Cast a Lot Catch A Purim

Have you ever noticed the book of Esther doesn’t mention God? Of course He’s in the underlining story or it wouldn’t be in the Bible, but God himself is not talked about directly. It’s like He’s hidden.

Guess what Esther means in Hebrew, “hidden.”

Let me start this jewel by giving you the “Gena translation” of the book of Esther.

Esther is a Jewish girl raised by her uncle Mordecai. She is seriously beautiful. The king at the time is Xerxes and his wife, the also beautiful queen, is Vashti.

Now Xerxes is having a huge party with his boys and after a few days of partying he tells one of his servants to go get Vashti.
He wants to parade her in front of the guys so they can all see how beautiful she is and wish they were married to her.
Well Vashti is having a party of her own with the girls and when the servant shows up to bring her before the king she’s like no way. She has no intentions of parading in front of a bunch of drunk guys. As you can imagine the King is not happy that he’s been dissed in front of his friends so he asks his “advisers” what he should do.
They tell him he better replace her quick because if the rest of the wives hear about this they might start dissing their men and the whole kingdom will be in an uproar.
They also come up with this great idea to find all the beautiful virgins in the kingdom and let him pick a new bride.

In comes Esther. Her uncle tells her not to let her new husband know that she is Jewish.

Mordecai use to visit with Esther in the courtyard and they would keep each other updated on what was going on. One day Mordecai overheard a couple of the kings officers planning to kill the king so he told Esther who in turn told the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
The officers were hanged and the whole issue was recorded in the official books in the presence of the king.

Now in order for any story to be juicy we need a villain. As luck would have it, we have one. His name is Haman.
Haman is your typical egomaniac and to make matters worse he’s the king’s top advisor!
He was so stuck on himself that he passed a law that everyone had to bow down to him. Mordecai refused because the only one a Jew was permitted to bow before was God. This ticked Haman off so bad that he decreed that all Jews would be killed on a certain day that of course he would pick.
Haman was very superstitious so he drew lots to find out which day to carry out his plan.
Now interesting enough the word for “lots” in Persian is purim.
It was decided that the plan would begin the month of Adar, which was the same month that Moses died. Haman figured that was a good omen, he would wipe out the Jews the same day a famous Jew died. Kind of an in your face thing.
What Haman didn’t know was in Jewish tradition great men die on their birthdays because their lives are complete. Moses was born and died in Adar so this was not a time of misfortune for the Jews but a month they considered blessed.
Back to our story. Haman tells the king there's a group of people scattered among your kingdom whose customs are different from ours and they don’t obey the kings laws and it would be in his best interest not to tolerate them.
He tells the king of his great plan to destroy them. The king figures it’s a good idea and uses his signet ring to seal the orders and make sure there carried out to the various provinces to annihilate all the Jews and to take all their goods.

When Mordecai found out what had been done he of course freaks out and the bible says he is wailing loudly and bitterly. In every province there was great mourning among the Jews when they were told what was going to happen.
Esther sends one of her servants to ask Mordecai what’s up. Why is he so upset? Mordecai tells him the whole story and sends her a copy of the edict for their annihilation which was published. He tells her to go talk to the king and beg for mercy for her people.

Now you have to understand, in those days if the king didn’t invite you and you showed up and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to you, you would be killed. Esther lets her uncle know it’s been over a month since the King asked for her.
When the servant told Mordecai what Esther said he sent back this answer?
“Do not think that because you are in the King’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

He was letting her know God’s plan would be carried out with or without her help but if she chose not to help she was still going down.

I want to move away from our story for a minute. Sometimes we may not “see” God in our circumstances but that doesn’t mean he’s not behind the scenes doing His thing. We may be right where we are supposed to be when God needed a person in a strategic place to work out His will. However, if we do not do what is asked when we know we are the one called, He will replace us.

Esther let’s Mordecai know that she will do her part and asks that all the Jews in Susa would fast and pray for her for 3 days and nights.

When you have a huge job before you I can’t imagine doing it without serious prayer and or fasting. Not just you praying but making sure you have prayer warriors praying with you.
Esther let’s them know she will go before the king and if she dies, she dies.

In our lives God asks us to do things that at worse might hurt our feelings and possibly our pride but I don’t know many people that are doing what God asks with the possibility of death.

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood before the king and her God behind the scenes was standing with her.

The king allowed her to come to him and he asked what she needed, he even offered to give her up to half the kingdom. Talk about God’s favor.  As part of  Esther’s strategy to reveal Haman's evil plan she invites the King and Haman to a party she’s throwing and they both agree to come.
Now remember Haman is a total ego maniac so you can only imagine how big his head is right now that HE was singled out as an honored guest from the queen.
At the party the King asks Esther again what she wants and she says come back tomorrow night for another party with Haman and I’ll tell ya then. So Haman leaves thinking he’s all that but he runs into Mordecai at the gate and as always Mordecai didn’t even stand up when he sees him and to really tick him off he’s not even showing any fear!

Haman blows him off for now because he wants to tell his family and friends all about his night and how he was the only one Esther invited to the parties. He tells his family about everything but then he says “but all this still doesn’t satisfy me as long as I see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”
Esther 5:13

Isn’t it amazing when we become obsessed with something, we just can’t let it go. It torments our minds and no matter what else is going on we can’t totally enjoy it because we are hanging onto something destructive, anger and rage.

His wife, trying to be helpful, tells Haman to build a huge gallows 75 feet high and have Mordecai hanged on it before you go have dinner with the King and Queen Esther.

Women can be brutal! Go hang a man before dinner and then eat and enjoy yourself. The really sick part is this delighted Haman and he had the gallows built.

Well once again our God from behind the scenes is at work.

That night the king can’t sleep so he ordered the book of chronicles be brought and read to him.
Get a good legal book to put you right to sleep.
He’s reminded of what Mordecai had done for him, letting him know about the planned assassination. He asks his officers if he ever did anything to repay him and they say no.
Now here comes the best part. The King asks if there’s any one in the courtyard and they say yes Haman. Of course Haman's there to ask if he can hang Mordecai!
Before Haman can speak the kings ask him “what should be done for the man he delights to honor?” Haman of course thinks the king's talking about him, remember ego maniac, so he tells the king all these great things that should be done, ya know royal robe, beautiful horse, parade him around town and let everyone know how great he is.
The king says great idea! Go ahead and do all those things for Mordecai. I’ll even let you be the one to parade him around!

Talk about a plan gone wrong....

After doing all this Haman still has to go to the banquet Esther invited him to. This is where it gets really ugly because now when the king asks Esther what she wants, remember up to half the kingdom so he really likes her, she tells the king that she and all her people are scheduled to be annihilated in a few days. The king asks, “who is the man who dares do such a thing?”
Guess who?

As you can imagine things did not get any better for Haman.
You can read the story for all the details but the gist of it is because the king signed the first ruling he could not go back on it. He made a new ruling telling the Jews they could fight back. They did and of course won not only their lives but the plunder as well. As for Haman he was hung on the very gallows he made for Mordecai not only him but his family as well.

Sometimes even if God is not mentioned directly you can see His hand all through a story. In the Bible and in our lives as well. It may appear He’s hidden at times but He is always in control.

Jews have events to celebrate things God did for them and they want remembered by future generations. The feast of Purim will be celebrated the second week in March.

Purim commemorates the victory of the righteous over the wicked. God did not use any supernatural events to save His people in this story. No floods or plagues, like I said His name doesn’t even appear in the story. It was the coincidences of the story beyond all statistical probability and even possibility that makes you know it was directed by God. Purim is a record of “hidden miracles”.

When a lottery is drawn, the chosen name seems to be an accident, but the result is divinely predestined. It may seem they were all coincidences but I know there is no such thing. These things happen all the time we just don’t take notice of them. A coincidence is nothing more than God’s way of choosing to remain anonymous.
Purim is a fest where wine freely flows because that is when the king decided to get rid of his wife making way for Esther. It was also a party with lots of wine that Esther revealed she was a Jewess to her husband.
Every year on the anniversary of Haman's death the Jews read the story twice both on Purim night and morning. Every time Haman’s name is mentioned, which is quite a bit, the entire congregation is expected to boo, make a noise and try to wipe out the memory of this villain. The thought behind this ritual is a powerful way to teach Jews from childhood that they should never remain silent in the face of those who want to destroy them. In addition, it is customary to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. There is also a small fast done before the celebration to signify the fast Esther arranged.

I’m sharing this with you because I believe the Jewish culture is wise in remembering feast and special Holy days. It is a constant reminder to their families of how great our God is, the God we serve.
I think if we remembered more of His miracles we wouldn’t get so freaked out when life took a bad turn on us because we would know how God is able to take care of His children whether behind the scenes or in your face.
Gems we don't know when God will call us for a situation He needs a warrior.

I hope you enjoyed the story of Esther and I think it would be OK, Jewish or not,  to join in on the celebration!

Shut Up Before You Speak

I want to share a valuable lesson with you the Lord taught me about keeping quiet. I'm sure you can already tell it had to be God as I love to blab.
I was going through what I call my “faith building time” and I made the mistake of “sharing” what was going on with those around me. I didn't realize at the time that was not a good idea as I was still deciphering what God was saying. A couple of problems can arise when we share too soon. Sometimes we get things wrong because we are thinking and hearing in the natural and not the spiritual another is it might not be the right timing. God can be giving you a word for what is to come and not necessarily right now. This can cause confusion and do more harm than good to the people your sharing with. The thing to remember is this growing time is meant for you and the Lord alone, unless he tells you otherwise, making it part of your personal relationship and journey.
For example, I knew the Lord was preparing me to move and he brought up Johnson City TN on many occasions. As soon as He mentioned moving I got boxes, started packing and put my house up for sale. I also shared my moving news with anyone that would listen. Big mistake because guess what I still have not moved to Johnson City TN. And that word was given years ago. However, I did go to Johnson City Tn a few times and God did great things on each trip. I'll save those stories for another jewel.
I did eventually move but not when or where I thought I heard.
Because I was in the testimony building part the people around me thought I was nuts and I'm sure they felt it was confirmed when I didn't move to Johnson City. I knew I heard from the Lord I even had people speak into my life confirming what the Lord said. Two women I trust and admire even gave me confirmation about Johnson City TN. I went back to the Lord later and asked Him why He felt it necessary to make me look like a lunatic. I told Him I knew he said Johnson City and He said “I said you would go there and you did 3 times. I said you would go to TN and you did 5 times.” I heard part of what God said right and I should have waited to share the rest.
I remember feeling really frustrated because people were not reacting the way I thought they should or with the encouragement I needed (again not their fault.) It was making me second guess myself and to be honest my sanity. I prayed to God to send me someone to talk to that would understand, someone who had a testimony to what I was going through. God as always answered my prayer and sent an awesome man of God named Ron Allen. I knew he loved the Lord and the fruit of his ministry was proof he heard from God. He came to the church I was attending at the time for a conference and agreed to meet with me. I told him what was happening and he shared with me (gena translation) the keep your mouth shut rule. Of course he didn't use those words, he's way too kind but that was the gist of it. He told me things that happened in his walk and how he later realized he was not supposed to share all God was showing him at that time. It really encouraged me and helped me get a positive perspective on things and confirmed, at this time I was not crazy. If I haven't already told you, thank you Pastor Allen :)
There are many stories in the New Testament of Jesus telling people not to share what He was doing in their life.
Mark 9: the disciples are with Jesus and they see him in a cloud with Elijah and Moses the next thing you know Jesus is there alone and it freaks them out. The Lord tells them not to tell anyone what they have seen. In V43 it says “he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about this.”
Matthew 9: two blind men are healed by Jesus and He tells them not to tell anyone about it.
Luke 5: Jesus healed the leper v14 then Jesus ordered don't tell anyone.
Why did Jesus tell them not to tell anyone what was happening in their life? Why bother doing a miracle if your not going to show off? Two reasons I think. One it was to build that persons faith so they would have a strong testimony and two it wasn't the right time for what would bring God the most glory. I think it's the same reason today. God wants you to speak when it will bring Him the most glory.
You may be in a place in your journey that God is showing you amazing things and speaking promises to you about your future and it may be confusing because circumstances at the moment are not lining up with His word. You may be sharing everything you receive with others and because it has not come to fruition the naysayers are starting to get into your heard. I want to encourage you with another story in the Bible.
Mark 5: There is story about a synagogue ruler named Jairus (He even mentions his name) he fell at Jesus feet and told him his daughter was dying and he asks Jesus to come to his house and heal her. Jesus agrees and goes with Jairus. You have to understand there was a large crowd following Jesus and he was healing other people along the way so he didn't go directly to Jairus home. I don't know how long a time it was from the time he asked til the time He got there but it was God's timing. You too may be asking God for something and He agreed , you still have to wait for Him to get there.
Before Jesus got to his house some men from his hometown came and found Jairus to tell him “your daughter is dead don't bother the teacher any more.”
I love this next part v36 “Ignoring what they said Jesus told the synagogue ruler (Jairus) “Don't be afraid just believe.”
Jesus did go to his house and he did heal his daughter.
Sometimes you just have to ignore people and what they are saying and just believe what God told you. It helps if you don't give them anything to say, hence the shut up part.
The thing is, until we walk out what we are going through we are in the testimony building phase. When we are on the other side of the story we give hope to those who will walk a similar journey, like Ron Allen did in my life.
I'm not saying you shouldn't have anyone to talk to the word says we should seek wise counsel but ask the Lord who that person is.
Notice in Matthew 17:5
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
Just because the disciples were told not to tell anyone didn't mean God wasn't speaking and most of all He was well pleased with his son. He is telling you today just like He told the disciples long ago “listen to Him!”
My prayer for you today:
My child (your name here) I am speaking to you and I do have a plan and a purpose for you. I am pleased with your obedience and I do make plans that you will succeed in. I pray you understand there are times I say don't tell anyone what you have seen or heard for your benefit and my glory. Don't be afraid, just believe and listen to what my son tells you.
Amen

False Sense of Security

I have one of those chains on my apartment door that makes me feel safer when I use both the dead bolt and the chain lock. I'm always reminding my daughter that when I'm not home to make sure she puts the chain on. The problem is one day I came home and forgot about the chain and just pushed the door open, no real effort and the chain broke. I freaked that I broke the chain. I didn't sleep well that night because the chain was broke. I had the maintenance man come and fix it the very next day. 
Side note. I can't tell you how much I love living in an apartment and when something breaks all you do is call the maintenance man and he comes and fixes it, right away, even if your not home!!! Then he leaves a card hanging on your door telling his name and that he fixed your problem. Are you kidding me, it's like I have my own honey do list guy.
OK back to my story. I get the chain fixed and about a week later my son and grandsons 4 & 7 come over for the weekend.  I once again apply my chain lock when we go to bed. The next morning we were going to the park and in my 7 year old grandsons excitement he unlocked the bolt and yanked the door open and guess what my 2nd chain went flying across the room.  My first thought was what will my maintenance man think!
What I want you to see here is I had a false sense of security in a chain to keep me safe that can be broke in half by a 7 year old.
It's like in the summer we lock our screen door and have the wood door open. How hard would it be to rip a screen. We live in Florida, one good wind and it's gone.
I started thinking about other things we use to give us a false sense of security like a relationship or money in the bank. A good job or having health insurance. I'm not saying that any of these things are wrong unless we are putting our security and faith in them.
I know people who have been at a job they hate for years because they think they won't survive without it. They fear not being able to get another job or not getting the amount of money they will need to make it. They are literally missing out on so much joy and freedom because they are not trusting God. I know I have used this scripture before but I will always go back to it.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When I was going through my last "Faith building" experience I was out of work and as you know lost my investment property and my home and was literally getting my meals from a restaurant that gave me left overs. I can't tell you how many times I cried out to God freaking out and for months all He said was "either I'm God or I'm not." I'll be honest sometimes I would yell back “stop saying that!!!” But the truth is that was the only answer that summed it all up.  God was and is faithful and going through that experience has allowed me the freedom to venture into other uncharted areas because I know whenever the enemy tries to scare me I just respond "either He's God or He's not and guess what He is!"
We are getting closer to the last days and I believe God is calling each one of us to new ground that will take faith and courage and relying on your earthly stuff is not going to be an acceptable answer for why your not doing what God tells you.
I am co-leading a ladies Bible study by Joyce Meyer called Do it afraid.  She talks about being at the beginning of a journey, in the middle or at the end.  The example she gives was when the disciples were in the boat and the storm rose and the boat was getting tossed all around, the disciples are freaking out and Jesus is asleep!  He told them when they left they were going to the other side. Just because there was a storm didn't change His plan.
You may have just started a journey or you may be in the middle of it, you may even be in a storm but your still going to the other side of whatever God has called you to.
Joyce also talks about when Noah built the ark there were 2 things missing a rudder and a sail. That ark was going where God wanted it to with no help from Noah.
What I'm saying here is putting that chain on the door was not going to keep anyone out of my apartment not even a 7 year old boy. I had a false sense of security in an object that couldn't possibly do the job I needed it to.
You have a plan and a purpose and a life God died to give you and your not living it because you have a chain lock on you that satan put on your door.  Guess what  he too has a false sense of security because once you decide your breaking out you will and it will only take the strength of a 7 year old.
We can't possibly share the message of God cowering in fear and uncertainty.  Either He's God or He's not. I am beginning a new journey with the Lord and I can't even imagine where we are going next but I do know He is my true sense of security. Let Him be yours too.

P.S. I felt like I should add to the jewel that I LOVE living in Tampa and have totally enjoyed all the people I have met and the ones I have been able to minister to and who have ministered to me. I would never have moved on my own as I was content with where I was. But God wanted more than just content.... I would not change a thing :)

Your Promise Land

I was rereading this morning about when the children of Israel were being chased by Pharaoh and his army because God was taking them out of Egypt.
Here’s a recap of the story. The Israelites went through the Red Sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen, the entire army of pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. (Read Exodus 14 for the whole story.) OK that is an amazing example of God’s power right? But what got my attention was what happens next. “Then Moses and the Israelites sang a song to the Lord.” Read Exodus 15 for the whole song, I’m just going to take a part of it. “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” Exodus 15:13
I want you to get a mental picture of this and I really do want you to read Exodus 15 so you can see the whole song. The Bible says Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. How did they all know the words????
I was a choir helper years ago when Anthony and Amanda were young. Funny because I can’t sing, can’t play an instrument or read music, only God… OK so we had about 25 kids in this choir and we practiced for months to teach them a few songs. There were over 2 million people with Moses!! Can you imagine this scene? 2 million men and women signing praises to God! Can you imagine how intense the presence of God must have been?
It picks up in verse 20 “then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.” Again, interesting point. They didn’t have time to bring yeast for cooking when they fled Egypt but they took tambourines! Obviously praising God was a priority.
Back to our story, we’re talking a lot of women here! They were celebrating, singing and dancing about what God had done for them.
Years ago I was involved with a group of women and the Lord brought us together from different towns and denominations to start a women’s Bible study with no “church” affiliation. We would meet to pray and seek God’s plan. One day we all went to lunch and the Lord reminded me about a small gazebo on the side of the road in Umatilla next to the lake. He told me to bring the women there and dance before Him. Now this spot was also right on the main highway so there were cars constantly driving by, we had to decide if we were willing to look like freaks. We were, so we piled into cars and drove to that gazebo and sang and danced before our God. It was beautiful and you could just feel Him smiling down on us.
This was just a small picture of what it was like with Miriam and her girls.

This experience with the Israelites gave them courage to move forward because they knew God would protect them. He showed them His mighty power.
When I was a kid probably 8 or 9 and still did the trick or treat thing I was out in the neighborhood with my pillow case full of candy and this bully knocked me down and took my loot. I was really scared and ran home. My uncle was living with us at the time and he must have been about 19 and about 6 feet tall and I ran in the door crying. He asked what happened and I told him and he said “let’s go get your candy back.” I gotta tell you I didn’t leave the way I showed up. I had a new fire in me and I was ready to kick butt cause this time I had Uncle Donald and he was big!!! I was not going to have to use my strength. True story, we banged on the door of this kids house(his parent’s weren’t home) and he wouldn’t answer so my uncle went around back, crawled into the basement window went up the stairs grabbed the kid and got my candy! The guy was crazy, must run in the family.
My point is the Israelites didn’t fear moving forward because they weren’t relying on their own strength any more.
You may be in a place where you’re afraid to move forward. The only reason you would be afraid is because you’re relying on your own strength. Satan may be sending you threats or attacking you in some way. Exodus 15:9 The enemy boasted, “I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils, I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.” Those are pretty scary words. I’m sure the enemy is using similar ones on you. Notice verse 10: BUT you blew with your breath and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”
God is truly the bomb!!!!!!

We all have a Promise Land here on this earth before we go to our eternal one. What is yours? What is keeping your from entering it?
God will protect you as you “pass-over” into your Promise Land. Don’t retreat, the same God that crushed Pharaoh’s army is more powerful than the Red Sea. He is the same God that raised Jesus from the dead, and He’s the same God that watches over you! He is the same God that will return for His people and the same God that will judge those who did not believe in Him. The enemy may be scaring you BUT GOD will deliver you. Pass over Gems from this place to your Promise Land.

Gena’s Jewels.

Unrequited Love

We hear a lot about God’s love for us. He loved us so much He sent His only son to die for us. We are taught about the Love of Jesus and sing songs with words like “He loves us oh how he loves us” “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” I think that’s great and I love singing these songs but if I really think about it they seem a bit one sided.
Through out the Bible the Lord uses the marriage relationship of a man and woman to indicate the intimacy of the relationship we should have with Him.
When you first get married a bride and groom spend every free moment together. When ever you see one you will usually see the other and they are usually holding hands or sucking face. Honestly at times they can be just plain annoying they are so happy and “in love.” You might see a couple at a restaurant and they are so into their conversation it’s like no one else is there and you say to yourself they are obviously newly weds. They want the whole world to know they just got married, we even write “just married” on the car they leave their wedding in. We are talking in love here.
When I was first divorced I went to a church and decided to join a Sunday school class for the first time, the problem was the only class that was in my age group was the young marrieds. Are you kidding me! Being newly divorced you can imagine how annoying it was for me to see all these young men and women being all gooshy with one another.
A new bride will do everything she can to make her new man happy even at the cost of her own needs and wants. They will attend events or movies that they don’t like to please their new spouse but after a while the newness wares off and the being together 24/7 is not as pleasing as it once was. You’ve heard the saying “the honey moon is over.” The worst part is when the honey moon is over for one and not the other or a woman who no longer feels like the main attraction in her husband’s life. The Bible even talks about it.
Proverbs 30:21 Under three things the earth is disquieted, and under four it cannot bear up:
23: An unloved and repugnant woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.
If your new spouse started loving someone more than you would you have a problem with that?
Guess what Jesus does to.
Matthew 10:37-39 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

We talk so much about the love Jesus has for us but I want to challenge you to focus on your love for Him. Does he have unrequited love? Did you used to find alone time with Him. Did He used to be a top priority in your life? Did you used to talk to Him all the time but now you’re busy with work, family and other responsibilities that have somehow become more important? Has He ever had this place in your heart?

I know when I had my first love I would go out of my way to see him any chance I got. I also remember being so in love with someone and he did not feel the same way. It was awful, truly a living hell but I still took every chance I could to spend time with him. I would rearrange my entire life to spend 10 minutes with him.
When you’re in love or love someone you will do the craziest things. Take a moment right now and reminisce on a time in your life when you did something crazy for love……
On another note let’s talk about sin or in other words our actions toward the one we love and in this scenario that would be Jesus. I’m making a conscious effort to make decisions in my life to honor God. The Lord has really convicted me about movies and the fact that we have no problem watching them even when they use the Lord’s name in vain. You don’t even have to go to an actual movie we have come to the point we will use the Lord’s name in vain on regular TV!
Commandment Number 3 Thou shalt not use the name of the Lord in Vain.
I was talking to a woman (a professing believer in Christ) the other day about movies and she told me she watches movies all the time she knows she shouldn’t but she does it anyway. She said it very matter of fact and very unapologetic. She is a mom too and I thought to myself if you gave rules to your teenager and they not only broke them but looked you right in the eye and said “I know I’m not supposed to do this or that but I did it anyway.” How would you react to that? I know my kids would be ducking for cover and no doubt be punished. Why is it OK to just disobey God? Do you think there will be no repercussion of your decision?
I have made a promise to the Lord that I will shut off the TV or leave a movie if they use His name in vain. A few days after making this promise I went to the movies with some friends and I remember thinking to myself as I took my seat in the theater I really hope they don’t use the Lord’s name in vain so I don’t have to walk out of this movie theater. I mean people think I’m enough of a freak do I have to give them more ammunition?
I’ll be honest when the Lord first brought this movie thing up to me I flippantly said to Him “I guess I’m going to have to give up my whole life” no sooner had the words came out of my mouth Jesus said to me “whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Talk about the word coming to life!
I felt so bad; I apologized to the Lord for being such a jerk. Jesus obeyed His father even when He didn’t want to. He prayed to God before His crucifixion to the point he was sweating blood and asking God if there was another way He could do His plan. The bottom line was He would do whatever His father asked, even if it meant dying. (Gena translation)
I don’t want it to be just Jesus in love with me, unrequited love. I want to be in love with Him too and as I say to my children “action speaks louder than words.” I don’t want to become tolerant of sin when sin cost the love of my life His life.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not telling you I don’t mess up I do but I’m going to really try and not take advantage of what the Lord has done for me. I want to show Him my love by trying to be more obedient and I hope you will too.
1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments: 1John 14:15
The saddest thing in the world, is loving someone who used to love you.
Anonymous

I decided to write a new praise song, you can make your own music should you decide to sing it.

Lord I love you
And as I start my day
Help me be kind
With the words that I say

I will seek you during the week
And on Sunday have dessert
How can I eat once a week
And expect not to hunger or thirst

May I share with the needy
And those without hope
May I be strong in your Spirit
To show others how to cope

May I love my enemies
When they are mean to me
May I take the example from
the one who was hung on the tree

May I not curse or swear
Or use your name in vain
May I not make excuses for addictions
And say others are to blame

May I fight for life
No sex out of marriage
Fight for the unborn
Put the baby in the carriage

God unrequited love
Has to be the worst of all
May I not be guilty of it
May I not take that fall

I love you Lord
You are my friend, Savior and mate
May my actions speak loud and clear
When I’m judged at your gate

Thank you Jesus for your power
The Holy Spirit gives
To walk this life victorious
Cause Jesus truly lives!!!!

A Proverb A Day Keeps satan Away

I wanted the first jewel for 2010 to be wise and profound, something with real meaning to bless you so I decided to go to Proverbs. God in his wisdom gave us 31 chapters of free counseling. One for everyday. The hard part was picking just one verse from each chapter.
So here is my list of 31 daily things to do to help fight the SWV (Spiritual Warfare Virus)
1. Whoever listens to me (God) will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. v33
2. If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. v3
3. Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. v27
4. Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. v23
5. For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths. v21
6. There are 6 things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. V16-19
7. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. v2
8. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. V17
9. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker you alone will suffer. V12
10. When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. v19
11. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. V13
12. Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food. V9
13. Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. v10
14. He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. V31
15. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. V17
16. When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him. V7
17. Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. V14
18. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. V21
19. A hot tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again. V19
20. Do not say, “I will pay you back for this wrong” Wait for the Lord, and He will deliver you. V22
21. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. V3
22. Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. V6
23. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. V17-18
24. If you falter in times of trouble how small is your strength: v10
25. Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. V14
26. Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. V 20
27. Better is open rebuke than hidden love. V5
28. He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. V13
29. Fear of man will prove to be a snare; but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. V 25
30. Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. V5
31 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves for the rights of all who are destitute. V8

I would be more concerned with the SWV then H1N1 any day.
There you are my gems, a Proverb a day keeps satan away…..

Final Destination

One of the difficult things about having more than one child is trying to spend quality time with each one of them. I was blessed to have all four of my children and two grandsons with me a couple of weeks ago but I was struggling with trying to give each one individual attention. The most challenging is my third child Nathanael. Not that it’s difficult to be with him it’s just that he’s a teenager so he likes to stay up late and sleep most of the day. I on the other hand fall asleep early and wake up early. We decided to go to the movies for our mommy son time (don‘t tell him I said mommy.)This too is a task as he likes action packed movies and I’m a wimp. We settled on one we both could watch and off we went. Our first clue that we were in trouble was when we entered the theater and there were only eight people in it. The movie was so bad/weird that 2 of those people left during it. It was one of those times when you couldn't leave because you thought any minute the movie was going to get better. We kept looking at each other wondering how in the world they would even end this movie. When it was finally over the remaining people including me and Nathanael just sat there, no one spoke or moved for a moment. I think we were all asking ourselves the same thing. What the heck just happened here? I saw a woman in the bathroom after wards and asked her what she thought of the movie and she said “I’m not sure” that about summed it up. My son apologized because he had the final answer on which movie we saw. The other choice was Avatar which I’m sure was awesome. I told him not to worry but we were to speak of this to no one :) We had a good laugh and great conversation all the way home.
The next day while driving to work I was talking to Jesus about it, I felt bad that we didn't see Avatar so my son could have had more fun. Do you know what the Holy Spirit said to me? Glad you asked.
He said “the other movie no doubt would have been the more entertaining one but in the end your son would have looked back on the night and remembered the great movie, now he will look back and remember the great night he had with his mom.” How beautiful is that. And it’s so true, Nathanael would have shared with his friends all about the awesome movie and later may not even remember he saw it with me. God is so good.
I started thinking about other examples, like the time I was helping friends get ready for a fund raising event. We were all working in the auditorium of the church setting up and in the end it all looked great. The event was wonderful but when I think back on that time I realize the day before, getting ready with all the volunteers was the best part. Relationships were made and we had lots of laughs. The funny thing is I only have pictures of the day we were working and none of the actual night.
I think in our lives we tend to get so focused on the “where” we are going that we lose the joy of the getting there. Here is a quote I think sums up what I’m trying to say.
“After a time, you may find that "having" is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often
true.” Spock, “Amok Time", stardate 3372.7
There is so much that happens during the wanting time. You imagine how it will be when you get there. You make decisions and sacrifices that will get you closer to the destination. God puts people in your path to help you along the way. Most times you find yourself coming up short and you know it can only happen if God steps in. Your faith is made stronger, the Lord says in your weakness I am your strength. I truly believe God loves to show off and He loves for us to give him the opportunity to shine in our lives. Don’t be so anxious for the journey to be over that you miss all the attractions on the way.
When Nathanael and Jess were younger and I had very little money we would walk down town after the shops were closed and play a game called I see. We would look in the windows of the shops and take turns giving clues to what we were looking at and the other 2 had to guess what it was. The cool thing is even though we were outside looking in, the stores were empty so we saw so many things. One night Nathanael was so anxious to go to the next shop he was rushing us and I remember telling him “take your time, the next store will be there and we don’t want to miss something great in this one.”
I could look back on these nights and think, it really sucked we had no money to go buy stuff but I remember long walks with my children using our imaginations and seeing all kinds of cool stuff.
When Anthony and Amanda were young we lived in Virginia and we were really broke. It was so cold there and I couldn't afford to heat the house so we slept in the family room near the wood burning stove. I finally had someone lend me a kerosene heater and Anthony ended up falling on it and getting second and third degree burns on his arm. We had little food and most nights we ate popcorn for dinner.
I decided to make the best of it because I didn't want my kids to feel bad so I told them we were Indians and the popcorn was trail food. I had them help me gather wood from the “Indian fields” to keep the fire lit over night. We told stories snuggled up on the family room floor and were never far apart.
I could remember this time as a depressing one and rightfully so. I had no food to feed my kids and I worried they would be to cold but I remember us huddled in sleeping bags next to a wood fire eating Indian food and they were so excited to be playing this fun game with their mommy. If you were to ask them if we were poor during that time they would have no idea what you were talking about. Today I have such a strong bond with my oldest children because of what we went through on that part of our journey. We saw God provide for us in amazing ways.
When Paul was getting ready to leave this world he said.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7
I can only imagine what transpired during that race and the memories he took with him.
The Lord has a plan for each one of us and sometimes we are on a part of the journey that we don’t like much. Sometimes we are single longer than we want to be or sick longer or financially struggling longer than we want to be. I believe it’s during these times that we learn the most things, not only about God, but more importantly about our relationship with Him.
When John had the most profound vision which today we know as the book of Revelation he was a prisoner living on a remote island and He was 90 something years old! I’m sure when he told his family about that time he wasn't mentioning the lack of food or the unfairness of being a prisoner, John was talking about what God did.
God is never late and His timing is perfect. He has everything worked out for you.
So Gems I would encourage you to not put all your focus on the end result but each day look for the blessing God has for you. Or better yet the blessing you are made to be for someone else. Seek Him out daily and at the end of the day thank Him for it and for knowing you are one day closer to your next destination. The truth is until you get to Heaven it will be one destination after another but Oh what a final destination it will be!

Gena’s Jewels