Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

Peace; such an important topic these days. We hear alot in the news about 'world peace', 'peace talks', I even remember a little saying from my childhood..."peace on earth or earth in pieces". Usually when we talk about peace we think about peace outside of ourselves, or a lack of strife and war between our fellow man. God is not speaking of that kind of peace in this verse. He is speaking of a much more important kind of peace; a lack of strife between you and HIM.

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" This was the angels proclamation as Jesus was born. Were they declaring an end to earthly strife? No, of course not. They were heralding the birth of God's Son who would bring everlasting peace between God and man. This is the most important peace of all. God is the creator and sustainer of all things. Therefore when we are in agreement with Him we will be at peace in our souls. We can only be in agreement with Him when we know what He says. The Bible is our record of what God wants us to know. He tells us all things He wants us to know.

God is perfect and can except no sin into His presence in heaven, so if we want eternal life with Him in a perfect heaven we must find a way to atone for our sins. Romans 3:10 and 23 tell us our sin keeps us from fellowship with God. Verse 12 shows us that since Adam we all have inherited this sin. The payment we will receive for this sin is eternal death and separation from God - Romans 6:23. This is a sad pronouncement indeed, certainly not one of peace is it?

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that , while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) This is the great message we had hoped for! God loves us, yes us, filled with hate, violence, greed etc. God has love toward us, and that love is so far reaching and amazingly gracious that He extended it to US! God sent His sinless son, Jesus Christ, to this wretched earth to stand in our place, to take the punishment that was meant for us... death... and being God, Jesus raised himself from the dead and lives eternally.

Having overcome death, Jesus has the ability to offer that gift to us. (Romans 6:23) How do we receive this gift? Acknowledge your sin. That is; agreeing with God about how your sin is wrong, offensive, keeping you from Him and just plain bad. Believe that only Jesus can pay the penalty for that sin, since He is the only sinless one that has lived on this earth. Confessing all of this, call on Him to be your only Savior. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10: 9-10.

If you have done this then you have peace with God, you are no longer barred from heaven. You have trusted in Him for your eternal life. That trust is called faith. Your faith in God's promises are what give you that peace.

By keeping your mind on God and His word you can cultivate that peace in your heart. Daily time in His word, the Bible will give you fresh messages from God to think on. Talking to him in your mind and heart is prayer, that is something you can do anywhere and anytime. He wants to hear about your life. Your joys, sorrows, and concerns. Yes, He does already know even before you tell Him, but just like a parent wants to hear it from their child's own mouth, God wants to hear us talk to Him. He created us for that very purpose, to have fellowship with Him. A relationship that we decide to have of our own free will. All this produces that perfect peace in our minds and hearts.

Forgiving as Christ Forgave Me

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

Colossians 3:13



When we can learn not to harbor the root of bitterness (Heb 12:15) God will show us so many wonderful things. Our spiritual garden can bloom with such amazingly brilliant plants. Our hearts can be enriched with His love so that it sprouts kindness and forgiveness in our lives.



Recently someone said something hurtful to me. It was an opinion they had. I was so hurt that when I got alone I cried. It was not a personal attack on me, or my family, but I got so upset about something I could do nothing about and I wanted to 'tell someone' and 'make someone do something'. What that "something" would have been I don't even know. While I was crying and having a 'pity party' about my hurt feelings the Lord impressed upon me that I should pray for this person and not mention the incident to anyone. That is what I did. It was hard... I really wanted to say something... if someone asked me I was going to 'spill it' ... but no one asked me (God must have told them not to )



God is SO good. The very next day that same person came to me and asked me to forgive them. I very happily said "YES!", and "Thank you for asking". I felt so ashamed about the feelings I had had just the day before. I also felt so grateful we have a God that forgives us and that helps us forgive others.



Christ forgave us so much more than we will ever have to forgive others. It should not be so hard for us to show that forgiveness.



"If I never receive another thing from God I have already received far more than I deserve." Pastor Stan Smith

Be Still and Know.....

"Be Still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10



I decided to use this painting because I was thinking of the hurricanes and the people that are in the paths of those storms. While I have never been in a hurricane, I have been in an earthquake, and any place you go there could be some sort of natural disaster.

Our Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church preaches a sermon entitled "Storms" ... "Either you are going into a storm, or you are in a storm, or you are coming out of a storm" It might be a physical storm of bad health, lack of finances, loss of a job/home , etc... or it might the storm of mental distress, emotional loss, spiritual crisis, etc.

Earlier in this Psalm we also read, "God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. ...Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her and that right early." (vs 1, 3-5)

Out of a terrible and fightening 'storm' (physical or spiritual) God's help gushes forth, like the stream that makes glad. God's power is always with us but sometimes in the midst of a storm we don't see it right away. That is why God admonishes us to "Be still and know..." The world might run around in a frenzy looking for the solution, but we can rest safely in the assurance that if we are close to God He is going to be close to us. Next we read, "The heathen rage, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is WITH us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (vs 6-7)

God promises in this Psalm; refuge, strength, help, to be with us, to be stronger than any foe, and to be exalted over the heathen. What more could we want?

When we are in a storm don't think for one second that God is in heaven 'wringing His hands' over our situation. He is in perfect control. He just asks us to 'be still' and let Him be who He is ... our loving, caring and protecting God.

Planted by the Rivers of water.

Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalms 1:1-3

Delighting in the law of the Lord...in God's word, the Bible... day and night. Does that mean all the time? Obviously we can't be reading the Bible 24/7, but it can be the influence on everything we do, if we let it. The illustration of a tree growing beside a pure, clean stream is a very appropriate one. A tender young plant needs plenty of nourishment, mainly a good water source, in order to reach it's full potential. Water is so vital to a tree's continued survival.

After spending several days in a row working on our own garden I really came to appreciate the necessity of a constant source of clean cold water, for myself! Without water a plant will wither and eventually die. Without the water of God's word we will shrink spritually and eventually we might even stop growing, serving or even thinking about Him. Remember back to the last time you were really hot and thirsty, maybe you were doing yard work like me in the hot sun. Maybe you were particpating in a very active sport and you were parched dry and very tired. Were you thoughts of having a nice hot bowl of popcorn, or maybe a big long drink of hot tomato soup? Proabably not. Ice cold water was what you wanted , huh? Clear, cold, refreshing water. Admit it, nothing refreshes like cold water, no matter what the commercials for soda tell you, water is the best. It's no wonder God uses water in this verse.

Just like the tree benefits from the clean flowing waters, we will benefit from the cleaning flowing water of His word. The water is flowing to show it's clean and fit for the plant. His word is perfect and the only true food for our spirit. It flows into us and it should flow out of us as well. Just like the healthy plants bears fruit , the healthy Christian should bear fruit as well. Love , joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, meekness and all the rest of the gifts as well as sharing His word with others. The leaves are not withered. Are we 'dried up'? Does our life need 'refreshing'? God has a nice cool drink of water for you.

God promises that being in His word will benefit us, physically, spritually and in every other way. His words are the words of life, they bring healing and change to our lives each and every time we read them.

The earth is the Lord's.... we are just the caretakers

"The earth is the Lord's..."

There is So much hype in media today about being "green". It can makes a Christian wonder "what does God think?" We can see clearly in the Bible that the earth belongs to God, He created it for Adam and Eve to live in. He commanded them to keep it and care for it. I don't think that the rules for us are any different. Yet, I don't think we should go to the other extreme and worship the earth as some have.

Should we march in protests and chain ourselves to gates of huge proposed developments?.... good question. For me that is not an option, but what I can do I should. Each day as we go about our routine I think we should ask ourselves... "What things can I do, great or small, that would help me to be a good steward of what God has given me"

Simple things many of us have done since we were kids:

recycle, reuse, reduce.

I also remember a poem that sums it up, ecologically and monetarily:

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

These are now the days we will have to look back to the thriftiness of our grandmas (having lived through the great depression and WWII) and the 'eco-mindedness' of our moms (having lived in the 60's 'earthdays' ). We should value their wisdom and their experience and embrace it for ourselves.

Road Blocks; Help or Hinderance?

I Thessalonians 3:11-13

"Now God himself and our father, an our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God. even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."

Detours, roadblocks, delays, changes in plans....What is your usual reaction when these occur in your lives? Anger? Frustration? Worse?

How can you discern if a 'roadblock' in your life is a 'detour' from the Lord or a distraction from Satan? God often gives us a change in plans. But Satan tries to get us off into the mud and muck of uselessness. God never leads us to something that is contrary to His will. He would never lead us to do something contrary to scripture. A very wise person said "When God closes a door, He always opens a window" what can you do to circumvent a road block that is keeping you from ministering?

Pray-This seems obvious but usually we don't think of praying first. We often feel like we need to try and extricate ourselves from tough situations. God wants to hear from us as much as possible. He loves His children and especially loves it when we ask for His help and guidance. He gives His advice through His word directly, through wise friends or a godly preacher.

Praise-Rejoicing it wherever God has you is vital. If God placed us here then it is exactly where he wants us. If we are not where he wants us, we will know it better and sooner if we are staying close to him and his word.

Perseverance-If you are not sure what to do keep on doing what you have been doing (providing it's a godly thing) God can steer you easier when you are already in motion.

In the last few years I have noticed times when I was hindered from going where I wanted to on the roads. Then after the lights changed green, or the hinderance was removed I went along the road and saw a fender bender or worse... it was then I realized that had I not been hindered I might have been in those accidents. So now when things don't go the way I think they should I stop and think and remind my self... "God has allowed this for a reasons"

When we see Christ-words by Esther Kerry Rusthio:

Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,

We're tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;

But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away

All tears forever over in God's eternal day.

Refrain

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;One gliimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/seechrist.html

(above artwork copyright Gerda Collins 2008)

Busy-ness is not always God's business

Matthew 10: 38-42
"Now it came to pass , as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken way from her.

WOW, so many things to think about in this passage. First I want to say the title for this entry was not original with me, though I have heard it, or similar, many time.

In this passage Jesus recognized Martha's care as well as Mary's devotion. I want to focus on the contrast and how it applies to us. Martha is a generous lady, willingly opening her home to the Savior. All that planning and preparation I think distracted her from what was really important here. Just doing 'good things' is not enough, you should be doing what you are truly called to do with out recognition.

I have been guilty of the same (and I am sure others of you out there will agree) we get so wrapped up in planning some event that when the time for the event comes we are running around in the back of the room, kitchen, or wherever trying to keep everything together (usually do to poor planning or last minute changes we made) so much that we don't get to sit and hear the speaker, eat a bite or even visit a moment with our friends. Often, like Martha, we forget the PRE-in 'preparation'. Confession time: In the past I have relished in this 'martyr' type of situation "oh , look at me, I am working SO hard over here." As I recently studied this passage in Matthew it really made me think, "why am I doing this... or that... or the other thing?"

Christ wanted Martha's heart MORE than her home, (you can insert your money, time, talents or whatever in that spot).


(also given to me by a friend):
"Jesus would live had Martha not fed him,
but.....
Martha would not live if Jesus had not fed HER."

Don't get so busy in doing or tied down in 'appearing' that you forget you are called to BE a Christian, a follower of Christ. How can we be like Christ if we don't spend the needed time at 'His feet', in his word, listening and adoring HIM.

"Mary hath chosen" Jesus said. It's a choice, putting your priorities in place. Intimacy with God should always have first place. Jesus patiently waits for us to come sit at HIS feet. He does not come in the kitchen (or the office) and drag us out ... He just waits.... how long will He have to wait?

I Kings 19:12-13 "And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it...."

Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Are You Walking Worthy??

I Thessalonians 2: 11-12 , As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye should walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

What would be the response if you told every unbeliever you met that you were a beliver? Would they respond, "Are you serious??" or "Yeah, I can tell"

My dear husband posed this question as he taught the adults Sunday School class yesterday.

This is really a rather weighty question. Usually we tend to go about our days, just happy to get through the 'to do list' and home again, make dinner and look on to the next day. But lately I have been more and more aware of those around me. Sometimes I feel frustrated and other times I feel sad that people tend to be so closed to hearing God message..... it's such a GREAT message. Yet, Satan works so hard to keep peoples ears, hearts and minds closed to this wonderful message. This we know is because Satan is more and more at work in these end times :( , it should not stop us from continuing to show forth His love and share His message, for if they reject it, they are rejecting God, they are just doing it through us, because we are His messengers.

We are charged by Christ to spread The GOOD News, and we are responsible to tell others... and yet they are also responsible to recieve it and to respond to it. So it is vital that we remember little things we do, often unspoken could be 'the seed' that causes someone to respond to God and seek more information. It is often not the obvious things that direct someone to God. Our world is so filled with hate and intolerance that God's message should really 'shout' His love and care. Let us strive to be open and aware of all the opportunities that God sends our way to witness for Him and let us not get angry or frustrated when people don't respond. God is in control, we need to just do our part and let Him "take it from there"

May you be blessed by these simple words.

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

This has been one of my life's verses. By trusting in Jesus my life has been directed. That does not mean all things have been pleasant but that I have had a guide, an all knowing guide, to show me the way.