Even to your old age and gray hairs

I am He, I am He who will sustain you.

I have made you and I will carry you;

I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

 

No matter what age you are… no matter how old you feel…

no matter how run-down, ragged, tired, defeated, weary,

out-of-touch you think you are, YOU ARE SUSTAINED!

Do you understand?

Age is not an excuse for copping out of life. Saying, “I’m 35, 45, 55, 65 (insert any number) years old,” in and of itself is not a reason to not do something. Having health issues, aches and pains, etc. is one thing, but age is only a number! (And actually, age is only a word!)

I once heard that age is mind over matter. If you don’t mind, IT don’t matter!

When we put up our own life-roadblocks, what we are saying is, “God, I don’t trust you to sustain me, to carry me, or to rescue me.”

We need to acknowledge God’s immeasurable power in our lives:

He is the One Who made us, knows us so intimately,

Who carries us, knows how to comfort us, care for us, allows us to rest in Him,

Who sustains us, gives us the strength to keep us going,

Who rescues us, protects our lives through all storms, all failures, all troubles, all danger.

Live your LIFE! Forget about your AGE!

John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life TO THE FULL!!!”

I have a crazy busy February coming up:

Doctor’s appointments (mom is 94),

hair appointment,

4 Explorer Girl evening meetings,

2 small group meetings

spending the day teaching a craft to a dozen women,

shopping and cooking for 7 teens and 4 women for a 4 day training weekend,

packing, setting up and hostessing (along with JK and Deb) a 3 day women’s retreat,

preparing and teaching a craft at a one day women’s retreat.

Whew!

In Luke 10:38-46 we read about two sisters who are entertaining Jesus in their home, Mary and Martha.

While Martha is all about taking care of business, which is not necessarily a bad thing, Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening and learning from all the things that He wants to share. I think that neither is wrong, until Martha’s attitude turns a bit against her sister. Jesus kindly reprimands her and tells her what is really important.

I want to follow in Mary’s footsteps and learn so that I can serve others well.

Something I think we can all strive for.

Have you ever made paper snowflakes with a child? You know, the ones where you fold the paper all different ways and then cut out little shapes along the folds (without cutting through the entire fold), finally unfolding to a surprise creation.

Can you imagine “the cutting” that has been going on in heaven for the last couple weeks?

Here’s the REALLY COOL thing about snow: Each flake! Yes, EACH flake is a unique flake. Not one is the same as another. Each flake is formed on a unique water molecule, collecting its own unique dust, dirt, and other environmental add-ins, falling through its own unique path to earth. It’s hard for our human eyes to see the detail in each flake. Here is an article that shows pictures of flakes, up close (and personal).

https://www.noaa.gov/stories/how-do-snowflakes-form-science-behind-snow

And here is an even COOLER thing: God, Who created each and every flake, Who cares so much about their uniqueness and their “character”, how much more does He care for YOU!?

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34

So, the next time the “white-stuff” falls in your neighborhood, try to look at each flake, and realize that YOU are an incredible work of art, created by the Master Artist…

He will CERTAINLY care for you!

Are you that kind of person?

Someone who only wants the facts, no fluff, no story, no extra words, no details… matter of fact, the extra words used in this sentence are probably driving you crazy!!

Sometimes, all we want is the quick version, the “NEED TO KNOW” information, and then we NEED to move on.

So here is a LOADED question: What does God require of you?

People have spent entire lifetimes trying to find the answer to this question. There is a WHOLE Bible dedicated to this answer!

This is true, but there is also a “NEED TO KNOW” answer.

One sentence that wraps it all up for “Just the facts, Jack”:

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Can you do that?

Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God?

That’s all we have to remember – easier said than done.

But when it comes to knowing “just the facts,” these are the facts we need to know, remember, and put into practice.

May you have the justice, mercy, and humility that only God can give, in order for you to grace your community.

Last night many of us on the east coast experienced the power of the wind as we both listened to and felt its strength.

The Bible compares the Holy Spirit to wind.

1. The wind is invisible. We cannot see it, only the effects of it. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is invisible. John 4:24 tells us “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
2. The results of the wind can be seen and felt. In the same way, although He cannot be seen, the results of the Holy Spirit’s work can be seen and felt. Acts 2:1, 2, “On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting.” We know the believers left filled with the Holy Spirit and went and did mighty works in the name of Jesus.
3. The wind is powerful. We see its destruction as it takes down trees, power lines, devastates homes, etc. In the same way, the work of the Holy Spirit is powerful. Genesis 1:2, “The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” His power was actively involved in the creation of all things.
4. The wind is unexplainable. We do not understand where it comes from or where it goes. In the same way, the work of the Holy Spirit, Who is God, cannot be explained. Isaiah 40:13, “Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed Him as His counselor?”
5. The wind goes wherever it wants. No one guides it. In the same way the Holy Spirit does what He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:11, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

The next time you hear the wind and watch its effects, remember this picture of the Holy Spirit and thank God for His strength, power, and work on your behalf.