I Give Thanks....

• For God the Father, who is my Mighty Fortress;
• For God the Son, who is my Savior, Treasure, High Priest, and coming King;
• For God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who gave me eyes to see the beauty of the Son;
• For the power of the Cross;
• For the Word of God, where I see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;
• For my family, who daily blesses and serves me, and whose love for me is astounding;
• For my brothers and sisters in Christ, here and around the world, to whom I am eternally bound by the blood of Jesus;
• For the Reformed Baptist Church of Nashville, whose love and service to me are overwhelming;
• For the roof over my head, the food in my cupboards, the clothes on my back, the shoes on my feet, the books on my shelves, the music in my heart, indoor plumbing, clean water, fresh air, and all the other daily blessings that I take for granted;
• For the trials and tribulations that God has brought me through, because I know that He is using them for His glory and to make me more like Jesus;
• For the beauty of God's creation;
• For the great and awesome privilege of prayer.
• For our soldiers who have paid the ultimate price for freedom...there is no greater love than that.

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

Psalm 116:12-13

Happy Birthday!

Happy 19th Birthday, Jessie Rae! I love you so much, and am eternally grateful to our God for your friendship. You bring so much joy to my heart and soul. If laughter truly is good medicine, you and I will live forever! :-) God bless and keep you, dear sister.

Love always,

Ashley

Pray for China

I received an e-mail update today from ChinaAid which said that these prayer bands have been declared illegal in China. The prayer bands were sold during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as a reminder to Christians to pray for China's Christians and also for those who are not. Now, Christians in China are being arrested and even evicted from their homes just for wearing these wrist bands. It's hard for me to imagine living in such a country. I was thinking this morning of how in America I have the freedom to go out into the middle of the street, lift my hands to heaven, and shout the praises of Christ at the top of my voice. Chinese Christians can't even wear these simple wrist bands. These saints of God truly know what it is to suffer for the sake of Christ. The least I can do is get on my knees for them. May God give me a burden to do so.

The Zeal of a King...Yet, the Captivity of a Nation

I finished reading 2 Kings this morning. My favorite part of the whole book is the account of Josiah, king of Judah, and how he very zealously followed the Book of the Law, which had been found by a priest in the Temple. After having been read the law by the priest, Josiah tore his clothes and lamented bitterly that they, the people of God, had abandoned His laws. Josiah then went all over Judah and completely destroyed all the pagan places of worship. He burned the pagan altars, idols, and he even executed pagan priests. He gathered all the people of Judah and made a covenant with God that they would worship and love none but Him. After reading this account, I thought, "Surely God will relent and his wrath will subside and He won't destroy this nation! Surely He will look on the great zeal and Godliness of Josiah and give Judah another chance." I was wrong. God did not relent. Judah continued to rebel and worship idols, and He allowed Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, to come into Jerusalem and take them captive. Jerusalem was the city where God would "put His name forever." How is God's name there forever if His people are taken captive by a pagan king? Did God really break His covenant with His chosen nation? The answer, of course, is no. God never breaks a promise; otherwise, He wouldn't be God. He had clearly told Moses and the Israelites that if they followed His commandments they would be blessed; and if they chose disobedience, they would be cursed. In a national sense, it didn't matter that Josiah (and others) were Godly kings that loved the Lord their God. God is still God, and He did what He said He would do if Israel disobeyed.


2 Kings has taught me several things:

1. Our God is FULL of great mercy. Way back in the book of Exodus, God told Moses that Israel would be cursed if they disobeyed and did not repent. Yet, they did not go into captivity until hundreds of years later. The Lord gave them chance after chance to repent.
2. God always has and always will keep His promises. He promised that He would bless them if they obeyed, and He did. He promised that He would curse them if they disobeyed, and He did.
3. Our sins have consequences, even when we repent. King Josiah repented of the sins of the nation, but Judah was still put under captivity.
4. What a treasure we have been given in Jesus Christ! In Him, Jews and Gentiles alike have a Redeemer that has paid the price to free us from the captivity of sin.

Remind Me of This With Every Decision

After hearing a Sunday school lesson on an overview of the book of 2 Kings, I have been reading through it this week in my personal devotions. This is not the first time I have ever read 2 Kings, but I must say that I have never enjoyed it so much as I have this week. There are so many amazing and wonderful acts of God, and it is full to the brim of God's mercy toward the wicked kings of Israel. However, there are some very disturbing stories and phrases written in this book. One particular phrase that has caught my attention (perhaps because it is continually repeated) is "And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of [King] Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin." What is it that strikes me about this phrase? I think it is the fact that the sins of one man effected his descendants that reigned on Israel's throne for generation upon generation. Jeroboam's posterity was absolutely ruined by a mere decision...or was it a 'mere' decision? His decision was to utterly abandon the law of Jehovah, the God of the universe, and walk in his own ways instead of the ways of God. I wonder if Jeroboam ever took into consideration the effects his sins would have on future generations. I wonder how often I think about it.

Sara Groves, one of my favorite Christian recording artists, sings a song called "Generations". The chorus says this:

Remind me of this with every decision:

Generations will reap what I sow.

I can pass on a curse or a blessing

To those I will never know.

This is a sobering thought. Do I realize that my decisions can either be a curse or a blessing on people that I will only see in heaven, God willing? Every time I sin (choosing to walk in my own ways instead of God's ways) I am sowing seeds that will be reaped by my children, grand children, great grandchildren, and so forth. This song has become my prayer. If God grants me generations of descendants, I pray that my decisions will be such that they will reap the blessings of a life lived for the glory of God. I pray that God will "remind me of this with every decision."

Pirate, Princess, and Poppins

Some of the ladies in our church have been getting together on the last Friday of the month for a Scrapbook Night. In October, we hosted it at our home; and since it happened to be on the 31st, we decided to have a little fun.....

Quick Quote

"Draw Close. Hold hands. Life is short. God is good."

--Jan Karon

All Things

In the last several days, I have come face to face with suffering and the sovereignty of God. Last week, I traveled with part of my family to Missouri for two funerals. Then, earlier this week, I received a phone call from a very dear friend that her sister had lost her unborn daughter in her 7th month of pregnancy. I have seen deep suffering on the faces of family members and heard unspeakable grief in the voice of a friend. Through all of this, I am tempted to ask God, "Where are You? Why are You letting these things happen to the people I love?" But even if I do ask God why, I am almost certain that I will not receive the answer my heart is searching for. I want specifics, I want absolutes, I want the whole story. But our God is not bound by what I want; He is not bound by anything or anyone. That is why He is sovereign. Psalm 115:3 says, "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." This verse answers both questions that I previously stated. Where is God? He is in heaven, ruling from His mighty throne. Why are these things happening? He does whatever He pleases in His goodness and righteousness. But there is more. Romans 8:28-29 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son..." This is why Christians experience suffering in this life, in order to be refined in the fire and be made like Jesus. This verse is a promise that all things, both good and bad, easy and difficult, will be used in the lives of God's people to sanctify them and make them like our glorious Savior. I can't think of a better outcome of suffering. Though I don't understand the ways of God, I trust them completely. Though my heart aches for my loved ones who are suffering, I trust my merciful and sovereign God. He is always good. He is ever faithful. And when I am suffering or grieving, I pray that He will give me the strength to cling to Him who is my rock, my mighty fortress. And I will pray for those who are grieving, that those who do not yet know God will come to that knowledge, and that those who do know Him will find in Him an immovable anchor, to keep them and comfort them; and that they will be reminded of those two very glorious words, "all things".

Our Guide

"Don't you mind him," said Puddleglum. "There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan."
--The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

As I look toward the future of our country under the leadership of our new President elect, my heart is resting in the solid truth that Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God, is my true Leader and King. I belong to His holy city, whose maker and builder is God, my Father. And, as Puddleglum the Marshwiggle so wisely put it, there are no accidents. All things have a purpose. Our guide is Christ. Amen.