You Better Check Yourself before you Wreck Yourself

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" II Corinthians 13:5

I recently attended several days of meetings in Florida to represent my company at a convention with thousands of people. During this time, I would meet several high management level business associates for my work. My boss rarely sends me on such business trips, so I felt it was important to make a good first impression on behalf of my company. Due to the 3 hour time change between California and Florida, it was a little hard the first night to go to sleep at a reasonable time, so because of that, I found myself oversleeping on the next morning, suddenly jumping out of bed and having to rush around my hotel room getting ready for the breakfast gathering of the executives. I hurriedly dug through my suitcase, threw on my business attire, then had to frantically search for all my additional preparatory items, and amazingly got ready in 10 minutes… All the while, I had the opportunity to pass by a large full length mirror in my bathroom and glance to see if everything was looking “presentable”, but time ran short, and now in retrospect I realize that I failed to make one last pass by that mirror…. (Some of you can already imagine what I am about to tell you, right?)

The Bible IS God's Word!

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

To start the New Year right, our Wednesday Night Women’s Bible group has chosen to study the actual BIBLE itself during the month of January.

Veterans Day Reflections

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." I John 3:16-18

November 11, or what has come to be known as Veterans Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor Armistice Day - the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.' As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans. An important purpose of Veterans Day is to pause, reflect, and remember to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Glorify God EVERY night of the year, including October 31st!

Our Halloween Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:11

It’s that time of year that I love… the Fall leaves, high school Friday night football games, cool crisp mornings, apple cider, the smell of pumpkin pie in my oven…. And yes, the challenge of selecting/making the perfect costume, orange and black decorations and candy candy candy!

Did God REALLY say...?

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:1-5

Our Wednesday night women’s Bible study group has started in the book of Genesis. This first book and its contents have been read and taught throughout most of my life being raised in a Christian family and Biblically sound home church. In our devotion passage today, we find a dialog between satan and Eve, in the newly completed Garden of Eden. The chapter before explains all that God DID say to Adam and Eve and yet the first temptation recorded in scripture was a direct challenge to what God had said.

Be Assured that there is Only One Way to God!

"Jesus said: 'I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. NO MAN can come to the Father except through ME.'" John 14:6

God’s Word is very clear as to how many roads lead to God… only ONE. And that ONE is His dearly beloved only Son, Jesus Christ. Isn’t it assuring that you don’t have to worry about such things? God made it simple and He made it abundantly clear over and over again that there was only one way to be reconciled with Him, only one sacrifice that was pure enough and perfect enough to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. By putting your full confidence, trust and faith in the name and redeeming work of Jesus Christ, you can have complete peace and know that you are saved!

You Are More

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm therefore and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

The world these days and in times past has tried to dismiss, downplay, redefine and excuse sin, but sin is still sin in God’s eyes, and we are all born apart from God because of our sin. Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Be Alert: We do not know the Day or Hour When Jesus Will Return!

"For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." Luke 17:24-36

Have you heard the recent hype about the end of the world taking place tomorrow, May 21, 2011? There are people driving with big banners on the sides of their vans, or walking around with t-shirts that say in big bold letters: “Judgment Day, May 21, 2011”. I even read today that the Center for Disease Control CDC issued a statement yesterday promoting emergency kits and strategies under the umbrella of a future zombie apocalypse (I’m pretty sure they were jokingly taking advantage of the latest news headlines but also addressing emergency preparedness in general….). At first I thought this was all a joke until I watched the news last night and saw a whole section devoted to this movement promoting the end of the world this weekend. Wow. As Christians, what should we think about such things? How are we to respond to such claims that are grabbing national attention and sending people scurrying to find answers? We must not let this sensationalism detract from the reality of the Rapture occurring at some time in the future so how do we respond to our friends, co workers and family members who come to us with questions? We must turn to the BIBLE for the answers, my friends!

Be Bold for God!

Our Monday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day." Acts 4:1-3

Do you struggle with sharing your faith with others? Do you tend to hesitate when you know you should speak up if someone is speaking against what you know about God? As a student, do your teachers sometimes make comments that challenge your beliefs and you wonder if you have the right to challenge their antagonist commentaries about the Christian worldview? My precious brothers and sisters, NOW is the time for God’s People to rise up and not be silent.

Be An Overcomer with Good!

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21

Beloved brothers and sisters, we are living in an evil world with people committing evil acts, and at times it may even feel as if evil is winning and darkness is pressing in on all sides to engulf us and pull us down. As a believer in Jesus Christ, what is our response to be when we sense evil is attempting overtake us? What should we do when others wrong us and do harm to us and do evil things?

Keep Going Until You FINISH the Work

"Then Jesus explained: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work."
John 4:34

A dear friend of mine forwards the devotions from Pastor Greg Laurie, and last week, one theme really caught my eye. Pastor Greg was talking about its not as important as how you start but that you FINISH that counts, and that is all so true in our spiritual lives as well as our physical lives. He quoted G. K. Chesterton who said, "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and not tried." If someone says they have tried Christianity and it didn't work for them, it is because they never had a true encounter with the living God. I agree with Pastor Greg and believe any person who has really met Jesus Christ will continue to grow spiritually. It may not always be easy, but we are called to FINISH our work, and that is what we should all purpose to do each and every day.

Love the Lord Your God with ALL Your Heart, Soul, and Mind

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment."
Matthew 22:34-38

Sometimes, when we read scriptures like the one above, our physical MIND reads the words, our HEARTS are stirred and we feel a sense of awe and worship in our SOUL when we consider the power of the message from scriptures such as Jesus words in the gospels, or the words of Paul, or the Psalms or the prophets. When you worship, do you sense a disconnect from the physical and realize that you are standing in the presence of God’s holiness and power? Do you feel tears running down your cheeks when you sing? Perhaps we should pause and consider that God has created us in His image, with three parts to us, just like God has a Triune Nature: Father/Son/Holy Spirit, and that you and I have an eternal part of us that longs to be united in relationship to the eternalness of God. This does not mean that we are “God-like” (as some cults and new age movements may falsely teach), but instead understand that we are created with a triune nature as well:

Share God’s Love on Valentine’s Day!

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” I John 4:7

Ahhh, February 14th… it’s Valentine’s Day once again and the red roses are pouring out the doors of the florists, the Hallmark cards are flying off the shelves, heart shaped boxes of stale chocolates are purchased, and restaurants are booked weeks in advance so that people can find ways to express their love on this one day of the year. For those with romance in their life it is beautiful; for those who are single.. it can be painful, jokingly referred to as S.A D. (Single Awareness Day). It seems foolish in many ways to put so much emphasis on one single day to show love when in reality we should love one another every day of the year and not just wait until February 14th. It is nice to think and hear about love instead of all the doom and gloom on the media channels… but why DO we focus on this one day? The history of the holiday is shrouded in mystery mixed with historical events about several different men named Valentine from Rome to Africa who were martyred within the 2nd to 4th century during periods of civil and religious persecution. The most familiar story was about a priest in the Catholic Church who ministered during a difficult time in history. Some stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. Another tells us that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men so they could serve in his military without distraction. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, chose to ignore Claudius’s decree and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Before the sentence was carried out, Valentine sent the first "valentine" greeting thus giving birth to our tradition of sending “valentines”. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter on a heart shaped piece of paper, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a heroic AND romantic figure.

As much as we can admire the courage of this man on this annual event, we must always consider that GOD is the Author and Finisher of Love, and as His children, we must always remember to share His love to others. God showed the world the most amazing example of LOVE when He gave His only Son to die on the cross to take away our sins. John 3:16 is repeated so often that we sometimes speed through these familiar words and miss the intent of God’s Heart, so on this Valentine’s Day, let us realize that GOD sent us a Valentine when He sent Jesus to earth. God loves you so much, and wants to show you His love 365 days of the year, not with chocolates and cards but with His gift of eternal life so that we can be with him forever in His loving Arms. In the Bible, “love” is mentioned 697 times, so get the message… GOD LOVES YOU! Open your hearts and receive His love in a fresh way today, then find ways to share that love with those that God places in your life journey.

A friend of mine recently sent this to me and it really blessed me, so I’ll pass it along today for our closing thought.

Here is a NEW way to look at John 3:16 and remember that it was written as GOD’s Valentine to the world, and to you and me!

Jesus said:

"For God so loVed the world
That He gAve
His onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whosoever
Believes In Him
Shall Not perish,
But have Everlasting life."

Have a blessed Valentines’ Day, my beloved brothers and sisters,
Shalom, sister Lahoma

Wise Men Came to Worship the King

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” Matthew 2:1-2, 7-12

“We three kings of orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star….” Just when you thought it we had finished all of our Christmas carols, today’s devotion will address one final aspect of the Christmas season. The arrival of the WISE MEN! The famous American carol “We three Kings of Orient Are” was written in 1857 by Rev. John Henry Hopkins, and usually is included in our consideration of what the manger scene included on the night of our Savior’s birth, however it is a common misconception that three wise men visited Jesus at the stable on the night of His birth. Keep in mind that the scriptures never identified only three kings or wise men visiting the Christ Child, but according to an old church legend, there were three kings named Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar who followed a bright star, followed it to Bethlehem and found there the Christ child. In fact, the actual wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable. They must have traveled several months and years to arrive in Bethlehem to worship and honor the unknown newborn king. Imagine their surprise when they found themselves facing Mary, Joseph and Jesus! They also gave extremely unusually AND extravagant gifts if you consider that one was not usually available to commoners (Gold), one was extremely valuable and only used for incenses in the priestly duties of the temple (frankincense), and the third was used for burial services to preserve a dead body (myrrh).

Lovers of Christmas carols are probably also familiar with another traditional holiday song that is historically associated with the wise men, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, a rather lengthy and difficult memory assignment for singers to remember all the verses which are packed with golden rings, calling birds and various kinds of gentry, musicians and domestic workers. So what does this song refer to… are there 12 days of Christmas? Not just December 25? Church history shows us that for centuries church calendars in the East and the West have agreed that there are twelve days of Christmas and they begin on Christmas Day and end on January 6. Realistically we know that Jesus was probably not born on December 25th It wasn't until A.D. 440 that the church officially proclaimed December 25 as the birth of Christ. The Bible itself tells us that December 25 is an unlikely date for His birth. Palestine is very cold in December. It was much too cold to ask everyone to travel to the city of their fathers to register for taxes. Also the shepherds were in the fields (Luke 2:8-12). Shepherds were not in the fields in the winter time. They are in the fields early in March until early October. This would place Jesus' birth in the spring or early fall. It is also known that Jesus lived for 33.5 years and died at the feast of the Passover, which is at Easter time. He must therefore have been born six months the other side of Easter - making the date around the September/October time frames.

The twelve days of Christmas have traditionally ended with the Feast of Epiphany also called "The Adoration of the Magi", celebrated on January 6, and also known as the day of the Three Kings (or wise men/magi). January 6, the last of the 12 days of Christmas, comes with its own traditions, rituals and symbols. Carolers go from house to house; in many homes the Christmas tree is taken down and in some areas is burnt in a big bonfire. For the children this is an especially joyous occasion because, associated with taking down the tree goes the "plündern" (raiding) of the tree. The sweets, chocolate ornaments wrapped in foil or cookies, which have replaced the sugar plums, are the raiders' rewards. On the evening before Three Kings, traditionally there were prayers, blessed dried herbs would be burnt and their aromatic smell would fill the house. The master of the house would then write with chalk C + M + B and the year above the house and barn door. C + M + B has traditionally been translated with Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, however, according to later Latin traditions it stood for "Christus Mansionem Benedictat" (Christ bless this home).

All of this to simply say, God provided one more way to confirm the supernatural arrival of His Son, the Messiah. Jesus quietly came to this earth in the form of a tiny human baby in a tiny city named Bethlehem, and although the prophets had foretold every detail down to the very date and place, God didn’t want anyone to miss it, including the wise men of that day. Father God lined up the constellations at that pinpoint moment in time as if the very finger of God was pointing down on that location on the earth at that very moment. It brings me great peace and JOY to know that even though I may not have been there when the wise men arrived, I too can worship at the feet of Jesus and give thanks that He came. I too can present my gifts to Him even today….

My gold in offerings,
my frankincense in worship, and
my life to Him as a sacrifice.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

SEEK and You Shall Find!

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

When it comes to Asking from the Lord, I think most people know how to do this. God encourages us to come to Him, and make our petitions known to Him so that He can move across our hearts and our circumstances and be God in the midst of our need, our confusion, our shortcomings, and our burdens. Jesus is speaking in our passage today to the multitudes on the grassy hillsides overlooking the Galilean Sea. They came to hear Him speak and were encouraged by His Words. The next portion of our Matthew 7:7-8 passage is where I want to focus our attention today: “seek and ye shall find” – I ask you: what IS seeking? The Wise men in Matthew 2:1-16 came seeking the newborn King that had been foretold through the ancient prophets of Israel, they had traveled a long and difficult way, but they were compelled to continue until they found what they were seeking after. What does it mean to seek until you find, and WHAT are we supposed to be seeking? God’s Word teaches us to earnestly seek after:

1. Seek after God / the Lord (Acts 15:17, 17:27)
2. Seek first the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
3. Seek God's will (John 5:30)
4. Seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10)
5. Seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10)
6. Spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14;1,2,12)
7. The things above (Colossians 3:1)
8. To lead a quiet, productive and useful life (1 Thessalonians 4:11)
9. Peace (1 Peter 3;11, Hebrews 12:14)

As you can see from these examples, we are instructed to seek godly things not worldly things. We are not to seek after things to feed our own lusts and desires and there are no scriptures that I can find that teach us to seek after temporary things such as money, popularity, power or fame. If we do seek good and godly things then we will find them. If we seek after the Lord, He will be found, if we seek eternal life, we will have it, if we seek spiritual gifts and keep on seeking them, they will be found, if we seek intimacy with our amazing powerful awesome God, we will find it with our soul, that place deep inside you where you and God commune.

If you think about it, seeking takes a lot longer than asking. Seeking requires effort. If you are going to seek and save the lost your seeking may lead you to Africa or China or your neighbor’s house next door or your friend at school who sits alone at lunchtime. If you are seeking to become a Pastor, your seeking may take you to Bible college for a few years to learn and then an internship before releasing you to become a Pastor of a church. It is a journey to SEEK, and God says that when we seek on a Godly mission, we WILL FIND!

The verb for SEEK is present tense which suggests a sense of continual action - to seek and keep on seeking. When Jesus says “every one who seeks finds...” implies “if you do not give up”. Some things we seek may take twenty years or more to come true (as our reference to Abraham yesterday). Yet other things may be answered instantly. Seeking changes us as we move towards the godly goal. We find not just the goal we seek, but we find ourselves in the process. For instance if you go and seek and save the lost you start to find out things about who you are, and how you communicate and how you react to stress and disappointment and to people who do not want to hear the gospel. Eventually mastering the task of sharing your faith makes you a far better person. Just like training for a marathon, the end result may be you have achieved your goal and crossed that finish line and received your medal, but you are a stronger, more determined and disciplined person in the process. In seeking the godly goal we also end up seeking God and finding our truest selves.

Let the Lord move upon your heart today to SEEK and keep on SEEKING Him and the things of God in your life. When you find them, they are like pearls of great price, a treasure to celebrate in the glory of God’s love and grace.

Wise Men Still Seek Him,

Sister, Lahoma

What must I do to be Saved

"What must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:30-31

“For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Our Pastor gave one of the best sermons of his entire ministry last Sunday, and it was truly a powerful message and challenge to all of us of the importance of sharing our faith with others. It reminded me of the importance to always look for opportunities to start conversations with my co workers, family members and friends. It also started me to thinking about how we take for granted that our listening audience even understands what we are talking about when we try to tell them about their need for salvation. I have been raised as a Christian my entire life. I am used to commonly used verbiage of my beliefs… Grace, Repentance, Salvation, Sanctification, Righteousness… all the familiar words and phrases of my faith, but we need to remember that we now live in a world where most people have no idea what they mean. The Church is not a dominant influence in our society anymore, the Bible is not respected or referred to, the precious name of Jesus Christ is mocked and ridiculed and people have lost their sense of need when it comes to reconciliation with a Holy God. I have to stop and consider that when you tell someone, “Good news! Good news! You need to be saved… and Here’s how to get saved: Believe in Jesus!!”, they may very well be thinking, “Saved from what? Jesus who?” Obviously, there is something missing in the approach that well meaning Christians use when they assume that people know what they are referring to when they tell people that they need to be saved. It is important, then, to prepare to share your faith in simple common ways so that people will understand and be open to the message of saving grace. So what does it mean to “be saved”. Saved from what? Why do we need a Savior? Don’t we all just try to live good lives, and hope for the best? Don’t we all go to the same place anyway? And then there are people who realize they need to be saved and then think they have to “DO” something to be saved, as our passage in Acts indicated from over 2,000 years ago. What does God say about this…. Let’s look at it together:

First of all, it’s difficult to understand the good news of being saved if you don’t understand the bad news. So let’s go back to the beginning when God created everything: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) When God created everything He said it was “very good.” This meant that everything was perfect. The whole creation was perfect. In fact, God says that all His works are perfect, and we would expect that from a perfect God. Man lived in the perfectly created earth (i.e., a paradise) with a perfect relationship with God. Our Heavenly Father created mankind to be in fellowship with Him, but He also gave man and woman the freedom of choice to embrace Him or reject Him. This is called “Free Will”. Why did God do this? Because to truly love someone, it needs to be a choice. God didn’t want robots down here just echoing what He wanted to hear… He wanted us to choose to Love Him and follow Him and fellowship with Him forever. People were originally created to live forever with God. However, Eve was tempted by Satan, who had rebelled against God in the heavenly realm), and then both Adam and Eve also rebelled against God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; and sinned (sin is rebellion against God. If you are not familiar with this story, read Genesis 2 and 3.)

The result of Adam’s sin was God’s judgment on man and separation from Him because of His Holiness. From this act of rebellion, mankind inherited “original sin.” In the New Testament, Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). One sin is enough to cause death! Because the wages of sin is death, God, in Genesis 3, shows that a life must be taken to cover the sin of Adam and Eve. Therefore, to make a temporary atonement (cover the sins for a time), God killed these animals on behalf of Adam and Eve clothing them with the skins. People began making animal sacrifices to cover their sins—an animal life for sin. There are multiple examples of this such as Abel (Gen. 4:4), Noah (Gen. 8:20), and Abraham (Gen. 22:13). The Law clearly told God’s people that without the shedding of blood, there would be no remission for sin. But what a burden to always have to kill an animal for each time you sinned! God knew that man would continue sinning, and that even the blood of animals wouldn’t completely cover ALL sin, so He had a solution, an eternal solution that would cut through time and space and reach into this world and provide the PERFECT and One Time sacrifice… the precious perfect blood of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ—far greater than any animal sacrifice—that would be sufficient to cover sin against a perfect God (Hebrews 10).

The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus Christ, our Savior, stepped into History because of God’s great love for us! Our beautiful and familiar verse today from John 3:16 tells us that God’s motivation for saving us is because of His great love for the world. This is what it means to “be saved”. We need to be saved from the punishment of sin.

When God intervened in our hopeless condition, He provided what the Bible refers to as “grace.” Grace means that we were to be rightly punished for our wrongdoings, and then the one who sentenced us to that punishment took the punishment upon Himself because of love for us. We rightly deserved death by God’s judgment. But God took that punishment upon Himself by dying in our place as Jesus Christ. He exercised that grace because of His love for us. Jesus didn’t come to the world to sentence it to death—the world was already condemned by sin. He came to save us from that sin (John 3:17). This demonstrates to us that God really is a God of love.

There is a final punishment that God will give to those who do not turn to Him. It is called hell and is a place of separation from God—and my dear friends; I assure you that hell is a real place. God never intended for people to go there. Jesus Christ came to be the final sacrifice to allow us to be saved from this penalty due to sin against a holy God. Those who put their faith in Christ will receive the FREE gift of eternal life and mercy and grace and forgiveness, not by anything you do, but because of what Christ did FOR you. Jesus was the ONLY PERSON in history that said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus, being the perfect sacrifice, offers the free gift of salvation. God loves you so much that He sacrificed His own unblemished Son to suffer the wrath against sin and die on the Cross. He calls you to repent (change your mind and turn from sinful ways) and trust in Him:

God made it simple for us to be “saved: as demonstrated in the following Bible passages:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

It is a simple and free gift. It doesn’t matter how many steps you’ve taken away from God; it is only one step back. If you are a Christian, let today’s devotion remind you of these simple truths, and pray for God to lead you to someone you know that is not a believer and then share YOUR faith with that person. Share your testimony of what God has done in your life. TESTIFY! If you are not a Christian, then consider more deeply the claims of Jesus, and please take a few minutes to pray to God in the name of Jesus to forgive your sins and to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life. Then please take some time to sit down with a Bible-believing pastor in a local church to help direct you as you begin your new life with Christ. Stop by Grace Harbor Church and someone would be honored to open up scripture and lead you to Christ, the One and ONLY way to be saved!

Shalom, sister Lahoma

Christians SHOULD Vote!

“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, who hate a bribe; and place such men over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” Exodus 18:21

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4

Today is Election Day and I am SURE many of you are very glad for a variety of reasons, not to mention the fact that all those nasty political ads will finally cease, praise the LORD! I get so tired of the double sided jargon, empty promises, and “candidates” (who are actually IN the office they are running for) making promises for areas they want to make change in-(so why didn’t they do what they are saying NOW while they were IN office???) Some people have decided to NOT vote because the choices are both corrupt and unacceptable in their estimation and if they don’t vote, they can’t be held responsible for the failings of another elected official… But not voting is not an option—it's both our civic and sacred duty. Voting is required of us as good citizens and as God's agents for appointing leaders. So how do we go about choosing the best candidates? Not by blindly sticking to your party’s list of candidates—that's knee-jerk ideology. The best place to go for wisdom is not the candidates' websites, or the Democratic or Republican conventions… but the Bible.

In our first passage today from Exodus, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, advised him to appoint as rulers "able men" who "fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe." The standard is competence and integrity. We should use the same measuring stick when considering a candidate who will steer the ship of America for the next four years. A lot can happen in that time, let us all pray for who GOD would want in office leading our next generation.

Our second passage from I Timothy reminds us that we need to be in prayer and intercession for all who are in authority over our nation from the very top (kings/presidents) to the local level, and for those who may become leaders over our nation. God desires that we live peaceful quiet lives (doesn’t that sound great!), so let us prayerfully consider our ballots before us today, and the proposals and candidates before us. Do they honor God in word and deed? Do they line up with God’s Word? Do they contribute to peaceful quiet living in our land?

I recently read a wonderful summary of the reasons that Christians SHOULD vote by author Jeffrey L. Myers, Ph.D. / from his book Vital Truth: Christian Citizenship (February 2003). Here they are for you to consider TODAY, ELECTION DAY,

1. God has granted us authority. All authority belongs to God, but He has put human beings on the earth as caretakers. What is our task? According to Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, we are to go out and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey God in every area of life. This includes politics. We must disciple people to make godly decisions about government, and promote the efforts of those who are already doing so.

2. We need to stand against evil. St. Augustine said those who are citizens of God's kingdom are best equipped to be citizens of the kingdom of man. The alternative is unthinkable. In the 20th Century, atheistic and secular humanistic leaders gained control of nations all across Europe, Asia and Africa. What was the result? According to historian R. J. Rummel, almost 170 million men, women and children have been brutally murdered by these governments, all in the name of human progress. These facts led historian John Hallowell to note, “Only through a return to faith in God, as God revealed Himself to man in Jesus Christ, can modern man and his society find redemption from the tyranny of evil.”

3. Christian values contribute positively to society. The Bible’s solutions make sense. It is Christian involvement in government through the ages that gave us hospitals, civil liberties, abolition of slavery, modern science, the elevation of women, regard for human life, great works of art and literature, a workable system of justice, education for common people, the free-enterprise system, and much, much more. When we see the good that results from applying God's principles, and the horror that results from rejecting them, doesn't it seem cruel and irresponsible to keep Jesus teachings about truth, love and compassion to ourselves? At very least, we should vote to keep OUT of office those who attempt to oppose God's authority.

4. Obedience to authority demands good citizenship. Paul in Romans Chapter 13 clearly states that we must obey governmental leaders because all authority comes from God. Here's the catch: in America, the people are the leaders! Here, at least, we express our obedience to God by exercising our rights and privileges as citizens. That means voting.

5. Good citizenship sets an example for generations to come. Those who apply God's principles to government pave the way for generations of blessing. In 1768 a Christian minister named John Witherspoon became president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton. While there he taught biblical principles of government to his students. Of the 478 young men who were graduated during his tenure, writes author John Eidsmoe, “114 became ministers; 13 were state governors; 3 were U. S. Supreme Court judges; 20 were U.S. Senators; 33 were U. S. Congressmen; Aaron Burr, Jr. became Vice-President; and James Madison became President.”

Beloved brothers and sisters, we need to stand for God’s Truth and God’s Word in our nation, and what better way than to speak with our vote! I encourage ALL OF YOU to get out and vote today. It is a privilege to vote, many men and women have given their lives to protect your right to speak your voice freely without retribution, so do not discard or diminish their sacrifice by ignoring this day of deciding the political direction of this beautiful country we live in. You may only be one vote, but together, we can stand for God’s Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

America, America, God shed His Grace on Thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

Servant Heart

“Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:20-26

It was the day after the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. He had ridden into the city on a donkey, palm branches had been thrown in His pathway, and the people had flocked around Him, cheering for Him, hailing Him as their king. The beginning of John 12 shows us this scene, and it records that the disciples didn’t know what to make of all the commotion (verse 16). People just wanted a glimpse of this Jesus; they had heard the rumors, they had probably known or heard of Lazarus who was raised from the dead, it seemed as if everyone in the busy town of Jerusalem had heard that this Jesus was here and they all wanted to see for themselves, locals and foreigners alike. In the midst of this commotion, did Jesus seize the moment and give a compelling speech about the grandeur of heaven? No, Jesus began to teach about being a servant. Instead of focusing on the apparent “success” of His earthly ministry, He begins by talking about a lone grain of wheat, falling to the ground and dying. Not a very cheery sermon topic. But everything that Jesus said was for a reason, every single word. Why did He mention a tiny seed? He was referring to Himself, and He was also referring to the beautiful sacrificial heart of a servant.

In the gospel accounts of the Last Supper on the night in which He was betrayed (Matthew 26:20-29; Mark 14:17-25; Luke 22:14-23), we see the Lamb of God Who came to take away the sins of the world, humbling Himself, stooping down, picking up a basin of water, kneeling at the feet of His disciples and taking on the Servant’s role of washing their dirty smelly feet. After three years of walking and talking and teaching and reaching the people, Jesus demonstrates the most direct example possible . This is not at all the only example of Jesus' Servant-God approach, but it is the most direct. "When He had finished washing their feet, He put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." John 13:12-17

Jesus told them that now that they knew these things, that they would be BLESSED if they did them. This direction is for us today as well. A servant of Christ chooses to be like Christ and serve others. Servants do it in whatever way is needed, but prefer doing it in person. They see freedom not as a great way of doing something for themselves, but as the freedom to do what's needed to lift someone else who needs it. The servant forgives those who do them wrong, since God forgave them in Jesus. Most of all, the servant is actually looking for helpful ways to serve, to give, and to build up. They're happy to do it.

Why is service so central to Christian belief? Because we follow a God Who values service and demonstrates that He Himself has this attribute in His Person. Think about that for a moment. The GOD of the Universe, the One Who made heaven and earth… has a Nature that includes serving the needs of others. He sees our weak human frailty and provides all that we need to live and thrive. He gives you the air to breathe, water to drink, a heart that beats strongly within your chest. He provided eyes to see the beauty of His creation, ears to hear the songs of the birds. He saw the need for a sacrifice that would cover the sins of the world, and He provided His Son, which broke His heart but He did it for us. Even more, we follow His Son, Jesus Christ, who loves others. And we have in us a Holy Spirit who gives us gifts expressly for the purpose of building up other people and serving one another. We are told to be like Jesus Christ, to take on His attributes, and remember: He Is God! Many times He told us that if we had seen Him, we had seen the Father… so what do you observe Jesus doing during His earthly mission? Healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, binding up the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, He came to model what God’s desire was for us as His creation, to be His children, to follow in HIS footsteps. To say, Not My will, but THINE be done…. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus demonstrated this when He said, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:9-13. Consider what this world would be like if we all followed I Corinthians 13 and demonstrated God’s love living and breathing through us, through our hands and feet, through our words and deeds. When God’s people truly understand and grasp and accept God’s Will in their lives to serve one another, what a place this would be… heaven on earth!!!

Paul reminds us that it is not out of obligation or resentment that we are called to serve but through LOVE that we serve one another. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serves one another.” Galatians 5:13. We can be servants of God and do the work He has given to us with true joy in our hearts! When you have a servant’s heart, you are humble. As servants, we must die to ourselves and our flesh that demands to have rights. As a servant, you are called to follow the directives of the one you serve…. Basically, you simply do as you’re told. You respect those in charge. You serve faithfully and quietly. There can be times a servant’s only task is to do nothing but watch and wait for the master’s call. Have you asked the Lord to give you something more to do for Him—something big? As you wait for that something big, seek to serve Him and grow in your Christian walk. Remain content with where he has put you, while continuing to watch for his leading. Stand before Him available to do anything He might require of you, alert to His guidance, and ready to walk in obedience to His will. Serve the Lord with Gladness, and whatever your hands find to do, do it all for the glory of God.

"It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him." Deuteronomy 13:4

Be like that tiny grain of wheat, and let Jesus be glorified as you serve Him faithfully until He returns.

Shalom, sister Lahoma

Dead to Sin but Alive To God

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life IN Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Romans 6:11-13, 23

Have you noticed what our current society does with the issue of “sin”. People don’t like to be told they are “sinning”…. It makes them feel bad, guilty, ashamed (as if that’s a bad thing). So, what is the solution? Stop the sinning? Not according to the world. Instead of following God’s rules for living, Man simply re-defines it, sugar coats it, white washes it to look like something else. We have begun a fast descent down a slippery slope in this day and age because we have moved from a plumb-line point of absolute truth to a situational rule of human mentality. Have you ever sat through a philosophy class, and the teacher asked you those silly scenarios like: “Is stealing always wrong? What if it’s a mother with a starving child? What if the person needs to steal a car so that they can drive their dying family member to the emergency room?” The motivation behind these questions is to get you to consider that perhaps “ extenuating circumstances” can justify abandoning or redefining the “law” enabling you to break the rules guilt-free, instead of helping you find a solution within God’s provision. For the mother with the starving child… how about helping them find support from a local food bank, church or government program? For the person with the need to go to the hospital, why not call 911 and get assistance through the low income family plans available at the hospital? Man’s attempt to redefine sin is actually an illustration of what sin really is- deception. If people can convince themselves that things that once were identified as “sin” really aren’t that bad or not their fault, but something else, then they can walk around participating in “sin” without the guilt or fear of consequences. Television and media promote this, the judicial system protects this, the schools “re-educate” our next generations, sadly some churches promote this… and we as Bible believing Christians sit by and find ourselves like the proverbial frog-in-the-kettle… slowly boiling our consciences to death. Do you want Examples? In our modern times, we have begun to refer to the following “sins” with new more welcoming and politically acceptable terminology:

Homosexuality- alternative lifestyle- someone is “born” that way
Alcoholism- Disease
Gambling/Lotteries- possibility to meet a financial need
Euthanasia (mercy killing)- an act of love
Abortion- a woman’s right, “Pro-Choice”
Lust- love
Pornography- art
Lying- misspeaking
Dishonesty- shrewdness
Car-theft- joy riding
Cursing/obscenity- emphatic speech/freedom of speech or expression
Murder- justified due to victim of previous atrocities

This list is endless ….. but remember, just because people attempt to conceal or redefine sin so that they don’t feel bad about continuing to live in it, it doesn’t change the fact that IT IS STILL SIN in God’s Eyes. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” It is bad enough to deny what Scripture teaches and how sin is defined according to GOD’s perspective, but if we continue to allow people to dismiss, redefine, justify and tolerate sin as not really that serious then something much more insidious is slowly taking place: the devil is slowly eroding away our faith and convincing man that there is no need for the Son of God to bear our sin and the Biblical doctrine of salvation is vanishing away even in our Christian society where social topics are being preached from the pulpit rather than the reality of an eternity in hell (a real place) separated from God forever. It started at the very beginning when God had made it clear that Adam and Eve were not to eat of the one tree in the Garden, and yet as Eve considered the fruit, the serpent contradicted God’s directive and assured her that she would not die…. AND the devil is still whispering in the ears of those who are listening: “You will not die”, after God has clearly told you that the wages of sin is death….

People of God, when are we going to wake up and realize that Sin is still Sin in God’s Eyes, no matter what our society tries to redefine it as. His Word clearly defines sin, it gives you many lists of things we are told to avoid and not allow to be within our lifestyles, our attitudes, or our homes.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming.” Colossians 3:5-6

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

What is sin? Do we even know these days???

Sin is basically your wishes and desires over God’s, or another way to look at it is: Sin is putting yourself above all others even God. Sin is simply rebellion against God and disobedience to the laws of God. When God gave us His rules to live by, they were given to us to protect us, to help us live healthy, productive lives in fellowship with one another and with Him. Just like being a parent, we have rules for our children so that they will grow and live safely. A parent would not allow their child to play in the street because there are dangers there, cars drive there and the child is too small to understand that at first, but needs to obey that rule for his own safety and well being. If that child doesn’t want to follow the rule, and wants to chase his ball out into the street, disastrous outcomes will occur. The child needs to trust his parent to know what’s best for him. God’s laws are also like the rules for driving a car… if we didn’t have laws to govern our driving activities, there would be chaos on the streets and highways of our world, not only for us but all others on the road at the same time as us. What if people suddenly decided to ignore all the stop signs at intersections…. Or wanted to drive on the wrong side of the freeway… if you don’t think that would be a challenge, try driving in a foreign country where there are NO stop signs or signals at intersections (and people DO drive on the wrong side of the road!)…. You literally take your life into your own hands when you get behind the wheel of a car and attempt to drive anywhere in such circumstances…. The same is true with our choosing to sin…. When we decide that we know better than God what is best for our lives, and we make our own rules and ignore God’s directives…. then sooner or later, we will head into intersections with no protection or understanding of the outcome.

Brothers and sisters, we need to make a decision: Are we going to continue rebelling against the laws of God? Are we going to continue “renaming” sin so that God’s grace may abound… Paul says, “May it never be!” Are we going to believe what the world/devil says about sin, or are we going to follow God’s definition of sin? God hates sin, there are consequences to a life of sin and God makes that very clear in His Word, sin separates us from a holy God, but He has made provision for forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His only Son. When are we going to realize that our actions deeply hurt God’s heart and that we need to REPENT (turn and go a different direction)! “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 Halleluiah, we are saved by grace, not by works, not by ourselves but only through the power of the Cross, but we have a responsibility to live a life that is pleasing unto the Lord. Let’s stop redefining sin, and start following God’s guidelines and living victoriously for Christ in ALL areas of our lives so we can be the examples to the world of what Christians should be… dead to sin, but alive to God!

Sister, Lahoma

Isn’t It Time for A Little JOY!

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

Why is joy important? Because the "joy of the Lord is your strength!" This verse teaches us that Joy produces strength. And strength is needed to fight. We, as believers, are called to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12). However, I believe that in these days, many people in the body of Christ are tired of fighting the good fight of faith. They are worn, they feel defeated, they see no answers to the challenges they face. They have fought a good fight, but the battle is wearing them down. They may be struggling to fight because they have lost their joy. This is not something new, it was also happening at the time of Jesus. The newly developing church was under siege, the followers of Christ were getting tired. John, the beloved disciple, under the unction of the Holy Spirit wrote I John 1: 1-4 to the believers of his day to remind them of what they had personally witnessed when they walked with Jesus so that it would encourage them to be FULL of Joy. We should pause today and be refreshed by his words: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life; the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us; that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”

John wrote “these things” so that his listeners’ “joy” would be renewed, and be full. What things? What was John referring to? The JOY of knowing that you can have EVERLASTING LIFE through Jesus Christ, God’s Son (John 3:16). The disciple John may have also been referring to the many things that Jesus Himself had told the disciples while He was on earth. For example, Jesus told His disciples in John 15:7-11 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." Again, in John 16 just prior to Jesus’ arrest, our Lord said to his disciples, "You have sorrow now, but you will see me again. Your hearts will rejoice. No one may take your joy from you. Up until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

It seems that the theme of JOY runs throughout the Word of God. It is a gift from the Lord in our troubling times. It is not happiness, for happiness depends on circumstances. JOY depends on KNOWING that the ONE you put your trust in is worthy of your trust and is able to handle everything, no matter what it looks like. Joy is Peace. Joy is Hope. Joy is the air we can breathe when “life” sucks it out of your lungs. In this world, my dear brothers and sisters, we will have trials, we will have sorrows, we will have defeats, we will have unexpected pain…. But do not let your hearts be sorrowed. Listen to the words of our precious Jesus Who KNEW we would need them: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6) Now… isn’t that something to just fill your heart to overflowing! We KNOW the Way, we KNOW the truth, we KNOW the life… and its what fills us with JOY and HOPE! Can I get a witness?????? Set your eyes on things above, not on things below. Keep your eyes on the prize. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Let NOT your heart be troubled. The word here in the original text for “troubled” means to shudder or suddenly tremble. When the world slaps you in the face, our hearts can sometimes tremble uncontrollably. In times like these, Stand firm, my friends. Keep your eyes on Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, let Him speak to the trembling of your heart today and say, “Be still”. And Be filled to overflowing with the Joy that comes in the morning from heaven’s throne. Let God pour His gift of JOY into your soul and water your thirsty dry heart. Rejoice, count it all JOY.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” I Peter 1:6-8

Shalom, Sister Lahoma