Posted on Wednesday, December 14, 2005                                               by Liza B

Yesterday I was remembering the first time my nephew, Joseph opened his eyes in the light and looked at me. He was just 2 days old. I had already loved him from the moment I knew he was coming, but that moment I fell completely and wholeheartedly in love with him. I felt fiercely protective of him and vowed to never let anything hurt him. 

Now, one year later, he is running around and taking hard falls as a result. As much as I don’t want him to fall and get hurt, I understand that it is part of his growing process so I try to encourage him whenever I can to walk. 

Since I do not have a child of my own and Joseph is the closest relation that I have that is comparable to a child I sometimes draw a comparison of our relationship to the relationship of the believer and God. 

When we are in Christ we are brought into a parent-child relationship with the Father, and as our Father God will allow us to get into situations that will cause us pain. I know that I have many times asked God to remove me from a hurtful situation and He has not. As I get farther along in my walk with God I have seen how much I have grown during the hard times in my life. Looking back, I can truly say that I am thankful that He lovingly orchestrated events in my life to help me to grow in Him. 

So if you are in a tough situation today remember that if you are in Christ, God will allow in your life only what will be best for you—just like a loving parent (or aunt).

   Posted on Wednesday, October 12, 2005                                                     by Liza B

 Who do you believe is right?  I realized I had a problem with the way I thought when I began to dismiss what the Bible said as irrelevant and narrow minded: even if I never said it while reading the Bible, I disdainfully listened to people that had a Biblical mind view, thinking what an utterly ignorant and black-and-white mentality they had. One day the Lord was kind enough to show me that I was not despising their thoughts, but His thoughts as their thoughts were a reflection of His.

I was shaken up when God showed me that while I claimed to be a Christian and believe in the infallibility of the Word of God, I was not thinking like one and as a result did not live like one.  When confronted with the Word of God do you believe that the Bible is so true that it makes you wrong if you oppose it, or do you rationalize your ideas because they seem right to you?

My challenge to you is to take a good, hard look at yourself and ask God to show you if there have been areas in your life where you have maximized your own thinking and minimized the Truth-God’s Word.

My encouragement to you today is, if you do find that there has been that sin in your life, do not despair. Just ask God to help you see His truth and to uproot the wrong thinking-patterns that have taken a hold in your life. Also, immerse yourself in reading the Word of God and meditating on what it says, and letting that be your guide. May God bless you. 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:1

   Posted on Wednesday, June 1, 2005                                                             by Liza B

The Other Side of Love

I realize that last time I wrote about love I also said that I would continue. So here it is.

When I think about loving someone God’s way, I mainly imagine having to deal with a very difficult person. Something that God has been showing me lately, is that loving a person God’s way also includes being honest about your own mistakes. So many times we hide our faults because deep down inside we do not want to be obliged or indebted to that other person or even to God. We want to feel that we have rightfully earned our place in their hearts and that they love us because we are good instead of their goodness.  

Confessing our faults to one another will cause us to grow in love for one another. This is demonstrated in the words of Jesus in Luke 7:47.

“… But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

If you feel that your relationship with God or with a person has become stagnant, or if you do not feel as appreciative of them as you did before, one very good thing to do is to consider if you have offended them and never confessed and asked for forgiveness from them. Set aside your pride and determine to not settle for anything less than a fulfilling, tolerant and love-filled relationship with God or anyone else.

   Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005                                                        by Liza B

Let God Be Your Hero

God is very intimately involved in every detail of our lives. He wants us to acknowledge this, and to hold the perspective that all things are “through Him, to Him, and because of Him.”  For this reason the Lord asks that we bring all of our needs before Him with supplications and thanksgiving.

We all desperately need the Lord in our lives to work out all the problems that come up, but sometimes we inadvertently take the matters right back into our hands. My encouragement to you today is to treat God like the powerful conqueror that He is. Take whatever situation you are going through to Him in prayer, admit your lack of faith to Him and ask Him for a trusting heart, and then begin to praise Him for what you know He is doing.

The Lord is the Ruler of the universe and of our hearts, and He loves us. That should tell you that not only is He willing to do what is best for you, but He is also able if you would just trust Him.

   Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005                                                        by Liza B

              Meditation Commentary for Matthew 5: 38-42

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An Eye For An Eye, And A Tooth For A Tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also, And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away. 

In the past I have felt that God was asking too much from me through this passage.  I have always tried to be kind to people especially because I hate to hurt them; however, unfairness from anyone has always been a very hard pill to swallow. I have not necessarily gone out and been unkind to them but I have resisted them in my heart and with my actions by trying to justify myself and show them the way they have misjudged or wronged me.

I am sure this passage has to be speaking to Christians who are seeking to have their minds transformed by the Holy Spirit because otherwise this makes no sense at all. The concept of “turning the other cheek” goes completely against what our natural mind wants to do. For this reason, I believe that the ability to follow this command is a real evidence of Christ’s work in our hearts.

One reason that would motivate me to try to apply this command to my life is remembering that the Lord is just and He rewards us when we obey His word. The hard part of this is that we may not see the recompense in this life as is the case with the martyrs and persecuted Christians. I believe that waiting is good thing because it forces our eyes off of this world and helps us to focus on eternity. Many times we live for the here and now, and we ask for the Lord’s earthly blessings. When we do not receive them we complain and feel that life is so hard, but Paul said that if all of our hope is in this life, we of all men are most to be pitied.

 Also, obedience to the Lord especially in these commands causes a lot of growth in our faith. In turn our faith pleases the heart of God because the Word says that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” I know that it is easier said than done, but seeing the spiritual blessings that arise from doing the commands of Jesus is truly worth everything.

   Posted on Wednesday, January 5, 2005                                                   by Liza B

“Choosing to love someone has to be one of the hardest things I’ll ever do”, I thought as I blinked away a tear. Just a few minutes ago I was being blamed for something I know I did not do. I had the evidence in my hand but the person refused to see it. She was hurt for a good reason, but if she would just look at what I was trying to show her then she’d know that there was no reason to be hurt. 

Naturally, I would have either lashed out in anger or shut her out of my heart, but something higher than that was calling me. It’s called love. 

As Christians, we know that the foundation of the Gospel is love. God loved, Jesus came and died. I have heard it more times than I can think; however, the real concept of what the pure love of God is did not really hit me until this past year. 

Love is not an emotion, it is a choice—a way of life. Not dependent on anyone or anything, but sufficient in of itself. It is called choosing to be kind and patient, to always look for the benefit of others. It is confronting sin in your brother or sister’s life if need be, I a call to forgive, at times a denial of every feeling in you, it is always taking up your cross: an emulation of our Savior. 

For me that day it was choosing to be kind to a person that persisted in blaming me. I was not condoning the action or being a doormat. With strength that only comes from the Lord I sat down by her trying to comfort her and look past the hurtful accusations to a wounded heart. It was very hard, but then I remembered, Jesus did it. As His follower I am called to deny myself, to cry out for grace when I need it; to choose the way of love. 

Love is a hard choice to make, but choose we must if we are to be disciples of Jesus. Next time I will expound. God bless.

   Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2004                                                     by Liza B

When Pastor Don passed away, I realized how incredibly precious he was and how his life had affected so many people. I read and heard about all the wonderful things he had done. I also heard how we’ll never have anyone else match up to him. That is very true, no one can ever even attempt to “be” him, but they can do what he did.

You see, Pastor Don found his identity in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was himself to the fullest of his abilities. He worked with the grace that God had placed in his life, and rejoiced when others did the same. That is why his death was such a blow to the whole church and all over the world, because he is irreplaceable.

 Do you understand where I am going with this? Are you someone that is constantly trying to compare yourself with someone else? Do you know what your personal gifts and talents are that God placed in you to edify your church?

We had a presentation in my church by the children and youth last Sunday and I have to say those kids are tremendously     talented. I haven’t always thought so because I was busy trying to get them to do something they did not like and what they did not have a grace for.

However, once they found out what grace God has given them to do, let me tell you, talk about super talent. These kids can sing, play instruments, speak, and work with the computer… I actually want you to see the work of some of the kids that I had a privilege to work with.

One of the persons involved in this slideshow hates to be in the limelight, so he hates to perform in public. Many people may think he has no talent, but he is extremely full of talent on the computer, and he has used that to edify everyone. Thank God he is not to busy comparing himself with others and feeling bad he is not like them. He’s got his own grace.

Have a blessed day, and learn to find your fulfillment in the wonderful  gifts you already have!

   Posted on Wednesday, October 6, 2004                                                     by Liza B

 There are several things God has taught me about wisdom in the process of planning and scheduling my time. Three stand out.

   Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2004                                                           by Liza B

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. - 1 John 3:14 (NIV)

Brenda reminded me yesterday of the fact that the Ten Commandments are broken up into two categories- our relationship with God and our relationship with man because Jesus said in the New Testament that all the laws boil down to loving God above anything one/thing and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

How do we love each other?  Deeply

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

Devotedly

Be devoted one to another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:9 (NIV)                                                                                         

With good manners

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 1Peter 3: 8 (KJV)

   Posted on July 14, 2004                                                                                 by Liza B

   Posted on Wednesday, June 2, 2004                                                   by Liza B

Do you ever feel worthless? Do you ever feel like God can’t or won’t forgive you for something you have done? Have you ever felt like you can’t make it? I am sure many of us have felt that way at one time or another and today I want to challenge that mind frame with the Truth that God speaks into our lives.

God just can’t or wont forgive me.

Truth: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

That is why the opening verse is “Who hath believed our report?”

   Posted on July 14, 2004                                                                by Liza B

  I have been told several times that I am very sensitive and tender hearted, but also that it may be too much. How much is too much? What I think is that if God warns us so much about not tearing each other down, then our attitudes towards words should not be so careless.

And God made me the way I am. He made my heart and emotions and the way I express myself. I think He made me like this for a purpose. So that I can run to him and lean on his strength and get comfort from Him when I am hurt, so that He could hold me, shield me and protect me.

I love that song that says "They don't know that I go running home when I fall down, they don't know who picks me up when no one is around... deep inside the armor the warrior is a child."

I feel that way with my Lord. I can fight (at times foolishly) but when I get hurt I scamper over to Him and I know He cherishes me, loves me and delights in comforting me. I am His little girl.

   Posted on Saturday, April 10, 2004                                                                by Liza B

Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

                                                                                                                       Galatians 6:10 (NIV)

What?! Do good to someone else? I barely have time to do what I need to do! Phew that verse must apply to someone who has an opportunity cause I have too many things to do!

If this describes your thoughts read on.

Last year, in April, I was going through the shock and grief that accompanied the sudden death of Blessan. As most of you that have experienced grief, there are the good days when you resign yourself and accept the will of God, and the days where you feel lost, angry and full of despair. One Monday I woke up paralyzed with grief: as I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, the phone rang. A few minutes later my sisters came into tell me that I had to go to the bank quickly to run an errand for my parents. I forced my self to get up and while driving to the bank I began to cry and pray and I told God, “Please Lord, show me you love me today. I know that you love me, but please show me today because my heart can’t take this without your help.” When I got to the bank I composed myself and went inside smiling and waited in line to get attended. There was an older lady in front of me and as she was leaving I moved aside to let her pass. To my surprise she stood right in front of me and engulfed me in a big hug and told me “God bless you, God bless you angel”. As I watched her walk away, tears filled my eyes at the tremendous love that I had felt from her. I got out of there as soon as I could ran to my car before I broke down crying in the bank. If anyone were watching me that day they would have thought I was crazy because I was laughing, crying and saying “Thank you God!” over and over for that quick answer to prayer.

I am not really known for my good memory, but I will never forget that day or that lady. In the matter of one minute, by just one hug, my faith in God grew stronger and I experienced a lot of healing.

You see it just doesn’t take too long to show love to someone else. A smile, a hug, a call to say “I’m thinking about you” are things that all of us can do if we really want to and not only that, we are commanded to do this!.

As Christians we all have the Lord and the strength that He provides to get through tough times. There are times however when we need an encouraging word and God will send someone to encourage you. Well what if that person is too busy to pay attention to what God wants them too hear? What if God is calling you to be a “Jesus” to someone today? What are you doing with that prompting from the Lord?

We don’t know how our actions will affect someone on a given day, and I know that lady had no idea how much she lifted me with her kind gesture, but I know, and most importantly God knows.

As I end here I want to leave you with the question, “What can I do? How can I encourage someone today?” Whether it is having a listening ear, or sending an email or whatever it may be, plan on doing what YOU can do. God may have need of you soon.

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.

                                                                                                                                                            Prov 14:22 (NIV)

   Posted on March 3, 2004                                                                                    by Liza B

I am sure we have all heard this passage of scripture at one time or another and agree that it is probably the hardest commandment in the Bible. One reason may be because we tend to  view worrying as a bad habit rather than a sin.

Keeping that in mind, lets go back to the sin of worry. It's one of those things that does most damage to the person indulging in it because he or she can never fully enjoy life as it is marred by fears, worries, and what-ifs. It also gives us the feeling that we are actually accomplishing something when we are actually being extremely ineffective.

There was once a man who had been wanting to ride in an airplane all his life, and finally had the opportunity when he was older because his son bought him a ticket. When the older man returned from his trip, his son excitedly asked him, "So how did you like it dad?" The dad replied, "Well son, I did enjoy it very much, but I am quite tired because I did not put all of my weight on the seat and half stood all the way as I didn't want to put all of my weight on the airplane.

Even though that logic is almost laughable, we tend to do the same thing when we worry and fret over things, when there is absolutely no need for it. Our God is strong enough to carry our burdens, only if we take it to Him in prayer and leave it there. We can be assured that if we give our burdens to Him, He will take care of them because of His great love for us.

   Posted on February 4, 2004                                                                              by Liza B

The Bible speaks so much about anger, that I figured I am not the only one with the problem.  Anyone care to identify with me?  Here’s what I learned.

1^st. It is not in my best interest to win by fighting. Like the saying goes “you just won the battle but lost the war” or something like that. What I just said is backed up in the Bible where it says

In other words, don’t sweat it.  You’ll look better for overlooking some minor transgression and save yourself some grief.

However there are things that need to be dealt with so you have to know how to do it. First of all do not claim it is hypocrisy to hold in how angry you really are. That is called discretion. The last thing you want to do is to hurt someone in you quest for “honesty”.

He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of the sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.   Prov 12:17,18. Whenever you say the truth, you can say it in love. In fact, that is what we are commanded to do. That means before a confrontation, it is better to think through what you are going to say, and tell yourself what you plan on telling the other person. If it is hurtful, then don’t say it. I am saying all this because I wish I had reminded of this before “The Series of Explosions”. I am now reaping the consequence of my “honesty” and have hurt a person dear to me. I wish I hadn’t but by God’s grace I am trying to repair some of the damage I’ve done.

I just want to tell you that dealing with issues God’s way the first time around will spare you much pain.

Love,

Liza

   Posted on January 28, 2004                                                                              by Liza B

A Broken Heart