Open Our Ears to Hear

"Blessed Lord, who caused

 all holy Scriptures to be 

written for our learning: 

Grant us so to hear." 

Verna J. Dozier

As I turned to my Bible Concordance this morning, the book opened to hear/heard, just what I was looking up to go with the above quote. (First sign that this topic was from God). Before me were two full pages of references on hear, heard, hearers, hearing, and hears. I didn't realize how many passages there were on this word(s). (Second sign that this topic was from God). As I searched the references, the scripture from Acts jumped out at me and when I read it I found a note that I'd written that said the scripture Paul quotes in Acts is from the Old Testament, Isaiah 6:9,10, verses that are used at least seven different times in the New Testament. (Third sign that this topic was from God). Praise the Lord!

 "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"(Acts 28:26-27 NIV).

As I grew older I found my eyesight was the first to fail me around age 40. Now it is my hearing that is beginning to go, though sometimes I think I just forget to focus on what is being said. I hope that my heart never becomes calloused.

My prayer today is that I would not be one spoken of in the scriptures: one who never understands, never perceives. I want to be one who sees with my eyes, hears with my ears and understands with my heart. 

Lord, open my eyes and ears and my heart so I can perceive all that the Scriptures have to tell me about Your Son who came to save me from my sins. Thank you for the gift of Your Word. Amen.

Have Faith and Be Justified

Sometimes it is hard to have faith in the weatherperson. Another weekend storm hit Iowa and it was just as they predicted. There was a definite line of the storm that resulted in different weather just miles from another location. In Ankeny, we had rain, then freezing rain, then a couple of inches of snow before the 50 mph winds hit. As John drove north 10 miles or so, he found heavier snow that had drifted across the highway creating whiteout conditions and blocked highways. As is often the case, the country experiences a different storm than hits the town.

I'm glad I'm not a weatherperson. People get very upset if they don't get predictions right and rarely praise them for doing a good job. Many have given up having faith in a weatherperson. Some people even lose their faith in God after something bad happens to them.

In Romans, Paul used an entire chapter to talk about Abraham being justified by his faith in God. He said: "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness'," (Romans 4:20-22 NIV).

These verses tell us a lot about life. Although, Paul uses his long sentence style again, if we break it down, we see what a great example Abraham is for us even today. Abraham never doubted God's promises. Through every challenge Abraham met, his faith was strengthened and he always gave God the glory and recognized God's power.

Paul goes on to explain even more. "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification," (Romans 4:23-25 NIV).

Justification in the Bible is defined as the act or process of being declared right with God. Isn't that what we are hoping for? What a wonderful promise we have, that if we have faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are justified! Not by our works but by our faith.

Thank you, God, for Your gift of justification through Jesus Christ. Help us to trust in Your promise as we face each trial in our lives. Amen.

Our Superpower Reigns

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor," (Psalm 8:3-5 NIV).

Between the cloud cover of the storms this week, there has been a brilliant full moon. That's when I always wish I could take night photos with some accuracy. But I've decided it is very difficult to capture the beauty of God's light in a photograph. Though I've seen some wonderful photos by professionals that capture even the detail of the surface of the moon, mostly the image of God's light is impossible to collect.

The moon made the icicles sparkle. It looked like magic in real life. I was overwhelmed by the moon's glory. The night shadows it made, stretching across the yard, were remarkable. It was like daylight. Even this morning the big moon hangs high in the west sky like a ball of superpower.

That makes me think of God. He is the One and Only Superpower: our Superhero, our King of Majesty, our Amazing Light, our Lord of Lords, Creator and Maker of all. He is the One who watches over us and loves us; the One who reigns over all.

We are a privileged human race. God cares about us and considers us of high quality value. He created us by His own hand, choosing to make us in his own image. How can we not be valuable and precious to Him? We are His own, made to follow His Only Son.

Humbly, we are worthy.

Proper Preparation

I thought about calling this blog, "More Snow" but no one would read it. Yet, in Iowa I'm sure it is the number one topic of conversation. We had several mild winters and got spoiled. Not this year.  I am still spoiled because my husband does all the snow removal with his new snowblower and a super duper wide snow shovel. It is all about having the right tools and the right person to use them.

Even the Bible talks about being prepared for winter. It is one virtue of the Proverbs 31 woman or the "wife of noble character".

"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple," (Proverbs 31:21-22 NIV).

When we lived on our acreage we had to be prepared for the livestock. February was lambing time so John would take time to look over his ewes every morning. If they looked like they were ready, he would move them into a pen in the heated area of the shed. After years of experience he became very good at telling when a ewe was ready. He also kept good breeding records.

The barn was filled with bales of nutritious hay, bedding straw, and pallets of feed. John had a chest filled with medications for all the usual ailments of sheep. He was ready for nearly every problem that a farmer could handle, short of needing a veterinarian. The Vet's number was on speed dial. He was prepared for every situation.

No matter what your plan is, the wise goal is to be ready. Unfortunately that is the way I pack bags for travel. If you are taking your car, it's usually okay, but if you fly, the extra weight and volume is not welcome. My car is ready for winter driving and unexpected stopping. I have the emergency kit, extra blankets, and bottles of water.

Believers also need to be prepared. We need to be ready for the Second Coming for we know not the day it will occur. Let us live ready. God blesses us each day; let us give Him the honor, the glory and the praise He is due each moment of our lives.

Glory be to God in the highest! Amen.

A Patient Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

In the 45 years John and I have been married he has shown his love to me in so many ways, yet no greater than the times I was in deep depression. The fact that he stood by me, through years of despondency and emptiness, as I truly struggled to choose life over death, patiently waiting for improvement and recovery is worthy of sainthood in my mind.

During a one-year period I spent more than three months in the hospital, leaving John to work and hold down the household with two young children. At the time I was so out-of-it that I couldn't even worry about the complexity of it all. The burden was on John's shoulders alone. This is the greatest gift he ever gave me.

At our wedding our pastor read from the Love chapter.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails," (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV).

John certainly got more than he bargained for. Yet, he has upheld his part beyond expectation. As I reflect on all the beautiful roses he sent to my office on Valentine's Days, year after year. And the countless lovely gifts through the years, what I hold closest to my heart is the way he stood by me even when it must have seemed there was no hope.

Thank you, my beloved husband John, for being the wonderful man you are. Happy Valentine's Day.

February Snow

We are not even half way into the month of February and already I would call it snowy. Yesterday was beautiful and challenging. Church men kept busy trying to keep the sidewalks shoveled but it was nearly impossible until the snow quit.

The snow created a lot of work for folks shoveling, snow blowing, and running snow plows. Those in the snow business were smiling all the way down the road. But, they were probably the only ones, except for children. It was a beautiful day to play in the snow; it was warm and calm.

We visited the Home and Garden Show on Saturday and I learned a benefit of snow. One booth was manned by Freedom Creek Seed Company, a native prairie and seed company in Prescott, Iowa. They had small packages of a variety of native prairie seeds that inspired me. They explained that one of the best ways to plant the seeds was to sprinkle them over the snow, allowing the snow to pull the seeds down to the soil naturally when the snow melts. The company said many seeds need a "winter stratification to break down the seed coat and stimulate them to germinate." A good use of the snow!

The Lord says, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it," (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV).

I love that Scriptures share an insight into our God and the nature He created. I love that God's Word is sent out to reach His purpose. The Word was written to record and accomplish God's plan.

I love that there are companies that care about our heritage and encourage restoring our native prairies. Thank you February snow for playing a part in restoring what nature intended and fulfilling a part of God's plan.

It only takes one healthy seed to plant an eternal future.
Share the Word with someone today.

A Prayer for Righteousness

Last night I was reading Scripture and Paul's prayer for the Christians at Philippi spoke to me. Paul spoke a prayer that is for all believers everywhere.

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God," (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV).

This paraphrased prayer is one I should say every day for myself: May my love grow in wisdom and understanding. May I discern what is honorable, right, and true. May I be holy and blameless until the day Christ returns. I pray that I can be filled with righteousness that comes only through Jesus Christ, my Savior. And may all glory and praise be to God. Amen.

I need this prayer because I am so far from being the person described within. I broke Paul's long sentence into phrases that I could reflect upon. I desire my love to be greater and more encompassing by having God's help with wisdom and understanding. I want my love to flow from my heart and to surround each person I meet. I want to have wisdom to discern the right, true and honorable things of life. I desire to be sinless and pure until Jesus returns. I want to be righteous through Jesus Christ alone. I want to give all my praise and glory to God above.

I'm asking a lot, I know, but if I just begin to work toward this great goal, I know God will lead me on. I'm a sinner and I start from being the opposite of Paul's description. It is only through Jesus Christ that I can become the perfect reflection of His life.

May this prayer speak to us today, and guide us to a closer walk with Jesus Christ.

A Hot Cup to Hold

My winter beverage of choice is hot water. No tea, or coffee, or cocoa, just plain hot water. It warms me up without taste or calories. That is what I want and need in the cooler-than-comfortable-to-me house. At some point I realized I wasn't enjoying the taste of coffee and a tea bag always made a mess; I just wanted something to warm my hands as I held it and warm the inside of me when I drank it.

The winter we experienced last week brought out all the ideas of keeping warm inside. I made several items of comfort food and drank lots of hot water. I sat covered by a warm fleece blanket my granddaughters made us for Christmas. I thought about the hot brick some would place in their beds to warm them before bedtime. I'm thankful someone invented electric blankets. When I went outside, I was covered top to bottom by my old hooded, quilted coat, a sweatshirt underneath, thick knit gloves from Japan, long pants and high soft-lined boots. It was not a great look but it kept me warm.

I thought a lot about the homeless on the nights that were below zero. Actually, I thought about them day and night. I couldn't imagine having to spend a night outside even if the temperature was at freezing. My heart ached for those struggling without a warm home and a pillow to rest their head. But what did I do about it?

"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead," (James 2:15-17 NIV).

We have donated blankets and boots to needy families, and money to Hope Industries in Des Moines, and the Salvation Army. But, I wonder if I'm doing enough? Everyone is called to different tasks in ministry. We have different gifts we share with others, but what is enough? I must pray about this and seek to fill the ministry that God has chosen for me to do.

Help me, Lord, to see and hear the needs within my reach, then help fill them. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.