Many gods or ONE?

A friend of mine just returned from her spiritual pilgrimage to New Delhi, India. 

She told me of her journey of pain up to four different

 high places to appease four different gods.

 At one point she hiked 18 miles.

She said that some carry others up the steep

 inclines piggy-back style;

some are carried in chairs,

but most climb on their own. 

 “The point is to suffer,” she said.

 “I was one of the few that made it to the top of all four.”

 She was proud of her accomplishment,

 and I was touched that she felt

 comfortable enough to share her experience with me.

 We have been friends for a few years, and we learned long ago to

 respect each others religious beliefs. I learn from her and she learns from me.

We rejoice in our commonalities, and discuss our differences.

 I am a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and

believe He alone is the door to salvation. 

 She believes all gods are doors

 that take you to the same destination.

 We respect each other’s right to follow their

own belief and so our friendship remains.

 But her suffering and climbing mountains to

appease various gods made me so sad.

If only she knew Jesus. How much He loves her.

How He is the one who created her.

 And that He would never, ever ask

 her to suffer just to appease his anger.

 I almost told her so today when we spoke,

 but I don’t think she’s ready to hear

 me say those words to her yet.

 So until then, I will keep praying to Jesus for her.

And I will ask Him to prepare her heart

 and mind to receive the truths

of His unconditional love and mercy.

 Jesus says:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour

and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

 In fact, Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice when

He allowed himself to be crucified on the cross so

 that the rest of us could have freedom and forgiveness

 for all the wrong things we have done. (Read Hebrews 9:21-23)

 And if we as Christ followers do suffer or have

 hard times in our lives we are promised

by Jesus that He will never allow

us to go through more than we can handle

(I Corinthians 10:13)

and that everything –

 even the bad things will work towards

 a good outcome for us. (Romans 8:28)  

 “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond

the course of what others have had to face.

All you need to remember is that God will never

let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your

 limit; he'll always be there to help you

come through it.”(I Corinthians 10:13, The Message)

 ^“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting,

God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along.

 If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter.

He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out

of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.

He knows us far better than we know ourselves,

knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us

 present before God. That's why we can be

so sure that every detail in our lives of love for

God is worked into something good.”

(Romans 8:28 The Message)

 The Holy Bible tells us that the prophet Elijah

lived in a time when many people served other gods.

Elijah wanted to prove to them that Jehovah was the

only true and most powerful God so he challenged the prophets

of Baal to a showdown. You can read the full Biblical account in

1 Kings 18:24-39. Here is how The Message

translation explains what happened:

“Then Elijah said,

"I'm the only prophet of God left in Israel;

and there are 450 prophets of Baal.

Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen;

 let them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out

on an altar on firewood—but don't ignite it.

I'll take the other ox, cut it up, and lay it on t

he wood. But neither will I light the fire.

Then you pray to your gods and I'll pray to God.

The god who answers with fire will prove to be, in fact, God."

All the people agreed: "A good plan—do it!"

Elijah told the Baal prophets,

"Choose your ox and prepare it.

You go first, you're the majority.

Then pray to your god, but don't light the fire."

So they took the ox he had given them,

prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal.

They prayed all morning long, "O Baal, answer us!"

But nothing happened—

not so much as a whisper of breeze.

Desperate, they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made.

By noon, Elijah had started making fun of them, taunting,

"Call a little louder—he is a god, after all.

Maybe he's off meditating somewhere or other,

or maybe he's gotten involved in a project,

or maybe he's on vacation. You don't suppose

he's overslept, do you, and needs to be waked up?"

They prayed louder and louder,

cutting themselves with swords and knives

—a ritual common to them—

until they were covered with blood.

This went on until well past noon.

They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to

 make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened

—not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.

Then Elijah told the people, "Enough of that

—it's my turn. Gather around." And they gathered.

 He then put the altar back together for by

now it was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones,

one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same

Jacob to whom God had said,

"From now on yourname is Israel."

He built the stones into the altar in honor of God.

Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar.

He laid firewood on the altar, cut up the ox,

 put it on the wood,and said,

"Fill four buckets with water and drench

 both the ox and the firewood."

Then he said, "Do it again,"

and they did it. Then he said,

"Do it a third time,"

and they did it a third time.

The altar was drenched and the trench was filled with water.

When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered,

Elijah the prophet came up and prayed,

 "O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,

make it known right now that you are God in Israel,

that I am your servant, and that I'm doing what

I'm doing under your orders.

Answer me, God;

O answer me and reveal to this

people that you are God,

the true God, and that you are giving

these people another chance at repentance."

Immediately the fire of God fell and burned

up the offering, the wood, the stones,

the dirt, and even the water in the trench.

All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces

in awed worship, exclaiming,

"God is the true God! God is the true God!"

What about you?

Do you believe in Jehovah God whose name is Jesus?

Do you serve another god, or perhaps no god at all?

What role do your religious beliefs play in your life?

Do you have friends of other faiths? How do you interact with them?

Let's talk.

Leave a POST and keep the conversation going.

The Experiment

For awhile, I was blogging about my weight struggles and how I lived my faith at work.

And, intermixed with those posts were more devotional style postings about my grandkids or something interesting or exciting that happened in my relationship with Jesus.

There are all sorts of blogs and columns out there and lots and lots of advice on what to do and what not to do with a blog. Advice is offered about ways to approach a blog, and how to write in such a way as to get more readers.

But what it all came down to for me was too much pressure to get readers and not enough of just flowing from my heart.

So, today, I'm starting a new experiment. 

And if you like you can join me. 

Instead of trying to write on a certain topic, or with certain key words that will get the search engines attention. I'm just going to write what Jesus is showing me, dealing with me on,  or teaching me.

The experiment will be that if this 'just being myself' approach pleases God then the readership will increase and so will the comments without any special effort on my own.

My act of faith will be the writing from my heart.

I will do this until the end of the year and together we will see what the Lord does.

But you know what?

Even  this experiment is an exciting aspect of living every day with Jesus.

Why?

Because Jesus is alive and I have a relationship with Him so I can ask His help just like I would a friend.

He is a living, breathing, thinking, knowing, seeing, God who has many, many incredible attributes. For example:

Jesus is all powerful.

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:18)


And Jesus can change our life in an instant.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)


And He loves us.

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3)

And His intentions towards us are always good.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)



And  Jesus longs for us to love Him so much that we joyfully obey Him.

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: ...And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 19:5-6)

Oh to be His peculiar treasure.

To love Jesus and be loved by Him is the most incredible experience in all the world.

Knowing Jesus and having his holy spirit living inside of me doesn't mean I don't have struggles, but it does mean that I don't have to figure out my problems on my own.

So often I meet people who are dealing with incredibly difficult circumstances all by themselves.

To them God is abstract.

An uncaring, distant diety that is not involved in their day-to-day lives.

Well, I'm here to tell you that Jesus is very real and very involved in every aspect of my life.

If I lose my car keys, I ask Jesus to help me.

If I'm sick, I ask Him to heal me.

If my work day is difficult, I ask Him to fill me with His peace.

If I lose my temper, or struggle with attitudes, I ask Him to forgive me and help me do better the next time.

The whole point is that living every day with Jesus means I live every day with hope.

And you can too.

The Holy Bible says in Psalm 33: 17-18 "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine"

Do you need a car?

Look to Jesus!

Do you need grocery money?

Look to Jesus!

Do you need a job?

Look to Jesus!

Do you need your marriage restored?

Look to Jesus!

Whatever your need, the God of hope will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

What do you hope for today?

Leave a comment so we can pray together about it.

-Debbie

Who Is Saved?

My friend Susan* and I were chatting the other day about a boy we know named Seth* who has been on several mission trips to Haiti, Guatemala and South Africa. Seth is only 22 years old, and has not only served as a worker on these trips, but also recently headed up a project to take a group of high schoolers from his CCD class, back to Haiti to experience for themselves what it’s like to serve in a 3rd world country.


“I’ll be glad when Seth is saved.” My friend said.

Her statement startled me. Let me explain why:

My friend and I both believe the Apostolic doctrine clearly spelled out in the book of Acts which says to repent, be baptized in Jesus name, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues. (Acts 2) However, Susan clearly saw Seth as a poor misguided, doomed to hell soul that needed redemption. I on the other hand saw Seth as a passionate disciple of Christ who simply had not come to an understanding of the fullness of the truth yet.

Susan’s attitude really bothered me. Who’s right? This is an answer I’ve been contemplating a lot lately. What do you think? Based on the scripture below, the people that Paul spoke to were already disciples, ie believers.

So my question to you today is based on the scripture and the dilemma I presented, whose approach is more Christlike? (I’m not looking to prove anything. I just would honestly like some feedback.)

“ And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,


He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.


And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.


Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.


When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.


And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” (Acts 19:1-6)

*Not real names

In Daddy's Arms

This is a picture of my son-in-law holding my granddaughter as they go down the slide into our pool. As you can see, Mikensey my granddaughter is quite scared, but willing to face what to her must have been sheer terror because her daddy was holding her safely in his arms.


Mikensey’s daddy is her hero. She follows him all around the house. And if she’s been away on a sleepover at one of her grandparent’s house, it is her daddy’s arms she runs excitedly to, not her mommy’s – much to my daughter’s dismay.

Mikensey’s actions are understandable because she obviously feels totally at peace when her daddy’s around. Her little heart relaxes just because she knows he’s nearby and, if anything happened, he’d be there to take care of it.

I think the Lord Jesus wants us to feel about Him the way Mikensey feels about her daddy. What dreadful unknown awaits you today? Are you anxious and fretting over circumstances that feel like your flying off the pool slide about to plunge into the deep?

Then relax and lean against your Heavenly Father’s chest – just like Mikensey did and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ has His arms wrapped around you tightly and will never let you go – no matter how deep the water is!

“Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them,…” (Mark 9:36)

Sound Advice

Sometimes I come across someone else's post or newsletter that so inspires me I want to share it with all of you. Such is the case today.

I met Cec Murphey a few years ago at writer's conference and found him to be a very genuine, kind, humble individual. And since I already liked his writing, I decided to sign up for his email newsletters.

Each month, Cec Murphey's newsletters grace my inbox. And each month, I look forward to reading them because they always resonate with me, and often speak directly to some issue in my own life I'm dealing with.

For example,  I was telling my husband how overloaded I was starting to feel by being the listening ear to so many different friends. It's not that I don't care, I told him, but so often I feel depleted afterwards like there's not another worthy thought in my brain to offer up.

But after I read Cec Murphey's Newsletter today, the answer to my dilema became clear. Cec says:

"My role is not to solve others' problems;my role is to love them while they solve their problems."

That was it! That was the advice I was looking for! Just because I am a leader, a writer, and a speaker does not mean I need to be able to offer detailed solutions to my friend's problems. Instead, my job - my role - as  Cec puts it, is to continually point them back to the One who has all the answers:
 JESUS CHRIST.

The Apostle Paul gave similar advice in James 1: 4-8. He said:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. "

And so, from now on, when I talk with friends in need, I will offer very little advice. Instead, I will pray with them and keep pointing them back to Jesus Christ, the one who knows all, sees all and understands all - Thanks Cec for reminding me of this important insight!

Christ's Occupation

Max Lucado puts best what is on my heart today:

"When you say, 'Thy kingdom come', you are inviting the Messiah himself to walk into your world. 'Come, my King! Take your throne in our land. Be present in my heart. Be present in my office. Come into my marriage. Be Lord of my family, my fears, and my doubts.' This is no feeble request; it's a bold appeal for God to occupy every corner of your life."

And it's CHRIST'S OCCUPATION that I am contemplating today.

I'm not that much of a military buff, but I do know that when an army comes in to take over hostile territory they OCCUPY the land. In other words, they station enough troops to maintain an authoritative rule - to govern by force.

Well Christ desires to OCCUPY our lives - all of our lives - but He chooses not to do it by force. He could have. He's certainly powerful enough. But instead, He gives us a choice. In essence He says, 'Let me have all of you. Hold nothing back. Allow me to transform every area of your life to conform to my ways and you will be greatly blessed.'

And although the reward is great, so often we struggle. At least I know I do. For example, I let him OCCUPY my marriage and my family, but not issues with food (see earlier post on the food thing). Oh, I make stabs at surrender in the food area, but I wouldn't say I'm totally surrendered yet. And also there's a few people who have hurt me deeply that I haven't fully surrendered and turned over to God in absolute forgiveness.

You see to allow Christ to fully OCCUPY me, I must allow HIS THOUGHTS, HIS WILL, HIS WORD to dominate all I do. In theory I do this, but when push comes to shove so often I grasp on to my own way and act like a toddler with a coveted toy who's screaming "MINE!"

In my babyish tantrums with whatever I'm not relinquishing I am resisting Christ's occupying all of me.

So for today, my prayer is simply: "Lord not my will, but Yours be done." Today I choose for Christ to occupy all of me.

What about you?

PRE-DAWN PRAYER

My alarm goes off at 5am on weekday mornings. I usually hit the snooze a couple of times and manage to be up and staring bleary eyed over my morning coffee by 5:30am. My normal workday routine is coffee and Bible reading until 6am. Then I pray until 6:30am, get ready and leave the house by 7am.

But God has been dealing with me all week to get up even earlier. I can feel Him wooing me - drawing me. I feel as if He has special treasures for me that will only come from pre-dawn communion with Him.

"And in the morning, rising up a great while before the day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." -Mark 1:35

Andrew Murray has this to say on this topic: "While others still slept, He went away to pray and to renew His strength in communion with His Father. He had need of this, otherwise He would not have been ready for the new day. The holy work of delivering souls demands constant renewal through fellowship with God."

Oh God, help me to seek You early and with the freshness of the morning.

What about you? What time do you pray?