A YOU Focus
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Psalm 63:1-4
Each night before my husband and I go to sleep, he reads a Psalm over us, his loving voice and the rhythmic sound of scripture, especially the Psalms is gently soothing – so poetic, so honest – so declaring, so full of praise! The Psalmist starts as if standing on a hilltop and echoes of majestic relationship, “O God, You are my God!” He then states early I seek You. This early isn’t just a time frame mentioned, but a declaration of discipline. Literally, EARNESTLY I will seek YOU! Painstakingly I will set aside all things and YOU will be my focus. My in the moment – first thing YOU!
This world is so full of me, we, us and I, it really is refreshing to take a step back and see what is BIGGER than us, BETTER and worthy of our focus and pursuit. SO WORTHY – His power and glory, His lovingkindness! Our lips praise HIM, our hands raised in HIS name! Morning or night it’s a YOU focus!
“O God, You are my God!”
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
If it is Possible
We are list people, whether we write it down or attempt to contain it all in our head, we love us some lists. We list what needs to be done, our goals and items to pick up at the store. Paul too loved his lists; the nine Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22,23) his ‘think on these things’ (Phil. 4:8) and of course ‘Love is…’ (1 Cor. 13). There is yet another list, a list full of practical lifestyle responses, ‘in view of God’s mercy…’ found in Romans chapter 12. We are told to be devoted, joyful, patient, hospitable and faithful, we are to love, cling and honor and in no way are we to lack zeal, curse others, and repay evil. My favorite of this list is verse 18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with each other.” ‘If it is possible.’ Hm, interesting, there is no if …it hangs low enough, to where I can reach it and cling to what is good or if …you can muster up some patience or devotion. Nope, you just get those done through the Holy Spirit (in Jesus name).
The fact remains, there are times, peace does not reign in relationships, it takes a ton of work and an abundance of 
divine intervention. ‘Peace’ (Eirene in the Greek) which literally means ‘set at one’ – the word picture conveys something that was once erected, has either been removed or toppled over. Chaos, frustration, strife and even war can be the result of the deep crevasse left behind. Peace is putting it back in its place – set at one! The ultimate example; the Garden activities in Genesis; All things are good, then man messes up, the God/man relationship is broken [leaving a hole]. Fast forward – Jesus comes [Prince of Peace] the glorious Son puts things back in its place, things made right, He fills the chasm, we now have… Peace. (Ro. 5:1)
When there is strife or any evidence of some toppling over, do we do our very best to identify, pull up and reset what is missing? Do we invest ourselves in seeing peace restored? Paul gives a simuliar list to the Ephesians, yet wraps it up with a divine-like bow: “Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (4:32 MSG) I love his direct prodding and not to mention (but I will) hint of admonishing. He plays the holy tag-team card, God forgave – ‘your turn.’ What a challenge! How painful! How risky – but worth it. Putting God and God stuff back in the center, THAT is seeking peace with my brothers and sister. ‘If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with each other.’
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
The Hemming of God
Recently I was reminded of a time I spent on a loved one’s cattle farm. This particular visit we were working with the cattle one-on-one, giving them medication and much-needed individual attention. As the day went on, one particular cow impacted me, she was spunky and fought the process the whole way, we got her into the funneled shoot and once she was in the head gate, I put the rump board in behind her to hold her in nice and tight, no backing out. This poor gal – she thrashed so hard, causing the farmer to get a nose clamp, this was a metal clamp with a large rope attached to it, he placed it in the nostrils of the cow and brought her head up and tied her off. This was done for her own safety. She fought so hard that she ended up on her knees, and there she stayed. If she would just calm down! Oh the pain, not for her, but for me! I reached out and patted her, tenderly saying, “Just yield, it would be less painful.” As the words escaped my lips, I stopped and sensed Holy Spirit tap my shoulder with a divine nod. YES! If I too would just yield to my Master, it would be less painful.
How often do we find ourselves in the ‘shoot and headgate’ of God (if you will)? He is wanting to prepare us, heal 
us, create His character in us, and teach us – but … we fight it. We thrash, bawl, and complain, oh it may be uncomfortable, and perhaps even feel a bit boarded in – the hemming of God. David speaks of this, but in the context of BLESSING; “Before there is a word on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (Psalm 139:4-6) He goes on to say, “Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (v 14b)
I have to admit, I can relate to the sweet bawling cow, I too once required the nose clamp (for my own good) after I thrashed about for a bit, I sensed God’s hand on me, and it was GOOD – I know that full well!
Sometimes we come to God quietly and other times kicking and screaming – either way, thank you, Lord, for the hemming!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
* Please know, no cows in the above story were harmed, our spunky bawling cow was only in the head gate just a couple of moments and soon released out into the pasture.
Give Him Just One
Women. We are used to multi-tasking. Having our minds and lives firing in 5 or more different directions all at the same time. When we find ourselves on overload, what do we tend to do, and do well? We criticize ourselves. I am reminded of a time when I sat amongst a small group of gals in a bible study setting. In that discussion time, we were sharing our goals for the study. There was a mother of ‘4’ (FOUR!) small, YOUNG, needing her attention, children. In her frustration and complete weariness, she shared in depth about not having ‘enough’ time for devotions and her bible study. She was exhausted, felt defeated, and was basically giving up, to where she hadn’t opened her Bible in some time. Those in the group kept trying to help with creative ways to carve out enough time. “Go to bed earlier, get up earlier, use paper plates, when they sleep ….” This young mom was nearly in tears. I just sat and listened. These are all good disciplined goals, yet they were more worried about the quantity of time, rather than the quality.
I finally leaned forward and looked the gal in the eyes, lovingly and tenderly asking, “Could you look at maybe just ONE verse each day or one verse for the whole week?” She stopped talking. So did the others. Silence. Reading their expressions, yet not verbalizing – “This gal is NUTS! One stinkin verse? THAT is NOT enough! I will get behind! I have to get through that one-year reading plan, gotta get my homework done! Gotta write in my journal.” This attitude belongs to many of us. How many of us too, feel defeated and allow our God time to slip, slip away because we can’t keep up with the ‘quota’.
I then shared that it’s not the quantity of time with God and His word that is important, it is the quality. If you have just enough time to read one verse, then the baby cries, or the dog is having a fit at the front door or milk is split (so goes life). Then take that ONE verse, WHILE you are cleaning up the milk – holding the crying baby, ask Holy Spirit to speak to YOU about that verse. You, God, His word … quality time. Listen – listen for HIS application, throughout the day, throughout the week. If need be at the beginning of the week, jot down that verse on a 3×5 card, tape it to the mirror in the bathroom, even though you may have a parade of offspring following you in there, READ it aloud. Again and again.
Don’t get me wrong I am ALL OVER Bible study, BUT there are seasons, seasons when time captures us. Seasons 
even with discipline … our life, our arms are full. The Pastor wrote; “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12) Allow the ‘alive word’ to minister to YOU! Remember, God spoke the universe into place with His word, He can decorate your heart with the same. One verse? Enough? Yes, yes it is with the Holy Spirit ‘leading you into all truth.’ (Jn 16:13)
During that moment of silence with the gals, I shared I once spent days just on Thomas’s “… my Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28). Knowing the context, I thought about it, I said it, I pictured it and I prayed it. Just 5 words -it was amazing. The gals just sat there and stared at me. (I was shocked that they allowed me to sit at their table the following week).
God knows us, knows our heart. For those of us whose season doesn’t allow for hours or minutes of ‘head in the book’ sessions, don’t stress! Don’t feel condemned, if we can give Him just ONE verse, HIS word, He can and will minister to us. It can be amazing.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” – Hebrew 10:24)
Going Through – A Divine Necessity
There are times God takes us around life circumstances to protect us from harm and or protect us from what we may not be ready for. Yet, there ARE times we are to go through. We look at Jesus as our model.
John 4, verse 4 “Now He (Jesus) HAD to go through Samaria.” (Emphasis mine) your Bible may read, ‘He needed…’ or ‘He must…’ go through Samaria. The word used here literally means ‘necessary’ (with a divine twist) not implying geographically, there was another route, a route other devout Jews took, a route out and around, the long way to avoid the Samaritan people. The Samaritan folks were known as half-breeds; (in short) centuries earlier the Israelite territory was overtaken by Assyrians, many left, yet those who remained inter-married, they established their own teaching, establishing their own truth.
Scholars believe the narrative speaks (in context) to Jesus’ itinerary being subject to the sovereign plan of God – going THROUGH Samaria (where others avoided) was a divine necessity! Jesus HAD to meet the woman at the well – she HAD to have an encounter with Jesus (“The way, the truth, and the life.” – Jn 14:6) – it was of divine necessity she took her news of Jesus back to her people, where ‘many… and many more believed in Him.’ (v39 & 41).
This going through was not an inconvenience for Jesus, going through was not geographically necessary, it was God necessary. We see later in Acts, multiple times when mentioning the ‘church’ Samaria is listed – Jesus Himself laid the groundwork – He didn’t opt for the routine route – He went through. We see Jesus use the same need or must; “You MUST be born again…” (Jn 3:7) And John the Baptist said, “He (Jesus) MUST increase, I MUST decrease…” (Jn 
3:30) Divine necessity indeed! The principle for us: Following God’s leading, other than a routine route is not a DETOUR – it is a divine necessity of His sovereign plan. The plan may be for us, for someone else, or both.
May we take note: God may NOT have us go through the same way (next time). It would be a shame to tell God, “Been there, done this – I’ve got this!” When He’s left standing, pointing at something different. When escaping the Egyptians, God had Moses reach out his staff and the waters parted at the Red Sea – however, when finally entering the Promised Land, He instructed Joshua to have the priests carry the Ark to the river’s edge, once their feet touched the water, it too parted. Perhaps it may appear the same ‘go through’ but – His method may be different. It is HIS plan, HIS path, HIS how and when. His.
My through and your through may look different, they are of His divine plan, He may take us around – either the around or through is for His glory!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
*The above is an excerpt from the teaching I presented the woman at church.
The Around of God
God often takes us around life scenarios and so thankful that He does! The around of God is frequently dismissed or downplayed. We learn from our early flannel graph days the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and God taking the Israelites through on dry ground. Miraculous indeed! However, tucked in two short verses we have the potential of missing a quality of God. In Exodus 13, we see God take the Israelites around, around a potentially icky outcome. He had just delivered them from bondage in Egypt – Pharaoh finally releases the people. Once out and about, the narrative states: “God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” (v 17,18 NIV – emphasis mine)
God took them around so they wouldn’t encounter the Philistines (yet). They weren’t ready. This was their first road-trip with God; He didn’t want to freak them out, didn’t want them to bolt and run. Once deep in the wilderness, what is one of their main complaints, “WHY did you take us out of Egypt…” When things got tough, they reached for what was familiar, what seemed safe. It is also said of the Philistines that IF they had encountered the Hebrews at THAT time, they would see them as escaping from their 
masters and would not hesitate to attack them and make them slaves AGAIN. We can liken it to suddenly encountering a dangerous animal, we are NOT to take off running; the running stimulates their instinct to chase and conquer. The Philistines would have chased and conquered.
God took them around. The principle for us, just like the Israelites, we may never know the around of God. What He protects us from and what we may not be ready for. God knows! It is HIS path, HIS when and where. He leads – He protects.
When we see God pointing in one particular direction, in our freedom, may we not stop and look for the short-cut! What is ahead on that path, we may not be ready for and there may – just may be another wanting to take us captive.
The around of God.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
We’re Celebrating!
We are celebrating 65k (65 THOUSAND) visits to Inspired Fountain! Folks are reading, folks are hungry for more of God. The platform we use keeps count of how many and where they are reading from – within the last 90 days, over 50 countries* have visited our site. Thank you for reading, thank you for trusting us with your time and your investment in your desire to pursue God.
God is incredibly GOOD!
You can find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredfountain/
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
*Countries Reading: US, United Kingdom, India, Israel, Philippines, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Ghana, European Union, Nigeria, China, Belgium, South Korea, Peru, Vietnam, Burma, Malaysia, Kenya, Jamaica, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, Netherlands, Pakistan, Egypt, Ireland, Uganda, France, Bangladesh, Brazil, Trinidad, Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Austria, Italy, Serbia, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Nepal, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Spain, Zimbabwe, Greece, Norway, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Slovakia, Finland, Hungary, Tanzania, Qatar, Mexico, Solomon Islands, Kuwait, and Honduras.
They’ve Been with Jesus
My best friend, Deanna (from grade school, Jr High, High School, coming to Jesus, marriages, and babies and now empty nesters) and I, LOVE what we call our ‘Playdates’. Yes, we are 55 years old, (it’s true) but never too old to enjoy a good giggle perusing the aisles of Goodwill, it is fun and not to mention therapeutic in nature. It is our goal to find the silliest of things, from woven baskets to face sucking ski masks and offering an 
impromptu guitar duet. And OF COURSE, these have to be posted on social media. Friends and family shake their head with a muttered: “Well, they’ve been to Goodwill again.” Yes, yes we have.
But most importantly, when folks see me (outside of silly 2nd hand store laughter) I want them to see that I have been with Jesus. Not just when I am up front teaching the women, but when I greet them at the store, sit next to them at church or chatting when I am picking my granddaughter up from school. WHAT do folks see, is it evident that I have spent time with God, in His word, His Spirit strong in my words and seen in my countenance?
We see this in the book of Acts (chapter 4) with Peter and John, they were brought before rulers and religious leaders, it is said of Peter (being filled with the Holy Spirit) he spoke boldly and clearly about Jesus. The leaders, although critical and skeptical were amazed, knowing these were ordinary men, with no special training, but they were full of confidence and courage, “they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (v13) Yes, it was noted these men were associated with Jesus of Nazareth, but their demeanor radiantly, righteously spoke of Him.
Can you imagine that being said of us? May we too get to know Jesus so intimately that we know His words, we know His purpose, we speak clearly and although we also are ordinary, we confidently and filled with the Holy Spirit present our God to others and their response being, “They’ve been with Jesus.” (Yes, yes we have).
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
The Goodness of God
At church, we sing a great song, I love it! Of recent, I am humming it, singing the chorus; “All my life You have been faithful – All my life You have been so so good – With every breath that I am able – I will sing of the goodness of God.”(Jenn Johnson)
Most often when we think of our worship, it is contained within the four walls at church. Singing and exalting God corporately with one voice is GOOD and right, but we are also to ‘sing of the goodness of God’ out in our world. Our expression of worship to God, service to Him, is service to others.
When Moses humbly asked God, ‘Show me Your glory’ (See Exodus 33 & 34) he was, in essence, asking, ‘Who are you God, show me.’ God answers by tucking Moses in the cleft of the rocks and passes by – He proclaims of Himself, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…” (34:6) some translations, ‘Abounding in goodness, mercy, and truth.’ THAT is our God! God is not what we think He is – He is what He says He is.
God is compassionate, full of goodness and mercy. Throughout history God has been answering Moses, He has been showing mankind who and what He is. Compassion is ‘coming alongside-ness’, differing from sympathy – sympathy we feel for another, our heart hurts for them, compassion feels what the other feels, our heart hurts with them, alongsideness, (Spell-check is having a FIT!) it is being with them in action, coming to their side, “Let me help.”
Throughout history, Israel would take off in its own direction, mess things up and God was continually coming alongside. Fast forward to Jesus, there is NO better way to express compassion, the goodness of God to a messed up people than sending His very best – Jesus. Jesus was compassionate; He healed and fed the people. Because of His compassion, He authorizes the disciples for deliverance and healing and sends them out (Matthew 9:36-10:5). Paul, numerous times, tells us to ‘put on…’ we are to put on Jesus; put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, forgiving one another…” (Col. 3; Gal. 3; Eph 4; Phil 2; Ro. 13:14). Folks, God is continuing to answer – we are His continued answer. Through us, the world sees God, sees His goodness, graciousness, His mercy. Remember the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt 18:21-35) the one who received huge (HUGE) compassion, mercy, and forgiveness, turns around and denies the same to another, 
Jesus closes the parables message with “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” How we treat others is our response to how WE have been treated.
Withholding the goodness of God is lazy, (OUCH!) it is selfish, (OK! THAT hurt!) selfishness is rooted in the thief’s tactic of ‘stealing – killing and destroying’ (John 10:10) Let’s not play into his hand, let’s not withhold the goodness of God, HIS mercy extended through us, HIS love and kindness – let the world see God answer!
“All my life You have been faithful – All my life You have been so so good – With every breath that I am able – I will sing (unselfishly) of the goodness of God.”
*This is an excerpt from last night’s teaching at my local women’s bible study.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
Have a listen: [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0FBb6hnwTo ] listen to the end, close your eyes, throw your head back, raise your hands!
From the Sidelines to the Seat
Have you ever felt a shrug of heart, you know that ‘Blah’ feeling, perhaps leading to anxiety or even agitation? The only way to put it into words is ‘I’m off, just… off.’ May I offer – something may have shifted – shifted from the sidelines to the seat; something/someone is now sitting on the throne of our heart, pretty weighty isn’t it! This, my dear friend, is found deep in the factory setting in the design of man, a component known as the Peace Barometer. (Ok, maybe not – but that is what I call it). Peace.
In the Old Testament, (Hebrew) the word for peace is shalom, (in short) meaning tranquility, 
harmony, wholeness. It has been referred to as evidence of the absence of strife or war. I would define peace not necessarily in what you do not have, but what you do have. In the New Testament, the word for peace (in Greek) is eirene, which literally means ‘to set at one.’ The picture is something that was once set in place has either been removed or toppled over – (think of the game Jenga, remove foundational pieces & over it goes) chaos, strife, irritation even war are the results. Once it is set back in place, PEACE reigns.
Here’s a brief (VERY brief) explanation: Remember God and man (and Eve) in the Garden, their relationship was good and whole (peace-filled). Then there was a sin outbreak, the relationship was broken, toppled over. For generations (begetting) generations there was a missing element – what was, is no longer. Later Isaiah speaks of the coming of the Prince of Peace and the government resting on His shoulders (9:6). Fast forward to Luke chapter 2, the angels announce, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace…” (v14). Peace was back on earth among man. Jesus is the missing piece, He came bridging the gap (which was big & ugly) between man and his God 
– He set it all back in place, God the Father planned it, God the Son accomplished it, God the Holy Spirit applied it, the God package delivered – PEACE REIGNS.
Paul writes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” (Col. 3:15) Here’s where the peace barometer comes in: If God is not ruling on the throne of our heart, be assured another will occupy it! We will know peace to the degree that we YIELD to Christ, the Prince of Peace, if NOT – chaos, strife, irritation. Paul again, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7, emphasis mine) ‘Present your requests to God’ (KEY!) We are NOT to go looking for solutions elsewhere, if we do, we can potentially be placing things on the throne that shouldn’t be there, (thus the ‘off’ feeling). Our peace barometer will TILT if Jesus is not the center of our life, the One residing and reigning on the throne of our heart. Peace is not about peaceful circumstances, it’s about the applied authority of Christ. Let’s cut to the chase: God doesn’t come to take sides (help sort our stuff) He comes to TAKE OVER. It is His design, His throne.
“May God Himself, the God (of Peace) who makes everything holy and whole, make YOU holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul, and body.” (1 Thess. 5:23 The Message) God the Maker – God at the center – God on the throne.
Taking inventory of my heart. Peace.
*This is an excerpt from my teaching at our local women’s Bible Study.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
God ONLY!
When I was in college, there was a book on the required reading list. It impacted me. It wasn’t so much the content of the book, but the title – ‘The Kingdom of Self’ (by Earl Jabay). The summary of the message was; by divine design within the heart of every man & woman is a throne – and WE are not to be on it. That is all I remember (it has been 35+ years). The throne of our heart.
God spoke to the children of Israel through Moses, telling them (I paraphrase) you were once captive and I took you out (of Egypt) we are family and within our family, we are not like other nations, we have family standards. (Queue conversation in your head “But Mom, everyone’s doing it!”) May we take note; God does not give suggestions – He gives commands, family commands. He opens with “You must not have any other gods before me.” (Ex. 20:3) Continuing: “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind… you must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.” (vv 4-5 NLT)
Oh, we may not erect a stone statue in our back yard these days and bow to it – but we do create, buy and harbor gods of the heart. When we think of an ‘idol’ we tend to think of controlling stuff, stuff in the ‘bad bucket’ – you know abusive things like drugs, alcohol, pornography, adulterous affairs… (The list is long, these have to be addressed!) BUT, what 
about ‘GOOD’ stuff? An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our heart.
While teaching this to the women at church, I pulled out a tie, representing my husband. He is a good man, our marriage is good, and it is God ordained GOOD. HOWEVER, I can elevate him to such high status that he takes the prominent place on the throne of my heart and God is moved aside. It is the same with all relationships, with our children, friends, even our leaders. The same with position, dreams, endeavors and yes, our ministry or vocational careers.
I pulled out a calendar (we are busy-bustling people) does our calendar reflect the PURPOSE God has for us? The central motivating plan of our life as designed by God or does it center around MY stuff. (OUCH! The throne of my heart – cluttered to overflowing). The same is true with (as the women groan aloud) when I pulled out my cell phone. THIS technological gadget is the leader among all distractions. It distracts us, making us pay with our time, attention and yes affection, elements we are potentially allowing our phone to be stealing from God. We can tell of its importance when we panic when just one block from the house and we realize we forgot it and screech on the brakes. Remember how Jesus describes the enemy of our soul, ‘the thief whose ONLY aim is to steal – kill – destroy’ (John 10:10) folks one of his tactics is to distract. (Enough said)
I then pulled out a miniature whirly metal windmill, it was created with an erector set. Using a screwdriver twisting a bolt, a gal asked me what I was doing – “I’m building.” I said, 
“Building my expectations.” Our creation is never complete; we are continually tweaking and adding to it. It seems to always be with us, we take it to church, work, family gatherings and when visiting with others we force them to ‘hold it’ – putting in their hands all the bells and whistles to make us happy. THIS too can be a ruling attitude of the heart factor.
God is either taken off the throne or He is added to. Numerous times, it is said of the Israelites ‘they worshipped God AND they served others gods…’ TOTALLY getting them in trouble. It is not God and… It is God ONLY. Jesus tells us to ‘seek FIRST His kingdom, His righteousness…’ (Matthew 6:33) AND (the only ‘and’ in God’s economy) we get all the stuff we need. To be very frank, all the ‘other’ has to be at the feet of Jesus, at the feet of the throne, NOT on it.
Move over throne cluttered mess – God is coming for more of our heart!
*This teaching is from our current local women’s Bible Study, titled ‘No Other Gods.’
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
Are You Reading ‘Jesus Calling’?
I want to come and sit next to you and share something on my heart. My passion is Jesus, which spills all over His written word. I would like to offer something that I have been drawn to. When I walk into a Christian bookstore, it is there. On the shelves at Wal-Mart, Target and other department stores, it is there. I have heard so many ladies claim of its inspiration, full of guidance, considering it strong enough for the day’s journey. Over the years every time I pick it up I get a HUGE check in my spirit. I do a quick ‘thumb through’ and still …red flags and put it down. It is the book ‘God Calling’ and the newer rendition, ‘Jesus Calling’ by Sarah Young.
Many use this book for their morning devotions rather than the Bible itself or alongside the scriptures. I decided to take a closer look. As I researched the origin of this book, (sorry this article is quite lengthy) I was shocked. ‘God 
Calling’ was written by two women known as ‘The Listeners.’ They wanted to remain ‘anonymous.’ This is NOT a book full of ‘allegory’ the intent is ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ It is written (as is ‘Jesus Calling’) in the First-person perspective. Meaning a personal story, or a running commentary of thoughts. We the reader are not watching this from the outside but through their eyes. We see what they see and hear what they hear. So, in essence, the authors are claiming these are Jesus’ words. With a strong declaration, they state they would sit down with pen & paper, empty their minds and then begin to write. Write messages, messages they claim were from Jesus Himself. The messages are peppered with bible verses or a slight glimpse that is referenced at the bottom of the page. The content is primarily the ladies poetic sway. They eventually took the whole collection of these messages and sent them to the Oxford Group, where the book was soon published via the Oxford Group (In England) and came out in 1935.
Who and what is the Oxford Group? The group is now called Moral Re-Armament (MRA). Members of the Oxford Group primarily find their guidance from within rather than the Bible. Even though a follower of MRA attempts to follow moral standards from the Bible or of any religion, his primary light is that inner voice and his primary goal is self-improvement. No cross is necessary; no shed blood is required. Each member is encouraged to sit with their journal, pen in hand, empty their minds and write whatever ‘God’ tells them, then act on it. This ‘method’ of listening/writing is known as “automatic writing.” An alleged psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. The words are claimed to arise from a subconscious, spiritual or supernatural source. (Sounds New Age does it not? This is a very dangerous thing!)
Sarah Young, author of ‘Jesus Calling’ states that her inspiration first came from reading the book ‘God Calling.’ She was so enamored by the idea, that she began the pursuit of ‘listening’ as well. She states: (quote) “This practice of listening to God has increased my intimacy with Him more than any other spiritual discipline, so I want to share some of the messages I have received. In many parts of the world, Christians seem to be searching for a deeper experience of Jesus’ Presence and Peace. The messages that follow address that felt need.” Notice that her solution to addressing the desire for Jesus’ Presence and Peace is not Scripture or any other means of grace, but what appears to be the very messages she provides in her book. In her writings, she speaks seldom of sin and repentance and even less of Christ’s work on the cross.
A common denominator of all mysticism, (just cutting to the chase) acclaimed Christian or not, is the journey inward. The idea is to quiet the mind (soul) so that the result is space where one supposedly meets God within. According to Young’s citation of Jesus from her journal, this is what He wants as well, remember the “I” or “Me” is supposedly Jesus speaking: “I meet you in the stillness of your soul. It is there that I seek to commune with you. . . . Stillness of soul is increasingly rare in this world addicted to speed and noise. I am pleased with your desire to create a quiet space where you and I can meet.” (April 4)
Her main focus is ‘awareness.’ Awareness of Presence. Excerpt: “Let Me infuse My Presence into your thoughts. As your mind stops racing, your body relaxes and you regain awareness of Me. . . . There are actually more than four dimensions in this world where you live. In addition to the three dimensions of space and the one of time, there is the dimension of openness to My presence.” (May 24) Awareness, consciousness, and openness as described by Young are substitutes for faith in the promise of God of the Bible. “When My Presence is the focal point of your consciousness, all the pieces of your life fall into place.” (January 28th) One more, BAD theology: “Most of mankind’s misery stems from feeling unloved.” (August 1)
Oh please do not get me wrong, I am fully persuaded that the prophetic is true and Holy Spirit DOES speak to us, through us, guides us and worthy of writing it down in our journals. HOWEVER, to apparently set aside the Holy written word and make the main focus on our ‘personal revelation’ is a very dangerous and wrong place to be, let alone someone taking that word, publishing it and others potentially reading THAT in place of God speaking from His holy scripture. One thing rings so true, the Holy Spirit NEVER contradicts the ‘Word’ nor does He contradict Jesus or the Father. The Holy Spirit points to Jesus and Jesus points to the Father.
I find nowhere in the Bible we are to ’empty’ our minds, rather we are to ‘think on these things’ (Paul lists in Phil. 4:8) We are exhorted over and over to “Mediate…” which in God’s economy, (in short) is the filling of our minds with His word and chewing on it! Paul exhorts “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor 10:5) Also… “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Ro. 2:2) The Pastor of Hebrews, “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (4:12) Paul to Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16) If God’s word is inspired and useful for equipping for every good work – what more do we need, outside of instruction of the Bible to lead our personal revelation of our God? If we keep seeking the ‘other’ we become like Eve in the garden, distorting what God has said and listening to what sounds pleasing to us. If not kept in check, this new revelation would soon replace the authority of scripture, creating new standards that we live by.
Paul said to Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Tim. 4:3-4) This is rampant today, we want to tickle our ears, massage our heart and soften our pain. In doing so we reach beyond Jesus. Reach beyond His words grabbing for something else. As a dear friend shared, “This happens when we know other books better than we know the word of God, we are easily deceived.” How many folks are underlining, circling and highlighting Sarah’s words rather than opening their Bible and reading His words?
I would offer balance of course. And if you do read these books and any others similar, to please prayerfully take this information to Jesus. Align it with scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is next. When choosing a devotional, make it come-along side (not in place of) the bible, may it be based on scripture, with sound theology. I LOVE devotional books, my favorites are Our Daily Bread, My Utmost for His Highest and Praying the Names of God, Praying the Attributes of God, by Ann Spangler.
Devotion is defined as, “The fact or state of being ardently dedicated, relating to, or characterized by.” What is it we want to be dedicated to, or characterized by? The word of God or someone else’s empty-minded personal revelation. I don’t want someone putting words in God’s mouth when He speaks to me. Thank you for reading this monstrous article, it is only written with a heart of love and desirous of the very best for you. You are loved dearly.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another one towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
There is MORE!
I am remembering a time my husband and I were visiting a church when the pastor, full of Pentecostal energy shared vigorously from Psalm 136. Twenty-six times the Psalmist declares, “His mercy endures forever.” Oh, it does! God’s mercy is unending. Matchless in every way, it can be seen from the beginning of mankind’s existence and has no vanishing point in the future. Within the 15 minutes of sharing, the pastor repeated the blessing of God’s mercy, then “In closing…” He said, “His mercy endures forever.” As the folks stood to leave, preparing for the trek home to the roast in the Crockpot, I wanted so BADLY to stand to my feet and yell, 
“Tell them!” (All eyes on the crazy visitor lady in the back.) There’s more! Pastor! Don’t stop here!
Tell them that the Hebrew language is full of imagery, YES mercy! But there is more. Just like there is ‘sunrise’ with just a glimpse of light peeking over the horizon, then there is SUNRISE with colors so vibrant you stare in unbelief at the magnitude of the brilliance of His creation. Colors spilling over each other as it dances across the sky in tones that if we are still enough, quiet… it could be heard. Today, with the Pastors’ sharing, we were just …peeking.
His mercy endures forever. Mercy is ‘hesed’ (in the Hebrew) Scholars find it extremely difficult to translate into English because there really is not an equivalent word. The King James Version alone uses 15 different words in an attempt to express its meaning in each context. Words such as lovingkindness, steadfast love, loyal love, kindness, faithful love, mercy and yes, grace. Grace. God’s mercy is withholding what we do deserve, where His grace is giving us what we do not. One hand pushes forward in giving, while the other holds back in restraint. 
Divine coordination -THAT is our God! Because of His love for us, His commitment to covenant, His value of relationship, our God interacts with hesed. It is deep, wide and continuing.
Jonah knew God’s hesed, saying to the Lord, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love (hesed), a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4:2) Ok, maybe Jonah needed an attitude adjustment, (Thus the large fish story) but he knew, he understood, experienced and observed how God operates.
Yes indeed, it is worthy of repeating in twenty-six verses, “His mercy endures forever.” His lovingkindness, faithfulness, love and His grace. It is enough to make us bow our head, eyes closed with groanings that cannot be uttered!
Stand in the glow of His brilliant sunrise!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
Christmas Throughout the Year
“Everyday can be like a holiday.” Just one of Starbucks seasonal cup slogans, I like it with a hardy “Yes, yes it can” as I sip my Peppermint Mocha. Often we consider the season of Christmas to be the day after Thanksgiving and lasting until New Year’s Eve, after that, the tree is taken down and the lawn reindeer stored in the garage rafters. Christmas becomes a fleeting memory. YET, the message of Christmas CAN be seen, felt and shared throughout the year.
I find it fascinating that the angel when appearing to the shepherds (Luke 2) addresses their fear first, taking the time to say something before they bolt and miss the message, the story would not be the same if they all took off running (in different directions). After the fear factor addressed, the presentation of ‘Good News’ given, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you, you will find a 
baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (v11-12) then the choir sings of God’s glory and peace now on earth and the service was over. I wonder… if our pastors today approached the pulpit and opened their sermons with ‘FEAR NOT’ would we pay just a tad bit more attention. (HA!)
Life is busy, our days full of routine, obstacles, and stress. However, the Christmas promise and message is clear and continues to roll forward. What if (humor me) JESUS came to us, saying, “Don’t be afraid, today, I Christ the Lord, YOUR Savior is here, and here’s My sign…now as the shepherds did … come and see Me.” Sign in the Greek is defined as the power and presence of God manifested, noting significance. Sometimes the significance is personal.
Do we look for God to manifest Himself before us, around us and ahead of us each day? Have we considered His orchestration of our life so we would take pause and cause us to look and …see Him? It may not be a Celestial choir gathering above the Metro area, but it may be a gentle whisper – See Him. Or a loving note from a friend – See Him. Or maybe that very personal hope and prayer you’ve mentioned is indeed answered – See Him.
This year, may we take the Christmas message beyond the borders of the calendar pages – the Good News, God with us! May we see and yield to divine manifestation. Oh God, open our eyes, our ears that we too would do as the shepherds did, make a determined adventure to see You and then as they did, we go and tell others! (Luke 2:17)
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Hebrew 10:24)
Christmas Peace
Christmas. Just the word alone brings a soft glow to the soul. A warm crackling fire, hot chocolate and watching Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey yelling “Mary!” as he runs through the old drafty house. Peace.
Isaiah prophesied centuries before Luke penned his gospel saying: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Fast forward to Luke 2:14, with the singing telegram to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Peace had come to earth.
Biblical peace (in the Greek) is ‘to set at one again,’ – the picture is something that has once been erected has toppled over. Chaos, strife, irritation, unrest even war are the results. Once it is set back, PEACE is the result; all is in its rightful place. Remember Adam and Eve sinning in the garden? (Thanks, guys!) The original design, ‘God and man’ had been ‘toppled over.’ Gone were the daily walks together in the garden. Jesus came, setting things back in the right place, God and man in right relationship. “The Word became flesh (Jesus) and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (emphasis mine) It may not be the Garden, but God again walking with us. Immanuel, oh the ‘with us’ of God! Jesus, peace on earth, the Prince of Peace. Peace is a Person. One of my favorite Christmas carols, “Hark the herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” After 400 years, the angels break the silence with the spectacular news. Such theology dripping from this song: Jesus, Peace, God back on earth, setting things right again. God and sinners reconciled. As a bookkeeping clerk, I fully understand ‘reconciled’, the number zero could not be a more beautiful number, through Jesus I have ‘0’ debt! ZERO!
Peace is not only a Person but a position. “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace …for through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:13-14) We are now back where we were originally designed to be, right-standing relationship with God, given full access and ability to come into His presence. Paul declares this point, “Since we have been justified through faith we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) Peace is a God thing. Man cannot create true peace in his own soul, it is not part of the package deal, in the sense; it does not come attached to intelligence or fame and wealth. It is the result of Jesus’ presence, Jesus’ Lordship, and Jesus being walked & lived. Peace is a position.
Because of our sinful nature and our perpetual continuing to do so, John strongly declares “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) This is written to the Jesus follower, we mess up, but as we 
confess, we are saying the same thing about our situation that God does. We are now in full agreement; we realign with what God says. To stop doing something we have to start doing something else. I don’t stop standing until I START walking. In this process, we are taking what was ‘toppled over’ returning to the original design and bringing Jesus back to His rightful peaceful place. We mess up, we get cleaned up. Peace restored. Peace is a process.
The increase of peace accompanies the increase of Christ’s governing power over our lives. Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ RULE in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” If I want peace in my heart, I allow Jesus to RULE in my heart. He is King, I bow to Him as King, giving Him the rightful place on the throne of my life. A continual challenge indeed! We will know peace to the degree that we bow to Jesus. It is NOT about peaceful circumstances, it is obedience, His voice over our own, God doesn’t come to take sides, He comes to TAKE OVER. Peace is a posture, a bowed, get OFF the throne, posture. (Head bowed)
This Christmas may we pause and consider wholeheartedly, the Person, position, process, and posture of peace. Yes, Peace had indeed come to earth, Prince of Peace.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
Immanuel
Continuing our ‘Names of God’ study, we look at Immanuel. This time of year, we sing with a resounding ‘O come, O come Immanuel…” and it is written in beautiful font lettering across our Christmas cards. Immanuel*, meaning ‘God with us.’ Many who attempt to say God is uninterested and doesn’t turn His divine head our way does not understand Immanuel. Whether it is walking in the Garden in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8) the pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:22) or sandaled feet in Galilee (Matt. 4:18) or gloriously residing within us (1 Cor. 3:16) The God who dwells with us, among us and in us – God is Immanuel.
Immanuel is first mentioned in Isaiah (chapter 7) within a strong warning to King Ahaz to get his act together in the midst of political uprising and trust that God is with them – but the guy chose poorly. Isaiah prophecies: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will be called Immanuel.” (v14) As we know, God’s people were quite fickle in their love, trust, and obedience, causing them to do what was right AND evil in God’s eyes, they STILL didn’t fully comprehend God’s presence. Fast forward to the New Testament, tucked in the story of the birth of Jesus – Matthew chapter 1. Joseph is about to take Mary as his wife, (according to cultural tradition, the 
engagement was a done-deal). BUT, she is pregnant (Hm…) he, a good man plans to dissolve the marriage quietly as to not disgrace her. Queue angelic messenger: Joseph is told to take Mary as his wife, the baby she carries is of the Holy Spirit, she will have a Son, and His name will be Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. Matthew gives narrative: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.” (vv 22-23)
God was and is with His people throughout history, but sending His Son, slipping Him into human flesh, all He was, all He did, could not be more unmistakably-striking evidence of God’s presence. A sign indeed! God keeps His promises. The All-Powerful, All-Sufficient, Sovereign Creator of the universe does not NEED to be with us – He wants to! This holiday season, as you consider Immanuel, step up, lean in, look to the far left, back to the beginning and then follow the timeline all the way to where YOU now stand and then continue to the right, following the thread into eternity as declared from the heavenly throne, Jesus reveals to John, “the dwelling place of God is with man.” (Revelation 21:3) So beautiful, so comforting – Immanuel.
In Him DeDe, (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
*Why do we often see two spellings for Immanuel? The different spellings ultimately are because of different vowels used in Hebrew (O.T. ‘Immanuel’) and Greek (N.T. ‘Emmanuel’) yet they are indeed the same God presence, just two different languages.
The Christmas Lamb
Christmas 2018: Santa Claus, electronic yard reindeers, snowmen, decorated trees, wrapping paper, and lights – LOTS of lights. Christmas the beginning: Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus, a manger, bright star, angelic host, shepherds, sheep, and GOOD NEWS.
Luke chapter 2, the familiar recounting of the Christmas story, like that of a well-rehearsed children’s play, all the characters are in place. The declaring angels hit their queue perfectly, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (v14) LOVE IT! There is one small phrase prior in the narrative; “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”(v. 8) Scholars believe, due to the proximity to Jerusalem THESE lambs were the temple lambs. Potentially, THESE shepherds were caring for lambs destined for sacrifice. The religious custom (requirement) of the day was to raise or purchase a lamb for each family, take it to the priests and have it offered as a substitutionary sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
Keep reading… I tried to keep this short, but we don’t want to miss this!
The shepherds were the first to hear the glorious news, not chief priests or princes or even the learned men of Jerusalem, no dignitaries were found in the bunch. Oh, these shepherds knew the divine importance of keeping watch over their flocks! In addition, news of the Messiahs coming would not be “good news of a great joy” (v. 10) unless they were seeking Him and waiting for Him. These men got the message, “I bring you good news of great joy 
that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord” declares the angel (vs. 10, 11).
The Lamb.
Remember the conversation Abraham had with Isaac as they climbed the mountain on that heart-wrenching day? “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “But where is the lamb…?“ Abraham answers, “God Himself will provide the lamb…” (Genesis 22:7-8) What prophetic imagery for what is yet to come.
Fast forward, this recorded of John the Baptist, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) About 3 years following John’s statement, it is Passover; Jesus is found gloriously-innocently* (See below) hanging on the cross. Onlookers watch as His blood drips from His beaten, nail-pierced body. John’s words echoing, “Behold! The Lamb of God…”
As we follow the story of God, the angels again declare, yet this time, (Let’s all stand…) “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing … be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:11-13)
This Christmas as we consider the Nativity scene, may we attempt to grasp the full message of the birth of Jesus. In the stable, the KING, the lil lamb not eating from the manger, but IN the manger – He is our substitutionary sacrifice for OUR sins. However, we did not purchase Him – He will purchase us! (Head bowed) Nowhere in scripture are we told, suggested or asked to remember Jesus’ birth. We are told to remember His death. (The Last Supper: “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”- Luke 22:19) Don’t pack up that shiny-star tree topper yet – His birth is divinely tied to His death, His death needed for His resurrection, His resurrection the authoritative power for YOUR redemption and deliverance! Christmas leads to Easter. Hallelujah! (Hands raised!)
Where is the lamb? Behold the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
*Jesus gloriously-innocently hanging on the cross. The requirement was that the sacrificed animal was to be ‘male and without defect – without blemish’ (Ex. 12:5) Jesus was indeed THAT: “He committed no sin..” (1 Peter 2:22 – See also 2 Cor 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Jn 3:5; Jn 8:29) Peter declares; “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT)
Giving Presence in the Present
Christmas and gift giving, standing amongst all the stuff, the noise and the chaos. Christmas has become somewhat of a plummeting oneself into the art of either grab and go at the store or park yourself in front of the computer and let your fingers do the shopping. My goal this year is to slow’r down. Taking time to smell the cinnamon infused pinecones, watch yet another Hallmark Christmas movie, listen to Elvis and enjoy our son home from college.
Christmas to me is so very sentimental. I gave my heart to Jesus on December 21, 1979, at the age of 16 ½ (the half counted back then) while sitting on the white carpeted floor of the Associate Pastor’s living room. I had been visiting the lil corner church, now with Pastor Ben’s wife Brenda, lovingly, openly, full of acceptance telling me about Jesus, His love for me and what it meant to be a Jesus follower. That day will always render special to me, that moment and the moments following as I walked home, down the street. As I walked, the Christmas lit houses took on a new glow, the plastic baby Jesus in the front yard demanding my attention and respect. That baby Jesus was no longer just yard deco, but now my Lord! Not just a baby, but a KING! I stopped, pausing to take it all in, I was in the moment! Thirty-nine years later, (*GASP*) I remember the moment, I cherish the moment. The moment changed me. Sing with me, “O come let us adore HIM…”
How often are we somewhere else when we are with people or in circumstances or perhaps even in church? Our bodies may be present but by golly, our minds are full of grocery lists or a prior situation rehearsing over and over in our head, or while someone is talking to us we are busy formulating our response. What-did-we-miss?
Be in the moment.
In Exodus 24 (the theology of Exodus is Presence) God called Moses up the mountain, “The LORD said to Moses, “”Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” (v12, emphasis mine, NKJV) For 40 days Moses was there. Eight chapters worth of divine instruction was given. Moses was there. Many translators interpret God telling 
Moses to ‘stay there’ or ‘wait there.’ Yet a 19th-century rabbi wrote from a different perspective which I adore. He exclaims that there are times we go to a place and not actually being there, going on to say that we can exert ourselves getting to a destination, yet when we arrive, our thoughts remain at the original point of departure. The Rabbi imagined God was telling Moses not only come up the mountain – but be fully there, with complete attention and concentration. *
May we too be there this holiday season and every day, be in the moment, giving complete attention and concentration to those we are with and in the moment of where we are. It is a gift we give to others & ourselves when we are giving presence in the present.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
For Pastors Ben & Brenda, ‘Thank you.’ That lil corner church became my home church for two years following, then they sent me out to the big world to attend Bible college, study God. Now a Bible teacher. Thank you for being in the moment!
*Lois Tverberg, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus (BakerBooks Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2018)
The Names of God – Yahweh
Continuing our ‘Names of God’ study, today we look at the promised name of God. The name, according to Orthodox Jewish tradition is so full of majesty and considered so ‘other’ and too holy to even utter, that when reading from the scriptures the name is verbally replaced with HaShem (Hebrew for ‘THE Name’). His name is Yahweh. In the original Hebrew text (O.T.) it is YHWH, (the vowels added later for pronunciation sake). YHWH is referred to as the ‘Tetragrammaton’ (Greek for the ‘4 letters’) this is indicated in the Bible when we see LORD, (used over 6,500 times) all caps distinguishing it as the covenantal name, Yahweh.
LORD (Yahweh) is built on what God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3; Moses is on the far side of the desert attending his father-in-law’s flock when he sees a bush on fire. This was no ordinary bushfire; there was no ravishing destruction of the bush. I adore the direct and clarifying Word of God, verse 4 states, “When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush…” Moses turned aside, he stopped everything, going and giving his full attention… THAT is when God spoke. May we take note; there are times God waits for us to stop and give full attention before He speaks. God tells Moses to go to Egypt and demand His people be set free from slavery, Moses basically asks “Whom shall I say is sending me?” God answers, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me.” (v.14)
‘I AM’ conveys ‘to be’ the root word signifying existence. God’s all-pervading, ever-present nature, His character, all-that-He-is, is our here and now, simply put, He is. The Pastor of Hebrews wrote: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (11:6, 
emphasis mine) God states, “I am the LORD, that is My name, I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8) “I AM.”
Jesus, God in the flesh – boldly stated in John 8:58 “I tell you the truth before Abraham was born, I am!” The Jews were so irate; how dare he say THAT! They picked up stones to kill Him. Later in the olive grove (John 18) when Judas, on the night of betrayal, approached with the soldiers, they said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus answers, (in the original language) “I am.” The narrative says the soldiers drew back and fell to the ground, struck no doubt by the MAJESTY of not only His words but the essence of Who He was.
Each time we read ‘LORD’ let us take pause, look at the context, insert “The Great I AM, the One Who is…” – He is everything. Like David wrote, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) “O, LORD…the Great I AM! The One Who is and ever will be, the One Who comes to me with all that He is… my strength and my Redeemer!”
Yahweh, the promised name of God, “I AM.”
By the way for you Scrabble players, ‘Tetragrammaton’ … BOOM! 67 points!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24)
The Names of God – El Roi
Continuing our ‘Names of God’ study, we take pause in Genesis 16. Giving a brief summary: Sarai & Abram have been promised a son, an heir in their old age. Sarai’s impatience motivates an assuming creative alternative – MAKE it happen – by giving one of her maidservants (Hagar*) to Abe (as was the custom of the day) so they can create a child with the family name. Like all ‘let me do it myself’ plans – it didn’t go so well. Hagar becomes pregnant, Sarai & Hagar get all ‘girl-fight’ on the issue, Sarai was rather harsh and Hagar runs off. There in the desert, Hagar is alone and upset… yet … she is found – by God. The Angel of the Lord calls her by name, “Hagar, servant of Sarai…” May we not miss the importance of this; Hagar was a slave, a servant, a title that considered her the property of another – BUT the title does not outweigh God-knew-her-name! We may be the wife of… the mother of … the employee of… the friend of… BUT God knows our name.
The Angel of the Lord speaks directly to her situation, (in short) the discussion leads to promises, promises that Hagar will see her son (Ishmael*) grow to be a nation. She once the run-off-slave now the heir of promises. Hagar ends the encounter by naming the Lord, ‘El Roi’ (EL-row-EE) the “God Who sees” – Hagar, the only person in the Bible to give a name to God.* The “God Who sees” – in the midst of rejection, anger, aloneness, hurt and yes, even a dysfunctional family – God sees!
The Psalmist wrote of the watchful eye of God over Israel, but we, who by the blood of Jesus share in the same seeing God. “The LORD Himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The
LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” (121:5-8)
El Roi, the God Who sees me and sees …YOU!
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
*Hagar, the Egyptian servant (Gen. 16:1) – how did she join this Hebrew caravan? Remember when Abe took the family on a detour down to Egypt due to famine in the land, with the whole ‘Sarai is my sister’ facade. Well, before Pharaoh found out the truth and kicked Abe and all out of Egypt, he gifted Abe with “sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants (Hagar) and camels.” (Genesis 12:16, emphasis mine) Note to self: DO NOT TAKE DETOURS; you never know what attachments might mess with your life and MANY others!
*Ishmael: Fascinating, when the Angel tells Hagar about her son there in the desert, he explains that Ishmael will be a donkey of a man, (nice warm fuzzies) his hand will be against everyone, and everyone against him, then at the very end of verse 12 (Gen. 16) ‘and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Now skip to Genesis 25, it speaks of the descendants of Ishmael and “they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.” (v18) The ‘he’ turned into a ‘they.’ Also, interesting side note: Jumping WAY ahead: Josephs brothers and their jealous outburst of selling him off – look who they hand him off to, “So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.” (Gen. 37:28) WOW. It was Abraham’s ‘other’ sons descendants who transported his great-grandson Joseph (of the true heir bloodline ‘Isaac’) into Egypt and we know what happens in Egypt.
*People gave names to places & altars on behalf of God’s actions, indicating a quality of God (I.e. Abraham called the place ‘The Lord Will Provide’ – Jehovah Jireh – Gen. 22:14 and Moses built an altar and called it ‘The Lord is my banner’ – Jehovah Nissi – Ex. 17:15-16). God refers to Himself as ‘God Almighty’ – El Shaddai – Gen.17:1 and through Jeremiah God speaks of the coming Messiah, King as ‘Jehovah our Righteousness’ – Yahweh Tsidqenu – Jeremiah 23:6. And at Moses’ request for God’s name, God responds, “I AM THAT I AM” (in short) ‘Yahweh’ – Ex. 3:14.
The Names of God – Almighty
Thankful
THANKSGIVING! I love this holiday of food – family – fun, and football – a set time to pause and ponder thankfulness. There are seasons that may be difficult to pull forward on the shelf of our life, wondering if there is something – anything to be thankful for? We may have lost a job or a loved one, or our bank account matches our emotional bucket of strength – empty. Yet there IS something to be thankful for, we indeed have the reason for thankfulness! The great Psalm of thanks opens with, “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good…” (Psalm 136) That alone is enough.
“Give thanks to the LORD for He is good. His love endures forever…” The author found it needful to repeat ‘His love endures forever’ 26 times throughout the Psalm. This Hebrew word love is ‘hesed’ (a guttural, ‘H-said’ ) we know it biblically as mercy, goodness, loyalty, steadfast love and even grace. What a pivotal word, a pivotal attribute all rolled up and woven into one magnificent GOD! The Psalms poetically describe His lovingkindness as precious (36:7) marvelous (17:7) undeserving (103) abounding (86:5) reviving (119:159) 
satisfying (90:14) and everlasting (103:17). Are we thankful yet?
King David’s well known and beloved Psalm 23 (verse 6) “Surely goodness and MERCY (hesed) will follow me all the days of my life.” David writes this at the end of his life, he once the shepherd – has now and is being shepherded. This ‘follow’ is not a mere tag along behind, but PURSUIT! The Shepherding God’s unending – steadfast love full of mercy pursued David. That same mercy, the same goodness pursues us, pursues YOU! He is unrelenting. The divine love of God is steady – sure – persistent and FULL of refusal to let go. Aren’t you glad He does not let go! (Thankful!)
As we share around the table amongst the declarations of health and love of family, and a few glee-filled shouts of “TOUCHDOWN!” may we ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever!’
Thanksgiving.
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
The Names of God – El Shaddai
Continuing our ‘Names of God’ study, we look to Genesis 17:1, where we see God identifying Himself to Abram, “I am God Almighty, walk before Me and be blameless.” God (El) Almighty (Shaddai) a divine title used only 8 times in the O.T. and ‘Almighty’ used 40 times, 31 of those in Job alone (When Job questions God’s purposes, God displays His wisdom & power, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?” 40:2, DUDE!). Each time a new name of God appears we are to take notice, it reveals His nature, character, and majesty. In the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Bible) it translates ‘Shaddai’ as ‘all powerful’ and according to rabbinic teaching, it is a compound word ‘sha’ (who) and ‘dai’ (enough) One Who is enough … All-Sufficient One. Many scholars deem the ‘power’ in which God is and operates is ‘beyond’ in the sense as ‘overpower’ thus the title ‘Almighty.’
Interesting point, in the same chapter that God introduces Himself as God Almighty, (‘All-Powerful Sufficient One’) God changes Abram’s name to Abraham (‘father of many’) and Sarai to Sarah (‘woman of nobility’). New character quality-name introductions all around. Peter declares this of us, that we too have a character quality-name change, when he said, you who believe, (and as Paul says, “you who were once far off, have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” – Eph. 2:13) you who through adoptive grace “are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.” (1 Peter 2:9*) God’s gracious great power through Jesus! We are HIS!
THAT is our God! Over… Beyond… ENOUGH!
God Almighty!
The Names of God – Elohim (Part 2)
This week we are looking at the first mention of the name of God, ‘Elohim’ (“In the beginning God…” Genesis 1:1) used well over 2,500 times from Genesis to Malachi (think God is trying to tell us something!) containing the idea of God’s creative power, His authority, and sovereignty.
Elijah and the bad king Ahab of Israel (“Ahab did more evil in the sight of the Lord than any of those before him.”- 1 Kings 16:30) are at the showdown on Mount Carmel. Ahab became a Baal worshiper, so…Elijah requests all the people of the region and the 450 false prophets of Baal to come and let’s get this decided right now! ‘Show me what ya got’, let’s see whose god can bring down fire – the winner – is THE God! The Baal folks prepared their bull sacrifice and began their calling out, yet funny how nothing happens, Elijah offers, “Perhaps you should yell louder” – they do. From morning until evening the fiasco continued… still no response. There is no movement or sound from the heavens, not even a slight flutter of a ravens wing (See 1 Kings 17:6). Elijah steps up (dramatic drum roll) he took 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, creating an altar, he arranged the wood and the sacrificed bull. He didn’t stop there, he dug a large trench around the altar and had 4 large jars of water poured on the offering and the wood, again and again – 3 times the water was poured, filling even the trench. Elijah prayed…
“O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that You, O LORD, are God [Elohim] and that You have brought them back to Yourself.” Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—He is God! Yes, the LORD is God!” (1 Kings 18:37-39, NLT)
Here’s the totally cool part… as Elijah steps onto the pages of scripture, he speaks the word of the Lord that there would be no rain – for years (1 Kings 17:1). ‘Baal’ was considered the god of rain and what do you know, there was a drought in the land, so much for a ‘reigning Baal’ (HA!) What does Elijah do as he stands with his offering? With the lack of water, valuable as it is, he drenches the altar with it. I love it! Let me pour your god on here too and let THE God burn’m up! After this, the 450 false prophets were destroyed at Elijah’s command, and guess what? Elijah again prayed… it rained! God not only opened the heavens with fire, but He did what the false god could not! Nothing and no one comes against God’s word!
The Lord doesn’t just show up to show off, He-is-God! Full of creative power, and sovereign authority, Elohim.
Can I get a hardy “Go God!”
In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds.” – Hebrews 10:24)
Inspired Fountain 