New Covenant

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God,and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor,or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD, ’because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Jeremiah 31:33-34 NIV

God promised to love Israel and make a new covenant with them. He promised them that He would know them each personally and that He would forgive their sins. He promised them Jesus.

How often do we read about Jesus in the Old Testament and don't even know it? How often do we stop and realize that Hundreds of years before Jesus came to be, God had already said that He was going to send Him?

One of the most awesome things in the Bible is seeing the whole picture. We have been blessed to live in a time where we can have a Bible filled with the Old Testament promises and the New Testament fulfillments. (At least the Jesus'/New Covenant Part!) I am so amazed by God's amazing love for us and His willingness to let us in on His ultimate plan: to spend eternity with us!

I am also so grateful that He allowed us non-Jews into His covenant. Where would I be without the salvation that comes from Christ?

Thank-You, Father, for allowing us the opportunity to read Your Word from beginning to end; for allowing us to KNOW You personally. Thank-You for the gift of Your Son and for allowing us Gentiles the opportunity to be grafted into Your covenant. We love You, Father and want to know You more and more each day!! In Your Name, Amen.

The Innocence of a Child

This Christmas season was a very special time for our family.  It was the first year that both the kids "got it".  They understood that Christmas was more than Santa and presents.  They understood about God and Jesus being born.  They wanted to give to others and share with others.  It was a really special time.

This Christmas was also special since I was able to share my voice and do a solo for my Women of Heart Bible study group.  I haven't done a solo for a long time (years, actually).  God has put me on a sort of hiatus, dealing with me and my pride.  Changing me and growing me.  (That's another blog, though!)  Anyway, I was really looking forward to it.  Not so that I could become 'known' again for my voice.  I really wanted to share the real meaning of Christmas with the ladies and give the glory back to God.

I chose my favorite Christmas song "Welcome to Our World" by Michael W. Smith.  It is very powerful and reminds us that Jesus came not just as a baby, but eventually 'robbed our sin' to 'make us holy', even though he had no sin.  I love it so much.  Still one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time!!

I practiced around the house, usually when Emma was around.  (I had fun explaining to the kids about the song and what it meant, explaining that I sometimes cry at the last verse when it talks about Jesus robbing our sin.)  Without fail, I would begin practicing the song and Emma would be right there listening.  I would get to the last verse and she would begin to cry.  The first time I asked her why, and she responded about Jesus dying on the cross for us!  I was totally touched.  The remainder of times that I sang the song, Emma would always burst into tears right at that moment.

You may be thinking that she was just mimicking what I said I did at that part.  So let me share with you  another experience with her.  We always read a Bible story before bed.  She loves the Children's bible with all the pictures in it.  She gets to choose which story she wants.  One night she choose Jesus dying on the cross.  As soon as we got to that part she began to cry.  Even when I went on to tell her about Jesus rising from the dead, she still cried.  She still cries every time we read that story.

All this is to say that I wish I cried more about that story.  I mean, there are times when that happens, but we are so inundated with tragedy in the news, on TV shows, in our daily lives, that I think we are jaded; too jaded to respond as Emma does to the death of our Saviour for our sins.  Whether or not she fully understands the story is not the point.  The point is that she understands that Jesus was a wonderful person, God's Son.  He performed miracles, he healed people, he loved children.  And then he died.  He died for you and me.  Our sins.  He was perfect, and yet he still took all our sins and died.

I hope that I will remember this about Emma for years to come!  She really brought to light the innocence of a child which God wants us to have.  Let us not forget that even in his birth, his death was already foretold.  Let us not forget his sacrifice.  Thank-you, Emma for the reminder!!

A Confession to Make

I have a huge confession to make to you.  I am alright with this.  God knows already what I am about to type.  He has been whispering it in my ear for a long time now.  Even as I am typing this, He is consistently whispering about it.  The confession:  I have not been reading my Bible daily.  Phew.  Glad I put that out there in writing.  It is off my chest.

I confess that I am NOT disciplined at reading my Bible, especially during the summer months.  There is no set schedule.  No need to rush in the mornings.  It is hard to plan time to fit it into your day when both your kids are at home all day long.  Excuses.  These are all just excuses.  I know that.  And yet I continue to let dust gather on my Bible.  Unopened.  Sitting beside me even as I write this entry.

Why?  Why is it so hard to open up our Bible and just dive right into God's Word?  It's good stuff.  It helps us when we are down.  It gives us strength and courage.  It feeds us.  I feel better after I have spent time reading God's Word.  So why is it so hard?

I guess it goes against what society tells us is important.  To read God's Word you need to stop, take time, be alone and really read.  It is not something you can do in 2 minutes.  (Although if 2 minutes is all you have, take it!!)  We are so trained in our society to just rush around, going from one thing to the next, never stopping.

This has been true for me this summer.  I have been running, on my own, without God.  And lately, I have been running out of steam.  My life blood is God.  Without spending time with Him and in His Word, I am not being fed.  I get tired, grouchy and start to depend on my own strength, which does no good.  My strength is nothing compared to God's strength.

This past week I spent all of my mornings leading children in songs of worship about God at Vacation Bible School.  The theme?  God's Word.  I was hit with how powerful His Word is; how much we need it everyday.  I felt refreshed after this past week, being forced to examine and study His Word.  God's Word is True, Comforting, Surprising, Life-Changing and it is FOR EVERYONE.

At the last session on Friday, I reminded the kids to read their Bibles because it is so important.  Today, I feel like a hypocrite because I have not heeded my own advice.  This ends today.  I am going to make time.  Plan it into my day EVERYDAY.  I encourage you to do the same.  After all, God's Word is FOR EVERYONE, right now wherever you are at in your walk with God.  Even if you do not know who God is, let today be the day you open up a Bible and find out!  God will meet you there.  That's a promise!

I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from your commands.

I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

Praise be to you, O LORD;

teach me your decrees.

(Psalm 119:10-12)

I Shall Not Want

The house is quiet.  The kids are sleeping in.  It is a good time to focus on God and do a bit of writing.  Today I was reading Psalm 23.  The Psalm that is most likely to be found during a funeral service.  Although, I am not sure why.  I mean, I know that the end talks about "dwelling in the house of the LORD", but the rest really is about living, not dying.

What really struck me today was this portion:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul. (Ps. 23:1-3)

We have had a stressful week.  Our garage out back is finished.  The landlords came over and told us it would be an extra $150/month to rent it.  It was not an option to NOT rent the garage.  So, we were stuck.  Jonathan got them down to $100/month extra, which is still a lot for us, since I am not working.  Thus, I have been scouring the ads, looking for part-time employment.  Something to give us a bit of extra cash.

More importantly, I have been worrying.  It's what I do best, which is what God does not want me to do.  It says so in the Bible:

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.(Matthew 6:31-34)

It is hard not to worry.  It is hard to give it to God and let Him deal with it.  Hard, hard, hard.  And yet, we just did a lesson on this for Family Night.  I have a "No Worries" jar right beside me.  I do.  I need to practice this for myself as well as for my children.  I am their best example of this.  They need to see the truth of this in action.

Then this morning, reading the above passage in Psalm 23.  God is MY SHEPHERD.  What does a shepherd do?  He tends his sheep, making sure they are fed and watered.  Keeping them safe and leading them where they need to go.  Comforting them.  He may not give them what they think they need, or what they want.  He knows what is best.  He is their shepherd, after all.  WE ARE SHEEP.  It is comforting to know that God cares enough about me to provide for me.  I will rest in that.

Plus, just because God is not giving us everything the we want, doesn't mean it is all bad.  God will provide what we need, but:

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  (Psalm 23:6)

That will be awesome!!

Waste

It was an unpleasant walk yesterday.  It was raining, windy and cold.  I don't mind walking in the rain when it is warm, but when it is cold?  Well, that's a different story.

On our walk we always try to see animals, strange things, etc.  The kids have even started to make me pick up garbage that has been thrown on the ground.  This has been happening since Earth Day.  Aidan is now very aware of the environment and what we should be doing to help it.  We carry the garbage home and recycle it or throw it in our garbage: "Because it is good for the earth", explains Aidan.  I am glad that he is learning not to litter and to clean up!

Yesterday, as we rounded a corner, as it was pouring down rain, what do Emma and I see?  Someone watering their lawn.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  Watering the lawn when it is raining.  Now I am not blaming anyone in this entry.  I am sure that their sprinkler was on a timer.  Maybe they are on vacation.  Whatever the reason, no blame is being placed here.

What came to mind is how much waste we have in our own lives.  We waste our time on things that don't matter.  We waste our worry when God is and always will be in complete control.  We waste our money and energy on things of this world, and not on things that matter for eternity.

Yesterday I spent sometime researching and reading about the Oil Spill in the Gulf.  It breaks my heart to see all of that oil affecting animals, people and more importantly the environment.  But what breaks my heart even more is that people are starting to waste their time on worry, bad mouthing, panic and fear.  I am sure it breaks God's heart, too. 

What He really wants from us is a relationship with Him.  He would love it if everyone prayed about what to do, instead of worrying.  God cares about what happens in His world.  He created it, after all.  Just as He created you and me.  He already knows what this catastrophy will mean for us years down the road.  I know that the future seems unclear to us, but I am so glad that God already knows what is ahead.

I am refusing to waste my time worrying.  Instead I will rest in the knowledge that God knows what the future holds.  I will trust in that.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

-Matthew 6:25-24

(New Living Translation)

Our Fish Creek Park Adventure

Looking at the pond on a very windy day.

Emma throwing something in the water.  Aidan pretending to be a Canada Goose.  We saw a lot of those on this day.

Eating our snack.  Deciding that we should all come back with Daddy for a REAL picnic one weekend.  It was fun.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

 - Psalm 127:3

Glimpses of Heaven..on our walk

A few weeks ago.  What a gorgeous sunrise.

Last week.  I loved walking this day.  Not too cold this day.  And the fog was lovely.

Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

have worked salvation for him.

The LORD has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

 

He has remembered his love

and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,

burst into jubilant song with music;

 

make music to the LORD with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of singing,

with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—

shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

 

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

 

Let the rivers clap their hands,

Let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the LORD,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples with equity.

-Psalm 98

May we remember what God has done for us, this Holy Week.  May you have a blessed Easter season.