Verses from Mama

Hearing God speak one Bible verse at a time.

How to Have a Real Home

By Leave a Comment

Zechariah 2:10 “’Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,’ declares the Lord.”

Real home, Cedarville, Ohio, Country Home for Sale

“We celebrate making home happen!” A short video shown at a recent real estate continuing education class advertised and explained this Ohio Association of Realtors® motto. Many people desire and work hard to own their own piece of land and build their dream home. But what constitutes a real home anyway?

Some would say the investment of the real property itself creates a home. Others say it is the particular four walls they paint their favorite colors and on which they hang their favorite pictures. Maybe it’s the comfy furniture . . . or the amount of acreage . . . or the barn in the backyard. And as we Realtors® say, the most important thing is . . . Location, Location, Location!!

But what good are all of these accouterments if the home is empty or love is absent? The essence of a real home is the relationships that are found there.

God’s people had gone home. They had spent seventy years living in a foreign country because of their sins, but now they had returned to their national country of birth. They worked hard to resettle the land and reestablish their society. Yet even as the walls of their houses and temple were being raised, there was something missing. The people’s relationship with God was still distant.

So the prophet Zechariah spoke God’s message of love. If the people would return to Him, then He would return to them. The daughters of Zion would sing for joy and be glad because the Lord was coming and would dwell in their midst. He would again choose Jerusalem as His holy city and in the future many nations would also join themselves to the Lord and be His people.

Without the Lord’s presence and promise of favor, the city, the houses, and even the Temple would not really be home for the nation of Israel. They would just be pieces of real estate!

Home is the center of family and society. But these are not defined with four walls, vaulted ceilings, and location! Even when families who love each other live together there is still something missing.

Like the children of Israel we also will never be truly at home until our relationship with the Lord through Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of our lives. Then it doesn’t really matter what type, if any, real estate you own. All God’s children can always celebrate with joy because His presence is what makes a real home happen.

Love,
Mama

God’s Terms of Endearment

By Leave a Comment

Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘After glory He has sent Me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.’” 

Dear Kids:

Dad and Sweet Abigail (otherwise known as Princess Cherry Blossom) – 2002

Have you ever noticed how people tend to give nicknames to those they love? Sweetheart, Darling, Precious, and Honey are some of these most common terms of endearment. Other times people craft fun or special names, which are meaningful and fitting for a certain individual. We have a number of those in our family. Just ask our sweet Abigail, whose older sister Emily dubbed her at birth Princess Cherry Blossom. Each pet name demonstrates how much we love the person so named.

God’s Terms of Endearment

God also has terms of endearment for those He loves. God’s people had gone through a very difficult period of time. They had spent years under the bondage of foreign nations. They brought this captivity on themselves because they turned away from God and broke His covenant with them. In wisdom God allowed them to be punished for their disloyalty by these foreign nations. But as with any good parent, God never stopped loving His children. He brought about their punishment for the purpose of getting their attention and drawing them back into relationship with Himself.

The prophet Zechariah delivered God’s call to repentance and promise of deliverance to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.’” The nation of Israel was special and loved, nicknamed the apple of God’s eye, and He was angry at the foreign nations. They had been called to punish His wayward people but they wanted to go beyond God’s intention. They planned to annihilate His special nation, and this was unacceptable!

God pledged that He would be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem and that His glory would fill the city. He would go after the enemy nations with a vengeance because no one could touch His loved ones without His permission.

God’s redeemed people are one in Christ

Today God loves those who belong to Him as much as He loves the nation of Israel. In fact, God sees all people who are in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, as His one redeemed people. Ephesians 2:13-14 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace who made both groups (Jew and Gentiles) into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. . .”

That means that we also acquire His special terms of endearment. We are deeply loved by Almighty God, and also called the “apple of His eye.” He is concerned about all that happens to us. He lovingly blesses us, disciplines us, provides for us, and protects us. No one can harm us without His permission. We are His and He is ours.

Have you grown up with a special nickname? Are you someone’s Honey, Sweetheart, Darling, or Princess Cherry Blossom? Regardless, if you are one of God’s children you are deeply loved. And those who touch you touch the “apple of His eye”.

Love,

Mama

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones But Words Can Also Hurt

By Leave a Comment

1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

IMG_2955Whoever came up with this saying was not thinking clearly. While physical attack is very harmful, vicious words can also produce much pain and devastation. In fact, words are often a tool of the devil.

When you enter into a successful spiritual ministry of any sort, be alert. It is very likely that you will experience some type of verbal opposition. Over and over this is seen throughout the Bible, and yet we are often so surprised when similar things happen to us. When we are hit with opposition it is easy to become discouraged and feel like our hard work is a failure. In these times it is important to remember that the work is not really ours. It is our job to be faithful and God’s job to bring the results.

Paul and Silas entered the city of Thessalonica with a very recent history of suffering and mistreatment in the nearby town of Philippi. Most would have been tempted to return to the safety of home and hearth feeling as if they had done their time of service for God. But Paul and Silas were different. God gave them a boldness to continue preaching the gospel message to all who would listen despite the difficulties.

As they came to Thessalonica, Satan’s most successful tool to hinder their ministry was the flurry of accusations that these messengers were out for their own benefit, greedily seeking glory and fortune from men.

After Paul and Silas had spent only a very short time in Thessalonica, the malicious words stirred up the religious leaders, creating painful persecution. Paul and Silas were again forced to run for their safety. It may have seemed that the missionaries’ ministry was coming to a quick end, but things were not what they seemed. God was still at work.

Paul assured the Thessalonian believers in a letter that his visit to them was not in vain. God had chosen them and opened their hearts to receive the message of salvation for what it was – the word of God – through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Paul went on to remind these new believers of the truth regarding the accusations against him. None of them were true and he only had their best interests at heart. By recalling the round the clock labor and the hardship they endured so as not to be a burden, the believers could be witnesses of the upright and blameless behavior the missionary team exhibited. Paul expressed his deep longing to come back to them, but lamented that again the enemy, Satan, hindered a visit.

I have noticed that one of Satan’s greatest hindrances to gospel ministry is harmful words. So often those who should be working together for the cause of Christ develop difficulties because of disagreements or misunderstandings that occur within their circles. The words can come from the outside but often they come from the inside. Opinions are spoken in haste or taken out of context, feelings are hurt, disagreements occur, and unity is threatened. This is why it is so important to be careful about reacting prematurely to things we hear. Do not believe everything and go straight to the source if you have any concerns or questions. Don’t go around talking to others and spreading the poison. Be kind and considerate when you don’t agree on menial points, and be willing to work together despite differences.

Above all, don’t be discouraged when it seems a ministry has hit a wall because of false words and accusations. Remember that this is a regular tool of the devil, but God is bigger than this hindrance. Pray even more about the circumstances and trust God for the results. It is his responsibility to bring the fruit.

Sticks and stones break your bones and words can also hurt you, but don’t be discouraged. God knows the truth, He examines hearts, and He will be your witness. So don’t turn back. Grasp the courage that only God can give and continue on. For those who are truly seeking to please and serve Him selflessly will someday see that, like Paul, their labor was not in vain despite the opposition.

Love,

Mama

Waiting on the Lord

By 2 Comments

 

Psalm 37:3. “Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”  (NASB)
 
Waiting is a difficult thing.  It takes a lot of patience and trust. In our culture this is not a a virtue that we have mastered.  We live in an instant world – instant potatoes, instant cash, instant service at drive through food chains. We become peeved if we have to wait a second longer than expected.

This frustrating passive action of waiting is often what God allows into our lives to teach us patience, and God-reliance and to spiritually mature us. His timetable is rarely ours and He will not rush. So many times in the Bible God instructs us to wait, but often it feels like watching for the teapot to boil. We begin to wonder if He will ever come through. This is not the attitude that pleases God. How, then, do we wait for the Lord?

Recently, while waiting and watching for the Lord to answer some of my prayers I discovered today’s verse. I have not been able to stop thinking about it as I have pondered God’s delay and wondered what I should do while waiting.  He reminded me of four things: (1) Trust Me; (2) Do good; (3) Dwell in the land; and (4) Cultivate faithfulness .

Trust Him: More than anything God wants us to trust Him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” While waiting God wants us to keep trusting – never doubting. In due time He will come through in ways that we never imagined.

Do Good: We need to have the right uncomplaining attitude as we wait. We must always be listening for His voice and willing to do whatever He puts before us no matter how menial. In this way we glorify Him before others.

Live in the Land: Some have used the expression “bloom where you are planted.” Wherever God has put us and whatever our hand finds to do for the moment, do it heartily as for the Lord. In this way we will bless others and He will be honored.

Cultivate Faithfulness:  Some versions translate this as trusting in the Lord’s faithfulness, and this is certainly true. But as I read it, I couldn’t help but think of how we, also, need to cultivate faithfulness in our own lives. Just as a gardner must regularly weed, water, and cultivate his garden if he wants to harvest produce worth keeping, so too, we must develop this quality if we want to experience God’s blessing in our lives.

Are you waiting on anything from the Lord?  Trust Him patiently, keep a good and expectant attitude, keep productive while living in the land where you have been placed and cultivate faithfulness with whatever He has asked you to do. In due time the teapot will boil, the garden will produce, and God will always come through.

Love,
Mama

Blindsided

By Leave a Comment

Good Morning,
The verse of the day is Deuteronomy 33:26-27. There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides on the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms;

It happened again! For the second time this winter a deer came bounding out from the side of the road and blindsided one of our cars. Now we have two cars with huge dents and mangled hoods. You need to be so careful driving the back roads at this time of the year. Even when you are watching carefully these skittish animals can jump out unexpectedly and cause great damage.
Often in life difficult and unexpected experiences can catch us unaware causing great devastation and frustration. A routine trip to the doctor can yield terrifying test results. Another ordinary day at work could end with packing up your desk and searching through the classifieds. The call could come in that there has been an accident or the school paper we worked so hard on could receive a less than sufficient grade. These things just happen. They jump right out from the side of the road and wreak havoc in our hearts before we even know what hit us.
When our cars are in an accident, we can call our insurance company and most of the time they come through with financial help for the repairs, but they won’t be able to help at all when life smacks us in the face. That is why I am so glad for a strong and powerful God who cares about me more than anyone else. This God of Jeshurun (another name for Israel) knows and sees all that will devastate me and He rides on the heavens in His majesty to help me. He could stop these difficulties from coming our way, but often allows them so that we will learn to trust Him. But in the midst of these trials He never leaves us on our own. He is our dwelling place in times of pain and suffering and puts His strong loving arms underneath to hold us up when we feel we cannot stand.
Have you been blindsided recently? Look up! God is riding on the clouds to help you. Rest your tired heart and soul in His strong arms.
Love,
Mama

Great is thy Faithfulness

By 1 Comment

Good Morning,
The verse of the day is Lamentations 3:21-23 “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

This morning I woke up to another cold, icy, snowy day.  Though the snow holds a crisp, clean beauty, the difficulties caused by the subzero temperature start to grate on a person after so many days. The novelty wears off and only the work remains.  As I was grudgingly thinking about all the daily chores that needed to be done I happened to look out the window and saw a breathtaking sight.  The sun had come up and was shining with smiling rays of light through my dining room window.  I quickly ran with my camera to our firewood door and, ignoring the biting cold, ran onto the porch where I snapped picture after picture of this beautiful reminder of God’s faithfulness.

I continued to think about this sunrise as I crunched through the squeaky white drifts to take care of our animals in the barn.  As I recalled all the blessings God has given me, I meditated on God’s faithfulness.  I praised Him for a Carhart coat and overalls to keep me warm, heavy boots to protect my feet, electric water buckets for the goats and dog to keep the water from freezing, enough time to leave the defrost on in the car  before leaving for work so I wouldn’t have to scrape the windows, and 3 strong boys to split wood for the wood stove (Thank you, Luke, John-Keith, & Nathan!).  What a difference a heart of thankfulness can make in a person’s life!  My whole outlook changed.
As you are going through life, difficulties will come.  But take hope and recall the steadfast love of the Lord which never ceases. Be reminded daily that His mercies never come to an end.  Every morning there is a new sunrise – let it remind you of the Lord’s constant faithfulness.
Love,
Mama