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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

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 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.

In all Your ways submit to Him, and he will make you paths straight.  Proverbs 3:6

When I ask my Garmin GPS to search for the nearest Walmart, it gives me directions that include time and distance through city streets and traffic but it also offers an ‘As the crow flies’ milage. I often find myself envious of the crow.  Oh to have a straight passage, uninterrupted with mundane clutter and disturbances, straight to the place that holds all things I think need.

God, in His great love, offers this “As the crow flies” way of life.  He already carved the path, He keeps it clear of what will hinder, tempt, distract or discourage and accents it with peace and  joy. His path is straight, safe, nurturing and nourishing, but the best part is, every step leads straight to the Throne of God.   

Happy Trails,

Gretchen

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

Sometimes there are no more words to add.  Have a wonderful day 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

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13 NIV

This verse is commonly used to memorialize civil servants and military personnel who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and peace, and rightly done.  Except, this passage of scripture says nothing about the life sacrificed coming to an end.  Jesus is emboldening His disciples to love one another and make love their priority however long life will last.

To lay down our lives for others is to set ourselves aside and put others first, to love others so much that our own feelings, emotions and objectives become shadowed by a world that needs grace.  I’ve often used the slang phrase, “Cut me some slack.”  In other words, “I need your grace, please look beyond my faults, carnal instinct and behavior and forgive me.” I need the grace of my family, colleagues and friends daily.  When they set aside their natural reaction to my mistakes or misspoken words and return kindness and camaraderie, it is an act of laying down their life for the sake of mine. I don’t deserve it but need it in great proportions.  Kindness, goodness, perseverance, self-control…….these things are sacrifices that can be offered in our daily walk and the world really could use it. 

Christ loves us so much that His comforts, His very life, meant nothing in the battle for our eternal soul.  He put us first.  We must lay down our lives and put others first daily…..because it really is ‘What Jesus would do!’

Love,

Gretchen

Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  Lamentations 3:22 NIV

Here is a verse packed with powerful words:

Not, meaning prohibition

Consumed, to destroy or expend by use; completely use up.

Compassions, a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another, a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Never, at no time.

Fail, fall short of success.

I’ve restated Lamentations 3:22 with the help of dictionary.com to illustrate how much love and assurance God gives to those who put their trust in Him.

Because of the LORD’s great love, He will prohibit us from being destroyed or completely used up, for He has a strong desire to alleviate our suffering, He sympathizes with our sorrows and at no time will He fall short of success in this endeavor!

I don’t need to commentate on these impactful words, but I encourage you put these absolutes into your heart and live them as the reality they are.

Have a wonderful mid-week,

Gretchen

The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you,” Genesis 12:1 NIV

This verse marks the beginning of Abram’s story.  God calls to Abram and he obeys. The end………..NOT! 

Abram grew up in the city of Ur.  It was a major port metropolis.  Residents of Ur had financial security and a high standard of living. Abrams father Terah took his entire household and began a trek toward Canaan but stopped in Harran.  Terah did not honor God (Joshua 24:2) and he died before the journey ended.  But God called Abram to leave the traditions and security of his family and the convenience of urban life and go into a wilderness that would be the equivalent to the pioneer’s Kansas prairie. 

Why are these details important?  Because God called Abram away from what was ordinary and comfortable to make him His own, so he could become extraordinary!  Abram’s story ends with a complete change to the history of mankind, so you may think this invalidates the relevance of your obedience on this scale. But the story isn’t about the history of the world, it’s about becoming God’s own. We are nothing until we are God’s own. 

May you feel God’s abundant love today,

Gretchen

Hello again!

“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven” Matthew 6:10 NIV

Holiness is the absence of sin and God and Heaven are Holy. God will not dwell in the presence of sin. SO….if Jesus said to pray, “On earth as it is in Heaven,” modeled in His Sermon on the Mount, (6:9) then Heavenly things are possible on earth.

Ask yourself, “What in Heaven do I long for on earth?”  (Be reasonable and know that those loved ones really don’t want to leave there and come back here.)  I long for God’s power and Holiness to dwell with me on earth just a powerfully as I know it will when my address is Heaven.  I can’t create a perfect earth, but I can pray for a Holy me on earth and live with the confident, overcoming victory I know I will realize when I reside there. The essence of Heaven is a space filled with God’s love, perfect justice and the absence of things that harm and create fear and sorrow.

Today I ask God fill me, my space, with His love and Holiness, empowering my encounters to be as though I was reaching down with God’s touch rather than my own.

Bring Heaven to earth. It is possible or Jesus wouldn’t have said so.

Love,

Gretchen

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4 (Revelation 19-22)

The Garden of Eden was the place God and man dwelt together, but sin separated man from his loving Creator. Now, there is a New Heaven and New Earth where God will dwell eternally. John sees the wedding of The Lamb and His Bride, The Church.  There are many references to wedding guests being invited, but collectively, they are The Bride. Throughout the Bible, the corporate and individual sinner has been labeled prostitute or adulterer. In contrast, it is an honor to be invited as a Bride, without blemish or wrinkle.

John watches as total destruction comes to the unrighteous and their father Satan. His domain was the abyss, the lake of fire, now it is his eternal prison of torture. There are now only two classes of people, the saved and the lost and John sees the glory of God become an eternal light, blotting out darkness and the need for locks and lamps forever. The New Jerusalem has no temple, but why would there be, God and Jesus are our eternal dwelling place, the sacrificing and repenting is done, we have arrived!

The vision ends, but an angel remains to verify all John has seen and been instructed to relate to those who will follow and believe. John establishes that all he says is true and finally, Jesus authenticates John’s revelation.

In the divine person of Jesus, we are given love, power and the hope of resurrection. The sum of all these things is Abundant Life, today and forever more.

Love,

Gretchen

Dear Beloved Readers,

This post concludes my journey through the Bible chronologically. When I began my blog 1,094 days ago, I felt God was calling me to three years. Today marks 36 months. It has been an incredible undertaking and I am changed forever.  To the future, I am going to rest a little and try to publish some of my other writings, some fiction and some non. For those who have supported and encouraged me from the very first post, thank you so much. You are game changers. For those who have only begun to read my thoughts and studies, if you would like to keep reading my daily devotionals, I am going to return to my first posts and edit them for better understanding. I will begin Sunday, August 18 reposting those for future use, but please understand they are rewrites of my previous work.

I am blessed to call you my friends. Diving deeply and daily into God’s word is the greatest joy I’ve ever known. Thank you for joining me.

Love Always,

Gretchen

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are Holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:4 (Revelation 14-18)

Before John is given the view of God’s wrath, exacted in perfect judgement upon those who brought suffering upon the faithful, he hears a sound, like the roaring of the sea. It is a New Song only the redeemed can know. (The number 144,000 is not literal, but represents all God’s people.) All Heaven is singing praise for the mighty works of God. The prophets and Gospel writers were right; steadfast and persevering hope have brought rest from the toils and sorrows of life on earth. Heaven erupts in unutterable joy and praise for deliverance. This harvest brings a finality to mankind’s struggle against evil.

After this amazing celebration of believers comes a solemn ceremony where seven angels are given seven vials of God’s wrath. These judgments parallel Egypt’s plagues. Persecution, oppression and abuse are avenged to the fullest degree! The Redeemed bear the mark of God and the wicked are marked by their allegiance also. There is no escaping what you have lived.

Babylon is mentioned in these chapters. It is representative of all nations that have used political  and religious power treat people as commodities. Every age has its Babylon, that which entices people away from God by means of greed, luxury and selfish pleasure. But rest assured, God’s faithful will be vindicated. It is so certain, it’s as if it’s already happened. So, join Heaven’s chorus and sing a New Song in worship for what God has done, will do, and is doing!

Do, Mi, Sol,

Gretchen