The Path of Righteousness

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

~Psalm 23

Some of the most touching and powerful prayers are in the book of Psalms. In King David’s psalms, there is much heartache, heartbreak, fear, and loneliness, but there is also much joy. David knew God was with him no matter the circumstances. He experienced great highs and great lows but his faith that God would deliver him never wavered. We, like David, also experience these same times of great highs and great lows, but are we always sure God is with us? The strength of our faith will determine how we handle the ups and downs of life.

Verse 1: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

A shepherd is one who keeps the sheep from danger. He will go to any lengths to fight off wild animals to keep his sheep safe. If we truly believe the Lord is our Shepherd, how much further will He go to keep us safe? The shepherd makes sure his sheep are fed and watered, they have no need to go in search of food because the shepherd provides for them. They want for nothing, and when we depend upon the Lord, neither will we (Philippians 4:19-20).

Verse 2: He leads me beside still waters.

Sheep can’t drink from running waters, it has to do with the shape of their mouths. They have to have a still pool to drink from to satisfy their thirst. Still waters also indicate peace, so when we trust the Lord, He will make sure we have His peace, no matter what’s going on in our lives (Ephesians 2:19).

Verse 3: He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

When we live in sin, our souls are in turmoil but when we have our lives in Christ, our souls are at peace. They have been completely restored by Jesus. He becomes our Shepherd and directs our paths for His name’s sake. Why? So that He will be glorified. We are the glory of God and when we walk the path He has for us, everything we do will glorify Him to the rest of the world (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Verse 4: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

The valleys we walk through can be dark and fearsome. The events in life can make us feel like life isn’t worth living, or if a lot of traumatic events have taken place in our lives, we can live in constant fear that something else is going to happen. But when we walk the paths of righteousness in Christ Jesus, we do not have to fear because He is our comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). When we trust completely in Him, our fears are put to rest.

Verse 5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

I love this verse. Imagine your enemies all around you, the way they were David, yet, in the midst of the chaos, you sit down to eat the finest meal you’ve ever imagined, without a care in the world. I think it would blow the enemies’ minds! Jesus is like that. He will lead us right through the fire without letting us get singed even a little bit. He anoints us with heavenly oil that marks us as belonging to the only true King, Him! He provides for us to the point that no matter what we do, we can’t contain the provision that is pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). Our Shepherd cares for us, keeps us, loves us, provides for us beyond anything we can ever imagine.  

Verse 6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Because of Christ’s immense love for us, He pours out His goodness and mercy upon us all the days of our lives. We are His children, and like any proud daddy, He wants to give us everything we need. Of course, we will have trials in life but that’s just how a fallen world works, but unlike those who drudge through, we, the children of the Most High, can walk through life with our shoulders back and our heads held high. If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? We have all that Heaven offers through the blood of Jesus Christ and in the end, we will realize the fullness of that love when we step from this life into everlasting life in Heaven. We will dwell in the Lord’s house forever.

No matter what is going on in your life, Jesus Christ is with you and He will not leave you (Deuteronomy 31:8). Your Shepherd is with you and He will protect you.

Read Job 38-42

©2018 Marie McGaha

Something To Believe In

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:17-20).”

When we are children, our world is confined to the house we live in, our parents, siblings, and perhaps, grandparents or other extended family members. And we are perfectly content in that world. As we grow, our world expands to include school, friends, and outside activities. Our world continues to grow larger the older we get. There eventually comes a point when we want to know what is beyond our city, state, and even our country. It’s a big world and we often feel the need to explore whatever it is we think lies outside of our view. It’s how the world was conquered. If not for those who wanted to know what lay beyond the great oceans, the New World would not have been discovered. If there had never been anyone who looked into the sky and thought, what if I could build a rocket to take someone there, Neil Armstrong would have never set foot on the moon. We have an inborn desire to know who we are, where we came from, and why we are here. People have traveled millions of miles, built monuments to unknown gods, and traversed the stars seeking answers only to find they still have questions. We are all simply searching for something bigger than ourselves to believe in.

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible (Hebrews 11:3).”

Belief in anything takes faith. If you go rock climbing, you have faith in your gear and your training so that you don’t plummet to your death. When you jump out of an airplane at 13,000 feet, you have faith that when you pull the cord, the parachute will open. Every morning when you jump into your car to go to work, you have faith that turning the key will start the engine. Everything we do requires some belief that what we are doing will succeed. But what about the biggest questions of all – is there a God? If there is a God, why is planet earth so messed up? What is the purpose of life in the grand scheme of things? Why am I here? Those are questions I’ve had too. And after a lot of exploration and faith in things that did not matter, or were not good for me, I came to the conclusion that no amount of education or knowledge of this world is going to answer those questions for me. Those answers were inside of me my whole life and are completely answered by faith and belief.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).”

We are born with a God-shaped hole inside of us. I tried to fill mine with everything but God, and I was never satisfied until I filled it with the Word of God. No, I didn’t come to the conclusion that Jesus was the answer because there was suddenly some enlightened place inside of me; I concluded Jesus was the answer because all else had failed. Nothing I had tried in life fulfilled me, nothing had made me feel as if I had the answers, and almost everyone in my life had let me down. Yet I knew somewhere deep down inside that there had to be an answer, there had to be more, and when I was out of answers, God gave me His.

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).”

God created everything that is created from nothing. He spoke it into existence. He also gave us that desire to create, to explore, to expand, to reach for more. But He never intended for us to do it without Him. That is where people went wrong. We became more, had more, did more, went farther and created monuments, not to unknown gods, but to ourselves. We stepped outside the scope of creation in the false belief that we could do it ourselves. That’s why, no matter how successful we are or what we accomplish, we still feel unfulfilled. That God-shaped hole can only be filled by one person—Jesus Christ.

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).”

Read Job 32-36

©2018 Marie McGaha

Whisper Hope

“When his vision came round there was a young girl on the ground
And he knew she was finding it hard to cope
She never was a fighter until he laid beside her
And gently whispered hope
They got up to their feet and they sang Hallelujah
People in the street were turning around
They looked them in the eyes and they sang Hallelujah
Oh, there's someone here that we have found
They sang, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
We are the voices crying in the wilderness
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
The people in the street started their sins to confess and a chorus of
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Every knee will bow and every tongue confess
And the voice of one crying in the wilderness
Crying out Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”

~Lyrics from Gabriel and the Vagabond by Foy Vance

This is from one of my favorite songs by Foy Vance on his album, Hope. It doesn’t take much to give someone the hope that tomorrow is going to be a better day, or that their life is worth living. For some, life seems to be a series of disasters lined up like thunder clouds in the distance. For others, life seems to come up roses no matter what they do. The disparity between us can sometimes feel unfair and not worth the trouble. But when we look at others to compare ourselves, we are always going to come up lacking. That is part of the problem in our world today; we are so commercialized and constantly inundated with the idea that if we have more, bigger, better, shinier, and newer things, our lives will be better, happier, and successful. In reality, it’s a lie being sold by an industry that is not in the least bit concerned about anyone’s happiness or success, they are interested in lining their pockets with our money. There’s a line from a movie where the actor plays a person who makes commercials: “It’s sell, sell, sell and we’re all going to hell, but here’s a huge check to smooth out the ride.” Yet, in the midst of all our wealth and the mountains of things that we own, the number of people who are in therapy and on drugs for depression and anxiety are at an all-time high. There is something very wrong with our priorities and how we live our lives.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:4-10).”

I like putting the first words in verse 4 with the last words of verse 10: Rejoice in the Lord and the God of peace will be with you. What we need for peace and happiness will never come from what we can buy, it will always come from what we find inside of us through a relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s not to say we won’t have trials. Our children won’t suddenly become angels, and our spouses won’t become some 50’s TV show idea of marriage, and the bills will still show up on a regular basis, but when we have the peace of Christ within us, those things won’t be our focus. And what we focus on is what we pursue.

^“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.  But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:9-12).”

When we pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness, fighting the good fight of faith, we are also called to help others. Hopelessness is all around us, but it doesn’t take much to share our hope and faith with those in need. Hope can be seen just as hopelessness can be seen, and it takes so little to share real hope with another person. We are the hope of Jesus Christ to someone who has no hope for tomorrow, so share!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3-7).”

Read Job 27-31

©2018 Marie McGaha

A Few Gray Hairs

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

~ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Yesterday I had laser surgery for secondary cataracts. This is a condition that has a low occurrence after cataract surgery when new lenses are implanted, which I had in 2015. The actual laser procedure takes less than a minute and is completely painless. The results are amazing, except for the floaters I now have that are supposed to settle down within a few days. The biggest difference is how much better my vision is in my left eye now than my right, which I always referred to as my “good eye.” However, the secondary cataract in the right eye isn’t big enough yet for the laser to work, so I have to wait until it is.

“Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you. (Isaiah 46:4).”

We call it aging. Our hair turns silver, or in my case, snow white, lines appear on our faces, skin sags, our energy levels decrease, we have aches and pains, arthritis sets in, our hearing isn’t as good, and our vision begins to go. I always say old age isn’t for sissies! Everything around us seems to be geared toward the younger generations. Clothing, activities, music, movies etc. and while youth may be wasted on the young, it’s good to know that God loves us old folks.

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? Wisdom is with the aged and understanding in length of days (Job 12:7-12).”

There is something very comforting to me about being older; having the insanity of my youth behind me, and a wisdom that comes only from living life and learning from it. Being young is full of stress, worry, strife, difficulties, and each step forward seems fraught with an undiscernible future. Trying to reel life in isn’t easy, and none of us were born with an instruction booklet. It can feel as if we are just left to flounder on our own and hope it turns out all right. But growing older in life and growing up in the Lord at the same time is a wonderful place to be. Learning to live in your own skin, coming to grips with your regrets, and settling in to who you are instead of all the compartmentalized aspects of life is very comforting. In spite of the physical degeneration, life has never looked better.

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright;

He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him (Psalm 92:12-15).”

Read Job 22-26

©2018 Marie McGaha

A Smidgeon of Faith

“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

~1 Peter 1:8-9

I remember when I was a little girl my cousins and I played with dolls. We spoke for them, made up places they went, events that happened, and married Barbie and Ken over and over again. It was called ‘make believe’ and as a parent, I listened as my kids played games of make believe. A chair and pillow became a car, a cardboard box was a treasure chest spilling gold and jewels onto the ground, and my kids were teachers, doctors, cowboys, and Indians. Make believe is great fun. It’s when we get older that we realize make believe is for kids and we have to face the reality of being a responsible adult. But what happens when we are told Jesus is make believe? We pray to a God we can’t see, we wait for miracles from a Lord that isn’t visible, and we hope for salvation that will be fulfilled when He returns, or we die and go to a place called Heaven. How do we reconcile ourselves to believing in what many call ‘make believe’ when it comes to the Bible?

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven’ (Matthew 18:1-4).”

Children are so trusting and have no hang ups about being honest and open. I remember when my son, Michael, was being potty trained. My husband was in prison, so the only man around was my next-door neighbor. I asked him to help me, so he took my son out back and showed him how to pee on a tree. Michael was tree trained from that day forward. One day, we were walking downtown and there were trees planted at the edge of the sidewalk every so often, and I noticed Michael was no longer beside me. I turned around and there’s my son with his pants at his knees, watering the tree. Of course, he was three at the time and passersby chuckled. My son had no shame, no fear of reprisal, and he wasn’t embarrassed. That’s how we believe in Jesus—without shame or embarrassment no matter what anyone else might say.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:17-18).” 

I have been mocked and ridiculed for my faith. Once or twice it hurt my feelings but in the long run, those are the people I pray for the most. I know their minds have been blinded to the truth of Jesus Christ. It takes just a smidgeon of faith to be saved by confessing Christ is Lord, and I pray for everyone to have just that much faith because I know if they take that first shaky step, the Holy Spirit will multiply that faith more and more with each successive step. And with faith comes hope, peace and joy in what we cannot see with our eyes but with our spirit.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in Heaven and things on earth (Ephesians 1:7-10).”

Read Job 17-21; Ephesians 1

©2018 Marie McGaha

To Immerse or Not

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

~Acts 2:36-41

Tomorrow is a special day for me. It’s my husband, Nathan’s birthday, and I have the privilege of baptizing him. He took a long time to come to the Lord but when he did this past January, he wanted to be baptized in the river. As this day has drawn closer, I’ve been thinking more and more about what to say during the baptism. I know to most, it seems like a pretty simple event but for me, this is special. It’s like a marriage—sacred, and like marriage, a covenant between the person being baptized and the Lord.

I have been baptized three times. The first time, I was 18 and had accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior; the second time was when my late husband, Bear and two of our kids were baptized. I felt as if being baptized as a family was important for all of us. We were baptized by full immersion in water, in the Name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Some years later, I began attending a church that believes being baptized in any way except the Name of Jesus, is incorrect, and I was baptized for the third time. I have thought about this a lot, probably too much because that’s me, but I am not convinced I would go to hell for failure to be baptized in the Name of Jesus only. On the other hand, I complied because the pastor was so adamant about this belief and what did it hurt for me to get wet again?

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).”

There is no doubt salvation comes through repentance. Without repentance, baptism is just a bath and does nothing for the person being dunked. So, baptism is the second step in salvation—first, we accept Christ as our Savior by confessing our sins for forgiveness and second, we are baptized by immersion. This helps us to identify with Christ’s resurrection. We go under the water, burying our old selves, and come up out of the water, resurrected into a brand new life. I find no where in the Bible where anyone was sprinkled with water, and I find no where that infants were baptized. In order to repent, one has to be old enough to understand sin, therefore, baptizing anyone unable to understand what they are doing has no point. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who had been baptizing people for some time by full immersion in the Jordan River. When Jesus came along, John baptized Him as well. When Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened up and God spoke. (Matthew 3:13-17). Now, there is no record of what John said when he baptized people but I imagine it was in the Name of the Father.

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:16-20).”

Clearly, Jesus says to baptize in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so why was I told I had to be baptized again in the Name of Jesus for my baptism to count? The reason is in Acts 2. Jesus had been crucified, buried, and rose again. He had spent forty days on earth with His disciples and they watched Him ascend into Heaven. What we don’t know is everything Jesus taught during those forty days, but Acts 2 was written about what the disciples did immediately following Christ’s ascension. (Acts 1 retells of Christ’s ascension and replacing Judas Iscariot). This is the account of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on everyone present and they spoke in other tongues and were endued with power from God. In verse 38, Peter tells the people to “repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus.” Things had changed for the disciples. They were now the ones left to teach what Jesus taught, to lay hands on people, to heal the sick, and raise the dead. The disciples had felt the power of God descend on them through the Holy Spirit, the same thing that happened to Jesus immediately following His baptism.

Do I think if someone has been baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and dies, that they will go to hell? No. I do think that if a person was baptized as an infant or did not understand what or why, they do need to be instructed and baptized again, but only after repentance. If someone was baptized by sprinkling or pouring of water, I think they do need to be baptized by full immersion. Our sole reason for baptism is to identify with the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and full immersion is the way to do that. Baptism also infills us with the Holy Spirit, so when Peter, who spent so much time with Christ says, “Be baptized in the Name of Jesus,” and we have the chance to do so, we should be re-baptized. Or if it’s our first baptism, we should make sure our pastor, or whoever is doing the baptizing, understands we want to be baptized in Jesus’ Name.

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that, we all are witnesses.  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing (Acts 2:29-33).”

Read Job 14-16; Weekend reading Job 17-24

©2018 Marie McGaha

Delight Yourself

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

~Psalm 37:3-4

I’ve heard many Christians repeat this verse, especially verse 4, as if it’s the magic key to Heaven. I’ve heard preachers give sermons on delighting in the Lord that sounded like a discourse on why they prospered, and the congregation didn’t. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with material gain or having money. I like having money because I like boots and money allows me to have new boots…lots of them! I like being able to get from week to week without wondering how to pay the light bill or worrying about being able to keep my dogs’ Barkbox™ bill paid. In the long run, boots and Barkbox™ are things I don’t need but they certainly fall into the category of “desires.” However, in the biblical context, delighting in the Lord and the desires of our hearts has a different context that has nothing to do with material wealth, wants, or needs.

God isn’t about the wealth of this world, and why should He be? It all belongs to Him anyway. What He is concerned about is the state of our hearts and minds. When we pursue wealth and material desires, our minds become focused on that, which can lead to a dogged pursuit of something we never have enough of and will go to any lengths, even illegal ones, to possess. How many people get into trouble over money? How many people commit robbery and murder to have the things they want? The pursuit of getting what we don’t have knows no class, race, age, or social standing and in the end, it’s simply selfishness and greed that motivates people to get what they want at any cost. And that takes us far away from delighting in the Lord.

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19).”

God’s ways and our ways are often two very different things—God acts out of generosity and love, while we act out of selfish desires. But delighting in the Lord is the first step to aligning our will with His. Delighting in the Lord is wanting what He wants, saying what He says, doing what He does. It is coming to a place where our worth is found in Him and not in the things of this world. Some of the greatest figures in the Bible, like Noah, Job, David and Paul, delighted themselves in the Lord. They took true joy in knowing God and following Him, but it didn’t mean they had an easy life. Noah and his family were the only people spared when God destroyed the earth with the flood. Noah was a righteous man, but he spent roughly 100 years building the ark and getting the animals on board. Job was a wealthy man who delighted in the Lord, but he wasn’t spared great loss or physical pain when the devil came calling. David was a shepherd boy with nothing who became a wealthy king with everything. He is described as a man after God’s own heart but that didn’t keep him from great loss, betrayal, and threats against his life. Paul persecuted Christians until he met Jesus on Damascus road. He spent the rest of his life serving the Lord, which often meant being homeless, hungry, shipwrecked or in jail. All of these people delighted in the Lord and had the desires of their hearts, which was to know the Lord their God intimately and fully. When we delight in something, we desire that thing. We pursue that thing. We go to any lengths to have that thing. The same thing happens when we delight in the Lord.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You.  But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works (Psalm 73:25-28).”

Read Job 11-13; Psalm 73

©2018 Marie McGaha

Restoration

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard Him and saved Him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them.  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

~Psalm 34:1-10

King David wrote most of the Psalms. He was a man with problems, but he was also a man with great faith and love for the Lord. It’s true that most of his problems were brought on by his own fleshly desires and failure to obey the word of God, but David was also teachable. No matter what he went through, David was able to see the Lord’s hand in every aspect of his life. Even when David was pursued by his enemies, lost children, or committed sins that grieved God’s heart, he never failed to acknowledge is wrongs and confess his sins to God. David had a contrite spirit and knew that God would answer and forgive him. That doesn’t mean God didn’t allow David to suffer the consequences of his actions, but God never abandoned him.

How many times in life have we grieved the heart of God, but instead of confessing that sin, we kept going in the wrong direction? That is one ploy the devil uses to lure us further from God. If we begin to think that our sins are too great, or that we’ve sinned too often, or that God must be getting tired of hearing our excuses, then the devil has us right where he wants us. And the further we get from God, the closer we get to hell.

Paul called himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15), and Isaiah said, “woe is me, I have unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). David cried out, “I have sinned against you” (Psalm 51:4), and the tax collector said, “I am a sinner” (Luke 18:13). In every case in the Bible where someone admitted their sin, God forgave and restored them to a point better than they were prior to sinning. That’s because once we admit our sin and ask forgiveness, God doesn’t remember that we sinned (Isaiah 43:25). We are brand new, like a newborn baby, before Him. We are innocent in His eyes and forgiven of everything we have done.

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago (Acts 3:19-21).”

God is the God of restoration, making all things new again. He restores our souls (Psalm 23) and gives us new life. Throughout the gospels, (Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 7: 31-37; Mark 8:22-26; Luke 5:12-25), we see the evidence of God’s restorative powers in the lives of those Jesus touched. What Jesus did then, He continues to do now. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8) and will never leave us. The work Jesus was sent to do on the Cross works within us today. His blood covers our sin and brings us to repentance before God. No matter what our particular brand of sin, it is not so big that Christ can’t or won’t forgive when we ask.

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite’ (Isaiah 57:15).”

Read Job 11-13

© 2018 Marie McGaha

Mercy & Grace

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

~Hebrews 4:14-16

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God. As humans, we don’t really deserve mercy or grace. We have failed God on such a grand scale, yet He continues to show mercy by allowing the world to continue because He knows there are still those out there who will come to accept His grace through Jesus Christ. God shows us mercy by not destroying us when He has every right to, and He shows us grace by forgiving us for everything we’ve done and giving us everlasting life in Heaven. It is His great compassion for us that allowed Christ to come to earth and die for our sins. It is His great compassion that allows us to be forgiven and live a life we don’t really deserve. But one day, God’s mercy and grace will come to an end and instead of being our salvation, He will be our judge.

My pastor in California used to tell the following story that shows the difference between Savior and Judge:

One day a man was driving to work and saw a car had plunged over the railing into a creek and was filling with water. A teenage boy was trapped in the vehicle, struggling to free himself as the water rose around him. The man jumped the railing, slid down the bank and plunged into the freezing water. He was able to break the window and cut the seatbelt, freeing the teenager. He dragged the boy to safety and stayed with him until help arrived. Many years later, the teenager had become a man and broke the law. He was arrested and brought to court. He immediately recognized the man on the bench as the same man who had dragged him from his car all those years ago. He said, “Don’t you remember me? When I wrecked my car all those years ago, you were the one who saved me!” The man looked at the prisoner and nodded. “Yes, I do remember you. But then, I was your savior. Today, I’m your judge.”

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24).”

Today, Jesus Christ is our Savior, full of mercy and grace. One day we will stand before Him, and He will be our Judge. We have only this lifetime to do one thing right, and that’s to ensure our eternal destination is in Heaven. That is why God showers us with such great compassion despite the things we have done. That is why Christ died on the Cross at Calvary. It is not God’s desire that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation (2 Peter 3:9). He has done all He can to provide for our salvation and the rest is up to us. God loves us so much, He died for us in the person of Jesus Christ. God loves us, but it is up to us to love Him back.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:1-10).”

Read Job 7-10

©2018 Marie McGaha

Blessed Be The Name of The Lord

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

~Job 1:20-22

It doesn’t take many years on this planet to figure out that life isn’t fair. In fact, life is downright unfair and it’s a lifelong struggle to get through. Life hurts us mentally and physically, and from time to time, can leave us gasping in the dirt trying to figure out what happened and what’s going on. The one thing that’s certain is that life won’t leave any of us unscathed but how we handle life’s distress, disasters, and disappointments is totally up to us. I think it’s why I like reading the Book of Job so much. The devil unleashed his worst on Job, yet through everything he endured, Job “did not sin or charge God with wrong.” As a chaplain, I have heard many people blame God for what is wrong in their lives, even people who claim to not believe in God, blame Him when things go wrong. I have also had many people ask, “Why would God allow this to happen?” Answering people who blame God is much easier than answering why He allows things to happen.

I know in my own life I have endured many losses from the death of a daughter to the death of grandchildren and a husband. I have watched my father battle cancer, as well as having many friends who have either had cancer or had a loved one with cancer. I’ve grieved with others who have had similar losses in their lives, and I’ve stayed awake many a night praying for an answer to “why?” In truth, I don’t know why God allows the things that happen to us, especially to those who serve Him in everything they do. Yes, it does seem unfair to me; yes, it does hurt to think that God isn’t as concerned as I think He should be; but no, I do not blame God because I believe the Bible.

“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified (Romans 8:25-30).”

When we are called by God, we know who we are in Him. We know that no matter what happens in life, it is a temporary situation. We know that what happens here on Earth strengthens and refines us and conforms us to the image of Christ. We know that there is a better plan, an ultimate plan laid out for us by God before we were even created in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), and the God who planned for us to be born will never forget or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). We are His and He has written our names on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). There is nothing we go through that God has not already prepared a conclusion for that is strictly in our favor. So if the odds are rigged, they are definitely in our favor!

The story of Job is a life lesson for us all. Yes, there will be great losses and great grief. Yes, our friends will turn on us, and even our families will abandon us. We will be betrayed in ways we don’t expect or see coming. We will shed tears, feel like life’s biggest loser, and sometimes we will be tempted to give up and walk away. But in all things, we must remember that God is in control and He is our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). I have had to repeat Job’s line many times in my life, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.” So I hope this gives you encouragement no matter what you may be going through right now. It’s okay to cry and be discouraged, and it’s okay to grieve our losses, but we also have to remember that God still has our best interest at heart and in the end, He will make all things right again.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).”

Read Job 1-6

© 2018 Marie McGaha

The Lord's Prayer

"Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

~Matthew 8:9-13 

         

          Jesus prayed. A lot (Luke 5:16). He prayed in every situation absolutely convinced His prayers were heard and would be answered. He got up early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35) and He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Jesus prayed at His own baptism, He prayed prior to selecting the disciples, He prayed before He was arrested, and He prayed on the Cross. Jesus knew that His relationship with God was based on communication through a rich prayer life. So let’s look at one of Christ’s most famous prayers, The Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13.

          Our Father: Our prayers are directed to Father God in Heaven. There is only one God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things, including us. He is the one who set life into motion and is in control of all things, including our lives from before our conception throughout the rest of eternity. We have a paternal need within us, a desire to know that our Father will take care of our every need. God is the ultimate father, caring for each one of us, making sure our every need is seen to.

         Hallowed be Your name: The word “hallowed” means “holy, set apart, consecrated, to be treated as holy.” When we say “hallowed be Your name,” we are acknowledging that there is no one higher than God. We are stating that we understand God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. We are acknowledging that our lives belong to Him.

Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven: When we declare God’s will to be done on earth, we acknowledge that we are giving up our selfish, self-centered wills and are willing to accept that God knows best for us and for the whole of society. When we look around society, it’s obvious that humankind does not know what’s best and no matter how we’ve tried, we haven’t fixed any of the world’s problems. God is the only One who can fix problems in our personal lives and that of society. When we give up our stubborn wills and hand our lives over to God, we find that life gets much easier.

         Give us this day our daily bread: God is a good Father and cares for His children. We are not to worry about what we will eat or wear, God knows what we have need of and He provides for us (Matthew 6:8, 26-27). The children of Israel wandered the desert for forty years, yet they were clothed, fed, and had fresh water to drink. We do not have to fear going hungry when our lives belong to God because He cares for us (Matthew 6:31).
         And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: We are acknowledging our need for forgiveness, but not only that, we need to forgive those who have offended us. Forgiveness is not for God and it’s not for others, forgiveness is for us. When we ask for forgiveness from God, we are acknowledging that we need Him as our Father, and we cannot continue life on our own. Each and every one of us needs forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26) in order to be received by God, and the only way to receive forgiveness is through the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a free gift, but we still have to accept it by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Being forgiven allows us to forgive others. It’s not always easy but it is possible. Unforgiveness in our hearts blocks the flow of God through us. That God-shaped hole inside of us is meant to be filled by God alone, not by unforgiveness. When we forgive others, we free up our souls for God’s glory and our peace of mind.

        And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil: These words have probably been the most disputed, but understand, God does not “lead” us into temptation. However, He does allow temptation to come near us in order to refine us. Trouble is a fact of life and no one is immune to it. It’s how we handle the trials of life that refine our lives in Christ Jesus. When we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-18), we are arming ourselves with the best weapons against the devil. God will deliver us when we have done all and choose to stand in the face of adversity.

        For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever: The Kingdom or Heaven, the Power of Heaven, and the Glory of Heaven is God, is of God, belongs to God, was brought to earth when Jesus Christ was born, and was shared with us when Christ died on the Cross. Praise the Lord for sharing His kingdom, His power, and His glory with you. Amen: So be it!

(From Keys Of Heaven by Marie McGaha © 2018 - Coming from Dancing With Bear Publishing  Fall 2018)

Read Esther 6-10

Weekend Reading Psalm 119

Counting Joy

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

~James 1:2-4

Life is full of unavoidable trials. People are going to let us down, break our hearts, and disappoint us. Some events in life are going to make us doubt and question what we are doing and why. We don’t have control over what other people do, and we can’t always be in control of events that occur in our lives, but how we deal with situations is within our control.

Counting the trials of life as joy seems to be a contradiction, but when we read the above verse in context, it isn’t the trial but the result of the trial that we count as joy. Trials test us, our faith, and our character. The result of the trials in life is that it makes us stronger, increases our faith, and draws us closer to God. Even circumstances that feel as if they will break us serve a higher purpose. Withstanding trials doesn’t mean we can’t cry, feel anger, depression, or doubt while going through them.

Some people think that being a Christian means never wavering or expressing any of the emotions that come naturally but Christ expressed all those emotions in His life. He was angry with the money changers (Matthew 21:12); He was moved to compassion (Luke 7:12-15); He showed great love (John 13:23); His heart was broken when Judas betrayed Him (Mark 14:10-72); He was abandoned (Matthew 26:56); He experienced doubt on His way to the Cross (Matthew 26:39); He felt agony when being whipped and beaten, and suffered physical and mental pain while on the Cross; and He gave up hope when God turned away from the sin laid upon Him (John 19). Yet, through everything He suffered, Jesus did not sin (1 Peter 2:22), and instead of hating those who had tortured and hurt Him, He asked God to forgive them (Luke 23:34).

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).”

Steadfastness “literally means fixed in place but is chiefly used figuratively to indicate undeviating constancy or resolution, as in steadfast faith.” We can be steadfast in our faith no matter what we are going through in life because of all the things Jesus went through for our salvation.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).”

Read Esther 1-5

©2018 Marie McGaha