Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Beginning to End

I dwell on this a lot. In the beginning...the Word was. In the end...the Word will be. I'm thankful I know this Word...this Man and His written Word...who is the Word! To see what He has created, to be part of His creation, to have even a smidgen of understanding of His Word...which means knowing Him. Life can't get much better.

So I'm letting His Word speak today. Nothing can beat His Word, the truth. 

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1,31‬)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John‬ ‭1:1-3‬)

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. ‭‭(1John‬ ‭2:7‬)

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.‭‭ (Revelation‬ ‭22:13-14‬)

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Out of Heaven and on Earth

Deuteronomy 4:36-37 - Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His presence, with His mighty power...

Our God is amazing and awesome. He loves us all, even if we don't know or believe it or understand how. It is said He knows all about us so He knows any struggle we might be in the midst of. Egypt is a type of the world. The world can bring us trouble. But God can bring us out of it! Hallelujah!

About seventeen years ago His great fire for a moment in time surrounded me. I heard God's voice! It wasn't His audible voice but was through the words of a pastor. He was speaking as though directly to me but I know it could have been for others also. It was loud and clear in my spirit and seemed so incredibly personal to me, speaking to a trial of life where I so needed guidance/help. And I responded that very moment, was immediately filled (though I didn't know it, just sensed something) with His Holy Spirit upon my realization I could not do a thing, but Jesus Christ could. I was empowered immediately to receive Christ. I didn't even know what had just happened.

Trials of life draw us closer to God. When we have all we need and are comfortable with life it's easy to not need Him. We rely on ourselves or the things of the world. If you need His guidance now, ask Him to show Himself. He is able...to bring us up out of a pit, into His light to know His truth, forgive our sins after repenting of them, and transform our lives. But we must be willing to submit. He brings life, refreshing, peace, joy, hope and more. We cannot hope in anything but Him. Nothing or no one brings life but Him. 

When we say we have faith or hope, what comes after that? Do we say our faith is in Jesus or God...or some vague thing or nothing at all? If you can't put Jesus at the end of that phrase, your faith and hope are not in Him. Faith can only be in Jesus Christ.

We do not come to God on our own. He reveals Himself to us. Our salvation comes from Him alone. We do nothing to cause it but to receive Christ into our lives. We cannot boast of what we have done but we certainly can give all the glory to God. In the midst of the fire, He calls. So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. And you said: "Surely the LORD our God has shown us 
His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives.” (Deuteronomy‬ ‭5:23-24‬)

Hebrews‬ ‭12:25‬ ‭- See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven...

Saturday, August 20, 2016

The Lord Hears, Delivers and is Near

Psalm ‭34:17-18‬ ‭- The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Do you hear this? The LORD hears, delivers and is near...to those who are righteous, having broken hearts and contrite spirits. Righteous means to be right, cleansed. Contrite means broken, crushed. We cannot come to God with vanity and pride. It just won't happen. 

Jesus' whole message to us was to come to Him, the only true Way. He begins by pricking our hearts and spirits that we may recognize our need for Him, but then we make a decision to go to Him. We recognize Him as greater than we, we fall before Him and ask for His forgiveness for our sins. We humble ourselves and repent of them. 

We cannot think or believe that our goodness in this life is what Jesus will honor. The Bible tells us this. If we do, we are boasting in ourselves and our abilities. We humble ourselves before the Lord. We come to Him with broken hearts and contrite spirits. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-9‬)  Ohhhh...it's a free gift! He requires only our humility and submission to Him. Do you see how wonderful this is? Nothing we can do, but all that He has done on the cross. He shed His blood that we might be cleansed and made righteous by the blood of the Lamb...when we come humbly to Him...asking for forgiveness. 

Then...He will hear, deliver and be near us. But...Proverbs 15:29 says The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. Sounds pretty harsh. We are all considered wicked until we become righteous by the saving grace of Jesus.

There's that word righteous again...being right (with God) and cleansed (by the blood of Jesus). Coming humbly before Him, asking forgiveness, turning from sin, following Christ. Sharing Christ with others.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil... To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me... Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  (Isaiah‬ ‭1)

Only one sacrifice, that of Jesus, can wash us clean. When we believe this, submit to this truth, come humbly to Him, will we be righteous and cleansed. Before we understand this we try to do it on our own. Our offerings or sacrifices--our self-prescribed goodness--is not what He desires. He wants us! In relationship with Him. 

This is relationship:
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea‬ ‭6:6‬)  Knowing God vs. sacrifices.
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) Abiding together.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name... (John‬ ‭1:12‬)  Relationship

There's a lot of scripture here. His Word is truth and it will never return void (be useless or vain). There's a word here for someone, including me! He will hear if you humble yourself and turn to Him. Ask for forgiveness of your sins. Maybe you haven't done any major crimes or physical murders. Maybe you don't know what your sins might be. That's okay. He will show you. 

I asked initially for help. In absolute weakness I humbly responded to Him for His help. All the rest of my knowledge came because of my initial humility. He changed me rather than the trial. He brought life to me when I was so low. Just where He wants us. Low. Humble. Unable to do in our own strength. Needing help, needing a Savior. So in my heart, in my weakness, I cried out and He heard, delivered and became near to me. He will do the same for anyone.

Psalm ‭145:18-19‬ ‭- The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.
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Sunday, August 14, 2016

What's the Simple Message?

Psalm 73:25-26 - Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

Maybe it gets old hearing that God is my strength. After all, He cannot be seen. But I can attest that He can be known without being seen. His presence can be felt, His voice heard through scripture and in prayer. When He "speaks" you can know it is Him. It can be a thunderous noise or a still small voice (2Samuel 22:14, 1Kings 19:12). It is a stirring in your spirit that seems so real. 

He is real. He is alive today to those who seek Him. He knows us all and is aware of everything about us, including our deepest thoughts and secrets. If He knows so much about us why wouldn't we want Him to be our strength and portion?

He is as close as a prayer for salvation. He would love for everyone to seek Him. Not all days will be easy and secure. We all will encounter loss or illness. Can we be prepared for those bad days? If we trust in Jesus we can. It's something that needs to be done today for the best benefits. We can be prepared in advance for days of trial. We can be in relationship with the Lord now so He can be by our side (our strength and portion) during the difficulties and so they will not come as much as a surprise.

The message of Jesus has always been repentance. Not an easy word to hear. Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the 
gospel.” ‭‭(Mark‬ ‭1:14-15‬)

There you have it! In Jesus' own words. He preaches repentance and belief...because He loves us. A simple message. When one starts with this repentance all else can begin to fall into place.

Today Christianity and the hardness of His life-giving words are being squelched. Prayer and the mention of the name Jesus and the commandments are offensive and being removed from public places. Thankfully I know while there is an attempt to do this, He will never be removed. The Word of God will live forever. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬) Someday we will all realize this.

Seek Him while He may still be found. Call on Him while He is still near. (Isaiah 55:6) Then share what you know, what life He has given you, what hope He offers.

Psalm‬ ‭73:27-28‬ ‭- For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Where's Your Focus?

Proverbs‬ ‭4:25‬ ‭- Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.
Conversed with a friend the other morning. As always, we brought God into our conversation. She admitted having had a pity party about no one calling her, except me. Not even her family calls. I said I didn't get many calls either, but isn't that okay? Yes, friends and family are important, but it is our relationship with the Lord that is most important. As the days go by, in the quietness or bustle, we can be with Him. We can converse with Him...and call on Him...or He may call on us! 


I mentioned how the thought has come to me how I desire that the things of this world truly would grow strangely dim in the light of Jesus' glory and grace (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus). I blogged on this a few days ago. I said I was beginning to realize just how unimportant some things were getting. She has been going through that too. I'm not where I'd like to be but I think He is doing something, working things out.

The thought came to mind...and I shared with her...I love photography. I take a lot of pictures. Some day, though, they will all get thrown out or deleted because they will have absolutely no meaning to anyone else. (I'm okay with that; I have settle in my spirit they are nothing in light of what lies ahead.) 

Then another thought came to mind. The desire to be solely focused on Jesus is like finding a subject to photograph and zeroing in and focusing on just that subject while everything else is out of focus. That's the image of staying focused only on the Lord. Nothing else should matter.


Keeping our eyes upon Him blocks out all the other things. Lord, let every day be one day closer to letting go of the world's issues and priorities and bringing my focus more on You. 
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. (‭‭1Corinthians‬ ‭13:12‬)

Those who know Christ see Him now partially through the power of His Spirit and His Word. We know much about His character. Some day we all will see Him. It will be either a great experience or not. Hebrews‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭- ...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...
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I see things in life through the eyes of God. I question and wonder a lot. But I know that it is what it is and that God will always be in complete control. If I am focused on Him, the One whom I trust, I will be secure. I can't imagine what it would be like not having this hope. I hold on to that hope, walk in faith, hopefully will remain steadfast to the end. 

Philippians‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭- Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

He Who Waits

Proverbs 18:18 - Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat it's fruit; so he who waits on his master will be honored.

It's all about the promises, promises, promises!

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬)

I and many others are awaiting the Lord! We are told that if we trust in Him and persevere through trials, trusting that abiding in Him will produce great things, we will not be disappointed in the end...whether that end is our death or His return. 

I read Psalm 62 today, too. Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. 
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. ‭‭(Psalm ‭62:1-2,5-6,8‬) 
God is our only hope.

He promises to strengthen, deliver and redeem us...if we allow Him. If we seek Him. A friend and I were talking (again) the other day. We are so grateful to know Him and know His Word, enough anyway, and trust that He is being truthful in all He has said. 

As we wait we are to share Him. As we share Him we are doing His will...and we will be honored, as the first scripture says. An article I read suggested that we be the light in this dark 
world...and share Christ. Someone will hear and take note. If that happens and they respond favorably, God will add them to His eternal kingdom. I pray I am a light and used by the Holy Spirit. As the scripture says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes... (Romans‬ ‭1:16‬)

Isaiah 49:23 - ...For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me. 

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Are You Ready?

Matthew 25:1-4 - Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

This parable bears mentioning. It is easy for me to understand because I'm a woman but it might be more difficult for a man to wrap his head around. Spiritually Jesus is our Bridegroom. Spiritually all followers of Christ, man or woman, young or old, are considered His bride. Jesus is our spiritual Bridegroom and we are to have a relationship with Him.

According to the parable half of these virgins were ready to meet the bridegroom for a grand wedding. Their lamps were filled with oil. While the bridegroom delayed all the virgins slept. When the bridegroom was finally on his way, those who had not maintained their lamps were in a sorry state. They pleaded with the other virgins to share their oil, but it was too late, they had just what they needed and no more to offer. The five unprepared virgins left quickly to obtain what oil they needed. In the meantime the bridegroom came and received those who were ready for the marriage and the door was shut behind them.

The unprepared virgins could not enter. They pleaded "Lord, Lord, open to us!'' But he answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you'' (verses 11-12).

I think about Noah, the flood, those who scoffed at Noah's persistence that there would be a flood and wouldn't they come into the ark for safety. Eventually the ark door had to be closed. All perished but Noah and his family...eight people compared to the thousands left to die. And then there's this: the road is narrow that leads to life and few follow it while there is a wide road to destruction. God speaks also about a remnant...which means a few in comparison to all the people in the world. Why would all these and other parables or accounts from the Bible be there if not to warn us?

This parable of the virgins is like the ancient Hebrew marriage ritual. When a man spied a woman he desired to marry the families would meet and a proposal would be made. The woman could accept or reject. If she accepted, they were considered married, much like our engagement. The next step was for the man to build an addition on to his parents' existing home as a place for them to live. This would take about a year, then the actual wedding ceremony would take place. In the meantime, the bride was to prepare herself for this wedding and marriage supper. She waited anxiously for the bridegroom to come back and say he was ready for her, that their "room" was ready.

This parallels the story of the virgins and the bridegroom. The virgins, or brides, didn't know exactly when he would return but they had to be ready at all times. I'm guessing that there could have been some brides who were tired of waiting and when the groom came to get them found out they had basically reneged on their promise.

This also reminds me of the scripture in John 14:2-4 where Jesus tells us "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." And then in Revelation 19:7 we are told Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the MARRIAGE of the LAMB has come, and His wife has made herself ready. (God prepared a place for all in Noah's ark.)

Oh, all the little wonderful details God has given us to understand the meaning of salvation through Jesus Christ...our Bridegroom, our Lamb. The whole point of all of this is about accepting the invitation, the proposal as it were, that Jesus offers us of salvation. We can accept or reject the proposal, the promise of a life in Christ. The promise that when we accept His proposal of salvation there will be a room in His house for us. If one chooses to slumber or sleep and think that it is not necessary to be prepared for the Bridegroom's return, which will occur, He will tell them they are not known and will not allow them in. This also goes for Christians who are lax in their life regarding Christ, those who don't take the time to acknowledge Him as part of their daily lives.

We must live as though the Bridegroom will come tomorrow. We must have that relationship now and we must be serious about it. We cannot shrug off the notion that it's been 2,000 years and we've not seen Christ return yet although people have predicted it. It just don't matter! We are, in a way, in that one year's period of time when the Bridegroom is preparing that house for us. We don't know exactly the day Jesus will return but we must be prepared....Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Jesus is God and yet even He doesn't know when He will return. It could be tomorrow. Are you ready?

We are told at the end of the parable of the ten virgins, and it's a warning for us now:

Matthew 25:13 - "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Friday, August 5, 2016

Inscribed!

Isaiah‬ ‭49:16‬ ‭- See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

The first time I heard someone talk about this I was undone! I realized to what extent our God loves us. 
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If we are God's children, He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows the hairs on our head. He formed us in our mothers' wombs. He is in the details of all our lives whether we know or believe it or not. Why? Because we are His creation. 
Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3‬)

The Good Shepherd. It takes me to the verses about His sheep and how if just one were lost, He'd leave the others behind to search for it. He searched for me until He found me. I was that lost sheep. Perhaps you are a lost sheep also that He is searching for. 

I acknowledge that He is my Creator. I thank Him for who He is. I am thankful I was able to respond to His call to come to Him when I was sorely lost. I am thankful for the life He has since given me and for His protection over me through salvation in His Son Jesus. Not even my death will result in death, but life. 

Although He watches over us, we are never promised to be without troubling incidents in life. But if we keep our eyes focused on Him, we can realize, when all is said and done, that He had us inscribed in the palms of His hands!

I try to imagine being inscribed or engraved in that palm. That means He is gripping tightly. Even more amazing, I'm not the only one He firmly holds, though it seems as though it's just me.

This is our awesome God! He can be so personal to each one of us (if we want Him to) but He cares equally for all. His love is 
unconditional. He loves us with an everlasting love even if we do not return the sentiment.  I wonder how He feels when we do not want to know that love?

Are you engraved in the palms of His hands? It's the best place to be. We can grow in faith that He will be our comforter and protector in times of trouble. His grip on us is tight. He is our shelter in the storm.

He waits for unbelievers to hear His call. He is ever present; look out the window at the expanse of the skies, the multitude of the stars, the brightness of the sun, a brilliant sunset, the power of a thunderstorm, the great number of trees, flowers and water, the seasons. He is in the brilliance of of them all. He is in the details. 

Isaiah‬ ‭49:13‬ ‭- Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His 
afflicted.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Until All I See

2Corinthians 4:6 - For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

I was overcome I prayer. I was calling out to the Lord. I was praying for His Spirit to open the blind eyes, soften hard hearts and loosen stiff necks toward Him, that His light would shine. 

We are living in trying times. They might be as close as in your own life or as great as what is happening in the world. No matter what it is, the only way we will get through them is by God's strong arm. His hand is outstretched for anyone to walk with Him. He tells us His yoke is easy and His burden light. 

I know God can work in any person. He can reveal Himself in a way only that person would get it. He did that with me...in the midst of difficulty. He used the simple words of a pastor I had first heard that morning in 1999. He spoke to me, it seemed. He can do this. Were my ears open, my heart softened? Maybe not when I walked into that sanctuary, but I encountered the living God. And looking back I know He had been working on me. Most people who truly are Christians can pretty much know when they had encountered Him. 

I watched a short testimony of an Israeli woman who had a similar experience. So much was going on in her life and she needed to know if God was real. She asked Him from the depths of her soul, and she said, "Then I simply knew." And others saw the dramatic change in her. 

I know this is difficult to comprehend unless it's happened to someone but our God is huge. He can do this with anyone. Sometimes our hearts have grown so cold and hard, our necks so stiff, our eyes so blind and our ears so deaf we just will not allow His wonderful words to penetrate. We think we are so good, so secure, so not in need of a Father who loves us, even when we show no desire for Him. But He can break through just the same. I thank Him for this.

This world is growing cold. It is growing dark and we either will accept that as the norm, fret about it or learn to look to God and get to knowing better things are in store for those who love Him. 

There is a song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. The refrain goes like this: 
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, 
Look full in His wonderful face, 
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 
In the light of His glory and grace. 

I prayed that I would see more and more of Jesus and less and less of the world. Until the things of the world would become dim. There is also a scripture that says He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30). Self and the world are hard things to remove because of our fleshly bodies. We are, however, to be of one spirit, to be one with the Lord. That spirit is not of this world. The world is generally in darkness. 

Lord, work in me until all I see is You. We are to think on the lovely, pure, admirable, trustworthy and right things. That is my desire but I also need Your help. I thank You for the work You are doing in those who look to You. For the hope that lies in knowing You. For strength in the days to come.

Pride, boastfulness, lying and cheating, violence, hatred and abominations are seen all around us. How long can this go on? How much worse can it get? According to God's Word these are just the beginning (Matthew 24:8). It will get worse. How much more will a person be able to stand without the knowledge of God, and the hope of His promises? Man can make a lot of promises, like hope and change and making things great again or equality for all persons. None of these can hold a candle to what God promises: freedom from sin and eternal life, through Christ Jesus.

God says His salvation is about to come. He sent His Son and we need to receive Him for that salvation. There is no other way. He is the only Way. He has so much more to offer. 


Romans 13:11-14 - And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Monday, August 1, 2016

What More Can I Say?

Isaiah 55:6 - Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

What more can I say? It's always about Jesus. His love, His mercy, His desire that all should know Him intimately.

Nothing satisfies more than the deep knowledge of an unseen God. Just because we cannot see Him doesn't mean He does not exist. He's always a prayer away to those wanting to know Him.

Isaiah tells us in Chapter 55 that God has what we need. Thirsty? Hungry? ...Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. (Isaiah‬ ‭55:1-2‬) ‭Why else would He be called the Bread of Life or the Fountain of Living Water? He has all we need. Our soul, our spirit is the most important part of us. 

If we give up our own ideas of what life should be like, what we think we need to make us happy, and accept Jesus, we shall be satisifed. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you... (Isaiah 55:3) Everlasting = lasting through all time, eternal. Without Jesus we will always flounder.

Hah! Bear with me here! Flounder? Didn't Jesus enlist the help of fishermen? Didn't He say they would become fishers of men? Isn't that who we are without Jesus--people who just flounder through life without a purpose? Haven't we all at one time asked what we are here for? Let Him catch you in His net. Let His words pierce your soul and spirit.

What more can I say? He is a merciful God to anyone who seeks Him, no matter where you are in life, no matter how 
good or bad you are. Even those who think on their own merits they are good need Jesus because there is none righteous without Him. Period! 

Isaiah 55:6-7 - Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 

We can search all we want for the truth in this world but we will never find it here. It can only be found by taking our eyes off this world and looking up to God. It works.    

When I was 40 I lost my mother to cancer. That time was all a blur. It must have taken its toll because I decided to quit my job and get away from it all. I packed my bike, got a plane ticket to Luxembourg and spent seven weeks biking through Europe--searching for myself. I believe God was with me even then, when I didn't yet know Him. He was there every step of the way, in the people I met and safety I experienced, even down to very real moment-to-moment needs that I expressed out loud to myself. God heard me and those needs were met--without my knowledge of His hand. He knew a day would come when my searching for myself would end when I found Him. How I praise Him today for that. 

Now I know my purpose--even though I may not live it perfectly--is to glorify God in everything I do. To know Him as Truth and to trust Him with my life.

Why should we trust our own ideas? Who gave us life? Who gave us our abilities and gifts? If we do according to His plans we will not fail. Some believe our gifts and ideas are our own; they are gifts but gifts from God. He knows what's best for us. It's true, our Father knows best!

What more can I say? Despite the troubles life can bring, He gives us peace, joy, singing, blessings instead of cursings. With or without us God's plans for this world will be accomplished. I'd rather be on the safe side, on God's side. Seek Him and His Word. That's all I can say...for now!

Isaiah 55:11 - So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.