He’s Alive

The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.

Luke 24:7

 

JESUS IS ALIVE

On the third day, the stone is rolled away and Jesus our Resurrected King comes out. But why the third day?

Well as I asked that question to God, He put on my heart this passage of Scripture:

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

On the 3rd day of creation, God created a continuation of life. On the 3rd day of Jesus’s death, God gave to us, a continuation of life.

I love when God teaches me something new. I love when God brings to my heart a new way to look at His word. I love that as God brought this to me, I was overwhelmed by His Spirit, and instantly knew I would share this.

 

Jesus is alive, Jesus overcame death. Jesus brings to us new life, a continuation of this life, to live with Him. The Father sees all this and it is good, for it is His will for our lives to continue.

Happy Resurrection Day-He is alive!

Overcoming the World

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your Hands I commit My Spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last.

Luke 22:46

 

In John 16:33, Jesus prays for us to have peace in this world. He is telling us that we will have trouble. He is reminding us to take heart, because He has overcome this world. Now in the past when I would read that my brain would automatically go to Resurrection Morning. However, this time as I prayed through Scripture during my season of Lent. God shared something with me, and this is today’s verse.

In today’s verse Jesus is on the Cross. As He takes His last breath He calls out to His Father. He releases His Spirit into His Father’s Hands. Right there, at that this exact moment is where Jesus has overcome this world. Go to John 16:33 and read again what it says

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.

Jesus is not telling us, ‘pray and I will take the trouble away.” Jesus is telling us that the trouble will remain with us. It will not go away, and when it doesn’t go away don’t lose heart. Now go back to today’s verse. Jesus is on the Cross. He is not praying for His Father to take Him down off the Cross. Could God do that? Absolutely! Did God do that? NO! Jesus knows His Father isn’t going to remove this trouble. So Jesus shows us how to overcome it, He releases His hold onto His life, and He places it in the Hands of His Father.

We then learn from Jesus through His death on the Cross how to overcome this world. Death is not the end, and we know this. Jesus overcomes death through His Resurrection. Jesus overcomes this world through His death.

Overcoming this world is the peace which surpasses all understanding. It is the calm we feel in a storm. It is the Presence of God in that moment. It is when we realize that the trouble won’t go, so we tell God

It is well with my soul

 

 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us^[c] from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Daniel 3: 16-18

I’m going to continue today with my study on the Book of Daniel.  As I told the ladies this morning during our ministry time. “How did someone read the Book of Daniel. A Book on Jewish captivity. A Book about overcoming. A Book about Prayer and Prophecy and take from it a diet? The answer is simple. They took a worldly view of what they read and applied vanity to it and there you have it-The Daniel Diet.

Today’s Chapter was 3 and in this Chapter we read about, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. We wondered were Daniel was during this time. We figured that the other royal officials chose not to point out that Daniel didn’t bow down because he was highly regarded by the king. Instead they chose the 3 men who were just administrators for the king. A tad lower on the pecking order of officials. The king then orders these 3 men to bow down before his statue at the sound of … the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music. They decline and explain why and those are today’s verses.

The men are captives and they are being ordered by the king, the one who is ruling over them. The one who has them in captivity. That king is the one ordering them to bow down. The 3 men are not disrespectful. They state the reason why they can’t and won’t. They belong to God and they shall bow to no one but God. This of course makes the king so angry that he orders them to be killed. In the haste some of the soldiers are burned alive. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, live through this test. When the king looks in the fiery furnace he sees them. They are no longer tied up. They are free to walk around. They are walking around in the flames. They are not alone. God is with them.

Now before this miracle occurs I want us to back up just a bit and re-read what the 3 men said to the king before they are put in the furnace.

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us^[c] from Your Majesty’s hand.

The 3 men are telling the king that God is the One and the Only One who is in control of what is happening. If God chooses for them to go into the furnace they shall go in. This verse starts with ‘if’. That if tells us that these 3 men knew that the only way they would go into the furnace is if God permitted it. They also tell the king that they know that same God who is in control can deliver them from the kings hand. Either before they are placed in the furnace of even after they are placed in the furnace. Nothing is impossible with God.

 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

The but in this verse isn’t a convenient out for God. They are not making excuses for God just in case He doesn’t come through with a miracle. They are telling the king, they are teaching us, that the God they belong to is a God who can, but He is the same God who won’t. Do you get that? He is the God who can save them from the fire. He is the same God who can let them burn. Either way He is God and Nebuchadnezzar isn’t.

Sometimes just understanding that God can but won’t is difficult. That is because we want a God who does what we will and not His. Today’s lesson is teaching us that no matter what we face we don’t face it alone and God is always going to be with us. The 3 men and Daniel, along with others are still going to be in captivity. God didn’t change that for them. We also learn that the greatest fire, and for us that would be hell- well that fire is no match for our God. When you read Daniel 3 you will discover that the men were thrown into the fire bound up and tied together. The king sees them walking around freely and with God. The fires of hell will not harm us child of God, we are no longer in bondage. We’ve been set free and hell is no longer a threat.

Now how wonderful is that? I mean today when you read this, this is the best news you will read today! This is such a great lesson to learn. That is what I love about the  Book of Daniel. This is what we should take from it, and not a diet.

Daniel Diet

Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.

Daniel 1: 12-15

The Daniel Diet- ahhh just google that phrase and you will find a lot of links to show you how to do the Daniel Diet. It’s even on Pinterest and Facebook.  So why do I dislike it so much?

Daniel is a prophet of God. Daniel’s book is about him and his three friends who are captives of Babylon. It is also a Book of Prophecy. In the first chapters of this book we learn how these men became captives. We learn their names, and also read how their names were changed. The changes were to the names of Babylonian gods, and meant to remove the identity of these men from their God and nation. The foods that the guards wanted to feed them, was first used in sacrificial practices to a false god. Daniel and his friends didn’t want to defile themselves. They knew they were captives, and that there were images, and practices of false gods surrounding them. They determined to remain faithful to God. In this stand they are now taking, they asked to be given different foods. This request was granted.

Daniel didn’t ask for this change because he wanted to lose weight. Daniel didn’t ask for this change because eating meat is bad. Daniel didn’t ask for this change because bread is bad. Daniel asked for this change because the food they were serving to false gods is bad. Daniel and his friends are in a unique situation. They are captives in Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar is not a nice man. In their lifetime they are going to come up against some pretty  fierce opposition.  Their faith in God will be challenged, and they will be threatened with death. They will stand steadfast and firm in their faith. They will not back down. They will show incredible strength in a time when most would crumble. This Book of Daniel is a record of those 4 amazing witnesses of God. So how or why did it become a diet book?

It fell into the wrong hands. In the wrong hands, vanity was applied and the focus went to our body, and not our walk with God. Instead of teaching the world about unshakable faith; it decided to teach them to eat vegetables and fruit. Now don’t get me wrong, eating healthy is important. I’m not saying eating vegetarian is wrong. I am saying that taking those above verses out of Scripture, and creating a diet, then call it Scriptural, is wrong.

The diet the men are on is so that they can remain faithful to God. In their faith they will need to be in His Presence and learn how to respond as God directs them. Their lives will depend upon it. Their faith in God will be challenged.

If we are going to take anything from the Book of Daniel let it be this

1. Prayer is vitally important
2. Being in the presence of God is obtained through prayer
3. There is only One True God

There are thousands, perhaps millions of diet books out there in the world. The Book of Daniel should not be one.

Lord God, I pray that I will have faith like Daniel and his friends. That I will stand always for the truth of You. That I will never bow down to false gods and false teachings. Thank You for showing me through these men the importance of prayer and how I can be in Your Presence when I pray. I have learned through Daniel that there is strength and victory that comes from being on my knees. Thank You Father and in Jesus Name I pray.

Move

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

Exodus 14:15

     I was driving to work this morning, when God impressed upon me what I am about to write. Actually, He told me to do a “Live on Facebook” sermon. I would’ve, but I was afraid that I would be the only viewer. At least on this blog I know I get a steady stream of readers. One day though, I may come up with the courage I need to go live but until then…..I write. Maybe this devotional is just for me today…

     The children of Israel have just left Egypt. They saw first hand how God pulled them from the grasp of Pharaoh. They were slaves in Egypt. They were crying out to God 24/7 for a deliverer to come and rescue them. God sends Moses and Aaron. When Pharaoh refuses, some rather unpleasant and interesting plagues bother him and his people. Then the last one, when the firstborn of every living thing dies. This convinces Pharaoh to let the people go. When the children of Israel leave they take with them gold, silver and clothing from the Israelites. God has the people who enslaved them finance their trip. God did all of this for the children of Israel. Now as if that were not enough, God also hangs out with them. By day He is a pillar of cloud, and at night a pillar of fire. He is with them, He is guiding them. All of this should bring about some pretty heavy duty worshippers. But does it?????

     No, and if you ask them, they would reason it out this way.  When they look back they see the chariots of Egypt coming after them. They complain to Moses, and ask him if the graves in Egypt weren’t good enough or plenty enough for them? Did they have to come out to the dessert to die? Moses tries to calm them down. He tells them  not to be afraid, stand firm and they will see the deliverance of the Lord. How could they doubt it? I mean they just went through this elaborate rescue from Egypt. It just happened. How or why did they doubt God now?

     The same way we do. You see we have at our fingertips these wonderful stories. We know the entire story of Jesus. We know how He conquered death, is Resurrected, and seated at the right hand of His Father. For those of you who’ve lived long enough, you’ve seen firsthand how God will rescue from danger or situations. We know of God’s Might. We’ve seen God’s Might. Yet, when our backs our up against the wall, or a sea, we doubt. But what I love the most about this story is the verse I chose to share with you today.

     MOVE. That’s right move. God hears Moses cry to Him for help. God brought these people out of Egypt. God is with them by pillar of cloud and fire. God has shown Himself to be Mighty and Present. What do the people of God have to do? They have to move, they have to step out in their faith. They have to claim the victory. Do not think for one second that God brings any of us to failure. We are His. and those who are His, He cares for. He is a good Father and the Great I AM. God is telling the people to move and before them is a sea. That seems rather impossible and with man it is impossible. But it isn’t a man who tells them to move, it’s God. If God tells you to move, God will make a way for you to walk.

     God parted that sea. Just split that sea in half. The Israelites walked on dry land. Not a drop of water got on them. They didn’t walk through mud. They walked with a wall of water on their left, and a wall of water on their right. They walked on dry land, on the bottom of a sea. Now their problem (the Egyptians) made a fatal error in judgment. They thought if the children of God can do it, so can they. Oh but God favors His children. Please read the rest of this chapter to find out how God deals with their problem.

     Take from this devotional today these truths: God is our Deliverer. God goes before us and is behind us. God is always with us. When God tells you to move-move. When you think your problems are too big and have no solution, think again. Better yet, pray and give them to God, then get ready to move.

Gorilla VS Human

 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

GENESIS 1:28 ( The Message)

     A terrible story made news this week. A boy of 4 years of age, fell into the enclosure for the gorillas. The zoo officials moved as quickly as possible. They got the 2 female gorillas out of the exhibit. Then those who care for these gorillas and know them and their behavior made the decision to shoot and kill the male gorilla. He had the 4 year old boy and was dragging him and tossing him. Again, the zoo keepers, the ones who know this gorilla made that decision. This is a horrible story that could’ve been far more tragic. I am truly sorry that this gorilla was shot and killed. I do realize he was living in captivity, and he was behaving according to his nature. So to know he was killed is sad.  However, and I always do have a however, I am appalled at the amount of people who are coming out and bashing the mother of this child.

     I’m a mom of 3 wonderful children who are grown and parents of their own. When they were toddlers, there were times that those little darlings got away from me. My son was the expert of escape. I was shopping once, and he ran from me, and went under the clothes. I would’ve lost sight of him, but God made that child a redhead for a reason. My youngest was the expert at staying away from me. She would wait until I was dressed, with hair and makeup done. Then she would jump into our pool. Swim to the center and refuse to get out. It was only my middle child who never attempted escape or elusion.  The point I am trying to make is this: Toddlers are famous for running away from mommies. It only takes one second and POOF they are gone.

     If you are reading this and you have children, then you know how quick and sneaky a toddler can be. You may luck out like I did, and get one toddler that is obedient. But if you have more than one child, uh uh, you know what I’m talking about. We can be holding their hand, doing the best we know how and still they get away. That is a fact of toddler life. That is what this toddler did on that day. He got away, and he did it quickly. Then he scooted his little body over the railing, and down he went into the enclosure. It happened in a blink of an eye. It was an accident. The toddler cannot be held responsible for what he did. Neither can his mother. She didn’t toss her child down. She didn’t encourage her child down. She didn’t suggest the child go down. The child ran from his mother and went down. I am sure this mother will have nightmares for a very long time. This was a horrible incident and I am thankful to God that they baby lived.

     This by the way should’ve been the end of this story. All of us thanking God the toddler lived.

     But NO….this isn’t the end of this story. In fact, the story is ongoing and do you want to know why? It is because there are millions, and I do mean millions of people who are screaming out support for the gorilla, and placing blame on the mother. A large percentage suggest the mother be punished. For what? How? A large percentage think the gorilla never should’ve been shot. Okay so then we just wait and see how he tears the toddler apart? Think before you speak, reflect before you act.

     The gorilla is an animal and God has made man ABOVE animals. NO I am not suggesting we go out and kill and be mean to animals. I am saying we remember it is an animal. That is what the zoo remembered. It looked into the enclosure and it knew gorilla vs human. Which of the two is worth more to save? If they didn’t shoot the gorilla the boy would now be dead. This is why they had to shoot the gorilla. They knew what the outcome would be.

     So STOP and I do mean STOP defending this gorilla. It’s sad that it died. I’m not happy it had to be killed either. I am thankful that the child didn’t die. I am thankful his mom gets to hold him tonight. I’m not some super mom who is above the other moms in this world –that I can throw a stone at a mom who lost sight of her child for one second. It’s okay to feel bad about what happened. But please stop putting this animal before humans. The mom, by the way, is human. We are too. We make mistakes, we are fallen, sinful, and clumsy humans. But we are made above the animals.

     To the Zoo Keepers I say, “I am truly sorry, for I know you made the best decision, but I am sorry you lost a gorilla.”

     To the mother I say, “I am very, very sorry that you had to go through this experience. How terrifying it was, I am thankful it turned out the way it did. I am even sorrier for the millions of people who are throwing stones at you. Evidently all of them are perfect and without faults. I am sorry that they think your life is nothing next to a gorilla. Please pay them no attention. Just keep thanking God for saving your child.”

Transgender & Bathrooms

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

I strongly support this verse. I truly believe that God our maker/creator, does create each of us in His image. He makes us male and female. Now, I am not saying He didn’t make you, the transgender person. I am saying, I believe God made you, what you are, regardless of what you identify with. He made you. That is my point. I make this point so that you understand, I don’t judge you. You are what you are, and that is between you and God. Now with that said, I can’t stay quiet any longer on this whole bathroom issue.

I’m a female, and when I use the public washroom, I feel exposed as it is. The stalls hardly provide total privacy. I’m always aware that any person  can see me through the slits on the door. Look underneath or climb up on the seat and see me overhead. The only comfort I get in this is knowing that the other women understand this vulnerability. We have a code of ethics in the ladies room. We don’t do those things. We keep to ourselves. When it comes to potty time, we are very private and modest. You’ll have to excuse us. We didn’t grow up writing our names in the snow. Therefore, we aren’t as comfortable with that bodily function. We don’t want men in the bathroom. It is hard enough to use the potty when you have an audience of women listening.

Now for those who are insisting that we allow transgenders in our washroom for their safety, let me clue you in on the real world.

For the past 3 years I was a teacher’s aide or substitute teacher for Kindergarten through High School. I can tell you right now that the generation that is in school is far more accepting than the previous one. However, and this is a big however, there is still an overwhelming amount of bullies. Those bullies make everyone’s life hard. They get off picking on those who are defenseless. They choose to pick on special needs students, and those who are gay and/or lesbian. Now what do you think will happen to the boy that uses the girls washroom because that is the gender he identifies with? Let me tell you, they will be pounded. We are setting them up for a beating that could quite possibly kill them. Which leads me to my third reason why boys should not use a girls bathroom.

Girls and transgenders will not be safe. Transgenders won’t be safe for the reasons I just stated. Girls won’t be safe for this reason: It isn’t the transgender boy who rapes a woman in the United States, it is the heterosexual male. In fact, every 107 seconds a heterosexual male commits a sexual crime against a woman in this country. Now we give those males a right to our washrooms. They can enter under disguise and what do you think will happen to us females? There we will be females of various ages, in a compromising position, when a criminal male dressed as a  female enters our private domain. You see it isn’t the transgender male we fear. The transgender male doesn’t fear women. In fact, the transgender and the females in this country have one common enemy, the heterseuxal male who made this a law. Now for the transgender female who wants to use a boy’s bathroom. She will do so extremely cautious. She knows who her enemy is and she won’t be stupid. She knows the risk and if she choses to take it, that is her choice.

Now here is my final argument. I have a disabled spouse and a few disabled grandchildren. They can’t use a public washroom by themselves and need assistance. Where is the outcry for them? Why isn’t our president more concerned with making washrooms accessible for those who disabilities? Having one stall in the ladies room with and extra wide door for a wheelchair IS NOT ACCESSIBLE. What about the disabled person who must be laid down?

There is currently 0.3% transgender adults living in the United States.

An estimated 48.9 million people, or 19.4% of the non-institutionalized civilians, have a disability. An estimated 24.1 million people have a severe disability. An estimated 34.2 million people, or 17.5%, have a functional limitation.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

So what do I suggest to be the solution?

Private bathrooms. Bathrooms that have doors that lock. Bathrooms that have wide doors for wheelchairs,and a table for a disabled person to be placed upon. Bathrooms that can accommodate a family.

We are all created by God, male and female, some are gay or lesbian, a few transgender; and apparently a whole lot disabled. Why isn’t there any concern for them?