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My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” Hosea 4:6

The first of the minor prophets, Hosea is a story worth reading. It tells of Hosea’s response to his adulterous wife in parallel to God’s enduring and unchanging love toward His people that have turned to other gods.

In times of prosperity the nation of Israel fell to careless worship practices and began adopting and adapting pagan gods into their daily lives. What was one more little god going to hurt? The answer is everything. A distraction between you and your Creator changes the perspective of His miraculous work, thus limiting your ability to remain Holy. God is very clear. He is jealous. He will not share. (Exodus 20:4-5)

While God does not ask us to practice meaningless ritual, it is of utmost importance that our focus be intentionally and correctly directed toward acknowledgement and praise for the One True God.

When worship practices are lacking in content we miss the time and opportunity to teach the next generation. Worship is important today for the sake of tomorrow.

Love,

Gretchen

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Mark 1:9

The Old Testament Jews, in accordance with strict Levitical law, followed rigorous cleansing rituals and diligently aspired to remain Holy by avoiding things considered unclean and repeated washings many times daily. John, the prophet who proclaimed the coming of the LORD, began a new cleansing or baptizing. It was a baptizing of repentance, a new order cleanliness.

Today we refer to baptism as a Holy Sacrament, an outward sign of an inward grace. Jesus, who was Holy and pure, stepped foot into the Jordan. When He rose from the water He was acknowledge by God and the Holy Spirit came upon Him, empowering Him to do the work He came to do. Praise be to God!

Jesus modeled, baptism as a symbol of a radical change in a person’s life. I was once asked by a small child, “Why does the church have a bathtub?” I replied, “To show the world you have washed away all your sin dirt.”

Spit Shined and Ready to Go,

Gretchen

Then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance. II Chronicles 6:27

Chronicles, an historical accounting of Israel’s experience with God before their exile. Much of the events recorded are found in other books of the Old Testament, but Chronicles gives theological perspectives for present and future generations of God’s people.

Solomon is dedicating the Temple. Israel has morphed from people of slavery, through the years of nomadic desert travel to their promised home. They are now people of permanent residence no longer living in tents but houses. Therefore, it is appropriate that God have an earthly representation of His covenant fulfilled.

This prayer of dedication makes known the fact that God is utterly dependable and constant. He is always ready to hear and forgive those who genuinely seek Him and turn from their wrong doing.

Israel’s story is one of sin, consequence and repentance, sin, consequence and repentance. Missing in this cycle? God refusing to forgive and direct. It will never happen. No sin is too great, no secret so buried that God’s mighty power and grace cannot overcome and set things right.

Love,

Gretchen

The Ones That Stood By

The characters that took part in Jesus’ crucifixion are of great interest to me. In a general sense, every crowd is the same. People sort themselves into groups and patterns that are universal and so it is with the masses that came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover this particular spring. I often wonder how I would’ve fit into the scene had I lived that moment and place in time. Honestly, I’m not sure, but reflecting makes me determined to live forward with greater focus and purpose.

A very diverse group gathered to witness this act of capital punishment that fulfilled Old Testament prophecy and took the power of death away from satan. Jesus’ twelve disciples, except for John, entrusted with the care of Mary, Jesus’ mother, were hiding in the shadows filled with fear and confusion. Roman soldiers mindlessly followed orders, but added their own twist of hatred by stripping Jesus naked, weaving a wreath of thorns and gambling for His clothing. Jewish officials, rigorously trained and formally educated, mixed just enough truth with just enough fallacy, to get their desired response from Rome’s authority. Two thieves completed the execution roster. One humbled himself and found hope everlasting, the other remained belligerent to the end. Jesus’ mother, along with her friends, stood boldly, stoic and loyal, looking far beyond the cross and the present situation. Finally there were the masses, lost faces in the annals of history. Within the masses there were those shouting, throwing things, spitting, swept up in a fever of self-righteous indignation. There were the curious and probably some that thought Jesus’ death was inappropriate but it didn’t effect their life so they separated themselves emotionally and remained quiet. AND maybe, just maybe there were those that stood back and said, “He got what He had coming.” “He got what He deserved!”

They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. John 16:2

I can place myself in the behaviors and attitudes of everyone in the assembly at the cross, after all, I am a former sinner now saved by grace. But those that thought, “He got what He had coming,” are the ones I struggle with the most. I have aimed darts at the hearts of others, poisoned with this horrible venom of judgement and scorn, deliberately withholding compassion. In doing so I placed myself in a sinful role. God alone reserves the right to judge.

Jesus, blameless and pure, died for the sins we committed, not His own. Therefore, He took what we deserved, what we had coming. It was the greatest love ever shown.

Sometimes we hide from the world, fearful and faithless. In ignorance we mock and abuse those that Christ loves. We rewrite truth to our own advantage or remain quiet when we should speak up. Still, like the thief, salvation is freely offered. We must lay down our lives at the cross, arise and look beyond to the Throne of God to the world that Jesus loves and the hope that He died to give.

Everyday we awake in a crowd called mankind. What role will we play? I encourage you to lead with love and spread the Good News.

Blessings,

Gretchen

For you are receiving the end result of faith, the salvation of your souls. I Peter 1:9

The Jewish nation has become a dispersed people. By order of Nero, Rome’s sadistic, persecuting ruler, Christians were put to death by various means of demented entertainment. Peter is writing to those who have been uprooted from their homeland and are barely hanging on to the promise of a resurrected Savior.

In a most horrible time of life, Peter reminds his readers that there is reason for praise and hope. To offer joyful acclimation in times of trial and stand tall with hope in the midst of such torment and torture indicates great faith is alive and well.

We serve a living, loving and conquering Savior. Our home is not of this world. All is well.

Have a great weekend,

Gretchen

When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement. John 16:8

These are the words of Jesus as He prepares His disciples for the events that are just hours away. Up until this point Jesus has been with the early believers in the flesh, but in order for salvation to become a reality, He must suffer an unreasonable judgement and death.

Jesus died at the hands of the unjust so that we may have perfect justice. Only He knows our mind, our agenda, the true reason for our actions. He knows the secret places of our hearts we don’t share with anyone, the places that shake our faith, break us or make us strong.

God does not see us as the world does, nor judge us by the world’s standards. We are safe and secure in Him, our Creator, when we lay ourselves before Him to be cleansed and made Holy. Live in the confidence of God’s unfailing and unconditional love and truth.

Happy Friday!

Gretchen

And He became more and more powerful because the LORD God Almighty was with Him. II Samuel 5:10

The story leading to this verse is the narrative of David solidifying his power as king over Israel and establishing his capital city as Jebus, the City of David later to be named Jerusalem. David chose this city because it was centrally neutral to all the tribes of Israel and was to be a ‘foundation of peace.’ When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city, Jerusalem became the political and religious center for the Israelite nation.

David’s path to the throne was not easy. He was a young shepherd boy when God told Samuel the prophet to trust divine guidance rather than man’s values when recognizing Israel’s next king. David became a hero after he struck down a giant with a stone and sling. He moved into the palace, became best friends with a prince, Jonathan, and was soon resented by a sinful, paranoid king. Instead of a welcomed guest David became a haunted fugitive for the rest of King Saul’s life.

After Saul’s death there was a civil war between the descendant’s and military commanders of Saul and the people of Judah who immediately recognized David as king. Years after God chose David, he finally took his throne, but the time waiting was well spent. God’s plan was unfolding and God was at work.

When seeking and following God’s will, time is ever wasted and every moment is precious to its fullest. Don’t give up, don’t give in. Strength is growing and a beautiful life is evolving. Don’t wait for the big events for it is in the little things of each day that obedience and Holiness are allowing God to define your future.

Love,

Gretchen

“The time has come,” He said. “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15

From Rome, Mark wrote down the things he heard Peter preach with the purpose of giving a Gentile audience the Good News. He was not eyewitness to the life of Jesus but strove to preserve and share the story of Jesus from Nazareth and His impact on those He came into contact with.

Rather than begin his story with Jesus’ birth, Mark begins with John’s prophesy and Jesus’ baptism where a voice from Heaven confirmed Jesus’s Sonship with God.

The Kingdom of God is the heart of the Good News. The Jews of Jesus’ time lived under the oppression of Rome, or the Roman kingdom. The picture these hearers were conjuring involved a person with power, status and national identity (Jewish). They were excited by the thought that their days of abuse were soon coming to an end, but the Kingdom of Heaven, or of God (they are interchangeable), would overturn the world with absolute truth, pure justice and peace using an arsenal full of love, not with a mighty army setting up an earthly reign.

The Kingdom of God is an eternal living reality, not a dusty historical episode in mankind’s past and it is at hand now and forever!

Love,

Gretchen

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Proverbs 31:10

A list of words defining noble character is as follows: Benevolent, bounteous, dignified, gracious, honorable, high-minded, humane, reputable, and virtuous.

The 22 verses from Proverbs 31:10-31 are an acrostic poem. Each verse begins with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (My classmates and I were encouraged to write similar poems in elementary school, in honor of Mother’s Day.)

Noble character, a character of trustworthiness, strong work ethic and commitment to the responsibilities required to create a haven of peace and refreshment for those entrusted to her, is the quality of great value emphasized in this passage

While keeping dishes done and clothes on hangers may be part of a trustworthy work ethic, it is NOT the point of a woman’s value to her family. The proverbs of wisdom, gifted to us in God’s Holy Word, point directly to the perfect place in God’s heart and will. It does NOT say, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Godliness is the point even when when someone steps on a Lego.

Happy Tuesday,

Gretchen

But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:18

The Children of Israel were rescued from slavery in Egypt followed by forty years in the desert where God was the sole provider of everything it took to stay alive. Moses equates this time and place as the creation of their identity, God’s covenant people, tested, humbled and true.

God’s covenant people are transitioning into a stationary, stable home in the promised land. They will be prosperous and live in peace. Moses warns there will be great temptation to forget the role God actively played in their history with a turning toward one’s own might. Failure to remember the past will mean self-reliance and misplaced worship in the future with catastrophic results.

Today, we work hard, we study hard, we make strategic plans with an end expectation of great success or improvement of our present life’s status. We feel entitled to the harvest of our toils and to a greater extent, the rest we rightfully earned. As for those earnings…… they are ours to dispense or store at our discretion. NOT!!!!!! All glory goes to God, not man.

We cannot share credit with God. Every choice we make expresses our priority to worship and adore man or God. These choices determine everything. Chose wisely.

Have a beautiful Monday,

Gretchen