A Year Later. . .

I call this blog "Life's Journey" because our brief time on this earth is like traveling down a long road, full of unexpected twists and turns.  Life can definitely throw you a curve and, if you're not careful, you can easily get lost before you reach your final destination.

This past year has been a series of potholes for me.  It was about this time last year that I started having health problems.  I was becoming so weak that I had to move out of my apartment and into a nursing facility.  After visits to various doctors, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine).  I started the year 2014 with surgery followed by three months in rehab before I came back to the nursing center in Pampa.

Needless to say, my life was turned upside-down.  Even after surgery, I was unable to do many everyday tasks, including using the computer to type my blog.  I am just now beginning to use the computer again.  The surgery didn't "fix" all my problems, but without the operation my condition might've gotten worse, possibly even causing paralysis. 

Now, after months of therapy, I am starting to regain more use of my hands.  In the meantime, I've had to find new ways to do simple tasks, such as feeding myself and using the computer keyboard.  I am slowly getting better at both.

If you look, you'll see that my last blog entry was exactly one year ago today!  So this entry today is a milestone and sort of marks my return to blogging.  I hope to be able to write more as I continue to regain my strength.  Be patient, though.  This is a very slow process, but I'll get there by faith.

I like the words of a song that says, "I may not be over the mountain, but I can see the other side!"  For now, I'm just taking it one day at a time and trusting God to see me through.

Giving Thanks

After their first summer at Plymouth Rock in 1621, the pilgrims had a Thanksgiving feast to celebrate their bountiful harvest and to honor God. This tradition continues today. Thanksgiving is a time to honor God for all His blessings in our lives.

As we gather with family and friends this week, I'm reminded of the story of the thankful leper.

 

As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, He passed through a village where 10 lepers were. Because they were unclean, they stood away from the crowd but still yelled to Jesus, asking Him to have mercy on them. The lepers knew who Jesus was and that He had the power to heal them.

Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, the one who could declare them healed from their disease. As they went to the priest, they were healed.

Of the 10, only one of the men returned to thank Jesus. He came to Jesus and bowed down to Him to show his thankfulness. Jesus asked if there were indeed 10 who were healed and why only one returned to thank Him. Even though many people are touched by Jesus, few give Him the thanks He deserves.

The Bible says it is good and pleasing to God to give Him thanks. In Psalm 92:1-5, David encourages us to give thanks to God. He recognized the importance of Thanksgiving.

 

Thanksgiving is a chance to focus on God and not on ourselves. Paul tells the Thessalonian believers that God’s will for them is to be thankful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Even in simple things we should be thankful. Don’t reserve your praise to God for only the big things in life. We need to recognize that God has given us everything good we have in life and be thankful to Him for it.

Honoring God

President Reagan once said, "If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." And the Bible warns in Psalm 9:17 that “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God.”

Is America on the path to forgetting God? I see it happening more and more in our country with people trying to minimize — and even demonize — Christianity. We saw the latest example last week. The Air Force Academy decided to make the phrase “so help me God” optional in its honor code in what it called an effort to “build a culture of dignity and respect.”

The decision by the Academy’s Honor Review Committee came in response to a civil rights complaint —a single complaint filed by Mikey Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Weinstein has been an outspoken and frequent critic of Christianity in the armed forces.

The current version of the Academy’s oath reads: “We will not lie, steal or cheat nor tolerate among us anyone who does. Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and live honorably, so help me God.”

“In the spirit of respect, cadets may or may not choose to finish the Honor Oath with ‘So help me God,’” said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, superintendent of the Academy.

The oath was created in 1984. Cadets take the oath at the end of their basic training. The phrase “so help me God” was added later after an alleged cheating scandal at the academy.

The decision to now make the phrase optional is yet another attack on our Christian faith. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a Marine Corps veteran, told Fox News it’s not about accommodating those who don’t believe in God. “That already exists,” he said. “No one is forced to say this. This is about imposing an atheistic view on everyone so there can be no recognition of God.”

Who’s running our nation’s military? Perkins asked.

In Amos, it says, "Seek God and live." We need to seek God while He can still be found. It will be a terrible day when God removes His hand of blessing from the nations that reject Him. God won't abandon us if we seek Him with all our hearts. That's the only hope we have. We must return to God and be a nation that honors Him.

Medicine to the Soul

My dad was an avid student of God's Word. He would read and study the Bible more than anyone I knew. It was his passion. I was more of a casual Bible reader. In my early years as a Christian, I would read it haphazardly, often letting days or weeks pass without picking up the Bible. It wasn't until later in life that I began to realize the importance of spending time daily in God's Word.

If you want to see your life change, learn to study the Bible. The Bible is no ordinary book. It is like medicine to your soul, and it has the power to change your life.

If you are like me, you may wonder where to begin when studying the Bible. There’s really no wrong place to start. You can study anything that’s going to help you. If you’re facing fear or worry, look in the concordance in the back of your Bible and find the scripture verses that talk about those things. Begin looking at all scriptures referenced with this word and read them.

I have found four steps you can take to help you begin your study into God’s Word:

• Purposely set aside time. I like to read my Bible in the mornings, but if that doesn’t work for you, find a time that does. Whatever you can do, that’s where you should begin. Just start somewhere and you’ll see the difference that this time can make in your life.
• Make preparation for your Bible study. Have a place that you enjoy being — a room where you can be alone. Somewhere you are comfortable and like to be.
• Have all your materials available. You’ll want of course your Bible, but also get a Bible dictionary, concordance, a pen and paper.
• Prepare your heart. Pray and talk to God about things you may need to confess, and enter your study time peacefully and without anything that may hinder you during your study.

Make the time in your life to study the Bible because there is power in it to change your life and become the person God wants you to be.

Finding Forgiveness

God's forgiveness is amazing. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Yet, God chooses to forgive when we ask in repentance. 

 

Some think they've been too bad or that God could never forgive them, but the Bible teaches that Christ’s shed blood is sufficient for all of our sins no matter how "bad" we've been. In 1 John 1:9, it says God forgives all who repent.

 

God will forgive us, but we have to be willing to confess our sins and turn from them. Forgiveness follows repentance. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God promises Solomon that if the people of Israel will turn from their wicked ways and honor Him that He will forgive their sins.

 

Repentance is more than just saying "I'm sorry." It means forsaking our sin, turning to God and following His way. Jesus’ blood paid for all of our sins. In John 1:29 and 1 John 1:7, John tells us that Christ shed his blood so that all of our sins may be forgiven, and Romans 5:12-21 tells us that Jesus’ blood is justification for all.

 

God will forgive even our worst sin. He's the God of second chances and more if we need it. Remember Matthew 18:22 where Jesus tells Peter to forgive "seventy times seven."

 

Jesus also challenges us to forgive others. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus commands us to forgive those that trespass against us. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, the servant that refuses to forgive is banished into eternal torment.

 

We all need forgiveness.  The apostle Paul said he was the "chief sinner," and he was forgiven. Therefore, we can trust that God will forgive our sins with full and complete repentance. 

 

Forgiveness can turn your life around. No matter what you've done or how "bad" you've been, there IS forgiveness! You don't have to hold on to the guilt of your sin. Turn to God and ask for His forgiveness. Like the prodigal son, you can find forgiveness and restoration with God if you'll run to Him and confess your sin. He will forgive you and give you a brand-new life.

No Gray Areas

There are no gray areas with God. He's made His commands very clear to us, so clear that we have to deliberately work at it to misunderstand them. His promises are clearly spelled out, as well as the conditions attached to them.

God gave us the 10 Commandments, not the 10 Suggestions. He's laid out His expectations in the Bible, and it's up to us to study His Word and make sure we're on the right path with our lives. Today, people's attitudes have "evolved" on issues like drinking and smoking and even on marriage. It has become acceptable to dabble in sins that were considered taboo by the church just a few years ago.

It is amazing how many Christians go on believing the lie of the world, that there can be a blending of right and wrong. The Bible makes it plain that there are blessings for obeying God and curses for disobeying.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God." It then lists all the blessings the people of Israel could expect if they stayed true to God's commands.

There are also consequences for disobeying. Deuteronomy 28:15 says, "However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you." The rest of the chapter contains a lengthy list of curses for those who choose to disobey.

Life isn’t always black and white. But even when you’re living in the muddled middle, God wants to shine His light into the events of your life. In the so-called "gray areas" of life, the Bible provides guidelines to bring any situation out of the shadows and into the light of the truth.

When the Bible isn't specific about certain issues, we should pray, and God will give us direction. Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." God will never leave us in the dark. He's given us His word, and it has everything we need to live a godly life, even in the "gray areas."

Are You Who You Say You Are?

I think God was trying to get my attention. He started last week in Sunday school. Our class began studying a video series by Craig Groeschel. Groeschel, an author and pastor, calls himself a recovering “Christian Atheist.” He called himself a Christian all his life, but he didn’t always live as if God existed. He says millions of professing Christians fit into that category.

That really got my attention. I believe in God, but do I really know Him?

“Many of us look the part,” Groeschel is quoted in an article for The Christian Post. “Or we think we’re Christian because, you know, it’s not like we’re Buddhists. We believe in God, but our lives don’t reflect who He really is.”

 

If you grew up in church like I did, we may think we’re OK because we go to church every Sunday, pray before meals (if we don’t forget) and occasionally read a chapter in the Bible. We can know about God without ever really surrendering our heart to Him.

 

The Bible says even the demons believe in God. So, obviously there is more to the whole Christian thing than just believing in God, Groeschel points out.

 

He says Christian atheists say, “I believe in God but I want to do whatever the heck I want to do. I want enough of God to keep me out of Hell and enough of God to get me into Heaven, but I don’t want so much of God that it makes me change my lifestyle.”

 

That’s a dangerous mindset. Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven.... Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers!’”

 

How tragic it would be to hear those words, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”

 

Are you really who you say you are? Groeschel hopes those who simply believe in God but live an atheist lifestyle will examine their lives and see that there is a better way to live. God desires an intimate and personal relationship with us, and He requires wholehearted devotion. He doesn’t just want to be in our thoughts. He wants to live in our hearts, too.