Sonshine!

The Heavens are Yours, and yours also, the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. Psalm 89:11

Ethan the Ezrahite, this Psalm’s composer, was one of David’s song leaders. Imagine King David, and all of Jerusalem having amazing worship led by appointed leaders like Ethan. I hope Heaven has a highlight reel when I get there. I’m sure this Psalm will be on the playlist.

God as creator of everything is the rightful owner. He is all and has all, yet He gave all for you and I. These lyrics are a lengthy story of God, our faithful covenant keeper, powerful protector and all seeing, all knowing, perfect judge.

In times of great need, whether it is perseverance, faith, protection, comfort…….there is absolute assurance in knowing who God is and who isn’t god. He is the ONLY One, True, Good, Good Father.

Happy Wednesday,

Gretchen

Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God. I Peter 1:21

At the time Peter wrote this letter the church is 35 years old and Paul has just been martyred. Nero has declared war on Christianity and by his example the torture and persecution of Christians reached across the entire Roman Empire. It was brutal. Silas was tasked to carry this letter to the many churches Paul established, filled with Peter’s love and encouragement to remember hope is found only in the Resurrection of Jesus. Peter felt with great certainty that he and his wife would soon be martyred for their commitment to the perpetuation of the Gospel, but their salvation was sealed by Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, so they had comfort rather than terror.

Peter was a front row witness to Jesus’ miracles, the crucifixion, the empty tomb, Christ’s fellowship before the ascension, the ascension AND Pentecost. Of course his hope was in the Savior he knew personally, but this letter is a testimony to those who had not seen and heard as Peter had.

It was not silver and gold, man’s most precious commodity, that secured eternal life, but the very thing that flows through a body and sustains life. That most wonderful gift was blood, Jesus’ blood, given to ransom and redeem our souls. Peter saw it in living color and wants us to know with total assurance that it is true.

Love,

Gretchen

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 3:9

Jesus had just made the Pharisees very angry by speaking of eternal life and being in the presence of Abraham in Heaven, thus discrediting their arguments that Jesus cannot be the Son of God. They picked up stones to kill Him but it was not yet time. As He was leaving He healed a man blind since birth. Wow, Jesus is fleeing death threats and stops to help the helpless!

It was traditional thought that bad things happened to bad people, so if you were suffering you obviously had a secret sin that needed to be confessed and atoned. Jesus put this assumption to rest. Suffering is a result of the downfall of the human race, but particular people are not targeted. God is NOT petty or vengeful.

God seeks to bring good from bad. This man’s blindness led to a face to face encounter with Jesus. Not only were his eyes were open but his heart was too, and he believed.

To believe through despair that God is Good is an act of great faith. Seek the face of Jesus. All you need is found there.

Love,

Gretchen

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

The Christian converts of Jerusalem felt their city would soon be capital of the entire world, for Jesus was to return, establish His Kingdom and rule with justice and peace.  The reality was, their city would soon be obliterated from the face of the earth for the rest of their lifetime. The faith of the early church was going to be tested and stretched as Rome did its worst.

Hebrews is the last epistle written. Paul writes, only a few years before the destruction of David’s City, not knowing the future, but knowing His LORD.

Aside from John’s account of the empty tomb, there are no words in scripture that give me more hope than these.  Before the world was created Jesus was there and as man fell short of the perfect image of God there was a plan of redemption and restoration. Today, I am a sinner saved by grace because everything He’s ever done for anyone else (as scripture tells),  He will do for me and you, all because our Eternal Savior loves.

You are loved,

Gretchen

The past of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18

Solomon, the second son of King David and Bathsheba, is the primary author of the book of Proverbs. He was an intellectual, business man, botanist, zoologist, politician, poet and moral preacher. Kings came from the ends of the earth to hear him and “pick his brain.’ But for all his fame and fortune, Solomon held the pursuit of wisdom in the absolute highest esteem. He wrote his writing as a practical guide to the ethical standards that God designed and set throughout the entire Biblical story.

Proverbs chapter 4 speaks to the value of seeking wisdom, but verse 18 likens righteous wisdom to the rising sun of each new day. It continues to grow brighter and brighter until it eradicates all darkness, a darkness that causes failure and defeat.

The quest for wisdom makes very logical sense, and keeps you walking in the Sonshine.

Have a Great Weekend Eve,

Gretchen

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

When do you lean? When you are relaxed or when you are tired to the bone? That’s the case with me. Otherwise I’m quite content to be upright under my own strength. Exhaustion from worry or grief and/or an unguarded leisure are the greatest states of vulnerability. In anxious panic we seek logical understanding and reason. When we have the world by the tail on the down hill swing, we don’t need anyone’s advise or support, we just want cheers.

According to dictionary.com trust is the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person or thing, confident expectation, hope. The wise author of this wisdom book tells us that our default action and reaction should be set to trust the LORD with crazy inhibition.

Don’t lean on anyone or anything, just trust the LORD.

Have a Blessed Day,

Gretchen

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying ‘Destroy them!” Deuteronomy 33:27

Moses was at the end of his life. From Pisgah, the highest peak of Mount Nebo, he could see the Promised Land, but he would not set foot in it. Joshua would lead the people home, but first, Moses would speak his final chapter. He was addressing these words to the twelve tribes of Israel, but also to the ages, including me and you.

God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel was; through the nation of Israel all nations would be blessed. This passage is specifically to Israel, but through the Blood of Jesus, of the House of David, of the Tribe of Judah, we are heirs to this Kingdom. What God did for them He will do for us. He’s THAT kind of God!

He is our refuge, our protection from danger, our absolute security and comfort. The victory has been settled, so run, jump and snuggle down into the eternal, everlasting, never changing arms of God.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday,

Gretchen

So that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.Titus 3:7

The letter to Titus is called a Pastoral Epistle. Titus was a Greek/gentile convert of Paul’s who submitted to circumcision, a Jewish law, even though Paul said it was not necessary to achieve mercy and grace. Paul wrote this letter to Titus, who was in Crete, advising and him as he oversaw other pastors of the early church.

Titus’ task was to bring those who had salvation into a life worthy of The One who gave His life for theirs without getting tied up in ‘works verses grace’. We are not saved by our own works, but our works must reflect God’s image and His work in our life.

The word ‘justified’ comes from the word just and its cousin justice. In a court of law, justice is found when all facts have been given and truth has been discerned. The judge then declares what is just and seals it forever with the slam of his gavel. God’s justice is grace, a free from sin because I said so defense! God has declared us NOT GUILTY and ends all debate with His seal, the Blood of Jesus. Why? Because He chooses to.

The Cretans were a tough crowd. They were famous for taking the truth and making a mess of it, but this one thing Paul wanted them to understand! Faith alone brings about salvation, but our behavior afterwards is living proof of where our faith has taken us.

Love,

Gretchen

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

Paul establishes a church in the Corinth, a very modern, metropolitan Greek city with a strong culture of pagan worship that included casual, sexual immorality. Membership of this congregation ranged from slaves to upwardly mobile businessmen. A major crisis arose when converts wanted the blessing of salvation, yet clung tightly to the convenience and fun of loose living. Paul addressed the issues of division that sin caused and then wrote the letter we call I Corinthians. He continued his missionary journey through Asia but waited anxiously for news of this group of new believers that he loved so deeply. In the mean time this former persecutor became the persecuted and lived through many tribulations including a near death experience.

News arrives that the Corinthian church has listened to Paul’s counsel and returned to holiness. Paul is of course relieved and thrilled. He plans to visit but first writes them a letter known as II Corinthians. He tells of God’s comfort through all his trials that ultimately led him to greater understanding and compassion for others. He also addresses the question of integrity and constancy that came into question by nefarious leaders seeking personal power rather than true ministry. This constancy is seen through God’s fulfillment of His promises through His Son Jesus the Christ. The church has stability because God is unchanging, He is YES to all He said He would do, and we, through faith, are the completion, the Amen, of God’s purpose and great love.

God’s truth and mercy endure forever, His plan is and always has been the same…… for you and me to have eternal life!

To God Be the Glory,

Gretchen

For this is what the LORD says, He who created the Heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. He says: “I am the LORD and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18 I strongly recommend you read the entire chapter.

Isaiah is delivering God’s declaration of who He is, God! And He actually says, “Don’t mess with me!” (Paraphrased verse 9) Strong but beautiful! It isn’t just God’s authority that is pronounced, He specifically tells the purposefulness in His creation and gives detail to the future. King Cyrus’ days are 150 years to the future. (Verse 1)

According to Robert Morgan, author of a devotional book, Then Sings My Soul, a poem by Swedish Minister Carl Boberg, written in 1885 was inspired by Isaiah chapter 45. It was set to a melody and traveled around the world, withstood a few revisions and additions before ending up in the hands of George Beverly Shea, musical director for the Billy Graham Crusades. In 1957 George sang this new worship song in New York City. The hymn…..HOW GREAT THOU ART!

Have a Blessed Weekend,

Gretchen