Shout out to friends

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says:  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (NIV)

A wonderful friend surprised me by sending me a One-Year Women's Devotional in the mail. I have been reading it almost every day. Each devotion has been right on time which by the way is so how God works. Also, as I have been reading these I have thought so many times that I need to use these with my kids. These last couple of days have been about friendships. Yesterday was title "Does it Matter Who My Friends Are?" The verse is Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals. I Corinthians 15:33 (HCSB) This verse is very timely in that I have had to talk with Jonathan about a boy in the neighborhood and why I don't particular want him to be playing with this kid. I have tried to talk to them about what they put in to their hearts/lives is what is going to come out. Therefore if you watch or hang around people who talk inappropriately or disrespect others then you may end up saying and acting the same way. I've had many examples with them this week to use as an example. But even today's devotion was a reminder of how important it is to choose right friends! True friends will be there no matter what! A true friend is priceless! I want to share some of what was written in the devotional: "The writer of Ecclesiastes told us the value of friendship. The word 'reward' in Ecclesiastes 4:9 can also be translated 'return' as in 'return on investment'. The best investments you will make in life are not financial; they are relational. The writer of Ecclesiastes gave us a couple of reasons why we should invest in friends. First, friends help you when you are down. If you want to know the difference between acquaintances and friends, get in trouble. The ones who are still around and helping you walk through the difficult time are your true friends. Second, friends will have your back when someone is tearing you down. The idea behind this verse is based on the military. Most battles in that day were fought hand to hand. The soldiers would stand back to back in battle as they fought. Obviously, if one soldier was attacked from behind, his fellow soldier would protect him. This is the picture of true friendship. Are you making a wise investment? You will have a good return if you will invest in friends. Look for opportunities to strengthen those friends when they are in trouble. True, authentic friendships are a gift from God and are a rare treasure! Stand up for your friends when they cannot stand up for themselves. It will pay great dividends."

I am a type of person that when things are hard or tough I will withdraw to myself. Back a few years ago I did that same thing and ended up in a dark pit. God put a new friend in my life that walked with me on this journey back out. Since October my family and I have been struggling with all kinds of sicknesses. We were spending lots of money on doctor visits as well as medicines, and I found myself struggling spiritually. We were having to miss church alot because of it. Christmas was coming up very quickly, and I really wasn't sure how we were going to be able to have Christmas gifts for our family. During this time I didn't call or text too many of my friends, but thank God my friends were still checking in to see if we were ok. I have a group of girlfriends that I get together with from time to time. I so want to give a shout out for them. They have my back! They are there for me. They are also real with me. They make sure I continue to focus on the important things.

I feel like today we get so busy with stuff or doing stuff and caught up in our own little world that we don't take the time to check on our friends or be that true friend to someone. I think even when we're going through a hard time we need to take the time to reach out to our friends because they may also be going through a hard time and together you can encourage each other. We need each other! Friendship is a gift of God! Look around and see who you can be a friend to. Value your friends! Pray for them! Encourage them! Help them in their walk with God!

So this is for my dear friends who have my back! I love you all dearly! I deeply value your friendship! I pray that I will be that true friend to you!

Rejoicing

I have slowly been reading a book by John Piper called The Dangerous Duty of Delight: The Glorified God and the Satisfied Soul. (By slow I mean reading little sections at a time.) It has been a great read thus far. It has given me much t meditate on throughout the day. There's a verse I learned growing up that says "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice" Philippians 4:4 ESV. We are to constantly pursue joy. This is not an option it is a command. I have never really dwelt on the depth of this verse until reading book. If it wasn't an important thing for us to do God would not have repeated it ("...again I will say rejoice"). That is hard for me to grasp. As I think about friends who are watching their loved ones suffering with pain from cancer it is hard for me to grasp sometimes "rejoicing in the Lord always". What I'm learning is that when we rejoice or pursue joy in God we become satisfied and God is glorified. "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" (John Piper). We are created for His glory. I find myself being convicted in many ways as I continue to read this book.

(More to come)

How holy do we consider the name Yahweh?

Moses grew up in the court of Pharoah, so he was familiar with many of the Egyptian gods. Standing before the burning bush that day I wonder the thoughts that went through his mind. The Bible (Exodus 3:2-3) says that "Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up'". So what does God do? He got his attention. So here is my thought: How is God trying to get my attention?   Verse 4 of the same chapter says "When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!'" What was Moses' response? "Here I am." God then tells Moses not to come any closer but to take his sandals off because he was standing on holy ground. God then announced that He was the God of his father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. What was Moses response now? He hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Now having grown up in the Pharoah's court and learning of the Egyptian gods what would cause him to want to hide his face? I believe he was understanding the holiness of the voice speaking to him. I believe that he was experiencing an overwhelming feeling of awe! I believe he also hid his face because of the shame he had. Remember he had killed someone and then fled to Midian. Thought question: How do I respond to God's voice? Continuing on in this chapter God goes on to tell Moses that He has seen the misery and heard the cries of His people. Something that just struck me as I was typing this and then rereading the Scripture is that in verse 7(b) it says, "I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering." What struck me is that God said He was concerned about their suffering. What encouragement for me today! Because I am a child of God He is concerned about my suffering. What is even more encouraging is that He already knows ahead of time what is going to happen in my life, but when I'm suffering He is still concerned about it! What a God! How do I respond God knowing this? I believe I can began to feel a little like Moses! What an awesome God! God then goes on to tell Moses that He has come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and bring them to an awesome land-spacious land and a land flowing with milk and honey. He tells Moses He is sending him to Pharoah to bring the Israelite people out of Egypt. Now stop and think about this for a minute. Look at Moses' past. God is going to use him to bring His people out of bondage. What does that tell me? God is using an ordinary man! A man with a past of killing another. Therefore, this tells me that no matter my past God can use me for His kingdom and His glory! Hallelujah! How do I respond to God? Here again is that feeling of awe!! Moses, of course, questions God. Don't we sometimes do the same thing? When God has called us to do something we think is impossible we question Him! "Who am I that I should go?" Same thing Moses was asking God. God lets him know that He will be with him. Moses asks in verse 13 "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" Verse 14 says, "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" So God responded to Moses's question about His identity with the name "I AM that I AM". So here we have YHWH=I AM=Lord=Yahweh. Isaiah 42:8 says "I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols."

Yahweh means: to exist, to be, was, is will be (Knowing God By Name by Mary Kassain). God is self-existent meaning He was not created. God is self-sufficient because He does not depend on anyone or anything. God is self-directed meaning He is free to do as He pleases. God is eternal meaning He has lived and will live forever. Finally, God is consistent meaning He is who he is; He is true and unchanging. "Yahweh is God's incredibly unique name. The Jews regarded it as so holy that they refrained from spelling it in its entirety and speaking it out loud. Instead, they referred to it as 'the Name', 'the Extra-ordinary Name', or 'the Ineffable Name'. The priests in the temple only dared to utter the name 'Yahweh' when blessing the people (Num 6:23-27). When a Jewish scribe copied the Scriptures and came to God's sacred name Yahweh, he would set aside his quill and get a brand new one with which to write. After writing the Name, he would break and discard the quill so that on other word would ever flow from it. The Jews honored God's name so much that when Christ stood before them and openly called Himself 'I AM,' they sought to stone Him to death for what they perceived to be blasphemy (John 8:24, 58-59)." (Knowing God By Name by Mary Kassain) This brings me to the title of this blog: How holy do we consider the name of Yahweh? "How does the fact that the Lord is "I AM" impact you?" How do I respond? Do I respond with awe and hide my face? Oh that I could grasp a small portion of Yahweh and respond to His holiness!

Making Time

As I was reading Matthew 14, I noticed something that I hadn't caught before in my reading of this chapter. It was very thought provoking when I began to really think about the application for my life. In verses 1-12 we see the story of John the Baptist being beheaded. Verse 13 says, "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place." As we often see, the people followed Him. Verse 14 says, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick." In verses 15-21 we see that Jesus feeds the 5,000. Verse 22-23 says, "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray." Jesus' goal after hearing of John the Baptist was to go be alone in a solitary place. But because the people followed Him he could not. So when He saw the large crowd He had compassion on them and healed their sick. Because it was getting late the disciples wanted Him to send the people away so they could get something to eat, but instead Jesus feeds them. Afterwards He sent his disciples on ahead of Him, dismissed the people, and finally went up on the mountainside to pray. He still made sure He got alone with His Father. So I began to look at my life and ask :what am I doing to make sure I get alone with God? When my children get up before I do and is not quiet and I go about my busy day homeschooling and taking care of the home, do I make sure I go to a solitary place and spend time with my Father? Jesus served the people but He also made time to be alone to pray! I believe He also so it as an important or urgent thing because v22 starts with the word "immediately". Do I see the urgency in spending time with the Father? Or do I recognize the the urgency but don't follow through and obey? Heavy thoughts from God's Word!!

spiked hair-

The little brothers are wanting to be like big brother (I didn't get a picture of Timothy, but he got his hair spiked also).

More on the Names of God

I am still working through the Bible Study Knowing God Through His Names by Mariel Davenport. Yes I am taking it at a snail's pace because the class is over with. It is such a good study, and I have to take time to let it sink in. Now I am working through Yahweh Shammah which means "Yahweh is There". God is a present God. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." I have heard these words all my life that He will never leave you nor forsake you. But looking at it from a different way has really brought new meaning or understanding of this passage. If He says He will never leave you nor forsake you then He is a present God. He is omnipresent which means He is present everywhere. From the beginning of time God has always wanted relationship with his people. What does that mean or what does that look like? Growing up in church I learned all the little Bible stories and that was a good thing. But I think what was left out from teaching these Bible stories was that God was making Himself known to people because He wanted that relationship with His people. God showed the Israelites so many times that He loved them. He delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians, parted the Red Sea and they walked across. God didn't just part the Red Sea, He made the ground for them to walk on dry. WOW! Does that not speak volumes to us. Again He shows his desire for a relationship and love for us. Do I go throughout my day and miss those little details of God in my life? God is a present God! He is Yahweh Shammah! Further on God gives the Israelites rules-The Ten Commandments. His first priority in writing the Commandments was Godward. They focus on our relationship with Him. Details and purpose! He so desires relationship with us. He wanted a tabernacle built and wanted it built in a specific way so He gave specific details on the building of it. God gave detailed directions for every single object and piece of material in the tabernacle. Why is God so specific? Hebrews 8:5 says, "They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in Heaven." WOW! God told Moses to build the earthly sanctuary for His glory after a heavenly pattern only He could see. God showed his pleasure for this tabernacle by filling it with His glory. What was God's purpose and desire for the tabernacle? Exodus 25:8 tells us it was for Him to dwell among them. Again He is always after relationship. Ezekiel prophesied in 37:27: "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people." John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." God tabernacled among His people through His Son, Jesus, and He revealed to us His glory, the glory of the One and Only. Guess what? He didn't stop there 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 tells us that our bodies are the temple of God and His Spirit lives in us. We as individual believers are tabernacles of His glory. How do we demonstrate that glory to a lost and dying world? Are we bearing much fruit showing ourselves to be His disciples (John 15:8)? Is Jesus tabernacling in our hearts? Is He dwelling place in our hearts? O Lord, please show me areas in my heart and life that need the fruit applied according to Galatians 5:22-23! Thank You for so desiring to dwell among me. Thank you that you are involved in every detail of my life. May I walk in that promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me that you are always present.

Who/What is Master of your life?

As I continue to look at the name of the Lord, Adonai,  I have learned that it means "lord" or "master". As I look at the word master I have to evaluate what that means. As far as Adonai, it is refers to our God as our personal Lord and Master. It completely depicts relationship. "The lordship of God means His total possession of me and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master." (Knowing God Through His Names", p 83) I am a slave to something or someone. 2 Peter 2:19 says "for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him." We are a slave to whatever has mastered us! Am I a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness? What have I allowed to master me? Confession time again! As I pondered this verse, I began to see that the Lord is not the Master of my life most of the time. I think I allow the computer or tv/movies or laziness to master me. I believe this is the same concept of having idols of the heart. Whatever or whoever we put above God and my time with Him is an idol of my heart. God says in Exodus, "You shall have no other gods before me". Although I have not literally built a "golden calf" as the Israelites did, I have allowed an idol to occupy my time and my thoughts. I have replaced God with things. Are they satisfying? No, only temporarily. I am seeking things to fill a need that is not going to fill it. It could be my husbands approval, friends approval, my kids approval that I seek to fill a need. These things more than likely will not always happen and when I don't receive approval like I think I should I am disappointed and let down. I should seek my sufficiency in the all sufficient one, the El Shaddai. He is the one who nourishes, supplies, and satisfies. I should seek to make Him Master of my life. If I do that I will not need to seek after other things to fill a need that He ultimately fill.

Lord, please help me to daily make you Master of my life. To seek you first above all things. To remain in You. I so desire to have the intimacy with you that you would speak with me "face to face as a man speaks with his friend". May I take captive those thoughts and make them obedient to you.