You Are Set Apart

I confess I am reading Leviticus in the Old Testament and finding it difficult wondering; how did they keep all the instructions and laws?

I also wondered were they afraid all the time of messing up and not being able to keep them? They did.
That is why the Book of Leviticus deals with their “right Living”, sacrificing for their sins, abiding by the laws and carrying them out, to be a holy nation set apart. Testing was their everyday challenge. Were they going to listen to God or do what they wanted?

Let’s fast forward to Jesus….
In his patience and love tells the Jewish people “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.” (Matthew 5:17) Jesus said He was the Messiah, many received Him with their whole heart- all were accepted Jews and Gentiles. Many devout Jewish leaders didn’t believe Him and their hard hearts turned away, the message fell on deaf ears. They were praying for a Messiah to save them from Roman rule, but in truth Jesus came to lead them to Himself for eternal life. Through Jesus the laws that kept them shackled could now be broken, but they could not hear or believe it, and they scrambled in stress to keep their laws in tact.

Isaiah 11:1-3. The Branch From Jesse           (Matthew 1:6 for lineage)
 
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;

I understand Leviticus it to be God’s instructions of holiness, sacrifices, worship & health, those instructions were instrumental to leading and guiding the Israelites as a holy people, setting them apart to follow God and abide by all his laws.

Why Are you set apart?

You were chosen by God to be a separate people when you came to Christ, there was a new life coming towards you, before Christ you were part of the world and now because of your faith in knowing that Jesus is Lord has saved you and takes you not physically out of the world but spiritually gives you a new life one that isn’t shackled to the earth, but is free to love and know that you have been set free by the power of His mighty blood.

Brethren don’t give up hope, it is for this time you have come into the world , maybe you don’t understand why but God has this great plan to show you how His mighty power works, JUST WATCH!

Shalom
Nancy
The Christian Writer

#setapart #Jesus #holynation # sacrifice #cross #God

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Red Sky at Night

Red Sky at Night

My father was in the Coast Guard in WW11, growing up we often would hear him say, red sky at night sailors delight, red sky in morning sailor take warning. Maybe you have heard this saying from your parents or grandparents, but there is so much truth to this!

Sometimes we can see the array of beautiful red colors in the sky when it is setting, like a painter’s brush strokes, we can take solace in the moment’s beauty. Just like the night, there comes a red sky the morning, the waves of the sea get rough, storms are coming. What is coming for us?

As if the weather could tell us so much about our own lives, good relationships, beautiful sunny days or calm days and everything seems to be going as planned. Next day, you wake up into a succession of storms. When things get stormy or out of control, what may be natural is to seek emergency prayer and know Jesus is with you. Storms end, beautiful sky again, all is good.

Did you forget who is in control of the wind and the waves?

Matthew 8:27

 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” 

Would you be able to admit that when things are going well you place Jesus in a convenient spot in the back of the line, just waiting for you to call on Him when you need Him? 

He is not a God of convenience, He is to be worshipped, sought after and praised.

God, who moves the red sky in the morning, the roaring waves that crash down on the beach. God is in control of every aspect, even when you move away from His will, He loves you enough to bring you gently back and through tough lessons, back to the fold of Jesus’ arms. 

He is with you

Don’t ever forget that in the storm, Jesus creates a place for you to come to Him for shelter. He provides you with the strength to weather all storms. When you see red skies at night, the view that as if God is telling you I have brought you this far, my grace is sufficient, stand strong in it the storms are coming, if you have sinned, repent- because sin will cause the strongest of storms and shackle your life.

John 8:34 

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Sins are forgiven through repentance and belief in Jesus Christ, who loves you with an everlasting love. Follow Him, keep Him close and know that He is with you in beautiful red sky nights and unpredictable red sky mornings. Don’t put Jesus at the end of the line when your prayers have been answered, put Him first and see that He never leaves you or forsakes you. Follow Jesus.

Shalom

Nancy

The Christian Writer 

#RedSkyatNight #Jesus #repent #sin

God Is Coming For You

If you are reading this, God is coming after you. Maybe you can’t imagine that God even cares but He does, He cares so much for you that He sent His Son for you, so that you may have a way to Him.

Luke 15:3-7

 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders  and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

We can’t go through life wandering around just imaging that something great is going to happen,  or something tragic will fall upon you. We are given the ability to know Jesus and our lives ahead are bringing us closer to eternity with Him.

God doesn’t want your money, possessions or thinking you must work your way into Heaven. He wants you. Jesus says to come, He is the source of life abundant So if you are experiencing loneliness, depression, or questioning your faith-then pray and ask Him to come into your life.

Let’s pray right now.

Heavenly Father, you know all things, you know me when I come and go, where I am and what I am going through, help me to see things through the lens of your throne where you reside. Help me to know you, help me to see you in all things that you have given to me, life, gifts and a way to worship you. Help me Lord to see you in all of this, I have been lost and you have come for me, thank you Lord for opening my heart to you.

Amen

May you find peace in knowing that you are counted and joyfully loved in every way possible.

Shalom

Nancy

The Christian Writer

Flames Of Fire, No Escape

All around the world, people are watching out of control wildfires in California. News reports are coming in as fast as the fire spreads, new areas are being hit with consuming flames. Sadly we can see that people have abandon their homes, cars and possessions to escape the surrounding fires, some didn’t make it out in time, they most likely went in the wrong direction and perished a horrible death. Burns are the worst pain anyone can suffer.

As people escape the forces of fire they cannot see what is around them as fire is spreading at a rapid rate they can’t see where to run. In the intense heat, firefighters and volunteers are trying to find survivors, hoping to contain flames as winds kick up the flames. Some of us watching are holding our breath, praying for them, hoping for survivors to emerge.

But this isn’t just about the fires in California, what would you do if you knew the way out?

These are some things to think about:

Everything that you possess with perish someday, everything. 

Time goes on, generations will pass and what was, will be forgotten.

What you try so hard to become in this world won’t hold eternal significance.

Are your possessions more important? 

What do you prioritize in your day?

Do you spend time praying for yourself or others?

But this is important:

Your eternal life with Christ should be held closer, thought about and prayed for.

John 3:16

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So now you know the way, this is what Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 13:40-42 

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This is written not to try to convince you to go to church, or to be a perfect person, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but that’s why Jesus went to the cross for you, so that you don’t come ashamed, but come to Him in prayer, repenting of the wrong you have done and wanting to know Him better, so He may enter your life to show you joy and peace that you didn’t know existed, Jesus shows you compassion, love and escape from the eternal flames of fire. 

It’s your decision.

Shalom,

Nancy, 

The Christian Writer

 

 

Nurturing Family Traditions

Nurturing Family Traditions

You think it would be simple, right? Plant many vegetables and you have variety, that was my story for many years until rabbits, deer, woodchucks and chipmunks came along with the to help them selves to the salad bar at my wired in plot that I worked so long to protect, nurture and cultivate over a hot summer. Frustrated over the years the small plot in my backyard has gone mostly to a battling of weeds over my discouragement of trying to fight nature. But I still try to grow a couple of things wired in on an old picnic table back there.

My Italian Grandfather (Pop) was a huge gardener, as my cousin pointed out in the past, I need to recognize and tell you about his garden. He had a pretty decent backyard, in the summer he grew so many tomatoes that anyone who came over would go home with grocery bag full, plus basil and whatever else he was growing. Unlike the tomatoes you get in the store that are picked early so they can be sold, Pop’s tomatoes were pretty darn big and some of the shapes of those 2-3 pound tomatoes that I can recall were odd in shape, but he left them on the vine to grow to the max, just about falling off. They were so good that some of the family would just eat them like apples. He would grow cucumbers, sometimes the size of half an adult arm, it really looked like that when I was a kid but I’m sure my siblings and cousins can verify. His Italian was very strong and I remember him saying to me in broken english, “don’t cut off the skin that’s were all the vitamins are.” Today if you buy them in the store you have to wash and peel them, unless they are grown organic, but you still have to wash them. Pop had the most amazing fig trees, we loved figs! Each year he grew a crop of figs, so tasty you just wanted to keep eating them, unlike the fig tree in my garden, Pop’s fig trees were handled every Fall with tender care, he wrapped them very nicely so that they would bear the most delicious fruit every year for us all to enjoy. Nana would cook and send us home with leftovers, Pop would plant and send us home with produce.

Simple kindness.

Many of you have your own stories of your grandparents and the legacy that they left behind in the things they did and taught, family traditions that we are passing down from generation to generation and new traditions that we have incorporated into our own families. Our heritage and legacy is very important and what we leave behind is a blessing to our families and friends and when we do it with love it becomes a memory that won’t ever be forgotten.

What are your great memories?
Are you passing on traditions?
Shalom
Nancy

Jesus is the Vine in the garden of your heart

John 15:1
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

 

#garden #vine #fig #tomato #nurturingfamilytraditions

Step Back, Adjust Your View

Seeing things from a different perspective

Just recently I purchased a car with a back up camera, it’s a great feature and to know what’s right behind the back of my car that I can’t see. Although this is such an revolutionary idea, I still have to look around the sides and adjust my view, sometimes the camera can’t see everything. The same goes for photography, my grandson took a picture of the garden from his perspective, but if I took it from my view it would be very different. That’s the great thing about photography everybody has a different sense of an angle or depth of field, we adjust our way of looking at things, we adjust our view. ( I adjusted the size of the photo above) you can point the camera to to mountains and turn 360 degrees and take a water fall, it’s how we look at things and how we want to look at things.

Then there is my garden…

The deer have chewed our Hostas down to picks, I get it they love the salad garden we grow here at our house but I really get upset and would never cause any deer harm, so I changed my point of view from allowing them free reign to now spraying to keep them away, planting flowers they don’t like and just by changing our view and using the knowledge we have been given we are seeing the results!

In life, not only can we adjust our view by seeing, we can adjust by receiving and responding. We just have to step back and understand what’s really important to us, winning the fight or seeing the answer by someone else’s view. Pride can make you look only through a peephole, but let it go and see the whole bigger view that maybe you haven’t seen at all!    Step back, adjust your view.

Do you see yourself looking at things through one view or perspective?

The best solution for understanding comes through prayer, asking God for help, seeking Jesus in times of struggle and uncertainty and relying on that, trying to see things from God’s view!

Psalm 19:14 

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

    be pleasing in your sight,

    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Please share

Shalom

Nancy

#Stepbackadjustyourview

#Jesus

#God

#perspective

 

 

 

The Challenges We Face

Here comes the New Year…again.

As we look ahead to the future, some of us have set some goals, others planned vacation, and maybe some are thinking about moving either to a new home or job. But as you think ahead, considering your plans do you see hope in that?

The hope we see is that maybe this year could be better than last year, hey maybe it was a great year, but when we look back did we see the challenges we faced?

Sometimes the challenges were fierce and hard to deal with, others were spiritual challenges with hard lessons about ourself or others. Maybe some of you had or are having physical challenges and you think no one truly understands or cares.

Hard to see but the challenges we face are very healthy for our soul, teaching us strength and endurance. Facing each challenge we can look back and see how God has worked in it. He may have brought you closer to Him or someone you know and or love. It may have taught, things aren’t always what they seem to be, having to learn patience and understand that we should look at what’s going on as a bigger picture, challenging us to look outward and not inwardly.

No doubt this year there will be challenges, some easier than others, some could be triumphs and some traumatizing but remember this, God is and will be with you, just put it in His hands and as you depend on Him more, the results and outcome will amaze you. Stop trying to figure it out all the time or control it. Trust God and His purpose for your life, look to Him for all your needs.

May you live in peace and good health during the year with God’s blessings, Nancy

2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

 

 

What Are God’s Promises?

God’s Promises are great, He promises never to leave you or forsake you,

He promises to be with you.

To love and have mercy on you.

To teach you as you go along,

He will provide wisdom when you ask Him for it.

He always provides a way out of sin.

His love endures forever in your heart when you worship Him.

He always sees what you are doing and gives you the tools to make it happen.

He is with you in a storm, in times of grief He stands beside you,

He is the rock that you cling to in times of trouble or of deep sorrow.

His ways are better than our ways.

When you turn away from Him, He welcomes you back with open arms

When you follow Jesus he prays for you,

He comforts you,

He loves you.

These are great things that God will do, has done and will sustain us through it all.

When people turn from you, He does not.

 

Do you feel as though you are going through things alone? God is with you as you do.

 

Believe in Jesus and your life will be transformed into becoming more and more like Him. Give up control of your life and give it to Jesus, watch what how your life changes.

 

Shalom

Nancy

 

#Jesus #Godspromises #loveGod

 

Simply To Pray

Sometimes the problems of the world are overwhelming and in prayer I ask God what can I do to help the overwhelming amount of people in need?

God tells us:                             Simply to pray.

 

To acknowledge how fortunate we are to live a free life when others are bound by unrealistic laws, slavery, communism and prison. Not knowing what their future will hold, It is hard to take it all in, to understand what they are going through and how they are holding on to the One hope they have, Jesus.

But what can we do?             Simply to Pray

Some people have faced devastating earthquakes, hurricanes, floods loss of homes, families and many other calamities. We don’t even know the half of what is happening and what people are facing in and around the 10 square miles of our own homes. but what can we do if we don’t know what to do?

Simply to Pray

In a world filled with all these calamities and unjust acts against humanity the soul can only do what the Father drives them to do. We can act first without the guidance or we can Simply Pray and from there God will guide us to what we can do, it could be small it could be bigger, but whatever it is we follow Jesus’ calling in it all.

May the glory of God bring to light what is hidden in the darkness and drive you to the understanding that we are here to serve the One True God that’s Jesus Christ and that my brothers and sisters is whom we are guided by in all ways.

Romans 1:10

in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

Shalom

Nancy

 

#Simplytopray

#Jesus

#God

#pray

The Joy in Simple Things

The greatest joy in life is the small things that we take for granted. Some people think there is extreme joy in winning the lottery, maybe so, but when the money is gone where is the joy? The joy is gone and so is the money. (Maybe people too)

So how would someone like us think of joy in simple things?

Look at the food that you love to eat? Is it not a joy to be able to open up the frig whenever you want and have something you like?

Isn’t it a joy when someone calls you and brightens your day?

Isn’t it a joy when your pets come to you in unconditional love?

Isn’t it a jot when your family is around you?

Isn’t it a joy when you get ready to make plans and leave on a trip?

Isn’t it a joy to have friends that care about you?

Maybe it’s having that first cup of coffee in the morning.

This could go on and on but the truth is, who provides these small joys?

God does!

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

But when we take these things for granted we are not honoring the one who gave them to us. There is joy in all that God creates but we must remember the one that provides the joys and to be grateful in thanksgiving and prayer.

My prayer for you today is this Praise God for the simple joys in your life, stop and think about them and remember not to take pride in them, but praise Jesus for what He has done and through His grace gave you joy.

Shalom

Nancy

#praise #Jesus

#God #joy #simplejoy