Tag Archives: God

No One Is More Important Than Jesus

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These words of Oswald Chambers had a profound effect on me the first (and every) timehouse I read them.  I have many friends who mean much to me but not as much as my Jesus.  I have a loving family whom I adore but they don’t mean as much to me as my Jesus.  I have a church family that I think the world of but they don’t mean as much to me as Jesus.  God gave me the most awesome man on earth as a helpmate, but Jesus surpasses the love he has for me.  (Yes, he’s comfortable with that because he also knows that Jesus’ love for him is greater than mine.)  There is no one in this world greater than my  Jesus!

Our soul’s history with God is frequently the history of the “passing of the hero.”  Over and over again God has to remove our friends in order to bring Himself in their place, and that is where we faint and fail and get discouraged.  Take it personally: In the year that the one who stood to me for all that God was, died–I gave up everything?  I became ill?  I got disheartened?  Or–I saw the LORD?

It must be God first, God second, and God third, until the life is faced steadily with God and no one else is of any account whatever.  “In all the world there is none but Thee, my God, there is none but Thee.”  Keep paying the price.  Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision. 

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest (Westwood, NJ; Barbour and Company, Incl, 1935), 195.

I thank my God every time I remember you.  Philippians 1:3

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

My God Is With Me All The Time

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Romans 8:31  If God is for us who can be against us.

Lately I’ve been thinking about God’s nearness a lot and remembering the many times and places He has made His presence known to me…

I’ve seen Him in the mountains at sunrise when the mist is rising, the moose is bugling mountainin the distance, and the birds are singing their beautiful morning symphony.

 

oceanI’ve seen Him on the ocean while sitting on a balcony and watching the incredible blueness of the water and the flying fishing playing on the waves.  I’ve heard Him in the sound of the dolphins chattering in the dark of the evening.

I’ve seen Him in the ocean while snorkeling in the Caribbean.  The colors of the tropical snorkelingfish, the stingray stirring up the sand, and the small brown shark minding his own business, and the myriad of colors in the coral.

jesus_surgeonI’ve known his presence before and during surgery.  Only he could guide the hands of the surgeons so that all that was left of an 8 1/2 pound cancerous tumor is a nasty scar.

 

thCA8GZJYEI’ve known the calmness of His presence while waiting for 20 days for my Ray to wake from his Traumatic Brain Injury Coma.

blizzardI’ve seen the beauty of His creation in the more than 70 inches of snow we’ve had this year.

 

symphony-orchestra-183607_640I’ve heard him in the beauty of Beethovan, Brahms, Mozart and Dvorak Symphonies.

My Lord is with me all the time.  How about yours?

The Magi

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Have you ever thought about this?  The Magi did not know God yet they still followed the star.  Isn’t that an amazing thought?  God uses His creation in all kinds of ways to bring the lost sheep (those who don’t believe in Him or don’t know of Him) back into the fold.  His love is for everyone, not just those who already believe.

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Let’s take a look at these Magi.  Western tradition teaches 3 Magi came to see Jesus.  There were probably more because the Magi were usually grouped in twelves.  The reason for just 3 seems to be the gifts they brought…gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  These gifts are significant because of what they represent.  Gold is often associated with holiness and kingship.  Frankincense is an aromatic resin used to make perfumes and incense and would have been used in Worship of the time, particularly during prayer.  It is a symbol of deity.  It characterized kingly virtue.  Myrrh is also an aromatic resin obtained from a thorn tree.  It was considered ‘liquid gold’ at the time of Christ and often was priced higher than the solid.  It was also used in Temple worship and for embalming. It traditionally represents death and suffering.  There is no symbolism that is actually stated in the Bible for these 3 gifts, but remember God uses His creation to teach us of Him.

There is tradition that the Magi represent different countries. The Encyclopedia Britannica (“Magi (biblical figures) – Encyclopedia Britannica”. Britannica.com. Retrieved 2013-07-04.) tells us that Melchoir was a Persian scholar, Caspar an Indian scholar, and Balthazar an Arabian scholar.   It’s interesting to look at the impact of these countries on the people of the Bible, and yes, even current events.  Persia is modern Iran.  Both the books of Esther and Daniel are set in this area.  Arabia in the Bible is modern Saudi Arabia.  When Moses led the Israelites from Egypt they wandered for 40 years in the desserts of Arabia.  India, as part of Biblical history, is directly mentioned in the Book of Esther.  There may be some relevance in the claim that Ham, the son of Noah may have settled in Cush which is part of India.  The Northeastern parts of India are so close to Afghanistan that familial relationships could easily have been formed.  Once again, God can and will use His creation to bring ALL of His people back.

No matter where the Magi were from, how many there were and what the gifts signified they were part of the early life of Jesus.  I do not believe they were present at the birth because there is no mention of them until they visited the home of Mary and Joseph and were instrumental in the family’s move to Egypt.  They were real people, with real lives, learning more about the real Creator of the Universe and His Son.

Know ye that the Lord, He is God.  It is He who made us, and not we ourselves,we are the sheep of His pasture.  Psalm 100:3

He wants a love relationship with every person in His creation!!!

Keep The Appointment

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How often do we keep our God appointments?  Are we more likely to say…If I have time today…Maybe later…and then it’s time to sleep and we have had no or little contact with Him?

1 Samuel 13:14 tells us of the consequences for King Saul when he decided to go his way and not keep the appointment God had given him.

God is out looking for your replacement right now!  This time He’ll do the choosing.  When He finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of His people.  And all because you didn’t keep your appointment with God!    The Message

What was the appointment?  Samuel had told Saul to wait 7 days before attacking the Philistines at Gilgal.  At that time he, Samuel, would sacrifice to God and the battle could begin.  Saul waited the seven days, but in the meantime he was loosing his army to fear.  On the 7th day when Samuel didn’t show up immediately Saul took matters into his own hands and did the sacrifice himself.  Samuel showed up at the end of the sacrifice and said, “What on earth are you doing?”  Saul’s answer was much like our own when we feel we’ve waited long enough and have to take matters into our own hands.  Every time I decide I’ve waited long enough and it’s time to do it my way…there is a consequence.  The results are not the ones I wanted.  Saul’s consequence was not only the loss of his kingship but a serious bout of mental illness.

What is our appointment?  God only wants one thing of us.  He wants a relationship with us.  Each day I set aside specific time to spend with the Lord of my life.  I read His personal instructions to me (The Bible),  I talk to Him about my day, my thoughts, and lift others up (in prayer), and I sit quietly and enjoy the moments with Him (Psalm 46:10).  After reading the verse above, won’t you agree, it’s just to risky to miss the appointment.

Ancient Words

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When Michael Smith released Ancient Words he spoke right into my heart.  (Click on the blue title words to listen to the song.)

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Thy WordDavid’s words in Psalm 119:11 tell us to hide God’s word in our heart’s.  How do we do that?  By memorizing them.  When we take time to memorize the Word we have all we need to make decisions, to deal with the ups and downs of life, and to help those around us who need to hear them.

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Jehovah Jireh, my Provider, has given us 774,746 words that will change our lives when we choose to live by them.  Words of life, read John 3:16.  Words of hope, read Jeremiah 29:11.  Words of strength, Joshua 1:9.  (Did you know fear not appears in the Word 365 times.) Words for coping, Psalm 46:10.

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Take the time to read, read, and reread Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Revelation.  Use a red-letter edition.  His words are as timely now and they were then.

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Ah, Lord God, you have breathed Your word on to the pages of my Bible and into the nooks and crannies of my heart!  Keep me always mindful that You breathed those words into existence so I would have the answers.  Thank you, Lord!

This post was written for the Weekly Writing Challenge: Moved By Music