On the 10th day of Christmas...

On the tenth day of Christmas, the Father gave to all --
  rules to guide our lives,
  the fruits of the Spirit, 
  the beatitudes of Christ,
  rest from our duties,
  the days of creation,
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

After the LORD worked through Moses to free the Israelites from slavery, He gave Moses the 10 Commandments to help guide their lives.

Exodus 20 NASB -- The Ten Commandments 

Then God spoke all these words, saying, 
² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 
³ “You shall have no other gods before Me. 
⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 
⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 
⁸ “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 
¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 
¹³ “You shall not murder. 
¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.
¹⁵ “You shall not steal. 
¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 
¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Over time I've learned that the first 4 commandments govern our relationship with the LORD, and the last 6 commandments govern our relationship with other people.    A far more detailed discussion of the 10 commandments can be found in Matthew Henry's Commentary, which is apparently part of the public domain.

God wants us to give Him all of ourselves and the first 4 commandments tell us what He desires of us to strive toward this goal.  Interestingly, when I confessed that I don't always rest on the Sabbath, I admitted that I'm falling short of honoring the 4th commandment.  This is something I often bring before the LORD, and am praying that one day the Sabbath will be nothing but rest for me, in the way that the LORD intends it for me.

The last 6 commandments are for our relationship with other people.  God wants us to love others, and by honoring the call of the last 6 commandments that helps us to treat others as God desires.    Jesus even emphasized, perhaps summarized, the commandments in Matthew 22. 

Matthew 22:35-40 NASB

³⁵ One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the great and foremost commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

It's very simple:

LOVE God.
LOVE people.

Today, friend, if you are struggling to love someone as God desires, I pray that the LORD will give you the guidance, wisdom, and strength to handle that relationship in a way that honors Him.  If you are struggling to honor God in some area of your life, I pray that you would be reminded to seek Him every time you feel tempted to stray, that you would ask Him for strength, and that you would walk victorious away from temptation. If, friend, you have been hurt by Christians in the past, I pray that you would find healing for that hurt.  I pray that  you would be loved on by God, or one of His children, so that you can experience healing of that hurt.  I pray that you would feel the extraordinary love of the One True God, and be drawn to Him into a place of worship He's personally selected specifically for you.

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them.

On the 9th day of Christmas...

On the ninth day of Christmas, the Father gave to all --
  the fruits of the Spirit, 
  the beatitudes of Christ,
  rest from our duties,
  the days of creation,
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

The LORD worked in an amazing way in Paul's life, and he became a powerful missionary sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in the early years of the church.  He often wrote letters to believers in various parts of the world he traveled, and in one particular letter to the Galatians, he wrote about the fruit of the Spirit.  

Galatians 5:22-23 NASB

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Previously, in the chapter, Paul had spent time discussing how the flesh and Spirit work in opposition to each other.  He then enumerates the deeds of the flesh that we are to avoid and resist. 

Galatians 5:16-21 NASB  
¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. ¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

In verse 22, it should be noted that the it's not the fruitS of the Spirit.  Instead, it is the fruit of the Spirit.  It is singular.  In our lives, walking with the Spirit and against the flesh we should bear fruit with many positive properties, all working together to accomplish the work of the LORD through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

For further reading, you can consider this commentary entitled Freedom for Moral Transformation found on the Bible Gateway.  It's quite long, but it felt like a good springboard for beginning a deeper understanding of the fruit.

My thought is simpler.  I *want* to bear this fruit.  I want my life to show this fruit.  I want to show love, I want to be filled with joy, I want to be at peace... and the list goes on.  But while grieving, I definitely struggle for my fruit to demonstrate all of these properties.  

So, I have to learn to fix my eyes on Jesus instead of my problems.  An easy-sounding task, to be sure, but a tough one to implement daily.  

Maybe you are like me.  Maybe you want this too, but you find yourself struggling?

I pray right now that the LORD would give you clear guidance for the fruit coming out of your faith.  I pray that you would lean on the LORD as you strive toward trusting the Spirit and denying the flesh.  I pray that your eyes would be fully fixed on Jesus, so that you can walk on water when He calls you out of the boat.  I pray that your trust would be fully in the LORD, the Creator of all things.  

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them.

On the 8th day of Christmas...

On the eighth day of Christmas, the Father gave to all --
  the beatitudes of Christ,
  rest from our duties,
  the days of creation,
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

In the Gospels, we are given a teaching of Christ in which He described eight different blessings for us.  We call them the beatitudes because that means "supreme blessedness" or "exalted happiness".  

Matthew 5:1-12 NASB -- The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There are generally considered to be eight beatitudes.  The ones listed in verses 10 and 11 are considered to reference the same thing.  

After Benjamin's passing, I would often ask the LORD what verse 4 would look like for me.  I asked Him to show me Himself during this comforting so that I would not miss His hand on my life.  He was very faithful to do so and I recounted my experience in the blog post entitled The Empty Chair.  In short, the LORD's comfort came to me through the hands and feet of His beloved children.

I am not theologically instructed, so I cannot take each beatitude and dissect it to help you (and I) gain understanding.  I found a nice in-depth study of the beatitudes here, which gave me better insight on verse 4.  Dr. Allan Ross, of the website just linked, summed up the beatitudes as the following:

The sermon begins with the beatitudes. These qualities give a picture of the character of the true people of God, those who are a part of his kingdom and have the full blessings of the kingdom to look forward to. Taken together they give the picture of the perfect disciple of Christ who is the heir of the promises. Jesus does not here tell people how to become like this; that will come in subsequent teachings.

When I look at the beatitudes, I see things that are, potentially, difficult to do.  For example, verse 7 says to be merciful.  Is it easy for you to be constantly merciful?  I know it's not for me.  I often find myself struggling to show grace and mercy, instead of jumping to wild conclusions.  But here, Jesus says, "it's worth it to be merciful because there's a reward for you -- you shall receive mercy."

And looking at the beatitudes, they seem to challenge the children of God to do things that aren't particularly easy.  But each time, Jesus says, "this is worth it for you to strive to accomplish."  And even now, as I look at them, I feel like there's a *lot* of striving ahead of me!  But the promises of Jesus are true. You can rely on them.  And He says it's worth it, and I trust that.

Abba Father, thank You for the words of Your Son at the sermon on the mount that included these wonderful beatitudes.  Thank You that You promise us that if we strive to overcome the difficult things in our lives, that You not only promise to be there, but You promise that there is a reward for trying so.  Thank You, Father, that Your word is always true.  Thank You, that we can trust in You.  We love You!  <3

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them.  

On the 7th day of Christmas...

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Father gave to all -- 
  rest from our duties,
  the days of creation,
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

Yesterday's blog was about the miracles of creation, but today's blog is about what God did when He was finished.

Genesis 2:1-3 NASB
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Confession time: I don't usually rest on the 7th day.  I've often done things I consider work -- wash clothes, fold clothes, do school prep work, etc.  And while I don't want to encroach on legalism, I suspect that I really should just be relaxing, feet kicked up, on the 7th day and preparing my body for the tasks of the days that lay ahead.

So last night, I cried about Benjamin until nearly 2am.  Without him there to kiss and hug for 2017, the new year's arrival felt hollow and empty.  This morning, it was beyond me to arise for church.  I was too exhausted physically and emotionally to rise, so I didn't.  I just laid in bed, alternating dozing with staring at the ceiling.

I'm not a "resolutions" type of person, but as I lay in bed trying to force myself to just get up, I said, "for this new year, I'm going to strive to give the LORD the first-fruits of my day instead of what I've been doing, which amounts to SOS "calls" and afterthoughts."  So, I arose and spent a couple of hours reading various devotionals (I got several for Christmas) and jotting notes in a journal.  If felt quite amazing to sit, spend time in God's word, and just mull over what it means to me and my season of life.

I then decided to see what the Verse of the Day was from my Bible app called You Version.  Right there, on the top of the screen was this verse:
 
Isaiah 43:19 NASB

19 "Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, 
Rivers in the desert." 

As I read this verse, the song "Your Great Name" by Natalie Grant started playing -- a song Benjamin would play over and over at times.

This verse plus that song felt like a sweet love touch from the LORD.  It felt like He said, "yes, I want you to come to Me first every day so I can order your steps.  Stop trying to do this on your own."  And the song was a reminder of my husband's faith in Jesus and the fact that one day I *will* see him again.  It's also pretty awesome that one of my devotionals is called Streams in the Desert.

I am so glad that I took the time to rest, pray, read the Bible, and study a few devotionals.  The LORD of all creation came to visit my broken heart.  If I had neglected the rest, if I had hastily arisen without giving the LORD my first fruits, I would have missed that sweet moment.

I wonder what tomorrow morning holds?  I can't wait!

Friend, I pray that if you are struggling to give the LORD the first fruits of your day as I am, you will find an extra measure of discipline to make it happen.  I pray that you find the right rhythm, the right method that connects to your thinking and learning style so that you can absorb the amazing words of the LORD.  And I pray that you gain amazing insights from spending time with Him that will buoy you through your days. 

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them.  

On the 6th day of Christmas...

On the sixth day of Christmas, the Father gave to all -- 
  the days of creation,
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

Genesis 1 recounts the LORD's creation of the world.  Day by day, the LORD lovingly gives light and life to the earth and all the things of the earth.  Then, on the sixth day, He created man in His own image.  Of everything the LORD created, we are the only things He created in His image.

Consider this: I love cats far too much (I'm almost crazy cat lady material) and love the cats we have.  But in no way can I have a truly meaningful relationship with them.  I need to seek someone like me -- another human being -- to have a deep, thoughtful relationship.  The LORD created us in *His image*.  He *wants* to have a deep, meaningful relationship with us!  Out of all of creation, *WE* are the ones to whom he wants to draw close.  Isn't that wonderful?  

I mean, this is the same God that gave the stars names!  And he calls them by their name!  But, yet, He seeks a relationship with little ole' me.   Little messed up, flopping around aimlessly me. 

Isaiah 40:26 NASB

²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the ^[a]strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.

And even more wonderful is that Jesus was there in the very beginning when the LORD created it all.  Jesus came so that the relationship between the LORD and His people could be made through Jesus' atoning sacrifice at the cross.  In other words, Jesus did the legwork so you and I could have that relationship!  Before, man struggled for this.  Jesus fixed this with his loving sacrifice.

God loves us so much, He sent His Son to *die* for us just to make it possible to have a deeply personal, intimate relationship with Him!  He wants to draw close to you and me.  I'm not sure much more would need to be done to say, "God loves you and me."

Oh, how I pray today that your relationship with the LORD of all creation and His Son Jesus would deepen.  I pray that You would feel the richness of His love, the depth of His defense, the power of His strength.  I pray that you would simply be filled with a desire to learn more of Him, and spending time in His word. And, if you are reading this and don't know Jesus as your savior, please look at my faith story.  It can guide you to the way to have Christ as a part of your life! 

John 1:1-5 NASB --The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them. 

On the 5th day of Christmas...

On the fifth day of Christmas, the Father gave to all -- 
  the miracle of the loaves,
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

In all four Gospels, there is an account of Jesus feeding 5000 people with five barley loaves and two fish.  In one of the accounts, it states that that number 5000 referred just to the men.  Women and children were also fed!  After all had eaten their fill, the broken pieces were gathered into 12 full baskets.  Amazing.

Jesus took what seemed to be too little and turned it into more than enough.

I try to imagine the application of this to my own life.  I think of my talents and how weak, or uncoordinated, or foolish they feel.  I think of the dreams that the LORD has seemingly placed in my head and on my heart, and how inadequate I feel to accomplish them.  And, tragically, I've not moved at all on any of them.

But, then I read this and think, "if Jesus can multiply loaves and fish to overflowing, He can multiply my talents to overflowing as well."  And with that on my heart, I feel inspired to at least try.

Doesn't that make you feel good? To know that Jesus can take whatever you have -- no matter how small *you* think it is -- and make it more than enough for the task He's laid out before you?  

I pray that, if you feel the LORD calling you to a task but you feel too little for it, that you would simply give your "little" to the LORD so that He can do great things for the people He loves in and through you!  And I will also be praying that for myself, as I walk in a fog through my days.  Let the LORD use you!  Whatever you have, is quite enough.    And if you don't know what the LORD is calling you to, I pray that He will make His mission for you crystal clear, so that you can walk in His path. 

Luke 9:12-17 (NASB) -- Five Thousand Fed

¹² Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” ¹³ But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ They did so, and had them all sit down. ¹⁶ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. ¹⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them. 

On the 4th day of Christmas...

On the fourth day of Christmas, the Father gave to all -- 
  the truth of the Gospels,
  prayers at Gethsemane,
  the veil torn in two, 
  and His Son to save us from our sins. 

The Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  They give us such an awesome picture of Jesus' life from four different perspectives.  And what I love is that, according to a source I read, Luke specifically wrote his version with the Gentiles in mind!  Jesus didn't just come for the Jews -- He came for *everyone*.  Isn't that an amazing, comforting thought?

I read a little story somewhere about a man who was a pastor.  He dreamed of an alternate world where Jesus had not (yet) come for all of mankind.  He was overcome by the sadness he felt because the Hope of the world had not given the greatest sacrifice of all.  There was no hope.  

I thought about that story for a long time.  I cannot imagine a day without Jesus.  I know I'm not the best, and I often drift, especially while grieving, but when I reach out for Him He's there to give me a hand up.  He's there to correct me, guide me, and hear my pleas.  He loves me no matter how much I flop around uselessly.  I'm not sure I could walk through another day in an uncertain world without the absolute certainty of Jesus' presence and saving grace.  

I pray that you can find peace and comfort in Jesus today.  I pray that, if you feel low, He lifts you up.  I pray that, if you are celebrating, that He provides the cheer.  I pray that, if you feel lost, He guides you onto His path to walk with Him.  Wherever you are, Jesus can come to you.  You cannot run so far away that He has no idea where you are.  He always knows.  He forgives when we ask.  He loves unconditionally.  You cannot go wrong with Jesus.  I pray you find that place in His resting arms today.

John 16:33 (NASB)

³³ These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

*Graphic at beginning of page is from the website The Graphics Fairy.  All credit for the lovely image belongs to them.