Wonderful Counselor

I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:25-27 NLT

God has given us so many wonderful gifts that we often do not take advantage of. One of them is His teachings. He tells us who we are. He tells us who He is. He speaks loving words — words of life — to us. And somehow, the world crowds out those words of beauty, mercy, love, grace, forgiveness, and restoration.

Stay close to The Word!

God gives us wise counsel. His guiding principles are all over Scripture. He offers us peace of mind and heart though we often search high and low all over the world to find it.

Remember His Words!

You are loved. You are His creation. He will never leave or forsake you. You are His child.

Today I am resting in God’s Words of love and grace — they give me peace of mind and heart.

Glorious in holiness

But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.

“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—
    glorious in holiness,
awesome in splendor,
    performing great wonders?
You raised your right hand,
    and the earth swallowed our enemies. Exodus 15:10-12 NLT

I am sure my mind does not adequately understand the concept of holiness. I try to approach the word, and other words can assist, but I know my human mind falls short. But, one day, I will understand. For now, I am content in trusting and getting some glimpses here and there.

On a good day, when I wonder what it was like to live in the time of Moses or Jesus I am sure I would have clearly seen and understood God. I would have been thankful for the obvious signs of provision through manna. I wouldn’t have denied knowing Jesus. But really? In all honesty, I think I would have been like the others.

Close your eyes for a few moments and imagine being in the presence of our Holy God. Breathe in His life-giving breath. What might have it been to be at Creation?

Open your eyes.

We are so blessed to be in His presence every day. God is with us. It may not feel that way sometimes, but that doesn’t make it any less true. He is Immanuel. Let’s carve time out in our day to rest in His holiness and acknowledge His presence.

He knows and sees us. And He loves us!

Glory and Majesty

Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our Lord! Psalm 111:3-4

A look at Creation surely reveals God’s majesty. It is easy to be in awe: the stars that fill the sky or the transformation of the butterfly. And there is the personal side of things: the provision of a Savior, the gift of love and sacrifice through Jesus, the daily gifts of grace and mercy.

The day gets so busy and sometimes seems to run away with me. But allowing a pause — better yet, creating the pause, allows us that time to remember His works in our world and His work in our lives and His work on our hearts.

As you start each day, may you create the space to reflect on God’s glory and majesty. Dig a little deeper into Psalm 111 today. Start listing the things God has done or is doing. He is always working to reveal is glory and majesty. When we stop for a bit, sometimes we can catch a glimpse. And, when we are face-to-face with Him in Heaven, I am sure we will be in absolute awe!

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

If you have had too many experiences with people in a position of authority who abused it, it can really mess around with your concept of God.

satan probably just loves that.

Now, to be fair, from an early age I experienced quite a few people who had significant, undetected issues. But, as I have thought about this through the years, it really didn’t mess with my concept of God. I was protected from having a skewed understanding of God and His love for me, in spite of the ridiculous number of unhealthy people in positions of authority in my life.

I didn’t come away from those experiences unscathed though. Ask me if I trust the church and people in authority in an unquestioning manner and that is another story altogether. I definitely don’t trust organizations and humans easily. I have a fairly fine-tuned “creep-o-meter”. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s pretty on target and has served me well.

But how am I when it comes to trusting God? That little mustard seed of faith keeps growing, even in the midst of difficulties. And I am so thankful.

When I think of God and his position of authority, I find comfort. I know He is my redeemer, my provider, and the King over all kings, and the Lord over all lords.

I hope you have a clear sense of the goodness of God. But if you struggle with that, it might be attributed to you running into some unhealthy people during the course of your life. It is important to sort that out. Knowing God for who He truly is is life changing!

My Light and My Salvation

The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1 NIV

If you are reading this, the chances are high that you know who God is — that He is your light and your salvation. But, how easy it is to let the cares and concerns of the day overtake our hearts and spirits and suck the joy out of our days.

It’s so easy to lose our focus.

Let’s start the day recognizing who God is. Once we do that, we also can easily see who we are — and who we are not. Too often the events of a day or a week confuse us about who we are and what we are to be about. Taking some time to be re-oriented every day — sometimes multiple times a day — helps us remember who our Creator is and that we need His light and perspective, and, most importantly, His salvation.

Father, I Adore You

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.
1 Chronicles 29:11

When I was a young one in church we sang this song, “Father, I adore You and I lay my life before You. How I love you!” Do you know it? It has a calming melody, and it is beautiful with the natural harmony that comes into play when it is sung in a round. We even learned some sign language that went along with it.

I love the simplicity of this song. I can get caught up in the expectation of eloquence when it comes to talking with or about God because He is God. Who am I to even think to address Him? But, that is not my relationship with the God of the Universe. He paved my way. My simple prayers are not too simple for Him. I don’t need to earn the right to be in conversation with Him.

When I am in a stressful moment, sometimes negative thoughts come to mind. But, if I can pause those and reach out for something so simple, it can start my heart in a more positive direction.

Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before You. How I love you.

He is …

He is not here!

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

He is the Alpha and Omega.

He is my salvation.

He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

He is the Christ.

He is the Son of Man.

He is King of the Jews.

He is my redeemer!

There are so many ways to describe Jesus. How do you do it?

The work…

The work has been done.

God’s work has been done — it is full and complete. Jesus did it all for you and for me.

We don’t have to strive. We don’t have to figure out how to be acceptable. We don’t have to beat ourselves up. We don’t have to listen to satan’s lies and deception any longer.

It is finished. We are free to rest in God’s goodness, and in God’s deliverance. Jesus bore the brunt of it all and paved the way for each of us.

It is a relief that, because of Jesus, I am worthy. I am God’s creation. And yes, of course there is sin and sadness, there is pain and regret. But, there is salvation. There is more to come.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for walking that walk. Thank you for your sacrifice for me. Thank you for the gift of New Life! Amen.

May I…

May I wash your feet?

It’s a little personal. And yet, Jesus set out to do just that when He met with His disciples for the Last Supper.

Foot washing is a little risky for both of parties. It’s making ourselves a little vulnerable— both for the one doing the task and for the one receiving it.

I try to get a pedicure once or twice a year, but it’s been a few years. And so, I am not sure if the person doing the job will judge me for not “taking care of business in a timely manner.” I have so many reasons for not being there and they are all reasonable.

I don’t believe a pedicure and a foot washing with an intention to serve are the same thing at all, but they can invoke similar thoughts and emotions.

I appreciate my feet and all they do for me. Sometimes my feet are filthy—and they would have been especially dirty during Jesus’ time with all the sand and sandals and dusty roads. Even so, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. He didn’t expect them to get them in shape before He did the task. He took each foot — dirt, callouses, bunions, and all.

And He takes each of us — sin, selfishness, despair, grief, anger, and all.

Lord Jesus, wash away all the ugliness of my sin. Help me to accept the work You are doing on my behalf. Renew that right spirit within me. Grant me your perfect peace. Amen.

The Places

There were times over the last two years that we hardly went anywhere and that was as much of a challenge as going places. In fact, we thought more about where we were going and who might be there over the last couple of years than we could have ever imagined.

So he we are, living in a freer world — stepping out and moving about, albeit a little cautiously. The places we are going may just be that: nothing special — simply locations. But there is effort and energy in the movement and we have to go.

Are there places you need to go but to don’t care to? Are there places you are excited about? Are there places you are dreading?

Me too. And God is in all those places. When I am heading to the places I need to get to, it helps me to remember that God goes before me, He comes behind me, and He hems me in. He is with me in all of the places.

When I need to go to a place I would rather not be, I say,

Be near me, Lord Jesus!