H-O-M-E

What a timely devotional from Our Daily Bread.  A personal reminder to persevere.  We are sojourners.

Our citizenship is in heaven. —Philippians 3:20

During high school, my closest friend and I took a pair of horses out for an afternoon ride. We slowly roamed through fields of wildflowers and wooded groves. But when we nosed the horses in the direction of the barn, they took off toward home like twin rockets. Our equine friends knew that it was time for dinner and a good brushing, and they could hardly wait.

As Christians, our true home is heaven (Phil. 3:20). Yet sometimes our desires tether us to the here and now. We enjoy God’s good gifts—marriage, children, grandchildren, travel, careers, friends. At the same time, the Bible challenges us to focus on “things above” (Col. 3:1-2). Things above may include the unseen benefits of heaven: God’s enduring presence (Rev. 22:3-5), unending rest (Heb. 4:9), and an everlasting inheritance (1 Peter 1:4).

Recently I read, “Believers desire the heavenly inheritance; and the stronger the faith is, the more fervent [the desire].” Several Old Testament believers mentioned in Hebrews 11 had strong faith in God that enabled them to embrace His promises before receiving them (v.13). One such promise was heaven. If we too put our faith in God, He will give us a desire for that “heavenly country” (v.16) and will loosen our grip on this world. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

For the Christian, heaven is spelled H-O-M-E.

What's in your heart?

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
    but the Lord weighs the heart.

Proverbs 21:2

Blessing Mothers Everywhere!!

 The Wife of Noble Character

 A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies. 

 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value. 

 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life. 

 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands. 

 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar. 

 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants. 

 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks. 

 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night. 

 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 

 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy. 

 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 

 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 

 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 

 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes. 

 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come. 

 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.” 

 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  

Love,

God

Proverbs 31:10-31

Building

Our congregation is on the verge of moving into a building and creating a new space to worship.  It is an exciting time and one that has been anticipated due to the growth our community has experienced over the past few years.  As the proposal to build was brought forward, the words of the Lord came to my mind, "Noah came out of the ark....then built an altar to the Lord..." Genesis 8:18-20

And Abraham after he was told to leave his country, his people, and his father's household and go to a place God would show him, he left and traveled to Canaan. There God spoke and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So, Abraham, 'built an altar there to the Lord, who appeared to him."

And down through the ages of mighty men of God, Isaac built an altar, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, David, and Elijah all built altars to the one true God.  Today, our altar is Jesus the Messiah - and whatever we build is to reflect that truth.  Our focus should be first the Altar from which we worship and from there all things will flow. As we stumble out of the ark which has become too small during the time He sheltered us on Troy Street, we will now build an altar to God on Belmont and Cicero.

Building For Eternity

Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it . . . —Luke 14:28

Our Lord was not referring here to a cost which we have to count, but to a cost which He has already counted. The cost was those thirty years in Nazareth, those three years of popularity, scandal, and hatred, the unfathomable agony He experienced in Gethsemane, and the assault upon Him at Calvary— the central point upon which all of time and eternity turn. Jesus Christ has counted the cost. In the final analysis, people are not going to laugh at Him and say, “This man began to build and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:30).

The conditions of discipleship given to us by our Lord in verses 26, 27, and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple ” (Luke 14:26). This verse teaches us that the only men and women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, and with great devotion— those who have a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth. The conditions are strict, but they are glorious.

All that we build is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprises, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the trap is. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus, as the Master Builder, takes us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His enterprises and His building plans; and no one has any right to demand where he will be put to work.  Taken from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers for May 7th

What God hates

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:       

haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,  a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Proverbs 6:16-19