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He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of Heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah 1:9

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a world power that was annihilating the Jewish nation of Israel when God called Jonah to go and save the very people who were destroying His home. Is it any wonder He didn’t want to go? 

Tarshish is thought to have been in Spain, so if you look at a map, it is clear that Jonah, already a prophet and statesman, had no intention of going anywhere near the hated place God called him to. However, his identity was solely as a Hebrew who worships the LORD.  Jonah’s boat ride to Tarshish was caught in a turbulent storm and Jonah knows why.  He voluntarily allows himself to be thrown overboard where he knows God’s plan will proceed one way or another.

God wanted Assyria to repent, thus, ending their blood lust for conquest and possibly preserving Israel as a nation. Jonah wanted the citizen’s of this hated nation to suffer the full wrath of God. He had no compassion for them! God……….wanted peace among His beloved creation and salvation for ALL men. Jonah’s personal grudge and prejudice had to be put to rest.

It is difficult to have enemies when you realize how badly God wants them to know His love. And like Jonah, you may be the only way they will ever hear and learn. Then consider; a world with no enemies is a pretty sweet place to live.

Love,

Gretchen

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

The Temple area, the sacred place of worship, representing God’s presence among His people, had been made into a shortcut to town, a convenient market place and currency exchange where a chosen few were able to prosper at the expense of the less fortunate. With tremendous authority Jesus cleared the temple of these evil doers.  People obeyed and the Pharisees and Jewish counsel took offense.  They believed that the foretold Messiah would be a political conquerer, not a humble servant of mankind. This Jesus just wouldn’t do, so the rejection began.

There was a man named Nicodemus, a prominent citizen, a Pharisee. He had observed Jesus quietly and in the night, discretely went to ask questions that his educated mind couldn’t reconcile. He was not turned away because of his secrecy and cowardliness. Instead, he heard the human voice of God’s own Son speak the most wonderful words known to man. “You don’t have to perish, come, have eternal life.” Nicodemus chose to believe. Years later he stepped forward and away from his own colleagues who had just had Jesus crucified, and with a friend named Joseph, asked for their Savior’s body. They took Him to a tomb He would only need for a weekend.

John 3:16: The first scripture I ever committed to memory, because somebody cared enough to inform me that I was heir to the greatest, most profound love I would ever know. When all other imitators of love had very nearly destroyed me, this Love saved me.

Go Share This Good News,

Gretchen

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;” Romans 3:10

Hebrews, actually a sermon, was spoken to Christian Jews who seemed to have a degree of formal education. Persecution was the experience of early converts across the Roman Empire in the years before Jerusalem fell.  Their faith was wavering and they were considering a return to the traditions of their youth, Judaism. The author of Hebrews tells that Jesus is the fulfillment of the ancient Priesthood, making the perfect sacrifice once and for all, Jesus the Lamb of God.

The speaker compares these people to the Hebrew children of the Exodus, who see God do miraculous things, but at the first sign of discomfort or insecurity, they forget their faith and fail to trust and obey.  For these there was no promised land, no place of peace and rest.

Traditional Jews depend on their strict laws and the act of circumcision (the physical attribute that sets them apart from all others on earth) to assure them the favor of the LORD. However, it is not these things, but the fact that they were given charge, or keeping, over God’s word. He told them, and showed them, His love and character so that they could bless all nations. Their Righteousness does not derive from who they are by birth, but who they chose to be in rebirth.

There is no way to Heaven other than faith, which brings Holiness and perseverance.

Happy Weekend,

Gretchen

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. Psalm 1:1

“Blessed is_________.” The opening words of Jesus from His sermon on the mount. This is a Beatitude.  It is not a suggestion, but a direction that will keep your life on the right path.

The way of the wicked is a person’s life’s choice: The things they do, the places they go, the words they say…… the manner in which they engage with their spouse, and children, and neighbors…….It’s not an afternoon lunch date with a little venting on the edgy side, it is their ideal, their life’s standard, and it will end in destruction.

This Psalm contrasts the way of the righteous and that of the wicked.  There are two ways, not three, no road down the middle with a little of the best from each side blended in. The enlightened trail blazers from the beginning of humanity till now have tried to build one but it is not to be. Choose the path of righteousness, it is already full of faithful footprints and fellow sojourners that will encourage you, lead you, walk beside you and sometimes push you up a hill, but they will be with you until your journey’s end.

Love,

Gretchen

The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the LORD so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.  I Corinthians 2:15

The citizens of Corinth held themselves in high esteem.  As a neighboring city to Athens, Corinth was home to scholars, orators, and litigators.  Arguing for the sake of arguing had become an art form and the early church was not spared such enlightened minds.  Paul, a scholar himself, teaches that debate and logic are not the way to the throne of God, or great faith.  God’s ways, especially grace and mercy, do not make sense. 

In dealing with early Christians that have always relied on their mental acuity to excel and advance their social standing, Paul taught that humble, blind faith was the secret to wisdom and insight when it came to understanding Jesus’ unselfish act of love, His resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We are not unlike our ancient friends.  Knowing and understanding grants security and autonomy. Releasing control is perceived as weakness or lack of motivation and ambition. The world does not shine brightly on unquestionable trust in something as abstract as an intangible God. But as Paul states, it is the mind of Christ we must seek and emulate. Explaining Jesus isn’t the answer, accepting Him and walking in His ways is. 

Have a Great Day,

Gretchen

P.S. I encourage you to read all of chapter two to better understand Paul’s context, frustration and letter.

Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Job 38:25-26

Job became famous because of his misery. In one day he was crushed by a mountain of disaster. His camels were stolen and his herdsmen were murdered, the same for his oxen. 7000 sheep and their attending shepherds were killed by a thunderstorm. His children, all ten, perished in a cyclone. Job himself was struck by a hideous and painful disease, probably leprosy. People everywhere knew of Job’s calamity and they talked….a lot.  Theologians and scholars, as well as nosey neighbors, all had something to comment.  It didn’t help or change anything.

Job grieved and anger was a big part of the process.  He asked the hard questions, “What did I do to deserve this!?” “Why are you picking on me?!” “Why don’t you just let me die!?  Job’s friends speak and analyze God’s motives and Job’s character. Job defends his righteousness, so his friends inquire of secret hypocrisies. Finally, God speaks and Job finds perspective. God ends Job’s story with love, not condemnation and Job’s joy is restored beyond measure.

This book isn’t about suffering, its about who God is when suffering comes. When sin came into the world, death became a part of man.  But death does not define God!!!! This is important!!!  In a desert where no man may ever go, God waters the land and a flower miraculously blooms for a few short days………just because He’s God. He can and will do what it good!

Human nature struggles with the inequities and injustices of life. How can a good God allow such horror and pain? And then God Himself came from Heaven, in the form of Jesus, to be a partaker in our suffering. Not because man needed answers, but because He is a good God and we needed love.  That’s who He is, that’s what He does.

Have a Great Day!

Gretchen

Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Imagine for a second that you live on Uranus. From there, the sun looks like a very bright star.  There are no radiant sunrises with a promise of a fresh new day, nor glorious sunsets, giving rest for a day well spent. That’s what it’s like being in a far outer loop…..dirty, hopeless, dark and cold. We want better and so covetousness becomes our motivating force.

James, Jesus’ older brother, became leader of the Judean church and wrote this letter to Christian Jews scattered by persecution. His epistle gives an encyclopedia of Christian ethics, but most importantly he implores: You must chose daily to come near to God and seek His heart and mind. You cannot value the standards of this world and please God.

There is no pecking order with God so don’t covet. We are all of highest worth and loved beyond measure.

Basking in the Sonshine,

Gretchen

Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record? Psalm 56:8

The world is a mixed up place. Life is really hard to manage by yourself, but when you add everyone else’s crazy, things spin out of control. People get hurt and its hard to forgive. People hurt others and don’t feel remorse. Some wounds are minor, others are life shattering. King David knew his share of disappointment, despair, self-destruction, and the misrepresentation of facts and motives. Sin, his own and others, created grief, but he refused to live in the legacy of defeat.

Although he will be Israel’s next king, Saul, the present king was jealous and attempted to kill David. David spent many years running, hiding and fighting for his life. He most certainly grew weary, but he stood on the solid foundation that God was God, and when God is for you, nothing can overtake you. This Psalm is not a pity party, but a song of great confidence. David can leave his enemies in God’s hands. 

God does not like or approve the hurt you have experienced. Man will patronize with words like, “Only the toughest are chosen to endure.” Or, “God wouldn’t have sent this if you weren’t able.”  On and on goes the list of words that don’t help. God is not sending the pain, sin is!!! God is the Healer, Comforter, Prince of Peace, Advocate, Love! Let God take care of your enemies just as David did, and start living in victory and joy!

Love,

Gretchen

You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. Psalm 90:8

This Psalm has been accredited to Moses along with Psalms 91-100, but most scholars discount him as the original composer. It is considered to be one of the first Psalms written down, so it is connected to the time of Moses and would have been sung in worship. It depicts the eternity of God and the brevity of man’s existence.

Compared to eons of time, the billions of inhabitants on earth, at any given time, seem very insignificant. Not true! None of us is the center of the universe, but the universe was made, by God, as our home and we are each fearfully and wonderfully made. We matter a lot and God is particular about our spiritual well-being.

Secrets are dangerous. They hold the power to destroy. Even if you think your secrets aren’t hurting anyone else, they are hurting you with fear and shame. God’s light drives out the darkness of confusion and regret, and I promise…..you can’t keep secrets from God. He isn’t shocked or overwhelmed with the gravity of your issues. He is already there and everything is going to be okay if you will trust Him.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Gretchen

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