I keep a busy schedule with my husband and children, working full time, working on my Doctoral studies, and keeping my home, etc. I know we are all very busy. During my reading through the Old Testament, the Lord began to convict me of His provision and my need for a Sabbath. The only way that I was setting aside a Sabbath was by going to church on Sunday mornings. The rest of the day was not too different from the rest of the days of my week with shopping, school work, checking my email, sometimes work, etc.

Now, I am not writing this to convince anyone else that they need to do what I have done and I have not chosen my course of action as a legalistic requirement of the law. Rather, I share this as evidence of ways that faith is required in our everyday decisions. As I read verses like Exodus 20:8-10, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work…” and Deuteronomy 5:12, “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.” I was more and more convinced this was a necessary provision for my life. However, I could not imagine how I could possibly get done in 6 days, what it had been taking me 7 days to do. Then I saw it, Leviticus 25:20-22, “And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” Then I will command My
blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.” The Israelites were commanded to let their land rest every 7
years; their question was how will there be enough eat. God said he would bless them in the sixth year so they would have enough for three years until the next crop came in.

Based on the principle in Leviticus 25, I have chosen to observe a Sabbath. For me, it is Sunday, but it doesn’t have to be. I make every effort to not check my email or go on the computer, get groceries or go shopping, or do school work. I purpose to set the day apart unto the Lord to be refreshed in my body, mind and spirit. I believe in so doing, God has blessed the work of my hands the other 6 days so I still get done what it used to take me 7 days to do. It requires faith to believe that if I devote one day to a Sabbath, He will make up the difference in the time “lost” to get things done. And He has.

God may not be prompting you to observe a Sabbath, but what is it in your life that He is calling you to step out in faith to believe and obey?

Diane

Faith is necessary for everything of value that we do. The only thing accomplished in our lives apart from faith is that which is humanly possible.

While the Israelites were on their journey, they became hungry. In fact Scripture says God allowed them to hunger. Deuteronomy 8:3, “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” God created a need in their lives to test them and to make them know
His sufficiency. God sent the manna to test the Israelites.

Exodus 16:4-5, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for
you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” I would venture to guess that the question running through the mind of the people was, “Will we get enough to
eat?” Where was faith required? They needed to believe that tomorrow there would be food. If they gathered more than their quota, it got wormy. Only on the sixth day were they allowed to gather a double portion. I think it required faith to gather simply a quota and trust that it would be enough, and there would be more the next day.

See, God often creates a need in our lives to test us, and so that He may fill it. The most unsettling time in our lives is that span of time between God creating the need and when we go to Him to fill it. In that span of time we grumble, complain and run hither and yon seeking a way to meet that need apart from Christ. It requires faith to believe that God will meet that need;
that He will be enough.

Diane

This week as we continue with our theme of faith I want us to consider Gideon. I love this story of God’s “mighty man of valor” who was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide from the Midianites (Judges 6:11-12).

God called Gideon to go to battle. Judges 6:14, “Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So Gideon did what any of us would do, he rallied the troops, 32,000 strong. God told him
he had too many men. Judges 7:2, “And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.'” God had him send home those that were fearful, and two-thirds (22,000) of the men left. The Lord told Gideon to have the men go to the water and drink, and the 9,700 that knelt down to drink were sent home. That left Gideon with 300 men to do battle against, “all the people of the East, (who) were lying in the valley as
numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude(7:12).

Do you think Gideon “felt” like he could win? Do you think Gideon knew how the Lord was going to give them the victory? Do you think Gideon’s knees weren’t knocking? How do I know Gideon was fearful? In Judges 7:10 God said to him, “But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the
camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.”

What lessons can we learn from Gideon?

Stop hiding, God will find you anyway.

Obedience is not based on our understanding of the circumstances.

Obedience is not based on lack of fear.

Obedience often requires faith.

Obedience brings glory to God.

Your challenge for today is to ask the Lord if there is any area of your
life in which fear in hindering your obedience.

Diane

I recently did a seminar for the Seniors Conference at America’s KESWICK titled, “Better than Fear Factor – This is Faith Factor.” I am not a particular fan of the television show, “Fear Factor” but I understand they make people do the very things that they fear the most. It is an
edge-of-the seat, adrenaline pumping, shocking program. They think they thought this up? They can’t hold a candle to the Bible. Have you ever considered some of the stories about faith in the Bible?

The first man in the Bible that comes to mind is Abraham. Genesis 22:2, “Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Can you imagine anything more terrifying? Yet the Scripture tells us that Abraham obeyed. Isaiah 22:3, “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”

My guess is that although Abraham obeyed, he still had sweaty palms, a racing heart and a dry mouth. Faith is not the absence of fear; it is obedience in spite of it (source unknown). When your obedience requires that you step out in faith, step out…sweaty palms, racing heart and all.

Diane

A short while ago, I was putting together a lesson for Higher Ground, our women’s Bible study support group. I occurred to me that many of us want faith to be easy. We want to feel it before we believe it. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t happen too often in my life. After all, if I
feel it then believe it, is that faith?

Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

Let’s take a moment to compare that Scripture to the definition of faith in the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary. One of the definitions says, “Firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust”. When I read that, I got stuck on the part that said, “no proof”. Although
Hebrews 11 says “evidence of things not seen”, that does not mean to me, “no proof”. What “proof” is that upon which we can rest our faith?

I believe the proof we have is God’s character and history. God is faithful (Isaiah 49:7). God is the giver of good gifts (James 1:17). God keeps His promises (Joshua 23:14). God delights in His children (Psalm 147:11). The Scripture is laden with evidences of His involvement with His people and His trustworthiness. This week we will consider some of these examples. Our faith is not without proof. Our faith is rooted in The Faithful One. It is firmly grounded in the heart, character and trustworthiness of God Himself.

Your challenge for today is to take a few moments to consider the “proof” you have seen in your life personally, and to thank God for His faithfulness.

Diane

“But it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered in to the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
2 Corinthians 2:9

Have you ever tried to think about what is beyond our imagination? It’s kind of an odd feeling. Our imaginations can get pretty carried away. I would suspect that God gets a chuckle out of our thinking we have good imaginations. My guess is we have not even begun to scratch the surface of what is possible.

God wants to pour into the lives of His children so much of Himself, much grace, much mercy, much love, and much blessing. Jesus wants to do that in the context of relationship with us. Have you ever seen a one-sided relationship in which one person loves the other but the other does not love back? It’s very sad. It is stilted and stagnant.

God loves us but if we do not love Him, there is no relationship in which He can express Himself. It isn’t God that changes it is us. When we love God, in a sense, He is free to “love on us” as Stephanie would say. He has things beyond our imagination, things that have not even entered our hearts already prepared to pour out on us, when we love Him.

I saved this until Friday because I didn’t want to begin the week with the impression that we love God because of what we get out of it. We love God because He is worthy of our love and worship. Revelation 4:11, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

Diane

A few weeks ago, my daughter was married in a beautiful ceremony. We spent many months preparing for the big day. There were trips to the hairdressers to practice just the right style. There were trips to the nail salon to determine which type and color of nails looked best. There were fittings, and shopping and all that goes into getting prepared so everything would be perfect. There were glitches here and there, but that was to be expected and we handled them. Fortunately there was no hair-pulling, crying or major stress.

The day arrived. It was a delightful day. In the midst of a string of rainy days, before and after, God opened up a warm, sunny, perfect May day. My daughter looked beautiful. Her nails done, her hair beautifully arranged with her headpiece and veil, and her dress made her look like a princess. She was a bride. She was a bride prepared to greet her groom. The doors swung open,
and there was great anticipation on both of their faces. A handsome groom stood waiting to receive his bride. A perfect couple. Their smiles were free and easy. Their obvious love and delight in each other were demonstrated in numerous ways throughout the ceremony.
There were many times throughout the day, I say my new son-in-law staring with delight at his new bride. I had several people comment about how they looked at each other.

Young love, new love, fresh love, exciting love …isn’t that what every woman’s heart longs for? It’s ours. Every Christian woman has just that with Jesus Christ our Heavenly Groom. We are the bride of Christ. We can enjoy that passionate love with Jesus every day of our life, and on into eternity. It will not grow old or fade. Jesus is standing at the front of the Church with great anticipation, to receive His bride. The doors will swing open, and He will not take His eyes off of you.

Isaiah 62:5, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So shall your God rejoice over you.”

Your challenge today is to consider your Heavenly Husband, your perfect Groom.

Diane

This week as we continue with our theme of faith I want us to consider Gideon. I love this story of God’s “mighty man of valor” who was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide from the Midianites (Judges 6:11-12).

God called Gideon to go to battle. Judges 6:14, “Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So Gideon did what any of us would do, he rallied the troops, 32,000 strong. God told him
he had too many men. Judges 7:2, “And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.'” God had him send home those that were fearful, and two-thirds (22,000) of the men left.

The Lord told Gideon to have the men go to the water and drink, and the 9,700 that knelt down to drink were sent home. That left Gideon with 300 men to do battle against, “all the people of the East, (who) were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude(7:12).

Do you think Gideon “felt” like he could win? Do you think Gideon knew how the Lord was going to give them the victory? Do you think Gideon’s knees weren’t knocking? How do I know Gideon was fearful? In Judges 7:10 God said to him, “But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the
camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.”

What lessons can we learn from Gideon?

Stop hiding, God will find you anyway.

Obedience is not based on our understanding of the circumstances.

Obedience is not based on lack of fear.

Obedience often requires faith.

Obedience brings glory to God.

Diane

When I was a teenager, before I committed my life to Christ, before I was a believer in the Biblical sense of the word, I remember thinking about loving God. I remember saying I loved God. Oddly enough, this many years later I remember feeling rather neutral about God. I didn’t
FEEL love for God; I just knew I was supposed to love God. I believed in Him, I never doubted His existence (I tried once, and ended up having a panic attack). I believed that Jesus was God’s Son and that He died on the cross for sins. I knew God was transcendent (far). 1 Kings 8:27, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built.” Or Jeremiah 23: 23-24, “‘Am I a God near at hand,’ says the Lord, ‘And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret
places, so I shall not see him?’ says the Lord.” I saw God as out-there somewhere, sitting a His throne. I had no idea that He was (and is) also immanent (near). Acts 17:27-28, “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope; that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being…” It is God’s immanence that enables us to have relationship with Him. It was when I realized that God wanted relationship with me, that I began to understand love. Over the years, as I have come to know God more personally, more intimately I have fallen more and more in love with Him.

When I pause to consider Jesus, a sense of peace washes over my mind and body.

1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”

Your challenge for today is to dwell upon His love for you. Remember, He wants fellowship with you.

Diane

This week’s theme is Loving God. We won’t have a theme every week, especially after we start adding in the other writer’s work around July 1st.

In the ministry here at America’s Keswick, we deal daily with people struggling with addiction. We know that addiction comes in all shapes and sizes, and is no respecter of persons. We understand the Bible to indicate that addiction is a form of idolatry, a form of false worship. Addiction is being devoted to something or someone more that we are devoted to God.

As we consider that perspective, it basically includes most people I know, as well as, myself. According, to Dr. Ed Welch, in his book, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, “The list of addictive substances and desires is limited only by our own imagination, as we see here.
Alcohol, anger, love, weightlifting, sleep, nicotine, pain, TV, exercise, gambling, nose drops, cocaine, work, sports, sugar, people, sex, caffeine, shoplifting, lying, chocolate, risk, success/winning, pornography.” In every one of these instances and many others, our love
for God takes second or third or lower place. We have become devoted to something other than the One True God.

I often tell people that our goal is to create an environment in which an individual falls so deeply in love with Jesus Christ, that the things of the world will pale in comparison. We cannot rip an addiction out of someone’s hands, but we can show the far surpassing glory of Christ, so that the addiction is dropped from their hands as they reach for The Far Greater One. Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Your challenge for today is to ask God to give you a heart of passion to love Him.

Diane