about herself.

Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token,and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
Joshua 2:12-13 NKJV

God honored this concern of hers and delivered her and her family. Her family didn’t help her hide the spies, yet, she wanted them saved because of her kindness towards the spies. And it was done, because family matters to God! I don’t how or why she was a prostitute. Some scholars elude to the fact that her parents sold her into temple prostitution. I don’t know! But she cared enough about her family to want them to survive. And her compassion and faith saw her in the ancestry of the Savior!

When I think about the New Testament, I think of both Cornelius and the Philippian jailer. I’ll use the jailer for this blog because it’s time to close! A very familiar scripture on salvation is found in Acts 16:31:

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 16:31 NKJV

Paul and Silas had been placed in jail. At midnight, they began to sing praises to God and God caused a shaking of the earth that loosed everybody’s chains! When the jailer ran to the cells and found the doors open, he was ready to commit suicide, but Paul stopped him. Paul then shared the gospel with the jailer and his entire household. They were all reported as believing on the Lord! The jailer could have been content with getting saved, but he got his whole family involved in hearing the gospel. Just like Cornelius did!

Our families matter to God, as much as we matter to Him! His heart is that when we get saved, salvation is brought to them, because they matter! Like Rahab, let us look beyond all the dysfunctional issues in our families and realize they need to be saved, and we have the hook up for getting them saved! This is for me as well as anyone else who needed to be reminded today that gaining the world and losing our families is not okay, because they matter to God and should matter to us! Wonderful Jesus!

Dinosaurs & the Bible

Genesis 1:1-2-In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ²The 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. NKJV

This week, we visited San Diego. While there, we went to the Natural Museum and watched a film on Titanosaurs, the largest land dinosaurs known today. When we exited the theatre, the question came up about how does dinosaurs fit into the biblical narrative? Our oldest daughter began to explain to her sisters what I had shared with her about this question. As I listened, I had to laugh, telling her that wasn’t quite how I explained it. But I refused to elaborate because I decided that would be a great blog for today. So, how do dinosaurs fit into the biblical narrative?

I won’t pretend that I have done major research on this question and that I have the theological answer to it. But over the years, I have read and heard information regarding this topic that has helped me to form my own reasoning about the subject. If you agree with it, that’s great! If you have additional information, I’d love to hear it. If you think I am making something up, I can’t help you! Just pray that eventually, I’ll learn more about the subject and will be able to share it!

Dr. Charlie Dates did a mini-teaching on Genesis with Right Now Media. If you have a subscription to Right Now Media and can watch it, I highly recommend it! He starts his teaching with Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God…
Genesis 1:1 NKJV

And there he rests for a few minutes. His point was that the Bible is a book about God. It’s not a history book per se, but it’s a book where God introduces Himself to us. We are told that God is the beginning of time because He established time. He has always existed, and nothing or anyone created Him or existed before Him! Since He made time, time doesn’t define Him, but He defines time. So when we think about dinosaurs, we have to understand that God was before the dinosaurs.

Verse 1 continues to tell us that God created the heavens and the earth. What my daughter was trying to explain to her sisters was that I shared with her that Genesis doesn’t tell us how long the world was in existence between verses 1 and 2. Let me explain. God didn’t create the heavens and the earth in total darkness and chaos. And yet, in verse 2, the Earth is in a hot mess!

Dr. Tony Evans states that it is believed that Satan fell from heaven between verses 1 and 2, and the universe was plunged into darkness. This is what my daughter was trying to explain that I had shared with her.

In Jeremiah 4, we find these words:

I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light…by His fierce anger.
Jeremiah 4:23-26 NKJV

Jeremiah seems to look back at the time when the earth was without form and void; there was no light because of the fierce anger of God. It is believed that this anger was directed at Satan when he tried to exalt himself above God, and God kicked Him out of heaven (see Isaiah 14).

By looking at the Hebrew words for “without form” and “void”, we can gather some interesting information. Tôû, pronounced “to’ hoo,” describes a place of desolation, a place of nothingness. The Hebrew word for void is bôû and is pronounced: “bo’ hoo” and describes a place of emptiness. Years ago, I heard a speaker, Billye Brim, teach on this subject. I recall her stating that these words together are equivalent to a house being in order, but then you walk into one room (like a child’s bedroom) and find it to be a total mess! The implication is that it wasn’t created by God as a mess, and then He fixed it, but something caused it to be a mess, so then He fixed it!

So what about dinosaurs! To be perfectly honest, I don’t know with certainty, but it appears that when God created the earth, it was a beautiful land with large roaming creatures we refer to as dinosaurs. But when Satan angered God, He kicked Satan out of heaven and to Earth, and in the process, every single living thing on Earth was destroyed in an instant, causing it to become a place of darkness, emptiness, and desolation. There was nothing left!

Then verse 2 happens. God looks at the mess and decides to clean it up, making it a place habitable for man. Out of nothing, He created the heavens and the Earth, as the Spirit of God hovered over the Earth to bring beauty out of chaos (Dr. Evans).

So again, I’m not a Bible scholar, but these are things that I have heard about the creation and the place of the dinosaurs in the Biblical narrative. The Bible was never intended to be a history book, giving us complete details about every facet of the world. Some things we are just going to have to accept by faith or search it out for answers! Whether we can explain the dinosaurs satisfactorily or not is not as important as us being able to explain that “In the beginning God.”

Everything we believe about God starts right here: in the beginning, God. God created the heavens and the earth! And while we may not be able to prove biblically the placement of dinosaurs with any greater certainty, scientists cannot disprove God with any clarity. As a matter of fact, the more documentaries I watch on archaeologists searching for the truth about God and the Bible, the more they prove scientifically that what is written in the Bible is true!

Here’s a lesson that I learned a long time ago. There are some questions that I absolutely cannot answer. Some things will be explained to me when I see Jesus, and maybe then I won’t care enough to ask! But I don’t bury my head in the sand and hide from the hard questions. I do my best to answer honestly with the information and understanding that I have before me at the time. This is the best explanation I have thus far. Hopefully, someone else was wondering like my daughters were wondering, and now you have something to think about! Wonderful Jesus!

Happy Independence Day!

John 8:32,36-And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. NKJV

True freedom is only found in Jesus! If you haven’t experienced His saving grace, today is a great day to receive your personal independence! If you have already experienced His salvation, then you can really rejoice in your independence today! Have a safe and happy holiday with your family and friends! Praying for you! Wonderful Jesus!

Public Displays of Affection

Jeremiah 33:3-‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ NKJV

Growing up, I don’t recall ever hearing the phrase “public display of affection”. But when I went to college, I remember walking into my dorm and noticing a sign that warned against PDAs. As I continued to read the sign, it didn’t take me long to realize that PDA was an acronym for the phrase “public display of affection”. Decades ago, that sign may have been adhered to, but in today’s society, it would probably be ignored or openly mocked! A couple of Sundays ago, our pastor made a statement that God loves times of public displays of His affection towards His people. That got me thinking about how good God is, and I knew that I would be writing a post about the public displays of His affection!

Immediately I thought of the Exodus! Didn’t God show public displays of His affection towards the children of Israel?

…If you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land.
Exodus 8:21-22NKJV

Now God doesn’t specifically state that He did this great feat because of His affection towards the children of Israel, but it certainly qualifies as His power on display for them! After this happened, the rest of the plagues didn’t come near the people of God! He did it publicly, and He did it for them! Then He sent the death angel to kill the firstborn in the land of Egypt, but the blood separated the children of God from them, and none of God’s people experienced death! And if that wasn’t enough, He pushed back the waters of the Red Sea for them! It doesn’t matter how many times I read or hear about it; I am still absolutely fascinated with the truth that God parted waters for them to cross over on the dry ground.

Joshua experienced the public display of God’s affection.

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat.
Joshua 6:20 NKJV

It was in the shout of obedience! Absolutely! But the shout didn’t bring those walls down! God did! Had God not been involved in the plan, the walls would not have fallen! But God was on a mission to show His people and those around them that He was the God of Israel and His affections were toward them.

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.
Isaiah 62:1-2 NKJV

Isaiah spoke of the heart of God in this chapter. For the sake of Zion, God’s Church, He would not hold His peace or rest until the world sees how much He loves her! The world will notice the righteousness of the people of God and the glory God has placed on them! This means that what God will do in His people and through His people will be seen by others!

So what did God do to openly show His affection for us?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:16-17 NKJV

For all to see, Jesus came into the world to be God’s public display of affection toward us! God went so far as to do this while we were yet in our sins (Romans 5:8)! And then He allowed Jesus to die on the cross for those sins to reconcile us to Himself! Openly! Publicly! He took our sins in His own body so that we could obtain the righteousness that God spoke of through Isaiah (See 1 Peter 2:24). Wonderful Savior!

I can recall times in my life when God publicly displayed His affection toward me spiritually and naturally! Times when people thought they had me all figured out, boxed in, and down for the count, but God!

One such occasion was when I got married. There were people who just wanted me to get married to get on with my life. There were people who wanted me to get married so they could watch me fail at marriage. And there were some people who didn’t want me to get married at all because they enjoyed watching me do life alone! But God stepped into the situation and gave me a godly man who I could do life with! And our wedding was in front of all of those people! Well, most of them! Because some of them didn’t attend because of the jealousy they had in their hearts! I was even given a timeframe before I would have problems with him and needed counseling! I’ve passed that timeframe by thirty years! When God steps in!

I remember when we moved into our home. It was one of the smallest houses on the block. As a matter of fact, one of my neighbors told me that when she was looking for a home, they had looked at our home, and they didn’t like it! She criticized it, and I could tell by her tone she felt like I wasn’t much, just like my house wasn’t much. But what she didn’t know was that God had that house on the market for 5 years waiting for us. And several people wanted that house, but it was our house! It was being held for us! And she thought she didn’t like it because it was beneath her, but she didn’t like it because it wasn’t for her! After we moved in, a stranger knocked on the door to see who had bought the house that he wanted! Oh well! It was our home! I won’t go into more of what the naysayers had to say about it, but we have made this house our home. And we love it! So….?

Sometimes God will bless us in such a way that others can’t appreciate it! That’s okay! Pharaoh wasn’t all that impressed with what God was doing through the plagues, but God had the last word on the situation! And His children were set free! Don’t look for the spectacular as a measuring rod for God’s display of affection in your life! Look for the things that mattered so much to you that when God stepped in, you knew that it was only God!

While I love the public displays of God’s affection for me, I love those times when no one but God and I know what He did, even more! They speak to my heart more than the big things that others can see. They assure me that He understands me in ways that I sometimes don’t understand myself. And when He is finished, I can publicly stand firm in the confidence of His love for me. Unlike my dorm, where public displays of affection was not allowed, in the Kingdom of God, they are very much allowed! For His love is always on display towards us! Wonderful Jesus!