Author: curlysue028

This Christmas, I’ve been following the She Reads Truth Advent Plan- ‘Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus’ The plan directs us to both Old & New Testament passages each day.

One day’s readings earlier this month stands out in my mind:

The first reading was from Genesis 22. It’s a difficult passage where God challenges Abraham to bring his one & only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Yet,instead, God Himself (Jehovah Jireh) provides a sheep to be sacrificed on the altar.

The next passage was from John 1, where John sees Jesus coming toward him & declares “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
‭‭(John‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I only discovered this year that outside Bethlehem where Jesus was born, was also where lambs were raised for the Passover sacrifices. Indeed these lambs were also wrapped in swaddling cloths too- to protect from danger & blemish.

At Christmas time, we remember that Jesus, God’s one & only son, came to earth as a baby. This Baby Jesus, who was God the Son was later called the Lamb of God.

‘The baby in the manger is more than a symbol of love. He’s the Savior who is love who’s come to lay down his life as the redeeming sacrifice of love.’
(Paul Tripp)

The prophet Isaiah foretold Jesus’ birth in many ways:
‘It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)

Jesus’ coming to earth as a baby was part of God’s plan- the great exchange where He took our sin to make us right with God:
‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’
‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

‘What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?’
‭‭(Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

‘Behold Him there, the Risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace!’
(Charitie Lees Smith)

Blessings,
Ruth x

It started off like any other normal day. It was Tuesday, the most ordinary day of the week. The sun was shining & the sky was clear blue.

Our family was burying my husband’s grandfather. We were at the graveyard when the first reports of hijacked planes started coming through.

Caris was just 6 months old & I wondered what sort of a world she had entered.

9-11. The unthinkable happened. Sheer terror was broadcast on our TV screens.The world seemed to shift on its axis. Things seemed to spiral out of control.

Yet God was in control.

‘God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.’

(Psalms 46:1-2 NLT)

It’s hard to believe that twenty years has elapsed. The threat of evil & ever present danger continues.

Yet our world keeps spinning & God is in control.

‘For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”’

(Hebrews 13:5-6 NLT)

Blessings,

Ruthx

Loving God means choosing what is best

Reading: Luke 10:38-42

Imagine having at least 13 guests for dinner! Of course we can identify with Martha being flustered and distracted! There’d be so much to do – vegetables to prepare, tables to set, rooms to tidy, meat to roast. Of course we’d be annoyed if our sister wasn’t helping!

The Bible says that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, hanging on every word! In exasperation Martha asked Jesus to tell her sister to help. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 41&42-NIV)

Despite all the preparations for dinner, there was really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary had left what was good to do and had chosen something better – God’s best – spending unhurried quality time with Him.

And today, in the middle of our busy schedules, we daily face the same choice. Are we frazzled and distracted like Martha, or are we quietly content like Mary, resting in our Lord’s presence? Often we too have to leave what is good, and choose what is better.

We may have to leave the dishes. Forget about the ironing (Not a problem for many of us!) Banish to do lists. Turn off the TV. Disconnect the phone. Shut the door. And climb into ‘the closet’ and sit at Jesus’ feet- to hear what He has to say, to allow Him access to our hearts, to seek His face and His leading. There’ll always be other things to do, but He should be our first priority.

We, like the psalmist, must yearn to grow as close to God as possible.

‘One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the lord and to seek him in his temple.’ (Psalm 27:4 -NIV)

‘O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you’
(Psalm 63:1 –NIV)

We get pleasure from being in God’s presence.
‘Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of you heart’ (Psalm 37:4 – NIV)

‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13 –NIV)

When we spend quality time with God, our reward is God Himself.
‘Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unploughed ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you’ (Hosea 10:12 –NIV)

We need to ask God to soften our hearts, to plough up the hard areas so that we can be teachable and responsive to His voice. If we seek the Lord, He will shower blessings on us. If we,like Mary, leave what is good and choose what is better, we too will receive God’s best.

‘Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you’ (James 4:8 –NLT)

Father, You are the best- better than everything else!
May I get to know You more, for it is in first seeking Your face that I can face everything else.
May I do those good works you’ve planned for me to do.
May I accomplish what You want. May I fulfil Your agenda rather than my own and reach my maximum potential in You. 

Blessings,

Ruthx

*Edited & updated from my book ‘Its all about love’ 2007

‘We live in a God-bathed world. There is no place where God is not, although sometimes we may be asleep in His presence’
(Tony Horsfall)

God is all around us yet sometimes we’re oblivious to this fact.We’re asleep in God’s presence. We try to do things our way, on our own.

“Me do it myself!” she said. Not realising just how determined she was, I tried to help a little. “NO!! Me do it myself!” she shouted even louder. And I was forced just to watch while my little toddler tried and struggled and tried and squirmed to get her trousers on all by herself!

You may be smiling as you remember your own little toddler’s similar struggles. Yet, how often we have just the same toddler attitude with God. He is there wanting to help us, but we’re determined to do it all by ourselves.

And we might even throw a tantrum or two when things don’t work out as we’d anticipated. And we carry on struggling and struggling with our baggage and burdens, reluctant to hand it all over to our Father God. He stands watching in the background and waiting. Waiting for the moment when we ask Him to carry the load with us, when we hand it over and rely on Him.

With all the resources of heaven available to us, why do we keep insisting on going it alone?

And Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5- NIV)

We are nothing without Him.

We are like:
• A ship without a sail
• An eagle without wings
• A door without a key
• A letter without words
• A glove without a hand

Yet, if we’re nothing without Him, with Him we have everything.

Once upon a time, a man had a dream. St. Peter was giving him a tour of heaven. Just beyond the golden streets, there were huge barns everywhere. The man was curious and asked, “What’s inside the barns?” “They are full of boxes of blessings that God has ready for each of His children, but they’ve never asked for!” replied St. Peter.

We need to ask, for He is ready to give.

His strength is at work within us. God’s mighty power is available to us (Ephesians 1:19) His stone-moving, death-defeating, life-giving power! The Greek word for power used here literally means dynamite!

Paul wrote, ‘For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need’ (Philippians 4:13-NLT)

His power is all around-we just need to get plugged in!! But that’s the trouble- so often we’re not. We’re still trying to do it all –alone. Often it’s a simple matter-‘You do not have, because you do not ask God’
(James 4:2-NIV)

It is enough to simply ask the Father. He has all the strength that we need

‘I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency)’
(Philippians 4:13- AMP)

Blessings,

Ruth x

We’re not even half way through 2020 yet. The days ahead feel uncertain to me- uncharted & unknown. More so than previous years.

Like many I feel under pressure & anxious too. This difficult truth comes from James:
‘Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.’
(James 1:2 MSG)

We keep going because of God’s grace:
‘So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.’
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG)

We can go to God when worries pile up:
‘When I begin to feel the anxiety of the future rush into my present, like a child I can remember that my life is hidden with Christ in God & there is no safer place in all the world (see Colossians 3:3)’
(Emily P Freeman-Simply Tuesday)

If we are Christians, we are never alone. God goes with us:
‘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’  
(Deut 31:6 – NIV)

God goes before us:
‘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’ (Deut 31:8 – NIV)

He is always there:
‘You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head’
(Psa 139:3 &5-NLT)

We can trust God:
‘All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.’
(1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG)

We need to trust God rather than our feelings:
‘While walking through a dark season,if we attempt to navigate our lives by how we feel, we will run aground on the rocks. We must navigate by what we know is true no matter what we feel.
Truth is like a lighthouse on a stormy, pitch-black night that steers us clear of the feelings that would wreck us’
(The Storm inside- Sheila Walsh)

I love the tag line of this book:
‘Trade the chaos of how you feel for the truth of who you are’

We can hold on to God’s truth in the stormy days.

‘GOD ’s your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you-
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.
GOD guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave
and when you return,
he guards you now,
he guards you always.’
(Psalm 121:5-8 MSG)

He lights each step on the dark days.
‘Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.’
(Psalms 119:105 NIV)

And though we can’t see what lies ahead, we need to step out-since we are not alone.

‘The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him’
(Psalms 37:23 NIV)

We can take one step at a time with God.

‘Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase’
(Martin Luther King Jr)

So, today & in the days that lie ahead,
‘May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.’
(Psalms 33:22 NIV)

Blessings,

Ruth x