COME, SEE FOR YOURSELF

By Shirley Wiggins

“…But Philip said, ‘Come, see for yourself.’” John 1:46 (The Message Bible)

Today is the first day of the New Year 2015.   I’ve been blessed to see many of these new years’ days - an ordinary woman, but one who has been extraordinarily blessed by the awesome God, the Giver of all Life.

This day dawns crisp:  clean, smooth, and a bit “stiff” in its newness, it is clear and cold:  33⁰ outside.  In its first light, everything is still, quiet and serene, with no signs of anyone stirring yet.

I love being the first one up at my house!  I sit wrapped in a warm robe, holding a hot cup of coffee, while the fire gently warms the room.  My devotional books wait on the table beside me, two Bibles nearby and pen in hand, I wait once again for the Word that will speak to my heart.  I will write it down, with its Scripture reference recorded in my journal, so I can find it again and receive from it all the richness that I know it will add to my thoughts for today.

What would my life be like if the Living Word was dead to me?  If He did not talk to me, how lonely and dreary my existence here on this earth that is not heaven would be! 

But God does speak to me!  He hears me, too, as I talk with Him throughout my day and sometimes during those odd hours of the night when I wake up for no apparent reason.  His peace-filled Presence comes to me and stays with me because He is always near.

So close:  His Word abides in me, and I remain in Him because I am in Jesus, Jesus is in me, and Jesus is in God because God abides in Jesus.

Beautiful plan!  God is grand!

I read earlier this week in the Bible (which has been preserved for the unfolding of Truth),  about Philip, who when he had discovered the identity of the long awaited One written about by Moses and the Prophets in the Old Testament of The Holy Bible, looked until he found Nathaniel to tell him the good news of his discovery.

As amazing as it sounded, Philip had found out that He was actually “Jesus of Nazareth, the “legal” son of Joseph, the carpenter!”

Nathaniel was skeptical and surprised and replied, “Nazareth!  Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip made this reply, and though I had read it before, this time it spoke to my heart:  “Come, see for yourself!”

That is my desire for each individual:  the opportunity to discover Jesus.  That we would stop forming our opinions of Jesus Christ based on what others are saying about Him, but that each of us would personally discover the truth about Him.

He is real, literally alive.  He actually came to the earth born as a Baby, lived for 33 years and died as a Man, on a cross, and was buried.  Astoundingly, He did not remain dead in the grave.  Because His father was not Joseph – His Father was the God of the Bible, Who raised Him from the dead in great resurrection power.

 Not everything written and orally declared about Jesus is actually true; but everything written about Him in The Holy Bible is real; it is Truth: absolute Truth.

 Come!  See for yourself!

Let this be the year of the Bible:  The year when each one of us will explore Truth.  The year when millions of us will come into its pages in the multitudes of its languages and its translations; in spite of the fact that Newsweek magazine has an article coming out in the January 2, 2015 issue that implies, among other things, that no one can read the “real” Bible, because it has been so changed. 

 Come!  See for yourself!

Discover what countless others have found:  Truth!

Truth, like priceless treasure hidden deeply, yet clearly available in The Holy Bible.

  What a paradox!  What an open secret, just waiting for us to find it and be:

·       As astounded as Nathaniel,

·       As delighted as Philip,

·       As convinced as Peter,

·       As willingly obedient as Mary, mother of Jesus,

·       As eager to know it in its details as Apollos,

·       As dedicated to teaching it as Aquila and Priscilla,

·       As hungry for it as Cornelius and his family,

·       As determined to tell it as Paul, and

·       As ready and willing to die for it as Stephen.

God’s truth, once embraced, ensures that we will never be the same again.  Because the Truth of God is Jesus Christ and God has hidden all of Truth’s knowledge and Wisdom in Him. 

Oh, that we might be willing today to know the Truth!   That all would be willing to truly come to know Jesus Christ this year that no one would die without Him!

Oh, that no one would doubt His existence when He has so willingly proven Himself for each of us.  Oh, that we would no longer deny His love since He died to prove it by demonstrating God’s love publicly on the cross of shame.

Oh, that not one of us would deny ourselves a lifetime of joy and peace on this earth, and afterwards an eternity of alive “time” in  His glorious Presence forever in the new Heaven – Zion, that Holy City which has been prepared for those who love Him.

Every person (man, woman, boy, and girl) who desires to know the truth may know the Truth.  Would you open the Bible and discover truth for yourself and your loved ones?  You truly can read the Bible and understand it with the help of the Holy Spirit of God Himself.

 “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”  Deuteronomy 29:29 Amp. Bible.

“But it is from Him (God) that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God – revealed to us a knowledge of the divine salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as our Righteousness – thus making us upright and putting us in right  standing with God, and our Consecration making us pure and holy, and our Redemption providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin.”  1 Corinthians 1:30 Amp.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words: 

“As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of people] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom; For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. …. So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy) but in the power of God. … Yet… it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away..  but rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden from the human understanding and now revealed to us by God – that wisdom which God devised and decreed before the ages…. To lift us into the glory of His Presence.

None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. 

But on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him – who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed,

Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the Holy Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God (the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny). …  Now we have not received the spirit that belongs to the world, but the Holy Spirit Who is from God, given to us that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly bestowed on us by God, … …For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge?  But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.” 

How awesome is this Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of truth!? 

 In the interest of space, I  have left out much of what Paul has written between First Corinthians 1:1 and 2:16  (in The Amplified Bible), so I urge you, open up the preciously preserved Word of God (The Holy Bible) and explore it to discover the life-saving Truth of God Himself for yourself!

Happy New Year!

THOUGHTS ON PSALM 105

by Hallie Gipson

Psalm 105 is the place my Bible opened to as I was preparing for my quiet time recently. In the NASB translation the heading is “The Lord’s Wonderful Works in Behalf of Israel.”

As I read that Psalm, it was impressed on me all that the Lord did to display His majesty in seeking justice for His people, and how the unbelievers hardened their hearts to each act and miracle until “Egypt was glad when they departed” (v. 38). Yet when God delivered them, it was with silver and gold lining their pockets! Verse 37 says: “Then He brought them out with silver and gold.”

What a precious reminder of how You, Father God, save and rescue completely with a richness of plan! Your rescue is always sweet even if the circumstances are difficult.

V. 43 And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout.”

You delight to save and to rescue Your children, Father! May those who are being rescued not resist. If they hear Your word today, may it fall on fertile ground --- may they receive it with eager hearts for it is “able to save their souls”. 

(James 1:17 NASB)

Thank you for the provision of Your Son, Jesus Christ –- Your gift to a world lost in sin. Amen.

As we each celebrate this Holy Season of Christ’s birth, may we pause and give thanks to The One who humbled Himself and came as a Babe so that we “shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB)

Blessings and wishes to you, dear readers, for a joyous and Merry Christmas!

DARE WE DREAM?

By Shirley Wiggins

Here I am today in my little “world within walls” – a place in space with time to contemplate and reflect on life.  With time to sit beside my fire on a cold December morning and enjoy a second cup of coffee,  I struggle against feeling that I am living life cut-off from meaningful activity.  Like one who can only wait at home while others go out to actively engage life on the front lines!  

“It takes courage to be still when the world is rushing past.  …But until the Lord makes clear what is the way forward, we’ve got to pause and wait.”  Dr. Charles Stanley.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14.

And, I am, but… one of my  dreams hasn’t come true yet, and time seems to be running out on me.  That specific dream I truly believe came from the Lord  - do I dare continue to dream the dream?

 Dare “to have enough courage or confidence to do something:  to not be too afraid to do something that is difficult or that people are usually afraid to do.”

Dream “a strongly desired goal or purpose, something that you have wanted very much to do, be, or have for a long time.”

Do any of us dare to dream?  Dare we be bold enough to dream a dream and brave enough to display it --- walk it out from start to finish, despite the obstacles? 

Obstacle:  the thing “that blocks your path” forward; the thing that makes doing the difficult “not easy to deal with or manage,”   The thing which would make my dream look like nothing but a pipe dream!

My dream is “a strongly desired goal or purpose,” something that I have wanted very much to do, be, and have for a very long time.  A three-fold dream:  do, be, and have!

Sometimes when I think about it deeply, it sounds preposterous!  What some might call a “pipe dream!”  But a pipe dream is only “an illusory or fantastic plan, hope, or story… a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality.”

Do you have a dream, friend? 

We who “walk through the valley of the shadow of death”  - earth dwellers - we need to know that we may dare to dream.  Many of us probably have closely held secret dreams that few would even guess are in our hearts.

Some of us likely dream of a world based in “objective reality”- the reality that is “based on facts rather than feelings or opinions.” 

Facts should be indisputable truths.  Today we live in a world where even truth is often debated and outright disputed. 

Everyone has a right to individual opinions, but when no one can agree on just what the truth is in any situation, we end up in a world of chaos where the only certainty is uncertainty! 

We are living in a time when pipe dreams are exalted as highly as solid dreams based in truth’s reality. 

The truth is: there is Truth.  Truth never changes its standard, nor its facts, though too often truth is unrecognized. A man once asked a Man, “What is truth?”

The man’s name was Pilate and he seemed to ask out of a sense of hopelessness that anyone could determine truth.  The Man’s name was, and still is, Jesus.   He was the Truth but He was rejected outright by many, and was ultimately put to death by some.  See John 18.

His death was not without purpose, nor without consequence.  The outcome of His death was threefold:  1) His victorious resurrection from the dead, 2) death’s defeat, and 3) the resulting liberating freedom for those who all their lives had lived under the fear and penalty of death.  See Hebrews 2:9-15.

Dare we dream?  Absolutely, yes!  However, we must be bold and brave and dream the dreams of fact-based reality.   Lay aside the pipe dreams based solely on fantastical wishes , but embrace the faith-filled dream of certain reality, founded in the truth of God in Jesus Christ.   

If you find yourself this Christmas season holding tenuously to a dream that seems ready to die,  strengthen your grip by remembering to always cast your cares on the One Who loves you enough to have died for you, and cling tenaciously to your confidence in Him.  See Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7.

Who is that One Who loved so much that He died?  Christ Jesus, the Lord.

He is the Baby Who was born on Christmas Day!  He grew up in the world as a Man:  fully human , yet fully divine:  Jesus, son of Mary, Son of God!

He is the resurrected Savior of the entire world full of people who will dare to choose to believe wholeheartedly in Him!   If He isn’t your Savior and Lord, what a perfect time to secure your eternity in Him:  Christmas! 

Because of Christmas, I dream, and I dream big!  My God is real and He is Sovereign.  He is the Ancient of Days, and as relevant today as the air we breathe. 

He is God and there is no other.  “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all,…” 1 Timothy    2-5-6 a.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  and this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”  John 3:16-19

“Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  … The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. …For with God nothing will be impossible.”  Luke 1:30-31,35,37

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. …That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:1,4,9-14.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23

 “… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  Romans 10:9-10

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  Romans  8:1

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right of the Majesty on high,”  Hebrews 1:1-3

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”  Hebrews 7:25

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”  Hebrews 9:28

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by and a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  …Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: …we are … of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”  Heb.10:19-20, 22-23, 35-36, 39

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:6-7

“And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. …For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.  And His commandments are not burdensome.   For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”  1 John 2:25; 5:4.

M E R R Y   C H R I S T M A S!!!

 

 

 

 

FOCUS

By Hallie Gipson

Once again the busyness of Christmas is upon us! Each year I vow to be prepared earlier than the previous year. However, events always seem to conspire against me! I still find myself in a last minute rush to complete those tasks I feel necessary to accomplish in order to feel prepared for Christmas.

My focus is on purchasing the perfect gifts for those on my gift list, baking enough cookies, attending all the parties I’ve been invited to, sending out Christmas cards, scheduling time for get-togethers with family and friends, planning the menu for Christmas day dinner . . . sound familiar? But in all the frenetic activity, I’m likely to leave out the most important part of Christmas – CHRIST!! How do I keep my focus on Christ in the midst of preparations to celebrate His birth?

Of the many definitions Webster has for the word ‘focus’, two of them have particular application for me:  “a point of concentration”; “to direct your attention or effort to something specific”.

If I apply those definitions to the issue at hand; i.e. focus on Christ, then Christ must be who I concentrate on and where my attention and effort are directed. At the risk of sounding simplistic, I have written an acrostic using the word ‘focus’. Now when I see the acrostic or remember what it says, my thoughts are drawn to our Savior.

Fixing

Our

Consciousness

Upon the

Savior

The passage from Hebrews 12:1, 2 (NASB) goes hand-in-hand with the acrostic to remind me of what Christ accomplished through His coming to earth.

“. . . let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing (emphasis mine) our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

As you experience Christmas this year, I hope that your thoughts are consciously fixed on our precious Savior, who gave His all so that we might have eternal life.

If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I pray that you will take to heart the words of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

What better gift to give back to God than to place your faith and trust in His Son! Why not today?

CROSSING THE CAHABA

By Shirley Wiggins

Have you ever gotten off on the wrong road as you traveled toward a destination?

I remember crossing the Cahaba River in one day four times from all four directions:  North, South, East and West!

This wasn’t a joy ride.   I was actually traveling to a specific place – a destination I had driven to numerous times before.

I was going back home in a sense, headed for the small town where I grew up.   I had made this trip at least a hundred times before following a slightly different route.    As I drove farther from the familiar places, I grew a little anxious about whether or not I would recognize my exit in time to navigate the traffic and be in the correct lane for making my turn.

I guess I was so busy worrying that I subconsciously fell in behind a huge semi-truck pulling a tall trailer.  Maybe I just assumed he was looking for the same exit as me.   Turns out, he wasn’t; but when he exited the interstate highway,  I turned  behind him only to discover as I drove under the green exit sign that I was on the wrong highway headed in the wrong direction!

There I was in the middle of what seemed like a hundred cars and trucks whizzing by me on both sides of a three-lane highway.  There were no exits in sight and no place to turn around!  I grew seriously alarmed, and tried for the third time to get my husband on the phone so he could help me figure out how to get back to the right road.

Unfortunately he was in a meeting, and wasn’t answering his phone.  So, at the first possible exit, thinking I could find my way back from there, I exited the interstate only to find out there was no possible route there to take me where I needed to be.

 Apparently there really are places where you cannot get there (where you want to go) from here (where you currently are), and I seemed to be in one of those places!

 With no other obvious options, I got back on the road I had just exited from  (which was still the wrong road) and I kept driving in the wrong direction.

I can’t remember how long I drove, how many miles I covered, or how many turns I had to take to finally be headed back in the right direction (south).  However,  to this day I remember how upset I was to know the road I was driving on wasn’t going to take me to my preplanned destination.

When my husband was finally able to call me back and I told him what had happened, he asked, “Where are you?”   I could only say truthfully, “I have no idea, but I have crossed the Cahaba River four times!”

He was able to direct me to the nearest connection that would  get me back on the highway that would take me where I had intended to go when I got in the car early that morning!

Have you ever taken a wrong turn in life and found yourself living a life that was taking you farther and farther away from where you wanted to be? 

I have done that, too.   I wasted so many hours that day crossing the same River four times, resulting in the arrival at my destination well after dark that day.

The good news is I did eventually get there and I learned a very important lesson about travelling:  If you want to reach your destination, pay attention to the road signs along the route!

My Cahaba ‘crossings’ that day remind me of how carelessly I can let days and months and years slip by while not paying attention to the passing of time – precious time.   Having celebrated a good number of birthdays reminds me that I have used up more of my allotted days than I probably have left to enjoy life on this earth.

More important than whether or not I enjoy my life on this earth is the solemn reminder that just as life has a beginning, it also has an end date.  What happens then?  It becomes vitally important to me to know that when life on this earth ends, I will spend eternity in heaven with the God who gave me this life.

I believe in that certainty as my destination because I believe in the God of the Bible.  I believe the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and every word is true.

Do you believe in God?  Every day that we live brings us closer to our ultimate destination – the place where we will spend eternity.  Where that will be depends on the choices we are making now.

If we live our lives focused only on enjoying each day as it comes to the exclusion of considering what happens at the end of physical life, we can find ourselves in a place we never intended to be.  What do we really believe about life? 

There are many  serious life questions that should not be ignored.  Questions like:   do I really believe that life has purpose and meaning;  do I believe  life comes from a Creator – the God who gives life?  Does God really create each person with a specific plan for his or her life even though He has created and gifted millions and millions of lives with such great potentialities? 

 I do firmly and sincerely believe those specific things about life and about the  God of the Bible.  I believe the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God, the Creator of life, my life and the world and everything and everyone in it.  I believe that with life comes responsibility, with responsibility comes accountability.

I use the term “my” life lightly because I have made an exchange with the God who gave me this life.   I have traded my sin-filled life for the transformed life of righteousness He offers by and through the death of Jesus Christ, His Son Who died on the cross taking the sin of the world on Himself.  See Colossians 2.

Why would God be in the business of making such a deal (covenant) with sinful people?!  The Bible gives a very detailed explanation for that life-changing, all-important transaction.  It is vitally important because sin invaded what God intended to be a perfect world.

People who have been given the gift of life have all (corporately and individually) taken a wrong road in life due to the infiltration of sin that came into the world in the Garden of Eden, the place God prepared for the first two humans He created.

Sin came in by a corrupt, deceiving creature who posed a question to the first woman, engaging her in a conversation designed to vilify God Himself:  charging God with lying and deceiving humans.  That blatant, blasphemous creature identified throughout the Bible as Satan,  laid the groundwork for the ongoing malicious vilifying of God that is still taking place today all over the world.

It is ironic, is it not,  that the devil who deceived and continues to deceive human beings actually accused God of being deceptive and a liar?

Inconceivable that a Liar lied and was “believed,” but Holy, Sacred, Sacrosanct God, who cannot lie, was disbelieved!

Because of the original sin of disobedience based in deception, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, came to earth in the fullness of time to bring truth to a deceived humanity:  to set the record straight about the God who created the world and the people and everything in it.

Jesus Christ came to die – the sinless for the sinful - in order that people who choose to do so may turn around from the road to death and take the road which leads to life by the transaction provided by Christ Himself on the Cross at Calvary.

Sin takes people down a destructive and deadly road.  Sin leaves no one untouched, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  See Romans 3:23 and 6:23.   But, our gracious and merciful God provided a turn-around, an exit ramp, which leads to fullness of joy in Him while on this earth and an eternity of life with Him in His forever kingdom.

Truth is very important to God who has seen that His written record of truth has been preserved for our knowledge and understanding in the Holy Bible.  Please see John 16:12-15,  and read it in the Amplified Bible translation, too,  if you can.

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all of the words of this law.”  Deuteronomy 29:29.

Do you, and your children, know the way that leads to God, the Giver of Life? 

“Jesus said…, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.’” – John 14:6 Amplified Bible.

“He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness.  By His wounds you have been healed.”   1 Peter 2:24  Amplified Bible.

 

 

 

THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

By Shirley Wiggins

“Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!”  Psalm 31:24 (Amplified Bible.)

Yesterday I received a card from a precious loved one that read:

“When the going seems all uphill… Just think of the view from the Top!     ‘You’re doing great’ ”

What encouragement!  And, who doesn’t need to hear the words, “You’re doing great,” when you don’t feel great in any sense of the word?

For at least a month all my days had felt like an uphill climb and the hill seemed to loom higher the farther I tried to see into the future.

On the front of the card was a picture of a mountain all covered with snow.

It reminded me of the mountains in Glacier National Park, and a recent summer road trip to Canada with days and days of beautiful scenery, and fun fellowship with good friends.

We traveled together over 7,000 miles by plane, train, and Jeep, with breathtaking views from multiple altitudes, each one unforgettable.

If I had to choose, I would have to say the view from the top would always be my favorite.  Both physically, and spiritually, speaking.

If we didn’t have the valley experiences when life seems hard and dark and difficult, would the mountain top view be as exhilarating?

Of course, I don’t know the answer to that rhetorical question since life holds so many unavoidable valley experiences:  grief and loss; uncertainty and indecision, fear and pain – struggles that can sometimes seem unrelentingly here-to-stay.

I do know that it is often hard to find the hope in a particularly devastating emotional pit where some of life’s disappointments can put us in a deep valley of depression.

The future seems filled with dense fog and you do indeed fear that any glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel truly is a train speeding full throttle toward your face!

Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide:  vulnerable, exposed to whatever ill seems bent on falling on your head at any moment.

How do you get out of the valley?

You keep climbing up.  Take the next step, and the next and the next.  And, take hope; take heart.  To “take heart” is “to gain courage or confidence.  Take courage.

Courage is “the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous…”   “Courage is fear that has said its prayers,” attributed to an unnamed Vietnam war veteran.

Dragging yourself up out of an emotional pit can be a bit like climbing up the side of a steep mountain.  Difficult to say the least, but if the way out is the way up, then we must climb!

Let the next step you take be the one where you take hold of hope with all your heart:  Take the courage that gives confidence!

Just as life can’t be all mountain top experiences, spending too much time in the isolation of pits and valleys is a dangerous thing to our emotional well being.

We need to know how to take hope, take heart and take courage again after a devastating loss in life, or another disappointment  threatens to rob us of the joys of life.

There is always hope, because there is the God of hope, heart and courage and He always gives the strength to live through any valley experience.  With Him, there is always another beautiful mountain top view just around the next curve that life may throw at us!

“Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.”    ---- Psalm 31:24.

Do you hope in the Lord?  “For in You, O LORD, I hope: You will hear, O Lord my God.  For I said, ‘Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.  For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me.”  ---- Psalm 38:15-17.

“For You are my hope, O Lord God; … I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. … You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.  You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”       --- Psalm 71:5, 14, 20-21.

We hold on to hope in the God of the Bible, who provides for the salvation of our souls:   “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he see?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”    Romans 8:24-25.

The view from the top of God’s Word is glorious.  We stand upon the promises of the Bible – they are the bedrock of hope.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. … Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:4, 13.

We do not lose heart…. We do not give up our courage – it is because we believe in the God of the Bible, and the salvation of His Son, Jesus Christ, that we hold on to hope with all our heart and He infuses into our very being the courage of life that will never fail us.

“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us,…”  1 Thessalonians 5:8-10a.

“… that … we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope that is before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, …”  Hebrews 6:18-20a.

“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”                   ---1John 3:3.

Oh, yes, life is filled with valley experiences, but our God is able to pull us up, up, up with His righteous right hand.

We let our hearts take courage through our prayers to the God of heaven, and we soar in the very strength and power of God in and through Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  (John 14:6.)

“Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring.  Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” ---    Psalm 27:14 (Amplified Bible.)

You’re doing great!

 

REVISITING MY 'RESTORATION'

by Hallie Gipson

My husband and I recently made a wonderful road trip with our precious friends Al and Shirley Wiggins. Yes, the same Shirley Wiggins whose name is on this blogJ

After many days and thousands of miles by plane, train, automobile, and bus, we had finally pointed the Wiggins’ Jeep toward home! Our journey home took us through the state of Nebraska on I-80 heading east. When we crossed over the Nebraska border from Wyoming, the scenery became very familiar as did the names of the towns. We had lived in Nebraska for 17 years because of my husband’s work, so it was like a trip down memory lane to be traveling a route we had driven many times before.

It was also a trip down memory lane for me spiritually. It was 18 years ago that I had a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ that transformed my life forever! That encounter occurred at Maranatha Bible Camp, just a few miles East of North Platte, NE. I was a sponsor for our church’s youth group and we were attending a week-long event at Maranatha.

So it’s no surprise that I was curious to know if the camp was still there and if I could detect ‘signs of life’ as we drove by.  As we neared the camp that day, I could see the ‘landmark’ in the distance. The large cross was still there, visible from the highway! And I could see buses parked around the building we had used for worship services. As we sped past, I found myself recalling my encounter with The Christ and the restoration I experienced because of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

God certainly used that week at that youth camp to get my attention! I don’t remember the message or the music during the worship service, but I know God brought me to my knees at the altar that night. I felt His heavy hand of conviction on my heart and His grace wooing me to Himself. On the floor face down was not low enough when faced with my sin and God’s purity and holiness!!

I could never have imagined how God would restore my life and redeem the years I had allowed the locusts to eat! The journey to transformation and wholeness in Christ was not without its ups and downs. But God was gracious and ever-patient. I am truly not who I was! That person is gone and I am a “new creature” in Christ.

Only God could have known what would become of my life. I praise Him that He never gave up on me!! He pursued me with a passion that only a Great, Almighty, Holy, Sovereign, Loving Creator could have for His wayward child.

Not only did He redeem and restore, but He called me to serve Him in ways that have astounded me. That I heard, listened, responded, and obeyed His voice that evening still amazes me. But I recognize that, too, is His wonderful work -- amazing and astounding!

His holy word reminds me that:

          “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

          As in obeying the voice of the Lord? 

          Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than

          the fat of rams.”   (1 Samuel 15:22 NASB)

His word also says that “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and

contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”   (Psalm 51:17 NASB)

As the psalmist says, “O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.”  (Psalm 51:15 NASB)

Father God, thank You for Your many blessings of renewal, restoration, sustaining grace, forgiveness, faithfulness, lovingkindness, compassion, direction –- more blessings than I can recount!! And all because I am Your daughter – a child of THE KING!

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen”  (1 Timothy 1:17  NASB)

I have shared this part of my story in hopes of encouraging someone who might feel as if she is a ‘hopeless case’ or that God couldn't possibly love her enough to forgive, redeem and restore her life. Yes He can, and Yes He does!!

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

And why did He do this? Was it because of how great we are? NO!! Romans 3:23 tells us “that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Every act of God’s to redeem us through His Son Jesus Christ was because of His love for us!!  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8 NASB)

My prayer for you, dear one, is that you would open your heart to God’s love and redemptive plan for your life! And that you would embrace Jesus Christ who died for your sin with a passion unlike any you have known before.  He will not force Himself on you –- the choice is yours. He is waiting with open arms to forgive, redeem, and restore your life. The personal cost to you is eternal life! I pray you will accept what He’s done for you today!

Holy Father, thank You that you provided a way for us -– a way out of our sin-filled lives through Christ’s shed blood on the cross. I praise You that Christ rose from the dead to bring us into that marvelous new life with Christ! In Your Holy and Precious Name, Amen.