Masters and Slaves

Masters and Slaves: these words readily bring up negative connotations for me.

When I think of Masters, I think of someone or something controlling everything about me: what I can and cannot do which results in me becoming a Slave.

Paul writes in Romans Chapters 5 and 6 that the sin of Adam made all mankind sinners and separated us from God but through Jesus we were restored to RIGHTEOUSNESS with God. We were ruined by sin and rescued by Christ. AMAZING! 

Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under GRACE."

Two key words here ~  RIGHTEOUSNESS and GRACE:
RIGHTEOUSNESS: a right relationship with God
GRACE: unconditional love of God

That is pretty AMAZING -- HIS GRACE!

After I posted this earlier, the Lord reminded me of an old song that says this perfectly:
"Once like a bird in prison I dwelt, no freedom from my sorrow I felt. Then Jesus came and listened to me and glory to God He set me free ~ He set me free, yes, He set me free. He broke the bonds of prison for me. I'm glory bound my Jesus to see for glory to God ~ He set me free."

Let It Go

Do I have much in my purse but not much in my person? Today's summer reading plan at the Adel Assembly of God is Mark 10. Jesus speaks to the rich young man and the young man asks 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?',  Jesus basically tells him to 'Go, sell everything you have and give . . . '

Two words jumped out at me SELL and GIVE! There is more to life than riches and I understand that but whoa - the flesh hangs on doesn't it? I asked myself some questions: What barriers are keeping me from turning my WHOLE life over to God and serving? You see, it's not just about money. What things or activities keep me from serving?

If Jesus asked me or you to give up our house? our car? our job? our  hobbies? . . . you fill in the blank . . . to serve Him, what would our reaction be?

There is more to life than financial riches.

Standing In The Gap

As a part of our Summer reading plan at the Adel Assembly of God we are reading Mark 1-5. My heart was quickened when I read in Mark 2:5 "When Jesus saw their faith, . . . " Here we have a group of friends who have taken one of their friends who is paralyzed to Jesus to be healed.

How amazing is that! Their friend could not get to Jesus and they interceded for him and took him to Jesus. They were standing in the gap for their friend. They were interceding for him. We know from reading the scripture that the first thing Jesus did was to forgive this man for his sins which seems a little strange if you are the friends. It was not the sins of their friend that brought them to Jesus to heal but the body of their dear friend. Jesus recognized the sin which holds us back from receiving all that he has for us. The bonus was that this man received the physical healing too.

Often we are so focused on the physical that we neglect the spiritual. BUT Jesus didn't.

Fear Not

When I woke up this morning, I felt disoriented, confused. It was an uneasy feeling. I did remember dreaming but nothing that was scary or fearful. I have told Charlie many mornings after he has shared his "dreams" with me that I don't dream. I know that is not true but I can't remember the dreams if I do. I think that is perfectly alright because I have way too many other things that I have to concentrate on remembering that are actually going to be things I will deal with that day. But this confusion/feeling of forgetfulness scared me somewhat. As I lay there, God told me to read Psalm 100. So I got up and I did just that and from that it led me to 2 Corinthians 9:8 which then led me to Numbers 6:24-26 and lastly Psalm 23. Thank you Father.

So I am going to share them with you and maybe someone reading this will take comfort from them too.

Psalm 100:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his,

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

2 Corinthians 9:8

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I pray that you can take comfort in any of these verses if you woke up anxious this morning. 

What Condition is your Condition In?

Have you ever thought about the words you say or the words you "think" ( those count too)?

As I was driving home from church, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said: "It's not the words you sing, but the condition of your heart when you sing them." If you think about that, it is oh so true. The condition of your heart dictates the majority of how you receive or speak words and how your mind processes those words and/or thoughts. For those of you who grew up in the late 1960s, you may remember when Kenny Rogers & The First Edition recorded the song Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - that was way before he became known as a country singer. The lyrics are kind of weird but if you think about it, we have to check in on ourselves along and along to see where we are. It is like a self-examination.

Negative thoughts and words bring about death. Positive thoughts and words bring about life.

I hear enough on TV to depress me. I like to hear words of encouragement and hope. I try really hard to speak that language - the language of hope. I read a book quite a while back - Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy by Barbara Johnson. One of the points she made in her writing was "What goes down in the well, comes up in the bucket."

Our heart is our "bucket". What comes in through our ears and eyes is processed through our mind. Some of those thoughts may just fly right on out and others may nest. They end up nesting in our heart - maybe deep down in our heart. And we never know when those thoughts or words might "hatch" or "give birth". I am not saying that all nesting is bad. I believe my heart has nested quite a few positive and motivating thoughts and words. But what is in our heart is the condition that our condition is in and that is what we draw from. Does any of that make sense?


I have to be very careful that my critical spirit does not override the positive in me.

I want to hear and speak words of life. I want to sing with a joyful heart!

So - I am doing a "condition" check on my condition. How about you?

Grace Stoops

One of my favorite Christian authors is Max Lucado. I am reading his most recent book GRACE.   Such a short word. Seemingly easy word yet filled with more than our human minds or lips can conceive or speak.

The title of his second chapter is "The God Who Stoops". My connotation of "stoop" is often negative. We often hear it in the context of expressions like "Don't stoop to his level". The literal definition of stoop is "bend one's head or body forward and downward".

Most are familiar with the writing of John 8 where Jesus had been teaching at the Festival of Tabernacles and there was unbelief and division over who Jesus was. Early the next morning Jesus was again at the temple teaching and the adulterous woman was brought to him. GRACE begins!

My NIV translation says "Jesus bent down . . ." Whether it was bending or stooping, it was grace! Lucado gives example upon example of Jesus "stooping" - 'low enough to sleep in a manger, work in a carpenter shop, washing feet, embracing children, pulling Peter out of the sea.'

None of us really know why he stooped. But the important point is that He did! The King of Kings, Lord of Lords stooped. His unconditional love "stooped". His unmerited grace stooped - to reach this woman to assure her - that she was good enough. To assure her that she was important. He stooped to affirm her not to condemn her.

Grace, Grace, Wonderful Grace!

What an example Jesus set - so His spirit is saying to me that if He did this and I am His child then I am to do this - extend grace - bending my head forward and downward to love those who are difficult to love, to love those who need to experience grace.

Grace Stoops Unconditionally!

Loose him and Let him go

In John 11: 38-44, John writes of Jesus calling forth Lazarus from the dead. I have read this scripture many times and each time God speaks to me in a different way about what He is sharing in His word here. There were a couple of things going on as John writes this story but I want to concentrate on the "loosening".

Jesus freed Lazarus from a physical death in the loosening. But He also frees us from a spiritual death. We read in verse 44: "And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. . ." When I read that, the word "bound" jumped off the page.

My mind started thinking: "Bound? Bondage? What binds me?"

What keeps me from receiving all that there is from God? 

Is it unbelief? 

Is it the pressure of the world?

Is it the trials and tribulations in my life?

Jesus can release us from this bondage. Yep, He can! 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Did you read that? A new creation - old things gone - that means release from bondage!

And He said it again here John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." The devil is the one trying to keep us in bondage. Trying to make us second guess everything we do or think. Jesus has brought us forth from the grave of spiritual death so that we might enjoy life in HIM and have that joyful life MORE abundantly. Now you can't beat that!

Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."  Read that again! Stand in FREEDOM -Freedom from condemnation from the world, from your friends!

Are you in a difficult trial? Do you feel as though you are in bondage? Jesus can set you free!

Here are the words from an old song we use to sing "He Set Me Free"


Once like a bird in prison I dwelt,
no freedom from my sorrow I felt
But Jesus came and listened to me,
glory to God, He set me free!
Chorus:
He set me free, yes, He set me free,
He broke the bonds of prison for me
I'm glory bound my Jesus to see,
glory to God, He set me free!

I am a singing it as I type it - you should hear me - it sounds so purdy :)

God bless you today! You no longer have to live in bondage - He came to set you FREE!