Category: Faith

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Assisted Living

Assisted Living
My mom currently resides in an assisted living facility near Pittsburgh. When she and my dad moved there in 2021, they were issued pendants to have with them at all times. The instructions were simply to press the button to alert the staff when assistance was needed and they would come.

Pushing the Button

As my mom’s health declines, there is greater need for assistance. The staff, as well as her family, frequently reminds her to push the button when she needs help. Does she? Well, on occasion, she has, but not often. She has to be REALLY desperate because she hates to bother anyone. One recent episode was certainly cause for requesting assistance, but she never pushed the button. It never occurred to her. To that, we shake our heads 🤦🏽‍♀️, roll our eyes 🙄, or both!

Asking for Assistance

God pointed out that, in spite of my disbelief that my mom didn’t request help, I’m not so different. I wonder if He is up there shaking His head or rolling His eyes at me? Possibly! When trouble comes my way, do I call on God for help? Yes, but if I’m being honest, that’s not always my first response. Sometimes He is my last resort rather than my first option. Like my mom, I am often guilty of trying to handle it on my own first.

The Holy Spirit, A Built-In Helper

Did you know that God offers “assisted living” through the Holy Spirit? Unlike my mom and her pendant, we don’t even have to remember to take it with us. When I professed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I was gifted with the Holy Spirit, an internal helper that I have access to 24/7. The same is true for you. Pushing a button isn’t even necessary. We simply need to call out for help.
Then you will call to the Lord, and he will answer you. You will cry out to him, and he will say, “Here I am.”
‭‭ Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭9‬ ‭ERV‬‬
I can just hear my former pastor saying, “It’s simple, but it ain’t easy!” Why? Is it because, like my mom, we don’t want to bother Him? Or maybe our pride leads us to believe we can handle it ourselves. Perhaps both!
Jesus has this to say…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭ John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬
Won’t you please join me for a slice of humble pie? God never created us to be self-sufficient, but rather, to depend on and trust in Him. Like the staff at my mom’s assisted living facility, He stands ready to help, if we just ask.
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
‭‭ Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Let’s not hesitate to pray for assistance from our built-in Helper. God is not bothered when we come to Him. Instead, He is delighted!
He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.
‭‭ Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬
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The Last Word

The Last Word
Do you remember life at Age 3? Probably not, but, if you’re a parent, I imagine you do remember what your child was like at Age 3. Their vocabulary can be quite entertaining! A three-year-old can certainly push the boundaries of independence as they seek to have the last word.

Who’s the Boss?

My husband witnessed this firsthand when our neighbor brought her grandson over for a swim recently. He later shared the story with me, and we’ve been chuckling ever since. Apparently, it was time to go home, but the little guy was having none of that. As 3-year-olds do, he threw a bit of a fit. He said, “I’m NOT going home, and THAT’S that!” He may not have had the last word, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
We’ve been getting mileage out of that little boy’s statement ever since. I’m NOT fill in the blank and THAT’S that! God reminded me through this story that I’m not so different. I’m no longer three and may not use that same lingo, but I can display that same level of disobedience quite easily. How about you?
Just as any parent, God desires obedience from His children too.
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Disobedience = Sin

I fall short. Very. Short. We all do. They call that sin. Sin separates us from God. It took the blood of His Son, Jesus, the final and perfect sacrifice, to restore us to a right relationship with Him.
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.
‭‭ Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭25 NIV‬‬

No Greater Love

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
‭‭ 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Our Heavenly Father gave us something priceless, Jesus, in exchange for something worthless, our sin. Why? I can just hear His response—“because I love you, and THAT’S that!” God ALWAYS has the last word. Aren’t you glad?
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The Identity Property

Lesson 1-8 Properties of Real Numbers - ppt video online download

I wrote about the Division Property of Zero in my most recent blog post and that got me thinking about other math properties that I teach my students. The Identity Property is one of them. In mathematics, an identity is defined as a transformation that leaves an object unchanged. With regard to addition, that would be zero (13 + 0 = 13), and in multiplication, it is one (13 x 1 = 13). The best way I found to explain it is by asking my students what they see when they look in a mirror. Answer: Themselves! That’s their identity. Or is it? 

What is Your Identity?

When it comes to Jesus, He has a knack for turning things upside down, including the Identity Property! As Christ followers, we choose to put our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our identity is found in Him and Him alone. 

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

‭‭ John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Out with the Old, In with the New

We are a child of God, a new creation, redeemed and forgiven. Unlike a mathematical identity, when one’s identity is found in Christ it is a transformation that leaves us radically changed! 

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

All Because of Jesus

Our new life would not be possible without Jesus. Keep that in mind as you gather with friends and family to celebrate His birth in the coming days. 

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Ultimate Gift

That is cause for celebration! Jesus truly is the Ultimate Gift, one to be treasured anew each day. 

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

‭‭ Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Road Closed

Obstacle Ahead

ROAD CLOSED—This is NOT a sign you want to see in the early part of a 1000+ mile journey home after being away for over three months. Actually, I’m not sure it is EVER a sign you want to see. I only know that it was particularly painful yesterday. I wasn’t sure we would ever get out of Florida! All lanes  on I-95 N were closed due to an accident just north of Jacksonville. So, we had to exit and find our way back with several thousand of our closest friends. You can imagine our delight!

An Alternate Route

My husband, Todd, doesn’t generally let me do much of the driving, but he succumbed when he had had enough of evading the obstacle keeping us from our intended route. I suggested that I take a turn behind the wheel so he could take a nap. I assured him that I wouldn’t fall asleep in such driving conditions. So, I drove. He slept. We covered 0.8 miles in the process! Finally, we made it  back to I-95 and were on our way again. By midnight we had conquered the rest of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, stopping off for the night in Elkin, NC.

Responding to Obstacles

I’m always asking God for writing material. After an altered night of sleep due to our late night, it came in the form of the Verse of the Day in YouVersion first thing this morning. As we reflect on the last week of Jesus’ earthly life, we revisited the story of Jesus going to the Temple in today’s verse. Like us yesterday, He encountered obstacles. Also, like us, He responded with anger. Okay, His was righteous. Ours, not so much. Instead of the Temple being used for its intended purpose—worshiping God, it was being used to take advantage of those who traveled to Jerusalem for that very reason.

Jesus went into the Temple area. He threw out all those who were selling and buying things there. He turned over the tables that belonged to those who were exchanging different kinds of money. And he turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. Jesus said to them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are changing it into a ‘hiding place for thieves.’”

Matthew 21:12-13 ERV

Theft

The people who came to the Temple for worship were being robbed, in multiple ways. First, the merchants were selling animals needed for sacrifice at excessive amounts, priced too high for many of the travelers to afford. That led to a second type of robbery—a spiritual robbery. Those who could not meet the asking price were excluded from worship, unable to pray and connect with God at the Temple. The merchants and religious leaders had filled the Temple with obstacles, keeping the poor and vulnerable from God’s very presence.

Clearing the Path

Jesus would have NONE of that! In His anger, He single-handedly cleared the Temple of all man-made obstacles blocking people’s access to God. That was a temporary act, leading to His ultimate act, one that has eternity stamped on it. Jesus tore down every obstacle standing in our path to God when He went to the cross on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sin. The obstacle is gone, the road is open, never to be closed again. Thank you, Jesus!

If you haven’t yet chosen this road, please know that it is an open invitation and one you’ll never regret accepting. I know how thrilled we were to get back on I-95 and get moving yesterday, yet it pales in comparison to the joy of being in relationship with God, only made possible through Jesus. May you know that same joy!