FRESH START TODAY - DOES GOD MEET OUR NEEDS?

FRESH START TODAY – GOD MEETS OUR NEEDS? – 1-23-2014 Elijah had just proclaimed to the king Ahab that there would be no rain in the land until he said there would be and then the Lord told Elijah to leave. He said to turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. He told him to stay and the ravens would feed Elijah every day. Elijah must have been very exhausted, so he was obedient to the command of the Lord. Day after day, the ravens fed him the food that he needed. When the brook dried he received another message from God during this drought. We do not know how long he had stayed in the Kerith Ravine. 1 Kings 17:7-16, Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread." "As surely as the Lord your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread — only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it — and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.'" She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. NIV How many times have believers say this same thing. “Oh, Lord, I have no money, or we have no food to eat.” The house payment is due and we do not have the full payment. The stress we put on ourselves as we cry out in desperation and do not ask God to provide for our needs, in His time and way! We attempt to take charge to find a way to get what we needed. Maybe we call a family member or a friend to borrow the money. We attempt to sell some valuable property or possession to meet that need. This does not seem to work until we are desperate enough to ask God. Do you think that possibly that God cares enough for you to meet your needs day by day? He may not supply all your wants, but He will supply for your needs. The first experience that my husband and I had, after becoming believers, was very similar. I had just started a temporary job to supplement our income. It was around Thanksgiving and our children’s birthday was close to that time. My first paycheck was on Wednesday before the long four-day weekend. The corporate office did not get my information until all the checks were cut. My boss called me in her office to tell me that there would not be a check for me this payday. I made a private phone call to my husband. He said to me that we had depended on my check for groceries for Thanksgiving and the children’s birthday party. In the mean time, the office somehow found out that I had not received a check, because at the end of the day there were bags of groceries in the back seat of the car. There was also an envelope, with $80.00 in it, and a scripture quoting Romans 8:28. The Lord works through His people to do His will. God is our provider and He is never late.

FRESH START TODAY - THE GLORY OF GOD – 1-18-2014 Who can understand the Glory of the Lord? What does the breath that He gave to humanity reveal? Isaiah was a prophet and revealed what God said to Him. He would prophesy about the coming Messiah in Isaiah 53, but what would He say in Isaiah 40? Isaiah 40:22-26, He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. NIV When a person stands straight under a starry sky we see the Glory of God and how he created the balance they are viewing. A person does feel like a grasshopper standing in the one spot. You may ask, “What else is out there under those stars?” Let us take a journey of what might be there. There are deer grazing in an open field about 10 miles away, a owl hooting in a tree, campers sitting around a camp fire, hundreds of people a 100 miles away enjoying the comfort of their homes, businesses open for service as people shop. Some people are too busy, worry about circumstances that never happen and remain unaware of the Glory of God as that person is looking at the stars. What about beyond the earth? The stars stay stationary while the planets rotate in a designed pattern through the Universe. Do people live in a protected canopy and a tent to live in by God? The people of the earth are like grasshoppers, but how much does God love what He has created? He is enthroned above the circle of the earth and watches every move. He feels the breath of every human being. He hates sin, and protects His own. The Scriptures continue to say so much more to any person that would put their trust in Him. Many generations of people have come and gone, but the Glory of God remains the same. People continue to complain today, so what the does Isaiah reveal to humanity today? Isaiah 40:27-31, Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. NIV Why do we not put our trust in the Glory of the Lord? He will never grow weary like we do so many times as we live this life. He sees our hearts, He hears our cries, He is blessed by our praises and He is pleased when we put all our hope in Him. He is the wind beneath our wings as we sour in companionship with the powerful Holy God. When our heart trusts in His Divine love, believes in His GRACE through Jesus Christ, we will not grow weary or faint. We will fly like an eagle in the protection of God’s canopy of acceptance, forgiveness and love.

FRESH START TODAY - ONE NATION UNDER GOD - 1-09-2014

FRESH START TODAY – ONE NATION UNDER GOD (January 9, 2014) Today I read the Scriptures that told of how king Josiah responded to the reading of Law of Moses. The Laws were buried in the Temple of God in Jerusalem and had not been observed for many years. Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 2 Chronicles 34:14-21, While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord." He gave it to Shaphan. Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: "Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers." Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book. NIV When a person reads the Words that the Lord writes through His messages, the heart is pierced with guilt, when it is first understood. King Josiah was human like you and I are, even though he inherited the throne. His grandfather was a ruthless king and murdered many of his own descendants, not to mention that he created his own religion. When we get away from the true God and His righteous message, we suffer our own punishment and confusion. Yes, I said confusion! We can get complacent regarding God’s Word and then forget the power that the messages bring to our hearts. We need to experience the humility that king Josiah did that can bring about change to our nation, like it did to the people of Israel. Just recently, in a mixed Bible Study, my husband was telling the story of when we were living in Italy during the 1970’s, and that the country was mostly made up of different factions of Communism. There were different groups that could not agree on the political issues at that time. It was primarily a democratic country. The United States military living there were instructed on how to evacuate if the all the parties were to agree that would change the politics. Much like our country, if the different factions of religious organisms were to agree to live by the true meaning of the Scriptures, our nation would become, again, one Nation Under God. If we, as believers, could humble our hearts to the truth of God’s Grace, Mercy, forgiveness and seek to understood what the message of the cross really means, this would set us free to be bold to be change agents. The first actions is to humble ourselves before a Holy God, pray (talking to God) to help us understand His messages and be obedient to the Words of power and wisdom. If we do not then we will face judgment, as a Nation, much like the people of Israel did after the death of king Josiah. We need to join our hearts in unity to be all God wants us to be, as believers.