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You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

We know God’s character and desire by the laws and commands He has given us, yet we are made free of them. What do we do now? Where is our plumb line? Where are the marks on the field declaring inbounds and out of bounds?

Paul spoke these words to the gentile converts of Galatia. They knew nothing of Jewish laws and practices, yet they wanted to please God. Paul affirms, it is not adherence to these laws, mainly circumcision, that pleases God, it is love.

In love, we freely give our will back to our Creator/Redeemer/Savior. Resting perfectly in God’s unconditional, all encompassing love we find complete and total freedom from the sins, woes and worries of the world.

Freedom is the greatest responsibility ever given. It reveals the absolute truth of character. Serve one another in love and you will find complete freedom in Christ.

Happy Monday,

Gretchen

Angels on the George Washington Bridge

There was a time in my life when driving through major cities was ordinary and there was a time when it was NOT! This story recounts the few hours that connect before and after.

My husband and I contract to deliver new school buses to where ever new school buses need to go. He leads, towing our ride home and I follow. Our destinations allow us to see most of the contiguous United States and beyond. It is absolutely wonderful, but occasionally there are pot holes along the way that reaffirmed just how small I am and how ‘Almighty’ God is.

The intimidation I felt years ago on my first trip through Washington D.C. north to Baltimore, on toward Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark, then the Big Apple, New Haven, and eventually a small town in Connecticut, was paralyzing! I had to get myself together, so I prayed and thought, “Everyone gets a driver’s license at a certain age, not just geniuses. I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I’m not the least capable either. I can do this!!” I took a deep breath and put the pedal down.

THEN……we reached the George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River connecting New Jersey to Manhattan. It is said to be the busiest motor vehicle bridge in the world. An accident drew traffic to a crawl.

The locals have a very unique way of navigating gridlock. They wiggle their BMW, or Jaguar between your bumper and the one in front of you with centimeters to spare. You get to choose: Let them in or humbly call your insurance agent. The crisis for us was our tow rig hooked to Keith’s bus. There was plenty of room to claim asphalt real estate, but no driver in the pull along to concede. I knew we were going to get separated in the merging traffic with a strong possibility of dragging the front end off someone’s vehicle.

Holding my radio in my shaking hand I expressed my fear. Keith replied, “Send the girls to my bus, put fresh batteries in your radio and DO NOT get off I-95. I will not leave New Haven, Connecticut without you.”

To distract my worries, Keith began small talk and called attention to two Arkansas Best Freight (ABF) semi-trucks near us. We heard a couple of Spanish speaking truckers sharing our radio channel and wondered if it was them. Eventually we made it through the toll booths and picked up speed. I noticed the ABF trucks had worked their way to each side of our buses. They traveled along beside us, preventing cars from merging between Keith’s bus and mine. We crossed the bridge, I-95 widened to six lanes, traffic thinned and the ABF trucks went on down the road. We realized that as we spoke, two people we will never meet recognized our worry and provided security with the resources they had available. I will be forever grateful. I know God sent them.

As an adult I’ve never felt afraid of the world at large, but there are times when an immediate reality gives me pause. God always reveals His presence, supplying provision through human goodness.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.

Thank you fellow man, for the simple kindnesses you offer. They may seem minuscule to you, but an encounter with God to the recipient.  There will never be a law against such things.

Humbly and richly blessed,

Gretchen

Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Deuteronomy 6:13

Instructions for life! The central direction is to fear the LORD. Uphold His absolute authority and power. Oddly, the only way to do this is to imitate Him. Imitating Him is serving Him……which is…..loving and serving others.

Oaths: Binding contracts, formal commitments, casual promises, integral parts of interpersonal relationships, the things of life created and kept by person to person bonds. Your word represents who you are and what you value. The manner in which you honor your word defines your character. When you give your word it should be sacred because you made it prayerfully and purposefully. Keeping your oaths honors God.

Have a great weekend!

Gretchen

The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. Deuteronomy 6:24

The name Deuteronomy means second law and contains the restatement and reaffirmation or exposition of the Sinai Covenant (in part the Ten Commandments). This book, said to be the words of Moses, defines the heart of God’s law. The fact that Deuteronomy was quoted over 80 times in the New Testament indicates its relevance to today’s world.

The fear of the Lord is simply knowing who is God and who is NOT! Add a dash of respect and acknowledgement for His power, worship and obedience become the air you breath.

We don’t love the LORD so that we may live long and prosper, that would be putting ourselves at the center of the universe. We love because He first loved us. Peace and prosperity are simply the result of a life lived in submission to the One that created and loved us.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and Godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. II Peter 1:3

Faith leads to salvation, salvation leads to the very nature of God, Holiness. The opposite of sinfulness is Holiness. God will not dwell in the midst of sin, instead, He forgives, cleanses and forgets our transgressions.

We have been given everything we need to become like Christ and conquer the trials of this world through goodness, wisdom, kindness and love.

Have a great day!

Gretchen

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest.” Matthew 11:28

The world is looking for game changers. There is a perpetual search for over the top fund raisers, eloquent motivators, energizing cheerleaders and leather kneed prayer warriors. More and more people use the word “overwhelmed’ with good reason. Entitlement combined with an implied expectation for being everything to everyone and shaming when failure is the only result, quickly brings well meaning people to the edge. Bringing the ‘A’ game 24/7, 365 is NOT an option, it’s survival!

Life is exhausting! And then there is this invitation, “Come to me……….” No strings attached, no give and take, just giving on the part of a Savior who left Heaven to secure peace and rest for you. Just say, “Yes!” Jesus is the game changer. Rest in Him. If He isn’t asking it of you, then maybe it doesn’t need do be done.

Love,

Gretchen

Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Acts 4:10

Peter and John healed the lame man at the temple gate called Beautiful. (Read Acts chapter 3) This act drew a crowd and so the two apostles began to testify to what they knew first hand and preach the Gospel of Good News. The Jewish political machine went into action partnered with the Roman authority in residence. Peter and John were arrested, but still, many heard the message, believed, and their number grew to about five thousand. (Acts 4:4)

The next day the High Priest (Jewish authority) wanted to know what right Peter and John had to heal this man. Yes, you read that right! They wanted Peter and John to give account of the authority they had for this kindness, this life changing miracle, this act that improved someone’s quality of life! These Spirit Filled ministers of the Gospel, for the first time in Christian history declared that the machinations and manipulations of men are powerless against a resurrected Savior.

Happy Tuesday,

Gretchen

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

It has been a week since Jesus rose from the dead. He has appeared to many of His disciples, yet Thomas the doubter has not witnessed Him. In response to the other disciple’s testimony Thomas said, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25b Jesus’ response was to enter a locked room, stand among these men and state, “Peace be with you!” then invite Thomas to do what Thomas said it would take to affirm his faith.

Jesus, our loving Savior took Thomas’ question of faith and applied it very personally to you and I because we are those that ‘have not seen and yet believed.’

There is great assurance in a Savior that understands the need for evidence and provides it lavishly. If I ever choose to live vicariously, I think I’ll live through the fingers and eyes of Thomas, the one that got to touch the wounds that were suffered for me.

Have a great Monday!

Gretchen

Sunday Came!

There were a few givens in the home that raised me. If I was not blue or bleeding, then I wasn’t dying and I was taken to church. I won’t pretend I always paid close attention to the lessons being taught, but by the time I was six or so, I knew a few good truths. First: With the order of creation and the knowledge that God created all things I learned, God had finished the work He had been doing, so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Genesis 2:2 Second: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it Holy. Exodus 20:8

At the tender age between five and seven I was generally accepting of all things but English peas, but by the time I was eight it occurred to me that Sunday was the first day of the week, not the seventh. When and why did the day of worship get flipped? I didn’t want to ruin my Saturdays at the skating rink and my favorite shows were on too, Lawrence Welk and Hee Haw. I didn’t say anything, but my inquiring mind really wanted to know.

Years later I found my answer and so, on this most Holy of Days, I thought I would share my discovery…….just in case I wasn’t the only one that didn’t know.

The Jewish Sabbath begins just before sunset on Friday evening and continues until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. Jesus and His disciples were devout Jews and practiced all laws including Temple worship through offerings, sacrifice, teaching, scripture reading, songs and prayers.

Even before the crucifixion the disciples had come into conflict with the Jewish leaders. However, they continued to attend synagogue and minister on a very personal level to the broken and lost people of Israel outside the wall of the temple.

Jesus died on Friday. His friends requested His body so they could properly bury Him without compromising their commitment to the Sabbath. And so the LORD was placed in a tomb before sunset on Friday, Saturday sabbath was observed, AND THEN CAME SUNDAY!

At first light Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb. The rest is history!!

Some forty days later came the day of Pentecost, the birth of the Christian church. There was no longer any opportunity for Christian Jews and orthodox Jews to peacefully share a worship space. Also, many gentiles, who had no idea of Jewish law or tradition, were being converted. It became a regular habit to celebrate Resurrection Sunday and so that is why Christians meet to worship corporately on the first day of the week rather than the seventh.

Where do we stand on keeping a sabbath Holy? It isn’t really about when, it’s about setting aside time to exclusively, with intentional single mindedness, worship the One True God! In this you will find both rest and Holiness.

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Gretchen

So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. Matthew 27:66

Jesus died. A rich Jewish disciple, Joseph of Arimathea, worked up enough courage to go and ask Pilot for Jesus’ body so that it did not have to remain publicly displayed through the Jewish Sabbath. He, along with Nicodemus, respectfully washed and wrapped their friend’s body and placed it in Joseph’s own newly dug tomb.

The next morning some of the Pharisees and Chief Priests remembered the prophecy of resurrection and grew concerned that someone might take Jesus from His burial site and claim He rose again. To assure the highest level of ‘integrity’ Pilate agreed to seal the entrance and post a guard.

Man tries to control and manipulate the physical world, thus reaching into things spiritual. But these efforts are in vain. Man’s mortar or military CANNOT measure against the power and will of God. The sealed tomb wasn’t about the portal between life and death, in this instance a huge bolder, two guards and some quickcrete. It’s about control: God or man?  The end of the story speaks for itself.

He is Risen!

Gretchen