Jesus

today’s prayer

Posted on by Grace Day

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Lord, the world is full of crushed and broken people, people left full of empty spaces after tragedy comes like the thief in the night, robbing them of their loved ones, robbing them of their peace and of their joy – leaving them with gaping holes in their hearts and in their lives – spaces that need to be filled – spaces that only You are able to fill.

There are many in Texas right now in desperate need of You, Heavenly Father. Their hearts have been broken wide open and their spirits crushed by the loss of their loved ones who were swept away by the flood waters which most certainly came as the thief in the night, leaving behind destruction, devastation – raw pain, open wounds – everything laid bare – all the cracks and holes in our hearts and our souls exposed for all to see.

Who will enter in to such overwhelming grief and sorrow? You, Heavenly Father, have said that You will enter in and that You will stay with us through whatever we encounter. We have Your promise –

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Lord, I pray that Your Presence enter in and fill all the empty spaces, all the open wounds, fill every crack and crevice currently filled with pain, with Your comfort and hope and love – You alone must fill these spaces if the people are to continue on after so great a loss. Please be the Lifter of every head, the Healer of every broken heart and the Mender of every crushed spirit. Lord Jesus, may those suffering loss know that You truly experience and carry their pain right now in these unbearable moments and days. We know You do because Isaiah said this about You –

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. . . . Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19)

Lord Jesus, You Yourself are described as a man of sorrows. You know what it is to grieve and You too, have been crushed in spirit. We know You cried when Lazarus died, even though You knew You were going to bring him back to life in just a few moments. Yet still, You cried. You understand our grief. And You grieve right along with us.

Let Your Presence fill, sustain and protect all those left wounded and defenseless in the wake of the floods. Let them remember the promise of Your words –

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. . . . For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10 & 13)

Lord, those who are grieving need Your help now as never before. May they experience today this reality, described in Your Living Word –

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

Heavenly Father, enter in to all these shattered lives, fill all the empty spaces with Your restoring, redeeming, life-giving Presence which “fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:23) Be mighty to save. Quiet their mourning spirits with the infinite, unfailing love You have for each one of us. May they know with assurance that just as “not a sparrow falls to the ground without Your knowing it” – You hold in Your hands each one that the flood waters took from our hands. As they grieve, may it not be as those without hope – BUT –

“May the God of hope fill them with all joy and peace as they trust in You, Lord, so that they may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Lord God, let Your love, stronger and deeper than any flood waters, surround those who are mourning, let Your love fill all their empty spaces, may Your love sustain them and carry them. Heavenly Father, we pray for all impacted by this flood, the same thing the apostle Paul prayed so many centuries ago,

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Heavenly Father, heal every hole in every heart, create a new spirit in the crushed and fill every empty space with Your abiding love.

sincerely, Grace Day

good nutrition – divine dining

Posted on by Grace Day

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” (Psalm 34:8)

“taste”? – isn’t that an odd thing for the psalmist to say about God – to taste Him? Perhaps it’s metaphorical. Maybe it implies giving God a chance, trying Him out to see who He really is or maybe testing Him before trusting Him. In other words, taste before swallowing whole or devouring. Good advice. But how do I taste God? I propose that I can do this through reading God’s Word. After all, Jesus said –

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

So God’s Word is like food to me, God’s Word sustains me just as food does. In fact, in Deuteronomy I read –

“They are not just idle words for you – they are your life.” (Deuteronomy 32:47)

Interesting that Jesus is the Word that gives life –

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

and Jesus is also the bread that gives life –

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

So I can taste Him and see if He indeed is good. I can partake of The Bread – the bread broken for me that I might live. Jesus’s own words explain this –

“And He (Jesus) took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ” (Luke 22:19)

Jesus is the Bread of Heaven, like the manna God gave the Israelites every morning during their days in the desert. The Israelites were able to “taste and see that God is good” new every morning. You and I can too. We can read His word, new every morning, and let it fill us up with the strength, wisdom and love we will need to meet the challenges of the day. Jesus is the bread that satisfies my soul. Jesus told His disciples as much when He said this to them –

“Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. . . . I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:32-33 & 51)

The psalmist knew what it was to “taste” God through His word. Must be why he wrote these words in Psalm 119 –

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)

God’s Living Word – “sharper than any double-edged sword” – the daily bread that sustains me and gives me life – also satisfies my sweet tooth! Who knew? Thank You, Heavenly Father for Your Living Word. Your words truly are life to me. All I have to do is to taste them, to know that You are good!

sincerely, Grace Day

set free

Posted on by Grace Day

The walls are high, the dungeon deep, the bars unbreakable, the gate impenetrable, the darkness constant – who can rescue me from such a place? Who is able to set me free? King David answered the question with these words –

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:1-3)

Isaiah too, testified that it is God who sets those of us held captive free.

“to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” (Isaiah 42:7)

the prophet Isaiah also said –

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,” (Isaiah 61:1)

Ever feel like something or someone is holding you hostage? Do you feel like a prisoner in your own home, in your own skin, in your job or in your relationships? There are so many things that can hold us in bondage. Of course there is literal, physical incarceration. But there are other kinds of captivity that are just as real, things that hold us in bondage as surely as any prison does. Alcohol and drug addictions keep their victims captive indefinitely, sometimes it’s a life sentence. Fear, worry and anxiety are relentless captors, holding a very tight grip on their prisoners. And lies – lies enslave us so easily – keeping us bound for as long as we believe them. Must be why Jesus said –

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Sin is another relentless captor. I am a prisoner of my own sin. We all are. I need a Savior to rescue me from myself, from my sin, and to set me free. I need a Savior who is willing and able to forgive my sin. Sin separates me from my Creator and puts me in a place that is dark without His light. Sin’s hold is strong, like iron chains. Sin keeps me captive, isolated. Sin’s hold on me is like being held prisoner behind gates of bronze and bars of iron. BUT – God’s forgiveness is stronger than all sin. Must be why Isaiah said this –

“Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, . . . Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” (Isaiah 107:10-16)

God’s unfailing love for each of us, those He created in His image, is so powerful that He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. God’s love sets me free. God’s forgiveness sets me free from my sin. God’s truth sets me free from the devil’s lies. Jesus’s death on the cross sets each one of us free from sin and death. In Galatians, Paul reminds us –

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

I have been set free from the captivity of constant worry. Jesus was clear about this when He told His disciples –

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. . . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? . . . But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

I have been set free from fear and from having to live in fear. I have His word on that!

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:18-19)

I have been set free from all anxiety which if allowed free reign, would paralyze me, making me a permanent prisoner. BUT – I can follow these instructions, which lead to peace and freedom –

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

How wonderful! I have been set free. I say this with the psalmist –

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free,” (Psalm 146:5-7)

thank You, Heavenly Father, for setting me free!

sincerely, Grace Day

don’t leave home without it

Posted on by Grace Day

Now what would “it” be? According to one ad from years ago “it” was a credit card. You and I, as the prospective consumers, were advised not to leave home without this particular credit card. Why? Because it’s a dangerous, unpredictable world out there. We can’t possibly anticipate what circumstances and events we will encounter when we leave home and walk out into the world, BUT – apparently, possessing this credit card will provide us with protection, provision and peace of mind. I guess the underlying premise being that money can buy you and me those three essential p’s – protection, provision and peace of mind. If only!

So what do I need to take with me every day, if not a trusted credit card? I usually dress for both the current weather and the weather forecast for the day, meaning even if it’s not currently raining or snowing, if that’s the prediction for later in the day, I take my umbrella or snow boots, gloves etc. and scraper for the car in anticipation of what I might encounter later and of what I might need in order to deal with whatever unexpected challenges might arise. Still, it’s impossible for me to be fully prepared to face every contingency, every day.

While most of us aren’t military, we may feel like we are walking into a war zone every day as we enter our workplaces or just the places we go in general as shoppers, patients, clients, spectators, classmates, fans, friends – anyplace can be a potential battlefield. No wonder we’re tired, maybe not so much physically as emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I find myself wondering, “is it just me? am I imagining this or is it real?” Ephesians 6 gives me a clear answer to my questions –

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Ok, so there is a battle going on. It’s not my imagination after all. But it’s a spiritual battle. So, how do I prepare for this battle? What protection and provision are available to me? I think it’s going to take more than a credit card to equip me to live victoriously while facing and fighting this spiritual battle. It’s not as simple as bringing an umbrella or wearing snow boots and a heavy coat. I need more protection than that. Fortunately, Ephesians 6 outlines in detail exactly what I need to put on and take with me.

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, (I think it’s already here) you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)

These things then, are the things I shouldn’t leave home without. It is imperative I actively put them on in order to be prepared to face the challenges the day will bring and in order to be protected from things like “the flaming arrows of the evil one.” My instructions not only include what I am to wear, but also what I am to do. The words are clear –

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. . . . And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:10-11, 18)

“Be strong”, “put on the full armor of God”, “stand” and “pray” – this is not a plan for survival. This is a plan for victory! My circumstances may seem overwhelming, but God’s armor provides me the protection and the peace that I need and that He wants me to have. I dare not leave home without it! My Heavenly Father has made all of it available to me, I just have to put it on! When I do, I will be able to “take my stand against the devil’s schemes” because God’s armor contains everything I need, as long as I put on all of it (the full armor) and not just some of it.

God’s truth defeats satan’s lies. God provides His righteousness to cover me. Jesus is the Prince of peace and it is His gospel of peace that fits my feet and enables me to stand. It is His shield of faith that extinguishes all the flaming arrows of doubt before they can even reach their target (me), take root and destroy my faith. My helmet is God’s salvation, sealing me for the day of redemption, assuring that the enemy cannot rob me of the gift God has already given me. And God provides me a weapon, His Sword of the Spirit, which is His living Word. And word has it (pun intended) that this particular Sword is a pretty good weapon. Hebrews says this about it –

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)

I think that’s a pretty sharp sword indeed! And it’s a weapon I can wield in this spiritual battle I face every day. I don’t have to be afraid, discouraged, daunted or deterred in any way. I may not have today’s most prestigious or preferred credit card with me when I leave home every day BUT – I have something infinitely better. I have God’s full armor covering me and I have His presence. I have my Heavenly Father’s protection, His provision, His peace and His twenty-four/seven Presence. I have His promise –

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8)

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

We think life is full of hardship and heartache today, but there is “nothing new under the sun.” Jesus told His disciples this –

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

And so He has! But while in this world, I will have trouble. I am so thankful God has given me His full armor, to protect and equip me for the battle that rages all around us. Better than any credit card, the full armor of God allows me to stand firm in any and every circumstance and to always keep on praying.

sincerely, Grace Day

wanderlust

Posted on by Grace Day

Ever feel like you’re missing out on something big, something important, something that everyone around you seems to know about and participate in except for you? I think this feeling even has a name – FOMO – fear of missing out. Yes, there is an acronym for everything. I wonder if FOMO is common enough these days that it has now risen to the level of a recognized malady, a malady that warrants some form of treatment, whether therapy or medicine.

The reason I bring this up is because I think I may be suffering from a form of FOMO, albeit a very specific subcategory – wanderlust. Wanderlust – “an irresistible urge to explore the world.” If I am honest, I must admit that I have suffered from wanderlust all my life. There is no cure, except perhaps travel. And that is what everyone except me seems to be talking about and doing these days – traveling. I am surrounded by people talking about their upcoming trips and those recounting the adventures from which they have just returned. I love to hear their stories, but this only increases my longing to see the world for myself, to experience its beauty and meet its people.

My being afflicted with wanderlust may explain my uncommon reaction to the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The first time I saw it, I spent the entire time rooting for George Bailey to get out of town and go on his long awaited, long planned, travel the world adventure. But circumstances would intervene and George would always stay to help out his family, his business and his town. I was frustrated. I felt for George. George never got to realize his life-long dream of traveling the world.

Years ago, I affixed a beautiful picture to a wooden plaque with these words on it, “though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it within us, or we will find it not.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Emerson considered wanderlust a vice, not a virtue, although he did take into consideration the reason for one’s travel. He approved of travel to improve one’s character but said travel to escape one’s sadness or boredom was pointless, because these things stay with us no matter where we travel.

The apostle Paul was always wanting to travel. He had plans to visit many different places as his letters to various churches reveal. But Paul’s travel plans were often interrupted and put on hold when he was repeatedly thrown into prison for preaching the gospel. Of course, this was also the very reason Paul was wanting to travel. He was wanting to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the gentiles, to those who had not yet heard because they lived in other lands. Paul didn’t have wanderlust. He had God’s call upon him to go and share the gospel with others.

Jonah was another person who did some traveling. However, unlike Paul, Jonah’s travel wasn’t towards something but was actually travel away from something. That’s right. Jonah was running away from God and from the assignment God had given him to go to the city of Ninevah and deliver a message from God to the people living there. Jonah’s travels took him to sea on a ship that was caught up in a storm and Jonah ended up in the belly of a big fish. I guess Jonah thought he could outrun God. But God’s word says differently. King David wrote these words –

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

Whether my wanderlust is a search for God or an attempt to get away from Him, it is unnecessary and futile. God is omnipresent. I don’t have to travel to find Him and no matter where I travel, there is no where I can go where He is not present. I can enjoy God’s presence wherever I am. I don’t have to travel to some exotic place in order to feel close to Him. He’s already here with me. I don’t have to suffer from FOMO. I am not missing anything. God will use me for His good purposes wherever I am, if I am willing and obedient.

Paul fulfilled God’s good and eternal purposes from a prison cell. Jonah called upon God while inside a fish in the depths of the sea and promised to obey God’s instruction to him, this time. (talk about your second chances) Jesus told Peter to follow Him but told John to remain. I know many who are missionaries overseas, but we each are called to minister right where we are. It took an encounter with an angel to show George Bailey all the good that had happened because he had stayed and done what was needed to help his family and his friends.

You and I may not get the movie encounter with an angel, we just have to trust in faith that God is working out His perfect will in each of our lives. Paul wrote this in his letter to the church at Rome –

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“In all things”. Ok. I guess that means “in all places, at all times” also? In spite of my wanderlust, I can know that what I long for, I already possess. I don’t need to go in search of an elusive “it.” My Heavenly Father’s glorious, sustaining Presence is the same everywhere and it is more than enough!

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)

I don’t have to travel far, I don’t have to travel at all in order to experience the wonder of God’s creation or of His presence. The wonder of the universe that is mine today far outweighs the wanderlust of the world. One lasts while the other fades. The former is eternal, the latter temporal.

sincerely, Grace Day

the woman in the wheelchair

Posted on by Grace Day

She is always there on Sunday mornings, the woman in the wheelchair. I don’t remember when I first noticed her, but eventually I took note if she wasn’t there in her usual spot behind the last pew in the sanctuary. To me, she was somewhat of a mysterious figure, bundled up and hunched over in her wheelchair, her gray head bowed a bit and a mask (maybe a vestige of the recent covid era) covering most of her face. She didn’t appear to be with anyone or to have any family with her. I found myself wondering who was she? Had she always been in a wheelchair? How had she ended up here?

We each have a story and I was curious to learn hers – the unique story belonging to her alone, the life story of the woman I knew only as the woman in the wheelchair. In time, I introduced myself and learned her name. That changed things. She is no longer just the woman in the wheelchair, she has a name and a face. She is Ginger. (I wonder if her hair was red when she was young? I haven’t asked her that yet)

We now greet each other every Sunday, but my curiosity has remained about the long life she has obviously already lived and about the events that have transpired to bring her here to this church at this time in her life. Everyone has a story that runs much deeper than meets the eye and I wanted to know hers. Bits and pieces of her story have been revealed over time and like any good story, hers contains both triumph and tragedy, hardship and heartbreak, success and failure, doubt and faith.

Not so different from my story nor yours, dear reader, I suspect – Ginger’s is a story of endurance. She is still showing up on Sunday mornings to worship God, despite her past hardships, despite her present situation and the obstacle her wheelchair presents in this very old, unmodernized, church building. She continues to show up in faith and hold onto hope. (while some of us let less than perfect weather or any small thing dissuade us from going to church on a Sunday morning) Just her presence in church, the presence of the woman in the wheelchair, is inspiration and conviction enough for me and perhaps for others, too. God continues to use us in each and every season of our lives.

I use the word endurance because my friend’s life has not been easy. (notice I now call her my friend, instead of the woman in the wheelchair) She’s been married and divorced, employed and unemployed, lived in affluence and been homeless. She did share with me some stories from her panhandling days. Begging on the streets is not only difficult but downright dangerous, especially for a woman. God has brought her through those years to the relative safety of where she is today. This is a testament to God’s faithfulness to her and to each of us, reminding me of these words –

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

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)

Perhaps my friend has learned the secret that Paul learned and shared in his letter to the church at Philippi –

” . . . I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Ginger continues to need the strength God gives, as life continues to be full of challenges to overcome. But of course, that is true for me and for you as well. Life is challenging, wheelchair or no wheelchair. Although alone in the world by all appearances, she now has a church family to love her. It brings me joy to see some of the grade school age children come up to her and give her big hugs after church. In her wheelchair, she is just the right height to receive their embraces and converse with them face to face. Reminds me of these words from Psalms –

“God sets the lonely in families,” (Psalm 68:6)

as I write this, I am thinking that to God, Ginger has never been, nor is she now, simply the woman in the wheelchair. She is so much more. She is His dearly loved daughter, and He has never left her nor forsaken her. He knows her by name (as do I now) and He knows every hair on her head. Ginger, like Job, can say with confidence these words –

“But He (God) knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

She has certainly endured a lot in her lifetime and continues to do so. BUT – in the end I hope my friend can say these words along with Paul –

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

fun fact – a small, jeweled, crown-shaped hair ornament always adorns my friend’s gray topknot hairstyle and her nickname is “Queenie” – perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come . . .

sincerely, Grace Day

good gardening

Posted on by Grace Day

“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)

Gardening – the world’s oldest profession. (despite what we’ve been told) Adam and Eve were the original gardeners. They were put in charge of The Garden, the Garden of Eden. They were responsible for taking care of God’s creation. No small task. And it’s a responsibility humankind retains to this day.

We see this work of gardening carried out in many ways. Farmers till the soil to produce the crops that feed us all. Some tend orchards and vineyards and others tend animals which give us milk or eggs or meat or even clothing via wool or clothing from plants like cotton or flax. God’s good garden was designed to supply all our needs. We were “to work it and take care of it.” In return, God’s creation, God’s garden, would take care of us.

God’s creation is perfectly designed to meet all our needs.

“God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)

So God created the garden, and then God made us the gardeners.

“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.’ Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’ ” (Genesis 1:27-29)

Our very first job was gardening. Today though, not many of us are garden tenders. We view gardening as more of a hobby than a vocation, (or our original calling) even though nowadays people take classes to become master gardeners and landscaping, landscape architecture, horticulture, greenhouses, farmer’s markets and flower shops are thriving businesses. Maybe gardening is making a comeback?

Both my grandmothers were gardeners. Well, one employed a gardener, one was a gardener. Both their backyards were full of beautiful flowers in every season, except winter of course. Most of these flowers just magically appeared in their season, year after year. As a child, I took the beauty and peace and wonder of their backyards for granted. I was not aware of all the intentional good gardening going on behind the scene, that made these gardens the oases of color and life that they were. I simply enjoyed them.

I tend to do the same thing today with God’s garden, the earth. The earth is filled with the beauty of God’s creation everywhere I look. And even though I and my fellow gardeners (that’s y’all – we have each one been given the task of tending God’s garden) have not always been good gardeners, God’s flowers and plants and trees and mountains and waterfalls and sunsets and seas and marshes full of wildlife and deserts teeming with plant and animal life – all seem to keep on in spite of neglect or mismanagement on our part. Good thing, God, as the Master Gardener, is in charge. I recall His words to Noah after the flood –

“And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. ‘As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’ ” (Genesis 8:21-22)

I am thankful that even when I am not the attentive, good gardener God has asked me to be, His garden still grows and produces and provides for us all. God’s perfect design continues to sustain us. A good example of this intricate perfection is photosynthesis. We humans need oxygen to live. We need to get oxygen from the air we breathe. Fortunately for us, all the living, growing, green trees, plants, grass, shrubs etc. give off oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis.

Now photosynthesis is the process taking place in all those living green leaves. It involves sunlight, water, chlorophyll, and another element necessary in order for the plants, trees etc. to grow and to produce food for us to eat. The vital element? Carbon dioxide – CO2. That’s right. All living plant life depends on carbon dioxide to stay alive and to carry out the process of photosynthesis. Fortunately for them, that’s one of the things we humans breathe out – carbon dioxide. What we don’t need – the plants and trees do need. And vice versa. We need what they are getting rid of – oxygen! God’s perfect design in action. (so why all the worry about CO2? I think all green plants need CO2 for photosynthesis, and we need photosynthesis for food production!)

Sunlight is God’s most important gardening tool. It is sunlight that supplies the energy for photosynthesis to take place. That’s why I don’t understand something I read recently about chem trails from jets putting chemicals into our atmosphere (like aluminum) to reflect the sun’s rays away from the earth, supposedly to cool the earth. As a result, crop production is diminished because less sunlight affects photosynthesis, a process that cannot take place without sunlight.

I wonder how this lessening of sunlight affects our bodies’ ability to produce vitamin D, which normally takes place naturally (and for free) when we are exposed to the sun’s light? And what’s the point of all these solar panels if at the same time we are actively working to reduce the amount of sunlight the earth receives? Gardeners are concerned about the toxic chemicals in solar panels, and about the aluminum in the chem trails when it falls to earth and becomes part of our soil, but overall silence seems to prevail on these topics.

Not sure why we think we are better gardeners than the One who created the garden in the first place. The Master Gardener’s design is perfect and it works. Why would we want to interfere with that. I’m grateful the garden is still fruitful despite our neglect or outright harm. The psalmist said this –

“Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps.” (Psalm 85:11-13)

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2)

A friend of mine is the epitome of a good gardener. She cares well for God’s garden and created a space of beauty and peace surrounding her home. It became a refuge for not only birds, bees and other wildlife, but for people as well. We would sit outdoors and enjoy the sanctuary she had created – a sanctuary full of flowers, full of birds, full of color, full of peace and quiet, full of life.

I am thankful there are no wind turbines in our area to intrude upon the peace and beauty of her garden sanctuary. They are loud and their vibrations disrupt life on the ground and in the air. I often wonder why the Audubon Society has remained so silent about the detrimental impact of the wind turbines on all kinds of bird life in myriad locations across the country. When these turbines are located off of our coasts both sea life and bird life are adversely affected. Instead of saving the environment, these turbines are killing wildlife and taking up land space that a good gardener could use for better purposes.

I fear we have not lived up to our charge to tend God’s garden well. We think we know better than the Creator, so we attempt to alter our weather with harmful chemicals. We are to be guarding God’s garden, not destroying it. Our wisdom too often turns out to be only foolishness and futility. Job found this out when he questioned God and God replied to Job with these words –

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone – while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?

Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? . . . Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? . . .

Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth? . . . Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?” (Job 38:4-39:27)

Those words pretty much put things in perspective. I want to be a good gardener of this beautiful garden called earth. God has put you and me in charge, just as He did Adam and Eve in the beginning in the garden, “to work it and take care of it.”

Heavenly Father, help me to be a good gardener – caring well for Your creation.

sincerely, Grace Day

heavenly hoarding

Posted on by Grace Day

I was searching for something in my basement recently, but to no avail. My basement is unfinished, used only for storage and a bit crowded if truth be told. As I looked through my earthly, basement treasures, these words of Jesus came to mind –

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Even though Jesus spoke these words over two-thousand years ago, seems like He could have been talking about my basement (or my garage) today. Nothing much new under the sun. We still have moths. We still have rust. We still have thieves who break in and steal. And we still attempt to store up things or “riches” for ourselves. Although today we call this “hoarding.” There’s even a TV show about it and a whole profession dedicated to helping those who exhibit this behavior.

I’ve personally dealt with all three during my lifetime, moths, rust and thieves. Still, I seem to accumulate earthly possessions with the years. I don’t own a storage unit (yet), but that must be a pretty good business to be in, because I see these buildings full of storage units for rent everywhere I go. Reminds me of another story Jesus told –

“The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

Ok. Maybe the answer is not bigger barns or basements or more storage units. Maybe my security does not depend on my possessions or on me providing for myself. Maybe God wants me to trust Him to provide for me? In fact, Jesus said as much to His disciples –

“Then Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.’ ” (Luke 12:22-23)

Jesus then goes on to remind the disciples that God provides food for the birds and clothes the flowers in beautiful splendor. Therefore, God will most certainly feed and clothe His own children, those created in His image. Jesus concluded by saying –

“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:29-34)

Trusting God to be my Provider – in this culture of self-sufficiency, that is a very counter-cultural concept. Or maybe because we here in the west live in a culture of abundance and even excess, we don’t feel the need to trust God as our Provider. We tend to accumulate, to amass more than we need, and to store the extra in our “bigger barns” (additional or bigger storage units) just like the ones the rich man in the story built for himself. Given our human tendency towards hoarding things, it is noteworthy that Jesus included this request as a part of the prayer He was teaching His disciples to pray. Known today as The Lord’s Prayer, this is how Jesus prayed –

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. . . . ” (Matthew 6:9-11)

Another translation, the NLT, says it this way – “Give us today the food we need.”

Jesus didn’t ask for a week’s worth or a month’s worth or for any excess or abundance – just what would meet today’s need. Daily bread. Daily provision. Remind you of anything? Reminds me of the daily manna the Israelites received from God new every morning while they were wandering in the wilderness those forty years. Bread from heaven sustained them on their journey. They could not store this bread up for themselves. There was no need for the Israelites to store or to hoard the manna. The manna arrived fresh every morning – just enough for that day’s need.

They had no place to store it anyway, they were nomads living in tents, always on the move. They had no time to build “bigger barns” (they had no barns to begin with). They had no refrigerators. They were following God on a journey to their promised land and they needed to travel light. It would have been an added burden to have to stockpile, to store and then to transport extra food (aka manna) with them everywhere they went. Instead, God had a better plan. The food they needed to sustain them for their journey, came to them fresh every morning, delivered right to their doorstep (tent flap). No burden of excess to carry with them. Each morning’s manna was exactly what they needed for that day and that day alone.

The only instruction they were given was NOT to take more than they needed, NOT to store it up except on the day before Sabbath. On that day, they were to take a double portion. There would be no manna for them to gather on the Sabbath day.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days. . . . “

“Each one gathered as much as he needed. Then Moses said to them, ‘No one is to keep any of it until morning.’ However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.” (Exodus 16:4-5 & 18-20)

Remind you of the moths and rust, ruining our hoarded treasures that we store up for ourselves here on earth? I’m sensing a connection. Earthly treasures are temporal treasures. They will pass away. Better to be hoarding heavenly treasures instead. No moths, rust or thieves in heaven.

No hoarding means trusting God to provide. I love the picture painted in Psalms –

“The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16)

“These all look to You to give them their food at the proper time. When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” (Psalm 104:27-28)

My Heavenly Father’s daily provision is enough, more than enough for me. His word says He wants to satisfy me, and you, dear readers, with our daily bread, which He supplies. Not weekly bread or monthly bread, but daily bread. God wants a day by day relationship with you and with me – not a weekly or a monthly or a yearly drive by to ask for what we need. I particularly like this prayer request from Proverbs and will make it my own –

“give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Lord, may I be content with, thankful for and joyful because of the daily bread I receive from Your open hand new every morning.

sincerely, Grace Day

moment of glory

Posted on by Grace Day

His appearance on the court elicited wild applause. Then he scored – twice. The crowd cheered wildly both times. Definitely a moment of glory. What are you thinking at this point? NBA finals? NCAA championship game? High School basketball finals? The answer – none of the above. This scene did take place in a high school gym, but it wasn’t a championship game or even a regular season high school basketball game. It was a school pep rally held during the school day, featuring events for student entertainment such as a faculty/student basketball scrimmage. So who was receiving all this applause and recognition? Some celebrity basketball star? Let me tell you about him . . .

He’s tall. Even at seventy years young, he still stands tall. I’m talking about a work colleague of mine, a fellow substitute teacher at the high school where I work. Based on this one fact, his height, you might surmise that he had been a star basketball player in his day. However, he had not played beyond his middle school years. He had never experienced moments of glory on the court, even though this is a common dream for many young men growing up in this culture that lives and breathes basketball. This dream, however, never became reality for my colleague. That is until last week’s pep rally.

We all want one – a moment of glory. We may even spend our lives pursuing things that we believe will lead us to our moment of glory only to find ourselves disappointed when our efforts don’t lead us to that magic moment of success, recognition and applause. Or perhaps our moment of glory comes early in life, leaving us wondering if that’s it or is there yet another moment of glory waiting somewhere for us in the future?

So how did this youthful dream become reality for my colleague and deliver to him his long awaited moment of glory on the court, years after his days on the basketball court had seemingly come to an end? Well, as I said, we work at a high school – a high school known for its history of basketball tradition. We were state champs last year and runner up in the final game of the state championships this year. We were state champs in 1955, 56 and 59 and in 2017. We take our basketball seriously. The students my colleague played against at this school pep rally were this year’s runners up to the state champs. And his teammates, our coaches and faculty, are younger, stronger and quicker players than my colleague.

And yet, he stepped onto the court to a hero’s welcome and scored two baskets! Against all odds my colleague experienced his moment of glory. And there’s a backstory to this story. My fellow sub almost didn’t make it to the gym at all. He was assigned to a classroom upstairs during the time this pep rally was taking place in the gym. (not all students could attend, some remained in the classrooms and teachers were needed to cover those classrooms) I was summoned to cover his classroom, but I couldn’t leave the classroom I was in until my replacement arrived.

The clock was ticking. The pep rally had started. I was stuck in my classroom waiting for someone to come so that I could go to his room and he could go to the gym. At least thirty minutes or more went by before I was able to get to his classroom. At that point he thought he had probably missed his opportunity to play, BUT – neither of us knew the order of events for today’s program. Perhaps the men’s basketball scrimmage was at the end of the rally’s scheduled events. I urged him to go to the gym quickly, holding out hope that he might still get to participate in today’s basketball game.

Why was his opportunity to participate so important to me? Earlier in the school day, during homeroom/club period, he had been the speaker who addressed the students in the classroom where I was. One of the things he shared with them was how he had participated in this event last year and that he was looking forward to doing so again later on in the day. He had actually scored one basket last year, he told the students, and I could tell that had meant a lot to him – a treasured memory for him – a moment of glory that he was no doubt hoping to repeat this year.

I wanted him to have that chance for another moment of glory on the court. That’s why it was important to me to get to his classroom and send him on to the gym. I didn’t know the outcome though, until I saw him after school. He was beaming! He told me he had made it to the gym in time to play and that he had scored not one, but two baskets! And received ample applause as well. I was so happy for him. I told him next year he would score three baskets. Always good to have something to look forward to, right?

In life, we never know when our “moment of glory” will come. But we dare not quit. If we quit, our moment of glory will never come. We have to keep on showing up. In Galatians we are told –

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

In this world, some of us experience more “moments of glory” than others. BUT – in God’s coming kingdom, we have many such moments to look forward to. Paul told Timothy,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2Timothy 4:7-8)

Receiving the crown of righteousness – that’s a “moment of glory” worth waiting for. You and I have lots of “moments of glory” ahead of us in heaven. Starting with this promise –

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1Corinthians 13:12)

That is definitely going to be a treasured “moment of glory.” Hang in there, dear readers. Your “moment of glory” awaits!

sincerely, Grace Day

expunged

Posted on by Grace Day

As my friend shared his anxiety and uncertainty about the outcome of his recent job interview, I wished I could calm his fears and instill some hope in him during this time of waiting without knowing what the final decision will be. Turns out there is a reason for this delay in the hiring decision. And this is the very same reason why my friend is nervous, fearful and uncertain about whether or not he will be hired. A background check is required. My friend has an offense still on his record from many years ago. So if the background check goes back far enough, his offense will be discovered and brought to light once again.

I felt the weight of this burden from his past, which still impacts his life today and weighs him down. There was a time when he could have gotten this offense expunged from his record legally, BUT – there was a cost, and the cost was more money than he had at that time. The cost was just too high. So the offense has remained on his record, following him wherever he goes, because he couldn’t pay the price necessary to clear his name. And now that legal option is no longer available to him or to others in the same situation.

Now my friend is not the person that he was so many years ago. God has done, and continues to do, the miraculous, transformative work that only our Creator can do, in my friend’s life. BUT – unfortunately the world keeps score differently than God does. My friend’s current plight got me to thinking about God’s great mercy and all the second chances that God gives you and me.

Our legal system may not expunge things that we would wish to be expunged from our past, from our records, from our identity BUT – God is more than able and more than willing to expunge the stains from my past and from your past too, dear readers. And unlike my friend, who was unable to pay the cost of his expungement, my cost and your cost has already been paid! We can have our past sins expunged from our record for free. God says so –

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” (Isaiah 1:18)

If that isn’t clear enough, God says this –

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25)

That sounds to me exactly like the definition of expunged, which is “to erase or remove completely.” Removing sin stains is an impossible task for me and for you, BUT – God specializes in the expungement of our sins. I read this in Psalms –

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:10-12)

This is definitely good news that God “remembers my sins no more” and that God has “removed my sins (the bad things on my record) from me, even as far as the east is from the west.” However, this “expungement” of my sins from my record must have been quite expensive, and in fact it was. Expungement and the resulting right standing with God cost more than I could ever pay. BUT- God is able to cover the cost! And He has!

Because “the wages (penalty) of my sin is death,” that’s the price, a death sentence for me. If I can’t pay it, there is nothing I can do to clear my own record. God has to do it for me. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus, to die in my place to pay the price for my sin.

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

The prophet, Isaiah, talks about the One who would come to pay my sin price with His death on a cross, canceling my debt and expunging my record of sin.

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, . . . by His knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. . . . because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:10-12)

I can have a clean record, a record expunged of all my offenses against God and man because Jesus paid the cost of having my sins forgiven and expunged. I am so grateful, because like my friend, I cannot pay the price of having an offense expunged from my record. The psalmist acknowledges as much when he says –

“If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4)

Forgiveness – that is what makes expungement possible. God stands ready to forgive me and you, His word says so –

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

God forgives my sins and expunges my record. The world may hold my friend’s past offenses against him, but God doesn’t. My friend has a place and a job in God’s kingdom, as do you and I. Our past records have been expunged, which means –

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

No condemnation! Forgiven! Redeemed! Record expunged! You and I have joy and hope because we know –

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

sincerely, Grace Day