Let's Taco Bout Jesus

 Let's taco bout Jesus! The King of kings is He.  The Lord of Lords supreme. Through all eternity.  The Great I am, The Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door.  Let's taco bout Jesus more and more.  

Everytime I wear this shirt, This song is in my head.  I usually end up singing it all day long.  Which I'm sure starts to annoy those around me. But I enjoy singing and especially about Jesus.

But I have to do more than sing about Jesus.  I have to actually do what the song says.  I need to actually talk about Jesus.  

They say it is not just about talking the talking, but also walking the walk.  But in this instance, it needs to be both.  People need to know about Jesus.  But for people to know about Jesus, we must talk about Him.  

When I am around people, the words that come out of my mouth usually include "my husband this and my husband that."  I like to talk about my husband.  He is the love of my life.  I want others to know about the amazing husband of mine.  

I love my husband beyond words.  But you know, I love Jesus even more.  If I love Jesus more than my husband, than shouldn't the words that come out of my mouth include "my Jesus this and my Jesus that?"

Have you ever thought about your relationship with Jesus?  Why you follow Him?  What you would tell others about Him?  

Jesus was there at creation.  Everything we see is because of Him.  In John 1, we read that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."  The flowers, the trees, the animals, us...we are part of His creation.

Jesus was with Abraham when he was tested with his faith.  Would Abraham sacrifice his son just as Jesus would be sacrificed centuries later?  When Isaac asked his father, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the Lamb for a burnt offering? ...Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Genesis 22:7 and 8.  Abraham knew that God would provide His one sacrifice.  He would provide Jesus. 

Jesus was with David when he faced Goliath.  In 1 Samuel 17, David offers to fight Goliath.  He chooses to fight without armor and uses only a sling and five stones.  When he approaches Goliath, he said, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.  This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand;...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands."  Jesus was with David on the battlefield.

Jesus came as a child to live a life like ours.  He had the same nature as you and I.  He had opportunity to sin yet chose not to.  And His whole purpose of coming to the earth was twofold.  One--to sacrifice His life for you and me so we can have eternal life. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.  Two--to show the character of His Father, God.  In John 1verse 14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we sw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." And then chapter 7 verse 18, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."  Jesus even tells the disciples in John 14 verse 10, "the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works."

Jesus will come back again.  In John 14 verses 1-3, Jesus tells us to not let our hearts be troubled.  "in my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."  There will be a second coming. Jesus will come back for us.  We will not have to live in this sinfilled world forever.  He promised we would be with Him.  And that second coming isn't too far away.  Praise the Lord!  We will live eternally with Him.  And it will be soon!

And that is only from the Bible.  That is not even from my personal experience with Him.  So others about Jesus.  Your actions do speak louder than words.  But your words do need to speak as well.  You can do it!  We can do it!  But only By God's Amazing Grace!

  

I Want it Now

Little Bit and I went to the store the other day to buy groceries for Sabbath. Of course we had to go down the clearance aisle because why not. We saw a baby doll set in the aisle. It came with the baby, a bed, stroller, high chair, bath, and other accessories. Not thinking she would take me up on it, 

I told her I’d get it for her if she gave away all of her other toys. She got super excited and said yes! She promised she wouldn’t throw a fit and she’d give away everything. 

I was unsure of this. I began listing off toys that are extremely special to her. Including ones she’s had since she was a baby. Her special Chewy, a stuffed animal we gave her for her first birthday. Elizabeth and Gracie, dolls similar to American Girl Dolls her grandfather got her for Christmas. 

I kept listing off toys I knew she considered special. And yet she still was willing to give away everything for this one toy. 

Of course, I called the Hubs and talked to him. I also had him talk to Little Bit. We decided to not get it and put it back, which made Little Bit sad. 

The problem though is she was only looking at the here and now. She wanted instant gratification. She wasn’t looking ahead to see how it would affect her a week from now, a month from now, or even a year from now.  We know our daughter quite well. We know she would cry her little heart out if she no longer had certain toys. But she was only seeing what was in front of her. She was only seeing what she wanted now. What would make her happy in that exact moment. 

As I was thinking about this experience with our daughter, I was also thinking about humans as a whole and instant gratification. Or as my husband calls it, the microwave generation. We as a human race want what we want and we want it now. We don’t think about the ramifications that may follow. I want to be happy and I want to be happy now. What? You mean I hurt someone’s feelings? I don’t care. I got what I wanted. 

But I think the hardest one is with our relationship with God. We want things now, at this very moment, that we fall into temptation and sin. At the moment, the sin feels good or makes us happy. 

But we don’t think about how we will feel one week, one month, one year, or even an eternity later. Our relationship with Jesus should not be a microwave relationship. It should be more of a slow cooker relationship. 

When we are tempted, we should not think about what we get right now. What would make us happy in this instant. But instead, it should be what would please God? What would make me happy in the long run? What would give me eternal happiness with my Lord and Savior? 

That is the real question. It is not about instant gratification, but eternal salvation and happiness. 

Our choices today affect where we spend eternity. In Heaven with Jesus or eternal death. 

There have been a few challenges on YouTube concerning little kids. The parent puts something tasty in front of the child. The parent tells them to not eat it and then they walk out of the room. The child agonizingly stares at the item. Either a marshmallow, cookie, cupcake, or something like that. Many times the children are not able to maintain self-control and eat the item before the parent comes back. But if the child can wait, they not only get the one item, but they get another for being patient. 

Which child are you like? Do you want the instant deliciousness and eat it or do you wait and receive a greater reward? Do you fall into temptation for an instant reward, satisfaction, or fleeting happiness? Or do you “submit yourselves therefore to God and resist the devil?” James 4:7. James 1:12 says, “blessed is the man that endures the temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.” 

We can overcome. The reward is greater than whatever temptation or sin lies before us. We only know this life, this pleasure, this happiness. 

But what about Heaven and Jesus? “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. 

There is a greater reward than we can ever imagine. Yes, greater than that donut. Greater than that one night stand. Greater than that movie. Greater than anything that gives us fleeting happiness. We can spend eternity with Jesus. That reward is greater. Wait on the Lord. Wait on His reward. It is possible Only By God’s Amazing Grace.

 

Asymptotes

 I was teaching my students asymptotes in class. Let me give you a real quick math lesson. An asymptote is present when the equation is a fraction with a variable in both the numerator and denominator. 

There are three different types of asymptotes: vertical, horizontal, and slant. 

A vertical asymptote is when the denominator’s value would equal zero. In the laws of math, you cannot divide by zero. I always tell my students that if you divide by zero, the world will explode and you don’t want to be the reason we all die! So whatever value of x that makes the denominator equal to zero is the vertical asymptote. It is an imaginary vertical line that the graph will never cross because the graph does not exist on that line. With the equation set up as a fraction, there will always be a vertical asymptote. 

But there may or may not be a horizontal asymptote. 

If there is not a horizontal asymptote, there is a slant asymptote. But here is the thing. For these asymptotes, parts of the graph will not cross the asymptote, but other parts will. 

I was explaining all this, and more, to my students.  And one student has a profound idea. God’s laws, commandments, are the vertical asymptote.  God created those laws and He will not break them. He will not lie, kill, steal, break the Sabbath, covet, etc. and He doesn’t want us to break those laws either. 

But the horizontal and slant asymptotes, God can and will cross those lines to save. He is able to perform miracles in contrast to what seems humanly impossible. 

In Exodus 14, God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass through to escape the Egyptians. It seemed the Israelites were literally between a rock and a hard place.  They had nowhere to go. “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.” 

Joshua asked God to hold the sun still for a day and God did just that. Joshua 10:12-13. “Then spoke Joshua to the Lord...Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon...and the sun stood still.”  

The Philistines captured the Ark of the covenant and placed it in their temple. Their god, Dagon was found fallen, as if bowed down to God. 1 Samuel 5 gives the account of this story. “...Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again...on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both his palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold...” I love this story because it also shows God’s sense of humor. 

In 2 Kings 4, we find the story of a widow who was about to lose her sons to repay a debt her late husband owed. Elisha advised her to get as many vessels as possible and pour her small pot of oil into each vessel. The oil did not run out until the last vessel was filled. She then sold them to pay off the debt. “Then she came and told the man. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were cast into the fiery furnace for not bowing down to the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had built. Yet not a hair on their bodies were burned in Daniel 3. “He answered and said, 

Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 

Jesus was born of a virgin.  Isaiah 7:14 says “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” 

Jesus fed 5000 men, not including men and women with five loaves and two fish. Matthew 14:16-21. “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.” 

Jesus walked on water. Not only Jesus but Peter as well. Not only did Jesus walk on water, but He walked on water during a storm.  And then calmed said storm.  Matthew 14:24-31. “And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” 

In Acts chapter 12, Herod killed James, the brother of John, and to please the Jews, he arrested Peter with all intents to kill him. He was guarded by 16 soldiers. That night, while his church family prayed for him, 

Peter’s chains fell off of him and he walked out of the prison, past all 16 guards and out of locked iron gates. “And Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, 

and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.” 

And what about Lazarus? In John 11 we find the story of a dead Lazarus. After being dead for four days, Jesus raised him back to life. The Hellenistic view influenced the Jewish thought that the souls of a dead person hung around for three days. But by Jesus waiting four days, He dismissed this thought from their minds and put their minds on the glory of God. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus said, “...Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of his sleep...And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent he may believe...” 

There are so many horizontal asymptotes in the Bible. Where God went against what seemed humanly possible to save someone. He continues to do such things today. 

He has sent angels to protect drivers on the road when there was no rhyme or reason an accident didn’t occur. People have been dead only to come back to life with no medical reason. Similar to that of John Smith from the movie based on his story, Breakthrough. The miracles He has done go beyond what we ever deem possible. But because He is God, He created the world, He is able to control the natural world to save you and me. He is able to cross those lines that seem impossible to cross. He created the asymptote, He can cross it. “He is a personal God who loves us and who interacts with us. 

He is a God of miracles who, through using natural laws, is not bound by those laws and who can transcend those laws when He wills.”  He created the sun, He can make it stand still. He created the water, He can walk on it. He created life, He can give it back. He created you and He will do what it takes to save you, including controlling the nature He created. 

It is possible only By God’s Amazing Grace. 

Glow Sticks

Glow sticks can be great fun. They are great for playing tag at night. If you have never played tag while wearing glow sticks, are you even living?  I see glow sticks more often on holidays like Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve. I guess those would be times when people are outside after dark. Makes sense. 

Little Bit enjoys glow sticks. She likes to break them and watch the glowing, especially when it is dark. She is not a fan of the dark. Honestly, I don’t blame her. But the light from a glow stick helps her to enjoy something she does not like. 

Whenever we go some place that has the glow sticks for sale, she will ask for some. Sometimes we say no. But this time, we obliged. The glow sticks have been in the house for a few weeks with minimal mention of them. She did ask me the other if I had seen them. I knew where they were and I told her such. But I also told her I didn’t want her playing with them at that moment. 

But what good have the glow sticks been while in the package? What purpose have they served? None obviously. What if I gave Little Bit the glow sticks, but she did not break them? They would not serve their intended purpose. I’m sure she would still find ways to have fun with them. 

But the moment she breaks them, they begin to serve their intended purpose. They emit light. Not just any light, but glowing light. Unfortunately the light does not last long. After some time, the light begins to dim until it has gone completely out. It is then thrown to the side, it’s purpose fulfilled but no longer applicable. 

I think of Psalm 119:105, “They word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” The Word of God is able to light out path. But we have to break it open. If it sits on a shelf unread, it is not serving its intended purpose. Sure it can look nice on that shelf. Sure people can think what good Christians you are because you own a Bible. But looks can be deceiving. The Bible needs to bred, to be studied, to receive the light that is emitted from it. And it is not just any light. It is a glowing light. 

In Exodus chapter 34, God calls Moses up to the mountain with Him. In verse 28 and 29 it says, “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shown while he talked with him.” Moses spent time with the author, the One who inspired the Bible, and his face became a glow stick. The people couldn’t even look at him. Moses had to put a veil over his face. 

Here’s the thing, just like a glow stick, the light begins to dim the further we are removed from God’s word. We must continually read and study to receive the light that is emitted. Our paths cannot be lit if we don’t break open our Bibles and use it for its intended purpose. 

Eventually the light of the glow stick will fade. Eventually it will be nothing but rubbish. Without God’s word, our lives become rubbish. Open your Bible. Read the inspired word. Share the light. Your light will not go out if you continually break open the book.

Don’t be like the glow stick and let the light fade. Keep your path lit. This is possible onlyBy God’s Amazing Grace. 

You Can do It

Little Bit was playing on one of those triangular shaped jungle gyms that have the ropes you climb to get to the top.  She has had access to them before, but she has only climbed a few rungs up and decided she was done. 

This one particular day she decided she would do some climbing. I was pretty amazed when she made it half way up. She turned around and sat down where she was. I was sure Little Bit would turn around and climb down or even call for me to get her down. This has happened multiple times in the past. I expected the same results this day. 

But to my surprise, after a short amount of time of sitting, she turned around and began climbing higher. I was awestruck when Little Bit reached the top of the jungle gym, no tears, no fear.  Just joy and excitement that she made it all the way up. 

Well, I expected her to call me over to help he down. Nope. Not at all. She climbed down all by herself without any help or coaching. And not only that, but she did it again. The whole time the Hubs and I were sitting there, jaw dropped. It is not that we doubted her or her ability. It is that we have seen what she has done in the past. We have seen her on jungle gyms before and her reactions. We would always encourage her to keep trying, to keep going. There were times we would even give her a hand to show her it can be done. We knew one day she would do it. We were always her cheer squad. We are always her cheer squad. 

How different would the jungle gym experience be if we hadn’t encouraged her? How would it be different if we allowed her to give in? To quit? What we saw that day would not have happened for many years, if at all. 

The thing is, we have two people in our lives. We have those that encourage us, push us to do our best, reassure us that we can do it. But then we will also have the opposite. 

When we fail, they’ll say, see, I told you you couldn’t do it. Just give up. It is not worth it. They will bring you down and discourage you from reaching your goals. Many times that voice is our own. We many times we are the harshest critique. I see this many times with my math students. They don’t think they can, so they can’t. But I continue to encourage them until they see that they can.  So it is your choice who you listen to.

Will you listen to the voice that says “keep trying, you can do this” or “give up, you’ll never succeed”? 

If Michael Jordan would have listened to his discouragers, he wouldn’t have played for the Bulls. If Albert Einstein listened to his discouragers, we wouldn’t have e=mc^2. Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have been our 16th president. Vincent Van Gogh wouldn’t have given us The Starry Night. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, we are told to comfort or encourage one another and edify one another. We should encourage each other. We should lift each other up. 

Just like Little Bit was able to climb to the top of the jungle gym because she was continually encouraged, you too can complete what you have been trying yo complete. But you must decide who you will listen to.  Choose today. Who’s voice will you choose? Choose to be encouraged and to encourage others. 

This is possible Only By God’s Amazing Grace. 

What’s in a Name?

 Have you ever thought about what your name means and why your parents chose it for you? Were you named after a family member that everyone loved? Maybe your parents didn’t name you? There are cultures where a family member names the child instead of the parents.  I have a friend who was sure she was having a boy. When her baby was delivered, she was shocked when she had a girl. No girl names were picked out. She had to think quick. It was a morning and raining outside. So she named her Misty Dawn. Sometimes parents choose a name because of how it rolls off the tongue. 

If we go to the Bible, we discover the names had specific meanings. Adam, the first man, means earthy or red. He was made from the dust of the earth. Methuselah means he has sent his death. Methuselah died and then the flood came. Samson means there the second time. And God gave him a second chance to defeat the Philistines. Samuel, who was prayed for by his mother Hannah, means asked of God. David was a man after God’s own heart and his name means well-beloved. Daniel’s name means judgement of God and he was among the captives of Babylon. Jesus means Savior. And He is our Savior. Names had a meaning and purpose in the Bible. Names reflected the character of the person.

 Many of us call ourselves Christians. It is a name we take on. Do you know what the name Christian means? According to Merriam Webster, a Christian is one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. The character of a person taking the name Christian so be that of Jesus. There is a song by DC Talk called What if I Stumble. The beginning has the following: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.  That is what an unbelieving world simply find unbelievable.” 

If we call ourselves Christians, we should act like Christians. We shouldn’t lie, steal, kill, gossip. A comedian named Ken Davis once said, “so tired of people who claim to be followers of Christ who walk around with a face that looks like they swallowed a profusely sweating toad...I’ve been a Christian for 27 years. It’s been great.. I wanna say well tell your face. You need to send missionaries to your face. Your face has not yet heard the good news.” Our faces should reflect our relationship with Jesus. We should have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts...and on our faces. How do we expect to convert others if we are miserable? Or just look miserable? Let me tell you about the love of Jesus. I wouldn’t want to experience that type of love. I know His love puts a smile on my face. The things He has done in my life, how could I not smile. Does this mean my life is easy? No! Not even close. But He IS close and I am not alone. 

Want to be a witness to others? Don’t just take the name Christian, but live the life of a Christian. This is possible only By God’s Amazing Grace. 

The Test

 As a teacher, I have to give tests. But before I do, I give the lessons. I teach what needs to be taught, explain the material in ways the students will understand, give the students a chance to apply the lessons, and offer help where needed. We even review for the test the class before. The moment the students sit down for their test, my hands are tied. I’ve done all I can. It is now up to the students to show me what they know, what they have learned. All I can do is pray for them as they take the test. I have to be silent during their test. 

It breaks my heart when I see them making mistakes or forgetting that one rule. For example, working with circles. The student remembers to complete the square to right the formula but then forgets to change the signs when writing the center. But during the test, I cannot help. As much as I want to say, “but the signs!!”, I remain quiet.  

There are many people in the Bible who went through a test. Abraham and Isaac went through a test. One that would not have ended well. On the way up to the mountain for the sacrifice of Isaac, God was silent. 

When Isaac was on the altar, God was silent. But the moment the test was over, God spoke. Abraham and Isaac passed the test. Job went through a test. Within a matter of hours, Job lost his wealth, livestock, servants, and children.  

Then his health was affected. Even though God was with him, God was silent. And yet again, he passed the test. Not only did Job pass, but he also gained all that he has lost plus some. But I am thinking of one story, one person in particular. Jesus. 

His life was a study session. He was preparing for the ultimate test. The class final you could say. 

But when Jesus was on the cross, God was silent. Jesus even said, “my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Jesus had to complete the test on His own. All of His efforts were not in vain. 

All the lessons He had learned came down to this one moment. The moment on the cross. But here’s the thing: although God was silent, He was still there. He had not forsaken Jesus. He was watching, His heart was hurting for His student, for His Son. God believed Jesus would pass the test. But His heart still hurt because of the pain His Son was going through. And we all know the outcome. Jesus aced the test, blew the curve, passed it with flying colors. 

There are many times we go through a test, a trial. And it seems God is silent, absent. But like any good teacher, He is watching with bated breath. He is there with His students, watching over them. The difference between our tests/trials and my students’ tests is my students know when they will have a test. Very rarely do I even give a pop quiz. 

We don’t know when we will go through a trial. We are to be prepared. We are to constantly study for our exam. Be ready at any moment. But how? Bible study, prayer, helping others, living the life of a Christian, strengthening our faith with each quiz He gives us. Through our preparation, we can be more prepared for a test. God may be silent. But He is still present. We can pass the test. Through our preparations, we have become equipped. 

Many people will say God will not give us more than we can bear. I have not found this in the Bible. It is something easy to say that seems to provide comfort. But why give false hope? 

What we need to remember is that through each test, God gives us what we need during the lessons to strengthen us for the test. And each test helps you become stronger which prepares you for the next. 

But you are able to pass the test. Use the tools He has given you. Don’t give up. And if you are fighting a battle right now, if you are taking that test, reach into your toolbox. Grab what you need. 

Remember that when God is silent, He is still there and will not leave you nor forsake you. Ace your exam! This is possible only By God’s Amazing Grace.