Author: Betsy

Worthless Things

Posted on by Betsy

This is the season of “Back to School.” But in many parts of the country we aren’t back to school in the traditional sense. Parents have had to become homeschool teachers without any semblance of teacher training. Many now have to try to balance their own careers with teaching their kids at home.

This is the season of “Back to Church.” But in many parts of the country we aren’t back to church in the traditional sense. Preachers have had to become televangelists without any semblance of technical training. We have had to try to balance our usual clergy duties with not being able to use our buildings or do in-person visitations.

This is the season of “Fall Bible Study Sign-Ups.” But in many parts of the country we aren’t back to Bible studies in the traditional sense. Teachers are trying to negotiate how to do video-based curriculum on ZOOM, in-person classes in masks, or some hybrid of both.

Nothing is quite seasonal in this “season.” And nothing is normal. How can we learn then?

The psalmist speaks a longing of heart today that truly resonates with the desire we feel to be in God’s word and God’s house, regardless of our current season of trouble.

Psalm 119 (Common English Bible)

33 Lord, teach me what your statutes are about,
    and I will guard every part of them.
34 Help me understand so I can guard your Instruction
    and keep it with all my heart.
35 Lead me on the trail of your commandments
    because that is what I want.
36 Turn my heart to your laws,
    not to greedy gain.

Oh, how we long to return to life in the traditional sense! We long to attend church on Sundays so that we can understand God’s instructions and feel the protection of living inside his will for our lives. We want to walk a trail that God lays out before us that leads directly to him. We need Bible studies, Sunday School classes, small groups, youth group, the chance to do mission work, the joy of fellowship time, the opportunity to eat donuts, to sing in the choir….we need all the ways we typically learn about God. But in this season, living in God’s way will take a lot more effort on our part.

We need to turn our eyes away from looking at worthless things like regret over things not being “normal.”

37 Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things.
    Make me live by your way.
38 Confirm your promise to your servant—
    the promise that is for all those who honor you.

So what are you looking at? What has captured your attention and diverts you from seeking God? Is your nostalgic longing for the way things used to be preventing you from engaging in the way things are?

We’re tired. We’re frustrated. We want the normal things back. But until that happens, we must find a way in this season to return to God’s word and his presence. God’s rules are good. When we seek after learning he will help us live by his righteousness.

So find that Bible study and sign up! Make a concerted effort to attend worship this Sunday no matter how it is offered. Join a ZOOM small group. This is the season to reconnect regardless of ”how.” This is the season to reconnect even if it won’t be like it used to be. This is the season to just do it.

39 Remove the insults that I dread
    because your rules are good.
40 Look how I desire your precepts!
    Make me live by your righteousness.

Sanctuary by Ann Marie Haywood

Turn and Live

Posted on by Betsy

A recent conversation with a well-read sister in Christ began with the question, “Do you think that what is happening today is God’s response to our corporate sin?” This is a question being asked in many faith circles today. People who are well versed in the language of the Old Testament, which consistently draws a dotted line between the sin of the nation of Israel and the devastation that came upon them, are wondering if corporate sin has caused the pandemic, wildfires, storms, violence, poverty, injustice, race riots, and all of the other social issues that our world is facing today.

Are we being punished?

Is there a direct connection between the world’s apostasy and our current dilemma?

Where is God in the midst of this?

Let’s take a look at Ezekiel to see if we can gain some insight.

Ezekiel 33 (Contemporary English Version)

10 The Lord said:

Ezekiel, son of man, the people of Israel are complaining that the punishment for their sins is more than they can stand. They have lost all hope for survival, and they blame me.

The people are complaining and blaming God. Mind you, they have walked away from his law and his protection. They have sought after false idols. They have followed ungodly leaders and now they are blaming God for their exile in Babylon.

Is that what is happening now? Do we claim innocence while blaming God for the sins of this world?

What is God doing here?

 11 Tell them that as surely as I am the living Lord God, I don’t like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. So if the Israelites want to live, they must stop sinning and turn back to me.

This verse has the answer. God HATES to see any of his children die, including the wicked. God rejoices at each one who repents of their sin. Those who do this will live. Where is God in all of this? God is waiting.

God responds to Ezekiel that if Israel wants to live the people must stop sinning and turn back to him.

What if we truly believed verse 13? What if we could come to a consensus to turn back to God?

From a global perspective we recognize the impossibility of this. From a national perspective we recognize the impossibility of this. From a state/county/town perspective we recognize the impossibility of this. But what about your house? What about your family? Are you able to lead your household to stop sinning and turn back to God? Are YOU able to stop sinning and turn back to God?

God’s promise is true. It is not in his compassionate nature to want us to die. But he will allow the consequences of our actions catch up with us and that is why we are where we are. Is it punishment? Maybe. Are all of these consequences a direct result of our behaviors? Assuredly. God is trying to teach us discipline by allowing things that WE have set in motion to simply unfold. Corporate sin requires corporate correction.

You can’t change the world. You can’t change the town. But you can change you. Turn back to God and live.

Return to Me by Joe McGraw

Weapons of Light

Posted on by Betsy

In Star Wars mythology, the light saber is a weapon against both good and evil. It just depends on whose hand it is in. The preferred weapon of the Jedi, a light saber is a small pipe-shaped mechanism that extends a powerful beam of lethal energy when engaged. The color of light is different for each Jedi. Luke Skywalker’s light is blue. Kylo Ren’s is deep red. In Luke or Rey’s hand, the light saber fights evil. In Darth Vadar’s hand, it fights good.

Any weapon can be used by either side.

So in this season of anger, animosity, national outrage, and widespread unrest, what would happen if we weaponized love?

Romans 13 (Contemporary English Version)

8 Don’t be in debt to anyone, except for the obligation to love each other. Whoever loves another person has fulfilled the Law. 9 The commandments, Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t desire what others have, and any other commandments, are all summed up in one word: You must love your neighbor as yourself. 10 

Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is what fulfills the Law.

Paul succinctly boils the Ten Commandments down to one word: love. If we follow the law of love we wouldn’t need the other individual laws because they would already be incorporated into the overriding rule of love. If love were the law of the land, hatred, violence, anger, and civil disobedience would subside.

11 As you do all this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep.

This ancient writing applies to this present day. We need to wake up and see what our words and actions are reaping. The hate speech, violent protests, and the vitriol that permeates our news programs, our social media, our sidewalk conversations, and our attitudes are killing us. People are hurting. People are dying. People are experiencing depression in record numbers. It’s time to wake up.

Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So let’s get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light.

My friends, you have a weapon of light in your hand. It is the love of Jesus for the world. It is a love that bled and died on a cross for your salvation. It is a love that is unconditional for ALL people. And when used properly, it is a force of power that can conquer any force of evil that comes along.

YOU are a weapon of light. Use your power for good and fight back with love. Dress yourself in the armor of the Lord Jesus Christ and go out and love like your life depends on it. Because frankly, it does. 

13 Let’s behave appropriately as people who live in the day, not in partying and getting drunk, not in sleeping around and obscene behavior, not in fighting and obsession. 

14 Instead, dress yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t plan to indulge your selfish desires.

What’s in YOUR hand? Let it be love.

Let Love Light Your Way by Michelle Robertson

Dwelling

Posted on by Betsy

What is your mind dwelling on right now? Are you overcome with politics and campaigns? Are the pandemic’s daily death numbers, unemployment, quarantine, and imposing restrictions plaguing your thoughts? Perhaps it is your financial situation, or the daily struggle of remote learning, or maybe the hurricane season that has you preoccupied.

One of the challenges we all face in our discipleship is setting aside our day-to-day worries and aggravations so that we can allow space for God’s word to filter in. It is a struggle. It takes perseverance, discipline, and a plan.

A friend stopped me the other day and told me that she saves these devotionals to read on Sunday mornings. She gets up at sunrise, makes coffee, and walks to a sand dune where she can watch the sun come up over the ocean. She reads and worships in that setting. I was extremely blessed to know this. It occurs to me that she is able to spend time dwelling on God’s presence because she puts herself in a “dwelling” that is conducive to focusing.

Where are you right now? Are you in a quiet place that allows contemplation? Or are you surrounded by distraction? Changing our locale when we are studying scripture may just be the thing we need to really take it all in.

Psalm 105 (Common English Bible)

Give thanks to the Lord;
    call upon his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
2 Sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!

Being able to dwell on God’s wonderful works makes a huge difference in how the rest of the day goes. Putting his mercy and grace foremost in our thoughts can change our perspective and attitude.

3 Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!
4 Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!

A day that starts with pursuing God and his strength is a day that moves in the right direction. When we remember his wondrous works and seek his face we find ourselves not looking to the world for direction and comfort. And that is a very good thing indeed.

5 Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—
6     you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

God is a just God, a loving God, a GIVING God, and a powerful God. Dwell on that today and you will be blessed by the hour.

Dwelling in God’s Beauty by Michelle Robertson

Feeding Enemies

Posted on by Betsy

Man, the gospel life is tough. God has such great expectations of his people. We are called to behave in ways that are far above how we probably would prefer to live. If we were left to our natural inclinations, we would be a sorry lot indeed. Living a life focused on righteousness has its rewards in both the short term and the long run….but the principles are high.

For example, God calls us to love others…as in ALL others. Have you ever really tried to do that? How can you possibly love everyone including your obnoxious neighbor, the mean girl undermining your work, and your unrepentant ex?

And how about this…we should bless those who persecute us. And be patient. And work hard, and don’t seek revenge, and….

Romans 12 (New Living Translation)

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

I love how the New Living Translation translates the first sentence: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them!” I can almost hear Paul saying this.

What do you suppose he is up to in this passage?

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

I think these timeless words were his attempt to create something new out of the old things. He was carving out a distinct identity for this new thing that Jesus had started and wanted those who followed Jesus to be unique and noticeably different from all the other people. He set the bar high because Jesus set the bar high. And just in the same way that a fence protects the children who play inside it, these high bars protect our hearts and our souls from corruption, self-indulgence, and vapidity.

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

Christ-followers are people of peace. Christ-followers are generous, loving, patient, humble, and honorable; and would never repay evil with evil. Christ-followers are DIFFERENT.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”
    says the Lord.

20 Instead, 

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”

I remember once hearing a speaker at a youth retreat ask the audience if people could tell if we are Christian or not. It is a question worth revisiting. Look again at how Paul describes the way God wants you to live. How are you doing? Can people tell that you are a Christ-follower by your choices?

Today is a good day to raise your own bar. It’s never too late. Go out and find a way to feed an enemy in the name of the Lord. And don’t just pretend to love people…..really LOVE them. After all, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

For the Love of God by Michelle Robertson

Pay Attention

Posted on by Betsy

Being around young children can be exhausting for a number of reasons. Their energy, their craziness, the noise, your worry over their safety…it can wear you flat OUT. One of the main reasons that kids are exhausting is that they want you to watch everything they are doing every minute of your wakefulness. Who has not spent an afternoon “relaxing” at the pool with children only to realize you’ve read the same paragraph of your beach novel eighteen times because they kept yelling for you to look up and watch them?

This, my friends, is why God created nap/quiet time on the eighth day.

Moses’ call to action came about in the same manner. Here he was, minding his own business and his father-in-law’s sheep, and suddenly God demanded his full attention. “MOSES. MOSES. MOSES. LOOK OVER HERE. WATCH THIS, MOSES! WATCH ME DO THIS TRICK. ARE YOU WATCHING? MOSES? MOSES?”

Instead of the tenth cannonball into the pool, God sent Moses a much more subtle sign…a burning bush.

Exodus 3 (Common English Bible)

3 Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. 2 The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. 3 Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.

I have to wonder what God had been doing prior to the burning bush to get Moses’ attention. Did he tap Moses’ shoulder? Clear his throat? Create a great wind in the desert? Yet somehow Moses was unaware of God’s presence right up until the bush burst into flames but didn’t burn up.

Where is God trying to get your attention? We know with great certainty that God was present with Moses before this moment. God had protected Moses from infanticide by hiding him in plain sight with Pharaoh’s daughter. God saved him again when Pharaoh tried to kill him and then helped him safely escape to the place where he found his wife and security. God was always with Moses. Yet somehow in this particular moment Moses was preoccupied to the point that it took a burning bush to get his attention.

4 When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

Moses said, “I’m here.”

This begs the question of our own preoccupation as well. Is God trying to call you into action and you are simply not seeing the signs? Are you looking the other way due to your reluctance to respond to what he might ask you to do?

5 Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” 6 He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Are you hiding YOUR face because you’re afraid to see where God may be sending you?

7 Then the Lord said, “I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain. 8 I’ve come down to rescue them from the Egyptians in order to take them out of that land and bring them to a good and broad land, a land that’s full of milk and honey, a place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all live. 9 Now the Israelites’ cries of injustice have reached me. I’ve seen just how much the Egyptians have oppressed them.10 So get going. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.

Moses did not want this job. He did everything he could to get out of it but in the end Moses was the one to bring the Hebrew people safely out of slavery in Egypt.

As you consider where God might be calling you to action, remember Moses. Don’t make God send you a burning bush. Lay aside your objections and say yes. You just might be the one that God is using to deliver somebody from oppression and injustice today.

Maybe it’s you he’s trying to save.

Pay attention!

Where God Leads You by Teresa Silverman

God’s House

Posted on by Betsy

What or where is ”God’s house” for you? Is it a large modern sanctuary with rear projection screens? Is it a one hundred-year-old sanctuary with a beautiful wood ceiling? What image comes to mind when you hear the phrase “God’s house?”

Many years ago I was in the downstairs portion of our church sanctuary with my four-year-old daughter. I used my master key to get into the janitor’s closet to fetch a vacuum. Jamie had never been in that part of the church and her eyes got big as she looked at the large sink, the shelves and shelves of toilet paper and paper towels, and the rest of the supplies.

“Mommy, we’re in God’s house, aren’t we?”

“Yes, sweetheart, we are!” I replied.

“Well, then! THIS must be God’s bathroom!” she exclaimed.

The pandemic has completely upended our concrete notions of what “God’s house” looks like. Maybe that is one good thing we can claim from all of this mess. We have realized that “God’s house” is wherever God and God’s people are. It can be a parking lot, a lawn, a baseball field, your living room, the beach, a tall sand dune with a cup of coffee…God’s house is a movable place, just like it was in the very beginning.

The writer of today’s psalm is troubled. He heads straight for God’s house in search of justice. While others around him are up to no good, he has walked in integrity and avoided any contact with the wicked people. He would have done well with social distancing.

Psalm 26 (Common English Bible)

Establish justice for me, Lord,
    because I have walked with integrity.
    I’ve trusted the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, Lord; put me to the test!
    Purify my mind and my heart.
3 Because your faithful love is right in front of me—
    I walk in your truth!
4 I don’t spend time with people up to no good;
    I don’t keep company with liars.
5 I detest the company of evildoers,
    and I don’t sit with wicked people.

He prepares to go into God’s house with hands washed (!) and with thanksgiving on his lips.

6 I wash my hands—they are innocent!
    I walk all around your altar, Lord,
7         proclaiming out loud my thanks,
        declaring all your wonderful deeds!

No matter where you are experiencing the house of the Lord, know that wherever you go, God is with you. When you come to him in an attitude of worship, his glory resides. Praise God! His presence cannot be constrained by four walls.


8 I love the beauty of your house, Lord;
    I love the place where your glory resides.

Also God’s House

Bronze Walls

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever been picked on?

Bullied?

Lied about?

Rejected?

Do you wonder where God is when it happens?

Like all of you, I have suffered at the hands of an attacker. I have felt vulnerable, misunderstood, publicly humiliated, and outcast. When this happens, it can be challenging to feel God’s presence. We want to be defended. We want to be championed. We want to be exonerated.

We want revenge.

What is God doing when someone is on the attack?

In the fifteenth chapter of Jeremiah, we see the great Old Testament prophet suffering for his role as “prophet of doom.” God has called him to speak words of stern instruction and rebuke to the people who had gone very far astray of God’s word. This results in the people‘s attacking Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 15 (Contemporary English Version)

You can see how I suffer
insult after insult,
    all because of you, Lord.
Don’t be so patient
    with my enemies;
take revenge on them
    before they kill me.

This phrase “don’t be so patient with my enemies” speaks right to my heart. I have said the same when being attacked for something I preached (or worse, didn’t preach) or said in a church meeting. I want vengeance, God! I’m only in this situation because I am speaking for you, so where are you??

16 When you spoke to me,
    I was glad to obey,
because I belong to you,
    the Lord All-Powerful.
17 I don’t go to parties
    and have a good time.
Instead, I keep to myself,
because you have filled me
    with your anger.

18 I am badly injured
    and in constant pain.
Are you going to disappoint me,
like a stream that goes dry
    in the heat of summer?

Have you ever felt this way? This beautiful image of a stream that goes dry in the heat of the summer is poignant. When your heart is badly injured and you are experiencing constant pain from the assault, it very much can feel as though all of the joy in your spirit has completely dried up.

Then God responds to Jeremiah. And us.

The Lord Replies

19 Then the Lord told me:
    Stop talking like a fool!
If you turn back to me
    and speak my message,
I will let you be my prophet
    once again.
I hope the people of Judah
    will accept what you say.
But you can ignore their threats,
20 because I am making you strong,
    like a bronze wall.
They are evil and violent,
    but when they attack,
21 I will be there to rescue you.
    I, the Lord, have spoken.

When you are under siege God is making you into a BRONZE WALL. A bronze wall! Strong, upright, impenetrable….nothing and no one can get past you when he is finished.

So take heart. This siege you are under is being used for your own good. You will emerge stronger, harder, taller, and immovable. God will be your rescuer when the time is right. He did it for Jeremiah and he’ll do it for you.

God Strengthens by Michelle Robertson

Don’t Let Go

Posted on by Betsy

Can you name a time when you cried out to God and knew that he answered you? Sometimes that answer comes right away. Sometimes it comes after a period of time. Sometimes YOU have to make a change before the answer is revealed. But every time God DOES answer.

In the last seven months I have found myself waking up at 4:00 AM with a burden to pray. In the black of the night I have lifted up a young man whom I love and admire and have prayed for God to answer his situation. This week the answer came. I give thanks to God with all my heart for this. Not only is that situation resolved, but I finally may sleep through the night!

Psalm 138 (Common English Bible)

I give thanks to you with all my heart, Lord.
    I sing your praise before all other gods.
2 I bow toward your holy temple
    and thank your name
    for your loyal love and faithfulness
        because you have made your name and word
        greater than everything else.

When is the last time you cried out to God?

3 On the day I cried out, you answered me.
    You encouraged me with inner strength.

I realize now that when the answer wasn’t given right way, God was encouraging both of us with his inner strength. The young man whom I love and admire had to keep trying and I had to keep praying.

4 Let all the earth’s rulers give thanks to you, Lord,
    when they hear what you say.
5 Let them sing about the Lord’s ways
    because the Lord’s glory is so great!
6 Even though the Lord is high,
    he can still see the lowly,
    but God keeps his distance from the arrogant.

Here the Psalmist takes a step away from his own rejoicing and looks at the world around him. This is interesting to consider in the midst of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. We are about to elect a leader. The world’s leaders are watching. It is amazing to think what would happen if all the earth’s rulers would hear what God says and give thanks to him.

But then the warning comes…God keeps his distance from the arrogant. How many world leaders do you suppose that leaves out?

7 Whenever I am in deep trouble,
    you make me live again;
    you send your power against my enemies’ wrath;
    you save me with your strong hand.
8 The Lord will do all this for my sake.

Are you in deep trouble? Are we in deep trouble? Is the world in deep trouble? Take heart. God will make us live again. God sends his power to fight everything that assaults us, including bad politics and a deadly virus. God will save us with his strong hand.

Your faithful love lasts forever, Lord!
    Don’t let go of what your hands
    have made.

Yes, Lord. Please don’t EVER let go of what your hands have made! We need you to never let go of us.

What God’s Hands Made by Bonnie Bennett

WHO and WHOSE

Posted on by Betsy

My journey into ministry began innocently enough. I was a young mother of two when a good friend talked me into taking a Bible study called DISCIPLE. It was a year-long study that covered about 75% of the Bible. It also had a free nursery and like many young mothers, anything that came with a free nursery was pure GOLD. I immediately signed up. At that point in my life if a course on taxidermy had come with a free nursery, I would be the proud owner of many stuffed things right now.

The video presenter was a beautiful man named Zan Holmes. His resonant voice still echoes in my mind these many years later. I remember sitting spell-bound one day listening him say, “Always remember WHO you are…and WHOSE you are.” That struck a chord with me. It was during that year of intensive study that I discerned my call to ordination. God was directing me to the WHO by reassuring me of the WHOSE. I am a flawed and inconsequential child of God who is also the daughter of the great, high King. So if he decides to send me to seminary, I figured I would be alright.

God indeed went ahead and the rest is my history. The Holy Spirit acts as our on-site supervisor, available 24/7 for everything we are called to do. You can’t learn this from a bible study or a divinity school. You simply have to yield to God’s understanding and remember WHO God is.

Watch what happens to Peter:

Matthew 16 (The Message)

13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17-18 Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

By the power of God’s Spirit, Peter had discerned that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. He understood that Jesus was the Son of God. The three years of journeying with Jesus revealed WHO God is in a profound way to Peter. Then Jesus helped Peter understand WHOSE Peter was. He was a sinful man raised up to be the rock upon which the church would be built. In typical Messiah-transformation fashion, Peter the worst became Peter the first.

Imagine what he can do with YOUR life.

19 “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”

Where is God saying yes to you? And where is the no? We are all called to some form of ministry in the kingdom of God. Some will be bishops and some will be NICU nurses. Some will be dads and some will be Sunday School teachers. Who are you?

When we remember who we are, and more importantly whose we are, the kingdom is open wide to us. There are no barriers to God. There are no obstacles except our own disobedience and reluctance.

YOU are a child of God. Who do you say that he is?

Remembering Whose by Michelle Robertson