A Great Promise

"Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Isreal "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord had sworn to them, and you shall cause them to inherit it." "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be dismayed." Deut.31:7-8
What an awesome promise God made to Joshua! I can only begin to imagine the anxiety that would have filled my heart were I to stand in Joshua's place. He'd served by Moses' side and knew exactly what he was getting into. He was to lead God's chosen people, but they were often a people who did not give God the glory. They were whiners and quick to forget the blessing the Father showered them with. The promise that Moses gives Joshua from God would have had to help ease some of that anxiety. There's joy in knowing that the Lord will be by our side in all things and He will not give up on us. I love that...He will not forsake (give up/leave) us.
If anyone moves... it's us. Think about that...how many times have we wondered where God has gone, why has He left us to deal with the hardships of life on our own. Well guess what...He didn't leave us, we've moved away from Him. The promise God made to Joshua, He also makes to those who follow His will. As long as we follow God, He will be right there with us. In my battle with pain, it's so very easy to allow the devil in to hear...Why does a loving God put so much pain in the lives of those who love Him. Satan loves to catch us when we're weak and then fill our hearts with his lies...the lies that place the blame for suffering at God's feet. We must remember it was sin that brought pain into this world and Satan was the instigator. How blessed we are to have a Father who created a plan for our redemption! He has given us a way out of the pain and suffering of this world and promises us an eternity of joy with no tears or pain. To receive that blessing we must do what the Isrealites were told to do:
"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I commanded you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His commandments, His statutes, and keep His judgements, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life that both you and your descendents may live: that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob,to give them." Deut. 30:15-20
As long as we walk with the Father and strive to obey His will for us then He will not forsake us, but if we do not follow His will and begin to follow the world...when we remove ourselves from the presence of God..then we recieve death and evil. It may not be immediate, but we won't enter the promise land (heaven) if we take ourselves out of God's hands and place ourselves in the hands of the world.
I have been truly blessed with an earthly father who made sure I knew God's plan for my life. He provided me with a strong, faith-filled, prayerful mother who was able to make sure that God was the center of our home even when he wasn't home. He took the time to make sure I not only had goals for the future here on earth, but that my main goal was to reach the final goal of heaven. He baptized me when I was 9, and the talk we had before his agreement is a precious memory, and I very clearly remember him baptizing my little brother on Father's Day. What a legacy he has given us! We knew growing up that above all else the Father and His kingdom are the most important parts of our lives.
God also sent me a wonderful man, whose bull-headedness has lead our family to remain active members of the Lord's body wherever we happened to be. He brought me a man whose faith is great and beautiful to behold. The joy of watching that faith grow over the last 26 years is one of God's richest gifts in my life. He is determined to make sure that as a family we reach heaven's gates. God blessed me with a husband who is a wonderful father and who sets an example for our son that I am proud of. His tender heart when sharing God's word with our son and friends is beautiful, yet even more so when he's willing to take a stand for what he believes in even when it's not popular or easy is encouraging. I love that it's his goal for us as a family and individuals to please God in what we do. I love how he holds my hand and walks me back into the presence of the Father when the pain moves me away and I listen to Satan's lies. He is training our son to be a leader in the church and I love watching the process and the part I get to play in it.
So sweet friends and family, I hope your Father's Day is a great one! I hope you make the time to go worship the Father and reflect on the promises He's made to us and the sacrifices He's made for us. May God shower you with blessings this day and every day.

God's Happy Meal

Have you ever noticed that for our children, if they're sad, hurt, or sick, or even celebrating a special occassion a "Happy Meal" seems to fit the bill. There's nothing like a hamburger, french fries, coke, and the toy of the week to fix whatever is ailing them at the time, or gives that extra boost to a celebration. A friend and I were discussing this not to long ago and she made the comment we need an adult happy meal, and I heartily agreed. She's had me thinking about this for almost two weeks...what would we put in our adult happy meal. Something special to help mend a broken heart, an ailing spirit, a body in pain or to celebrate the special moments of life.
Just like the Happy Meal for the kids, we need to have something to fill us up and quench our thirst. The Bible provides both of those needs...it is the bread of life and the living water (John 4). For me when it comes to facing pain on a consistent basis scriptures that deal with God's promises and encouragement are the most important part. This same sweet friend battles chronic pain herself and sent me the following list of verses. They have been the food in my "Happy Meal".
1. (Psalms 30:2 NKJV) O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
2. (Psalms 6:2 NKJV) Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
3. (Psalms 107:20 NKJV) He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
4. (Psalms 147:3 NKJV) He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.
5. (Proverbs 3:7-8 NKJV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
6. (Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV) Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.
7. (Jeremiah 33:6 NKJV) 'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
8. (Matthew 8:13 NKJV) Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.
9. (Luke 8:48 NKJV) And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
10. (Luke 6:19 NKJV) And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
I know this is just a sampling of what we can find to give us encouragement. My two favorite verses are:
Matt. 11:28-30 "Come to me,all you who are weary and burdened and I will give rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
John 14:1-4 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God,trust also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you might also be where I am. You know the way to the place I am going.
But what is a Happy Meal without the toy surprise? (A cheaper all American meal :)) I'm so thankful that God puts a "prize" in his "happy meal"! Sometimes that prize is an unexpected phone call from a friend just out ofthe blue, it may be a kind word spoken or a good hug, it may be someone's thought for the day on their FB status, fellowship with fellow christians, or a song that touches the heart and uplifts the spirit.
So I'm thankful for God's "Happy Meal", that takes care of the spiritual needs I have. Now there are many times I think about physically what would my Adult Happy Meal contain...would the prize in the box be a ginger ale, some benadryl, or even some bengay :) I guess I still have some thinking to do about that one,but I know how blessed I am to know that God's food is always good and the prize is always the one I need the most. May God bless you with a wonderful Lord's day tomorrow. I hope heading to worship is the prize in your Happy Meal tomorrow and the joy of fellowship that comes with it.