Month: May 2024

Now the Berea Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.  Acts 17:11

Paul and Silas, missionaries, travel to the town of Thessalonica. As was Paul’s custom, when he entered Thessalonica, he went to the synagogue, the Jewish place of worship. While there, he reasoned/taught from the scripture (Old Testament), on three different sabbaths. He was showing that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah and that He had to suffer and die. Some Jews and Greeks were converted, a few of these new Christians were prominent citizens. Other Jews became angry over Paul’s infringement on their religious dominance and instigated riots that ended with the arrest of some church members.

The Jews believed the Old Testament, but they interpreted its meaning in a completely unGod like way.  Their beliefs suited their mindset of earthly entitlement and comfort. They were driven to a hatred so deep they were capable of murder in the name of God!   However, in the city of Berea, a mindset of virtue and dignity existed. They received Paul’s message, but then searched the Scripture to verify Paul’s claims.

The world is filled with wonderful people who believe different things. It is hard not to get swept away with good ideas, or reject Biblically based truth because it’s uncomfortable. We are called to love and respect each other, but our only source of truth and wisdom is God’s Holy Word.

Love,

Gretchen

The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1

Galileo Galilio (1564-1642) was placed under house arrest for suggesting, with evidence, that the earth was not the center of the universe. He remained homebound for the rest of his life. This did not define him. He made many discoveries and studies that we still use or refer to today, but especially important to this Psalm, he developed a telescope through which he discovered 17 moons around Jupiter. For hundreds of years it was presumed that these moons were all formed similarly to earth’s moon. That changed when Voyager 1 & 2 (launched in 1977) flew by taking pictures.  It was then understood that vast, complex diversity, from violent erupting volcanoes to seas of ice, existed on Jupiter’s satellites. Why does this matter? Because God makes amazing things, even if man doesn’t see or know it for thousands and thousands of years.

Creation declares God’s glory but His Word shows purity and wisdom. David would have known God’s power and authority through the Books and Laws of Moses, but he had a sense of wonder  that led him to stand in awe of an immense universe made with love by One will, One breath, God’s.

Standing under an umbrella of stars, knowing there is more unseen, than seen, makes man seem incredibly small and alone, but David found it tremendously comforting to remember that in all of creation, man was God’s supreme design. It gave him strength in all seasons and circumstances of his life.

Never feel insignificant. Know you are chosen and loved and the power that caused the stars to sing originates in your Father and He wants the very best for you always.

Love,

Gretchen

And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:18

Christianity is the only religion in the world in which the Creator reaches down in love to the created and invites them into His family.

The Corinthian church had many issues of immoral behavior. Paul warns of the dangers of compromising Christian standard with pagan morals. There is no common ground between the Temple of God and pagan worship, which is what brings Paul to continually stress that God seeks a real, living and thriving relationship with each one of us.

There is no other hope for love, acceptance and family, outside of God’s perfect love for you. He WANTS to be your parent and with Him, you are strongly encouraged to keep your childlike heart and faith.

Happy Wednesday,

Gretchen

P.S. Our reflex is often toward judgement or being scrutinized and condemned, but the reality is, God sent His Son in love so that you may also become a child to The King. Intimacy, strength, encouragement, wisdom, joy……these are the privileges and blessings from this kinship.

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37b-38

Jesus has returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, it is six months before His death.  The previous time He was in Jerusalem  He healed a man on the sabbath, upsetting the Pharisees that perceived this to be a grievous insult to Jewish law. The Jewish authority had already begun plans to kill Jesus. 

The feast, or holiday, was a seven day event celebrating the end of harvest. It comes in September/October on our modern day calendar. In this scripture the Pharisees had just led the ritual of water drawing from the pool of Siloam.  In the ceremony, water is offered to God as a sacrifice.  So when Jesus says that He is Living Water, He is drawing attention to a personal, active God, not a god impressed with empty gestures. 

A final note: Some living things need oxygen while others breath carbon dioxide. God designed our planet beautifully for this exchange of breath, but regardless of our breathing needs, we are common in our dependance on water! The Bible speaks often of Jesus being the Living Water. He is a reviving, transforming spring and you cannot LIVE without Him.

Have a Great Tuesday!

Gretchen

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail, they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

The beautiful, unassailable Jerusalem, has fallen to King Nebuchadnezzar’s army after many years of siege. God has allowed His covenant nation to be exiled to Egypt and Babylon.  Jeremiah wrote the appendage to the book of his name, sending copies of it with the captives to learn and put in their hearts.  It was written in an acrostic, making memorization easier. 

In chapter three, Jeremiah laments that by choice, God no longer hears His people who have broken faith.  The God of Love, has become the God of wrath and judgement. Their sufferings were horrific. The Jewish people had become entitled and believed they were above God’s commands simply by relationship to Abraham. They were wrong and the cost of their sin was far greater than they ever imagined or wanted to pay.   

By faith we know that God is sovereign, but a greater faith gives us peace that God is Good. Although it is hard to see and even more difficult to voice, God is the God of redemption and restoration.  Jerusalem did become a great city once again, but it was there that the Jewish authority had Jesus crucified.  In this tragedy, it is once again revealed that God’s Grace and Mercy are available and sufficient. We will never be consumed by this world because God is near, He is faithful and His compassions never fail.

Have a Lovely Day,

Gretchen

But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. Psalm 5:11

David’s most magnificent Psalms were born in his times of trouble.  He had many enemies. As a young boy he fought a giant when King Saul’s soldiers were too intimidated to defend themselves. Success and fame brought about the wrath of a jealous king who drove David away from his home, family and friends, and into hiding for many years. 

David eventually became the king he had been anointed to be when he was young. This brought a new version of adversity. He also made some pretty poor personal and moral choices in his adult years, resulting in tragedy and sorrow but, in the midst of all of this, he recognized a God that loathes evil and rewards good.  David chose to give single minded devotion to this God of Holiness and love.

Because God does not tolerate wickedness, His presence is a place of security. In Him is found peace and rest, for David and for you!

Happy Weekend,

Gretchen

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Genesis 9:17

In the beginning God made order out of chaos. He created the boundaries of nature and all its inhabitants. Then sin disrupted God’s perfect creation and God let loose the destructive forces of earth. His purpose was not to annihilate mankind, but to bring about a new beginning.

Noah, the sole Godly human of his time, who lived in fellowship with God, will not perish in this universal judgement. Because he does exactly what God tells him, (Noah had never seen rain, heard thunder or had any personal reference to flooding) he is provided refuge and safety from the storm. The story of the flood is not about God’s power to destroy, but His power to save those who are obedient and faithful.

Earth’s population will never again be inundated with water, but when the wind settles, the air is crisp and clean and its safe to splash in puddles, find that rainbow and remember, God can make all things new.

Love,

Gretchen 

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.  Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:4-5

When life is too hard to handle, I go to the Psalms. They are my comfort soul food.

Comfort No. 1: Looking through primitive telescopes decades ago, scientists thought they saw new, never before seen stars. Today, star gazers, with new and improved tools, recognize that they were not seeing single stars but galaxies with billions upon billions of stars. Who knew? God did. He made them perfectly and purposely.

Comfort No. 2:  While man is still making new breakthroughs in everything from the workings of the human brain to finding new elements and ways to recycle old ones, God is already there. He is not a teasing, taunting God that withholds insight, but allows us the marvel of discovery and in seeking we find greater wonder in God. His knowledge has no limit.

Comfort No. 3:  God is not human. God is God, man is man and there is no comparison. God and man cannot be brought together except through confession, complete humility and total, exhaustive faith.  God will not speak, think or act like mortal man. Man constantly fights their egocentric instinct, God ALWAYS acts in your best, loving interest.

Comfort No. 4: You can never consume too many spiritual calories, so indulge!

Love,

Gretchen

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

Paul was imprisoned in Rome when he wrote the church in Colossae, a city near the border of Asia and about 100 miles from Corinth.  This church was dealing with a supposed ‘higher thinking,’ and enlightened philosophy that called for the worship of angels as heavenly mediates and strict adherence to select jewish laws, blended together with superior arrogance.

There is a glue that holds the universe perfectly together, gravity and magnetic energy.  As opposing or complimentary forces, they hold the electrons of an atom a perfect distance away from its nucleus, allowing them to connect in perfect harmony with each other, to create the elements that sustain life. Earth’s path is a specific distance from the sun and tilts a certain degree as it rotates on an axis and orbits with the other planets in our solar system. In all this magnificence, there is only one thing that matters, God.  He always was and always will be.  He is bound by neither time or space.

Only God was infinite. When there was nothing, there was God. Then there was everything, but most importantly, He sent His Son so that a fallen, broken man can live in harmony on earth and eternally in His Peace and Majesty. Now we can be infinite too.

Love,

Gretchen

And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power? Job 26:14

Left with only the ability to breath and some free oxygen, nothing more, no man has seen more personal devastation than Job. In the midst of his anguish, his friends try to sift through and analyze all of his motivations and deeds, trying desperately to find a reason, a place to affix blame, for his horrific calamities. Job defends his innocence and in this passage, speaks boldly of God’s creative power and sovereign authority.

From the tiniest spiral seashell to the far away galaxies of the universe, patterned the same, God leaves His personal signature on our world. This knowledge was singularly enough for Job to rest his entire wellbeing on. We place confidence in what we comprehend and feel we are entitled to, but great faith is built upon the simple acknowledgement of God’s might power and nothing more.    

When faith is gone, there is no hope.  When hope departs, life quickly follows. Job refused to release himself to this despair. If all he had was God, then that was enough. This must be our daily breath, to know and live accordingly.

Have a Blessed Monday,

Gretchen