Month: November 2016

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all you might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom Ecclesiastes 9:10

We live in a society obsessed with personal quality of life. We live in the moment, for the moment! Me first! Outside of scripture, everything we see and hear teaches and encourages this: Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. I see the logic of this but I also recognize how outrageous it becomes in the hands of the theologically negligent.

It is our legacy that matters, now and later. Someone is watching, someone is following, someone is emulating you. You are leaving a mark. What does it look and sound like? Is it integrity and a work ethic that is honorable and will bring great rewards in due time? Is it a life’s pattern of putting God first beginning with time allocated for explicit worship?

Make your life count for something beside yourself because death is inevitable no matter who you are. And when you’re gone you can’t change what’s done.

Have a great Friday Eve,

Gretchen

Finally, bothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Paul refers to the people he is writing to as brothers and sisters because they were family, the family of God and we all know, family can talk straight and get away with it. He is doing this. Christians…….live to a higher standard than the rest of the world, be true and noble, just do the right thing!! Make God’s will your will and it will be pure, lovely, admirable.

The essential element in this verse is “THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS.” Our mind is the singular place we have complete and total secrecy. The only way for anyone to know what we are thinking is through our actions and words and even still we can maintain limited deception. So with this freedom we let our thoughts run wild with little risk of consequence. But eventually our hands, feet and mouths follow our thoughts and they become actions and words. So, the key is to stop things at their starting point and turn to truth, honor, integrity, righteousness and beauty.

Love,

Gretchen

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24

David took a census of all the able bodied men, prospective soldiers, in Judah and Israel. This act was in disobedience to God. God doesn’t rely on earthly might and His people don’t need to either. David got his numbers and in return experienced great regret, God’s anger and a consequence that effected the well-being of his people. David acknowledged his sin and confessed. God, through the prophet Gad, demanded a sacrifice. David was obedient, followed God’s instructions precisely and went to carry out his expensive penance. However, a man named Araunah respectfully offered his king, David, a threshing floor and animals needed for sacrifice. David had no desire to short cut through God’s command. He was honorable and obedient and God’s favor returned. The place of this alter became the location of Jeruselem’s temple.

Just as David was prone to do, we often demand our own way. In doing so we replace God’s all-knowing, all loving control of our lives, including outcomes, with our ill informed, powerless efforts. We mess things up in a hurry. The good news is, God is there. He can fix anything we’ve done wrong and unlike David, our sacrifice has already been paid by Jesus.

Let God be God.

Love,

Gretchen

But Very truly I tell you it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:7

These are words spoken by Jesus. Verse 1 says, “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.”

Jesus is mere hours from His earthly destiny, the cross. He knows in full what will transpire and He knows full well that His beloved disciples, his friends and fellow servants have no idea. They have no point of reference for a Lamb that will die so that all may live. They are devout Jewish men, taught to look for a conquering Lion that will rule the earth alongside God’s chosen people. Jesus did not want them to give up when He was gone. We know the rest of the story, they did not.

It is so hard to turn loose of tangible things that comfort us. The disciples not only failed to understand why Jesus had to leave, they weren’t especially enthusiastic about trying. I don’t blame them. Never the less, Jesus did not grow angry or impatient with their questions, concerns and doubts. He spoke over and over of God’s plan for them, and for you.

During His ministry Jesus never quit teaching that God’s way, while not our way, is perfect……. perfect timing, perfect love, perfect wisdom, perfect victory, and the all powerful Advocate would continue the work done by the Lamb of God.

Love,
Gretchen

A New Bike

Every child loves to hear stories from their parent’s past. My dad had many stories to share and four eager sets of ears to listen. One of my personal favorites was dad’s first reaction to the news of Japan’s surrender in the summer of 1945. James Bryan Jones’ earliest years were the war years. The industrial world and its resources were consumed providing American forces all they needed to serve justice on Germany and Japan. No child understands the politics of war. All dad knew was that new toys were hard to come by and he wouldn’t have a bicycle until the war was over.

When it was announced over the ocean waves and then the air waves that Japan had surrendered, every church bell across America rang out and people put down their work and toil to celebrate. The free world was celebrating victory for all, but a little boy with a very limited scope of international knowledge knew the end of war meant a closure to childhood’s personal sacrifice.

My father was neither spoiled nor narrow minded. He was a youngster reacting to the world he experienced and perceived. Dad was soon guided to a more correct consciousness of what he was due and the high cost of freedom. How do I know this? He grew to become a generous and compassionate person.

When we face the world each day we bring our gender, age, education, talent, passion and preference acting as a filter to every stimuli entering our physical and mental body. What comes out in response is our perception of facts. Sometimes this takes us far from true reality.

As we get chronologically older the gap between perception and reality should narrow. It’s called maturity, but some never achieve greatness in this endeavor. Spiritually, God commands that we grow and become less concerned with our point of view and more aware of His.

Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. I Corinthians 14:20 Have a childlike faith when dealing with sin, but otherwise act like a grownup! For the Christian, maturity is not an option. We have no entitlements but our inheritance has sidewalks make of gold!

Just as my dad learned a more objective way to see his world, he taught his children that they were not the center of the universe. The autonomy we enjoy and the liberties we exercise were paid for by others and the highest gift we were given was eternal life at the expense of Heaven’s Love.

Love,

Gretchen

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7

This statement is the conclusion to the account of a dispute over disbursement of resources by the early church to widows and orphans. The Christian community was growing but that didn’t mean the Gospel was progressing. Conflict has snuffed out many good intentions. But the prayer and preaching of the disciples had an effect on the way Christian people acted toward each other and those in need. There grew a movement in the early church, a common spirit of love, encouragement and putting other’s needs first.

How did the word of God spread? Through love in action! Church didn’t end when the preaching quieted. Church began when God’s people were moved to improve the world they could touch, smell, hear and see with manpower rather than lip service.

Happy Weekend!

Gretchen

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4

Oh! There is so much hope in these few words!!! God Himself will wipe a life time of tears from your eyes. Did you hear me? God’s hand will gently touch your face and all the sorrow you’ve ever known will be gone forever! Of course there will be no more mourning, crying or pain because death, the thing that hurts the most, is no longer relevant!

It’s so hard to imagine an existence totally lacking in emotional warfare, constant action and reaction, tipping the balance and righting it again. It’s no wonder we are all mentally drained, but God will put away the old order of a sin torn  and confused world. His new order will be an existence of peace, order and love. Satan and his minions won’t be allowed there.

This promise of hope eternal is indeed beautiful and heart stirring, but how do you get through today? This promise of hope does not have to wait for Jesus’ second coming or your earthly death, it can begin this moment. Give whatever is robbing you of tranquility to God. You have absolutely no control over anything but yourself and that control is extremely limited. The struggle is in vain, so turn it loose and let God take care of it.

Have a Wonderful Friday!

Gretchen

That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. 1 John 1:1

Please finish the rest of this beautiful passage of scripture through verse 4.

An apostle (he knew Jesus personally) John was one of the first twelve disciples. He lived and served closely beside Jesus throughout His ministry.

John was probably the last living apostle. Near the end of his life he began to see the Christian church pressured to accept other philosophies and ideas conflicting with the pure Gospel of Christ. He passionately writes what he knows to be divine truth, what he witnessed in the flesh and lived his life to proclaim.

Jesus is both a person and a message. He is the Son of God and the Word of God. He came in human form to bring God’s voice to a world grown deaf while modeling the life of absolute servanthood and love. Jesus left the glory of Heaven to suffer the pain, both physical and emotional, of humanity just so you could have victory over sin and death! In Christ alone you find life.

Love,

Gretchen

He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. I Peter 1:20

Peter was one of the twelve disciples that walked and talked with Jesus during His three years of ministry. He knew Jesus as intimately as any friend could, hearing the Gospel first hand, as Jesus spoke it.

Jesus was, is and always will be. He does not exist in linear time as we know it. We think of eternity as only the future, but it is the past as well. Before the world was created, before mankind came to be, God had a plan of redemption, salvation and restoration for each of us. Humanity has never been left destitute.

Have a great day,

Gretchen

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. I Timothy 1:5

Love, a pure heart, good conscience, sincere faith. These are the things that bring personal Holiness; a complete lack of personal agenda and total submission to God’s will.

Love what God loves, seek the goodness of His Kingdom, sleep well in the peace of doing good and know that God has your life in His Hands.

Timothy has been sent to teach the Truth in the face of false teaching. Their message was tainted with hidden agenda, but the world cannot argue with God’s perfect, selfless love.

When in doubt, and there will be times you will be, just love. Let God carry the burden of theology……who’s right, who’s wrong….. you just love. It will reveal who’s side you are on while cultivating a faith of perfect peace.

Happy All Saints Day,

Gretchen