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Therefore, the LORD Himself will give you a sign” The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah, the Old Testament Gospel writer foretells the Good News of Jesus’ birth 700 hundred years before the fact.

Ahaz, Judah’s king would except nothing from God or His prophets, but Isaiah speaks anyway, of a child, “Immanuel” that brings judgement. We think of this as a bad thing in the frame of a comeuppance, but it actually means a perfect, flawless justice. This is something wonderful coming in love from the weaver of our souls.

Later, “Emmanuel” the Christ child, God with us, came as the greatest wonder the world has ever known. This prophecy for Ahaz, an arrogant king, is a promise for us all. God always had a plan to save and always will. When we think all hope is gone, remember God is NOT in the giving up and quitting business. He is the world’s only rescuing, redeeming and restoring specialist.

The virgin’s child: Perfect justice, perfect love, perfect exactly what you….and the world needs.

Love,

Gretchen

Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His Heavenly Hosts. Psalm 148:2

A most lyrical passage that I encourage you to read in its entirety.

Doxology: A liturgical expression of praise to God. The word comes from the Greek term doxa meaning opinion. The Psalmist gives His opinion…God and God alone is worthy to be praised throughout all creation. Nothing has been created apart from God and the entire universe is capable of praising God and yet, all this glory is God’s gift to each of us.

Verse 14 completes this beautiful acknowledgement of all that God has done by recognizing the bounty, the “horn” or cornucopia, of God’s provision.

God is so Good! The whole world declares His works and I don’t want to be left out of the choir! Sing loud, sing proud. I’ll be the squeaky, somewhat flat soprano with a southern drawl!

Do Re Mi,

Gretchen

But our citizenship is in Heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20

The community of believers is a colony of Heaven. The Ruler of Heaven and earth is our governing authority. The benefits and blessings of Heaven are ours. Its justice system is our hope and we stand firmly to defend and support our homeland.

There are all manner of fun little quizzes on social media that invite users to answer a series of questions and react to various statements. The collected data can supposedly determine your place of origin and residence. This fun pastime has yet to determine I am a citizen of Heaven, but I am reminded every time I begin these surveys that I am a consenting product of my environment.

As a new creature in Christ, I am a representative and ambassador for the place I call my home, Heaven. Someday, our Prince will return and take us Home to where our heart is. Let me invite you to come with me to the most wonderful place in the universe. Heaven! It’s out of this world!

Love,

Gretchen

Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name. I Chronicles 29:13

Worship is man’s faithfulness to our faithful God. For Israel’s second king, David, worship of the One True God was a priority, not an afterthought. David is now at the end of his life so his son Solomon has been crowned and given the blueprints for the Temple. In addition, David gave generous gifts to the Temple building fund and the people of Jerusalem followed and gave also.

God made it clear to David that he would not build the temple he dreamed of. He is passing the torch to his son Solomon. From father to son, traditions and admonitions are given and the people come forward in support of the Temple building and give deeply. They gave back to God what God had extravagantly given to them.

David’s passion and heart, his love for his Savior, is being passed to the next generation. In this act of coronation, Israel has recognized, all they have came from God. The model we live today has a deep and lasting effect on the generation rising. They are watching, they are weighing and they are deciding. Live and model faithfulness to the Faithful God. It will shine a light on the path they must follow.

Love,

Gretchen

“He Himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “By His wounds your have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Salvation does not guarantee anything but hope and eternal life. We look for justice and seek what is fair, but fair isn’t really the settlement we long for. Fair means, we get what we have earned and what we need, nothing more, nothing less. Jesus didn’t live and die so we get what we earned. He left Heaven’s Throne to prevent that!

Peter’s words are in the context of a passage encouraging Christians to have a good work ethic no matter the circumstances and be a good citizen because it’s the right thing to do. Jesus, who was sinless, willingly took our sins on Himself and lost His life in a most gruesome, undignified and UNJUST manner.

If we spend our energy focused on how others treat us, then our eyes are not on the things of Christ. Put the idea of earthly justice away from you. It is a stumbling block. Our hope is in Christ’s victory over death, so we in turn must die to this world and step into righteousness. In this manner we become in this world, not of it.

Love,

Gretchen

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God. John 13:3

The Last Supper is a beginning. Jesus’ love for His earthly friends is about to manifest itself in the most loving, unselfish way any human can love another; humble servanthood and personal sacrifice.

If God has put all things under Jesus’ power, Jesus could have devised and manipulated many things that would cast the consequences of sin onto us, the actual sinners. But He did not. He chose to follow God’s plan. It was all ways (and always), totally and completely, voluntary, purposeful and loving.

Mercy and Grace, a living reality; all because Jesus chose to love.

Happy Monday,

Gretchen

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

The ancient nation of Judah had a false confidence that God would protect His covenant people regardless of their disobedience and thoughtless ‘worship’. As a result of continued neglect for God’s laws, Jerusalem was devastated for the second time. The Babylonians destroyed the temple and took thousands into exile……… Sin, the thief of all things good.

Isaiah, also known as the Old Testament Gospel writer, speaks to these exiles but also all whose hope is in the LORD. Judah was concerned with their entitled power on earth. It was taken away. God is concerned with our surrendered hearts now and forever. His purpose is not to punish, but to make us righteous and Holy, totally trusting and obeying Him alone. By His hand we are upheld in strength to face whatever foes come our way. We are not alone. God is there, just call His name and you will be in His presence.

Have a beautiful weekend,

Gretchen

So Abraham called that place THE LORD WILL PROVIDE. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided. Genesis 22:14 (Read all of chapter 22)

Isaac: God’s fulfillment of His covenant with Abraham. There was never a son more longed for or loved, but there is a miracle in this story that goes far beyond God’s provision of a ram. Through Abraham three of the world’s major religions were born. One through Hagar’s son Ishmael, the Arab/Muslim people, and the other two through Isaac, Judaism and Christianity.

God’s promises and covenants do not absolve any man or woman from single minded commitment to the One True God, not even Father Abraham. For the good of all mankind, Abraham had to have a correct adoration for the God of all creation and a humility that trusted Him with the most precious gift any human has ever been given, a child of their own.

God asked Abraham to give his son as a burnt sacrifice. Isaac, the covenant connection had to die. It didn’t make any sense! Can you imagine the questions beyond the grief?! But according to the narrative, Abraham didn’t hesitate and acted in such a way that Isaac too, placed all faith and trust in God’s omnipotent plan. WOW!

God didn’t need a human sacrifice, He needed the unobstructed faith and worship of the two men that would change the face of history. Abraham finally found an unlimited faith in God’s care, and Isaac saw that God was the source of ALL provision needed to survive.

Oh to always know and feel God’s power in our simple trust.

Love,

Gretchen

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.  II John 1:6

This short letter is addressed to the ‘lady chosen by God and to her children’, a title that is most likely a disguise of protection in a time of persecution for the Church. John writes of the joy he finds in knowing that this congregation is staying in the Truth but reminds this anonymous people that obedience is a by-product of love. Love is the driving force of grace and mercy and therefore, should be reflected in the lives of those forgiven.

God’s commands are often perceived as a list of rules. Rules are defined and can be followed whether you buy into their purpose or intellect. There is no moral connection in rule following, you are just avoiding a consequence. But God’s commands are not this! They are His loving provision of protection and communion with Him and one another. From the beginning of time and into infinity, love really does make the world go ‘round.

God is love. If you know Him, then you love.

Have a lovely Thursday,

Gretchen

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:29

It is unbelievable that Jesus was investigated for healing a man blind since birth, but the Pharisees did just that. This miraculous act was done on the sabbath, therefore an act of love that radically changed someone’s life for the better was horribly offensive to these men of the synagogue and they tried to rob the healed and his family of their joy. When spiritual blindness stands next to physical impairment it is obvious which is a death sentence.

Following this event Jesus tells the Pharisees again and again that He is the Good Shepherd and the sheep know His voice. Others attempt to get into the sheep pen by other ways than the gate, but they are thieves. (John Chapters  9 and 10) The sheep are safe because they will not follow a voice they do not recognize. Just like the sheep, Jesus’ followers know He is God’s Son. They know the voice of the One that loves and cares for them.

The Pharisees could not hear the Father’s voice because He was not saying what they wanted to hear. Those who seek to hear and see Jesus, who is One with the Father, follow and will not stray. The way is straight and narrow, but it is clear and a bright light shines upon the path.

Have a Great Day,

Gretchen