November 02, 2015

The With-ness of our God: Relationship in Every Dimension

November 02, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

Now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, WestBow Press, and others. But first read what others are saying:

This incredible book by Jan Loyd is not a quick read…it is not a fluffy feel-good book…it is a powerful interactive book that pulled me into the truth of God’s word. To glean the fruit available within its pages, I needed to take my time in order to engage in meditation, reflection, journaling, application, and worship. This is such a powerful book because the author has built into its structure the opportunities for individual growth and personal experience – it is a text, a workbook with prompts and study questions, and a doorway to capturing my thoughts on paper.Jan does a masterful job of interweaving personal experiences, song lyrics, and metaphors with rich Bible studies and deep dives into solid theology. The book takes the reader from making biscuits and chocolate orange cake; to a walk in the vineyard and enjoying an ocean sunrise; to the life, salvation, sanctification and redemption found in Christ. Don’t miss this spiritual journey.I have a little plastic, blue boat on my office desk…once you read this book you will want one too. As I begin to walk the Appalachian Trail this summer, I plan to join Jan’s Sunrise Club and I am putting a few handwritten notes from this book regarding courage and St. Patrick’s Breastplate in my backpack. Jan’s insights will provide me (and you) with powerful truth in times of loneliness and adversity.Little words like prepositions will never be the same after an encounter with this book. These powerful words of motion, movement, and rest communicate the truth of the gospel with such significance. Jan’s insights provide wonderful windows of nuance into familiar passages of scripture. I highly recommend this book for a personal read, a group study, or a Sunday school class…but before you pick up this book, be ready to be pulled into the exciting reality of God’s word. David Rough, Ed.D. Academic Dean Dayton Christian School System
I was so blessed when I read the study that Jan Loyd has written on the “WITH-ness of our God”. It came at a time when I was weary in my spirit. I was so refreshed with the heart of the study, which is that God wants to be with us. Jan helps the learner to discover so clearly that God not only wants to be with us but He is always for us and lives in us as believers. In her study, she helps the student of Scripture capture the message of the spiritual rest that we can only have in Jesus Christ. I wholeheartedly encourage all believers to do this study. You WILL BE BLESSED! Dr. Wayne Barber Senior Pastor, Woodland Park Baptist Church Former teacher, Precept Ministries Chattanooga, TN
We have been blessed by Jan’s book, and her deep commitment to explore the depths of these ‘prepositions.’ What a gift to the body of Christ! Jan’s humble approach in this work will not only touch your heart, but I predict will help transport you (by His Spirit) to a remarkable place of meditation and devotion to God’s Word for you and yours! When you and I find ourselves in those blessed places, we are often given, by His grace, moments of insight and understanding that are not only refreshing, but are also pieces of our continuing transformation. Please join me in thanking the Holy Spirit for His leading in the inspiration and development of this book. God bless you, Jan, and thanks! Pastor Jim DeJonghe Soul Winners for Jesus Christ Dayton, Ohio
God used the truths in this study to open up a deeper understanding of what I have been given in the person of Jesus Christ, and how that understanding works itself out experientially in my daily life. Jan takes deep spiritual truths and makes them very personal and accessible to those whose hearts yearn for the deeper things of God. Let this study lead you to the richest treasure of all that we already possess–Christ Himself, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Kathe Bricker wife, mother, Women’s Bible Study leader Patterson Park Church, Dayton, Ohio
This study changed the way I read and study Scripture. Jan shows how these seemingly insignificant words we call prepositions are relevant and packed with meaning. She takes her love for grammar and combines it with wisdom, insight, and experience to bring God’s Truth to life in an easy to understand way. Cynthia Travis wife, mother, sister in the Lord homeschool mom
This study is like worshiping for me. It’s about our relationship with, in, and through Christ. Jan has been a friend and mentor to me for over 20 years. She has a way of speaking God’s word that has brought me and many more to maturity in Christ. She once said to me, “If Christ isn’t speaking, I have nothing to say.” Amen. Shirley Wharton friend, student, and sister in Christ.

For more details about the book as well as additional endorsements, click here.

November 02, 2015

The With-ness of our God: Relationship in Every Dimension

November 02, 2015/ jan

Now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, WestBow Press, and others. But first read what others are saying:

This incredible book by Jan Loyd is not a quick read…it is not a fluffy feel-good book…it is a powerful interactive book that pulled me into the truth of God’s word. To glean the fruit available within its pages, I needed to take my time in order to engage in meditation, reflection, journaling, application, and worship. This is such a powerful book because the author has built into its structure the opportunities for individual growth and personal experience – it is a text, a workbook with prompts and study questions, and a doorway to capturing my thoughts on paper. Jan does a masterful job of interweaving personal experiences, song lyrics, and metaphors with rich Bible studies and deep dives into solid theology. The book takes the reader from making biscuits and chocolate orange cake; to a walk in the vineyard and enjoying an ocean sunrise; to the life, salvation, sanctification and redemption found in Christ. Don’t miss this spiritual journey. I have a little plastic, blue boat on my office desk…once you read this book you will want one too. As I begin to walk the Appalachian Trail this summer, I plan to join Jan’s Sunrise Club and I am putting a few handwritten notes from this book regarding courage and St. Patrick’s Breastplate in my backpack. Jan’s insights will provide me (and you) with powerful truth in times of loneliness and adversity. Little words like prepositions will never be the same after an encounter with this book. These powerful words of motion, movement, and rest communicate the truth of the gospel with such significance. Jan’s insights provide wonderful windows of nuance into familiar passages of scripture. I highly recommend this book for a personal read, a group study, or a Sunday school class…but before you pick up this book, be ready to be pulled into the exciting reality of God’s word. David Rough, Ed.D. Academic Dean Dayton Christian School System

I was so blessed when I read the study that Jan Loyd has written on the “WITH-ness of our God”. It came at a time when I was weary in my spirit. I was so refreshed with the heart of the study, which is that God wants to be with us. Jan helps the learner to discover so clearly that God not only wants to be with us but He is always for us and lives in us as believers. In her study, she helps the student of Scripture capture the message of the spiritual rest that we can only have in Jesus Christ. I wholeheartedly encourage all believers to do this study. You WILL BE BLESSED! Dr. Wayne Barber Senior Pastor, Woodland Park Baptist Church Former teacher, Precept Ministries Chattanooga, TN

We have been blessed by Jan’s book, and her deep commitment to explore the depths of these ‘prepositions.’ What a gift to the body of Christ! Jan’s humble approach in this work will not only touch your heart, but I predict will help transport you (by His Spirit) to a remarkable place of meditation and devotion to God’s Word for you and yours! When you and I find ourselves in those blessed places, we are often given, by His grace, moments of insight and understanding that are not only refreshing, but are also pieces of our continuing transformation. Please join me in thanking the Holy Spirit for His leading in the inspiration and development of this book. God bless you, Jan, and thanks! Pastor Jim DeJonghe Soul Winners for Jesus Christ Dayton, Ohio

God used the truths in this study to open up a deeper understanding of what I have been given in the person of Jesus Christ, and how that understanding works itself out experientially in my daily life. Jan takes deep spiritual truths and makes them very personal and accessible to those whose hearts yearn for the deeper things of God. Let this study lead you to the richest treasure of all that we already possess–Christ Himself, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Kathe Bricker wife, mother, Women’s Bible Study leader Patterson Park Church, Dayton, Ohio

This study changed the way I read and study Scripture. Jan shows how these seemingly insignificant words we call prepositions are relevant and packed with meaning. She takes her love for grammar and combines it with wisdom, insight, and experience to bring God’s Truth to life in an easy to understand way. Cynthia Travis wife, mother, sister in the Lord homeschool mom

This study is like worshiping for me. It’s about our relationship with, in, and through Christ. Jan has been a friend and mentor to me for over 20 years. She has a way of speaking God’s word that has brought me and many more to maturity in Christ. She once said to me, “If Christ isn’t speaking, I have nothing to say.” Amen. Shirley Wharton friend, student, and sister in Christ.

For more details about the book as well as additional endorsements, click here.

November 02, 2015

The Father's Sandpaper

November 02, 2015/ jan

It's a precious relationship...but why is it so hard...and painful? We keep "missing" each other! Maybe we don't "get" each other?

I keep trying to respect boundaries and be "circumspect" in what I say and do...and then it comes: stuff from the past, mistakes in the present...at times, I am responsible...other times, I feel like I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't.

Not the sweetness and light I keep hoping for!

Lord, why? Why is it so hard? How do I navigate this relationship?

Then comes His still, small voice:

This relationship is Sandpaper in My Hands to shine you up...to get those rough places smooth!

Now how can I argue with that? Thank you, Lord!

It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects[actually, beats to a pulp!]... At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain.Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. Hebrews 12:7,11 Message

Many of you are going through difficulties of every kind...excruciating, even life threatening health problems, mental and emotional heartache, relational stresses, and the list goes on. We have no idea what the Father is doing in His sovereignty.

But one thing we can count on is that He is shining us up more and more to look like His glorious Son Who indwells us.

So let's embrace Him and our life and believe with all our hearts that nothing is wasted in His almighty, loving Fatherly Hands.

PLEASE click on this link to view an awesome video of this song: Nothing is wasted -- Jason Gray

The hurt that broke your heart And left you trembling in the dark Feeling lost and alone Will tell you hope's a lie But what if every tear you cry Will seed the ground where joy will grow

And nothing is wasted Nothing is wasted In the hands of our Redeemer Nothing is wasted

It's from the deepest wounds That beauty finds a place to bloom And you will see before the end That every broken piece is Gathered in the heart of Jesus And what's lost will be found again

Nothing is wasted Nothing is wasted In the hands of our Redeemer Nothing is wasted

From the ruins From the ashes Beauty will rise From the wreckage From the darkness Glory will shine Glory will shine

Nothing is wasted Nothing is wasted In the hands of our Redeemer Nothing is wasted

From the ruins From the ashes Beauty will rise From the wreckage From the darkness Glory will shine Glory will shine

You might also like to look at "In Pain...two Things I Know"

November 02, 2015

The Father's Sandpaper

November 02, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

It's a precious relationship...but why is it so hard...and painful? We keep "missing" each other! Maybe we don't "get" each other?

Not the sweetness and light I keep hoping for!

Lord, why? Why is it so hard? How do I navigate this relationship?

Then comes His still, small voice:

This relationship is Sandpaper in My Hands to shine you up...to get those rough places smooth!

Now how can I argue with that? Thank you, Lord!

It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects[actually, beats to a pulp!]... At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain.Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. Hebrews 12:7,11 Message

But one thing we can count on is that He is shining us up more and more to look like His glorious Son Who indwells us.

So let's embrace Him and our life and believe with all our hearts that nothing is wasted in His almighty, loving Fatherly Hands.

PLEASE click on this link to view an awesome video of this song: Nothing is wasted -- Jason Gray

The hurt that broke your heart And left you trembling in the dark Feeling lost and alone Will tell you hope's a lie But what if every tear you cry Will seed the ground where joy will grow

And nothing is wasted Nothing is wasted In the hands of our Redeemer Nothing is wasted

It's from the deepest wounds That beauty finds a place to bloom And you will see before the end That every broken piece is Gathered in the heart of Jesus And what's lost will be found again

Nothing is wasted Nothing is wasted In the hands of our Redeemer Nothing is wasted

From the ruins From the ashes Beauty will rise From the wreckage From the darkness Glory will shine Glory will shine

Nothing is wasted Nothing is wasted In the hands of our Redeemer Nothing is wasted

From the ruins From the ashes Beauty will rise From the wreckage From the darkness Glory will shine Glory will shine

You might also like to look at "In Pain...two Things I Know"

October 30, 2015

Embracing my Today...TODAY!

October 30, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

Sharing this post from my first year of blogging 2011. I need it again. How about you?

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it! Psalm 118:24

Several years ago, I received an email from a dear friend and former college roommate DeeDee. She sent this email to family and friends to memorialize her mom who had just passed away at the age of 105. I remember DeeDee's mom Esther as a "spunky lady" who "embraced life." The email reflected just that and was entitled "Esther's motto."

Today Outside my window, a new day I see, And only I can determine what kind of day it will be, It can be busy and sunny, Laughing and gay, Or boring and cold, unhappy And grey, My own state of mind is the determining key, For I am only the person I let myself be,

I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help, Or be selfish and think just of myself, I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun, Or gripe and complain and make It hard on someone, I can be patient with those

Who may not understand, Or belittle and hurt them as Much as I can, But I have faith in myself, And believe what I say And I personally intend to Make the best of each day.

----------------------------------------------------

Now I don't think DeeDee or Esther would say that having a positive attitude is the answer to our every problem. But knowing them, I do think they would say, "Embrace your today! Hug it to your breast, and live it with courage, tenacity, and unselfishness."

I was thinking about this very thing as my husband John was going through cardiac rehab. John's heart attack in July 2012 was in the artery that doctor's call "the widow maker." So I am well aware that I could have become a widow that very day, as many of our college friends and other peers had already become. And John could have said good-bye to this earth and joined those loved ones now with the Lord.

So here are some of my reflections on TODAY:

1. TODAY is a gift. It's all I have...and it has been given to me by my Creator.

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

2. TODAY will never be again. It is totally unique with unique challenges and opportunities. Yesterday is gone...tomorrow is in the mind of God.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-14 [See also Psalm 90:3-6; Luke 12:22-32]

3. TODAY is filled with opportunities:

*The opportunity to "love on" those around me -- my husband, my children, my grandsons, my neighbors, my friends, my co-workers, my students, and others who may cross my path today.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13 NIV

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Gal 6:2,10 NIV

On facebook, my daughter Beth had just posted a cute little story about my then 5 year old grandson Kaden.

Kaden said to Beth, "Did you know we each have an invisible bucket of happiness, and when we are mean, it is like dumping somebody's bucket?"

Kaden had just said hi to the neighbor and told his mom that he was filling up her bucket. Apparently this was from a kindergarten lesson based on the book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud. Wow, maybe I need to go back to kindergarten...or at least read the book!

*The opportunity to do my work with all the skill that God has put in me. There is great satisfaction in doing my work well, whether it's at home or at my job.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Eccl 9:10a NIV

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1Peter 4:10-11 NIV

*The opportunity to walk with GOD, the Eternal I AM in a deeper way, hearing His voice and following Him. And this, of course, is most important of all!

For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2Cor 6:2

So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness..." Hebrews 3:7-8

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

Over the years, one of my favorite studies to teach from the Scriptures has been the Old Testament Names of God. In that study, one of the most exciting insights is that God's memorial name Jehovah, meaning I AM, expresses a God Who is eternally Present, totally above and beyond our chronological time, yet totally present in it with us and for us. In the course of teaching that study, the Holy Spirit moved upon my heart to write a meditation in the first person. I pray that this brief meditation will fill you with courage and excitement to embrace your today also:

All that I AM, I AM for you! I am everything and anything that you will ever need:

I AM ELOHIM, your Creator. I made you exactly the way you are. You can be the unique person I created you to be. You don’t have to fit into someone else’s mold or picture of what you should be.

I AM EL ELYON, your God most High, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. I am in control over all your circumstances. I am weaving all your hurts and failures into my sovereign plan for My glory, bringing good out of them for yourself and others, as you trust Me.

I AM EL ROI, your God Who Sees and cares about every trial and heartache and injustice. Others may judge you and use you and write you off, but I don’t. I care and open My arms wide to receive you and bless you.

I AM ADONAI, your loving Lord and Master. Present your body to me. I will lead you in my good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12: 12-2). You can trust Me to be all that you need and to use you in My kingdom.

I AM EL SHADDAI, your All-Sufficient God. “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (Psalm 81: 10.) I am the Source of all you will ever need. I am your strength and the fulfiller of all My promises to you, my child.

I AM JEHOVAH-JIREH, your LORD Who Provides. I provided a Substitute, My Son the Lamb, for you, so that you could be saved and enter into relationship with Me your God and Father. I have wiped away all your guilt and shame.

I AM JEHOVAH, your “I AM”, your Self-Existent LORD. I am your life always and forever.

I AM JEHOVAH-RAPHA, the LORD your Healer. I am the source of all your healing; physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual.

I AM JEHOVAH-NISSI, the LORD your Banner. I give you victory over all your enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. They are conquered foes as you rest in Me.

I AM JEHOVAH-MEKODDISHKEM, the LORD Who Sanctifies You. You can rest from your self-effort. Why do you try to do for yourself by your own religious good works what only I can do—make you holy? Throw off that “yoke of bondage” (Galatians). I came to set you free! “And if the Son shall make your free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8). Rest in Me and I will sanctify you. I will do it!

I AM JEHOVAH-SHALOM, the LORD Who Himself is your Peace. Because of My presence within you, I can provide the peace that passes understanding no matter what the circumstances. Trust and rest in Me.

I AM JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH, your LORD of Hosts. Greater am I Who is in you than my enemy who is in the world. Victory is secure—I have all the forces of heaven and earth at My command. Come to Me when you are at the end of your rope. You are more than a conqueror in Me and My Love.

I AM JEHOVAH-RAAH, the LORD your Shepherd, Who seeks after, nurtures, protects, leads, and speaks to you your whole life. You are perfectly cared for and secure in My loving arms (john 10: 27-29).

I AM JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU, the LORD your Righteousness. You are fully righteous and acceptable to Me because you are in My Son. He actually became sin when He died on the Cross, so that you could become His righteousness. Glory in that, dear child!

I AM JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH, your LORD Who is There. I have said (and I won’t change My mind), I will never leave you, nor will I ever, ever forsake you. So you can confidently say in every situation, The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Hebrews 13: 5b-6) You are My home (John 15), My sanctuary (1Cor 6: 19-20; Col 1: 27).

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jesus, I am coming, coming...for rest!

October 24, 2015/ jan

Come to Me...and I will give you rest...Matthew 11:28

Rest is a fragile thing!

The thoughtless slight, the smallest disappointment, the embarrassing mistake, the insecure thought...as well as the big stuff of life, like health, marriage, family, financial crises...

All can dispel our peace and rest. And anapausis, that inner tranquility of soul, can be gone in a flash!

Over the years, as I've "struggled" at times to be at rest, I have come back to several readings in O. Chambers' uplifing devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. All of the entries are based on Jesus' invitation and promise in Matthew 11:28.

As you read, may you be encouraged, as I always am, to respond to our Lord's COME and receive His anapausis (inner rest) for your soul. [Note: these are excerpts; to read the devotionals in their entirety, click on the title of each]:

Self-Consciousness

...Self-consciousness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of the life in God, and self-consciousness continually produces wrestling. Self-consciousness is not sin; it may be produced by a nervous temperament or by a sudden dumping down into new circumstances. It is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him.

Anything that disturbs rest in Him must be cured at once, and it is not cured by being ignored, but by coming to Jesus Christ.

...Never allow the dividing up of your life in Christ to remain without facing it. Beware of leakage, of the dividing up of your life by the influence of friends or of circumstances; beware of anything that is going to split up your oneness with Him and make you see yourself separately.

Nothing is so important as to keep right spiritually. The great solution is the simple one – Come unto Me....

Completeness

Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once and ask Him to establish rest. Never allow anything to remain which is making the dis-peace.Take every element of disintegration as something to wrestle against, and not to suffer. Say – Lord, prove Thy consciousness in me, and self-consciousness will go and He will be all in all.

Beware of allowing self-consciousness to continue because by slow degrees it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is Satanic. Well, I am not understood; this is a thing they ought to apologize for; that is a point I really must have cleared up. Leave others alone and ask the Lord to give you Christ-consciousness, and He will poise you until the completeness is absolute....

If we try to overcome self-consciousness by any common-sense method, we will develop it tremendously. Jesus says, "Come unto Me and I will give you rest," i.e., Christ-consciousness will take the place of self-consciousness. Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest, the rest of the perfection of activity that is never conscious of itself.

After Surrender— Then What?

True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will— and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will....

Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will— Come to Me. And it is a voluntary coming....

October 23, 2015

Jesus, I am resting, resting...or at least wanting to!

October 23, 2015/ jan

Ah! REST...what a glorious word! I inhale and exhale deeply at just the sound of it! And oh, how we humans need deep, glorious rest... Moms especially need it...as do dads. Single folk need it; workers need it; retirees do too...even kids need it (although they would protest most loudly...especially after no-sleep sleepovers!).

I need it!

This is the time of the year that I begin to really drag, needing my rest! The energy of summer has passed. (Maybe I'm really wanting to hibernate like the bears?)

But there is work to be done, students to teach, deadlines to meet, and of course, grandsons to love on...

So let me say it again -- we humans ALL (especially this writer!) need deep, glorious rest...no matter what our role in life. And we need rest, not just for our bodies, but for our souls most of all!

I don't know about you, but I am going to the only Place I know to go for the rest I need...and that place is my Lord Jesus Christ! HE is Rest! I'm responding to His gracious invitation,

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 NASB

We can receive eternal, spiritual rest as we come to Jesus and receive eternal life as a free gift. We don't work to exhaustion for it (through good works, religious or otherwise) but embrace it for the taking when we come to Him who is our rest.

And we believers who are burdened and work to exhaustion can also findanapausis (RESTin Greek). But this is not just the "take a nap" kind of rest...it goes much deeper:

In Matthew 11:28-29, the Lord promises "anapausis" (inner tranquility) to the weary and heavy laden who come to HIM while they are engaged in necessary labor. Spiro Zodiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, p. 156

Isn't that good news, dear friend? Even when we cannot take a break from our duties, we can have inner tranquility because of our relationship with our Lord Christ.

And there's an interesting emphasis in that short phrase, Come to Me, in the original Greek. Literally, Jesus says,

HERE (Hither, KJV)...to ME!

That's right, the word COME isn't found in the original! It's just implied...and I think, for a reason.

I picture Jesus Himself beckoning to the battered and beleaguered crowd of ordinary people following Him. He points to HIMSELF as the source of spiritual rest: HERE...to ME...for rest!

The religious rulers, who hounded them, burdened them with duties above and beyond what God required. Jesus, on the other hand, joins (yokes) Himself to His people to give them rest on every level. So in a sense, He says,

Don't go to THEM! HERE...to ME!

And the same is true for you and me, dear friend. What is hounding and harassing you?

Is it the pressures of mothering? ...the stress of financial needs? ...the guilt of not being spiritual enough: reading the Bible, praying enough? ...the confusion and grief of relational rifts? ...the concern for struggling/straying loved ones? ...the fatigue/uncertainties of your job? ...struggles with ill health? ______[fill in the blank]______?

In every situation and in every stage of life on this earth, He Himself is our Rest. Join me in responding to His invitation: HERE...to ME!

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Suggestions for your COMING...from the mundane to the sublime [and I am practicing what I preach :) ]

Play instrumental hymns/praise/classical music softly in the background all day. It's amazing how the music sets a peaceful atmosphere. This is one of my favorite things to do when I'm home...keeping my music softly playing all day!

Memorize and recite often Psalm 23. This is especially good when falling asleep or waking in the middle of the night! Visualize the scene, and let the peace of your Shepherd wash over you!

Take a break from social media for a period of time...however the Lord leads. Call it a fast if you like and slow down the inner craziness to focus on the Lord. Maybe just fast from it each day until after you meet with the Lord :) And if you are a blogger and hit bloggers block, let it be for awhile until the Lord breaks through with something fresh :)

Moms...get up earlier than your children, even if that means putting the coffee pot in the garage to brew (my son as a toddler/preschooler would wake up within 15 minutes of brewing my morning Joe). Have your Bible, journal, devotional, &/or hymnbook in a handy spot. And commune with your God...COME to HIM for your anapausis (rest while you go about your needful work) for your day! If little people do interrupt your time, let them join you...with their own Bible and journal :)

Home-school moms...when I was homeschooling and hit exhaustion, I would "take to my bed" for a whole day... homeschooling my son and daughter from the place of rest (my bed!). They were a bit older and worked well on their own. So I'd give them assignments, read with them, checked work (or have them check their own) etc. with them sitting next to me on the bed. Then they would go off to complete assignments on their own. Trust me, it really worked. Then I'd be refreshed to continue on normally the next school-day!

Singthis wonderful hymn...focusing on the words to help in focusing on the Lord:

Jesus! I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, And Thy beauty fills my soul, For, by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole.

Jesus! I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.

Oh, how great Thy loving kindness, Vaster, broader than the sea: Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness, Lavished all on me!

Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, Know what wealth of grace is Thine, Know Thy certainty of promise, And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art, And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, Satisfies my heart,

Satisfies its deepest longings, Meets, supplies its every need, Compasseth me round with blessings, Thine is love indeed.

Ever lift Thy face upon me, As I work and wait for Thee; Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, Earth's dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father's glory, Sunshine of my Father's face, Keep me ever trusting, resting, Fill me with Thy grace.

October 21, 2015

Prayer when I can't sleep...Laying aside my hindrances at the feet of my Savior

October 21, 2015/ jan

Up in the middle of the night. All is quiet...except my mind! All the dark traps of the day, the hindrances to living my life, obstacles to "running my lap in the race of faith," prey upon me...uglinesses like:

She hates me! Her friends hate me too!

I'm overwhelmed. I can't do it! I'm going to fail!

I'm so depressed. I think I may go over the edge!

I might as well be invisible...no one understands!

Why is she jealous of me...I'm not trying to compete, just live my life!

Then the prayer, that I've known since childhood, rises up from within:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love;Where there is injury, pardon;Where there is doubt, faith;Where there is despair, hope;Where there is darkness, light;Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seekTo be consoled as to console,To be understood as to understand,To be loved as to love;For it is in giving that we receive;It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. [prayer of St Francis of Assisi]

Yes, Lord!

I am renewed afresh to let You be You in and through me in this world! Amen.

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. (author unknown*)

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV

[*Several people are associated with this proverbial saying, notably John F. Kennedy. It was first spoken in public by Peter Benenson, the English lawyer and founder of Amnesty International, at a Human Rights Day ceremony on 10th December 1961. The candle circled by barbed wire has since become the society's emblem.]

October 18, 2015

Speak a Blessing...Be a Blessing

October 18, 2015/ jan

Is there someone in your life that needs hope and encouragement? How about all of us? While preparing recently to teach a study on Hebrews 11, God's Hall of Faith, I read, as if for the first time, about two of the patriarchs that I rarely ever think of in connection with faith: Isaac and Jacob.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. Hebrews 11:20-21 NIV

Yes, that word blessed jumped out at me. And I remembered a significant moment in time on the last day of a preschool class I taught back in 1998-1999. It was significant because of what the Lord did and what He taught me as a result.

Why not reminisce with me via a blog I wrote to celebrate my "preschoolers" graduation from Xenia Christian High School. And then answer my original question:

Is there someone in your life that needs hope and encouragement?

Why not be the one to speak a blessing...and be a blessing!

PS If you would like to read my entire "trip into yesteryear," click on Kingdom Academy.

The Blessing 1999

Sometime during the school year, I had read The Blessing by Gary Smalley & John Trent. In that wonderful book, the authors explore our human need for approval and validation. They show how this need was met in the Biblical blessings given by fathers to children. But also we could do this for our children today and for others we care about. The authors listed 5 elements to the Blessing:

1. Meaningful touch 2. Spoken words 3. Expressing High value 4. Picturing a Special Future 5. Active commitment

I intended to use what I learned from this book to bless my own young adult children and the ladies in my Bible study group. I basically left it at that, but God had other ideas.

It was the last day of PK class. We were gathering our things into each child's box. Just as we were all lined up and starting to walk down the hall and out to the waiting moms, the Holy Spirit stopped me. "Bless them!"

So there in the hallway, I laid my hands on them one by one and prayed over each in turn...unique words and blessings for every child. I wish I had journaled the blessings...alas! I didn't :(

But what I'll never forget are the eager little faces...as each child waited his turn to be blessed!

No dry eyes for me...and a lesson learned in the value of blessing others!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

I Am A Promise I am a promise I am a possibility I am a promise with a capital “P” I am a great big bundle of potentiality And I am learnin’ to hear God’s voice And I am tryin’ to make the right choice I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.

I can go anywhere that He wants me to go I can be anything He wants me to be I can climb the high mountains I can cross the wide sea I’m a great big promise you see!

I am a promise I am a possibility I am a promise with a capital “P” I am a great big bundle of potentiality And I am learnin’ to hear God’s voice And I am tryin’ to make the right choice

I’m a promise to be anything God wants me to be Anything God wants me to be!

October 12, 2015

Running my Unique Lap in the Race of Faith (Part 1)

October 12, 2015/ jan

...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus Hebrews 12: 1-2

God calls us to own our lives...to hug them to our breasts and to live them with all our hearts! No place do we see this truth more clearly than in the letter to the Hebrews, chapter 12.

Using the imagery of running, God says that now it's...

...our turn to run our lap in the race of faith!

And as we run, we each need to remember these truths:

1. I’m part of something bigger than myself.

Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us... Heb 11:1 - 12:1a

See the Hebrews 11 blog to meditate on this truth.

2. There are hindrances to my running.

...let us also lay aside every encumbrance [weight], and the sin which so easily entangles us... Heb 12: 1b

See Caught in the Web.

3. My lap is uniquely mine.

...and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us... Heb 12: 1c

For encouragement to be who God made you to be and stop comparing yourself to others or letting others deter you by their own insecurity, see: The Green-Eyed Monster and other Fruit Killers

We’re pilgrims on the journey Of the narrow road And those who’ve gone before us line the way Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses Let us run the race not only for the prize But as those who’ve gone before us Let us leave to those behind us The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful May the fire of our devotion light their way May the footprints that we leave Lead them to believe And the lives we live inspire them to obey Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone And our children sift through all we’ve left behind May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

October 12, 2015

Embracing my Real Life

October 12, 2015/ jan

We often fight against our own reality, don't we? If you have trouble, as I do, with owning and living your real "today" life, why not pause here with me and reflect on this repost from last month: Living the Life I Have, not the One I Wish I Had

I was whizzing down my Facebook news feed when I came across a link shared by my sister-in-law Vicky. Now Vicky has been posting some really good stuff lately, and I had a few extra minutes...plus I was drawn into it (could that have been the Holy Spirit?), so I parked there for awhile.

As I went through the list of quotes for "anxious, highly sensitive, and creative people," BAM! Right between the emotional and spiritual eyes!

We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. Joseph Campbell

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

So that's my problem! I had been in a funk, a blue mood, lonely,...ok, depressed, for weeks. I haven't wanted to be here in Ohio, starting my job again, beginning a new commitment.

I've wanted to be back in Delaware...with my new grandson William and his brothers Eli and Kaden and my daughter Beth and her husband Nate (whom I am teaching to crochet, by the way...what fun!)

Or...

I've wanted to be in New Jersey...watching the sun rise over the ocean every morning and walking on the beach with my cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee with no one else around, except fishermen like my brother Billy, and photographers like Bill McKim.

And visiting with my siblings and my dear mama in her new home at Manor by the Sea in Ocean Grove.

My subconscious (and conscious) mind has been working on "how can I get back there...sooner instead of later?"

Now I have a good life here in Ohio, great husband, lovely home, awesome son and family, amazing friends, a one day a week teaching job that I love, a new opportunity to teach ladies the scriptures. BUT...somewhere along the line, I've quit embracing my life and hugging it to my breast and being thankful for it -- both the good and the hard. And that isn't good at all!

I can't live where I'm not! I need to live where I am each day...owning my reality. WHY? Because that is where God is and that is where I meet HIM! He is the I AM in my "right here, right now!"

After reflecting along these lines for awhile, another quote from the list got me:

Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’ Eckhart Tolle

Is that what is disturbing my sleep lately? I'm fighting against my own life! How many times have I "preached" against this very thing to others?

So what did I do? I chose to receive the truth the Lord was revealing. "Jan, you need to be fully HERE!"

So here I am in Ohio...not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I'm meeting the Lord in my "here" and receiving at His hand "this day, this bread" as the Lord's prayer says.

What about you? What is the life you have? Is it the one you are embracing, or are you reaching out for another...which is not really your life "right here, right now" at all?

Why not do what the Lord led me to do this morning? Agree with Him, and then list your life and give thanks for each and every part of it by name, the good and the hard.

Then keep on adding to the list each day...till that eternal day when you see Him face to face, when He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!"

"Come on home...to a perfect place, a place you never dreamed possible!"

I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new because the heaven and earth that had been passed away, and the sea was gone, completely.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride on her wedding day, adorned for her husband and for His eyes only.
And I heard a great voice, coming from the throne.
See, the home of God is with His people. He will live among them; They will be His people, And God Himself will be with them.
Revelation 21:1-3 VOICE

October 04, 2015

The Pilgrim Spirit of Faith

October 04, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

We are so tied to the here and now, aren't we? But at the heart of the life of faith is belief in the unseen God and trust in His promises that this world is not all there is. People of faith are pilgrims, aliens."

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth...Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:13,16

A bumper sticker I recently saw says it well,

We are not human [temporal] beings having a spiritual [eternal] experience. We are spiritual [eternal] beings having a human [temporal] experience.

If our existence on this earth is temporal, then it is temporary. And according to God, it's fleeting...and we need to come to grips with that if we are to have the correct perspective of life on earth. So...

...let these Scriptures wash over you, and then humbly worship the unseen God, our Father, Who loves us!

Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears.For I am your guest— a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me.
Psalm 39:12 NLT

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.
Psalm 84:5-7 NLT

Your word has been the music of my lifethroughout the years of my pilgrimage.
Psalm 119:54

Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.
Psalm 107:43 NLT

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
James 4:14 NASB

As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children...
Psalm 103:15-17 NASB

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Cor 4:16-18 NASB

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 NASB

Who am I, that the lord of all the earth Would care to know my name Would care to feel my hurt? Who am I, that the bright and morning star Would choose to light the way For my ever wandering heart?

Not because of who I am But because of what you've done Not because of what I've done But because of who you are

I am a flower quickly fading Here today and gone tomorrow A wave tossed in the ocean A vapor in the wind Still you hear me when I'm calling Lord, you catch me when I'm falling And you've told me who I am I am yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love And watch me rise again? Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea Would call out through the rain And calm the storm in me?

Not because of who I am But because of what you've done Not because of what I've done But because of who you are

I am yours Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? 'Cause I am yours I am yours

September 29, 2015

We are Part of Something Bigger than Us! (Hebrews 11)

September 29, 2015/ jan

John Eldridge in his book The Sacred Romance says that deep inside of us is a longing for intimacy and adventure. Here in Hebrews 11, we definitely see both! The intimacy is with a God who spoke us into existence and now can be trusted to care for us every step of the way (we will see this again in Heb 12). And the adventure...oh my! We are part of something bigger than ourselves...and that's exciting! We are in the "race of faith" with a long line of "runners"...some famous, like Abraham and Moses; some infamous and unlikely, like Rahab and Samson; and some unknown, like those who were sawn in two (among other horrors)...people "of whom the world is not worthy," the writer to the Hebrews says (Hebrews 11:38).

What is it enables us to endure, like our fellow runners? It's faith! Not the world's kind of faith, which makes faith a work, or a "name it and claim it," or an "entity" in myself that I need to muster up enough of to get what I want. NO! As Andrew Murray says, "faith is confessed helplessness, casting itself on God [the living God, the "I Am"] and His promises [which are 'yes and amen!']."

So the nature of true, Biblical faith has to do with the unseen and the future. It is confidence in what we don't see: God & His promises; not in what we do see: circumstances, people, things, feelings, etc.

And the outcome of faith is that it puts "a smile on God's face"...it pleases Him. He puts His stamp of approval on us! In fact, He so loves to see faith that He witnesses to it in us...He testifies to it in His children. Remember how God boasted of Job? "Have you observed my servant Job?" That's what God does when He sees true faith!

According to Spiro Zodiates in his Word Studies in the NT, the words, "to be approved, to obtain the testimony, obtained the witness" are all the same Greek word in the passive voice (which means someone else does it). The exciting thing is that God "lauds" [dare I say, "applauds"] us and "reports well" of us because of our faith (which faith, by the way, is a gift, Ephesians 2 :8-9; as is everything in life!)

So this means that God is looking for faith, not perfection! And that is good news to those of us who worship at the altar of "doing the right thing" or "doing it perfectly." It may sound so right to be trying so hard to be perfect or get it right, but where is God in that picture? That sounds more like self-effort and a "works with a smidge of God" type spirituality.

As you reflect on these far-from-perfect-people in Hebrews 11, thank God that, despite your "fluctuations of body and soul," you can walk by faith TODAY, because HE IS and He rewards those who seek HIM...step by step...by faith!

Hebrews 11 – Ray Stedman

BY FAITH Keith & Kristen Getty

By faith we see the hand of GodIn the light of creation's grand designIn the lives of those who prove His faithfulnessWho walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earthWith the power of His promise in their heartsOf a holy city built by God's own handA place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promiseWe will fix our eyes on Him our soul's rewardTill the race is finished and the work is doneWe'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a dayWhen the longed-for Messiah would appearWith the power to break the chains of sin and deathAnd rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to goIn the power of the Spirit to the lostTo deliver captives and to preach good newsIn every corner of the earth

We will stand as children of the promiseWe will fix our eyes on Him our soul's rewardTill the race is finished and the work is doneWe'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith this mountain shall be movedAnd the power of the gospel shall prevailFor we know in Christ all things are possibleFor all who call upon His name

We will stand as children of the promiseWe will fix our eyes on Him our soul's rewardTill the race is finished and the work is doneWe'll walk by faith and not by sight

September 26, 2015

Mercy Came Running (Hebrews 8-10)

September 26, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

MERCY! Ah, what a lovely word.Mercy speaks of compassion, love, tenderness, "thinking the best," overlooking faults and failings...and we could go on. Those of us who have mercy-showers in our lives are blessed beyond measure! How reflective is mercy of our merciful, loving Creator. Even throughout the Old Testament, we read of God's tender mercies and loving-kindness toward the children of men.

But there was a "not so little thing" called God's Justice, that is, His holiness and righteousness, that hindered the full expression of His mercy and love to us sinful creatures. That's where our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, comes in...His Person and His work released us from the just wrath of God against sin so Mercy could come flooding forth upon us.

No where do we see the what's and wherefore's of the mercy of our God better spelled out than in Hebrews, chapters 8 through 10. There we see the provision God made over generations to show mercy to a stiff-necked people (a.k.a. you & me).

Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens… Hebrews 8:1 NASB

As Ray Stedman has so clearly said:

On the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took a cup of wine, passed it to his disciples and said: "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:27-28). With those words and that symbolic action, he borrowed the phrase used by Moses when he took the blood of an animal, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words" (Ex 24:8). The contrast was deliberate. Moses used the blood of an animal; Jesus used wine as a symbol of his own blood. Moses spoke of the covenant of the law; Jesus alluded to the new covenant of grace. Moses spoke of God's words which provided for the partial covering of sins so God could remain with his people; Jesus promised the actual remission of sins so God could live within his people forever. It is that excellent new covenant which chapters 8-10 of Hebrews...expounds.

Because of Who He is, Son of God and Man (Hebrews 1-7), what He has done carries infinite weight! Let's look at what His work entailed according to these chapters in Hebrews:

I. He is the Mediator of a New Covenant (8:6-13; 9;17-22), “based on better promises.”

Compared to the Old Covenant (Law), The New Covenant is immeasurably more glorious! No longer is it, "I do it; therefore God does it." This was at the heart of the Law ("If you obey, I will bless you and be your God."). Rather now in the New Covenant, it's all about, "God does it: therefore, I do it."

Isn't that the way, Jesus lived His life on earth?

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. John 5:19 ESV
So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. John 8:28
For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. John 12:49

The New Covenant then is all about God and what He has done through the finished work of His Son. And it's also about what He is now doing in His world, in and through His people.

But the problem is that the Old Covenant proved that we humans are not reliable vehicles of the divine life and ways. So how can the change take place from the "I do it, so God blesses me" mentality to "God does it, and I'm His instrument?" That's the beauty of the New Covenant provisions and promises. Take a look at those amazing truths stated in our passage (Hebrews 8:6-13):

The Law written on the heart (Heb 8:10; 10:10). No longer are God's ways (the Law) written on tablets of stone (2Cor 3), but now they are written on human hearts. And even that heart of ours has been changed. Look at an important cross reference: And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Ezek 36:26-27 ESV Not only is the Law written on a new heart, but the Holy Spirit is united with our spirit. He causes us to walk in God's ways...isn't that incredible?! So now there is the truth united with desire and power!
Intimacy with the Living God (Heb 8:10-11). Jesus said that the heart of His zoe, eternal life, is that we know God! And this is eternal life [zoe], that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3 Since we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, the resident Teacher, we know God! The Apostle John referred to this glorious truth in his first epistle: But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know... But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. 1John 2:20-27
Complete Forgiveness of Sins (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17). And this is primary. Until sin was permanently dealt with, God's justice and holiness "prevented Him" from uniting with His people. But now the way is open...Why? Because...

II. He is the Minister in the True Tabernacle (8:2-6; 9:1-14, 23-28)....Jesus entered the True Tabernacle...the Holy of Holies of the throne room of heaven. And what did He do there?

III. He Himself is the Offering of a Perfect Sacrifice (10:1-18).

He offered HIMSELF! He was the perfect, eternal sacrifice because of His perfect, indestructible life (Hebrews 7). He presented His perfect blood so that He could perfect for all time, those who are in the process of being sanctified while on this earth (10:10,14) It's a finished work that is a done deal forever. It is totally true, perfectly and forever int the eternal realm.

But you may ask, "Why am I not experiencing this now?" The answer is all about faith. Just as we enter the New Covenant by faith in the finished work of the eternal Son of God, we also live by faith every day of our lives in this temporal realm (Col 2:6-7). As we run our lap in the race of faith (Hebrews 12:1-4), we fix our eyes on the indwelling Christ. We surrender to His indwelling, resurrection zoe Life. Then we experience the glory of the New Covenant: "God does it; therefore we do it!" If we begin to live according to our own, even morally "good" way," we go back to OC living, expecting something of God in response to our "good works" (like a reward) or in addition to our "good works" (like help to do what I'VE determined to do). Then we're back to, "We do it ; therefore God does it."

So let me ask you a question. What would change for you if you took the risk to abandon yourself to the New Covenant, Indwelling, Risen Christ...ceasing from your own labors, self-effort, good works...and live in His Sabbath Rest (Hebrews 4:9-11)?

Freedom! Joy! Fruitfulness! Rest!

Listen to how two brothers from the past describe this glorious life:

...The most wonderful secret of living a holy life does not lie in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfect qualities of Jesus exhibit themselves in my human flesh. Sanctification is “Christ in you . . .” (Colossians 1:27). It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification— imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God’s grace...Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy— it is drawing from Jesus the very holiness that was exhibited in Him, and that He now exhibits in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is something altogether different. The perfection of everything is in Jesus Christ, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfect qualities of Jesus are at my disposal. Consequently, I slowly but surely begin to live a life of inexpressible order, soundness, and holiness— “. . . kept by the power of God . . .” (1 Peter 1:5). (Oswald Chambers)
If today I am patient, it is not I but He who lives in me who is patient. If today I love, it is not because I try my best to love, for the power of love is not in me. But it is because there is One who loves in me. If today I forgive, it is not due to my generosity or effort or ability. It is instead purely due to the One who lives in me and always forgives. He is my forgiveness. If today I am humble, this does not happen because I remind myself how proud I am and that therefore I need to be humbled. My humility does not come through suppressing my needs and then determining to be humble. It is the Person (the Lamb) in me who is humble. Since He is my humility, I therefore am humble. (Watchman Nee)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I love the imagery of this song. Can't you just visualize our Father God "bursting forth" when Jesus cried from the Cross "Tetelestai/It is finished!/the sin debt, paid in full!" and breathed His last? Usually we think of us finally being able to come into the throne room of God (Heb 4:16). But here we see it from the opposite direction -- God "chomping at the bit" (I hope that's not irreverent) to get at us with His loving-kindness and tender mercy. When the veil was rent, God came flooding out to the world of men. Oh, embrace Him by faith today!

Mercy Came Running Phillips, Craig, & Dean

Once there was a holy place Evidence of God's embrace And I can almost see mercy's face Pressed against the veil Looking down with longing eyes Mercy must have realized That once His blood was sacrificed Freedom would prevail And as the sky grew dark And the earth began to shake With justice no longer in the way

Chorus: Mercy came running Like a prisoner set free Past all my failures to the point of my need When the sin that I carried Was all I could see And when I could not reach mercy Mercy came running to me Once there was a broken heart Way to human from the start And all the years left it torn apart Hopeless and afraid Walls I never meant to build Left this prisoner unfulfilled Freedom called but even still It seemed so far away I was bound by the chains From the wages of my sin Just when I felt like giving in

Repeat chorus

Sometimes I still feel so far So far from where I really should be He gently calls to my heart Just to remind me

Repeat chorus

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For further meditation:

Hebrews 8-10, Ray Stedman

Oswald Chambers, "Sanctification"

September 24, 2015

What do you need? He is Able!

September 24, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

The Pope is very much in the news these days with the papal visit to the US. So since we are talking about the Pope, here's a bit of papal trivia: Did you know that the pope is referred to as Pontifex Maximus...the highest priest? That's what a pope in the Dark Ages decided would be a good title for popes from then on. He was borrowing from the title for the head priest in ancient Rome at that time.

But maybe this isn't trivia at all! As you may or may not know, by definition a priest is a mediator. According to Unger's Bible Dictionary, the term priest is

...used of one who may "draw near" to the divine presence (Exo 19:22; 30:20), while others remain afar off...

And there's nothing trivial about that! In fact, it means life or death...and I'm talking ETERNAL life or ETERNAL death!

Why? Because there is only ONE Mediator between God and man, and it's our Great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ! Human popes and priests and ministers only qualify as instruments of the One Mediator to point us toward HIMSELF!

And our Great High Priest is the All-Sufficient Christ...a glorious truth for all of us! Do we really get that? God wants us to get it...that it's all about His Son...He is All It, as I like to say!

But HOW, you ask, HOW is He All It? In the early chapters of Hebrews, God the Father begins to tell us HOW. He says that the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, is our Great High Priest Who Himself is ABLE...dynamically so at all times! In fact, the word "is able" in the Greek is in a continuous tense and is the word from which we get "dynamite" and "dynamic."

Let's look at three ways Jesus Himself, our Great High Priest, is ABLE on our behalf:

He is able to save forever (Hebrews 7:1-28). The word "save" is "sozo" meaning to deliver, make whole, preserve from destruction, rescue. So our great High Priest saves us forever and completely, wholly and entirely...past, present and future. Why can He do that? Because His Priesthood is superior to that of any other kind of priest, before or since. It is based on His indestructible, indissoluable life (Hebrews 7:16). As Spiro Zodiates says in his Word Studies in the NT:The life of Christ is declared as distinct from the life of someone else, life that was not acquired and that cannot be done away with. It is inherent life (John 1:4 "in Him was life"). His life has no derivation and is interminable. So He always lives to intercede for us...He never stops, because He always lives...He's I AM! So what should we do, dear friend?Come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need! Why? Because we HAVE as our ever-present possession our Great High Priest Who... ...communicating even here and maintaining an everlasting, unchangeable life in us, that lifts our inner experience out of the region of effort and change and failure into the rest of God. Andrew Murray, Holiest of AllBEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD ABOVESelahBefore the throne of God aboveI have a strong and perfect pleaA great High Priest whose Name is LoveWho ever lives and pleads for meMy name is graven on His handsMy name is written on His heartI know that while in heaven He standsNo tongue can bid me thence departNo tongue can bid me thence departWhen Satan tempts me to despairAnd tells me of the guilt withinUpward I look and see Him thereWho made an end to all my sinBecause the sinless Savior diedMy sinful soul is counted freeFor God the Just is satisfiedTo look on Him and pardon meTo look on Him and pardon meBehold Him there the risen LambMy perfect spotless righteousnessThe great unchangeable I AMThe King of glory and of graceOne with Himself I cannot dieMy soul is purchased by His bloodMy life is hid with Him on highWith Christ my Savior and my God!With Christ my Savior and my God!

September 22, 2015

The Beauty of the Incomparable Christ...the Son of Man (Hebrews 2:5-18)

September 22, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

CS Lewis calls the Incarnation "The Grand Miracle."

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation...God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this….it was the central event in the history of the Earth–the very thing the whole story has been about. Miracles, “The Grand Miracle,” C.S. Lewis

In chapter 2 of Hebrews, we continue the thought that Jesus Christ is better than the angels...not just because He's the Son of GOD, but because He's the Son of MAN. What an incredibly important truth for fallen man!

Our destiny that was lost (Hebrews 2:5-8) is now regained in the God-Man Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:9-18). Here are a couple suggestions for your study of this passage:

Go through Hebrews 2:9-18 and see if you can give 5 descriptions of Jesus as our God-Man. They are listed for you below,* but why not try them on your own first.

Spend time reflecting on how your Great High Priest has come to your aid in the past and how you need Him to come to your aid today. Praise and pray!

*Descriptions of Jesus Christ, the God-Man:

1. He is my Substitute (2:9)

2. He is my Savior (2:10-11a)

3. He is my Brother (2:11b-14a)

4. He is my Deliverer (2:14b-15)

5. He is my Helper / High Priest (2:16-18)

September 18, 2015

The Beauty of the Incomparable Christ...the Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-2:4)

September 18, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

Back in 1995 we lived in Centerville, Ohio. Centerville had a wonderful little post office in those days right behind Bill's Donuts. In February of that year I stopped by to buy some stamps, noticing a large poster of the current stamp. As I awaited my turn in line, I reflected on the picture of the cherub I saw on the wall.

"Wait a minute," I said to myself, "I've seen that cherub before, but in a bigger painting."

I had taken art history in college and loved it! So I was wracking my brain to try to remember what painting it was part of. I couldn't let it rest...so it sent me to the library to those big, dusty art books.

Sure enough, here's the painting those little cherubs are part of:

The cherubs are hardly noticed in this painting. The obvious focal point is the mother and child...but the mother, more than the child!

"Wow," I thought, "Isn't that just like what we do in our Christian life? We loose our focal point -- the Lord Jesus Christ! Rather we focus on all the peripheral Christian things, as good as many of them may be...things like the spiritual disciplines, godly behavior, our motivation, the latest Christian best-seller, the current Christian "band-wagon," the retreat or conference everyone is talking about...the Christian to-do list!

I love this "equation" that says it all:

Jesus + nothing = Everything

Right here in the first chapter of Hebrews, we see the exalted Christ...God's final revelation...the culmination, the fulfillment of all that has gone before.

He's better than prophets and preachers; better than angels and other emissaries; He's God's Son...God Himself! The Father has spoken in His Son, the Logos, the Word (John 1)!

And as with any speaking, there's the expectation that someone will listen. So it is and much more so when it comes to hearing God in His Son:

This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! Matthew 17:5

Why must we hear HIM? He's the Darling of Heaven! He's the Indescribable One, beautiful beyond human words! The Incomparable Lord Jesus Christ!

He's the One our God describes and compares in the letter to the Hebrew Christians of the first and second century. And He's the One our God wants US to hear in the 21st century. So, my friends...

Let us HEAR HIM!

I Stand in Awe by Mark Altrogge

You are beautiful beyond description, Too marvelous for words, Too wonderful for comprehension, Like nothing ever seen or heard. Who can grasp your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the depth of your love? You are beautiful beyond description, Majesty enthroned above.

(Chorus) And I stand, I stand in awe of you. I stand, I stand in awe of you. Holy God, to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of you.

You are beautiful beyond description, Yet God crushed You for my sin, In agony and deep affliction, Cut off that I might enter in. Who can grasp such tender compassion? Who can fathom this mercy so free? You are beautiful beyond description, Lamb of God, Who died for me.

(Chorus)

September 17, 2015

Practical Help in Reading the Letter to the Hebrews

September 17, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

The letter to the Hebrews can be a bit daunting. Yes, we have our favorite passages. Who doesn't know about the giants of the faith in chapter 11 or the exciting challenge to run our lap of the race in chapter 12? Then there's the assurance that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever in chapter 13. But what about the message of the entire book? For those of you who would like to understand the message of this Christ-exalting book, there is help! Here are a few tips for those of you who are reading the letter to the Hebrews.

Please don't get discouraged...do what you can. One of my mottoes of life is "Something is better than nothing." "All or nothing" used to be my motto...but that is unrealistic, and you'll end up with nothing most of the time. God wants to speak to us in this glorious word of His. Listen for HIM as you read!

That being said, here are some ideas that, I think, can be helpful.

There are some major warning passages scattered throughout the book...5 of them, in fact. I have found that if you block off these passages and then read through the book without them several times, it's much easier to get the flow of the author's thought.

Then after reading through that way, read the warnings within the context of the flow of thought. It is really amazing how you will be able to see why the warnings come where they do.

Here are the passages (I have drawn a box around each of them in my text of Hebrews):

Warning #1 = 2:1-4 Warning #2 = 3:7-4:13 Warning #3 = 5:11-6:20 Warning #4 = 10:26-39 Warning #5 = 12:15-29

After you read and get the flow of thought and then put the warnings back in, take a look at this outline to further help you:

Plan of the Epistle to the Hebrews

Listening via audio can also be helpful. If you have the Bible on CD or MP3, pop that in your player and listen. Here is a link to a youtube audio of Hebrews:

May you be blessed as you read, dear sisters and brothers!

Thy Word

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path

When I feel afraid And think I've lost my way Still, You're there right beside me Nothing will I fear As long as You are near Please be near me to the end

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path

I will not forget Your love for me and yet My heart forever is wandering Jesus by my guide And hold me to Your side And I will love You to the end

Nothing will I fear As long as You are near Please be near me to the end

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path And a light unto my path You're the light unto my path

JESUS IS BETTER, intro Class Notes

September 16, 2015

Sacred Reading: Hearing the Whisper of the Lord

September 16, 2015/ Jeremy Loyd

Devote yourself to the...reading of Scripture... 1Timothy 4:13 Why not begin your fall Bible study (no matter what that may be) by reading, reading, and then reading again.

Or as my almost 4 year old grandson Carter and I would say, "Reading?...reading?...how about reading?"

And why should we read? Because it's by repeated reading that we begin to get the "big picture" of what God is saying in the Bible. We also begin to notice repeated key truths.

And most precious of all, we begin to hear the Lord speak to us through His treasured words.

As the prophet Jeremiah once said,

Your words were found and I ate them,And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;For I have been called by Your name,O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

Or as my sweet friend Penny once prayed,

LORD, Your words are so delicious!

During the past summer, a small group of ladies met at BellHOP Cafe in Bellbrook OH every Friday afternoon. We shared with each other the Lord's "whisperings" from our personal meditative reading in the Gospel of John from the previous week. Then we spent time in worship based on our treasured reflections. Our time with the Lord was so rich!

If you would like to explore what is traditionally called lectio divina, read this short excerpt and click here for the remainder of the article: Whisper of the Beloved (2 pages).

Lectio Divina is like the joyful reading of an ancient pile of love letters. It is a time to listen-- not to dissect, analyze, evaluate or dialogue. It is not studying to learn about the Scriptures; it is reading to listen. Come to this reading and listening as a young lover would-- eager to hear afresh the whisper of the Beloved. Listen to the sound of each word. Read slowly. And rest as you listen.

So this week, grab a journal or notebook, your Bible. Chose a book or passage (maybe using different versions for each day) and then just read, read, read -- not books about the Bible. Read the Scriptures!

Write down verses that jump out, thoughts that come to you in the reading...and of course, prayers that rise up. Write it down. Trust me, you will forget! So you will be glad to have recorded what God may be saying to you!

So...HAPPY, RESTFUL READING...and I'll see you later on.

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

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here's a link to Bible Gateway. You can read in many different versions at his site. Just enter the passage and the version you want and...voila!

I've been enjoying The Voice, a new translation of the New Testament published by Thomas Nelson. For a free download and short video clips, follow this link:

http://www.nelsonfree.com/voicent

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you would like to join us in our fall reading and study in the letter to the Hebrews, here is a chart that will help you as you read through the book of Hebrews multiple times. Make notes in the corresponding boxes for each chapter as you go along:

Hebrews Reading Chart

September 14, 2015

Living the Life I Have, not the One I Wish I Had

September 14, 2015/ jan

Have you ever thought you didn't have a problem in an area and then all of a sudden you came face to face with the truth? I have! In fact, that happened again to me just the other day. Here's how it played out: I was whizzing down my Facebook news feed when I came across a link shared by my sister-in-law Vicky. Now Vicky has been posting some really good stuff lately, and I had a few extra minutes...plus I was drawn into it (could that have been the Holy Spirit?), so I parked there for awhile.

As I went through the list of quotes for "anxious, highly sensitive, and creative people," BAM! Right between the emotional and spiritual eyes!

We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. Joseph Campbell

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

So that's my problem! I had been in a funk, a blue mood, lonely,...ok, depressed, for weeks. I haven't wanted to be here in Ohio, starting my job again, beginning a new commitment.

I've wanted to be back in Delaware...with my new grandson William and his brothers Eli and Kaden and my daughter Beth and her husband Nate (whom I am teaching to crochet, by the way...what fun!)

Or...

And visiting with my siblings and my dear mama in her new home at Manor by the Sea in Ocean Grove.

My subconscious (and conscious) mind has been working on "how can I get back there...sooner instead of later?"

I can't live where I'm not! I need to live where I am each day...owning my reality. WHY? Because that is where God is and that is where I meet HIM! He is the I AM in my "right here, right now!"

After reflecting along these lines for awhile, another quote from the list got me:

Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’ Eckhart Tolle

Is that what is disturbing my sleep lately? I'm fighting against my own life! How many times have I "preached" against this very thing to others?

So what did I do? I chose to receive the truth the Lord was revealing. "Jan, you need to be fully HERE!"

So here I am in Ohio...not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I'm meeting the Lord in my "here" and receiving at His hand "this day, this bread" as the Lord's prayer says.

What about you? What is the life you have? Is it the one you are embracing, or are you reaching out for another...which is not really your life "right here, right now" at all?

Why not do what the Lord led me to do this morning? Agree with Him, and then list your life and give thanks for each and every part of it by name, the good and the hard.

Then keep on adding to the list each day...till that eternal day when you see Him face to face, when He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!"

"Come on home...to a perfect place, a place you never dreamed possible!"

I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new because the heaven and earth that had been passed away, and the sea was gone, completely.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride on her wedding day, adorned for her husband and for His eyes only.
And I heard a great voice, coming from the throne.
See, the home of God is with His people. He will live among them; They will be His people, And God Himself will be with them.
Revelation 21:1-3 VOICE

[youtuber youtube='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtxmSAqMtDA']

A Branch in the Vine

The With-ness of our God: Relationship in Every Dimension

The With-ness of our God: Relationship in Every Dimension

The Father's Sandpaper

The Father's Sandpaper

Embracing my Today...TODAY!

Jesus, I am coming, coming...for rest!

Jesus, I am resting, resting...or at least wanting to!

Prayer when I can't sleep...Laying aside my hindrances at the feet of my Savior

Speak a Blessing...Be a Blessing

Running my Unique Lap in the Race of Faith (Part 1)

Embracing my Real Life

The Pilgrim Spirit of Faith

We are Part of Something Bigger than Us! (Hebrews 11)

Mercy Came Running (Hebrews 8-10)

What do you need? He is Able!

The Beauty of the Incomparable Christ...the Son of Man (Hebrews 2:5-18)

The Beauty of the Incomparable Christ...the Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-2:4)

Practical Help in Reading the Letter to the Hebrews

Sacred Reading: Hearing the Whisper of the Lord

Living the Life I Have, not the One I Wish I Had

A Branch In the Vine