Verses from Mama

Hearing God speak one Bible verse at a time.

Ordinary Pumpkins Transformed

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2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” 

Sometimes a little bit of light makes ordinary things special! Twinkle lights strung from the rafters of an old barn create a romantic atmosphere. Christmas bulbs encircling a typical evergreen bring delight to people of all ages. And a candle lit inside a large orange pumpkin produces big smiles.

 This weekend was packed full of activity. John-Keith and Naomi came from Boston to visit and we spent a lovely time celebrating the autumn season with family and friends. Our Harvest Party, a square dance, and some great family time kept us hopping. When all the hoopla was finished, the kids took the leftover pumpkins and created a family of jack-o-lanterns. The smiling faces of the mama, daddy, and baby pumpkin lit up as the candles inside them gently burned – an ordinary vegetable given new life because of a light within.

Those who receive Jesus as Savior are transformed in a similar way. Our earthly bodies are filled with the Holy Spirit who shines His light through us to the world. The Apostle Paul says that God’s children are like ordinary earthen vessels containing the greatness of the power of God. We struggle with infirmities and difficulties just like everyone else, but we have the ability to overcome and share the message of the gospel with great power because God works in and through us. In this way we cannot take any accolades for ourselves. Our weaknesses prove that the power we possess is from God.

As the years go by our physical bodies will deteriorate as they do for everyone with age. But we do not need to lose heart. The inner light provided by the Spirit of God will shine brighter and brighter as we allow Him to fill us. Despite our frailty we will someday see how God has used us to illuminate the world that lives in spiritual darkness.

Ordinary pumpkins are transformed when a light shines brightly within. So, too, an everyday man or woman, boy or girl who has Jesus living within brightens a dark world with the light of God. Let God shine through you and allow Him to make ordinary you something truly beautiful and special!

Love,

Mama

Benefits of the Sun and the Son

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Psalm 36:9 “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”

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Enjoying the sun at the first softball game of the season at Cedarville Park. Go Dad and Luke!

With the reappearance of the spring sun I have thought a lot about light. For the past week or so the earth has grown so fresh and bright. The tractors blocking my path as they slowly move from field to field and the grassy yard that now requires a regular mowing have not been successful in deterring my mood from flying high. It seems that God’s gift of light has many benefits by which we all are blessed.

At the very start of creation the earth was dark, formless, and void. But with a single phrase, God spoke and light filled the earth, chasing away the gloom and preparing a place for life to flourish. How appropriate that the writer of 1 John should announce to the world that God is light (1 John 1:5). Not only did He create the light and all the benefits it gives, but He Himself is the light that gives spiritual life to all who believe in Him. He is the light that banishes the darkness that brings death.

As I thought about the light of the celestial sun, I couldn’t help but think how some of its physical benefits also correlate with the spiritual blessings that the Son of God brings to us.

The sun illuminates the sky; the Son illuminates our hearts.

Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”

The sun warms the earth and brings life; the Son warms dead, cold spirits and brings life.

Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart a flesh.”

The sun helps things grow; the Son helps us grow spiritually.

Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;

The sun gives energy; the Son gives energy to the weary soul.

Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

The sun cheers the depressed; the Son cheers a weary heart.

2 Corinthians 2:13 & 7:6 “I (Paul) had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; . . . But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”

The sun heals wounds; the Son heals wounded hearts.

Psalm 34:17-18 “The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them from of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

We receive so many benefits from the light of the sun. Each of these is a gift from the One who spoke it into existence. But the greatest gift we can have is the gift of the true Light, the Son of God. With Him is the fountain of life. Lift your face to the heavens and soak in all the heavenly light you can and all the blessings only He can give.

Love,

Mama

I am linking up with Cisneros Cafe today. Thank you, Carolina, for the opportunity!

 

 

Are you a thrifty shopper… or not?

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1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

IMG_2749There is nothing worse than working hard to accomplish something and finding out in the end it was all a waste.

When Dad and I first got married I was excited about setting up our housekeeping. I had all sorts of new kitchen stuff from bridal showers and gifts. I organized the closets and searched the local newspapers for ways to save money while stocking the pantry. After clipping all sorts of great coupons I grabbed my list and headed to the store.

My heart swelled with pride as I dropped groceries in the cart and thought about all the cash I would be keeping in my pocket. Dad was going to be thrilled. Finally I plunked all the items onto the register belt, and humbly averted my eyes as the dinging of the register announced each item and corresponding coupon to the people around me. Don’t they wish they could be as thrifty as I was?

It wasn’t until I got home and started unloading the car that a devastating thought struck me. Though the register tape said I saved a large amount of cash, in actuality I spent more than I originally planned on. I saved 25 cents on numerous two-dollar items that I really didn’t need and wouldn’t have normally bought. I mean, how much Pepto-Bismol is necessary to keep in your medicine chest? 25 years later and that bottle may still be in the closet! ☺

I can laugh at my experience now and there was really no harm done. I gained a valuable lesson, and over the years have learned to consider carefully if any savings I might receive from a fantastic coupon is really worth my investment. But there are other mistakes that have greater consequences.

There are many people who feel very confident in their relationship with God. They believe they know all the right answers and have done all the right things. If you were to ask them, they would assure you that they have fellowship with the God of the universe, but someday they will find out they were mistaken. What a tragedy that will be!

How can you be sure you are right with God? John gives us the answer.

Only those who walk in the light of God’s presence and have allowed the blood of Jesus to cleanse them from all sin have true fellowship with God. Those who say they are right with God but habitually walk in the darkness of sin are lying to themselves and not practicing the truth. But for the one who confesses his or her sins, God is faithful and just to forgive them and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. These believers who choose to walk daily in God’s light, will not only have restored fellowship with God but with other believers as well.

It is important to think carefully about spending money even when you have a great coupon. But if you come home with a few extra bottles of unneeded Pepto Bismol it won’t be a major castrophe. On the other hand, when it comes to your relationship with God it is crucial to get it right. Do you really have fellowship with God . . . or do you only think you do? Your answer is a matter of eternal life or death.

Love,
Mama

Do you want to be sure you have fellowship with God? See God’s Free Gift.

Chasing Shadows

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1 John 1:5 “This is the message he has given to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all”

IMG_2741Yesterday was the most beautiful day. The temperature was perfect. The sun was bright and cheerful. And the gentle breeze was inviting. I grabbed a blanket and joined Abigail on the recently cut grass to catch some rays.

As we lay basking in the sun we couldn’t help laughing. Cherokee, our German Shepherd, wasn’t interested in anything but chasing shadows. Every time someone would move their arm or body she would jump at the dark spot on the ground. What a crazy dog! Instead of enjoying the light of the sun, she was fixated on the shadows.

God is light. He doesn’t give light. He IS light! In Him there is no darkness at all. To have fellowship with God you must be walking in the light of His presence. And the only way to do this is to allow the blood of Jesus to cleanse you from your sin.

But there are many people who are fixated on shadows. They continue to live in spiritual darkness. Some think that they have no sin, but they are refusing to accept the truth and essentially calling God a liar. When the light of the Son shines on them it hurts their eyes and they choose to hide in the shadows rather than face their sin. But for those who accept what God’s light reveals, there is a way to be made right. He is faithful and promises to forgive and cleanse from every wrong all who come to Him.

This gift from God makes it possible for us to have fellowship with God and with each other.

The light of the sun is painful to the eyes when you are used to the dark. But when God forgives and cleanses you from all sin, then there is nothing like living in the light of His presence. It’s so much better than chasing shadows!

Love,

Mama

Is God’s Presence Comforting – Or Not?

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Jeremiah 23:24 “Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?”

The constant and all-encompassing presence of the Lord is so comforting – or is it?

This would seem an odd question for those who love and obey the Lord. To them His presence brings eternal blessing and joy. These obedient followers desire to live in the light of His presence continually experiencing His salvation, His strength, His protection, and His goodness. They cannot even imagine a better place to be than under God’s watchful care and they would despair at the thought of separation from the One they love and need so desperately.

But there is another group of people. For this circle of individuals, God’s constant presence is very uncomfortable. They may even be Christians, ones who belong to God, but who desire to keep parts of their lives from His control. They do not like the idea that there is no secret place where they can go to hide from God’s all-seeing eyes. Deep down they know that their words and actions are not pleasing to their Creator. But rather than revise their ways, they seek to do their deeds in a secluded place where they think that no one will notice.
Though they may be able to pull the wool over the eyes of even those closest to them, there is no private place that is hidden from the Lord. His presence fills the heavens and the earth. “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).”  He is Francis Thompson’s The Hound of
Heaven, Who will never stop seeking them.
This same crowd usually does not like to read God’s Word. Oh, they may show up at church on a somewhat regular basis, but their comfort level is minimal as the conviction of the Holy Spirit penetrates their hardened hearts. Many may blame their lack of church attendance on other church-goers, calling them judgmental or hypocritical. While this could be true of some in the church, those who are uncomfortable there find that the mirror of the Bible reveals their stubborn hearts and they are forced to confront their disobedience.
Oh, that they would recognize the error of their ways – that they would understand the loving heart of the heavenly Father Who longs to watch over them for their good. He desires not to tear them down, but to build them up. His desire is to give them a tender heart to know Him and to be the loving Master of their lives.
Is the constant and all-encompassing presence of God a comfort to you – or isn’t it? Remember, there is no place to hide from Him for He fills the heavens and the earth. So why not turn your heart over to Him and live forever free in the joy of His presence? There is no more joyful place to be!
Love,
Mama

Beautiful Mushrooms

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 2 Corinthians 11:14 – “. . . for even Satan disguises
himself as an angel of light.”

 

What a great time we guys had a couple weeks ago as we followed John-Keith’s lead on our hiking and camping trip in West Virginia. John-Keith, Luke, Nathan, and I left the comforts of home on Thursday afternoon and traveled the 6-hour trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness. After arriving at the park at dusk, we donned all 60-75 pounds of each of our full packs and sought our first campsite. Thanks, John-Keith, for finding us something, even in the dark. This old guy was ready for some shut-eye!

The next couple days were full of great times. We hiked, we ate, we swam, we ate, we played, we ate, we . . . well, we took a lot of food, but it was certainly a great time. During Friday’s 9-10 miles of hiking, we saw beautiful scenery, from the vegetation along the trail, to the rock formations on the hills, to the creek that followed our path. One of the things that we continued to notice throughout our trek was the occasional beautiful mushroom that dotted the sides of the trail. A couple of times I stopped and looked closely at these marvels of nature. They looked so colorful. Some were orange and yellow and some were purple. To one without proper understanding and with a love of mushrooms, it would have been tempting to pick one and plop it into his mouth. How enticing each one could be!

Of course, we know that old saying, “when in doubt, don’t,” especially in the wilderness. Berries and mushrooms that look so pretty and inviting ca n be deadly if consumed. That reminded me of how Satan often works today. TheScriptures tell us that the devil’s beauty is without equal. The caricatures of a red figure with horns, a pointy tail, and goatee lure us into a false conception of the evil one. In fact, he is a beautiful creature still today. Isaiah calls him “star of the morning, son of the dawn.”

Today’s verse is a strong warning to all of us. Even though Satan is a beautiful creature, he is dedicated to darkness – his goal is to fight against the light of God (John tells us in I John 1:5, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”). The devil will try to tempt us with things that look very beautiful. He will distract us with things that appear incredibly tasty. But the end result is that these things will only keep us from enjoying the true light of God and the great peace that comes from following Him alone.

Man, those mushrooms were beautiful. I am thankful, though, that I have been taught not to eat them. They may look tempting, but I know that, like Satan, they are disguised to entice, and actually will destroy the one who gives in to their beauty.

Love,
Dad