'"Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.'
~Jeremiah 23:24
Rich Mullins is one of my favorite singers, sadly leaving us way too early, but leaving behind a great body of worship music. One of my favorites is 'I See You':
"And everywhere I go, I see You (echo)
And everywhere I go, I see You (echo)
And You take my hand (echo)
And You wash it clean (echo)
I know the promised land (echo)
Is light years ahead of me (echo) ..."
All we have to do is look around us to see the hand of God in all of Creation but did you know that our Creator sees us at all times? There is no place we can go that He's not already there.
"And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13)."
For those who know Christ as their Savior, this is comforting. There is no fear in knowing that the Lord watches His beloved children night and day, but for those who aren't living a life of righteousness in Christ, that can be a scary thought. Those who live in sin don't give much thought to whether their deeds are bare before God, but those who profess one thing in public but do another in private, know the Lord is keeping an account.
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31)."
We will all fall into the hands of God one day, some for righteousness' sake, which will be a wonderful and joyous occasion; others to answer for their deeds on Earth, which will be a terrifying event. But it is our choice.
"If you think it is wrong to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve... But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15)."
Read
Job 1-10
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)."
Monday, January 22, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Perfected
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
~Romans 6:22
I recently preached a sermon on holiness, and as is the usual case, my sermons come from questions I have asked God. The Bible says, "It is written, 'Be holy, for I am Holy' (1 Peter 1:16)." What a command that is! God, the Creator of all things, Lord of the universe, tells us to be holy, to be like Him - how is that possible? Can any of us actually be holy?
In and of ourselves, we cannot. However, we have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, who fulfills that requirement for us. We will not achieve true holiness until we reach Heaven but while we are on Earth, we strive for holiness in our thoughts and deeds.
When we set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2) and not on the world around us, we take steps towards holiness. The first step being, of course, accepting Christ as our Savior. Jesus accomplished all on the Cross, and there is nothing more we have to do. "It is finished," (John 19:30). Sin was finished, death was finished, the Law was finished, the devil was finished, when Jesus said those words and breathed His last breath. Our striving to be good enough was also finished. Jesus took all of that upon Himself so we would be free to reap the benefits of His sacrifice.
The world might say you're not good enough, but Christ says that you are covered by His blood and made perfect in Him!
"For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:14.)"
Read
Genesis 47:13-50:26
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~Romans 6:22
I recently preached a sermon on holiness, and as is the usual case, my sermons come from questions I have asked God. The Bible says, "It is written, 'Be holy, for I am Holy' (1 Peter 1:16)." What a command that is! God, the Creator of all things, Lord of the universe, tells us to be holy, to be like Him - how is that possible? Can any of us actually be holy?
In and of ourselves, we cannot. However, we have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, who fulfills that requirement for us. We will not achieve true holiness until we reach Heaven but while we are on Earth, we strive for holiness in our thoughts and deeds.
When we set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2) and not on the world around us, we take steps towards holiness. The first step being, of course, accepting Christ as our Savior. Jesus accomplished all on the Cross, and there is nothing more we have to do. "It is finished," (John 19:30). Sin was finished, death was finished, the Law was finished, the devil was finished, when Jesus said those words and breathed His last breath. Our striving to be good enough was also finished. Jesus took all of that upon Himself so we would be free to reap the benefits of His sacrifice.
The world might say you're not good enough, but Christ says that you are covered by His blood and made perfect in Him!
"For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Hebrews 10:14.)"
Read
Genesis 47:13-50:26
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Be Enlightened
"The precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."
~Psalm 19:8
We live in a world that claims spiritual enlightenment is the path to peace, yet we don't see a lot of peace either in the world or in personal lives. Perhaps the reason for that is because 'spiritual enlightenment' has too broad a meaning. After all, the media will tell you that enlightenment comes from within, and whatever makes you happy is the correct path. Certain celebrities tout "all paths lead to the same place," and "you are a god within yourself." No wonder the world is in chaos! If there is nothing higher than ourselves, we are doomed. Fortunately for all of us, that isn't true; there is a Creator of all things, including us.
"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created (Revelation 4:11)."
There is a path to peace, and a way to end chaos within our spirit, and that is with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not, and can never be, a god within ourselves, however, we can live with God in us through His Holy Spirit.
"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans 8:9)."
Everyone who makes the confession of faith in Christ receives the Holy Spirit to guide them in the truth of who God is. He has made every spiritual concession for us, so we don't have to continue searching here and there, following false doctrine and false gods.
"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already (1 John 4:2-3)."
There is only one path to righteousness; one path to peace; one path to salvation; one path to Heaven, and that is Jesus Christ.
Be enlightened, trust in Jesus.
Read
Genesis 46:13-47:12
1 Chronicles 4:1-7:12
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."
~Psalm 19:8
We live in a world that claims spiritual enlightenment is the path to peace, yet we don't see a lot of peace either in the world or in personal lives. Perhaps the reason for that is because 'spiritual enlightenment' has too broad a meaning. After all, the media will tell you that enlightenment comes from within, and whatever makes you happy is the correct path. Certain celebrities tout "all paths lead to the same place," and "you are a god within yourself." No wonder the world is in chaos! If there is nothing higher than ourselves, we are doomed. Fortunately for all of us, that isn't true; there is a Creator of all things, including us.
"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created (Revelation 4:11)."
There is a path to peace, and a way to end chaos within our spirit, and that is with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not, and can never be, a god within ourselves, however, we can live with God in us through His Holy Spirit.
"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Romans 8:9)."
Everyone who makes the confession of faith in Christ receives the Holy Spirit to guide them in the truth of who God is. He has made every spiritual concession for us, so we don't have to continue searching here and there, following false doctrine and false gods.
"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already (1 John 4:2-3)."
There is only one path to righteousness; one path to peace; one path to salvation; one path to Heaven, and that is Jesus Christ.
Be enlightened, trust in Jesus.
Read
Genesis 46:13-47:12
1 Chronicles 4:1-7:12
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Right Steps In A Good Direction
"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?"
~1 Corinthians 3:16
My daughter is trying to quit smoking. After a few attempts using patches and gum, she's now using a prescription medication. Just a few days into this new lifestyle, she came to my house on her lunch break, "Mom, I need food with sugar in it!" She is in the early stages of nicotine withdrawal, which, as a substance abuse counselor, I've seen a lot of. Nicotine is an addictive substance like any other drug but fortunately, it's water soluble and will wash out of the body in 7-10 days. My daughter has begun taking steps in a really good direction.
We all need to care for our bodies, after all, it does have to last a lifetime, but we don't always think of some things that we do as hurting our bodies. We know smoking causes cancer but because it takes years before the damage is done, we don't always consider the consequences. The same is true of another legal drug, alcohol. While the immediate effects are well known, and the immediate dangers of driving under the influence can be swift and deadly, we don't always consider the long term affect on our body. Food can also have long term, ill effects on us, yet more than 2 out of 3 adults are considered overweight or obese.
As Christians, we are to honor God with our bodies. 1 Corinthians 10:31 instructs us, "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." In Romans 12:1 we are to offer our "bodies as a living sacrifice, pleasing to God." Our physical health is important to God, and being aware of what we put into it, should be important to us. One reason is that any time something in our lives becomes an obsession, it is replacing God. Another reason is, anything we desire or think we can't live without, is giving the devil a foothold in our lives.
It may be difficult to think of food, your job, your friends, or anything else as a foothold for the devil but he's sneaky like that. He will use anything to draw your attention from the Lord. It's not the huge, overt actions that do us in, it's the subtle, underhanded things that draw us bit by bit in the wrong direction.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness (Matthew 6:22-23)!"
Read
Genesis 46:10-12
1 Chronicles 2:18-55
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~1 Corinthians 3:16
My daughter is trying to quit smoking. After a few attempts using patches and gum, she's now using a prescription medication. Just a few days into this new lifestyle, she came to my house on her lunch break, "Mom, I need food with sugar in it!" She is in the early stages of nicotine withdrawal, which, as a substance abuse counselor, I've seen a lot of. Nicotine is an addictive substance like any other drug but fortunately, it's water soluble and will wash out of the body in 7-10 days. My daughter has begun taking steps in a really good direction.
We all need to care for our bodies, after all, it does have to last a lifetime, but we don't always think of some things that we do as hurting our bodies. We know smoking causes cancer but because it takes years before the damage is done, we don't always consider the consequences. The same is true of another legal drug, alcohol. While the immediate effects are well known, and the immediate dangers of driving under the influence can be swift and deadly, we don't always consider the long term affect on our body. Food can also have long term, ill effects on us, yet more than 2 out of 3 adults are considered overweight or obese.
As Christians, we are to honor God with our bodies. 1 Corinthians 10:31 instructs us, "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." In Romans 12:1 we are to offer our "bodies as a living sacrifice, pleasing to God." Our physical health is important to God, and being aware of what we put into it, should be important to us. One reason is that any time something in our lives becomes an obsession, it is replacing God. Another reason is, anything we desire or think we can't live without, is giving the devil a foothold in our lives.
It may be difficult to think of food, your job, your friends, or anything else as a foothold for the devil but he's sneaky like that. He will use anything to draw your attention from the Lord. It's not the huge, overt actions that do us in, it's the subtle, underhanded things that draw us bit by bit in the wrong direction.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness (Matthew 6:22-23)!"
Read
Genesis 46:10-12
1 Chronicles 2:18-55
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
The Greatest Of These
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
~1Corinthians 13:13
The word "love", and its variations, are mentioned more than 550 times in the Bible, so it must be pretty important for us to understand. While there are three types of love in the Bible - Phileo or love between friends; Eros or sexual love, as between spouses; but overwhelmingly, the word used is Agape love, the type of unconditional, all-encompassing love of God for us.
Agape is the word used when we are commanded to love one another on a daily basis. In the verse above, the word 'love' is Agape. The greatest of these is Agape - a love that is without condition, without expectation, and without counting wrongs or holding grudges. All too often, our love is conditional on how others act, what they do for us, or how they make us feel. Our love ebbs from day to day based on emotions and is often quite contrary to the Word of God.
According to the Word of God, we are to love the way God loves. We are to hold no account of wrongs, rather, we are to give love unconditionally, and base love on who we are in God, and not on who others are or how they act. Agape love is pure and undefiled.
"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2)."
Read
Genesis 42:1-46:9
1 Chronicles 5:1-6
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~1Corinthians 13:13
The word "love", and its variations, are mentioned more than 550 times in the Bible, so it must be pretty important for us to understand. While there are three types of love in the Bible - Phileo or love between friends; Eros or sexual love, as between spouses; but overwhelmingly, the word used is Agape love, the type of unconditional, all-encompassing love of God for us.
Agape is the word used when we are commanded to love one another on a daily basis. In the verse above, the word 'love' is Agape. The greatest of these is Agape - a love that is without condition, without expectation, and without counting wrongs or holding grudges. All too often, our love is conditional on how others act, what they do for us, or how they make us feel. Our love ebbs from day to day based on emotions and is often quite contrary to the Word of God.
According to the Word of God, we are to love the way God loves. We are to hold no account of wrongs, rather, we are to give love unconditionally, and base love on who we are in God, and not on who others are or how they act. Agape love is pure and undefiled.
"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1-2)."
Read
Genesis 42:1-46:9
1 Chronicles 5:1-6
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Monday, January 15, 2018
No Place I'd Rather Be
"Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness."
~Psalm 29:1-2
I love reading the Psalms. They magnify the Lord in ways that makes my heart beat with joy. It's also how I feel when singing worship songs. It brings me into God's presence; a one on one meeting with the Most High, and my spirit soars within me. We are to enter His courts with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4), showing Him our love and devotion for all He's done in our lives, and respect for who He is as Lord of our lives.
Our praise and worship is an offering to the Lord, and our voices are a sweet sound to Him, no matter what type of voice or whether you can carry a tune. To God, we a are beautiful melody. We are His ultimate creation; His most prized possession, and His ultimate desire is a personal relationship with us. Ponder that for a moment -- the King of Glory desires nothing more than to spend time with you! And there is no place I would rather be!
"No place I'd rather be
No place I'd rather be
No place I'd rather be
Than here in Your Love
Here in Your Love
So set a fire down in my soul
That I can't contain and I can't control
I want more of You, God
I want more of You, God"
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness."
~Psalm 29:1-2
I love reading the Psalms. They magnify the Lord in ways that makes my heart beat with joy. It's also how I feel when singing worship songs. It brings me into God's presence; a one on one meeting with the Most High, and my spirit soars within me. We are to enter His courts with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4), showing Him our love and devotion for all He's done in our lives, and respect for who He is as Lord of our lives.
Our praise and worship is an offering to the Lord, and our voices are a sweet sound to Him, no matter what type of voice or whether you can carry a tune. To God, we a are beautiful melody. We are His ultimate creation; His most prized possession, and His ultimate desire is a personal relationship with us. Ponder that for a moment -- the King of Glory desires nothing more than to spend time with you! And there is no place I would rather be!
"No place I'd rather be
No place I'd rather be
No place I'd rather be
Than here in Your Love
Here in Your Love
So set a fire down in my soul
That I can't contain and I can't control
I want more of You, God
I want more of You, God"
~Set A Fire by Will Reagan
Read
Genesis 40-41
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Struggles From Within
"The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”
~Genesis 25:22-23
The life of Jacob was a struggle. Even before his birth, he wrestled with his twin, Esau. Throughout his life, he struggled to have what he wanted and he didn't always go after those things fairly. In fact, the name Jacob means: he takes by the heel; he cheats. And Jacob did cheat, lie, and manipulate, but he was also cheated, lied to and manipulated by others. By the time he was an older man, he even wrestled with God, fighting to be blessed. He got his blessing, but it cost him - he was crippled for the rest of his life. Everything Jacob acquired during his life cost him. From the wives who cost him twenty years of hard labor to the blessing of God.
Sometimes we have to struggle for what we want. Whether it's working through problems to save a relationship, or struggling with money to pay our bills, or with coworkers to keep our workplace peaceful, life is a struggle. But there's a different kind of struggle many of us go through, and that is the struggle within ourselves. The struggle between our hearts and our heads, which was also some of the problem Jacob had.
Often, we see things we want and go headlong into getting them without thinking through what the cost might be. We want and will use any means to get it, often hurting others and making enemies. Once we have what we desire, we may enjoy it for a while but then the reality of what it cost us sets in and we see it really wasn't worth it.
While Jacob made many mistakes, the one thing he did right every time, was to go to God. In spite of all of our shortcomings, we have a God who bigger than any mistake we can make. While our mistakes may cost us here on Earth, we don't have to let them cost us spending eternity with Christ.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7)."
Read
Genesis 31-32
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)