No Turning Back

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

Do no go back to Egypt! If God has delivered you from bondage, bad habits or baggage, let it go! It is for freedom that Christ died. Freedom from sin. Freedom from guilt and condemnation. Freedom from all that holds us down. Freedom means liberty. He came to set the captives free!

He knows all too well how tempting it can be to fall back into old patterns of thinking, feeling and acting. Back into unhealthy relationships. Back into those things that once oppressed us only to get bound up again. So He gives strong warning to the believer to stand firm in Him and the power of His Word. He doesn't want His children getting burdened by a "yoke" of slavery again; an oppressive force that binds one up as if in chains.

God says to stand firm in the freedom He has given. To make every effort to stay in this place of liberty. He reminds me often when there is a choice to make, "Don't go back to Egypt!" Once a believer tastes God-given freedom and the weightlessness and joy it brings, they will prayerfully take a firm stand in that liberating and spacious place and press on without so much as a glance backward.

Father God, I choose to walk in the liberty of Jesus. Thank You for delighting in me and rescuing me. Thank You for delivering me to a spacious place (Psalm 18:19). I love You Lord. In Your name I pray, amen.

Icing on the Cake

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27

Loving the Lord is a verticle relationship and should always come first. Loving our neighbor (spouse, children, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers...) is a horizontal relationship and should come second.

When I am doing the first, loving God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind, the second should follow as overflow from a heart full-up on Jesus. When we keep our priorities in order, the way God intended them to be, all the good in our other relationships is like "icing on the cake" so to speak - with God being the main ingredient (the cake itself)!

Father, help me to fill up on You daily and live in right relationship with You so that I can be a blessing in every other relationship I have. Help me to respond and love in such a way that I become icing on other people's cakes! In Jesus' name, amen.

We Win!

"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you... He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:1, 3-4


God's Word says "when" you go to war against your enemies, not "if". So if you are a follower of Christ, you have an enemy and you can expect to face battles. But God...

But God says this kind of battle is not for the fainthearted, afraid, terrified or panicked. Instead, it is for the Christ follower who is willing to trust Him and be strong, courageous and determined. I think courage is moving forward in spite of your fear, knowing that He is with you and will fight for you. Can you see it? God Himself, dressed for battle, standing right there with you leading the way. Whatever the enemy orchestrates - whatever we might perceive as a battle in our life - persecution, disease, relational difficulties, struggles and trials of various kinds - God promises to be there through thick and thin, fighting with and for us so that we can be victorious in Him. Praise God we have a Father who is a Warrior at heart. One who fights our battles with our best interest in mind, and wins! In the end, He wins and we win...praise the Lord! The enemy will be defeated.

Father, thank You for fighting with and for me. Thank You for overpowering the enemy and granting victory. You are my God, my Father, my Warrior...thank You Jesus! Amen.

Handmade with Love

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans..." Isaiah 1:17

Today our Metamorphosis College Girls Ministry gathered for a day of dress making. Partnering with Little Dresses for Africa and the Kelly Green Evangelistic Association, we sewed simple dresses out of pillow cases, embellished them with handmade flowers and appliques, and fashioned flip flops to match. The dresses will be delivered to an orphanage in Uganda by a mission team this summer with cards created by the girls containing a personal message of God's love for them. May God use this labor of love to plant a knowing in the hearts of these little girls that they are worthy!

...and here is a sampling of the finished product. Vibrant "little dresses" with matching flip flops to bless sweet little orphaned African girls! May the shoes become shoes of peace, and may they feel wrapped up in the love of Christ when they wear their "little dresses"!

Openhanded

"Give generously to [the poor] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." Deuteronomy 15:10

This is another "if, then" kind of verse. "If" I give generously without a grudging or complaining or resentful heart, "then" God will bless me and the work I set my hands to.

God is pleased when I am openhanded with what He has entrusted to me, and when I give with a cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). If I am this kind of giver, God says I can expect to be blessed. But if I harbor negative feelings about what He's asking me to give, or give up, I think He'd rather me just keep it, because an offering given from a heart that's not right with Him isn't pleasing at all.

Lord, help me to see the needs of Your children around me and be willing to give from a heart that desires to please You. In Jesus' name, amen.

Strength to Strength

"Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage... They go from strength to strength, till each appears before Zion." Psalm 84:5, 7

Strength is found in the Lord. As we make our pilgrimage in life, moving closer and closer to God, growing stronger and stronger with each life trial, by placing ever-increasing faith and trust in God, we grow. We grow more and more blessed until we stand before the Lord in heaven one day.

Every trial makes me stronger and more like my God if the strength I am drawing upon is His. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Thank You Jesus that I have seen this in my own life - and it's good to be reminded of it. I have gone from "strength to [greater] strength" with each trial of life. I am getting stronger with each one, thank You Lord! In Jesus' name, amen.

He is My Praise

"He is your praise..." Deuteronomy 10:21

My God is worthy of my praise and is the One to be praised!

As I read from Deuteronomy 10 today this four word phrase caught my attention. "He is your praise". He is my praise. David Guzik's commentary on this passage expounds upon it this way, "He is your praise: This is true in two senses. First, He is the object of our praise; second, He is also the One who makes us praiseworthy. Any wisdom, beauty or skill we show is not to our praise - but [His]." In other words, He is the object of my praise, and the One who makes anything good about me praiseworthy (or worth praising).

Praise You, Jesus! Mighty and awesome are Thee. All things excellent, all things praiseworthy, all things true come from You, and to You all praise is due. In Jesus' name, amen.