HE understands us!

Psalms 147:4,5

4 He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.

I read this verse to my kids as part of our family devotion the other morning, and I had to share with them what that meant to me. I told them; Gods understanding has absolutely no limit. That means he understands your life, your struggles, your tiny insignificant hopes and dreams are understood by our God! And not only does he understand your life, he understands the WHOLE universe. He holds planets in place, and conducts this amazing chorus of life. Adriana piped up right about this time “he holds the universe in place for us tiny insignificant humans” I said “absolutely”!

 I went on to tell them that recently their uncle Stuart had told me that in working at our brothers dental practice, he has gotten the chance to get to know every duty performed by his staff, that way he knows how to help when someone needs assistance, from the dental assistant duties, all the way up to answering phone calls, booking appointments, and billing insurance companies, he knows them all. That is essentially what God is. He is a manager who sent a portion of his being to live with US little insignificant humans so that he can understand us better, so that he can say “I know what you are going through, and I know how to help you” how amazing is that? 

God is the manager of our universe, he holds it in place for you and me, and he cares about what you are going through, doesn’t it make sense then to give it all to him and let him be the manager of your life? 

I encourage you to open up your heart to him, open up your mind  to listen to the little instructions he is giving you so that you can live life to its fullest. God bless

Only at the cross

Yesterday I was talking about Simeon’s prophecy to Mary about what was to come. She did not understand the mission of her new born baby, not for many years to come. But Simeon gave her a forewarning that “A sword shall pierce thy own soul also” God used Simeon to put in the mind of Mary that this burden will be sorrowful, but she must bear it anyways for the good of all people. 

Side note and totally my opinion; We don’t give much thought to Mary as Christians, we more look to Jesus who saved us, but Mary should also be called blessed, and I believe should be looked on with awe. Having raised the ruler of our universe, and watched his torture and death, that could not have been easy. This is not to say she should be worshiped, but I don’t think she should be passed over either.

Simeon’s prophecy went on to say “this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against.” 

in desire of ages chapter 5 page 57, it says “They must fall who would rise again. We must fall upon the Rock and be broken before we can be uplifted in Christ. Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we would know the glory of the Spiritual kingdom.” 

This to me speaks very loudly. Have you ever fallen and hit your knee on a rock? Do you remember the pain it sends through your body… I recently did this, and I was limping for about a week. The Rock that is being referenced in this chapter, is Jesus, our savior. Without coming to the realization that only by falling on him and being broken will we be able to be made new and rise again strong in our Lord. It is by His hand only that we can be restored. And it is by Gods ever present Grace that we can be saved, through the faith that we possess. And unlike the rock that had me limping for a week, this rock will help you heal. Will it still hurt? Maybe. Saying no to self and yes to Jesus can be painful at times, but it is through the strength of Jesus that we can overcome. 

Today I encourage you to pray for your brothers and sisters, ask God to send them his strength, and to lift them up renewed and resorted. Have a blessed day!

The Dedication (A glimpse of what is to come)

 Chapter 5 of Desire of Ages gave me shivers (in a good way) I recommend reading this chapter either again, or for the first time. It really spoke to my heart. In summation, it talked about Mary and Joseph taking the baby Jesus to be dedicated in Jerusalem as was the custom. They needed to have him registered by the priest and his name recorded. When the priest took the baby from Mary it was just like any other child he had touched and dedicated to God. He had no clue that the baby in his arms was the Son of God, who was destined to be our redeemer. He was going about his daily tasks with no thought in mind of the importance of his role he would play.

My thought on that was how many times do we go about our daily tasks with no thought of our possible opportunities? Or how many times have we come close to touching the hand of someone who is truly going to make a difference in this world, and we don’t even know it… or how about this. What if we are so caught up in our “tasks” that we forget our true task, which is spreading the love of God and being a light in the darkness. I believe that priest who held Jesus in his arms had a calling to make a difference. But he got into the rhythms of life and missed his opportunity to bless. 

This unremarkable dedication of Christ however, was not to be overlooked. There was a man who was in the temple that day who had been studying the scriptures, and awaiting the arrival of Jesus. When he looked at Jesus being handed back to Mary, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and he went to Mary and took the baby from her arms and held him up high and declared “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.” He returned the babe to Mary and said to her “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

Mary had no clue at this point that Jesus would be persecuted and put to death, she believed as everyone else that Jesus would sit on the throne as the true ruler of Israel. But Simeon prophesied of his Death and resurrection. 

Let us today not be so blind that we touch the hand of God without knowing or understanding. Spend some time in study, and ask God to lead your way, and to guide you through this troublesome world. Ask him to open your eyes to see the blessing that you can be to another life. Jesus has a plan for you. No matter how important or unimportant your life seems to be. Jesus wants, and NEEDS, the hands of his people to do his work here on earth. I pledge this day to bless someone’s life. My prayer is that I can be a light shining on a hill. 

God bless you my friends.

Unto you a saviour

 Good morning and happy Thursday. I have been a bit off course the last several years, but with Gods Grace, I am attempting to bring my life back in line with the plan He has for me. I had forgotten that I had this blog, and today when I was doing my reading from desire of ages, I suddenly had a memory of recording my devotions on my blog… so here I am 11 years later to share some brief thoughts I had from my reading of Desire of Ages.

This morning I read the chapter “Unto You A Saviour” on page 44 the last few sentences of the last paragraph really got me thinking. I’ll write the whole paragraph out for you to grasp the context of my thought.

“Angels attended Joseph and Mary as they journey from their home in Nazareth to the city of David. The decree of imperial Rome for the enrollment of the people’s of her vast dominion has extended to the dwellers among the hills of Galilee. As in old time Cyrus was called to the throne of the worlds empire that he might set free the captives of the Lord, so Caesar Augustus is made the agent for the fulfillment of God’s purpose in bringing the mother of Jesus to Bethlehem. She is of the lineage of David, and the Son of David must be born in David’s city. Out of Bethlehem, said the prophet, “shall He come forth… that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2. But in the city of their Royal line, Joseph and Mary are unrecognized and unhonored. Weary and homeless, they traverse the entire length of the narrow street, from the gate of the city to the eastern extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting place for the night. There is no room for them at the crowded inn. In a rude building where the beasts are sheltered, they at least find refuge, and here the Redeemer of the world is born.”

My first thought when reading through this paragraph was how amazing that a worldly ruler was used to fulfill prophecy. For me it just goes to show that no matter who is in power, God can use them to bring about his will. Be this something as simple as bringing Mary to Bethlehem to deliver her baby, or something as grand as bringing about the second coming of our Lord. 

My second thought was about the reception of Joseph and Mary. Mary was carrying the king of the universe, there is no higher honor a person can have, and yet no one recognized her or honored her. My thought here was we all have a high calling, and just like Mary, we may not be received well, but that does not mean our calling or our mission is of no consequence. In some way or another our calling will be fulfilled if we just trust God and allow him to do his workings through us.

My third and final thought was about the lowly entrance to this world our Lord and Saviour had. In a barn on the outskirts of the town; in a manger, used for the feeding of animals, Jesus was laid. He was not brought into the world in the hustle and bustle of a busy inn, he was brought here in the quiet and stillness of a barn. I believe it is, to this day, the best place to find and commune with God. Not that he can’t be found in the business of life, but when we truly stop our busy life to sit awhile and listen, you will hear his voice calling to you. Speaking to your heart, and asking to allow him to guide you in the paths of his righteousness. 

To sum it up; One: Know that no matter the season, no matter our leader, God will find a way to make his will a reality. He will use whoever is in power to bring about his second coming. Two: Even though we are not recognized for the part we play in Gods plan, that does not mean our part is unimportant. Three: In the stillness, as our Saviour entered the world, he can still be found. Take a moment to stop and listen don’t be so caught up in “life” to block out the sound of his voice.

Have a blessed day.

The good kind of selfish

"The Lord Calls Women to His Service"
I have long felt that doing work for God is a burden and takes time for "fun" things away from me, even the small things like singing for church or greeting on sabbath. This morning I ran across this sentence in "Daughters of God".
"If the whole heart were consecrated to God, all would find something to do, and would covet a part in the work."
I now know why it has been so hard for me. I need to be wholly consecrated to God. But how? Is it even possible for a mother to be that? I think it is. With prayer it is possible. I believe God will sustain me if I ask Him to. If I feel like I don't have time to spend with Him because I need to take my nap since I am so tired, I must ask God to give me the energy and then spend the time listening and talking to Him! I believe He will answer my prayer for energy.
Now about working for God taking away time from my exciting life.
"Those who are colaborers with God will have no disposition to engage in the various expedients for amusement; they will not be seeking after happiness and enjoyment."
Will not seek after happiness? But I thought it was ok to be happy...
"In taking up their work in the fear of God, and doing service to the master, they will secure the most substantial happiness."
There it is, happiness in doing God work. The paragraph goes on to say...
"Connected with Jesus Christ, they will be wise into salvation. They will be fruit-bearing trees. They will develop a blameless character. The great work of redemption will be their first consideration. Eating and drinking and dressing, houses and lands, will be secondary matters. The peace of Hod within will force off the withered or gnarled branches of selfishness, vanity, pride, and indolence."
I really want this for myself. This sounds so peaceful. It may be selfish of me to want it, but I believe this is the good kind of selfish, the kind that betters YOU so you can help others. Today, I want to be selfish and reach for Gods peace in me!

Proverbs 3:11,12, 27

I forgot to put this up yesterday, so here is my blog of yesterdays study.

Really, this whole chapter was interesting, but there were three things that really stood out in my mind. the first is Proverbs 3:11-12

"My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."

When I first read this, it made me think of Revelations 3:19 which says;

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

Let me ask you a question. When you were a child and your parents were going to discipline you, what did they tell you before hand? I am doing this because I love you. Right? When I was younger, I was like, "yeah Right. if they loved me they would let me get away with everything."
However, as I got older I realized that discipline is for our own good for for instruction so we can learn from our mistakes and be a stronger person. I think that is exactly why God says that he punishes us because he loves us. So, the next time God is punishing you, remember that it is because he loves you and cares very much about your well being. You will come out on the other side a much purer and refined Christian because of God's LOVE.

The second verse that stood out to me was Proverbs 3:27

"Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it."

This verse really made me think of that story in Matthew where that man went and pounded on his neighbors door until he gave him some bread for his guest. We really need to be more giving. When the cry for help first comes, lets remember to ask ourselves the question, "what would Jesus do?"
God Bless

proverbs 2:1-8

I read proverbs chapter 2 today. That really is an amazing chapter but, I would really like to focus on verses 1-8.

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous; he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints." (Proverbs 2:1-8)

I think these are excelent for anyone to take to heart, but esspecially for the student who is seeking to advance in the area of study. If students were to look to God for understanding, I believe God would help them to see and understand. I know that when I took a test, if I was in constant prayer to God, I was at peace and I was able to do better on the exam. BUt I do not believe this is only talking about school. I think it really is talking about understading the ways of God and his written word. Lets try to open up our minds to God more often and see where he takes us.

God Bless