"that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth and of those under the earth," Philippians 2:10 NKJV

It is lovely seeing this  picture of a child outside, as I sit indoors on this snowy day in Chicago. We are here visiting our daughter Rachel, who was sworn in as an Attorney yesterday in the state of Illinois. How quickly she has become a force to be reckoned with, although she had this ability from her childhood. 

This is not to say she was strong willed, because she wasn't  always, but she knew what she wanted, and had strong opinions about life. Kindness to others has been an important issue for her. Her love for children in the foster care system has influenced her deeply. Although her current job isn't in her desired field, she will make a difference.

I am surrounded by attorneys, but I have authority because I am the Mama., and a respected wife. The authority of Jesus supersedes All. As we have been talking about in this chapter, there is no one like Jesus. I used to have a sticker on the garage wall in the house where I grew up.

It read: "Every knee shall bow." My Dad didn't like it, because he didn't want to bow. He didn't take it off the wall, so I prayed he would see it and understand. I don't know if he ever did, but 40 years later I'm glad it was there. This is a verse that's not easy to ignore or forget.

The enemy doesn't like it most of all, because he knows it applies to him too. No matter what he does, he will not escape, so this makes him angry with us. We are the light of God, and His servants on this earth. 

We stand for the Kingdom of God, and pray for His Kingdom to come on this earth which puts him out of business. He will try to wrangle his way into our hearts and lives any way he can. He plays dirty, but he isn't in control, unless we believe him.

Don't give him an inch, because he is the father of lies. Don't allow him to have your identity because this is a precious gift. You are a daughter of the Most High King. If you were a Princess, would you allow others to push you around? You are a Princess in a greater Kingdom. Would you be polite if Queen Elizabeth came to your house for tea?

Yes, I think you would, and you would serve her your finest and best of everything. What about your sisters in Christ? We should serve them just the same. Maybe you will find a simple way to do something special for a friend or stranger today? Princesses like us don't have the bank accounts like Princesses in this world. Don't despair, I hear the benefits of serving Jesus run deeper than any bank account!

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, Philippians 2:9 NKJV

When we praise God in prayer or song, we are saying back to God what He has said to us about Himself. The exchange of truth and affirmation is hell shattering. The power of God is released when we  align our will in praise to the Holy One.

Our relationship with God is strengthened, our spirits are lifted and our hearts are complete. There is nothing else ever that will bring our hearts to peace and wholeness. When we say to God, There is no one like you, and there will never be another like you, we declare His majesty!

We were made by God for relationship. First with Him, but also with others. No one can excel or be complete without communion with the Father. When I say, Father, it is assumed the Son and Holy Spirit are included, as they are one. One is never separate from the other. I do not understand the trinity fully, as most of us can say, but I am taking a shot at it.

As humans, we can't be separate from our bodies, souls and spirits. It is the same with God. The entire entity of who He is, is incorporated in the Godhead. We need to know how each one operates to meet our needs. How confusing it would be if we didn't know Jesus as He is, the Savior of the world. This knowledge sends a message to our brain. It says: All is well, I have already paid the price for you.

The Holy Spirit is our comforter, and was sent to meet our needs. He speaks to our emotions in a quiet whisper. All is well.  The Father as Creator speaks loudly to us through His creation. All is well, see how my perfect order rules the world! Our bodies are fantastic and complex and not understood completely.

When the Millennial Kingdom  comes, it will dispel all doubts, answer all questions, and cause us to wonder even more at the vastness and awesome power of our God. We will rule with Him which boggles this simple Mama's mind. We won't be bored in this new completed place.

Jesus will be with us! We can ask Him any question we like, and He will explain it to us. We will be capable of understanding science and math in ways we connect connect to now. We will meet people we have admired, and ask them what their life was like. 

We will play with the lions, run with the cheetahs, splash in the waterfalls,  and jump off cliffs. { only if you want to.} Our bodies won't break, we won't be limited by time and space, so ponder this for a moment. What do you look forward to enjoying?

As you might has guessed, I have been reading about the millennium. "All Things New- Heaven, Earth, And the Restoration of Everything You Love" by John Eldredge gives us understanding of what God has for us. It will give you a fresh perspective on the future. Hope is what may be missing in many lives because there is no room to dream. God wants us to dream Big! 

November 7, 2018

" And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8

 Thinking about my childhood has been engaging more of my time lately. I remember my mother telling us the same stories from her childhood when we were young and until she passed. She never grew tired of telling us, and we tried to stay interested.

These were important times in her life, and she wanted to make sure we understood this. I truly understand it fully now. Her memories from the past may have been her best memories. As a christian, I have much anticipation of the future.  This is not to say I didn't have fond memories of my childhood.

We had some wonderful times being young, but my brother, sister and I had heartache from the time we were very young until now.  Many of those heartaches have been melted by the power of Jesus in me. My sister has experienced some healing too. 

No matter how old I am, I know the healing will continue. Without the power and grace of God in my life, I would have been a very different person. Shame and guilt would have engulfed me, but this is not my story. Did you know when God originally made the Garden of Eden, guilt and shame were not present?

These two horrible lies from the enemy are from the result of sin entering the world. Adam and Eve did not know any such feelings until sin entered the picture. These are some things the Holy Spirit has worked out of me over time. In my growing up years, these were put on me in a strong way.

God NEVER INTENDED for us to experience shame or guilt. These are from our enemy, never from God. Using such cruel tactics to control or coerce others is never O.K. In some religious settings, I have been told, guilt was used to push people to do what the authorities said.

Jesus took our guilt, shame and heartaches on Himself when He went to the cross. He was the sacrificial lamb that was slain for the sins of all. Nothing more will ever have to happen for us to be right before God. This truth drives us closer to Jesus, and to righteousness. God's love is what held Him there.

But made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7 NKJV

My first question after reading this verse is: what exactly is a bond servant? In Israel, a servant who was a fellow Jew was to be paid for their work. The master had to show kindness to a them as a brother or sister. Jesus, took on the role of a bondservant, which means He served without wages.

 Another word for bondservant is slave. The Master and Creator of the whole earth, sky and sea became the lowliest of servants to save us from sin. He, who was over all things became nothing to fill all things. "He who also descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things." Ephesians 4:10

This verse refers to Jesus descending into hell and then ascending to  heaven to fill all things. For our purposes today I think we can use it. What does this mean? Jesus, out of His own will, came to suffer and die. He knew all things, and He chose the hard road.

There was only one choice to redeem us. No backup or plan B. Going forward was all He knew.What an awesome Savior! What a triumphant Lord. His stellar example speaks volumes.

Only Jesus can give us the authority to overcome sin and death. Only Jesus can stand victorious over the enemy. Only Jesus could take our place on the cross. Only Jesus can love us the way we need to be loved. He doesn't remove our personalities, He completes them.

Annihilation of  personality is a buddhist belief.  God never said we had to die to our personalities. He said to die to self. Our personalities are a gift from God.

 Our fullness of strength in God, is  realized when we yield under His mighty gentle hand.

We all know people who are outgoing and personable. God uses them to speak His word boldly. Some of us are a good witness for God but we are the opposite. We tend to display God's glory through our quiet, gentle ways. All of these personality types declare His truth, and get His message across. Aren't you glad God has a personality? I am, and He has a great sense of humor too.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, Philippians 2:6

Christ didn't take advantage of His deity while on earth. He humbled himself and became like us. He could have left earth at any time while here, but He chose not to.

And the verse before this says: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5 How can we ever attain to be like Christ? It is impossible! Do worry if you thought God was asking you to do this in your own strength.

Christ wanted to be like man in order to redeem us. Before God created the world he knew we would need to be redeemed. To empty himself of all deity to become one of us, this is powerful. It was the only way.

While Jesus was maturing He probably wasn't able to move in the power of the Holy Spirit, but once His ministry began, there was no stopping Him. The world isn't big enough to hold an account of all the miracles. The Holy Spirit was at work before Jesus came, and is at work today.

God wants to send a revival beyond our wildest imaginations. It will be the last outpouring of His grace and mercy in a huge way. Many have been praying for this and we believe it is coming soon.What will it look like when it comes? 

Many will be healed and brought to the faith. People will want righteousness in the land. Marriages will be saved. Lawlessness and hatred will diminish. It will be the reverse of what we are seeing now. Hatred will almost be eliminated among people.

The enemy of our souls will be angry. He will try to deceive, and some will go back to their previous lives of believing the devil. 
Christ will return to start His millennial reign on earth, and we will reign with Him. 

This will be a time many have wanted to live in. Peace will last, joy will be unwavering, and complete. In the presence of Jesus, we will enjoy restoration of the earth. The garden of Eden will return, without any weeds, pests or work for us. We will understand the hows and whys of everything.

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:" Philippians 2:4 NIV

What a cute group of children! I stumbled upon this picture and thought you might enjoy it. This was taken in 2003, at the Christmas tree Farm in Miller Place, New York. You can see the trees in the distance.  From the left: Rachel, 12, Rudy,14, Matthew, 9 and Stephanie was 2.

Thank God He doesn't tell us everything about every child all at once. I don't know about you, but I need to face life one day at a time. Think about Jesus. He knows all about us but loves us anyway! From before we are born to the end of life here on earth, He sees us as one continuous life.

At the end of the age we will review all our life before God. This is a sobering truth, but I hope it will keep me at His feet. It's when we wander into dangerous territory we get into trouble. My biggest trouble is my emotions. I can get angry, passive, discouraged much too easily.

Maybe this is a woman's thing, but I won't use this as an excuse. "His divine power has given us everything for life and godliness." 2 Peter 1:3 Do you know the women who followed Jesus? Some of them were Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Mary Magdalene. There are some unusual things about these ladies.

Each of them had money to provide for the needs of Jesus and his disciples. Women in those days didn't have control of money, but God made a special provision for these few. They lovingly went from city to town in front of Jesus to find lodging and food.

God provided for their needs and the needs of others. Maybe I should write this again. God provided for their needs so they could provide for the needs of others as well.  God's economy works by multiplication. He took what was provided and made it work.

 God can make something out of nothing. It all depends on what lesson He wants to teach us at the moment. When our attitude is in step with God's, we can be sure miracles will happen. What are you trusting God to do for you today?

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:4 NIV

This is not a typical day. The dog had to x-rays because he's limping, the vacuum is clogged, and the puppy isn't house trained yet. The puppy part isn't new, but it adds to my amazement.

The pup is with us for seven weeks. I'm glad I didn't know when we got her, we would be training at week seven. The vacuum took me an hour to unclog, but it still doesn't work. Three dogs and no vacuum: let's say it's not pretty. Why doesn't anyone rent vacuums? 

I know the answer. No one wants to repair  or clean vacuums when returned. I suppose I could borrow one. "Hello, I'm your neighbor from down the street. I've been here for 12 years, and my vacuum doesn't work. Could I borrow yours maybe?" Ha! I don't think so.
 My neighbors have central vac.

 We take vacuums for granted until something goes wrong. Then we say they are the dumbest appliances ever. Never mind the two years of abuse we put them through.  None of the abuse matters. "I just want to know why you won't work anymore?"

I'm notorious for not cleaning out filters, or servicing products and wondering why they won't do what I want. The nerve of these things! Ha! I suppose I can treat my people the same way at times.

Constantly asking without giving back. I don't really act this way, do I? My daughter Stephanie thinks I do. She has made amazing progress in the past year after being diagnosed with ADHD. Stephie needed help  concentrating and thinking clearly. She told me last year she thought all my husband and I never spoke to her about was school.

All she heard was, "Stephie, how come you're missing this assignment? Why is your grade in homework down? What is happening in this class? Try harder, work harder. You're not trying! We said positive things too, but not enough. She heard a barrage of complaints.

This stopped me in my tracks. Was I really focusing on school and not my child? Yes, I was guilty, and so was my husband. We didn't know she was having trouble pushing aside the roar of many voices coming at her. We certainly didn't want her thinking she wasn't important to us.

Our Apostle understands how this can happen. Life can cause us to focus on the negative too much, and not the positive. I wish I could see my life from God's perspective, much like a camera over my house. High up enough so my perspective would change by all the other things of greater importance. 

Jesus knows people are what matter. Let's not run at neck-break pace long enough to see life as He sees it. It will change everything for us. Look to the Word of God and change will come.