2023 Word of the Year

 

                                                             

 

“Do not fear, for I am with you.” Isaiah 41:10a (NKJV)

 

What does it mean to be “with” someone? According to the dictionary, “with” means  “accompanied by another person or thing.” In Isaiah, the Lord tells us not to fear. Fear is not necessary because the Lord Himself promises to go with us every moment of every day. 

 

As someone who is naturally fearful, I notice Scriptures which say “fear not”. These words are generally followed by the phrase “for I am with you”.

 

For the past few years, I have chosen a word of the year and a Bible verse of the year. I have  placed a copy of the word and the verse on my bathroom mirror so that I read them several times a day. This practice has been spiritually enriching.

 

For 2023, “With” is my word of the year. My verse is Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you.” As a new year begins, I want to remember each day that God is with me. I pray that my walk with the Lord will grow deeper throughout the year 2023. 

 

Let me challenge you, my readers, to also choose a word and a verse for 2023.  If you do, I would love for you to tell me what your word and verse are.  May God richly bless you in the year ahead. Happy New Year!

Lights

                                                                      

 

The calendar turns to December. Days are shorter. Darkness is longer. Suddenly, lights fill the darkness! White lights, colorful lights, blinking lights!  Beautiful lights transform dark December evenings. Christmas is approaching.  Lights play a prominent role in our Christmas celebration.

 

But, what do Christmas lights have to do with the Nativity, the birth of Christ? Quite a lot, actually. It was the bright star in the east that led the wise men to find the newborn King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2,9). After the baby was circumcised, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to be presented to the Lord.  At the Temple, Simeon looked at the Baby and declared Him to be: “A light to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”(Luke 2:32). When this Baby grew into a Man, He proclaimed: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

 

What is the purpose of “light”? Light shows us where danger is, so that we don’t stumble and fall. Light gives us direction, so that we don’t wander aimlessly. Light reveals hidden dirt and cobwebs in a dark room.

 

 When Jesus shines His light into our hearts, the dirt and cobwebs of our lives are exposed. Seeing sin in our hearts would bring despair except for one amazing fact. This same Baby in the manger grew up to become a Man who died on the cross in our place. When we turn to Him, we receive forgiveness. As we live our lives, His light shines on our pathway. Joy comes as we follow Him step by step though life.

 

So, every time we see Christmas lights this year, let us remember the Babe in the manger who grew up to be the Savior on the cross. May His light shine upon us and lead us step by step. Christmas Blessings to all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Who’s Following Me?

                                                            

 

“I think someone is following me.” The woman speaks these words into her cell phone. Scary music begins. Footsteps are heard. The murder takes place. The remainder of the show focuses on the detectives solving the crime.

 

I love watching fictional detective shows. But the idea of having someone actually follow me is frightening!

 

Did you know that the Bible says that we are being followed today? And not only today but  every day.  Psalm 23:16 states: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”.

 

God is with us every day. God is good, and He is merciful.  His goodness and mercy always follow us.

 

In many of the detective shows, work is done in pairs. When one detective is about to enter a  dangerous situation, the other says “I’ve got your back.” The second partner is alert and ready to step in at any moment.

 

As we walk through life, we face uncertain situations. When we face the unknown, we have a Partner who whispers “I’ve got your back”.  God is with us. He is alert and ready to help at any moment. 

 

Thank you, Lord, that that You always “have my back”. Thank You that Your goodness and your mercy are following me today and every day.

 

 

Broken People

                                                                   

 

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought. But rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”  Romans 12: 3 (NIV)

 

“Oh no! Oh no! What happened?” The cashier at Aldi’s sounded alarmed as she shouted in a voice loud enough to attract the attention of all the shoppers in the front of the store. And she was looking directly at me!  Did I make a mistake loading my groceries on the conveyor belt? Did I knock something over?  For a brief moment I forgot that I had a black eye. And that my black eye was colorful enough to rival that of a prize fighter!

 

No, I had not gotten into a fight. My story is less dramatic. I wasn’t paying attention,

stubbed my toe on a tiny curb, and fell forward. By God’s grace, I was not seriously injured. The worst of my injuries was a bump on my forehead which quickly became bruised. Since I have bangs, the bruise wasn’t  noticeable. It is a little embarrassing to trip and fall. I considered not telling anyone about it. That plan was doomed for failure! A few days later, the bruising on my forehead traveled downward, leaving me with a black eye that was impossible to hide. With my fair skin, I knew that my black eye would remain for weeks and weeks. At that moment, I had two choices: I could hide in my house and shut the door for 4 or 5 weeks…or I could swallow my pride and tell everyone about my fall.

 

And so began a season of my life where I (an introvert who doesn’t like to call attention to herself) became the center of attention everywhere I went. The people who asked about my eye, friends and strangers alike, were compassionate and genuinely concerned about me. And I heard story after story after story about how that person or a family members fell. Falling flat on your face appears to be much more common than I had previously thought! Indeed, as humans, we are all prone to stumble.

 

Stumbling and falling is true spiritually as well as physically. A popular contemporary Christian song by Danny Gokey and Koran Hawthorne says: “We’re all broken people. We all need Jesus.” That is true for salvation, and it is also true for our day to day struggles. No one is perfect.  So, why do we so often pretend to “have our act together”? 

 

After the black eye emerged, I was forced to swallow my pride and tell people about my fall. I was met with kind, encouraging words. It was good to commiserate with others who had similar experiences.

 

Likewise, whenever I have humbled myself and shared an inner struggle with a trusted friend, I have been met with kindness and encouragement. Frequently, that person had a similar experience to share. Most importantly, my friend now knew how to pray for me.  

 

As Romans 12:3 says, we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. Indeed, we are all “broken people.” We all need Jesus, and we all need one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give Thanks

                                                                   

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

 

As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded to give thanks.  For many of us, complaining comes more easily than thanking. Our minds can be so consumed with negative thoughts that blessings are often overlooked. 

 

A few years ago, I was challenged to make a gratitude list during the month of November. Every day I wrote down 5 things I was thankful for.  The list had to be different each day. The first few days were easy. After that, coming up with 5 new things was a challenge.

 

I began to ask God every morning to show me 5 new blessings in the day ahead. Every new day became a kind of treasure hunt. My eyes and ears were on alert to notice good things. Once I started looking for blessings, I began to see them everywhere!

 

My heart overflowed with thankfulness, and Thanksgiving Day took on a whole new meaning.

 

Let me present the same challenge to each of you. Use the month of November to make a gratitude list. Ask God to show you new blessings each day. May November be a time of “treasure hunting” for blessings.  And may each of you have the best Thanksgiving ever!

Morning Coffee

                                                     Morning Coffee 

 

It started out like any other morning. Groggy from sleep, I made my way into the kitchen and pushed the button on the coffee maker... Nothing happened. No dripping sound. No pleasant aroma of coffee brewing. Nothing. I unplugged and replugged the machine. I pushed the button several times. Nothing.

 

There are two types of people in the world. Some readers are now thinking that this is not a big deal. But for those who are die-hard coffee drinkers, the thought of no morning coffee falls a little short of being a tragic event. I fall into the latter category. Several years ago, a similar event occurred. I responded then by getting dressed, driving to Walmart, buying a coffee maker, returning home and making my morning coffee. 

 

This year, however, the Walmart drive was not an option. I was home, recovering from hip surgery and was not driving. Nor could I think of anyone I could call at 6 am to run to Walmart for a coffee maker purchase. Not only that, but I had a busy day ahead. My first day of outpatient PT was scheduled, and I wanted to be at my best. “How will I ever make it through the day?” my sleepy 6 am self asked.

 

Sipping on a cup of green tea, I sat in my comfortable chair and opened the You Version Bible to read the verse of the day. Isaiah 26:4 says: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal.” I was immediately convicted that I had no reason to say “How will I ever make it through the day?” The Lord, the powerful God who created heaven and earth, was my Rock. The Lord Himself was beckoning for me to depend on Him. The steady Rock desired for me to lean on Him. I might not have my morning coffee. But I could lean on God, and He would help me make  through the day. The wonderful thing about our Lord is that He is not only the Rock. He is the Rock eternal. I will never wake up in the morning and find that He is not there. I will never wake up and find that He cannot strengthen me for the day ahead. I will never have a morning when He is not eager to hear my prayers. He is a trustworthy God who never fails. 

 

In case you are wondering, my first day of outpatient PT went very well, and I am looking forward to improved strength and mobility.

 

And for my coffee loving readers, I am happy to report that Amazon delivered a new coffee maker that very same day.

 

 I am ever happier to report that our Lord, the Rock eternal, was faithful to me that day. And He promises to continue to be faithful for the rest of my life. What a wonderful God we serve!

 

 

Stir

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First I crack the egg, then stir it, put in onions and mushrooms, then stir it again. My favorite breakfast is ready to be cooked. One of my first actions of the day is to “stir up” the egg and vegetables. The result is delicious and nutritious! 

Recently, I came across two Bible verses using the words “stir up”. In the book of Haggai, the people were called to rebuild the Temple, the house of the Lord.  Haggai 1:14 states that “The Lord stirred up the spirit” of various key people to begin this building process. This stirring up by the Lord prompted them to take action.

On a very different note, the expression “stir up” is used in 1 Kings 21:25: “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.” Ahab allowed the influence of his wife Jezebel to stir up the sinful nature in him. This resulted in him performing wicked actions throughout his reign.

Inside of us are two natures. We have a sinful nature.  As Christians, we also have a spiritual nature. The Lord stands ready to “stir up” the spirit within us to do His good work. Individuals like Jezebel with evil intentions, also stand ready to “stir up” the sinful nature to perform wicked deeds. We have a choice. Will we allow God to “stir up” the spirit within us? Or, will we allow others to “stir up” the sinful nature in us?

Lord, I pray that You would stir up Your Spirit within me and cause my life to be used of You for good.