Month: May 2017

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

David committed adultery and then murder to cover it up. He was a man after God’s heart, anointed as king by God and still fell victim to the temptations of his flesh.

This beautiful Psalm is a cry for mercy, a confession and praise for salvation that comes from a humbled heart. In verse five it turns from a focus of cleansing what was dirty, to keeping what is cleansed, pure. David never wants to displease God again.

We are born with a sinful nature, but the God that wove us together in our mother’s womb is very well aware of this and has the wisdom and power to bring us to the state where we are pleasing to Him and can live in joy and peace with ourselves.

A pure heart and a spirit of strength to withstand the pull of our free will is what God wants us to crave. Holiness is the absence of sin. There is nothing worse than what David did, yet he found life giving and life sustaining mercy and grace in the heart of God.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday,

Gretchen

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? James 2:14

Saying something doesn’t make it so. I was taught at a very young age that lip service was NOT man power. Never confuse the two. Faith falls under this sage wisdom. Verses 14-26 speaks explicitly to the subject of faith and works. I encourage you to read this passage, but for this verse, saying you believe is not the act in which you are saved and made Holy.  It is in the action of that faith you find Jesus’ redeeming power!

Faith is the catalyst from which we respond to God. From faith we become who we are, less of ourselves and more like Him.

Words are cheap and just stir the air. Actions take sacrifice and change the world.

Getting busy,

Gretchen

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. I Thessalonians 5:14

The church in the Greek city of Thessalonica was established on Paul’s second missionary journey. His stay was short, apparently less than a month, when the Jews were offended by the new converts faith in the resurrection of the man they had executed. The new christians were persecuted but the congregation flourished. Paul sends urgent instruction for the perpetuation of the Gospel, the cohesive union of believers and correct theological thinking concerning Jesus’ return and God’s judgement. Verse 14 is part of his closing admonition to these people.

Every human has struggle from time to time involving interpersonal association and all that implies. Paul calls us to discern a crisis and act in a positive way, NOT analyze, critique, or judge.

We are One Body, the Body of Christ. We simply cannot survive without each other and God doesn’t ask us to. Therefore, we must work to keep each other healthy spiritually, emotionally and physically. Growing the Kingdom means taking care of one another.
Love,

Gretchen

Bring Me Your Weary

In the spring of 2001 my 6 year old made a request. As the school year wound down, our thoughts began to revolve around delivering new school buses across the United States. We had some say in our choice of destination and so we encouraged the girls to dream of places yet seen. Melissa, having just completed first grade with an awakening to American History said, “I want to see the Statue of Liberty. She is a symbol of America’s freedom.” And so, the first opportunity to head east was taken. Our buses went to Philadelphia, we stayed the night in a hotel and got up at daylight on July 3 headed toward Jersey City, New Jersey.

The girls returned to slumber as the miles ticked by. Keith and I were marveling at the city scenes so foreign to us when we saw a torch on the horizon reaching toward Heaven. We weren’t sure it was the real deal and we didn’t want a false alarm so we waited a few more miles. As New York Harbor’s pride and joy grew larger we woke our angels. They were big eyed, starry eyed and totally awed by the magnificence of Lady Liberty’s majesty.

A few more minutes and we parked our car, bought tickets and ferried to Liberty Island. As we walked and read the markers our minds were broadened to a greater understanding of those that came before us. We returned to the ferry and continued to Ellis Island, the famous entry point of America for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses.

This historical landmark, this national monument, is beautifully staged so you walk through the grand entrance and step back in time to the reality of those that came to our nation seeking a better tomorrow. It wasn’t pretty. I became shaken, heart broken, humbled and a better person.

There was a mock unloading of cargo, and a train depot with its many terminals. Hand rails marked the lines where people were vetted for disease, criminal history, and financial prospects. You couldn’t just step off the boat, gather your things and go. Families were often separated by decisions far beyond their control, by people with a less than ethical agenda. It wasn’t the welcome wagon or the Red Cross waiting on the docks. It was a crowded city with a crowded beyond questioning other’s rights to share in what they enjoyed.

The general demographic of those who came were men of other languages and cultures seeking financial stability so they could send home for their wives and children and wives and children coming to find the husbands they hadn’t heard from in months. The common thread was a present so void of hope that an unknown future seemed like the only option rather than a gamble. Was it freedom they were reaching to grasp or was it hope?

Freedom and hope are two threads of the same tapestry. One does not exist without the other. Your hope and my hope exist because of someone else’s contribution, just as our freedom does and in turn the hope and freedom of future generations rests with us.

In the back of the museum there is an American flag, a hologram made from faces of the past. As I gazed upon it I realized I wasn’t that brave. I bowed my head in grateful adoration for the Christ that paid the price for my eternal freedom and the men and women who establish and maintain the blessings I enjoy.

This is how we know what love is; Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. I John 3:16

Love,

Gretchen

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is LORD of all. Acts10:36

This is the moment Peter realizes that God shows no favoritism among mankind, there is only the believer and the unbeliever. The believer is the hope of the unbeliever.

Cornelius was a successful Roman officer, in other words, a gentile. He knew of God and was generous, noble and true. He longed to know more of Christ and share this truth with his family and friends. Read all of Acts chapter 10 to know this beautiful story of God bringing the seeker to the preacher.

Peter was a devout Jew, an apostle, disciple and now a missionary. He respected strict Jewish law, therefore he avoided all gentiles, but through three visions, God revealed to Peter that it was not law or the physical and material acts of worship that pleased Him, but a purity of heart and mind.

Prejudice is not productive. Preconceived ideas that won’t be moved hinder God’s work. The perpetuation of the Gospel in both our lives and the mission field in our own backyard, happens in the fertile soil of love.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember freedom wasn’t free. From the cross to the battle field, someone died for the blessings we enjoy.

Gretchen

Now go, I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. Exodus 4:12

Moses, a Hebrew child raised as an Egyptian prince and now a refugee in a foreign land has an encounter with God. Moses was having an identity crisis but God cleared it up in verse 11. The LORD said said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Geography, nationality, possibility…..doesn’t matter! We are His.

God is preparing Moses for a world changing mission and Moses is letting God know just how incompetent, under qualified, unprepared, frightened and confused He is. My mental picture is one of God rolling His eyes at Moses’ lack of confidence and faith as He replies. My favorite part of this verse is, “I will teach you what to say.”

We don’t know everything we need to know when we answer God’s call. It is on the job learning/training. In this manner we stay connected to the mind of Christ and His plan of salvation for the world we are given each moment in time and space.

Through faith we can, we must, do what the world deems impossible by following, trusting and depending solely on God.

I am His, and He is Mine,

Gretchen

“See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 1:21

The children of Israel are at the end of one journey, the completed promise of deliverance from Egypt and bondage. With this ending comes a new and glorious beginning. They are about to enter into the land set apart and promised to them by God, a land flowing with all they will ever need to sustain themselves. They have arrived at their covenant home. God does what He says He will do.

God chose a covenant people, but not to create exclusive blessing and pleasure while the rest of the world suffers in ruin and agony. It is God’s plan that all the world be saved. He loves His created masterpiece and His design is for its salvation. Through those that are obedient and rely exclusively on God alone to provide their needs and keep them Holy, the entire world has hope.

Be someone’s hope. The world desperately needs!

Love,

Gretchen

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? I Corinthians 12:17

In the middle of Paul first letter to the church at Corinth he follows his teaching on faith and spiritual freedom with three chapters concerning relationships among fellow believers and the value of each individual to the work of the Kingdom. He uses the phrases, “I want you to realize,” “ I don’t want you to be ignorant,” and “I will show you the most excellent way,” to express the importance of God’s plan for Christian behavior.

Unity among believers does NOT imply uniformity. We often worry about what gift we are given and how well it will be validated socially, but Paul teaches that spiritual gifts are meant to further the Kingdom and since they all originate from one Creator, they are equal in value with no social implication at all.

We all have an indispensable part to play in God’s plan. We should encourage, strengthen and love each other so deeply that the demons of hell tremble in our presence. The church is a body, The Body of Christ. Many parts, one mind, one heart, one mission.

Love,

Gretchen

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this; Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  James 1:19

Real faith shows in the ways Christians conduct themselves. Genuine Christian standards must exist in everyday life and in every relationship.

God is not quick to anger, His love endures and his patience is persevering. We must align our conduct with that of Christ’s model.  We are the sum of our thoughts and actions.  God yearns for us to live with a positive attitude, lacking in blame toward Himself and others and rich in self-control.

James’ words of instruction are not just to keep peace on earth, but peace within your heart.

Happy Tuesday,

Gretchen

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Hebrews 11:6

The way of Holiness is faith. For those that did not touch the nail scars in His hands, you and I, faith is the only connection we have to the hope of resurrection.  Hope is not futile, neither is it passive.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us that it is in earnestly seeking God, faith in action, that we find Him and the peace that comes with His fellowship.

This scripture is part of a passage known as the Faith Chapter, an affirmation that God’s people are not a quitting people.  The words, “Certain of what we do not see,” from verse 1 reminds us that it is not in the present tangible world but in the things unknown, yet known, our faith lives and grows.  What a glorious present and future.

Total reliance, come what may, is faith. God is able and willing and He is pleased.

Happy Monday,

Gretchen