The Chase

Isaiah 61:10 (NIV)

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.


Time moves without obeying any stop or yield signs.  It seems like yesterday, I was a young girl being pursued by a young man who seemed to have an interest in me.  Truth be told I had an interest in him! The year was 1979, the Federal debt was $829.5 billion; the U.S. Voyager I space probe photos reveal Jupiter's rings;  Michael Jackson released his first breakthrough album, Off the Wall; average monthly rent $280.00 and the cost of a gallon of gas .86 cents. NO I don't have this memorized, I Googled it! 

What is edged in my mind is the day he came into my life.  In the recesses of my mind, I can see what he was wearing as he leaned on his brown Montego vehicle.  He drove to where I had just moved just to say, "hello". Well--HELLO!

We dated and in 3 years time we got to know each other and then the question, "will you marry me".  HELLO----Yes!  It's been 36 years since the day he pulled up just to bring a greeting.  

Time is an interesting thing; it encapsulates my life.  It let's me know how old I am; reminds me of yesterday and even how long it's been since I last ate.  So, three years later we got married and lived happily ever after.

Well, happily ever after is for fairy tales.  Marriage is hard work; a commitment to each other no matter time brings.  I love this man and I am surrendered to him till death do us part.  He is the covering and provision  that God has sent for me.  He would do anything for me--I know that!!  I love him!

Outside of time is another who desires my hand in marriage.  Actually he will allow his hands to be pierced for the sake of the union.  He shouts from the beginning of time, I love you!  He will re-arrange anything to make me his.  He will leave the Throne Room but never his royalty; He will release a song over me, begin to build a home in glory for me and will satisfy the debt I owe.  This debt is not Federal but Spiritual; sin that has tripped me.  His love will pursue me until I can recognize his call for me.  He will chase, follow me and reveal his eternal love for me.

This relationship is not easy.  I often make more mistakes; break the Father's heart but he is commitment to me!  He is my eternal covering and had made provision to cover my mess.
That year the sin debt might as well been a billion times a billion because one sin was enough to separate me from Him.  But, he loves me.  He paid for my debt.  He is the Groom that has lavished this bride. He loves me!  I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

Papo thank you for sharing this life with me!  Jesus thank you for making me whole and sending this man to love me.  Thirty-six years goes by pretty fast.  Eternity is forever; have you considered the One that is drawing you to Himself?

God bless you!~Liz

www.lizrod.com

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Psalm 143:8 (KJV) Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…… No it’s not winter but the season that precedes it; it is FALL (perhaps not officially)!

This is my favorite time of year with Spring being second in line. As I sat outside this morning in my pajamas, cup of coffee in hand it was glorious! To any visitor that would have stopped by my house this morning- I look like a wreck. You know ladies, you just got up, the hair is a mess; I brushed my teeth and outside I went as if it was a long desired treat!

The breeze was invigorating; I felt like I could climb the trees in my back yard and sway and compete with all the branches that moved to the song of the gentle wind; I was jealous.

God’s creation is so beautiful and as I sat there talking with my Lord and thanking him for the beauty my eyes beheld and the breeze my face felt, well it was a private time of worship with me and my Father.

I rocked back and forth on the swing in my backyard with Bible in hand reading of the different mentions of praise in the Scriptures; so many authors with expression of praise unto God.

There is a boasting and celebration for the great things that God has done! I read once again about the various times of thanksgiving, hands extended in praise to our Lord. The very visible expressions of praise as the writers illustrate how they bowed down to the Lord; the instruments they plucked to honor the Almighty; the songs that were sung in times of pain and victory. Oh praise the Lord oh my soul!

I too began to speak and sing out loud as I praised my God.

Prompted by the very experience of the gentle breeze, my soul began to express thanksgiving unto God!

I was reminded of the day my life changed. Yes, like a gentle breeze I was swept away by the Lover of my Soul! “ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”(John 3:8)

God is so good! Thank you for saving my soul! Thank you for revealing yourself to me over and over again! There is an expression of praise in the Scriptures; in the Hebrew it reads “Todah”. It is an expression of thanksgiving, bringing an offering and in one mention it alludes to an offering of thanksgiving even before the victory comes. “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me (Todah), and to the blameless I will show my salvation.” (Psalm 50:23)

Oh, let us praise his Name! The victory indeed belongs to our God. We all have challenges. Today as I sat outside perhaps an eyesore to whoever passed by; I indeed was visited by the Spirit of God and enjoyed a refreshing time in his Presence! I don’t repel him; he does not care what I look like in the morning or any other time; he is acquainted with suffering (Isaiah 53:3) and he desires my company. He wants me to engage with him daily. “And he talks with me and he walks with me and he tells me I am his own”! YES!!! He loves me!

Can I sing a Christmas song at the end of Summer—yes I can. It’s the most wonderful time of the year…..

God bless you!~Liz

Dynamic World

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

I live in a DYNAMIC WORLD. Just when I think I have all my "ducks lined up" a wind comes and knocks one down.

Change comes for many reasons and I may not always embrace it.

Like a wind that comes unexpectedly, so is life and all its adjustments.

Every time one or two or even three of my "ducks" get knocked down I ask the question, "why?"  Sometimes change is for my good; sometimes change is a rebuke.

In the Bible we see Yahweh, our God bringing change so quickly, it's like a wind; actually it's the Spirit of God moving for His divine purposes.

In Genesis 8:1 we literally see the wind dispatched to bring Noah to dry land. Man's sin had provoked the Lord and he wiped out everything that had life from the earth except for Noah and those on the Ark.Exodus 10:13 tells us how God called the wind from the east to bring a plague of locust on Egypt. 

Wind an instrument of God to bring conviction, judgment or blessing; his very Spirit changing hearts and sometimes landscape. Exodus 10:19 reads, that Pharaoh acknowledged that he had sinned against God and then the Lord sent a strong west wind and carried the locust away.

The Israelites escaped when the Lord sent a strong east wind that parted the Red sea allowing Israel to escape and their pursuers to be overtaken by the water Exodus 14:21-22 .

Metaphorically when we see "wind" in the Old Testament, often judgment is seen coming from the east and deliverance or relief from the west.*

He feeds his people in the desert Numbers 11 when they grumbled against Moses, really their grumbling was against their Delivering God. 

In the New Testament Jesus describes Salvation coming like a wind. Yahweh uses wind for his bidding in the Salvation call. In the Book of John he speaks to Nicodemus and speaks of being born of the Spirit.

God will do anything to get out attention with his great love; he wants us!

Every time change arrives like an unforeseen wind; life making a turn that I am may not ready for, it does not mean I have sinned against God or somehow missed the mark. Sometimes the Lord needs to remind me that I am His and perhaps it's as simple as wanting to get my attention so we can talk. 

Possibly I have neglected to spend time with God in prayer. If somehow I have become self-reliant, a very dangerous place to be; he may have to send a gentle breeze knocking down my "perfectly" duck alignment so he can get my gaze back on Him.

In a dynamic world, I am lead by a Dynamic God. He does not operate in a "cloning" fashion. He is Unique and works all things out for my best. His helicopter view of my life allows Him to see the end from the beginning.

I must stay dependent on Him. 

Ducks knocked down; no longer in control, we may ask "why?"

If I have sinned, I best repent and get right with the Lord. 

We all need adjustments.


Many years ago he knocked down every "duck" I had. I was captivated by his love and the sweet wind of the Spirit came and my life was never the same; born again by the Spirit of God!

It's possible He will find you a righteous man or women who seeks him daily (read Job).  He may allow what seems unfair to occur, but at the end it brings glory to God.

So how many ducks are standing today? Perhaps we need a chat with our Father!

*Reference: Old Testament Theology of the Spirit of God by Wilf Hilderbrandt

God bless you!~Liz
www.lizrod.com

One Score | 20 Years ago...

...in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.  After 20 years of service my husband has said, "thank you" and moved on.  The Scriptures says, "in everything give thanks" and that's what I will do today. 

I thank God for using my husband's current employer to make provision for my family.  God provided for us through this family-owned company to put food on our table, clothes on our back and shelter over our heads. Even a long-time dream I had came to fruition as we traveled to Alaska.

We've grown as individuals and as a family.  We've matured in the Lord and seen other lives transformed as well.  My mother-in-law was taken from this earth quickly without warning; a painful reality that this life is short.  I saw Salvation visit my father-in-law Avelino and also my mom one day before the Lord called her home.  

Hospital visits to share the Good News resulted in lives changed as I witnessed my uncle's salvation and my other uncle's heart encouraged as the Lord called him. Most recently my cousin Hector surrendered his life to Jesus after yet another bedside outpouring of the Spirit of God.  My brother Moses bowing his knee to the Lord behind bars--God is merciful!

Why go back and remember because it testifies of where we are today.  I rejoice in all that the Lord has done!  

This week brings change.   Sunday is my husband's birthday.  Monday marks four years from the last day I saw my mom on earth.  It's a week with a lot of emotion.

In everything give thanks!

A lot happens in a score (20 years).  

My now adult son was only eleven years child.  My husband and I have celebrated over three decades of marriage.

We endured the Blizzard of 2015, Hurricane Sandy  in 2012 and the Blackout of 2003.

Blizzards, hurricanes and blackouts--some are weather related and yet there is another type of these that we experience in our lives.

In everything give thanks!

But this  morning when I awoke I was reminded that God is over ALL.  With a heart of thanksgiving and gratitude, I say I rejoice today; thank you for my breath this morning.  Thank you for the family you have placed me in.  Thank you for every encounter and heartache.  Thank you for never leaving me. Thank you for the new adventure; we are in your hands--no other place I rather be!

Happy birthday to my husband, Papo! 

I am filled with JOY--not joy like the world promotes but that which comes from the LORD--eternal JOY.

God bless you!~Liz

www.lizrod.com

Road Work Ahead

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

All week I have been redirected by construction signs all over my neighborhood. The road is ripped up; furniture trucks are making deliveries; all kinds of re-routing going on!

What if I did not know how to get to work?  But,  the truth is that the signs are letting me know how to get back on the right road that will lead me to my destination.

Whether young old, the more we walk with the Lord the more we recognize how the "road less traveled" is often intercepted so as not to allow us to reach our end, our purpose.

The Apostle Paul said that he "fixed" his eyes on Jesus--he had every intention to finish this race; to arrive at this glorious destination.

The construction signs on the road this week were intended to point me in the right direction.  If I choose to leave the route; if I begin to complain that the road is bumpy or that I have to  make to many turns--I might miss my destination or at the very least arrive frustrated.

Again, in the Book of Hebrews we read "for the joy set before him" speaking of Jesus; He stood the course. He was tempted by the devil, disowned by the disciples, mocked by men and his own Father turned his back on him. If there were not enough--he was crucified for sinful men! But, glory to God, he stood the course! 

We learn from the Master; the Apostle Paul gleaned from his Lord and was able to remain.

How is the road you are traveling on today?  Are their bumps, redirection signs, closed roads, perhaps their are flags waving letting you know you are going to fast--slow down, stay the course.  Look closely, the Author & Perfecter of our faith is motioning us toward the finish line.

Good thing we know where we are going, right? 

He has made it so that no matter the bumps, if we stay the course we will indeed be welcomed  home. 

God bless you!~Liz

www.lizrod,com

Yard Sale

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (NIV)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Sunday on my way to church I noticed a sign that seemed to point toward a cemetery and it read, "yard sale".  Yard Sale--what on earth would they have to sell? 

What do we have that God has not given to us?  Is there something you possess or enjoy that has not been provided by the Lord?  Well if we understand that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above (James 1:17) then we can surely say the answer is NO.  Everything is provided by our Creator.

What do the dead have to sell?  Obviously, I am being silly for we know when we leave this earth we take nothing with us.  So if indeed this sign was pointing toward the grave yard--the profits of the day would be pretty poor.

Ah, but wait until the Lord returns and a worth that has been poured into lives is revealed-- then that grave yard will be hopping!  The dead in Christ rising as the Lord makes his entrance!  Yeah....now we have something of worth that has kept us during the days we were alive.  Mortal flesh being transformed; "for the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).The Redeemer poured out his life on us--literally his blood to purchase mankind for himself.

See, we really possess nothing--but if we have surrendered ourselves --God possess us! 

While on earth, all that he has entrusted to us is for us to share; to make sure no one around us is naked or going hungry.  We can't fix the entire world, but we can just start with the ones God has put within our reach. 

Bring someone lunch today; give away some clothes--not the one with rips, but the ones you really like.  Let nothing possess us!  Someone needs a day of rest--if you can, set it up and bless them.

On a personal note, I am looking forward to spending time with my two sisters, Betty & Iris.  It seems we never spend time together--life continues to move and we don't stop.  Well, if God wills, we are stopping and I am looking forward for a time to rest and laughter with my sisters.

My mom has been called to glory so we want to celebrate her memory.  Ooooo I can't wait!

A yard sale at the cemetery has nothing to sell.  What we find is a hidden treasure that no man can buy.  We discover that the dead in Christ have had a transformation that redeemed their lives; One who paid  the price and has made sure we are his forever!  We are not for sale--we have been purchased by the Master!

The next time you drive by a cemetery, remember--soon there will be a party going on! The dead in Christ have taken this gift of eternal life with them and soon the transformation will be evident to all!  The dead bones will rise!

Have you been transformed? 

God bless you!~Liz
www.lizrod.com

It's Viral

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

At first it could not be identified.  I’m marked by an ugly red stripe.  Once you take a closer look you realize its bringing destruction to the flesh, along with pain and shooting electrical stings. As the blisters appeared and the red patch surfaced more clearly it was finally diagnosed as shingles.    That’s me—this week!  It’s possible that I was infected as early as last week.  But it took time to emerge and by then it’s too late, you must let it run its course.

At first I just endured it.  Now that I know what it is I am on the attack mode!

When Sin visits at first we may not be able to identify it. Sometimes we can be tricked into thinking it’s no big deal. We may entertain the thought that we can handle it and that no harm will come of it.  If we leave it to infiltrate our lives soon this "soul eating - spirit diminishing - peace devouring " disease will consume us.  There will be pain and regret if we let it travel and make itself at home.  It’s viral; a virus spreading information for your demise.

The Scriptures says that we are the ones that make Sin feel at home.  There is a desire that gives birth to sin and sin when full-grown gives birth to death (James 1:12-16).

As I look back, one of my first thoughts was that it might be shingles; even my first emergency doctors’ visit noted that.  But there was a second guessing which purchased me two more days of grief.  On Monday, I visited my personal doctor who knows me well; she said, “You have shingles”.  She quickly put me on an anti-viral medicated to halt the process of this virus in my system.

When it comes to sin, second-guessing leads us further down the path of destruction.  Not sure if it’s sin? The Bible says, that the Holy Spirit will tell us.  But what if our sensors are dull; lost their ability to hear from God because of the state we’re in?  Ask a friend or someone you trust to help you identify the sin. 

We may not have a red mark or blisters spelling it out—“you’re in sin”!  But often the identifying markers are a withdrawal from church involvement, reading the Bible, praying and worshiping.  We find ourselves distant from the Doctor, Jesus himself!

Before the sin virus continues to spread and destroy our flesh and spirit—get the antidote.  Confession will set us free.  Run to the Doctor there is no waiting line.  He’ll take us right in to his presence.

The antidote will free us even though the marks of sin may remain for a while.  In time, the flesh, the heart, the mind and spirit will be fully restored.  He makes all things new, we just have to ask and confess.

The Shingles have halted.  The flesh is healing, may take another couple of weeks.  I am reminded once again that God has given men wisdom and all healing comes from him.  He is Jehovah-Rophe.  He not only heals, healing is what He is!  He is the Healer!

God bless you!~Liz

www.lizrod.com