Is There a God?

This is the question of many, many hearts.  Is there a God?  I can say for sure without a doubt there is a God.  I met Him, literally met Him (you can read about it here) one day at a park and my life will never be the same.  Reading the bible the other day, as is my daily routine, I came across two scriptures that jumped out at me concerning this topic of whether or not there is a God.

Romans 1:18-20 says:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being  understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

(italics mine)

Seems to me the verdict is this:  God says here,  I am in all things.  There is no way that you can look around and see the beauty, the variety, the brilliance of things made and doubt that it is I who made them.

I once heard someone liken the following:  To deny we were created by God would be like stumbling upon a magnificent painting (think Leonardo da Vinci) and believing the painting created itself.  Everything made has a creator.  And as magnificent a painter as Leonardo was, how much more magnificent are we?  Moving, breathing, thinking, creatures.  Creatures with a creator.  Just stop and think about the the human eye and its complexities, or one blood cell and all the work it does.  How could this not be God’s masterpiece?

The other scripture that stuck out was Psalm 19:1-4 which states the following:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

Below are some snapshots of “The heavens declar[ing] the glory of God; the skies proclaim[ing] the work of his hands.”

Outside my back door in California, MD.

Greenwell State Park in Hollywood, MD.

Previous 3 are more from outside my back door in California, MD.

Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Southern Maryland.

Los Angeles, California.

Pacific Ocean, Redondo Beach, CA.

Redondo Beach, CA.

Outside my back door in California, MD.

Greenwell State Park in Hollywood, MD.

Solomons Island in Maryland.

And so is God ;o)                                     Photo taken somewhere in North Carolina.

Doubting God’s Love?

John 15:13 says: Greater love has no one than this:  to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

If you have ever doubted God’s love like I have, this is for you. 

I am working through the last few days of my Beth Moore study, Jesus the One and Only, and I am right in the middle of Jesus’s betrayal by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.  What really struck me this time through Matthew, was how Jesus responded to Judas during the betrayel.  As described in Matthew 26, Judas kisses Jesus as a signal that He is the one to be arrested.  Jesus, knowing all along that Judas would betray Him and now in the thick of that betrayal says to Judas: “Do what you came for, friend.” (Matthew 26:50)

Jesus knew Judas was the catalyst to the cross.  The same cross that caused Jesus’s “soul [to be] overhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38)  Yet in the midst of it all Jesus calls Judas friend!  I can barely wrap my head around that.  Even as Judas was betraying Jesus, he used the term friend, showing love and endearment toward His betrayer.  In this new light, I am certain that God never stops loving us.  No matter what we have done, He says . . .

Folks, we deserve to go to hell with Judas. To sin is to be an enemy of God.  Yet, because of the cross, we are considered His friend, whom He died for.  By not accepting the cross, we can choose hell, as Judas chose.  But I don’t think that even then, God ever stops loving us.  The fact that He called Judas friend (after his choice had been made), showed the love He felt for him still. 

Like the Apostle Paul, I too “am [now] convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. {Romans 8:38-39}

The Perfect Girl

How I long to be the perfect girl, with the perfect hair, and the perfect teeth, and oh I could go on and on. How many countless hours have you spent looking in the mirror thinking “if only . . .” Of course I am speaking to the ladies. We are the ones so quick to pick ourselves apart.

As I have grown in my relationship with the Lord, I have come to realize that complaining about how I look, is complaining about God’s design. He made me fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14)!

I do not want to be like the Israelites and live in the desert for the rest of my life grumbling against God! If only you had made me better.  If only you had made me differently.  Like the Israelites’ complaints: “If only we had stayed in Egypt! If only we had died out here!” Steps from entering the Promise Land and all they wanted was to go back into slavery. Back into bondage!  They had been made free by God, but they would rather die in the desert than enter the Promise Land, because they didn’t trust God and His design (Numbers 14).

I have been made free through my Savior’s death on a cross. Every time I grumble about my imperfections, I am going back into the bondage I was freed from! Back into the desert. If that is where I am going to be, what was the point of His death?  I want to live in the land flowing with milk and honey.  Amen?

If I am going to do this, I must stand guard against the one who prowls like a lion.   1 Peter 5:8: Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Satan will not have a hold on this girl!  He won’t trick me into thinking the desert is better than freedom.

:: Lord help me to love myself as you do!  Help me to know and trust you more each day.  Help me to know that each hair on my head is just so (Matthew 10:30), according to your wonderous design.  Help me to hold these truths close to my heart.  Help ladies everywhere to also know these truths ::

Peace

My mother-in-law gave me a devotional called Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young. Sarah writes from Jesus’ perspective, as if He were talking to the reader.  She bases her writing on biblical principles.

Her writing on February 10th, I find to be true time and time again in my life: “Because I am omnipotent, I am able to bend time and events in your favor. You will find that you can accomplish more in less time, after you have given yourself to Me in rich communion.”

When I take time to spend with the Lord, I find myself getting so much done in so little time. When I don’t spend this time “in rich communion,” I find myself anxious and getting frustrated as it seems nothing goes my way. There have been many times that I have skipped my daily bible reading or neglected to spend time with God, only to realize later on that my day was a total waste.

Today I got back into my Jesus the One and Only Beth Moore study, and I felt overwhelming peace. The previous two days, I had skipped it. Those days I found myself anxious, worried, and short-termpered. Today, after spending time with the Lord, I took things as they came, wasn’t anxious, and felt true peace.  It also felt good to catch up with my best friend.

I realized two things today.  The first is that God does and has bent time in my favor before (on many occasions actually).  The other is this:  On the days when I take the time to spend with the Lord, I notice a difference.  The difference is that while I am spending time with Him, He is equipping me for all I need and all that will come my way.  By tuning into the Author of my faith, I am able to focus on what is important for me to do that moment, that day, and not worry about anything else.

“. . . man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” –Deuteronomy 8:3

::God, help me to always put a higher importance on spending time with You and Your Word than anything else in life. I find myself logging time on social media networks eagerly, yet I scimp when it comes to spending time with you. Ignite a passion in me for your word. Thank you for the peace you have given me today::

~Michelle

Perfect Love

 

I read the cutest church sign today for Valentine’s Day.  It read:  BE MINE  –God

That’s all he ever asks of us.  We definitely make out on the deal.

I see the benefits of God’s perfect love in the following: 

Sending His Son to die on the cross for me, giving me Neil as a husband, blessing me with two perfect boys, answering my prayers, not answering my prayers, Him listening to me, never leaving me, always providing everything I need, healing me, giving me amazing friends, protecting me, giving me grace all the time even though I don’t deserve it, Him teaching me, opening my eyes and ears, showing me His beauty, the quirky things about me that make me ME, creating me in His image, creating this beautiful world we live in, giving me an encouraging word when I need one, God’s people being His hands and feet, forgiveness, mothers, heaven, the changing of the seasons, babies, and laughter.  

All of this He has given me and more, but there is nothing that I have to give Him, except for all of me.   

Happy Valentine’s Day God. Thank You that I am yours!

Let the Light Shine

I think my heart breaks more for those that go through this life without a relationship with Jesus, because I didn’t always have one.  I didn’t grow up knowing my Savior in a personal way.  Not knowing my Savior meant I did not truly know God.  I think coming to the Lord later in life, gives me a deep appreciation for all He has done and brought to my life.  I look at my life, before and after, and I see black and white, no shades of gray.  It was dark before, and now it is full of light.   

 Before I had given my life to God, things didn’t seem all that bad, but I was never fully happy.  I never felt . . . free.    That’s a good word to describe it.  John 8:32.  Now I am free, and God equips me each day for what is in store.  Those without this freedom, have no idea what they are missing!

Like my Pastor, Rob McNutt at Faith Bible Church said this past Sunday:  “Becoming a Christian doesn’t make life easier, but it makes it better.” I agree!

Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed . . .”  –Luke 4:18

143

143=numerical I (1) LOVE (4) YOU (3)

I remember the day I first fell in love with the Lord. The sun was shining, and I had set up camp on my old blanket I keep in the trunk of my car (cause you never know when the need to just sit on a blanket will arise). I had my One Year Bible and a copy of The Purpose Driven Life , I dubbed “The Green Book,” by Rick Warren.

I cannot remember if I was in The Word or in “The Green Book” when it happened, but I literally fell head over heels in love with God. It was the highest high I have ever felt, but I was completely sober. It was mid-day at a park mind you. And it was like the secrets of heaven were spoken to my heart. I cannot explain it in words. It was out-of-body, and I will never be the same.

In that moment, I felt so much love, I could hardly stand it! I wanted to shout from the rooftops. I knew I never wanted to be out from underneath God’s wonderful grace again. I couldn’t believe that the Creator of the universe loved me so much that He allowed His son to die for me. I couldn’t believe that Jesus loved me so much that He was faithful enough to go through with it. And I couldn’t believe that the Holy Spirit was pursuing me all that time. I couldn’t believe that God loved me in the same way I loved my child–even more! That was unreal to me! And I had done nothing but run away from Him and hurt Him. I felt bad for running all that time, not accepting what He had done for me, but there was so much love inside of me in that moment that shame took the backseat. God didn’t allow the devil to ruin this love story. It was like God Himself was hugging me (I could imagine His hugs feeling that good). It was like He was hugging me and saying “It’s okay. I know all of you. I know everything you have ever done or thought, good and bad, and I love you just the same. I am happy you are here with me, and I no longer have to chase you.”

Now trust me when I say, there is nothing special about me. I believe the only reason I experienced this was because I was seeking Him with my whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). I wanted to know who He was, and He revealed that to me. We are all free to do that at any time. And He is more than willing to run to all that do.

Later, when I heard the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), I completely related with to the son.  I was the same in that I wanted all the privilege of being God’s child, but I wanted to go my own way. When I realized I would never be complete without being with Him, I came back. When I did finally come back, He didn’t throw my shame in my face, He didn’t scold me, and He didn’t go around telling others what a disgrace I had been. He ran to me. ME! With open arms. He threw His arms around me and then threw me a huge party with all the angels in heaven!  Sweet!

“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” –Luke 15:7

I believe I felt a little bit of that in the park that day!

So what’s 143 got to do with it? Well, when I was a teen, we used pagers, yes pagers instead of cell phones (gasp), and 143 stood for “I love you.” Over the years I have always noticed these three numbers together, and I would think to myself “I love you”–to no one in particular. It was just engraved in my brain. Ever since I have returned to my Heavenly Father, I see those numbers and am reminded that He is looking down on me saying, “Michelle, I LOVE YOU.” I LOVE HIM too. 143

Bacon

I am currently reading Leviticus in my One Year Chronological Bible. Pretty hefty stuff. Leviticus is the book discussing laws set before the Israelites, as spoken through Moses. I am on the part where God was telling the Israelites, through Moses, what they could eat (like sheep), and what they could not eat (like pigs). It also discusses what kinds of skin diseases required separation from the camp. This was taking place after the Israelites were led from Egypt, and Moses had been given the 10 commandments.

Now I loooove bacon! And eat it often too. We no longer are commanded not to eat it either, because Jesus fulfilled the law, which we couldn’t do alone (Galatians 3 and Romans 7). But I imagine that God was telling the Israelites not to eat certain foods for their own health, not because He didn’t want them to enjoy bacon. I mean times were different back then, and perhaps they would have gotten an illness from eating pig. Along the same lines, I think God thought it best if people with diseases remained outside the camp walls so they couldn’t spread their illness to others. Again, God setting boundaries to protect His people, not to keep good things from them. Of course bacon being “good” is all relative.

But I just want to take today to say “thank you God.” Thank you for having rules for us, as any good parent would. I know you do not want to keep any good thing from me. What you really want is to give me the best. And you know that I am the safest and happiest when I follow your laws. Francis Chan explains this a bit in his Just Stop and Think video if you start watching at 3:40. (The whole video is amazing if you have the time to check it out though. You won’t be sorry you did! His book Crazy Love is amazing too!)

I mean you made me! You would know what’s best for me. You know every beat of my heart, everything that saddens me, everything I long for, and it is your desire to fulfill these longings. It wasn’t until I entered into this relationship with you, that I realized this can only be done through your son Jesus. I had stepped way outside of your boundaries. I looked every place but up to satisfy that deep longing for “something more.”  I get it now, and I know that deep longing for something more is part of your plan, because there is something more–Heaven. We get there through Jesus (John 14:6).

But back to the point though. What kind of parent would I be without setting boundaries for my children? Not a very good one. Without your boundaries, it would be hard to know you really cared for me. Chip Ingram paints a beautiful picture of this in his study Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships. He talks about a Dad that lives in an apartment complex near a busy highway. The dad set boundaries for his son–where he could ride his bike and where he couldn’t– not to be mean, but to keep him safe. And yes that dad also had to discipline his child when he tried to go outside of those boundaries. Imagine if he didn’t do that. It wouldn’t be long before his child ended up seriously injured or even dead.

In the same way, God, you have set boundaries that keep me safe and happy. The bible is full of commands for us, and I have broken many! I will probably break many more! But I thank You that your son paid the price for my transgressions. And I know, with your help, I will get better at keeping your commands and be better off for it. For You that started a good work in me will complete it (Philippians 1:6).

::Lord, help me also to set God-honoring boundaries for my children. This is so tough to do, especially when the discipline that comes alongside can be painful for them. No mother wants their children to hurt, for any reason. But like that little boy on the bike had to feel the sting of discipline, and I have had to feel the sting of your discipline, and my children have felt the sting of mine, I know in the end, like you, I only want what is best for my children. And it is always done out of love.  Thank you for disciplining me out of love::

Safe In Your Arms

Lord, I do not understand why you, in your infinite wisdom, allow us to continue holding on to baby Stephen, while baby Benjamin’s family can no longer do the same. But I know that I mustn’t rely on my own understanding, because you tell me not to in Proverbs 3.5: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Though I can only dare to relate, I assume that losing a child has to be the most painful thing anyone can endure. I cry for their loss. But you understand exactly what they are going through, don’t you. You “did not spare [your] own son, but gave him up for us all.” -Romans 8:32. And Jesus’s death was gruesome. How you endured that for us, I will also never understand.

I do know your plans are good, and I pray you help baby Benjamin’s family to cling to you and praise you in spite of this tragedy. For you are “near to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18), and you work all things out “for the good of those who love [You]” (Romans 8:28). I likely will never grasp this either until I am in heaven, along with baby Benjamin, and see your beautiful plan unfold. How could an untimely death such as this possibly be worked out for good? But in the meantime, it is comforting to know that at least he is safe in your arms. And I must admit, I think that is a better place than any this world has to offer.

{If you have stumbled upon this and you are a praying person, please lift Benjamin H’s family up in prayer as they grieve the loss of his precious life. Whether you have come across this today or years from now, I know they will need the prayers all the same.}

THANK YOU for a little more time

Luke 13:6-8 says:

Then [Jesus] told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'”

I came across this while going through my Beth Moore study, Jesus the One and Only, and it was my understanding that the one asking for more time on behalf of the tree was Jesus. I believe that tree to be me!

I feel like the best way to begin is, well, at the very beginning. . .

When I was 15, I heard God calling to me. I was attending a non-denomenational Christian church in the small(ish) town where I grew up. At that time I professed (and believed) that I was indeed a sinner in need of saving. I was soon after baptized (with the permission of my parents, who did not attend this church), started to read my bible, and began my walk of faith, alone. Therein lied the problem. At such an impressionable stage in life, it did not take long until I put that bible on the shelf along with my uncultivated relationship with God. I was to be a tree not producing fruit for more than a decade!

God continued to pull at my heart strings through the years, but I claimed I was not ready. Someday I would go back to church, maybe when I had a family. Perhaps God wanted to test this theory, because he gave me Noah. Instant family. Still I refused a relationship. I didn’t have the time. I was a busy, single mother. Surely He understood–I would get to Him when I was ready. There were some things I needed to get situated, clean up if you will, in my life before committing. A wise friend even said, “You know Michelle, you should seek God first, and you will be amazed how He will help you put things in order.” I believe God was talking to me through her that day. I didn’t listen.

All the while, I was running from what I needed the most. The lover of my soul, Jesus Christ. The one saying to God, “Give her time, I know she will produce fruit.” Jesus, who would fill the void that had become so large in my life, I thought I would remain lost inside it forever. The void I had tried filling on my own, outside of God’s will, more than 101 unhealthy ways. One destructive decision after the next guided my life, and I had no joy.

Until one day, I listened. It started with a book; The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, which led to me reading the bible, which led to attending a church, which led to the beginning of the relationship that has brought joy and so much more into my life. A relationship that led this tree to producing fruit. I am glad that I was given a little more time.