How can we know God...

There are times we just can't "figure out" the mind of God. We don't know why He would allow something or bless us with some HUGE blessing.  There are times that we aren't sure what He wants us to do, so what to do???    His word says His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9).  However, He calls us to seek Him. 

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25

This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel
“Seek me and live.” Amos 5:4


You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

And without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must believe

that he exists and that he rewards those who

earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

The calling is clear.  Seek Him!  Know Him!  How?  Get into His word.  Spend time with Him in prayer.  Don't think someone else (a pastor, Bible study teacher, etc) can do the work for you and you can have the same kind of "knowing"... as it doesn't work.

God gave me such a good picture of this fact this morning.  I was getting ready for my 6:30 a.m. Bible study... and my husband comes into the bathroom to get his shower and start his day.  He asks me if I slept well. I signed  so-so..and I pointed at him.  He knew this meant,  "I slept ok"   ..."How did you sleep?".   Just with a point , he knew me well enough to know what I meant.   He knows, after being married for 23 years, that I am a  mime for the first hour of the day.   Just like a mime uses no words,  but only hand signals and body language to communicate, so do I...for the first hour of the day. Words just will NOT come out of my mouth.  My husband knows how to read my signs and what I am saying..... with not a sound.  No one would guess this about me, because the rest of the hours in the day, I am a talker.    How does he know?  He spends time with me.  He knows me by studying who I am.  

Knowing takes time.... Knowing takes "seeking".   If you want to know God , seek Him.  He will always bless that!

2 Timothy 3

¹⁴ But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing from whom you learned [them],

¹⁵ And how from your childhood you have had a knowledge of and been acquainted with the sacred Writings, which are able to instruct you and give you the understanding for salvation which comes through faith in Christ Jesus [through the ^[b]leaning of the entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].

¹⁶ Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),

¹⁷ So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Feeding fruit trees or feeding thorny plants?

Are you feeding a thorny plant when you think you are feeding a real fruit tree? I was. 

8 years ago, a sweet old lady shared several plants with me... for free.   She gave me a few butterfly bushes, monkey grass, a couple of apple trees, ..etc.   I was especially excited to have the apple trees.  I planted them in full sun, fertilized them each spring, watered them during drought, ... I was just sure that I would have apples in a couple of years.   I trusted what this little old lady said.... I trusted  that those trees were apple trees.   Surprise!  When I went to prune some lower branches of those two apple trees yesterday, I realized they had HUGE thorns on them. 

I knew of no apple tree with thorns...

so I went to trusty Google.. News?  No apple tree.   They were   Callery trees. Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana, is an ornamental pear with wicked thorns.... a FALSE apple tree!   

(It is the large tree to the right) 

I have a fairly green thumb.  I love to garden.  I love to be outside.  I read and research how to take care of my garden,  Yet.... I was tricked.   I do not think this sweet, old lady meant to trick me... .I think she too was tricked.   So, what did I do?  I stopped taking care of the lie.  I stopped fertilizing it..  I stopped watering it.  I stopped caring for it.  Today, I took a tree saw and stopped  caring for a lie. .... I cut those two Callery trees down.  Those trees didn't do what I thought they would do.... give fruit.  

Lesson?   Nancy Leigh DeMoss has a book called "Lies Women Believe".  She says all sin begins with a lie (like in Genesis).  We hear a lie.  We dwell on a lie.  We believe the lie.  We act upon the lie.   To counter the lie, we must take these steps.  We have to recognize it as a lie... and find the truth, hear the truth, dwell on the truth, believe the truth ..and act upon the truth. We need to question every thing.  We can be tricked by well-meaning believers, and by  believers without such good intention. Don't let someone plant a lie into your mind. Don't let someone plant a lie into your heart.   What do we do?  We have to stay in God's word so we can discern everything. What do we do if a brother or sister in Christ says they have a "word" for us? We have to ask: Does this line up with God's word? Does this line up with what I know of God?  Of course, roses have thorns.  Just because someone tells you something that is painful, it doesn't mean it isn't true.  You have to stay grounded in His word to KNOW!    If you still aren't sure...after reading, searching for His wisdom, asking Godly people you trust, and praying,    then search God's word again. Stay grounded in His word..and you will be a lot less likely to care for a lie (a false tree) for very long.  

Proverbs 17:24

A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

Phillipians 1:⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.     

      1 Thessalonians 5 

Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good.

1 John 4: 4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

From Beth Moore's blog..

Here is the link and Beth Moore's  complete entry on the loss of Rick and Way Warren's son.  I saw the words from believers and unbelievers attacking them.  I couldn't believe it.  I think her response is excellent.  Let's all do what God calls us to do.. LOVE one another!  

1  John 4    God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

http://blog.lproof.org/2013/04/sadness-and-madness.html

Sadness and Madness

April 8th, 2013 Beth

Tags: Posted in Uncategorized

Saturday shortly after noon, I filled up the dog bowl on the back porch with water and pitched dishes in the dishwasher so that I could head out with Melissa for a bite to eat and maybe a little shoe shopping. She’d spent the night with Keith and me in the country and we’d had a lazy Saturday morning over coffee and conversation. I’d set out my purse and keys and decided to wipe down the kitchen counter before we walked out the door. Just as I sprayed the cleaner and grabbed the dishtowel, Melissa walked in staring at the screen of her phone with the oddest expression.
“Mom, I don’t know if it’s true or not but I’m seeing references on Twitter to Rick and Kay Warren losing a son.”
She was ashen. My stomach flipped and, over the next few minutes as she read to me bits and pieces of breaking news, we feared the worst. I felt a hot sickness in my throat. My relationship with the Warrens is the same as most of yours. I have simply been served and led well by them. Although I had the joy of ministering to women on the Saddleback campus some years ago, my stay was brief and our schedules were wrapped entirely around the event. I have not had the opportunity to get to know the Warrens in the way that personal friends know one another but I always knew in my heart that I’d like them so much. We’re similar ages and in similar seasons with our families. Meanwhile, I have loved them and esteemed them in Christ as faithful and mighty servants of the living Lord Jesus Christ. And quite possibly, among the mightiest to ever serve this generation.
Within an hour of Melissa walking into the kitchen with those first pieces of news, someone very close to the Warren family confirmed the tragedy on Twitter. We were heartsick and not for media personalities or even public servants. We were heartsick for a family of real people with breakable hearts. And we wept. Many of you undoubtedly did as well.
An odd mix of feelings overtook me with increasing force through the afternoon and into the early evening. The sadder I got, the madder I got. Mad at an astonishing satanic force that stoops viciously and swoops in unscrupulously to attack children and to prey on their weaknesses as they grow up, shooting so relentlessly at one spot that they can barely get to their feet between arrows. I’ve been that child and many of you have, too. Madder still that the devil in all likelihood delights in nothing more than targeting the children and dearest loved ones of true servants of God. Nothing tries our faith like the suffering of our children. At the end of the day, our faith is what the devil is after most. Without it, it’s impossible to please God. This is why Paul could say with relief nearly palpable on the page of his final letter, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
We’ll all finally make it to our finish lines but the cliffhanger along the way will be this: will we keep our faith? That isn’t the same thing as keeping our salvation. I don’t believe my salvation is something I can give back. I received it by grace through faith from Christ Himself and my works don’t secure it no matter how my woes obscure it. His grip never loosens. Nothing can snatch us out of our Father’s hand. What’s at risk is our active belief in who God says He is, what He says He is like, and what He says He can do.
Is He good? Is He faithful?
So the enemy sets out to knock the feet of our faith out from under our walk. And there is nothing more effective toward that end than targeting the ones we love most on this planet.
I don’t say that to scare you. I say it because I believe it is the hair-raising truth. No, we are not abandoned here as victims on this damaged sod. We are not abandoned at all. Our God is with us. The Spirit of His Son is in us. We are more than conquerors through the One who loves us. We are not at the mercy of Satan. We are at the glorious, life-breathing mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, a mercy that leads, as Jude 21 says, to eternal life and will ultimately spill like a river into a sea of reality where no sufferings of our past will compare with the glory of our present. In the meantime, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world but make no mistake. This is a vicious world we’ve been left to serve. One God still loves or we would not still be here.
And then, in that mixture of emotions Saturday afternoon, I got madder and madder at the bullies in the Body of Christ. I thought how much it turns out that the Warrens have been through personally and, if they are like most leaders, all the while putting out fires and putting up with a bunch of trash-talk from people who would call the same Jesus Lord.
God help us. In the words of James, These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.
I don’t believe one of us here in this community thinks that leaders should be immune to questions, constructive criticism, and accountability. That’s not the kind of thing I’m talking about here. I’m talking about bullying. There are Scriptural means for going to a brother or sister to reason with them about matters we genuinely consider to be off base, misleading, or in error. You and I both know that much of what happens out there in public forums is the furthest thing from biblical.
It is slander.
I went on a walk through the woods Saturday late afternoon and did something I don’t often do. I cried angry tears. I got so mad that I could have hit somebody. I kept thinking how believers attack one another and sling stones at each other like the other can’t bruise or break. And all the while that person may be in so much personal pain that it’s nearly unbearable. I’m not transferring this to the Warrens. I do not know them personally. I’m telling you what I know to be true about most people out there. Most of us are in significant pain of some kind. That doesn’t mean defeat necessarily. It just means pain.
Life is hard enough without hatefulness rife in the Body of Christ. We are called to carry one another’s burdens, not pile relentlessly on top of them. We can still hold one another accountable. We can still ask questions. We can still disagree. But we can do it with respect.
I’m sick of the bullying. The mud-slinging and the meanness. I’m sick of careless, idle words thrown out there in the public square and professing believers in Christ standing on the necks of their own brothers and sisters to sound smart and superior. As if it’s not enough that we are surrounded in this culture by Christian haters, we’ve got to have our own hater-Christians. It’s insane.
When we turn people into caricatures, everything’s game. The moment we depersonalize them, our consciences harden and we can mock and slander at will and have a blast doing it. Snide blogs and tweets and Facebook posts about various leaders can also be effective ways to jump in their spotlight. Bullies aren’t just mean. They’re self-serving. They’re platform-hunting. They have to borrow one to perform.
No, I don’t think that saying all of this will change it much but some things still need to be said. Sometimes we need to speak up and call something wrong. There’s a bigger issue in the Body of Christ than immorality. It’s hatefulness. If the greatest priority Christ assigned to us was love, the gravest offender is hate.
Just about the time cynicism threatens to overwhelm us and turn us into the very people we can’t stand, genuine love – the real thing – erupts right here on this earth like concrete breaking open to a spring. Compassion and tremendous affection are pouring forth from the Body of Christ for the Warrens right now. It is right and it is lovely. We have been served well by them and have learned so much from them. To respond with expressions of love, comfort, and intercession is our honor and privilege. We must and we will.
But even now at the hardest moment of their lives the Warrens can teach something vital if we are willing to learn. Their heartbreak demonstrates what has always been true but has never been more profoundly overlooked: these who serve us publicly also suffer privately. They are not caricatures. They are not just personalities. They are people living on a painful planet with the rest of us.
The Warrens will come forth like gold. The enemy will not win. They will fight the good fight. They will finish the race. They will keep the faith.
I love the Body of Christ. I don’t want want to get cynical. I don’t want to sit around and hate the haters or I become one. But this morning I just want to say this. We can love each other better. Let’s do. People have enough hurt. Let’s be careful with one another.

Gentle Lessons on Trusting our Good Heavenly Father

Do you see it?  Do you see the bird FEEDER that a bird thought would be a perfect spot for a nest?  A pair of house finches worked for a few days as they quickly assembled their nest.  We were delighted to watch, but if the birds caught sight of us, they quickly flew away.  My sweet husband taped a piece of paper on the window so the birds couldn't see us and  would stop being afraid.    We meant them no harm, but to the birds we had to look like big, scary predators.  The birds couldn't comprehend that we were nothing to be fearful of.  God spoke to my heart and said, "That lump in your breast, the one that is hard, doesn't move.. the lump that the doctor said you have to have more tests done, more scans, ultrasounds to determine if it is breast cancer... that lump.. it is nothing to be fearful of,,  Just like you look scary to the birds, this lump looks scary to your regular doctor and you, but it is nothing.".   I clearly heard Him say that to me after a day of fear gripping my heart.  I had already had 3 weeks of knowing about the lump... 3 week of "what if's".   3 weeks of trying to trust His hand.  3 weeks of praying for the peace that transcends all understanding that would guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)     I told only one friend about the voice in my spirit.   I told her about it  two days before my 3 hour appointment filled with more mammograms  ultrasounds, and breast care specialists.   I told her that I was holding on to those words...the words about the birds being scared of harmless me... and me being scared of the harmless lump...      I was holding on to those words ...trusting that they were truly words from  the Holy Spirit comforting me. 

The lump ended up being a harmless fat necrosis.   It consists of fatty tissue that has been bruised, injured, or had died. It tends to feel and look like cancer on a mammogram  but an ultrasound shows its gooey center and smooth edges which is NOT like cancer.   (The lump likely formed  from a blind horse biting me over a year ago). 

Why did God have me walk through these weeks?  What was the purpose? I suppose He is still working on my spiritual muscles of trust.   In those weeks, I only had one really bad trust day with the LORD.  One really bad, "Can I trust the goodness of God?"   Even if it had been cancer, yes, I can trust in His goodness.    I have learned I can trust that God goes before me  and is working on my behalf, even when I can NOT see the entire picture.  (If you can't see His hand...trust His heart),  I am so thankful for the patience of the LORD.  I am so thankful that He isn't done with me.  .. I am so thankful for His loving direction.  I am so thankful for His example of humility and kindness (Philippians 2) .  May we pass that on to other mere people.   God doesn't lack the power to do what He wants to do!    Trust Him, the Good Heavenly father.

Everyone loves a Cinderella story..even in Baseball?

Who knew that Baseball could have a Cinderella story.  That is what is happening with Atlanta Braves catcher,  #24, Evan Gattis.  Gattis has the baseball build at 6 feet 4 inches and 230 lbs. ...but his talent and God-given muscles were almost thrown away.  He  picked up the nickname El Oso Blanco (the nickname means "The White Bear")while playing in the Venezuelan winter league.   His story seems like it could not be true.

 Things started well for Gattis.  Right out of  high school,  he was signed  to play at Texas A&M.  Then, the fall........ as anxiety over the thought of big time college baseball  begin to engulf his baseball dreams.   To cope with the fear and the anger rooted in the pain that came when Gattis' parents divorced when he was 8 years old, he falls into drug and alcohol dependency.   Thankfully, he gets placed into rehab.  At rehab, he  made a discovery.  "When he got out of rehab, they said, 'You don't have a drug problem. You have a depression problem. You have an anger issue.'" said Jo Gattis, the catcher's father. "That was kind of reassuring because I didn't think he had a drug problem."

 Baseball provided a positive outlet....and he reenters the game.    Next, while at junior college,  he hurts his knee, loses his love for baseball, and  decides  to quit the game he used to love.  Gattis squanders four years wandering around the west doing odd jobs such as being a janitor, ski lift operator, and Yellowstone Park employee. He finds some healing by seeking for the meaning of life. Finally, Gattis love for baseball reignites. ..and he is ready to  play again. ..        Even at an age when most people are done with college, Gattis learned he was still eligible to play ball. In 2010, he enrolled at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.  There  he is able to perform as if  he had  never left.    After batting over .400, he was drafted by the Braves in the 23rd round in 2010. Three years later (2013) he makes the Opening Day roster. In his major league debut, while his father is interviewed on TV, he hits a home run off a former Cy Young Award winner, Roy Halladay.       Unbelievably, the ball lands in the hands of a guy from .  ...(drum roll)......Texas A&M.  He currently is batting .391 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI's.   I am not sure what we are going to do with Brian McCann as he is due back, possibly replacing Gattis in the 4th spot.  While Gattis is a rookie, he’s unfortunately already 26  years of age..  . I don't know what the future years hold for him. but I am rooting for him!

Brainless?

Today I received a comment from an atheist that decided that he or she needed to verbally attack my intelligence ... due to  my Christian beliefs.   I wonder if this person would be shocked to know I finished my 4 year degree in 3 years with a 4.0 average... or that I went on to finish my masters and specialist's degrees with a 4.0 average.  I wonder if they would care to know that I gave 7 years of my life as a public school teacher... little pay but needing to give much.     I wonder if they would care to know that I attempt every day to help, not to hurt others.  I wonder if they would care to know that I feel no need to "attack" them due to their beliefs or lack thereof.  They say, "Be tolerant"...yet, they do not wish to be tolerant of me.

Faith?  ABSOLUTELY!  God given!  I take no credit.  I just pray others can SEE the majesty of His creation and His hands all over it.

God has revealed Himself over and over to me.  After having such revelation, it  would be brainless  of me not to follow.


Romans 1 ¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Easter bunny vs The Cross

My sister and I (I am on the right)..

Here it is....another Easter!  I am so thankful for what the LORD has done.   Yes, life is still difficult at time.  The daily grind that we all have can take a toll,  if we focus on that instead of the eternal perspective.  For me, it is raising one child with medical issues ..and another child with emotional issues from being in a Russian orphanage crib for 12 months without enough food or physical touch.   But, do I have joy?   Yes!  Why?  Because I do believe that God loves me and He has it all under His control.  I trust His hand and His heart.  

When I was a child, Easter was all about the stuffed bunny and the candy eggs that I would find.  Now, I am so grateful that I have a greater appreciation and understanding of the Love that took Christ to the cross...and then to the right hand of the Father!     Now, I see it is the cross, His Resurrection and His love that we should celebrate!     Happy Easter! (1 John 3:16 ¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for each other).

1 Corinthians 13 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I am so thankful that His gospel is fully known to me. ..and praying that you clearly see it.


“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” -Romans 3:23

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

“…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” -Acts 16:31

Marriage legacy

Elaine  and Ray

Russell and Rachel

The picture above is of my mom and dad when they were first married. Now in 2013, they are celebrating 50 years of marriage this year.  They were not believers at the time when they got married, but God..even then... had them model devotion and commitment to me and my two sisters.  After 23 years of marriage, I want a full, Christ filled marriage for all of my family and friends.  I see the importance of the younger women learning from the older women.
Titus 2  says "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God." Titus 2:3-5
We need to know that certain struggles are normal. We need to know how to persevere through certain trials and problems that are bound to happen at some point.  We also need to know the fullness that God intended us to have in our marriage.   We need to know that Marriage is a great blessing...and a healthy, loving marriage is a wonderful thing to pass on to your children.     We need to know what that looks like and what it doesn't look like.  Older women, prayerfully consider a younger woman that you can mentor,,, and younger women, prayerfully look for an older woman that you can ask to help you as you strive to glorify God and fulfill His heart for our marriages....    If you are in the middle of no where, and feel like a mentor is impossible, get in God's word and get wisdom from other Godly people ..via books and the internet.  One good start is Linda Dillow.  http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Like-Married-Dangerous-Questions/dp/1434700569   You can find her book, What's It Like to Be Married to Me?: And Other Dangerous Questions, at the link above.
Much love,
Rachel

On the mat or helping out...

I have been thinking about Hebrews 10 ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Sometimes you need your sisters in Christ to help spur you on…to help you not give up.  Sometimes we are the ones that are spiritually strong and can spur each other on.  Other times, we are the ones just on the mat… barely making it.  Any number of life’s troubles can zap us and that’s when we need our Christian sisters most.    It made me think of this story… Here you can read it in three different gospels. Thank God for the times you are able to take a friend to Jesus vs. being the one needing to be taken to Him…..   I know dealing with high-maintenance people isn't fun. However we are clearly called to spur one another on..and to not give up.  I pray that I always am a reason that people in my life want to know Christ better. I pray that I am  always able to encourage them to turn to Christ. However, when life overwhelms me, I am so thankful for those willing to carry the mat. 

Luke 5

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Mark 2-  A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Matthew 9 : 1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ² Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
⁴ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.