Month: February 2018

I’m in love with Jesus.  I sin….I fall short….I get frustrated….and I hurt people….and I am reminded of all my faults when God uses Scripture to teach me.  And as a result, even more, I am reminded that in spite of all my shortcomings…. Jesus died for me…. rose for me…. and chooses to speak to me still.

Maybe you had heard of a lady named Joy from the television talk show, “The View”, criticizing Mike Pence for saying that Jesus talks to him.  She said that she understands if the Vice President were to talk to Jesus, but saying that Jesus talks to him is like a mental illness.  I found it so bizarre that someone would find it insane that God would speak to His creation since I have been exposed to Jesus basically my whole life, and if I just open up the bible, Jesus speaks.  But Tony reminded me to see it from the eyes of an unbeliever who has never experienced a relationship with Jesus before and the power of His Word.  Of course that would be weird to them.

I do find her words harsh, but God told us people would act and speak like this.  I was reminded today of 2^nd Timothy Chapter 3 where Paul is talking about the “last days” (the days towards the end where Jesus will return, the days we currently find ourselves).  He describes the people:

“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2^nd Timothy 3:2-5)

 

“although they have denied its power”….

By the grace and mercy of God, I have been given a great love for His Word and its power right now more than ever before.  I wanna know it, study it, memorize it, and use it.  I have seen and felt the healing, beautiful, calming power of His Word.  There is absolutely nothing….NOTHING….that brings me more joy, excitement, exhilaration than when scripture jumps off the page and into my life….just like that verse was meant for me at the exact perfect time (because it was!).  How GREAT is our God!

“although they have denied its power”….

That verse….keeps ringing over and over in my head.  I want to scream “People! You have no idea what you are missing…confess your sins, believe in Jesus and live for Him….You will experience true love, faith, and power like never before.”  If you have never experienced God speaking, I wish we were across the table sipping on some coffee right now.  Let me tell you the times his Word has been like salve for my wounds, water for my dry thirst, and medicine for all my aches and pains.  Let’s chat about the times it has been a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).  And let me tell you about the power, pure power, of reciting it in the face of darkness which flees at the sound of it.

 

Don’t be like Joy from “The View” and call us Christians crazy for hearing Jesus speak.  Instead, investigate.  Ask God to speak to you and open up a Bible.  I beg of you not to deny its power and if you don’t, I know your life will be transformed.  Life is too short, and the time for Jesus coming back is drawing near…. so don’t wait!

“ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost….He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly’. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

Revelation 22:17 &20

 

I once had a coworker ask the question about whether or not Jesus has a sense of humor.  Busy extracting a tooth at the time, I didn’t think too much about it but answered that I couldn’t wait to meet Him in Heaven and find out.

Later, I got to thinking, “Heidi, you know that God has a sense of humor!”  And that’s so true. I think one of the coolest things about having a relationship with Jesus is that the more I study the Bible and the more time I spend with Him, the more I get to know the different amazing dimensions that make Jesus who He is.

If you just look at some common stories in the bible you can see traces of His humor.  He chose a man with a speech impediment to speak on His behalf before Pharaoh and set the Israelites free.  He chose the smallest, youngest, and the one regarded as the least of all Jesse’s sons to be the greatest King that ever ruled over Israel.  Also, think about Samson and how he used the jawbone of a donkey to strike down a thousand men!  The jawbone of a donkey…now that’s creative!  Our God DOES have a sense of humor, but as if the various Bible stories aren’t enough to convince you, then maybe ask Him to show you this side of Him.

I’m not belittling the awesomeness and the almightiness of our God by talking about humor…because He is all-powerful and a God who is to be highly revered.  However, I do know that God uses humor to help us, heal us, bring joy to us, and create friendships.  He cares about laughter!  Proverbs 31:25 talks about the honorable wife and how “she is clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”  This laughter is considered a strength, how cool is that!

Today, God made me laugh.  I had asked Him to help me be more observant because quite frankly, I’m not.  After twenty-five years of schooling (which is 78% of my life BTW), my brain is trained to focus.  As a result, I am extremely good at staying on task and staying on point so much so that it has become a fault.  So I asked God to help me keep my eyes more open on a broader scope.  I was standing at the gas pump and thinking of this and no sooner had I asked to be more observant, then he said, “well, it all starts with just noticing the small things…what’s the brand of that fire extinguisher, what’s the name on the side of that passing truck, who is in your surroundings?”  Then I saw a lone gas cap on top of the pump.  I never would have seen that in a million years before.  I would have focused, pumped my gas, and got out of there.  So then after pondering what to do with it while the tank filled up, I decided to bring it inside to the attendant so she could keep it in the lost and found.   Awesome, good start to observation greatness!

Then leaving Walmart, I placed all my groceries in the trunk, returned the cart, and went to get into my car and saw a winter hat on the ground to my left.  I laughed out loud because here’s the thing….when thinking about learning to be more observant, I was thinking maybe God would teach me by more exiting methods like getting to avoid slipping on a patch of ice, or helping someone out, or stopping some major disaster…maybe I got carried away on that one.  But sometimes, it’s the simplest things that become the best trainers.  And many times,  I can’t help but laugh at myself in comparison to the wisdom of God.  In those moments, I truly believe He laughs with me.  Not at me, but He laughs along side His creation…me….doing my best to try and grow and figure out life on earth by letting the simplest things teach me.  He laughs because He created laughter and it is GOOD!  Beth Moore once said that she hopes when she gets the heaven that God thinks she’s funny and that he says to her, “Man, I really got a kick out of you!”.   I hope so too because sometimes, I get a kick out of Him!