Choice

It All Comes Down to the Choice We Make!

Proverbs 1:33 & Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Choice is a freedom that God gives to each of us, yet, it comes with its rewards and/or consequences. For example Adam and Eve made a choice to believe the serpent and ate thus suffered the consequences. Abram made a choice to follow God's calling and received many blessings. Though he, too, made poor choices that had significant consequences. Moses, in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, called the Israel to make a choice.

¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live

²⁰ And may love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.(AMP)

Society often does not accept this freedom for everyone. People get mad when your choice does not agree with theirs. I have experienced this in my own family when I was growing up and in many other places. I have to admit that I am having a really tough time with the choice that others I know have made in light of recent events, yet, it is theirs to make. God loves and accepts me as I am even when I make poor choices. Therefore, I am to love others in spite of their choice and agree to disagree agreeably.

Reading Proverbs 1:28-33 has given me hope. It explains what is going on and I cling to verse 33,
 But whoso hearkens to me [Wisdom] shall dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil. (AMP) God is still the same and His truth remains constant therefore I have nothing to fear. Jesus is still the way, the truth, and the life. Nothing can change this. My hope is in the Lord and He is my strength.

My prayer: Dear God in heaven, I am thankful that You never change. Help me to love others especially when we disagree. You sent Your Son to die for all of us. Thank You, Lord God. Amen.

Wait for the Lord

No One Likes to Wait but

Waiting on the Lord,

Who is Our Hope,

Is What We are Called to do.

Lamentations 3:22-26

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

David, before he became king, did a lot of waiting on the Lord after he was anointed by Samuel to be Israel's next king. In Psalm 38:15, David said that he would wait on the Lord for He will answer and in 119:166, David waited for the salvation of the Lord. As David waited for the Lord, he had to serve under King Saul who had made many attempts to kill David, yet David did not kill King Saul when the opportunity presented itself. David waited on the Lord with all of himself and put his hope in God's word, Psalm 130:5.

To be honest, I am not good at waiting either. I tend to get impatient in lines at the store or a traffic light. Yet, when I relax and wait my stress goes down and the wait does not seem to be too long. Waiting on the Lord takes a knowledge of the One in whom I am waiting. He is God of the universe whose timing is far better than I could ever fathom. I often need to take time to pray and ask Him to help me wait. This is why I like the way Isaiah 30:18 reads in the amplified version.

 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

There were a number of verses listed next to this verse that name what we are waiting on from Him, they can be found on this link. So the next time you find yourself having a hard time waiting on the Lord, pray and ask God to help you wait. Trust Him for He is indeed trustworthy.

My Prayer: Dear Lord God, I confess that I am not good at waiting. Please help me to trust in You and learn to wait on You for Your timing is far better than I can imagine. You are sovereign and everything in Your time. May I encourage others to learn to wait also. Amen.

Faith is More than Believing

It is in How We Live Our Lives in a Way that Reflects 

that We Cherish God and Rejoice in His Grace.

Hosea 13:4

But I am the Lord your God
    from the land of Egypt;
you know no God but me,
    and besides me there is no savior.

I have wrongfully neglected my blog. God used the words of a friend to encourage me to return to my first love, God and His word. I have recently read through Hosea. It was not an easy read at first. It left me not wanting God to think of me in the same light. In Hosea, God lamented over Israel's unfaithfulness to Him. Hosea pointed out Israel's sin to them and wanted to shock them to repentance. The imagery was rough but it had to be to make the point that rejecting God's love hurts Him. Hosea wanted them to see God in a new light. God felt like a man whose wife was unfaithful to him. God remained faithful to Israel and He remains faithful to me.

I had to come to terms with the fact that there were times in my life since I had come to know Jesus that I was unfaithful. When I was in my 20's I dabbled in things that were not God directed such as tarot cards, dungeons and dragons, and numerology. I did not see it then as being unfaithful but having read through Hosea I see it for what it is. Presently, business (busy ness) had become an idol and has kept me from time in His word and this blog. I have to look at these as God sees it so that I can confess my unfaithfulness and return to Him. I have to face the truth about myself in order to know God for who He is. As I come to know myself better, I can experience His grace and in turn love Him with all of me. This is His desire for me as it was for Israel in the book of Hosea.

Faith is more than mere belief. It is living my life in way that shows that I cherish God and rejoice in His grace. I have been attending Celebrate Recovery for more than 4 years and I see it as means to face my sins before God and someone I trust in order to embrace God's grace and live a life that is pleasing to God.

The last chapter of Hosea paints a beautiful image of God's love for Israel as for all who believe in His Son. So I leave you with the last verse.

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
    whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the Lord are right,
    and the upright walk in them,
    but transgressors stumble in them. Hosea 14:9

My Prayer: Forgive me, Oh Lord God, for allowing other things to take Your place in my life. Let me return to Your love and grace so that I may live my life in a way that reflects Your grace and is pleasing to You. May others be encouraged to examine themselves before You and embrace Your amazing grace. Amen.

Silver Miner Returns

God is a Gentleman!

Psalm 103:8

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

2 Peter 3:9 

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  

Yes, my God is a Gentleman. He is ever faithful. Psalm 33:4, "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." I found 9 other places in His word where God is said to be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. I particularly like 2 Peter 3:9 where it states that God is patient with us not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. He will not force Himself on us but invites us to come and see, for ourselves, His tender mercies which are new every morning. He desires for all to come to salvation but yet does not force it because He wants us to desire Him. This is why He made salvation so simple and yet man complicates it. All one has to do is come to Jesus through looking to the cross and what Jesus did for us (John 3:14-17). 

I have been the fickle one. When times are peaceful I tend to grow lax in my reading of His word and prayer. I have been reading through Hosea the last couple of days. The way God addresses Israel's denial of Him pains me and I do not want God to think of me like this. I desire to be hopelessly devoted to Him. I need to set a time to spend with Him so that I can strengthen my relationship with Him just as I would with my husband and/or a friend. 

So my challenge to you is to read Hosea and ask yourself how does God see you.

My Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, hear my prayer, forgive me for putting other things before You and neglecting Your Word and prayer time with You. Help me to return to my first love, You! May others see You in me. Amen!