Meditations

Last Sunday in the church service the following verse was referred to by the speaker:  Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left ….”.  Immediately I was alerted in my spirit regarding these words “ to the right or to the left ”.  I thought this is my next blog. The following day I searched for verses with the same words “to the right or to the left”.  Moses is asking the king of Edom permission to pass through his country.  ”.   Numbers 20:17:  “Please let us pass through your country. …….. we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.”    God is speaking to Moses.  Deuteronomy  5:32:  “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you;  you shall not turn aside to the right hand or...

This week my husband and I celebrated our 35 th wedding anniversary.   Our wedding day was sunny with temperatures in the 70s.  It was truly a beautiful day.  If I may say so the bride also looked beautiful.   The groom look great as well.   The flowers in the church’s gardens were still in bloom adding to the look of a summer day.  I still love church weddings. Our marriage has enjoyed many sunny days.  Having and nurturing our three children were sunny days.  Every graduation and every achievement were sunny days.  Transporting our children from and to school and from and to every event throughout the years were sunny days.  We had some cloudy days along the way, but the Son always shone through.  Intermittent showers of blessings always rained at the right time, meeting needs and spreading smiles on our faces.  There were a few thunderstorms, not many, thank the Lord.  We rode through them speaking ...

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7 Jesus said in Matthew 13:9: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”   Here in Revelations chapters two and three Jesus is saying the Spirit is speaking to the churches.  Individuals make up the churches, so it becomes personal, he /she who hears. Whoever is willing to hear – listen to the Spirit of God.  We are to listen to the Spirit of God as He speaks to us in His Word.  We are to listen as the Spirit speaks to us through the preachers and teachers of the Word, and through whomever the Lord sends in our path.  We are to listen to the Spirit as He speaks to us in our daily living.   Whoever is willing to hear, pay attention.   We must hold on to what we hear the Spirit says to us.  If we allow what we hear to slip away fr...

“Now it is high time to awake out of sleep.”  The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church at Rome over two thousand years ago.  Here we are in the 21 st century, and the same words apply to us today.  “It is high time”  for us “to awake out of sleep”.  Why are we sleeping and why should we awake now? Paul the Apostle said, “Now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”.  Romans 13:11  The Lord Jesus’ return for His Church is two thousand years closer than when Paul penned those words.  Our Lord’s return is closer now than when we accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior.  Paul said, in Romans 13:12.   “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” …..  If “the night was far spent”  then, we are very close to the dawning of the morning.  The Son is about to rise from his seat at His Father’s right hand. Are you ready to meet Him?  Will He find you sleeping or will He find you alert and overco...

We are saved unto good works.  For we – the believer in Jesus Christ are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10.  We are not created for the gospel.  We are commissioned to go and preach the gospel.  We are not created to protest.  We are commanded to love.  We are not created to criticize the government.  We are created for good works.  The early Church got the message.  The Lord Jesus when He was here on earth went about doing good.  The disciples now apostles witnessed those good works.  Upon the Day of Pentecost the Apostles understood they were to do as their Master had done.  Do good works.  Acts 2:44-47; 4:34 -37 tells us of their good works.  “They distributed to each as anyone had need.” Verse 35.  Today, there are many Christian organizations and churches that do good works.  Some of their good ...

Our Lord Jesus is our example in every circumstance of life.  When He was on the cross being pummeled with the hatred of men, and with the vitriol of hell, He said, Father, forgive them…..Why did Jesus ask His Father to forgive them?  In the midst of intense hatred Jesus loved.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.  Jesus came to redeemed us back to our God.  He died for us, so we can be forgiven. That is why He calls upon us to love our enemies.  In Matthew 5:44 our Lord said, ….“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”   Love your enemies.  It is only through God’s love that we can love our enemies,    we can do good to those who hate us, we can bless those who curse us.  It is only through God’s love that we can pray for t...

Giving thanks is always a bit difficult.  The Lord Jesus when He was here on earth once healed ten lepers, and only one returned to give Him thanks.  I do not know about you, but sometimes I do not feel like saying “thank you”.  Sometimes I forget to say thank you to the person holding the door for me to step into a building.   Giving thanks always – means all of the time – no excuses, no forgetfulness, no apprehensions.  It takes effort and discipline to always say thanks. Giving thanks always for all things means everything is included.  No item is left out.  We are to give thanks for the things we consider good.  The things we consider bad.  The things we consider to be inconsequential, and the things we consider unworthy of our thankfulness.  We are happy to give thanks for the good things, the good happenings in our lives.  We are overjoyed to do so, and we – I know I do – let everyone around us know that we are. G...