Apart From God
Psalm 90:2 GW Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, you were God. You are God from everlasting to everlasting.

God is God. He was God before I was born, before humankind existed, even before our solar system came to be. He will be God long after we are dust.

In running our own lives we forget who He is--eternal God, and who we are--His creation. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Apart from Him, everything we do will end in failure, emptiness, disaster.

But when we acknowledge God as God and center in Him all we think, say and do, we can make choices that bring peace, life and hope. What I do does make a difference.

V. 12 Teach us to number each of our days so that we may grow in wisdom.

Eyes to See
Psalm 89:1 Mkjv I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Do I spend my time complaining about life, family, relationships, work, the economy and who-knows-what all? Or do I do my best, love those in my life, and thank God for the many blessings in my life?

Do I search for the bad to complain, or have eyes of faith to see all the good in my life and praise God---even when I see nothing at all?

It's a heart attitude. It's a matter of trust. Am I trusting Jesus--or something else?

National Consequences
II Chronicles 7:22 GW "They will answer themselves, 'They abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt. They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them. That is why he brought this disaster on them.'"

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Truth or consequences. When we don't accept truth--and God is truth--we accept a lie. We do things our way and try to believe that's good enough. It isn't. All my good works, all my righteousness pales in the light of the darkness of my heart. Only submitting to the Lordship of our Savior will we know a positive outcome--life.

So it is with nations. Nations that turn away from God, from truth, with those who ridicule faith, call down upon theme the consequences of their actions.

America as a nation has turned it's back on the very One who has so blessed this nation.

We're seeing the consequences in people blinded by lies, by unrest, by degredation, by failing families, churches that don't honor God, and a hostility toward Christianity and all that is good, honorable and holy.

We have a nation de-constrcting. Can our nation be resurrected? There is only one way. As individuals and as a nation we must reurn to our foundations in Jesus

V. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

II Chronicles 7:14 GW However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear their prayer from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country.

Harvest We Sow
II Chronicles 6:9, 10a, 15a GW But you must not build the temple. Instead, your own son will build the temple for my name.' The LORD has kept the promise he made. I've taken my father David's place, and .... I've built the temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. ...You have kept your promise to my father David, your servant. With your mouth you promised it. With your hand you carried it out as it is today.

God keeps His promises. He promises provision, protection and peace for those who honor, serve and follow Him. He promises blessing for those who honor Him and the opposite for those who don't.

What we choose to do has consequences. Evil choices brings evil upon us. Good choices bring blessing--though not always in the way we think. God put principles in play when He created our universe. Do we really think we can spurn His will and His way and build a life of peace and blessing?

God keeps His promises.
We reap what we sow.

Lord Jesus, help me sow seeds of righteousness, faith in You and compassion for others. Amen.

Husker Defeat

The Nebraska Huskers did so well and held on so long yesterday in their football game. But in the end they didn't hold the line. They plucked defeat out of victory.

How often do we stand up, stand firm and hold the line in our lives until the end when we're exhausted and discouraged? At some point it seems easier just to let down, just a bit, compromise our beliefs, go along to get along, hide our witness, because we're tired and frustrated.

While the Huskers didn't mean to allow a touchdown in the final seconds of the game, they, nonetheless, didn't hold the line.

The difference with us is that we don't have to hold the line alone. For when we're weak, He is strong. We can go to Jesus and He will comfort and strengthen and His Word bring encouragement.

Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ`s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. --2 Corinthians 12:10

Lord Jesus, help me not give up or give in when I get discouraged, but instead to draw closer to You and find strength in You. Amen.

Not Giving Up
Cutie Cat's tenacity to cling to life puts me to shame. How quickly I give up on dreams, on faith, on life. She teaches me that even when pain and problems come, as they will, to hang on. As God takes care of Cutie so He gives us strength to endure and triumph as we depend on Him.

Ephesians 6:10 Mkjv Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

May you find strength in Him.

One Way
Romans 8:9 GW But if God's Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature. Whoever doesn't have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to him.

The idea persists, even in certain "Christian" circles, that everyone will go to Heaven, that living a good life is good enough. If that were true, Jesus didn't need to come because we as humankind could save ourselves.

But we can't. Without Jesus' death and resurrection no one can have eternal life. But that life doesn't come automatically, each of us much choose whether to believe, accept the gift Jesus offers because of His death, and follow Him or turn our back on His gift of life in Him.

Heaven and life is a choice. It is not about being good, but accepting that goodness comes only by asking Jesus to live in and through us. Those who don't, do not know life now or ever.

V. 13-14 If you live by your corrupt nature, you are going to die. But if you use your spiritual nature to put to death the evil activities of the body, you will live. Certainly, all who are guided by God's Spirit are God's children.

Do I Choose Rescue?
Romans 7:23 GW However, I see a different standard at work throughout my body. It is at war with the standards my mind sets and tries to take me captive to sin's standards which still exist throughout my body.

Humankind is not naturally good. That is a belief that refuses to acknowledge that true evil exists, or a manevolent being behind evil--Satan. We are not good. That is what the whole fruit and Eve is all about. Her & Adam's choice to disobey God introduced the element of evil.

We now are a battle ground between Good & Evil. Jesus changed the playing field by dying for our disobedience and conquering Evil by rising again. While we can't win the battle on our own--we tend to play with fire, like walking the wild side and toying with sin--we can win when we allow Jesus to fight for us.

But it takes choice. It takes feeding what is good, not what is evil and not rationalizing. It takes choosing Jesus, maintaining a close relationship with Him.

V. 25a I thank God that our Lord Jesus Christ rescues me!

Where's My Focus?
Romans 6:11-13 GW So consider yourselves dead to sin's power but living for God in the power Christ Jesus gives you. Therefore, never let sin rule your physical body so that you obey its desires. Never offer any part of your body to sin's power. ...

When we accept Christ into our lives, He wipes away our sin and gives us a whole new start. Our part is to focus on learning from and following Christ, letting Him guide.

But, though we have a new future to write with God's help, we can mess it up by choosing to turn away from the One who died to give us a second chance. We can choose old habits, old friends, old ways. God doesn't take away choice. But we need to remember we become slaves to what we follow. Will that be friends and habits that leave us empty, hurt and hopeless or Christ who is love and who offers hope and life?

My choice. Yours.

V. 16 Don't you know that if you offer to be someone's slave, you must obey that master? Either your master is sin, or your master is obedience. Letting sin be your master leads to death. Letting obedience be your master leads to God's approval.

V. 23 The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Resting in His Grace
I STAND
(c) 2009 Carolyn R Scheidies

I stand in hope
Not on my own
Righteousness
My own good works
My own values, beliefs
I stand on
My confession
Of faith in He
Who died at calvary
And rose that I
Might live
For Him
Resting not in my works,
But in His grace
For now
And through
Eternity.

Romans 5:5:1-2 Mkjv Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God.

Donations
I Chronicles 29:13-14 GW Our God, we thank you and praise your wonderful name. But who am I and who are my people that you enable us to give so generously? Everything comes from you. We give you only what has come from your hands.

We often think we're so generous when we donate supplies, things--often used, time or money. As we pat ourselves on the back we forget something important. We don't truly own anything. Everything we have is God's gift since He created it all.

Instead of congratulating ourselves, any generous act on our part should be a reminder to praise and thank and worship the One who gave us the ability to donate.

Help me, Jesus, donate out of a grateful heart toward You. Amen.

Worship God in Public?
Psalm 81:1 Mkjv Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.

Do we loudly proclaim God's name? Do we praise, honor and worship Him freely when we're not in church? Is worship time in church merely something we do before the sermon or do we truly honor God?

Muslims fight for the right to pray in public--several times a day.

Why are we afraid? Embarrassment? Fear? Or do we truly not believe God is who He says He is--Savior and Lord of all? Is He my Lord? Is He yours?
Rejoice.

Take Time To Refresh
This week, not one day did I complete everything on my list. In the morning, the list didn't look too bad, but every day brings extra contacts, things to do, etc. that lengthens the list. My tendency is too keep working and not eat or rest. (Makes me exhausted and very grouchy!)

Busy doesn't bring peace. When I am the busiest, I need to stop, realize this is just stuff after all, and take time to breathe, relax, rest and....wait on the Lord. For He is, after all, my strength.

Psalm 27:1c The Lord is the strength of my life...

Psalm 27: 14 Wait on the Lord:be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

As we wait on Him this week, may we rest in His peace, His provision and His direction.

Worship With Music
I Chronicles 25:3, 6-7a GW From the sons of Jeduthun were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, Mattithiah. (The six brothers were directed by their father, the prophet Jeduthun. They thanked and praised the LORD as they played lyres.) ...
All these Levites sang at the LORD'S temple under the direction of their fathers Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. They played cymbals, lyres, and harps for worship in God's temple under the direction of the king.
They, along with their relatives, were trained, skilled musicians for the LORD. ...

God created music. He isn't some tone-deaf grump who resents us when we wish to sing and dance and create music and play instruments. God of the Bible is a God of joy. He set up music, including trained musicians, for the temple.

Reverence doesn't mean the absence of music, but using music in joyful worship and celebration of our faith, our God and the wonders of life and creation.

Help me Jesus to be joyful in my celebration of You--with music and song. Amen.

Do I Extend a Spiritual Blessing?
Romans 1:11 GW I long to see you to share a spiritual blessing with you so that you will be strengthened.

Do we bless others? Do we complement, encourage and lift up--our spouse, our children, our friends, our co-workers? Or do we tear down, complain about and to, creating an environment of discouragement and distrust?

How much better to realize the joy we can have in Jesus and the joy we can have in sharing His hope with those around us. How much better to lift up than to tear down, remembering Jesus lifts up and when we live for and in Him, we can bless others and know God's blessing in our lives as well.

V. 16 GW I'm not ashamed of the Good News. It is God's power to save everyone who believes, Jews first and Greeks as well.