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    • I am held

      Posted at 8:20 am by sneuhofer, on October 5, 2018

      Isaiah 40:22 (NCV) God sits on his throne above the circle of the earth, and compared to him, people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the skies like a piece of cloth and spreads them out like a tent to sit under.

      As I read through Isaiah chapters 40 and 41, I was reminded of just how small and fragile we are compared to God. As I read, I couldn’t help but picture God, sitting on this throne with the universe in his hands. A memory of my grandfather and I playing a game of catch in his backyard instantly came to mind. He was sitting in his lawn chair using his fingertips to hold up a softball like a snow globe sits on its pedestal. (May I just interject here that I am not suggesting God sits up in Heaven in a lawn chair holding the world up like a snow globe.) I think I was 10 or 11 years old at the time and my grandfather and I were having a great time together. The point I am trying to make is, like my grandfather holding the ball in the palm of his hand, God holds us in his.

      God HOLDS us – all of us. Think about that for a minute. What does that say to you? He holds EVERYTHING…the sinner and the saint, the good and the not-so-good, the sick, the poor, even the people who say “God doesn’t exist”. Yet…He loves us. We are his creation, and since the beginning of time he longs to have a relationship with us…ALL OF US. It is evident in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He gave them a beautiful paradise in which to live as well as the freedom to choose…even if that choice meant death. (please reference: Genesis chapters 2 and 3)

      I have heard people say things like:
      “God must hate me.”
      “God is mad at me.”
      “If there is a God, how can he allow things to happen like this?”
      “There is no God.”
      “Naming something gives it too much power.”

      LIES! LIES!!!

      Every statement mentioned above is a LIE of the enemy. When I think about God holding the universe, I see joy, compassion, kindness, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. Every time I see a mother holding her newborn child, or a dad hugging his son when he comes home from work, or even remembering how my grandfather looked at a softball and smiled because he enjoyed a game of catch with his granddaughter, I am reminded of God holding us and looking at us with caring and compassion.

      Plain and simple…God loves us. He has chosen us. He is with us. He gives us strength, support, courage, and peace. He holds us by the hand like a loving father and guides us in the direction we should go.

      Do you hear His voice? Do you feel His power and peace in your life? If not, there is only one way to be in this type of intimate relationship with Him. Get to know Him…spend time in your Bible and prayer… God will meet you where you are! (Side note: If you don’t know how to start your quiet time with God, I have several posts that can help. Select Quiet Time from the list of Categories and those posts should come up.)

      “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.”  (John 3:16 – 18 MSG)

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      Posted in Christian living; Christian growth | 0 Comments
    • Being Honorable

      Posted at 7:55 am by sneuhofer, on September 28, 2018

      Have you ever thought about what “honor” as it relates to treating someone really means? Lately, I have been challenged to really search myself and the way I speak to and treat other to determine if I am being indeed honorable.

      So what does “to honor someone” mean? Today I am specifically talking about honoring our parents.

      To revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to (Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

      Even as I write these words, I know what some of you may be thinking. “But you don’t know what my parents (mom or dad) have done to me?”

      True I don’t know, but honoring our parents is so important that God included it in the 10 Commandments. In fact, it’s the very first commandment with a promise attached to it.

      Exodus 20:12 (NCV) Honor your father and your mother so that you will live a long time in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.

      The promise attached to “if we honor our father and our mother” is that we will live long in the land the Lord is giving us. To the Israelites, this was the Promised Land, Canaan. As Christians living in this world today our Promised Land is eternity with Christ; our heavenly home (remember this earth is not our home). In Ephesians 6:1-3 (NCV) Paul writes reiterating this commandment “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

      Based on events of your past or present, you may think this is an impossible request because quite honestly maybe your parents aren’t that honorable themselves. But God doesn’t call us to honor those who honor us first. The commandment is clear. It says…HONOR your father and your mother. Children (of all ages) should honor (respect) their parents even if their parents are demanding, demeaning, degrading, unfair, etc. This doesn’t mean you have to like what they do or even do something contrary to God’s word. The best thing to do in this situation is PRAY….and then PRAY some more. Through prayer, you can pour out your soul to God and He will hear you.

      Remember, God is sovereign and nothing gets by Him….not ONE thing. The Bible tells us that we will all stand before Him and give an account for our life.

      May I challenge you today to take a look inward and ask:

      1. Are you honoring your father and your mother? Honoring their memory if they are no longer walking this earth.
      2. Are you honoring those in authority over you? Honoring our church leaders, our bosses, our Federal, State, and Local leaders? (this is a tough one – it’s easy to voice our opinions about what we think people should and shouldn’t be doing.)
      3. Are you honoring your spouse and your children?
      Just remember…as you become a person of honor you will not only reap rewards (as God promises) you will have a positive impact on those around you (whether you realize it or not).

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      Posted in Christian living; Christian growth, honoring children, honoring parents | 0 Comments
    • There is truth in weed pullin’

      Posted at 7:19 am by sneuhofer, on May 1, 2018

       “God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b NCV

      One gorgeous spring day, I spent time pulling weeds and cleaning flower beds in my back yard. This task can be daunting as these beds are the last ones to get cleaned. We typically focus on our front yard because many more people see it as they pass by.

      I had just started the second flower bed when the Lord used “weed pulling” as an object lesson. Samuel’s words filled my mind. “God doesn’t look at what people can see He looks at the heart.” I wondered for a moment about how people see me. “What does my inside look like?”

      Since God is the only one who truly sees my heart, does the content therein match the way I “appear” on the outside? When people look at me, do they see a reflection of Jesus? Just like the flower beds each spring, there will always be “weeds to pull” in my life. Praise God He is continually at work “weeding out” the bad so the beauty of His handiwork can be revealed.

      Lord, help me be mindful of my heart’s condition. I want to be a reflection of you.

       

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      Posted in Christian living; Christian growth, Uncategorized | 1 Comment
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