Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

The City Illumed by God’s Glory

 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. (Revelation 21:22-25)

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The sun shone brightly ahead with a fierce intensity. It was impossible to look directly at it. Because the lowered car visor was insufficient, I raised my hand to try and deflect the rays to continue driving. This temporary, and mostly ineffective, shield did not allow me to look at the sun, but I did view a sight I had never witnessed before. The power lines all along the road ahead of me were ablaze with light, a golden brilliance that seemed to sweep upward toward the sky. Literally aglow from the sun’s radiance reflected onto the lines, the sight brought to my mind’s eye the path to the City we each strive with hope and faith to reach one day at the end of our life journey.

This City is described in Revelations in the context of many precious gems that we regard as valuable in this mortal world: jasper, ruby, pure gold, sapphire, emerald, topaz, turquoise, jacinth, amethyst, pearls, onyx, chrysolite, and more.

DESIRABLE. BEAUTIFUL. PRECIOUS.

The depiction is one that gives us some understanding and context as we attempt to grasp what this place is like that awaits us when we follow His Light. As we travel in this world on a dusty, bumpy, pot-holed road with weed growth in the cracks that is not paved with gold, the Light beckons–and we continue onward in anticipation of our arrival at the gates of this beautiful City of God’s Light.

The power lines that late afternoon were a reminder of the Power of the One Who IS Light—our Lord and Savior. The golden glow emanating from them seemed like a path paved with gold, directing my focus upward. How many times do we miss these sights provided just for us. Everywhere we look, we see God’s glory. Do we fail to witness and stare in awe?

That day, that moment in time, a golden glow of His Light from the sun was cast onto a row of power lines. I was a witness to this beautiful sight. I could not stare directly into the sun, for it was/it is a power beyond my ability to meet eye-to-Eye. Yet, the reflection was one I could behold, a gift that afternoon and a reminder that God is here. We just have to look and witness.

(Sharon  G. Tate blog 08/26/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Prayer Voices to God

Voices… praise, penitent, present, patient.

Voices…cries, complaints, compromise, consent.

Voices…soft, sincere, solemn, submissive.

Voices…articulate, academic, artificial, announcer.

 Voices…inaudible, innermost, introspective, intentional.

 Voices…rote, rigid, repetitious, recitation.

Voices…joyful, jubilant, joyous, joy.

Voices…thanksgiving, transparency, trust, truth.

Voices…unspoken, underneath, unconscious, unresolved.

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What prayer voices do we offer to God? Our tone, attitude, purpose, approach, language in prayer all indicate something about our relationship with God. We know that He can listen even when we don’t physically utter words, because He is omniscient and all-knowing. I AM—in present tense—is always present when we use our public voices, our inner voices, and even our unconscious voices for prayer. Yet, as David’s prayers indicate, God will not listen and hear if sin is “cherished” in our hearts.

 Psalm66:17-20                                                                                                                                                              17 I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

 Psalm 116:  1 I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.

What voice should we present before God–that He will listen to and hear the prayers we bring to Him? What heart must we have that He will listen to what has been uttered and hear what is really being said?

Like any father, God desires communication with His children. We owe Him a respectful voice; we owe Him our utmost presence; we owe Him our praise, our submission, our gratitude; we owe Him joy for all He has done for us. We owe Him a voice and a heart that demonstrates our love for Him, our Father.

Hallowed is His Name and hallowed is our time with Him. Our prayer voices must be appropriate for this special time spent with our God.

(Sharon G. Tate blog -8/12/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

 

TeacherStudent

We Are His Creation, Wonderfully Made!

 The spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4) ***********************************************

How often do we think about and reflect upon–

**breathing–unless there is a health concern that affects that life necessity?

**walking–unless something happens which impairs or prevents our ability to move?

**seeing--unless our vision is reduced, diminished significantly, or gone?

**hearing–unless communication becomes challenging or lost through this sense?

We, often, take much for granted in this life—until something is missing, changed, or gone.

Maybe by taking the essentials of our creation for granted,

we are taking God, our Creator, for granted.

 So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14)

Yet You, Lord, are Our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  (I Corinthians 3:16)

 We should daily think about and reflect upon God’s gifts of–

**breathing —taking in every breath gratefully as it is given from God.

**walking —moving forward in the moment and experiencing joy in the ability to do so.

**seeing—beholding the creation around us, including family, friends, and family in the Lord.

**hearing—listening to the sounds of God’s nature, the voices of loved ones, the praises to God.

His gifts to us, just in the creation of our own being, are beyond what we can comprehend. Even when impairments occur within our mortal forms, there is so much wonder in how we have been “knit together” by God that we should still be in awe. We can–and must–daily appreciate, in wonder and gratitude, our created existence in all its complexity and simplicity from our Father, our God, our Creator.

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3)

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 08/05/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Walking on Water, our hand in His Hand

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. 23 After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a  considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were  terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the   water.”

29 “Come,” He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came   toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”               (Matthew 14:22-33)

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Walking on water. Have we tried it?

“I can do this alone!” boasts self,

Boldly venturing out in defiance

Against depression, loneliness, fear.

 

Seeing only the murky depth below,

Our belief in self reveals false hope;

Sinking into the sea of doubt, failing

To look up at His outreached Hand.

 

“Lord, save me!” is the utterance

We should speak first in humility,

Acknowledging Jesus gives courage,

Offering His firm Hand, a sure hope.

 

“Come,” He speaks with gentle voice,

Leading us through our fear and doubt;

We hold onto His Hand without release,

Walking on water, our hand in His Hand.

 

Thank You, Lord, for waiting with outstretched Hand.

We need You to hold our hand through troubled waters.

“Truly You are the Son of God.”

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 07/29/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

ABBA, Father.

Almighty

Benefactor

Bestowing

Absolution.

 

Forgiving

ABBA.

Trusted

Heart Reader.

Everlasting

Refuge.

ABBA is Love personified: Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

ABBA adopts each of us as His own son or daughter: 6 Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

 ABBA gives us understanding and comfort: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort . . .     (2 Corinthians 1:3)  

ABBA provides strength and support: 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6 )

ABBA sends the Holy Spirit to watch over us, His children: 15 “If you love Me, keep My commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.  (John 14:15-17)

ABBA has love enough for everyone: You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You. (Psalm 86:5)

ABBA is the Father we share, as His adopted sons and daughters. To Him, we owe our obedience, our devotion, our love. He first loved by giving us this mortal life. He loved us more by offering eternal life through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

Every day is Father’s Day to honor our Eternal Father: ABBA.

(Sharon G. Tate blog 06/17/18) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

LISTEN–AND HEAR THE LORD.

“The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard.” 1

 Do we have daily conversations with God where we make sure we are heard—but forget to listen? Are we really even conversing at all in this situation–or are we just presenting a one-sided monologue to the Lord, consisting of our personal list of requests, wants, and needs?

“The word listen contains the same letters as the word silent.” 2

To engage in true conversation with our God, we must also be silent and listen to what He has to say to us. There is much that can be heard in silence. Noise drowns out the Word, which the Lord wants to impart to us. Our own words can interfere with and block out His part of the conversation. Maybe WE TALK TOO MUCH–without letting Him speak.

Listening involves a focused mindset. In our society today, such a mindset is difficult to develop and sustain: short quotes on Facebook, short blurbs in ads, condensed recaps of news, texts and tweets, instant messaging. We move from one item to another quickly on Google. In fact, in a recent Microsoft study reported in Time, the results indicate that our focus of attention has declined to a mere eight seconds. The title of this May14, 2015 article by Kevin McSpadler is “You now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish.” 3

So how can we listen and be silent before God to hear all He has to say when our attention span is so lacking? It is possible! Each one of us can remain absorbed, engrossed, riveted and totally engaged for a longer duration of time in something we love to do—fishing, reading, cooking, sewing, a sport, exercise, camping, etc. We can develop and maintain this intentional focus when the “want to” is there.

“Hearing” God and “listening” to His Word are referenced many times in scripture:

Psalm 85:8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2  “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

If we are to truly live “by every Word” coming from God, then we must love this conversation with God more than our desire for anything else—and we must learn to listen and be silent.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 

 

1William Hazlitt

2 Alfred Brendel

3 time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/

(Sharon G. Tate blog 06/10/18)  Meditations on God’s Word  teacherforjesus.com

TeacherStudent

The Ultimate Sacrifice: Soldiers for the Cause of Christ–Against the Father of Lies

soldier spiritual warfare

SACRIFICE

S:  Soldiers, when committed to a task, can’t compromise. It’s unrelenting devotion to standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until it’s been done. (John Keegan)

A:  A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. (Joseph Campbell)

C: Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often affected. (Billy Graham)

R: Remember fallen heroes. Remember fallen angels. “My father used to call all soldiers angel warriors… Because usually they get boys to fight wars.” (Lt. Carroll, pg. 44, Fallen Angels)

I: I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. (Nathan Hale)

F: For love of country, they accepted death. (James A. Garfield)

I: I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism. (Bob Riley)

C: Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared. (Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I hero)

E: Each man is a hero or an oracle to somebody.  (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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Going to War as a Christian

(Deuteronomy 20:1-4) 1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

Some of us may actually engage the enemy in another country, while others watch as sons and daughters depart to a foreign place in preparation for battle. Although most of us will not physically go to a war front in another land to face an enemy, there are many battlefields we confront as Christians. The manner of battle is different, being more spiritual than physical, although we may have physical confrontations with those who do not support or defend the Word of God. The Lord may require sacrifices of us in these battles against the Father of Lies, including the ultimate one–the giving of our own lives–as Christ did before us. God’s promise is that we are not alone. He is with us and goes before us. The victory is His.

Each quote cited applies to our personal Christian duty and responsibility. We must each have the commitment, courage, love, and devotion of a dutiful soldier to further the cause of Christ in a world that is moving away from Him, either through passive/aggressive unbelief or confrontational verbal and/or physical acts. We are soldiers for Christ, and we have a solemn duty to fulfill. Our courage comes from God’s promise to us.

We know Who wins.

(Sharon G. Tate blog 05/27/18)  teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

 

TeacherStudent

FACING OUR FEARS THROUGH GOD

With the concerns, disasters, and tragedies of each day constantly before us in the media and social media, FEAR can become a crippling concern that takes away our JOY.

FEAR happens when we FORGET THE PROMISES of our God and Savior.

To counter our fears, we must REMEMBER HIS PROMISES. Each time we feel a concern that results in anxiety, depression, or overwhelming stress from a fear that we can’t seem to handle, we can only give it to God and break down each aspect of FEAR through Him.

F:      Foundation Stone

E:      Eternal Rock

A:      Abba Father

R:      Risen Savior

S:      Sovereign Lord

We cannot calm our FEARS without God.

Foundation Stone:

16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.” (Isaiah 28:16)

Eternal Rock:

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:4)

Abba Father:

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. (Romans 8:14-17)

Risen Savior:

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:3-5)

Sovereign Lord:

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.”  (Acts 4:24)

The One Sovereign Lord who made everything–Who is the Foundation, the Eternal Rock, and the Risen Savior—is, also, our Father. He welcomes us in His arms when we come before Him, needing and asking for His help, His comfort, His security, and His strength. FEAR is not in Him. PEACE is transmitted from Him to us as we seek His help and rely on His promises to, once again, find our JOY through Him. Let us go to Him always.

(Sharon G. Tate blog 05/20/18) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Mary and her Son: Keeping These Things and Pondering Them in our Hearts

Mary and Jesus and John

 26 When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:26-27)

On the cross, while enduring the most extreme agony of suffering for our sins and abandonment by His Father, Jesus looked down and saw His mother. He knew she would need to be cared for, and John, His trusted disciple “whom he loved” was near. Jesus made it clear in the wording He used that Mary was to view John as her son and John was to be that son to Mary.  John accepted this great responsibility and took Mary home with him.

In providing for His mother, Our Lord demonstrated His love for this woman who bore Him. Mary was told by the angel that she, a virgin, would bear a child who would be “the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)  She didn’t understand but humbly accepted this responsibility by verbally stating: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).   When the shepherds came to Bethlehem to find The Child, Christ the Lord, in the manger, Luke recorded Mary’s unspoken thoughts and feelings about this birth: “… His mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:17-19) When Jesus was twelve and told his parents, who were looking for him, that he was about His Father’s business in the temple, they did not understand. Luke, once again, recorded her unspoken thoughts and feelings: “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:48-51). 

We can only imagine what Mary really pondered all those years. “Mary, did you know?” are the lyrics written by Mark Lowry to a well-known Christmas song.¹ Mary had been “pondering” all these years, and she seemed to know that Jesus had the power to perform a miracle at Cana and provide more wine for the wedding occasion. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4 And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what have you to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.’  5His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever He tells you’ (John 2:1-5). And He, then, turned water into wine, performing His first recorded miracle. “This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). His mother had already believed in Him.

Mary was with Jesus, her son, throughout his life, and she was at the foot of the cross when He was sacrificing Himself for all mankind. She was a mother who loved her son and gave Him up for us.  “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38) Her words could be heard, not only at the beginning, but also at the end of her son’s life on this earth.

Mother has the word “other” in it. A mother has a special bond with her child from conception until she dies. She looks outside herself to her child and gives to that child first above her own self. The “M” in a loving mother is never the completed word “me” for it defers, instead, to the full word “other.” Her “other” is the child she bears, the child who grows inside her, the child who continues to grow outside her body but never outside her heart.  Mary was this mother.

To those of us who are mothers or future mothers, let us strive to be the woman and mother Mary was: “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you’ ” (Luke 1:28).

Let us all be as caring toward our parents as Jesus was to His mother. In spite of all that He was going through on the cross, He remembered her and provided for her.

 Our mother is our deliverer into this life. Jesus is our Deliverer through this life.

 May we keep all these things and ponder them in our hearts.

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Lowry

(Sharon G. Tate blog 05/13/18) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Day-by-Day Strength from God

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

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**The young mother tries desperately to find a moment to herself behind the bedroom door—as her young toddler knocks incessantly and the baby cries loudly and louder out to her. Never a moment. Door opening.

**An elderly man, who just lost his wife, strives to raise himself from his chair to get to the kitchen and make a meal—but falls back, too short of breath. Not tonight.

**A father of five rushes to his second job, working too late to see his children before they are sound asleep and leaving too early in the morning before they awaken. Aging faster than his 35 years. Missing the sounds and moments with his children.

**A teen girl, the subject of whispers and laughter, walks to her locker at school, head down. Reaching the locker door, she opens it to stare at the girl in the mirror with tear-smudged makeup. The locker door slams against her back. Passing laughter. Tears in the mirror.

**The college student struggles, trying to keep up with grades, athletics for his scholarship, and the social life in the fraternity.  Once again, he thrusts a needle into his arm, the hype less each time. Wanting to be free. Needing more.

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Waves crash against the shore;

We walk into the storm,

Assured of our own stamina;

Winds lash out pummeling us.

Pushing ahead through it all,

We are winning—until a pebble

Becomes lodged in our shoe.

Something so small, yet powerful,

Constant, nagging pain as we move.

Day after day struggle in our life walk,

Dealing with the pebble, always there,

More difficult than storms that subside.

Where is the relief from each day?

“God is our refuge and strength.”

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It is the day-after-day struggles in our lives that can be the most difficult to deal with on a regular basis. The pebble in our shoe seems to grow into a rock by day’s end.

But God is always there, “an ever-present help in trouble.” We need Him as we go through the larger storms that assail. But it is in the everyday moments of difficulty where we come to truly know Him and learn that we need to depend on Him always.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

(Isaiah 40:29-31)

       (Sharon G. Tate blog 05/06/2018) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word