As Was Supposed

 Luke 3:23 

Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Why would the doctor Luke include this small subsection into this statement?  Why does this statement differ from what Matthew tell us in Chapter 1 where he says Jacob was the father of Joseph?

Matthew 1:16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, 

of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

We all know that Joseph was not the natural father of Jesus. God was his Father.  Mary was a virgin and the Holy Spirit came upon her to conceive Jesus.  The Seed of God was placed into her and the result was baby Jesus.

Skeptics want to tell you the Bible is incorrect because of these two different lines of genealogy but they are wrong.  The two lines are from the two people who raised Jesus as their son.  One, Mary, had her blood, her DNA in the Messiah and  Joseph, the supposed father, but only the adopted father, was the other. Two separate lines for two separate people who both were the worldly parents of Jesus.  One by blood and one by adoption.  

All of this to fulfill the prophesy from hundred of years prior to the birth of Jesus.  Joseph was from the lineage of King David and fulfilled the prophesy from 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 11:1; and Jeremiah 23:5–6.  While there was no blood DNA of Joseph in Jesus he "as was supposed" the father of Jesus.  Remember that in those times women's rights were nothing. There were no women's rights.  A woman pregnant out of wedlock, which made her guilty of fornication or adultery were killed.  Very little things about women were noted in the Bible due to the times of the day.  

When Matthew gives his linage it goes all of the way to Adam, the original son of God.  Jesus was from the seed of Adam because of his blood DNA from Mary.  What a miraculous thing to contemplate!  The writer of the Bible included both linages of Jesus.  One to fulfill prophesy and the other to fulfill God's promise to mankind that He would save them.

A SEASON OF MIRACLES

I have never really thought about this verse much in the past 50 years.

Isaiah 11:1 - A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 

In the next verses it goes on to speak about the coming Messiah.  The people God had chosen from the time of Abraham had gone through a lot to trouble, turmoil, persecution and revolt.  They had honored and praised Him in some time periods and turned on Him and denied Him and followed other gods in other times.  They had almost been wiped off the face of the earth several times yet a small remnant remained and this remnant happened to be of the linage that would fulfill the words of the prophet Isaiah.  Throughout scripture God spoke to the prophets, the prophets spoke to the people and in time the prophesy came to pass.  What Isaiah spoke in this verse came true about 400 years later when the Jewish people had been almost annihilated by their enemies during that 400 years.

Jesus was a miracle from birth to death to resurrection! 

I AM was here on earth in the flesh!

This verse is also for us as followers of Jesus Christ. God can take an old dead stump and turn it into a living branch that will bear fruit.  Gardner's and landscaper's will tell you they have seen this happen. Life can dish out the very worst but God can make something good out of each tribulation if we are willing to work with Him and trust Him. Just like that dead old stump He can grow a new branch in each of us so that we can bear fruit for His kingdom.  

My own life took a huge turn when my husband died two years ago.  I have been feeling like an old dead stump since then but today this verse has hit my spirIt and I hear the Lord telling me to watch what He can do.  He can send up a new shoot, a new branch in me!  One that can bear fruit for Him! It does take time for a branch to grow into a fruit producing branch so I will need to be still and have patience as this newness takes hold of me.  

John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:4 - Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I have great hope and trust God that something miraculous is happening in my life and I know this can be the same for so many others.  The seasons of life can be very hard but just knowing our Father can cause a new branch in an old dead stump to grow is a hope in miracles.  

HOLIDAY DELIGHT

Our Power of Twelve group word this month has been delight and this morning I feel anything but delight.  It was a restless sleepless night and now I am a grumpy grinch.  I came downstairs and turned on the Christmas tree.  That helped a little bit.  I chased off the deer eating all of my shrubs in the front yard and looked at the few strings of Christmas lights I put up and that helped a little bit.  

I know why I have no delight and that is because I am still living in widowland.  This is my third Christmas season without my husband who was there for 40 Christmases and now is not.  These past three Christmas holidays are how I will spend them from now on.  There will be no other husband.  There will no longer be another human being beside me on Christmas or any other day.  It will be me.  Only me.  It's hard to be happy and smiley on the outside when one is sad and crying on the inside.

So now how do I wrap my mind around this and find the delight in the day?  I love my friends but they have lives.  I love my family but they have lives.  I love my community but everyone has lives.  So I guess I have to find my life and that is where I am today. I do not want to finish my life as a complaining, old, bitter woman who has run everyone off.  I want to be a delight to others and be one who people do like to be around when they can. 

I know in my heart and spirit that the Lord is my Shepherd. I know He leads me beside the still waters and restores my soul.  I know He is the only one who is with me through the valley of the shadow of death.  I know there is a reason I am still here on this earth and that He wakes me for each day but right now the purpose is not revealed to me.

Today I will continue the search for me.  The new me.  The new normal.  The new everything.  Today I will find some delight in the day and enjoy breathing.  Today is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.  No matter how my brain is acting I am going to find some holiday delight this fifth day of December! 

For I Know The Plans

Jeremiah 29:11 has been one of my very favorite scripture verses for a very long time.  In fact, it hangs in print on the wall of my family room.

'For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ' - Jeremiah 29:11

At the time, it was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel, but God said it for all to hear.  He has a plan for each one of us whom He calls His chosen, His people, His children.  It's a good plan!  He is not a Father who makes any plan that will hurt us is any way.  In fact, He says it is a plan that will prosper us, give us hope, give us a future of goodness and plenty.  

So how come not everyone is blessed with this wonderful plan the Lord has made for us?  How come there are illnesses?  How come there are financial woes?  How come there is death?  How come all the bad stuff happens when He said the plan will not harm us?

We got in the way of that plan seems to be what happened.  We stopped listening to God.  We stopped learning about Him.  We stopped putting Him first and instead went about our own merry way thinking that just because we loved Him and believed in Him that everything would be sunshine and roses.  We messed up the plan by not waiting for His answers or seeking Him when an important decision came up.  We told Him, "I've got this.  I will do it my way!"  And the plan God had for us was set aside by our own selfish will.

The good news is that He never gives up.  He never stops loving us and He never tells us to go away even though we told Him to go away.  He is a faithful Father who will never give up on His child much like we as parents never give up on our own child no matter how far they slide off the path.

God also told Jeremiah,

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah 1:5

So, it is for each one of us.  Maybe not the "prophet to the nations" part but the rest of it, yes!  He knew us before we were even formed in our mother's womb!  He set us apart from others because He had a plan for each one of us. He called us His child before our parents had any idea we were even coming into this world.  Think how amazing that plan is, and it is still unfolding!  

I often wonder how much easier my life would have been if I had stopped, prayed, and listened to God before making some of the most important decisions in my life.  I tend to think the plans God had for my life would have unfolded very differently and there would have been far less turmoil and harmful episodes. 

My Children Are UnHappy

My two children are heavy on my heart this morning.  Both of them are suffering for different reasons but the bottom line is that both are unhappy.  Unhappy with their lives and the circumstances in their lives.  As a mother, I know these things.  I hear them and I watch them as they struggle with choices.  

One has a marriage that is falling apart. The other is out of control with substances that dull the pain of unhappiness.  Why is this happening to the two people I love and adore most in this world?  These are the two people I raised and tried to help for decades but with both of these situations there is nothing I can do.  I can't tell them how to resolve the issues except to seek the Lord and listen to Him tell them how and what they should do.  

It breaks my heart to watch them go through these times.  I hope the best for them but this is what it is right now for each of them.  One could choose to leave the marriage that has been on a destructive course for decades.  The other has made the choice to use substances for decades that have not helped in any way and could seek help to get rid of this behavior.  But these are choices they have to make for themselves and no one will be able to make it for them.

Today all I can do is beg the Lord to reveal himself to them with open arms of love and help them make the choices to follow his path for them.  They both have kind, loving hearts and know the Lord.  They both pray.  They both believe he came to save them.  They both are lost by the darkness of the evil one who hides the truth that God can and will make a way in the wilderness.  Life is a wilderness for both of them right now.

Psalms 7:52 - But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness. 

The mother in me wants to scoop them up, bring them home and nurse them back to happiness and joy.  I want to make everything good in their hearts and their spirits.  I want to cuddle them and comfort them back to health.  I want to lead them out of the wilderness of their lives.  But I am helpless and unable to do this for them.  I can only pray to God that He will intervene and help.  I can only pray He will guide them and show them how to move through the dark valley they have found themselves in.  I can only hope and have faith that God will move for my children.  

We read in scripture where Jesus brought the dead to life.  We know that He can do all things.  We know He is the God of the impossible.  This is where I am placing both of my children.  Safe in the Father's arms because He is the one who helps.  He is the one who saves. He is the only one both of them need in life.

Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Thank you Lord Jesus for hearing this mother's prayer and for doing the impossible for my children.  Lead them out of their dark valley's back into the light.

TODAY

There is so much going on today.  Actually, so much has been going on for many today's but I have not been writing very much and taking care of the today's as they each came and went.

Today I just got off the phone with a best friend who had a major fall on her face and is suffering the aftereffects of that fall.  We talked about our ages and what we should and shouldn't be doing at our age.  We talked about trusting in the Lord for all things including finances, jobs, retirement and family members that need us at home and not at a job for the majority of our time.  Especially now that we are senior citizens.  We talked about those younger people who should be picking up in the work sector for those of us who have put in our 50 or more years of working.

Today I am thinking about all of the different friends who are having troubles and health issues.  One friend has a husband who took a terrible fall, causing brain damage, and has been in the hospital for over a month and is just going into some kind of rehab center.  He is just starting to eat again but much of his brain function has been damaged.  She is driving back and forth the 150-mile round trip several times a week.

Another friend is taking care of her grandchildren while her son-in-law is battling a heart issue that came out of nowhere while on a hunting trip.  Another has her own heart issues after having open heart surgery earlier in the each.  She has stress from family members who are also having issues from health to substance abuse.  Another one has been diagnosed with Covid again.  Another has problems with a co-worker.  Another has been dealing with a semi-disabled husband for 2+ years now. And another has issues with aging parents who both are showing signs of dementia and a sibling that is useless in their care.

If I sit here and think more, I know that there are so many others who are dealing with struggles, troubles, and issues.  Even in my own family there are relationship issues that are boiling up and over. What do we do?

We pray!  We cry out to the Lord with all that we have for Him to move in ways that we cannot.  We trust in Him!  We know that He is the only One who can turn the bad into good.  Make the wrong things right.  Heal the wounds.  He is the God of the impossible.  He is the only One who can do anything!  We cannot hold on to any of this stuff and need to let it go into His capable hands.  When we hold on to all of this it does us no good and does not allow the Holy Spirit to move.  When we hold onto it all it tells God that we think we can handle it better than He can.  Why would we think this way?  We cannot handle any of the bad stuff.  We fall apart when bad things happen.  

Today I am taking each one of these prayers for my family and my friends and I am laying them each into God's hands.  I can pray that He will fix each and everything for these people because I love them and He said,

Matthew 21:22 (NIV) - If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

John 11:22 (NIV) - But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.

John 14:13 (NIV) - And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:14 (NIV) - You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

I John 3:21-22 (NIV) - Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

I could go on with more scriptures.  Do you think He is trying to get His point across that we need to ask Him and then let Him be God?  

Today and every day I want to learn more and more how to ask for His mercy, His grace, His healing touch, His wisdom to let go of things I can do nothing about and let Him carry all of the burdens for me and for my family and friends. In your holy name Jesus, I pray all of the above and more!  Praise you and thank you for loving us and helping us get through today so that tomorrow is a fresh start!

Old And New

Everyone has heard about the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The books in each of these covenants is us what make up the full Christian Bible of those who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.  The religion of Judaism does not have the teaching of the New Testament but have many of the books of the Old Testament, though not all.  The Jewish religion teaches the Torah but has other Rabbinical teachings also.  The Islamic religion teaches from the Koran and also from the writings of their prophets.  The Mormon religion teaches from the Bible and from the writings of some of their prophets.  There are other religions that teach from other manmade writings.  There have been writings and teaching from man for thousands of years.  How do we know which are divine revelations from God the Father?  The One True God?  The only God?  I AM?

When Jesus was on earth and began teaching the Jewish people in Israel he told them,

Matthew 5:17 (NIV) - “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

Jesus was Jewish and practiced Jewish laws.  There were no Christians until after his resurrection when the other Jews who had been his disciples/apostles began preaching to the Gentile peoples in the areas they traveled to.  Many of the religious Jews hated him for what he was teaching the Jewish people which is why the religious leaders had him killed. He could have stopped his death at any time but because he came to save the lost souls from all people groups he had to die and pay the sacrificial price for all who would come to him and believe in him as God. He was the sacrificial lamb who would be slain.  

Today we live in an age where man is still fighting against the teachings of Jesus.  Many are saying the Old Covenant is no longer valid and that it has been replaced by the New Covenant.  They base this lie on the verse by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 8:13 that says;

'By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.'

Paul goes on to teach them about animal sacrifices no longer being necessary as the Lamb (Jesus) was the final sacrifice.  As usually man reads the parts they want to believe and toss out the parts they don’t want to follow.  

Yes, the new church is under the New Covenant but the Old Covenant has not been buried.  Parts if the old laws have been done away with but the history and lessons of the Israelites are still valid today under the New Testament.  By the power of the Holy Spirit these are reveled to us as faithful and true.  The new church has not replaced the place of honor God the Father bestowed on Abraham and his descendants.  Only numerous sacrificial laws of the Jewish religion have been made obsolete.  You are no longer allowed to stone another person for adultery.  You are no longer allowed to cut off the hands of the thief.  The Ten Commandments still stand right along with "Love your enemy."

The first covenant was made by God for the Jewish nation.  The second covenant was made for those who chose to believed Jesus Christ was the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament writings.  The Messiah who would come to establish a new kingdom.  A kingdom far different than this earth kingdom. The church is the Bride of Christ Jesus.  She is pure and holy and new.  She is born again and faithful and under the New Testament teachings of Jesus the Teacher.  She is not the Nation of Israel. She is not under the old laws.  Those who come to the knowledge of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit understand the Israelite's and the Gentiles are two different people groups who can come together as one under the name Jesus Christ the Messiah. The apostles that Jesus chose for his ministry were Jews who came to Jesus.  They were not called Christians at that time, they were called people of the Way or Christ Followers but they still practiced Jewish traditions as laid out under Old Testament law, though they no longer sacrificed animals or burnt offerings.  

Parts of the Old Testament are now obsolete under Jesus.  The lion and the lamb can be friends.  The Jew and the Gentile can be friends.  They can all eat at the same table with no unclean foods.  The poor and the rich can laugh together.  The sinner and the saint can be friends.  There is no condemnation in doing good for others.  There is new law in replacement of old laws that are obsolete with Jesus as the new sacrifice for sin. 

But as for the nation of Israel the covenant that God made with them as his chosen nation still stands. He will redeem them one day just as he has redeemed the new church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that Christ has built since his resurrection.  

Man can try to change what God has planned but in the end it will be only God's word that will stand.  Man can try to say, "This is what God meant in that scripture writing" but only God's truth will be revealed to those who diligently seek truth.  No one will be deceived if they keep their eyes and ears open to the word of God.  All of those chosen by the Father to be in his kingdom will be with him one day. 

Isaiah 45:22 - 25 - "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, 'Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.'"

A wise man once said,

Ecclesiastes 1:9 - What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Psalms 33:4 - For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

WORDS

It's now been 23 months of searching for the new me in this life of widowhood.  Daily I come before the Lord and seek Him first and then ask what it is He wants from me for the rest of my life.  It could be only until tomorrow or if could be a decade or two. Only He knows but, in the meantime, I have to be doing something for Him.

Yesterday the Power of Twelve Wednesday Weekly Word was HARVEST.  The Scripture verse was Galatians 6:9.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The point is to not give up.  The point is to seek Him.  The point is to tell others.  The point is to do good and use our words.  Many people know me and know that my words are rarely few and usually many.  Sometimes too many and sometimes not the words the Lord would have me saying.  They are words from my own selfishness and my own opinions and sometimes they are destructive.

Bright and early this morning I was writing to a friend who I was having a written conversation with.  I wrote the following:

'In the meantime, I want all my family members on that same path and those I care the most about to know and love him. We will be known by our fruit. He told us the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Arguing about scripture verses, opinions, politics, and all those types of things only brings division in many cases. Pride keeps so many people in bondage. Our world is such a mess because so many cannot keep their tongue silent. I’m to blame in some cases but I daily try to not say everything I think.'

I adore the Lord, and it blesses me so much when He gives me confirmation that what I am thinking and feeling is from Him.  Holy Spirit is speaking, and I am listening.  I checked my email an hour after writing the above only to read the following from Lana Vawser the only prophetess I follow as she was instrumental in the confirmation of the forming of Power of Twelve and has had prophetic words for me in many situations in the past 6 years.

"It's time to stand and to stand strong in My Word and allow My fire to baptize you afresh with a roar of no toleration. The pressing is coming hard against you but push deeper and harder into Me and My Word and know that you are moving into a place of faith and strength in Me — in the overcoming that is going to equip and arm you for the days ahead.

For distraction is coming hard against you at the gate to attempt to fill your head with noise and chatter, so you will not hear My Word, but I say unto you: bind the spirit of chaos that is attempting to come and steal the quiet space from you to hear and listen to My Word and to My strategy that I am arming you with.

Give your eyes ONLY to Me and to My Word, and My Rhema word and divine insight that I am releasing. There is a battle over your eye gates, there is a battle over the gate of your heart: and I say unto you, STAND FIRM upon My Word and saturate yourself in My presence through prayer and meditation upon My Word. 

My people, watch your words at the gate. Allow MY WORD and MY RHEMA WORD to you to CARRY YOU through the gate and walk upon My Word as you move through the gate. For many of you are giving your tongue to careless words as you have stopped at the gate — looking at the turbulence and warfare and battle surrounding you — but I say unto you SPEAK AND DECLARE YOUR WAY THROUGH! Watch your words and speak only that which I am speaking and know that as you speak your way through, My Spirit is paving the way for a new day that you are moving into with Me.

My people, don't stop at the gate: SPEAK YOUR WAY THROUGH and walk by FAITH and NOT by sight."

These kinds of things are not a coincidence.  When we are seeking God and asking Him to show us the way He does.  It is up to each of us to read and hear the signs.  It is up to us to slow down, sit, and listen.  Too many in the world today are fighting for just a few minutes of peace.  They are being pulled into a million directions by all of the distractions.  Turn off the TV set.  Set down the cell phone.  Turn off the radios.  Lock yourself in the bathroom or the basement or your bedroom for 15 minutes.  Ask the Father to speak to you and refresh you with His words of love.  He told us that if we seek Him, we will find Him.  The choice to seek Him is ours not His.  He is not going to run to you.  You have to run to Him.  Then you have to listen to the words He places into your spirit and mind.  He is a very loving and personal Father to His children when they take a few minutes and stop running around in circles.  

Psalms 46:10 - “Be still, and know that I am God;"

Living Grief

It never really occurred to me that grief is a living thing.  It breathes in and out.  It moves within us and then move out of us only continuing to do so day after day.  Living grief knows no time.  It does not have a daily calendar or a clock hand moving and ticking seconds away.  It appears like the birth of a newborn baby and lives on until our own death silences it.  It lives as long as we live.

Two years ago, when my husband passed away, I thought I was strong and brave and able to face anything the Good Lord placed before me.  I was built of pioneer stock and had been ground in my faith in Jesus for close to 50 years.  I had always been able to roll with the punches and get back up.  Today I sit in my home day after day not wanting to see other faces or be a part of much of anything. Hiding at home is easier than facing the world or the people in the world.  

It was September when he died at the age of 81 after many years of medical issues.  His body could not take any more surgeries or drugs to fend off the severe Rheumatoid Arthritis.  The Lord called him home and I knew he was safe with Jesus.  For the next eight months until May when his Memorial Service would be held, I made plans and bravely endured my first winter season alone along many trips to the woodshed to keep the woodstove he loved so much blazing away.  I endured and lived through a chimney fire with the help of the local fire department.  The big, beautiful flowering golden chain tree blew down into the road and the neighbor had to push it with his tractor into the lawn.  But I made it through winter number one without my helpmate and husband and I did not burn down the house. Praise the Lord!

After the wonderful celebration of Jerry's life, I knew it was time to move on.  But the big question was, "Move on to what?"  The children and grandchildren lived in other far away cities.  Most of my closest friends were married and working full time jobs. Leaving home to do errands was a chore.  Leaving home to go to church and sit alone was a chore.  Planning trips to see the children and the grandchildren was a chore.  Life alone was one big chore, so I stayed home.  I called my home my sanctuary, but it had really become my prison.  I told myself that keeping the housework done, paying the bills, reading books and watching movies, mowing the lawn and getting out of bed every day was enough for now.  The first year of his death came and went and the second winter brought 21 inches of snow at my home and 13 inches of snow on the beaches of Oregon Coast but no chimney fire.  Progress!

As I write this the second anniversary of Jerry's death is coming in a month.  Hardly anything has changed in the past year especially in my learning of the power of living grief.  I am not one to episodes of depression and I do not sit and cry for hours on end.  But is it depression when I still do not want to be around crowds of people?  Is it part of depression to not want to make the effort to get all cleaned up and go out to church or the grocery store?  Is depression learning to live alone at the age of 70?  Is it depression to think nothing is going to change for the rest of my life on earth?

I suppose living grief is a type of depression.  Though there are some joys that appear in each day it is a very quiet day when no other human being is in it. Jesus made it a point to be with others, but he also went for periods of time into the wilderness to be alone.  He spent time with the Father seeking answers and speaking with Him. I wonder if he cried with anguish during some of those conversations.  I daily spend time in the word of God seeking answers and trying to gain wisdom into this new way of life. A life of living grief breathing in me. I want to hear what the Lord is speaking, and I want to do His will for my life, but I hold back the things I feel are still too uncomfortable to look at right now.  I have told others to look at me as they would a twenty-three-month-old child.  At 23 months the little toddler is just learning how to speak.  They still cannot dress themselves; many are not potty-trained. They still have a hard time eating with utensils, but they have learned the word "NO".  Yes, I am a 23-month-old child.

While I write this, I continue to hear the Spirit of the Lord tell me that I am doing fine for this period of time in my new life of living grief.  He encourages me to keep moving, keep seeking, keep growing and keep watching.  Changes are taking place, but it is a slow process of becoming a new me. At age 70 I feel it is okay to take it slow.

Psalms 46:10 (NIV)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

Forgiveness

Unforgiveness is the opposite of forgiveness.  Both are a choice we make when others hurt us or wrong us.  There are times it is very easy and there are times it is very hard.  Sometimes it can take us moments to forgive and sometime we harbor the unforgiveness for a very long time.  Sometimes it can take a lifetime to forgive.  But it is always our choice to forgive or not to forgive.

Today I know that I have to and need to forgive someone who has stolen money from me.  I have harbored my unforgiveness long enough and it has weighed me down for over half of a year.  For my own peace of mind I have to let it go.  There are many reasons to hold on to this but I know there is no way I will ever be compensated for my loss.  He has nothing to give.  He has taken from others before and never made it right.  He is the one who has to live with his theft.  I, on the other hand, have the choice to let it go and move on with my life and this lesson I have learned about trusting another person.

Throughout life we wonder how someone can forgive the person who took the life of someone who was loved.  What about those who take the innocence of a child through lust?  What about those who cheat on their spouse?  What about those who lie over and over again?  The list goes on.  Sin is hard to forget about especially when that sin affects us on a personal basis.

In Mark 2:17 Jesus told the religious leaders who questioned his habits of being with sinners and tax collectors.  He said to them;

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." 

Over and over while Lord Jesus walked this earth he healed the sick and the sinner.  He told them to sin no more.  He told them to repent from sin.  He hung on the cross dying and said,

"Forgive them Father for they know not what they do."

In his last dying breath he forgave those who killed him.

When we offer forgiveness we release that person from our heart and mind and give them to God.  God knows what happened.  God knows everything and God has the final judgement on each one of us for the sins we have committed.

Matthew 9:13 Jesus says, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

The mercy we extend to others is what frees us from the bondage of unforgiveness.  They choose to be repentant for their sin or not.  But we are free from it and the Lord will bless us for the mercy we give to those who still walk in darkness.  Forgiveness is very hard to give sometimes but the unforgiveness will harden our heart.  A hard heart is not pleasing to our Lord especially since he bled and died for each one of us to save us from our own sin.

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

So Much To Do So Little Time

 

It has been months since I last wrote.  I write but I have just not added to this blog.  Every week I write the Wednesday Weekly Word for Power of Twelve.  I think we have about 60 people signed up to receive the email which is 60 more people than who read this blog.  LOL! I also write lots of notes while watching sermons or when I go to church.  I write just not as much as I used to do.  

    Today it has been 22 months since Jerry died.  I'm okay.  Not great but okay.  I keep getting out of bed every day.  I keep seeking the Lord and study the Bible.  I still talk with family and friends.  I still try to keep up with all the homework inside and out though I just hired help for the yardwork starting in August.  I am still adjusting to being a single 70-year-old woman.  I think it would be easier if I were younger but then I would still have to go to work so that would probably be hard too.  The Lord knows exactly what He is doing, and His timing is perfect.  

    The Power of Twelve group at my home will be starting the 6th year in September.  This is amazing and there are still 4 of the original members.  We currently have only 10 of us but I haven't really tried too hard to fill the empty seats.  I am waiting on the Lord to call in those who may want to join us.

    The family is doing good.  There were a couple blowups, but the Lord is resolving the issues and forgiveness, and restorations are in the works.  Grandchildren are growing up and moving to other states and starting new lives.  Life continues month after month and year after year.  There is a wedding coming up in a couple of months and then a trip to watch a football game and right after that the holidays will almost be here.  

    I don't imagine I will be able to continue to live in this house with all of the acreage, so I have started getting my mind wrapped around a move in the next 10 years.  But where will I go?  I have no idea.  God will have to show me the way to where He wants me to call my final home.  Today I don't have to think about it!

    I thank the Lord and praise Him for all things in my life.  I praise the Lord for His favor over me and mine.  I praise the Lord for every minute I have to continue to do what I can to serve Him as little as it may be.  I praise the Lord that He has called me by name and said I am His.  How amazing is that!

    I know there is still much I can do for Him, but I also know the time is getting to be less and less.  Tomorrow is a new day, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

    So much to do, so little time! 

Miracles

It's been a couple of months since I've written. I tend to hibernate in the winter season especially since I retired 3 years ago and then since my husband died 18 months ago.  I am a reader when I am not a writer.  I think so far this winter I have read a dozen books.  By books I mean the actual paper kind.  I love the feeling of holding a book and turning the pages.  But I digress from the title of this post.

A couple of days ago I was reminded to write down any of the miracles I have seen or experienced in my life so I thought it would be good to get them here since who know, one day, my family may find them, if this website is still somewhere in the "world - wide - web" for all time.

Here are a couple of the events that have happened that I would classify as "miracles".

In the mid 1980's we had loaded up the trailer house with the whole family and took off on a camping vacation to Canada.  We ended up at a beautiful campground and set up camp.  Our son Chris was 5 years old and as active as any 5-year-old boy.  One evening we were all sitting around our campfire that was inside of a pit ringed with large rocks and was probably 5 to 6 feet across. There were six of us.  Two adults, 3 teenage girls and Chris.  As we were laughing about our adventures and roasting marshmallows Chris was busy being an active little boy.  All of a sudden, he tripped on one of the rocks and began falling backward into the fire pit.  None of us had time to get out of our chairs.  In less than a couple of seconds we all realized he was falling backwards and going into the fire but then he was turned and pushed by an unseen hand, outside the ring of rocks.  He cried as he hit the ground by the rocks but was uninjured and no fire had touched him.  The five of us spent a couple of minutes processing what we had just witnessed then we talked about what each of us saw.  It was the same story from each of us.  He was falling into the fire and then he was not.  We knew that an angel of the Lord had moved and kept him from serious harm.  We knew we had witnessed a miracle.  That little 5-year-old boy is now in his mid 40's and speaks openly and honestly about the saving power of Jesus Christ and leads many toward the path of salvation that Jesus offers to every single person who seeks Him.

This next story is more recent and also involves Chris.  Last summer he and his wife were traveling with friends for another camping trip with quads.  The truck they were riding in was towing a trailer with the quads when a tire burst, and sparks flew up from the roadway setting the trailer on fire.  They got pulled over and began unhitching the trailer that was fast becoming engulfed in flames.  It was also carrying a large tank of gasoline which could blow up and take the pickup with it.  Panic was coming from everyone as the scene erupted on the Interstate highway.  As all of this was happening, they were unaware that the flames had reached the grass alongside of the highway and was spreading.  There were hundreds of acres of grassland where this was taking place. During this kerfuffle Chris noticed a couple of men in soldier uniforms were over putting out the grass fire as fast as they could using shovels and water and whatever else they had to fight fire.  He went back to fighting the trailer fire.  As everything came under control Chris went to thank the soldiers for stopping to help.  They were gone.  No one saw them come.  No one saw them go.  Several of the other people who had stopped to help said they never saw any soldiers putting out the grass fire.

For now, these are the miracles stories at the top of my mind but as I recall the others, I will get them added to this post.  If you are reading this and don't believe in miracles you should!  We have a God who is very active and moving all of the time.  He has never stopped being God and He never will.  He loves His creation both human, animal and world.  

IN THE BEGINNING

In the beginning when Adam and Eve were in the garden they disobeyed.  They made a choice to do something the Father had said not to do.  Of course they placed blame elsewhere just as people do all these thousand and thousands of years later.  Eve blamed the serpent who was possessed by Satan in serpent form.  Adam blamed Eve because she gave the fruit of the forbidden tree to him.  Both Adam and Eve made the choice to disobey the direct command of God. Human sinful and willful nature destroyed the paradise God had intended for his creation of both mankind and animal. 

The price they paid for their disobedience was very heavy.  God banned them from living in Eden.  Eden was perfect and they were now imperfect and only more damage and disobedience would come if He had let them stay there.  There was a price to be paid just as there is always a price paid for disobedience and sin against God's instructions and words.

Satan is still having his head crushed by the believer who holds tight to the promises of God.  He knows that Jesus paid the final price with His blood and that those who have accepted Jesus as their savior, Christ and Messiah know the victory of eternal life has been won.  Those who walk with Jesus know beyond any doubt that they are forgiven and their names are written in the Book of Life for all eternity.  Death on earth is just another part of the journey back to Eden.

Men are still blaming women for all their problems and for all the trouble and turmoil in their lives instead of facing the truth that they each have a choice how to react to a woman.  How to talk to a woman.  How to love a woman.  They want to blame the woman for the lust of their eyes.  They want to blame the woman for leading them astray.  They do not want to face the truth that they were too selfish to say "No" and stick with that answer.

Women are still blaming men, children and Satan for leading them off the path of goodness and mercy. Women want to blame anyone and anything at any time for their own inadequacies.  They blame weakness.  They blame lack of superiority.  They blame other women.  They blame God for making them less than men.

I know this may all sound a bit harsh but read Genesis 3:12-13;

'The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” '

Man blamed woman.  Woman blamed the serpent.  The serpent was silent because he had done the damage intended and caused the fall of mankind into sin and apart from God.

Each one of us are responsible for our actions, then and now.  Each one of us have a choice to follow God and what He says is moral, good and acceptable in His eyes.  Each one of us can blame others all we want for our trials, tribulations, and troubles but the truth is, at some point in time, we have no one to blame but ourselves for our decisions to lead a life pleasing to God or pleasing to only ourselves. 

 They are called choices for a reason.

BELIEVE

 Believe.  What a word.  I'm sorry I am sort of a nerd and want to get to the basis of why we use certain words. The dictionary definition of word believe is:

a: to consider to be true or honest (ie. believe the reports or you wouldn't believe how long it took)

b: to accept the word or evidence of (ie. I believe you or I couldn't believe my ears)

c:: to hold as an opinion (ie. I believe it will rain soon)

Luke 8:50 says, 'But when Jesus heard it , he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. '

As believers of Jesus Christ, that He is who He said He is, the Son of God, God in flesh, we believe that every word He spoke is truth.  We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God written by men but truth by the power of the Holy Spirit.  But right before Jesus told Jairus that his daughter would life, He said, "Fear not".  This is where the truth lies.  As human beings we know there are liars, cheaters, frauds, deceivers, and evil people in the world and we do not trust many.  We have been led astray many times and therefore we have fear that the truth is not what we are hearing.  How do we believe when we have been tricked and duped so many times in our lives?

We do not put our faith and trust in people.  We put our faith and trust in God alone.  Only by the power of the Holy Spirit will we be able to endure the trials of the day.  Only by the power of the Holy Spirit will we hear God and know that He will guide us and be with us even when the world is against us.  To believe is to trust.  On this earth we cannot trust what someone says.  We cannot trust what someone does.  We cannot trust people as they will let us down, they will hurt us, they will take advantage of us, they will look out for their selfishness first.  It is the way of the world and we are in this world whether it be the good or the bad.

Mark 11:24 (NKJV)

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Romans 10:9 (NKJV)

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Mark 9:23 (NKJV)

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

The above verses are just a few of the scriptures which teach and speak of how and what to believe.  Unbelievers cannot comprehend how the believer can believe in these words.  The unbeliever lives in a world where there is no hope, there is no peace, there is no faith in anything they cannot see or understand, there is nothing but trouble in life.  But the believer knows the heart of God the Father who created us in His image.  We know that He is for us and not against us.  We know that He gives us divine protection against the Satan, the enemy of our souls.  Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy all belief we may have.  He is the one who puts the doubts, fears and anxiety of life into our minds unless we continually ask the Lord to guard us and protect us from the evilness of this world.

Believers believe.  When the doubts creep in we seek the Lord and He calms our fears.  I wish I could tell you that someday you will not have any fears or doubts and that you will be able to trust the people in your life but that is not the way things work in this world.  

Jesus says, "Fear not. Believe only."  That is all we can do and what we do in every single day.