Place or person, who is your refuge?

August 16, 2019August 16, 2019 nofearlinda2 Comments

How many times have you said, “God is my refuge”? These are words that David repeatedly spoke about God. By definition a refuge is a place of shelter or protection from danger or difficulty, or it can be a person who gives shelter, help or comfort. David spent 14 years running from King Saul after being anointed the future king by Samuel. He was hunted, attacked and driven into the wilds away from friends, family and others.

David refers to God as his refuge, a place of safety, in Psalm 91:1-2 and 91:9-10. ” He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.” 91:9-10 “⁹Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge —
¹⁰no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.” Abiding with God in your heart, soul and mind each day gives you a refuge, a safe place where you can depend upon God to shelter and protect you.

David also saw God as his refuge, a person who brings protection, help or comfort. In Psalm 62:5-7 David describes his refuge relationship with God. “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
⁶He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God. David sees God as the one who keeps him secure, steadfast and is his provider of salvation.

Psalm 59:16-17 “But I will sing of your strength;
    I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
    and a refuge in the day of my distress.
¹⁷O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
    for you, O God, are my fortress,
    the God who shows me steadfast love. David is so thankful that God is his refuge providing him with protection, steadfast love and comfort.

Is this the lens through which you see God? Is He your place and person of protection, safely, love and comfort? He can be that and more. Look to Him today and ask Him to draw near to you and He will just as he promised in James 4:7-8. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” David repeatedly resisted the desire and opportunity to kill Saul which would have ended his running, but he did not yield to that temptation and kept drawing nearer to God depending upon Him for refuge. God can do the same for you.

Linda

God is mighty in battle!

August 13, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

These last few weeks have been a trial of strength and endurance as I have moved from one place to another. Gathering, boxing, hauling, pondering where to put things, deciding what I need and what should go are all actions filled with stressful joy. I have found strength in the Lord and in His people. The Bible often speaks of the mighty hand of God, His mighty deeds or works, His mighty arm, power and strength but the description I held onto is God is mighty in battle. He was right there with me seeing to the details of this move that brought people to help at just the right time with just the resources that were needed! Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!” David saw God as mighty, strong and one who would go with him into battle. He goes on in verses 9-10 to tell us that God is strong and mighty and He will help us in our battles if we will let Him in. “Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. ¹⁰Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!”

How are you doing in the battles life is bringing your way? Are you trying to go it alone or are you willing to open yourself to the mighty helping hand of God? We need to let Him come into our lives to receive His help and blessing. He is all around us and standing in wait, won’t you ask Him to come into you today? Revelation 3:20 promises Jesus’ availability at all times, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Ask Him into your battles, He is strong and mighty and will give you strength, guidance, help and courage to prevail in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Cling to Him, He is mighty in the battle of life! Have Him by your side and on your side and you will be victorious. Be of good courage the battle is His!

Linda

Our Righteous Judge, you can count on on Him!

July 25, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Both the Old and New Testaments, present God as Judge. He is the ultimate authority of all the universe He created both now and in the future. In Psalm 7:10-11 David tells us that God is a righteous judge who defends those who love Him and grieves over the sin of those who reject Him. “My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. ¹¹God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.” All creation speaks of God’s righteousness and place as judge, Psalm 50:6 “The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah Solomon in his wisdom knew God’s place as judge, Ecclesiastes:3:17. “I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.” Paul reminds Timothy that Jesus will be our eternal judge in 2 Timothy 4:1 “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:” Peter also wrote to Christians who were struggling with holiness in their lives. He reminds them of who God is and who they can rely upon in Christ. “1 Peter 1:17-20 “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

We can trust God as the righteous judge as we know He is just, impartial and loves all those He created. God knows what He is doing and has proved himself to mankind in the past, 2 Peter 2:9 “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” Peter was referring to God rescuing righteous Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. If he could do that for Lot, He is capable of handling anything. He is righteous and sees who we really are in our deepest being. We can rely upon His mercy, compassion and justice.

Many people like to only think of God as loving, holy and righteous, but God is so much more, and as creator He has the right and authority to judge all sin. He made a way for us to escape the judgement of sin in our lives through Jesus and His work on the cross. 1 John 9:11 tell us how we can find freedom from the judgement that is upon all the world because of sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confess your sins today, keep short accounts with God and do not let sin stay in your heart and reject it from your life through power of Jesus. He is the perfect judge, just in all things and He desires for us to stand righteous before Him.

Linda

Freedom isn’t free, there is always a cost

July 4, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Freedom-Days I want to wish each of you a Happy 4th. The 4th of July is a favorite holiday filled with BBQ’s, games, swimming, picnicking, corn on the cob, apple pie and fireworks. But as you know, the 4th is more than that to each of us. The freedom we enjoy in America was bought with a price. The cost to those that came before us was filled with sacrifice, hope and struggle. It continues to cost those who labor daily in the military to ensure our freedom. Our struggle over the centuries has been to secure, defend and maintain freedom of religion, peace, prosperity and hope for us and our children. We desire to live in an unbiased, loving and accepting society. Is this possible? Actually, I believe it is NOT possible without Christ. He is the one who can make all things right and gives us the power to love and live in harmony with others.

Today’s thoughts of freedom bring me to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Galatians 5:1. Paul was teaching the Corinthians how to live together in harmony and purity. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own: you have been bought at price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Paul was reminding the Galatians what they had in Christ and that it should be their desire and ours to honor God in all we say and do. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves by burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Christ died for us so that we might be free from sin and its bondage and have the ability to live lives that honor Him. The cross was the ultimate sacrifice for us. Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He bought us with a price, his life. He redeemed us from sin’s ultimate consequence-death. My freedom in Christ was bought with the price of His life on the cross.

I have FREEDOM in Christ- freedom from my sins, freedom to live for Him, freedom from eternal death and freedom to live with Him for eternity. Just as we are thankful for those who died to secure the freedom we have in America, we need to be thankful for the freedom we have in Christ alone. He is the one who secures it all and brings us to the place where we can enjoy freedom.

freedom Today as you are thankful for America, think also of the greater freedom you have though Christ and say a prayer of Thanks to Jesus.

Thankful today,

Linda

Where does your strength come from?

June 28, 2019June 26, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

We know that God is mighty in strength as scripture is filled with references to God’s strength. David praised God’s strength in his song of thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 16:10-11 when he had the ark brought to Jerusalem. “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.¹¹Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” David knew seeking God was the correct action to receive strength at all times. Later in Psalms he writes how God strengthen his heart in Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” , equips and brings righteousness with His strength Psalm 18:32 “the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.”, and His strength brings blessing Psalm 84:5 “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”

There are so many others who wrote about God’s strength. Isaiah proclaimed God’s strength for those in need in Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength“. Habakkuk proclaimed God’s strength and ability to lift him above his circumstances in Habakkuk 3:19 “God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”

In the New Testament we are encouraged to seek God’s strength through prayer. Luke 21:36 Jesus exhorts the disciples to pray for the strength to combat the temptations of the world that would lead us astray, “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Paul reminds us in Ephesians to pray for strength that comes through faith and trust in Christ, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,” Ephesians 3:14-18 In Philippians Paul pens one of my favorite verses about God’s strength, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

What do you know and feel about God’s strength? Is His strength accessible to you in prayer? Do you ask for His strength daily in your life or only when you are in times of great need? Scripture shows us that God’s strength is available to us so that we may be strong of heart, filled with love and conviction for Christ, equipped to do His work and to be able to stand in adversity. Philippians 4:13 would even go so far as to say God can make the impossible possible through His strength. Do not be lacking in strength because you neglected to pray and ask for strength. Jesus said in John 16:24 “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” James 4:2 “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” We know God desires us to be strong and living in His strength daily, so ask Him for strength whenever you need it.

Be comforted and encouraged by His strength in your life today!

Linda

Is God your Rock?

June 25, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

David was well aware of God as his Rock. In Psalm 18:1-3 he uses this image of God when proclaiming his thanks for God’s strength in protecting him from murderous Saul. David struggled with Saul chasing him and seeking to kill him for over 10 years. David trusted God and His plan and timing to make him king.

I love you, Lord, my strength.

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.

Since David struggled for so many years against the elements as a shepherd, a boy facing Goliath, as a fugitive and as a king with many battles to face, the Psalms are filled with his reliance upon God as his rock and source of his faith.

Psalm 19:14 “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 62:1-2 “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
²Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Psalm 71:1-3 “In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
²In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me.
³Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.”

David proclaims God as his Rock as well as fortress, deliverer, refuge, stronghold, salvation, redeemer and righteous God. David knew from experience that God was faithful, and he could depend upon Him. Can you proclaim who God is to you? Let David’s words seep into you thoughts today and give you confidence and strength in God. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” and James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ” The God who David trusted and loved is the same God we serve. He does not change from generation to generation and we can depend upon Him just like David.

Prayer: Thank you Father that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Your character and ideals do not change or shift with the times and whims of man. You are my rock and can hold me steady as I face the storms in my life. You are to be praised for you are always faithful and seek to do and bring good into my life. Help me to be depend upon your strength and character so I may live fully for you. Amen.

Linda

Come with me and praise His Name!

June 18, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Last fall I was working on a series based on the names of God. It is essential to our faith to learn as much about God as possible because the more we know God the more we can be assured He is who He says He is and will do all things He promises. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are incomprehensible (an attribute of God) and yet God desires that we know Him. Our finite minds can only take in so much of our omniscient God, but we know from life’s experiences that we can grow and as we do we stretch ourselves to learn more. I love this quote from Daniel 11:32b. Daniel was in a very turbulent time and he wanted to encourage the people that knowing God would give them a firm foundation to withstand the trials of their present day. “but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” That is my prayer for us too, that knowing more about our God will cause us to stand firmly planted and willing and able to take action for Him.

Psalm 148 is a psalm of praise to God as the creator of all things about earth and the heavens.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
²Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his hosts!

³Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

⁵Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
⁶And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. The psalmist call upon all people to praise His name because of all He has created in the heavens. He continues….

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
⁸fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!

⁹Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
¹⁰Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!

¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
¹²Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

¹³Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his majesty is above earth and heaven.
¹⁴He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his saints,
    for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord! The psalmist calls upon all people to praise the name of the one who created all nature and peoples on the earth.

In verse 13 points us to the name of the creator, the Lord who is worthy of all our praise because He is above all, greater than all He created and He alone is worthy of our praise. If we think the creation is wonderful, it is nothing compared to God himself. The creation pales in comparison to the Creator God. This psalm is a call to all of creation to praise the creator and a reminder that He is greater than all.

I challenge you this summer to come along with me to explore greater depths of God’s character as we look into the Word and focus on Who God is by name. His name is worthy of all praise!

Linda

Remembering Father’s Day

June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

Mom and Dad on their 50th Wedding Anniversay

Dad in his 50’s.

Psalm 103:13 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.”

Proverbs 23:24 “The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him.”

Sunday is Father’s Day and it’s approach has caused me to think reflectively about my earthly father, Henry Beecher Chrisp. He was a loving father, but demanded that we behave well, work hard, show respect and not give up easily. He loved to work with his hands building things and to fish. Dad loved the outdoors by cultivating flowers, growing a vegetable garden or simply taking a hike or ride through the forest. He had a deep faith in God. He showed me God, the Father, through his compassion and love for me. Dad was always one to love what we did and took pride in our accomplishments.

I hope your own father reminds you of God, the Father, in some personal way. I felt blessed and fortunate to have a father who loved me and wanted the best for me. I know all earthly fathers are not like that. Fortunately, we all have a perfect Heavenly Father we can look up to and depend upon. He will always be there for us and promises to never leave us or forsake us. Thank you Lord.

Have a blessed Father’s Day filled with good memories or activities with your father.

Linda

How easily we are distracted!

May 24, 2019 nofearlinda2 Comments

The last section of the Sea of Galilee post-resurrection appearance of Jesus involved both Peter and John. Still impetuous Peter inquired of the Lord about the things the Lord knew about, and Jesus refocused him. John 21:17-19 “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”¹⁹(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter was distressed at the Lord’s insistent questioning of his love and Jesus replied with a prophecy about Peter’s life and death to come and how he would bring glory to God. What Jesus required of Peter was obedience- ‘follow me’!

Then Peter asked about John and received this reply from Jesus in verses 21-22. “When Peter saw him (John), he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²²Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” Jesus wanted Peter’s focus to be on Him not on the future and what would happen to others. As Jesus said, He would take care of John but Peter needed to focus on following Him.

How can we be encouraged by this scene today? Just like Peter, we need to focus our lives on following Jesus, being obedience to His Word and walking with Him daily. We do not need to ‘worry’ about others or question Jesus about their work and walk. We have enough to do to keep our own focus on Jesus. This does not mean we are not concerned about others, but Peter was just being nosy here and wanted to know what would happen to John in the future- is his better than mine type stuff? Since the Lord’s answer was always “Follow me”, that is what is crucial in our life too. Obedience to Jesus is what He desires. Later Peter so beautifully wrote in 1 Peter 1:22-23 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”

Let us take seriously our walk with Jesus and His command ‘Follow me!” May we let the distractions of the world fall away as we walk forward in obedience with our Savior.

Linda

Loving Jesus Requires Faith in Action

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Today’s post-resurrection appearance is a continuation of the fishing scene I wrote about in Encountering Jesus brings on May 17, 2019. When they (Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, John and James and two other disciples) had followed Jesus’ instructions and cast their nets as He directed, they hauled in a great catch. Jesus had a welcoming fire waiting on the beach and beckoned them to bring some fish for roasting. They ate together and then Jesus spoke to Peter.

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ” John 21:15-17

Jesus had previously had an encounter with Peter where I’m sure they dealt with Peter’s great guilt over his denial. (Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5) Scholars put this first appearance to Peter on Resurrection Sunday where this encounter in Galilee is later. Here it would seem Jesus is making a point of asking Peter about his proclaimed love for Him. He asks 3 times, like his denials. Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him and if he does, then Peter is to show his love for His sheep. He is to feed or tend to His sheep. Throughout the gospels sheep have been synonymous with followers and my sheep specifically believers in Jesus. John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus is the good shepherd who died for all believers. John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,” and John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus is asking Peter to demonstrate his love for Him by leading, tending, loving, caring for, guiding, protecting…. those who are believers in Jesus. He is saying ‘be a good shepherd’ to the flock of believers that come into your life.

Isn’t that what Jesus wants for us too? As believers, like Peter, we are to look out for others, lead them towards Jesus, care for them, show them kindness and give that ‘cup of cold water’ in His name. Knowing Jesus, requires us to take up this ‘job’ and love others. We do it not because we have to but because we love Jesus. James tells us faith without works is dead (James 2:26 ) and loving and showing Jesus to others is our compelling work for Him. We do it not out of obligation or for future reward but out of love for our Savior. Who will you show love to today? Who will you ‘feed or tend’ in Jesus’ name?