The Lord goes, comes and is

"And the Lord, 'He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Lord,

What do You want me to do?

What do You want me to learn?

Do your arms enfold themselves around me and I do not feel it?

Has the pain I feel so overcome me that I've missed your loving touch?

Have I missed whatever point you have for me?

Show me Lord how to be more aware of You, more in tune, more focused on You,

less on me.

In your name I make this petition. Amen.

The Lord calls us to life

The Lord calls us to life, therefore we shouldn't let our struggles, our failures define who we are. Each one of us has a struggle we face. We are, after all, sinners. But when we come to Jesus and accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior, because of His great love for us, we are freed from the bonds, the chains which confine us and overwhelm us and keep us locked up in our minds of what we can't do.

I think there are a great many Christian people who gravitate to this level of thinking. It is disheartening. God tells us, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8) So what do we do?! We listen to others, we talk to ourselves. We think, well God may say that, but its others we have to convince that the reason something is or isn't is because of this and this or that. Bunk!

Where does it say in the Bible that we have to convince others of anything? No one other person is better than another. We have no right to judge another of our shortcomings. We are all sinners, saved by God's grace.

We don't have to convince anyone that because of this you can't do that.

If you are a pastor and think a Bible lesson is boring, why did you present it that way? If it is worthwhile, and Bible study is very worthwhile to my way of thinking, then present it in a way that is exciting. Bring it to life for your listeners. If you think its boring, others will think its boring, and if that's the case, one would think twice about anything to do with God.

Struggles. Failures. Poor choices abound. God brought you out of a past, whether it was 30 years ago or 30 minutes ago. We make mistakes. Past, current, future. We don't have to spend our time talking about them and reliving them. God knows us, inside and out. If we confess our sins, if we truly repent of our sins, God forgives us. We do not need to repeatedly confess our sins to others. We do not need to apologize for our past. God has not condemned us. He has forgiven us.

Perhaps you have not forgiven yourself. Perhaps you think if you explain, then the fear you have of what others will think of you will be less.

God calls each of us to a specific task. Pastoring a church is a noble thing, but it's not the only thing, it's not the top bar on the ladder.

It is not fair to say, I can't because I failed. King David failed. It didn't stop him. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It would be fairer to say, I can't because I believe my failures prevent me. I can't because I'm scared.

What is your failure? That maybe you truly didn't hear God? Sometimes the road we travel winds this way and that. Sometimes we backtrack.

We listen. God's voice is sometimes in the still of the morning rush, sometimes in the roar of thunder directly overhead.

Do we sometimes think that when God calls it is only to preach and pastor a church? ... that He only calls men? Could He not call us, male and female, to another just as noble position in life?

We are to go forth and serve.

Jesus is our goal, our model. To be like Him in every respect. To carry on, to go forth, to serve, to be. God doesn't make failures. He loves us. He guides us. He does not condemn us. So we shouldn't condemn ourselves either. Start from where you are.

Some people say "I'm sorry" for everything; in a perpetual state of apology for past, present and future shortcomings.

Jesus didn't apologize. He stated fact, lovingly, and moved on.
He was. He is.
We are sinners.
We have been born-again, set free.
Let's live as free, not still enslaved in our past, striving to break free. God wants us to live, not be defeated by something that is no longer.

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)

Temptation

"And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (last part of the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:13)

How do you pray "lead us not into temptation?"

It seems I am forever faced with such
and it is agony
and agonizing

Lord,
Lead me not into my own will
Lead me away from all that is bad for me
Make Your will stronger than my will.

How can I pray at that last minute.

There I have no strength,
no will power

There is nothing.
I give in.
I have fallen
and then
I have consequences to face.

I learn.
I understand.
But unfortunately,
the learning and the
understanding
don't stay with me.
It dissipates
and a return
to those things
I really don't want to do
comes again.

Please Lord
Lead me elsewhere
Away from all
the not-so-good-for-me
temptations.

Only with Jesus

Risk-taking faith. Healing begins when we do something. Is it any something or must it be something phenomenal? Going to the doctor may not be enough. That perhaps is not a risk? Healing begins when we reach out, when we take a step. How big a step? How much?

God, Max Lucado says, honors radical, risk-taking faith. What is radical. Where can I find healing from the pain, relief from the pain. The pain that distracts me, that prevents a good night's sleep and through the day.

There are many, besides myself, who seek healing - from pain, disease, anything and everything. Many, many.

Leg pain, reoccurring leg pain, newborn surgery, foot surgery, diabetes, arthritis, carpal tunnel, shoulder surgery, cancer. So much, so so much.

And then there are answers. Thank you Lord for answers. You do answer. You provide the answers we seek. Sometimes we don't always see them staring us right in the face. Sometimes we are so blind. Our understanding takes so long, doesn't come as fast as we'd like. You know all. We are so slow.

But we pray. We continue to pray for our friends, our family, ourselves and we continue to praise you and give thanks for all you bestow upon us.

It does not come easily to thank you for the turmoils that come upon us. But when we seek you in their midst, we do find, perhaps, a bit of relief, possibly complete healing or remission. But best of all, we find peace. And rest in you Lord Jesus.

And because of You, we can overcome. Because of You dear Lord, because of You in us, we can overcome. Thank you Lord.

Thank you for helping me to remember that it is through You, in You, walking beside me, carrying me, I can overcome each struggle. Only by your power is it possible.

"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth." - Psalm 145:18

"With God, all things are possible." Matthew 19:26a

Anxious moments and our response

The other day a friend sent me an entry from the Our Daily Bread devotional. "Try to Relax" was the topic. How do you accomplish that? The act of trying requires effort and exertion whereas relaxation is an absence of both effort and exertion. So how to try to relax. You can't. You can't try. You have to do. You have to trust - not yourself, but God.

My anxiety seems to have moved God off His throne in my life and put all my anxious thoughts there instead. It has only been in the most recent days that I have found this true. Well, probably, actually, the past four weeks or so.

• Anxious about my husband Jim doing physical therapy exercises at home or not doing them - primarily the latter
• Anxi0us that he would end up with a frozen shoulder and require additional surgery to rework the shoulder
• Anxious about the disc protrusion in my lower back causing pain in my left hip and down both legs
  
• Anxious about less money coming in and the same or more going out

Prayers went out, prayers were answered ... for some of these anxious moments.

Yet I didn't fully let go of all the anxiety surrounding and just allow God to control the situation, to control my life.

January is such a pitifully long month - 31 days long.

I looked back at the goals I had set for myself at the beginning of the month. They were not and are not still, selfish goals, but it appears I am off track. I have done something wrong have I not?

My first goal - I want to live these days with You Lord, only You.

My second goal - I want to follow you Lord, be obedient, wherever You take me, making no excuses.

I must not be obedient, I must be making excuses. I have failed.

Is the Lord thoroughly disappointed in me or will He give me ANOTHER chance to Follow Him and Obey Him and make No Excuses WHEREVER He takes me?

When I set that goal, I bet I didn't stop to consider all that it encompassed. I certainly have a better idea of what it means now.

I do want to follow You Lord. I do want to be obedient to You Lord ... Wherever it takes me, with No Excuses. Help me I pray to achieve that. Help me to see your hand in everything that comes along and show me how I am to respond.

I frequently do not respond well. All the anxiety of past weeks has caused a recurring bout with skin rash to rear its ugly head. Five days off work this past week and repeated visits to doctors with stronger and stronger meds prescribed. There is some relief. But is it from the medicine itself or is it the Holy Spirit reminding me of God's truths.

How far will I have to go before I give up, stop fighting, and give in to God?

It is hard. My skin tingles, my eyes twitch. It is not easy to concentrate on something other than the itching or anything else that distracts me from the Lord and His word.

Eating M&Ms is a stress reducer of choice. It doesn't really reduce any stress. It just makes me feel better for a moment. I can't say, "I can't help it," when I really can. That is an excuse, a poor one at that. M&Ms only add weight on to a body that needs to have a reduction in size. Another anxiety booster.

What I desire I don't do and what I don't desire that I do.

It applies to so many things.

Another anxiety booster I have is noise levels, such as when someone is trying to be quiet and is not succeeding, or where there are errors and no way to fix them.

Trust God for the outcome of all of life's trials. Give up the personal anxiety agenda disorder. Give in to the Lord who knows you in and out, today, tomorrow and forever after. Put your whole body, mind and soul into His care. Rely on Him for everything.

As Psalm 46 says:

(1) "God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
(2) Therefore we will not fear
(7) The Lord of hosts is with us;
(10) Be still and know that I am God;
(11) The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge."

"Be still and know"
God knows today and tomorrow and all future days and all former days. We are safe when we rely in Him and on Him.

It is hard to put into practice. It is hard to give up each anxious moment and be still in the Lord. It is so very hard.

God never said it would be easy. That doesn't make it less worthwhile.

Help me Lord to follow You.
Help me Lord to be obedient to You.
Help me Lord wherever You take me.
Help me Lord to not make excuses for all my shortcomings.
Help me Lord to become less anxious at each venture I face.
Help me Lord to see past the turmoils and seek You at every point.
Help me Lord.
I know I cannot do this alone.
Give me your peace.
In this your name I pray.
Amen.

Warnings

"Now, therefore, says the Lord, turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (Joel 2:12a)

Prosperity can result in complacency and negligence to our commitment to the Lord.

Having less can result in self-pity, anxiety, remorse, depression.

Where is the best place to be?

Richness, poorness, it has nothing really to do with material things. Only when our entire being - mind, soul and body is centered on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can we experience wholeness, peace. But it is so hard to come by is it not? It shouldn't be. Sometimes it isn't. But sometimes it is.

Talk to the Lord. Share with Him your feelings, your desires, your wants and wishes, your fears. He's the best one to talk with and walk with. If you earnestly seek His input, His guidance, you will find it.

Why do you wander?

Because Satan puts devious thoughts, negative thoughts in our heads and we pay more attention to that than what the Lord has to say to us. Satan is never out looking for our well-being. He wants to bring us down, to get us to forget we are one of God's precious children. He wants to make us believe we are more important than anyone or anything and what we want, we deserve.

Beware.
Jesus tells us to "watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."
(Matthew 24:42)

The Lord sends us warnings. What we do with them is our response to whose lordship we are under.

Only God

"If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31a)

"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?" (Romans 8:33)

"Who is he who condemns?" (Romans 8:34a)

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:35)

The answer ..... No One

God is in control of all, of all the earth, over all the earth. He knows our comings and goings, our desires and dreams, our sinfulness, our evilness. What! we say we have none. We deceive ourselves. We are not perfect. There is only one who is perfect. The great I am. The Lord Jesus. Unblemished and pure.

God knows our struggles, the misfortunes we are dealth. You think He doesn't care?! He cares. When we are one with Him, He is one with us. We have to rely on Him alone. Saying that is one thing. Doing that is entirely something else. He does not rejoice in our pain. It does not make him happy, only sad.

True Love for Him, the Lord Jesus, True obedience. Studying His word, not those of false teachers, not oral traditions handed down from one generation to the next. Being mindful of what the Lord God says in His word and through the Holy Spirit who lives in the hearts of His children.

Negativity downtroddens the best of us. We allow negative thoughts from others and from ourselves to overpower all of God's goodness and even though God has promised to be with us we fund it hard to believe that. We give in to depressing thoughts and wallow in self doubts and pity, grieving for what we don't have.

But Jesus says to us, "With God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26a)

With God. Walk with Him, Talk with Him, Praise Him, Seek Him, Remember Him, Rejoice in Him, Pray to Him.

All things are possible ... with God.

But without Him, we are doomed.

Being obedient

When
you get too close
to the Truth
of who Jesus is
and what He represents

When
you are obedient
to the Lord
and teach from the heart
His commandments

Others
become afraid.
They don't want
what you have
They don't want
what Jesus offers.

They want you
to leave, to depart
to be gone
They don't want
to be bothered.

So you go.

But you remain
faithful, obedient
to the Lord Jesus

Through prayer.

"Then they came to Jesus and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region." (Mark 5:15, 17)

Cathy Orrick Luders
11.11.09

We must look to Him

"Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble." -- (Peter says to Jesus in Matthew 26:33)

If we do the Lord's bidding without questioning His reasoning, the results we see will be one hundredfold or more. Jesus is our master. He is in control. We must be obedient to Him and Him only if we are to achieve any success. True success is only found through the Lord Jesus, not through our individual efforts.

Look to Him always and all all times, through hardship and agonies, and through the good times. Jesus will see us through. We must return to His fold, remain wrapped in His love, stay constant in His word, pray without hesitation and fear.

The fear is Satan's push to bring us down to his level, where we wallow in self despair. We take the whole world on our back and shoulders and are burdened with thoughts of what we should do. Give it to Jesus! Give it all to Jesus!

It is not so easy. Talk is cheap. But we who have received the Lord's gift of salvation know who Jesus is. His talk is not cheap. It teaches us volumes. His talk reaps great reward. Are you listening? Do you hear. Do you believe. Have you forgotten.

We all stumble, but we don't have to remain there. Pick yourself up and carry on. Ask the Lord to help you. You must ask! You must be willing to receive, to accept.

Stumbling does not mean you have failed. Refusing to be renewed, restored, rejuvenated, refusing to be reunited with the Lord will be the destroyer. Do not refuse. Do not give in or give up because your own perceptions indicate failure. Has the Lord said to you "You are no good? or You are useless! You are worthless?" I doubt it. Those are our words. The Lord brings us, sends us, gives us, LOVE.

There is great sadness when Jesus sees our Yes Lord become No, No I won't do it, No I'm not your child. No, No, No. We must not go there. We should not allow the world's woes to become our downfall and the way we would go. Nothing in and of the world is more powerful than the Lord Jesus.

Rely on Him always and forever, for everything, at all costs. When He is with us, we can overcome all that is in the beyond.

Try Again. With Jesus. Not alone, not with a friend. With Jesus. Try Life with Jesus. Live Life with Jesus. Again and again and again. Always. Never ending. Don't give up.
Try again. He is the answer to ALL we seek. In Him there is hope. Try again. The Lord is waiting.

Escape the darkness; walk in the Light

Friday I spoke of the darkness that comes when we are without Christ and shared a poem written during my Christ-less college days in the early 1970s. Today the Lord led me to Isaiah 59 --

(1) "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.
(2) But your iniquities have separated you from your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.
(3) For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.
(4) No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies, They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
(7) Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
(8) The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.
(9) Therefore justice is far from us; Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
(10) We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places.
(12) For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with, And as for our iniquities, we know them:
(13) In transgressing and lying against the Lord, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
(15) Then the Lord saw it and it displeased Him That there was no justice.
(16) He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness it sustained Him.
(20) 'The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression ...,' says the Lord."

Hence, we come to John 3: 16-17 which says:
"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. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the wold, but that the world through Him might be saved."

Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do you have a personal relationship with Him?
Have you accepted Him as your Savior and redeemer?
Have you accepted His ways as your ways?
Have you turned from disobedient living for yourself to obedience in and of Him and His ways?
Are you walking in the light -- His light?

Where do you stand?

God speaks through His word to those who listen with their heart.

Praise lightens burdens

Praise can lighten your heaviest burden.

"Bless (adore, thank) the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, o my soul, And forget not all His benefits;" (Psalm 103: 1-2)

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord." (Psalm 104: 33-34)

"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 106: 1)

We cry out to the Lord in our trouble.
He saves us out of our distress
He sends His word and heals us
He delivers us from our destructions
He calms our storms
He blesses us
(Psalm 107: 19-20, 29, 38)

"Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord." (Psalm 107: 43)

Why do I not understand?
Am I foolish
Do I not
Am I not

Help my understanding
for I do not
at all
know why
the "be fruitful and multiply"
did not
was not

How do I understand
How do I get past

I continue to seek Lord.
Heal my sorrow.

That was this morning.

It is evening now.

It dawned on me ... everyone can "be fruitful and multiply." The Lord hears our heartfelt turmoils and is there. He is always there. I need to be where He is. Heal me Lord Jesus.

Jesus

Jesus
Is

"And suddenly a voice (God) came from heaven, saying 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' " (Matthew 3:17)

"He who believes in Me (Jesus) believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me." (John 12: 44-45)

"who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person" (Hebrews 1:3)

"and suddenly, they (the demons) cried out, saying, 'What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29)

God the Son

God the Father

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved."
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 10:13)

My Lord

My Savior

Jesus Is.

Is He yours?

When we

When we step away from our obedience to God and determine in our hearts that we have more important things to do, that there are activities, events that won't get done if we are bogged down in Bible study and prayer, we have very definitely missed the mark. We will discover there is absolutely less we will accomplish. Our lives will be topsy-turvy.

You may have much to do, to accomplish, but without God guiding you, teaching you, providing insight for you, what do you, have you gained?

I remember years ago thinking I wish we could live like the Bible teaches, but I didn't know how. When our church participated in the Purpose-Driven Life I embarked on a journey I never wanted to be sidetracked from. And a recent Sunday School book study, "Loving God With All Your Mind" by Elizabeth George reaffirms it.

Reading and studying the Bible daily, being in tune to what God may be saying to me throughout the day has become of utmost importance. It begins my day. I am better for it when He is there with me early in the day rather than later or not at all.

I am not an early morning person, but if getting up earlier to spend time with the one who enables me to be a better individual to myself and to others, then so be it.

You just don't want to procrastinate. Don't put off for another day. Make a list, check it more than once. Seek His will, consider, remember He knows all, He is. We are His creation. If it were not so, we would not be.

Our relationship to God on earth will determine our relationship to Him in eternity.

When we are absent from our home church and unable to fulfill our tithe, when we return how much do we give? What do we do if 10 percent of our income no longer exists? If we give less does it mean God considers us irreverent? Is it reasonable to feel guilty? Has Satan brought this fear upon me? How should I respond?

Fear means my trust, my faith in God is wavering, that I trust myself or another more than I trust Him. No! I can only do what the Lord commands. I must give. But what amount? The percentage was determined long ago, as was the obedience. Still, our money has dwindled. Will God show me something new? Does our tithe always go to our home church? The tithe is the top best you have. Not always in money. I remember reading that somewhere. How you live, helping another, sharing from your abundance with another.

"When God's at the center of your life, you worship. When He's not, you worry."

Help me Lord to not be consumed with worry, but only in worshiping you.

Do we thank Him?

Psalm 107 -- "O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation; And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.

The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD."


We cry out to the Lord in times of trouble and the Lord hears and saves us from our distresses. He heals us, delivers us, leads us in the right way, He satisfies our longings, He feeds us, He protects us, He blesses us.

Yet, do we give Him honor and praise ... do we thank the Lord for His goodness, and mercy, and love?

Or do we think we deserve all that we have ... do we think it is only by our own limited power we achieve?

How far we think we have come only to discover we have gotten nowhere.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14a)

I think not. No, I'm positive nothing is too hard for the Lord.

And, if we:

Trust in Him

Believe in Him

Put our Hope in Him

Pray in His name

Abide in Him

Follow in His footsteps

Stay in His word

Focus on His truths

Remember His promises,

it won't be too hard for us either,

because

"With God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

It's when we leave Him out of the picture, when He isn't in the center of our lives, that we are in a vast world of lostness.....