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Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.Hebrews 10:23 

Think for a moment about how many things make you swerve. A deer crossing the road, a child in the hallway, carrying a heavy load along a rough path…..the list is extensive. It is human nature to carry all human instincts, (and I’m not saying this reflex is bad or wrong) into our spiritual lives. But the truth of Mercy and Grace assures us of a clear route with explicit direction by the One who has faithfully led and loved unwaveringly. Swerving is where we get in trouble, flinching is not something we do spiritually. 

Jesus sacrificed His own life, God gave His one and only Son, as the final sacrifice for sins committed, past present and future. God can Forgive, did forgive and will forgive those who place their trust in Christ. This is our unshakable hope. 

Standing Firm,

Gretchen

The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147:11

The Lord’s delight, His great pleasure, is not in what we have accomplished under our own strength, but rather, our reverence for His sovereign authority over all creation. Our only hope comes through God’s faithful and unending love, through which we find salvation and security. 

Psalms 146-150 are titled ‘Hallelujah’ Psalms. They each begin and end with the word hallelujah, interpreted, ‘praise the Lord.’ It is a climatic closing to the entire book of Psalms echoed in the 19th chapter of Revelation. Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, and 6 tell of the multitude in Heaven shouting ‘Hallelujah,’ salvation and glory are His. He reigns!

You are His delight and that is something to be grateful for. Thanksgiving should always be our voice in praise. Humble gratitude is the purest and most appropriate response, for He has done great things.

Love,

Gretchen

And in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over
every power and authority. Colossians 2:10 NIV

I should really back this devotional up to verse 8 which states, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

There is no argument that humans across the globe share similar patterns of behavior. We tend to act and react the same way in response to stimuli. We cry over a sad story, we cheer when the underdog triumphs over insurmountable odds, AND we all get bogged down in the drudgery of everyday life. We are a very predictable species.

Except………

In Christ’s fullness you break the barriers of ordinary, habitual and frustratingly destructive conduct. In Christ you become all you are meant to be! You are no longer commanded by predictable human nature. Christ has every power in Heaven and earth and through Christ you are filled with that same power to overcome the ordinary responses of human nature. Faith tears down fear, love nullifies anger, mercy wins over vengeance and grace irradiates poverty of body and soul.

The fullness of Christ means to lose our human nature and take the nature of Christ. It’s a total makeover, totally free and totally worth it!

Love,

Gretchen

Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.   1 John 4:8

Sometimes there are no more words to add. Have a wonderful weekend and know, you are loved, you are cherished and you have great value because God gave His Son so that sin (yours or anyone else’s) cannot hold you captive.

Love,

Gretchen

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

When I read this verse I often respond mentally, “Yeah! In a perfect world.” I have been recognized as the world’s foremost worrier.

This is not a gentle suggestion for those lucky folks with an extra dose of ‘chill’ ability. It is a command to be a pro-active participant in your thought and emotional processes. Cease worrying, it is your choice! Let your worry time become worship time. 

We appreciate opportunities of ‘one and done’, even when it comes to our faith, but Paul reminds us, we are called to a lifestyle of surrender, not because we are defeated, but because it is the only path to victory. Prayer must be our primary, reflexive response in ALL things. In that worry time, turned to worship time, express thanksgiving for God’s presence and His Faithful Goodness. And, when you struggle, wondering why you must ask for things God already knows you need, remember, God is inviting you to be a participant in His blessings for you and others.

Worry Less, Worship More,

Gretchen

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3

The book of James is like a hot stove in my secret places only God and I know about. When I touch it I get burned. But as a maturing, spiritual adult, I know fire is a purifying agent as well, and so, I return to that which I know I need from the brother of Jesus who didn’t believe until after the resurrection.

James remained in Jerusalem during Rome’s occupation that resulted in great hardship and persecution for the early believers both Jew and Gentile. He found the secret to spiritual strength. It is a faith proven in calm joy, because there will be a day when God will wipe away all tears. 

Patience works perfection and wisdom is our source of sound judgment in the practical, feet on the ground everyday life. Prayer is the means by which we access all of the above. Unwavering faith isn’t our default setting, but it can become our mind’s algorithm when we make it our choice to believe in the impossible and expect a miracle.

Love, 

Gretchen

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

In chapters 15, 16 and 17 Jesus knows His time in human flesh is coming to an end. It will be brutal and incredibly frightening to His followers. He uses these final moments to prepare His friends with courage and peace. His words include instruction to love one another, keep Christ’s commandments, abide in Him always, produce the fruit of His Spirit and expect some pruning and persecution. 

Up until this time the disciples have not seen Jesus through the lens of Heaven’s mediator. There has been little reason to ask Jesus for anything. He has seen their need and provided, but His presence is going to change forms and He wants them, and us, to understand it is a greater gift, not a lesser one. 

Jesus was going into the depths of man’s greatest sorrow knowing a present grief and fear would soon turn to joy. The joy of the resurrection would conquer the grief of the crucifixion. However, spiritual survival would have great challenges. Jesus has fulfilled many Jewish traditions that will no longer be relevant, i.e. animal sacrifice and ceremonial washing. The saved have direct access to God’s Holiness, Goodness and Grace. Coming directly to Him daily with nothing by praise and petition will be new and confusing, but it is God’s plan, it’s how He wants us to communicate and be communicated with. This is the way of a living, working, loving, saving God.

Come Boldly to the Throne! 

Gretchen

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5 NIV

It is never appropriate to pull one verse away from its context and give it independent meaning. This verse is an extreme example. Read John 3:1-21 and experience the story of Nicodemus, a pharisee, a prominent powerful Jewish leader, coming to Jesus in the dark of night seeking answers.

Jesus did not scold Nicodemus like a naughty child for lurking about in secret but neither did He laud him for his status. He simply explained God’s love, God’s plan and God’s redeeming hope. The beautiful words of John 3:16 were first uttered to this struggling seeker.

Jesus gave Nicodemus what He gives us all, the offer of salvation from a world that will kill us and redemption from the hater that thinks he owns us. The choice is ours, no one else’s. Just remember, you are worth the great price that was paid for you and instead of bondage you receive perfect, unfathomable freedom!

In His Great Love,

Gretchen

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 NIV

Meek is an adjective that has been totally flipped by the English language. It is a positive descriptive word but a self absorbed world that demands its own way has devalued meekness to the point that it brings shame. By human standards meekness denotes someone who is easily maneuvered against their will while never daring to protest, an easy target that no one ever dreams of becoming. Yet, Jesus states in His Sermon on the Mount, meekness as a very desirable characteristic in achieving favor on earth.

What’s the real deal with meekness then? Meekness begets kindness, practices forbearance, depends on faithfulness, exercises gentleness and self-control and reaps love and joy. Isn’t ‘Meek’ a beautiful ideal?

Meekness is not weakness, it’s strength under perfect control.

Blessings,

Gretchen

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

God is excellent and worthy of praise. This psalm celebrates God’s power using the symbolism of Jerusalem’s imposing fortress-like structure as an impregnable presence and protection in tandem with a future eternal kingdom. All the writer says about the present Jerusalem will be steadfast and true (multiplied by infinity) of our eternal place with God. 

The point isn’t just to understand and celebrate God’s greatness in the immediate testimony of those who witnessed this greatness, but to keep it close to our hearts so that we may teach the next generation and they may teach the one after about God’s perfect faithfulness. 

Although God’s perfect love, power and wisdom are manifested on earth through His deeds, God’s works and protections for His chosen people should inspire awe and security in the hearts of Christians today and give the courage and strength to spread the Gospel. 

Love,

Gretchen