Needing More Snow

Greetings!!!

Are you getting yet another snow covering this morning? Our driveway and the roads around us barely got cleared of snow and ice when we got a major snowfall Tuesday night through Wednesday. Many of the back roads here are still snow covered, and at this moment, we are getting more snow that is covering everything once again!!

All this snow and the snow yet to come made me think of Isaiah 1:18 

"Come now, and let us reason together," 

Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, 

They will be as white as snow; 

Though they are red like crimson, 

They will be like wool."

Sometimes you may hardly get up out of the sin you are in, when you fall right back in and need to have the scarlet made white as snow... again. Do you ever feel like what is the point... that you will never get this... that you can never be what you need to be?

Along with Isaiah 1:18, 1 John 1:4-10 kept rolling over and over in my head, especially verse 9. "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

The very fact that you are frustrated with the sin in your life means that God is working with you. Once God starts a work, He completes it. It may be very uncomfortable. It may be very confusing. It may be such an intense battle that you get weary physically, but do not give up. Each time you fall, reach out to Jesus. Tell Him how much you hate what you are doing and how hard it is for you to do this on your own. Make yourself aware of His forgiveness in your life and His cleansing of your soul every time you ask Him.

The LORD bless you with experiencing your sins, though scarlet, being made white as snow.

I love you,

Ruth

Fear and Dread

Greetings!!!

What is causing fear in your life today? Perhaps it is the war in the Middle East and the terrorism that is being produced there? Are you afraid of the economy? Perhaps you are one of those who could soon be among the unemployed. Is it a health issue? Maybe things are shaking within your family... there are struggles with a child, a brother or sister, or father or mother.  What do you fear or dread? 

Take a look at Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, 

My God, in whom I trust!" 

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper,

And from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. 

You will not be afraid of the terror by night,

Or of the arrow that flies by day; 

Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness;

Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not approach you. 

You will only look on with your eyes,

And see the recompense of the wicked. 

For you have made the LORD, my refuge

Even the Most High, your dwelling place.

No evil will befall you,

Nor will any plague come near your tent.

For He will give His angels charge concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

They will bear you up in their hands, 

Lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; 

I will set him securely on high, because he has known my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him, and honor him.

With a long life I will satisfy him, 

And let him behold My salvation."

As a child of God, you have a Father who loves you and cares about your every need. Do not be afraid. Rest in the One who has everything in control. Rest in the One who has you in His hand. Rest and be at peace. You are safe no matter what is going on in your life.

The LORD bless you with freedom from fear.

I love you,

Ruth

It Is Your Race

Greetings!!!

Do you ever get tired of all the self-help books that explain in three, seven or twelve step all the issues of life?  What if writers of the Bible wrote seven step self-help books instead of the books of the Bible. Can you imagine what would have happened? We may not have been blessed with the Bible. What are you facing today? Although your situation may be similar to other people's situations, yours is unique because you are unique. God wants you to seek Him and His word for your situation not just a self-help book. 

I have been reading and listening to Hebrews. Hebrews 11 and 12 really jumped out at me this morning. Hebrews 1:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." It goes on to list numerous saints who endured many hardships, never saw the promise, yet still lived by faith. Then, Hebrews 12:1-3 continues, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." 

You have a race to run. Your race might be similar to mine, but yours is not mine. You need to run your race. You need to fix your eye on the goal. Your goal is the same as mine, Jesus Christ our Lord. You may encourage me, and I may encourage you, but our races will be different. This race will probably not be a sprint. No, for most of God's children, it will be a marathon. Marathons are not glamorous or glorious. No, marathons are grueling, exhausting, wearying, debilitating, exacting, strenuous, harsh, severe, stressful, hellish. Marathons are an enormous amount of work. The race began the day you gave Jesus lordship of your life and will continue until you are finally home with Him in heaven. Do not be discouraged. I know beyond a doubt that since you were called to this race, God will see you through it. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Fix you eyes.

The LORD bless you with running your race with determination to finish well.  

I love you,

Ruth

Hope and Change?

Greetings!!!

What do you think of the new President of the United States? Are you among the many who believe that Obama will be the savior of our country? Perhaps you are part of the group that is rather alarmed at his liberal moral stand on issues. Could you be one who just has a "wait and see" attitude? Whether or not you like this man, whether or not you agree with his stand on issues, whether or not you like the people he is taking on as advisors, he is our President and should be respected. More importantly, he needs our prayers. 

According to Romans 13: 1-2 President Barack Obama is God's man for the hour. "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves." 

In 1 Timothy 2:2-6 we are told, "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made of behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time."

No matter what you think of President Barack Obama, respect his authority as from God and pray he will himself submit to the authority of God and not relinquish that authority to men. But if he oversteps his authority and acts contrary to the teachings of the Bible, we, as God's people, must be prepared to obey God rather than men.

The LORD bless you with being faithful to hold President Barack Obama up to the Him in prayer.

I love you,

Ruth

Awestruck Wonder

Greetings!!!

Have you ever checked out the images from the Hubble Space Telescope on the NASA web site? There are some amazing images from unimaginable distances across the universe. This is an image of the Lonely Galaxy. This galaxy was discovered by William Herschel in 1788, and it has astronomers baffled today. "The Lonely Galaxy is producing stars at a rate more than 100 times higher than the Milky Way Galaxy." http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/iotd.html

Do you ever wonder why there are so many wondrous things out there in the universe? I think it is because God knew that one day one His children would discover the planets, moons, stars, and galaxies. I can imagine His delight when we stand in awe of His creation.

David, who spent much time out in the open fields observing the night sky, said, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat." Psalm 19:1-6

When was the last time you stood beneath a canopy of star and gazed in awestruck wonder? The Milky Way is really big. What concern seems bigger than life to you today? Put it in the hands of the One who made the Milky Way. He is really, really big. He can take care of you and your concerns. Trust Him.

The LORD bless you with awestruck wonder at His work in your life.

I love you,

Ruth

Wrapped in Heaviness

Greetings!!!

Are you enjoying this freezing weather? For three days our temperature has been below 30 degrees. Everything on our hill and up the mountains has been encased in ice!!! This shroud is beautifully amazing as it glistens in the light of the sun, but this is very unusual. Are you feeling like you are encased in a shroud, trapped in an enclosure of darkness that will never break?

Isaiah 54:4-10 says, " Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. For the LORD has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth when she is rejected," Says your God. For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on your," Says the LORD your Redeemer.  For this is like the days of Noah to Me; When I swore that the water of Noah Should not flood the earth again, So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, Nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Say the LORD who has compassion on you."

I do not know why the darkness comes and enshrouds you. I do not know why it lingers so long, but I do know that God is with you in it. If you belong to Him, His promise is sure in Hebrews 13:5 as written in the Amplified Bible: "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless not forsake nor let [you] down, [relax My hold on you].--Assuredly not!" God loves you with an everlasting love. Keep holding onto Him. No matter what, do not let go.

The LORD bless you with a reprieve from the darkness.

I love you,

Ruth 

Unpredictable Weather

Greetings!!!

Do you get frustrated with the inaccuracy in the weather reporting? By the time the storm stopped yesterday, we were covered with over a quarter inch of ice, but it was supposed to warm up to thirty-six degrees and melt. The temperature on our hill never cleared thirty degrees. So everything that was not cleared when the ice turned to rain is still covered with thick ice. That is the weather for you. You can never really be sure of a weather prediction until it actually happens. Then it is no longer a prediction, but the weather.

The Bible gives many predictions that you can count on with assurance. Jesus Himself said, "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ.' and will mislead many. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name, And at that time many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, it is he who shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come." Matthew 24:4-15   Doesn't this sound like the evening news?

You prepare for bad weather not knowing for sure if it will arrive. Are you prepared for the return of the King of all kings? That you will have to face Him is a certainty. Are you ready?

The LORD bless you with rejoicing at the return of the King.

I love you,

Ruth

A Day to Rejoice

Greetings!!!

What is your weather this morning? Here on my hill, everything is laden with a sheet of ice more than one-forth inch thick. It is amazingly beautiful. It is amusing to watch the animals cautiously move about. Our cats tiptoe across the sidewalk to their food. The birds move with extra care, unsure if their footing will hold. It is nice not to have to go out and brave the storm, but for those who do, it could be a very anxious morning commute. Are you anxious this morning? Maybe the morning commute is the least of  your cares today.

Paul tells us in Philippians 4: 4-8, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."

Do things look scary for you today, things beyond the weather? I am reminded of a song my daddy used to sing to us... "When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessing. When my payroll is getting small, I think of when I had none at all, and I fall asleep counting my blessings." Whatever you are going through, you are not alone. God loves you and cares about what is happening in your life. Trust that He is working in your circumstance. Your heavenly Father also places people around you who can help you bear your burden. Ask for help. You might be amazed how quickly you will find a helping hand or someone with just what you need, but they cannot help you if you do not make your need known. 

The LORD bless you with His peace as you face today.

I love you,

Ruth

Forgiveness

Greetings!!!

Are you holding onto unforgiveness? Is there someone in your life who hurt you some time ago, whether in the distant or recent past, that you are just unwilling to forgive? They hurt you, and you want to hurt them by not forgiving them. You are going avenge that hurt, even though every time you see their face, whether physically in front of you or just inside your head, you relive the hurt, and all the feelings once again well up inside you. Tell me, who is the one still in pain? Who is the one being held captive? You must choose forgiveness.

Jesus was very clear when He taught us to pray in Matthew 6: 9-15.

He said, "Pray, then, in this way:

'Our Father who art in heaven, 

Hallowed by Thy name.

'Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

'Give us this day our daily bread.

'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

[For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen].

"For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

You do not forgive the person who hurt you for his sake, he may not even realize that he hurt you. You must forgive him for your own sake. By forgiving the person whose wound you still bear, you free yourself from the bondage of that hurt and that person. What she did no longer needs to control you. You can make the choices. When that person comes to mind, you can choose to say, maybe a thousand times a day at first, "As an act of my will, Father, I choose to forgive her. Father, I put him into Your hands and ask You to bless him, but I release her from my unforgiveness." You will find that as you release that person, you also release yourself from that past hurt. You will be able leave that hurt in the past instead of allowing it to lurk around waiting to jump out and cause the hurt to start hurting you all over again without any warning. Is your hurt a heavy load? Lay it down. Carry it no longer. Choose to forgive.

The LORD bless you with choosing to release the past by choosing to forgive.

I love you,

Ruth

Dream

Greetings!!!

What were your dreams as a child or when you were a teenager? Were you going to be rich and famous? Were you going to go out and conquer the world? Perhaps you wanted to be President of the United States, and international representative, a doctor that discovered the cure for cancer, a great lawyer, or a world traveler. But whatever your dreams were, are you living them today?

Dreaming is not a new thing. Two of Jesus' disciples really knew how to dream. The scene is recounted in Mark 10:35-45. And James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Him, saying to Him, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." And He said to them, " What do you want Me to do for you?" And they said to Him, "Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" And they said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant toward James and John. and calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;  and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

Did any of your dreams ever include being a servant? A servant--it sounds so mediocre, so demeaning. It sounds so backward for God to say that if you are a servant you will be great. Isaiah 55:8-9 gives us some insight into the way God thinks. "For My thoughts are not your thought, Neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."

Does your life seem regular, not quite what you dreamed so many years ago? Is it routine? Does your work make you feel more like a servant, somebody's slave, rather than someone important or famous? Consider this: maybe, from God's perspective, what you are doing is more important and much greater than what you dreamed!! Consider the possibility that perhaps the angels stand in awe as they watch God delight in your quiet, unnoticed, seemingly unrewarded service.

The LORD bless you with dreams--wonderful, glorious dreams.

I love you,

Ruth

A Bright Hope

Greetings!!!

Why is it that we let yesterday rob us of today, and why is it that the hope for tomorrow never comes for when it arrives it becomes today being robbed by yesterday? 2009 is a clean slate, but is the slate clean for you? What will it take for you to let this year be the year God wants it to be for you?

Take a look at Jeremiah 29:11-14. " 'For i know the plans that I have for you' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you,' declares the LORD."

What will it take for you to trust in the LORD with all you heart and not lean on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge Him so that He can direct your paths? Things may not look too great for your 2009. You may be facing financial difficulties because of lay offs and the inability to find full-time work because of the economic instability. You may be facing health issues. It may feel like the rug has been pulled from under you. It may look like there is not hope, but in the words of Habakkuk "Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the field produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation." God is worthy of your trust. Trust Him with your todays, tomorrows, and yesterdays. No matter what--ALWAYS TRUST HIM

The LORD bless you with trusting in His hand on your life.

I love you,

Ruth