Month: May 2022

Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

I remember teaching a lesson in my classroom. It would be a great lesson. I would show them how to do the math problems. We would do the math problems together. Then, I would walk around while they did a couple on their own. I would be so proud of them and send them on their way to finish the problems all by themselves. I would return to my desk or whatever, I needed to do. I would inevitably hear, “Mrs. Frick?” I would look up and there would be a student telling me they couldn’t do the problems. I usually found it wasn’t they could don’t them, they were just afraid to do them themselves. They were afraid of messing up. They wanted me to hold their hand and reassure them every step of the way that they were doing it correctly.

Eventually, my students did have to learn to do things on their own. I couldn’t follow them around for the rest of their lives. God has given us all the tools we need in life. He has even shown us what He expects of us and how to do it. Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. We can deal with the problems. The best part comes in today’s verse. We have the depths of His wisdom and knowledge of God. In other words, unlike me leaving my students, He will never
leave your side. We always have Him to walk with and do the problems with us!

Lord, I will forever be that kid saying I can’t do it. Thank You for always being there to do the problems with me. ~amen

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Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.

It has been a wonderful day. I had a great time with my family. It was a beautiful sunny day with a cool breeze. I even went out to the lake to draw. However, my clouds started coming in and coming in hard. I know no one really knows why one person gets hit with depression and someone else doesn’t. I know when you have met one person with depression, you have met one person. I mean we all experience it so differently. For me today, it is a sudden feeling of doom and gloom. I am fighting with myself to do anything. Even writing today’s belong has been a 10-round boxing match. I guess I one. I am here.

I keep reading today’s verse and hanging on for dear life. I know even when I feel like I am sitting in the pit and darkness is closing in fast, God delights in me. He loves me. He is fighting for me. Even when I am ready to put my gloves down and sink to the bottom of the mat, He is still fighting on, and better than that He will win for me.

So, what do I do now? Well, I go put on my favorite Christian artist, for King and Country and turn up the volume to “Fight on Fighter”. I sing. I play it over and over again until I start to feel again. Then I sing louder and louder. Eventually, I will be right back in that ring again, fighting alongside God and you. But for today, it is OK to not be Ok and just let God be my Mighty Warrior!

Lord, I will be back in the fight soon, but today I need to rest in Your arms. ~amen

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Matthew 6:25
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Isn’t it amazing how you read a verse or passage in the bible one time and you get a message? Then you read it again at a later date and you get a totally different message. I am not saying God’s word changes. I am saying your circumstances change and you hear His word differently. Sometimes it is because you have grown in your Spirituality and now you see a deeper meaning.

I have read and heard countless sermons using today’s verse. They usually talk about not worrying about material things in life and instead put your concentration on the spiritual. Now I totally agree with that. However, I got an extra nugget today. I got a message about growing in your relationship with God.

Like it or not, physical attraction is the beginning of every relationship. Someone catches your eye. We aren’t the on;y ones. Animals and plants function the same way. Where we differ is we need more to continue that relationship and strengthen it. Our relationship with God is very similar.

People become Christians because of an attraction to God. Something pulls them into that church or conversation about salvation. They have a need, a hole, a longing for something and God seems to fit it. However, soon life becomes so much more than what can God do for you and becomes what can you do with God. You worry less about your daily needs and concentrate on your eternal need more. Your relationship grows and strengthens. That is when you know you are beyond a physical attraction and have entered a relationship with God

Lord, thank You for loving me and wanting our relationship to grow beyond the everyday. ~amen

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John 15:2
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

When I was a kid, I remember a time I went skating on the driveway. For all of you younglings, that is what we used to do before rollerblades. . . LOL! I fell and filled the side of my calf with some road rash, including small rocks. I ran inside and covered it with bandaids. Later, my dad came in and asked me what was with all the band-aids and I told him what had happened. He looked at me and told me he would need to take all of them off and clean the wound. Now, I will skip all the screaming and gore and just let you know. OUCH!!!!!! My father was right though. It would have never healed correctly if I had kept all the band-aids over the dirty skinned-up leg.

The word prune in Greek also means to clean. We, as humans, have nasty habits of putting band-aids over problems and trying to go on with our lives. We don’t like digging deep and getting to the root of the problem. We certainly do not like confronting it and cleaning it up. It is too painful. But our Father in heaven knows that is the only way to get the wounds to heal. It is the only way to get the new skin to grow and become a productive part of the body again.

Yes, ouchies hurt. We experience a lot of them in life. If you have been sticking band-aids on them, it is time to rip them off. Let God clean them out. It will hurt, but it will finally start to heal and you can move on with life.

I am not sure I am ready, Lord! But let’s rip off those bandaids and start the growing process. ~amen

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Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Soooo . . . this is not the first time I have seen this verse this week. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I know God is trying to tell me something when there is a repeat in my week or day. So, yes Lord, I am listening!

My first encounter with this verse was in Sunday School last Sunday. Our book on Ephesians we are working through has us pick a favorite passage from a section we read for that week. Yep, I picked this as my favorite verse. Huh? I opened my bible study this morning and there it was again. Well, then! Yes, Lord, I am listening!

My reason for picking it during Sunday School was I realized we could never really be kind and compassionate to someone if we haven’t forgiven them. Sure, I can be polite and respectful. I can even be nice to them. However, I cannot be the kind required for me to be truly compassionate. I have to forgive others in order to let go of the hate, anger, and condemnation I am trying to put on them. Just like God did for us through the cross.

If God did all of that for me, why do I think I have the right to not forgive others around me? What makes me so higher and mightier than God? Quick answer, NOTHING! I don’t have that right. Forgiving is letting go. It is freeing me from the anger and putting on the kindness and compassion God gave me.

Lord, I am listening. Forgiveness isn’t easy but it is freeing. You gave it freely to me and it is my job to pass it on. ~amen

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Romans 8:1-2
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Condemn (verb)

1. to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of
2. to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment:
3. to condemn a murderer to life imprisonment.
4. to give grounds or reason for convicting or censuring:
   (His acts condemn him.)
5. to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service:
   (Condemn an old building.)

One of the Devil’s biggest weapons in his bag of dirty tricks is condemnation. He just loves to pronounce us guilty and try to sentence us to punishments of all kinds. He will even judge or pronounce us to be unfit for use of service. But he LIES!!!!! Jesus died so no condemnation could be passed over us again. We are free from the law and sin of death.

I recently had a gentleman in my Sunday School class explain it in very simple terms. He said, “God has thrown my sins into the sea of forgetfulness and He is NOT giving out fishing licenses.” I thought this was PERFECT!

The next time Satan comes knocking at your door to remind you of your past. First, remind him of his future. Then simply tell him, “Go Fish! Oh, wait you can’t there is no fishing in the sea of forgetfulness!”

Lord, I am so thankful you are not handing out fishing licenses even to me! ~amen

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James 3:18
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Political views are heated right now. OK, let’s get real. When are they not heating up? There is always something `going on to keep people fighting over who is right and who is wrong. Each side presents its side a little louder than its opponent. We are all left with anger and hurt.

I am not pretending we can come to an agreement on every controversy. Heck, I am not suggesting we will all come together on any of them. What I am hoping is we can all learn to express ourselves with peace in mind and not hate. It is perfectly OK to disagree and walk off still being friends. We can agree to disagree.

Social media can be the worst stage for a controversial discussion. In the past couple of days, I have had to walk away and just not read posts. I will also admit a few years ago, I unfriended some people and learned how to like enough nonpolitical posts that I don’t usually see them anymore.

Please understand I am in no way telling you to not stand for your beliefs. Nor am I telling you to keep quiet and never express your opinions. What I am telling you is to do your best to sow peace. It is the peacemaker who sows in peace that reaps a harvest of righteousness. We can all be ourselves when peace abounds.

Lord in a world of hate, help me surround myself with and spread your peace. ~amen

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Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

I had a hard time choosing between verses to write about today. Then I took a long look at Philippians 4:6-7 and Romans 8:26 and realized I couldn’t choose because they went together. Here is what Philippians 4:6-7 says. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Anxiety leaves me tongue-tied so then what do I do? I can’t pray and petition God with thanksgiving. I have no idea how to put words together to make my requests. So how will I ever find that peace of God which transcends all understanding to stop my anxiety? How can I expect Jesus to guard my heart and mind? That is where Romans 8:26 steps in to save the day.

You see Jesus did not leave us alone here on Earth. God sent the Holy Spirit. He knows exactly what we need even when we can’t voice it. When my anxiety runs high and I can’t find the words to even yell out for help, the Holy Spirit is right there to translate to God what I need. It is kind of like when you were a child and afraid and all you could get out was MOM or DAD! They came running. Yep, you just yell out GOD and the Holy Spirit will handle the rest. Then you can depend on the peace of God and he will guard your heart and your mind. So don’t be anxious, the Holy Spirit has your back!

Lord, there are so many days all I can get out is “HELP!” I am so thankful the Holy Spirit translates everything You need to know! ~amen

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Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” ~Shauna Niequist

This quote showed up yesterday on a digital calendar I use called Artful Agenda. This morning during a bible study from Max Lucado he used a verse, Romans 8:18, that matched up with it. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” Then I went to my verse of the day that I usually try to write on and yep, same theme! As a matter of fact, I am seeing a pattern. When I see a pattern, I know God is trying to get my attention. So, I am listening, Lord!

I have a prayer warrior at church, who I have the pleasure of driving to church on Sundays. Ms. Lucretia loves to talk about how good God is in her life. She always tells everyone that she doesn’t just take time to be thankful one day of the year. She is thankful every single day. Then she gets on the subject of the weather. Someone will complain about the snow or rain and her favorite answer is always, “Oh well, what ya gonna do about it!” I love her attitude. Now, don’t for one minute think this little lady doesn’t feel pain, heartache, have bad days. She does but she knows exactly where to turn. She knows where her joy, hope, patience, and faith come from. She is the first to say thank you for the celebration and the chance to grow. I want to grow, just like her because what ya gonna do about it?

Lord, I want to thank you for all the blessings you give me, even the opportunities to grow! ~amen

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Psalms 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

What is a horn of salvation? This is a question that many people have asked when reading through the bible. Some same it is making a comparison to horns on animals used to protect themselves and fight against enemies. Animal horns were also used to hold oil, a very important symbol in Jewish history. However, it is yet another reference that I always think of when I read this verse. It is when the animal horn is used as a shofar. This is usually made of a ram’s horn blown in like a bugle. They are still used in many religious ceremonies in Jewish synagogues like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Like the bugle, the shofar was used to advance in war. It was used in one of my favorite bible stories. Joshua and the Jews blew it to crush the walls of Jericho. This is my reference to ‘God is my horn of salvation.’ When life around me is closing in, I listen for God’s blow on the shofar to let me know the battle is on and He is coming to save me. I also picture it when I am putting up walls. I am blocking everything and everyone out. God blows the shofar to bust my walls down. To soften my heart once again and to bring me to my knees.

No matter how you look at the horn of salvation, we can agree on one thing. God is our protector. He will tear down walls to make ways for us even if we are the ones that build them!

I am so thankful that You God are the horn of my salvation. ~amen

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