Category Archives: Bible

We Can Do Better

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Proverbs 7-12

Reading these proverbs today served to remind me how far removed our present society is from wisdom and righteousness. Whether it’s the false gospel being preached in some churches, the liberal left’s platform, the anti-Christ “woke” agenda, the LGBTQ abomination, the evil transgenderism attack on innocent children, we live in a world controlled by Satan.

I know some will say God’s in control. But I’m not sure we understand what that means.

Often in Scripture we see where God, in His sovereignty, gave up His control when men’s heart turned to evil. Make no mistake about it, it’s NOT God’s will that any child or adult, mutilate his or her body to pretend to change genders. It is NOT God’s will that there is rioting, murder, hatred, in our government, in our streets, and in our homes. Those things happen when we step OUTSIDE of God’s will.

That is the sovereignty of God. It offends me, and I believe it offends God when well-meaning Christians say God’s will will always be done in the world. Look around. Is this the God you know?

If God’s will is always done, then it was kind of ridiculous for Jesus to teach us to pray: “Thy will be done.” How unnecessary for Him to pray in the garden, “Thy will be done.” If for no other reason, Jesus’ prayers help me understand that God’s will isn’t a given.

Do we want God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? Then we need to CHOOSE to obey Him. It’s our disobedience that results in Him giving us over to our sinful nature. That is a repeated truth in His Word.

Read Proverbs. Hear God explain over and over what wisdom is and where it comes from. Let Him tell you about righteousness and the consequences of rejecting righteousness. Choose wisdom. Choose obedience. Choose God’s will, and lovingly yet firmly stand up against sin that is so obviously controlling our society.

Your voice matters. Do you still think abortion is a matter of a woman’s control over her body? Do you still shop at Target? Do you still pay for Disney+, vacation at Disney World? Do you drink Bud Lite and buy Ford? Why?

Why participate in their blatant sin against God? Does that sound wise according to Scripture?

Come on, Church. We can do better. THAT’S God’s will.

A Blank Check

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Psalm 119; 1 Kings 2-3

I’m glad these chapters were bundled together in my reading plan today. We hear God give Solomon a blank check. He could ask for anything, and God would give it. Anything!

How would you fill out that blank check? What would you ask for? Most of our minds would probably go to that ocean-front home, the presidency of the US, that Ferrari we’ve dreamt about, or that bank account that rivals Elon Musk’s. Others might ask for a long healthy life, or the love of that elusive high school crush. If you could have anything at all, what would it be?

How many said, “wisdom?” Anybody?

We know that is exactly what Solomon asked God for. Discernment. The ability to be a wise leader. Sorry, but I doubt that would have made my top five things I’d ask for if I had the chance to fill in that blank check with anything I wanted.

That is, until I stopped to think about it. Because the truth is I DO want wisdom and discernment. I do want to know Truth and be able to share that with those who have distorted it. I do want to lead by example. I want these things more and more as our society continues to crumble right in front of me, and the eternal souls of the children in my life are being ambushed.

I believe, if I ask God, He will give me the wisdom I seek. But how will I receive that wisdom? Will He just zap me like He did Solomon? Maybe.

Or maybe He has already provided His wisdom, and all I have to do is cash it in.

Turn to Psalm 119. There is the answer. The key to having the wisdom of God is to love His Word like the psalmist did. Every one of the 176 verses that make up this psalm speaks to God’s Word, His law, His decrees, precepts and testimony. The psalmist loves God Word, longs for it, and lives it. That speaks to me today

Is my daily time reading the Bible just something I do, or is it my lifeline? Do I read it, then forget it? Or do I ingest it and allow it to feed and grow me? Do I spend more time reading things people have written ABOUT Scripture than I do reading Scripture for myself and allowing God to reveal His wisdom directly to me?

Do I love God’s Word and base my life on its Truth?

If I want the wisdom of God, I need only to open the pages that contain His own Words, and let God bless me with everything I need to know. I don’t need a blank check. I want to cash in the one that God already offers, payable to Connie in the amount of unlimited wisdom, signed by my Heavenly Father.

Don’t Ignore the “But…”

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Psalm 145

This is one of many psalms that speak of the goodness of God. Verse three says; Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. Then David goes on to explain why that is true.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made. (verses 8-9)

God is good to every human being, merciful over the entire earth. We, along with every created thing is cared for and blessed by our good God.

But there is a distinct difference between how He relates to believers and non-believers.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (verses 18-20)

Back in verse 17 David tells us God is righteous in every way. He’s kindness is seen in His care of His creation. Just look around and you know that is true.

But God is only near to and fulfills the desires of those who call on His Name. He has a relationship only with us who have received His forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, who worship Him in truth.

I think it’s time we start making that distinction, too. I recently was reminded of a popular praise song that says God restores every broken heart. Sounds right. In fact, the whole song is full of wonderful truth about God. But it’s partial truth. And it only applies to people who are saved by grace, although the song never makes that distinction.

Can the person who refuses to repent of sin sing that and apply it to themselves? The truth is God does restore the broken hearts of His children. But not everyone is His child. Do we give false hope to an unrepentant sinner when they sing about the blessings of knowing God, without making the important choice to surrender to Him?

Look at verse 20. That’s an important “but” in there. In fact, it’s the difference between life and death. I just think if we insist on inviting unsaved people into our worship services, we need to be careful about the message we are sending out to them. Not everything that is said or sung applies to them. And we’re wrong if we ignore the “but.”

Make It Count

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Psalms 61-62

In this evil world, it can be hard to hold on to truth, to morality, even common sense. You look at what’s happening and it’s hard to believe it will ever change for the better. Insanity’s voice is drowning out reality, and mental illness is not only celebrated, it is doing unspeakable things to children.

Those who are brave enough to stand up to the mob are being silenced and demonized. And it doesn’t seem like that is about to change any time soon.

Very often I find myself thinking like David:

“Take me away, Lord. Let me hide in the safety and security under the shelter of your wings. Appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over me. You are my rock, my fortress, I shall not be greatly shaken. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

It’s understandable that we who have a relationship with God through the blood of Jesus would long for Him to wrap us up in His strong arms and shield us from the evil running rampant. It’s scary out there. It’s no longer a battle with easily identifiable enemies.

But are we really going to just bury our faces in God’s shoulder? Are we going to put our hands over our ears and block out the lies by loudly singing praise songs that remind us how blessed we are, and that our destiny is heaven? I doubt we’d admit to thinking, “Well, I’ve got my ticket. You’re on your own,” but I wonder if our actions (or lack of) are saying it anyway.

I love my time in God’s Word every day. I open up the pages of Scripture, crawl up into His lap, and read His Words, hear His voice, allow Him to speak to me. I pray, pour my heart out, and know He hears me. I wait. I rest. I’m fed. I’m often hugged, sometimes stuck by His loving hand of discipline. I’m encouraged and convicted… but always loved as I snuggle closer to Him every day.

Yes, I love this one-on-one time with my Heavenly Father. But I’m not going to sit here all day with my Bible open in front of me. I have VBS to prepare for, a dentist appoint, pickleball later. I have phone calls to make and laundry to do. It’s called life.

And it’s a battle. Am I going to hide, or am I going to fight? Am I going to throw my hands up and say, “I’m done,” or am I going to be the Christian woman God is molding, the warrior He’s training during my precious time alone with Him this morning? I can speak up, live loud, be the light. Or I can be a tool of the enemy with my silence.

I want my time with God to count for something. He deserves that.

And our world needs that. In my life. And in your’s.

Be The Parent

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2 Samuel 13-14

David gave Absalom “time out.” isn’t that what we call the discipline parents give their children these days? A kid does something wrong so Mom and Dad tell her to get in the corner. If the child is three, time out is three minutes. Four minutes for a four-year-old. And, for most parents, that’s the extent of any discipline in their home.

So David gave Absalom time out, and it appears that was the extent of any discipline in that home, too. The problem is, Absalom was an adult and the wrong thing he did was murder.

Yes, Amnon had raped Absalom’s sister. Absalom had planned revenge for years, waiting for the right moment to end Amnon.

Amnon had deserved to be punished for violating Tamar, but not even David the King bothered with any form of discipline. Even though Amnon was his own son, and Tamar was his daughter.

Come on, Dad. Be the parent!

David’s refusal to discipline Amnon lead to his death and to David’s conflict with Absalom.

Come on, parents! You need only to turn on your TV to see the result of an undisciplined generation. These young people are products of the parenting phylosophy of :

Don’t let your children see you angry.
Don’t spank.
Don’t make your child feel guilty or bad about themselves.
Talk your child out of his bad behavior.
Redirect.
Give them time out.

If you have young children in your home you have got to get a grip. You have got to be the adult. You have got to teach your children what is expected of them, not expect them to figure it out. You have got to understand and help your child understand he has NO RIGHTS he hasn’t earned.

You’ve got to teach your children that their disobedience DOES anger you, that there is swift and sometimes painful consequences for disobedience, that insolence and manipulation will not be tolerated by you, and that you love them enough to teach them the hard lessons.

I have said it before, and I’ll continue to say that if you don’t teach your children the difference between right and wrong, that there are serious consequences for disobedience, that disobedience angers and disappoints you, and that if they confess and repent you’ll forgive them…

you aren’t preparing them to see their need of a Savior or accept the forgiveness Jesus offers sinners who confess and repent of sin.

David’s refusal to parent caused awful things to happen. It lead to death.

Your refusal to parent can and will do the same. And the death your child will experience might be eternal.

Be the parent.

Choose Praise

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Psalms

So many psalms are about hardships, enemies and battles, unfair treatment and sickness. But what I find is that most of the time these same psalms have a word of praise, too.

Some remember what God has done in the past, and praise Him for His goodness. Some remember who God is and praise Him because He deserves it. Some praise God for His faithfulness, even if they don’t understand Him.

We may look at our world, the evil, the insanity, the danger, and pray to God that He will intervene, defeat Satan in our midst. I hope we are praying! But let’s not forget an important aspect of our prayers: praise!

Don’t wait until the storm is over, praise God in the rain. Don’t wait until evil is defeated, praise God in the battle. Don’t wait until your loved one is healed, or your wayward child is home, or you are recognized, appreciated, and treated fairly. Praise God today. Praise Him all day, tomorrow, every day. Let you relationship with God be adorned with praise.

We can focus on the negative or we can focus on the Lord and praise Him for who is He and what He is doing. You have a choice today. I pray you will choose praise.

Dreams and Disappointment

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1 Chronicles 17

I am always convicted when I read how King David reacts to disappointment. His disappointment wasn’t like that of someone with a craving finding out Dunkin Donuts just sold their last jelly donut. David had a passion. And it was a good one.

Out of his overflowing love of God, David wanted to build a temple worthy of housing the Ark of the Covenant, a place deserving of the Presence of God. That, to me, is a worthy cause, one that would seemingly be pleasing to God.

I’m pretty sure David laid awake at night picturing how he would build the Temple; a wall here, a window there. Maybe he even did a Joanna Gaines and pictured where the furniture would go, the color scheme, the shiplap. I think David planned a home fit for the King of the Universe. Nothing would be too good or too expensive in building a temple for the God he loved so much.

But God told him, “NO!” Put on the brakes, there, David. I’ve got other plans.

God shut the door on that project. David would not build the temple. He wouldn’t realize his dream. God said so.

Have you ever had God shut a door on your plans? A relationship ends. You don’t get the job you’ve prepared for all your life. A ministry you really want goes to someone else. Maybe your child quits playing baseball, shattering your dreams of a professional career.

How do you react? How did David react? He looked toward heaven and said, “Thank you.” You heard me right. God said, “No.” David said, “Thank you.”

Verse 6 says:

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me thus far?

I hope you’ll read David’s prayer. He goes on to praise God for blessing him way more than he deserves. He lays his dreams at the feet of God – and lets go. How? How could he not at least question God’s judgment or try to talk God into changing His mind?

Read it.

Then ask yourself: has God been faithful to me in the past? Am I blessed?

You know He has and you are! So don’t doubt God will continue to be faithful, continue to bless, even if you don’t understand Him at the moment.

David shows me that he loved God more than he loved his dreams. Every time I read this portion of Scripture, I find myself asking if the same can be said of me.

Psalm 16

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These days it might be easy to be discouraged. It seems as though evil is out of control, and who knows where this is heading?

I read Psalm 14 and recognize the people David is talking about. Oh, that the salvation of our world would come out of Zion.

Then I remember… our salvation HAS come out of Zion. His name is Jesus. The problems we see in our world are the result of sin. The fool who says there is no God. A generation who has declared we are our own god. The blatant disregard for the Laws of God. And the rejection of the cross.

Psalm 16 reminds me that God is the answer. He alone is our refuge. Nothing good exists apart from Him. He holds our future and blesses those who call Him Lord.

It is God who gives counsel, who instructs, and upholds. He makes known the path of life, and in his presence is the fullness of joy. No matter what the enemy is doing, I know God lives… and I am His through the blood of His Son, Jesus.

Let this psalm encourage you today. Then, let it give you the courage to tell others, to live a life that reflects the joy you have in your salvation. It’s true we live in an evil age. But instead of sitting back and complaining about it, let’s share what we know is true so that others can share our joy.

Ebenezer

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I Samuel 7

If you have been a Christian for more than a day, I imagine you have felt the sting of Satan’s arrows. Becoming a child of God doesn’t automatically make Satan write us off. In fact, Satan often steps up his efforts to separate us from God. He is not a good loser.

Scripture plainly tells us we are at war. But Scripture also tells us we who are God’s children through the blood of Jesus are on the winning side. Most of us can attest to the victories over sin we have had along the way. It is, however, a little harder to remember the victories when we are fighting for our lives in the middle of the next battle.

Samuel understood that. We humans tend to have short memories. So, after a decisive victory won by the mighty hand of God – there could be no other explanation – Samuel took a boulder and set it up where the victory had happened. He called the stone Ebenezer which meant – God helped us here.

Whenever the Israelites looked at the stone, they could remember how God had helped them defeat the enemy on that very spot. It would give them encouragement as they remembered that victory.

We who are of a certain age, probably remember the hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Most churches have tucked that hymn away because congregations don’t like to have to think when we worship. (If it feels good, do it). But I want to challenge you to read through the words of this hymn and consider the deep meaning you find there. You’ll have to stop and think. Do it anyway. Here’s what I see in the first verse:

Dear God, the source of every blessing, help me to sing about your grace from the depths of my heart. The fact that your mercy never ends ought to cause me to sing your praises with abandon. Teach me to praise you like the angels praise you. Fix my eyes on your redeeming love.

The second verse begins: “Here I raise my Ebenezer; here by Thy great help I’ve come…”

Have you an Ebenezer? I’m not talking about a boulder in your back yard. I’m not even talking about a cross around your neck. In fact, I’m not talking about any THING. I’m talking about right now, in your heart, is there an attitude of gratitude toward God who has brought you to this moment, God who has been faithful in the past and promises to be faithful today, God who has fought beside you and for you?

Have you that place in your heart where you can be reminded of His goodness and protection in your past, and let that be an encouragement in whatever battle you are fighting today?

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) (emphasis mine).

That giving thanks in all circumstances is your Ebenezer.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) (emphasis mine).

Again, that thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness in the past is your Ebenezer. Raise it up. Draw strength from the truth of it. God has been faithful and will be faithful still. Remember:

Up to this point the Lord has helped us. (1 Samuel 7:12).

God’s Word Speaks

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Deuteronomy 12-15

Chapters such as these might come with the temptation to just gloss over them. Don’t!

Even though the letter of the Law has been fulfilled through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the heart of the Law ought to be followed today. And I know God ‘s Word speaks to those with ears to hear.

In these chapters I hear God tell us to love Him, fear Him, obey Him, worship Him in truth.

I also hear God say don’t dabble in sin, don’t turn a blind eye to it, but remove it from your life no matter how hard it might be or how drastic an action it might take.

I hear God tell us to always recognize our blessings come from Him, and we need to support the ministry of the Gospel with our first fruits, with the best we have to offer.

I hear God tell us to eat healthy.

Please don’t ever read the Bible without listening for and expecting to hear what He has to say. God always speaks through His Word . Don’t miss it.