White as Snow

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7(NLT)

There is nothing like the happy state of realizing I am no longer being scrutinized and judged for all my failures, weaknesses and sins but that I have been completely forgiven and all my sins are covered.  This is the happy state of those who have received the free gift of righteousness that God has offered to all who believe in him.

There is nothing worse than walking around with a heavy feeling of guilt on our shoulders.  (David describes this feeling in Psalm 32.) God has a remedy for us.  He simply asks us to come and talk with him about our failures and to gratefully receive the forgiveness he offers. We sometimes complicate the matter by trying harder, thinking there is something we can do to atone for our sins. It is not pleasing to our Father who provides us with such freedom when we continue to bear the burden and punish ourselves.

The transaction is complete. God has declared us not guilty and credited his righteousness to our account.  We must take God at his word because he does not lie.  This was not a cheap transaction a "sweeping it under the rug" sort of thing.  It happened at a great cost.  Jesus took all of our debt, paid the price in full and now lets us go free.  What an amazing God we have. 

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

2 Cor 5:21 (NLT)

But if we confess our sins to him,

he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:9 (NLT)

Help

Our lives are full of uncertainty and often things don't go as we expect. 

These words of encouragement came to me this morning.

Be encouraged.  

I assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens. 

(1 Peter 5:12)

He is your helper.  

He will restore, support and strengthen you

and place you on a firm foundation.

(1 Peter 5:10)

In that day he will be your sure foundation providing a rich store of help,

wisdom and knowledge.  

The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

  (Isaiah 33:6)

Lord,  I humble myself under your mighty power.  You are Lord of my life.  I give all my worries and cares to you because you care for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

Isaiah 33:6 (NIV)

Home

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.

My Father will love him,

and we will come to him and make our home with him. 

John 14:23 (NIV)

After eight months of searching we have finally found a home in Arizona.  I am so thankful for God's provision and as usual, his timing is perfect. The day after Mother's Day the price was lowered on the house we were looking at by $50,000.  We put in an offer that day and it was accepted.  It seems like the perfect house for us, better than the others we had put offers on. Now that unsettled feeling of not knowing where we would be living in the fall has gone away and I am at peace in his will and timing.  He is never early and never late.

Finding a home brings a sense of security - a place to settle, a place for all of your things and a place to share life together.  Of course, the house needs lots of remodeling to make it our own, so we have begun to make plans to change things.  God, too, is looking for a home.  He is restless until he finds a place to settle down.  As we willingly open the door to him, he joyfully comes in and takes up residence. Then he goes about inspecting and looking for ways to make it his own.  He has a big remodeling job on his hands.  He has to get new furniture, paint and change all the fixtures until he is comfortable there.  Like my husband, George, he loves getting involved in remodeling projects no matter how difficult.  He joyfully goes about beautifying the place until it becomes a sparkling show place of his life.   

 Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.

Eph. 3:17 (NLT)

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
--C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Knowledge

The Apostle Paul was a man of great accomplishment and standing.  He was born into the right family, had the right education and was zealous for doing the right thing. But after he came to know Christ, he realized that his accomplishments were worthless by comparison to the surpassing value of knowing Christ.  

All the things we seek after, riches, reputation or relationship can lead us astray. These things are like seeking after the wind (Ecclesiastes 5:16) or trying to put water in a pot with holes (Jeremiah 2:13.) But, when we find that thing of surpassing value, when we come to know Christ, we realize that everything we have imagined and more are found in our knowledge of him.  (Ephesians 3:20)

Once we have him we have it all.  Through our knowledge of him we are given everything we need for living a good life. We are spiritually transformed and become partakers of the divine nature.  As we humble ourselves he raises us up giving us spiritual riches and a life of productivity and usefulness.

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

New Clothes

 

 You have clothed yourselves with a brand new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.  Colossians 3:10 (NLT)

Clothing, our outward appearance, is the first thing people notice about us.  It creates that first impression and people make assumptions about who we are based on what they see on the outside.

What we wear on the outside reflects what is in our hearts.  Our faith in Christ has created within us a new person. That new person has been given a new set of clothes to wear.  If we walk in our old ways even our best outfit is described as filthy rags (Isaiah 64.6).  When we put on Christ it is as if we are wearing a beautiful set of new clothes. 

Clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness,

humility, gentleness, and patience,

  bearing with one another and forgiving one another,

if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. 

And to all these virtues, add love which is the perfect bond.  

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart, 

for you were in fact called to this peace, and be thankful.

Col 3:12-15 (NET)

Lord,  thank you for the new clothes you have given us to wear.  Let us put them on each morning and remember to keep them wrapped tightly about us as we go through our day.

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.

Isaiah 64:10 (NLT)

Natalie's Story

Over the weekend we visited First Presbyterian Church of Leupp on the Navajo Reservation.   After lunch we gathered for small group discussion - a great way to get to know each other.  In that group we heard from Natalie Begay, whose husband Raymond was the former pastor of the Leupp church.

Our first question for discussion was, “What kind of home did you live in when you were a child and how was your home heated?”  Natalie shared that she had lived in a Navajo hogan - a domed wood and mud structure.  There she lived with her mother and 11 siblings on one side of the hogan.  Her father’s second wife and her four children lived on the other side.  The hogan was heated by a wood fire in the center which was vented through a hole in the roof.

When Natalie was a young woman she married Raymond.  She had two daughters, Eunice and Lorena.  Through an unfortunate set of circumstances, her husband was sent to prison leaving her alone with the two girls and no means of support.  In desperation, she returned to her original home but found no one.   There she sat with her food running out.  Finally, she was left with only a few potatoes.  She cooked the potatoes, feeding the children but not taking any for herself.  That evening, she happened to be listening to a radio program and heard these words, ”If you give your life to God, he will help you.”  Her heart was touched and there she cried out asking God for his help.  Then she cried herself to sleep.

In the middle of the night she heard noise and a knock on the door.  In comes her brother with boxes and bags of food. Where did all that food come from? Apparently, earlier that night, a freight train had stalled in the area and because it could not be repaired in a timely manner the local people were told to take the food on board before it spoiled.  

After this miracle of provision, Natalie dedicated her life and children to God.  Her husband spent the next 15 years in prison.  Through Natalie’s influence, Raymond also dedicated his life to God and when he finally got out they went together to Bible training school.  Natalie raised two other children in need of a home.  Her daughters, Eunice and Lorena continue to faithfully serve.  They sing and minister to the Navajos.  They also have traveled to Scotland and Jamaica sharing about their native culture and about Jesus.  Eunice teaches the Navajo language at the school in Leupp.  Her husband, Calvin, is now the pastor of the church and is building a new house for Natalie and Raymond.

A mother’s desperate cry to God was heard and answered, blessing Natalie her husband and her children.  That blessing continues to spread to many on the Navajo Reservation and I believe it will continue for generations to come.

He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;

 he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.

 He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.

Psalm 72:12-13 (NLT)

Natalie Begay and Friend

Members of Desert Hills Presbyterian share in tree planting.

New Every Morning

  Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Lam 3:22-26 (NIV)

A Tribute to David Wilkerson

David Wilkerson  1931-2011

I was saddened to read this morning of the death of David Wilkerson.

My husband, Allan Jump, worked with David at the Brooklyn, New York Teen Challenge Center from 1968 to 1970. Allan was called into the ministry at the age of 20 when David said at a large youth rally in Anaheim, California "I feel there is someone here that is supposed to go back with me to New York." It turned out to be Allan.  Through David's provision he was able to fly to New York that summer.  There he worked with the men at the center and participated in rally's with David and other staff members on the streets of New York. They would preach from a special van, outfitted with speakers, drawing crowds of listeners from the neighborhood. 

We married in December 1968 and I returned with him to New York where we lived at the Teen Challenge Center and later became the traveling representatives of the ministry.  We presented a play where I played a girl heroin addict and Allan was the preacher who brings me to Teen Challenge.

This was the beginning stages of Allan's ministry.  He was given opportunities to preach and teach.  He went on to participate in several ministries, teach at several Teen Challenge centers and pastor several churches leading many to Christ until his death in 1997.

Because of those early days at Teen Challenge I have continued with the desire to help those caught in the drug trap. I participate in prison ministry in Northern California and have taught at the Teen Challenge center in Oakland.

You can read more about the exciting beginning of David's ministry to gang members and drug addicts in New York City in the book The Cross and the Switchblade.

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2011/s11040178.htm