The Future is as Bright as the Promises of God!

My Grandmother had a wooden plaque with birds painted on it, with the words attributed to Adoniram Judson; "The future is as bright as the promises of God".  I loved that plaque, and when grandma died, I received it.  It has hung in every place I have lived and still hangs in my home today.

As a child, I loved the painted birds on the plaque, they looked so cheerful.  As a woman, I love the words, the encouragement that He has this, whatever this is.  God in his sovereignty is of course, in control, "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever" Psalm 16:11. He will show me the way of life.  He offers me His presence and His promises.

"The future is as bright as the promises of God."

Is your future overwhelming to you?  Is your future frightening to you?  The Lord gave His promise and His presence to Joshua; "Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Mediate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.  This is my command--be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:8-9.

Isaiah testified that our future is bright.  "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."  Isaiah 26:3.

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song he has become my salvation."  Isaiah 12:2.

"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."  Romans 8:28-30.  Paul reminds us of God's promises.  I want to be more like Jesus.

Adoniram Judson, spent his life as a missionary to Burma (Myanmar).  He was the first missionary to Burma and it was seven years before he even had one convert.    He lost love ones to death, he lost his freedom and was abused in prison.  Upon his death there were less then two dozen believers.  Yet he kept serving his Lord Jesus and God used him to translate the Bible into the Burmese language as well as publish the Burmese-English dictionary.  Judson's son Edward was quoted as saying, "Suffering and success go together.  If you are succeeding without suffering, it is because others before you have suffered; if you are suffering with succeeding, it is that others after you may succeed." 

Even in the difficult days, the days that I'm worrying more than praying (Phil. 4:6), I KNOW that the future is as bright as the promises of God!  Thank you Grandma Schulert for your plaque and for your faith!

He has done so much already, and I know he will make me more and more like himself!  "I KNOW whom I have believed, am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."  2 Timothy 1:12.

Thanksgiving!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  Psalms 100

God gives generously to all.....

No matter what stage of life you are in, materially rich or poor, young or old, healthy or ailing, God loves you, has a plan for your life and has made a way for you to have a relationship with Him through the anguish of Christ on the cross.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17

Think back over your life, remember those moments of joy and of sorrow, think of how each event, every relationship, every struggle has effected you and made you who you are today.  God uses anguish to shape you.  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the Lord of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.  2 Corinthians 1:3-5.

Jesus promised that in this world we would have trouble, but he told us that he had overcome the world. John 16:33.  .. ..be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.  So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?    Hebrews 13:5-6

God has given you Himself!  "You shall have ............ME"  Exodus 20:3  Now that is something to be thankful for!  His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations!  

Whatever struggle you find yourself in (if your not in one right now, praise Him for that!), Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.  Philippians 4:6.  

Be thankful, remember his blessings, trust that his love endures and his faithfulness continues.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6.

Joy to you!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Mercy and Patience

"You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.  Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."  Isaiah 43:10

Before God and after God there was no other.  God created.  He created the vast expanse of the universe, He created the beautiful world we live on for us to work and enjoy.  He declared all of His Creation "good".  He created us, for relationship, with Him and with other people.  He made us to show us His love and to give Him love in return.  This brings God glory.  When we honor the creation and the creatures that He has made, this brings God glory.   God is patient, He works with each of us over a lifetime, completing the good work that He began in us.  (Phil. 1:6)  God is merciful, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

In Genesis chapter 6 the Bible records that "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain."  Genesis 6:5-6.

The Lord was grieved that he had made man and his heart was filled with pain.  How sad.  We were created to know God, to care for His creation and to love other people, yet people had only evil in their hearts.  Selfish and corrupt.  The earth was filled with violence.  But God in his mercy had a plan to save Noah and all who believed the message that Noah was sharing while he built the ark.  (2 Peter 2:5 says that Noah was a "preacher of righteousness").  

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, but he is patient wanting everyone to turn to him in love.  120 years passed while Noah built an ark on dry land in a world that wasn't even watered by rain. Noah did everything God told him to do, Hebrews 11 says Noah believed God.  He built the ark with one door, and Noah and his family and all the animals that came to him went into that one door and God shut it.  Then God in his pain and grief, brought flood waters from below and rains from above, I imagine that he cried over the people that he had created.  Until the entire world was covered in water.  Only those who entered the ark through its one door survived.

There is one Savior, Christ the Lord.  The Bible says that he is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he say down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven.  (Hebrews 1:3).  

Those who have believed in Jesus as their Savior are God's witnesses, not, will become his witnesses, not, are his witnesses when we feel like it, he has made us his witnesses.  It is something that we are because he lives in us.  As we spend time in the Word and in prayer, we become more and more radiant, more and more like our Savior, but from the moment the Holy Spirit comes into us, we are God's witnesses.  I want to be a good witness, to yield to him when he is moving me to speak up.  I want to grow to be more and more like Jesus, to give myself for others, to bring glory to God, not shame on his name by being selfish and corrupt.  Not to cause God pain and grief.

How you have felt when someone you love has disappointed and saddened you?  Did you respond with tears?  God has given us his Word to teach us the best way to live, but so often we think we know better and don't chose to live by his guidance.  Our lives get all messed up and it breaks God's heart, he is grieved.   Noah must have wondered a few times during the 120 years of ark building, but he believed God and kept on building.  God in his mercy waited 120 years to flood the earth, God in his mercy promised to never flood the whole earth again.  God in his mercy is delaying the final judgment so that many can be saved.  2 Peter 3:15 says, "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation."  Thank God for his mercy and patience.  Live the life that his word teaches you to live, pray for those who have slipped away from the faith, encourage them to return to our Father and theirs, be His witnesses.  Even in your disappointment, continue to be patient and have mercy on those who have broken your heart.

"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning"  Psalm 30:5.  If you have felt disappointed and saddened over someone you love, trust God, be the witness that he made you to be, keep praying for them. Bring glory to God by letting his Spirit produce the fruit of patience in you.  You may yet experience the joy of seeing them come to Christ.

Everything We Need

"the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him.....See I lay a stone in Zion  a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trust in him will never be put to shame.  Now to you who believe, this stone is precious" 1 Peter 2:4, 6-7

Precious Faith, Precious Promises, Precious Savior.

"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:  Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.  For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  2 Peter 1:1-11

"You show that you are a letter from Christ  the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.  Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  2 Corinthians 3:3-6.  

Precious Faith, Precious Promises, Precious Savior

I don't know about you, but I don't like wasting time or energy.  I don't like feeling ineffective or unproductive.  I want results for my efforts.  In my studies lately a theme began emerging, that I have received a precious gift, the same faith that the Apostles held to, the same faith that Abraham held to.  A new life through the Spirit of God.  A life that He will use to impact others.  A life that will continue forever.  This is a precious gift!

"being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness.  The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 4:22-5:1.

A lot of scripture I know, but did you catch some of what we have?  We have a new life! The same promises Abraham had, the same promises Peter had, the same promises Paul had, we have.  Peter said we have received a faith as precious as the Apostles received.  God makes us competent to be ministers of His promises, so that we will be effective and productive, so that lives can become letters of Christ's mercy and love!

When you were born, you were complete.  Your DNA contained all that you would be.  Your height, the color of your skin, your eyes, your hair were all there.  Your talents and abilities were all there.  You may of been born with the ability to draw, play music, understand math and science, it was all there.  But as you grew the things that you put an effort into developed!

God has given you everything you need for life and godliness, so that you may participate in His divine nature from the moment you placed your faith in Him.  Don't take your salvation for granted, study, pray, and exercise your faith, so that you will develop as his child.  Then you will not be ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus.  You are called to add to your faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love.  Never forget that He has made you alive and He has the power to do all He has promised in your life and in mine by the power of the Spirit as you obey His Word.

Just as a newborn baby has the genetic code that will determine how he will grow, so to you have everything you need for life and godliness.  Don't neglect it.  A healthy baby doesn't come out 6' tall with brown eyes and dark hair, but as he grows he becomes all that he is made to be.  His fair baby hair becomes darker, his blue gray eyes develop into brown, he gains height and weight over time.  He doesn't play the piano as soon as he arrives home from the hospital, but as his natural ability is nurtured and challenged he grows into a musician.  He finds that he has an aptitude for certain things and develops them.  So it should be with the believer, God has given you all you need for life and godliness, He gifts you for your good and His glory by His Holy Spirit.  Don't stay an infant in the faith (1 Corinthians 3:1-2), develop all He has given you by spending time with Him, yielding to the Spirit and obeying what He says!

Talk to you again soon. Joy!

Where is God?

Augustine said: “If there is no God, why is there so much good?  If there is a God, why is there so much evil?

“My mind shifted to the life of Christ on earth, and attacks directed against him:  a slaughter of babies, temptations, betrayal, and finally death.  Yet God transformed seeming defeat, even the unimaginable death of his own Son, into victory.—Where is God When it Hurts?---Philip Yancey  

There are people asking "Why didn't God do a miracle to protect the innocent little children in Newtown, Connecticut?"  I thank God that he did do a miracle by limiting the massacre of the hundreds of children in their school Friday.  I thank God that He protected the sisters of one little boy who died that day.  Jesus too experienced the slaughter of the innocent, He wept over his city.  The heartbreak of the families who are burying their children, as well as those who are burying their moms, sisters, aunts, grandmas, must be beyond measure.  I know that God cares for these people.  I know that God loves each one.  He hears their cries.

Both this school shooting and the mall shooting last week have focused our thoughts on the darkness of evil and death, even as the Light of Christmas is being celebrated.  I don't have great, wise words, to explain the unexplainable,  but I do trust in the Word of God to speak into our hearts and lives.  

Psalm 11:4 says; "But the Lord is in his holy Temple;

    the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely,
    examining every person on earth."  


God is still ruling over all creation.  God is Love.  Completely, totally love.  What I see on my TV screen, is sorrow, anger, blame, madness, suffering.  But God is not absent.  He gives strength to those who suffer and asks those of us who have faith to share that faith with those who need it.  He asks us to mourn with those who mourn.  I don't know any of these families in Connecticut, but I can still pray for them, asking God to provide them with strength to endure, comfort from family and friends and a peace that can only come from God himself.

Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  Comfort can be found in trusting that God is now caring for the children who have died.  That One Day, there will be no more sorrow, no more death, One Day He will make everything right!

In Matthew 10:29-31 the words Jesus spoke are recorded: "What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin?  But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."  Every person that God has created is valued by God.  He showed us His love, by sending Jesus into the world as a helpless baby, to live among us and experience life here in a fallen world, where violence, oppression and poverty are all around.  Jesus lived and died sinless and took his life back again to complete God's salvation plan.  Jesus showed us the heart of God.  He cared so much he gave his life for us.

One thing that stands out to me when tragedy, accident or illness takes the lives of young children, is that it is of the utmost importance to teach our youngest ones to truth that God loves them and is in control.  What a blessing to know as you send them out the door that no matter what happens they can believe, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid."  (Hebrews 13:6)


If you are interested in much more profound words then mine on suffering and where God is when evil destroys, you should read Philip Yancey's books, "Where is God when it hurts? and "Disappointment with God".

Talk to you again soon.  

God's Will For You!

November has been a busy month!  Helping my son's family settle into their new home has keep me on the road.  As well as celebrating with my daughter's family the baptism of their oldest.  Planning, shopping and preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 24 people.  And yesterday (11/25/12) my husband and I had the privilege of listening to our son speak on Living Quiet In a Loud World in his church, you can hear it at Waterfordwired.org.  He spoke from Mark 1:21-39, Jesus was just starting his public ministry and he was busy!  He began teaching, casting out evil spirits, healing people, yet after resting his body, instead of getting right back at it the next morning, he went off by himself before anyone else was awake to pray.   The Big Idea from the message was, Seeking quiet gives us opportunity for:
1. Perspective, clarifying what God wants us to be doing.
2. Learning, being taught from God himself.
3. Listening, really being still and listening to God.              

I am struck this morning that I have so much to be thankful for!  So I want to linger here in Thanksgiving, not run head long into Christmas yet.  Just be still and gain some perspective on what God's will is.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Did you catch that?  God's will for you in Christ Jesus is to be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.  There is a quote attributed to Dwight L. Moody that says, "I have noticed this, that when a man is full of the Holy Ghost, he is the very last man to be complaining of other people.  He loves everybody too tenderly.  He loves even a cold church, and is anxious to lift them up and bring them to a kinder feeling and sympathy."  

When you and I take the time to be with Jesus we gain perspective on God's kingdom and our place in it.  I can experience Joy because he saved me from sin and called me his child! (1 Peter 1:17-19, "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to your from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.")    

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "The Joy of the Lord is your strength."  JOY is part of the Fruit of The Spirit.  Spending time with Jesus changes your perspective by giving you Joy when you view your current struggles in light of eternity.   2 Cor. 4:16-18 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  Remember, Joy is not being Polly Anna happy all the time.  It is being content in any and every situation, doing everything through him who gives me strength.  Remembering that whatever happens to you has really served to advance the gospel.  (Phil 1:12) "The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached  and because of this I rejoice."  (Phil. 1:18)  Joy is having faith in God's plan and purpose for you!

God has been teaching me about JOY the entire month.

Next, PRAY continually.  This too is God's will for you.  To stay in contact with God.  Tell him your sorrows, let him comfort you.  God wants to hear your desires.  He knows what your heart desires, "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted, you encourage them, and you listen to their cry"  Psalm 10:17.  "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."  Col. 4:2.  He wants you to pray for your family, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your enemies, your church.  His will is that you talk with him.   

Finally, GIVE THANKS.  No matter what circumstances you are in, God is near.  You are reconciled to God in Christ.  You have the fruit of the Spirit in you!  When you remember that God is faithful, you can give thanks even in very bad places, with very lame people!  God is watching over you, even when it seems like he is far from you. Take time to be quiet and read his word, give yourself the joy of hearing from God.  " Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him"  Col.  16-17.

Magnify Christ by serving him with Joy, Praying always, giving Thanks that he is faithful.

Seasons-Winter

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under heaven:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

As the season changes from fall to winter, I am reminded again that I don't want winter to come.  I don't like the cold, the dirty snow, the lack of vegetation.  But there is nothing I can do about Winter, it comes whether I like it or not.  

The teacher writes in Ecc. 3, that there is a time for everything a season for every activity.  Seasons were created for good reason.  Winter has its purpose.  The fields rest (except for winter wheat, which is already getting a head start for next years harvest), the bushes are pruned, the weeds in the garden die back, but winter is cold and dark, nothing I long for.  

I have found myself to be in winter.  Some call it "the dark night of the soul", "the wall", "a crisis of faith".  It is a place that is very unnatural to me, I am one who chases after God refusing to left out in the cold.  I sing with the Psalmist "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord".  Yet even when I am there I feel the cold, dark, Winter in my soul.  Have I left God?  Has He left me?  Why am I in the unproductive season of Winter?

In Psalm 88:13, "O Lord, I cry out to you.  I will keep on pleading day by day.  O Lord, why do you reject me?  Why do you turn your face away from me?  And in verse 18, "You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend."  Sounds like the cold, dark, lonely, Winter.  

I refuse to believe that God has rejected me.  I know that He is love.  I know that He wants to reveal Himself to me through His Word.  I know that Christ Jesus died for me, so why am I in the dark, cold, Winter?  

Spiritual Rhythm, Being with Jesus Every Season of your Soul. by Mark Buchanan.  Nearing Home, Life, Faith, and Finishing Well, by Billy Graham have helped me to see the value of Winter.  Just as my lot in life is chosen by God with all its joys, accomplishments, beauty, irritations, trials and difficulties:  Psalm 16:5 says, "Lord, you have assigned my portion and my cup-you have made my lot secure", so too He has allowed this season to come for His purposes and my good.  

Mark Buchanan says " when Christ dwelt on earth, he certainly had such moments, and he sought both the consolation of his Father and the companionship of his friends to ease his dread and his sorrow.  "Will no one stay awake with me?"  Jesus asked.  Sometimes, I think, he still asks it.  Is it possible that in this winter of yours, when you desperately need Jesus to stay with you, he's just as happy for you to stay with him?"  

Could it be that in my business of relationships and service, I wasn't spending the time with him that he wanted?  The Shepherd of my soul, wants me to yield to him and come along side him.  To just stay awake with him, to be content beside him.  

Billy Graham says, "True joy is derived from depending on the Lord Jesus.  He is the One who supplies our strength in weakness, "for when we are weak, He is strong", (2 Cor. 12:10)".  Remember "the righteous will live by faith" (Hak. 2:4, Heb. 10:38).  Graham teaches that when you are friendless and lonely focus on Jesus (Heb. 12:1-3), encourage others and pray for others (Heb 10:24-25), and continue to study and meditate on God's Word to present yourself to God as one approved (2 Tim. 2:15).

Winter is a time of different work, a time to prune back, a time to prepared yourself for the spring.  A time to focus on Christ and wait.  There is a calm in Winter, you can't do all of the work of summer, you have less responsibility.  You have time to look back and remember how you have experienced God in the past.  You have time to think ahead to what will come.  And you have time to enjoy being in his presence today and trusting Him.

The Winter is a the place where I can't survive without faith.  I don't feel His presence, I don't see His face, yet I still believe He loves me and I know that Spring will come, because he is in charge of the seasons.  

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful"  Hebrews 10:23.