god

an empty tomb

Posted on by Grace Day

Feels like hope is in short supply these days. Or is it just me? I recently lost a friend to cancer, and other people I know are currently engaged in battle with this same life stealing enemy. It is easy for me to feel overwhelmed, helpless and sad. All this is happening just as we are getting ready to celebrate something very hopeful, entirely hopeful, actually – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. That’s why the empty tomb is such a symbol of hope. When Jesus body was laid to rest there, the story appeared to be at an end.

“Joseph took the body (of Jesus), wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” (Matthew 27:59-60)

BUT the story was far from over. The story continues –

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ ‘ ” (Matthew 28:1-7)

What an unexpected plot twist! What was supposed to be the end of the story (Jesus’s death) turned out to be only the beginning of a brand new story, a story full of hope and of promise, a story leading from an empty tomb to life everlasting! And the tomb was indeed empty! In Mark we read this account –

“As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’ ‘ ” (Mark 16:5-7)

My favorite “empty tomb encounter” is recorded in Luke with these words – it is my favorite because of the angel’s question to the women. It goes down like this –

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. . . . the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ‘ ” (Luke 24:1-7)

The tomb was empty. The tomb is empty. This is good news. It was good news then. It is good news now. It is desperately needed good news for today. Death is not the end of the story. It was not the end of the story for Jesus, and it is not the end of the story for me or for you, dear readers, when Jesus is our Redeemer, our Rescuer, our atoning sacrifice and our Savior. Today, the empty tomb is a symbol of hope precisely because it is empty. The tomb could not hold the Creator of life, the Giver and the Sustainer of all life, Jesus. He will not allow it to hold His precious children either!

The tomb is empty, therefore we have hope. Our Redeemer lives! The angel’s question – “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” reminds me today that I have a risen Savior – not a deceased hero, but a living Lord. Jesus’s tomb is empty. He is not there. Because of this, these words ring true –

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

hope for a dying world – found in an empty tomb!

“He is not here; He has risen!”

what wonderful words of hope!

sincerely, Grace Day

God’s good gifts

Posted on by Grace Day

I stared at the words for a moment, taken aback, then reread them again to be sure I had read them correctly the first time. Sure enough, I had not in my haste, misread these comments following an article written about the gift of repentance. I read again what the commenter had to say, letting it sink in –

“There is no such thing as the ‘gift of repentance.’ I’ve never heard of the ‘gift of repentance.’ It is not a gift.”

Well, this got me to thinking about the nature and definition of “gifts” and I began to wonder if perhaps this wasn’t simply a semantic distinction that was causing the commenter to question the author’s identification of “repentance” as a gift from God. Perhaps the commenter was limited by these words from 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 –

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. . . . to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”

Did the commenter rule out repentance as a gift because it wasn’t mentioned in this particular list of “gifts”? This is not an exhaustive list of all of God’s good gifts to us by any means. It is a tip of the iceberg listing, if anything. The actual “good gifts list” (if there is one) is pretty much infinite because our Heavenly Father is an infinite God. His mercies are new every morning and so are all His other never-ending good gifts to us as His children. What I do know about good gifts and who it is that gives them is this –

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

And God’s good gifts to me and to you, dear readers, are many – too many to count. He gave us the gift of His only Son, Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Giving us Jesus, giving us eternal life, – pretty good gifts if you ask me. But there’s more. Jesus told His disciples this before His return to heaven –

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

God not only gave us His Son, He has given us His Holy Spirit as well. And the list of “gifts” continues to grow with these words of Jesus –

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27)

No, the world’s gifts are temporary, unsatisfyingly poor substitutes for God’s “good and perfect gifts”. God’s gifts to you and to me are priceless and perfect. And the list continues to grow with these words from Ephesians –

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God’s grace, my faith, your faith – all gifts from God. It’s ALL God from start to finish so that I can’t boast. (I don’t have anything to boast about since every good thing I have is a gift from God) He is the author and perfecter of my faith, the sanctifier of my soul, the restorer of my life, the payer of my price, the forgiver of my sin and the lifter of my head. Repentance must certainly be among God’s many “good and perfect gifts.” And sure enough, I read these words in Ezekiel –

“I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

God softening my heart, actually giving me a “heart of flesh” able to receive Him, and opening my ears so I can hear and respond to Him – these are His gifts to me, doing for me what I cannot do for myself. My salvation, restoration, transformation, the quickening/convicting of my spirit moving me to repentance – these are all good gifts to me from my Heavenly Father. None are deserved, but all are freely given. (“He does not treat us as our sins deserve.”)

Just as faith and forgiveness are surely gifts from God, so is the work He does in my heart, drawing me to Him, leading me to repentance. A part of His gift of repentance is His gift of discipline. That’s right – discipline is a gift from God!

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.” (Hebrews 12:5-6)

I am thankful that God gives me the gift of repentance, that He gives me a heart of flesh so that I can receive His gift of forgiveness, His gift of mercies which are new every morning. I am thankful for God fulfilling this promise as well, to give us this –

“I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10)

Every moment of my life is a gift from God and everything contained in those moments are His “good and perfect gifts.” His presence brings all of His good gifts with Him – gifts of comfort, joy, peace, hope, provision and protection. Gifts too numerous to number, like the manna given freely each morning to the Israelites in the desert. In my desert wanderings I know this to be true –

“You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5)

I have the gift of Your promise – the promise of Your Presence –

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” (Isaiah 43:1-3)

God’s everpresent Presence brings me peace, provision and protection –

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:4-6)

All are good gifts from God, along with repentance, redemption and reconciliation – God’s gifts are too numerous to name them all. I am forever thankful, a life of gratitude my only possible response.

sincerely, Grace Day

AI – the real thing?

Posted on by Grace Day

Is AI the real thing? I think not. Artificial intelligence – the name itself implies the answer. AI can’t be “the real thing” – it is not real if it is artificial. Both things can’t be true at the same time. AI is “the intelligence of machines or software, as opposed to the intelligence of living beings, primarily of humans” – that’s how Wikipedia explains AI.

We need to note that it is living beings (that’s us) who created the machines and the software in the first place. Are we now wondering if, like Frankenstein, we have created the proverbial monster? Will we control AI or will AI control us? AI is meant to be a tool we can use to help us accomplish our purposes. So it stands to reason that we would use and control AI solely for our benefit. After all, AI is supposed to serve us, not the other way around, right?

Today, AI seems to be everywhere. (do you have an Alexa in your home?) There are concerns about its becoming too pervasive and too powerful in our lives. Is Artificial Intelligence superior to our human intelligence already? Remember the plane that landed on the Hudson River in 2009? That was a big story and considered nothing less than a miracle. The plane’s engines had been disabled after running into a flock of Canadian geese shortly after takeoff. There were two airports close by, but Captain Sullenberger didn’t believe the plane could make it to either one. Instead, he landed the plane successfully on the Hudson River. Everyone survived.

A subsequent investigation of Sullenberger’s actions showed that he made the right decision. What was interesting to me was that a computer “simulation” of the event, with all the data plugged in, showed a possible safe landing at a nearby airport BUT it took the “sim” pilots seventeen tries (sixteen crashes) to achieve this outcome! Obviously, the two real life pilots in the plane’s cockpit that day didn’t have the luxury of seventeen practice runs. They had one chance to save their lives and the lives of everyone on that plane.

The whole incident took just under four minutes from bird strike to landing the plane on the water. These skilled pilots had only that short time to process all the information, make a decision and execute their plan. (the human brain is an unmatched computer) There was no time for AI to run multiple computer simulations and select the best outcome from among them. That would also assume that only accurate information and all available variables/information were put into the computer to start with, in order to receive the best possible response. I’m thinking I prefer human pilots to AI.

However, there are those who would put more faith in AI and in the transhuman ideology that has become so popular today. Transhumanism postulates that humans will evolve into an enhanced species that transcends humanity, thus ushering in a posthuman era. This evolution will be accomplished through technology – brain chips, AI, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, etc. to change humans into new and improved transhumans. We will increase our life span with immortality being the goal.

Sounds to me like transhumanism is about we humans remaking ourselves in our own image. It is about rebellion and our lack of understanding of who God is and of who we are as His created beings. We are like the clay saying to the Potter, “We don’t like what You made. We can do a better job.” Closely linked to transhumanism, is transgenderism. Here the clay says to the Potter, “You made a mistake. I know better than You do how I should be formed and who I am.”

So who are we? Psalm 100 provides an answer –

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

Genesis tells us exactly who we are –

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

Psalm 8 tells us more about ourselves and about our place in this world –

“what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” (Psalm 8:4-8)

We are God’s people, created in His image (identity) and given dominion over all of His creation on the earth (purpose). Our identity, our position (a little lower than the angels) and our purpose are revealed in these verses. All are given to us by our Creator, God. And there’s more.

“For we (you and I and all humankind) are God’s workmanship, (masterpieces) created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Another revelation of our identity, our value (we are masterpieces) and our purpose, bestowed on us by our Creator. We are endowed with these things at our creation – our identity – as God’s image bearers, our value – infinite to our Creator, and our purpose – to do the “good works” God has for us to do and in so doing to bring Him glory.

AI, transhumanism and transgenderism are becoming our modern day tower of Babel – our feeble human attempt to by-pass God in our quest for immortality, identity, self-worth, and meaning. The striving of transhumanism and transgenderism push us to remake/reinvent ourselves in order to conform to some man-made idea of what is ideal. But ironically, this only leads us to destroy ourselves, mind, body and spirit (literally) rather than rejoicing in how perfectly we are made in the first place. This pursuit of supposed perfection has become an endless quest from which we have no rest nor reprieve. If only we knew the truth.

“For You (God) created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

That’s the truth. We are already “fearfully and wonderfully made.” All God’s works are wonderful, the psalmist declares. We cannot improve upon God’s perfect design.

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31 )

And we cannot, even through AI or other technologies, add to the length of our lives nor can we give ourselves immortality. That is God’s gift to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. That gift has already been given. We have only to receive it. We have been created with a free will. That choice is ours alone to make.

But in our arrogance and rebellion, we are presumptuous enough to believe that we can do better than God and so we pursue the ideologies of transhumanism and transgenderism in order to alter what God has so perfectly designed and created, us! I am reminded of these words from a favorite childhood poem, “Trees”, by Joyce Kilmer –

“Poems are made by fools like me. But only God can make a tree.”

So true! And only God can make a human being. We can attempt to alter what God has made but the results are disastrous. We destroy ourselves when we attempt to circumvent or to counterfeit how God has created us. Unlike AI, artificial intelligence, we humans are the “real thing” – made in God’s image, bearing His seal. We are God’s AI, “authentically imaged” – we are the “real thing” – each one of us is the Authentic Image of our Heavenly Father, who just happens to also be the Creator of the universe. That should be good enough for us, and it is!

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

sincerely, Grace Day

how did we do it?

Posted on by Grace Day

How did we bring a whole country into being without the aid of cell phones or the internet or of telephones of any kind at all? None of those things existed at the time our country came into being, because they hadn’t been invented yet. Yes, I’m still thinking about the recent cell phone outage and how it affected people I know. Mostly, this event got me to thinking more about life before cell phones, which got me to wondering how we ever accomplished anything, let alone all that we did, in a pre-cell phone era. And for that matter, how did we survive at all before the invention of the telephone? Yet we humans did survive, we thrived actually.

Sonnets were written and symphonies composed, cathedrals and castles were built, masterpieces were painted and great novels were penned, plays were performed and the stars were studied in hopes of persuading them to give up their long held secrets. Teaching was done in person. Aristotle had his pupils as did Plato and Socrates. This format of studying under a particular teacher in person for a significant length of time was a way for knowledge to be passed on and expanded. Jesus, Himself, used this method. He had twelve disciples plus a few others that followed Him as He traveled, and He taught them many things as they journeyed with Him.

Education was personal. Knowledge was passed on person to person. Today we “google” things that we want to know. We don’t have to have a conversation nor a debate about various theories or hypotheses or the important issues of the day when we “interact” with Google rather than engaging with a real in-person human being. Google doesn’t talk back. And if it did, we could just click to another screen or shut our device down. (is this akin to walking away/stomping off and slamming the door in real people interactions?) Could it be that’s why we prefer Google to human interaction? No drama. We control the “conversation?” – if you could consider “Googling” to be a conversation in the first place?

But I digress. I am lamenting the loss of certain things like land lines, love letters via snail mail and phone booths. I mean, where is Superman going to execute his quick-change magical transformation if no phone booths are available? Consider that somehow, with hard work, sacrifice, with the courage of exploration and of standing up to tyranny from overseas, with hand written documents (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) and in person meetings – a new nation emerged without the aid of cell phones, or of any phones for that matter, or of the internet; none of which existed at the time.

Stores operated, businesses prospered, scholars were educated, crops were grown, goods were transported, things got done, productive lives were lived – all before the advent of the cell phone and the internet. How did we do it? Now I can’t imagine life without the convenience of instant connectivity to a world wider than the one in which I physically reside. But most of human history has been lived pre cell phone and pre internet. Most of my life has been lived pre these things as well. How did I do it?

How did I learn? How did I write a research paper? Does anyone remember card catalogs and libraries full of actual books you can hold in your hands? Remember having to look up by hand and consult multiple sources to support your hypothesis before you could write your paper? Remember typewriters and carbon copies? Remember waiting on your camera’s film to be developed? Newspapers, books, my school assignments – they could all be held in my hands. These are tangible things.

Now assignments are submitted electronically. I sure hope “the cloud” keeps everything I give it safe and secure. I can’t really visit “the cloud.” It’s an intangible being? idea? I liked being able to hold my finished paper in my hands, the weight of it assuring me of its worth. I would make back up copies – that was security. Now if the internet goes down, where is my access to all the information it keeps secure until such time as I might need such information? Do I trust the internet to tell me “the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

How did we do it? How did we do life before the internet and cell phones? How did I find my way in this world? Remember maps and atlases and verbal directions? Somehow we all got to where we were going, including sporting events, concerts etc. without cell phones. How did we do it? How did we survive and thrive before modern technology?

Human history is a rich and riveting tale of successes and failures, of invention and innovation, of cowardice and of courage, of doubt and of faith, of deceit and of truth, of greed and of generosity, of hate and of love, of evil and of good – all waging war in every human heart and in every human society simultaneously. The battle continues to this day. Although things may seem drastically different in today’s cultures which have the advantage of cell phones and of internet access, much remains the same because human nature hasn’t changed. There truly is “nothing new under the sun” as King Solomon said so long ago.

How did we do it? How did people build the pyramids or the Colosseum or the Acropolis? How did Magellan sail around the world. He certainly had no modern technology to guide him. How did the pilgrims sail the ocean and settle an unknown land without the aid of any of our modern devices? The pioneers had no cars, only covered wagons to carry them and their possessions into new territories. Still, they undertook the journey from the comfort of the known to the uncertainty of the unknown and new communities were created as a country full of the promise of freedom continued its formation.

How did we do it? Like the seasons on our calendars, our individual lives have seasons, just as human history has seasons. Because human nature doesn’t change, we seem to repeat those seasons, repeating the mistakes of our predecessors rather than learning from them. Consequently, we see history repeating itself, proving Solomon right when he said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

How did we do it? How are we surviving as a human race today? Generations from now, they may be asking the same question about us – how did we do all that we are doing now, the good, the bad and the ugly, during this time in human history without whatever new inventions will be commonplace by then? How did we survive? Only by God’s great grace and infinite mercy alone, it seems to me. And that has been true for every generation since Adam and Eve first inhabited that oh so perfect garden.

God is sovereign over all things, including the affairs of men. That truth is very comforting in such an uncertain world. In Daniel we read this –

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” (Daniel 2:20-21)

As I look back over human history and wonder how people survived all that they did (the holocaust for example) or how they accomplished all that they did without the modern conveniences and technology of today, I am reminded of these words in Ecclesiastes –

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

that pretty much says it all – and we know that – “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

sincerely, Grace Day

hope and faith

Posted on by Grace Day

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

These two things are inextricably linked – hope and faith. It is because of my faith in God that I have hope. And it is this hope that sustains. 

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” (Hebrews 6:19)

Hope may be my anchor, but it is hope that gives me wings as well, allowing me to soar.

“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.” (Isaiah 40:31)

I need hope’s anchor during life’s many storms. The beauty of this anchor of hope is that it allows me to soar during the storm, through the storm, in the storm, (kind of like Daniel’s three friends walking around “unharmed and unbound” (free) while they were still in that overheated furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar) above the storm – an anchor with wings does that. An anchor with wings? – only hope born of faith in God gives such a gift as this – a winged anchor. It is hope and faith that make such a gift as this even possible. But then - 

“Everything is possible for him who believes.” Jesus said this to the father of a boy possessed since childhood of an evil spirit. The boy’s father asked Jesus to help his son, exclaiming, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Then Jesus healed the boy, casting the demonic spirit out of him for good. Hope and faith – believing for the impossible! This father dared to hope for the impossible – the healing of his son. He dared to believe that Jesus could accomplish this long desired restoration of his child to health. He asked Jesus for the gift of faith to believe – to believe Jesus for the impossible miracle he had waited so long to experience.

Hope believes against all odds. Faith stays the course until hope becomes reality.

Hope believes there is light, even when surrounded by darkness. Faith finds its way through the darkness to that light.

Hope believes what is broken can be mended. Faith finds a way to do the mending.

Hope believes the lost will be found. Faith finds the lost and brings them home.

Hope believes there is life after death. Faith holds on until that promised eternal life is entered into, eclipsing death permanently.

hope and faith – the psalmist says –

“No one whose hope is in You (God) will ever be put to shame,” (Psalm 25:3)

The writer of Hebrews tells us –

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) 

I will hold onto hope and follow in faith where my Heavenly Father leads – after all –

“We walk by faith; not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) 

my “hope” for you today, dear readers, as for myself, is this –

“May the God of hope fill you (and me) with all joy and peace as you (and I) trust in Him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Galatians 5:5)

living each day by faith with hope,

sincerely,  Grace Day 

 

 

waiting on a word

Posted on by Grace Day

Ever feel like God is silent and you’re stuck, afraid to make a move while waiting to hear a word from Him – any word, any word would do. You desire God’s guidance and direction, but you’re not receiving the clear message from Him that you are longing to hear. Elijah was desperate to hear God’s voice. Elijah was on the run, fearing for his life and he ended up hiding in a cave. It was then that –

“The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ “ (1 Kings 19:11) The story continues –

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ “ (1 Kings 19:11-13) 

In Elijah’s experience, God’s voice wasn’t loud. God didn’t shout above the howling of the wind or over the chaos of the earthquake or over the roaring of the fire. But in the quiet following those events, Elijah heard God’s gentle whisper speaking to him personally. Maybe that’s why I am told to –

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

I need to come away from all the noise, busyness and chaos that often surround me during my days, in order to hear God’s voice. It’s not that He isn’t speaking, it’s that I’m not in a place where I can hear Him. Perhaps that’s why Psalm 23 says –

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:2)

God is calling me to come away to a quiet place where I can be alone with Him, a place where I can hear His voice, a place where His voice is the only voice. But ironically, surrounded by the din of everyday life, I don’t hear His call, so I don’t heed His call. I don’t respond to His kind invitation to come away to those green pastures and quiet waters where I can be still and know Him because I never received the invite in the first place.  

For me, it is not gale force winds, nor earthquakes, nor fires that prevent me from hearing God’s voice. No, it’s more likely to be the busyness surrounding me at work, or the chaos of the crowd’s multiple voices at whatever event I am attending, (including church sometimes?) that keep me from hearing God’s still, gentle yet urgent whisper. When I am alone, it is likely to be the conversations coming from my TV or the music from my radio that intrude upon what otherwise would be some solitude, providing me that much needed break from a constant barrage of voices. So why do I turn on the TV or the radio if it’s God’s voice I am longing to hear?

God is asking me to come away and to be still. But I am so busy complaining about His silence, that I’m not listening, so of course I don’t hear Him. At the same time, I am desperately desiring to receive a word from Him. Time to admit it’s me, not God, after all. Time for me to make some changes. God did say,

” ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:13-14)

“And those who diligently seek Me will find Me.” (Proverbs 8:17)

“This is what the Lord says, . . . ’Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ “ (Jeremiah 33:3)

And the Psalmist said this –

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2)

I have God’s promise. I have His Word that He hears me and that He will answer me. Maybe it’s time I turned off the TV, silenced my cell phone, shut off the radio and spent some time in His word or walking out in His world. God always hears my voice when I cry out to Him. But I don’t reciprocate by always listening for and hearing His voice. Too often, I let many other voices drown out the one voice I really want to hear and need to hear – the gentle whisper voice that Elijah heard after the wind, the earthquake and the fire. 

Sometimes it’s the voices in my head that are the loud ones. They can be louder than the voices that surround me in the world. There are a lot of voices competing for my attention, but the voice I want to hear and to follow is the voice of the Good Shepherd, because He’s the one who leads me into green pastures and beside still waters. Jesus said this –

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28)

Listening to the voice of my Shepherd and Savior – that’s the voice that leads me down the path to eternal life. Jesus said “they follow Me. I give them eternal life.” I can’t follow His voice if I don’t hear it. And I can’t hear His voice if I don’t listen for and to His voice above all the other voices vying for my attention and allegiance in this life. I have to choose to “be still and know” – I have to choose whose voice I will follow and obey. The voices in this world can be both loud and alluring. The voices in my head are often louder still. They can be more cajoling, more enticing, more deceptive, more damaging, more destructive, more accusatory even than the world’s voices because they originate with the enemy of my soul – the accuser of the brethren. Proverbs explains it this way - 

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25)

That’s right. These words occur twice in the book of Proverbs. Must be a pretty important message and the Author, God, wants to be sure we are listening. Listening to other people’s voices will not lead me where I want to go. It is God’s voice alone that will lead me through the valley of the shadow of death, (preparing a feast for me right in front of my enemies) through the desert, (delivering fresh manna every morning) through the flood (Noah listened to God’s voice telling him to build a really big boat even though it had never rained) – through every circumstance, it is God’s guidance, by His voice alone, that will lead me along the path He has prepared for me. His voice will lead me into eternal life with Him.

So I had better learn to listen and to listen well. As I become still, a favorite hymn from childhood fills my mind. Its music becomes the voice I hear in my head, a voice singing – “This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings, the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, in the rustling grass, I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.” I think I was a better listener when I was a child. Maybe there were not so many voices surrounding me then, including social media? 

At any rate, today and everyday, I will purpose to pray the prayer Samuel prayed as a child. Then I will endeavor to “be still.”

“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9) 

listening and longing to hear Your loving, leading, life-giving voice above all other voices,

sincerely,  Grace Day     

   

 

  

this is NOT a drill

Posted on by Grace Day

Actually, yesterday it was a drill. Today it was not. Today it was the real thing.  Yesterday, we all knew beforehand that this drill would take place and when it would happen. We were given specific written instructions detailing everything that needed to be done during this practice run we call “an armed intruder drill.” Today, the announcement coming over the loudspeaker into my classroom telling us we were in a lockdown situation caught me by surprise, completely off guard and unaware that there was a dangerous situation in our high school building at that very moment. How ironic it is that we had just done a pretend enactment of our response to just such a situation only twenty-four hours before this real life event.

I think that’s why it didn’t seem real at first. Yesterday, the students in my classroom and I had gone through all the required motions, complying with everything we were told to do. However, it was simply that – we were going through the motions – turning off lights, pulling window shades, locking classroom doors, moving against the wall in order not to be visible from the hallway through the windows in the classroom door, turning cell phones to silent and keeping quiet so as not to be detected. We did all these things but there was no sense of urgency in our actions. We were relaxed. What we did or didn’t do, did not seem to really matter. Our choices did not seem all that important to any of us at the time. After all, it was only a drill.

However, today it was NOT a drill. Our situation was very real. Our mistake would be to behave as if it were only a drill. We are used to drills. We have fire drills, tornado drills, (in some places earthquake drills?) and armed intruder drills. In these situations, our mistakes don’t matter because it’s just pretend. It is not real. But when things are real or true, mistakes matter. When it is not a drill, our decisions will mean the difference between life and death. 

So I’m thinking it’s important in life that I know the difference between a drill and the real thing. Because in a drill, it’s all pretend, so nothing I do matters and there are no real consequences. But in real life – everything I do matters and the consequences are very real. This brings to mind the parable of the servants whose master went away for awhile and entrusted them with some specific things to take care of while he was away. Their master’s return was a certainty, even though the servants didn’t know when that would happen. Nevertheless, this was not a drill. At some point their master would return and they would be called to account for what they had done or not done in his absence. The story is told in Matthew –

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. . . . After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. . . . ’Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “ (Matthew 25:14-21)

The servant with the two talents also doubled what he had been given to manage in his master’s absence. But the third servant did nothing with what he had been given. Perhaps he thought it was just a drill, so what he did didn’t really matter one way or the other, and maybe he even doubted his master’s eventual return? We are told he knew his master was a hard man, so he was afraid and did nothing but hide what he’d been given. Unlike the first two men, the third one received no reward. In fact, we are told this is what happened to him –

“And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:30) 

Today we sat in silence in our darkened third floor classroom for a little over an hour, not knowing what was happening in the rest of the building, nor specifically why we were in lockdown at all. Some may have begun to doubt that this situation was real as time wore on, perhaps deciding it was just a drill. After a while, we began to hear conversation and careless laughter from the classroom next door. It sounded like they were having a good time. I guess they had decided this was a drill, so how they chose to act didn’t matter. We received no further instructions or communication during the hour we waited, until at last we were dismissed from class to go home, as it was now the end of the school day. 

I realized today, my life is not a drill. It is the real thing. Every day is the real thing. So what I do matters. My Savior has redeemed me, restored me and given me many good gifts and talents that I am to put to good use while He is away. He is coming again! Many doubt His return and begin to think this life is only a drill – but this life is the real thing. It is NOT a drill! However, unlike lockdown protocol, I don’t have to sit in a darkened room waiting for His return. Jesus’s instructions to His disciples were pretty clear before He left them.

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’ . . . After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:15 & 19)

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Like the servants in the parable, entrusted with their master’s talents, I have been entrusted with the wonderful news of the gospel and the command not to keep it to myself (or bury it as the one servant did) but to freely share the good news with anyone and everyone who will listen. This life is NOT a drill – this is real! Jesus is coming again. In the meantime, what I choose to do with the days and the gifts (talents) God gives to me matters. How will I spend the treasure, the talents and the time on this earth that God has graciously granted just to me? My choices have consequences – eternal consequences. Like the servants in the story, when Jesus returns, I want Him to find that I have wisely used what He has entrusted to me. Like Luke 12:37 says,

“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.”

This life is NOT a drill – it is preparation for eternity. It is preparation for Jesus’s return. How you and I live each day matters to our Heavenly Father. I want to live each day with purpose, with passion and with the urgency that knowing this is NOT a drill demands of me. The return of my Lord and Savior, Jesus, may not seem imminent to me, but His promise to return is real – this is NOT a drill!  So the question is –

” . . . when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) 

I will live my God given life like it’s real – because it is. Jesus is coming back for His bride! (that’s you and me!) This is NOT a drill!

sincerely,  Grace Day 

 

 

 

 

 

workplace woes

Posted on by Grace Day

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’ . . . God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:27-28 & 31) 

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15)

Doesn’t this sound like such a good plan for living a meaningful, purposeful life. God put us, humans, in charge of all He created. We were to oversee and care for all the plants and all the animals and to “be fruitful and multiply.” In this perfect, sinless world, mankind was given a perfect plan and a perfect purpose, courtesy of our all-wise Maker. We were also given free will – the gift of the freedom to make our own choices. This would ultimately prove to be our downfall. You and I were created for communion and harmony with each other and with our Creator, God. In the garden, Adam and Eve enjoyed both of these things. But from chapter one of Genesis to chapter three, something happens which causes things to take a drastic turn. With one decision, everything becomes dramatically different, but not for the better. 

Work was one of those things that changed drastically. Once a source of purpose and pleasure, a way to use our talents and to help others – work now became something difficult and painful. The following words describe Adam and Eve’s new, irrevocably altered reality.

“To the woman He (God) said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’ “ (Genesis 3:16)  

“To Adam He (God) said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’ “ (Genesis 3:17-19) 

Originally, work was not a curse nor was work a punishment. Work was one of God’s many good gifts. However, work became cursed along with everything else, when Eve and Adam chose their own way over God’s good plan for them, thus ushering in sin and separation from their Holy Creator, who cannot look upon sin. God cast them out of the garden, but in His great mercy, not before He made them clothes to wear to cover their nakedness. 

Today, we still struggle with work and its place in our lives. No matter our vocation, we still feel as if we are toiling away, earning a living by “the sweat of our brow.” We don’t think of work today as one of God’s good gifts. We may think of work as what we have to do in order to earn a living and in the process work often becomes our identity and our purpose in life. When this is true, losing our jobs (or retirement) often causes us to lose our purpose and our identity, just as we may feel our identities and life purposes changing with every job change we experience. 

However, when our true identity and our true purpose are found in knowing our Creator and living according to His good plan and purpose for our lives, our identity and purpose are not constantly in flux. Jobs will come and go, but we are always who God made us to be. We are made in His image. We are created for His purposes. And His purposes are always good.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Searching for that elusive perfect job continues to be quite common among those I know and among people in general it seems. So many people are unhappy in their workplaces and desire to find other employment, even if they aren’t sure exactly what that “dream job” would be. We hear a lot about the “toxic workplace” today. This seems to be code for having a difficult or demanding boss or for having coworkers that are hard to get along with for whatever reason. In the world of work, the grass always seems to be greener in the other workplaces, until we get there and find out that it was an illusion all along. All jobs have their challenges and their rewards, there is no perfect job. But Paul had some good advice, which he shared in Colossians, saying this –

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

This change in perspective certainly makes a difference in how I view my work and the people in my workplace every day. If I am looking to my work and to the people I work with, to provide me with validation, fulfillment, meaning and purpose, I will ultimately be disappointed. Working to please other people or myself cannot provide all those things. But working to please and to honor my Heavenly Father most certainly gives me all those things and more.       

Work is one of the many ways I can serve God in this world today. Work is honorable – all honest work is honorable. Our culture may value some jobs more than others as evidenced by the differences in how much the workers are paid. But what this world values and what God values are very different. In Ephesians I read –

“He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:28)

So I work not just for myself or my own gain, but in order that I can be generous with others who have need and, in this way, bring honor and glory to God. In God’s economy, the value of my work is not determined by the size of my paycheck. Nor is my personal worth dictated by the sum of my salary. I spend much time and energy looking for and longing for that perfect job, wanting to be sure I’ve found “my calling”, when in reality, God can use me in whatever work environment I am in, if I choose to “work as unto Him” and not myself or the people around me. There are no insignificant jobs in God’s eyes. David, whose current job was being king of Israel, said this –

“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Psalm 84:10)   

No job today is without its share of workplace woes. That’s probably why so many individuals complain about the stresses of their current jobs, why so many seem to be continually searching for a new and different job that they hope will be better, and why so many quit their jobs, even without the prospect of something else. Working to please a human boss or other people will never satisfy us or provide us the purpose that we need in our lives. 

It is possible for us to find the validation, fulfillment, meaning and purpose we so desire without changing workplaces. (since every workplace has its own peculiar set of woes, specific to itself) I find that when I change my focus, my work takes on new meaning and eternal significance, not recognized by the world, but nonetheless bestowed by God. All work can become a divine assignment. Consider what Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians –

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

whatever I do? – “doing it all for the glory of God” – that would most definitely include work!

sincerely,  Grace Day  

  

packing away the party

Posted on by Grace Day

That’s what I’ve been doing during these dreary gray days following the birthday bash the world just threw for the baby in the manger – aka the King of kings, Creator of the universe, God’s Son, Jesus. As always, it was quite a celebration complete with lots of lights (inside and out), merry music nonstop, plenty of presents (thanks to out of control consumerism) fabulous food, including Christmas cookies of every kind and fruitcake? and dazzling decorations everywhere you looked. 

But when the cookies are all gone, the music goes silent, the lights go out, all the presents are unwrapped (no more surprises, no more anticipation) there is nothing left to do but to pack away all the decorations that adorned my home during this season of celebration that has now come to an end. I kind of get used to the Santas and the Nativities and the wreaths and the candles and the tree and the stockings etc. during the month of Advent. I become attached to them and so have been reluctant to pack them away again, even though the party is clearly over. They will leave empty spaces and I will miss them.

So I have procrastinated parting with them, packing them away a few at a time rather than all at once. (I guess this is the opposite of ripping the bandage off completely in one swift motion, rather than prolonging the pain by peeling it off slowly) I chose the latter, so my melancholy has been prolonged in this after the party month we call January. Now January is supposed to be the month of new beginnings and resolutions. That means looking forward, not backward. Perhaps this packing away of the party is painful precisely because it keeps me looking backwards? 

Still out are my Zambian Nativity, complete with added Santas and a striped Pixie, and my kitchen windowsill Nativity with Santa bowing at the manger and decor displaying the words “peace”, “joy” and “hope.” Those words aren’t just Christmas words. I want them to be part of my life everyday, not just on holidays or special occasions. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the angel did tell the shepherds – “I bring you glad tidings of great joy.” And of course, hope has been my word for the year two years running now and I see no reason to give it up for another word at this point. Hope is what keeps me going during the darkest, most difficult times. Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel, the anchor during the storm, the promise of what is to come.

As one of my favorite Christmas songs, “Because of Bethlehem” says about Jesus’s birth, “love is born, hope is here, . . . God with us all because of Bethlehem.” Jesus’s arrival here on earth brought hope for all mankind, hope for each and every one of us in every generation – hope for forgiveness and reconciliation with our Holy Creator God – hope for healing, redemption, restoration – hope for an eternal life with our Savior, Jesus. In fact, Jesus said to His disciples this - 

“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 there 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 also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3) 

Now that’s a reason to have hope! Jesus came – the reason for the party in the first place – and Jesus is coming back again to take me to be with Him. So today as I continue packing away the party, I think I’ll leave my “peace,” “joy” and “hope” words in my windowsill just a little while longer. I want to take these words with me into this new year. The birthday party may be over but the “after party” has just begun, and while it’s not as advertised and commercialized as the main event, the after party is an adventure, a daily adventure, worth pursuing.

We typically pack away the decorations when the party is over, but we don’t pack away the gifts we received and opened during the celebration. The gifts are ours to use and to enjoy long after the party has ended and been properly packed away. God gave you and me the gift of His only Son, Jesus. Jesus gives us His gifts of peace, joy and hope. I do not want to take these gifts for granted in this new year. Nor do I want to pack them away and forget about them. When I am anxious and sad and despairing, I want to remember that I have been given the gifts of peace, joy and hope. Gifts that I can take with me and experience new every day as I leave the celebration of Advent behind, but take Advent’s gifts with me into this new year. I will not make the mistake of packing away Jesus’s gifts of peace, joy and hope. Jesus told His disciples –

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

King David said this –

“You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” (Psalm 116:11)

And I love these words of Isaiah, which remind me just what hope in God does –

“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.” (Isaiah 40:31)

With God’s good gifts I can peacefully, joyfully soar on wings of hope in this new year! Impossible?

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ “ (Matthew 19:26) 

sincerely,  Grace Day 

     

every day is new year’s day

Posted on by Grace Day

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us (I will) rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

While today is officially New Year’s Day for me and for you, according to our calendars, it occurs to me that every day is new year’s day with God, because every day He gives me a clean slate, a new beginning, a do-over, another second chance. These words in Lamentations assure me of this truth saying –

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

I love that God’s mercies to me are “new every morning”, just like the manna in the dessert was for the Israelites. They didn’t need to store it up, every morning God provided what they needed for that day regardless of what had happened the day before. No matter how badly they had behaved, had missed the mark or fallen short, God still came through for them with the provision of the manna “new every morning.” Just an example of how faithful God is in spite of our own human inconsistencies. His word tells us as much –

“if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

I am grateful for the clean slate of each and every new day God gives me. As today is drawing to a close, I realize with some disappointment that I may have already failed to live up to all the good intentions I had in mind for today, but tomorrow is a new day – another new year’s day, so to speak, allowing me to start fresh again tomorrow with the sunrise. Every day is a gift from my Heavenly Father. Each new day is as full of promise, potential and purpose as the day we set aside as being that special day once a year. Every day really is New Year’s Day for me - a day that God has given to me, a day I can make the most of if I so choose, a day I can choose to live to the full.

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) 

Today I am grateful for all the opportunities and challenges that this day brought me. There were some doors I did not open, some things I left undone BUT – tomorrow is a new day, a day the Lord has made. I will make this Psalm my prayer this New Year’s Day –

“Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom. . . . Satisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days.” (Psalm 90:12 & 14)

happy new year world! today, tomorrow and every day, every day a new day, every day a new opportunity to know God better, every day another chance to do something good in His name, every day a gift from God –

sincerely,  Grace Day