Wednesday Whisper ~ Beyond Me, Beyond Now

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Arrow

No! I can’t! I quit! I’m out! I’m done! The task is insurmountable, the cost too great, the request unreasonable!

When I am called to ‘do the difficult,’ my initial response is often negative because I am completely focused on self. If I would pause instead of panic and take a step back, I could gain a better perspective. The key seems to be to look beyond me and beyond now. When I stop focusing on me, I gain a sense of the One who is with me, the God who is my Hope, my Strength, my Provider, and my Friend. When I look beyond now, I am reminded that this is only a speck in time, and there are eternal rewards awaiting believers.

From this new point of view, my “no” becomes “maybe.” “I can’t” transforms into “I can do it with God’s help.” “I quit” turns to “I can take one step.” “I’m out” changes to “I’m in this for Him.” And, “I’m done” elevates to “There is something He wants me to accomplish.”

So, the next time we want to slam the door on what seems to be ‘mission impossible,’ let’s  bring the request to our Father in prayer, surrender the cost, and begin the task in His strength and for His honor. May we look beyond me and beyond now and meditate on, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

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Wednesday Whisper ~ Vision 2020

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Arrow

What do you see as you look toward a new decade, a new year, a new day? Newness may invoke feelings of hope and/or fear. Remembering God’s promises helps conquer the fears Satan fires at us and replaces them with God’s peace. Those who believe in God, who have accepted His Son Jesus, can be confident in knowing we have good reason to hope. God promises to do life with us, provide for our needs, give us strength, and offer guidance and counsel all 366 days of 2020.

Look and experience how God speaks to His children. “‘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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)

May we go forth with a reverent fear of the Lord rather than fearing the future, trusting in the One whose vision surpasses 20/20.

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Wednesday Whisper ~ God’s Gift

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Arrow

Christmas is the day we rejoice and celebrate God sending the greatest gift, Himself, in the form of baby Jesus. The very Presence of God with us in the form of His Son and later the Holy Spirit is an indescribable gift, a gift that includes eternal life with Him.

Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you …” (John 4:10), then she would understand that Jesus was the Son of God offering her eternal life. The Apostle Paul shares this description, “… the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

To experience life with God by our side is the greatest gift ever! He is our joy, our peace, our hope, our strength, our comfort, our guide, our help, and our Savior. Who doesn’t want and need that?

May we know and accept this incomparable gift from God by believing Jesus is His Son and accepting His grace that makes our lives new, looking forward to eternal life with Him.

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Wed. Whisper ~ Destination: Bethlehem

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Arrow

Talk about inconvenient! I’m almost nine months pregnant, basically due any day, and Joseph and I are now required by the Roman government to go to our ancestral ‘home’ and register for the census. For us, that means at least a three-day journey to Bethlehem.

There is much I do not understand. These days have been difficult, but I know God has a plan and purpose, and I know He is faithful. From the angel’s first visit, I agreed to be the Lord’s servant and I earnestly put my trust in Him.

I pray that this Holy Son of God I’m about to give birth to is One you come to know and worship as well. May you serve Him even when it’s not convenient, trust Him during difficult days, and experience His immeasurable love.

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!” ~ Philippians 2:5-7 (The Message)

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Wednesday Whisper ~ Glory to God

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Arrow

When:  The night watch.
What:  Protect the sheep from predators and thieves.
Why:  The flocks outside Bethlehem were reserved for sacrifice at the nearby temple in Jerusalem.

And one holy night, more than 2000 years ago, shepherds were the ones blessed to receive a birth announcement from heaven, witness the glory of God, and hear His angel choir. As the shepherds went to find the infant King, did they try to echo the song they heard? Did they describe and repeat the refrain of ‘Glory to God’ to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus? The shepherds were so jazzed, their praises continued even after they returned (Luke 2:20).

May our hearts join them this Christmas as we, too, celebrate the coming of our Savior. It may be an ancient song, but we can make it new by adding a melody and offering it to the One most worthy. The angels’ lyrics were “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14 New Living Translation). Let’s bring Him our best, and who knows, we may be joined by a behind-the-scenes back-up choir, or at least we can imagine we are!

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Wed. Whisper ~ 9 Months Before Christmas

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Arrow

God had been on earth many times. He had walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8), revealed Himself in a burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3:2), and led the Israelites through the desert in pillars of cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21). He had spoken clear messages to the prophets and communicated through numerous visions and dreams, but He had NEVER left His throne in heaven to become a microscopic infant.

How can we comprehend the Creator of all becoming a created being, the King of kings exchanging being worshiped by multitudes of angels for being acknowledged by three people, Mary, Joseph, and Mary’s relative, Elizabeth (Luke 1:43)? Jesus chose to leave behind the blinding brightness of His vast glory to live inside a small, dark womb for nine months and He traded the majestic symphonies of angelic choirs for the songs of His mother (Luke 1:46-55). Why? To demonstrate His immeasurable love for us!

May we pause to ponder the wonder of it all, that God sent His one and only Son as a gift to this world, to every person in this world, because He wants a relationship with us. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’–which means, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:22-23 NIV)

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Wednesday Whisper ~ Thank God

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Arrow

When reading the title of today’s ‘Whisper,’ don’t view it as a flippant expression of relief, but as something scripture reminds us repeatedly to do. But why? The Apostle Paul calls us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Most of us desire to know God’s will for our lives, and here it is, at least a first step, give Him thanks.

God knows that when we pause and give thanks in the midst of overwhelming grief and trials that our heart is lifted and our thinking is transformed. Giving thanks to our Heavenly Father takes our focus off ourselves. Regardless of our circumstances we can thank Him for who He is. We are instructed to “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good” (Psalm 107:1a) and because “He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57b)

The One who sits on the throne of heaven is truly worthy of our thanks. (Revelation 4:9) May this holiday season begin with our offerings of daily thanksgiving!

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Wednesday Whisper ~ Got Time

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Arrow

Time flies when we’re on our dream vacation and barely ticks by when sitting in that dreaded dentist’s chair. We never seem to have enough of it and always seem to be running out of it! Twenty-four hours a day – that’s what we’ve got. No matter what our economic status, race, gender, or address, we all have the same amount of time in a day.

Romans 13:11 says, “But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing!” Paul also warns in 1 Corinthians 7:29, “I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple…” (The Message).

Let us be wise stewards of the time we’ve been given, carefully evaluating our use of it, and making the most of every hour, adjusting our priorities and schedules as needed. We have been blessed with a good sixteen hours of awake time. May we do the best with what we’ve got!

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Wednesday Whisper ~ True Freedom

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Arrow

Freedoms vary around the world. Consider what freedoms you have. Are you free to decide what to eat and wear, what work to do, where to go, how and with whom to spend your time? How about the bigger freedoms:  freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to carry arms? With freedom comes responsibility.

In the beginning, God gave Adam and Eve great freedom. Genesis 2:16-17 says God told Adam he was “…free to eat from any tree in the garden…” except one. And God explained that if they chose to disobey, the consequence would be death, separation from God. Well, we know how that turned out! And don’t blame Adam and Eve. We all continue to step beyond God’s limits.

Thank God He sent Jesus to free us from the power of death. Jesus, though innocent, received the punishment for the sin of everyone and broke the chains of sin that threaten to control us. Freedom back to an intimate relationship with the Father begins by believing Jesus is His one Son. Jesus is the key Who sets us free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” ~ (John 8:36 NIV) May you experience true freedom in Him today.

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Wednesday Whisper ~ Quiet Times

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Arrow

As my spouse sleeps soundly, I tiptoe through the bedroom cautiously opening and closing drawers, brushing my teeth in our walk-in closet (not spitting there), and slipping into the restroom to change clothes hoping the door won’t squeak, only to accidentally tap the switch for the noisy fan instead of the light. Oops! It takes so much effort to be quiet!

Stillness is a rare occurrence these days, so having a quiet time with the Lord requires effort and planning. With the busyness of everyday life, it does not happen without purposeful determination.

Even Jesus had the habit of getting up before sunrise and going to a solitary place to listen to and talk with His Father. David wrote in Psalms 37:7a, “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” (NIV) Being still before the Lord allows us to worship and give thanks to the Almighty, to bask in His love and peace, to share our burdens, seek His wisdom, and listen for counsel.

May we set aside a time and place and not miss the most important meeting of our day.  He will be there. Will we?

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