A Heart For Jesus

“The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”” Genesis‬ ‭41‬:‭52‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”. How many times have I read that verse and never really thought about it? We all know the story of Joseph, and how God used him even in the midst of his struggles and difficult circumstances and brought about good. Can He do the same for us? For me? Can God make me fruitful in the “land of my affliction“? And what is the “land of affliction” we are in? This “land” will be different for everyone. We may not like the circumstances we’re currently experiencing. We may not like the trials that daily come our way. We may ask God how long we must endure? But what if, like Esther, we were “made for such a time as this”?(See Esther 4:14). What if I chose to believe the lesson Chuck Swindoll presented in a devotional reading I had, “I am here by God’s appointment”; I am in His keeping”; I am under His train...

  “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬ There is so much truth in this proverb! For the “fear of man” will most definitely “prove to be a snare”! When you fear what others think; or fear what they may say of you, that is a trap. When you live your life as a “people pleaser”, such as myself, you will never measure up; never be quite good enough. When you allow your fear of someone else’s opinion to determine how you act or respond to a given situation, you set yourself up for being controlled by them. You place yourself under their thumb so to speak.  ‭‭‬‬But where does this fear come from? What is at its roots? For me, it is a fear of rejection. The fear of being disapproved of; of disappointing someone or of being told I’m wrong or just being selfish. This “fear of man” is straight from the pits of hell. Living in fear of others, or with a fear of rejection and need for approval is not the life Jesus ca...

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ This one is difficult for me to think about. Who can be against us? Really? I can think of a few who could be against me! As I was reflecting on this question a few things came to mind. What if we lived in an area where being a Christian could get us killed? What if we weren’t allowed to meet together for Bible study? What if we had to hide the fact that we were followers of Jesus because of the risk of persecution or even imprisonment? Yet there are people in this world who suffer these things, and they still practice their faith! They still worship God and study His Word! Oh to have such a strong faith, that doesn’t cower at the least bit of opposition! But then... Consider Jesus. He definitely understands what it is to be persecuted. I wonder if he ever felt like giving up? Did the Devil tempt him at every turn? Luke 4:13 says, after He was tempted in the desert, that the devi...

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ “We are the aroma of Christ to God”, I just want to reflect on this thought for a moment.  An aroma, per a dictionary definition is, “a distinctive, pervasive, and usually pleasant or savory smell”, or “a distinctive quality or atmosphere.” What is a pleasing aroma for you? For me, I love the smell of freshly mown grass (my allergies tell something different 🙂), the smell of coffee in the morning or bacon! When Danny and I were in Glacier National Park, I couldn’t get enough of the sweet smelling perfume in the air from all the wild flowers! And then there’s Gardenias, is there anything more wonderful than the smell of Gardenias? The dictionary definition also says, a “usually pleasant” smell, so what about those things that don’t smell so nice? For instance, the Corpse Flower, I’ve never smelled one, but I read where it smells like rotting fl...

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” Psalms‬ ‭40:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬‭ We are blessed when we trust in the Lord. But what does it mean to be “blessed”? I like this definition from Got Questions, “ Blessed  speaks of our inner state of well-being, the prosperity of our souls in Christ. Blessedness comes from unhindered fellowship with God the Father through our Lord Jesus. To be blessed is to experience the full impact of God’s presence in our lives now and for all eternity.”  For us to be blessed, our    trust must be in the Lord. So I ask myself, who or what am I placing my trust in? In the Old Testament, the Lord warned against worshiping idols. Putting our trust or hope in anything or anyone other than Him. We are to love Him with our whole heart. I’ve also noticed, especially in the Old Testament, Sometimes the word Lord is all caps, sometimes just the “L”, and sometimes not at all! So I did a li...

“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I like the thought of being a co-worker in God’s service. But it does makes me think, what kind of co-worker am I? Even though I am retired, I think I can still ask myself, do I faithfully serve Him every day? Am I doing the work He has called me to do, wholeheartedly or begrudgingly? Are there times when I find it easier to go along with the crowd in order to avoid conflict or do I stand for what is right no matter how hard it may be?  In Colossians 3:23, it says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Even when I’m just doing the dishes? Yes! Sometimes I think the attitude we have towards any particular task is what helps. Charles Stanley’s Life Principle #4 teaches us that the awareness of God’s presence, energizes us for our work. We can ask God to help us to do our best no matter what we are doing. We can practice thankfulness or gratitude ...

  “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “Be still”, reminds me of when I was little, my mom setting me in a chair and saying, “sit still, don’t move, until we’re ready to go”!  But what does it mean to “Be still” before the Lord? Why is it so hard to be still? To be quiet? To wait! Seems like every time I sit down to be with the Lord, every possible conversation or scenario starts going through my mind! Or I start thinking about all the things I need to get done! How do I learn to quiet my mind; to “be still”?… Isaiah 64:4 says, ‭“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” ‭‭Waiting is hard. No one likes to wait, we have become an “l want it now” generation. And yet we wait. We wait in doctors offices; We wait in traffic and in lines at the grocery store. Life is filled with ...