Perfection

By Elaine James –

After reading Hebrews 11: 13 I emailed my son and questioned “The sentiments expressed by the patriarchs and heroes of Faith leaves me feeling like our future is filled with doom and gloom. Do we have any hope for the future?”

He replied “I read the whole chapter. Paul is describing faith and the people that showed faith in the Bible in the past. They all knew God was perfect and they wanted to be perfect like him. They knew through him they could do this. They were searching for a better place or things. They showed faith in God and therefore were commended for their faith. We have been told that there is a better place and all it takes to get there is faith in Him. These people were given positive things (children, their lives, lands, etc.) but they were not given what they were promised; perfection in a better place on earth. Because if it was on earth we would be separated from God and therefore not be perfect. God did not want this for us and had a better plan for us to be perfect like Him. Only together with him can we be perfect. Even though these people of faith showed their faith they never received what was promised to them on earth.”

The Bible was written as a history lesson. There is nothing new under the sun; what the people of the Bible did the people of today have done. Reading the Bible in its full context reveals an interpretation that fills us with hope for the future. Paul, in the book of Acts, repeats the story of the great plight the Jews endured. He assured us “They enjoyed God’s favor” this side of heaven.

The conclusion is this: if we look for perfection this side of heaven our outlook will be one of doom and gloom. I want my children to picture me turning my face up to the sun and saying these words, “Look at the miracle of a baby forming in its mother’s womb as we welcome them into to the world, we examine its fingers and toes …God did that. Look at the beauty of nature-the blossoms and their scent, look at the Grand Canyon and the landscape around it…God did that. I am convinced there is a God and for Him alone my life is worth living, this side of heaven.”

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13 NIV).

PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for my life. Thank You for the creation of this world. Help me to focus today on the tasks You put before me. Help me to be reminded that I do these tasks unto You. Like the faith patriarchs I want to focus on You. Amen.

Renewal of Life

By Judy Davis –

Spring will soon be here. With spring comes a feeling of renewal. A renewal of spirit and a renewal of life-that has not been felt all winter. Easter also arrives this month and as we celebrate this most wonderful time of the year may we focus our heart and life on Jesus Christ and His resurrection.

As we draw near to Easter let us reflect on what Jesus did for us. Are you going through trials and tribulations? Any problems that seem bigger than you can handle? If so, remember that much suffering and pain came before the miracle of the Resurrection.
Jesus was betrayed by trusted friends, abandoned in the Garden, and agonized in Gethsemane without sleep. He had a phony trial, heard Peter deny him and was sentenced to a criminal’s death. He was spit upon and taunted by His captors and suffered a severe beating. He went through this abuse for us!

Are you experiencing any setbacks this Easter week? Christ went through much more and He was victorious. There is victory in the cross. All of us need to succeed, to go over the top, to reach our goals, to have the ability to amount to something. Reconciliation with God is the beginning of your victory.

Let’s forget about our problems and remember what Christ did for us. Reach out to a neighbor or friend who may be hurting. Turn your attention to others who truly need the touch of the Master’s hand.

PRAYER: Precious Father, we humbly come before You giving thanks for the beauty of springtime and the newness of life. Thank you for the beautiful flowers in bloom in every color of the rainbow. Most of all thank you for Jesus Christ, Your only son. He lived and died so we may be set free from the bondage of sin. Help us to always remember what You did for us so we may live according to Your purpose and plan.

“Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”’” (John 20:17 NIV).

Call to Him

By Susan Dollyhigh –  

A rocky marriage led to couples counseling, and individual sessions. After one session, my counselor asked me to pray Psalm 139:23-24. “Pray these verses, and ask God to reveal to you what’s in your heart,” she said.

The next morning during my quiet time, I prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (NIV). I prayed that the Lord would reveal any faulty filters, or beliefs, in my heart.

Honestly I’d never asked the Lord a direct question, and I didn’t know how or when He might answer. But as I lingered in my chair, three thoughts came to mind: 1) I am not as intelligent as my husband. 2) My husband has the final word in all decisions. 3) I must keep the peace at all times.

I was shocked, but then I thought back to my childhood, and realized these thoughts described my mother’s role in my parent’s relationship.

In the Old Testament, the Lord told Jeremiah to call to Him, and He would tell him great and unsearchable things. The purposes of God’s revelations to Jeremiah were twofold: to encourage His people to turn from their sinful ways so they might escape judgment; and to offer His never- ending message of redemption.

All these years later, I was asked to call on the Lord, and He answered me. He revealed hidden things that I needed to know so the Lord could redeem my heart, and I could grow into the person He created me to be. God’s promises were not just for those we read about in the Bible, they are for us today.

Call to the Lord; let Him reveal any great and hidden things that you might need to know.

“This is what the LORD says… ‘Call to me and I will answer you and
tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’” (Jeremiah 33:2-3 NIV).

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You that Your Word is alive, and Your promises are ours to claim. Thank You that we can call to You and You answer us.

My Redeemer Lives

By Cheri Cowell –     

Whether you celebrate Easter with contemporary praise and worship music or traditional hymns, you will no doubt join in singing the joyous proclamation “My Redeemer lives!”
But do you know this phrase is actually taken from the mouth of Job? That’s right. And they weren’t said after his family, wealth, and health were restored. The words were said after Job complained bitterly about his misfortunes, about his abandonment by his friends, and he asked God where He’d been when Job had been assailed on every side. After this angry and sad plea, Job added these words.

The Hebrew word translated “Redeemer” can also be rendered “Avenger,” “Guarantor,” or “Vindicator.” What a wonderfully rich Easter proclamation. It is not a call for celebration removed from the sufferings of this word. Rather, it is rooted in the midst of suffering, in a faith that our sufferings are indeed redeemed, vindicated, and avenged by a God who suffered greatly and willingly for our redemption. When you hear these words this Easter, remember Job and how he offered them in spite of His sufferings and because of his sufferings…and so can we. Because our Redeemer lives.

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25-26 NKJV).

Prayer: Give me the ability to do as Job—to sing God’s praises in the midst of suffering and loss. Thank You for not being a jelly-bean, sunny-life, Redeemer God, but a God who redeems, avenges, and vindicates those who are suffering through the shedding of Your own blood and through Your own suffering.

Real Treasure

By Mary Sefzik – 

“When did you leave for work?” I could tell by the tone of Mom’s voice something wasn’t right. “Our house has been burglarized.”

My heart skipped a beat. Mom said my bedroom had been trashed. I couldn’t concentrate on work that day. The list of possible missing items grew longer by the minute. My debit card, a collection of gift cards, my external hard drive filled with personal files. Most of my afternoon was spent on the phone—canceling my debit card and giving Mom more items to add to the list of possible stolen goods.

That evening I took a deep breath and sifted through the mess. My Christmas and birthday money from Grandma—five hundred dollars. Gone. If only that wallet could tell me whose hands had rifled through its pockets. Whew. My debit card was safe—tucked away in one of the back zipper pockets. All my gift cards were accounted for and my computer and external drive were untouched.

As I put my room back in order I remembered Jesus’s command to His disciples in the Gospel of Matthew. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth where moth and rust, destroy and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19 NIV).

The loss of money angered me, but I was thankful God had spared a much greater treasure—my Mom. When she walked into the house she was greeted by the sight of a teenage boy standing on her bed with a tire tool in his hand. They had locked eyes. Mom, one of the gentlest people I know, hollered, “Get out of my house.” She must have sounded like she meant business because the boy jumped off the bed and dashed out of the house. I hope this experience served as a warning for that boy. His next theft could land him in jail.

This harsh life experience reminded me earthly treasures can be wiped out in a moment, but heavenly riches last forever. Just as we protect our earthly belongings with a security system we must protect our souls with the secure seal of the Holy Spirit. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12-13 NIV).

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