It's so amazing to me how I can read the same passage from the Bible a hundred times and then one day, I read it again, and God just makes a fresh message pop out at me - always just what I needed.

The foolish man –

Have you ever seen someone you love running blindly towards a cliff?  You can clearly see what is coming if they don’t change direction, but they are oblivious to the danger.  Or maybe they do see the path ahead but believe that they will be able to fly right over the abyss, magically?

So many times, I have tried to warn others of that camouflaged cliff, but to no avail.  It is easy to convince ourselves that our situation will be different.  We want what we want and our human desire blinds us to the danger that will come when we do things our way instead of God's way.  We believe the Enemy's lie which unfortunately, many times, our friends and family encourage us to believe.  Our loved ones see us in pain and want to help us, they want to fix it, the human way.  God love them all!  They really do have the best intentions, but when friends offer solutions that God does not, we simply must choose to listen to Him alone. 

Why don’t we just trust God to show us how to find joy, even in those times when things are not exactly what we had hoped?  

When bad things happen, when life seems so unfair, human nature attacks us with a vengeance.  Self-preservation, my right to be right, my desire to be happy – people will encourage us in these pursuits which do not always match God’s plan for us.  Let me tell you, human nature is dangerous enemy, especially when it comes from people who care about us.

Matthew 7:24-27English Standard Version (ESV)

Build Your House on the Rock

²⁴ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

I was listening to an audio Bible reading of Matthew this morning.  I heard the beatitudes – a list of blessings that come to us when we walk in the light.  Jesus told his disciples that they were to be salt and light and to let their good deeds shine for all to see, for the praise of the Father.

He then went on to teach them how it looks to be salt and light. 

Not only are we not to murder – we are not to be angry with someone.

We are not to call anyone a fool or an idiot.  We are not curse someone.  When I heard that again, I immediately thought of how many times I have heard someone call down a curse in the name of God on someone who has made them angry or treated them harshly.  Jesus said if we do that, we are in danger of hell fire.  That is not something to take lightly.

He said not only are we not to commit adultery, we are not to even look upon another person with lust in our hearts.  If the only way you can keep from lusting is to pluck your eye out, Jesus says that is better to lose an eye  than to be thrown in to hell for lusting! If we took this literally, there would be lots of people with the eyes plucked out!

Divorce – not okay with Jesus.  I can try to justify with human reasoning why it's okay for me,  but He clearly tells us that the only reason to divorce is for adultery.  If I am trying to walk in the light, I can’t leave my spouse because we don’t get along, or because I’m just not in love any more.  Jesus said except for unfaithfulness, if we divorce, and find someone else, we are committing adultery.  That is horrifying.

Jesus also said not to take revenge when you have been wronged.  In fact, he even went so far as to say we are to love our enemies.  When people see us being kind to our enemies, those who have persecuted or harmed us in some way, they can see we are truly children of our Father in heaven – that’s what Jesus said.

Give to those in need – and don’t expect gold stars for doing something good for someone in need. Your Father sees and He will reward you.  His reward is far better than earthly praise.  And earthly praise can sometimes be a tool the Enemy uses to make us feel prideful.  Oops!!!  The good things we do can end up causing us to think more highly of ourselves than we should.  Got to watch that!

Jesus continues with His message – calling us to be more than we think we can be.  The expectations are so high and we can begin to fill hopeless.  But isn’t that why Jesus came to earth, because we can't do it on our own? He came and took our punishment, He covers our failures with His righteousness. Thru His death, burial and resurrection, He gives us new life in the spirit - providing us with strength thru His Holy Spirit.  He offers mercy and grace we fall.  

As I listened to the book of Matthew, I felt like a failure.  Everything Jesus said I should do, I have not done consistently.  Everything He said don’t do, well…  Thank God for His grace and mercy.  I felt like Paul when he spoke to the Romans –

Romans 7:15-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁵ I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶ But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

Paul understood exactly what I am feeling.  But he didn’t throw his hands in the air and say, “oh well, I might as well just sin all I want, because I can’t follow the rules that Jesus has set out for me.  It’s impossible.”  No, Paul had the answer.

Romans 8 is the answer.

What I learned this morning is that every temptation or struggle that God allows in my life can remind me of my sinful nature as a human being.  When my marriage is not doing so great, and I start thinking how much better my life would be if only… My human nature will dwell on every fault and every failure of my spouse.  and guess who will be cheering me on? The Enemy – who sometimes will take the form of a good friend who encourages me to do things I shouldn’t do.  Jesus tells me do not divorce.  My friend says I deserve better.  Who am I going to listen to?

In Matthew 7, I listened to the story of the wise man and the foolish man.  Every kid who has sat in Sunday School knows the song – The wise man built his house upon the rock, but the foolish man built his house upon the sand.  Didn’t we all just anticipate that big SPLASH! When the foolish man’s house failed?

When you read the explanation for this passage. Jesus said that anyone who hears His teaching and doesn’t obey is like the foolish man – building his house upon sand.  When the rains come, and they will come, our house will fall if we are not walking in obedience to His commands.  This is not a threat. It is a warning.  Jesus loves us and wants so much for our lives to be full and fruitful.  His commands give life and keep us from a world of hurt and pain.  His commands are for our good, not just for now, but eternally.

There are so many times when I just do not know how God puts up with me.  I get up in the morning wanting to be His ambassador, to shine for His glory, and then some little temptation or trial comes along, and I forget to call on Him.  I struggle to find the answers to the problem, and I come up with human reasoning.  When I use my human heart, I can justify every bad decision. But my human solution  to the struggle leads to bigger problems – maybe not today or tomorrow, but down the road.  My house goes “SPLASH!” because I built it on a humanistic foundation made of sand.

I want to be the wise man and the only way I can do that is through obedience to the One who loves me and wants me to have the best possible life.  That life will be full of struggles and temptations and thru His strength, my faith will get stronger as I see how He brings me through every circumstance.  My character will reflect Jesus to those around me.  And hopefully, someone who struggles can see that I  struggled, too, but Jesus got me thru it, every time. I pray that they will see the hope I have is not for temporary happiness in this life, but for eternal joy in Heaven with my Savior.

My life is not supposed to look like everyone else’s life. I am not supposed to blend in; I am supposed to be set apart, holy.   When troubles come and I keep my eyes on Jesus, my response may seem crazy to the world, but when I come thru, still standing, maybe those around me will see His strength working in me.  Maybe they will see my joy, even in the worst of times if I keep trusting in Him instead of my own strength and wisdom.

https://youtu.be/QPpUqVmPZYY - I will lift my eyes - Alisa Turner

Trust and Obey – it’s that simple and that hard.  For me, I will keep trusting and doing my best to obey the One who knows what lays ahead, and has carefully prepared the way for me.  If I will just listen to Him and obey and remember, in the end, this world is not my home.  I don't want to live just for today - I want to live with Eternity in my heart.

​​

Blessed to be a blessing

“The true measure of a person’s character is how one handles one’s failures, not successes.”

― Bill Courtney, Against the Grain: A Coach's Wisdom on Character, Faith, Family, and Love

Larry and I watched "Undefeated" on Netflix yesterday. What a powerful story of young men rising above their circumstances in great part because someone, their football coach, loved them enough to give them hope and not give up on them.

Not every child starts the race at the same starting line.

This documentary along with another one - "Rich Hill" - which follows three young boys who also grew up in poverty without the security of parents who provided a safe and stable home - these two shows reminded me of just how much I have been blessed. It made me sad to watch these young men struggle with things they shouldn't have to worry about at such tender ages. But what can I do with that feeling?

I have always had parents who provided for me, and I didn't have to grow up worrying about where my next meal was coming from or if I my dad was even going to come home at night. It's too easy for me to just get up and walk away from the T.V. and forget the reality that many young boys and girls deal with every day. I did nothing to deserve the wonderful family and home I had just as those kids didn't do anything to deserve the struggles they face.

My responsibility as a Christian is help those who do not start this race of life with the same advantages that I have had. God didn't bless me because I am his favorite. He gave me blessings that I am supposed to use to lighten the load of others. It is truly better to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35New Living Translation (NLT)

35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

How many times does God tell us to help those who need help? Once should be enough but there are multiple times He tells to to help the poor. It's our job as Christians. How can we seen people hurting and refuse to do what we can do to help?

Hebrews 13:16

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

One of the last things Jesus said before ascending back to heaven was about this very thing. When we help others is just as though we are helping Jesus Himself. But when we fail to help those we can help, it's just like we are turning our backs on Jesus.

It's very easy to sit in my comfortable home with plenty of everything I need and shut my eyes to the poverty around me. Dear Jesus, help me to see what You put before me and not just shake my head about the unfairness of it all, but to actually do whatever I can to make a difference.

Matthew 25:35-40 New King James Version (NKJV)

35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Holy Father, help me to see what You see. Help me to have compassion that doesn't end when the movie ends but that makes me move to do what I can to help those You put on my path. Forgive me for taking my comfortable home and wonderful family for granted - as if I did anything to deserve such blessings. Help me to see those blessings as instruments to help those who do not have what I have.

Thank you for Your patience and mercy and forgiveness. Thank you for giving us the perfect example of how we are to live for others by sending Your Son, who was not born into wealth, but born in poverty.

The Creator of the Universe humbled Himself and did not even have a home to call His own, yet He gave so much to others. Thank You, Jesus, for Your great love and compassion, for even me. Purify my heart and create a clean spirit within me. Use my life as You see fit and help me to see what you have for me to do and then to do it.

​​Part 3 - Indescribable -   https://youtu.be/GhsGrkY67I4

Our God is an awesome God!

Genesis 1 says in the Beginning, God.

God said "Let there be light". And there was light. He made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night.  God created the Sun and the moon.

He spoke them into existence.  Wow, right?  But after watching this video, seeing the massive power that is our SUN, I get just a glimpse into  how powerful God is.

This is a quote from Louie Giglio's Indescribable video series.  Think about it: 

Scientists say it would take the gross national product of the United States of America 7 million years for our local power company to run the Sun for just one second. 

One second!

and God spoke that awesome ball of power into existence!

Do you think there's anything our God cannot do?

If we had any idea of His awesome power, we'd be on our knees worshiping Him every single day.  And as amazing as His power is, there is one other thing that blows me away about our God.

He loves us. The Creator of the entire Universe loves us!

We are this tiny speck in the Universe, so insignificant when you think about it. And yet, out of all His amazing  creation, we are His very special possession. Deuteronomy 7:6 He loves you and me so much that He sent his only begotten Son to die a cruel death just to pay the debt for our sins. He didn't deserve it.  We deserved death, but Jesus stepped in to take our place. John 3:16-17

 Why?

 He wants you and me to be with Him and to share in the love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit -that perfect love.  That's what He desires for us - that we will know His love and be with Him for all Eternity.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty ashamed of how little time I give to my Father.  I'm a little sad to think how many times I push Him aside so that I can do what I want to do instead of spending time with Him.  I ignore Him and take Him for granted, but still He loves me.

One of my very favorite parables in the Bible is in Luke 15.  You'll recognize the passage as The Prodigal Son. 

I am the prodigal son.

  I wanted my inheritance so I could go spend money and do things God told me not to do, because I wanted to have fun, to be happy. What did my Father know about that kind of stuff? Let me tell you.  I found out He knew so much more than I did.  I found out that all wanted for me was eternal good, not the 5 minute of happiness I might find on my own.

 When I realized how empty chasing my own dreams and plans had made my life, I wanted to go back Home, to Jesus.  I was so ashamed and humbled beyond words. It's hard to face the fact of our sinfulness without feeling discouraged and hopeless.  But as soon as I turned back and repented, my Father saw me coming and ran to me.  You know, He didn't one time stop to scold me for the wasted years of my life. He knew how much I was hurting. He knew my heart.  He knew how sorry I was. And He wrapped me in His love and forgave me of my sins, just like they never happened. 

I have been forgiven so much!  Haven't you?

So why, after receiving such undeserved grace and mercy ourselves from the Creator of Universe, no less, how do we not show mercy and grace to others who are just like us?  Sinners in need of the Savior. We all are Prodigal sons at one time or another,  who long to come to back home so desperately.  

I am so thankful that God is merciful and removes my sins as far as east is from the west.  I just wished I could do the same thing for others who have failed, just like I do every day.  I can't cast the first stone, can you? 

One of my favorite passages is the woman caught in adultery.  The self-righteous Pharisees brought her before Jesus and accused her that heinous sin. They felt perfectly in their rights as God's chosen ones to sit in judgment over this woman.  But do you remember what Jesus said to them?

I do.  It's written on my heart and in my brain.

"he who is without sin, cast the first stone."

I am a human being who fails to follow God's direction for my  life.  I take charge all the time, instead of listening and obeying Him.  As a sinner myself, how do I sit in judgment against someone else who is a sinner, just like me?  

The Creator of the Universe, our Almighty God is so good that we cannot use one "Holy" to describe His righteousness.  Our Father is HOLY HOLY HOLY.  and yet He is willing to forgive us our sins, and forget them, to give us a clean start every day, if we need it.  But I, as unrighteous as I am, cannot show mercy to another human being who has fallen and needs forgiveness.  That's a shame and it does not honor my God. 

God is Holy, Holy, Holy.  And for Him, sin offends Him so greatly that He will never tolerate sin in His Presence. Therefore, if it were up to us, not one could ever stand in His presence.  But as Christians, we are covered by the blood of our Perfect, spotless Lamb, our Savior and Redeemer.  God looks at us and sees His precious Son, His righteousness becomes our robe of white.

 

We still sin, falling short of all He has purposed for His children, don't we?  I lived a terrible life full of selfishness and evil, but that was so many years ago, I  tell myself.  But the sad thing is I know how much mercy I've received from my Abba Father, and yet I fail to show mercy to others who are struggling.  And then God is called to  forgive me again, for my self-righteousness - and he does it, because of Jesus.

It's hard to forgive, but until we learn to love like Jesus, to give people the same  mercy He gives us, we will keep falling short of His plan for us. We miss out on an incredible relationship with our Father and Savior because we don't submit to His will and simply obey.   I want God to be proud of me.  I want others to see Jesus shining thru me.  He cannot do that when I'm living in a state of un-forgiveness.

Jesus said to forgive.  He didn't say wait until someone is worthy of the forgiveness.  He didn't say wait until I know they're really sorry.  No.  He said forgive them,  as many times as necessary.  It's not my job to judge.  It's my job to love and to forgive - seven time seventy.  He said forgive those who persecute you, and do good to those who despitefully use you.  He didn't say it was easy.  He didn't say, "if you feel like it, forgive..."   He said "Love your enemies, do good to those who use you, forgive..."

What's in it for me, right?  Thought you'd never ask.  = )

Luke  6            Love for Enemies
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
 

​All we have to do to receive the blessings God promises is to obey Him and trust that He knows how hard it is to forgive when we have been hurt.  He is faithful and if He calls us to forgive, and we finally decide to do things His way, He will bless us for all Eternity.​

Oh Father, forgive me for failing to forgive as I've been forgiven.  Help me to love like You love.  Purify my heart and renew a right spirit within me.  Thank you for being so merciful and gracious to me. Thank you being ready to pick me up each time I fall.  I love You LORD, and will praise Your Name for all Eternity.  In the blessed Name of my Savior, I pray.

--

Coram Deo

 

Carol Draehn

214-395-8244 cell

 

 

                                                                                                                                                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Thursday, I found a penny in the parking lot at Walmart.  It was laying at the corner of my car in a spot where I had to walk right by it, to get to my door.  Big deal, right?  It's not unusual to find coins on a parking lot.  

What made this different?

That morning, as I drove to Walmart before I going to work, I had prayed, thanking God for all He has done for me – His Provision, Protection, Salvation, Rescuing, Comforting, His carrying me thru tough times...and I thanked Him especially for putting pennies in uncommon places, as a reminder to me that I can trust Him.  I told God that I knew some people might think I’m crazy for thinking the pennies I find are from Him, but I know they are.  Too many times I’ve found a penny at just the right moment, when I really needed to be reminded that He is with me.

When I found that penny Thursday morning, just after my prayer of gratitude, I knew, once again, He was very clearly showing me how much I’m loved and that He sees me, and He cares about what concerns me.  Wow!  What did I ever do to deserve that? Not one thing. It's just that I am His daughter and He loves me.

When I got to  work, I was so excited, I needed to tell someone, so I picked my friend, Tina.  She gets the penny thing because God uses pennies for her, too.  We celebrated His goodness and then tried to go back to work.

Well, yesterday, Thursday February 1st, I had an issue on one my files and was feeling a little frustrated.  So, I stopped, and picked up this little paperback devotional book that Tina had shared with me.  I flipped it open randomly,  and it opened to a devotional about Growing Gratitude.  I read the first paragraph –

Would you like to cultivate a greater sense of gratitude?  George Herbert, a seventeenth-century British poet, encourages readers toward that goal in his poem “Gratefulness”.

“Thou that hast given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart.”

I immediately, stopped and thought about how much God has always blessed me. In that moment, I sat at my desk, 68 years old, feeling healthy and strong.  My mind is clear, I really have no aches or pains,  and I am physically and mentally able to work every day.  I realized what a blessing my good health has been, because not everyone is given that particular blessing.  

I showed Tina the quote from George Herbert and thanked her for leaving that little booklet for me to pick up.  

Fast forward an hour … I went to the restroom, and as I started to enter one of the stalls, there on the floor were 3 pennies and a dime.

I couldn’t believe it!  I had just acknowledge how much God  has blessed me, and then He gave me a little hug – three hugs actually,  and I didn’t know what the dime was about, but hey, I’ll take anything He gives me.

I rushed back to Tina and dragged her into the restroom to see my "message from God".  We looked at the coins on the floor and laughed, but then, here is the best part!  Tina told me that after I had shared my Walmart penny story, she was driving to work and praying.  As she talked to God, she said, "Lord, You gave Carol that penny to let her know You heard her prayer.  Would You give me a dime?”   Oh my goodness!

The dime was for my friend, Tina.  We could hardly contain ourselves!

What I have taken away from these two penny stories is God wants me to have a heart of Gratitude.  He wants me to acknowledge what all He does for me every day.  Not because he needs to hear it, but because I need to remember that all good things come from Him.  And practicing Gratitude is an act of worship.  

I may be on my deathbed tomorrow, but today, I’m healthy.  Thank You, Father!  Each moment is a gift from Him.  He puts up with my ignoring Him and my  taking everything He gives me without ever saying, thank You, Father, I know that was You!  Thank You!”  How long does it take to acknowledge how good He is in every circumstance we face?  He bails us out of life struggles, and we don’t even realize it is Him. Or maybe, He reminds us with a penny on the floor, that He is always with us and faithful, so faithful.

One of my favorite verses (I have many) reminds me  that I have a loving Father who stoops down to help me walk, He picks me up when I fall.  He never makes me feel unloved even when I don’t act very lovable. As a mom, I understand that kind of patience and love for my children, but His love is so much deeper than even that love I feel for my family.  

 Hosea 11:3 New Living Translation (NLT)

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
² But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.
³ I myself taught Israel how to walk,
    leading him along by the hand.
But he doesn’t know or even care
    that it was I who took care of him.
⁴ I led Israel along
    with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
    and I myself stooped to feed him.

What a beautiful picture of a Father with his willful, selfish children.  Amazing love, we can't even begin to comprehend.

  I want to have a grateful heart so that I never forget that it was and is God who carries me thru the good times, and the not so good times.  And although it is much easier to see the "good things" as blessings,  He tells us to be thankful in ALL things.  I don't want anyone who is struggling with health issues, or family problems, to think, even for a moment, that God isn't blessing them, just as He is blessing me.  Sometimes the greatest blessings are life struggles that draw us closer to Him, or become a tool that we can use to testify to others about His faithfulness.  I have seen the most powerful witnesses for Christ in  my dear friends who are struggling with health issues.  Their faith strengthens my faith.  Some of our most godly forefathers were blessed with terrible struggles - they testified until the end of their lives.  And we remember their faithfulness thru those struggles.  They knew Jesus, and they trusted His love thru every lash, every stoning, even until death. God loved those people and He loves us. If He allows a struggle in our lives, as He did with our forefathers, and He most certainly will at one point or another, we can trust that He has purpose for that struggle that will outweigh the pain, the moment you step into His Presence.  We have no idea what He has planned for us, but He shows us His great love every day, if we just look for it. We can trust that Love, and know that love will carry us thru any struggle.

In all things, give thanks.

"Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." Colossians 2:7

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful." Colossians 3:15

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” Psalm 103:1-5

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1

"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Ephesians 5:20

Coram Deo