Month: August 2021

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him, but with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh; He will pursue His foes into darkness. Nahum 1:7-8

One Hundred and fifty years before Nahum, God sent Jonah to take a message of Mercy to this capitol of Assyria. This book of doom was more than just a prophecy of destruction, it was first a reminder of God’s patience and enduring love. It is the story of second chances ignored. 

Nineveh was a strong city, head of a warrior state, rich on the loot of those it conquered, built on the backs of slaves. Its nation destroyed Israel and wreaked brutal misery on Judah. It is described as arrogant and reckless, assuming indestructible security. But when this huge city was wiped off the face of the earth, it went totally undetected until excavations in 1820 uncovered it. For 2400 years people forgot it ever existed. 

In the Bible’s story, God’s mercy always stands in contrast to His judgement. He choses FORGIVENESS, REDEMPTION, RESTORATION, ETERNAL HOPE!!! It is not His desire to cast anyone into darkness, a place where His light will never shine, known as hell. This final move is the consequence of rebellion and resistance to truth. It isn’t God’s choice, but man’s.

Chose wisely!

Love,

Gretchen

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Luke 15:32

These are the final comments from the parable of the Prodigal Son, a story Jesus Himself told to teach a point. I encourage you to read verses 11-32. It is an illustration of the Heavenly Father’s response to a lost soul returning home. Jesus’ objective in this verbal painting is to give encouragement when we grow discouraged over sinfulness. 

Jesus’ sole purpose was to forgive.  All else He has done is a residual of this one thing, FORGIVE! He was without sin, but His heart ached for those in bondage to death’s grip. The lost brother was found and freed. The older brother, he who never rebelled and stood loyal and faithful to his father, was resentful. Why was this added as a dimension to this narrative? Because the attitude exists in reality and is destructive. God doesn’t need our notches to assist Him in keeping track of who deserves what. 

Jesus became man so that we could become eternal. It wasn’t an even trade. When we try to keep score, we will lose every time. Take the win, then take as many as you can find with you!

Happy Monday,

Gretchen

For the LORD gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

The word philosophy means the love of wisdom. Wisdom is not knowledge, it is the use of what we know. Quite a lot of learning happens impassively, or involuntarily.  Seeking God in these moments grants insight and understanding and safeguards against wrongdoing.  

A proverb is a guide to practical living. Every culture and age has a collection of their own, but God granted greater insight to Solomon, the Biblical Proverb’s author, because he chose wisdom. Kings came from the ends of the earth to seek his counsel and to hear him speak on everything from botany to morals. 

Wisdom doesn’t happen.  It must be sought whole heartedly. Will there be test? You can bet your life on it.  

Have a Wonderful Friday,

Gretchen

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

There is not a more intimate song of praise to our creator God. This Psalm tells of God’s infinite knowledge of man’s soul and His universal presence in all things. 

Fear, as it pertains to our relationship with God, is a profound respect, rooted in awe and wonder. We must honor and worship God alone, but the Psalmist recognizes that we also, are fearfully made, not from an assembly line of repeated parts that work together in synchrony, but each, a unique combination of God’s supreme creative power.  

We strive to become like each other. It makes us comfortable and even in our rebellion toward some standards of acceptable behavior, we align ourselves with those of similar actions, thus getting lost once again in our alikeness. This is not all bad, as it makes the world run more smoothly most of the time. Just don’t get lost in man’s cookie cutter mentality and lose sight of how independent and original your were when God decided the world needed one of you. You were woven together with the greatest respect by the One who loves you most. 

Love,

Gretchen

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:21 

God is the sovereign originator of all that is. The world, designed for man, was purposefully created in a logical, ordered fashion:

Days 1-4. Inanimate creation, light, atmosphere, land, sea, vegetation, sun, moon and 

            stars.

Day 5. Animate creation, sea creatures, land animals.

Day 6. Man, with moral conscience, the ability to share in a variety of        

            relationships, an imagination, and a free choice.

By the word, the very breath of God, chaos, a formless void, came into perfect harmony. 

God is a God of Wonder, which is the root word for wonderful……FULL OF WONDER! He delighted in all that He did. Point your face toward His Heavens and rejoice in the things God calls good, and that includes yourself!

Love,

Gretchen

Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.  Daniel 5:17

While a youth, Daniel was carried away from Jerusalem and into exile by the Babylonian army. Well educated, handsome, and intelligent, Daniel became friend and advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar, a brilliant builder and administrator of the world’s greatest empire at the time. 

On three occasions Daniel’s ministry caused Nebuchadnezzar to call the God of Daniel, God. Nebuchadnezzar died and Babylon was led by other kings. By the time Daniel was a very old man, Belshazzar was in power. In an act of deep wickedness, this king brought sacred things from the temple of God and used them in an orgy type feast. God was not amused and wrote Belshazzar a message of his doom on the wall of the banquet hall. Daniel was called to interpret the message. He did, and that very night the Babylonian empire fell to Persia. 

This earthly king meant to disgrace and circumvent the power and ordinances of God. In a panic, Belshazzar promised greatness and security in his kingdom if Daniel could save him and give him peace of mind. Daniel let it be known the only place in any kingdom he had interest in was that of the One True God. Belshazzar died that night. Daniel lived and continued to lead a life that brought glory to God.

Have a Terrific Tuesday,

Gretchen

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. I Peter 3:4 

The world is always cruel about the things we have no control over. Think of prejudice. It is centered on skin color, geographical origin, gender, all things that were part of the original package, designed by God, when we were woven together in our mother’s womb. But soon after the exit, it begins, the sorting of who’s who and what will be tolerated. The knee jerk reaction is a life time of experimentation to find a skin you’re comfortable in and so perfect no one could possibly find fault, all while proving one’s higher discernment by picking others apart.  This build’s fragile families that have little chance of surviving life’s stress. 

Nero’s persecution was horrendous. Peter probably wrote this letter shortly after Paul’s martyrdom. Peter teaches, the things of strength and comfort begin in the home with the two people that founded the family. When the world becomes the enemy, wives should offer loving devotion. A countenance of hope and faith trumps the torments of the world. Then, the power of two becomes the winning majority. 

Biblical tradition tells that Peter’s own wife, Concordia, was martyred in Peter’s presence shortly before his own life was taken. Together, they stood firm and changed the world of Christianity by their character, not their earthly gathering of baubles and bows. 

Love,

Gretchen