Giving the Lord His day....

 Feb. 27, 2021

Today is a little testimony of God's goodness to us as we vacation in Arizona and a lesson we learned.  We came down this winter just so excited to be outside and for Gail to be competing in team roping.  Every single day of the week there are multiple ropings that the guys and gals can enter in.  Some days if it works you can enter multiple ropings at a couple of differnt places.  It is so exciting!  Sort of like being in a candy store!  

On Sundays for the first few weeks we found a church that we could attend early in the morning so we could still go team rope.  Seemed like a good plan.  We would go to church and then spend the day roping.  Gail really wasn't roping as good as he'd like to and wasn't placing at the ropings.  

We felt like the Holy Spirit was telling us to give the Lord HIS day.  We felt like God wanted us to attend a church where the Word was preached solidly and where we could worship in Spirit and Truth rather than just attending one that fit our schedule but didn't really feed us.  So we changed our plan and took Sunday off - no roping, go to church, get some rest.  We attended a Bible believing church that was solid and we really enjoyed being fed the Word of God.  It felt good!!

Can I ask you: are you giving the Lord His day? Are you attending a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God?  Is the church you are going to increasing your knoweldge of the Bible and strengthening your spiritual walk?

II Timothy 4:3,4  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander of into myths.

I have attended churches in my life time that preached to tickle my ears.  I did not grow nor did I feel the Sprit of the Lord there.  God really wants us to worship him in Spirit and Truth.  Don't attend a church for convenience.  Rather purposefully seek out a church that preaches God's word.  You will be blessed.

 Gail and I were blessed by attending a Bible preaching church and hearing His Word. As God often does, He has showered us with His blessings for our obedience and Gail's  roping has improved and he has won some ropings.  God really loves us and showers His blessings on us when we obey Him!  HE IS GOOD!

Our God of miracles asks for obedience

 Feb. 27, 2021

Exodus 16 is the chapter in the Bible that tells of God giving his people manna to eat when they were hungry in the wilderness.  Gathering and eating the manna came with specific rules.  Gather only what you can eat each day.  Get rid of any that is left over.  

I would like to share with you two ideas I came away with after reading Exodus 16 - when God provided manna to the Israelites.

1.  God showed his power in this chapter.  First God provided the manna for the people to eat.  This was a miracle to be able to feed over a million people.  The manna came with specific directions.  Gather and eat only what you need.  If any was kept over it would be spoil, smell, and be infected with worms - another work of God!  Then God said gather some and keep it so the future generations will see what it was that God had provided for food - and this manna did not spoil!  We see God's hand at work  in this 'manna story'.  God provided....He made the manna appear....He made it spoil....He kept it from spoiling for future generations to see His power. God is powerful and is the God of miracles!!

2.  God gave specific guidelines on how the manna should be used.  Some of the Israelites disobeyed and they found it spoiled in their tents.  Verse 20 - "But the people did not listen."    

Exodus 15:26 says, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Eqyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer."

Lord God - may we diligently listen to You through Your Word, may we do what is right in Your eyes, may we listen to Your commandments and keep all your laws and ways.  For then, Lord, You will protect us and bring us healing.  Amen.

We serve an awesome loving God who wants us to obey Him and in return He blesses us!! 

Rewarded for your dilegence and gray hair

Feb. 26, 2021

Gail and I have been in Arizona this winter enjoying the warm sunshine where he is roping and we are enjoying each other and some 'down time'.  It is such a blessing to be able to do this.  It is a dream we've always had and didn't think would come to pass.  We have 'waited upon the Lord' for this to happen and everything has fallen in place.  We have very generous friends who lavish their hospitality on us, feed us, and let us stay at their Arizona acerage.  We have a great family that takes care of things at home in a very wonderful responsible manner.  We are very grateful to them!!

There are a wide variety of ages here in Arizona.  The other day we were out to lunch after going to church.  A group of young men came into the cafe that Gail knew from roping.  They were just getting up and coming in to breakfast after being out late on a Saturday night.  

Thinking about their lifestyle, it made me ever so grateful for our son-in-laws that were back home working at their jobs, caring for their families, and serving in their churches. 

A few years ago some of our grown children took a Bible study about marriage.  One thing they learned in the study was that there are things their parents are able to do such as have nicer homes with newer furniture, to go on trips, to drive newer cars that they were not able to do YET.  The study told them not to try to do these things yet.  They needed to hunker down and pay attention to the NOW so that they could do them LATER.  

So..... don't get ahead of yourself.  Pay your dues now so you may reap later!!

Pv. 14:23  In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

Pv. 21:5  The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Grumbling....are you?

 Feb. 26, 2021

Today I read through Exodus 15.  The Israelites had JUST come through the Red Sea and their miraclous rescue by God.  They had traveled three days and had come to the wilderness of Shur where there was no water.  Then they did find water but it was bitter.  They grumbled ......and the Lord heard and provided water.  Soon they came to a place that had abundant water with twelve springs and palm trees.  They moved on.  It was now thirty days since they had left Egypt and the people began grumbling again against Moses and Aaron saying, "We wished we would have died in Egypt where we had plenty to eat.  Now you have brought us out here into the wilderness to starve to death."

Their first time of grumbling was ONLY three days after the Red Sea miracle.  Seems to me they were a little short sited.  We see God provided water for them and then in a few verses later an oasis!!  They were satisfied royally! They traveled on and within a short time they were complaining again.  Where was their trust in God? Good grief!!!

Or is it good grief?

What are we doing in our lives?  We live in a wonderful land with wonderful homes and friends and family. We are given MUCH!!! I know there will be hard times we will go through.  Remember though that God does love us and doesn't allow anything to happen to us that isn't for our good and His glory.  

See the bigger picture and know God will get you through your problems.  

In the meantime be REALLY THANKFUL for God's blessings and watch out that you don't grumble!!

Calling out to God for the babies.....

 Feb. 26, 2021

Why are we concerned about our nation, and it's laws and it's leaders?  Is it for our selfish gain and self-interests?  I often ask myself this question.   Yes, it partially is for our gain.  We want the easy and good life that we can see and have experienced.  We want to be able to be prosperous and safe in our homes and county.  We want to go where we want.  We want to be able to do what we want.  We want freedom. We want these things for our children and our children's children.  

BUT MORE 

   THAN THIS.......

WE are concerned about the lives of the millions of BABIES

who will never get to take a first breath, or to have  known the touch of his parent's loving hands, to never experience playing in the water or sand, to never taste the sweetness of food, to never have a family or children of their own.  

I write this blog today to ENCOUAGE you to continue to fight for the unborn.  Keep praying as you've never prayed before.  And please ENGAGE in fighting for the babies politically.  FINANCIALLY support in elections those who are for pro-life legislation. Find out what the person running for office believes in and VOTE for those who will do what they can to stop abortion.  There have been 61,000,000 - yes, 61 million  - abortions since 1973.  

PLEASE SPEAK UP AND PRAY FOR THE UNBORN.......

God is in control...there is a bigger picture!!!

 

Feb. 25, 2021

This is a little bit of a continuation of yesterday's blog about calling out to God..... because He hears our prayers. We must know that HE HAS A PLAN!!

First - a little historical background

Genesis 15:13 - God told Abraham, Joseph's greatgrandfather, that He would bless the offspring of Abraham and give them a promised land BUT first his family would be sojourners and servants in a land not theirs for 400 years.  The Israelites becoming slaves and captives in Egypt was part of God's plan for His people.  God loved His Israelites but He allowed this captivity to happen.  Four hundred years is a long time!! God told this news to Abraham four generations before the captivity even began and it lasted for four generations!

15:16 "And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for iniquity of the Ammorites is not yet complete."

So God knew the Israelites would someday posess the promised land but first the Ammorite's wickedness needed to come to fulfillment.  What a thought!  A delay in judgment for the Ammorites in God's timing  necessitated the delay for the Israelites to be taken out of Egypt.  The Ammorites had not yet reached the time for their judgment thus the delay for the Israelites! Finally the time had come for Eqypt to be judged (vs.14) as the Israelites left their land and also for the Ammorites to be judged so that the Israelites could enter and posess their land.  

GOD IS IN CONTROL!!

I pondered this over in my mind....thinking about the age of our USA.  It is about 246 years old.  We saw the hand of God in it's beginnings.  A country that was fighting for freedom and the freedom to worship God. There were many miracles.  I know that he is still with us.  His words confirms that He won't leave His children.  There is a remnant.  He does hear us.  But He is soverign.  He knows the future.  He has a plan.  We must trust Him and cling to Him!! God is for us!  But we are part of a bigger picture. 

 We must be surrendered to Jesus! We want to keep faithfully serving, loving, obeying God when the reward of heaven comes to us for eternity.  We want to be found faithful!!!

Keep in touch with Jesus! Trusting! Obeying! Waiting ........Looking for the bigger picture!

Keep calling out to the Lord... HE HEARS

 Feb. 22, 2021

Exodus 2:23-25  During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.  The cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  God saw the people of Israel - and God knew.  

Just a quick note today to say:

- if you are going through hard times

-if you have family or friends going through hard times

- if our country is going through hard times

KEEP CRYING out to God.  He hears.  In His time He will answer.  He will give you the right answer.  He is with you.  

........KEEP CRYING OUT TO GOD!