God's Love Letter to His Children

This world gives us lots of ideas of who God is.  But if we want to know the truth, we have to read what He tells us about himself in the Bible. 

 My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in My image. Genesis 1:27

In me, you live and move and have your being, for you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake; all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant or angry, but am the complete expression of love. I John 4:16

And I desire to lavish my love on you. I John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your father. I John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.  Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalm 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For I am the one who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13  

I can do more for you than you can possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.  II Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. II Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.   Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes, Revelation 21:3-4

And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.  Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not opposed to you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins against you.  II Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so you and I could be reconciled. II Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. I John 4:9-10

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. I John 2:23

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7 I have always been Father and will always be Father. 

My question is: will you be my child?  John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, 

Your Dad, Almighty God

   

Where is God?

I was regretting the past

and fearing the future.

Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

My Name Is I AM

He paused. 

I waited. 

He continued:

"When you live in the past

and its mistakes and regrets,

it is hard.

I am not there. My name is not  I WAS.

When you live in the future,

with its fears and problems

it is hard.

I am not there.

My name is not I WILL BE.

When you live in the moment

It is not as hard.

I am here.

My name is I AM.

                                                              Helen Mallicoat

photo courtesy of Dmitri Otis Images

God, the Sun, and the Solar Eclipse

The solar eclipse in the U.S. is less than a week away and Greenville, South Carolina, will be directly in its path. In the middle of the day, the moon will pass in front of the sun, blocking its light for approximately 2 minutes.

photo courtesy of pixabay

There’s been quite a buzz about it over the last few months. It’s all over the news, in the papers, and online.

It’ll begin to get dark in early afternoon as the moon begins to cross between the sun and the earth.

The True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas. It's one of the busiest times of the year. With all the caroling, Christmas pageants, buying gifts and getting the Christmas cards out, it can be a bit hectic. It's challenging,

Nature comes indoors

It happened again, only this time it was a Carolina Wren.  I'd bent over to stretch and as I looked behind me I saw a bird flapping its wings like crazy.  "What's with that bird?" I asked aloud.  I stood up and turned around and just shook my head.  "Again? Seriously?" The bird wasn't outside the window, he'd flown in the house through the bird feeder and was trying to get back out. 

Just like I wrote in a post nearly two years ago, I'd opened the window to let in some fresh air that morning. I remembered the incident with the finch but didn't think it would happen again.

The poor guy didn't know how to get out by himself, so I raised the window and the screen with my left hand and lifted my right index finger to just below the bird. He flew up into the curtain. "I'm not gonna hurt you." I said.  "I want to help you but you have to trust me. Relax. Sit on my finger."  He did! As I moved my hand down, he panicked and flew up into the curtain.  I put my finger up again and he sat on it.  I moved a little slower this time, got my hand under the window and set him free.

I smiled and thought of how I'm like that little bird.  It's not natural for him to sit on someone's finger. It's scary and he didn't know what would happen.  Likewise, I like to know what I'm getting into before I do it. I feel insecure when I don't know what I might encounter venturing into the unknown.  But God knows what lies ahead and He wants me to trust him. I can only get where I'm going if I trust him, rest in His presence, and let him show me where to go. 

How have you been challenged to do something outside your comfort zone?  How did you handle it and what came about?  Share your story here.

Yahweh Elohim: The Only True God

Yahweh Elohim Israel—The Lord God of Israel. The only true God

In today’s society, at least in the United States, there is a plethora of gods people worship. Most do not worship physical idols, but in terms of what we value most, what we see as important and spend most of our time on, many things qualify.

We often joke about “Keeping up with the Joneses” and living like “the one who dies with the most toys wins.” Yet, even though we act like it’s a joke, our lives often bear it out. One of God’s names is Elohim. It means He is the God of Israel, as opposed to other false gods.

The truth is that God has no rivals. Anything else is a false God. He is the only one we are to live for. (Ex. 20:3, Deut. 5:7) Not power, not wealth or social status.

Personally, I have to fight against thinking about others’ opinions of me and how I measure up. How about you? What do you find competes with God in your life? Let’s talk about it.

Jehovah-Rohi The Lord Is Our Shepherd

In last week’s post we looked at the name Jehovah Jireh, which means The Lord Provides.  Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord is Our Shepherd is similar, but, in my opinion, encompasses even more.  A shepherd provides for his sheep but he also leads them and protects them.

 

He does it because they can’t lead themselves without getting into trouble. Phillip Keller, in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, tells us that sheep need attention and meticulous care. They have a mob mentality and move about in herds. They can only see what’s right in front of them—more sheep!  

 

 

 

They can’t see their surroundings. Only the shepherd can. There may be predators, or natural hazards, like a cliff for example, that the sheep must stay away from in order to avoid injury or even death. Only the shepherd can see the bigger picture and guide them safely where they need to go.

A good shepherd guides, leads, and protects his flock but he also gives them everything they need.  Each day he leads them to clean water and pastures to satisfy their thirst and need for food. Only the shepherd knows where this is.  Because he leads, protects, and takes care of their needs, he sheep trust him.  They even recognize his voice and will not follow another shepherd they don’t know.

We are the same with God, Jehovah-Rohi.  God sees the big picture in our lives. He leads us, protects us if we head his direction, and takes care of our needs. Just as the sheep trust their shepherd, we can trust the Good Shepherd. There are obstacles and hazards we have to negotiate in our lives, but we don’t have to do it alone. God has promised to walk with us every step of our journey in life if we’ll follow him.   

How have you seen God lead you,either recently  or in the past?  What difference has it made?  Share it here so we can encourage each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Names of God

Beginning today, we’ll have a series on the names of God—what they mean, what they tell us about who God is, and how we can relate to Him. Perhaps we’ll be surprised

The truth about Christmas

Christmas.  It's one of the busiest times of the year. With all the caroling, Christmas pageants, buying gifts and getting the Christmas cards out, it can be a bit hectic. It's challenging, but if we try, we can focus on the true meaning of Christmas that began over 2000 years ago.

It wasn't about Santa Claus and lighting trees with colored lights. There was nothing about making lists and checking them twice like it is today.  Don't get me wrong, I don't these things are wrong and I've done all of them all my life. But that not what Christmas is really about. 

It started with God's gift to us in order that we could spend eternity with Him. He came to earth as baby and a few decades later would be a sacrifice to forgive us for all we've ever done wrong. That's how much God loves us. 

 

One thing that helps point me back to a good perspective of Christmas is listening to music that exalts Christ and his birth.  Right now I'm listening to music from the annual concert put on my the Azusa Pacific University choir.  A marvelous performance of Christmas music that's presented each year.  Hearing the music reminds me how it all started more than two centuries ago.  This, in addition to attending a Christmas Eve service at Fellowship Greenville, help me focus on the true meaning of Christmas.   

Your turn. How do you keep the real meaning of Christmas at the forefront of your mind in this season?

Storms in our Lives

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and

forever. Hebrews 13:8

 

“Oh, it’s not cloudy out,” I said, sitting at my computer one morning. It was quite overcast when I’d gone outside just a few minutes earlier.

The forecast I’d just read confirmed that it would be cloudy for the next three days with rain likely. But as I sat at my desk scanning the headlines, I looked through the blinds and saw the sunlight on the trees.

 A few minutes later it disappeared.

I recognized the parallel to my life. I had assumed the weather would be stormy based on evidence I’d seen and what had been predicted. Yet, a different story lay outside a few minutes later. Then it changed again.

Life is like that. Circumstances can lead us to believe one thing; when then they change, we change our minds. My emotions can be fickle too. If someone compliments me, it makes me feel good. If I’m criticized and/or given feedback I don’t like, I may take it personally and believe I’m a failure. Or my health can change for the worse. Sometimes life feels unfair.  So how do we know what to think if we don’t know what’s true and what’s not? We have to focus on what’s stable, what never changes. One of those things is God’s love and faithfulness to us. No matter what happens in life, God remains the same.

What do find to be stable in your life? Who or what can you count on when things in your life are in flux?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Photos courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Habits come from practice and perseverance

I went to observe a class at Greenville Literacy Association and one of the ladies there showed me her work. 

When I pointed out a mistake she said, “I always do that. I write how I speak.”  I encouraged her by saying that’s normal and that it takes practice to get better. That the more she does it, the more natural it’ll feel. And that it’ll become second nature when she does it enough. 

On my way home, I realized my relationship with God is similar to that. When I first set a specific time to read my Bible, it’s often awkward, or I forget.  I have to discipline myself to think about and follow through on it. But the longer I do it, the more comfortable it’ll get until it becomes natural. 

I’m not there yet.  It’ll take time, but with practice and perseverance, it’ll get better and easier.  Maybe someday it’ll be so natural I won’t even think about it when I go about my days. 

How 'bout you? How do you form a habit that sticks?  Let’s talk about it and learn from each other.

Trust and Faith When We Can’t See God

Trust and Faith When We Can’t See God

He’s about 5½ months old, 6” tall, and has the sweetest temperament. His name is Petey 

and he’s an absolute joy.  All he can do by himself is eat and sleep. He’s 100% dependent on me,

Surprise visitor!



 

A bird on the dining room chair?  Inside the house?   Yep, that what I came home to Monday after a meeting that took me away from the house for about two hours. 

In my dining room, I have a window seat under 4 windows that jut out to the side of the house. 

Under the left most window sits a bird feeder where chickadees, cardinals, finches, and titmice regularly visit me and we enjoy each other’s company.  I’ve found out the hard way that if anything touches it, the feeder  falls to the ground spilling all the food. I have to stand on a ladder to put it back up on a brick that holds it there. It’s a pain.  So when I open that window, I pull the screen down to just above the birdfeeder so as not to knock it off. 

It was beautiful outside the other day so I let the soothing, cool breeze in by opening all the windows.  When I got home from an appointment that afternoon, I was greeted by a purple finch
 

that sat perched on top of a dining chair (straight ahead in the picture above), looking out the window, trying to figure out how to get back outside.  Whether he’d been there two minutes or two hours, I don’t know.  He'd started on the birdfeeder outside like the one in the picture, but he hopped inside and the next thing he knew he was lost in the house and didn't know what to do.

You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought to myself. After I stopped laughing, unable to believe my eyes, I opened the back door, hoping he’d fly out easily.  He didn’t move.

I went over to the window and he flew up into the curtain, afraid of me.  I felt bad for him but was able to coax him down, eventually. “I’m not gonna hurt you”, I said. “I want to help you.” I said. After a couple tries, when I put my finger under his feet he stayed there. I brought my hand down very slowly, opened the screen, and set him free. 

It made me think.  The poor guy had stepped in the house and when he realized he didn’t want to be there, he didn’t know how to get back outside.  He could see where he wanted to go and that it wasn’t far, but didn't know how to get there. 

He couldn’t get outside without my help. But he had to trust I wouldn’t hurt him first.  Tough call, but he had no other choice if he was going to get outside again. So he relaxed a tad and sat on my finger long enough for me to let him out.

Have you ever been like that little bird?  In a situation where you’re stuck, and don’t know what to do? God always has our best interests in mind and wants to get us where we need to be. We have to trust him first, then relax and let Him point us in the right direction. 

 

 



 

 



 

God is Love

In a Bible study I’m in right now, one of the subjects that came up recently was how each of us sees God.  What do we think of when we think of God? One lady said she thinks of Him as someone she can curl up with and be held, comforted. One person said she sees Him as “the big boss in the sky.”  Another said, “God is love.” 



What is Love?



I agree that God is love, but I don’t always feel it.  So the other day I sat down and started to pick that apart.  I asked myself, “What is love? What are the characteristics of love?” 



This seems an appropriate topic for Valentine’s Day.  

As I thought about it, I came up with some words that seem to fit.  Love is:

·       Sacrificial

·       Unconditional

·       Honest

·       Forgiving

·       Protective

·       Intimate

·       Trustworthy

I’m sure there are many more. In looking over these, I recognized something.  None of them is an emotion.  They’re all adjectives that describe God, but none of them is is a feeling.  There’s something significant and wonderful about that. Feelings change, but God doesn’t, and neither do His characteristics.  No matter what we think, feel, say, or do, God still loves us. What a marvelous thought. 

What do you think of when God or another loving person comes to mind?  Share it here.

In the midst of the storm

Life can pull us in many different directions. It’s not just physically, when we need to be in two places at once, but emotionally too. I find the latter much more difficult.

There are many times when our lives are going well. There’s money in the bank, our health is good, and we have friends we can rely on. We enjoy it.

If we remember to, we thank God for these blessings, recognizing He’s provided them for us. But when something happens that changes our lives we’re left wondering why and what to do next.

It could be anything—job loss, health issues, death of a loved one, or any host of other circumstances. What do we do then?

I’ve found I have to hold on to what never changes in this world and that there are three things that meet that criteria: God, God’s Word, and God’s promises. We’re going to take a look at these over the next several weeks. I’d love to hear your feedback in the process.

First, God is love. Everything He does is done out of love for us. Sometimes I find that hard to believe, especially when life doesn’t go the way it should. Or when senseless things happen. Often God doesn’t answer our “why” questions. Sometimes we have to wait. I’ve had to wait for an answer to that question for months in the past, regarding my health. It frustrated me, but I spoke to Him more in that time than usual. Perhaps that was part of the point?  Maybe.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been through when you questioned God? How did you make it through? Share your experience here. Someone will benefit from it.

 

Emmanuel--God is With You

"God is with you.” Christians know this is true, that God is with us because He’s everywhere.  But sometimes we fail to personalize it. “God is with you” means he is with YOU, personally, individually, everywhere you go. And he always will be.  He tells us in Joshua 1:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  David also penned these thoughts  toward God in Psalm 139

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in the depths, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10 NASB)

 



It’s easy for us to think God has let us go, that he’s abandoned us when life beats us down. There are times we feel pummeled over and over whether it’s finances, health problems, difficult family relationships, or any host of other hardships we encounter in life. We have to hold onto what’s true. Our circumstances ARE real, they DO matter, and we CAN’T just ignore them.  But, the key is we don’t have to handle it alone. 

God puts people in our lives to walk alongside us. People who will walk alongside us, encourage us, pray for us, and help keep us on the right path toward our goals.

How have you seen God’s presence in your life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing God in the Midst of Crisis

Two are better than one . . . If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

 “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” A common joke these days but that’s exactly what had happened.  I was walking my dog and on our way home I tripped. Unable to break my fall, I landed flat on my face, blood streaming onto the pavement.

I couldn’t move.  Fearing I’d hurt myself more than I knew, I tried to get up and managed to crawl to the side of the road. 

Within a few minutes, a neighbor pulled to the corner, ready to make a right turn. Seeing me lying on the ground, she jumped out of the SUV and came to my side. “Are you ok?  

I’m a nurse. Let me help you.” She helped me sit up on the curb and wiped some blood from my face.

“I’ll call 9-1-1. They’ll be right here.”  They were just around the corner.  As we waited, five more cars came by, asked if I was ok, and offered to help.  Jen told them EMS was      on their way. One neighbor came, stopped, took my dog, and watched him at his home until I came home from the emergency room.

After I was x-rayed at the ER and sewn up with three stitches, I was released. Another neighbor picked me up and drove me home.

God was clearly at work in this situation. I fell and hurt myself, but the less than five minutes later, a nurse came by to help me.  Several other neighbors stopped to help and one took my dog home to care for him, taking him off my mind. I didn’t know any of these people, but God brought them to my side to care for me when I needed it.  And now as I heal, friends call and offer to shop, drive me places, or just spend time with me.

God sees us in everything we go through and never leaves our side, just as He promised.  He gives us everything we need. We just have to stop and see how He’s provided. 

Who Is God?

I was regretting the past

and fearing the future.

Suddenly my Lord was speaking:

My Name Is I AM

He paused.

I waited.

He continued:

"When you live in the past

and its mistakes and regrets,

it is hard.

I am not there. My name is not  I WAS.

When you live in the future,

with its fears and problems

it is hard.

I am not there.

My name is not I WILL BE.

When you live in the  moment

It is not so hard.

I am here.

My name is I AM.

                                                              Helen Mallicoat

 photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net  and Arvind Balaraman,



Carried

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

 I followed him up the stairs, sensing something was wrong. When I got in the door, Dad was on the floor, heaving on his side, barely able to breathe. 

“Dad? Can you hear me? Dad!” No response. I tried to think straight, despite my panic. 

“Mom! Mom!  Get in here!” I called out the window. She wasn’t in the side yard.  I ran and opened the front door.

“Mom!  MOM! GET IN HERE!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Dad.  He’s on the floor!”

 “Call 9-1-1!”

“I did!”

She and my neighbor rushed in and saw that he was still breathing. “We should put him on his back,” Sharon said. They rolled him over. Moments later, he stopped breathing. “Mouth-to-mouth” Sharon said. Then his heart stopped. “We need to do CPR.”

 “I don’t know CPR” Mom said. Sharon told her to breathe into his mouth and she pushed on his chest until his pulse returned.  They had to do it twice. The paramedics arrived, took over, and got the necessary information before they left.

As awful as that was, I can see how God orchestrated it all perfectly.  I’d watched Dad go in the house and followed him. If I’d brushed it off and stayed outside, no one would’ve known anything was wrong.  And it may have been too late by the time we did.

Sharon had come over to see what we were up to that morning. Because she was there when Dad was down, she helped Mom put him on his back and gave her a crash course in CPR. She contacted the church, so people came to the hospital to support us.

About 10 friends stayed with us in the lobby while we waited for the doctor to come out. They walked through it with us. Over the next few days, Mom and I remarked about how we felt like we’d been carried the whole time.

God’s like that.  We all go through hard times, whether they’re financial, medical, relational or otherwise.  But we don’t go through it alone.  God’s right there with us and will carry us through. The next time tragedy strikes, remember you’re not alone. Call out to God. He’ll be there.

 God Directs Us

 

 

Life can pull us in all different directions, not just physically, when we need to be in two places at once, but emotionally too. I find the latter is much more difficult. There are many times when our lives are going well. There’s money in the bank, our health is good, and we have friends we can rely on. We enjoy it and, if we remember to, we thank God for them, recognizing He’s provided them for us.

But when something happens that changes our lives, we’re often left wondering why and what to do next. It could be anything—job loss, health issues, death of a loved one, or any host of other circumstances.  What do we do then?

I’ve found we have to hold on to what never changes in this world and that there are three things that meet that criteria: God, God’s Word, and God’s promises.  We’re going to take a look at these over the next several weeks. I’d love to hear your feedback in the process.

First, God is love.  So everything He does is done out of love for us.  Sometimes I find that hard to believe, especially  when life doesn’t go the way it should. When senseless things like someone dying far too young.  Often God doesn’t answer our “why questions.”  Sometimes we have to wait, for a variety of reasons.  I’ve had to wait for an answer to that question for months in the past, regarding my health.  It frustrated me, but I spoke to Him more in that time than usual. Perhaps that was part of the point?   Maybe. 

Now it’s your turn. What have you been through when you questioned God?  How did you make it through?  Share your experience here. Someone will benefit from it.

 

image courtesy of www.freeditigalphotos.net